Articles that got my attention

The Last Of Us 2 Director On The Pressures Of Making A Sequel Written by    jeremy winslow After wrapping up  PlayStation's State of Play livestream  with  a February 2020 release date reveal ,  The Last of Us Part II 's director opened up about the pressures of crafting a sequel that lives up to  The Last of Us ' pedigree. Game director Neil Druckmann took to  the PlayStation blog  to contextualize  the new gameplay trailer  that debuted during the State of Play presentation. Druckmann said Naughty Dog has been working on TLOU2 for five years because the studio understands "how much you love this world and its characters--especially Ellie and Joel." As a result, Naughty Dog has been toiling away delicately and intentionally, hoping to tell "a nuanced story that [will do these characters justice]." Druckmann goes on to state that TLOU2 is "a highly emotional story with complex themes that befit the world of The Last ...

Warner Bros. Addresses Joker Controversy With Gun Violence Statement Written by  Michael Rougeau   Joker  has earned some acclaim from critics and fans who saw it in early screenings and at recent film festivals, but there's also some controversy concerning the film's violence and its portrayal of the iconic Batman villain. Ahead of Joker's October 4 release date, Warner Bros. has released a statement addressing that controversy head-on. "Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies," the studio wrote. "Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic." However, the statement also makes it clear that Warner Bros. stands by the film: "At the same time, Warn...

Mario Kart Tour Has Record-Breaking Launch Written by    Chris Pereira   Nintendo's next major mobile game,  Mario Kart Tour , has officially launched on both  iOS  and  Google Play  as a free-to-play game. While you could download it overnight, a maintenance period rendered it unplayable, but it's now ready to go--as are its arguably  off-putting microtransactions . Update:  Not only is the game live, but it's reportedly breaking records. Analyst firm  Apptopia  reports that Mario Kart Tour racked up 10.1 million downloads globally on its launch day, setting a new record for a mobile game. That would put it comfortably ahead of what's now the No. 2 launch ever, Pokemon Go, which saw 6.7 million downloads at release. Tour was no doubt helped by the prominent placement in the iOS App Store and corresponding pre-orders that prompted users to download the game right away. Nintendo and developer DeNA have not verified...

Nintendo Switch Lite Review - The Prettier Portable Written by    Peter Brown The recent arrival of  Switch Lite  marks a turning point in the  Nintendo Switch  story. Nintendo, a company known for revamping and restyling portable systems, went beyond a simple redesign for the Switch Lite, stripping it of key features in order to keep costs and size down. Many of us love the standard Switch because it's a convertible console, which, with a simple drop-in-or-out, can be either a portable handheld or a TV-connected device. With the Switch Lite on shelves at $200, Nintendo is both undercutting the standard Switch's $300 price and the ability to connect to a TV. It is, in effect, a direct challenge to the platform's identity. Despite lacking the iconic Switch feature, Switch Lite still makes a very strong case for itself. The improved portability alone is enticing, and having now used the Lite exclusively for the better part of a week, my initial mi...

Mario Kart Tour Multiplayer: Can You Play Against Friends? It's Surprisingly Confusing Written by    Steve Watts   Mario Kart Tour  is  available now , bringing the classic Nintendo franchise to iOS and Android devices. But its multiplayer options can be a bit confusing. Can you add friends? Can you play with your friends? Why aren't those the same thing? Aren't you already playing multiplayer anyway? For starters, you are able to add friends. That option can be found in the Friends section of the main menu, and it will pull suggestions from your Nintendo, Facebook, or Twitter accounts if you link them to the game. However, this feature is limited to comparing your rankings against friends. You can't play against them, and a "Multiplayer" feature is grayed out in the main menu with a promise that it is "Inbound!" Compounding the confusion is the fact that the game is online-only, and you  appear  to be playing multiplayer against strang...

Marvel's Kevin Feige To Produce Star Wars Movie Written by  Tamoor Hussain Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and one of the driving forces behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will produce a new Star Wars movie for Disney. That's according to  The Hollywood Reporter , which states that the move is part of new plans for "a wave of projects set in the [Star Wars] universe." The site reports that Feige discussed the Star Wars project in late summer, having met with Lucasfilm's president Kathleen Kennedy and studio co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman. Asked for a statement, Horn said, "We are excited about the projects Kathy and the Lucasfilm team are working on, not only in terms of Star Wars but also Indiana Jones and reaching into other parts of the company including Children of Blood and Bone with Emma Watts and Fox." He continued: "With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and k...

Zelda: Link's Awakening Beginner's Guide: 9 Spoiler-Free Tips To Get You Started Written by    Jacob Dekker   The recently released  The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening  on Nintendo Switch is a remake of the Game Boy classic, but that doesn't mean it's exactly the same game you remember from all those years ago. A lot has changed since the halcyon days of your youth because this Zelda cult classic has been given a major facelift. Aside from a major visual overhaul, there are a few notable quality-of-life improvements that help make the game easier to digest for modern audiences, such as additional equipable item slots and the ability to refer to previous conversations. However, if you've never played the original Link's Awakening or it has been a while, the remake may leave you somewhat disoriented. Below we've gathered nine spoiler-free tips to help you along your adventure. Check out the table of contents below to get to exactly what you...

Switch's Ring Fit Adventure Feels Like Wii Fit With Stronger Gameplay Hooks Written by  Kevin Knezevic   Given the phenomenal success Nintendo found with  Wii Fit --the series has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide--it comes as no surprise that the company would continue dabbling in fitness-inspired games. Last year saw the release of Fitness Boxing, and next month will bring  Ring Fit Adventure , a clear spiritual successor to the Wii Fit line. Much like the hit Wii game, Ring Fit comes packaged with an  unusual peripheral  that translates exercises into in-game actions, but the upcoming title differentiates itself from Nintendo's previous fitness experiments by marrying exercise with stronger, RPG-inspired gameplay hooks. We recently had a chance to go hands-on with Ring Fit Adventure at a demo event in New York. The centerpiece of the game is the titular Adventure mode, which takes you through a series of linear stages laden with obst...

Sony Developing Spider-Man Spin-Off Movie Madame Web - Report Written by    Chris E. Hayner   It's still a mystery what, exactly, is happening with Spider-Man after  Sony and Marvel studios seemingly ended their working relationship . And while your friendly neighborhood web-slinger may  not be popping up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe  anymore, Sony Pictures continues building a franchise of films based on notable Spider-Man characters--save for Spidey, himself. Already, a  Venom  film has been released, with  a sequel in the works , and an adaptation of  Morbius the Living Vampire  is on the way, starring Jared Leto. Now, it's being reported that Sony is developing its next Spider-Man universe film. Madame Web is in the works, according to  Collider . The film will be written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, who are responsible for the Morbius script. That's the extent of what we know at this point. No relea...

Hulu and Marvel's Ghost Rider TV Show Will Not Be Happening Written by    Meg Downey Sad news for fans of Gabriel Luna and Robbie Reyes alike today as  Deadline  reports the full stop of development on the upcoming Ghost Rider solo TV show, originally slated to be released on Hulu in 2020. The show has been canceled during development due to "a creative impasse" that "could not be resolved," according to Deadline. Ghost Rider is the only show affected by the dispute; however, the other announced Marvel live-action project, Helstrom, is apparently proceeding as planned. Helstrom will join the roster of upcoming Marvel animated projects on Hulu including Tigra & Dazzler, Hit-Monkey, Howard The Duck, and M.O.D.O.K, all slated for release sometime in 2020. Gabriel Luna had been set to reprise the role of Robbie Reyes for the show after debuting as the character in Agents Of SHIELD, though the  initial announcement  stated the Hulu series wou...