Month: March 2020

The sequel to Hocus Pocus has reportedly locked down the director of Hairspray to helm the movie.

Variety’s sources say that Adam Shankman has signed on to direct. Variety also claims that the three original actresses have yet to sign up, but Sarah Jessica Parker previously said she, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy all want to do the film.

Workaholics writer Jen D’Angelo is reportedly writing the Hocus Pocus sequel, which will stream on Disney+.

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Shankman is currently working with Disney on the sequel to Enchanted. His name has been attached to that movie since THR reported on his involvement in 2016. Shankman spoke to Variety as recently as 2019 about the movie, and said that a new draft of the script was on the way and the music was currently being written by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. He confirms that Amy Adams, James Marsden, Idina Menzel and Patrick Dempsey will all return for Disenchanted.

Shankman last directed an episode of the Netflix series AJ and the Queen, but is best known as a choreographer on the Step Up movies, a host on So You Think You Can Dance and the director of 2007’s Hairspray. He recently directed the Taraji P. Henson romantic comedy What Men Want.

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The Enchanted sequel was on IGN’s list of 33 movies that were supposed to come out last decade. If you’re looking for something to watch on Disney+ then check out everything that’s coming to the service in March.

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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who will be there for the midnight premiere of that Enchanted sequel.

After getting announced during Nintendo’s Gamescom 2019 presentation, the indie skateboarding game Skater XL will launch on PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime this year.

Developer Easy Day Studios took to the PlayStation blog to detail some of the gameplay mechanics players can expect when Skater XL leaves Steam Early Access this year. To give you more freedom than EA’s Skate franchise and the legendary Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, Skater XL assigns each foot to a thumbstick. Thus, the left stick controls your left foot while the right stick controls your right foot. This will allow for a deeper level of “expression, personalization, and style [of] gameplay,” studio director Dain Hedgpeth wrote.

Hedgpeth also said that Skater XL’s “core gameplay is designed more as an expressive and creative tool than a traditional video game with pre-set challenges to complete, [featuring] several real-world locations based on iconic skate spots from California and the West Coast.” A concrete release date has yet to be provided.

Skater XL launched in Early Access on December 19, 2018, and has garnered a “very positive” rating based on more than 3200 reviews. It retails for $20 USD but Easy Day Studios notes that Skater XL will increase in price as it leaves Early Access and more features, like character customization and more, get added.

Between this, Crea-ature Studios’ Session (which launches on Xbox One sometime this spring), and Glass Bottom Games’ infinitely-cute SkateBIRD, skateboarding fans have a lot to look forward to this year.

During my weekend in Boston at PAX East I came across countless indie games; from your run-of-the-mill pixel platformers to gorgeous visual novels and everything in between. But, the one game I can’t stop thinking about is Ghostrunner.

Polish developer One More Level describes it as a “hardcore cyberpunk action game” that stars a lone cyber-warrior trying to survive in a dystopian future. The world is in ruins and society has been relegated to a tower that houses the last remaining survivors of the apocalypse. As you climb upwards throughout the game you’ll encounter different enemies and environments while being hunted the entire way. All that stands between you and certain death is a host of powerful cybernetic implants and a deadly blade capable of taking out enemies with a single, well-timed slice.

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What makes the gameplay so interesting is that any damage you take kills you immediately. So, combat plays out like that of Hotline Miami or SUPERHOT, where every move you make matters. Thankfully, if you do happen to fall, you respawn back at the beginning of each section immediately, which makes dying less punishing. Each section is laid out like a series of platforming puzzles you must meticulously navigate while avoiding enemy fire. While it is certainly challenging, I learned from each death and quickly memorized each section.

Ghostrunner combines its frenetic first-person sword combat with incredibly fluid movement. Your character is always running, but you can also slide and wall run similar to Mirror’s Edge or Titanfall. Traversing the environments in this way feels buttery smooth and sets you up for some incredibly stylish kills. And when you do finally, brutally slash an enemy in two, the satisfying display rivals 2016’s DOOM reboot.

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Techno-sabers and cybernetic gadgetry aside, one of the most useful abilities is a dash. Not only does it let you zip forward momentarily, but it’s also useful mid-air for crossing gaps or grabbing ledges. But if you hold this ability, you’ll invoke a “sensory boost” which temporarily slows down time and enemy movement. When paired with a left or right strafe, you can effectively dodge incoming fire and close the gap on your enemies. It took me a bit of practice to master this, but once I did I felt unstoppable.

Later in my demo I gained a grappling hook which adds yet another layer of complexity to the platforming puzzles. Speaking with the developers at One More Level, they explained this cadence of ability unlocks are tied to story progress. For example, eventually, you’ll be able to deflect bullets back at enemies or slice through incoming fire with a well-timed button press. Each of these abilities opens up new strategies for a highly replayable experience.

Though I only tangled with a single enemy type during my demo, One More Level confirmed there are many different enemy types you’ll encounter as you journey up the tower. For instance, some enemies also wield swords and move similarly to your character, which will definitely make for some interesting showdowns.

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Ghostrunner’s story is delivered through an A.I. implanted in your body, referred to only as the “Whisper in your head” during my demo. After each story mission is completed, you’ll have a chance to rest in a hub area before ascending into the next section of the tower. These areas act as a safe haven where most of the story beats will take place, without the danger of enemy reinforcements.

Looking at it, you wouldn’t know this is being developed by a small studio of about 20 people. Its environments evoke a Blade Runner aesthetic with large, worn down industrial buildings and hazy neon lights that rival many modern, triple-A experiences. And to take it a step further, I was told Ghostrunner will support ray tracing on NVIDIA GeForce RTX-enabled graphics cards.

And though there’s no official announcement that it’s going to come to PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X at this time, the technology and visuals certainly seem like a good fit.

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I’m eager to see how the gameplay evolves throughout Ghostrunner, and if developer One More Level can deliver a meaningful experience, instead of just throwing more enemies into the mix. My biggest question after my demo is just how much impact Ghostrunner’s story can carry. During my demo, I was so concentrated on the moment-to-moment gameplay and trying not to die that I wasn’t able to gather much of what was happening as I moved throughout each section.

Currently, Ghostrunner is planned for release in 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. But if you’re hungry for more cyberpunk action in the meantime, check out our picks of some of the best games in the genre.

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Matthew Adler is a Features and News writer for IGN who can’t wait to jump back into the world of Ghostrunner. You can follow him on Twitter or watch him on Twitch.

Based on the true story of one of the first African-American bankers in America, The Banker is an eye-opening slice of American history that offers an accessible, efficiently made but not necessarily invigorating look at finance, reality, and racial injustice in the U.S.

There’s power in the restraint afforded to so many elements of the movie. From the script to the performances, all are engaging and very easy to watch and digest. Anthony Mackie stars as Bernard Garrett; a man determined to make his mark in a world where the color of his skin limits or outright prevents him from achieving his goals. Determined to get into real estate, he teams up with Samuel L. Jackson’s Joe Morris, a successful businessman and somewhat of a character who at first appears to be pretty much the exact opposite of straightlaced Garrett.

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They have the money, but they’re also both African-American, so they recruit Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult) to be the face — the white face — of the business. While there are social politics at play, and racism is a big part of the story, at no point is it either soapboxed or trivialized – it’s handled matter of factly as a reality that these two men won’t let crush their ambition.

The film’s three leading men put in solid performances and have good chemistry with each other. While there are moments of tension and drama, no one overdoes it in their performance and that pays dividends. Credit is also due to Nia Long, who, as Bernard’s wife Eunice, steals many of the scenes she’s in and is a formidable pairing with every single person she performs opposite. She’s the glue that makes this stick together so nicely.

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While the film avoids grandstanding and trope-laden set-pieces, that also lends it a slight lack of dynamism. Admittedly, there’s a risk that spicing up a story like this might affect the integrity of the narrative and nudge it into a cliché-laden territory. Still, a touch more fire and tension would have been welcome.

That also extends to George Nolfi’s competent direction, which is entirely capable but missing the flair seen in some of his other work, particularly the pace and energy. (There are flourishes in the cinematography that elevate the proceedings when the direction feels more conventional.) And although the 120-minute film doesn’t feel labored or unnecessarily long; a reduced running time might have fixed those pacing issues.

We’re mere weeks away from the release of Half-Life: Alyx, and if you haven’t picked up a Valve Index VR headset yet, then you have at least one more chance to do so before the game comes out. Valve confirmed to GameSpot that it will restock the Index VR kit this coming Monday, March 9, at 10 AM PT / 1 AM ET. Valve expects the available stock to sell out that day, and any orders fulfilled beyond the initial quantity will be fulfilled in the order they were received–Valve says supplies will increase over the coming months. That means if you’re interested, you’re going to want to snag the Valve Index as soon as possible.

The Valve Index VR kit costs $999 and comes with the Index headset, controllers, and base stations in addition to a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. This is everything you need to play the new Half-Life game. The restock will include just the Index VR kits, according to Valve–the various components (headsets, controllers, and base stations) won’t be available to order separately on Monday.

If you’re not interested in the Valve Index or want to spend a little less money on a VR headset, the good news is that Half-Life: Alyx is compatible with a wide variety of headsets. See our guide to the best VR headsets of 2020 so you’re ready to go when the game releases. And if you want to save even more money, check out the best VR headset deals available right now.

Half-Life: Alyx releases on March 23 and is currently discounted to $54 (down from $60) on Steam. It’s the first game in the Half-Life series in 13 years and is set between the first and second games. You play as titular character Alyx Vance, one of the founders of a resistance that fights to liberate the people of Earth from the evil Combine. It’s built from the ground up for VR, and yes, you can totally get a Headcrab on your face–thankfully, you can also rip it off and throw it away.