With the debut of the Disney+ streaming service, a brand new chapter of the Star Wars saga is officially underway. The Mandalorian revolves around an enigmatic bounty hunter plying his trade in a lawless corner of the galaxy.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the new series is also the most basic – when does it take place? Read on for a detailed breakdown of when the series is set and why this time period is so pivotal to the franchise.
Over the weekend, Hideo Kojima shared his thoughts on why his latest video game, Death Stranding, may be receiving mixed reviews, particularly from US games press. Kojima’s quote spread quickly online, but IGN has acquired an updated translation of why Kojima believes Death Stranding is receiving mixed responses in the US compared to Europe and Japan.
In an interview between Hideo Kojima and Italian game website TGCom24, Kojima says that the American preference for first-person shooters may have affected players’ response to Death Stranding. An original translation of Kojima’s response also suggested that Death Stranding was better than a shooter. However, IGN’s version of the quote finds that part to be inaccurate. Here is our independent translation of Kojima’s answer.
We’ve finally reached November, the best time of year to buy anything and everything Nintendo Switch related. Black Friday is coming and undoubtedly many of you are saving your pennies for that special occasion. But did you know that some of the best deals we see on Black Friday start much earlier? We’re already seeing some huge early Black Friday discounts on several of the best Nintendo titles. Also later this month the game many of us have been waiting a long time for, Pokemon Sword and Shield, finally ships. This is a good time to get on board the best selling gaming platform of 2019.
Early on in Death Stranding, you’ll start encountering Beached Things–otherwise known as BTs–during your deliveries. Compared to MULEs and terrorists, BTs are a far more significant enemy threat you’ll encounter. These ghostly apparitions will try to tightly grab onto any living thing that approaches them. You typically encounter them during Timefall storms, but you specifically know when they’re around when the game briefly shifts into slow-motion to focus on your Odradek shrieking at their presence.
You deal with BTs pretty often in Death Stranding, so you’re going to need to quickly get used to these horrifying invisible ghostly beings. In the video above, you can find essential tips detailing how to sneak past and fight BTs, as well as what to consider before you cross into their territory. For more Death Stranding features, check out our in-depth beginner’s guide and our gallery highlighting all the most significant celebrity cameos we’ve found so far.
In GameSpot’s Death Stranding review, Kallie Plagge writes, “Death Stranding is a hard game to absorb. There are many intertwining threads to its plot, and silly names, corny moments, and heavy exposition belie an otherwise very simple message. That comes through much more clearly in the game’s more mundane moments, when you find a desperately-needed ladder left behind by another player or receive a letter from an NPC thanking you for your efforts. It’s positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living. It’s a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it’s also one we really need right now.”
On December 20, 2019, The Godfather Part II celebrates the 45th anniversary of its release in 1974. It still remains one of the most lauded cinematic sequels of all time, and the first sequel to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. (It took The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 29 years to achieve the same feat).
Back in the ’70s, sequels weren’t as ubiquitous as they are today, so for director Francis Ford Coppola to equal, and arguably best, The Godfather was, and remains to this day, a stunning achievement. To mark the anniversary, Fathom Events has scheduled screenings of The Godfather Part II in theaters across the country, including on November 12 and 13 (buy tickets here). The film is presented as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.
The DC Universe’s roster of original programming is about to get a little bit bigger. At the end of this month, the brand-new Harley Quinn animated show will premiere on the streaming service, complete with all the ultra-violent, slapstick mayhem you’d expect from the Clown Queen of Crime as she returns to her cartoon roots. But if you’re expecting a resurgence of the Harley you remember from your Batman: The Animated Series nostalgia, you might be in for a surprise. Check out the full-length trailer for the show to get an idea of just what you’re in for.
If f-bombs and dirty jokes are your cup of tea, you’re definitely in for a treat. The show, seemingly channeling other adult animated favorites like The Venture Brothers and Rick & Morty, takes Harley out on her own in search of a crew in Gotham City. But of course, finding reliable villains is hard even on the best day–and harder still when you’re trying to duck and dodge around your horrible ex, The Joker. But Harley’s nothing if not determined and hatches a scheme to enlist the worst of the worst. Which is to say, the bad guys who are just objectively horrible at everything they do.
Seen in the trailer, Harley winds up mingling with C and D list DC rogues like King Shark, Dr. Psycho, Clayface, and Felix Faust as she goes galavanting around Gotham, running into fan favorites like Bane, Two Face, and Scarecrow. All the while, she’s got her sardonic best friend Poison Ivy (channeling the dead-pan humor of someone like Daria of MTV’s Daria) to help keep her on the level.
Harley Quinn hits the DC Universe streaming service on November 29.
In Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 1, “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat,” Rick takes Morty to Forbulan Prime to get Death Crystals, which allow you to see the ways you’re going to die. This leads to alternating storylines for both Rick and Morty. Morty tries to use a death crystal to lead him on a path where he can die with his crush, Jessica.
Meanwhile, Rick is continuously brought back to life as a clone via Project Phoenix, a reference to Season 2 episode “Big Trouble in Little Sanchez” in which Rick had started a program to create clones of himself.
For a breakdown of the plot and all the Easter eggs and references in this episode, watch the video above. You can also read our review of Season 4 Episode 1. And for more on Rick and Morty, check out our video on the 9 Most Outrageous Rick And Morty Theories, or our breakdown of Every Dimension We Know So Far in Rick and Morty.
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network on Sunday nights.
Disney+ has officially launched, offering a wide selection of shows and movies from Disney’s massive catalog. You couldn’t be blamed for needing time to look through the selection, but a couple of divisive features have migrated to Disney’s streaming service from its competitors: background video, and auto-play. Fortunately, they’re also pretty easy to disable.
For those unaware, background video is a feature on Netflix and Prime Video, which starts playing trailers or clips when you hover over a show or movie for more than a few seconds. That can make it difficult to just casually browse and read descriptions, plus it runs the risk of starting to play content you may not have wanted your smaller children to see. Auto-play, meanwhile, begins a new episode of a show as you finish the prior one.
For the time being, the user interface differs slightly between apps, so you may not have the same options across all devices. For this reason, we recommend toggling these settings by visiting the Disneyplus.com site in your browser.
There you have it. No more endless episodes after you fall asleep, and no more trying to read show descriptions while a trailer plays.
The first episode of The Mandalorian has arrived thanks to the official launch of the Disney+ streaming service. If you’ve had a chance to sit down and watch the show–and haven’t been bogged down by service problems–you’ve no doubt noticed how the first episode is positively stuffed with Easter eggs and references designed to entertain hardcore Star Wars fans.
However, there’s one specific reference that stands tall over the rest. After being captured by The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), a lowly bounty (Horatio Sanz) makes mention of a specific holiday. “I was hoping to be free for Life Day,” he said. “Maybe even get home to the family.”
With that one small line, a massive piece of the extended Star Wars universe, has now been made canon. Life Day is a celebrated holiday on Kashyyyk–Chewbacca’s home world–that was first introduced in the Star Wars Holiday Special. You remember that, right? The Star Wars Holiday Special was a truly bizarre TV event in 1978 that has been practically lost to time because, well, it’s bad. It still has an important place in Star Wars lore, though. It’s in this special that Boba Fett is glimpsed for the first time, albeit as a cartoon character. It’s also the first appearance of Mandalorian armor, making it especially relevant to The Mandalorian.
So what is Life Day? It’s a day celebrated by Wookiees, in which they journey to the Tree of Life on Kashyyyk and feast with their family and friends, celebrating their culture. It hasn’t appeared that often throughout Star Wars, though there is a brief mention in the video game Star Wars Battlefront II and has popped up on the official Star Wars website.
When it comes to the Holiday Special, though, that particular Life Day celebration saw Han Solo (Harrison Ford) venture to Kashyyyk with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) to visit the Wookiee’s family. It’s there that we met such important Star Wars characters as Chewie’s wife Malla, their son Lumpy, and his dad Itchy. Clearly, the 1970s were a weird time. However, it’s also interesting to note that should this Life Day mention make the Holiday Special canon, Chewie still has a family out there somewhere.
Looking forward, the creative team behind Star Wars should really lean into the celebration of Life Day. Why not feature it more heavily in an upcoming Mandalorian episode or even a future Star Wars movie? In fact, take it one step further and do a Life Day celebration during the holidays at the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park expansions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Now that we know Life Day still has a place in Star Wars, it’s time to make it count.
Yesterday, Blizzard shared some backstory for everyone’s favorite flying doctor from Overwatch. Now, players will have an opportunity to unlock Mercy’s Dr. Ziegler legendary skin just by playing games of Overwatch.
From November 12 to December 2 Blizzard is hosting a new Mercy’s Recall Challenge. The limited-time event gives players a chance to earn eight sprays, a player, icon, and the legendary Dr. Ziegler skin that was previewed yesterday in the short story “Valkyrie.”
Earning the rewards won’t require any purchases as the rewards can all be earned by either playing matches in Overwatch or watching Twitch streams.