Dark Phoenix: The X-Men Go To Space In NYCC Footage

Fox made a trip to New York Comic-Con, and like most studios hosting a panel, those in attendance got to check out exclusive clips for its upcoming movies. At an AMC theater outside of Madison Square Garden, con-goers got to watch a continuous scene from Dark Phoenix, where the X-Men have to leave Earth.

While viewers weren’t told specifically when the scene takes place within the context of the movie, it was pretty clear it happens early on. The X-Men–Beast, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Storm and Quicksilver, led by Mystique–take the Blackbird into space in order to save some stranded astronauts in the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was active in the real world from 1992-2011. During the rescue mission, something goes awry and Jean almost dies. However, everyone survives and both the astronauts and X-Men are welcomed back to Earth as heroes.

Viewers were warned that the effects weren’t finalized and neither was the sound, but it didn’t really matter. It still looked pretty great for an early look. The most exciting parts of the scene were seeing everyone work together as a team, primarily both Quicksilver and Nightcrawler, two characters that have grown into a larger role in the newest X-Men film. There’s something wonderfully satisfying about seeing Nightcrawler “bamf” in space or watching Quicksilver work from his perspective where everyone else is in slow motion comparatively. The scene hits on the things we loved about previous film in a nice, little showcase.

It was a basic sequence that was layered with a whole lot more to add to the event plot twists that we’ve seen in the trailer. There is tension growing between Professor X and, well, everyone else. Xavier wants a world where the X-Men are celebrated as heroes, not hated and hunted. That means the X-Men have to go on missions to save the common man, and sometimes, these missions are called in from the President on an “X-Phone.” Yes, a phone with a giant “X” on it. However, Mystique has a problem with this, thinking it’s just stroking Xavier’s ego, as Jean’s life was almost lost in space.

Xavier means well, but you can start seeing a rift in the group, which is a nice addition to this movie, as they’re not just up against “the biggest supervillain threat they’ve ever faced.” Yes, there will more than likely be some of that coming by way of Dark Phoenix, but at least that isn’t the only real problem this team has to face.

However fun the scene may have seemed, there is still some skepticism about the entirety of the film, as the last film in the series, X-Men Apocalypse, was heavier on the pop and flash rather than telling a compelling and interesting story. It’s hard to constantly try and raise the bar when every movie almost ends with the villain destroying the planet. And that could likely happen with Dark Phoenix, but the layering of the team splitting up as well as the villain being someone on the team could very well ground this film a bit more and tug at the emotional heartstrings of the audience.

We’ll find out more about Dark Phoenix in upcoming months before its theatrical release on June 7, 2019.

The Walking Dead’s Scott Wilson Has Died

The Walking Dead star Scott Wilson has died at the age of 76, IGN has confirmed.

Wilson’s agent provided the following statement to IGN: “With regret, I can confirm that my friend and client Scott Wilson passed away at his home in LA earlier today, due to complications from Leukemia. Scott was one of the most genuine, inspirational, and truly beloved people. His amazing legacy will live on through his timeless performances. He will be missed deeply by his wife, family, and friends.”

The official Walking Dead Twitter account Tweeted a tribute to Wilson on Saturday night:

“We are deeply saddened to report that Scott Wilson, the incredible actor who played Hershel on #TheWalkingDead, has passed away at the age of 76. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Rest in paradise, Scott. We love you!”

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The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of The Walking Dead’s Season 9 premiere, which debuted at New York Comic Con. For more from the panel, check out what Andrew Lincoln had to say about his final scene, and which three characters are returning.

The Walking Dead’s Season 9 premiere, “A New Beginning,” aired at NYCC tonight, so I’m here to offer up my (spoiler-free as possible) take on what went down.

Honestly, I’ve never attempted to do a Walking Dead review, in all the years I’ve been writing them for IGN, where I don’t dig into the soil and sift around in the details, so we’ll see how this goes. To start things off, let’s take a look at what’s already on the table. Previous to this weekend, AMC released both the new opening credits sequence, which new showrunner Angela Kang chose because of its graphic novel (infused with series Easter eggs) quality

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Andrew Lincoln Describes His Final Day on The Walking Dead

Andrew Lincoln received a rockstar welcome (and farewell) at The Walking Dead’s New York Comic Con panel, with the audience giving the departing star a standing ovation as the rest of the panelists came out in Rick Grimes-esque Stetson hats. Much of the panel was spent with the cast and producers reminiscing about their favorite memories of Lincoln and Rick, although they did let a few tidbits about Season 9 slip (before debuting the Season 9 premiere – read our spoiler-free review here).

Lincoln gave the audience some insight into his final day on set, which sounded like an emotional rollercoaster: “My last day was amazing, but on the way to it being a very moving farewell, I pulled down the set on top of the A-cameraman, Deke. I was inspired, I started tearing down the set – it was Norman’s fault, he said, ‘go with the one where you’re really amped up,’ and he started slapping me in the face, and I started tearing down the set, and it fell down on Deke and knocked him out,” he laughed. “So I remember that, and … we did the last scene where I had to laugh and chortle a bit, which is very uncharacteristic for my character, and then I felt my toe being tickled, and then my other toe being tickled, and it was

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Telltale’s Walking Dead Will Get Its Ending Through Robert Kirkman’s Skybound

Robert Kirkman announced that the final episodes of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be released via his company, Skybound, during The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday.

“We’ve successfully negotiated with Telltale Games for our company Skybound to come in and see Season 4 of the Telltale game to completion,” Kirkman said.

According to a statement from Skybound, the company has “taken ownership of Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season and will finish the season. Skybound will work with members of the original Telltale team to finish the story in a way the fans deserve. Skybound will continue to update fans on the status of the game on Skybound.com, Twitter, and Facebook.”

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FIFA 19 Nintendo Switch Review – Switched Off

If FIFA 19 on PS4 and Xbox One is a 40-piece orchestra with all the bells and whistles you can think of, then FIFA 19 on Nintendo Switch is the tribute band. The Switch version of EA’s footballing behemoth purports to have all the same qualities–the Champions League! Ultimate Team! Career Mode!–but under the surface, each of its many facets lacks the depth and longevity from other versions. On the pitch the Switch port feels relatively smooth, if a little dated, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling you’re playing an inferior and incomplete version of this year’s biggest soccer sim.

Some improvements from the PS4 and Xbox One editions carry over to the Switch port, such as timed finishing and the new Kick Off house rules options like No Rules and Survival Mode. Others, such as game plans–or any kind of tactical tweaks or player instructions–do not make the cut.

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Once you get on the pitch, things feel satisfying–sometimes. Passing still feels imprecise, even with the world’s best players, but shooting and dribbling feel almost as good as what’s available on other platforms. But this port also seems to pull from older versions of FIFA–many cutscenes and environmental cues like those read out by stadium announcers are from as far back as FIFA 10.

Additional problems crop up when you want to play a friend with one Joy-Con each. It works, but not particularly well. As with FIFA 18 on Switch, fewer buttons and sticks means there’s no way to use finesse shots, threaded through balls, knuckle shots, manual defending, skill moves, or driven passes. Double-tapping the right bumper allows you to knock the ball ahead of you in a similar fashion to the right stick when playing with traditional controls, but similar workarounds don’t exist for the other missing functions. Playing with one Joy-Con is possible but often ends up feeling like more hassle than it’s worth. You are, at least, able to matchmake with friends when playing online, which was missing from last year’s Switch port.

The Champions League license and standalone mode do form a part of the Switch version, complete with Derek Rae’s Aberdeen-Atlantic commentary and UEFA’s operatic anthem. Night games look impressive on Switch, even if the atmospheres don’t quite live up to the sights and sounds of the PS4 and Xbox One editions, in part due to lower resolution. The standalone mode is essentially a stripped-down version of Career Mode, which itself is even more bare-bones on Switch than it is on home consoles this year. On Switch, neither mode contains the dynamic cutscenes or interactive transfer negotiations found on other platforms. Here, FIFA 19 really does feel very similar to 18, just with updated licenses.

Ultimate Team has a similar story in this version. FUT is easily FIFA’s biggest and most popular mode, thanks in large part to EA’s Squad Building Challenges, in-form cards, and more live services that keep things fresh. All those are present and correct on Switch, but the mode is lacking in ways to actually use your squad. Division Rivals, FUT’s new sub-mode for this year on PS4 and Xbox One, is nowhere to be found, meaning you have to make do with standard old Online Seasons matches. Squad Battles, the primary method of play for offline players in FUT, is also absent–the more miserly Single Player Seasons are your best bet here. To make matters worse, you still need a constant internet connection to access even Ultimate Team’s single-player sections, so playing FUT on the go isn’t an option unless you tether your Switch to your phone signal. Oh, and the FIFA 19 companion app is not compatible with Switch versions of the game, so you’re out of luck there, too.

All that’s left is to lament the ongoing absence of The Journey, which of all FIFA’s modes appears the best fit for Switch–a deep, offline story playable in small chunks–and yet it’s omitted entirely from the port. And that sums up the Switch version of FIFA 19: a playable, competent game of football encased in a package of outdated modes and lacking the controls and features you really want.

McFarlane Wants His Spawn Movie to Make Children Cry

Todd McFarlane wants Hollywood to get it through their heads that his Spawn reboot is a hard R scary film and not a superhero movie. “If you think about it as a horror

it makes complete sense. if you think about it as Captain America it falls apart,” McFarlane told IGN during an interview Saturday at New York Comic Con.

McFarlane is writing, producing and directing Spawn, which also has Get Out and Halloween’s Jason Blum aboard as a producer and The Walking Dead’s Greg Nicotero designing the creature costume for the title character. The film has cast Oscar winner Jamie Foxx in the title role opposite Jeremy Renner. McFarlane vented his frustration with Hollywood execs who he claims have had trouble getting what his Spawn script is going for.

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These $1000+ Batman Statues Are Stunning

One of the best parts of comic conventions is window-shopping all the high-end collectibles that you probably can’t afford. This year at New York Comic-Con, XM Studios, a company based in Singapore, showed off their wares on an American show floor for the first time, and they were very very impressive.

The first thing that caught our eye were the 1:4th scale Cyber-Samurai Batman statues, which take recognizable characters like The Dark Knight, Catwoman, Bane, Poison Ivy and gave them Neo-Japanese redesigns.

Futuristic cybernetic samurai DC Super-people is the sort of aesthetic that could very easily be way too gaudy or flat-out hokey, but XM clearly found a great balance between the two.

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