When The Dark Knight first hit theaters in 2008, fans were immediately taken with Heath Ledger's The Joker. The now-iconic portrayal of Batman's biggest villain overshadowed just about anything else in the movie.
Unfortunately, the one thing it didn't overshadow was Ledger's untimely death months before the film's release. While it was never confirmed, many fans believed the original plan was to feature Ledger once again in Christopher Nolan's third Batman movie. After all, at the end of The Dark Knight, The Joker is left dangling from a building.
Now, Ledger's intentions to wear The Joker's face paint for the director once again are becoming more clear. In 2016, Kate Ledger--the actor's sister--spoke with Australian press outlet news.com.au about a documentary on her brother's life. While the interview is nearly a year old, it's definitely new to some and provides some very interesting insight into Ledger's mind after production wrapped on the film.
"He was so proud of what he had done in Batman. And I know he had plans for another Batman," she says. "He loved working with Chris Nolan and Christian Bale and Gary Oldman. He just had the best time ever doing that film. When he came home at Christmas, he couldn't wait to tell us all about it, and he was doing the voice and laughing, showing me all the rushes. We had a great time."
Regardless of the circumstances of his death, to his family, Ledger was quite pleased with the character he was able to create and was eager to revisit it. Unfortunately, any plans he had never came to pass.
In the aftermath of Ledger's death, Nolan instead cast Tom Hardy to play the antagonist Bane in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. Sadly, that leaves the world with no idea about what a second movie featuring Ledger as The Joker would be like. There's still The Dark Knight, though, which the actor posthumously won an Oscar for.
Both intensely personal and widely relatable, Night in the Woods doesn't just tell a story--it gracefully captures complex, often unpleasant feelings and experiences. From the quiet melancholy of doing nothing on a rainy day to the emotional vacuum of severe depression, I felt deeply, sometimes too deeply, while wandering through the cartoon-animal version of a small Midwestern town. Its witty writing and character development keep its crushing existential themes grounded, making Night in the Woods one of the most evocative games I've played in a long time.
Night in the Woods follows 20-year-old Mae Borowski--who happens to be a cat--after she drops out of college in the beginning of fall and returns to her tiny hometown of Possum Springs. She's an angsty troublemaker with a bit of a rap sheet and a sharp tongue, and you spend her first few days back kicking around town and catching up with people, including her high school friends Bea and Gregg. A few people allude to something awful Mae did in the past, while others talk about a kid from her high school who has gone missing.
There's enough small-town curiosity in those short, early interactions to be intriguing, but there are plenty of awkward moments that keep Mae's homecoming feeling ordinary. You can talk to an old teacher (who likes Mae despite her awful behavior) and an elderly neighbor (who considers Mae a horrible nuisance), and it feels very real, like any small talk in your hometown--just with Mae's distinct brand of snark. These interactions both offset and highlight the mysterious elements of Possum Springs, a balance Night in the Woods masterfully strikes throughout the entire story.
You'll spend most of your time exploring Possum Springs through light platforming and optional interactions with the same few people you want to talk to, broken up by lighthearted, simple mini-games. For most of the game, you take things day by day, and that slow drip of information bolsters the development of Mae and her friends. This structure manages to feel aimless without being purposeless; every day is similar but not the same, and there's always something new to learn about a neighbor or a dry remark from Mae to make the same few sights feel different each time. It's understated worldbuilding that enhances the impact of the main story--especially through a better connection to Mae, her friends, and Possum Springs as a whole.
Many days end with a choice of activity, like going to the mall with one childhood friend or "doing crimes" with another. This is when a lot of the bigger--and stranger--events take place. Sometimes things are lighthearted, like sneaking into an abandoned grocery store just for the fun of it, but there are also serious talks about past mistakes or what exactly Mae is doing with her life. Watching her struggle to articulate her problems and awkwardly dodge questions about college is hard--especially if you've ever been in a similar position. Combined with melancholic music, a lot of Night in the Woods evokes the feeling of lying in bed all day, despondent and paralyzed by indecision and uncertainty.
Initially, I had an incredibly hard time getting through more than a day without having to step away from the game for a bit. At 20 I was in a bad place with both school and depression, much like Mae, and playing felt more like looking in a very shameful mirror. But there's enough going on in Possum Springs to distract from that early-20s, nearly drowning feeling, and instead of closing my game, I looked forward to the respite of mini-games and visiting friends at work, both for Mae's sake and for mine.
I began checking every corner of town hoping to find the smallest or silliest of moments, and I often got them. I shoplifted pretzels (in a red-light, green-light style mini-game) for baby rats just to see what would happen if I fed them, and I listened to a neighbor's dumb poetry every day because she could easily have been someone I know in real life. At the center of Night in the Woods is a story about a young adult who has gone numb, and those experiences on the periphery are what she--and anyone who's lived through an emotional void--does to feel anything at all.
The unfortunate reality is that finicky controls, and even some scenes that feel forced, occasionally interrupt Night in the Woods' evocative atmosphere. More than one scene requires you to complete simple platforming to proceed, for example; sometimes it's unnecessarily hard to execute thanks to poorly placed platforms, and in general, having a hard objective is at odds with a game that is otherwise not really gamified.
At the center of Night in the Woods is a story about a young adult who has gone numb, and those experiences on the periphery are what she--and anyone who's lived through an emotional void--does to feel anything at all.
Night in the Woods does have a game-within-a-game: a dungeon-crawler called Demontower that you can play on Mae's computer. It's another good distraction--I played it right before having Mae go to bed, much like I would in real life--and it's a throwback to the kinds of games you might have put a lot of hours into in the mid-2000s. As a cute detail, you can pick up where Mae apparently left off a decade earlier (and if you don't like Demontower, you can just go on the computer to IM your friends after a night out).
By the third and final act of the game, I had grown seriously attached to Mae and her crew of deeply flawed but charming weirdos. Their experiences in a struggling, dead-end town are relatable even if you're nothing like them--and that's what gives Night in the Woods its emotional impact.
From beginning to end to epilogue, Night in the Woods is ultimately open to individual interpretation. How you relate to it depends on your own experiences and choices, including Mae's dialogue and who you decide to spend time with. Though its charming and angsty story works well on its own merits, it's special because of how it prioritizes conveying emotion over telling a straight narrative.
Editor's note: This review has been updated to reflect our time with the Nintendo Switch version of the game. -- February 1, 2018
With three major Xbox One consoles out on the market, it's easy to be a little confused as to the different specs and features of each model. We're going to clear that situation up in this article and break down which of Microsoft's systems is right for you. Make sure you also check out our review of the original Xbox One, our Xbox One S review, and our Xbox One X review. To see how all the modern consoles compare, check out our in-depth system spec chart.
Xbox One Specs
Xbox One
Xbox One S
Xbox One X
CPU
1.75GHz 8-core AMD custom CPU
1.75GHz 8-core AMD custom CPU
2.3GHz 8-core AMD custom CPU
GPU
Integrated AMD graphics clocked at 853MHz with 1.31 teraflops of performance
Integrated AMD graphics clocked at 914MHz
Integrated AMD graphics with 6 teraflops of performance
RAM
8GB DDR3
8GB DDR3
12GB GDDR5
Storage
500GB (5,400rpm) hard drive, supports external hard drive storage
500GB, 1TB, 2TB (5,400rpm) hard drive options, supports external hard drive storage
1TB hard drive
Dimensions
13.1x10.8x3.1 inches
11.6x8.9x2.5 inches
11.8x9.5x2.4 inches
Weight
7.8 pounds
6.4 pounds
8.4 pounds
Color
Black
Black and white
Black
Optical Drive
Blu-ray/DVD
4K/HDR Blu-ray drive
4K/HDR Blu-ray drive
Networking
Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi A/B/G/N 2.4GHz and 5GHz
Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi A/B/G/N/AC 2.4GHz and 5GHz
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz
Internet Subscription
Xbox Live required to play online
Xbox Live required to play online
Xbox Live required to play online
Ports
Power, HDMI in, HDMI out, 3x USB 3.0, S/PDIF, Kinect port, IR out
Power, HDMI 2.0a in, HDMI 2.0a out, 3x USB 3.0, S/PDIF, Kinect port, IR out
Power, HDMI 2.0a in, HDMI 2.0a out, 3x USB 3.0, S/PDIF, IR out
4K Support
No
Yes (video)
Yes
HDR Support
No
Yes
Yes
Release Date
November 22, 2013
August 2, 2016
November 7, 2017
Release Price
$499.99
$299.99 (500GB), $349.99 (1TB), $399.99 (2TB)
$500 / £449 / AU $649
Current Price
$249.99
$299.99 (500GB), $349.99 (1TB), $399.99 (2TB)
$500 / £449 / AU $649
What are the differences between the Xbox One and Xbox One S?
Released in 2016, the Xbox One S represents a smaller, marginally more powerful version of the 2013-released Xbox One. With its 11.6x8.9x2.5 inch chassis, the black and white redesign is 40 percent smaller. It's also 1.4 pounds lighter, weighing 6.4 pounds. This is impressive when you consider that the S has an integrated PSU, unlike the original Xbox One, which came with a large external power brick.
There S has several design tweaks. For instance, it replaces the capacitive power button with a physical one, which helps prevent accidental shutdowns. The S also removes the Kinect port. Unlike the original Xbox One, which was designed to lay horizontally, the S can also stand vertically.
In terms of specs, the Xbox One S has an overclocked GPU that got boosted from 853MHz to 914MHz. There's a chance you may see a slight performance improvement in games that don't have locked frame rates, but Microsoft primarily implemented the higher frequency to provide more overhead to support 4K HDR video playback, which is a feature the original Xbox One lacks. To supplement this new feature, the S also comes with a 4K HDR blu-ray player. While the original Xbox One debuted with a 500GB hard drive, the S features 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variants.
The S model also comes with a slightly more refined controller that features a new textured grip. It also now supports Bluetooth, so users can use it with their Windows 10 PCs.
Should you upgrade to an Xbox One S if you have an Xbox One?
While the Xbox One S offers a small performance boost over the original, if you have a perfectly functional Xbox One, a more meaningful upgrade would be a move to the Xbox One X, which is significantly more powerful than either system.
Xbox One/Xbox One S vs Xbox One X
Formerly codenamed Project Scorpio, the Xbox One X represents a significantly more powerful version of the Xbox One that's tailormade to take advantage of the burgeoning 4K TV market. Like the S model before it, it also supports HDR and comes with a 4K HDR Blu-ray drive.
Measuring 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.4 inches (30 x 24 x 6 cm), the Xbox One X is the smallest Xbox yet. This is especially impressive when you consider that, like the S model, it also has an integrated PSU. Aesthetically, it looks like a black version of the S and maintains its physical power button. It also doesn't have a Kinect port.
In terms of specs, it features improved hardware across the board. While it still uses a custom 8-core CPU from AMD, it's frequency has been boosted from 1.75GHz to 2.3GHz, which is 550MHz faster than the Xbox One/S before it. It also features a new integrated GPU from AMD that's capable of delivering six teraflops of graphics performance, which is more than 4.5 times as much as the original Xbox One. In terms of memory, the Xbox One X eschews the 8GB of slower DDR3 RAM for 12GB of GDDR5 memory. Microsoft says that 9GB of it is allocated for games with the rest of the 3GB going to the operating system.
While the Xbox One X still uses a hard drive as opposed to an SSD, its HDD is faster than its Xbox One equivalent and can load games more quickly.
What are some of Xbox One X's advantages?
The Xbox One X has specialized hardware that will allow every game to run with anisotropic filtering, which will allow textures off in the distance to look cleaner and sharper.
Games that carry the Xbox One X Enhanced label have been tweaked to take advantage of the console's superior hardware. These improvements may take the form of native 4K rendering, added HDR support, or an FPS boost.
While the Xbox One X works best with 4K HDR TVs, 1080p TVs can also benefit by using the extra processing power to bolster frame rate or add extra graphical features like improved lighting and textures. 1080p TVs can also benefit from the Xbox One X's ability to enable supersampling, which is a potent form of anti-aliasing that mitigates unwanted jaggies.
Which Xbox One consoles support HDR?
Both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X support HDR. The original Xbox One does not.
Are there any user interface differences among the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X?
No. All versions of the Xbox One use the same operating system and user interface.
Which Xbox One console should you get?
If you don't already have an Xbox One and have a 1080p TV and just want an affordable option to play Xbox One games, the Xbox One S is a sensible choice. We wouldn't suggest upgrading to an Xbox One S if you already have an Xbox One, however, considering you won't get a significant performance boost. If you have a 4K TV, or are interested in getting one in the near future and have the extra cash to spare, the Xbox One X is a better long-term investment. It's the most powerful console out today and can potentially provide sharper visuals, more vibrant colors, better performance, and added graphical bells and whistles. Should you upgrade to an Xbox One X if you already own an Xbox One? We would generally only recommend upgrading if you have a 4K TV and the disposable income to spare.
Another new batch of games have arrived for Nintendo Switch. Switch owners have a lot of great options to choose from this week, as 12 new titles are now available on the Eshop, as is the first DLC for the Pokemon fighting game Pokken Tournament DX.
In addition to the above releases, the first wave of Pokken Tournament DX DLC is now available. On top of new customization items for your avatar, the DLC adds a new playable Pokemon, Aegislash, as well as two support characters: Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu. The DLC can only be purchased as part of the game's $15 Battle Pack, which will also get you access to a second wave of add-on content in March. That consists of another new playable Pokemon, Blastoise, and two more support Pokemon: Mew and Celebi.
Progress is not quite faster than a speeding bullet.
With Black Panther headed to the big screen and Black Lightning tearing it up on the CW, it's a watershed moment for black superheroes. That doesn't mean that it's been an easy journey to get here. The following moments represent some of the biggest steps forwards--and some backward--for superheroes of color.
27. 1941: Marvel's first black sidekick
A few months before Pearl Harbor plunged America into World World II, Timely Comics (later known as Marvel) published Young Allies, a comic series about a group of kids who help Captain America and Bucky Barnes fight the Red Skull. One of the team members is a big-lipped, superstitious, and dim-witted African American that embodies some of the worst stereotypes of the era. His name? Why, Whitewash Jones, of course.
26. 1942: The Big Red Cheese gets some help
Around the same time, Captain Marvel editor Ed Herron introduced Billy Batson's simple-minded "valet," Steamboat, in America's Greatest Comics #2. Steamboat was supposed to be a positive role model and was created to draw in black readers, but many fans disagreed, including over 11,000 schoolchildren who called themselves the Youth Builders, and a group of African Americans who traveled to Fawcett's editorial offices to protest in person. Executive editor Will Lieberson took their side, and Steamboat disappeared from the book in 1945.
25. 1944: A big behind-the-scenes debut
Matt Baker, the first known African American comic book artist, made his debut penciling the cover story in Jumbo Comics #69, which features a leopard skin-clad crimefighter known as Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. The tale, "Slaves for the White Sheik," features the noble, aristocratically-born white hero freeing the hapless black natives who have been forced to participate in an illegal pearl-harvesting operation.
24. 1947: Enter Lion Man
In the late '40s, Orrin Cromwell Evans, the first black reporter to handle "general assignments" for a mainstream white newspaper, produced and published the only issue of All-Negro Comics, which Time Magazine called "the first [comic] to be drawn by Negro artists and peopled entirely by Negro characters." While private eye Ace Harlem is All-Negro Comics' big star, the issue also features a story starring Lion Man, a college-educated African American who ventures to Africa to fight white criminals.
23. 1954: Waku swings into action
Marvel, then called Atlas, introduced its first black hero, Waku, Prince of the Bantu, in Jungle Tales #1. While Waku isn't technically a superhero, he shares many of their traits, including a tragic backstory (he's orphaned at the very beginning of his tale) and a resolute no-killing policy.
22. 1964: From fan artist to counter-culture icon
Richard Eugene Green, better known as "Grass," made waves as the first black man to join the burgeoning fan art and underground comics community. His early comic, the superhero adventure title Xal-Kor the Human Cat, owed a huge debt to the Golden Age comics of the '30s and '40s. It quickly became one of the most popular features in the Star Studded Comics fanzine, which also featured early work from future Marvel editors-in-chief Jim Starlin and Roy Thomas, renowned superhero artist Dave Cockrum, and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.
21. 1965: Mainstream comics' first black title star
The first African American character to headline his own comic arrived when Dell Comics published Lobo #1, starring the mysterious gunslinger of the same name. The series only lasted for two issues and was cancelled after roughly 90% of retailers refused to sell Lobo because of its lead's skin color.
20. 1966: All hail the king of Wakanda
Black Panther, arguably the first real black superhero, appeared in Fantastic Four #52, in which he helped Marvel's first family defend Wakanda from Klaw, a scientist-turned-supervillain. Black Panther, real name T'Challa, went on to become a mainstay in the Marvel Universe. He joined the Avengers in 1968, starred in Marvel's first long-running multi-issue story arc in 1973's Jungle Comics #6, took on the Ku Klux Klan in the same series in 1976, and made his big screen debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
19. 1969: The Falcon takes to the skies
Black Panther might be Marvel's first black superhero, but the company's first African American hero didn't appear until a fews year later, when Sam Wilson (alias the Falcon) popped up in Captain America #117. The Falcon quickly settled into the role of Cap's sidekick, and ultimately assumed the shield and cowl when old age caught up with Steve Rogers in 2014.
18. 1970: Ebon beats Marvel to the punch
Two years before Luke Cage burst onto the scene, indie cartoonist Larry Fuller (pen name Christian White) published Ebon, which is widely considered the first superhero comic with a black main character (Ebon might also be the first superhero comic produced entirely by a single black man, although that's debatable). The comic only lasted for a single issue, but that didn't deter Fuller, who went on to create the hilarious, satirical, and undeniably filthy underground comic series White Whore Funnies.
17. 1970: Green Lantern learns a lesson
Until the '70s, DC Comics' lineup was very, very white. Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams challenged the company's lack of diversity in Green Lantern #76. The issue includes a now iconic exchange in which a poor African American man accuses Hal Jordan of ignoring Earth's racial injustices in favor of extraterrestrial threats.
16. 1970: DC's first black superhero isn't who you think
Despite what you might've read lately, DC Comics' first black superhero wasn't Black Lightning. Green Lantern John Stewart, Legion of Super-Heroes member Tyroc, and the New God's avatar of death, the Black Racer, all hit spinner racks before him. DC's first black superhero, however, was actually Mal Duncan, a gifted boxer who joined the Teen Titans in issue #26 of their ongoing series. While Mal didn't originally have any powers beyond his fighting prowess, he later gained a variety of abilities and went by a number of superhero code names, including Guardian, Hornblower, and Vox.
15. 1971: Kryptonians are racist too
A year later, in Superman #239, DC Comics made a misguided attempt to explain why we'd never seen Kryptonians of color before. Apparently, black Kryptonians were segregated from the rest of the population and lived somewhere called Vathlo Island. Understandably, Vathlo Island was only mentioned a handful of times before it disappeared entirely.
14. 1972: A (cover) star is born
The first mainstream black superhero to get his own comic book was Luke Cage, who debuted in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. Initially, Luke Cage was a jive-talking hustler, and his adventures relied heavily on tropes and stereotypes from popular blaxploitation films. Eventually, the blaxploitation craze ended, and Luke's title faded away. However, the bulletproof hero has been a fixture of the Marvel Universe ever since, and even got his own Netflix TV series in 2016.
13. 1973: Wonder Woman's sister
DC might've been behind the curve when introducing black superheroes, but it actually beat Marvel on the superheroine front. In Wonder Woman #204, DC introduced Nubia, a black Amazon with a claim to Wonder Woman's title. Like Diana, Nubia was crafted out of clay and brought to life by the gods. Unlike Diana, Nubia was raised by Mars, the god of war, and not Hippolyta. Nubia's also a better fighter than Diana, and beat Wonder Woman in a duel before returning to her home, the Floating Island, in her debut story.
12. 1975: A new goddess in town
Giant-Size X-Men #1 didn't just revamp Marvel's merry band of mutants. It also introduced Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm, Marvel's first black superheroine. Raised as a thief on the streets of Cairo, the young mutant was regarded a goddess in her native Africa after her weather-controlling powers kicked. Later, Charles Xavier tracked her down and made her a core member of the X-Men team.
11. 1975: M'Shulla and Carmilla, sittin' in a tree…
The first interracial kiss in mainstream superhero comics took place in Marvel's Amazing Adventures #31, when M'Shulla Scott and Carmilla Frost, allies of the freedom fighter Killraven, locked lips during a down moment. Interestingly enough, that's actually the second interracial kiss that writer Don McGregor snuck into a mainstream comic book. The first happened in Creepy, a horror title from Vampirella publisher Warren, after McGregor's artist misread the writer's script and added an unintended smooch between its two leads.
10. 1977: Black Lightning
As the '70s rolled on, DC wanted their own take on black heroes like Luke Cage and Black Goliath, who got his own superhero identity and comic book in 1975. The company contacted former Luke Cage scribe Tony Isabella and tried to recruit him to write a character named The Black Bomber, who was a white racist who turned into a black man whenever he got angry. Isabella pointed out that this was a terrible idea and countered with Black Lightning, a super-powered high school principal who assumed his superhero mantle out of desperation, not some higher calling. DC approved, and Black Lightning went on to be DC's first African American headliner.
9. 1977: Big screen debut
The first movie starring a black superhero wasn't a big-budget Hollywood production. It was a low-key blaxploitation flick called Abar, the First Black Superman (later renamed In Your Face to avoid trademark complications). In the film, a scientist gives a chemical concoction to a local heavy, creating a superpowered vigilante who fights neighborhood bigotry. Abar was filmed on a shoestring budget and didn't have official permits, but it didn't matter; when the police arrived to shut down filming, a real life motorcycle gang that had been hired to appear in the film scared the fuzz away.
8. 1990: Indie creators get in the game
Brotherman wasn't supposed to be a cultural icon. Artist Dawud Anyabwile and his brother, writer Guy Sims, created the character as a parody, intended mainly to drive business to Anyabwile's airbrushing store. And yet the character--an everyman who doesn't actually have any powers--is widely credited with reinvigorating the black indie comics community. Anyabwile sold over 750,000 copies of Brotherman before the series ended in 1994. In 2018, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture announced that it would add Brotherman materials to its archives, citing the comic's "historical and unique" influence on the indie comic scene.
7. 1993: The Dakotaverse is born
Fed up with mainstream comics' lack of diversity, Dwayne McDuffie and a group of other black creators founded Milestone Media, a company devoted to empowering people of color both on- and off-panel. Milestone's books were published by DC, but their creators retained both editorial independence and intellectual property rights. While Milestone's comic division closed in 1997, its franchises remain popular. Static, one of Milestone's flagship characters, got his own cartoon series in 2000, while characters like Rocket and Icon made appearances in Warner Bros.' sidekick-oriented animated series Young Justice.
6. 1993: Meteor Man crashes
Meteor Man might be the first mainstream movie featuring a black superhero, but sadly, it's not very good. Despite the appearances by celebrities like Robert Townsend, James Earl Jones, Sinbad, Cypress Hill, and Bill Cosby, the campy, lighthearted superhero adventure failed to win the hearts of critics or audiences and only made back $8 million of its $30 million budget.
5. 1997: A tale of Spawn and Steel
In August 1997, the first two superhero flicks starring established black characters debuted at the box office. Spawn, starring Michael Jai White as Todd McFarlane's popular anti-hero, hit screens first. Steel, a Superman spin-off with all references to Superman removed, followed two weeks later. While Spawn was a moderate success, Steel tanked, putting a quick end to star Shaquille O'Neal's Hollywood aspirations.
4. 1998: Gone vampire hunting
Blade wasn't just the first Marvel movie starring a black character. It was the second Marvel movie ever to get a theatrical release in America (only Howard the Duck beat Blade to cineplexes). Starring Wesley Snipes as a character first introduced in Marvel's The Tomb of Dracula--in 1973--Blade singlehandedly kickstarted the superhero movie craze, spawned two sequels, and got a television spin-off in 2006--which ended up being the first Marvel TV show with a black lead.
3. 2004: The truth comes out
Truth: Red, White & Black, a seven-issue miniseries by Robert Morales and Kyle Baker, tells the story of a government program to recreate Captain America's super soldier serum using black soldiers as test subjects, most of whom are mutilated or killed by the experiments. Online, traditional comic book fans condemned the book, while critics praised Marvel's decision to highlight the sordid and brutal history of America's race problem, especially the infamous and highly unethical Tuskegee syphilis experiments on which Truth was partially based.
2. 2018: Jefferson Pierce returns
Since 2012, the CW has become the go-to place for superheroes on television. While the network has featured a number of characters of color, particularly on its lighthearted team-up series Legends of Tomorrow, the CW's ever-expanding line of DC-themed TV shows didn't get a black lead until Black Lightning debuted in January. Reinventing Jefferson Pierce as a retired vigilante who needs to suit up again when a criminal gang threatens his family, Black Lightning's first episode scored the best ratings for a CW premiere in two years, and looks set to join The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl as a CW mainstay.
1. 2018: Black Panther goes big
After 17 big budget superhero adventures starring white men, Marvel Studios will release its first big-screen movie with a black lead in February 2018 when Black Panther hits theaters. The movie's been in development since 2005 (although Wesley Snipes tried to get a Black Panther movie off the ground as far back as 1992) and stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong'o. Black Panther is a big step forward for Marvel behind the camera, too: The film is directed by Ryan Coogler, who previously helmed Fruitvale Station and the Rocky spinoff Creed. He's the first black director that Marvel's hired.
Bendis makes his debut in April with Jim Lee in Action Comics #1000, but in the following month, he will be helming Man of Steel, a six-issue weekly miniseries. The comic, which features six interconnected covers by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado--seen below--is a retelling of Krypton's final days as well as Kal-El's journey to becoming Superman. In addition, a new villain will be introduced to the DCU and a secret about Krypton's destruction will be revealed. Joining Bendis for this miniseries are artists Ivan Reis, Evan "Doc" Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes, and Jason Fabok.
Covers 1-4 for Man of Steel. Courtesy of DC Comics
Following Man of Steel, Bendis will be writing Superman #1, which debuts on July 11. Ivan Reis will be supplying the art for the book. In addition, Bendis will join artist Patrick Gleason when he takes over for Action Comics, starting with issue #1001 on July 25.
In addition to Superman, Bendis' noir crime titles, including Jinx, Powers,Scarlet, and more will find a new home at DC. Some of his Jinxworld series like Brilliant, Total Sellout, and Fire, Fortune, & Glory will be available in the digital format this spring. DC revealed that there will be new stories from the Powers, Scarlet, and The United States of Murder INC series throughout 2018.
Brian Michael Bendis is best known for his long comic runs at Marvel, which primarily includes Ultimate Spider-Man, which kickstarted the Ultimate Comics line at the publisher. He and artist Sara Pichelli are credited for the creation of the second Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Bendis' work has also made it to the small screen, with Powers, a show about a former superhero turned police officer that ran for two seasons on the PlayStation Network.
If you've paid any attention to recent trends in games, you're aware of the exploding popularity of the battle royale game mode. This is due in large part to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which sold several millions of copies in its early access period alone, and consistently tops Steam concurrent players numbers on PC today. PUBG is also taking the Xbox One by storm with over three million players. There was bound to be something soon after to capitalize on this trend, and Fortnite was first in line; it's also free to play on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. By adapting its original Save the World mode to the 100-player deathmatch of battle royale, Fortnite presents a distinct twist on the genre.
In the video above, we break down what makes these two seemingly similar games drastically different. If you want to read instead of watch, be sure to read our full feature on what makes PUBG and Fortnite unique and which game you should play.
In a nutshell, Fortnite: Battle Royale offers a fast and loose feel, much like an arena shooter, with simple crafting/building mechanics that are absolutely necessary to master. Being able to construct a makeshift house in the heat of battle or even just a wall for cover are some of the basic practices that give you an advantage. On the other hand, PUBG plays much closer to a tactical shooter: it maintains its military sim roots while giving you a more accessible, streamlined experience. PUBG is all about tension and precision.
We can go on with comparing and contrasting these two wildly popular games, but we'll leave it up to you to watch our video feature above. If you're still waiting for the right game to jump in, check out five games that could use a battle royale mode. For more on Fortnite, be sure to keep with our coverage: Epic is offering players a little something for recent server issues and a limited-time sniper-only event is currently going on. If PUBG is more your style, check out what's new for the game in its latest update or our PUBG review.
It is so common for big movies to be previewed, teased, and trailered months in advance that it's surprising to be less than four months away from one of the year's biggest blockbusters without even an official image. But this is the case with the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story, which arrives in May. However, it has now been reported that we will finally see the first trailer this weekend.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trailer will screen on Sunday night during the Super Bowl. It is not surprising that Disney will use the Super Bowl to debut the trailer, as that has long been one of the most important slots for studios to trailer upcoming movies. However, Solo is likely to be the only movie featured that we have seen literally nothing of in advance, making anticipation even higher.
THR also states that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Mission Impossible:Fallout will also screen on Sunday, the latter of which ha snow been confirmed. However, three studios will reportedly skip the game entirely--Fox, Sony, and Warner. So don't expect to see trailers for the likes of X-Men: Phoenix, Deadpool 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Curse of Grindelwald, or The Predator.
Solo has had a troubled production, with Ron Howard taking over directorial duties from Chris Miller and Phil Lord in June last year. There have been rumors that Howard has reshot a lot more of the movie than initially expected. At least one role had to be recast, with Paul Bettany replacing Michael K. Williams. Bettany himself commented in the issue, and said that Howard "reshot a lot more than was originally intended."
However, Donald Glover, who plays Lando in the movie, last month stated that despite the lengthy production, little about the film altered after Howard came on board. "It didn't really [change]," he said. "I think we were never faced with anything like that and [Howard] did a good job of coming in and didn't want us to change what we were doing at all. He wanted us to be comfortable with our vision."
Solo: A Star WarsStory stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca. Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Emilia Clarke also star. It hits theaters on May 25, 2018.
Rockstar Games has confirmed that Red Dead Redemption 2 will launch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 26, 2018. The announcement was made on the official Rockstar Games blog where the company apologised for a delay. The game was originally due out during Spring 2018, following an earlier delay from fall 2017. According to Rockstar, this new delay affords the studio extra time to improve the game.
"We are excited to announce that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on October 26 2018," it said. "We apologize to everyone disappointed by this delay. While we had hoped to have the game out sooner, we require a little extra time for polish."
It continued: "We sincerely thank you for your patience and hope that when you get to play the game, you will agree the wait will have been worth it. In the meantime, please check out these screenshots from the game. We look forward to sharing a lot more information with you in the coming weeks." Alongside the release date announcement, a selection of new screenshots have also been released, which you can check out below.
Click image to view in full screen gallery
As previously detailed, Red Dead Redemption 2 follows protagonist Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang "as they rob, fight and steal their way across the vast and rugged heart of America in order to survive."
Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to both PS4 and Xbox One; however there's no word on a PC version as of yet. The first Red Dead Redemption has not been released on PC, but Rockstar's last major release, Grand Theft Auto V, made its way to PC.
Interestingly, in December 2017, Grand Theft Auto V players discovered references to secret missions in an update that connects to Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar later sent GTA Online players an email in-game that provides a clue to help them pursue "rumors of a lost relic from the frontier." Completing this mission awarded players with a Double-Action Revolver for use in Red Dead Redemption 2.
One of the big questions surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 is how the huge success of GTA Online will factor into it. Although Rockstar hasn't announced an online component to the game, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of the studio's parent company Take-Two, previously said to expect a "recurrent consumer spending" element to be included in most if not all of the company's games going forward. He left the exact form this model will take ambiguous, however.
"We've said that we aim to have recurrent consumer spending options for every title that we put out at this company," Zelnick said. "It may not always be an online model. It may not, probably won't always be, a virtual currency model, but there'll be some ability to engage on an ongoing basis with our titles after release across the board."
Based on the potential success of this game, Sega and Creative Assembly have plans in making the Total War Saga a spin-off series that hones in on major conflicts spanning a couple hundred years, rather than the longer wars that the franchise is known for. Although no price point has been set, Sega and Creative Assembly said that it will be lower than the standard $60/£40 price point, reflective of the smaller, yet substantial content the Total War Saga games are designed to offer. That said, Thrones of Britannia will still be as feature-rich as any other Total War game, employing the franchise's familiar gameplay mechanics like Faction Politics, War Fervour, and Diplomacy.
A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia will be available as a digital download. For those who prefer a boxed product, there will also be a limited edition physical version available in some territories from selected retailers. It comes in an embossed steelbook inspired by ornately decorated Anglo Saxon helmets of the period. Along with the game discs, the limited edition will include a double-sided poster showing the campaign map and collectable art cards featuring five of the most prominent in-game faction leaders.
Developer Creative Assembly is primed for a busy 2018 as it makes a return to historical warfare after two Warhammer spin-offs in 2016 and 2017. The last Total War game based on history was Total War: Attila in 2015, which was set at the beginning of the Dark Ages. Creative Assembly is also due to release Total War: Three Kingdoms later this fall, which marks the series' debut in Ancient China.
Sega has also shared the game's system requirements:
Last week it was announced that the title of the next movie in the long-running Mission Impossible series is Mission Impossible: Fallout. It has now been confirmed that the first trailer will screen during the Super Bowl this weekend. While we wait for that, the movie's poster has been revealed.
The poster is more subdued than those of previous entries in the franchise and is dominated by the silhouette of star Tom Cruise, with a helicopter stunt placed on top of the image. Check it out below:
Mission Impossible: Fallout hits theaters on July 27, 2018. While we don't have many plot details yet, director Christopher McQuarrie previously stated that it will be an "emotional journey" for Ethan Hunt. "I've seen five of these movies and I don't know who Ethan Hunt is," he said last year. "One movie sort of dealt with his personal life; the other movies are about people speculating what's really going on in Ethan's head. I want to know who Ethan is in this movie, I want an emotional journey for this character, and Tom really embraced it."
Mission Impossible: Fallout will pair Cruise once again with co-stars Rebecca Ferguson--the breakout star of the last movie--Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Alec Baldwin. Interestingly, Michelle Monaghan will also appear. The actress has previously played Julia, Ethan's wife. After being a major figure in Mission Impossible III, she made an uncredited cameo in 2011's Ghost Protocol but was nowhere to be seen in Rogue Nation.
Konami, the publisher of the Metal Gear series, has reported a rise in both revenue and profits. The company stated its strong results were due in part to Western economies' continued recovery and "stable performance" of its games lineup.
For the nine months ending December 31, 2017, the company's revenue stood at $1.6 billion, a 9% rise over the same period last year. Operating profit for the same timeframe increased by 30% to $351 million. Its digital entertainment division was the strongest performer for the period in terms of revenue, accounting for over 50% of the company's total earnings.
The publisher attributed its success to "strong performance" of its Japanese mobile games and "stable" performance of its console lineup, specifically citing PES 2018 and Super Bomberman R. Konami also has a substantial health and fitness division, its second-biggest section in terms of revenue.
Despite celebrating Western economies' recovery, the company did warn that "the future remains uncertain because of concerns about political and policy movements and a heightening of geopolitical risks."
By Anonymous on Feb 01, 2018 07:30 pm Surviving Mars is coming soon to PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but before you blast off into space, we have some gameplay for you to help prepare for your visit to the red planet.
Looking to wrap up the Switch's first 12-months on a high note, Nintendo will release Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 on its hybrid console on February 16, 2018. GameSpot recently got an early hands-on look at the second game and it's been confirmed that it will perform at a locked frame rate of 60 frames per second. You can see for yourself at the video above.
Developed by Platinum Games, both Bayonetta releases have been recognized as two of the best hack-and-slash games in the last decade. Due to its mix of stylish melee combat and over-the-top gunplay, the series is considered an unofficial successor to Devil May Cry, especially since the first games in both series were directed by Hideki Kamiya.
Both Bayonetta 1 and 2 will bolster an already strong and diverse Switch games library. These two are expected to join the likes of Skyrim, Stardew Valley, and Rocket League--critically acclaimed games that are seeing new life and continued success on the Switch. Both games reviewed well on GameSpot, the sequel earning the rare 10 out of 10 rating; check those verdicts out in the links below.
Bayonetta 1 and 2 arrive ahead of the newest installment in the series, Bayonetta 3, which will be exclusive to Switch. Nintendo hasn't announced release date for Bayonetta 3 yet, but the company did share a brief teaser trailer for the game, which you can watch here. You can also catch up on all our other Bayonetta Switch news below.
We check out why Fortnite's Battle Royale mode has gotten so popular and how it separates itself from PUBG.
Surviving Mars is coming soon to PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but before you blast off into space, we have some gameplay for you to help prepare for your visit to the red planet.
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