Major in-game memorials have been taking place following the death of professional World of Warcraft player and streaming personality Byron “Reckful” Bernstein.
Players from around the world across multiple WoW and WoW Classic servers gathered in Azeroth’s Stormwind Cathedral to kneel and celebrate Reckful’s life. The World of Warcraft team paid tribute to Bernstein on Twitter, calling him “one of the most memorable WoW players of all time.”
Twitch issued its own statement, noting Reckful’s pioneering impact on the platform “Byron was someone who talked about his struggles to help make room for others to do the same”, the statement reads. “As we process this loss, we have to recognize that the stigma around mental health and treatment often prevents people from seeking and getting the help they need.”
Today we all witnessed not only the largest in-game memorial but also the largest in-game player-driven event in the history of World of Warcraft
In times like this it’s easy to think of the evil that people are capable of but we can’t forget the purity and kindness as well. pic.twitter.com/5mzOSZrM3Z
If you are having suicidal thoughts or just need to talk to someone, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 if you’re in the US. For a list of international helplines and resources, click here. (Hyperlink the last line to this url: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html)
Netflix’s The Old Guard tells the story of a clandestine group of four immortal mercenaries — with an emphasis on “old.” Some have lived centuries, while the leader of the group, the apathetic and jaded Andi (Charlize Theron), is so ancient she can’t even remember how long she’s been alive. It’s an intriguing premise, and it allows for plenty of fascinating character work as we learn about the unique traumas one can develop after living a few too many lifetimes. But while The Old Guard is mostly enjoyable, a few shortcomings stop it from fully living up to its potential.
The movie — based on The Old Guard graphic novel series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, with a screenplay by Rucka — kicks off when a militarized pharmaceutical company learns of the group’s secret and hunts them down so they can monetize whatever’s giving them unnaturally long life. At the same time, a fifth immortal pops up on the grid and it’s not long before she’s recruited to the team. The villain winds up feeling a bit toothless, so the real source of conflict becomes the existential crisis that comes with finding out that death no longer applies to you.
Andi has fought in battles longer than there have been history books, and she finds herself bitter with the ever-declining state of the world. Why did she fight all those battles if things only seem to have gotten worse? Andi’s philosophical debates between her teammates, and the way they reflect on their long lives, fuel the film’s best scenes. It’s these damaged characters with this undying condition that sets this action thriller apart from numerous others in the genre, and the filmmakers service the concept well. Copley, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, has a bit of an obsession with the group, and it’s his heartfelt performance that helps create a sense of awe at what they can do.
When US Army soldier Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne) dies in the line of duty and finds herself unexpectedly back among the living, the team is compelled to enlist her. Nile offers a fresh perspective to the bitter Andi, and she becomes the gateway character for the audience. Unfortunately, Nile is often relegated to asking question after question so things can be explained to her, leading to scene after scene of clunky exposition.
The rest of the group consists of the melancholy Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) and the brave and bold couple Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli). Though they’ve resigned themselves to spending their years as hired guns, they add an incredible amount of warmth and humanity to the story. Joe and Nicky in particular are a gift — they’re a badass, openly gay couple who have no qualms about cutting down a room of goons using guns and swords. You don’t see that every day.
That these immortal mercenaries use bladed weapons from their original time along with modern firearms adds a bit of flair to the action scenes. Speaking of which, the whole team fighting together is an absolute blast to watch. They’re like a well-oiled machine — a nice detail that shows what a few hundred years of teamwork will do for you.
Though there’s a lot to like about The Old Guard, there are a few elements that aren’t as refined as the rest. The visual effect of the characters healing from lethal wounds, Wolverine-style, looks plasticky and unconvincing. Songs seem to force their way into the film at awkward times. A certain plot development feels predictable, unearned, and devoid of impact all at the same time. And as a fan of the comic’s gorgeously stylish artwork, I have to question why the movie was rendered like a standard action flick; I’m left to wonder what it could have been were it made with a style as inventive as the source material.
Danny Glover has read a script for the proposed Lethal Weapon 5 movie, which he says has “very strong relevance” to current events.
In an interview with Variety, Glover, who starred alongside Mel Gibson in all four Lethal Weapon movies, revealed that “there is something of a plan” for a fifth and final installment in the buddy-cop action series, though it still hasn’t been completely locked down yet.
“There has been a conversation about that in January,” Glover admitted. “I don’t want to give away the plot on the script that I read, but I found the plot had very strong relevance to some of things that are happening today. I can say that. But that was in January. History changes so fast… But yes, there’s been talk about it. There is something of a plan.”
Glover hinted that the prospective project could be developed within a “political framework” that gives the team space to “attempt to confront the issue head-on,” as he appeared to reference the recent impact of widespread protests against racism and police brutality.
“I can only tell you, if it does happen, there is something extraordinary in it,” he teased. “If Lethal Weapon gives us some sort of contribution to understanding a little bit more… It would be interesting to do. It would be interesting to see how we take this within the political framework we are in; the economic framework that we are in. And especially that framework as opposed to the communities that have been affected by the kind of police violence, the kind of police standards, and the power that they exert as well. And what would be interesting from that vantage point is what that attempt could be like at this particular moment.
“And maybe it will attempt to confront the issue head-on, within whatever script comes out.”
After that, nothing came over the radio for a while. In January of this year, however, news of the long-gestating sequel finally hit the airwaves, as producer Dan Lin, who served as executive producer on the Lethal Weapon TV series, revealed that Warner Bros. had been looking to reload the beloved franchise with the original stars on board to reunite with the series director.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Joe’s been flying around as Iron Man and Jesse has been jumping around a neo-Notre Dame all from the comfort of their own homes. Aren’t video games mad when you think about it?! As well as Iron Man VR and Hyper Scape chat, Joe also wants to tell you all about how excited he is by Fuser, the new DJ game from Harmonix. Plus, Cardy is still playing playing Call of Duty.
Go On Name Them makes a long-awaited comeback and remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
It’s rare enough to see an ongoing comic book series reach the 100th issue milestone. But a superhero statue line? That’s basically unheard of in the collectible world. Yet that’s a milestone DC Direct is now celebrating with its long-running Batman: Black & White series. Fittingly, the company is marking the occasion by releasing one of the most impressive Black & White statues to date, this time inspired by the artwork of Spawn creator Todd McFarlane.
DC sent IGN a factory sample of the new statue. You can check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at this impressive piece, and then read on for our detailed thoughts on the Batman: Black & White by Todd McFarlane statue.
This particular statue is sculpted by Jonathan Matthews, with a design based directly on McFarlane’s cover to 1988’s Batman #423. Apart from the lack of color, obviously, the one real visual change involves the removal of the woman Batman has rescued in the image, allowing the character’s iconic chest emblem to stand out. Otherwise, this is about as faithful a recreation of that cover as could be expected at this scale.
The McFarlane piece stands out from the rest of the Black & White line in more ways than one. For one thing, it’s noticeably larger than most. In the past, Black & White statues were sculpted at 1:12 scale, with the end product coming in at around 6 or 7-inches-tall. But DC seems to have switched to a slightly larger 1:10 scale, meaning this Batman measures just under 10-inches tall at the highest point of his cape. That certainly gives it more presence, and helps justify the relatively higher MSRP. That being said, collectors who prefer to display multiple Black & White pieces together may find this one stands out altogether too much. This Batman definitely benefits from either being displayed on its own or alongside slightly larger DC pieces. For example, the classic DC Direct Swamp Thing statue makes for an excellent companion piece if you’re in a dark-and-gritty, ’80s DC kind of mood:
They may have come out 25 years apart, but these are easily two of DC Direct’s best statue releases.
Another distinguishing characteristic is just how much the cape drives the look and sculpt of this piece. Many of the best Black & White pieces use Batman’s cape to create a sense of dynamic motion (Batman by Jock, Batman by Ed McGuiness, Batman by Norm Breyfogle, etc.), but this design makes the cape into the dominant feature of the statue. Only Batman’s head and upper torso are actually sculpted. The rest is an abstract swirl of cape only hinting at the powerful figure beneath. Again, it’s a striking design that has great shelf presence while doing true justice to the original artwork.
The paint job is where many Black & White statues either succeed or fail, especially with several recent releases suffering from significant quality control issues. Fortunately, the McFarlane statue benefits from a simple but effective paint scheme. As with the source material, the statue is basically divided into two shades – a deep black for the outer cape and cowl and a lighter gray tone for the highlights, torso and mouth area and inner cape lining. The bat emblem is rendered in a lighter off-white tone that helps draw the eye to Batman’s chest and helps prevent those few sculpted body parts from being drowned out by the cape.
Interestingly, though this statue won’t begin trickling into stores until late July, DC has already solicited a “2.0” version for release in November. The only visual difference with that rerelease looks to be a slightly darker color scheme. Your mileage may vary, but seeing this version in hand and how necessary those lighter tones are in terms of giving the statue depth and definition, it’s hard to imagine a darker palette actually benefitting the piece. Better to grab the original while it’s still available.
1.0 version on left vs. 2.0 version on right. (Image Credit: DC Direct)
At $135, this is hardly a cheap collectible, especially considering the 1:6 scale DC Designer Series statues can usually be had for around the same price. But for the discerning Batman collector who wants a strong statement piece for their collection, it’s hard to go wrong with the Batman: Black & White by Todd McFarlane statue. Rarely has an iconic Batman image made so successful a jump to 3D sculpture. It’s a welcome sign that this series hasn’t lost its momentum after 15 years and 100 releases.
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, IDG President and CEO Yoshio Osaki explained how game pricing has “remained flat since 2005, whereas TV and movie pricing has increased significantly.”
“The last time that next-gen launch software pricing went up was in 2005 and 2006, when it went from $49.99 to $59.99 at the start of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation,” Osaki said. “During that time, the costs and prices in other affiliated verticals have gone up.”
These other affiliated verticals include next-gen console game production costs, which have seen increases of “200% to 300%, depending on the IP, studio and genre,” without an increase in the price of the games.
For comparisons sake, “cinema ticket prices have risen 39%, Netflix subscription costs have gone up 100%, and Cable TV packages have risen by 105%.”
“Even with the increase to $69.99 for next-gen, that price increase from 2005 to 2020 next-gen is only up 17%, far lower than the other comparisons,” Osaki continued. “While the cost of development and publishing have gone up, and pricing in other entertainment verticals has also gone up substantially, next-gen software pricing has not reflected these increases. $59.99 to $69.99 does not even cover these other cost increases completely, but does move it more in the proper direction.”
He concludes by stating that “Not every game should garner the $69.99 price point on next-gen, but flagship AAAs such as NBA 2K merit this pricing more than others.”
