The Mandalorian: Check Out This Concept Art From Chapter 2

The Mandalorian’s second episode, Chapter Two: The Child, gave us plenty of great Star Wars imagery. There’s Baby Yoda, of course, but there’s also the chase between our protagonist and the Jawa’s Sandcrawler, plus the alien beast he encounters and eventually steals an egg from. Now, with Chapter Three right around the corner, the Star Wars Twitter account has revealed some of the concept art that shaped the look of this episode.

Nine images were released in total from six different artists. In the gallery below, the first three images are credited to Christian Alzmann; the fourth and fifth to Ryan Church; the sixth to Nick Gindraux & Doug Chiang; the seventh to Doug Chiang alone; the eight to John Park; and the ninth to Jama Jurabaev. The artwork shared looks very close to what ended up in the final episode.

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The Mandalorian will run for eight episodes on Disney+, Disney’s new streaming service. It stars Pedro Pascal as Din Jarron, a bounty hunter who finds himself the unexpected carer of a baby that resembles Yoda. The show is styled like a classic western of a samurai film, although some might argue that it needs to deepen its characters.

The next Star Wars movie, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, releases December 20.

Now Playing: The Mandalorian Episode 2 “Chapter 2” Easter Eggs & Breakdown

Black Adam Movie Will Introduce the Justice Society of America

Even though Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam isn’t being introduced in a Shazam! movie, his big screen debut will feature a number of iconic DC heroes. According to Johnson himself, the upcoming Black Adam movie will introduce the Justice Society of America to DC’s cinematic universe.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Johnson reiterated that fans shouldn’t expect Black Adam and Shazam to cross paths just yet. “Without giving too much away, it’s not in the plans right now, Johnson said. “I think the approach that we’re talking I feel really good about, and all of the filmmakers do too as well. It’s an origin story and that’s where we start it and we root it, and then we build out from there. Now, not to say Shazam isn’t on my radar. Of course Shazam is, but so is all of DC.”

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Half-Life: Alyx Recasts Alyx, Eli, And Others, And Features Rhys Darby

Half-Life: Alyx has been properly unveiled with a first-look trailer ahead of the VR game’s March 2020 release. We’ve learned a lot about the game so far, but more information continues to come in as we pore over the details. One thing that many fans were quick to spot was that some of the voices in the trailer sounded different, and one, coming out of the mouth of a new character, was instantly recognisable.

New Zealand actor Rhys Darby has confirmed on Twitter that, yes, that was him in the Half-Life: Alyx trailer. Darby, who is best known for his roles in Flight of the Conchords as the band’s inept manager and as the leader of the werewolves in Taika Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows, tweeted what was clearly meant as a response to the question that was being asked across the Internet: “is that Rhys Darby?”

Darby’s character, who we do not have a name for, appears to be in league with Alyx in the upcoming full-length prequel. Speaking of Alyx, she’ll also be voiced by a new actor, with Ozioma Akagha stepping into the role originated by Merle Dandridge. Speaking to PC Gamer, designer Greg Coomer explained that the gap in time since Half-Life 2 released, and the fact that the game will portray a younger Alyx, a new voice actor was necessary. “When we heard Ozioma’s performance we knew we’d found the right Alyx,” he said. Akagha previously voiced Plastic in Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst and Barbara Casey in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Dandridge has voiced her support for the project, despite no longer voicing the character.

Eli Vance has also been recast, as sadly the original voice actor Robert Guillaume passed away in 2017 at the age of 89. The character will be voiced in Half-Life: Alyx by James Moses Black (This Is Us, Black and Blue). Dr Wallace Breen voice actor Robert Culp has also passed away, which means that if the character reappears in Half-Life: Alyx, he will have a different voice actor too. As PC Gamer notes, though, Mike Shapiro (G-Man), Ellen McLain (Combine Overwatch broadcasts), and Tony Todd (the Vortigaunts) are returning.

Now Playing: Half Life Alyx – Official Gameplay Announcement Trailer

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Joker Director Says Sequel Reports ‘Anticipatory at Best’

Joker director Todd Phillips has shot down a recent report that said he was in talks to direct and co-write a sequel.

The Hollywood Reporter claimed Wednesday that Phillips had a meeting with Warner Bros. after Joker’s record opening weekend. It was reported that the meeting gave Phillips the go-ahead on a Joker sequel and another separate DC origin story. The article said that Warner Bros. and representatives of Phillips declined to comment. Within hours, however, other outlets, including IGN, were debunking that report.

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PS4’s Black Friday 2019 Game Sale Kicks Off This Friday

The PlayStation Store is kicking off Black Friday early with some exciting game deals for PS4. Sony announced the digital games sale on the PlayStation Blog, including a nice offer on PlayStation Plus. The Black Friday sale will go live this Friday, November 22, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET and run through December 2 (Cyber Monday), with new games being added throughout.

The PS4 games available starting November 22 include recent releases like Borderlands 3, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, and The Outer Worlds in addition to Mortal Kombat 11, Monster Hunter World Iceborne, and Need for Speed Heat. There are also discounts on the Operator editions for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but if you can wait until later in the sale, you’ll be able to get a deal on that game’s standard edition for cheaper.

On November 24, even more games will be added to the sale, including a bunch of PS4 exclusives like Days Gone, God of War, and Marvel’s Spider-Man. And as mentioned earlier, a new deal on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s standard edition will be made available on November 29.

Lastly, annual subscriptions for PlayStation Plus are available for 25% off throughout the duration of the sale. That brings down the price to $45 for a year, so if you’re looking to upgrade to the annual plan or extend your membership, this is a good opportunity to do so.

We’ve highlighted some of the best game deals below, but you can see the full list in its entirety on the PlayStation Blog. The first wave of Black Friday discounts shown below will be live in the PlayStation Store on Friday morning. While you’re at it, be sure to check out our full roundup of the best Black Friday 2019 PS4 deals for the steepest discounts on PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim consoles, games, PSVR, controllers, and more.

November 22

  • A Plague Tale: Innocence — $25 ($50)
  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $18 ($60)
  • Battlefield V — $16 ($40)
  • Borderlands 3 — $40.20 ($60)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Operator Edition — $64 ($80)
  • Catherine: Full Body — $30 ($60)
  • Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled — $26 ($40)
  • Dark Pictures: Man of Medan — $21 ($30)
  • Destiny 2: Shadowkeep — $21 ($35)
  • Devil May Cry 5 — $19.80 ($60)
  • The Division 2 — $15 ($60)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ — $15 ($60)
  • Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $30 ($60)
  • GTA 5: Premium Online Edition — $9.90 ($30)
  • Madden NFL 20 — $36 ($60)
  • Metro Exodus — $21 ($60)
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Digital Deluxe — $37.50 ($50)
  • Mortal Kombat 11 — $30 ($60)
  • NBA 2K20 — $30 ($60)
  • Need For Speed Heat — $40.20 ($60)
  • NHL 20 — $30 ($60)
  • The Outer Worlds — $45 ($60)
  • Persona 5 — $10 ($20)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 — $30 ($60)
  • Resident Evil 2 — $19.79 ($60)
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — $39 ($60)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — $12 ($40)
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood Deluxe Edition — $20 ($40)

November 24

  • Days Gone — $20 ($40)
  • Detroit: Become Human — $10 ($20)
  • God of War — $10 ($20)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition — $10 ($20)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition — $20 ($40)
  • MLB The Show 19 — $20 ($30)
  • The Last of Us Remastered — $10 ($20)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End — $10 ($20)
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy — $10 ($20)

November 29

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — $49.80 ($60)

Half-Life: Alyx Trailer Breakdown: What We Know So Far

Half-Life: Alyx, Full-Length Game

We finally have something to look forward to in the Half-Life universe; a real, full-fledged game called Half-Life: Alyx. It’s been 12 years since Half-Life 2: Episode Two and many of us who have been engrossed in its wild sci-fi world over the years are excited of the prospect of exploring it in a new light. Half-Life: Alyx is built specifically for VR and will be playable on all SteamVR-compatible headsets (Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest via PC Link, and Windows Mixed Reality). And with the recent reveal trailer (see above), we have a better idea of what we’ll be getting into when the game launches in March 2020.

There’s a lot to unpack from the minute-and-a-half gameplay trailer that just dropped, and we break down what we saw in the following gallery. For starters, you play as Alyx Vance (hence the game’s subtitle) in what looks to be a prequel, though there are other implications that lead us to believe it could be more than that. Alyx and her father Eli (who is also in the trailer) are important characters throughout the events of Half-Life 2, and by all accounts, the game looks to be much more than a simple VR spinoff.

We’ll be sure to update this gallery breakdown if we come across more information and ruminate the possibilities based on the trailer. For more on Half-Life: Alyx, be sure to check out all our coverage as well.

Why It’s OK to Call The Mandalorian’s Breakout Star ‘Baby Yoda’

Now that true plot of Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian is out in the wild, fans have become enamored with Baby Yoda. Yet that nickname has irked some fans because The Child is technically not a baby version of Yoda given that the Jedi Master passed away and became one with the Force five years before the events of The Mandalorian. Rather, the creature in question is simply a baby of the same species as Yoda.

Nitpicky? Sure. But it does raise the question of what we should be calling this little bundle of green joy. George Lucas has long kept Yoda’s species a mystery and has never even given it a name, so what are we to do?

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JJ Abrams Says It’s ‘Not an Accident’ That Rey Is So Strong

J.J. Abrams said that there’s definitely a reason why Rey is so strong with the Force in the new batch of Star Wars movies.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Thursday, the interviewer pointed out that Rey is picking up on the Force at a fast pace. Rey knew nothing at the beginning of The Last Jedi and was lifting boulders by the end of the movie. Abrams agreed with that statement and hinted at some clarity for Rey’s abilities in The Rise of Skywalker.

“Yeah, spooky, right?

It’s a fair point,” Abrams said. “It’s not an accident.”

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The Best OMEN Gifts

Partner Content by OMEN, Intel ® Core ™ i7 

IGN_Snipe_HPOmen_AdvertiserOnlyThe holidays will be here before you know it, and these new OMEN products are sure to be hit gifts with the gamers in your life — or perfect ways to reward yourself and prepare for all the gaming you’ll be doing on your vacation.

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Unused Leia Footage Came From This Cut Force Awakens Plotline

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has frequently discussed how he’s using leftover scenes from The Force Awakens in order to bring back the late Carrie Fisher’s General Leia one last time. Thanks to a new Rolling Stone interview, we have a better idea of what those deleted Leia scenes were about and why they weren’t included the first time around.

Abrams tells Rolling Stone The Force Awakens originally had more buildup to the scene where Starkiller Base destroys the Hosnian system and wipes out billions of lives. The movie featured an entirely new character who ultimately perished on Hosnian Prime. However, Abrams eventually decided that the subplot didn’t fit the framework of the movie.

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