Real-world history has been the bedrock of Activision’s marketing strategy for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War–its trailer featured several clips from major historical events like the Vietnam War, civil rights marches, and the tank man from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. That trailer, which released last week, was removed and replaced with a shorter one without the Tiananmen Square footage earlier this week.
According to the South China Morning Post, the second-long bit of Beijing protest footage was replaced with a black screen or other footage on local Chinese platforms like Bilibili. Activision replaced the original two-minute long trailer worldwide with a video half as long without the protest footage soon after.
The trailer, which is based around a 1984 interview with former Soviet KGB informant and defector Yuri Bezmenov, only showed seconds of the Beijing protests but that was enough to get internet commentators buzzing. You can still see the original video on YouTube, but it’s no longer posted on official Activision channels.
The South China Morning Post, as well as other publications from the region, say that the crackdown following the Tiananmen protests “remains a taboo topic in mainland China.” Call of Duty fans have even expressed concerns that the game could be banned in China following the trailer.
The active galaxy — designated TXS 0128+554 — is located 500 million light-years from us in the Cassiopeia constellation.
“The first time I saw the results, I immediately thought it looked like Darth Vader’s TIE fighter spacecraft from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” said Purdue University scientist Matthew Lister, one of the authors of a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal announcing the findings.
TXS 0128 as observed by the Very Long Baseline Array. (Credit: NRAO)TIE Fighters in A New Hope.
Lister added, “That was a fun surprise, but its appearance at different radio frequencies also helped us learn more about how active galaxies can change dramatically on decade time scales.”
The scientific research team, using multiple telescopes and observatories, documented the galaxy from a number of positions. “We’re seeing TXS 0128+554 at an angle, which emphasizes its Star Wars features,” CNET noted.
CNET added, “The galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center and is blasting out twin jets of energy. The starfighter appearance became very apparent when the Very Long Baseline Array network took a look at radio signals emanating from the galaxy.”
Who is the Red Hood? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Why does he share a name with a Batman villain? We’re covering all that and more. Here’s a list of all the topics we’ll be discussing:
Jason Todd, better known as the Red Hood, is a vigilante anti-hero who fights to protect Gotham City with his dual-pistols and quite a bit of pent-up rage. As a former Robin to Batman, Red Hood is a part of the Bat-family, a network of street-level heroes with ties to the Dark Knight, although his loner attitude, penchant for violence and use of firearms often puts him at odds with the likes of Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman himself.
Red Hood’s Origin
The Red Hood has a long history in DC Comics canon that goes back decades, and as often happens with comics, there have been numerous revisions, updates, and retcons to his story over the years. It would take one of those walls covered in photos and charts and yarn to explain every last detail, so instead we’re going to cover the general highlights of his origin that have remained consistent.
After Batman’s first Robin, Dick Grayson, flew the nest, Batman recruited Jason Todd to be his next Robin after he caught him trying to steal the wheels off the Batmobile. Jason may have resembled Dick, but right away it was clear that he couldn’t be more different. Whereas Dick was upbeat and always wore a smile, Jason was angsty, bull-headed, and brash — qualities that would eventually lead him down a dark and tragic path.
While on a personal quest to find his long lost mother, Jason ran afoul of the Joker, who captured, tortured, and seemingly killed Robin 2.0 by beating him with a crowbar and leaving him behind with a timed bomb to finish the job. (Whether Jason ultimately lived or died was actually voted on by DC fans!) Batman was too late to save poor Robin, and losing him has become what the Caped Crusader considers to be the greatest failure of his life.
But this is comics, where death is like a revolving door, and years later Jason Todd was brought back to life thanks to Talia al Ghul restoring him with the resurrecting power of the Lazarus Pit. It wasn’t long before Jason learned that the Joker was still alive, and so he cursed Batman’s name for not killing the villain who took the life of his sidekick.
Believing Batman’s methods for delivering justice were too soft and ineffective, Jason decided to take up the mantle of the Red Hood so he could punish evildoers with his own brutal sense of justice. The Red Hood was originally a disguise worn by the Joker before he was transformed into a laughing maniac. Jason chose to take over the moniker so he could own what the Joker did to him and use it to become the Joker’s destruction.
This set the Red Hood on a path to become a brooding, bitter anti-hero who often crosses lines that others in the Bat-family won’t. The mere fact that he uses guns is a big middle finger to Batman, who has sworn them off as the tool of the enemy. That said, Jason doesn’t execute bad guys willy nilly like Marvel’s Punisher; he usually digs down deep to find the restraint not to become an executioner. He even spared the Joker’s life when he finally got the chance to take his revenge, showing that despite the tragedy he’s suffered, there’s still a spark of light within him that keeps him aligned with the side of good. (Although, given the ever-changing nature of comics, a recent development has seen Red Hood go darker than ever before.)
Though Red Hood has no superpowers, he does have a vast array of talents thanks to being trained by Batman. He has world-class strength, stamina, athleticism and acrobatic skills. He’s been trained in detective work and combat strategy. He’s an expert in hand-to-hand fighting and all manner of high tech gadgets.
Though Jason was trained as Robin to use non-lethal weapons like Batarangs, upon becoming Red Hood he sought out training by the world’s greatest marksmen so he could kill any target, making him a master of firearms.
His signature weapons are a pair of handguns. He also keeps a dagger on him for close-combat fighting.
Red Hood’s helmet not only conceals his identity but contains a radio transmitter, plus it’s armored to protect his head.
Red Hood’s Teams
Though Red Hood tends to march to the beat of his own drum, that hasn’t stopped him from teaming up with some of DC’s other heroes. Red Hood’s teams include the Challengers From Beyond, the Outlaws, Teen Titans, and Young Justice.
Red Hood in Movies, TV and Games
Jason Todd/Red Hood has been featured in various movies, TV shows and games. Over the years, he’s been mentioned in passing (often for a joke in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!) or popped up as an Easter egg (like in Harley Quinn when Joker reminds Batman about how he killed his sidekick), so we’re going to focus on the meatier appearances.
In the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, Jason Todd (voiced by Jensen Ackles) returns years after his apparent death under the guise of the Red Hood. His identity remains a mystery to Batman for a bulk of the film, but after it’s revealed, the two have a dramatic confrontation where Jason confronts Batman over what happened. This is the best thing to watch if you want to get the full story of the Red Hood told in compelling fashion.
In the live-action Titans show, Jason Todd (played by Curran Walters) plays a foil to Dick Grayson. Dick had left Batman behind, so he’s not exactly happy to see Jason show up and tell him that he’s Batman’s new sidekick. Jason fights alongside the Titans for a while, but his cavalier attitude and violent tactics bring a lot of friction to the team. After a falling out with the group, a disillusioned Jason quits, setting up his return as the Red Hood in Season 3.
In the video game Batman: Arkham Knight — spoilers! — the titular Arkham Knight is revealed to be none other than Jason Todd. Jason’s backstory was streamlined and tailored to fit the Arkham universe. It became much more focused on how the Joker not only beat him near to death but kept him captive to completely break his psyche, going so far as to brand his cheek with the letter J for Joker. This version of Jason is much more extreme because his plan for revenge on Batman sees him assemble an army and try to take over all of Gotham City as a super villain. In the final act of the story, Jason transforms his Arkham Knight armor so the helmet turns red, giving him his signature look. Then in the post-game DLC, he gives up the Arkham Knight identity to become the Red Hood we’re more familiar with.
Finally, the Red Hood will be a playable character in the Gotham Knights video game alongside Nightwing, Robin (Tim Drake), and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon).
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
If you’re a Star Trek fan, but don’t subscribe to CBS All Access, you’re in luck. The All Access original series Star Trek: Discovery will be headed to a television near you in the future. Because the COVID-19 global pandemic has been putting TV and movie production on hold, the network is integrating streaming service shows into its fall schedule.
The most notable of the fall additions is none other than Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery, which debuted on CBS All Access on September 24, 2017. Three years after its debut, it’s coming to CBS proper on Thursday, September 24 at 10 PM.
Discovery takes place 10 years prior to the events of the original Star Trek series, and the All Access original follows the crew of the USS Discovery as the Klingon houses unite to wage war on the United Federation of Planets. The third season will debut on the streaming service on October 15.
Additionally, CBS is adding the Spectrum original series Manhunt: Deadly Games on Monday, September 21, and the Netflix show One Day At A Time on October 12–however, this will be Season 4 of the Netflix original.
The streaming giant Netflix seems to be one of the few content creators not suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The one thing that’s maybe not widely understood is we work really far out, relative to the industry because we launch our shows, all episodes, at once, and we’re working far out all over the world,” Ted Sarandos explained in April during a Netflix earnings call. “So our 2020 slate in films are largely shot and are in post-production, remotely, in locations all over the world.
He later went on to explain the company is deep into its 2021 slate, and they are not anticipating upcoming releases being moved around. So this move by CBS to fill out its programming schedule with streaming service series is a smart move, and there may be a chance other networks will follow suit if need be.
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Grounded has gotten its first monthly update with a number of changes including the addition of a giant bird. It’s not clear if players will be able to fight the feathery friend or if it’s only window dressing for the games’ life-sized sandbox setting but it looks terrifying either way.
Obsidian announced the news, along with details about other changes to the game, in a post on the official Xbox Blog. Feathers can be collected from the bird and used to craft a bed and a new Marksman’s Cap that will buff bow attacks. Feathers aren’t collected from the bird directly but nearby one of the towers that fire lasers.
“The biggest creature in the backyard has arrived,” the post read. “How will this play into the adventure of the backyard?” We don’t know much about how the bird will impact the game but at the moment it doesn’t seem to do much.
The update also added perks that add small mutations to your character like the ability to “cut grass faster, increase health, improve defenses,” and more. Players can equip three perks at a time. New fences and tables, including the Sprig Fence, Acorn Picket Fence, Grass Table, and Clover Table, have been added so you can spice up the variety of furniture in your home base.
The update brought other changes to the game including dozens of bug fixes, buffs and nerfs to certain creatures, and quality of life changes. Grounded is still in early access, meaning there isn’t an awful lot to do in the game, but Obsidian has promised more updates in the future.
“Grounded has the foundation needed to turn into a great survival game, but it has a long way to go yet. The titular term comes from aviation–when a pilot finds themselves, for whatever reason, unable to fly, they are Grounded,” said Joab Gilroy in GameSpot’s Grounded review. “It’s a pretty apt name for the current state of Obsidian’s foray into the co-op survival genre. But like a balsa wood airplane, Grounded sits at the outstretched tension point of a strong rubber band. It is pure, unadulterated potential energy, and all we can do is sit back and wait to see if that rubber band snaps or if the game achieves take off. I think it’s gonna fly.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is heading to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 13. The PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will arrive at a later date. This year’s installment of the long-running military shooter series includes a campaign, along with multiplayer, Zombies, and a continuation of Warzone. It’s available to preorder now.
As usual, you can purchase Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a variety of editions. Notably, one new edition is the cross-gen bundle, which lets you play the game on current-gen hardware, and when PS5 and Xbox Series X arrive, you’ll be able to play on the respective next-gen console with all the visual upgrades and shorter loading times. The standard edition will be backwards-compatible on both next-gen consoles as well, but without the next-gen upgrades.
Preorder Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Standard Edition
The standard edition gets you access to the game itself. On consoles, you’ll be able to play the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X once those arrive (thanks to backwards compatibility), but this version won’t have the upgraded features available on the next-gen versions of the game. To get those, you’ll want to read on and preorder the cross-gen bundle version.
Preorder Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Cross-Gen Bundle
Buying the cross-gen bundle edition gets you the game on Xbox One or PS4, plus full access to the Xbox Series X or PS5 versions (respectively) when those consoles come out.
Preorder Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ultimate Edition
The ultimate edition comes with everything in the cross-gen bundle (so, access to the full next-gen edition when those consoles launch), plus the following items:
Preorder any digital edition of the game, and you’ll get access to the beta. Additionally, Best Buy is offering a $10 reward for My Best Buy members.
As for what to expect from the game itself, the campaign is set in the early 1980s, where Activision says you’ll encounter real-life historical figures as you drop into hostile situations in places like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, and Soviet KGB headquarters. The multiplayer and Zombies mode will use the same era-appropriate weapons in skirmishes against real-life opponents and undead enemies respectively.
The futuristic sci-fi series Altered Carbon has come to an end. Netflix has canceled its original series after two seasons according to Variety.
Based on a novel by Richard K. Morgan, the series begins over 350 years in the future, where consciousnesses can be placed into new bodies–allowing people to live much longer lives. The show followed political operative Takeshi Kovacs–played by Joel Kinnaman in Season 1, Anthony Mackie in Season 2, and voiced by Ray Chase in the animated feature Resleeved. A wealthy man offers Kovacs a chance at a new life, if he can solve a murder.
Season 1 debuted on February 2, 2018, with Season 2 arriving on February 27, 2020 and the animated feature Resleeved releasing on March 19 of this year. Season 1 was viewed as favorable with critics, as GameSpot’s Mike Rougeau called it a “cyberpunk masterpiece.” However, Season 2 of the show hit the sophomoric slump, having not live up to the hype of the previous season.
The animated feature, which came out a month after Season 2 debuted, came and went unnoticed, earning a 65 of GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic, out of two reviews.
Netflix has been canceling numerous high-profile series in 2020. This year, the streaming service giant canceled Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Patriot Act with Hasan Minaj, The Society, and I Am Not Okay With This–just months after its debut.
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It’s been over a year since we first laid eyes on the announcement trailer for Elden Ring, From Software’s next soul-crushing adventure, and we haven’t heard a peep since. Fans of the game have gotten tired of waiting and have built their own playable demo of what they want to see in the game.
“With all the great fake lore content and creative concepts that has been posted here the last [few] weeks I thought about working on a nice game for this community,” wrote Redditor SpriteBlood in a post on the Elden Ring subreddit last month. “I read about that idea several times now and I am myself highly involved in this hype.”
That post, along with a flood of users making up fake lore for the Elden Ring world, kickstarted a process that led to a playable demo. Fans of the upcoming game have contributed music, voice acting, sound design, and other elements to the development process for a playable demo. You can see it in action in the video below.
Originally reported by USGamer, these fans have gathered in a Discord server to hash out gameplay details and other design elements. They have dedicated channels for lore and script writing, concept art, and other details. Fans can contribute as much as they’re able to.
The community isn’t sure what they’ll do once actual details about Elden Ring are released. They can’t use the same name as From Software or they might run into legal trouble. They could rename their project and keep development going–they already have a solid chunk of development done that could lead to something special if they stick with it.
We don’t know much of anything about Elden Ring outside the fact that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is helping build the world and lore. The Action RPG, which is From Software’s “biggest” title yet, has been in development since Dark Souls 3’s DLC wrapped up but we still don’t have a release window.
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