Hamilton Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Hamilton debuts exclusively on Disney+ on July 3. [Editor's note: Like many people watching Hamilton at home on Disney+, this reviewer had not seen the stage show beforehand (but they did know the property through its soundtrack).] [poilib element="accentDivider"] For years, Hamilton: An American Musical was the hottest ticket on Broadway. Audiences paid hundreds for a single seat to see a dazzling array of hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, and showtune numbers that detailed the tumultuous life and tragic death of unsung founding father Alexander Hamilton. In the five years since this musical first hit Broadway, it's made Hamilton a household name, won a slew of awards, launched into stardom actors Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Anthony Ramos, and its creator/leading man Lin-Manuel Miranda. Now, Broadway is dark until 2021. However, those craving its theatrical excellence can turn to Disney+, which is offering at-home audiences an invite to the room where it happened with a filmed version of Hamilton. Writer of Hamilton's book and lyrics, Miranda stars as Hamilton, the scrappy orphaned immigrant who rose to power in a newborn United States, thanks to his undying determination, ferocious intelligence, and blind ambition. Over this saga, Hamilton meets the enchanting Schuyler sisters, Angelica (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Eliza (Phillipa Soo), and Peggy (Jasmine Cephas Jones). He makes friends and enemies of historical titans like George Washington (Christopher Jackson), Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs), and James Madison (Okieriete Onaodowan). And Hamilton befriends -- then frequently infuriates -- the man who earned infamy by killing him, Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.). Over the course of this wildly ambitious stageshow, director Thomas Kail not only ushered Broadway audiences through decades of story but also used the inventive tools of theater to create brutal war scenes, chaste sex scenes, and a full-blown hurricane on a spinning stage. Ahead of the opening image of the empty stage, Disney+'s Hamilton offers a brief video intro from Miranda and Kail, in which the former calls this a film. It's not a screen adaptation. It's a filmed recording of the heralded original Broadway cast performing the 11-time-Tony Award-winning stage musical at The Richard Rodgers Theatre in June of 2016. That's no minor distinction. While the stage show is incredible, this recording of it doesn't fully function as a film. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2YKxOa4] As promised by endless hype, Hamilton comes alive with amazing performances. Miranda is mocking, mirthful, wounded, and wrathful in turn as the eponymous hero. Goldsberry is riveting as the witty and rueful Angelica, who delivers smirks and rapid-fire lyrics with a thrilling confidence. Soo is hopeful, helpless, then heart-wrenching as Hamilton's wife, while Leslie Odom Jr. steals the show as the piece's self-proclaimed villain. Refusing to let us loathe Burr, Odom is jubilant as the piece's narrator, treating the role as ringmaster to a three-ring circus that is the U.S.'s dramatic origins. With unapologetic showmanship he calls us in to witness political maneuverings as if they are outrageous attractions. Then, swiftly he switches tone from playful to poignant, shifting the whole mood of the show as he sings of his love for a forbidden woman. Though played to the cheap seats, these theatrical performances don't suffer on screen because of the expectations of a musical. Perhaps it helps that it's always clear we are watching a play. The edge of the stage is often in view. The live audience can be heard throughout, cheering and laughing, but never to a degree that's distracting. Such aural and visual reminders urge us to embrace other theatrical devices that make Hamilton the stage show shine. Kail's production makes imaginative use of its ensemble, which is stacked with talented dancers who transform into townspeople, soldiers, and literal forces of nature, providing a world beyond the show's core characters. In the aforementioned hurricane, Miranda sings solemnly at the eye of the storm, while dancers circle around him, moving in slow motion, hoisting furniture and each other in an effort to create a swirling visual of the storm he fears will swallow him whole. In other scenes, their bodies contort to demonstrate the violence of battle. Their fingers trace the paths of bullets dodged or deadly. They swap a bit of costume, and swiftly paint a new setting and new time, while the main stage stays the same. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-15-weirdest-disney-plus-movies-you-may-not-have-seen&captions=true"] Another inspired theatrical device is the lighting design. Swirls of blue light reflect a somber mood and establish the New York harbor where the British fleet is storming in. A stark shadow dividing the stage turns the bare space into two far apart offices, where Hamilton and Burr separately muse about the nation they want to build for their children. A single spotlight paints a fallen soldier a ghostly blue, signifying he is no longer part of Hamilton's world. Such stagecraft is extraordinary. However, there are elements of this filmed staging that are marred by clunky cinematography. Hamilton is not captured as much as it is covered. While the singing and score are expertly recorded, the cameras seem nervous to intrude into the action on stage. Many of the shots feel frustratingly misplaced. Some powerful exchanges are shot in profile, with half the actor's expression lost to the back half of the stage. Further vexing, the actors appear to have been instructed to play to the live audience before them, not to the one who'd watch it later. The performers do not cheat to camera; instead they earnestly ignore its lens and address the mid-distance. Even moments like Burr's direct-address narration of Jefferson's flirtations to the crowd are aimed purely to those in the house, which creates a jarring distance for the at-home audience. We are not regarded as anything but afterthought. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2YMpJ4J] Also frustrating are master shots that truncate the stage. An arm reaching out from the edge of frame reminds us that there is more for playgoers to see, which we do not. Disney+'s Hamilton may be the definitive recording of the original cast. Nonetheless, it's offering an obstructed view. Kail's staging feels suffocated by cramped wide shots, which might explain the wonky editing style. On song numbers with a lot of the ensemble on stage, the cuts leap about the different angles without apparent motivation. It's as if the editor isn't sure where to direct our eye, and so chooses a little bit of everywhere in hopes we won't miss a thing. Instead, we might not know where to look. In song numbers with only one or two performers, the cut calms down, the camera pushes in, and viewers can focus on a character's expression in shots close and well captured. In "Satisfied," Goldsberry is center stage, her countenance masterfully expressing the thrill, heartbreak, and sacrifice all unfurled in that single song. In "Burn," the camera drinks in the agony on Soo's face as she sits on a bench and sings of betrayal. Then there's Jonathan Groff, who is a cheeky delight as the vengeful monarch King George III. His songs have the demented chipperness of a 1960s love song, which he plays with a sharp tongue that turns the chorus into a manic threat. His lively vocals are not paired with a jaunty dance, but a diva strut sturdy and sassy enough to suit the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race or the supermodels of Paris Fashion Week. As he's alone on stage, the cameras and cut know where to concentrate focus. Even without solitary moments of stillness, Diggs thrives. His exuberant dual performance as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson sparked fans, rave reviews, and untold thirst during his run on Hamilton. And it's easy to see why. He's a force of nature, spinning in bombastic dance numbers, and spitting rapid-fire rap lyrics with a deadly diction and mischievous smile. His energy is so explosive it seems at any moment he might leap from the screen right into your living room. 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Trackmania Review

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Some games not only stand the test of time, they actively defy it. That’s undoubtedly the case for Trackmania’s over-the-top time trials and deep track editor – a simple but addictive combination that’s earned the series a dedicated community for nearly two decades. The latest entry, a remake of 2006’s TrackMania Nations simply called Trackmania, feels like a return to form in many ways. But an off-putting subscription system and poor tools to actually teach you its intricacies make it a bittersweet reunion.

While there’s plenty of racing in Trackmania, the main event has always been variations on time trials. Whether you’re playing alone or against others online, you’re always really competing against your own skills. This can make a lot of Trackmania’s modes feel repetitive, whether its Time Attack, the team multiplayer of Chase or the traditional circuit-based Lap. But that drive to master a track is more than enough reason to keep coming back.

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Unfortunately, Trackmania has never explained itself particularly well, and 2020’s rendition is no different. An all too brief tutorial covers the basics, but you’re on your own when it comes to learning the mechanical subtlety behind getting truly fast times – tricks like nudging the jetpack-like reactor boost in midair to hover through midair checkpoints you didn’t see coming. That gives Trackmania a steeper learning curve than it ought to have.

But once you zoom past those initial speed bumps, Trackmania can be hard to put down. Finishing any of its decent launch selection of 45+ official tracks can take less than 90 seconds a piece, but you’ll want to play them over and over to shave off seconds and find all the clever shortcuts hidden in plain sight. The potent sounds of your engine roaring backed by high energy music can even eventually become quite soothing, drawing you in as you boost, jump, and drift around each corner in perfect rhythm.

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That doesn’t mean that you’ll be calmly cruising to the finish line though. Trackmania’s cars always feel floaty around turns, and you often pick up speed faster than you think you should. That may sound like a bad thing, but it actually contributes to the feeling that you’re perpetually just on the edge of losing control, which makes it all the more exhilarating when you dial things in just right and hit the goal for a gold medal.

Drifting Off The Main Circuit

The other side of the Trackmania coin is its custom tracks, which remain as impressive as ever – partially thanks to an intuitive block-based editor. Even before release, there are already user-made tracks ranging from recreations of Mario Kart classics to car golf to a rudimentary version of bumper cars. One dark course full of lamp posts felt like a throwback to Night Driver on the Atari 2600. Another downward slope felt like a slide from a water park that could send your vehicle flipping and flying at any moment. You never really know what you’ll get as you rummage through Trackmania’s course selections, and that’s half the fun. Time will tell if custom servers can achieve the level of plugin-based madness seen in the days of Trackmania 2, but creators already seem to have the means to go nuts in all sorts of ways.

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Unfortunately, not everyone who plays Trackmania can utilize these tools thanks to its unappealing new subscription service. You can play on official tracks and use a simplified map editor entirely for free, but most other things require either the “Standard” or “Club” access subscriptions, which are $10 and $30 per year respectively. Without open access to custom tracks and other community features like chat, it’s less of a free-to-play experience and more of a glorified demo.

Gating off access like this runs the risk of putting a damper on the community support that makes Trackmania shine long term. 2016’s Trackmania Turbo proved the community won’t automatically rally around the latest entry in the series just because it’s new, especially when you can load up new tracks in TrackMania 2 for the rest of your life at no extra cost. This new Trackmania is definitely a fun return with an impressive new coat of paint, but there’s not really enough that’s brand new to justify a recurring entry fee. Nadeo has committed to adding a new set of official tracks every season for all players, but that can only differentiate things so much compared to what the community cooks up.

What the Deal With Trackmania's Subscription Tiers?

What’s the difference between the “Standard’ and “Club” tiers you may ask? The biggest difference lies right in the names. Only Club members can create and join Clubs, which are Trackmania’s solution to the lack of an online server browser. Each Club acts as its own server, but it can also host specific custom tracks and car skins to download.

If you’re not subscribed at all, you have to rely on random Arcade matchmaking to even get a chance at seeing custom maps, and you can’t download any you stumble on to replay later. Standard members can join Club servers to have a bit more control, but they can’t really participate directly beyond that. Serious track creators will also need to cough up the annual cash for either paid tier, as the advanced track editor (which unlocks tools vital to making anything more than a basic course) is only available for subscribers.

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There are certainly people who enjoy Trackmania for its single-player elements alone, which includes free official tracks quarterly, and the F2P tier will no doubt be exciting for that type of player. But for anyone who wants to see the full depth of what Trackmania has to offer, you’re going to end up wanting the most expensive option eventually. You can find all the details of what’s in each tier in this almost comically convoluted chart, a perfect example of how this system is an overcomplicated and unnerving cloud hanging over the entire experience.

Whether you’re playing free or paid, Trackmania’s fancy new graphics at least makes everything look and feel fresh – it’s not going to stand up to the latest Forza or Gran Turismo, but this more lighthearted take on racing isn’t exactly trying to. Cars have a great sheen to them that persists even as you pick up speed and focus on the road ahead.

Outside of the races, Trackmania doesn’t look as impressive. Its menus are poorly cobbled together – but as a longtime fan, that off-kilter feeling oddly seems like a core part of the Trackmania experience at this point, and Nadeo probably knows it. Maniaplanet may be gone, but the charm of strange font choices and obtuse settings reminded me exactly what game I was playing, even if those rough edges will probably keep newcomers at arms length.

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This Is One of the Best Phone Controllers We've Used

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Even with the plethora of phone controllers in the world, gaming on your smartphone can still be a crapshoot. For one thing, most mobile controllers connect over Bluetooth, which introduces a bit of lag. Secondly, all these standalone controllers aren’t particularly portable and often require an extra mount to attach your phone to your gamepad of choice. Razer has something a little different in mind with its Kishi controller. This little accessory is designed to split apart, wrap itself any Android phone, and connect directly through the USB-C charging port. For $80, it’s the most universally compatible controller we’ve ever used to play mobile games, but the Razer Kishi still has a few kinks to work out. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=razer-kishi-review&captions=true"]

Razer Kishi – Design and Features

When you pull the Razer Kishi out of the box it looks just like a pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons attached to a Joy-Con grip. But as we mentioned before, the controller splits apart after you pull at the two tabs on the back of the peripheral. Once separated, the two halves are connected by an elastic band, which also houses wires to transfer all the inputs from the left-side analog stick and D-pad over to the right-hand portion of the controller that features the face buttons, second analog stick, and the USB-C connector. On the inside edge of both sides of the controller, you’ll find a pair of rubberized pockets that’ll keep a grip on your phone while tension from the elastic band prevents it from slipping out. There’s also a plastic panel in the center of the elastic band with four nubs that lock the controller together when collapsed. When expanded these nubs serve to gingerly support your phone from the center, but I wish the tips were made of soft rubber to prevent any potential scratches. One other neat engineering trick is it has a pair of slits to channel the sound from your phone’s bottom-fighting speaker. I wished they would have done something similar for the left side as most front-firing speakers get covered up by the ribbed rubber pocket. You also get a USB-C charging port pass through, but sadly this controller doesn’t add a headphone jack, so you’ll have to resort to using a pair of Wireless headphones or Bluetooth earbuds. If you’ve ever used a GameVice controller before, you’ll probably find the Razer Kishi to be very similar. I’m not saying that Razer has ripped off the design – rather it’s because the company teamed up with GameVice to develop the Kishi. [caption id="attachment_2373644" align="aligncenter" width="720"] The Razer Kishi can handle even the gargantuan Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra[/caption] The Kishi is certified to work with any Razer Phone, Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy 8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and any newer phones from either Google or Samsung. Beyond those confirmed devices, I found the Kishi was able to work with a variety of devices including the LG G8X ThinQ, Red Magic 5G, Red Magic 3S, Sony Xperia 1, and OnePlus 8 Pro. Thanks to that USB-C connection, any phone you plug into this controller will just recognize it. All that’s required of your phone is to have a center-mounted USB-C Port, be smaller than 78.1 x 163.7 x 8.8mm, and run Android 8.0 Oreo or a newer version of the mobile OS. As for iOS devices, Razer plans on releasing an iPhone-compatible version of the Kishi later this summer.

Razer Kishi – Gaming

Once your phone is strapped in between either side of this controller, the whole setup feels surprisingly solid. The two halves of the Razer Kishi also split along an interesting S-shaped curve and this serves as a natural place for your fingers to grip onto. It’s a good thing you can because the Kishi’s flat, disk-like shape isn’t terribly ergonomic – though it helps with its portability. Overall the controls here feel mostly fine with the exception of the thumbsticks that could use slightly larger tops. The buttons press consistently and you get a large D-pad that feels just a touch on the mushy side. Meanwhile, the bumpers are great and while you can hear plastic scrape while pulling triggers, there is a nice bit of resistance. As for gaming, the Razer Kishi is fully compatible with all three major game streaming services currently available including GeForce Now, Microsoft xCloud, and Google Stadia. This is particularly great because having the controller plugged directly into the phone helps remove a few milliseconds of lag I would typically experience with a Bluetooth controller. When it comes to mobile gaming, the Razer Kishi’s compatibility is surprisingly spotty. Shadowrun Legends, Fortnite, and Asphalt 9: Legends work perfectly with the controller and the experience definitely adds the tactile feel of buttons and triggers I’ve been missing on a touchscreen device. Oddly, Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile, the two other biggest games on smartphones just don’t work with the Kishi. According to Razer, this is because it’s still working on implementing mapping support, wherein you can map your physical buttons to virtual buttons on your screen. Razer hasn’t released a timeline on when the feature will roll out, but I’m hoping it’s soon.

Razer Kishi – Software

The Razer Kishi has a companion app and it’s pretty much just an app launcher. It’s most helpful feature is it can help you discover new games designed to work with the controller. Otherwise, when updates roll out for this peripheral, you’ll be able to download them and install them through the app. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=130dfa49-ba54-4cd3-9fab-06057fbd398a"]

Purchasing Guide

The Razer Kishi is available for $80 from the Razer Store.

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The Final Season of Netflix's Dark Delivers a Satisfying End

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out This is a mostly spoiler-free review for Dark Season 3. All 8 episodes are now available to binge on Netflix worldwide. For more, check out what's new on Netflix in July. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Knowing when to call it quits on one's own terms is a rare event for most TV shows, which are either canceled before their time or end up outstaying their welcome by running for far too many seasons. Dark, now in its third and final season on Netflix, joins the likes of AMC's Breaking Bad and HBO's The Leftovers, which were able to deliver a satisfying conclusion to their respective stories in five seasons or less. While not quite on par with the "Masterpiece" rating those aforementioned series received from IGN, Dark's final outing continues the series' legacy of delivering excellent world-building, complex characters, and fascinating apocalyptic paradoxes. Before we briefly touch on that satisfying ending (don't worry, no spoilers here), creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese throw another paradoxical wrench in their already intricate narrative by introducing the concept of alternate worlds. We were given this surprising revelation at the end of Season 2 when another version of Martha (Lisa Vicari) appears just after Jonas' (Louis Hofmann) Martha is killed. This new multiple-earths storyline provides Dark with a fresh coat of paint, as we get to see Magnus, Martha, Franziska, and Bartosz with new haircuts and different personalities. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dark-season-3-gallery&captions=true"] But even more fascinating than the town of Winden's new appearance, is that we get to know more about this particular version of Martha, who Vicari effectively portrays as a bit more rugged and downtrodden due to the fact that she's traveled between worlds. (Basically, she's seen some s**t.) The story also continues to skip from 2020 to 2053 to 1954 to 1888, so not only is there a different version of Winden to explore on a different earth, but there's also all of the time-traveling conundrums from the first two seasons to account for. Miraculously, it all makes sense somehow. The creators don't hold up a sign that reads, "Hey, this is Earth-2," or anything so obvious. But the purposeful way scenes transition from character to character, from year to year, from earth to earth, all track in a way that's easy to follow. Well, not easy per se, but at least doable for us mere mortals that don't possess Odar and Friese's brain capacity. While the number of point-of-view characters continues to grow in Season 3, Hofmann's Jonas is still at the center of it all. Continuing in the same vein as Season 2, Jonas is a more proactive character who's not afraid to show his rage and frustration with all of the unending talk of the apocalypse and time loops. In one exhilarating scene, Jonas bares his teeth when he says, "I'm tired of having all these obligations." It's a simple phrase, but as a viewer, watching Jonas' vulnerability here makes it easier to empathize with him. How much does one guy have to go through to save the world(s)? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/foundation-official-teaser-trailer-2021-jared-harris-lee-pace"] And speaking of saving, Jonas and Martha's struggle to find a solution to preserve both of their worlds has less to do with confronting an actual villain in Season 3, and more about battling ideologies between Adam's (Dietrich Hollinderbäumer) Sic Mundus organization and some new players that you'll discover throughout your binge. These philosophical debates do get a bit tiresome after the third or fourth time you hear about "ends" and "beginnings" and "free will," but it all culminates in a satisfying hour and thirteen-minute finale that doesn't disappoint. Without getting into specifics, the finale is able to explain (in great detail) what in the hell has actually been going on these past three seasons. And what's even more admirable is that Odar and Friese leave enough ambiguity that there's room for the viewer to use their own imagination for certain unexplained parts of the story. It's a delicate balance that is handled expertly. In fact, the finale does such a thorough job of explaining itself, that you could just skip to the end. Of course, we don't recommend that since you would miss out on all of the other mind-bending events in Season 3.

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Doom Patrol: Season 2 Premiere Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Warning: this review contains full spoilers for the first three episodes of Doom Patrol: Season 2! All three episodes are available to stream on DC Universe and HBO Max. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It's almost a shame Doom Patrol had to debut the same year as HBO's Watchmen, otherwise the series would have been a shoo-in for the best comic book TV series of 2019. But the good news is that while we probably won't ever see a Watchmen Season 2, there's plenty of gas left in the Doom Patrol tank. Kicking off the new season with a three-episode mini-binge is a great way to reward fans who have been waiting a year for more of these oddball heroes. "The more things change, the more they stay the same" seems to be one of the dominant themes of Season 2, at least at this stage. Even having saved the world and defeated both Mr. Nobody and Ezekiel in the Season 1 finale, the team has quickly reverted to doing what it does best - moping around the manor and wallowing in self-pity. One could almost argue the series has backpedaled given the relatively optimistic ending to Season 1, but honestly, it would probably be odder if these characters managed to stay happy and more well-adjusted. You don't overcome decades of trauma after a couple of measly superhero battles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/17/doom-patrol-exclusive-season-2-trailer-reveals-the-candlemaker-red-jack-and-the-sex-men"] Moreover, the fight with Mr. Nobody has only opened up new wounds, with the various Doom Patrol members realizing their accidents were orchestrated by the Chief. The premiere episode, "Fun-Size Patrol" is largely devoted to exploring how the various main characters process that knowledge, along with giving Niles' daughter Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro) a proper introduction. Dorothy has no problem finding her place among her adult teammates in this first batch of episodes. It helps that the season opens with a bleak flashback sequence that both highlights the tragic nature of her existence and the incredible danger her powers pose. Shapiro is also aptly cast here, bringing a dash of whimsical innocence to an otherwise NSFW series. Her expressive vocal delivery is especially strong, overcoming what seems to be a fairly cumbersome set of prosthetics. It's easy to picture this character being a redundant addition to the mix - after all, on paper she's fairly similar to Jane in terms of both abilities and her dynamic with Cliff. But just as Season 1 sidestepped any concerns over the similarities between Cliff and Vic, Season 2 does the same for Dorothy and Jane. The decision to kick off Season 2 with three episodes winds up paying off. On its own, "Fun-Size Patrol" isn't a particularly eventful way to welcome the show back. It delivers that trademark blend of pathos and absurdist humor, but it's also mainly a preamble to the real meat of Season 2. Having "Tyme Patrol" and "Pain Patrol" as immediate follow-ups helps offset the slow, understated nature of the premiere. Those two episodes also help assuage any fears about the series losing its magic without Alan Tudyk's Mr. Nobody driving the conflict. While Tudyk is sorely missed, to be sure, both Doctor Tyme (Brandon Perea) and Red Jack (Roger Floyd) are very much in that same spirit. They both hit on that wonderful balance of ridiculously campy and inhumanly powerful (with Tyme leaning a little more toward the former). They also show a surprising amount of depth despite neither having all that much screen time. "Tyme Patrol" actually manages to cast the titular villain in a sympathetic light. He just wants to enjoy his never-ending disco roller skate party in peace. And as for Red Jack, the history established between him and the Chief makes him all the more fascinating as a character. If anything, it's a shame "Pain Patrol" doesn't spend a little more time on that dynamic, rather than trying to give every main character equal time in the spotlight. Still, at least the writers are taking pains to give each team member a clear and meaty character arc. Showrunner Jeremy Carver told us that Doom Patrol Season 2 focuses a lot on the idea that these characters have to learn how to grow up and take responsibility for their failings. That's really the common thread linking all these divergent subplots. Cliff has an anger problem that runs far deeper than his enmity toward the Chief. Jane would rather drug her alternate personalities into submission than accept her existence. Larry can no longer ignore the fact that he left a broken family behind. Of the team, only Rita and Vic seem ready to actually move forward with their lives, and Rita clearly still has an uphill battle ahead of her. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=doom-patrol-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] All of this makes for compelling character drama. Larry's arc may be the strongest of the bunch, as there's a real weight to his struggle to reconnect with his one surviving son. The fact that he ultimately gives up on his chance to recover what he lost makes the tragedy all the more palpable. The great thing about Doom Patrol is that, when it isn't plumbing the most ridiculous depths of the DC Universe, it's really just a very grounded, very dark character study featuring oddly dressed protagonists. As methodical and character-driven as Season 2 is so far, there is a clear narrative throughline in these first three episodes. Even the comparatively more plodding approach in the premiere pays off, as a seemingly goofy quest to restore the team to normal size results in literal life or death consequences for the Chief. He's racing against the clock now, trying to recover his lost immortality and ensure he fulfills his ultimate goal of living exactly one day longer than his daughter. These episodes do a great job of fostering sympathy for this morally ambiguous character and making it clear how even his worst crimes were all motivated out of a deep love for Dorothy. Timothy Dalton shines all the more in the role because of that. With Tudyk gone, now it's Dalton's turn to chew some scenery.

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Phantom: Covert Ops Review

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Let me say up front that I’m in no way saying that no special forces commando has ever stealthily infiltrated an enemy stronghold exclusively via kayak without ever setting foot on land. I mean, if such a soldier exists, they must be such a badass that no one has ever seen them and lived. But for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s a goofy premise for a VR stealth game, and Phantom: Covert Ops leans into it hard enough that it sort of works.

Given the fact that you’re effectively half man, half boat it’s bemusing how seriously Phantom: Covert Ops takes itself. You’ve got the amazingly generic name, and the paint-by-numbers Tom Clancy story about a former Soviet madman planning a biological weapons attack is played 100 percent straight, smack-talking villains and all. All of that is relayed to you through voices over a radio. It’s practically self-parody. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/phantom-covert-ops-david-hayter-trailer-upload-vr-showcase"]

Where Phantom does stand out is in how you sneak around. Propelling yourself through the water is pretty fun once you get over how ridiculous waving a virtual kayak paddle looks to anybody watching – picture someone doggy-paddling through the air. I ended up getting into it, though, even putting my feet up on a footstool to simulate sitting in a kayak (though this sometimes made it difficult to reach items in my lap). It’s cool to build up some speed, then hold the A button on the right controller and dip a paddle to make tight turns, though it’s a little inconsistent about when you can just hold the paddle and when you have to push repeatedly.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=As%20stealth%20games%20go%2C%20this%20is%20a%20fairly%20simple%20and%20forgiving%20one."]At the same time, in a lot of ways dealing with the inertia of your boat while avoiding spotlights and incoming enemy boats is like if Agent 47 were trying to be sneaky while wearing ice skates. Getting the hang of stopping when you need to stop and positioning yourself close enough to a switch to reach out and pull it is not without its frustrations. Because of that imprecision it’s probably a good thing that, as stealth games go, this is a fairly simple and forgiving one. Granted, AI needs to be predictable and robotic for successful stealth to feel like solving a puzzle rather than just getting lucky, but these guys are hilariously dumb. Your binoculars permanently mark enemies for you, and soldiers are all but completely blind unless you float directly into their flashlight beams or zoom by them at top speed. I found myself being thankful that Phantom doesn’t use the Rift’s microphone to pick up sound that could be perceived by enemies because I was usually laughing in their faces at how brazenly I could lazily cruise by under their noses – sometimes literally when they’re standing on a bridge. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=874111b4-2c73-4b25-b04a-194943b9b839"]

Sometimes just sailing by isn’t an option because an area is well lit or heavily patrolled, but in those cases there are usually highlighted objects like lights, radios, and fire extinguishers you can shoot to create a diversion and draw them away. Failing that you’ve always got a silenced pistol at your side that can drop all but the most armored of enemies with a single headshot. You even get about five seconds of slow-motion reaction time to take out whoever spotted you.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=What%20am%20I%20supposed%20to%20do%20with%20all%20these%20bullets%3F"]It’s kind of odd that, for most of Phantom’s seven missions, you’re armed to the teeth: a silenced pistol, an assault rifle, and sometimes a silenced sniper rifle and another fun toy or two are strapped to your body and boat, and you’ll often have explosives you can toss. Usually I had more ammunition than I could carry, which was confusing because this is a game about avoiding firefights. You’re actually penalized for unnecessary kills. What am I supposed to do with all these bullets? I did enjoy being given permission to take out certain VIP war criminals when their identities were revealed by a scan – usually they have friends around who must be distracted (or killed if you don’t mind running up the body count) which made for some rare moments where I had to game out how the AI would react. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy: if you get cocky and don’t stop to recognize patterns in enemy movements you can easily find yourself taken by surprise, and you die from just a few shots. Likewise, a couple of boss fight segments killed me multiple times as I figured out how to avoid invulnerable attack helicopters and snipers. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20108048&captions=true"]

Of course, the real challenge is running up the score by completing a level quickly, silently, and non-lethally – that’s where the replayability comes from. On my first playthrough I only scored one A-grade in the between-mission report, so even though its campaign is only four or five hours long I could see myself replaying some to chase a few better scores.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=All%20levels%20are%20set%20in%20the%20dark%20of%20night%20within%20a%20dingy%20flooded%20Soviet%20military%20base."]While there’s some distinctive architecture to the map, I didn’t see a ton of diversity to the levels because they’re all set in the dark of night within a dingy flooded Soviet military base. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for creativity in the design, especially since everything has to be accessible without the use of your legs. Some areas are even reused for multiple missions. It does introduce a few hazards like mines to keep you from getting too complacent, though those were so easy to avoid I never actually ran into one. It doesn’t help that even on the Rift S running off a GeForce RTX 2080 with the settings maxed out, Phantom doesn’t look fantastic. Texture resolution gets obviously low when you get close to a wall or have to throw switches, and soldier animations are barebones. Notably for such a wet game, there’s not much by way of wake and splash effects – in the first level, for example, you use a large cargo ship to cover your entrance to the base, but there’s virtually no disturbance in the water behind it. The tradeoff is that you can play on the modestly powered Oculus Quest, so it’s not all bad. When you’re done with the campaign there are a bunch of simple shooting gallery and timed kill’em-all challenges you can unlock and compete in to test your skill with the assortment of weaponry, plus you get the free play option that lets you revisit any of the levels with any equipment loadout you choose. Those extras do manage to make Phantom feel a little meatier.

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Assetto Corsa Competizione Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Assetto Corsa Competizione is the exclusively GT3-focused offshoot of the fan-favourite, mod-friendly Assetto Corsa. That darling of the PC racing simulator community was ported to console back in 2016 to mixed results. Competizione, though, is in most ways a vastly better racer than its broader progenitor: there’s night racing, there’s dynamic weather, and the AI is leaps and bounds more civilised and capable of battling fair and yielding corners. The problem is the console versions’ performance and control issues make it seem like it wasn’t quite ready to be released yet. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2Q9lJq5] There are, no doubt, fans out there that will regard the contraction in total content between the original Assetto Corsa and Competizione disappointing, because scaling down to a single racing discipline means Competizione admittedly sheds a lot of surplus rides and racetracks. However, I think Competizione’s laser-like focus on a single underrepresented school of virtual racing is quite brilliant. Endurance racing is a fantastic challenge and, while it requires long stretches of unbroken focus and rapid reflexes, when you get into a consistent rhythm there’s an almost meditative quality to it. Competizione understands this and includes an official selection of some of the world’s most respected circuits, and scores of racing opportunities: quick championships, long championships, a career mode, and host of fully-customisable custom events. Multiplayer is obviously supported and you have to reach a high track knowledge and safety rating in-game to be able to enter the competitive servers. However, custom lobbies aren’t available at launch and the game hasn’t let me into a single quick public race to date; it’s been greeting me with ‘No Servers Available’ for days. The arsenal of exotic GT3 steeds on hand may be slim compared to some of Competizione’s racing peers, but they’re very distinct from each other in terms of handling characteristics and there’s a real world of difference between, say, a mid-engine Ferrari and a Bentley, which is a front-engine British holiday home on wheels. Moreover, they sound absolutely astonishing. The audio is a huge highlight overall, from the raw, mechanical squeaks and shrieks over the wicked exhaust tones to the bespoke track announcers in the background at each circuit. Unfortunately, there are a few complicaziones. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/3874ayH]

Off the Pace

Unlike the PC version, the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Competizione run at 30 frames per second, even on the One X and the Pro. That fact alone is not a sore point necessarily; hugely successful console racers like Driveclub and Forza Horizon 4 also run at 30 frames per second and they’re amongst some of the most visually-accomplished racing games of their generation. The key point of difference is those games have rigidly locked framerates, while Competizione seems to flutter. The result is a slightly uneven experience that obviously lacks the silkiness of the PC version, but also misses the consistency of other console racers: whether they run at 60 frames per second or a locktight 30. This is when I was playing on Xbox One X, too; not the standard launch consoles. Oddly enough, beyond the occasional temporary freeze on track, the frame rate seems at its worst in the menu screens, drastically diving to the point where the spinning car select screen resembles stop-motion animation. It’s less of an issue, but it’s very noticeable that the steering animation has a tendency to appear wildly erratic when driving aggressively using a gamepad. The rotations seem like they’re matched to stick position rather than how fast a human could realistically twist a wheel. It makes the full cabin view and the otherwise well-positioned helmet cam a bit of a bust for pad users, so in these instances I found myself sticking with the more zoomed-in dash view – which crops out the steering wheel entirely. The pad controls are otherwise pretty well-tuned; they’re a little devilish before the tyres come up to temperature but I had some great races and battles playing this way. The Blancpain series represented in Competizione allows factory traction control and ABS, which I tend to find useful playing racing sims with giant hands on tiny triggers anyway, and that helps make the pad controls less daunting. The default steering settings are intuitive enough to let you generally catch and correct a little oversteer; you just need a delicate touch on turn-in as the steering is quite sensitive on the stick. Controller force feedback is a bit vanilla, though, and the controller response to clipping curbs is pretty feeble. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2YyPtBg]

The Wheel Deal

Competizione is, of course, aimed at racing enthusiasts, and using a wheel makes you mostly immune to those weird driver arm display quirks. However, getting it working in the first place was bafflingly cumbersome. Our Thrustmaster TS-XW Racer wasn’t even properly detected at first, and then the buttons worked but not the steering or pedals. After a bunch of apparently fruitless fiddling around in the control assignment menus and a pair of reboots, I eventually got it running by resetting the button bindings (twice) and turning the wheel off and on again. I should restate that all this fussing was done with the d-pad and buttons on the wheel itself; Competizione recognised them, but not the throttle, brake, or any steering input. Once the wheel had finally registered I took the track only to discover my maximum wheel rotation had arbitrarily switched itself to just 40 degrees, which is utterly undriveable (this bug repeated itself several days later after going through the same broken process of plugging in the Thrustmaster). Helpfully, most settings (including steering rotation limit) can be manually adjusted through the pause menu without quitting the track but this issue with steering wheels is a supremely daft problem to have considering it’s clearly built to be played this way. After finding a suitable wheel rotation angle, force feedback on the TS-XW seemed surprisingly flaccid at first. That was odd considering how impeccable the driving experience is in the console port of the original Assetto Corsa, but that of course has its own problems. I’ve improved it via some finagled settings but it’s still probably a bit lighter than I’d like. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f3dec833-ad4d-428b-8c45-69c96858c8f6"] Regardless of whether you’re using a wheel or pad I can’t personally recommend the chase camera; it’s rather stiff, so the moment you get any kind of oversteer the camera yaws instantly, exaggerating even minor slip and regularly turning small losses of control into total tankslappers. Chase cam isn’t my preference in racing sims at the best of times and I found this one extra challenging due to these factors. Also, regardless of whether you’re using a wheel or pad, don’t bother with manual options for things like the pit limiter, or lights or wipers and such; there are already about a billion more things to map functionality to than you’ll have buttons. We’re not working with keyboards here! [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/39F5eKd]

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AOC Agon AG493UCX 49-Inch Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out If you’re thinking about taking the plunge with a 49-inch, 32:9 ultrawide gaming monitor, then you’ve likely encountered two obstacles. The first is having the desk real estate to accommodate a curved and absurdly wide display. The second is having the funds for such a purchase. I can’t answer the first for you, but for the second, AOC has an attractive proposition with the Agon AG493UCX 49-inch ultrawide gaming monitor. It supplies a 5K resolution for less than $1,000. By comparison, the Samsung CRG9 costs half as much more at $1,500. The AOC Agon AG493UCX is missing a few features found on the Samsung, but can you do without them for the lower price? Let’s wade into the wrap-around, ultrawide waters and find out.

Design and Features

The first breed of 49-inch ultrawide monitors delivered 4K resolution – 3840 x 1080. The Agon AG493UCX bumps the pixel count up to 5K at 5120 x 1440, and the difference in resolution is noticeable. The first iteration of this type of monitor is like having a pair of 27-inch, 1920 x 1080 monitors side by side. The Agon AG493UCX looks like two 27-inch displays, each with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. With the 1800R curvature, sitting in front of the display feels overwhelmingly immersive. Its width and curve fill your field of vision, all the way out to the periphery. One issue with such a wide display is finding a desk big enough to accommodate it. It is 47 inches wide (nearly 4 feet!), which is the exact width of the desk in this reviewer’s office. The problem I encountered is my desk is only 22 inches deep. With the display pushed back as far as possible, the middle of the display is only 13 inches from the front edge of my desk. Sitting within reach of my keyboard means my eyes are less than two feet away from the display. With a deeper desk, I could push back a bit from the display to a more comfortable distance. Perched as close as I am, however, allowed me to appreciate the display’s 5K, 1440p resolution. When sitting at such a distance in front of a 49-inch ultrawide display with a 3840 x 1080 resolution you can make out the individual pixels – less so with games and more so during regular Windows use. Such pixelation is much less evident at 5120 x 1440. The Agon AG493UCX is about as compact as can be, despite its sprawling size. The top and side bezels are razor thin, and the textured bottom bezel is only 0.75 inches wide. Branding is minimal with a small “AGON” badge centered on the bottom bezel. The matte-black cabinet does not scream “gamer” and could easily be used in an office setting without looking out of place. After all, the ultrawide, 32:9 aspect ratio is useful for multitasking in addition to creating an immersive gaming experience. The display sits on a sturdy, metal stand. The tripod stand has two long front legs and a short back leg, and it creates an impressively effective anchor for the heavy, awkwardly wide display cabinet. The display stays in place with little screen wobble. And with height, swivel, and tilt adjustment, the display is also impressively flexible. The ports, however, are difficult to reach. They are all located on the back panel (my kingdom for a side-mounted headphone jack!) and all face downward. Back-panel, downward-facing ports are difficult to access on any monitor and all the more so on such a huge, heavy display. You’ll most likely need to lay the display carefully on its back in order to get to the ports. When you do get to the ports, you’ll find a useful selection. The display offers two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, a USB-C port, three USB 3.2 Type-A downstream ports, one USB 3.2 upstream port, and an audio-out jack. One of the USB Type-A ports supports fast charging, and the USB-C port supports power delivery and DisplayPort so it can act as a data or video connection to a laptop and also charge it. The display also includes integrated 5-watt stereo speakers. Their output is predictably limited; the speakers suffice for YouTube videos but gamers will need a pair of headphones or external speakers for full immersion in games. The display’s OSD menu can be called up and navigated by a row of tiny buttons on the lower-right of the display. It is an exercise in frustration to navigate the OSD with these buttons, but thankfully AOC includes a remote control for controlling the OSD. And even with the remote, it’s not easy to find what you are looking for in the OSD menu. It is organized into six main categories – Game Setting, Luminance, Image Setup, Color Setup, Extra and OSD Setup – and it’s not clear why some settings are in one area and other settings are in other areas. And there is some confusing redundancy. For example, there are six game modes in Game Setting for FPS, RTS, Racing, and three customizable modes, and then you’ll also find additional modes under Eco Mode in the Luminance menu for Text, Internet, Game, Movie, Sports, and Reading. Also, the OSD forces you to choose between using the motion blur reduction setting (labeled as MBR in the OSD) and AdaptiveSync. Motion blur reduction strobes the backlight to insert a black image between each frame of video and to reduce time each frame is displayed. The overall effect is the image on the display is significantly dimmer. You get 20 levels of motion blur reduction with the Agon AG493UCX, but I favor using the monitor’s AdaptiveSync. With its 120Hz refresh rate and rated 1ms MPRT response time, I did not encounter many blurred edges in games. With FreeSync 2 enabled manually for my Nvidia-based PC, I saw no tearing. The Agon AG493UCX uses a VA panel with 1800R curvature that’s rated for 3,000:1 contrast ratio and 550-nit max brightness. It’s VESA-certified for HDR400 even though its max brightness ought to qualify it for HDR500. What’s likely keeping it back from the higher HDR rating is its lack of local dimming, which isn’t required for an HDR400 certification. Still, I found the monitor’s contrast to be above average even without local dimming. I also found no stuck or dead pixels on my review unit, and AOC backs the display with a four-year warranty that comes with a Zero Dead Pixels Guarantee.

Performance and Gaming

Before I got to gaming, I found the Agon AG493UCX a boon for productivity. I was able to fit three windows side-by-side across the ultrawide 32:9 desktop. It took me a few hours to get used to the curvature of the display. Some windows looked distorted at first when stretched across the curved panel, but I grew accustomed to it by the end of the first afternoon of sitting in front of this massive display. And the move from a 1080p ultrawide to the 1440p picture of the AG493UCX was a clear improvement. Text and images looked so much crisper with none of the pixelated screen-door effect that was evident with a 1080p resolution on a display this size. I used Lagom LCD monitor test pages to measure performance including gamma, black and white levels, color gradient, and response time. The Agon AG493UCX excelled throughout. On the black level test, 20 gray squares should be visible against the black background and I was able to see 19, a positive result. On the white saturation test, I was able to see 11 of the 12 light-gray checkerboard patterns against a white background, another great result. The good times continued on the gradient test; I saw no banding as the gradient pattern transitioned smoothly from black to white and vice versa. On the response time test, it showed slight flickering on 3 of the 8 test patterns when running at a 120Hz refresh rate. I had hoped to reduce the flickering by enabling the display’s overdrive setting but it did nothing to change the results of the test one way or the other. On the Blur Busters UFO test, the test patterns showed only the slightest blur at the 120fps test pattern, an impressive result. After the Lagon tests, I played CS:GO, Fortnite, and Overwatch. The games exhibited smooth movement with little ghosting and no tearing with FreeSync enabled. CS:GO and Fortnite support the display’s ultrawide 32:9 aspect ratio, but Overwatch tops out at 21:9. Even at 21:9, Overwatch stretched into my peripheral vision and felt immersive. And given the frenetic nature of Overwatch, I had enough details to keep track of that I didn’t miss the extra width I was lacking and the black bars on either side of the game. Both CS:GO and Fortnite, however, can be played at the display’s full 32:9 aspect ratio and looked awesome doing so. CS:GO is a good test for contrast, and I was able to see details in dark scenes without bright areas being blown out. With its bright color palette, Fortnite is a good test for color accuracy and vibrancy, and the Agon AG493UCX excelled on both counts, exhibiting vivid color without looking oversaturated. The best way I can describe the experience of playing a game at 32:9 is that it feels akin to VR gaming but without the motion sickness. The game fills your entire field of vision, though without the freedom of being able to move your head up and down as you can with a VR headset and stay totally immersed in the game. I did find myself, however, frequently turning my head from side to side in order to spot enemies before they found me.

Purchasing Guide

The AOC Agon AG493UCX is available on Amazon for its list price of $999.99.

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Borderlands 3: Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption DLC Review

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After the last few good-but-not-great expansions for Borderlands 3, it brings me great joy to tell you that Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favorite Borderlands 3 DLC so far. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this might be my favorite Borderlands-anything since Borderlands 2 way back in 2012. A novel approach to storytelling, likable characters, an interesting new world to explore, and of course gobs and gobs of great loot all come together to cross the border into greatness.

The name led me to believe this was going to be some sort of satirical take on Red Dead Redemption 2, but its awkward title and its western themes are about the only dots you could connect between the two. Instead, this DLC takes place on the planet Gehenna, a blend of the American Wild West and feudal Japan. The unusual "East meets West" setting leans much more heavily on Western side for its tropes, but the Japanese-inspired architecture integrates incredibly well and makes Bounty of Blood the best looking Borderlands 3 expansion to date. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-first-23-minutes-of-borderlands-3-bounty-of-blood-dlc"]

It's kind of funny to think Borderlands, a game whose origins drew inspiration from the fusion of the American frontier and science-fiction futurism, would come full-circle like this. Somewhere along the way, Borderlands felt like it shifted away from being about lands… on the border… so it's great to have that old familiar feel back in a way, even if it's explicit rather than implicit.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20narrator%20%E2%80%93%20a%20grizzled%20cowpoke%20called%20%22The%20Liar%22%20%E2%80%93%20works%20wonderfully."]The story, at first blush, seems like a cliche: quite literally, there's a new sheriff in town. Your main objective is to retrieve the Obsidian Stone, a monument of sorts to the days when Gehenna was used to create biological weapons. The main antagonists are the Devil Riders, an outlaw gang whose name is also literal: they ride Devils, a new dinosaur-like enemy type first teased at PAX East 2020. I love their design, even if they don't do much that hasn't already been done with other Borderlands enemies. On top of the usual unfolding of the story, there's a narrator guiding your progress the entire way, and the narrator – a grizzled cowpoke called "The Liar" – works wonderfully. His lines were something I didn't even know I wanted until I had it, and now I can’t get enough. The Liar will occasionally drop hints, too – When I was battling a boss, he made reference to its weakpoint’s location more than once, and it dawned on me that, oh yeah, if I go where he's guiding me to I'll have a better chance to dole out some damage.

Less is More

Another reason the narrator and the main story for Bounty of Blood as a whole work is that they practice some rare restraint when it comes to humor. That's not to say there aren't any jokes – far from it. They're here, and they definitely fit the overall Borderlands 3 tone. But as far as the main quest, Gearbox has pumped the brakes on the humor and gone for a much mellower tone. It's more Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski and less Jeff Daniels in Dumb & Dumber.

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One of my complaints with Borderlands 3 was it had too many jokes. I know, it sounds ridiculous to say, but hear me out. Comedy is all about timing, yet Borderlands 3 jams jokes into every nook and cranny, whether the situation calls for them or not, almost reaching the point of self-parody. There’s no buildup – it’s just punchline after punchline after punchline with no time for thoughtful buildup. Bounty of Blood, on the other hand, rations out the humor, doling it out in delicious servings that are neither too big nor too small. This Goldilocks Zone of jokes makes the comedy so much more effective – more akin to the original Borderlands.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=This%20Goldilocks%20Zone%20of%20jokes%20makes%20the%20comedy%20so%20much%20more%20effective."]With each story mission flowing so expertly into the next over about six hours, I didn't want to stop playing. The pacing is wonderful with none of the unnecessary filler that annoyed me in the main game and some of the previous DLC. There is one minor scene where I had to do the classic Borderlands 3 "walk 20 steps to find a shelf with an item requested by a story character, grab the item, walk back and give it to the character so they'll continue their expositional dialogue." Other than that, the story keeps moving right along with an assist from The Liar's dialogue, which pops in at just the right times to keep you from being pulled out of the story while being conservative enough not to feel like a nuisance.

The one letdown is that the sidequests I've taken on since beating the main story are more of the same. The loot is good, but the missions are fetchy and uninspired, in stark contrast to the fun flow of the story quest. Think of the coffee fetch-quest mission from the main game to get an idea of the side-mission structure. They're funny, at least, which somewhat makes up for the monotony of fetching and placing an item over and over again. I particularly enjoyed the mission where I had to battle a character named Soapy Steve, for the writing rather than the mission structure.

Say, You Like Loot?

Levels in Bounty of Blood are huge and beg for exploration. I was really impressed by how massive and well-planned each map is, and appreciated how, in spite of their size, Bounty of Blood’s areas feel easy to navigate. I stuck mostly to the path at hand for the main story, but when I noticed a place with an unusually placed rockface or conveniently located broken staircase, my curiosity paid off by way of hidden treasures. Being rewarded with loot exactly where decades of gaming logic told me I'd find loot seems so obvious, but it never stops being great.

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Speaking of treasures, the loot in Bounty of Blood is plentiful. I managed to score orange-rarity loot drops well before the end of the story, and letting me use those fancy new toys for the final battle was a nice touch. I absolutely adore my Bloom Jakobs pistol: charging it up unleashes all six powerful shots in a rapid, bloody flurry, often resulting in instant death for whatever or whoever is on the receiving end. I also came across a ton of new decorations for my room back on Sanctuary 3, including one item used when the main quest is beaten, that then becomes decorative after use. It's a nice little trophy for completing the main story. I don't remember getting so many in the previous DLC, and as a sucker for arbitrary in-game cosmetic items I was delighted.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Once%20I%20completed%20the%20main%20mission%2C%20the%20payday%20was%20fantastic"]Once I completed the main mission, the payday was fantastic. Not only did the big baddie drop a hill of goodies after defeat, the immediate aftermath in the post-game introduced me to a cache of gear that nearly brought a tear to my eye. Right now, all my weapons slots are filled with incredible new orange-rarity weapons, along with an orange-rarity shield that makes me feel like a golden god, and I still have a bunch in my inventory waiting for me to experiment with them. Feels real good, is what I'm sayin.’ [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=829c95d7-a5f3-422a-834e-2b83a6b1c2e8"]

Likewise, Boss fights in Bounty of Blood's story are nicely paced and never feel overwhelming or beyond the realm of possibility to solo. There are a few fights, particularly the final boss, where it's obvious the designers had co-op in mind (as they should!), but even then solo runs aren't out of the question. I particularly appreciated the novel use of The Liar to gently nudge me in the right direction in one of the main fights. The narration didn't beat me over the head, but it was enough to both help me while flowing seamlessly with the overall story.

I did venture off the beaten path a few times in search of hidden treasures, extending the playtime beyond a mere six hours. However, after beating the story, I’d still only explored 33% of what Bounty of Blood's Gehanna has to offer, so there's plenty more to do and see once the main story is done. That said, what I did explore of the post-story content hasn't reached nearly the same heights as the main quest.

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Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga debuts on Netflix on June 26. [poilib element="accentDivider"] There are a fair few things that we Brits are particularly protective of; the correct way to brew a cup of tea, obviously, ranks highly as does our staunch belief that UK comedy series will always be superior to the American equivalents. Then there’s the Eurovision Song Contest which has served as a shining beacon of collective fun and self-deprecating pride in the UK ever since the annual music event began in 1956. So one could hardly embark on a viewing of Will Ferrell’s latest comedic offering, centered on an Icelandic musical duo’s journey through the competition, without some underlying feeling of skepticism. For not only has Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga been written, directed and produced by a team of Americans, whose country has had no vested interest in the singing event in its 64-year-history, but the last time Ferrell dived into British popular culture it resulted in the critically-panned Holmes & Watson. The 2018 film wasn’t screened to critics before its release but after, its Rotten Tomatoes score sank to 10% courtesy of damning reviews, including ours at IGN, which described the film as “a collection of limp comic set pieces and repeated riffs on the same three gags.” Fortunately, the Eurovision Song Contest has less in common with that insult to the memory of Arthur Conan Doyle and more with the likes of Blades of Glory and Talledega Nights. The Netflix film centers on Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams ) who grew up together in their remote fishing village and have been dreaming of competing in the annual event ever since they saw ABBA singing their way to victory with “Waterloo” in 1974. Several strokes of luck, or maybe elves (Icelanders are big believers in them), means their act Fire Saga is selected to represent Iceland, and so this Ferrel film once again follows the exploits of an oddball couple navigating a niche competitive arena. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/eurovision-song-contest-the-story-of-fire-saga-classic-camel-clip"] The pair’s Nordic impressions are pretty impressive and Ferrell still has that singular ability to catch you off guard with seemingly ad-libbed one-liners and silly instances of physical humor. Even Lars’ rotating wardrobe - sourced, one assumes, from Instagram #OOTD hashtags - raises a smile but these moments are far too rare and padded out with lackluster cliches and obvious jokes. McAdams offers earnest support as Sigrit, who is hoping to make sweet love as well as music with her singing partner, but whose affections have thus far gone unrequited. It’s a shame she’s never really given the chance to be as comical as Ferrell so her best moments are limited to when she’s singing but even the actress can’t take full credit for that - Swedish singer and former Junior Eurovision contestant Molly Sandén provided Sigrit’s belter of a singing voice. It’s heartening that Ferrell, who co-wrote the script, has a clear affection for the competition. He might be an American but thanks to his Swedish wife he’s been watching the show for over 20 years. The film refuses to mock the Song Contest, instead, it affectionately teases the idiosyncrasies that make Eurovision such a campy, poptastic affair while celebrating the vibrant musicality that is delivered annually by the 50+ countries who compete. There are more than a few parody bops that deserve repeat listening after the credits roll, “Double Trouble” and “Volcano Man,” in particular. There’s also a lovely sing-off scene featuring several past Eurovision winners belting out a medley of pop classics as they dance around a Scottish stately home that Outlander fans might recognize underneath the garish decorations and well-endowed statues. The film even got the UK’s Eurovision host Graham Norton to play himself and deliver commentary during several scenes, though he’s far less cutting than usual. [caption id="attachment_2369335" align="alignnone" width="720"] Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. (Credit Elizabeth Viggiano/Netflix)[/caption] More ardent fans might find themselves pulling an Alan Partridge by screaming at the TV, “stop getting Eurovision wrong!” every so often. In one scene, Alexander jokes that everyone hates the UK because they get “nil points” each year, which is fair, but as the event is being hosted in Scotland that would mean the UK are the reigning champs. This nonsensical error is furthered when the ceremony is hosted by a pair of non-Brits, which seems like an odd thing to get wrong given how much effort went into making this movie authentic in other places. It’s admirable that the film doesn’t shy away from the recent Eurovision controversy involving Russia’s homophobia and clearly the film champions the competition’s campaign for inclusivity by delivering several LGBTQI cameos. But that message is somewhat dampened by the fact that nearly every speaking character is white while people of color serve primarily as window dressing. Adding these things up, Eurovision Song Contest becomes a film of inconsistencies. It doesn’t quite capture the magic of Will Ferrell’s early buddy comedies but still delivers enough heart and merriment to earn at least six points from the viewing public. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=snl-stars-best-comedies&captions=true"]

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Pokémon: The Isle of Armor Review

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While it may be surprising to see DLC in a Pokémon game for the first time, Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass is definitely preferable to its traditional model of following up the latest game with another full-price version just to deliver some new content and a few improvements. The Isle of Armor, the Expansion Pass’s first of two bundled DLC additions, provides an entertaining reason to revisit the Galar region with over 100 returning Pokemon (plus a few new ones) and an enjoyable new Wild Area. But this island getaway is otherwise pretty bare bones and disappointingly brief.

Like the free-roaming Wild Area in the main Sword and Shield campaign, The Isle of Armor’s is complete with an excess of untamed Pokémon wandering around, dozens of dens for Max Raid Battles, and plenty of items to find and collect. Without the usual Gym structure (or even linear Routes), this DLC’s main quest line instead has you running missions throughout its open space – it’s much more freeform than the usual Pokémon experience, which feels like a natural and not unwelcome progression after the first Wild Area showed how well an “open world” Pokémon could potentially work, even if the story here is too fleeting to really savor it.

What We Said About the Base Game

From our November 2019 Pokemon Sword and Shield review by Casey DeFreitas:

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"Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are closer to my dream Pokemon RPGs than anything that’s come before. I’d still like better cutscenes, companion Pokemon, the complete Pokedex, and a more visually interesting Wild Area, but nitpicks are just not very effective when everything else was such a complete joy to play. The way they respect my time is wonderful, and the removal of monotony from random encounters and other odds and ends distills it down to only the pure and charming fun of capturing, training, and battling wonderful creatures. And hey, if I’m missing any tedious repetition, I can always get back into breeding."

Score: 9.3

While it may not be as big as the original Wild Area in overall acreage, The Isle of Armor more than makes up for it in its diversity and in how well it uses the space. You’ll find tangled forests filled with Tangela and oceans where Sharpedo’s pursue you with frightening speed. Even if it can all be seen in a few short hours, it’s undoubtedly an entertaining trek that does a great job of making the world feel alive and more fleshed out than the Wild Area from the base game.

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The Isle of Armor unfortunately doesn’t mark the return of the complete National Pokédex, but it does significantly expand the Pokémon available in Sword and Shield with more than 100 returning pocket monsters. It’s a great selection, including some sorely needed additions like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and most of all: Lickilicky, which is obviously the best Pokémon ever conceived.

Quick Ball

Unfortunately, Isle of Armor doesn’t use its new, lovingly crafted area very effectively, as the DLC’s campaign amounts to just a few short missions that can be finished in a couple hours, most of which are uninspired fetch quests. You’ll run around looking for mushrooms and fighting off Slowpoke on a decidedly low stakes adventure that feels like a fairly by-the-numbers RPG side quest. There are certainly some highlights, like the part where you need to befriend and level up the brand new and pretty darn lovable Kubfu to unlock one of its two legendary evolutions. But it all feels very shallow with no real narrative holding it together, and Pokemon in the wild almost universally capping out at level 60 means anyone who has beaten the base game will be able to breeze through the whole thing like I did.

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It also doesn’t help that one of the DLC’s chief characters, your new rivals (Klara for Sword players, and Avery for Shield), are both incredibly annoying and written off largely as a punchline rather than anything resembling a real threat. The other two major characters, a dojo master named Mustard, and his wife Honey, are amusing, but don’t get enough time in the spotlight to really shine.

That said, Isle of Armor introduces a few new mechanics that do a lot to break the mold of Sword and Shield in positive ways. A welcome item called Max Soup allows you to Gigantimax your Pokémon even if they weren’t caught in a Max Raid Battle. A surprising new base-building mechanic lets you upgrade Mustard’s dojo by spending Watts, unlocking helpful new services and items. And of course, there are plenty of cool new cosmetics, like clothes and bicycle skins.

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Sadly, there isn’t a ton left to do once the campaign is over, aside from catching the island’s plentiful returning Pokémon – though you’ll now be able to do that with the Pokémon of your choice following you around the DLC areas, which is a nice cosmetic reward earned by progressing through the story. One of the main draws is Restricted Sparring, a challenging endgame mode that pits three of your Pokémon of the same type against five opposing trainers in a row (and then an endless onslaught of them after that) – it’s a creative new format, but is only appealing if you’re looking to earn BP for the Battle Tower. There’s also a boring side quest where you run around looking for 151 Digletts buried in the ground that’s nightmarishly tedious, and hardly worth the various Alolan versions of Pokémon you get as a reward.

Not Sold Separately

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The Isle of Armor DLC is the first part of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, which will eventually include two expansions – The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra (coming sometime later this year). Crucially, The Isle of Armor is not sold separately from the Expansion Pass, so this DLC is only one part of a bigger whole. We’ll be reviewing The Crown Tundra when it releases, but this review is only evaluating The Isle of Armor since that’s currently all the Expansion Pass will get you.

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Torchlight 3 Early Access Review

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There’s nothing desperately wrong with Torchlight 3, which just came out in Early Access form a week ago. It’s a flashy, bombastic, nicely-paced action-RPG with tons of enemies to slash, blast, and explode for the tasty loot inside. The problem is that it doesn’t really do much to effectively set itself above or apart from the embarrassment of riches we have to pick from in this genre right now. When I could be playing Diablo 3 or Wolcen (now that it's been patched a bit) or Path of Exile or even one of the older Torchlight games, I keep looking for a reason why I’d choose Torchlight 3… and so far, the early access version hasn’t really given me one.

Torchlight 3 doesn’t put its best foot forward as it tries to introduce us to a story premise that isn’t really trying to be anything more than ultra generic fantasy. Something about an ancient evil reawakening, blah blah blah... It’s not like previous Torchlight games were heavy on story either, but Torchlight 3 doesn’t even seem to be trying. Every NPC seems to be defined by a single personality archetype. You’ve got goofy goblins that lean on the comedy crutches of over-the-top voice acting and Saturday morning cartoon hijinks. It’s got a certain charm to it, but it’s all so painfully familiar, like your slacker roommate’s first attempt at running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

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At least things get a little more interesting when it comes to the class design. Each of the four playable classes has a very distinct and flavorful aesthetic and identity. The weird and eerie Dusk Mage builds up dark mana by using light spells and light mana by using dark spells, and can unleash a more powerful finisher of either type once the appropriate mana gauge is filled. The hilariously over-the-top Railmaster reimagines the concept of a pet class by summoning a battle train that follows you around on rails you leave behind as you move, to which more cars with different uses can be added by investing in the skill tree.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Each%20of%20the%20four%20playable%20classes%20has%20a%20very%20distinct%20and%20flavorful%20aesthetic%20and%20identity."]Not all of them are quite as fun in practice as they seem in concept, though. The Sharpshooter, for instance, is a savvy hunter who can summon various companions and has a whole toolbelt of powerful ranged attacks. That sounds great, but their ammo resource gauge is basically just a fancy stamina bar that recharges quickly when not in use. There is an unlockable reload skill that refills your ammo instantly, and while it suits the fantasy the sharpshooter is trying to represent, it was far too rare that it let me feel like I was making interesting resource management decisions.

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The options for customizing these classes are a little bit lackluster, too, especially compared to some other recent ARPGs. Each has two main skill trees with a different focus – the Sharpshooter has one focusing on direct ranged damage and one focusing on summonable creatures, while the Railmaster has one focused on melee combat and one focused on making his train bigger and nastier. But each only features a handful of abilities to invest in right now, and since they’re gated at five level intervals, the choices you have upon levelling up are usually pretty limited.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=A%20sniper%20with%20lightning%20powers%3F%20Sure.%20A%20mage%20with%20vampiric%20berserker%20abilities%3F%20Nothing%20is%20stopping%20you."]It gets a little more exciting with the introduction of Relics, which ended up being my favorite part of the progression system. You can have one Relic equipped at a time, which opens up an entirely new skill tree that includes an “ultimate” ability with a very long cooldown, similar to those you might see in a MOBA. Each relic is class agnostic, so you can mix and match them to create interesting combinations. A sniper with lightning powers? Sure. A mage with vampiric berserker abilities? Nothing is stopping you. The Relic skill trees still feel fairly limited, just like the base class ones, with most having two active and two passive abilities that can be upgraded in a couple different ways. But it encourages experimentation and helps my builds feel like they’re mine.

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The enemy design is respectable, but doesn’t offer much that’s new and exciting if you’ve been around the ARPG block a few times. You’ll blast through hordes of weakling goblins, bugs, and zombies. Occasionally you’ll run into tricker enemies, like wild boars that can take you out in just a couple of hits with a charge attack. There are powerful elite creatures with randomized ability modifiers, as well as legendary and miniboss bruisers packed with rare loot for your trouble. The bigger area and act bosses are a highlight, offering substantial challenges and keeping me on my toes with deadly area attacks. Playing on Hard, the difficulty felt just about right.

The environments you’ll explore and do battle in are excellently constructed, too. Whether it’s a stalwart military outpost ringed with fireable cannons or a murky swamp brimming with poisonous beasts, the simple, colorful, readable art style pops and sizzles. Every corner is filled with destructible and interactable items, small but effective embellishments, and mood-setting lighting and effects which ensures no map ever feels too static or lifeless.

The most frustrating part of Torchlight 3’s combat, which I still haven’t stopped fuming over, is the fact that almost none of the active abilities can be triggered unless you’ve come to a complete stop. That means you have to finish any ongoing animations and wait around a second – which may as well be a decade in some of these encounters. If I’m firing my bow and need to quickly dodge roll out of an explosion, I have to stop everything I’m doing and press the button frantically until it becomes responsive. It just feels clunky and irritating.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Almost%20no%20active%20abilities%20can%20be%20triggered%20unless%20you%E2%80%99ve%20come%20to%20a%20complete%20stop."]Currently, Torchlight 3 has the first two of three planned acts available, which took me a little less than 20 hours to complete. There’s also some kind of endgame mode that’s not in yet. You can tackle what little there is with a group of four, though, and I found the network side of things to be very stable and easy to use. This version isn’t without its share of early access woes, though. Certain boss fights were missing ending cutscenes entirely. Some cutscenes that were clearly meant to be seen only once triggered multiple times, in seemingly unrelated areas. Some quests will update to a new objective without telling you why. I didn’t encounter anything that blocked my progress, but the presentation is still rough.

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Probably the most distinctive and promising feature in Torchlight 3 is also a player housing system that lets you decorate a personal fort, enchant your gear, house collectable pets, and sacrifice items to various altars to unlock permanent stat bonuses. There are tons of cosmetic and functional structures to unlock and craft, and I like being able to return from a cave full of death spiders to a space that feels like my own. Decorating the courtyard is a nice change of pace from fighting for your life. This is where Torchlight 3 feels the most innovative, and I’d love to see this aspect developed further before it launches out of Early Access.

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Irresistible Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Irresistible debuts on VOD on June 26. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It’s been five years since Jon Stewart vacated his perch atop Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, but the one-time “Most Trusted Newsman in America” (even as he’d be the first to admit he wasn’t a real journalist) still has lots to say about the state of our political discourse. And those thoughts are clearly in evidence with his new directorial effort, Irresistible. However, as a vehicle to express those thoughts the film (which he also wrote) is neither as incisive as it should be nor as earnest as it wants to be, a surprisingly toothless affair from a man whose wit and wisdom are normally so effortless. Irresistible stars Steve Carrell as Democratic campaign consultant Gary Zimmer, who sees a viral video clip of retired Marine Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) haranguing the city council in the small Wisconsin town of Deerlaken, and in true Mr. Smith Goes to Washington fashion envisions a mayoral campaign for the war hero that could offer up a Democratic victory in the traditionally Republican stronghold. Soon enough, Republican strategist and longtime rival Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne) shows up to offer her services to the other side, and suddenly a local race in a town of 5,000 has become a national story. As with his previous directorial effort, 2014’s Rosewater, Jon Stewart is able to assemble an impressive cast (there are fun supporting turns here from familiar faces like Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, and MAD TV vet Will Sasso). But unlike Rosewater, which followed a single, fact-based story and was relatively contained, Irresistible feels like it’s casting too wide a net in terms of what it’s trying to do, leaving us unsure of who we’re supposed to be siding with. It sure feels like Zimmer is supposed to be our protagonist, but he doesn’t seem particularly good at his job, nor is he particularly likable. Then again, it’s not like Brewster is much better. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2Nlrbo7] In the world of the movie, Zimmer was an advisor on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign while Brewster (clearly modeled on Kellyanne Conway, and playing the part to perfection) served up spin for Trump. Both admit early on that they’re pretty much paid to lie and say whatever their campaigns require while keeping a straight face. So sure, they’re both awful. And that “pox on both their houses” ethos pervades the entire thing, with the media machinery of 24 hour news also receiving its share of volleys (for anyone who’s followed Stewart for any length of time, these have long been some of his favorite targets). The problem then is one of tone with Stewart seeming strangely unsure of where to concentrate fire and when to pull his punches. This, in turn, leaves us whipsawing between parody bits that could have fit in on The Daily Show (with current Daily cast member Desi Lydic serving up a pitch perfect Fox & Friends talking head) and folksy bits akin to Kevin Costner’s 2008 down-the-middle political comedy Swing Vote. The director’s broader point seems to be that small towns in the Rust Belt shouldn’t merely be thought of as demographics to be feted and flattered every four years -- they have wisdom to offer, if people would just listen! And sure, fair enough. There’s no question the omnipresent ecosystem of media airtime and campaign finance is deeply, desperately screwed up. On the other hand, there’s also something vaguely cloying and a little dishonest about the “Listen to rural America!” leitmotif given the way media outlets raced to sing the lament of the ignored rural white voter in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election. As a result, what could have been a biting satire at precisely the cultural moment that demands it is instead subsumed by the same kind of unfocused “both sides”-ism that made the Stewart-led “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” in 2010 such a muddled affair. This is unfortunate given the many pieces in Irresistible that do work. As mentioned earlier, Carrell is ceaselessly charming even when the material doesn’t quite know what to do with him. His attempts to appear unassuming with the residents of Deerlaken offer up some fun “Michael Scott meets Doc Hollwyood” moments (including a would-be flirtation with Mackenzie Davis as Hastings’ daughter). Meanwhile, Cooper -- playing what feels like a variation on his October Sky character from two decades ago -- is the perfect vehicle to serve up Stewart’s brand of homespun hard truths. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]

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