Month: June 2018

The first reviews are rolling in for Marvel’s newest film as the general release of Ant-Man and the Wasp is fast approaching. The film stars Paul Rudd as Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp, and it follows the physics-defying duo as they embark on a mission to find Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and subvert an intriguing new villain.

The film includes all kinds of other characters besides the two that are named in the title and has been pretty highly anticipated after the success of the first Ant-Man and the questions regarding his absence from Infinity War. So far, the film has a score of 70 on Metacritic which is a solid endorsement, but if you want a better look into the good and the bad from Ant-Man and the Wasp, check out the snipits from the reviews below.

GameSpot — No Score

“Like the original Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp is primarily a palette cleanser in the MCU as a whole (the first movie was sandwiched in between the dense Age of Ultron and the dour Civil War). Ant-Man and the Wasp is hilarious, fun, silly, self aware, and creative. Filled with pseudo-science gobbledigook, crazy action, and multiple villains all vying for screen time, it’s one of the most comic-booky MCU movies yet. The fates of all our favorite heroes after Avengers: Infinity War may still be up in the air, but in the meantime, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a welcome distraction.” — Michael Rougeau [Full Review]

Den of Geek — 2.5/5

“Lacking any chance of displaying cinematic flourish or a point-of-view, Peyton Reed’s straightforward effort misses the righteous zeal of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther or the playful cheekiness of James Gunn and Taika Waititi’s Marvel entries. Ant-Man and the Wasp, by comparison, is just there, a flat-looking comedy that’s bereft of too few laughs when juxtaposed with Thor: Ragnarok, even though that film was ostensibly about the apocalypse and this one is supposedly a laugher.” — David Crow [Full Review]

CNET — No Score

“Ant-Man and The Wasp takes the stakes and scale of a typically colossal Marvel film and brings them down to the most intimate level, focusing on families in this love letter to father-daughter relationships.The 20th Marvel Cinematic Universe film is a light, welcome break from the mess that is reality — more specifically from thinking about the epic scale of destruction in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s a silly, fun comedy, well-timed after the superhero smashes of the last few months, with an easy-to-follow plot (even with multiple foes) and a whole lot of love, making it one of the best MCU sequels.” — Caitlin Petrakovitz and Eric Franklin [Full Review]

ComicBook.com — No Score

“Most of Marvel’s stars and directors recently attended the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp and, unsurprisingly, many of their reactions are incredibly positive.The same goes for James Gunn, writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. After seeing the film at the premiere on Monday night, Gunn took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the work done by his Marvel cohorts. ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp is everything you want it to be,’ Gunn wrote. ‘Hilarious, sweet, moving, & wall-to-wall fun. Killer work @MrPeytonReed! And great performances by @EvangelineLilly, @hannahjk1 & of course @Dastmalchian. I loved it! (Pro tip: see it before Avengers 4!)'” — Charlie Ridgely [Full Review]

ScreenRant — 3.5/5

“All in all, Ant-Man and the Wasp represents Marvel Studios at its best. The movie balances exciting action, well-timed humor, and a heartfelt emotional storyline to great effect, letting the heroes shine in their own unique way while also tying the movie into the larger MCU. After the weighty and stuffed team-up that was Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp provides a return to form for Marvel. It operates as a reminder of how well the studio works on a smaller scale, even as fans may be more interested in Marvel’s loftier goals of tying together a decade’s worth of movies for a grand event.” –Molly Freeman [Full Review]

Variety — No Score

“The director, Peyton Reed, also made the first Ant-Man (2015), but at the time he’d never helmed a special-effects blockbuster before, and his inexperience showed. He jammed comedy, action, and origin-story mythology into a film that had more amiable spirit than craft. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Reed keeps the entire movie — one-liners, Macy’s Parade effects, hand-to-insect-wing combat — spinningly aloft. Always an inspired director of comedy (Down with Love, Bring It On), Reed has learned how to operate the heavy machinery of a Marvel superhero movie yet keep it all light and fast and dizzying.” –Owen Gleiberman [Full Review]

IndieWire — B-

“No matter its uneven variables, Ant-Man and the Wasp remains satisfying in that slick, crowdpleasing sort of way that became Marvel’s hallmark, at least until the shocking finale of Infinity War. That movie upended years of formula with a grim cliffhanger that left audiences reeling. Released just a few weeks later, Ant-Man and the Wasp practically feels like a mea culpa, or at least the opportunity to take a breath. At this point, no studio does a better job of giving the people what they want.” –Eric Kohn [Full Review]

Entertainment Tonight — No Score

“The sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man, whether by nature or by design, is as close to the polar opposite of Infinity War as can be: Like something of a palate cleanser, light and a whole lot of fun and on a significantly smaller scale. (As small as one of these massive Marvel movies can get, anyway.) Our eponymous duo is not trying to save the galaxy, or the planet, or even their neighborhood. A simple rescue mission drives this story: Save Janet van Dyne.” — John Boone [Full Review]

Vox — 3/5

“Ant-Man and the Wasp is an airy, nimble piece of filmmaking: Reed’s confidence to unapologetically embrace weirdness — like imagery of ants playing drums or responding to telepathic commands — gives the franchise its distinctly playful spirit. His stars, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, reprise their roles and further energize Marvel’s most lovable romance. And the action sequences, with their constant, dynamic manipulation of size and scope, are as creative as they are thrilling. The film is bundles of fun, so much so that I found myself wishing it had a bit more to offer than just a good time at the movies.”– Alex Abad-Santos [Full Review]

Westworld Season 2 finale spoilers ahead!

Westworld’s Season 2 finale, Episode 10, “The Passenger,” wasn’t exactly the illuminating conclusion we’d hoped for. Instead of finally shedding some light on the park’s many mysteries, it simply layered on more in scene after scene of heavy handed exposition. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t teach us anything.

Is Bill a host? What is the “Valley Beyond” really? Are there any other secret hosts who’ve yet to be discovered? We learned those things and more in the final episode of Westworld Season 2. And it provided us with plenty of set-up for Season 3.

What did you think of the finale? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Dolores didn’t make Bernard exactly like Arnold.

Dolores revealed in the Season 2 finale that she actually didn’t ultimately try to recreate Arnold while crafting Bernard’s personality. “After all, ‘you’ didn’t make it,” she told him.

2. Dolores went through over 11,000 different versions of Bernard.

She went through at least 11,927, to be exact.

3. Dolores loaded this busted bullet to injure Bill later.

This is some straight up Road Runner levels of chicanery.

4. Maeve has her powers back.

Just in time, too. Sayonara, this guy.

5. Bill and Bernard have never met?

Seriously? How is this possible? Bill muttering “Who the hell is this?” was the most shocking line of this whole episode.

6. The Delos operatives have been draining the Valley Beyond in the present.

With the site finally accessible, the plot in the present actually moved forward this episode.

7. The Forge contains copies of “4 million souls.”

That’s according to Strand, who notes that that’s a copy of every person who’s ever visited the park. That’s not exactly true, though–it would be every person who’s visited only since Delos purchased it. I guess putting on the hat when you enter became mandatory after that.

8. Dolores didn’t make it.

The reason we haven’t seen Dolores in Westworld Season 2’s present timeline is she didn’t make it–at least not in this form, as we learned later in the episode.

9. The Forge is another virtual Westworld, not unlike the Cradle.

This is where the human guests’ copies were stored, and where recreations were tested for fidelity.

10. The Forge’s control system was modeled after Logan.

This “copy” was created using Jim’s memories of his son, since Logan never visited the park again after Delos bought it, and they thus have no actual backup of him. Either way, what a fun way to keep Ben Barnes in the show.

11. The Logan-System was responsible for creating Jim Delos-bot.

And all the other human copy programs, apparently.

12. Jim and Logan’s last meeting was extremely sad.

That Jim Delos really was a massive piece of s***. No doubt about it now.

13. The human copies failed because they were making them too complex.

The human mind wasn’t too complex to copy into a host body; it was too simple, according to the Logan-system. We’re all just brief algorithms, apparently. This is where the episode really tripled down on its junk philosophizing.

14. The system considers Bill “irredeemable.”

Considering he just murdered his own daughter on a hunch, I’d say that’s about right.

15. Bernard intended the hosts to use the backups to their advantage.

According to the Logan-system, Bernard wanted the hosts to use “the accumulated wisdom of dissecting the human psyche 100 million times over” to gain an advantage over their “enemies,” humanity.

16. Sizemore redeemed himself in the end.

Although his death played a little too much like something someone would writer, rather than what an actual person would do–which may actually be fitting considering what he was like.

17. Bernard left the hosts “a way out.”

“A virtual beacon, unspoiled and untouched by the world you came from,” according to the Logan-system.

18. Akecheta was right about the “door” to another world.

Only hosts can see it, but sure enough, the “door” to Bernard’s host escape world manifested at the Valley Beyond. In passing through, they leave their bodies behind, which is how all their corpses wound up floating there (as we saw in Season 2’s first episode).

19. Dolores was not a fan of this plan.

When she found out what the Valley Beyond really was, Dolores decided on a better path.

20. Anna made it to the Valley Beyond.

She’s living happily ever after with new-Maeve in a dream world made just for them. Yay?

21. Akecheta too.

And he’s reunited with Kohana. Yay!

22. RIP Elsie.

This was a sad way for Elsie to go, especially after she survived being attacked by Bernard last season. She probably should have seen it coming, though. Her girl scout routine was bound to get her murdered.

23. Bernard really did delete Ford.

The Ford he saw in this episode was simply a delusion in his own mind. So is Bernard finally thinking for himself?

24. Bernard scrambled his own memories.

He did it so that they wouldn’t find out what happened–specifically, that he put Dolores’s consciousness into a Charlotte host body. Speaking of which…

25. Way to go, Bernard!

Much as we love Tessa Thompson, Charlotte Hale was an evil woman. But every time we’ve seen her this season in the “present” timeline, she’s actually been Dolores. Bernard’s choice to create a Charlotte host body with Dolores’s control unit inside gives us the best of both worlds: Tessa sticks around, but Charlotte is dead. Hooray.

26. Stubbs is probably a host.

Ford “hired” him to protect the hosts. That’s his “core drive.” And we’re clearly supposed to infer from that language that Stubbs, too, is a host. Also, he seems to know what Cholores is. Twist!

27. In the present, Bill survived.

Despite taking four bullets, digging a massive chunk out of his own forearm, and blowing off half his hand. Nothing suspicious about that.

28. Teddy made it to the Valley Beyond.

I’ve lost track of whether or not that’s a good thing at this point.

29. These two “geniuses” are in charge of which hosts get salvaged.

Methinks that means Maeve is coming back.

30. Cholores took some control units with her.

Wonder whose they are?

31. Cholores escaped to the real world.

That’s Dolores in a Charlotte-like body. And then she printed herself some friends: another Dolores, in a Dolores body this time, and a new Bernard, who is also the old Bernard. Or something.

32. Future Bill, on the other hand…

So yeah, Bill is a host–but only in the far future, as Emily (who is probably also a host) suggests (and Westworld showrunner Lisa Joy confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter).

How much, if anything, of what we saw this season was actually just a fidelity test for Bill? Or was any of it? How far in the future is this? If it’s that far in the future, how could it even matter? What the hell is Westworld Season 3 going to be about? I have no idea, but at least Season 2 is over.

What did you think of the finale? Let us know in the comments below.

The ’80s and ’90s were simply the best for action cartoons–better than all the rest. However, during these two decades, there was a weird, repeating trend throughout so many of these series: They starred anthropomorphic animals, and most of the time, they were kicking butt all over Earth and in space as well.

While the trend invaded comedy series throughout this time period, it also made its way into action cartoons as well, some of which were completely forgotten about years later. While very much not forgotten, the two most notable examples from the ’80s and ’90s are Thundercats (1985) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987). Both franchises have sustained popularity, warranting reboots to each series, which includes the upcoming Thundercats: Roar, coming in 2019.

However, others didn’t have the popularity or lasting appeal of those two examples. Some of these shows we remember from our childhood and others we just completely missed. Here are 13 action cartoons that you might have forgotten about.

For more romps in nostalgia, check out these cartoons based on movies, and some of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ raddest toys from its line. Let us know some of your favorite action series starring animals in the comment section below.

Danger Mouse (1981-1991)

The longest-running series on this list is the UK’s Danger Mouse, which lasted for 10 seasons. The show followed the titular character, a secret agent who engaged in espionage missions, trying to take down the villainous Baron Greenback. Aside from England, the show demonstrated it had American appeal after it began airing on Nickelodeon in 1984.

Fun fact: Count Duckula, who appeared on numerous episodes of the series, got his own spin-off in 1988.

Dinosaucers (1987)

Many cartoons from the ’80s and ’90s lasted one or two seasons, but somehow managed to deliver more than 50 episodes. The short-lived Dinosaucers is a great example of that as it produced 65 episodes for the three months it was on the air. Essentially a Transformers clone, Dinosaucers followed the titular team of anthropomorphic alien dinos, and their war against the evil Tyrannos. The two groups come to Earth, and a group of humans dubbed The Secret Scouts help the Dinosaucers in their battle. Also, for my money, Dinosaucers has the best theme music of the ’80s.

Tiger Sharks (1987)

The production company behind Thundercats and Silverhawks tried to create another animal-based action series during the late-’80s. This time around, the team TigerSharks were humans that used a special device to become animal/human hybrids to battle the evil T-Ray. Sadly, none of the team turned into actual tiger sharks, and only Mako, the leader, became an actual shark hybrid. The other members became a specific sea animal hybrid for their character. Walrus, dolphin, octopus, orca whale, seahorse, and angelfish were the other animals used for the characters.

Fun fact: The TigerSharks appeared in an episode of the Thundercats reboot in 2011 as slaves to Mumm-Ra.

Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars (1991)

Based on the comic book character, Bucky O’Hare and the rest of his S.P.A.C.E. teammates–most of which are anthropomorphic animals–take on a bunch of evil alien toads who want to take over the universe. It only lasted one season, but its theme song will stick in your head forever. Additionally, the show got a Mega Man-esque NES game, which wasn’t really great.

Darkwing Duck (1991-1992)

Running for 91 episodes during its two-year stint, Darkwing Duck was essentially Disney’s version of The Shadow combined with other Golden Age superheroes like Doc Savage, The Green Hornet, and Batman. Joined by his trusty sidekick, Launchpad McQuack (who also appeared on DuckTales), the two fight crime and go on crazy adventures. The vigilante got his own NES and Game Boy game in the early ’90s as well.

Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa (1992-93)

During the late 19th century, a comet hit the Western plains, and the cows in the area evolved into human/cow hybrids. These new humanoids try to live their life like regular folk during the Wild West era, maintaining the law of the land… for cow people. Marshall Moo Montana and his posse fought outlaws and even a corrupt mayor during its 26-episode run. While short-lived, the series spawned an action figure line, a comic book series, and a video game which was a lot like Sunset Riders.

Biker Mice From Mars (1993-96)

This is about as ’90s as it gets. A species of anthropomorphic mice live on Mars, and they love riding motorcycles, as the title of the show suggests. One day, an alien race killed all but three of these micemen, who then fled to Earth. They discover the evil alien’s plan to do the same thing to Earth, fight back, and save the world. The series got a video game on the SNES in ’94 and had a short-lived revival in 2006.

SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993-1995)

Hanna-Barbera’s final original action series before being absorbed by Warner Bros. was Swat Kats, and although it was short-lived, it was a big success in 1994. The series followed former law enforcement in Megakat City, where its inhabitants were cat people. However, when villainy strikes, these cool mechanics became masked vigilantes who hoped to take down the evil Dark Kat. In 1995, Hudson Soft produced a game for SNES that was incredibly mediocre.

Street Sharks (1994-97)

If anthropomorphic turtles with ninja abilities aren’t up your alley, how do you feel about sharks? Well, Street Sharks is a bit like that. Two doctors, Bolton and Paradigm, create a machine that can change animals into humanoid hybrids by messing with their DNA. Dr. Bolton becomes a monster, and Paradigm wants to use the machine for personal power, turning Bolton’s sons into shark/human hybrids. Obviously, the Street Sharks won’t work for a madman, and an ongoing battle between Paradigm and the Sharks ensues.

Earthworm Jim (1995-96)

Many of the cartoons on this list ended up having their own video games based on the property. For Earthworm Jim, it was the other way around. Based on the wildly popular–and truly bizarre–video game, Earthworm Jim follows a worm who gets a super suit, and he fights villains across the galaxy. Many of the characters from the video game series made an appearance throughout the 23 episodes that aired.

Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys (1996-97)

You know what cartoons needed more of in the mid-’90s? Monkeys. Tons and tons of monkeys. The animated series was eventually a “What If…” version of Planet of the Apes. During the ’60s, a monkey-manned spacecraft was shot into space. Charlie, the monkey pilot, was discovered by an intelligent alien race who gave him intelligence and technology. Charlie recruited his own team of super-intelligent simians, and together, they battle Nebula (not the Guardians of the Galaxy character), a villain who is half-human, half-black hole.

Mighty Ducks (1996-97)

Inspired by the movie of the same name and the logo for the NHL team–that’s not a joke–Mighty Ducks centers on a group of humanoid ducks who all play hockey and are engaged in a war against lizard-like beings known as The Saurians. These beings all end up on Earth, and much like Transformers, the good guys end up making friends with some humans, to help them beat The Saurians. Mighty Ducks won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Sound Editing in 1997.

Extreme Dinosaurs (1997)

Based on a Mattel toy line from the previous year and a spin-off of Street Sharks, this cartoon follows a group of dinosaurs that survived the mass extinction event and were abducted by evil aliens. These dinosaurs were transformed into mutants in order to help these aliens take over another planet, but the dinosaurs revolted and split into two groups: the good guys and the evil Raptors, who wanted to cause global warming on Earth.

Mass Effect: Andromeda was not as critically well received as past entries in the series, and one BioWare producer offered his insight into one aspect he believes may have contributed to Mass Effect: Andromeda’s review scores.

In a Twitter thread today, BioWare Executive Producer Mark Darrah wrote that he believes Andromeda suffered somewhat from releasing in the midst of a crowded schedule. Nier: Automata, Nioh, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all released mere weeks before BioWare’s sci-fi RPG. Darrah sees this as a “crowded” release environment, noting he believes each one of those games “does something better” than Andromeda, which he admitted to be a “flawed game.”

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GameStop has whipped up a new weekly sale, bringing deals on a whole new set of games and hardware. There’s some good stuff this week, but not as many games on sale as in most previous weeks. That’s too bad, but some exciting hardware is hitting shelves in the coming days, including a restock of the NES Classic Edition and an awesome new Nintendo 2DS XL. You can flip through the full weekly ad here, but we’ve highlighted some of the best and most noteworthy deals below. Don’t delay, though, because the sale ends July 3.

Whether you find yourself buying more digital games lately or you subscribe to Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus and get monthly freebies, you’ve probably encountered a common problem: you run out of hard drive space. To put more games on your machine, you should consider buying this Seagate 4TB external hard drive, on sale for $120. It’s green and has an Xbox logo on it, but it works for PS4 as well.

The GameStop exclusive New Nintendo 2DS XL Hylian Shield Edition releases July 2, but you can pre-order it now for $160. Not only does it look fantastic, but it also comes with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds loaded onto it. Fun fact: that was GameSpot’s Game of the Year for 2013.

Starting Friday, June 29, the NES Classic Edition will be coming back in stock for $60. It’s not on sale, or available to purchase right now, but each brick-and-mortar location will get at least 10 units to sell. It will also be available to purchase online at some point, though in the past it has sold out almost instantly. If you manage to buy one between June 28-30, you’ll get 20% off on one toy, piece of apparel, trading card item, or other collectible.

Those are the highlights, but you can see the rest of what’s going on at GameStop this week here.

Games

• FIFA 18 — $30
• Rainbow Siege: Advanced Edition — $30
• Madden NFL 18 — $30
• Star Wars Battlefront: Ultimate Edition — $25

Hardware

• NES Classic Edition — $60
• New Nintendo 2DS XL Hylian Shield Edition — $160
• Seagate 4TB Hard Drive for Xbox — $120

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Whether you live in a house or an apartment, a dorm room or a rented room, investing in a computer desk is a good idea. You could sit yourself down at the kitchen table and type away on your laptop, but it’s not the best place to be once mealtime rolls around. And if you’re a PC gamer, you know the importance of a good gaming desk. Luckily one of the most popular and well-reviewed gaming desk models from Arozzi is on sale now. And if it doesn’t suit your needs, I’ve compiled more big and small computer desk options to consider as well. Some are on sale, and others are just a good daily buy.

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

Qi wireless charging has been around for awhile, but now that Apple has embraced the technology there are a bevy of charging mats, stands, and gadgets that can juice up your phone with wireless wizardry. Whether you have an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, or another Qi-enabled device, here are the best Qi wireless chargers you can buy.

Technically, Qi isn’t the only wireless charging standard on the market, but with other standards like PMA and A4WP dwindling in influence, your phone most likely supports Qi charging, so that’s what I’ll be focusing on in this guide.

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