The Force Awakens wasn't the first attempt to continue the story of the Skywalker family. The original Star Wars sequel trilogy actually launched way back in 1991, although you'd be forgiven for missing it--after all, it debuted in bookstores, not the local theater.
Now that The Last Jedi has split the Star Wars community in two, some fans have proposed that Disney should have brought author Timothy Zahn's Thrawn books--the original Star Wars sequel trilogy--to the big screen instead of introducing viewers to Rey, Finn, Poe and the rest. But those books are decades old. Would they really be better than Lucasfilms' newest efforts? And what makes them so popular, anyway?
It's all a matter of timing.
Reanimating a dead universe
It's hard to imagine these days, when every year brings a new Star Wars movie and a truckload of spin-off media, but in the early '90s Star Wars was effectively dead. In the '80s, Lucasfilm had tried to keep the franchise alive with animated series like Droids and Ewoks, but those fizzled out. George Lucas claimed that he had more Star Wars stories to tell, but not a single film was in active production. At the time, the only real source of fresh Star Wars material was West End Games' tabletop role-playing game.
Sourcebooks full of stats and trivia aren't the same as brand new stories, however. Fans were hungry for new Star Wars adventures, and Lucasfilm left them high and dry.
That's the climate in which Bantam Spectra released Heir to the Empire, the first book in the Thrawn trilogy. While the book came out in 1991, work on the novel had begun two years earlier, when Bantam Spectra editor Lou Aronica negotiated a secret publishing deal with Lucasfilm. After securing the rights, Aronica hired Hugo Award winner Timothy Zahn to pen the new trilogy, and gave the author carte blanche to do whatever he wanted with Star Wars' classic characters.
There had been Star Wars books before, of course. Before the original film's debut, George Lucas tapped sci-fi legend Alan Dean Foster to write Splinter of the Mind's Eye, which doubled as a blueprint for a potential low-budget Star Wars sequel (obviously, Star Wars did quite well at the box office, and Lucas decided not to adapt Foster's modest story). Two prose trilogies featuring Han Solo and Lando Calrissian appeared on shelves between 1979 and 1983, but those were prequels set before the main Star Wars films.
By contrast, Heir to the Empire is a direct sequel to Return of the Jedi, taking place about five years after the second Death Star exploded. In the book, a blue-skinned and red-eyed Imperial warlord named Grand Admiral Thrawn attempts to restore the Empire to its former glory. In order to secure victory, Thrawn enlists Joruus C'baoth, the deranged clone of a dead Jedi who agrees to help Thrawn in exchange for the deliverance of Luke and Leia, who he hopes to convert into his dark side apprentices. Along the way, the Skywalkers and the gang team up with a nefarious smuggler named Talon Karrde and butt heads with Mara Jade, a Force-sensitive assassin with a dark past.
Heir to the Empire was an immediate hit, and Star Wars fans propelled it to the number one spot on the New York Times' best-seller list. Dark Force Rising, the second book in the series, proved that Zahn's success was no fluke. By the time that The Last Command, the third and final entry in the series, came out in 1993, Bantam Spectra was hard at work on a number of other Star Wars books, which covered topics like Han and Leia's wedding and the Galactic Empire's final days and ultimate collapse.
All told, the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) that Zahn's books kicked off contained roughly 270 novels, in addition to numerous comic books, video games, and other tie-ins, before Disney decided to wipe the slate clean and start over in 2014.
A series of happy endings
Unlike the new movies, Zahn's novels stick to the trajectory set up by Return of the Jedi, taking the story to its natural conclusion. Leia is married to Han Solo, has her own lightsaber, and is pregnant with twins. Luke Skywalker has continued to train in the ways of the force. The Empire is waning, replaced by the democratic New Republic. The action continues, but Star Wars fans' childhood heroes remain heroes. There's nothing complicated about them.
That's wildly different from Disney's new films, which sever the bonds between the original cast and scatter them across the galaxy. In the new canon, the New Republic is a feeble institution hobbled by bureaucracy and corruption. The Empire didn't win, but the Rebel Alliance didn't really, either. Heir to the Empire is comforting in its predictability. While Luke Skywalker's legacy is one of failure in The Last Jedi, the Thrawn trilogy gives him a (relatively) happy ending.
Zahn also had the freedom to play with Star Wars continuity in a way that the new films don't, and offered fans tantalizing glimpses into then-unexplored areas of Star Wars' past. Clones play a big part in the books, as does a fleet of warships created before the still-mysterious Clone Wars. While writing, Zahn incorporated details from West End Games' RPG into his books too, creating the impression that all of this new Star Wars material was part of one consistent universe--a trait that the increasingly convoluted Expanded Universe maintained throughout its 23-year run.
Of course, the most important thing about Star Wars is its characters, and the Thrawn trilogy delivers there, too. Thrawn, who relies on his mind instead of brute force, is a very different type of villain from Darth Vader, but is no less intimidating. Mara Jade, who viewed the Emperor as a father figure, is the perfect foil for Luke Skywalker, a guy with his own daddy issues. Luuke, a Skywalker clone made from Luke's severed hand, is kind of silly, but fans didn't seem to mind too much: In the lead up to The Last Jedi, fans transformed Luuke's origin story into a popular theory regarding Rey's parentage.
Thrawn lives on
It's easy to see why Disney didn't make the Thrawn trilogy into films. The story takes place shortly after Return of the Jedi, and Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher were a little too old for that by the time Disney got its hands on the franchise. Some of the Thrawn canon clashes with the canon established in the Phantom Menace trilogy, and compared to the The Last Jedi, the books play things awfully safe. Besides, brand new characters mean brand new toys to sell, and The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are both full of 'em.
Still, Thrawn's legacy lives on in all kinds of small ways. The Imperial capital Coruscant, which plays a major role in the prequels, got its name in Heir to the Empire. Thrawn is the main villain on Star Wars Rebels, and a new novel by Zahn himself explores the Grand Admiral's backstory and his place in Disney's new canon. In the Expanded Universe, Han and Leia's son, Jacen, trained with Luke before turning to the dark side, echoing Kylo Ren's arc. The entire EU is lousy with super weapons, many of which put The Force Awakens' Starkiller Base to shame.
Ultimately, Heir to the Empire and its successors provided fans with what The Last Jedi didn't: a world where Luke never veers from his path, and where heroism still rules the day. It's not challenging or subversive, but it is comfortable. The Thrawn trilogy won't ever make its way to the big screen, but if you want an alternative to The Last Jedi's bleak take on the Skywalker legacy, look no further than your bookshelf. Heir to the Empire may not be canon anymore, but print is permanent. Thrawn and his friends aren't going anywhere.
Dragon Quest Builders serves as the jumping-off point for a new tale in a new period using an old setting--the storied land of Alefgard from the first Dragon Quest. It's an alternate reality that begins where the original game ends, but with a twist: the hero from the first game didn't defeat the Dragonlord. No prior knowledge of the series is required, but having a familiarity with the its jingles and diverse bestiary helps to invoke a strong sense of nostalgia
Given that the world-crafting genre is uncharted territory for Dragon Quest, Square Enix was wise to make the tutorial equal parts concise and informative. This allows you to start building within minutes of launching the game, and it's satisfying to get the hang of building complete houses, crafting items, and surviving the Alefgardian wilderness. A seemingly menial task like bricklaying is made easy when it only takes one button to set the brick above, below, or at head level. Moreover, the process of upgrading a wall with higher-quality bricks works in one convenient, single-input motion.
It's almost as easy as adapting to Dragon Quest Builders' combat, which isn't as frenetic as fighting in Dragon Quest Heroes--but it moves more quickly than the main series' turn-based battles. This orientation period also showcases the game's heavy emphasis on RPG-inspired questing. Building a bathhouse feels less like a chore when there's a checkmark, a congratulatory jingle, and a grateful NPC who has a reward for you.
Supporting Dragon Quest Builders' story and its objective-intensive draw is a foundation built on 30 years of franchise nostalgia. No, you can't explore settings in later mainstream installments like Zenithia (seen in Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI) or Dragon Quest VIII's Trodain. Still, coming across familiar monsters, such as metal slimes, and well-known items like chimaera wings, will make any Dragon Quest fan smile. It's surprising how well all these elements--running the gamut from the music to the bestiary--have been adapted to this malleable world. Enemies drop crafting ingredients rather than experience. Energy from digging is replenished by eating food. The overworld, as revealed by the camera positioned way up high, won't show the original 1986 map, but the blocky art style will resonate with old-school JRPG enthusiasts.
It's not Alefgard as we've known it, but it's no less inviting--thanks to the familiar aesthetics and the classic low-level enemies who litter the land near your town. Exploring simply for the sake of it isn't time wasted here. Going off in one direction can yield a wealth of resources for crafting items. The only variable that would devalue any free-roaming excursion is when you've maxed out your capacity for an item type--a tough task, since you can carry 99 of something.
Even though the world's terrain is open to manipulation, the maps remain faithful to classic JRPG world design. For example, the farther you venture from civilization, the more likely you'll run into tougher enemies. The journey to a quest destination is seldom a straight line, as Alefgard presents myriad distractions, often with worthwhile rewards. The forests, deserts, and towers have their share of obscured secrets--the kind you often reveal by swiveling the camera. It's doubly rewarding when using visual clues to hunt for treasure underground and inside mountains. A missing block or a brick that looks out of place can be a hint to a nearby prize, such as a useful set of 25 windows for your future buildings.
Advance through the story enough, and all manner of slime and golem will turn the tables and perform a siege operation against your town. You and your comrades work to protect all four sides of your base while you reinforce the perimeter with barriers and automated fire-breathing gargoyle statues. In other words, Dragon Quest Builders plays like a tower defense game at times, putting a delightful twist on the popular genre. You're defending a square area rather than a winding route, and not all of your support options are stationary; this only enhances the diversity of activities in a game that throws plenty of goals at you.
Invasions can do significant damage to your towns, and even if the resources to rebuild are plentiful, repairing your inns and workhouses can be time-consuming; but you can avoid this process altogether if you wish. Dragon Quest Builders' Free-Play mode saves you the grief of hostile monsters and offers more peaceful islands where you can get your architectural juices flowing.
Dragon Quest Builders is full of opportunities to take breaks from questing and defending your town. The franchise's endearing aesthetic, defined by Akira Toriyama's character designs, can make the simple process of building and designing rooms around town fly by. To customize an inn, you need simply place a torch, and get to work laying out beds and other furniture as you wish. Although you can share your personalized building creations, it's not possible to visit your friends' worlds. It's also disappointing that there's no cross-save support between the PS4 and Vita versions, despite the fact that they feature the same content.
The excellence of Dragon Quest Builders illustrates the versatility of this 30-year-old franchise as much as it speaks to the engrossing appeal of Minecraft-inspired creation. The story-advancing draw of quests goes hand-in-hand with the depth of a crafting system that cleverly uses monster drops as some of the game's building tools. Whether you want to focus on completing assignments or build with no specific purpose, the game is feature-rich enough to suck up untold hours, even if this happens to be your first Dragon Quest experience.
Editor's note: Dragon Quest Builders' re-release on the Nintendo Switch proves to be a splendid fit for the hybrid console. Its downgrade to 720p on the Switch is negligible when the framerate is smooth and comparable to the other platforms. The Dragon Quest series' loveable art style, anchored by Akira Toriyama's character designs has never veered toward hyper-realism, which is why this port's visuals easily flourishes even at lower resolutions. And whatever your preferred Switch control and viewing setup, navigating your industrious hero and crafting complex structures becomes intuitive over time.
The Switch-exclusive features--limited to the free-building non-story mode--adds another layer of endearment to a game already brimming with charm. You're now paired with a Great Sabrecub who--despite its preciously compact size--is mountable for swift traversal across your custom maps. This feline who first appeared in Dragon Quest V isn't the only new throwback, though. Free-building also features retro customization options, allowing you to make 2D landscapes in the style of the original Dragon Quest. It's the type of well-designed fan service that will bring smiles to the faces of fans of the franchise.
The flexibility to mold the land and vanquish endearing monsters on a large screen and on the go offers a welcome level of convenience the PlayStation versions lacked. While this is obviously a benefit of all Switch games, the involving nature of Dragon Quest Builders, particularly the sense of player ownership in carving the land to your liking makes this game a strong match for the Nintendo platform. - Feb. 7, 2018, 11:00 AM PT
A new update for Fortnite is on the way soon, and it features new content for the explosively popular, free-to-play Battle Royale mode on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Epic Games has provided a full rundown on what to expect from update 2.4.2, as well as a look at what's coming soon.
For Battle Royale players, new Valentine's Day-themed skins are being added, as you can see in the image below. More significantly, the update marks the addition of the new "silent" weapon that's been teased by the New Updates screen recently. That's turned out to be the Crossbow, which fires arrows, a new ammo type that is unlimited in supply. It can be found in treasure chests or as loot on the ground; Rare and Epic versions are also available.
This patch also features some bug fixes for Battle Royale, such as preventing players from sliding off of rooftops and dealing with a collision issue related to corners in basements. It also updates the recently launched Shooting Test #1 Limited-Time mode. Rather than being a squad activity, it'll now only be playable solo. Headshots with shotguns will now do 200% damage (rather than 150%), and the Scoped Assault Rifle gets some buffs. Additionally, Epic notes that it's aware that stat and challenge progress is not saved when playing the mode, so you may not want to bother with it in the meantime if that's a concern for you.
As noted recently, the Valentine's Day event for Fortnite's co-op mode, Save the World, had to be pushed back. The upcoming 2.5.0 patch will see the launch of its Valentine's Day event, which includes a new questline described as "a love story, told the Fortnite way." There are new heroes tied to the event, as well as the Cupid Crossbow weapon. Separate from that, there's a new "reactive" quest type and an option to increase the difficulty to receive better rewards.
Subsequently, update 3.0.0 will launch the Spring It On event and bring an overhaul to the game's music, while patch 3.1.0 will bring another week of Sprint It On content, improvements to the quest map, and more. You can check out the full patch for update 2.4.2, as well as previews of the following patches, on Epic's website. In the meantime, you can see the newly added Fortnite skins.
Outside of the Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2 bundles, Nintendo hasn't officially packaged the Switch together with any titles, leaving it up to retailers to offer their own Switch bundles. A number have been available in the past from stores like GameStop, but a new Switch bundle from Newegg is a particularly enticing way to get your hands on the console.
On Ebay, Newegg is selling a new Switch with neon red and blue Joy-Cons and two good games for the system, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Fire Emblem Warriors, for $370. If you're just picking up a Switch, chances are you're already planning to get a game alongside it. Considering that each of these titles typically retails for $60 individually while the system costs $300, this bundle gets you an additional game practically for free.
The Newegg bundle is only available in limited quantities, and shipping is limited within the continental United States, so if you're a prospective Switch owner, you'd better take advantage of the deal while it's still available. You can read more about the bundled titles in our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review and Fire Emblem Warriors review.
It was around this time a year ago that we posted several tips for removing viruses, along with preventative measures for avoiding future infections. All of that still applies, but what happens when you have a particularly nasty malware infection that manages to evade your best efforts to eradicate it from your PC?That's when you need to kick your efforts up a notch. If things get really bad, the only recourse is a full-blown reinstallation of Windows, but that should be reserved for a last ditch effort. Before you consider the nuclear option, try these next-level tactics we put together to remove even the most stubborn malware.
Restoring Order
Depending on the type of infection, you might get away with restoring your system to a previous state. A stubborn malware infection is not necessarily sophisticated, and if that's what ails your PC, reverting back to a previous restore point (if one exists) can take your system back in time before things went south. In Windows 10, navigate to Control Panel > System and Security > System Protection and click the System Restore button. You will see a list of any restore points that exist, and if you click on one, there will be an option to scan for affected programs before going through with a restore.
In Windows 7, click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Systems Tools, then click the System Restore program icon.
Shock and Awe
If you're at your wits end trying to remove malware, then it's a safe assumption you already tried scanning your PC with an antivirus program, whether it is the one that Microsoft provides (Windows Defender) or a third-party solution such as Kaspersky. If not, start there, then move on to Malwarebytes, which often picks up malicious files that manage to evade traditional anti-virus programs.
At this point, you've either eradicated your system of malware, or are ready to pound your keyboard in frustration. Don't do that. Microsoft offers a lightweight application called Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) that targets prevalent malware families and is frequently updated. Give that a go, and if you need more firepower, there are several free third-party programs you can (and should) try, including SuperAntiSpyware, SpyBot Search & Destroy, Zemana Antimalware, Norton Power Eraser, and Hitman Pro (free 30-day trial).
Portable Protection
Some of the more sophisticated malware infections are programmed to recognize certain third-party applications and either evade them or prevent them from properly installing. One way to get around that is by using a portable anti-malware program that can be used without installation. Even if you don't have an infection, these are handy to have on a USB flash drive in case a family or friend needs your assistance.
Malware writers play dirty, but so can you. If you've run into a malware infection that prevents your anti-virus program or anti-malware application from loading, you can try changing the program's filename and extension. In fact, the portable version of SuperAntiSpyware already does this by providing a unique filename each time you download the file. That makes it a bit more difficult for malware to sniff out a program.
For other programs, you can take matters into your own hands by navigating to the directory where it's installed and renaming the executable that loads it. For example, the default location for Malwarebytes in Windows 10 is C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\Anti-Malware\mbam.exe. Change the name of mbam.exe to something different, then try to load the program by double-clicking.
You can also try changing the file extension from .exe to .com, which in many cases will not break functionality. To do that, you first have to be able to see the file extension. In Windows 10, open up any folder in Explorer and click the View tab. Go to Options > Change folder and search options, click the View tab, and uncheck the 'Hide extensions for known file types' checkbox. Once you've done that, you can rename mbam.exe to mbam.com and still load the program by double-clicking it.
That's a Funny Name
Some malware is considerably easier to remove once you've stopped it from running. To do this, type 'Task Manager' in the Start menu, and then expand the view by clicking on 'More details.' You will see a list of running programs and background processes. Scroll through these and look for any malware programs that might be clearly labeled, which can be the case if you know exactly what type of infection has found its way onto your system. Also be on the lookout for weirdly named programs consisting of a random string of characters. If in doubt, Google the program to make sure it's not something that is supposed to be running, and if not, right-click and select 'End Task.' Do the same thing in the Startup tab. Once the offending program has stopped running, it can be easier to remove using our other tips.
Roll Out RKill
Not all malware programs hide in plain site. If you're having trouble terminating a malicious program from running in the background, download and run RKill. This handy program was developed by BleepingComputer, a large support community run by volunteers, and a great resource for protecting against and removing malware. RKill is a portable application that doesn't need to be installed. What it does is terminate known malware processes that are running so you can resume trying to remove an infection. It doesn't delete any files, so it's safe to run. That also means you shouldn't reboot your system after running RKill, as any malware processes it managed to kill will just load back up.
Play It Safe
When all your efforts seem to be in vain because a malware infection is always two steps ahead, boot into Safe Mode. When you enter Safe Mode, Windows loads only the bare essentials. This limits the overall functionality of Windows, but it also means that malicious programs will not have a chance to load, putting you in a better position to clean up your system.
There are different ways of booting into Safe Mode. In Windows 10, go the Start menu and click on the power button. While holding down the Shift key, press Restart. When Windows 10 reboots, it will prompt you to select from a list of options. Choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart. In the menu that comes up, press the "4" key to choose the Enable Safe Mode option.
An easier way to get there is to type System Configuration in the Start menu. In the Window that pops up, go the Boot tab and check the Safe boot box. Once you've booted into Safe Mode, you should be able to run an anti-malware program without any resistance.
Boot From a Live CD
Booting to an infected drive, even in Safe Mode, may seem like walking into the middle of a fire with a pail of water. Why not fight the inferno from afar, using a hose? That is sort of the idea behind a bootable rescue CD, otherwise known as a Live CD. Using a rescue CD, you can boot into an environment that is detached from your infected drive, and run a series of diagnostics and tools to pinpoint and eradicate malware.
There are many different options out there, such as Ultimate Boot CD and SystemRescueCD. Some antivirus vendors offer their own rescue CD images as well, including Bitdefender and AVG. These are all viable options, and free to boot, though one we recommend giving a spin is the All-in-One System Rescue Toolkit (also free). This is one of the newer rescue CDs put together by Paul Bryan Vreeland, a field technician who set out to build a streamlined option with both a bootable repair environment and a handful of Windows utilities in the same package. It's free to download (he accepts donations) and it works with several versions of Windows, Linux, and even newer versions of Mac OS.
Time to Reset
If you have gotten to this point and still have not been successful in removing malware, there is one last thing you can try before going nuclear, but only if you're running Windows 10. One of things Microsoft added to Windows 10 is a Reset option that lets you keep your personal files while reinstalling Windows. It's a mini-nuke option, in that it removes your programs and settings, but keeps your documents and other items that you might not have backed up (and really, you should back them up anyway).
To go this route, go to Windows Settings > Update & Security and select Recovery from the left-hand side. You can also type Reset my PC in the Start menu. Under the Reset this PC heading, click the Get started button and select the option that lets you keep your files. Follow the prompts and Windows will take care of the rest.
Surprisingly, a trailer for the Deadpool sequel dropped recently. The upcoming film will be coming to theaters this spring, and fans of the comic book character will finally get to see his counterpart, Cable, on the big screen for the first time. Much like the first movie, Deadpool 2--which is not the official title--will continue its over-the-top and silly sense of humor, which was apparent when we saw the teaser and the recent movie poster.
The sequel stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and introduces Josh Brolin as Cable. In addition, it adds Zazie Beetz as Domino and features Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, and Brianna Hildebrand reprising their roles from the first movie.
Deadpool 2 will come to theater on May 18. It was originally going to release in June but Fox changed the date and then pushed the upcoming horror X-Men film The New Mutants to 2019. The new trailer for Deadpool 2 is a bit crazy, but here's everything we learned about Deadpool 2.
The Future... It Sucks
The trailers opens with Cable looking at a desolated city. From the exterior scenes, we can see that his story starts in the future. In the comics, Cable--the son of Cyclops and a clone of Jean Grey--was infected with a techno-organic virus by Apocalypse. Because of this, Cable was taken to the future to be saved and raised. As you can assume--because we're talking about comic books--the future sucked.
What's Up With The Teddy Bear?
This may be a bit of a stretch, but the teddy bear could be a clue about Cable's story. In the comics, Hope was the first born mutant after the Decimation storyline. She was about to be killed by the terrorist group The Purifiers, who hate mutants, but she was saved by Cable. He believed Hope would save all of mutantkind, so he became her protector. However, there were others, like Bishop, who traveled back in time to kill Hope, in order to prevent an even worse future from happening. The teddy bear could be Hope's from when she was a little girl.
Is this story convoluted and insane? Yes, but a strange and dense plot like this may fit into the world of Deadpool. Considering this story is such a big part of Cable's comic book mythos, there's a good chance it could appear in the movie, especially when the word "Hope" appeared inside the phone booth in the original teaser.
That Green Arm
The first part of the trailer is pretty serious, with Cable saying, "I was born into war. Bred into it. People think they understand pain, but they had no concept of it. What's the most pain you ever felt? Maybe the kind that leaves you more machine than man?" It's like every super-serious trailer we've seen the past few years, but as you'll notice, the CG on Cable's arm isn't completed. Deadpool stops the trailer and says, "It's a metal arm. It's not like we're going to remove a mustache." Take that, Justice League.
This Feels More Like A Deadpool Trailer
Deadpool's trailer takes a drastic turn as the Merc with a Mouth decides to act out the movie using action figures, using Cable to stomp through the streets. "I'm Cable, and I'm from the future, and I like blowing s**t up! Pew pew pew pew." This is the trailer Deadpool fans deserve. Also, there's a 99.9% chance none of this will appear in the movie.
Deadpool Loves Pixar
Deadpool, dressed as Woody from Toy Story, yells, "Reach for the sky." This is Woody's opening line from the movie. Again, this won't be in the movie, but it's pretty awesome.
Deadpool Really Loves Toy Story
Just like Andy in Toy Story, Deadpool writes his name on the bottom of his toy's feet.
Force Field
It's hard to tell from the trailer while it's playing, but if you pause at the right time, you'll notice Cable has a force-field around him while being shot by the DMC guards (more on that later). That's not one of his mutant abilities--although he does have telekinesis. The force-field is just some classic future-tech.
Brick By Brick
There's a brief shot of Deadpool about to smash someone's face with a brick. It looks like Wade Wilson ended up in a mental facility. Is he breaking someone out or is he a patient?
Domino Is Here
We catch a quick glimpse of Zazie Beetz as Domino, and she's about to smash someone's face as well. Once again, this looks to take place in a mental facility.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead--Now With Longer Hair
This is the only shot of Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and she has longer hair. Hopefully, Deadpool makes some more teen angst jokes.
Team Deadpool... X-Force? Is That Shatterstar?
In the image above, there is Domino, Deadpool, and three other people--one of which is played by Terry Crews. We didn't know he was in the movie before, and while every fiber of my being wants him to be playing Bishop, his outfit reminds me of X-Force member Bedlam, a mutant who is skilled in covert ops that can create a bio-electric field around him. Or it could be G.W. Bridge, a former merc who worked with Cable.
Based on the quick glance we get, the character between Domino and Deadpool looks like Generation X member Chamber, who shoots energy out of his chest. The person between Deadpool and Crews is too hard to make out, and it almost looks like the person is wearing a helmet that looks a whole lot like Shatterstar's. He was an early member of the X-Force that originated from Mojoworld, which is a whole bizarre thing on its own.
Who Or What Is "DMC?"
A few times during the trailer, Deadpool and Cable can be seen fighting people with "DMC" on their clothing. No, they are not taking about Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC. Expanding upon the Hope theory from earlier, this may be a group that is trying to round up and take down mutants, which was the start of Hope's story. Could DMC stand for "Department of Mutant Control?" Government agencies trying to destroy mutants has been a major part of the X-Men movies. No, Deadpool isn't a mutant, but he sure does hang out with a lot of them.
Breaking The Fourth Wall Returns
Of course, a big part of Deadpool is his ability to talk directly to the viewer. We see Deadpool turn to the camera and say, "That's just lazy writing," after Cable busts into his home and says, "Time's up, you dumb f**k." Apparently, Deadpool 2 will be everything we loved about the first movie, and a whole lot more.
The first poster for the upcoming Spider-Man spin-off Venom has been released. The movie stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a man who is taken over by the titular alien symbiote, and it's set to hit theaters in October.
The poster was tweeted by the official Venom account, which also hinted that the first teaser for the movie will arrive tomorrow, February 8. The poster places the distinctive shape of Venom's eyes against a black background--check it out below:
Production on Venom only wrapped last week, and Hardy marked the end of shooting with this Instagram post. The movie releases on October 5, 2018, and also stars Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, and Woody Harrelson. Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer is directing.
Although Sony made a deal with Disney in 2015 to allow Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the former studio still retains the overall movie rights to characters from the comics. In terms of other Spidey spin-offs, Venom will be followed by Silver & Black. That movie will focus on Silver Sable and the Black Cat and is currently set for a February 8, 2019 release.
Dandara defies its platforming heritage by subverting two ubiquitous ideas: jumping and running. Neither is present in the traditional sense within this surreal, Metroid-inspired adventure. Rather, the heroic Dandara slings herself to any wall, ceiling, or floor she fancies, thumbing her nose at gravitational forces that would dare stifle her kinetic charm. This spin on standard movement sets Dandara apart, making it feel different from every other exploration-heavy platformer. When you're zipping carefree through its labyrinthine world, Dandara is a complete joy, but control hiccups and a story that's too vague for its own good often undermine its unique charm.
Although Dandara is based on a Brazilian figure who helped lead a slave revolt in the late 1600s, you wouldn't know it based only on the game's surreal tale. The story is one of oppression told through vague metaphors about a broken world whose currency, salt, is in short supply. The sporadic conversations Dandara has with the trapped inhabitants does little to inject the world with any sense of humanity. The story is simply too abstract to create the lasting bonds that could have propelled Dandara forward with a real sense of purpose.
Thankfully, the imaginative action sequences grab hold of your attention in ways the story cannot. Dandara doesn't walk. Instead, she leaps to designated spots that dot the walls, floors, and ceilings. Aiming the analog stick in a given direction shows where Dandara will land, and though her reach is limited, you can quickly bounce between surfaces to dance past enemies or arrive at a nearby treasure chest that's waiting to be opened.
This simple action is the basis on which the entire adventure is built. Because Dandara's leaps have limited range and you can only latch on to certain places, navigating each room becomes a small puzzle as you decipher how best to reach the next area. In some places, there are rotating blocks or gliding platforms that Dandara can control by firing a burst of energy from her palms, while other rooms have tracking lasers that demand a frantic pace lest you wind up dead. There's a great variety in what each section demands, ensuring you don't fall into a dull routine of simply looking for the white spots along the walls without any deeper thought.
Of course, Dandara can do more than just leap to any surface. She has a projectile weapon at the ready, one that's slow-acting so you can't just spam your foes. It takes a second or two to charge so you have to plan your assault--if you don't, a wayward projectile could smack you while you're gearing up for a strike. This smart system means that even though you always have the ability to fight, it's often better to avoid confrontations rather than risk taking damage. Eventually, Dandara does acquire new projectiles that can be unleashed instantaneously, but these are limited by an energy bar. Because every attack has an obvious downside, mastery of movement is ultimately the key to staying alive.
However, mastering movement is no easy task. Even though I spent more than 10 hours exploring this world, I never felt completely in control. The line that sprouts from Dandara to show where you're going to land can be fiddly. Too often I had to adjust and then readjust my aim because it would auto-aim to a specific spot that I didn't want to be on. And though that wasn't much of a problem, quickly bounding across a hazard-strewn section was way trickier than I would have liked. Precision felt like it came at the cost of speed, so I would get smacked around by enemies as I tried valiantly to make my way to a safe area.
There's one section late in the game that should have been the exhilarating climax everything had been building toward. It has narrow walls and five different types of enemies preventing any chance of reprieve. I was all set to show off my jaw-dropping movement abilities and dispatch the enemy swarm with the style I had learned during my hours with the game. But the reality of the situation was that instead of evading the homing missiles barreling toward me, I would accidentally fly directly into them. The same clumsiness persisted as I tried to time my leaps to counter an enemy flipping between the floor and ceiling. Because I had so much health by this point, I was able to progress with little more than a bruised ego, but it was an ugly victory. That moment in platformers where you show off all that you learned is one of the reasons I love the genre. Moving so awkwardly even as I reached Dandara's end was a bummer.
It's a shame that the control can be a little tricky, because Dandara is an utter delight when things really click. There's a boss fight early on where you chase an enemy through the nothingness of space. Platforms appear out of thin air as you hunt him, and you have to bounce across the broken landscape while dodging projectiles and spawning enemies to get close enough to land a counter attack. When I finally vanquished my opponent, I felt like taking a bow. The speed and precision required pushed me to my limits, and though I died a dozen or so times, it was a serious rush when everything coalesced into a beautiful dance. But Dandara doesn't often reach those heights. Later scenarios require even more speed and precision than that early boss fight, and because there's a slight auto aim on your jumping point, I often felt bit out of control as I zipped around.
If you play on the PC, you do have the option of using a mouse, but it's a little cumbersome. Although it's slightly easier to aim for a specific spot, it's much slower, and areas where you have to quickly bounce from one place to the next, avoiding traps on the ground while dodging projectiles from angry enemies, are tougher without a controller. No matter which control method you choose, though, Dandara is forgiving enough that I never got angry. Frequent checkpoints mean you're rarely more than 30 seconds from where you last died, and Dandara has plenty of health to help her withstand a few stray attacks.
The level design is another strong point. The world rotates as you turn ceilings and walls into floors, making you put a little thought into figuring out which way is up. But even as everything flips and twist around you, it's still clear where you need to go next. There are only so many unexplored paths at a given time, so a quick peek at the map should be enough to get you moving to your goal. And as you explore, there are plenty of fascinating sights to behold. The most impressive comes late in the game in a nightmare world where swirling vortexes dot the foreground while mystical islands drift behind you. It's a stunning area that made me pause to take it all in. The same mesmerizing feeling came from the enchanting music. Even though the story comes up short, the visuals and music really transport you to an imaginative world just begging to be discovered.
Careful explorers are rewarded with bonuses that help against the tougher boss fights. Dandara can use the salt she collects from defeated enemies and treasure chests to boost her abilities. Although you don't need to upgrade often during the early going, as you earn more and more salt toward the end of the game, and the bosses get harder and harder, you really need the extra burst of health and energy these upgrades provide. But, more importantly, it's just fun figuring out how to reach every hidden room and unlock every treasure chest. Even when a chest doesn't yield a particularly valuable reward, simply solving a tricky puzzle to get the chest is satisfying on its own.
There have been so many Metroid-inspired games that it's almost impossible to stand out. Dandara's unique movement abilities ensure it's at least significantly different from its peers. But the same reason that Dandara is so unique is also its biggest setback. The sense of mastery never quite comes, resulting in a game that flashes its potential in one scene only to undermine that thrill soon afterward. Even with its occasional stumbles, though, Dandara offers enough excitement and beauty to push you onward.
Monster Hunter World released for PS4 and Xbox One last month, but one of the biggest incentives to pick the game up on Sony's console is an exclusive set of Horizon Zero Dawn DLC armor. The gear has been available since launch through a limited-time Event Quest, but it won't be around for much longer.
The first round of Monster Hunter World's Horizon collaboration event ends at 3:59 PT / 6:59 ET / 11:59 UTC on February 8, making this your last opportunity to embark on the quest. The mission is called Lessons of the Wild, and it's a five-star quest available to players who've attained a Hunter Rank of 6 or higher. The object is to hunt eight Barnos, which will net you the materials needed to craft the Watcher armor and Felyn Watcher Grinder weapon for your Palico. You can take a look at the gear below.
While the Lessons of the Wild quest sounds simple on paper, you'll also have to contend with a Tzitzi-Ya-Ku during the mission. Once you've defeated the Barnos and gathered the required materials, you can forge the Watcher gear at the Smithy. For more details on how to craft the armor, we've put together a guide on exactly how to get Monster Hunter World's Horizon Palico gear.
The second round of the Horizon event begins at the end of the month, on February 28, and runs until March 5. Capcom hasn't detailed what that quest will entail or what Hunter Rank you'll need to reach in order to accept it, but your reward will be materials to craft Aloy's Bow and armor set. When the latter is equipped, it will change your hunter's appearance to look like the Horizon protagonist.
While the Horizon Zero Dawn gear is exclusive to the PS4 version of Monster Hunter World, all players will be able to get the recently announced Street Fighter V crossover costumes. An upcoming Event Quest will reward players with materials to craft Ryu and Sakura costumes for their hunter. Capcom hasn't announced what date the Event Quest will begin, but PS4 players who have a save file for Street Fighter V on their consoles will be able to embark on the mission before everyone else.
The resurgence of vintage video games is great for many reasons, not the least of which is the availability of new equipment to play old games on modern TVs. Seattle-based Analogue has traditionally stood ahead of the competition by releasing great looking consoles that offer best-in-class video processing and notably nuanced configuration settings, and its latest device, the Super Nt, is no different. It's a beautifully designed, compact console that, at the moment, is the best device for playing original Super Nintendo cartridges on HD and 4K TVs. It's a relatively expensive option at $189, but if you obsess over minute details and strive for authenticity, the Super Nt's price tag is easily justifiable.
In addition to Nintendo's own SNES Classic (which obviously doesn't support cartridges) there are multiple sub-$100, HD-enabled SNES consoles to choose from at present, from manufacturers like Hyperkin and Retro-Bit. While functional, the Retrons and Retro Trios of the world are consoles designed on a budget with constrained feature-sets and outdated tech. In theory, you can grow accustomed to shortcomings like input latency and improper video processing, but accepting these quirks doesn't diminish their existence. Analogue took a decidedly different approach for its console that eliminates these issues from the get-go.
These images are captured directly from the Super Nt at 1080p, with an aspect ratio of 8:7, at 4.5x height.
The Super Nt offers highly configurable video output with resolutions up to 1080p through HDMI, and near-perfect performance thanks to the expertly configured FPGA under the hood. In simple terms, an FPGA chip can mimic components like RAM, video processors, and CPUs simultaneously. In the case of the Super Nt, developer Kevin Horton has created a seemingly complete and accurate Super Nintendo on an FPGA, a feat no one else can claim.
Generally speaking, games played on the Super Nt look and play exactly as they should when upscaled to resolutions beyond the original system's native 240p signal. The Super Nt will output video at 480p, 576p, 720p, or 1080p, with suitable options to cater to the peculiarities of games designed for both NTSC and PAL standards. However, the output resolution is only half of the story. Once that's settled, you can dive into other menus to configure the aspect ratio of the game screen, adjust its position, crop unwanted portions of the image, and manually scale width and height to achieve your desired look.
Simulated scanlines are also available, but rather than apply a static filter over the rendered image, the Super Nt's solution operates on the individual horizontal lines of resolution. So when you enable scanlines in conjunction with a resolution that is not a multiple of 240p--such as 1080p--they lack complete uniformity. Super Nt's scanline options can be adjusted and slightly improved from the default settings, but if you want to play with "proper" scanlines, the best solution is to stick to 480p or 720p.
With over 2,000 SNES games released across multiple territories, it's virtually impossible for anyone to say with absolute certainty that the Super Nt is 100% compatible with all games from start to finish. In testing dozens of cartridges, only two proved troublesome for us: Mortal Kombat 2, and a reproduction cartridge of the unreleased English version of Rendering Ranger R2, known as Targa. Analogue's answer for the Mortal Kombat 2 issue? To fix the bug in less than 48 hours after we brought it to their attention. A new firmware came quickly after Analogue reproduced the glitch on its end, and it's comforting to know that a precedent has been set for addressing and resolving incompatibility issues in short order.
Analogue did a great job of matching the original aesthetic of both the original Super Nintendo and the Super Famicom.
Targa simply wouldn't get past the publisher's slashpage, despite working fine on other aftermarket consoles. This was also the case when trying to play the Japanese version using a flash cart on the Super Nt. Rendering Ranger is known to be a problematic game even for official SNES consoles, but Analogue promises a fix is on the way in the near future.
Of note is the potential (as hinted by Analogue) for an option down the road for users to switch the Super Nt's FPGA--on-the-fly--to match different Super Nintendo hardware revisions. Even among Nintendo's own consoles, these variations in processors and encoders would lead to rare instances of glitches in certain games (such as Rendering Ranger R2), so it's refreshing to know that the Super Nt may have a workaround for end-user troubleshooting at a later date.
While there are obviously a few quirks to keep in mind, the benefits of the Super Nt far outweigh its relatively minor issues.
Aside from those two exceptions, compatibility was otherwise rock-solid during our tests, including games like Star Fox, Mega Man X2, and Street Fighter Alpha 2, which are designed around traditionally troublesome special expansion chips that handle applications like 3D calculations and asset compression. There's also native support for peripheral carts like Game Genie and Super Game Boy--including streaming audio, which most SNES clone consoles struggle with. The only accessory you can count on not working is the Super Scope, a light gun designed for (and only compatible with) CRT TVs. Analogue is currently developing a digital-to-analog attachment for the Super Nt to support CRT TVs, though the performance, release date, and cost of the DAC remains to be seen.
On the hardware side, the Super Nt is straightforward: a Micro USB port for power, an HDMI port for A/V output, an SD card slot for firmware updates, and two SNES controller ports. Traditional SNES controllers work exactly as expected, and as Analogue suggests, you can also use wireless controllers made by 8Bitdo, which now come in colors designed to match the four color variants of the Super Nt.
The Super Nt's scanlines work best at 720p, as seen in this screenshot of Konami's Cybernator.
The 8Bitdo SN30 Bluetooth controllers are convenient to connect and charge, are very responsive, and feel almost like a Nintendo-made controller. The one minor issue is the d-pad, which will occasionally move your character on screen left or right when pressing down, should you inadvertently tilt your thumb. Though not perfect, we like the 8Bitdo controllers a lot, and only wish that the Super Nt came bundled with one.
It should be noted that even though you won't normally have to tinker with the 8Bitdo wireless transmitter once you've started playing a game, removing or adding transmitters during gameplay can cause the Super Nt to crash, forcing you to power the console off and on. According to Analogue, this is due to related power demands coming from the transmitter, and the system detecting and protecting the FPGA from potential harm. Thankfully, wired controllers can be connected and disconnected during gameplay without risk of crashing the system.
While there are obviously a few quirks to keep in mind, the benefits of the Super Nt far outweigh its relatively minor issues. There is simply no other console that can play actual SNES cartridges at 1080p without relying on expensive video gear. And looking beyond resolution, the number of settings at your fingertips makes it easy to dial in the look you want for your SNES games in a matter of seconds. The Super Nt is impressive both inside and out, and a smart solution for anyone who strives to see their favorite 16-bit Nintendo games in their best light.
Editor's note: Analogue provided GameSpot the Super Nt consoles and 8bitdo controllers used in this review.
The full trailer for the second season of Jessica Jones has been released. The Marvel Netflix show sees Kristen Ritter return as the troubled, hard-drinking private detective, who is forced to deal with consequences of her traumatic experiences in Season 1. Check it out above.
Jessica Jones Season 2 hits Netflix on March 8. The show also stars Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, and Leah Gibson. David Tennant is set to make a return as the villainous Kilgrave too, although given his fate in Season 1, it's not yet clear how exactly.
Last year, Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg spoke about her plans for Season 2 and revealed that her time on the acclaimed serial killer drama Dexter was influencing her approach. "I learned from working on Dexter that you can advance the character, but you never want to cure the character," she said. "With Dexter, the moment he felt guilt or accepted that he was 'bad,' the show's over. He's no longer a sociopath.
"The equivalent for us would be if Jessica somehow recovered from the damage that had been done to her. People don't just heal, you don't go through that just to say, 'Oh, he got arrested, he's in jail, I'm OK now.' That trauma is a huge part of who she is now. She was kind of messed up even before Kilgrave came along, and so in Season 2 we can explore what's possible for her moving forward."
Civilization VI stands out as the deepest and richest base game in the series, with smart additions and changes that refine its already great strategy gameplay. With that, however, comes the challenge of adding new content to improve upon what's already there without bloating it. Civ VI's first expansion, Rise and Fall, strikes a remarkable balance between the two, with several key features that both complement and change up the base game.
The big-picture addition and namesake of Rise and Fall is the Ages system, which coincides with each of the existing technological eras--Ancient, Classical, etc.--but is based on a global average rather than individual progress through the tech tree. As the world collectively transitions from one era to the next, each civilization accumulates a score toward the next era's "Age." Depending on your progress during the previous era, you can enter a Normal Age, fall into a Dark Age, or rise into a Golden Age. While Golden Ages obviously carry the most benefits, Dark Ages have unique bonuses of their own, and if you pull yourself out of a Dark Age and into a Golden one, it'll be even stronger. These so-called Heroic Ages are a powerful weapon later in the game if you've fallen behind and are struggling to catch up.
The Ages system works brilliantly with Civ VI's emphasis on careful planning and building a well-rounded civilization regardless of the victory condition you're working towards. A wide variety of accomplishments contribute to your score, from clearing Barbarian outposts and building Wonders to being the first civilization with a complex form of government. If you lean too heavily into one specialization, like science, you'll have trouble earning enough points in any given era to escape a Dark Age and its pitfalls. So even if you're two eras ahead of everyone else in your own tech tree, you're still susceptible to falling into a Dark Age if you fail to do anything else of note. As a result, a strong start isn't enough to carry you through Rise and Fall, even on lower difficulties--you need to work proactively and adapt your strategies at every step if you want to rule the world.
Building off the base game, monitoring each city's individual growth is paramount. In vanilla Civ VI, cities have individual happiness meters instead of civilization-wide ones, and greater depth to city development forces you pay close attention to each city and its unique contributions to your empire. Rise and Fall adds two big features that affect cities specifically: Loyalty and Governors, which work in tandem to add depth to city management without overcomplicating it.
Loyalty is a metric of each city's dedication to your leadership and is added on top of happiness to the list of city stats you need to care about. Loyalty suffers in Dark Ages and flourishes in Golden ones; if it falls too low, your city will be less productive and eventually revolt, becoming a "free city" open to the sway of other civs. You can affect Loyalty through proximity--a city on the edge of your borders will be vulnerable to the charms of a nearby foreign city and vice versa--city projects, espionage, and more. Colonizing a separate continent requires more of a cost-benefit analysis than ever, as the danger of low Loyalty can outweigh the advantages of settling new regions. But you can also disrupt an opponent's Loyalty for your own gain, including the city itself (without suffering a Warmonger penalty).
Keeping your Loyalty high is more passive than it sounds thanks to various Loyalty-boosting improvements as well as Governors, new characters that you can gradually unlock and station in your cities. In addition to increasing Loyalty, each of the seven Governors has a different specialization (commerce, war, science, and so on) and can be leveled up to provide various benefits to the city they govern. They can be reassigned at any time, too, so you're not locked into one city being all culture-focused until the end of time. Most importantly, Governors are a further incentive to invest in each of your cities and consequently develop a more balanced civilization--not just one that can crank out science points until you win the space race in the 1800s.
Rise and Fall brings with it a series of smaller tweaks to round out the big additions. You can now form different kinds of alliances with other civs, like economic or military ones, so you can trade comfortably without going to war; there are also "Emergencies," triggered by things like taking over city-states and dropping nukes, during which civs can band together to address the threats and reap the benefits if they succeed. On top of that, there are new policies and small changes to the highly customizable government system, which means more options to tailor your government to your playstyle as it develops.
Of course, there are also new civs and leaders, which range from the battle-ready Genghis Khan of Mongolia to the science-minded Seondeok of Korea. There are nine new leaders but eight new civilizations; Chandragupta has been added as an alternative to Gandhi in India. The new civs aren't so much groundbreaking as they are a nice change of pace for Civ VI veterans who are eager to try out something new.
Unfortunately, Rise and Fall doesn't appear to improve the AI inconsistencies present in vanilla Civ VI. Some AI-controlled civs still act almost randomly--Japan declared war on me twice in one game despite never sending its military my way--while others are a bit more clever, declaring preemptive wars or offering strategic trades at opportune times. And while the Loyalty and Governors systems enhance city management and encourage you to pursue a wider variety of specialties than just your intended victory condition, religion remains the least dynamic of the avenues without anything in Rise and Fall drastically changing it.
As Civ VI's first expansion, though, Rise and Fall works so well with the base game that lingering issues are minor. It enhances, rather than overcomplicates, systems that were already deep and layered to begin with, while introducing features that keep each game engaging from start to finish. Ages in particular provide room for struggling civs to climb the ranks in the late game and keep leading civs on their toes, and the Governor and Loyalty systems add to the city-specific strategies that helped make the base game great.
Following yesterday's Flashdance-inspired poster, a new promo for Deadpool 2 has arrived. It's not quite a trailer, but given the inventive marketing campaign so far, it might be as near as we get. It puts the spotlight on time-travelling cyber-mercenary Cable, played by Josh Brolin.
The video kicks off like a generic superhero trailer, giving us a bit of Cable's backstory, before Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) steps in and recreates the rest with dolls while the movie's VFX crew finish off their work on Cable's robotic arm. We then get a quickly cut montage of action from the movie, including the first proper footage of Domino (Zazie Beetz). There's also a hilarious reference to the problems caused by Superman's infamous mustache in Justice League. Check it out above.
Deadpool 2 also stars Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, and Brianna Hildebrand. David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde) is directing, replacing Tim Miller, who reportedly clashed with Reynolds over the direction of the movie.
In related news, the troubled and much-delayed X-Men spin-off Gambit has now been removed entirely from the studio's schedule. The movie lost director Gore Verbinski last month; he is the third director to quit the project over the past couple of years. The Channing Tatum-starring film was due to start production this year ahead of a June 2019 release, but it is now unknown if or when this will happen.
Disney launches its streaming service in 2019, and as well as making many of its movies and TV shows available, the studio is planning to develop new shows exclusively for the service. Inevitably one of these is to be a Star Wars live-action series. Disney boss Bob Iger has now revealed that the studio is in fact developing more than one Star Wars show.
During Disney's quarterly investors call, Iger stated that it won't be long before we get more details about the studio's plans. "We are developing not just one, but a few Star Wars series specifically for the Disney direct to consumer app," he said, via Collider. "We've mentioned that and we are close to being able to reveal at least one of the entities that is developing that for us. Because the deal isn't completely closed, we can't be specific about that, [but] I think you'll find the level of talent on the television front will be rather significant as well."
A Star Wars live-action show was in development for several years prior to Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012. Star Wars creator George Lucas was planning a series called Underworld, that was to take place between Episode III and Episode IV, and reportedly 50 scripts were written before the Disney deal canceled the project.
In related news, it was also announced this week that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will write and produce a new series of Star Wars movies. Disney confirmed that these films will be separate from the current Skywalker saga and the trilogy of movies that Star Wars: The Last Jedidirector Rian Johnson is working on. "David and Dan are some of the best storytellers working today," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. "Their command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology will break new ground and boldly push Star Wars in ways I find incredibly exciting."
Tune in as we check out some of our favorite Colossi battles in Shadow of the Colossus.
No comments:
Post a Comment