Ready Player One Review

This is a spoiler-free advance review of Ready Player One from its premiere at SXSW. 

Though its pop culture Easter egg-filled trailers might have suggested otherwise, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the beloved sci-fi novel Ready Player One is far more than just a reference-fest. It’s an action film first, both in the relatively bland real world and in the colorful, over-the-top virtual one, and carries Steven Spielberg’s affinity for thoughtful timing and some genuinely thrilling sequences.

Taking place half in Columbus, Ohio and half in a virtual playground known as the Oasis, Ready Player One follows the story of Wade Watts (played by Tye Sheridan) as he searches for an Easter egg hidden by the Oasis’ creator, James Halliday (played by Mark Rylance). VR-obsessed humans in the real world are on the hunt for the Egg, and should they find it they’d be granted control of the Oasis and a significant amount of riches. It’s an appealing challenge, set in a VR world that feels like it absolutely could be real in a decade or three.

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Rainbow Six-Style Tactical FPS Ready Or Not Is Still Alive, New Details Revealed

It’s been several months since we’ve last heard about Ready or Not, the ambitious Rainbow Six-like shooter from developer Void Interactive. Despite this lengthy silence, the studio assures that development is progressing steadily, and now it has shared some more progress details about the game.

Like the Rainbow Six and SWAT series, Ready or Not is a tactical police shooter that puts players in the role of an “elite SWAT team tasked with defusing hostile situations in intense, claustrophobic environments.” Void hopes to set it apart from similar titles with its emphasis on realism, which extends to all facets of the game, particularly its animation and AI.

“For the last year, we’ve been writing Suspect and SWAT AI that will challenge the player and act realistically,” Void said on its blog. “Our suspect AI can be surprisingly spontaneous and very lethal. For example, failure to restrain a suspect may result in them getting up when the SWAT are no longer around, and finding something to defend themselves with. Players will have to be strategic and mindful of their surroundings, and use the tools provided to ensure rooms are safe before and during entry.”

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Void also shared several brief gameplay clips of Ready or Not, showcasing the game’s animations and various systems. Most notably, the developer has expanded the reload system; on top of being able to swap magazines by pressing the reload key, players will be able to double-tap the same key to perform a quick-reload. “This will quickly eject the mag to the floor and allows players to quickly resume combat in the event they can’t afford to waste time replacing magazines in their kit,” Void says.

In terms of the kinds of items players will find in their kits, Ready or Not features four types of grenades: the Flashbang, CS-Gas, Stingball, and the Nine-Bang. Void says that each one fills a particular role and can be thrown both overhand and underhand. Some grenade effects can also be mitigated if players have a particular item equipped.

You can read the latest details about Ready or Not on the game’s blog. Void hasn’t announced a release date for the title or the full list of platforms it will support, but it is at the very least coming to PC. The developer has teased it will show off more features from the game in an upcoming gameplay trailer; in the meantime, you can watch Ready or Not’s initial reveal trailer at the top of this story.

9 Characters We’d Love to See in Smash Bros. Switch

When a new Super Smash Bros. game was announced 13 years ago, there was plenty of grounded and realistic talk about which characters from Nintendo’s games might be starring in the sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee. And then, Solid Snake was announced. And then Sonic the Hedgehog. Fast forward to the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS and it’s post-game DLC, and suddenly we had six third-party characters starring in Nintendo’s biggest fighting game.

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EVO Notifies the FBI After Mass Shooting Threat

EVO tournament director Joey Cuellar has notified the FBI and Twitch about a mass shooting threat made by a Twitch user.

After Street Fighter pro Chris Tatarian tweeted about the surprising lack of security at these fighting game tournaments,  Twitter user Dankadillas replied with a screenshot of a Twitch user making the alleged threat.

Cuellar later tweeted that EVO organizers are taking the threat very seriously. “We are aware of the threat that was made against Evo 2018, and have contacted the FBI and Twitch regarding this matter,” Cuellar tweeted. “We take this very seriously, and they will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

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Aspiring Web Developer? Check out Code Foo!

TL;DR: http://www.ign.com/code-foo/2018

Hello internet!  We are pumped to open up IGN’s annual Code Foo program for applications!  Code Foo is a paid, six-week, software engineer internship program at IGN’s headquarters in San Francisco.  We’re looking for impassioned coders and IGN fans to learn and work alongside us on a site that is seen by millions of people.

Our goal is to not only give you a hands-on, mentored experience, but to set you up for success by helping you grow as a developer and allowing you to find what you’re interested in.  You’ll have the opportunity to work on and explore a variety of products, from general web development, to API and CMS systems, video players, comments, and mobile apps. Many of IGN’s engineers have been part of our Code Foo program, and now, so can you.

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Kerbal Space Program: Making History Will Probably Be Elon Musk’s New Favorite Game

The first mission I tried to build in Kerbal Space Program’s upcoming Making History expansion resulted in spectacular failure. Somewhere along the way I forgot to link the success condition to the rest of the mission, so even though I’d rescued the stranded Kerbal I’d stuck on the Mun (i.e. Kerbal’s Moon) the game’s logic didn’t realize I’d finished and I was stuck in orbit wondering what I forgot for a solid 20 minutes or more. I guess that’s just the life of a budding rocket scientist-turned mission architect.

Kerbal Space Program’s first and only DLC Expansion, Making History, is out this week for $15 and aims to bring some impressive new updates to the insanely popular years-old PC game. For those unaware, KSP is an extremely realistic (other than the little Kerbal alien guys) rocket simulation experience in which you take control of a budding space program. You’ll need to understand actual rocket science, physics, and orbital dynamics to play it well. The core Kerbal is awash with tons of missions and scenarios to play out, as well as an extremely active modding community, that keeps it from ever getting too old.

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Marvel Is Going to Explain Hulk’s Resurrection This Week

With dozens of comic books to choose from, let us show you which are the best coming out this week. Take a look at this list spotlighting our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.

Once you check out our picks, head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!

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Writers Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub | Artists Joe Bennett, Paco Medina | Cover Mark Brooks (Marvel Comics)

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Karl Urban ‘Pretty Confident’ Star Trek 4 Will Happen

Star Trek 4 might still be in the cards, according to Karl Urban.

In an interview with JoBlo, Urban was asked whether he’ll reprise his role as Doc McCoy in another feature-length Star Trek movie ever again. Urban answered by saying he is “pretty confident” production on the fourth entry will begin quite soon.

“It’s really a question for Paramount (laughs),” Urban said, when asked about the status of Star Trek 4. “But, that being said, I have such a blast working on those Star Trek movies. You know, that cast, we’re like family at this point. I’m pretty confident within, hopefully the next year, that we’ll be back on the set.”

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