Various members of the press had the opportunity to attend an early screening of Shazam! With the embargo now lifted, those who saw the film can freely give their opinions on social media – and reactions are quite positive.
Many critics noted the movie’s heart and humor, with some giving particular praise to Zachary Levi’s performance and David Sandberg’s direction. Some went as far to say it’s the best movie in the DC Extended Universe.
Cinema Blend’s Eric Eisenberg called the film a delight, particularly praising Levi’s performance, saying it’s the role he was born to play.
Note: With Captain Marvel hitting theaters this weekend, we figured it was time to freshen up on the history of Yon-Rogg once more. This story has been updated accordingly but is SPOILER-FREE for the movie. Still, for anyone who wants to avoid potential spoilers and speculation based on the comics stories, stand warned!
While Marvel fans have known that Jude Law has a prominent role in the Captain Marvel movie, it’s only recently that we’ve learned which character Law is actually playing. Contrary to popular belief, the actor isn’t co-starring as Carol Danvers’ heroic mentor Mar-Vell. Instead, he’s playing a villain from the comics named Yon-Rogg.
The idea of playing games through a cloud streaming service is trending upward due to the likes of Sony’s PSNow, Google Project Stream’s early test run with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Nvidia’s GeForce Now. And many signs point to cloud-based gaming being the next big shift in the industry with names like Microsoft and Amazon making moves in this space. Right now, French company Blade has a stake in cloud gaming with its Shadow streaming service and Shadow Ghost set-top box (an improved version of the Shadow Box we reviewed last year).
Blade has been expanding the reach of its service–it was previously only available in California for US customers, but is now currently available in most states in the US, the UK, Germany, and France. And I spent several hours using Shadow on a MacBook Air and the Shadow Ghost to see if this setup is a viable solution for those looking for a mid/high-end gaming PC.
The Shadow Ghost set-top box runs the application and gets you access to your virtual PC.
How It Works
Any device that runs Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10, macOS 10.10 or later, Android 7.0 Nougat or later, or iOS 11.0 or later can run the Shadow application and essentially turn into a gaming PC (Ubuntu support is currently in beta). You’ll also have to pay $35 USD per month–or $30 per month on a year-long commitment–and use an internet connection that’s fast and stable enough. This isn’t a Netflix-style service, or a parallel to Xbox Game Pass since you’re not subscribing for access to games, you’re subscribing to a powerful Windows 10 PC.
In a sense, Shadow functions similarly to any other video streaming service since you’re simply getting video feed of a PC you’re controlling remotely (located at the closest data center to you). As of now, you can set a Shadow stream bit rate to run between 5 Mbps to 70 Mbps which dictates the visual quality of the stream; just be sure you have the proper bandwidth and are aware of any data limitations you may have. Blade recommends having at least a modest 25 Mbps connection and suggests using wired connections for reliability.
As for the set-top box, the Shadow Ghost is a slimmed-down version of Blade’s previous hardware offering, the Shadow Box. Aside from the redesign that includes significantly condensed dimensions, Ghost has its ports in a more sensible configuration–they’re all neatly positioned on one side of the device and offers one HDMI out instead of two DisplayPort outs. Otherwise, the box serves the same purpose and goes for $140 USD (subscription not included).
Shadow Ghost–the local hardware that can run the service–has the necessary ports for a fully functional PC. This makes Ghost ideal for living room or home theater setups, and if you’re not looking to use another compatible device to control your Shadow PC. Regardless of whether you use the application or the Ghost, Shadow presents you with a home menu to configure settings and access your account. From there, you boot your virtual PC and start getting feed of the Windows 10 desktop.
The Shadow app for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android gives you access to your virtual PC remotely.
Technical Specifications
The Ghost itself features two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI out, one 3.5mm audio jack, and an Ethernet port. It’s powered by a 5V DC plug and runs completely silent since there are no fans. As far as wireless capabilities, it features dual-band WiFi for up to 400 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.1 support. A keyboard and mouse are required to at least navigate the Ghost’s menus and Windows desktop.
When it comes to actual hardware that runs the games you’re streaming, Shadow packs some fairly beefy specs. Blade says that it’ll upgrade Shadow’s specs free of charge in the future, so you’ll be getting a better PC for the same price down the road. But for now, this is the PC you’ll be working with:
One thing jumps out when taking a quick look at the spec sheet; you only get 256 GB of storage space. In the modern era where the latest games can take up well above 50 GB, your Shadow drive will fill up fast. For example, I was only able to have Anthem, Apex Legends, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Metro Exodus installed at once with very little room left. Unfortunately, Blade currently doesn’t offer any subscription options that grant you more storage space.
This isn’t a Netflix-style service, or a parallel to Xbox Game Pass since you’re not subscribing for access to games, you’re subscribing to a powerful Windows 10 PC.
If it’s any consolation, your virtual PC accesses an internet connection that’s rated at 805 Mbps down according to Google’s own speed test. This makes games incredibly fast to download; Origin and Uplay were all downloading games at around 130 Mbps. In a way, you’re getting access to gigabit internet via Shadow. Remember, you’re not using your own connection to download games since you’re controlling a PC remotely, but keep in mind that you are using your own bandwidth to stream.
It may sound odd that Shadow’s cloud-based PCs use Nvidia Quadro P5000 workstation video cards as opposed to the more common GeForce gaming lineup–the rough equivalent would be a GTX 1080 in this case. And the same can be said about having an Intel Xeon E5 instead of the popular Intel Core i7 CPUs. Regardless, these specs make for a very capable gaming rig, if you’re not expecting to run 4K with high settings in the latest games at 60 FPS.
Performance And Experience
In terms of performance metrics, I used the Final Fantasy XV benchmark to get a gauge of how the system’s Quadro P5000 video card stacks up against more common cards. At 4K using the High settings preset, the FFXV benchmark gave a score of 3132, which roughly translates to an average of 31 FPS. This puts the Quadro P5000 right next to the GTX 1070 Ti and slightly below a GTX 1080, which are both formidable mid/high-end cards. For an idea of how it can handle 1080p using max settings in a graphically demanding game, we turned to the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey benchmark, in which it got an average of 49 FPS.
One big concern when it comes to cloud-based gaming is latency, but you can largely put that to rest. The moment-to-moment gameplay experience using Shadow Ghost is undoubtedly impressive with little to no perceivable input lag. Games like Anthem, which move fast and pack a ton of action at any given moment, played so well that I soon forgot it was being streamed. This means that other games with forgiving windows for timing and less emphasis on speed, such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, flow smooth and play nearly indistinguishable from a local PC. The level of performance Shadow delivers considering the asking price is quite impressive, but you probably don’t want to rely on it for competitive games that move super-fast and emphasize twitch reactions.
I was able to stay competitive throughout my few hours with Apex Legends using Shadow, but hitches in the streaming feed were a lot more noticeable by nature of the game’s speed and style. It rarely tripped me up, but having a stutter during an intense high-stakes firefight is less than ideal, which happens more frequently when using a wireless connection. I connected to a a WiFi network that had a 200 Mbps download speed and 5 ms latency reading, but hitches tended to happen at regular intervals and bogged down my experience in Apex Legends. It’s readily apparent in audio; if you listen to a steady, sustained sound effect such as a waterfall in Anthem or simply listen to a song, you’ll easily pick up on this issue.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey played on a MacBook Air through the Shadow application.
Another concern that some may have about cloud-based gaming is video compression; the loss of image quality from a streamed feed. You can probably pick up on compression when reading text or looking at smaller, more detailed objects in a game world, even at the highest bit rate of 70 Mbps. But loss in video quality largely goes unnoticed when you’re in the heat of the moment or entirely focused on what’s happening in the game you’re playing.
The Ghost itself had a few of its own issues. My Xbox One controller and USB headset would only be recognized when plugged into the two USB 3.0 ports. The 3.5mm audio jack was inconsistent in sending audio and would occasionally deliver no sound. A restart of the Ghost itself would often resolve the problem, but it’s certainly frustrating. I also experienced hard crashes on two separate occasions that had the Ghost revert to a command prompt screen that stated “Error: No calibratable device found.” It was solved by unplugged the power source before starting it up again, but another inconvenience nonetheless.
If anything, Shadow showcases where gaming can go and where gaming hardware could fit into that future and makes that readily available in a competent form.
Using Shadow to turn my modest MacBook Air from 2015 into a decent rig by today’s standards is more than just a novelty–it’s a convenient, adequate way to play games in the presence of any viable internet connection. For the most part, the compact Shadow Ghost box proved to be a practical way to use the service in the absence of a device that can conveniently hook up to TVs and monitors. And regardless of however you use Shadow, you’re putting very little stress on your local hardware and consuming relatively less power since, again, you’re only streaming.
Final Thoughts
Blade further proves that cloud-based gaming is a viable option for the near future with its Shadow service. It’s already impressive in many cases, especially when it comes to nearly imperceptible input lag and limited video compression on high-speed internet connections. When it comes to the Shadow Ghost set-top box, it decently fills the void for those who have no other means of running the service via Ethernet or conveniently for bigger screens.
It’s not without its faults, however. Minor technical hiccups are bound to show up with the Ghost, but the lack of storage space and noticeable hitches in fast-moving games on a wireless connection prevent Shadow from being the best option for PC gaming. Shadow may be the right solution for the right person, though. For those who don’t have much interest in playing competitive games dependent on quick reactions and don’t concern themselves with pixel-perfect fidelity, it would suffice.
The most cost-effective way to get into Shadow is through a year-long subscription of $30 a month ($360 a year) when using a device with the application. Adding the Ghost to that puts it up to $500 for the initial year. You dictate (and own) what you play instead of being limited to what a service would offer, and that means having to buy games yourself. But as these technologies grow in capability and availability, how important it is to maintain an up-to-date PC at home is something you’ll have to consider. If anything, Shadow showcases where gaming can go and where gaming hardware could fit into that future and makes that readily available in a competent form.
The Good
The Bad
+ Access to mid/high-end specs at a decent price
– Severely limited storage space
+ Little to no perceivable input lag
– Technical issues on the Ghost device to work through
+ Shadow is versatile and works on any device that can use the app
– Minor, but noticeable hitching, especially on a wireless connection
+ Low stress on local hardware
– Slight video compression even at the highest bit rate
Unlike most battle royale games, Apex Legends puts its whole focus on team-based gameplay–it currently only supports games in which you join a squad of three to face off against other teams. For a lot of players, that means jumping into the game to be matched up with random other players as teammates, which comes with its own challenges.
Playing by yourself in Apex Legends, rather than with friends on whom you can rely, can be tough. Random players have a tendency not to work together, they rarely talk to each other, and sometimes they run off and get killed. It’s a lot tougher to be successful in a team game with players you don’t know–but it’s far from impossible. In fact, Apex Legends’ innovations, like its robust ping system, can make the experience of playing with people you don’t know pretty good, all things considered.
Still, there are lots of strategies and situations to consider if you’re jumping onto a team all by yourself. Playing alone with people you don’t know means adapting to the situation if you want to be successful, and it means trying to make the team work even if you’re at a communications disadvantage. Changing the way you play, and paying attention to how your teammates play, can help you take down those championships even if you’re not with your full squad of buds. Use these tips to help you be effective on a squad in matchmaking, or even when you find yourself all alone, whether by circumstance–or by choice.
Ping Like Crazy
Whether you’re playing with randoms or your best friends, the best thing you can do in Apex Legends is share information. Playing with people you don’t know usually means talking is kept to a minimum, but but you can still do a lot for your team by sharing information with pings. This doesn’t mean you should mark every Mozambique you pass–please, stop doing that–but high-power weapons like the Longbow, Triple Take, Spitfire, and Peacekeeper are worthy of sharing, as are high-level attachments and accessories. More than that, letting your team know where enemies are and have been lets everyone keep aware of potential threats, and that makes your random team a lot more likely to survive.
Stick Together
It’s tempting to wander off looting, striking out on your own a bit in order to grab the best gear you can without your teammates getting in your way, but resist the urge if you can. Spreading out so that your team can’t quickly get together to aid one another is the best way to get beat in Apex Legends. What’s more, most fights are won not by one particularly good player, but by the combined fire of a squad on a single enemy–it’s the quickest way to take people out of the fight and skew the odds in your favor. If you let your randoms get picked off one at a time, you’re going to struggle, no matter how clutch a player you are.
Share And Share Alike
Apex Legends is built on working together, and that goes beyond just shooting the same enemies or pinging good guns. Helping your teammates stay well-equipped and healthy will help you win matches. That means using your abilities when they’ll help, if you’re playing as someone like Lifeline, and it also means tossing teammates ammo, health, and shield pickups when they need them. Sharing will encourage players to share with you, and when you’re all looking out for each other, your chances of winning are a lot higher. Keep your teammates alive and they’ll help keep you alive, so share the loot wealth when you can.
Observe And Adapt
If possible, watch how your teammates play and try to find the best way to help them, both with your character’s abilities and with your weapon choices. Are they trying to snipe? You might be better off getting in close on enemies if that’s the case. Do they prefer close engagements? Providing sniper backup might be a better role for you, then. Try to diversify your team’s roles and capabilities so that you can handle a variety of situations and engagements. If you’re all carrying close-range or long-range weapons, you’re more likely to fall to a team that’s more versatile.
Don’t Shoot At Enemies You Can’t Kill
This is a good rule no matter the situation in Apex Legends, but when playing with randoms, it’s especially useful. If you see enemies in the distance, don’t start firing unless you’re sure your team is ready for the engagement, and your chances of winning are good. Taking pot shots at players you can’t reliably down is a good way to give away your position to another team that could ambush you, and it risks starting a fight with a team that might be better outfitted than you and giving away the element of surprise. It’s better to ping an enemy position and try to close the distance before you’re spotted than to start shooting and hope that your teammates will figure out what to do.
When Alone, Pick Your Engagements
The big trouble with being alone is that most players opposing you are going to be sticking together, and any three-on-one battle you enter is highly likely to be a loser. When more than one player focuses their fire on you, chances are, the fight is already over. The key, then, is to pick off enemies when they’re separated, or to get the drop on them. Whether you’ve bailed on your team because you don’t like them, or you’re alone after losing everyone else, keeping yourself alive is job one when solo. If you find yourself outnumbered, try to get away, and move carefully and quietly to make sure you hear anybody who might be coming up on you.
Don’t Just Quit
Be the change you want to see in the world. If you’re downed early in a match or you don’t get the Legend you want, don’t just bail on your teammates. You’re just contributing to everyone’s bad time–your teammates are stuck with a disadvantage, which means they’ll have less fun, and then they’ll be more likely to quit out of their next game at the first sign of trouble, and on and on. Instead of contributing to the frustrations of the community at large, stick around; you never know when a teammate might make a clutch play and manage to revive you at a respawn beacon.
Following the news today that Electronic Arts will not have a traditional press conference at E3 2019 this year, indie game publisher Devolver Digital quickly chimed in to confirm it will have a press conference this year. That’s good news, considering Devolver’s previous E3 press conferences were some of the wackiest, wild, and absurd the show has to offer
Devolver confirmed in its tweet, “FWIW, we’re still going to do an E3 press conference.”
FWIW we’re still going to do an E3 press conference.
Devolver’s E3 press conferences in the past have been pre-recorded, and they’re known to be truly absurd. The host usually makes jabs at video game industry trends and gaming culture in general. It’s really great and refreshing.
We can only imagine what Devolver will have in store for its 2019 E3 press conference. We’ll be watching, that’s for sure.
EA won’t have a traditional press conference at E3 this year, and, in a major shakeup for the annual summer gaming show, neither will Sony. Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Bethesda have yet to confirm their plans for E3 2019. Microsoft, meanwhile, is going big at E3 2019. The company will reportedly discuss its plans for next-generation consoles and more during the show.
E3 2019 runs June 12-14, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
One of Devolver’s latest games, Ape Out, came out at the end of February. Here at GameSpot we gave it a 7/10 and called it a “pleasant, jazzy way to spend a few hours.”
NantG has announced that the PC version of H1Z1–formally known as H1Z1: King of the Kill and H1Z1 before that–has been renamed Z1 Battle Royale. Also now called Z1BR for short, the title has received a patch that updates almost every aspect of the free-to-play battle royale game. The PS4 version of the game (still owned by its original developer Daybreak Games–which itself used to be called Sony Online Entertainment) will retain its H1Z1 moniker. Confused by all the name changing yet? No? Excellent.
“[The PC update for Z1BR is] also huge because it represents the first big delivery on the promise that the new NantG team made when it took over development last September: Bring back the game that so many of you fell in love with in the classic ‘King of the Kill’ era around Preseason 3 at the end of 2016 and in early 2017,” NantG general manager Anthony Castoro said in a blog post. “We still plan to address old weapon models, classic in-game UI elements, and more,” he continued.
The new patch updates movement and stance animations, as well as combat and gun mechanics. In terms of animations, updates have been made to running, jumping, crouching, weapon swapping and reloading, and both active and passive stances. The speed of running and strafing, as well as the height of your jump, has also been changed. We’ve listed the combat and gun mechanic changes below.
Z1 Battle Royale Weapon Changes
AR-15 restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.
AK-47 restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.
Shotgun restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.
M1911 restored PS3 recoil, fire rate, and bullet speed.
Sniper Rifle restored PS3 recoil, sway, and bullet speed.
Removed the Hellfire SMG and reintroduced the M1911A1.
Melee Weapons had a QoL clean up to responsiveness.
ADS snap speed when strafing/jumping.
Tweaks have also been made to the environment and vehicles. A new Ranked Pro playlist has been made available in Solos mode too, and the patch implements a series of bug fixes. There’s quite a bit, all of which is outlined in the full patch notes on Z1BR’s Steam page.
I am exasperated. Not angry, not even disappointed. Just made immensely tired by a situation simultaneously so stupid and so predictable that I want to immediately go to sleep just thinking about it.
This week, in a moment 16-year-old Tom never thought he would be writing about when he was excitedly playing through the original Portal 12 years ago, Valve publicly barred a game about committing horrific sexual assaults against women from Steam. I mean, who would have expected this? Who could have seen it coming that a game made explicitly to disgust and anger people would attempt to be released on Steam?
The latest trailer for the movie about Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien has come online, providing another look at Nicholas Hoult as the legendary author during his formative years. The movie, called Tolkien, touches on Tolkien’s life as an orphan and his romantic relationship with Edith Bratt, who is played by Lily Collins.
In one nice scene in the trailer, we see Tolkien telling Bratt about how he invented an entire language–as he actually did–for his Middle-earth stories. A major focus of the story will be Tolkien’s time in school with his close friends and how they later fought in World War I together as a “fellowship.” Some of Tolkien’s friends died on the battlefield, and the author’s time in battle reportedly inspired some of his Middle-earth writing.
Another major element of the film will be Tolkien’s relationship with Bratt. It’s been reported that this relationship inspired Tolkien’s Beren and Luthien story, which itself inspired the Aragorn-Arwen relationship in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings series.
Tolkien hits theatres on May 10. It’s directed by Dome Karukoski (Heart of Finland), based on script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.
In addition to this film, another one is in the works that focuses on the relationship between Tolkien and Narnia writer C.S. Lewis, and how Tolkien helped convert Lewis to Christianity.
