Netflix’s We Are The Champions Has Rainn Wilson Spotlighting “Weird” Competitions

Netflix has announced that The Office’s Rainn Wilson will be executive producing and narrating a quirky new competition series titled We Are the Champions. The show, which is slated to debut on November 17, will feature “unusual competitions around the world… including cheese rolling, chili eating, fantasy hair styling, yo-yo, dog dancing, and frog jumping,” according to Variety. In other words, the show sounds like an attempt to try to wind 2020 down with a light-hearted salve to what will no doubt be an exhausting final few weeks of the year.

“We Are the Champions’ celebrates weirdness, finds beauty in idiosyncrasies, and demonstrates what it really takes to rise to the top: heart,” Wilson said. “As a self-proclaimed expert on the unconventional, I’m excited to introduce viewers to these small-world competitors with big-world dreams because, in this time, we could all use a hero–be it a dancing dog or the world yo-yo champion.”

Chris Uetwiller, CEO of the show’s production company, Dirty Robber, added, “In a TV landscape that can be rather formulaic at times, We Are the Champions represents something refreshing and different.” He also emphasized that the show is about storytelling that will surprisingly move people, asking, “Who knew people would ever be moved by cheese rolling?”

The show also bookends a year that similarly kicked off with Wilson’s The Office co-star Jim Krasinski starting a new project in March to combat great stress and uncertainty. Krasinski’s YouTube series, called “Some Good News,” had a quick, strange, and somewhat divisive journey from a feel-good one-off to a series that garnered more than 2 million subscribers and netted around 70 million views to then being acquired by GameSpot parent company ViacomCBS for the CBS All Access app. The show has not yet debuted on CBS All Access, but Krasinski announced he would no longer star–and the shift also meant that an adorable once-free show has now been locked behind a streaming paywall.

The Boys Season 3: 18 Things We Want When The Amazon Superhero Show Returns

The Boys Season 3: 18 Things We Want When The Amazon Superhero Show Returns – GameSpot

“/>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

]]>

Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company


Subscribe to Disney+ Before The Mandalorian Season 2

The Mandalorian, the big-budget Star Wars series on Disney+, is set to return for season two on October 30. The show follows the adventures of a masked bounty hunter and his charge Baby Yoda, the most adorable child in the universe. But just like the first season, watching The Mandalorian season two requires a subscription to Disney+. If you’ve let yours lapse since the season one finale, here’s what you’ll need to watch season two.

Subscribe to Disney+

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=disney”]

Watching any show on the service requires a Disney+ subscription. This costs $6.99 for a one-month subscription or $59.99 for a year. Alternatively, you can get a bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu for $12.99 per month. Unfortunately, Disney has eliminated the free trial for new subscribers, so you’ll need to pay to watch the show even if you’ve never subscribed before. That said, the service offers plenty of entertainment for the price, including Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, The Simpsons, National Geographic, and more.

When Does The Mandalorian Seasons 2 Air?

The new season of The Mandalorian will “air” in weekly installments each Friday, starting with the October 30 season premier. And while Disney hasn’t specified when the episodes will debut on the service, each episode of the first season appeared right around 12:01 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/15/the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer”]

The Mandalorian isn’t the only new thing to watch on Disney+. With a subscription, you can also buy the new live-action version of Mulan for an additional $29.99, or wait for the movie to become free for all Disney+ subscribers on December 4. There’s also the new show The Right Stuff, and a Willow sequel was recently announced. And coming December 25 is the next Pixar animated feature Soul, which is foregoing a theatrical release in favor of the streaming service. And unlike Mulan, it will be free to all Disney+ subscribers right out of the gate.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

[widget path=”ign/modules/recirc” parameters=”title=&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=us-shopping&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article”]

Power Rangers Expands Into Upcoming Film And TV Versions

According to a new release, the Mighty Powers will be “morphing” into a new connected universe of movies and TV adaptations. Jonathan Entwistle, co-creator of Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This, has been tapped to shepherd these upcoming new entries in the long-running series, which is sort of brilliant since the Netflix series similarly delves into high schoolers dealing with puberty and budding superpowers. Entwistle will be directing these projects across both formats.

“Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise, and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimagine the television and film worlds of this property,” eOne Film President Nick Meyer and eOne Global Television President Michael Lombardo said in the joint statement. “Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro’s rich fan-favorite brands and build entertainment universes around them.”

Production company eOne was purchased by Hasbro in 2019 and has, as this announcement makes clear, been making a greater effort to further develop their properties. There’s a ton of nostalgia for the Power Rangers, whose first entry as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, debuted in 1993 as something of a cult classic. (It’s unclear whether these projects will connect with the 2017 Power Rangers movie.)

There are not yet any concrete details about what this reimagining will look and feel like, or what its plotlines might be, but Entwistle called the collaboration “an unbelievable opportunity” that he hopes to share “with the world very soon.”

Now Playing: The Power Rangers Movie: What Did They Change?

Fantastic xCloud Mobile Controller Is On Sale For A Great Price

Microsoft’s Xbox cloud gaming service (Project xCloud) is currently available on Android devices, and one of the best controllers you can get is currently discounted. The Razer Kishi turns your Android phone into a handheld gaming device, complete with analog sticks, triggers, and more. Right now, the Razer Kishi is $80 at Amazon, down from its regular price of $100.

The Razer Kishi is compatible with all Xbox games including genres like racing games that specifically require analog triggers and first-person shooters that require clickable sticks. It fits most Android devices, thanks to its flexible yet secure design and connects via USB-C. Connecting a device to the Kishi occupies its USB-C port, though you can still charge it through the controller’s own port–just plug in your charger.

Xbox cloud gaming is now available to all Game Pass Ultimate users. There are more than 170 games available on xCloud, including Doom Eternal, Resident Evil 7, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and right now, sign-ups for Ultimate are very cheap. You can currently get your first month of Game Pass Ultimate for $1.

If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out our guide to the best Xbox xCloud controllers you can buy right now. There are some great options that work with a variety of phones.

Xbox Series X: Best Solution For Storage Expansion (SSD, Expansion Card, Or Hard Drive)

The Xbox Series X‘s 1TB internal SSD is really fast, loading up some games in a matter of seconds–I tested this out in several games in my full console preview and got impressive results. But with 802GB actually free to use on the internal drive, you can fill it up quickly with the size of games today (and don’t forget the Xbox Series S only comes with a 512GB drive). So, what are some good solutions to expand your storage on the new Xbox consoles and how do they perform in comparison?

I used three different drives for the purposes of my tests: the 1TB Seagate SSD expansion card, a Samsung T5 portable SSD (500GB), and a Western Digital My Passport external hard drive (4TB). This covers the different tiers of storage options available for the Xbox Series systems. To test and compare speeds, I used Final Fantasy XV and The Outer Worlds for transferring whole games and recording load times. You can check the results in the video and text below.

Table of Contents [hide]

1TB Seagate Expansion Card

Let’s start with the proprietary Seagate 1TB expansion card, built specifically for the Series X and Series S. This is the drive that plugs directly into the back of the console. You just insert it, and it’s immediately ready to use.

It interfaces with the Xbox hardware and takes full advantage of that Velocity architecture Microsoft has been flexing. In terms of speed, it’s technically the best solution since it works identically to the internal SSD. There’s virtually no difference in load times in the games I tested. However, it carries a hefty price tag at $220 USD.

The Xbox Series expansion card works just as fast as internal storage.
The Xbox Series expansion card works just as fast as internal storage.

Before Getting Into USB Drives

An important thing to note is USB-based storage devices cannot play Series X- or S-specific games off the drive itself–that’s where this expansion card comes in clutch, especially once we start seeing more Series X/S-only games. USB external drives can store those games, but they would have to be transferred to the internal drive or expansion card in order to be played (at least transfer speeds are pretty fast, as you’ll see later in our results).

These conditions can also apply to certain Xbox One games that have received Series X optimizations, as was the case for me with Gears 5 and Gears Tactics. Otherwise, you can play Xbox One and previous gen backwards compatible games straight off the USB drive using a USB 3.0 cable (or better), and they’ll still use the Quick Resume game-swapping feature without a hitch.

Series X/S games will need to be on internal or expansion card storage in order to be played (message at the bottom right).
Series X/S games will need to be on internal or expansion card storage in order to be played (message at the bottom right).

Samsung T5 External USB SSD

For an external SSD, I used a 500GB Samsung T5 with a USB-C to USB 3.1 cable. In terms of moving around data and loading games, the results were quite impressive.

The Outer Worlds, which is a 45GB game, took 2:54 to transfer onto the external SSD, and 2:05 to transfer back to the internal drive. When loading into the same save I used for our previous tests, it only took 13 seconds off the external SSD which is very close to the internal drive that took 11 seconds to load.

For Final Fantasy XV, an 84GB file, it took 5:50 to transfer onto the external SSD and just 3:56 to move back to internal storage. And the load time results were great as well, just taking 15 seconds compared to the 13 seconds of the internal drive.

Both Final Fantasy XV and The Outer Worlds are Xbox One games without Series X optimizations, so the results between the internal and external SSD are due to the fact the games are simply working with the raw speed of those drives.

There are other external SSDs out there, but the Samsung T5 in particular usually goes for around $110 for 500GB and $140 for 1TB.

The Samsung T5 SSD (top right) and the WD My Passport HDD (bottom right).

WD My Passport External USB Hard Drive

Moving onto a traditional hard drive, I used my WD My Passport external drive with a USB 3.0 cable. Things start to slow down of course, but it’s not all that bad.

To transfer The Outer Worlds from internal storage onto the external hard drive, it took longer: about 7:35. Transferring back to the internal drive took 7 minutes. However, in-game load times remained decent, taking 26 seconds to load up that same save I previously used.

With Final Fantasy XV, the transfer speed took longer as well, coming in at around 14:24 to move to the hard drive, and 12:55 to get back onto internal storage. Loading up save data remained reasonable though, taking 52 seconds for the same save file I used before.

It’s no surprise that a hard drive is going to be slower compared to an SSD, but these results aren’t bad at all. They’re actually faster than current-gen consoles, too: The Outer Worlds took 43 seconds and Final Fantasy XV took 1:11 to load saves when using the Xbox One X.

Considering that you get more space for cheaper with an external hard drive, this would be the cost-effective route for bulk storage or playing backwards compatible games if you don’t mind the slower load times. A Western Digital Passport goes for just $80 for 2TB and $110 for a whopping 4TB.

Summary Of Results

Data Transfer Speeds

Storage Drive (and scenario) Final Fantasy XV (84GB) The Outer Worlds (45GB)
Samsung T5 SSD (transfer from internal) 5:50 2:54
Samsung T5 SSD (transfer to internal) 3:56 2:05
WD Passport HDD (transfer from internal) 14:24 7:35
WD Passport HDD (transfer to internal) 12:55 7:00

Load Times

Storage Drive Final Fantasy XV The Outer Worlds
Xbox Series X (internal/expansion card) 13 seconds 11 seconds
Xbox Series X (Samsung T5 + USB 3.1) 15 seconds 13 seconds
Xbox Series X (WD Passport + USB 3.0) 52 seconds 26 seconds
Xbox One X (internal) 1 minute, 11 seconds 43 seconds

Which Storage Drive To Go With

So, what’s the best solution? Of course, it depends. For backwards compatible games, an external SSD would be ideal since you still get quick load speeds. And transferring data is quite fast, which is ideal if you’re frequently moving Series X-specific games back and forth.

If cheaper mass storage is more of a priority, an external hard drive is the way to go. Load times for backwards compatible games are still better than current-gen systems, though you will miss out on those sweet SSD speeds. Transferring data takes markedly longer, but the importance of the difference between 6 minutes and 14 minutes to move an 85GB file, well, that’s up to you.

The 1TB Seagate expansion card sure is nice, and $220 is a fair price when compared to other NVMe SSDs for PC, but that’s still pretty steep when looking at other solutions for the Series X and Series S.

These are things you’ll have to consider, especially if you plan on getting the Xbox Series S since you have to work with half the internal drive space. Microsoft has said that smaller install sizes will be available for games loaded on Series S consoles, which could help tidy things up. But when looking at the ever-changing size of the larger ongoing multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Warzone (106GB) and Apex Legends (74GB), space is a premium even on the Series X. Regardless of your choice for expanded storage, it’ll be snappier than redownloading entire games.

For more on Microsoft’s next-gen consoles, be sure to read my full Xbox Series X preview that dives into performance, graphics, load times, and more. You can also check out two next-gen games in action with Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Dirt 5.

Now Playing: The Best Xbox Series X/S External Storage Solutions

Power Rangers: New Movies and TV Series in the Works With I’m Not Okay With This Co-Creator

The co-creator of Netflix’s I’m Not Okay With This, Jonathan Entwistle, has been tapped to helm a new connected universe of Power Rangers movies and TV adaptations.

Production company eOne was purchased by Hasbro last year and it’s become more and more involved in the development of Hasbro properties. Entwistle and eOne will helm new Power Ranger movies and a connected TV series, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Before this new deal, a Power Rangers movie was in the works from Entwistle but it was with Paramount Pictures. Entwistle is still involved but he’ll be working on the future of Power Rangers with eOne now. You can check out the new logo below.

Power Rangers New Logo Entwistle

“Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise, and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimagine the television and film worlds of this property,” eOne film president Nick Meyer and eOne global television president Michael Lombardo said in a joint statement to THR. “Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro’s rich fan-favorite brands and build entertainment universes around them.”

Entwistle called this new Power Rangers project an unbelievable opportunity to deliver the property to both new and existing generations of fans. As for what any of this looks like, all that’s known at this time is that it will be a new universe of Power Rangers stories connected through the TV series and movies.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/17/the-7-weirdest-power-rangers-monsters”]

When the movie eventually hits theaters, it will be the first full feature film since the 2017 Lionsgate-produced Power Rangers. We thought that movie was good and you can read about why in our Power Rangers review where we gave it a 7 out of 10. Be sure to check out this unofficial Green Ranger concept art that shows what Tommy Oliver might have looked like if the 2017 film got a sequel. If you’re looking for some Power Rangers content to watch now, check out our list of the 25 best Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

What’s New To Netflix In November 2020: Dawson’s Creek And A Bunch Of Christmas Movies

Can you believe 2020 is almost over? It’s been a wild year of not leaving your house and spending most of your time binging Netflix. As November rolls around, you’d probably be expecting plenty of new content revolving around Thanksgiving, right? So far, what’s been revealed for Netflix’s November list is a bit heavier on Christmas content. Hopefully, when the full list for November is dropped, we can get some movies about singing and dancing turkeys or something.

The most notable Christmas movie arrives at the end of the month on November 25. The Christmas Chronicles 2 takes place a couple years after the first movie where Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) saved Christmas. Now Santa (Kurt Russell) and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn) need the kids’ help again with another adventure. Check out the trailer below.

Also coming to Netflix in November is Dawson’s Creek. While the classic Paula Cole song “I Don’t Want To Wait” won’t be accompanying the show in its move from Hulu to Netflix, 128 episodes featuring James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery will be headed to the streaming service–and only one of those episodes features that signature cry.

Lastly, Season 4 of The Crown arrives in November. The show has covered the British royal family, and with Season 4, the series gets into more familiar territory for people in their 30s. A recent trailer shows the iconic wedding between Prince Charles and Diana–who will be played by Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin respectively. New episodes will drop on November 15.

Below, you’ll find some of Netflix’s offerings for the month of November. This is not the complete list for the month, as the streaming service has not released all that info yet.

New to Netflix in November 2020

November 1

  • Dawson’s Creek

November 4

November 5

November 10

November 11

November 13

  • Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Trailer)
  • The Minions of Midas (Trailer)

November 15

  • The Crown: Season 4

November 23

  • Shawn Mendes In Wonder

November 24

November 25

  • The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Trailer)

Willow Sequel TV Show Is Happening For Disney+

The 1988 adventure Willow was George Lucas’s next big fantasy movie after he’d wrapped up the Star Wars trilogy five years earlier. Although the film wasn’t a big box office hit at the time, it has since developed a cult following, and there have been various rumors of a potential sequel over the years. It’s now been confirmed that Disney+ is making Willow TV show.

As reported by Variety, the Willow series will be set many years after the film and will once again star Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, the film’s heroic main character. Ron Howard, who directed the movie, will executive produce, while Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu will helm the pilot. The showrunners will be Jonathan Kasdan, who co-wrote Howard’s Star Wars spin-off Solo, and Wendy Mericle, who was co-showrunner on The CW’s Arrow. The show will start production next year.

In a statement, Chu said, “Growing up in the ’80s, Willow has had a profound effect on me. The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.”

Willow also starred Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, and focused on a quest to save a baby from an evil queen. The movie grossed $137.6 million worldwide from a reported $35 million budget. Discussions of a potential follow-up go back as far as 2005, when Lucas expressed an interest in making a Willow show. In 2018, Howard stated that there had been discussions about making a sequel.

In related news, The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 30. A new trailer for the second season of the hit Star Wars show was revealed earlier this week. In addition, star Pedro Pascal and showrunner Jon Favreau have both weighed in on the possibility of a Mandalorian movie.

Now Playing: Disney Plus: 9 Great ’80s Movies To Watch