“A very cool cat,” Thomas Dolby wrote of The Cars frontman, who died at age 75.
Humberto Strengthens Into Hurricane After Turning Away From Devastated Bahamas
The slow-moving storm narrowly missed the country, where recovery efforts from Hurricane Dorian are just beginning.
For All Mankind – IGN First
All September long, IGN is highlighting the best TV coming your way in the 2019-2020 season. Today we’re spotlighting For All Mankind, one of several high-profile Apple TV+ shows that will be available when the new streaming platform launches on November 1. Executive produced by Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, For All Mankind “imagines what would have happened if the global space race never ended and the space program remained the cultural centerpiece of America’s hopes and dreams.” Starring an ensemble cast led by Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, and Shantel VanSanten, the series offers an alternate history in which Russia beats the US to the moon, exploring all the historical, technological, and political implications that follow.
Joaquin Phoenix on Finding Joker’s ‘Painful’ Laugh
One of the Joker’s most iconic traits is his maniacal laugh, and it proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the character for actor Joaquin Phoenix to master in the forthcoming standalone DC movie.
At a recent post-screening Q&A for press in L.A., Phoenix and Joker director Todd Phillips recounted how the actor invited Phillips over to his house so he could try out the laugh for him. “Because I didn’t think I could do it,” Phoenix revealed.
Phillips detailed how there are actually three different, distinct Joker laughs in the film, but the one he said was the most difficult for Phoenix to find was the one Phillips came to call “the affliction laugh.” Phillips showed Phoenix videos of people who suffered from pathological laughter as a result of medical conditions like head trauma.
Apple Arcade Hands-On Impressions: It Reminds Us of Xbox Live Arcade
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a major tech company launches a gaming service that hand-curates new, intriguing games on a regular, scheduled basis. The games aren’t AAA, big-budget blockbusters, but are instead charming original works from small teams of creatives.
If you were thinking, “Xbox Live Arcade,” you’re absolutely right. During my time at the Apple Park campus to check out a handful of the 100+ games (see more in the trailer below) launching with the new Apple Arcade subscription service, which itself goes live this Thursday, September 19, I couldn’t help but feel like I was back in the good ol’ Xbox Live Arcade days. Except instead of games costing $5-$10 each, it’s $5 per month for unlimited access to everything on Apple Arcade.
Groundhog Day Is Getting a Sequel…and it’s a VR Game?!
Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is, yes, a canonical sequel to the 1993 classic Bill Murray film. And yes, it’s not just a video game, but a VR game at that. If all of that has left you scratching your head, take a look at the gameplay trailer above. You may agree with us in saying that…it actually looks like it works!
Like your dear old dad, you’re trapped in a time loop in the sleepy Pennsylvania town, and you’ll need to better yourself in order to escape. Learn the guitar, learn to cook, help out around town, and more. No word yet on whether or not the second act of the game is spent trying to kidnap Punxsutawney Phil and drive off a cliff.
If you want to see more, check out the original trailer above, which, fittingly, was released on Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son will be released on September 17 for PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. It is developed by Tequila Works (Rime, Deadlight, The Sexy Brutale).
Joker Director Says He Was “Misquoted” Concerning Comic Book Connections
It’s no secret that the upcoming Joker movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a new version of the Clown Prince of Crime, is a standalone film that won’t connect to other recent live-action DC and Warner Bros. movies like Aquaman and Justice League. But a recent report that suggested Joker won’t have anything to do with DC comics at all was incorrect, according to director Todd Phillips himself.
Speaking to journalists during a Q&A following a Joker screening in Los Angeles recently, Phillips claimed he was “misquoted” in the previous report–and he clarified the exact relationship between his Joker movie and the long history of DC comics.
“It’s funny, because a lot of you guys have probably reprinted something I said in Empire, where I was misquoted,” Phillips said. “I’m not gonna complain. I like the writer–he wrote a great piece, where I said, ‘We didn’t take anything from the comic book world.’
“That’s actually not what I said. What I said was, ‘We didn’t take anything from one particular comic.’ We kind of picked and chose what we liked from the 80-year canon of Joker.”
Some of the Joker’s iconic features are present in the new movie, such as his unnerving laugh. Other things are missing, such as the grinning facial scars the character sometimes possesses. And there are new elements, like the fact that this version of Joker loves to dance.
So how did Phillips and his co-writer, Scott Silver, decide what to include, what to lose, and what to change from existing Joker lore?
“Honestly, it was what served us,” Phillips said. “Credit to Warner [Bros.] and DC, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that I’ve been at Warner for 15 years making movies, and I’ve earned some goodwill. So credit to them for going, ‘Go do your thing, use what you want,’ and it really was like, ‘What serves us here?'”
Joker does have other connections with the larger DC universe beyond the titular character himself. The biggest one is the character Thomas Wayne, played by Brett Cullen. Obviously, Bruce Wayne’s father has also appeared in various iterations over the years, whether as a driving force for Batman or as a fleshed-out character in his own right. Wayne’s inclusion in this movie provides a concrete connection to familiar Batman lore.
“[Thomas Wayne] is not in it a lot, but he casts a large shadow,” Phillips explained.
Setting the film around the early ’80s helped cement its independence from the DCEU, according to the director.
“There were a lot of reasons [we set it in the late ’70s/early ’80s],” he said. “One of the reasons was to separate it, quite frankly, from the DC Universe, when we pitched it to Warner Bros. and handed the script in–to sort of make it clear, ‘This isn’t f***ing with anything you have going on. This is a separate universe–so much so, it takes place in the past, before everything else.'”
Part of Phillips’ goal with this movie was to “deconstruct the comic book movie a little bit.”
“It can’t all be CGI parking lot fights,” Phillips said. “It’s gonna just burn itself out.”
Based on the reviews so far, Joker seems to succeed at that. The movie has scored a 70 on Metacritic as of the time of writing.
In GameSpot’s Joker review, we said that “Joker succeeds, without equivocation, because it transforms the villain into the populist antihero we need him to be now. Joker wears its influences on its maroon sleeves, but it also carves its own gashes through the blood-soaked landscape of contemporary comic book movies, offering something that, despite teetering on the shoulders of 80 years of history, is wonderfully fresh, dangerously exciting, undeniably entertaining, and rock-solid in its artistry. It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do.”
Joker hits theaters October 4. In semi-related news, The Suicide Squad director James Gunn recently revealed the cast list for his Suicide Squad sequel, and it’s a doozy.
Will Joker Get A Sequel? Director Todd Phillips Clarifies His Stance
The Joaquin Phoenix-starring Joker movie is still weeks away, but conversations about the possibility of a sequel have been going on for some time now. Back in August, headlines around the internet suggested Joker director Todd Phillips was already considering plans for Joker 2. But at an event after a Joker screening in Los Angeles recently, Phillips took the opportunity to set the record straight.
“It’s so annoying,” Phillips told GameSpot, when asked about his earlier comments concerning a sequel. “You say one thing and it becomes the story for 24 hours.”
“Why don’t you want to work with me again?” Phoenix, who was also present, teased the director in response.
Phillips continued, “The quote was, ‘I will do anything Joaquin wants to do.’ And I would. But the movie’s not set up to [have] a sequel. We always pitched it as one movie, and that’s it.”
The director, perhaps best known for The Hangover–and its multiple sequels–said he was speaking “jokingly” when he told Total Film (published online via sister site GamesRadar) that he and Phoenix could come up with “something pretty cool” for a potential Joker 2.
This time, Phillips was clear that he was speaking purely hypothetically.
“We have no plan for a sequel,” the director said. “We made this movie, I pitched it to Warner Bros. as one movie, it exists in its own world, that’s it. It’s not about worldbuilding, it’s not about other versions, it’s like, here’s our version of the origin story, that’s it. That’s what I meant.”
This version of Joker exists separately from DCEU movies like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Justice League–a fact Phillips has been clear about. But at the Toronto International Film Festival recently, the director also insisted that Phoenix’s Joker and the upcoming new iteration of Batman played by Robert Pattinson will not collide. “I don’t see [Joker] connecting to anything in the future,” Phillips said. “This is just a movie.”
That doesn’t seem to suggest that a sequel to this movie is totally out of the question, but there are certainly more factors involved than Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix deciding it would be a laugh. That said, the reviews for Joker so far have been largely positive, and anything is possible in the future. The movie has scored a 70 on Metacritic as of the time of writing.
In GameSpot’s Joker review, we said that “Joker succeeds, without equivocation, because it transforms the villain into the populist antihero we need him to be now. Joker wears its influences on its maroon sleeves, but it also carves its own gashes through the blood-soaked landscape of contemporary comic book movies, offering something that, despite teetering on the shoulders of 80 years of history, is wonderfully fresh, dangerously exciting, undeniably entertaining, and rock-solid in its artistry. It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do.”
Joker hits theaters October 4. In semi-related news, The Suicide Squad director James Gunn recently revealed the cast list for his Suicide Squad sequel, and it’s a doozy.
The 6 Coolest Apple Arcade Games That We Played
Highlights From The Apple Arcade
2019 is set to be an especially big year for Apple. With the recent debut of the iPhone 11, the next-generation iPad, and the company’s ambitious plans to produce more original programming for Apple TV, there’s a lot to look forward to for Apple users and potential newcomers alike. But another avenue that Apple is looking to make more headway into is the gaming market, and the upcoming launch of Apple Arcade aims to do just that. As the tech company’s next big step into gaming, it’s essentially a service in the vein of the Xbox One’s Game Pass, allowing Apple product users to play well over 100 games on their device of choice for a monthly subscription of $5.
Launching on September 19, Apple invited us to get an early look at various Arcade games making their debut on iPhones and iPads. In addition to seeing some known standouts like Sayonara Wild Hearts and Overland, we also got first hands-on with new reveals like Chu Chu Rocket Universe and Frogger in Toy Town. This hands-on event also allowed us to experience gaming on the iPhone 11 and 7th gen iPad–both of which feature more sophisticated motion-controls and augmented reality capabilities. So with that, here’s a quick rundown of some of the coolest games we played that will be available at launch for Apple Arcade.
For more on our coverage from the recent Apple Keynote, including the specs on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, the 7th gen iPad, and a full rundown of every Apple Arcade game we saw, be sure to check out our full roundup of news.
Sayonara Wild Hearts | Simogo
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a wildly stylish rhythm action game starring a young woman who has to piece together her broken heart. It sounds like a run of the mill concept, but as you’ll come to find out when playing, the fate of the universe, unfortunately, hangs in the balance. To accomplish this task, she’ll don a mask and ride through a city on her motorcycle, collecting heart fragments and reconnecting with the confident and chic person within. During the game’s standout combat scenes, you need to time dodges and attacks with the beat of the song and the flow of the stage, which gives each mission a particular vibe and feel that sets it apart from the others. Coming from developer and publisher Annapurna Interactive–which recently put out Telling Lies and Outer Wilds–Sayonara Wild Hearts has a lot of charm and style to back its trek through the city and beyond. It’s got a particular cadence to it that got me tapping my feet while timing my attacks, which has me excited to see what’s in store for the later parts of the game.
Sneaky Sasquatch | RAC7 Games
In Sneaky Sasquatch, you’ll play Big Foot, who’s on the lookout for a tasty meal and peaceful living within the forest. Though unlike the creature of legend that we know, this version of the Sasquatch is quite mellow and only has a taste for human food. To satisfy his craving, he’ll need to sneak past the ever-watchful Park Ranger and stuff his backpack full of food swiped from distracted visitors. It has some clever uses of the touch controls, where you’ll dump the contents of your bag and drag the food into the Sasquatch’s mouth. It starts out simple enough, like sneaking up to a park table when visitors aren’t looking, but things escalate to the point where the Sasquatch will drive a car to reach other areas of the park. Soon enough, he’ll even want to engage in other human activities like golf. It’s essentially the antics of a Yogi Bear cartoon within the framework of a stealth-action game, which made for a surprisingly delightful time.
Spek | RAC7 Games
The best way to describe Spek is that it’s a minimalist puzzle game by way of M.C. Esher. In a similar vein to 2008’s PS3 puzzle game Echocrome, it’s all about your perspective and how you manipulate the level’s camera to reveal each stage’s solution. The goal is to connect a circle moving along an outline with different squares situated on different shapes and objects. To do that, you’ll need to shift the angle of your point of view. At one particular angle, you’ll see three separate blocks, but at another, those three objects become one with a connected outline. It starts relatively simple, but as you progress, the challenge significantly ramps up. Spek also includes a set of ten augmented reality levels, which overlays the different stages onto video pulled from your iPad or iPhone camera. These AR levels mostly the same as the standard stages, but the new perspective ends up adding another layer of challenge to an already tricky game. I was impressed with the functionality of Spek, and the growing tech powering AR is certainly something I’m keen to see more of in the future.
Chu-Chu Rocket Universe! | Sega
This year, the original Chu Chu Rocket celebrates its twentieth anniversary. First released on the Sega Dreamcast, it was an odd puzzle party game where you had to guide a cluster of ChuChus to a goal on an elaborately designed map. The game garnered a cult following since its debut, and it’s now gotten a true sequel in the form of Chu Chu Rocket Universe! In the new game, the ChuChus explore space in their rocketship, taking them to different worlds that feature unique stages. Just like the original, you’ll guide a set of ChuChus to the goal on the map. However, Universe presents a new challenge in the form of 3D stages. While the original always took place on flat 2D maps, the stages in Universe are on planets that have curvature. In some cases, you’ll guide ChuChus on a path that wraps around a moon. This new style ended up requiring me to be more careful with charting the ChuChu’s path, as the different perspective can create some unexpected roadblocks. The same focus on planning and charting the course your ChuChus take are still present, but the added challenge in the upcoming game turned out to be a fun twist on the gameplay from the original.
Shinsekai: Into The Depths | Capcom
In one of the more surprising announcements from the Apple Keynote, Capcom has a new IP in store for the iPhone and iPad with Shinsekai: Into The Depths. According to Capcom producer Peter Fabiano, the game was created by a reasonably small team who wanted to experiment on a different kind of game for mobile. As an action game set in the deep ocean, you’ll use your speargun and high-powered diving suit to explore the depths. During this expedition, you’ll face off against some massive undersea creatures. It plays similarly to a twin-stick shooter, allowing you to aim and move simultaneously freely. It was quite intuitive to pick up for the first time, which isn’t that surprising given Capcom’s pedigree for action games. I even had a fun time facing off against one of the game’s early boss battles, a giant eel that burrows its way into the walls of the undersea caverns, which required me with using the diver’s suit thruster to evade it attacks to get a clear shot at it. Featuring a larger world to explore with some hints of a familiar Metroidvania design, Shinsekai is shaping up to be one of the more action-driven games for the Apple Arcade lineup.
Frogger In Toy Town | Konami
Along with Chu Chu Rocket Universe, Frogger in Toy Town is another relaunch of a well-loved game that’s coming to the Apple Arcade. Just like in the classic coin-op game, you’ll guide a resourceful frog through heaps of heavy traffic and other pitfalls on his way to safety. However, in the new game, it takes a far more exaggerated approach. Instead of the frog contending with the outside world, you’ll guide them through a children’s playset that’s littered with wind-up cars, towering toy blocks, and a baby that plays rough with its toys. I was immediately able to jump right in as gameplay in Toy Town sticks very closely to the original. I even took well to the touch controls. With that said, it still presents some unexpected twists to the classic hop-forward gameplay. Along with rescuing stranded frogs across the long stretch to the exit, you’ll also be able to use special power-ups that can blow open the pathways forward or defeat certain enemies roaming about. It was enjoyable getting to dive into a new Frogger game, which seems a lot more lenient now that Frogger can take multiple hits. The twist with Toy Town does add an added charm, and I can see myself diving into various levels, trying to rescue every lost frog on the various toy-sets.
The Best Apple iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max Deals to Preorder Right Now
iPhone 11 preorders are now live, with the phone due to be released on September 20. The device features a brand new camera, increased battery capacity, and a new range of colourful designs. If you are interested in the new handset, there are plenty of preorder deals now available to purchase in anticipation of release day.
For example, all iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max pay monthly purchases from Carphone Warehouse will come with a £50 eGift card. There’s also a £10 voucher available for anyone preordering the iPhone 11 SIM-free.