My Hero Academia Episode 38 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

The second season of My Hero Academia comes to a tense and forward-looking close, as "Encounter" succinctly wraps up Deku's first semester at U.A. High in favor of spending a significant amount of time setting the stage for what's to come in the forthcoming third season.

This is by no means a complaint, as the introduction to Toga and Dabi, as well as Deku's surprise encounter with Shigaraki, provides an exciting sense of progression. I love how Stain's legacy lives on through the profound impact it's had on Toga and Dabi, and how their admiration for the Hero Killer is such a point of frustration for Shigaraki. Their character designs are also fantastic, perfectly representing the two's contrasting personalities. The maniacal and bubbly Toga has appropriately wild hair and always has a smile plastered across her face. Conversely, the gloomy and pessimistic Dabi whose face is seemingly stitched together, nearly always has a scowl.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2x5ZSU7
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

iPhone 8 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

If it appears as though Apple is no longer trying to surprise and excite us with its annual iPhone revisions… it’s because it’s not. Now that the main iPhone has become the standard smartphone rather than a luxury item, Apple has reserved its real ambition for the upcoming iPhone X and its edge-to-edge screen. That leaves the iPhone 8 as an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 7, which was itself an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 6s, and the 6 before that.

The fact that you could easily mistake the iPhone 8 for its three-generation-old ancestor at a glance doesn’t mean it isn’t a great phone, because it absolutely is. By nearly every measure it’s the most powerful phone out there, and it matches or beats most of its competition with a high-quality camera (by smartphone standards) and a pocket full of excellent features. What it lacks in razzle-dazzle, it makes up for in high-quality construction and tested dependability.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yexpQX
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Netflix's Big Mouth: Season 1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

This is a non-spoiler review for all 10 episodes of Netflix's new animated series, Big Mouth - premiering Friday, September 29th.

Netflix's latest foray into Hard-R animation, following two seasons of the decent F is for Family (the much better BoJack Horseman isn't quite as lewd or crude), comes to us from the mind of comedian Nick Kroll (The Kroll Show, Parks and Rec). Along with co-creators Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett, Kroll has ushered in a hyper-raunchy, borderline uncomfortable cartoon centered around the onset of sexual feelings and confusion in middle school.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yyIvMV
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Blade Runner 2049 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

The idea of making a sequel to Ridley Scott’s iconic Blade Runner has long been akin to inviting a Replicant over to play chess: it was just the ultimate Bad Idea. And yet here we are, 35 years after the original noir sci-fi classic was released, and that sequel, Blade Runner 2049, has turned out to be the best idea. In fact, not only is 2049 an amazing movie on its own merits, but it’s also faithful to its predecessor even while it finds ways to transcend it at times. It’s that rare breed of film that already feels like an instant classic.

Ryan Gosling takes the center seat here as Agent K, a Blade Runner working the rough and tough streets of dystopic Los Angeles some 30 years after the original film. His mission remains the same as Harrison Ford’s Deckard’s was back then: Track down and “retire” any renegade humanoid androids -- AKA Replicants. The film opens with K in the middle of one such investigation, as he interrogates a potential Replicant. Is this latest target human or isn’t he? And what does that mean to K? You’ll have to watch the film to find out, though the throughline of Blade Runner 2049 asks an even bigger question: Does it really matter anymore who’s a Replicant and who’s not?

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xFXYeN
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Flatliners Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

What happens after we die? In the age of science and reason, it’s hard to accept old-fashioned ideas like walking around in the clouds and burning in fire and brimstone, but so far it’s been all but impossible to actually research the afterlife because, well, that’s what happens AFTER life. If we knew about it now we wouldn’t need to research it in the first place.

So the premise of Flatliners, both the original and the remake, is a smart one. A group of medical students, seeking both thrills and glory, kill each other and then immediately bring each other back to life. The near-death experiences give each of these students a new appreciation of their fleeting existence and also first-hand knowledge of what happens afterwards. And, since this is also a kind of horror movie, they also bring back deadly physical manifestations of their greatest shames.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hBZY41
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Gotham: "The Fear Reaper" Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

"The Fear Reaper" pitted Jim Gordon against a rampaging Scarecrow as part of an unofficial bet between Gotham's top cop and Penguin over whether or not Jim could catch young Johnny Crane in 24 hours. All of it a part of Oswald's public plan to discredit the GCPD and save face in light of his embarrassment at the Iceberg Lounge opening.

What came of all this, aside from Jim heading into the belly of the beast solo and besting Crane and a dozen frenzied inmates, was a deeper analysis of the GCPD itself. After three seasons of abusing the city's police department (and its one solitary precinct), and giving the denizens of Gotham massive Batman-scale crises to contend with, the show is finally taking stock of just how feeble the cops are (or, how feeble they've been written to be). It's one of those meta-methods of course correction in which a show's ongoing flaw is turned into a storyline - similar to why so much of Batman v Superman had to directly deal with the amount of casualties created by Superman's battle with Zod.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xOFSJU
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Bitdefender Total Security 2017 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

IGN is reviewing all the biggest antivirus programs all week long. They’re evaluated based on ease of use, price, features, and a variety of testing performed by our editor and IGN’s sister-site PCMag.com for scan times, false positives, and correct identification of threats. 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.

Bitdefender is a "kitchen sink" security package that offers the traditional virus/malware protection but throws in a password manager, file shredder, ransomware protection, and parental controls as well. BitDefender goes beyond simple scans and offers real-time protection along with an autopilot mode that makes it easy to operate. The basic package can be installed on up to five devices and costs $44.99 for one year of service. It works on Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS protection is coming soon.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yc3edf
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Hob Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Hob reminds me of why we should never let the cruelty of the world prevent us from appreciating its beauty. It illustrates this lesson forcefully just moments in, when the androgynous hero suffers an infection that quickly leads to an amputation, all for the crime of being distracted by a graceful giraffe-like creature and the stunning landscape surrounding them. A robotic golem comes to the rescue, gifting the hero its own arm, which includes a fist even Hellboy could appreciate.

And does our hero sit around moping, having learned the world sometimes punishes the gentle-hearted? Not at all. They jump back into action almost immediately, using the new arm to punch, grapple, and warp the problems of the world into submission. That's kind of the story of my experience with Hob as a whole, as it kept drawing me back even though it occasionally treated me unfairly and left me confused.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xCJAq2
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Gerald's Game Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Be advised of some spoilers ahead.

There is an old trick, or so the movies tell us, to putting someone through torture. It’s not enough to simply hurt them, you have to show them exactly what you’re going to do to them first. You have to hint at the danger that is to come. A knife cuts in an instant. Waiting for that fateful moment when it finally slices you is, arguably, even worse.

Mike Flanagan understands this premise all too well. The opening scenes of his new film Gerald’s Game, based on the novel by Stephen King, lay out all the film’s implements with elegant cruelty. The packed suitcase, lingerie inside. The other packed suitcase, don’t forget the handcuffs. The long winding drive to a lonely little cabin. A mangy, hungry dog. A door left open. A little bottle of viagra.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yaGfPK
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Boruto Episode 26 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

The field trip to the Hidden Mist continues in this week’s episode of Boruto. Boruto and his friends continue to try and enjoy their mini retreat, but education and confrontation keep getting in the way. “The Mizukage’s Successor” is another slow episode, but does provide some useful history and enlightening moments, while the impending conflict continues to simmer just under the surface.

Last week’s instructive foray into the Hidden Mist extends into a class visit to the office of the new Mizukage, Chojuro. Boruto quickly becomes bored with Chojuro’s speech about unity between the villages, which the Kage mercifully cuts short. Kagura continues the Kage’s story later, explaining that Chojuro is the reason for the Mist Village’s recent prosperity. Both of these scenes provide some nice history and context for both the characters and the viewer, but I can’t help but feel the delivery is a little dry. Of course it can be hard to deliver this kind of information in an exciting way, but a flashback might have been better than the drawn-out exposition that was delivered.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2ycP6Aw
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Cult of Chucky Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Chucky is back, but then again, Chucky never really left. The killer doll from the Child’s Play movies has somehow managed to make it all the way through the reboot boom of the 21st century without hitting the reset button, and he’s now embarking on his sixth official sequel, Cult of Chucky. And while the latest film doesn’t reach the madcap heights of Bride of Chucky or the creepy depths of Curse of Chucky, it’s still a worthy addition to the series.

It’s been a few years since Curse of Chucky, and the film’s hero, Nica (Fiona Dourif), has been institutionalized because she said a doll killed her whole family. Now Nica thinks she’s the real murderer, and she’s been convinced that evil toys aren’t real. But after her psychiatrist introduces a suspiciously familiar “Good Guy” doll into her group therapy sessions, everyone at the institution starts behaving strangely -- or more strangely than usual -- and the dead bodies soon start piling up.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fU8rMh
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Generations: Spider-Man #1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

At first glance, Generations: Spider-Man seems like the least necessary installment of this series. After all, we see Miles Morales and Peter Parker interact all the time. The two are in the middle of a crossover miniseries as we speak. And that initial impression isn't necessarily changed after actually reading the book. Even though this issue shakes up the usual dynamic by having Miles cross paths with a young, college-age Peter, it doesn't do enough to add more depth to a well-established relationship.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that Peter and Miles have so little opportunity to interact here. Peter spends most of this issue in an agitated state, doing everything in his power to avoid the creepy kid who's shown up out of nowhere and knows his secret identity. Writer Brian Bendis winds up tying Peter's frazzled behavior into the events of a classic Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. issue of Amazing Spider-Man, but it doesn't change the fact that the two characters only spend a handful of pages interacting. Not to mention that the resolution, while having its heart in the right place, feels a bit forced. The takeaway from this brief crossover is that Miles is supposed to see Peter as a vulnerable kid for the first time. But I've never gotten the impression that Miles has ever had trouble connecting with Peter on a personal level or seeing him for the flawed but well-meaning man he is. Again, that relationship doesn't actually seem changed by the events of this issue.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hz4pMO
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Sades SA902 7.1 USB Surround PC Gaming Headset Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

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.

Normally IGN reviews proper gear from well-known brands, and for headsets we've covered both the midrange and the upper echelon of choices this year. However, we understand money doesn't grow on trees, so we've started examining some of the more affordable headset models, too. In doing so we decided to see if a super-cheap, no-name brand, the kind you see at the top of online retailers, could compete with the likes of Logitech, Astro, HyperX, and so forth.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2wXGE8g
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Review of Fox's New X-Men Show, The Gifted

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

This is an advanced, spoiler-free review of the pilot for Fox’s The Gifted. I’ll only be going into general plot details that have already been revealed, but if you’re spoiler sensitive, best bookmark this and come back after the show debuts on October 2.

The Gifted exists in the world of the X-Men, but don’t expect to see Wolverine or Jean Grey pop up. The X-Men have disappeared, along with the villainous Brotherhood, leaving the show to focus on an Underground Railroad-esque mutant resistance, the mutant-hunting agents of Sentinel Services, and a family caught in between. The pilot doesn’t try to do anything markedly new with the mutant metaphor, but it hits every beat of that formula so well that it’s a great time regardless.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fS61xC
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Killing Gunther Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Killing Gunther is now available on ULTRA VOD. It releases in select theaters and On Demand October 20.

On paper, Killing Gunther has all that it needs in order to be a successful comedy. Featuring a lineup of talented stars including Bobby Moynihan, Hannah Simone, Allison Tolman, Cobie Smulders, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger in the titular role, it has the kind of on screen ensemble that you’d expect from one of the best comedies of the year. Unfortunately, Killing Gunther just doesn’t bring any of those elements together in a cohesive or entertaining way.

Coming from the mind of SNL veteran Taran Killam -- who’s making his directorial debut here -- Killing Gunther attempts to offer a unique take on the cliched hitman industry that’s already been so overdone in film. But whereas other movies usually imagine their hitmen characters as being overly professional, ruthless, and sometimes very stylish, Killing Gunther’s lineup of killers are, instead, just as casual and prone to making mistakes as everyday people are.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yu9hWy
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Generations: Captain America #1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

It's a shame that Nick Spencer's Captain America saga didn't end as strongly as it began. Secret Empire's lackluster conclusion really did a number on that long-running story. Spencer had one last chance to end things on a high note thanks to Generations: Captain America, and luckily, he's up to the task. More than just the finale to Marvel's Generations one-shots, this issue is the sendoff Spencer's Captain America run needed.

Most of the Generations comics have been pretty vague about how they tie into Secret Empire and Marvel Legacy, as well as what impact they're meant to have on these characters' lives going forward. Not so here. Having recently established the Generations/Secret Empire link in Secret Empire #10, here Spencer digs deeper. This issue offers a better sense of what Kobik was trying to accomplish by sending these ten heroes on their journeys, as well as how those journeys feed into the framework of Marvel Legacy. Generations is ultimately a bridge from Secret Empire to Legacy, and an especially poignant one in the case of Sam Wilson. Spencer makes a stronger case than expected for why it's not only time for Sam to put down the shield, but why it may be the best move for the character.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xySEwm
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

American Made Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Featuring one of Tom Cruise's best performances in recent years, American Made is a darkly funny, dizzying crime film that nevertheless ultimately feels inconsequential and overly familiar.

Like so many other true crime flicks made in the wake of GoodFellas, American Made is a years-spanning saga told in a sprawling yet frenzied fashion where the protagonist recounts his criminal career from its simple origins to its decadent heights to the desperately paced, walls-closing-in downfall. From Blow to American Hustle (which also would've been an appropriate title for this movie), we've seen this same form of true crime film execution done so many times already. (Hell, even Scorsese borrowed from his own playbook for The Wolf of Wall Street.)

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fyEOD9
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Wonder Woman #31 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Wonder Woman #31 marks the second creative team shake-up for this series since the departure of Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp and Bilquis Evely. It's notable both for marking the return of writer James Robinson to DC and for finally picking up on lingering plot threads from Justice League: The Darkseid War. It's hard to judge from this issue whether Robinson's take on Diana Prince will live up to that of Rucka and Shea Fontana, but the story itself is off to a promising start.

Diana herself is little more than a guest star in this issue, as Robinson devotes most of his attention to introducing her twin brother, Paul. Robinson is in comfortable territory here as he explores Paul's quiet, secluded life and paints a warm picture of the small town in which he's chosen to hide himself. The reveal of Paul's true nature and connection to the Greek pantheon is a little disappointing (for reasons that are tough to get into without spoiling the issue), but he does quickly emerge as a likable protagonist. Robinson also effectively ties this new character into the lingering Darkseid/Grail conflict. Fans who have been waiting for a proper continuation of The Darkseid War likely won't be disappointed.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hylgiN
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Marvel Legacy #1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

It's difficult to review Marvel Legacy #1 without drawing comparisons to last year's DC Universe Rebirth #1. The similarities are impossible to ignore. Both books feature a collection of interconnected stories linked by a common, disembodied narrator. Both are meta-heavy stories that reflect on the history of their respective universes and the storytelling mistakes made in recent years. And both strive to establish a lighter, more optimistic tone for their universes while also introducing a grand, cosmic threat lurking on the horizon.

Given all that, it was inevitable that Marvel Legacy #1 would fall a bit short of DC Universe Rebirth's mark. It just doesn't have the same novelty and impact given its "Me too!" status. But taken on its own merits, this issue is an engaging read that offers some hope that the Marvel Universe is destined for better things in 2018.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2y9bwTn
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Star Fox 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

I was mesmerized by the pastel polygons of Star Fox 2. While abstract ships swirled in a stop-motion dance in front of me, I kept thinking this was one of the most beautiful games I’ve played all year. But where I saw art, others who stopped by to check out Star Fox 2 just saw a blur of awkwardly rotating triangles at about 10 frames a second. Setting aside my appreciation for game history and nostalgia, Star Fox 2 is kind of a hot mess.

Star Fox 2’s primitive 3D is so jarringly bad that Nintendo actually canceled it in 1995 before it came out because it didn’t look good alongside the groundbreaking 3D of the Nintendo 64. Its space battles, assembled from a handful of untextured polygons, barely run on the SNES hardware, or even on its new, exclusive home in the SNES Classic Edition. (Read our full SNES Classic Edition review.) But if you can stomach the terrible frame rate, it is playable – enough that I could beat it on Hard. Sometimes, it’s even enjoyable.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xA5urN
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

SNES Classic Edition Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Booting up Donkey Kong Country on the Super NES Classic instantly threw me back to playing the platformer for the first time, and I found myself, though I knew where every hidden “KONG” letter was, having just as much fun as I did years ago. That was true of not just Donkey Kong Country in my time with the Super NES Classic, but of the vast majority of the system’s 21 games from the ‘90s. There are easier and cheaper ways to play some of the greatest games of the 16-bit era, but none that feels so authentically right as Nintendo’s new adorable, nostalgic console.

Nintendo has opted for quality over quantity with the SNES Classic’s library, which bundles just 21 games compared to the NES Classic’s 30. Most are amazing to play even today: a dozen genre- or franchise-defining headliners, including a handful of lengthy and still engaging RPGs represent hundreds of hours worth of some of the finest games of the 16-bit era.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2ythI4v
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Star Fox 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

I was mesmerized by the pastel polygons of Star Fox 2. While abstract ships swirled in a stop-motion dance in front of me, I kept thinking this was one of the most beautiful games I’ve played all year. But where I saw art, others who stopped by to check out Star Fox 2 just saw a blur of awkwardly rotating triangles at about 10 frames a second. Setting aside my appreciation for game history and nostalgia, Star Fox 2 is kind of a hot mess.

Star Fox 2’s primitive 3D is so jarringly bad that Nintendo actually cancelled it in 1995 before it came out because it didn’t look good alongside the groundbreaking 3D of the Nintendo 64. Its space battles, assembled from a handful of untextured polygons, barely run on the SNES hardware, or even on its new, exclusive home in the SNES Classic Edition. But if you can stomach the terrible frame rate, it is playable – enough that I could beat it on Hard. Sometimes, it’s even enjoyable.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fQAgVy
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Jeepers Creepers 3 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

As a die hard fan of the first two Jeepers Creepers movies, it pains me to say this: Jeepers Creepers 3 is the low point of the franchise, one from which I hope, but doubt, it will recover.

The long-gestating third installment in the horror series from writer/director Victor Salva has been rumored ever since the second film came out to less than favorable reviews in 2003. Initially called Jeepers Creepers: Cathedral, a dozen years of development saw the subtitle and initial plot dropped in favor of the more straightforward title Jeepers Creepers 3 -- or III, the marketing seems divided -- and the dull, meandering story that arrived on theater screens for one night only on September 26.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xviCk9
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Dragon Ball Super Episode 107 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.

As time begins to slowly run out in the Tournament of Power, Frieza steps up to finally make his power play. Episode 108 focused heavily on the long time villain and his underhanded but entertaining exploits as he deceived and fought against his own allies. Unfortunately, these tense moments were often broken up by dull and unnecessary dialogue, while poor animation made it clear who was favored more heavily during production.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2k0l3G2
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Ruiner Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

A funny thing happened after I beat Ruiner: I started having fun. My first playthrough was exhaustingly difficult. I don’t mind a challenge, but I also don’t want to feel like I’m banging my head against a wall for 10 hours, unsure of what I’m doing wrong. However, retreading the 14 levels of cyberpunk brutality as the fully powered-up version of my twin-stick killer finally let me enjoy the frantic, stylish combat.

Revenge stories tend to be pretty straightforward, and Ruiner’s is no exception. You’re a man with VCR text for a face, being told by a mysterious woman in your head that you have to kill a bunch of people who kidnapped your brother. It’s pulling from common cyberpunk material like Blade Runner, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Escape from New York to tell a bloody tale full of technological horror, and it mixes in some pretty cool, disturbing characters. Menacing techno with industrial beats suit the violent, dirty world of Ruiner well. (Look for the soundtrack to be featured on your favorite Tumblr synthwave blog.)

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hsexab
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

The Big Bang Theory: Season 11 Premiere Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

It's usually a clear sign a sitcom is nearing the end of its lifespan when it begins focusing more and more on marriage and pregnancy storylines. The Big Bang Theory probably won't be ending anytime soon. It's still one of the most-watched comedies on the air, and CBS has already renewed the show through the 2018-2019 season. But that doesn't mean The Big Bang Theory isn't feeling a little long in the tooth these days. The more these characters settle down into domestic bliss, the less it seems the series has new and interesting challenges to put them through.

Not that there isn't a certain appeal in seeing the series' latest engagement saga unfold. The opening scene in "The Proposal Proposal" is a moment the show has been building to for the better part of a decade at this point. We've seen Sheldon and Amy's relationship take shape very, very slowly but surely in that time, and this proposal is really the culmination of all their time together. The moment didn't disappoint, even with the show leaving fans hanging ever since the Season 10 finale. The proposal had just the right blend of earnestness and silliness, with Sheldon making a grand romantic gesture while also killing the mood by rambling on the phone at the worst possible time. It was a sure sign that even marriage can only change Sheldon Cooper so much.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2wSgO0s
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

HyperX Cloud Alpha Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

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.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha (See it on Amazon) is the new flagship model at the top of Kingston’s Cloud line of gaming headsets. The Cloud line sits below the "studio" quality Cloud Revolver line, but is still high-class enough to be marketed to pro gamers. Thankfully, it carries an affordable price to keep it within the reach of amateurs and weekend warriors. Like the HyperX Cloud II, the Cloud Alpha is a wired headset that costs $99.99 and offers supreme comfort and sound, and it's more of an upgrade to the original Cloud as opposed to the Cloud II as it doesn't offer 7.1 surround sound. Instead, the headlining feature of the Cloud Alpha is its new dual-chamber driver design that separates low bass frequencies from the highs and mids. In exchange for this new design you sacrifice some of the goodies that the similarly-priced Cloud II offers, namely virtual 7.1 surround sound, and a second set of ear cups. Got it? Good. Let's dive in:

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xvMbQp
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Total War: Warhammer 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

As a series, Total War tends to give its best when building on an already established foundation. Napoleon surpassed Empire, Attila surpassed Rome 2. And so, in faithful fashion, has Total War: Warhammer 2 pushed beyond the original Total War Warhammer, creating the most fleshed-out and engrossing campaign this veteran strategy and tactics series has offered to date.

The standard trappings are all present in top form. A sprawling campaign map that’s possibly the best-looking one Creative Assembly’s artists have ever put together. Real-time battles with reasonably competent AI (not always a given for Total War) who seem to know how to play to each army’s strengths and weaknesses – if only in a pre-set, somewhat predictable way. You build cities and research tech to unlock new units and improve your economy and fighting capacity, with each of the new factions having a fairly innovative way of doing so.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2huemaS
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Rick and Morty: "The ABC's of Beth" Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

As enjoyable as this season of Rick and Morty has been, it's been frustrating to see so little attention devoted to Beth and Jerry. Jerry is pretty much the best character on the show, after all, and the fact that the two are dealing with the fallout of their divorce leaves the door open for all sorts of wacky, emotionally draining adventures. "The ABCs of Beth" felt like a concerted effort to make up for lost time, and it didn't disappoint.

It really is high time Beth enjoyed a starring role for a change. In a show crammed full of psychologically complex characters, she's among the most fragile and damaged. She basically combines all the worst traits of her father - the alcoholism, the ego, the often indifferent attitude towards her children - with a pathological need to impress Rick and convince herself that he's worthy of the effort. Among other things, this episode was great about shining a light on their dysfunctional relationship and exploring just how far back that dysfunction started. The takeaway this week is really that Beth is far more screwed up than the show ever let on.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2huLcYX
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Star Trek: Discovery - Series Premiere Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Note: We’re avoiding major spoilers in this review of Star Trek: Discovery’s two-part premiere.

Star Trek lives!

And not just that, but with the arrival of the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery -- the first new TV Trek in over 12 years -- it has evolved, like some kind of alien lifeform being scanned by Mr. Spock. Based on the two-part Discovery premiere, the show has successfully made the jump to the modern mode of serialized storytelling, an approach that was mostly avoided in the previous Trek shows. Not just that, but Star Trek: Discovery is also taking a perhaps more “realistic” approach to its story and characters, grounding them in a way that aligns the series with 2017 Peak TV practices while also adhering -- so far, anyway -- to classic Trek tropes and themes. Oh, and it also looks stunning.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xuhD16
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

The Strain: The Final Season Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Note: this is a mostly spoiler-free review of The Strain's fourth season. I'll avoid getting too deep into story specifics until the final section.

Having Carlton Cuse as executive producer isn't the only thing Lost and The Strain share in common. Both are proof that sometimes the best thing you can do for a long-running series is to give it a firm end date. The Strain immediately received a much-needed jolt of adrenaline midway through its third season once it became clear that Season 4 would be its last. That fueled a literally explosive finale where a nuclear blast ushered in the Night Eternal and the Master's full rise to power. When that season ended, it was impossible not to be chilled at the thought of a dramatic, claustrophobic final season where our heroes fight a losing war against an unholy enemy that's no longer affected by daylight.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hsqQ2z
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

My Hero Academia Episode 37 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

My Hero Academia's "Origin" episodes have proven to be some of its best. "Izuku Midoriya: Origin" was the title of the solid series premiere, and "Shoto Todoroki: Origin" stands head and shoulders above the rest as MHA's greatest episode yet. As such, I went into "Katsuki Bakugo: Origin" with insurmountably high expectations. While it doesn't quite reach the emotional heights of Season 2's aforementioned Todoroki-focused episode, "Katsuki Bakugo: Origin" comes impressively close, delivering a beautifully animated and thrilling conclusion to the practical exams that propels Deku and Bakugo's rivalry in an exciting new direction.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2wd8aKc
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Fuller House: Season 3 - Part 1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

This review is of the first half of Fuller House: Season 3, which dropped on Netflix on September 22nd. The rest of the season will arrive on Netflix at a later date.

Fuller House is the proof that nostalgia never dies, and the arrival of Season 3 of the Full House revival on Netflix shows that even the most simplistic of sitcoms can learn from its own mistakes. The second season of Fuller House was a bit of a mess, packed cringe-worthy jokes and too focussed on pop culture references to to fully embrace what makes it special: the lives of the Tanner-Fuller family.

As the season kicks off, the theme is immediately revealed. Whereas Season 2 focused on various holidays throughout the year, this time out the episodes encompass summer vacation. It's an odd choice to make for a series debuting just as summer comes to an end but gives the show some ideas to play with none the less, whether it's Jackson (Michael Campion) being stuck in summer school thanks to his terrible grades, or Max (Elias Harger) joining forces with Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) to throw a pool party.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hngWD3
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Danganronpa V3 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Danganronpa is a series that doesn’t look like much on the surface, but once you start playing, it’s easy to get sucked into the weird character drama and the lengthy, winding twists and turns of their despair-inducing adventures. The newest installment, Danganronpa V3, doesn’t change too much from the previous two: it’s still an anime and pop-art-fueled hybrid of adventure game, murder mystery, and courtroom drama. But sometimes, more of the same is a good thing – especially when it’s done this well.

For the third time, a fresh batch of uniquely gifted students have been trapped in a prison-like high school by bloodthirsty bear mascot Monokuma (this time with his equally evil cubs) and forced to participate in a “killing game” to murder each other. Danganronpa V3's gameplay is split into three parts: daily school life, investigations, and class trials. The relatively quiet gameplay, classmate interactions, and exploration of daily life makes an effective story contrast with the murderous horrors and grisly investigations that follow it, though first-person wandering in the samey-looking school halls, even with new areas opening each chapter, got really old, really fast. The highlights that make it worthwhile are the story development and the “free time” sequences in which you can have conversations with and grow closer to particular classmates. Not only is it a real delight to learn more about these deep characters, but you can also earn rewards (like special perks during Class Trials) for doing so.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hpbT4P
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Corsair K65 LUX RGB Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

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.

Gaming hardware lights up. That’s just sort of a fact of life. Whether it’s peripherals like keyboards or mice or entire gaming PCs, RGB LED lighting is one of the stand-out features that says “this is for gamers!” If you’re into that—then this is the tenkeyless mechanical keyboard for you. Many of the features of Corsair’s K65 LUX (See it on Amazon) are similar to most of its competitors, but the programmable lighting is definitely a cut above.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hmBsDK
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Young Sheldon: Series Premiere Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of the first episode of Young Sheldon, which will premiere on CBS on Monday, September 25 at 8:30pm EST.

It's a little funny to think that Young Sheldon is considered to be CBS's big gamble of the Fall 2017 TV season. Is it really such a risky move to craft a spinoff of one of the most widely watched sitcom on the air, especially when that spinoff is going to be airing directly after its predecessor every week? By any other network's standards, that would seem like a pretty safe bet.

All that being said, Young Sheldon isn't quite the carbon copy Big Bang Theory prequel fans might be expecting. For one thing, the decision to explore Sheldon Cooper's (Big Little Liars' Iain Armitage) life in West Texas circa-1989 ensures that none of the other Big Bang Theory crew will be stopping by for the occasional guest appearance. Young Sheldon also switches to a single camera format and ditches the studio audience. It features voice-over narration by the adult Sheldon himself, Jim Parsons (the only Big Bang cast member to play a significant role here). Even the general tone of the series is very different. Young Sheldon is less overtly comedic and more sentimental than its parent series. It may not scratch the same itch as The Big Bang Theory, but Young Sheldon might just connect with audiences who have never found Sheldon Cooper's antics appealing before.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yhLx8e
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Gotham: Season 4 Premiere Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Gotham returned for its fourth season with "Pax Penguina," a episode whose title would have been much cooler if Oswald didn't actually say it, and explain it, in the middle of the story.

Still, out of the gate, this season opener was interesting. The idea of controlled, managed crime strangely reminded me of The Wire's "Hamsterdam" arc in Season 3 - in what I assume will probably be the first and only instance where I compare Gotham to The Wire.

Briefly though, on The Wire, a sectioned off area of the city was created, unbeknownst to Baltimore higher ups, where crooks were free to push drugs and do all sorts of illegal things with the intent of giving them their own space away from families and neighborhood stoops. And, on the show, it worked.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2wEMafS
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Friend Request Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

There’s a long, long history in Hollywood of quite literally demonizing new fads and technologies in horror films like Feardotcom, Stay Alive and Unfriended. And just like the new movie Friend Request, these films are often laughably ignorant of why the internet is popular in the first place, how it basically works, and what really makes it really scary.

Friend Request is the tale of a college student named Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey), who has over 800 friends on Facebook, and who is perversely fascinated when she meets Marina (Liesl Ahlers), a girl who has none. Laura accepts Marina’s friend request but is repulsed when Marina wants to be treated like an actual friend. So after Laura tells Marina she isn’t having a birthday party -- and then posts pictures of her birthday party on Facebook -- Marina feels rejected, and kills herself.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2jOwTCY
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

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.

Razer is no stranger to the high-end mechanical keyboard market, so of course it offers a few tenkeyless models. These are distinguished from its larger keyboards with the label “Tournament Edition;” the idea being that these smaller keyboards are easier to lug around to LAN parties and tournaments, and they take up less desk real-estate so you’re not bumping into the guy playing next to you while also allowing more room for mousing.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fl2RWc
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Boruto Episode 25 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

With Sarada’s arc finally coming to an end, it's back to school for the students of the Hidden Leaf. Lucky for them the Hokage has planned a field trip to the Land of Water, which provides the young ninja a chance to relax, and us a chance to see how the modern era has changed other parts of the ninja world. The field trip antics are entertaining but the story moves a bit slowly, giving us only the tiniest hint of a coming conflict before the episode’s end.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2flOHUH
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Divinity: Original Sin 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Some rats won't listen to reason. Just the other day, I met one at the top of a flight of stairs who asked me if the zombie-like creatures crucified below us were any danger to him, and I assured him they most certainly were. But the punk got it in his little rodent brain that I was lying for my own gain, so he tried to charge past them to the wharf beyond… and got fried by lightning that the husks vomited from their mouths. Toldja, little guy. I'd always figured being able to talk to animals would open doors to deep wisdom, but if similar interactions in Divinity: Original Sin 2 prove anything, they're just as foolish as we are.

Moments like these are a big part of the reason why I love Larian Studios' new adventure so much. It's one of the finest RPGs of any variety in years, especially if you're a fan of the old turn-based, isometric Baldur's Gate model that defined the genre in the early '90s. But inspired imitation isn't the chief goal here, as in the somewhat similar (and also excellent) Pillars of Eternity from Obsidian. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a masterwork that radiates excellence in every aspect, whether we're talking about its broad commitment to character choice and rewarding combat or the little interactions, like my chat with the rat, that make its fantasy world feel both properly "fantastic" and believable.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2jPuLuy
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Heat Signature Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

When you’re a space mercenary, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Heat Signature counts on things going horribly wrong in order to create great moments where your desperate improvisation at least sometimes pays off, against all odds. It happens enough that I’m constantly telling stories about my latest successful – and almost successful – sci-fi heists.

Heat Signature’s simple, sprite-based art style and top-down shooter action bear a passing resemblance to Hotline Miami, and it works for many of the same retro-charming reasons. Enemies are sometimes hard to spot against busy backgrounds, but by and large, it’s easy to spot threats and obstacles at a glance. Of course, when you smoothly zoom from a close-up of a single boxy room on a spaceship all the way out to a view of a small galaxy of stars it becomes clear that this game is more modern than it appears.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2wBaW0i
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

SteamWorld Dig 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

In the cluttered landscape of fictional post-apocalyptic worlds, 2013’s SteamWorld Dig was a breath of fresh air. A steampunk Western, it sends you digging deep into the earth, searching out precious resources to sell in the dusty, one-mechanical horse town above. It’s a glorious a tale of robot cowboys, mutant humans and mysterious technology. SteamWorld Dig 2 is very much the sequel I was hoping for. It has the same core gameplay loop of digging for riches, but leans further into platforming, puzzle solving and RPG elements, while boasting a gorgeously detailed aesthetic.

In contrast to its predecessor, SteamWorld Dig 2’s world is not procedurally generated, and you can feel the handcrafted quality as a result. Dungeon layouts take devious pride in enemy positioning and cleverly hidden secrets. You’ll also come across cave entrances that take you to an impressive variety of self-contained challenges. These rooms make for a nice change of pace, as you go from literally carving out your own path through a massive sprawling world to being in a confined space with very specific solutions. These puzzles and platforming gauntlets aren’t difficult, but they’re satisfying, and net you cogs and artifacts – two of the most important collectables in Dig 2.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2xoAH2u
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

South Park: "Put It Down" Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Truly, Tweek and Craig are the unsung heroes of South Park. Last time these two were the central focus of an episode, the result was Season 19’s “Tweek x Craig,” a hilarious little gem that proved the show can still tackle standalone episodes amid all the topical continuity-driven storylines that have dominated things lately. And following last week’s rough start to Season 21, this Dynamic Duo again stepped up to remind us how great South Park can be when it finds its groove.

This week, the show tackled two burning issues that dominate the waking lives of most Americans these days - the looming threat of nuclear war with North Korea and the inane Twitter habits of a certain Commander-in-Chief. As those two topic are pretty interconnected lately, the result was a much more satisfying blend than last week’s smorgasbord of white nationalism, Amazon’s Alexa and HGTV.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fBPkGk
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Venomverse #3 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

Venomverse may be a very underwhelming Marvel event, but at least it bucks the usual trend by getting slightly better, not worse, over time. For whatever it's worth, issue #3 is the strongest chapter to date. It doesn't necessarily address any of the fundamental flaws of the book, but this issue does at least have more fun with the premise and the large cast of characters.

Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello introduce a major wrinkle into the conflict in this issue by dragging another iconic Spider-Man villain into the fray. Where the first two issues found some success in exploring the lingering Peter Parker/Eddie Brock rivalry, this issue finds even more success in mining this particular relationship. The series has done very little to flesh out the Poisons and make these villains into compelling antagonists (even with the recent reveal of the mastermind pulling their strings), but this new free agent is at least an acceptable substitute.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yfqenH
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

When The LEGO Movie first hit theaters in 2014, audiences weren’t prepared for it’s refreshingly fast-paced, eccentric style of comedy nor its surprisingly emotional third act. Now, three years later, Warner Bros. has begun its first step towards building out this unlikely franchise with The LEGO Batman Movie and, now, The LEGO Ninjago Movie, which hits theaters this weekend. While both films have managed to maintain the same comedic style and emotional themes of the original LEGO Movie, they’ve also both shown signs of how quickly this formula can start to wear thin.

Fortunately, The LEGO Ninjago Movie has a different enough backdrop and story to keep it from ever becoming too familiar or boring. Based on the LEGO property of the same name, Ninjago keeps the self-referential and parodical style of its two franchise predecessors, but swaps out the underdog and comic book movie settings of those films for a ninja-themed coming-of-age story. The result is an exuberantly told, if occasionally familiar and comedically uneven, story about a family learning how to come together for the first time.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2yr1JVH
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Bloodshot Salvation #1 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

You have to hand it to Valiant for the effort they've made in 2017 to make it easy to jump into their superhero universe. From the relaunch of X-O Manowar early this year to the recent Ninjak #0, Valiant has ensured that many of its big franchises have easy, straightforward jumping-on points. And now that treatment is being applied to Bloodshot. Even though Bloodshot Salvation is the latest chapter in Jeff Lemire's ongoing run, it's as good a starting point as any for the character.

Salvation features a pretty clear hook, as former super-soldier/assassin Ray Garrison now finds himself the father to an infant daughter. How does a guy whose sole purpose in life used to be killing adjust to that newfound responsibility? Early in Lemire's run, the question was whether Ray could ever truly bury his Bloodshot side and live an ordinary life. Now that he's found a family and achieved some semblance of ordinary, the question is more if he even wants to keep Bloodshot buried.

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2hiwqs1
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming

Pokken Tournament DX Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out

When Pokkén Tournament came out on the Wii U back in 2016, we thought it was a great melding of the world of Pokémon and the fighting genre, awarding it an 8.0. Here’s what our reviewer, Darry Huskey, said last year:

“Pokkén Tournament takes a lot of what we know from old fighting gaming favorites and sticks them into a blender, delivering a unique take on both Pokémon and on fighting games in general. Sometimes all those ingredients spill over a container that’s a little too full - there is a surprising amount to learn beyond the beginner’s level, and that may alienate some Pokémon fans without fighting game experience. Pokkén Tournament does do a good job, though, at alleviating this bloat of mechanics with single-player modes to help ease into the action.” Full Pokken Tournament Review

Continue reading…

from IGN Reviews http://ift.tt/2fCkYDT
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming