2014’s Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt action movie Edge of Tomorrow–or, Live Die Repeat as it was rebranded–was a critical success and as a result, fans have been calling for a sequel. Director Doug Liman has now provided an update on how it’s coming along.
He told Collider that, if indeed a sequel is made, he would want it to be a smaller-scale movie. Sequels often go for bigger action and more explosions, but Liman said this pales in comparison to giving Cruise and Blunt more screen time because they are such great actors.
“I’ve always been interested in the idea of a sequel being more character-driven than the first film, because that’s not how things are normally done,” he said. “That’s been my approach when developing the sequel and because Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are such phenomenal actors. I get sometimes the sequel just has to have more firepower or more explosions but no visual effect is going to top what you’re going to get from a great scene performed by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.”
According to Liman, whether or not Edge of Tomorrow 2 gets made may come down to the availability of Cruise and Blunt.
“It’s one of these things where if Tom, Emily, and I were to say, ‘We’re ready to pull the trigger on this script,’ it’s Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, the film gets made,'” Liman said. “That’s pretty much how Hollywood works. The stars are the gatekeepers. If you can get Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt to commit to the movie, it’s going to happen.”
The script for Edge of Tomorrow 2 isn’t finished yet, but that’s not necessarily a problem. For the first Edge of Tomorrow, Liman acknowledged that he started filming the movie before the script was even properly finished.
Developer Respawn Entertainment has rolled out a new patch for Apex Legends on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S that stabilizes the game.
The patch comes after numerous players reported errors while playing the game on all platforms. Specifically, players were getting caught in infinite loops that freeze the game or the game would crash entirely. Respawn said that while it couldn’t replicate whatever’s causing the hiccups, the new patch “improves stability and (hopefully) fixes the freezing issues.”
In addition to trying to address technical issues on the server side, the latest patch for Apex Legends fixes a variety of other problems. This includes issues with Fight Night event skins like Haute Drop and Gold Standard getting in the way of the reticle when aiming down sights, errors with selecting the Steam Friends list, and other problems related to clubs and text chat.
Apex Legends Patch Notes (January 14)
Improves stability and fixes freezes.
Issues with event skins “Haute Drop” and “Gold Standard.”
When it comes to gaming hardware, ‘big’ is the description that most often applies, whether it’s the original Xbox or the latest Nvidia RTX 3090 card. High-fidelity gaming takes a lot of horsepower, which often means you’ll also be dealing with large hardware. But Intel is trying to change our minds at CES 2021 with its next set of laptop processors, enabling gaming on the thinnest and lightest laptops yet.
Intel hopes to do this with its 11th-gen Tiger Lake-H CPUs and Intel’s own Xe graphics tech. Intel has three chips on the way that will make up this segment of its market: The Core i7-11375H Special Edition, i7-11370H, and i5-11300H. These are four-core, eight-thread CPUs that each draw 28-35W of power, compared to 35-45W for the 10th-gen laptop processors. The four-core count is a reduction from the previous generation’s six-core models, which Intel says was necessary to fit the chip into the same space.
These chips are built on Intel’s Tiger Lake H35 10nm architecture, which means that they support Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, Intel’s Xe graphics architecture, Wi-Fi 6/6E, PCIe Gen 4, and Resizable BAR. If you follow PC tech, you may have come across this with AMD’s Smart Access Memory. Similarly, Resizable BAR allows the CPU to allocate an optimal amount of video memory instead of having to do it in smaller 256MB chunks. That lets the CPU and discrete GPU move data around more quickly, which translates to better graphics performance and loading times. Nvidia recently announced its plans to support Resizable BAR, too. The Core i7-11375H SE also features Intel Turbo Boost 3.0, which lets the CPU shoot up to 5GHz frequency on a single core.
Compared to previous generations, these systems will squeeze more power out of each watt, which allows them to be thinner and lighter. They won’t be the most powerful systems on the market; Intel says it has 8-core CPUs shipping “later this quarter” which will likely fill that market segment. The focus here is on marrying gaming and portability.
Intel says to expect to see these CPUs in laptops from Asus, MSI, HP, Dell, and more.
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YouTuber and “hardware hacker” Mike Choi has combined an exercise bicycle, Mario Kart 8, and the Ring Fit Adventure controller to create a fantastic way to get in shape. The Labo Fit Adventure Kart Kit, as he calls it, lets you control your favorite Mushroom Kingdom character by pedaling, squeezing, and working your butt off.
“This kit allows you to control your kart by pedaling on the Bike-Con and steering and using items with the Ring-Con,” Choi said in a tweet. “This is a fully-functional concept product that I developed myself.”
The Labo Fit Adventure Kart Kit is powered by the TAPBO module, a small wireless robot that hugs the Joy-Con and presses buttons when it receives signal from the Bike-Con and Ring-Con. Here’s a video explaining how it works: pic.twitter.com/Joz4Q5z67q
Choi uploaded a video to YouTube and Twitter where he can be seen huffing and puffing as he showcases his home brew creation. The “full-body exercise experience” gets extra difficult when he picks up a golden mushroom and has to squeeze the Ring Fit controller every time he wants a boost. “Even when you lose in the game,” Choi said in the video. “You’re winning at exercise.”
Now all we need is a special modified version of Ring Fit Adventure that turns every step in Animal Crossing: New Horizons into an exercise. Then no one would worry about gaining weight during lockdown–they’d burn it while pulling virtual weeds.
Activision Blizzard has announced that its holiday charity campaign was very successful, with its employees collectively giving more than $1.6 million to thousands of charities.
In December, Activision Blizzard kicked off the Holiday Giving Initiative, which gave every employee $200 to donate to a charity of their choice. More than 8,000 employees took advantage of the offer, donating to more than 3,200 charities and raising $1.6 million.
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and COO Daniel Alegre released a statement on the initiative:
“At Activision Blizzard, we recognize our responsibility to give back to the communities where we operate. From developing pathways for veterans’ employment to fighting racial inequality to supporting pivotal healthcare programs, we are committed to making a difference. We believe that we can truly connect and engage the world in ways that no other company can, with purpose and meaning. We continue to be grateful for so many of you who share our commitment to change the world in lasting ways.
“We want to honor the past year of giving with one more philanthropic endeavor for this unique year when people are in need more than ever: We are contributing company funds as well as reallocating funds that were earmarked for year-end company events towards an Activision Blizzard Holiday Giving Initiative.”
Before this donation campaign, Activision Blizzard, Kotick, and Alegre made donations to the United Negro College Fund, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the Management Leadership for Tomorrow back in June 2020 amid the racial injustice protests in the US.
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A rare Batman comic has sold for $2.2 million, beating the previous record for the highest-priced Batman comic sold at auction of all time. The near-mint Batman #1 was first published in 1940, and survived those decades with almost unheard-of quality.
THR reports that the comic was sold as part of a Heritage Auction event on comics and comic book art. This Batman comic was published a year after the character’s debut in Detective Comics #27. Aside from being the first title issue for Batman, it also introduced iconic characters like the Joker and Catwoman.
The comic received a 9.4 on the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) scale. On that scale, a 9.4 is described as “a very well-preserved collectible with minor wear and small manufacturing or handling defects.” This comic in particular is said to have been preserved so well that its pages are still white.
This beats the previous record sale for a Batman comic set by a $1.5 million copy of Detective Comics #27 in November 2020. The highest selling comic of all time is Action Comics #1, which sold for $3.2 million in 2014. This also puts Batman #1 in the rare company of comics that have sold for more than $2 million.
The comic had been owned by collector Billy T. Gates for more than 40 years, after he purchased it in 1979. His purchase price was around $3,000 at the time ($11,000 inflation-adjusted). Gates passed away in 2019 and left his comic book collection to his son.
As part of a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Ben Affleck discussed why he took on the role of Batman, and it’s for a pretty wholesome reason.
He explained that he did it to make his kids happy. “I did Batman because I wanted to do it for my kids,” Affleck said. “I wanted to do something that my son would dig. I mean, my kids didn’t see Argo.”
Affleck’s first appearance as Batman came in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was followed by appearances as the Caped Crusader in Suicide Squad and Justice League. Affleck is coming back once more to play Batman in 2022’s The Flash.
Affleck recalled the experience of working with Snyder and how they originally had plans to do something different with his time as Batman.
“Zack [Snyder] wanted to do a version of the Frank Miller Dark Knight graphic novel series, which is a really good version of that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why things go the way they do in the movie business, and just because your face is on the poster doesn’t mean that you’re dictating all of those things–and even if you were, that they would go well.”
Working on Justice League was not a great time in Affleck’s life, as he remarked that it was around this time that he started drinking too much. He says he always sobered up before he came to set, but this isn’t the case for everyone he knows.
“If you knew how many actors and directors and writers were alcoholics or compulsive in some way–I mean, it’s the most ordinary thing in the world in Hollywood,” he said. “I’ve worked with actors who showed up drunk! And that was not me. I drank, like, alone in my living room and just passed out, like, with scotch. But I got sober.”
While the experience of making Justice League might not have been the smoothest or most enjoyable, Affleck remarked that it was all worth it in the end.
“I wore the suit to my son’s birthday party, which was worth every moment of suffering on Justice League,” he said.
The next actor to play Batman is Robert Pattinson, who is suiting up for The Batman from director Matt Reeves.
Nioh 2 publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Team Ninja have detailed the PC-specific features in the upcoming Nioh 2 Complete Edition, which will be released on February 5.
PC players (Nioh 2 Complete Edition will be available on Steam) can expect support for 4K resolution, ultra-widescreen, HDR, 144hz (including the option for locked 60fps or 120fps), customizable key bindings, and gamepads.
You can see them in action in the trailer above, and check out a bunch of screenshots in the gallery below.
Those who buy Nioh 2 Complete Edition in its first three weeks of release will also receive the bonus pieces of armor “Sohaya Deserter Garb” and “Ornate Gold Armor.” Check those armor sets out below:
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
The Marvel drought is over. With no MCU movies released since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe has reopened with its first TV show on the Disney+ streaming service. WandaVision picks up some time after Avengers: Endgame and finds the characters of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) living their lives in a sitcom world, with different episodes highlighting different eras of the genre.
In the three episodes provided for review, the show recreates the feeling of sitcoms from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s on the surface, while something more sinister is brewing underneath. WandaVision wants you to relish in these classic eras of TV, while also asking why the characters are there, how it happened, how it connects to the larger Marvel universe, and–most importantly–how long it will be before the characters themselves figure out what is happening.
After redefining what superhero franchises are over the last 12 years, Marvel Studios is stepping into something of a new genre of storytelling with WandaVision. Taking two of the MCU’s heroes, who happen to also be locked in a tragic love story, and dropping them into a vintage comedy is a risky move. Thankfully, though, it works like a charm.
WandaVision’s commitment to the premise of revisiting classic sitcom settings is endearing. Gone, for the most part, are the cutting-edge visual effects, sweeping musical scores, and over-the-top superpowers MCU fans have come to expect from the franchise;What you get instead is more akin to shows like Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie, in which “flying” objects are hanging from fishing wire and transformations are shown via jump cuts that never quite match–all techniques that those who worked on the show went to great lengths to recreate. It’s a good thing they did because anything else would be distracting. Instead, it’s easy to sink into the world of the show, almost as if you’re watching reruns late at night on TV Land.
That comfort allows WandaVision to build a sense of foreboding below the surface. Starting pretty early on in the first episode, it’s clear that something isn’t quite right–whether it’s the main characters being unsure about small details in their life prior to the show or lines of dialogue that show cracks in the armor of their black-and-white reality. And, honestly, not knowing what’s happening, in this instance, is scary, and the show does a good job of keeping it guarded, only giving small hints and clues.
For Marvel fans who don’t appreciate the classical TV setting quite as much, this will likely be what draws you in further. WandaVision wants you guessing and theorizing about the mystery that’s unfolding, taking logical and illogical leaps in hopes you’ll figure out what the endgame (no pun intended) is. And with it being a weekly release on Disney+, you’ll have plenty of time to do it. Plus, as the trailer shows, eventually more familiar aspects of the MCU will creep their way into the show over the course of its nine episodes.
However, that might not be something all viewers will be interested in waiting for. After all, most of the MCU thus far is made up of movies, which tell a complete story in one sitting. WandaVision, meanwhile, is taking a slow burn approach to its mystery. It’ll be weeks before you get any concrete answers, if they come at all. If you stuck with it, though, based on the first three episodes, it’s going to be worth the journey.
Just as much an achievement as the aesthetic of the show and the story it’s telling, though, is the cast. Bettany and Olsen, in particular, are incredible leads. Bettany’s Vision is played as essentially a bumbling husband trying to navigate a world he doesn’t quite fit into. If that sounds like the version of the character Bettany has played in the films, that’s because this take on Vision closely aligns with what we’ve seen previously.
Now, however, he seems unable to figure out what it is that makes him not fit in this particular world. His core remains the same, though. He’s an all-knowing entity that cares deeply for Wanda, even if he is unsure of himself.
Wanda, on the other hand, feels greatly evolved from where we last saw her in Avengers: Endgame. Throughout the MCU franchise, Wanda has never been too clearly defined (and I’m not just talking about her ever-changing accent). Since her introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron she’s primarily been used as a side character that exists to drive the plot forward.
With WandaVision, though, Olsen is attempting to let Wanda stand on her own two feet. Gone is the vaguely European accent she sometimes used for the character. In its place is a voice that sounds heavily inspired by I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball. She’s confident in a way MCU fans haven’t seen in Wanda before. And after the events of Avengers: Endgame, you can’t blame her for having that confidence.
It also can’t be understated how funny Olsen and Bettany are in these roles. That might be one of the most surprising things about WandaVision. While there was always an awkwardly comedic dynamic to their relationship in the past, they’re outright hilarious in WandaVision as they completely embrace the tropes and humor of sitcom classics.
They also happen to be surrounded by a very talented supporting cast. Of note, Katheryn Hahn stars as their wacky neighbor Agnes, who happens to drop by quite a bit to gossip with Wanda and complain about her husband Ralph. Hahn is perfectly cast in this role, with her remarkable comedic talents easily blending in with the surreal sitcom setting.
Then there’s Teyonah Parris. Parris plays Monica Rambeau, who the MCU first introduced as a child in 2019’s Captain Marvel. Now grown, Monica finds herself in WandaVision’s sitcom world. How she got there and what her role will ultimately be remains to be seen but, as with Hahn, Parris’s comedic sensibilities work well with the show’s sense of humor.
In all, WandaVision is an undeniable success. Marvel Studios attempted something they hadn’t tried before and wound up with a show that’s somehow a classic family sitcom that is also propelling forward the storytelling of the universe of epic films that has been unspooling for over a decade. Now you will just have to wait for the slow burn narrative to reveal itself.
