Month: October 2019

Recently, Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese spoke out to criticize superhero movies. He told Empire Magazine that he doesn’t watch them because they’re “not cinema.”

Now, actor Samuel L. Jackson–who is known for his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies–has responded to Scorsese’s comments. He said to Variety that it’s OK for people to have different opinions, noting that there are a good amount of people who don’t enjoy Scorsese’s movies either.

“I mean that’s like saying Bugs Bunny ain’t funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn’t like his stuff either,” Jackson said of Scorsese’s movies, which have included films like Goodfellas, The Departed, and Taxi Driver. “Everybody’s got an opinion, so I mean it’s okay. Ain’t going to stop nobody from making movies.”

Scorsese’s comments drew backlash from prominent filmmakers, including Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn. He said he wished Scorsese would have seen a superhero movie before judging them. Gunn said Scorsese is acting similarly to those who criticized Scorsese’s own controversial movie, The Last Temptation of Christ–without watching it first.

Here are Scorsese’s comments about superhero movies in full, as given to Empire Magazine (via Variety):

“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

Scorsese is known for directing the mobster movies Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed, the latter of which earned him an Oscar for Best Director. He also directed the Howard Hughes movie The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street, both of which starred Leonardo DiCaprio.

His next movie is another mafia movie, The Irishman, which reunites Goodfellas cast members Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. The movie comes to Netflix and select theatres in November.

As for superhero movies, Scorsese’s comments will of course not stop Marvel and other companies from making them. Phase 4 of the MCU will include a lot of high-profile movies including Black Widow, Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange: In the Multi-Verse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder. Additionally, Sony and Marvel recently reunited to bring Spider-Man back to the MCU for the time being.

Vince Gilligan created one of the most beloved TV shows ever with Breaking Bad, which enjoyed a successful run through five seasons from 2008 through 2013. Gilligan and Peter Gould then created a spin-off, Better Call Saul, which premiered in 2015. It was similarly celebrated, and a fifth season premieres in 2020. A third major extension of the Breaking Bad series, the movie El Camino–which focuses on the aftermath of the original series–comes to Netflix on October 11.

Could Gilligan come back to make yet another show or movie based on Breaking Bad? Don’t count on it. Gilligan told Rich Eisen that right now, on the eve of El Camino’s release, he has no intention to make another Breaking Bad show or movie. That being said, Gilligan mentioned that he felt the same way after Breaking Bad ended, but he ultimately decided to make Better Call Saul and El Camino because “you go where your heart takes you.”

Still, Gilligan said he seems pretty sure that he wants to make something “completely different,” outside of the Breaking Bad universe, after El Camino comes out.

“I do not intend to do anything further [in the Breaking Bad universe] at this point,” Gilligan said in the interview. “I’m not trying to be coy. But then, I didn’t intend to do anything further after Breaking Bad. You go where your heart takes you. Having said that, I feel what I really should probably do next is something completely different.”

“It’s an interesting golden handcuffs that success gives you,” he added. “You want that success to continue, and the safest way–you think–to do that is to keep mining that same vein of ore. Keep telling that same story. But I really figure I better do something new next time around.”

El Camino focuses on Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in the immediate aftermath of Breaking Bad, while Better Call Saul is centered around how the upstanding and honorable lawyer James McGill became the crooked and twisted legal expert Saul Goodman. Gilligan said he could envision new shows or movies based on every Breaking Bad character because “they’re all tremendous actors.”

That being said, Gilligan said he would rather pursue new, original ideas–and these could reunite him with Breaking Bad cast members if it works out.

“The question is, ‘Do you keep going down to the mine or do you find a new mine or a new patch of ground to start digging in?’ I’d love to work with these actors in other things; non-Breaking Bad, non-Better Call Saul,” he said.

In other news, Gilligan has finally, officially confirmed the fate of Walter White at the end of Breaking Bad.

El Camino premieres October 11 on Netflix (and some theatres in America). The movie had its Hollywood premiere on October 7, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more.

Unlike Apex Legends Season 2’s Iron Crown event, Season 3’s upcoming Fight or Fright event will, from the start, allow you to just buy any of its limited-time items. If you’re planning on unlocking them all, it’s cheaper to earn them via the random lottery of Apex Packs, though.

Fight or Fright adds 33 items to Apex Legends, including a new heirloom for Lifeline. Eight of the items can only be earned through completing challenges–these include a new music pack, three badges, a rare weapon skin, an epic Octane skin, and two legendary weapon skins. The remaining 25 are the items you can buy. 12 are an assortment of epic items, 12 are an assortment of legendary items, and the final item is the Lifeline heirloom; which can be unlocked via several different methods.

Of the 24 items you can buy, you can either earn them through direct purchase, crafting, or Apex Packs. The first two methods are ideal if you’re looking to only unlock a few items, while the third method is the most cost-effective for unlocking all 24. We’ve included a cost breakdown below.

Direct Purchase

• Legendaries – 1,800 Apex Coins
• Epics – 1,000 Apex Coins

Crafting

• Legendaries – 2,400 Crafting Metals
• Epics – 800 Crafting Metals

Event Apex Packs

• 700 Apex Coins

New items aren’t all that’s coming in Fight or Fright. For one, Kings Canyon is returning, but with a spooky, nighttime makeover in a limited-time mode called Shadowfall. In Shadowfall, you solo drop into Kings Canyon alongside 34 other people. If killed in Shadowfall, your loot box will spawn killer spiders and you’ll rise from the dead as a zombie-like creature that can run faster, climb higher, and punch harder. In this zombie state, you have unlimited respawns.

Your endgame goal is dependent on whether you’re still alive or a part of the walking dead. When there are only 10 living characters left, the survivors must work together to combat the horde of 25 trying to kill them. The 10 living Legends win if they can make it to an evac ship while the 25 zombies win if they prevent the survivors from escaping.

Fight or Fright begins October 15 and continues through to November 5.

Here’s gameplay of our LFG fireteam going through the first two encounters of the Garden of Salvation Raid. We escape from The Consecrated Mind, Sol Inherent in pursuit of new Raid gear. Captured on PC.

Edward Norton recently opened up about his time playing Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying that Marvel liked the idea of, but ultimately abandoned, a darker and more serious sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

In an interview with The New York Times, Norton began by discussing his thoughts on why he appreciates films like ‘Forrest Gump’ or ‘Rain Man’, those that “create an emotional alignment between the audience and an underdog whom you root for not despite their affliction but because of it. There’s a positivity in that.”

This, Norton continues, is in opposition to “now when at a mass-market level so much of heroism is being defined by this high-fructose corn syrup IV line that’s about sitting back and people coming in and saving us.”

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Apex Legends‘ Lifeline is the third character to receive an heirloom, a special item that gives them a unique melee animation. According to dataminers, the heirloom is a pair of taser drumsticks–which does fit Lifeline very well–but Respawn has not officially revealed what the heirloom looks like. The developer has, however, revealed how you can earn the legendary item.

In comparison to the first two heirlooms, Lifeline’s is probably the easiest to acquire. It’s still expensive though. Like previous heirlooms, you can just randomly get it from Apex Packs. However, during Apex Legends’ upcoming limited-time Halloween-themed event, Fight or Fright, you can earn the heirloom for free if you unlock all 24 event items–12 of which are epic and 12 of which are legendary.

There are three ways to unlock these items. The fastest is through direct purchase, but you can also craft each item or acquire them in the Fight or Fright’s limited-time event Apex Packs. The direct purchase route is going to cost you, as will the crafting route if you haven’t been hoarding the Crafting Metals you’ve earned from Apex Packs. We suggest using those routes if you only want a few, specific items from the event. If you’re going for the heirloom, the less expensive path is through the event Apex Packs (as you’re guaranteed one event item in each one with no duplicates), but that will still set you back 16,800 Apex Coins–about $160 USD.

The breakdown of how much each item costs is listed below.

Direct Purchase

• Legendaries – 1,800 Apex Coins
• Epics – 1,000 Apex Coins

Crafting

• Legendaries – 2,400 Crafting Metals
• Epics – 800 Crafting Metals

Event Apex Packs

• 700 Apex Coins

As expensive as the Lifeline heirloom is, it’s actually cheaper than Bloodhound’s heirloom (which cost 18,900 Apex Coins during the Iron Crown event; about $180 USD) and costs significantly less than Wraith’s heirloom (which never had an event associated to it and has always cost about $500 USD). Once Fight or Fright is over, Lifeline’s heirloom will be added to the pool of normal Apex Packs, making the legendary item as rare as Wraith’s.

This is not our way of saying, “Go out and buy Apex Packs.” $160 is very expensive for a cosmetic item. We’re just providing context. If you desperately want the Lifeline heirloom then, like the Bloodhound heirloom before it, it is more cost-effective to purchase the item during its corresponding event. Once Fight or Fright is over, you’ll need to drop about half a grand or be very lucky.

Fight or Fright begins October 15 and continues through to November 5. From October 25-28, you’ll earn double experience for placing in the top five or winning, making it easier to rank up in the battle pass to earn additional Apex Coins and Crafting Metals–both of which will help alleviate the overall cost of Lifeline’s heirloom.

One popular and enduring Breaking Bad theory is that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) somehow survived the series finale. With the new movie, El Camino, picking up after the events of Breaking Bad, many fans are wondering if Walter White might show up in the new film.

Nothing is confirmed at this stage, but Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has now confirmed whether or not Walter White is alive. Read on below to find out what he had to say.

Gilligan told Rich Eisen that White is indeed dead. “Yeah, I’m gonna give you that one, Rich, because I love you so much. Yes, Walter White is dead. Yes,” Gilligan said.

In the Breaking Bad series finale, Walter goes on a killing spree. After poisoning Lydia with ricin, he storms Jack’s compound and kills Jack and his crew with an improvised machine gun. Walter is wounded in the firefight, and he is shown in Breaking Bad’s final shot seemingly succumbing to his wounds.

Since then, fans speculated that Walter survived somehow, but now Gilligan has confirmed that Walter indeed is dead. That being said, Gilligan was asked if Cranston will come back in El Camino to play Walter in a flashback or dream sequence of some kind. Gilligan squirmed in his seat and wouldn’t confirm one way or the other.

If Walter does return in El Camino, he might not be the only character who died on Breaking Bad to show up in the film. It was previously confirmed that the character Mike Ehrmantraut–who was killed by Walter in Season 5–is coming back in El Camino (presumably in a flashback).

According to a report, one of the returning characters in El Camino is so secretive that the producers flew them to set on a private jet to avoid detection. If Walter White is indeed coming back, he would certainly fit the bill of a massive surprise cameo that the producers would want to keep a secret.

El Camino comes to Netflix and select theatres on October 11.

• Everything We Know About Netflix’s Breaking Bad Movie, El Camino

Blizzard has just revealed the next update for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. In a new developer update, WoW director Ion Hazzikostas shared the eldritch setting for WoW Update 8.3: Visions of N’Zoth, which will also come with two new playable races.

Update 8.3 introduces two new playable Allied Races: The Vulpera for the Horde, and Mechagnomes for the Alliance. Allied Races are unique races in WoW that require players to first max out their faction reputation before starting a new Allied Race character. The two races were introduced as non-playable races in Battle for Azeroth, but will officially arrive in Update 8.3.

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Active duty military and veterans can grab dozens of Steam games for free right now through OSD’s Games to Grunts program, an initiative centered around providing military members with digital games free of charge. The current crop of games includes SoulCalibur VI and Tekken 7, the most recent entries in the pair of long-running fighting game franchises.

To secure codes for the free games, you’ll need to register for a Games to Grunts account using your military ID. Note that some games are already selling out, so don’t wait too long to claim your freebies.

See all free games at Games to Grunts

In GameSpot’s Tekken 7 review, the game earned an 8/10, with reviewer Peter Brown praising its deep fighting mechanics, well-balanced tone, and memorable moments that callback to the series’ rich history. Likewise, our SoulCalibur VI review scored that game an 8/10–critic Tamoor Hussain noted its excellent single-player campaign and intuitive mechanics.

Along with Tekken 7 and SoulCalibur VI, active duty military and veterans have a score of indie games to choose from. Here are a handful of standouts from indie developers and publishers like TinyBuild and Meridian4:

• No Time to Explain Remastered
• Party Hard
• Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
• The Silent Age
• Insurgency

It’s worth keeping an eye on Games to Grunts if you’re a veteran or currently serving in the military. Earlier this year, Games to Grunts offered a free two-year subscription to Xbox Game Pass and a free 12-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold.