A pedestrian was killed after being hit by a self-driving Uber car in Arizona.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom Review Roundup
After suffering a few delays, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom finally makes its anticipated debut on PS4 and PC this week. Despite being a follow-up to the beloved PS3 RPG, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Revenant Kingdom bears little direct connection to the first game, taking place hundreds of years in the future and following the adventures of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a deposed boy-king on a journey to form his own kingdom.
The story isn’t the only area where Revenant Kingdom diverges from its predecessor. The game features a radically different battle system than the original, eschewing the Pokemon-like familiars of the first Ni No Kuni completely in favor of faster-paced real-time battles. In addition to that, Revenant Kingdom features kingdom building and strategy elements, often tasking players with commanding a small army of troops in RTS-like battles.
While these new elements may not always tie together in a cohesive way, they help set the title apart from its beloved predecessor. They also make it one of the year’s most ambitious releases, taking roughly 35 hours to complete by our estimates. In GameSpot’s Ni No Kuni II review, critic Peter Brown said the game “compels you to care and put your best foot forward” and features “something worthwhile around every corner, and usually something pretty to admire along the way.”
Ahead of its release, other outlets have also started posting reviews of Ni No Kuni II. As usual, we’ve collected a sample of them below to give you an idea of what critics think about the anticipated JRPG. For a broader look at Ni No Kuni II’s critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
- Game: Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Developer: Level-5
- Platforms: PS4, PC
- Release date: March 23
- Price: $60 / £50
GameSpot — 8/10
“Ni No Kuni 2 is a robust game that offers ample ways to spend your time, and even if they aren’t all up to the same level of quality, it’s easy to appreciate how they collectively contribute to the bigger picture. It’s chock full of excellent battles and surprising moments that make for a far more memorable experience than you initially expect and leaves you impressed by your own accomplishments. If you didn’t play the first game, don’t let this one pass you by too.” — Peter Brown [Full review]
IGN — 7.8/10
“Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom distinguishes itself from its predecessor by layering fast-paced, real-time combat and an engaging kingdom building system atop more traditional RPG systems and quests. It’s a shame it delivers so few truly memorable characters and restricts so much of its storytelling to text on screen, but by the end of Ni No Kuni 2 the broader themes certainly resonate and the 40+ hour journey has been well worth it.” — Cam Shea [Full review]
Polygon — 9/10
“Ni No Kuni 2 aims for a lot of different targets: world-spanning story, management sim, recruitment game and solid combat experience. Against all odds, it manages to hit them all in a way that very few games in its genre can manage. There’s no part of the game that feels more or less important, and there were no moments in the game where I thought I was slogging through exposition or kingdom management to pad hours in my playthrough. There’s not a wasted breath or a plot point that doesn’t manage to pay off in a significant way. Ni No Kuni 2 is a solid contemporary JRPG that brings a lot of design ideas that I love into sharp, clear focus while staying entertaining and engaging throughout.” — Cameron Kunzelman [Full review]
US Gamer — 3.5/5
“Ni No Kuni 2 is a sweet-tempered and attractive RPG with a strong castle-building mechanic, but it’s dragged down by a jarringly ugly overworld, mandatory fetch quests, and a lot of padding. It’s a pleasant throwback for fans of the genre, but it ultimately fails to meet the high bar set by other big-budget JRPGs.” — Kat Bailey [Full review]
Game Informer — 8/10
“Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom may not nail everything it attempts, but it gets the important things right. Building your kingdom is satisfying and engaging, even with the weak narrative hooks. The cycle of rewards became an obsession, and had me staying up late to recruit just one more ally, or complete just one more upgrade. Combat could be tighter, and other supporting elements could use some polish–but like any kingdom, this experience isn’t about individual contributions. It’s about how those contributions come together, and the fun of this experience as a whole outweighs its flaws.” — Joe Juba [Full review]
GamesRadar+ — 4.5/5
“Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is the RPG adventure that’s like shooting sunshine right into your veins. So clear your calendar, because Level-5 is about fill it with monsters, magic, and city management.” — Rachel Weber [Full review]
WWE Hall Of Fame Will Induct Mark Henry During Wrestlemania 34 Weekend
The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is getting sexual. WWE has announced that Mark Henry, who wrestled under the monikers Sexual Chocolate and the World’s Strongest Man, is the latest inductee–joining a jam-packed roster of talent being honored this year.
The news was first reported by USA Today, which spoke to Henry about the honor. According to the former ECW and World Heavyweight Champion, finding out he was becoming a Hall of Famer was emotional. “A couple of tears fell, and you felt like, instantly, all of the pain and torment that you put your body through, the sacrifices that you made–they were worth it,” the former Olympic weightlifter remembers. “It paid it all off.”
Though Henry retired from active competition after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale in 2017, WWE says he is still being utilized as a talent scout and mentor for the company, assisting talent like Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, and Apollo Crews. He joins a Hall of Fame class that includes Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, and celebrity inductee Kid Rock.
At this point, there is no word on who will induct Henry. Sadly, chances are the honor will not go to the giant hand he fathered with fellow Hall of Famer Mae Young. If you’re too young to understand that reference, thankfully the internet remembers everything.
The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, April 6, and air on the WWE Network. Two days later, WWE will present Wrestlemania 34.
The 12 Greatest Giant Robots Ever
The concept of a man-made mechanical creature, man or monster or anything else for that matter, has excited sci-fi storytellers since nearly the beginning of the science fiction genre. But it’s one thing to create a robot that can fit through doors and sit at the dinner table, and it’s another thing altogether to create a giant robot that can tromp through cities, knocking over buildings, fighting giant monsters, and looking danged good in the process.
Giant robots are now a well-established part of the popular culture, and are regularly featured in movies, comic books, video games, television, toys and beyond. But not all giant robots are created equal, and some have left a bigger footprint than others. Heck, some of them are just plain cooler than others. And those are the robots we are going to highlight today.
Family Guy Reveals Stewie’s Big Secret
After 16 seasons and more than 300 episodes, Family Guy just revealed a big secret about Stewie.
No, he didn’t come out as gay — although he does think that he and The Flash’s Grant Gustin “would make the most adorable Instagram couple” — but instead, thanks to a therapy session with a child psychologist, Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voiced by the dulcet tones of Ian McKellen), he finally admitted that his iconic British accent is “nothing more than an affectation,” and he actually just sounds like a young American kid.
The meta-joke laden hour, written by Gary Janetti, had fun toying with fans’ expectations that this might be a coming out story for the littlest Griffin (as well as featuring a snotty Hamilton performance, because why not?). “This whole thing isn’t because I’m gay, so calm down; I can already see you licking your chops,” he told Dr. Pritchfield at one point, basically speaking directly to the audience. “If anything, I’m less gay than I used to be.”
Cambridge Analytica execs bragged of using fake news and sex to sway elections.
New Justice League Comic Uses Animated Series Roster
DC’s flagship Justice League comic is getting a major roster overhaul this summer, but one that should be plenty familiar to fans of the 2001 animated series. The relaunched Justice League #1 will introduce a new team consisting of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Cyborg, Aquaman, The Flash (Barry Allen), Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl.
As DC previously announced, Dark Nights: Metal writer Scott Snyder will be taking the reins of the series (following May’s Justice League: No Justice crossover series). However, today the company revealed that Jim Cheung (Spider-Man: The Clone Conspiracy) and Jorge Jiménez (Super Sons) will be the first two artists on the series. Cheung will draw Justice League #1 (due out on June 6) and Jimenez will draw issue #2 (due out on June 20).
Fortnite’s Biggest Streamer Is Making $500,000 a Month From Twitch
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, the Fortnite streamer whose popularity has skyrocketed in recent months, is making over $500,000 a month from Twitch.
According to CNBC, via Eurogamer, Blevins is pulling in over half a million dollars a month from a combination of sources, but the lion’s share of his income comes from Amazon Prime and Twitch Prime subscriptions. According to Blevins a recent promotion granting Prime subscribers in-game loot in Fortnite is “one of the main reasons for the influx of subscribers.”
Marvel’s Animated Black Panther Series Is Available to Stream on YouTube for Free
Marvel’s 2011 six-episode animated Black Panther motion comic series is now on YouTube, and you can stream the entire thing for free.
iO9 reports the 120-minute series is available to stream right now.
Djimon Hounsou (Karoth in Guardians of the Galaxy) provides the voice of T’Challa, and Stan Lee even makes an appearance as the ignoramus General Wallace.
The cast of the show is impressive, and includes Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress Kerry Washington (Django Unchained) and Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage).
Rick and Morty: Adult Swim Hasn’t Ordered Season 4 Yet
We’re all waiting for the next season of Rick and Morty, and it looks like we’ve still got a ways to go, after Dan Harmon told fans that Adult Swim hasn’t ordered season 4 yet.
“I hear ya, tough spot,” he tweeted in reply to what we can only assume was a fan of the show, who told him he should finish writing it already. Harmon noted in his somewhat flippant response the fourth season the fan demanded hasn’t officially been ordered for season 4.
“On one hand, it can be challenging, especially with crippling lazy alcoholism, to write a show that hasn’t been ordered by a network,” he wrote.