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Editors Choice 2018: Our Personal Favorite Movies, TV Shows, And More

Mat Elfring: The All In PPV

I went to a few live wrestling events this year, and I watched a whole lot more from the comfort of my own home. Nothing this year from WWE, New Japan, Ring of Honor, etc, had the same effect on me that All In did. In case you’re unfamiliar, All In was the largest indie wrestling show of all time, taking place outside of Chicago on September 1. The show was run by The Elite, an off-shoot of the famous Bullet Club stable from New Japan, who have an incredible weekly travel vlog on YouTube–where they documented a lot of putting this show together. I understand we’re getting deep into non-WWE stuff, but bear with me, as the show was a tremendous success. The 10,000+ seat Sears Centre sold out in less than 30 minutes, and that’s saying something for a first-time go at promoting a wrestling show.

The PPV itself was easily the most fun I’ve ever had attending a live wrestling event. Every single match on the card could have been the main event for a show, and never in my years of going to wrestling events have I been surrounded by so many other fans who were so welcoming and friendly with each other. People from all over the globe flew into Illinois to attend the event, and it was a show that embraced what people love about wrestling. It truly was a love letter to the sport, and from start to finish, it was a huge triumph. I finally got to see Joey Ryan, the Young Bucks, and Jay “Black Machismo” Lethal live, and there wasn’t a single moment during the evening that didn’t have me on my feet, chanting something silly, like “Rest in Penis.”

That’s not a joke, that’s something 10,000+ people shouted, in unison, during the show. Nothing else in wrestling in 2018 could compare to how amazing All In was, and this is coming from someone who interviewed Daniel Bryan in his hometown and went to the WWE Performance Center this year, which are huge highlights of my year as well.

A Huge Cave Found in Canada Looks Like Star Wars’ Sarlacc Pit

A massive cave found in Canada earlier this year has been unofficially dubbed the Sarlacc’s Pit due to its passing resemblance to the monstrous dwelling featured in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

Reported by the CBC, the cave was discovered in the northeastern area of Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It was found by a crew traveling in a helicopter while conducing a census of caribou native to the area.

At roughly 328 feet (100 meters) across and about 197 feet (60 meters) wide, its opening has been compared to the size of a regulation soccer field. Though further exploration is necessary to determine its precise depth, initial examinations suggest it’s at least 443 feet (135 meters) deep.

The Biggest Disappointments In Movies And TV Of 2018

6. Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald

In The Crimes of Grindelwald’s third scene, a character who we never learn anything about despite her constant presence throughout the entire movie murders a toddler, for no reason, just off screen. Even Michael Myers, famed slasher movie villain of the Halloween series, didn’t sink that low, although you could tell in the most recent one that he considered it for a moment.

This moment perfectly sets the tone for the rest of this movie: a grim, overly dramatic, mean-spirited entry into the Harry Potter universe. Fantastic Beasts 2 can accurately be described as a loosely connected series of mostly sequential events, though it’s often unclear how it gets from one scene to the next or why the characters do any of the things they do. Often, the next plot point just happens to appear wherever the characters already are, seemingly to save the filmmakers the trouble of establishing a sense of time or space. The movie also abandons almost every rule we know about magical spells, places, and people, trading the series’ long-established internal logic and consistency for large, ugly, confusing CG set pieces, like magical blue fire that inexplicably burns some people and not others, and eventually turns into several large dragons that attempt to destroy Paris.

Maybe worst of all, The Crimes of Grindelwald has no sense of wonder at its own magical world. Millions fell in love with Harry Potter because the wizarding world felt like a place you’d want to live, despite its bad elements. Inhabiting this movie’s magical alternate history for a couple of hours will just make you want to get obliviated so you can forget the whole thing. — Mike Rougeau

The 10 Best-Reviewed TV Shows of 2018

In our current “Golden Age of Television,” more TV is being produced than ever before (495 scripted original shows aired in 2018 alone, according to research from FX), which makes it increasingly difficult for viewers to pay attention to every new release and returning favorite. Even critics, who are paid to keep up with the best and worst of what the small screen has to offer, struggle to stay ahead when there are now more TV shows than days in the year.

But while critics have to subject themselves to plenty of bad shows (check out our list of the worst-reviewed TV shows of 2018 here), they also inevitably uncover a few hidden gems – some of which are critical darlings and award season mainstays, and some that probably slip past even the most dedicated TV watcher.

Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Next Event Features Exclusive Spirits

Nintendo has announced the next in-game event for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This week’s Spirit event is titled “Oh Yeah! Mario Time!” and it features a variety of characters taken from the Mario series, as well as a handful of exclusive Spirits you can’t get otherwise.

Unlike the previous two Spirit events in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate thus far, both of which were only available for three days, the “Oh Yeah! Mario Time!” event kicks off at 10 PM PT on December 27 (1 AM ET / 6 AM GMT / 5 PM AEDT on December 28) and runs until the same time on January 1, giving you five days to take advantage of it. During that period, an assortment of Mario Spirits, such as the Legend-class Pauline and Dry Bowser, will appear more frequently on the Spirit Board. You’ll also earn additional Gold for defeating these Spirits.

On top of that, the event will also feature a couple of exclusive Super Mario Party Spirits: the Novice-class Dice Block, the Advanced-class River Survival, and the Ace-class Golden Dash Mushroom. These three have not previously been available in the game and will appear at set times every day throughout the event, so you’ll want to add them to your collection while they’re still around.

Nintendo is holding a different Spirit event in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate each week. Last week’s event was the first part of the Fire Emblem Fest, which made Fire Emblem characters such as Azura and Eliwood appear more frequently on the Spirit Board. Nintendo hasn’t announced the date for the second part yet, but it is slated to take place in January.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been a big success for Nintendo thus far, breaking sales records for the series around the world since its launch earlier this month. The game was also met with widespread critical acclaim. GameSpot selected it as one of our 10 best video games of 2018. “There are so many wonderful things packed into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that, even in the short time between its release and our Best Of The Year discussions, it has filled us with an immense amount of joy,” we said.

Bumblebee: All The ’80s Transformers Easter Eggs And References You Might Have Missed

If there’s one thing the Transformers franchise excels in (other than, you know, giant robots punching one another and turning into vehicles) it’s really drilling into that nostalgia vein. There’s a wealth of totally radical 80s potential to be found in the world of Autobots and Decepticons, and Bumblebee was not afraid to just go for it wholeheartedly, resulting in one of the most Easter Egg packed installments of the live action lineup. From nods to the robots of Transformers cartoons past to wink-nudge references to classic movies, Bumblebee never missed an opportunity–which might have been a bad thing if it hadn’t managed to be so charming along the way.

In our Bumblebee review, we called out the movie’s ability to ride the referential line with surprising grace. “Bumblebee hits a perfect tone with a great mix of action, humor, and heart. The soundtrack strikes all the right chords, the action is mostly clear and easy to follow even when two massive robots are rapidly grappling and transforming into various forms, and the characters are instantly relatable, without screenwriter Christina Hodson relying too much on cliches. The homages to Spielberg, Hughes, and other ’80s filmmakers may not be subtle, but they are a lot of fun, and Bumblebee pays tribute in smart ways that don’t feel out of place or forced. “

Unsurprisingly, there are some spoilers coming up, so proceed with caution as we recount every reference (both 80s and otherwise) we were able to find.

Mario Odyssey Maps: Every Moon and Purple Coin

Don’t miss finding over 800 Power Moons and 1,000 Purple Coins with our Super Mario Odyssey Interactive Maps.

PlayStation Plus January 2019 Free Games Revealed

Ahead of the new year, Sony has revealed the first lineup of free games coming to PlayStation Plus subscribers in 2019.

Here is the list of free games, including which platforms the games will be available for:

Steep (PS4)
Portal Knights (PS4)
Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3)
Amplitude (PS3)
Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion (PS Vita, Cross Buy with PS4)
Super Mutant Alien Assault (PS Vita)

These six games will be available for free to download from Jan. 1, 2019 through Feb. 5, 2019.

Ubisoft’s Steep first launched in 2016, and has been continually updated with new content and live activities, including X Games integration. IGN reviewed Steep when it first launched, calling it “a fresh extreme sports journey through a huge map, slowed only by dull paragliding and a lack of progression.”

Don’t Worry, a 700-Foot Wide Astroid Probably Won’t Hit Earth in 2023

Though various tabloids across the world have made claims that an asteroid twice the size of the Statue of Liberty could hit Earth in 2023, the actual odds of that happening are very, very slim.

The astroid in question has been labeled Asteroid 2018 LF16 by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the chances of it actually impacting Earth are about one in 30 million. As reported by BGR, NASA’s estimates paint an extremely positive future in which there is almost no chance it will actually hit our planet – in fact, it’s been given a 0 on the Torino scale. In reference, a 5 rating is considered “threatening” while an 8 rating begins encroaching upon “certain collision” territory.

NBA 2K’s Secrets to Success, the Rivalry With EA, and More: The Story of 2K Gameplay Director Mike Wang

Longtime NBA 2K gameplay director Mike Wang discusses his fascinating career story, including getting noticed on a message board, leaving 2K for EA’s NBA Live and immediately regretting it, coming back, and much more in this one-hour interview!

If you’d rather listen than watch (but we encourage you to watch!), here’s an audio-only download link of the full episode.

Here is a preview clip, in which Wang recounts the story of getting noticed by professional game developers while posting criticism on an Internet message board:

And if you missed it, here’s one of this year’s best episodes of Unfiltered, in which Insomniac founder Ted Price discusses his independent studio’s incredible ride from Sony upstart to Spider-Man powerhouse: