Month: March 2019

With Aquaman now on Blu-ray and Shazam! flying into theaters in early April, let’s take a look back at every review we’ve done for the current DC movie continuity that began with 2013’s Man of Steel.

The fledgling DCEU  (which was never the official name for this shared universe, mind you) endured a big one-two punch in 2016 with the release of two critically drubbed but still financially successful films, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.

The following year proved a mixed bag for DC films. Warner Bros. won great acclaim and scored big box office in 2017 with its highly anticipated Wonder Woman solo film, but the studio then saw a huge setback just a few months later with the commercial disappointment of Justice League.

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This isn’t the first time ESO has visited the beautifully sandy region of Elsweyr (pronounced Elsewhere) since some small zones in the base game let players dip their toes into the area such as Khenarthi’s Roost. However, opening up the whole zone for exploration is new. And with this new zone also comes the introduction of dragons into the world of ESO.

The prequel quest should be going live soon and will serve as a direct prelude to the events in Elsweyr (out May 20 on PC and June 4 on consoles), immediately following the Wrathstone DLC’s brief narrative. The gist of it all is that some Imperials have invaded the northern region of Elsweyr with a necromancer at their helm and something that the player does may have accidentally awoken dragons under the presumed guise of aiding natives in battle. Naturally, things didn’t unfold as intended and now all hell’s broken loose.

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Lorenzo di Bonaventura, producer of The Matrix, has revealed that Neo could have been a woman, if Sandra Bullock hadn’t turned down the role.

Warner Bros. reportedly demanded that the part be played by an A-lister, given that the Wachowskis had only directed a single film, 1996’s Bound, prior to the project.

“We went out to so many people I don’t remember. We were getting desperate,” di Bonaventura told The Wrap.

Possible candidates reportedly included Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Will Smith. Smith elaborated on turning down the role in a post on his Instagram account last month.

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It often surprises me how many perks you get for being an Amazon Prime member. The latest bonus, available for a limited time, lets you get up to 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for free through Twitch (and yes, it stacks if you’re a current subscriber). Even if you’re not a Prime member, you can start a free trial and get three months of Nintendo Switch Online for free. Continue with Prime for 60 days, you’ll be able to claim the remaining nine months of Switch Online.

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Now that Aquaman has been released on Blu-ray and digital, it gives you plenty of chances to rewatch what is clearly the craziest entry in the DC Extended Universe–from dinosaurs to epic underwater fights. That’s not all you can do, though.

The home release of Aquaman is loaded with special features that give you a lot of insight into the making of the film. Maybe even too much insight. How does Aquaman poop? Guess what, director James Wan thought about it so you don’t have to.

If you don’t have time to dig through the special features of Aquaman, never fear! We did and gathered the 14 most interesting facts from the various behind-the-scenes featurettes. Prepare to learn more than you’ll ever need to about Aquaman, Atlantis, and just about everything else in the film.

After you soak up all of this new Aquaman interview, get yourself ready for the next major DC release with our review of Shazam. Believe it or not, it is the best DCEU movie yet.

1. The underwater creatures were essentially mechanical bulls

The actors would actually be sitting on mechanical “bucks,” which would then be puppeteered to mimic the movements of whatever the characters were riding. “We’re able to replace that buck with a CG version of our shark and have it marry up to what the camera is doing, all in real-time,” virtual production supervisor Eric Carney explained.

2. Many sets were built using virtual reality

“VR is making a big impact on this film,” draftsman Benjamin Donnelly explained. “We can look around sets in a virtual space to make design decisions.”

3. It’s not just CGI at work

There were plenty of practical effects used in the film, including a number of instances of real water–which can be tricky with such an elaborate film. “The challenge is creating this underwater world in a dry environment,” director of photography Don Burgess admitted.

4. The way they crashed the truck in a tsunami is impressive

While it would have been easy to rely on a complete CGI rendering of a tsunami overtaking a truck being driven by Aquaman, the film’s crew instead tried to recreate it in the real world by putting an actual truck on a spit and spinning and submerging it in water. “It was an eccentric spinning car,” special effects supervisor Brian Cox said. “It spins 360 [degrees].”

5. Jason Momoa played a big role in casting his on-screen dad

When it came to casting Thomas Curry, Arthur’s dad, Momoa had one name in mind. “When we talked to Jason about who he saw as his father, he just immediately wanted Temuera [Morrison],” executive producer Rob Cowan revealed.

“I love him. It’s always been a dream to work with him,” Momoa explained. “Ever since I saw Once Were Warriors, he was the guy I looked up to.”

6. James Wan had a hand in everything, including weapon design

One of the reasons director James Wan was drawn to the project was that he got to create an entire world with Atlantis. To that end, he was a part of everything, right down to helping with weapon design.

“I’m a very hands-on designer,” he said. “I love drawing things myself. And so I’ll get in there, be behind their shoulders and kind of go, ‘Oh, you know, what if we draw the trident more like this?'”

7. James Wan definitely thought about how Atlanteans use the bathroom

In creating the world of Aquaman, Wan had a lot to figure out. “As a director, I try to put myself in the shoe of Atlanteans and go, ‘What is a day in the life of an Atlantean look like? How do they eat? How do they sleep? How do they use the bathroom?’ You have to think about all of that stuff,” he explained.

We’d rather not think about it.

8. They used trays of water to make lighting more realistic

So much of Aquaman takes place underwater, which presented an interesting challenge with lighting. Luckily, they came up with a creative solution. “There’s a whole way that light travels through water,” director of photography Don Burgess said. “So we tried to emulate that. We actually build water trays above us to try to manipulate light so that is actually feels like you’re underwater.”

9. Yes, the hair is CGI

It should come as no surprise that the floating hair underwater was created digitally. After all, since they weren’t actually drowning the cast, they had to get that wavy quality somewhere. The process, though, was more difficult than anyone expected.

“I don’t think anyone appreciated how difficult it was going to be,” visual effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain admitted. “In an underwater environment, all the hair just sort of tends to do its own thing. And this created incredible computational hurdles to overcome. [Industrial Light & Magic] actually rewrote their software trying to design this.”

10. The way they filmed the swimming scenes is insane

To achieve the scenes of swimming underwater, each actor required a team of people in blue suits to guiding them, plenty of wires suspending them, and a massive spinning arm they were attached to.

11. Manta’s shirtless scene was added after James Wan said how in-shape the actor got

When Yahya Abdul-Mateen II got cast to play Black Manta in the movie, he set out to get in shape. What else would you do after finding out you’re going to spend months fighting Jason Momoa. However, he got so ripped that director James Wan actually wrote a shirtless scene into the movie.

“We did a screen test [and] James said, ‘Hey, let’s zip that down and let’s just get some shots,'” Abdul-Mateen remembered. “So I zipped it down. I came back a couple days later and he said, ‘Hey man, I think the shirt’s got to come off. We gotta do some rewrites.”

12. The submarine interior is made out of rubber

While this makes perfect sense, the fact that the movie’s crew molded so much of the inside of the submarine out of rubber to allow Aquaman to smash people into it is impressive. “We’ve gotten very good at molding rubber things,” production designer Bill Brzeski joked.

13. James Wan always wanted Nicole Kidman as Atlanna

For director James Wan, there was only ever one person he considered to play Queen Atlanna. “Nicole was my one and only choice,” he admitted. “I’ve wanted to work with Nicole for a very long time. I think the world of her.” He was so sure this role should go to Kidman, that the crew even used her as the basis of their concept art for the character.

14. They had to build the bar from scratch

When it came time to find a location to use as the Amnesty Bay bar set, the film’s crew wouldn’t locate a place that didn’t overlook an Australian city. So, naturally, they just built one instead. And, of course, passersby assumed it was a real bar.

“Since we put the signs up, we had locals pulling up,” set decorator Bev Dunn said.

Ubisoft has confirmed the time and date of its E3 2019 press conference. The company said on Twitter its briefing would begin on Monday, June 10 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AEST on June 11).

The news comes amid other publishers scaling down their E3 conferences or pulling out altogether. Sony will not be attending E3 2019, while EA will eschew its usual conference in favor of multiple smaller livestreams. Conversely, Microsoft is holding a conference, while Bethesda has already confirmed the date and time of its usual presentation.

It’s not yet clear what Ubisoft has to share at E3 this year, as many of the publisher’s 2019 games–including Far Cry: New Dawn, Trials Rising, Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered, and The Division 2–have already launched, while Anno 1800 is scheduled for release on April 16. The only remaining Ubisoft games we know of are Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2, so it seems likely we’ll see more of them in June.

We could also hear more of the heavily rumored Watch Dogs 3, which is ostensibly set in London. However, the publisher’s staple Assassin’s Creed reveal is unlikely, since it has already stated no “full-fledged Assassin’s” game will launch in 2019.

In English, most fairy tales lead with the phrase “once upon a time.” In Hungarian, they begin with the word “Operencia,” which roughly translates to “far, far away.” And that’s exactly where Operencia: The Stolen Sun transports you–to a realm steeped in magic and mystery, wonderfully detached from all things real.

Operencia is a dungeon-crawler RPG set in a fantasy world. It begins by plunging you into the salivating jaws of a three-headed dragon. However, as soon as you slay the colossal serpent, the prologue ends. Before you know it you’re no longer a dragonslayer, but a runaway farmhand determined to follow their dreams. Those mad powers you had ten seconds ago? Gone. You’ll have to make your own destiny if you’re to retrieve the mythical land’s stolen sun.

Composed of 13 different levels, the world of Operencia boasts some breathtaking vistas. You explore a variety of locations, from the murky depths of a castle cursed by tears to the metal wilds of The Copper Forest–which is infested with copper soldiers sporting chainsaw-like utensils for hands. The diversity of the game’s art makes for a journey that is at all times fresh, awe-inspiring, and wonder-inducing. Its bright colors and intricate art style create an aesthetic that complements the mystique imbued in its magic, and it boasts a score that screams tales of monsters and creepy crawlies told around the warm hearth of a dirty tavern. This envelops you in a world of imagination and fantasy, more concerned with evoking a sense of wonder than any sort of fantasy realism.

After you embark on your journey across this fantastical realm, you slowly begin to come across a whole host of intriguing companions. These characters all speak in pre-written conversations, leaving you no option to intervene with your own dialogue. However, conversations between characters are so well-written that it doesn’t really matter. The banter between companions while resting at bonfires–which replenishes your health and energy–is no less arresting. Every companion you come across is their own person and has their own sense of humor–the witty Joska hurls jests at everyone in the party, whereas the strong-willed Kela ensures that you don’t falter on your quest. I enjoyed sitting back and drinking in the conversation more so than I experienced a longing to interject with my own thoughts. This world is so wonderfully weird that it’s better for telling you its stories, rather than affording you the chance to write your own one within it.

Combat in Operencia is fast-paced, fluid, and engaging. It revolves around turn-based mechanics, involving a mix of physical, ranged, and magic attacks. The magic attacks utilize a strength/weakness system based on elemental typing such as frost, lightning, and fire. Your build can either lean heavily into one fighting style, or encompass all of them in order to gain versatility at the expense of specialization. While maxing out a single stat allows you to deal devastating damage in some cases, immunities can render you completely ineffective if you’ve overcommitted to one particular attribute. I played as a mage, as I usually do in fantasy RPGs, but without my Strength-based companions I would have been Ancient Elemental bait before I could say abracadabra. After battles, you’ll gain experience and loot. For every level you gain, you’ll get three ability points to pump into attributes. Leveling up feels well-rewarded, and the game allows you to carve out a combat niche for yourself with its myriad permutations of attribute/ability point combos.

Managing the ability cooldowns and energy point costs of each individual character in your four-person team can be tough, especially in the late-game when a mistake can mean death, or game over if you’re playing with permadeath enabled. As a result, it’s important to play smart. Even the strongest of enemies can be quickly incapacitated if you’re willing to exploit their weaknesses and be savvy with your potions.

Operencia’s combat takes customary turn-based RPG mechanics and makes them feel fresh with its own pacing and style. The only thing it could use is a little bit more versatility, as at times it feels as if your own character is a bit vanilla compared to the more advanced predetermined builds boasted by late-game companions. At the same time, you have seven characters to build a team of four from, so you can always change things up if frost spam is starting to get a little watery. As for enemies, there is a whole range of different beasties of all shapes and sizes who would love to eat you for dinner. Some of their niches can be very annoying, but not in a way that seems unfair.

Traversal in Operencia is tile-based, creating opportunities for intriguing environmental puzzles. However, at times this system complicates attempts to look at the finer details of the world’s beauty. There were moments where I wanted to look at objects caught between tiles or move an inch closer to the horizon in order to take the perfect screenshot, but I couldn’t because the traversal system got in the way.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun transports you to a realm steeped in magic and mystery, wonderfully detached from all things real

Most of Operencia’s puzzles are excellently designed. In one case, you have to defeat four powerful enemies, all of whom drop a token. These tokens are then placed in slots around a magic circle; you need to place each one in the right position, and then spin the circle’s three tiers to match animals with the tokens’ likeness. This might seem like the kind of puzzle you’d come across in similar RPGs, but Operencia’s aesthetic really makes the solution feel special. Before you know it, a surge of color and light encapsulates the circle and magical powers begin to work in wonderful and mysterious ways.

The puzzles that aren’t solved by environmental manipulation or visual prompts usually require you to use creative key items, which range from magic shovels to griffin feathers. These feathers can be attached to any object with a feather marked on it, and cause that object to become drastically lighter. This allows you to uproot trees and move heavy weights with the flick of a wrist. You even get magic beans to grow beanstalks with! The puzzles get progressively harder as you make your way through the game, but are almost always intuitive and fair.

Some don’t fit this formula, though. While optional puzzles used to unlock secrets and legendary items are understandably best fitted with esoteric solutions, ones that are tied to story progression shouldn’t be as niche as they are. On one occasion, I spent almost an hour and a half looking for one of four keys, all of which were used to unlock a series of doors that led to the mould for yet another key. While the first of these was an easy find, the second one was randomly hidden far away from the cave and could only be found by using the magic shovel in a certain area. This made me decide to scour the whole map looking for hidden doors and buried treasure, of which I found neither.

As it turns out, the third key is actually obtained by returning to a melting pot I used to acquire a different key. There are so many keys. When I solved the puzzle I felt annoyed, not relieved. And I still had one more to get. Lo and behold, the fourth key was right in front of the last door, requiring no puzzles or exploration. After such arbitrary solutions to the previous puzzles, this was subversive. It was also incredibly irritating. I couldn’t stay annoyed for long though, as the joyous booming of your relieved companions is infectious, and the game picks up so quickly that you’re bounding onward into the next dungeon before you can get sufficiently annoyed to stop playing.

Operencia tells a wonderful story derived from Central European folklore, mythology, and history, and it does so with unwavering confidence in its makeup. Companion characters are funny, and the banter between them makes for a fun experience that’s not without its heartfelt moments. In terms of combat, the strategizing is so engaging that you’ll likely end up charging rat warriors headfirst instead of hopelessly attempting to avoid bumping into them. Best of all, though, this world is so stunning that you’ll just look at the trees, the water, the rocks–everything. It’s a shame that some of the puzzle solutions are needlessly frustrating and present significant obstacles in getting through the story, but aside from that Operencia provides a truly special experience.

Operencia transports you somewhere far, far away, and once you get there, you’ll probably want to stay a while.