The strange, multi-font, ever-changing logo for Marvel’s Loki works as a pretty good teaser for what the show is about, according to Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston.
Talking to Empire for the magazine’s June 2021 issue, Hiddleston refused to explain what the show is truly about, but pointed to the “shapeshifting logo” as a good indicator as to the show’s theme.
“I think that shapeshifting logo might give you an idea that Loki, the show, is about identity, and about integrating the disparate fragments of the many selves that he can be, and perhaps the many selves that we are,” Hiddleston said. “I thought it was very exciting because I’ve always found Loki a very complex construct. Who is this character who can wear so many masks, and changes shape, and seems to change his external feeling on a sixpence?”
He also notes that Loki is the “quintessential shapeshifter” and that this means audiences are never quite sure if the Asgardian trickster god is a hero, villain, or anti-hero.
A remaster of Sonic Colors has been seemingly leaked by a German voiceover studio.
As discovered by Twitter account Gum | Kupo, German voiceover studio iksample had a listing for Sonic Colors Remastered, detailing that the studio worked on localization for the game in December 2020. You can see in the tweet below a screenshot from the listing, although since that posting iksample have removed the page from its website.
Sega has not officially announced a Sonic Colors remaster, and so this appears to be the first indication that the project may be in the works. And, should the project be real, it seems sensible to predict that it may have German localization, considering iksample’s location.
Additionally, French games retailer Sogamely currently features a pre-order page for Sonic Colors Ultimate for PS4. As leaks such as the infamous drop from Walmart ahead of E3 2018 show, retailers can know about unannounced games ahead of time. But retailers can and do get things wrong. As such, it’s worth waiting for any official announcement before assuming a Sonic Colors remaster is definitely in the works.
Sonic Colors released in 2010 on Wii and Nintendo DS. Our review back then was impressed, calling it the “best Sonic game in 18 years”. If you prefer your blue hedgehog live action, though, then you’ll be pleased to hear about the movie sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.
The new week has brought some excellent deals along with it, and some of the very best deals from last week are still available, too. On the games front, Marvel’s Avengers is down to its best price yet at Amazon, Monster Hunter Rise is still available for $10 off, and PlayStation exclusives like The Last of Us Part 2 are on sale for steeply discounted prices. You can also save big on a great Lenovo gaming laptop and take advantage of some notable Best Buy daily deals, including a big discount on a cool Segway scooter. We’ve rounded up the best deals to take advantage of on Monday, and make sure to return tomorrow for more deals.
Marvel’s Avengers is down to the best price we can recall at Amazon. Right now, you can snag a copy for PlayStation or Xbox platforms for only $25. Marvel’s Avengers comes with a free next-gen upgrade and recently received a big update that adds new content. While the live service component of Marvel’s Avengers is underwhelming, the mainline story and combat are solid, which makes this a great price for Marvel fans.
Though it’s not discounted, the Monster Hunter Rise-themed Nintendo Switch Pro controller is worth mentioning here. It’s been going in and out of stock since release and eventually will probably not come back. The cool controller has Rise’s big baddie Magnamalo emblazoned in gold and costs $75. It’s worth noting that your order won’t ship until May 22, so you’ll have to wait a while to play Monster Hunter Rise with your new Pro controller.
The latest major Nintendo Switch exclusive, Monster Hunter Rise, only released a few weeks ago, but you can save $10 on your purchase at eBay. This deal comes with free shipping and a money-back guarantee. We highlighted this deal last week as well and limited stock is available. The action-RPG earned a 9/10 in our Monster Hunter Rise review.
If you’re a fan of traditional JRPGs, you should check out Bravely Default II, which released exclusively on Nintendo Switch earlier this year. Amazon is selling Bravely Default II for $10 off right now. We’ve yet to see the lengthy RPG discounted for less, so this is worth scooping up if you’re looking for a game that you can sink dozens upon dozens of hours into.
Ghost of Tsushima, one of the PS4’s final exclusives, is on sale for $40 at Amazon. Tsushima has a captivating open world and a great combat system. In addition to a great solo campaign, Tsushima has an online multiplayer mode that is surprisingly robust, which gives the Sucker Punch action game some serious legs after the credits roll. Ghost of Tsushima has a free next-gen upgrade to PS5.
eBay has an awesome deal on a solid Lenovo gaming laptop right now. The Lenovo Legion 5 is discounted to $880, which is more than $200 off. This deal comes from the reputable seller antonline and features free shipping and returns. The Lenovo Legion 5 has a 15.6-inch 144Hz display, a Ryzen 7-4800H processor, Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD.
Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO releases tomorrow, April 13 in hardcover. The book compiles “Iwata Asks” interviews that took place during the last decade of the late CEO’s life. Amazon is selling preorders at a small discount, knocking the price down to $20.49.
Best Buy is offering a steep discount on a great Logitech portable speaker today only. Normally $150, you can get the Logitech Ultimate Ears Boom Portable Speaker for $90. The wireless speaker has a 100-foot range and can run for 15 hours on a full charge. It features 360-degree sound and has a water-resistant design.
Wireless chargers can come in handy, and this particular Anker model also comes with a mount to use while on the go. It’s specifically designed to be used in the car, so this is a great pick for those who have long commutes or travel a lot. Best Buy has marked down the Anker ROAV wireless charger to $40 today only. It works with all Qi-compatible devices and features 10 watts of charging power.
Just in time for the seasonal change, Best Buy is offering a steep discount on this Segway scooter. Regularly $600, you can get the Segway Ninebot S Self-Balancing Scooter for only $400 today only. The Ninebot’s self-balancing design makes it easy for beginners to start riding around hands free. It has a max speed of 10mph and can travel nearly 14 miles between charges.
The rumored new Netflix movie Home Team, which hails from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison production company, has cast one of its leads. Kevin James, a frequent collaborator with Sandler, is apparently going to play New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in the upcoming football movie.
This news comes from noted NFL insider Peter King. He revealed that the story of Home Team begins in 2012, which was when Payton was suspended for a year due to his involvement in his team’s plan to purposefully injure other players as part of what was called “bountygate.”
During his time away from the NFL, Payton coached his son’s team of sixth graders, and this same story will be featured in the movie. According to King, Payton is involved with the movie, too. He recently read the script and “made some corrections,” according to King.
Netflix has not officially announced Home Team, and there is no word yet on if Sandler will also appear in it or if he will only produce through Happy Madison.
Sandler doesn’t work with Netflix exclusively. He also starred in the Safdie brothers 2019 movie Uncut Gems, which earned him some of the highest praise in his career.
E3 2020 didn’t happen, and Nintendo Direct shows became somewhat nonexistent for the entire year. We received plenty of Partner Showcases, but no regular Nintendo Direct between September 2019 and February 2021. Typically, Nintendo Direct presentations are announced 1-2 days before airing, but with Nintendo returning to E3 in 2021, we have a solid timeframe of when new announcements will come.
There are a few things lingering from previous years we’d like to see return at this year’s show, like the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Metroid Prime 4, and Bayonetta 3. But what about other stuff? ARMS 2? Pikmin 4? N64 and GameCube Online? All that and more is touched on in this video.
If you want to know more about E3’s return in 2021, then check out our show Console Crew, where Lucy James, Tamoor Hussain, and Jordan Ramée discuss the news and if publishers even need E3 in a world where digital events are doing really well: https://youtu.be/xBhuNg2DMJI
Casa Bonita, a popular Colorado landmark elevated to iconic restaurant since being featured in South Park, has filed for Chapter 11 protection according to The Denver Channel. The restaurant had been closed during the pandemic, though reportedly recently announced it would be reopening soon–but those plans are as of this writing now unclear.
The Denver Channel further reports that the documents filed by Casa Bonita did not specify the amount of debt the company owes, though “the filing states that the company’s noncontingent liquated debts are below $7.5 million.” This is also not necessarily an indication that Casa Bonita will close for good, just that it at least needs time to reorganize and strategize over its debts.
South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who have both loved the restaurant since childhood, once considered buying the restaurant. In a 2016 interview, Parker told The Hollywood Reporter: “Four years ago, it came up for sale and we had 10 minutes of like, ‘We should buy it,’ because they do have a few things up there now where they’re like, this is the South Park Casa Bonita. There are people who go to Casa Bonita because of South Park.”
Stone and Parker have not yet provided a comment to this developing news, but are likely aware of the situation–and it might even be the focus of an upcoming Season 24 episode, whenever the season is finally announced. The show recently pulled off a run of two hour-long specials, each standalone and not part of any season, about the pandemic and then about vaccines. This potential shuttering of a local, iconic institution is an up-to-the-minute current event that’d fit right in with the show’s topical nature, and also something all towns everywhere are navigating.
An official video showing off the changing face of Halo’s Master Chief appears to end sooner than intended. That video, titled “Master Chief through the years,” was posted on the official Xbox YouTube channel on April 9, and it prominently features the changes in the iconic hero’s model over the many Halo games he stars in, including the upcoming Halo Infinite.
The video certainly showcases the leaps in technology that the Halo games have taken advantage of over the years, and the difference between Halo 1 and 2 Master Chief models is pretty staggering by itself. That said, the video abruptly ends at the 23-second mark, right around the time that Halo Infinite footage starts to get good. This apparent mistake lead some fans to leave humorous responses to the video. Even so, the video is still up, so it’s unclear if it actually was a mistake.
“‘Did we fix the ending?'” commenter Ben jokes, imagining the conversation between the video editors. “‘I already clicked export.’ ‘Meh, it’s Friday.'” Pvt Donut asks: “Hey Xbox, you posted only 24 seconds, where’s the rest of [the] trailer?”
Samsung has opened a specialized site aimed at tempting iPhone users to switch to its Android-based Samsung Galaxy line. The Samsung iTest site takes you to a browser-based simulation of the Samsung Galaxy interface.
Opening the site will prompt you to add the browser shortcut to your home screen, which will allow it to go full-screen. From there you can check out some tool tips you get in messages from your sample “generic friends,” browse and swap themes, make a fake phone call, and more. There’s even a Samsung Kids button to simulate the kid-friendly interface.
The Verge reports that there are some Easter eggs buried in the interface too. The Settings menu is said to be simplified “just so our developer could have a lunch break.” There’s also a Fortnite icon in the game launcher, which actually may be a selling point since the game is blocked on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store due to pending litigation.
It’s marketing, naturally, and so the site doesn’t go into any of the potential drawbacks of making the switch to Samsung. But as marketing goes, it’s pretty clever. You can toy around with the features and see how it feels in case you’re looking into a new phone and open to a new operating system.
The new Will Smith movie Emancipation has pulled out of filming in Georgia due to the recently announced voting laws in the state. It is the first major Hollywood production to withdraw from the state–which is known to be a huge hub for movies–due to the controversial, Republican-backed laws. Director Antoine Fuqua announced the news on Monday in a joint statement with Smith.
“At this moment in time, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice,” they said. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access. The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, cameras were set to start rolling in June on the Apple Studios project.
Due to its tax credits, Georgia–and Atlanta, specifically–has become an east coast Hollywood hub for big films and TV shows. It’s where Marvel and Netflix, in particular, film a lot of their shows and movies. According to THR, the decision by Fuqua and Smith to move production on Emancipation out of Georgia “could have a cascading effect” for other projects to leave the state and film elsewhere.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill also weighed in on the matter, saying he agrees with Mangold about wanting to stop filming in Georgia. “No More Filming In Georgia,” he wrote as a hashtag.
Emancipation the movie is inspired by the 1863 photograph, The Scourged Back, which further illuminated the brutality of slavery in America. Fuqua has said of the film, “You can’t fix the past, but you can remind people of the past and I think we have to, in an accurate, real way.
“We all have to look for a brighter future for us all, for everyone. That’s one of the most important reasons to do things right now, is show our history. We have to face our truth before we can move forward.”
The market for dedicated gaming phones has bloomed in recent years, with a number of brands delivering devices specifically tuned for gaming. The Nubia RedMagic 6 is one of the latest competitors bringing some powerful internals, special features, and beefed-up cooling all for a surprisingly low $599 price. At such a low price, some tradeoffs are going to be unavoidable, but let’s see if they actually stand in the way of the RedMagic 6’s value.
The RedMagic 6 announces itself loudly. From the smartphone’s domineering size to the detailed back panel with RGB lights and reflective accents. The model sent for review is the Eclipse Black, and it’s still a bold design despite being more muted color-wise than the Aurora color option.
Measuring 169.8 x 77.19 x 9.7mm, the RedMagic 6 is larger in every dimension than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it’s nearly as wide as the iPhone 12 Pro Max. At 220 grams, it’s also not very light. It’s not entirely unwieldy thanks to a decent balance of its weight distribution, but it’s certainly not the easiest phone to hold.
Nubia didn’t skimp on premium materials to bring the price down. The phone feels sturdy and solid with a metal frame and Gorilla Glass on both sides. The back glass is gently sloped from edge to edge. There are two RGB strips near each side, as well as a lit RedMagic logo near the bottom. As far as typical gaming RGB lights go, they’re rather subtle. A three-sensor camera system sits right along the centerline of the phone – though it’s very small, one of the first hints at where Nubia cut costs.
Nubia also packs in two other key gaming features. On the right-hand side, there are two touch-sensitive shoulder buttons that can work like triggers in games, and there are two vents, roughly an inch long, on each side of the phone for active cooling. A small red switch on the side of the phone activates a special gaming mode that takes advantage of these two features.
The design takes a turn for the worse when looking at the front. The screen sort of pops out from the frame, almost like a slightly slimmer phone was jammed into another phone’s frame. This really doesn’t lend itself to a seamless design.
That screen itself is something of a plus though. Nubia has packed a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a max refresh rate of 165Hz. These are high-end specs for any phone, let alone one that costs $599. The screen is also plenty bright, topping out at 630 nits, which may not be as high as its flagship competitors but is more than enough for clear visibility out on sunny days.
The RedMagic 6 also does one thing its fellow large phones don’t – that 6.8-inch display isn’t cut into at all. There’s no punch hole selfie camera like the S21 Ultra or notch like the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Instead, the selfie camera is in the bezel above the display. There may be a bit of extra bezel at the top and bottom, but it can help avoid accidental palm touches.
The RedMagic 6 includes stereo speakers for decent sound in games, but it also has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Though the phone actually supports a burly 66W charging rate, Nubia includes just a 30W charger in the box.
Nubia RedMagic 6 – Software
Nubia’s software is hands down the worst part of the RedMagic 6. It is thankfully not loaded with bloatware, but that’s about the only positive thing it has going for it. The style reminded me of a much older version of Android despite this running Android 11 out of the box. Though I actually like the classic Back/Home/Recent Android navigation buttons, it strikes me as bizarre for a phone this large to use them by default when Android’s newer gesture navigation is better suited to phones this large.
The launcher is somewhat straightforward but limited and unstable. I ran into issues with it crashing or stalling out, for a while it wouldn’t let me put any apps onto it besides the ones it already displayed, and there’s no option to access App Info by long pressing app icons on the home screen or app drawer.
The Notification Shade and Quick Settings are also a pain, as the shade often closes while I’m scrolling through it. The text descriptions of the Quick Settings are similarly frustrating, as Nubia opted to clip the text and use a scrolling marquee despite having ample space to just display them in full on two lines.
Nubia’s special gaming mode, GameSpace, basically switches the phone over to a separate launcher to display games, gaming settings, and system performance stats. While this is useful (especially since you wouldn’t want the shoulder buttons active all the time), the main launcher has been unresponsive on multiple occasions when exiting this game mode.
Heck, even the phone’s default notification sound is grating. And let me not forget to mention that the phone defaults to putting a big “SHOT ON REDMAGIC 6 POWERED BY NUBIA” watermark on photos in the camera app.
Nubia RedMagic 6 – Gaming and performance
Gaming is where the RedMagic 6 gets to make up some of its lost ground. For the price, it’s wild that Nubia can include a Snapdragon 888 chipset and 12GB of memory. These are premium specs for any Android phone, and as expected games run with ease. The 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage also helps deliver quick loading times.
Between the powerful chipset and the phone’s 165Hz refresh rate, the gaming experience is about as fluid as it can get. Throwing in the shoulder buttons, I had an incredibly easy time diving into Call of Duty Mobile and raking in the kills. Generally I struggle with the controls of this type of game, but being able to separate out the ADS and shoot controls so I could move, aim, ADS and shoot independently made a huge difference. The phone also offers an incredibly fast touch sample rate, with a 400Hz rate for the triggers and a 360Hz rate for multi-touch on the display. That sample rate jumps to 500Hz on the display for single-finger touch. The specs being what they are, these are at levels higher than I can distinguish.
While playing Call of Duty Mobile for a stretch with all the settings cranked, the phone never really got very warm, and that was without the fans turned on. I also tested with the gaming mode active and the fans blasting, but couldn’t notice any difference aside from one: the 20,000RPM fans are obnoxiously shrill.
Performance in games is somewhat contrasted by occasional hiccups outside of games. Despite having all the specs for a smooth experience, I noticed regular hitches while scrolling. And the phone doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its horde of memory, as I briefly left Call of Duty then switched back and saw it reload. This compares to my experience switching away from Call of Duty on the OnePlus 9 Pro to go do a half-dozen other demanding things on the phone only to resume where I was in Call of Duty instantly.
The display’s performance is also betrayed by some odd behavior. While scrolling through Twitter, I watched as the display would frequently shift its brightness and color temperature. It almost appeared as though there was some Auto Brightness Limiter in effect, despite the screen being set well below its peak brightness at the time. I was able to repeat this issue consistently. On the plus side, the under-display fingerprint scanner works super fast.
The battery life on the RedMagic 6 is solid. With a 5050mAh battery, it handles a whole day of high-use easily. Even with a solid hour of gaming, a bunch of hotspot use, tons of Twitter, and a few episodes of King of the Hill, I didn’t bring that battery to 0% by the end of the day. With more moderate use, getting through two full days was just as easy.
I also noted that the phone has a really aggressive haptic motor. This is a feature I rarely notice on phones I review, but just using the onscreen keyboard would have the motor shake hard enough I could hear it.
In the case of connectivity, the RedMagic 6 supports Wi-fi 6E, making it relatively future-ready for high-speed internet. But though it does support 5G, it can only connect to a small handful of network bands (less than half of what the OnePlus 9 supports in the US). This support could prove an issue depending on where you live.
In case the noisy internal fans aren’t enough for you, Nubia also sells the Dual-Core Ice Dock. This is an accessory that goes on the back of the phone and attaches two larger (though still relatively small) fans. How it aims to cool the phone is completely beyond my comprehension though, as the attachment between the cooler and phone is plastic and rubber – not the most thermally conductive materials. Maybe it can keep your hands cool, but it’ll prove a nuisance since it needs a USB connection for power.
Remember that Chekov’s gun on the wall I mentioned in Act 1? That’s right, the cameras on this phone are a big oof. Aside from only one of the cameras managing to be decent, the software once again holds the phone back.
Here are the cameras on the RedMagic 6:
64MP Wide, 0.8-micron, f/1.8
8MP ultrawide (120degree), f/2.0
2MP Macro
8MP Selfie, 1.12-micron, f/2.0
Using the Photo mode in the camera app, the phone seems to think it only has one rear sensor. The macro camera only appears to run when switching to the dedicated (and awkward to use) Macro mode. And, the only way I could figure out how to access the ultra-wide camera was in Pro Mode.
The ultra-wide sensor has a decent dynamic range, but really lacks in color saturation, leaving images feeling like a bit of life is sucked out of them. This color issue is a running theme for the camera system. Meanwhile, the macro sensor can get up close and personal, but can be really hard to get in focus.
Main Camera
The main camera proves more promising than these other two, capturing a reasonable amount of detail to create sharp images. The sensor isn’t powerful enough to handle much zooming in, but close-up subjects look clear and well-defined. The backgrounds for extra close subjects also blur in a really soft and dreamy way. The main sensor delivers a bit more color than the other sensors, though it is still a little on the dreary side. Unfortunately, low-light performance is about as poor on the main camera as all the others.
The selfie camera is crisp and colorful, handling a bit like the main sensor, though it also struggles a bit in lower lighting conditions, even in a dimmer room during the day. It seems to opt for a slower shutter speed that leads to blurry photos.
Selfie Camera
The cameras are a really poor showing for the RedMagic 6. Though cameras might not be the main focus of a gaming phone, OnePlus has recently stepped up its photography chops in a big way, and its phones are also solid performers for gaming.
