Microsoft revealed a new batch of indie titles heading to its Xbox Game Pass service during an ID@Xbox presentation. Now that the company has introduced a new PC Game Pass tier, it is splitting its announcements up by platform: one set that will appear on both Xbox One and PC, and another that is PC-only.
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service, offering a library of more than 100 games for $10 per month. Microsoft recently launched Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles the PC and console service with Xbox Live Gold, for $15 per month. But thanks to a quirk in how the system works, you can actually save a bundle on it.
The company tends to announce a few weeks of Game Pass games at a time, most recently announcing the new additions through the end of June. Those included Rare Replay and Goat Simulator, among others. Some games also regularly rotate out, but you can purchase any you want to keep forever at a 20% discount.
The Joker is, unquestionably, one of the most popular characters in comics–and yet, there’s a good chance that every Joker fan you talk to will have a completely different idea of just who and what the character is. Unlike his nemesis, Batman–whose origin story remains set in stone no matter the incarnation–Joker seems to shift at random, never actually settling into one idea or conceptualization for too long. Really, the only thing consistent about Joker over the years is his inconsistency.
But every comic book character has to come from somewhere, right? So what is the Joker’s deal? Where did he actually come from?
The answer, unsurprisingly, is just as complicated and ambiguous as the character himself.
The Golden Age
While not Batman’s first supervillain, Joker was one of the three antagonists featured in Batman #1 by Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane back in 1940–the other two being Hugo Strange (who had previously appeared in Detective Comics) and Catwoman (here known only as The Cat). At this point, superhero comics hadn’t even begun to settle into the genre we know and love today–Batman still regularly used guns, staple characters like Alfred Pennyworth had not yet been introduced, and Gotham City had yet to really be developed at all–but somehow, this initial outing for Joker managed to be, well, exactly what you’d expect from him even by modern standards. It included several heists, a couple of murders, his catch-all murderous chemical “Joker Venom,” and a disgruntled mobster furious that Joker was pulling off crimes in his city without his say so.
Later in the same issue, Joker had his second story, “The Joker Returns,” which features more of the same–daring prison escapes, booby-trapped chattering teeth toys, you name it. The art and the style of the writing would give these stories away as Golden Age relics, but the ideas behind them are the same things you could easily find in a Batman comic today. His purpose in the story, much like every early comic book antagonist, wasn’t to add depth to the story as much as it was to create an excuse for action to happen. Batman needed a reason to swing into action, and the idea of the costumed supervillain was just beginning to come into vogue, so what better way than to make him fight a murdering thief dressed as a clown? The concept of the terrifying rictus grin was already very much in the pop culture zeitgeist–the idea of Joker was largely inspired by the 1928 silent film, The Man Who Laughs where the protagonist is a man whose mouth is forced into a horrifying smile.
Of course, these early stories actually included an explanation for who the Joker was or what motivated him–but this wasn’t really anomalous at the time. The Golden Age wasn’t big on fleshed out origin stories–Finger and Kane spoke candidly about their bare-bones conceptualization, emphasizing that they wanted a villain for Batman who would be “visually interesting” and not much else. It would actually take another decade or so for that particular piece of the puzzle to slot into place, all while Joker had spent 11 years cropping up in Batman stories again and again with no history to speak of.
The Silver Age
As superhero comics solidified their conventions–and as the social and political climates of America began to force sanctions on their content in the form of the Comics Code Authority, a self-governing ratings organization similar to the MPAA–things began to get a little odd. A lot of the “terror” and violence typical in Golden Age stories had to be phased out for the sake of the CCA’s seal of approval, and readers who had stuck with their favorite characters for the last 10-plus years began craving more and more detail in the stories they read. Things like shared universe connections between different characters and books were beginning to form, and DC’s slow experimentation with superhero teams like the Justice Society and Justice League had only just begun.
But a new comics culture demanded fresh methods of storytelling and new spins on familiar characters, and Joker was no different. In the early 1950s, he was finally given his first proper origin story in Detective Comics #168 by Bill Finger and Win Mortimer. The issue was a retroactive look at a classic Batman story featuring a villain named the Red Hood. It was revealed that Joker had been a disgruntled blue-collar worker who began moonlighting as a supervillain–The Red Hood–in an attempt to garner fame and fortune for himself. However, during one of his robberies (at the Monarch Playing Card Company–later known as Ace Chemicals), Batman caught him and, inadvertently, threw him into a vat of toxic chemicals. Red Hood survived the experience but was driven insane and physically mutated to look like a playing card Joker.
Get it? Because it was a playing card factory?
This was a pretty typical Silver Age story–unexplained chemicals causing physical and mental abnormalities, weirdly inexplicable coincidences playing into themes, the works. It didn’t really matter that it only sort of made sense–this was the origin that stuck with Joker the longest, and wound up adapted and tweaked again and again over the years. After all, there was something poetic about the idea of Batman himself creating his own greatest enemy, and people had had a decade to get to know and become invested in their feud, so the twist resonated with fans.
Not that Batman had many fans in the ’50s–his popularity had dwindled dramatically and would continue to do so until the advent of the live-action, Adam West-helmed Batman TV show in the mid ’60s, which included yet another incarnation of Joker played by Caesar Romaro, complete with all of the camp and absurdity and none of the Shakespearean drama.
The silly, mustache-twirling, pie-throwing Joker of Batman ’66 quickly overtook the tragic figure implied by his comic book persona’s history and people stopped caring about whether or not Batman had created his nemesis or not. Everyone was having too much fun with the candy-coated pop-art explosion to care.
The Bronze and Modern Ages
Recovering from campy, goofy ’60s shlock took some doing–and a whole new tone for Batman stories, spearheaded by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and by Tim Burton’s live-action films. The goofiness was still there, for the most part, but the darkness was creeping back in around the edges, and a new, more serious tone began crystallizing in Gotham City. The Joker’s heel turn away from his Batman ’66 camp wasn’t abrupt or immediate, but it was undeniable–especially when he went on to full-on murder one of Batman’s teenage sidekicks, a moment that would go on to inform Batman comics for decades to come.
Shortly after the murder of Robin (Jason Todd) in A Death In The Family by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, Jack Nicholson was tapped to play the Joker for the 1989 Batman, which adapted a variation of his 1950s origin story with one important twist: In this version of events, it was revealed that Joker had been the murderer responsible for the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, creating a sort of cyclical origin between both he and Batman–each with a past that caused the other’s future.
The idea that Joker had, in fact, been the one to murder the Waynes didn’t necessarily make the jump to the comics–but it did spark an interesting trend. Creators began using Joker as a tool to ask “what if?” hypothetical questions in the Batman universe–what if he had killed the Waynes? What if he was lying about being the Red Hood? What if everything Batman understood about him was a lie?
In that spirit, new spins on Joker “origin” stories began to crop up–some twisting the idea of the Red Hood around into new inventions, others turning the whole idea up to 11 and positing that Joker is some sort of immortal, eldrich being linked to Batman through ancient magic, time travel, and alternate dimensions. Live action efforts like The Dark Knight and Gotham threw their hand in the action, allowing actors like Heath Ledger and Cameron Monaghan to explore multiple possibilities that actively contradict one another. In fact, in current DC continuity, there are actually three different Joker entities existing simultaneously–all the same person, technically, but all completely different, too.
And that’s the beauty of it, really. The last eight decades have shaped Joker into a character who is uniquely suited for these purposes–no version of his story is incorrect, so no version is correct, either. Even the addition of his own solo movie later this year–an origin story, this time without Batman in the mix–will do little to change that. Joaquin Phoenix will play a version of the character the same way actors like Nicholson, Romero, and Ledger did before him. He’ll posit some answers to some of the questions everyone seems to have about who Joker is and why he does what he does. But whether or not those answers stick–or whether they are really even true at all–will all be a matter of perspective.
With Spider-Man: Far From Home debuting in theatres worldwide on Tuesday, July 2, one question looms over the Homecoming sequel: is it any good? Read below to see what some critics think of Spider-Man’s new adventure.
Once again, Jon Watts (Cop Car, Spider-Man: Homecoming) sits in the director chair. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige (Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel) and film producer Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Venom) serve as producers, while Ant-Man and the Wasp writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers penned the script. Tom Holland (Avengers: Infinity War, Pilgrimage) stars as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man/Peter Park alongside newly-added Jake Gyllenhaal (Southpaw, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Mysterio/Quentin Beck.
The 23rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a direct sequel to 2017’s Homecoming, Far From Home sees Parker and friends off on a school trip to Europe while baddies from another dimension show up to do some serious harm. With Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) gone and Mysterio handling the brunt of the elemental threats, Parker is asked whether he’ll step up to save Europe.
Reviews for Far From Home have begun appearing online. We’ve collected excerpts from these to help you decide whether the film is worth your time and money. Swing over to GameSpot sister site Metacritic for more critical reactions.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Directed By: Jon Watts
Written By: Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei om Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya Coleman
Release Date: July 2 (United States)
Runtime: 129 minutes
GameSpot
“The parts that work, work very, very well. But the parts that don’t tend to feel like stubbed toes or irritating splinters–not life-threatening by any means, but distracting at best and annoying at worst; like someone pulled the curtain back on the MCU’s systemic shortcomings a little too far. Still, if you can ignore that–and it’ll be easier for some than it is for others, depending on your relationship to the MCU at large–you’re in for a pretty good ride.” — Meg Downey [Full review]
CNET
“Spider-Man: Far From Home manages to act as a sequel to both Homecoming and Endgame, giving us a superior follow-up to the former and a wonderful epilogue to the latter — reminding us that MCU goes on in a joyous ride. Let’s hope Phase 4 gives us plenty more Peter Parker.” — Sean Keane [Full review]
Comic Book
“It doesn’t seem like we’re swinging to any crazy conclusions in calling Spider-Man: Far From Home the best Spider-Man movie ever. Top to bottom, it is a complete moviegoing experience. It is thrilling, it is fun, it is unpredictable, and it is full of heart. Spider-Man: Far From Home is by far a home run.” — Brandon Davis [Full review]
Entertainment Tonight
“Far From Home sticks the landing, and that might be the most important thing it needed to do after an utter behemoth like Endgame. The fallout from that movie feels effortlessly worked into the fabric of the universe by the time the end credits roll here, opening Marvel’s saga up to a new beginning. And then the post-credits scenes change everything.” — John Boone [Full review]
IndieWire
“But the Spider-Man we find at the end of the movie is no different than the one we met at the start; he’s more confident now, and ready to accept a truth of his own design, but you can’t help but feel like he could have learned all of the same things without leaving Queens or wasting our time.” — David Ehrlich [Full review]
Slant Magazine
“Yet the film is ultimately on more solid ground when positioning Peter as the new emotional fulcrum on which the MCU can turn, with Tony’s sarcasm and megalomania replaced by Peter’s humility and guilelessness. It all suggests that the next phase of the MCU may be less cynical and emotionally resonant than the prior one.” — Jake Cole [Full review]
Variety
“By the end, this Spider-Man really does find his tingle, yet coming after ‘Into the Spider-Verse,’ with its swirling psychedelic imagery and identity games and trap doors of perception, ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ touches all the bases of a conventional Marvel movie. It doesn’t take you out of this world. But it’s good enough to summon the kick—or maybe just the illusion—of consequence.” — Owen Gleiberman [Full review]
The Verge
“But it’s Far From Home in a nutshell: an acknowledgement of small emotions amid big moments, a reminder of the ever-building continuity that’s made these stories so memorable and so satisfying for fans, and a moment taken for grief between action beats. It’s a beautiful little pause in a beautifully big film. But moments like these are what make Far From Home feel so heartfelt and relevant. It’s a breathless and admirably well-assembled movie that proves the Marvel formula still isn’t tired, but it’s also a capper on more than a decade of building powerful feelings around powerful heroes.” — Tasha Robinson [Full review]
During publisher Focus Home Interactive’s latest gameplay walkthrough of The Surge 2, developer Deck13 Interactive revealed the upcoming Souls-like game is borrowing another feature that’s prominently included in From Software’s Soulsborne games. Like in Dark Souls and Bloodborne, you’ll be able to leave behind messages in The Surge 2 for other players to discover in their game if they’re playing online.
“Here you can see our new online feature, one of our several new online features,” Deck13 head of game design Adam Hetenyi said in the video, which can be watched below. “Players can craft these graffiti messages and place them in the world using a spray can attached to their drone. You can leave messages for other players: friendly things like, ‘There’s loot over here,’ or ‘Oh no, a dangerous sniper.'”
Though the rest of the video did detail several other changes between The Surge 2 and its predecessor, such as more intelligent AI behavior and a directional parry mechanic, Hetenyi did not discuss any of the other new online features alluded to in his comment. For now, all we know for sure is that these other features are not related to co-op play. Back in June 2018, during an interview with Twinfinite, Deck13 creative director Jan Klose said, “We really do love multiplayer gaming, and right now we have planned lots of online features there. There’s no synchronous co-op or multiplayer gameplay planned right now, but so far we’re starting with some online features where you can influence other gamer’s experience in a way.”
The Surge 2 is currently scheduled to release on September 24 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Though similar to its predecessor, Deck13 has announced The Surge 2 will be more tactical when it comes to limb-targeting during combat. The fairly linear mission structure of the first game has also been ditched for a more open-ended one that allows players to fight or overcome obstacles in more than one way.
2017’s The Surge is a Souls-like game that differentiates itself from Dark Souls with its dismemberment mechanic, which allows you to target and cut off specific body parts of enemies to steal the armor, tech, or weapons attached to them. In GameSpot’s The Surge review, Daniel Starkey wrote, “[The Surge] is far from perfect, but none of its problems are deal breakers. They’re minor bumps that come from an otherwise inventive, exciting new entry in a packed sub-genre. It bucks the trend towards creative bankruptcy, adopting some fresh ideas and layering those together with aesthetics, tone, and play to create an inspired adventure.”
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is off to a fast start, and soon you’ll be able to meet up with other wizards and witches in real life as part of an official event. Niantic and WB Games have announced a real-world event or Wizards Unite to take place in Indianapolis starting on August 31.
During the event, participating SOS operatives can explore the White River State Park to find magical activity spilling over into the Muggle world. You’ll be able to encounter fantastic beasts, find artifacts, and cast spells out in the wide open space of the park. As the first major event, Niantic hints that it will start to unravel the mystery of the Calamity that has smashed magic into Muggle spaces.
Tickets will be available for purchase, but Niantic appears to be expecting a crowd and will be setting up a lottery system for tickets. You can check the official event site for more details and watch for your chance to enter the lottery. The event will take place August 31 through September 1.
Niantic has hosted similar events for Pokemon Go on a fairly regular basis. Those events have typically also had some element or prize that goes out to those who couldn’t attend as well.
“Real-world events are part of Niantic’s DNA, bringing players from all walks of life together in the name of adventure, exploration and creating lasting friendships,” said Niantic live events VP Bill Kilday, in the announcement. “The incredible White River State Park is surrounded by the rich culture and history of Indianapolis and will be the perfect location for our inaugural Harry Potter: Wizards Unite event.”
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Among Amazon’s deals of the day is a big sale that offers up to 50% off Acer products. We’re talking gaming PCs and laptops. We’re talking monitors. We’re talking mice and headsets. So if you’re looking for a new computer or items to go along with your current setup, you’ll want to take a look at these deals. But don’t delay, as the sale ends tonight. Let’s get down to it, shall we?
Google vice president Phil Harrison believes that internet service providers will adapt to accommodate video game streaming, and will offer higher data caps to permit the increased levels of data required by Google Stadia.
Talking to IGN and other journalists at a roundtable event at Google’s UK offices, Harrison said “Data caps is not a universal challenge. The ISPs have a strong history of staying ahead of consumer trends.”
“If you look at the trend over time, when music streaming and downloading became very popular, data caps moved up. And then with the evolution of TV and film streaming, data caps moved up. And we expect that that will continue to be the case,” he explained.
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Hexgears is a brand that you might not have heard of, but it offers some rather unique keyboards and keyboard accessories. One of its newest models, the Hexgears Impulse, is a water-resistant, pudding capped mechanical keyboard for a surprisingly affordable $89.99 (See it on Amazon).
Call of Duty Endowment, the charity initiative that aims to help support real military veterans, has set itself a new goal to help 100,000 ex-armed forces personnel find new jobs for civilian life by 2024.
The Endowment scheme was originally set up in 2009 with the aim of finding new jobs for 25,000 ex-servicemen and women by 2018. Ten years on, that original goal has been surpassed – more than 57,000 veterans have been helped – and the aim is now to secure positions for 100,000 people.
