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Monday 31 July 2017

Preacher: "Pig" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Last week's "Sokosha" represented a high point for Preacher's second season as it chronicled the dramatic final showdown (for now, anyway) between Jesse Custer and the Saint of Killers. Despite that boost in quality, it was difficult to know what to expect from this follow-up chapter. Where does the season go now that the Saint has been swept off the board? Can Preacher keep this newfound momentum going, or will the show fall into another rut as the writers slowly build up the next overarching conflict?

Luckily, it seems as though they recognized the need to immediately replace one good villain with another. With the Saint currently buried in a swamp, the time has finally come for Herr Starr (The Crown's Pip Torrens) to step up and take his place. Starr certainly had zero trouble making a strong impression in his first major appearance. He's a very different breed of villain than the Saint - with a very eccentric and darkly comic personality - but no less ruthless or bloodthirsty. Torrens immediately made the most of his role here. It would be easy to go big and flamboyant with this character, but Torrens kept things quiet and restrained instead. There's a very matter-of-fact quality to Starr's speech and general body language, but also a slight hint of the absurd to his mannerisms and interactions with others. The show seems to have the right handle on this character, one who's as ridiculous and pathetic as he is terrifying and inhuman.

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Overcooked: Special Edition Review

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A well played round of Overcooked feels like dancing in a graceful ballet, except missing a step means your burger burns, the kitchen lights on fire, and a raccoon in a wheelchair plummets into a lake of lava. Actually, maybe it’s nothing like a ballet (although this gives me an idea for a fantastic ballet). But working with your teammates as a well-oiled machine to produce food for an insatiable demon is as rewarding as it is challenging. Overcooked remains one of the most fun couch co-op games I’ve played in years, despite some port problems that keep the Special Edition on the Switch from standing as the definitive version.

The local co-op cook-em-up poses the herculean challenge of asking up to four people to work together for three full minutes at a time, performing relatively simple cooking-related actions to fill food orders. It’s practically a two-button game: one to pick up things like ingredients, pans, or plates and the other to chop, cook, or wash them depending on the station you are standing in front of. But combine those simple controls with the stress of a ticking timer and cleverly designed levels made to mess with you at every possible turn and Overcooked becomes blissfully frantic.

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MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G Review

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If you’ve seen any of MSI’s high-end Nvidia series GPUs its midrange GTX 1080 Ti should look quite familiar. It shares the exact same overall design as the previous GTX 1080 GPU albeit with a slightly thicker heat sink. That’s a good thing, because though MSI can often times push things a bit too far with its design and marketing lingo, this one strikes just the right balance between looking aggressive without overdoing it.

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Sunday 30 July 2017

Rick and Morty: "Rickmancing the Stone" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Rick and Morty must have set some sort of record for the most time separating a season premiere and its follow-up episode. It's been almost exactly four months since Adult Swim unexpectedly dropped "The Rickshank Redemption" into our laps. Finally, Season 3 continues onward with the debut of "Rickmancing the Stone." That long time gap didn't necessarily do this episode any favors. It's enjoyable in the way every Rick and Morty adventure is, but it fails to meet the standard set by the thoroughly excellent season premiere.

It's mainly the general premise where this none fell a bit flat. This episode basically played out as an extended Mad Max parody (with a touch of Romancing the Stone and a pinch of Fist of the North Star), which already feels a bit dated now that we're two years removed from Fury Road. In general, I'm not thrilled when this show is that blatant about its influences. It brings to mind the first few episodes of Season 1, which leaned heavily on lampooning movies like Jurassic Park and Inception. It wasn't until Rick and Morty moved beyond the direct parody approach that it truly found its voice, and this episode felt like an unfortunate step back in that regard.

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The Strain: "One Shot" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

If you were to pin down any one flaw that's prevented The Strain from reaching its full potential over the past four years, it's the show's annoying lack of urgency. Each season has generally taken too long to re-escalate the conflict between our heroes and The Master, too often getting sidetracked by pointless character drama and subplots along the way. Season 3 was a huge improvement in that regard. With the announcement that the series would be ending with Season 4, it was if the writers finally lit a fire under the butts of Ephraim Goodweather and the gang. Sadly, the deeper we get into Season 4, the more it seems like the show is falling back into old habits.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's Game of Thrones?

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Our review for tonight's Game of Thrones episode, "The Queen's Justice," will be up later. What did you all think of it? Let us know in the comments below...  

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at http://ift.tt/2aJ67FB.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's Twin Peaks?

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Our review for tonight's Twin Peaks chapter will be up later. What did you all think of it? Let us know in the comments below...

 

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at http://ift.tt/2aJ67FB.

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Saturday 29 July 2017

My Hero Academia Episode 30 Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

My Hero Academia has been moving along at a remarkably swift pace the past couple of weeks, and "Climax" continues that momentum, delivering a thrilling conclusion to Iida's ill-conceived quest for vengeance against Hero Killer: Stain.

Once again, Bones must be praised for its incredible animation work, which shines in each character's facial expressions, adding an emotional weight to the stellar writing. The music that accompanies these sequences only heightens the emotional impact, mirroring Iida's internal triumph. A somber piano score plays while Iida lies paralyzed on the ground, and when he finally rises to his feet and comes to Todoroki's aid, the music switches to a rousing beat of drums and brass. The sound then builds to the climactic moment when Deku regains control of his body to join Iida in simultaneously delivering a crushing blow to Stain, which resonated so profoundly on an audio/visual and emotional level.

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Friday 28 July 2017

Sega Genesis Flashback Review

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Miniaturized versions of classic consoles with built-in game libraries made to work on modern TVs aren’t a new idea, but Nintendo certainly caused quite a nostalgia-fueled fervor with last year’s NES Classic and upcoming SNES Classic. The Sega Genesis and its library absolutely deserve their own similar monument to the 16-bit glory days of blast processing, but due to a poisoned, lackluster library, this Sega Genesis Flashback looks poor next to what we’ve seen of the SNES Classic.

Note that this $80 retro console isn’t manufactured by Sega – it’s made by At Games, which also produces the Atari Flashback. The Genesis Flashback boasts 85 built-in games, which is almost double the amount of the excellent Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection that was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in 2009. Upon closer inspection, however, you’ll find that only 57 of them were actually released on an original Sega console. The remaining 28 are “bonus” games – all-but-unplayable ripoffs of classics like Space Invaders and air hockey. That means 28 games in this collection (33%) are straight garbage.

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Boruto Episode 17 Review

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Warning: The following review has spoilers for the episode.

This week’s episode of Boruto gives us a closer look into the life of Sarada, daughter of Naruto’s former squad members Sasuke and Sakura. Although the episode is ultimately just filler, it does explore the troubled family life of one of the shows more important characters, and how she deals with a set of daddy issues that put Boruto’s to shame.

This episode follows Sarada as she attempts to deliver a doll to a patient under Sakura’s care. Sakura is going on a short vacation and Sarada offers to complete the task in her stead. Of course, the delivery goes awry, and Sarada must decide if it is worth sacrificing her composure to complete her task. The episode’s opening scenes do a great job of illustrating the difficulties in Sarada’s homelife. She takes on extra responsibilities around the house at the cost of her social life. She even has to help her scatterbrained mother organize her life. It quickly becomes clear she doesn’t put much stock in Sakura’s parenting abilities, instead taking pride in her own maturity. I always enjoy stories that show us the faults of the original series characters, rather than treating them like untouchable idols.

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An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Review

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I am not a scientist. That doesn't feel like it should be a necessary statement at the top of a review of a documentary, however when it is a film about climate change that is being reviewed, it becomes more important. As a non-scientist, I am not in a position to discuss the scientific merits of any claims made by Al Gore or An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Instead, I can talk about things like the structure of this follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth, the imagery used in it, the story it tells, and the power of the argument to a non-scientist. Some of the elements directors Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen put forward—like the imagery—are powerful. Other elements—like the storytelling—are not as strong.

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The Last Tycoon: Season 1 Review

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Note: this is a spoiler-free review for all nine episodes of The Last Tycoon, now available on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

For those who have finished the season and want to read my thoughts on the ending and some of the other major story developments, head over to our Last Tycoon: Spoiler Discussion.

The Last Tycoon clearly wants to establish itself as the Mad Men of its particular era. It too flashes back to a distinctive period in American history and revolves around a driven, tortured, fedora-clad creative genius trying to hide from his troubled past while working to make his uncompromised artistic vision a reality. But without the same level of depth and nuance that characterized Mad Men, The Last Tycoon settles for being a pretty, largely empty look back at Hollywood's Golden Age.

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Thursday 27 July 2017

The Emoji Movie Review

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In 2014, Phil Lord and Chris Miller managed to take The LEGO Movie - what seemed like on the surface to be nothing more than a cheap cash grab by the studio - and turn it into one of the best films of that year. So going into The Emoji Movie this week, I felt a similar trepidation as I did going into that 2014 animated adventure, but I also had a sense of optimistic belief, knowing that there was a chance The Emoji Movie could prove me wrong.

For the first twenty minutes or so of the film too, The Emoji Movie manages to explain the seemingly unexplainable life of an “Emoji” on the big screen in unexpectedly interesting and ingenious ways. With references to the “favorite Emojis club” and how strange combinations of Emojis can even amuse the Emojis themselves, the film shows it has the potential to be a legitimately entertaining ride through a teenager’s smartphone. But as The Emoji Movie goes on, the film reveals itself to be just as misguided and nonsensical an endeavor as many assumed it would be when it was originally announced.

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Logitech G703 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

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Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Logitech’s new G703 (See it on Amazon) is one of its first mice to support the company’s POWERPLAY mouse pad, and is meant to offer a little respite for those who think the $150 G903 is a little too expensive. But at $100, this isn’t a cheap mouse, either. If you don’t need the extra features of the G903 (ambidextrous design, customizable side buttons, free-spinning mouse wheel) you might not need to spend the extra money.

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Sundered Review

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Sundered has a great understanding of H.P. Lovecraft, which by all appearances is the main literary inspiration behind this semi-roguelike 2D platformer in the tradition of Metroid and Castlevania (or Metroidvania). In the 1930s the horror writer claimed atmosphere and mood were the great aims of his "weird fiction," and Sundered delivers both in bundles, weaving that evenly into the minimalist, Limbo-like music or the occasionally stunning hand-drawn set pieces that define this world. Smart sound cues impart tension before trouble arrives. Throughout it all a being speaks with the hero in a voice that sounds like Shakespeare spoken through cabbage with a sore throat, suggesting a Cthulhu-like presence but leaving its form to the imagination. Mood, in fact, is often strong enough here that it can prop up Sundered when it sags.

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Wednesday 26 July 2017

Go Go Power Rangers #1 Review

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Go Go Power Rangers is Boom's second monthly Power Rangers comic. And where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers chronicles the further adventures of the classic team, this series flashes back to their earliest days as costumed heroes. The idea being that we're following younger versions of Jason, Kimberly, Zach, Trini and Billy as they struggle to balance high school with super-heroics and come to terms with their destinies. And if that alone doesn't sound like enough of a selling point, the art might just win you over.

As is the case with pretty much every project he takes on, artist Dan Mora truly is the star of the show here. Mora's art has a very confident, slick quality to it. He knows how to tell a good story without getting tripped up by excessive liens or pointless details. Across the board, his figures are expressive and dynamic, ensuring that there's ample energy on the page regardless if the focus is on epic Ranger vs. Putty battles or simple high school drama. Raul Angulo's colors pair nicely with Mora's line-work, adding a great deal of depth to the page with his use of lighting.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series #1 Review

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There's hardly a shortage of new Guardians of the Galaxy material out there this summer, what with the debut of the new movie, Marvel's twice-monthly All-New Guardians of the Galaxy comic and the Telltale adventure game. Those latter two projects converge with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series comic. Despite the title, this comic isn't an adaptation of the game, but rather a prequel. But if you haven't played those episodes of the game released thus far, fret not. This book functions as a perfectly enjoyable, continuity-free Guardians adventure.

Not having played the game myself, I'm happy that writer Fred Van Lente and artist Salva Espin have taken that simple, straightforward approach. The series could just as easily be an offshoot of the regular Marvel comics or the film, given how synergized this franchise is at the moment. It stars the same core quintet as they struggle to pay the bills and find a bounty worthy of their talents. Nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable all the same.

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Rick and Morty #28 Review

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The challenge with Oni Press' Rick and Morty comic has always been in how well it can mimic the high-concept storytelling and quirky humor of the animated series. Naturally, its success has varied depending on the creative team. But Rick and Morty #28 faces an added challenge in that it sets out to serve as a direct sequel to one of the show's more popular episodes, "Interdimensional Cable." It's a risky move, and sadly, one that doesn't really pay off for the series.

It doesn't help that the show itself is already guilty of going back to this well. The fact that Season 2's "Interdimensional Cable II: Tempting Fate" took a meta approach and readily acknowledged the dangers of looking backwards didn't entirely offset the fact that it felt a little redundant in the wake of its predecessor. That problem is only compounded in "Interdimensional Cable III" which does nothing new with the concept even in the jump to a different medium. Once again, Rick and Morty find themselves with time to kill and nothing to do but channel surf through every network in the multiverse.

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Easterntimes Tech X-08 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

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Wireless gaming mice are expensive. You can often pay $50 more for a wireless gaming mouse than for the equivalent wired model—and those usually aren’t cheap either. Then we discovered this wireless mouse from "Easterntimes Tech."  (See it on Amazon). It’s all of $14 and has a four-star average on Amazon from about 900 ratings. How can this be? Can a wireless gaming mouse that costs as little as a cheap, wired, non-gaming mouse actually be this good? Can you really buy a decent wireless gaming mouse for less than $20?

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The Villainess Review

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If there’s any doubt foreign markets are catching up to America in terms of delivering mind-blowing action films, then Korean director Byung-gil Jung’s second narrative feature, The Villainess, should continue that conversation.

Inspired by Jung’s earlier short “Standing on the Knife,” the movie opens with an amazing POV action sequence ala last year’s Hardcore Henry that’s very much like a first person shooter, as a woman takes on all comers with a gun. When she runs out of bullets, she picks up a knife and continues to fend off her assailants. This is Sook-hee (Kim Ok-vin), who has been hell-bent on getting revenge on the man or men that killed her father, something she witnessed as a child. Since then, she’s trained as a government assassin at an elite school that programs young girls to fight and kill, but when she’s brought back to that school, she tries to escape. Oh, and we also learn that she’s pregnant.

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Secret Empire #7 Review

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The fact that we're getting a new chapter of Secret Empire one week after the last one certainly helps to offset this series' chronic pacing problems. More importantly, Secret Empire #7 directly addresses those problems as it explores the dramatic fallout of Hydra's attack. While hardly perfect, this issue features some of the most emotionally affecting moments of the series so far.

With Cap having attacked Hawkeye's hidden desert base and further damned himself in the eyes of the Avengers, Black Widow finally takes it upon herself to assassinate the man who was once among her closest allies. This only heightens the overarching conflict between Widow's pragmatic approach to saving the world and the idealism of her younger comrades. This issue also finally delves into the lingering mystery from Civil War II - is Miles Morales fated to kill Steve Rogers? Can he prevent that terrible future? Does he even want to at this point?

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Hey! Pikmin Review

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Nintendo hasn’t been shy about bringing many of its most beloved characters and game series to the 3DS, sometimes dramatically rethinking them to fit the limitations of the handheld system. This is the case with Hey! Pikmin, a spin-off of the fan-favorite Pikmin series that takes the army-amassing, tossing, and goodie-collecting real-time strategy gameplay of Pikmin and reworks it into a 2D puzzle platformer. While it does an admirable of transplanting the inherent charm and cuteness into a smaller package, Hey! Pikmin’s lack of challenge and slow pace make it far less memorable than the real-time strategy games that came before.

In Hey! Pikmin, we find the always-adorable and misfortune-prone Captain Olimar once again in a heap of trouble on an unknown planet. His ship has crash-landed, and in order to repair it he’ll need to collect virtual heaps of a MacGuffin substance called “Sparklium.” Compounding that simple and cliched situation is that Olimar is nearly defenseless: all he has is a loud whistle and weak little jetpack that can only be used for a few seconds – he doesn’t even have a weapon. Fortunately for him, this world is teeming with cute and colorful pikmin: helpful little plant-like beings which Olimar can gather, toss, and use for a variety of purposes like attacking enemies, bashing down barriers, protection from pitfalls, and even conducting electricity.

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Tuesday 25 July 2017

Dragon Ball Super Episode 100 Review

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Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.

The Saiyans from Universe 6 and 7 made quite the enjoyable ruckus this week as they met up and clashed within the Tournament of Power. Kale’s uncontrollable transformation was just as rewarding as I could have hoped and served as a great motivator to get Jiren to join in the action. The hot-button issue of power levels was at the forefront in Episode 100, and did stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise fun episode.

DBS100CauliflaGoesSS2

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Logan Lucky Review

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In many ways, Logan Lucky comes across as a not-so-subtle nod to the films that Steven Soderbergh made a name for himself in the mainstream world by directing. Specifically, Soderbergh’s latest feels like a distant, slapstick-infused relative to his Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, which maintains the same style and ingenious crime plot that were present in each of those films, but replaces Danny Ocean and his slick, professional crew with some lovable, redneck amateur criminals this time around.

The film has been billed by many as Soderbergh’s long-awaited directorial return, after embarking on a self-imposed exile from movies following the release of Side Effects in 2013. But to call Logan Lucky that feels a bit disingenuous, considering that Soderbergh has still found ways to keep himself busy over the past four years. Not only did he also release HBO’s Behind the Candelabra in 2013, but he’s directed several of the best-looking episodes of television to grace the small screen over the past few years with Cinemax’s short-lived period drama, The Knick. That’s not to mention, of course, that he also served as cinematographer and editor on 2015’s Magic Mike XXL after directing its predecessor in 2012.

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Logitech G903 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

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About a year ago, Logitech released the G900 Chaos Spectrum wireless gaming mouse, which earned nearly unanimous praise as the best wireless mouse you can buy. This year it’s back with the G903 (See it on Amazon), a nearly identical remake that exists primarily to provide support for the company’s new POWERPLAY mouse pad. That’s right, this is the G900 all over again, only this time you can buy a $100 mouse pad that will charge your mouse while you use it so you never have to plug it in, or dock it, or swap batteries. And it’s still the best gaming mouse you can buy, with or without a wire.

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Monday 24 July 2017

Preacher: "Sokosha" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

The quality of Preacher's second season has been proportional to the amount of screen time given to the Saint of Killers. When the Saint is front and center and carving a swatch of destruction on his way towards apprehending Jesse Custer, the show is an enthralling experience. But the past couple episodes have largely ignored the Saint in favor of Jesse's antics in New Orleans, and the overall momentum has suffered. Unsurprisingly, things got back on track immediately this week as our heroes found themselves staring down the barrel of Death's revolver.

"Sokosha" opened on a strange but intriguing note as we followed the travels of "The Technician" (Badge of Honor's James Kyson) as he went about his daily routine. It was several minutes into the episode before it became clear what exactly scheme this well-dressed businessman was carrying out, but the answer didn't disappoint. I'm regularly fascinated by the cynical, corporate-minded way this series treats the relationship between Heaven, Hell and Earth. The idea of poor people literally selling pieces of their souls for the benefit of the wealthy elite feels all too appropriate for this darkly comic universe.

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Pyre Review

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Watching Pyre’s emotionally gripping story unfold, precisely and enjoyably punctuated by exciting, tactical, real-time battles, is to witness just about everything I look for in a video game executed all but flawlessly. Developer Supergiant’s latest is an experience on par with watching a world-class musician perform a difficult piece with equal parts talent and soul. And speaking of which, the music is superb.

The intricate but easy to follow story casts you as the Reader, an unseen character flung into the center of momentous events that are shaking the foundations of a finely crafted fantasy setting best described as some kind of beautiful cross between Dr. Seuss and H.P. Lovecraft. Like Bastion and Transistor, it’s an imaginary world where the dark and the whimsical mingle like they’ve always belonged together, subverting familiar stereotypes and treating lore nerds to layers and layers of detailed, expertly penned history and legend to uncover.

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Boruto Episode 16 Review

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Warning: The following review has spoilers for the episode.

Following the climactic events of the past few episodes, it’s no surprise that Boruto would take a step back and give us an episode or two of filler. This week’s episode features Denki and Iwabe attempting to pass their upcoming exams. Unfortunately for us this story is so dull nothing (not even a cameo from Rock Lee!) can save it.

Denki is a smart student but can’t wall walk. Iwabe can’t study, but is top of the class in jutsu. They should help each other study, deepening their friendship in the process! That is the plot of “Crisis: The Threat of Failing!” in a nutshell, which sees Boruto go back to the slice of life style we saw it experiment with in the first few episodes of the series. Given that the show makes a point to explore the more mundane parts of modern ninja life I have no issue with the idea behind these episodes, but I can’t help but wonder who this specific story is for. Is anyone tuning in to see ninja students struggle with science homework? This story feels like it could be copy and pasted into any school life anime, and doesn’t tell us anything new about the world of Boruto.

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Twin Peaks: "Part 11" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

I really enjoyed this week’s Twin Peaks, which perhaps provided some of the revival series’ best balance yet in terms of juggling the events both inside the town of Twin Peaks itself and outside the town and the new and old characters. The opening scenes, which heavily focused on the drama surrounding Becky, Shelly and Bobby, in fact felt in some ways what it was easy to imagine aspects of a Twin Peaks revival might be like over the years – as the soap opera elements of the original characters dovetailed with a new generation, including their kids.

As I’ve written before, it’s been a poignant aspect of the revival to find out that Bobby cleaned up his act to the extent he has – and that made it extra emotional to learn that Becky was he and Shelly’s daughter, and Shelly in fact was now named Shelly Briggs (a notable time where the credits have tricked us, as Shelly’s name was still listed as Johnson up until now). Of course, we also learned Bobby and Shelly are no longer together and worse, she’s dating the very dangerous and scary Red – showing that Shelly’s habit for getting involved with criminals has sadly not dissipated.

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Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

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Since its introduction in 2009, the Mamba (See it on Amazon) has been the flagship of Razer’s mouse line. The company has produced plenty of other mice: some cheaper like the DeathAdder, some targeted at specific genres like the Naga. But the Mamba remains the most expensive, high-tech, does-it-all mouse in the company's lineup. It has gone through several revisions since its introduction 8 years ago, improving tracking and lighting as new technologies became available, while making a few small design refinements along the way.A button moved here, a texture changed there, just to keep the Mamba on top.

In its latest incarnation, the Mamba earns its place as the best all-purpose right-handed mouse Razer offers. But with a whopping $149.99 price tag, it might be more mouse than you really need. Let's dive in:

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Ghost in the Shell Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out The anime adaptation is released on digital download today. Check out what we thought of the movie.

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Sunday 23 July 2017

The Strain: "The Blood Tax" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

This may be the final season of The Strain, and while the general status quo of the series has changed significantly, there's little sense that we're barreling along to the big finale. As is always the case with this series, the new season is off to a sluggish start. It may be a few weeks before the battle against the Master truly kicks into gear again.

As with last week's episode, the focus in "The Blood Tax" was more on setting the general tone for the final season and showing just how drastically life has changed for our heroes. Eph aside, these first two episodes have each focused on entirely separate groups  of characters, which does nothing to help build early momentum for the season. That's another frustrating hallmark of The Strain - that sometimes we're forced to wait several weeks for specific plot threads to be revisited. That trend looks to be repeating itself where Fet and the missile silo is concerned.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's Game of Thrones?

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My Game of Thrones review will be up later tonight. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of "Stormborn."

Also, check out our cast interviews from San Diego Comic-Con...

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at http://ift.tt/2aJ67FB.

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Saturday 22 July 2017

My Hero Academia Episode 29 Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

The students of U.A. have grown so much since we first met them in Season 1. Both Deku and Todoroki have gained a better understanding of themselves and who they want to be as heroes, and "Hero Killer: Stain vs U.A. Students" provides an empowering display of just how far these two have come.

Iida's thirst for vengeance has clouded his vision, much like how Todoroki's desire to deny any semblance of his father previously kept him in bondage. Thanks to Deku's selfless plea in "Shoto Todoroki: Origin," Todoroki has since accepted himself and awakened his full potential, and seeing him do something similar for Iida was such an emotionally satisfying moment of character development.

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Friday 21 July 2017

The Tick: "Where's My Mind?" Review

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The pilot for Amazon's The Tick premiered last summer as part of the site's "pilot season" (you can watch it for free on Amazon, and our old review of it is here) so today, at Comic-Con, the second episode screened, titled "Where's My Mind?" This is our non-spoilery review of it.

The full first season of The Tick hits Amazon on August 25th.

The Tick's pilot episode held promise, given its darker and more intense tone -- more akin to something like Kick-Ass than the family friendlier version we're used to -- but it was still evident from that initial outing that a bit more tweaking needed to be done. And while the show still isn't at full speed just yet, the second episode, "Where's My Mind?," was an definite improvement in the laughs department.

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Death Note Review

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Netflix held an advance screening of Death Note at San Diego Comic-Con 2017. The movie premieres on Netflix on August 25.

Death Note is one of the most popular manga series in the world, and it has already been adapted as an anime series and as a live-action movie in Japan. Director Adam Wingard (Blair Witch, You're Next) took the helm of the American adaptation, which is coming to Netflix next month. At Comic-Con, Wingard expressed his hope and belief that his movie would buck the trend of low-quality American anime remakes. However, he only partially succeeds.

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Killing Ground Review

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People on vacation have always been the easiest targets for depraved killers. While many slasher movies tend to go for more sensationalistic violence—The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes being two of the most extreme--sometimes just meeting strangers in the middle of nowhere is enough to freak anybody out.

Coming out just a few months after the similarly grim Hounds of Love, this first-time feature from Australian director Damien Power tries to take a classier look at terrorized tourists, but runs into problems in trying to keep the viewer entertained.

Power’s film begins with couple Ian and Samantha (Ian Meadows, Harriet Dyer), on a trip to Gungilee Falls, a beautiful vacation spot in the Australian woods. Once there, they discover that other campers have set up their tent, yet they’re nowhere to be found. They start to become suspicious after it gets dark without having seen traces of other people, but then they find a baby left alone and start suspecting foul play.

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Thursday 20 July 2017

Ghosted: "Pilot" Review

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The pilot for FOX's Ghosted screened at Comic-Con on Thursday, July 20th, and this is our non-spoilery review of the episode.

Ghosted, FOX's attempt to comedically springboard off the evergreen adoration of The X-Files, features a formidable comedic duo in Parks and Rec's Adam Scott and The Office's Craig Robinson. Though you might think these two would have crossed paths over the years more than they actually have (Hot Tub Time Machine 2, a little bit in Knocked Up), they haven't really collaborated all that much, which makes for an exciting pairing.

Scott turns on his nebbish charm for this one as a disgraced MIT professor, Max, who finds himself thrown into a paranormal adventure with Robinson's tough and bitter Leroy, with part of the mystery here in the pilot episode being the randomness of their team up. Why these two? Why has a highly skilled agent of the Bureau Underground -- a small and secret team that investigates spooky happenings for the government -- specifically named these two outsiders during his final transmission to home base? There's really no time to question it as Max and Leroy are thrown head first into the realm of the weird and wonderful.

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Review: Black: The Fall Can't Follow in Inside's Footsteps

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You'll be forgiven if you look at a screenshot or video of Black: The Fall, rub your eyes and, for a moment, think you're looking at Inside. In fact, I spent my first several hours of playing Black a little angry at the gall it had to so blatantly follow in Playdead’s footsteps. Some of that faded away as it introduced a few ideas of its own, but Black never comes close to living up to the comparison it forces you to draw. Who knows if Black was in development prior to Inside's release or not, but in coming out a full year later, one can't help but compare one to the other.

Like Inside (and I mean exactly like Inside), Black: The Fall is a monochromatic side-scrolling puzzle-platformer where your nameless protagonist is dropped into a massive, gloomy industrial complex full of gruesomely lethal traps with no context or explanation whatsoever. Black does, at least, add a couple new wrinkles to its puzzles: early on, you’ll acquire a laser pointer used to take control of enemies or cause distractions. Soon after that, you get a robot dog sidekick who you’ll need to solve some of Black’s more difficult puzzles and is The Fall’s most interesting gameplay hook. Those puzzles run the gamut from dead simple to multi-layered challenges. It’s a good mix.

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Wednesday 19 July 2017

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #17 Review

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #17 is very much a fresh start for both the Rangers themselves and their readers. This issue marks the start of writer Kyle Higgins and artist Hendry Prasetya's next major story arc. Predictably, it's a bit of a slow burn for the series as it moves forward from the recent, climactic showdown with Lord Drakkon. However, it does afford the creators the opportunity to dig in a little deeper with their main characters and allow the team dynamic to shine all the more.

This issue opens several months after the battle with Drakkon and the apparent defeat of Rita Repulsa. An era of unexpected peace has dawned across the world, a fact which inspires a mixed range of emotions throughout the team. Some Rangers, like Trini and Kim, would like nothing more than to enjoy their newfound peace and quiet. Others, like Jason, can't quite seem to let their guard down. This issue only really hints at the challenges to come for the team, but it does just enough to build anticipation for the months ahead.

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Deception: "Pilot" Review

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The pilot for ABC's Deception aired at Comic-Con on Wednesday, July 19th and this is our non-spoilery review of the episode.

And yes, there was a different, recent TV series called Deception back in 2013 on NBC starring Meagan Good. As well as many movies with the same title. This one's about a crime-fighting magician though. Huzzah!

Mush up some MacGyver with a little Leverage and then throw in, well, just about every "Cocky Specialist teams with Perpetually Perturbed FBI Agent" series and you've got Deception - a breezy new case-of-the-weeker from Chuck writer/producer Chris Fedak featuring a famous young magician (the type with Vegas shows and TV specials) who volunteers to help the FBI solve the mysterious case of a seemingly dead Cartel member.

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Sisters of Sorrow #1 Review

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Sisters of Sorrow sounds like a great concept on paper. A group of nuns wage a vigilante crusade on criminals in Los Angeles? And it's written by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and novelist Courtney Alameda? What's not to love? Unfortunately, the execution proves sorely lacking in this first issue.

One thing readers will notice right off the bat is that the cover is pretty misleading. Despite the gun-toting nun on the cover, the main characters appear to be sisters in a more general sisterhood sense. There's no real religious element to the series (at least not yet), and that saps some of the novelty factor out of the equation already. This wouldn't be a deal-breaker on its own, though. There's still appeal in the idea of a feminist-flavored spin on vigilante stories Death Wish or The Punisher. A decade or two ago, this book would probably fall under the "Bad Girls" umbrella and feature a bunch of scantily clad femme fatales. At least there's an effort to build a more grounded, believable world here.

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Razer Lancehead Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

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Wireless mice can be…iffy. Beyond just the uncertainty of using a mouse whose battery might die, there’s the problem of wireless interference. With all the wireless stuff in our lives these days, it’s not uncommon for a wireless mouse to stop working, if only for a split second. But when you’re playing a game, a split second is enough to get you killed. Razer’s new Lancehead wireless gaming mouse (See it on Amazon) promises to make those wireless worries a thing of the past.

Its chief innovation is a proprietary Adaptive Frequency Technology (AFT) that checks for interference "hundreds of times a second," and instantly hops to a new, stronger frequency if necessary. Frequency-hopping wireless technology is nothing new, but Razer promises that its method is more robust, and results in no drop-offs or spikes even in a crowded wireless environment. The Lancehead is the company's flagship ambidextrous wireless mouse, and is offered in a wired version as well dubbed Tournament Edition.

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Secret Empire #6 Review

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For all its flaws, Secret Empire deserves a lot of credit for showing a much greater ambition than is usually found in Marvel's annual summer events. This is a story with devastating and far-reaching consequences for our heroes. It's also a story that strives to be about something deeper and more meaningful than one team of costumed superhumans punching another. That ambition continues to fuel the series, even n issues like this where the plot only inches along.

Secret Empire #6 revisits a number of ongoing story threads, but for the most part this issue is devoted to chronicling the epic showdown between Cap's Hydra forces and the Avengers holed up in their desert hideaway. From the beginning, the odds feel very stacked against Hawkeye and his team, as this issue hammers home the idea that the Avengers are divided and and feuding precisely when they need to be united. There's some strong character work to be had in the build-up to and during that confrontation. Tony Stark in particular stands out, with Nick Spencer using this battle as a means of revisiting the lingering trauma of Civil War and Tony's many failed efforts to live up to the standard set by Steve Rogers.

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Batman #27 Review

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Writer Tom King has taken a fairly risky approach to depicting the events of "The War of Jokes and Riddles." That war has mostly unfolded in the background of the series, with King and his partners less concerned with chronicling the battles themselves than the effect they're having on the major players and those innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. That approach continues in Batman #27, the first of several interlude issues focused on the origin story of Kite-Man. This issue succeeds in transforming that villain from goofy comic relief to tragic, integral player in this devastating conflict.

Not unlike The Killing Joke did for Joker, "The Ballad of Kite Man" sets out to explore the hellish circumstances that transform an ordinary man into a costumed lunatic. King immediately succeeds in painting Chuck "Charlie" Brown as a sympathetic figure, one unwillingly dragged into Joker, Riddler and Batman's war and used as a hapless pawn by all three sides. The tone of this issue is equal parts absurd and fatalistic. There's a an almost silly quality to the way Chuck bounces from one costumed character to the next, but also an unnerving sense that it's not a question of whether his luck will run out, but when. And by the time it does, it's impossible not to feel for this budding supervillain.

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Astonishing X-Men #1 Review

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Marvel's ResurrXion relaunch hasn't exactly given the chronically troubled X-Men franchise the boost it needs. Too many current X-books are still underwhelming, while those that do succeed are the ones continuing storylines and status quos from before the relaunch. There's no series that stands out by doing something new and exciting with the merry mutants. Fortunately, Marvel seems to have saved the best for last. Astonishing X-Men is just the sort of clean, streamlined, engaging X-book Marvel really needs at the moment.

Astonishing was very clearly conceived to be that proverbial "If you only read one X-Men comic..." series. Writer Charles Soule goes out of his way to make this first issue inviting for newcomers or those who might not be up to date on X-Men continuity. There's a very New Avengers quality to the team Souloe assembles here. This isn't a formal team so much as a group of costumed heroes brought together by circumstance and forced to confront an overwhelming enemy. The team features a mix of fan-favorite characters, but apart from the obligatory Old Man Logan inclusion, these are mainly characters who aren't being utilized elsewhere. That alone gives Astonishing a sense of identity alongside the other two core X-books, X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue.

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Tuesday 18 July 2017

Splatoon 2 Review in Progress

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It feels as if the paint had just begun to dry on Splatoon after its release on the Wii U in 2015 when Nintendo applied a fresh coat and relaunched it with Splatoon 2 on the Switch. That may be why this sequel feels less like a whole new game than a new version of the first one that rolls up the best post-launch updates to the colorful and adorably non-violent team-based shooter and adds some new toys. Of course, considering the first game is a lot of fun, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you missed it for lack of a Wii U. And despite some questionable choices that can leave you trapped in matchmaking purgatory, the addition of a standout and clever take on a co-op horde mode provides some seriously addicting fun that has me coming back for more.

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Monday 17 July 2017

Preacher: "Dallas" Review

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Since Tulip O'Hare first barged her way back into Jesse Custer's life, Preacher has really played up the mystery of what happened to the duo back in Dallas and what drove them apart in the first place. We've seen pieces of that puzzle over the past year, but "Dallas" finally set about giving us the full story of what happened after that botched mission. Sadly, the takeaway is that it wasn't really a story worth telling in the first place.

"Dallas" proved to be a very flashback-heavy episode, which was a pretty risky move in and of itself. Season 2 started strong with the first violent encounters between our heroes and the Saint of Killers, but that momentum has been gradually seeping away with the transition to New Orleans. Last week's cliffhanger teased the imminent arrival of the Saint, and this episode felt like little more than a filler installment designed to pad out the time until the next big showdown a while longer.

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Kingston HyperX Alloy Elite Review

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Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Kingston is on a roll with its HyperX gaming brand. What started with high-performance memory 15 years ago has recently branched out to peripherals, with great success. Its headphones and gaming mice are lauded for delivering a lot of bang for the buck, and its Cloud II headset is our hands-down favorite for the price.

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