Category: Games

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Music is a huge part of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. The soundtracks to the two movies are phenomenal, featuring a long list of excellent licensed songs like “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Father And Son,” and “Southern Nights,” among many others. Now, Gunn has revealed which song is the most-requested among fans.

That song is “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Gunn said he’ll never use this song in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, however, because it would be too predictable.

“I’m asked to include this song BY FAR more than any other,” Gunn said on Twitter. “And this predictability is precisely why I’d never use it. In general, I’d rather be in the business of giving folks the thing they want that they don’t know they want rather than just the thing they know they want.”

Gunn also said on Twitter that there are numerous songs he’s wanted to use in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies that he hasn’t been able to, for whatever reason. He said he was looking to use songs from Alice Cooper, Queen, T. Rex, Stevie Wonder, and Hall & Oates, but it never worked.

Gunn’s next movie is The Suicide Squad, which he’s making for Marvel rival DC. Gunn said in another tweet that music is an “incredibly important” component to all of his films, and this also include the Suicide Squad sequel. However, the music in The Suicide Squad will be “a lot different” compared to Guardians, Gunn said.

The Suicide Squad hits theatres in August 2021, and after that, Gunn returns to Marvel with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Disney fired Gunn from his writer-director job for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old tweets of his resurfaced. Disney later hired him back, though this upheaval likely led to a delay. Warner Bros. hired Gunn to write and direct The Suicide Squad during the Disney turmoil.

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The new Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips opens in theatres this October, but the film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. Reviews for the movie are starting to come in, and to help you get an idea about if the film is worth your time and money, we’re collecting excerpts from reviews here.

GameSpot’s own Joker review from Michael Rougeau said Phoenix turns in an “iconic” performance as the clown price of crime as he delivers a “new, complex version of the character we haven’t seen before.”

You can see a rundown of Joker review excerpts below, while more information on the film’s critical reception can be found on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

Joker

• Directed By: Todd Phillips
• Written By: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
• Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro
• Release Date: October 4 (United States)

GameSpot

“It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do.” — Michael Rougeau [Full review]

Time Magazine

“Phillips may want us to think he’s giving us a movie all about the emptiness of our culture, but really, he’s just offering a prime example of it.” — Stephanie Zacharek [Full review]

The Guardian

“What a gloriously daring and explosive film Joker is. It’s a tale that’s almost as twisted as the man at its centre, bulging with ideas and pitching towards anarchy.” — Xan Brooks [Full review]

The Wrap

“It will be tempting for some to declare this the first art film based on a DC or Marvel property, but while it certainly represents a bit of a departure and something of a risk, Joker is ultimately grim-and-gritty comic book nihilism jacked up to the nth degree, wrapped up in a convincing but ultimately hollow simulacra of better, smarter movies.” — Alonso Duralde [Full review]

IGN

“Joker isn’t just an awesome comic book movie, it’s an awesome movie, period. It offers no easy answers to the unsettling questions it raises about a cruel society in decline. Joaquin Phoenix’s fully committed performance and Todd Phillips’ masterful albeit loose reinvention of the DC source material make Joker a film that should leave comic book fans and non-fans alike disturbed and moved in all the right ways.” — Jim Vejvoda [Full review]

The Hollywood Reporter

“Joaquin Phoenix boldly reinvents Batman’s cackling arch-nemesis in Todd Phillips’ dark new vision of the supervillain origin story, also starring Robert De Niro.” — David Rooney [Full review]

The new Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t open in theatres until October, but the film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. People there loved it.

According to Variety, the crowd stood cheering for eight minutes at the end of Joker for a lengthy standing ovation with some calling for the film to get attention during awards season.

GameSpot’s review of Joker scored it a 10/10, with other critics also praising it highly. Some reviews were mixed to negative, however, with Time Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek writing, “Joker … doesn’t have a plot; it’s more like a bunch of reaction GIFs strung together.”

Phoenix was at the Venice Film Festival for the screenings, and he spoke a little more about his character. He said previous performances of Joker by other actors did not influence him.

“I didn’t refer to any past iteration of the character,” Phoenix said. ‘It just felt like something that was our creation in some ways.”

Also at the event, the Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera said Joker will go “straight to the Oscars.” Among other elements of the film, people are praising Phoenix’s portrayal of Joker.

In addition to Phoenix in the title role, the movie stars Robert de Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy. Joker is something of a change for writer-director Todd Phillips, who previously made the Hangover and Old School comedies. He also wrote for Borat, which earned him his Oscar nomination.

We’ve reached September, which means the seasons are changing all around the world. New Releases is here to highlight some of the biggest games coming this month. You can take a snowy retreat with Monster Hunter World‘s Iceborne expansion or an island getaway with The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. You can also stay indoors and take to the basketball court with NBA 2K20. Finally, shooter fans can take on the Locust in Gears 5 or the Calypso Twins in Borderlands 3.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne — September 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One

Iceborne adds the new Hoarfrost Reach region to the New World, and it’s full of snow, ice, and new monsters to take down. This expansion also adds a Master Rank difficulty for those of you who have already bested all the High Rank hunts. If you’re not quite done exploring the game’s main area, don’t sweat it–you’ll still see some fan-favorite monsters added to that part of the game too.

More Coverage:

NBA 2K20 — September 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

This year’s 2K basketball game offers the usual dose of modes like MyCareer, MyGM, MyLeague, and MyTeam, but the biggest addition is a series first: you can finally play as all 12 WNBA teams. If you need a break from the basketball court, there are plenty of ways to spend time (and money) on the game’s loot boxes and gambling mechanics too.

More Coverage:

Gears 5 — September 10

Available on: Xbox One, PC

Gears 5 focuses on Kait Diaz, who will learn more about her own family’s history as she uncovers the Locust’s origins. Gears 5 offers the standard campaign and multiplayer options, but there are some big changes to other modes this time around. For one, Horde mode gives every character unique abilities and ultimate attacks–there’s even a pair of characters from Halo: Reach in the mix. Characters also get special perks in the new Escape mode, a three-player co-op experience where you have to destroy Locust hives.

More Coverage:

Borderlands 3 — September 13

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

There are new characters to check out in Borderlands 3 as well. Amara the Siren, Moze the Gunner, Zane the Operative, and FL4K the Beastmaster are your Vault Hunters for his adventure. You won’t just be seeking Vaults on Pandora, though; for the first time, you can travel to other planets aboard the Sanctuary III. As usual, expect to find a ridiculous amount of guns as you battle the evil Calypso Twins.

More Coverage:

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — September 20

Available on: Switch

This is a remake of Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy. While it offers the same story and dungeons across Koholint Island, there’s also a completely fresh art style, reimagined soundtrack, and even a special dungeon editor. Tap an Amiibo, and you can unlock extra mini-games and chambers for that dungeon-builder.

More Coverage:

September has just begun, and in addition to the games listed here, Catherine: Full Body and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered are also leading the charge, both launching on Tuesday, September 3. Next week, New Releases will take a look at some less-known games you won’t wanna miss, like GreedFall and Blasphemous.