An Ode to the Late, Great Anime Auteur Satoshi Kon

Satoshi Kon, who passed away from pancreatic cancer at 46 on 24th August, 2010, was, to me, the boldest and most distinctive creator of Japanese animation. I was only introduced to his work a few years ago but the more I revisit them, the more his unique storytelling and animation stands out in my collection. During his decade long filmmaking career, the late anime director made some of the most viscerally animated films in the horror, romance, comedy and science fiction genres. His films blend dream and reality while providing a harsh social commentary on Japanese society, our imagination and creativity. With that in mind, here is a tribute to his legacy.

Kon began his career as a young manga artist competing in a Shonen weekly magazine competition. Shortly afterwards, he was taken under the wing of Mamoru Oshii as an animation artist for Roujin Z, collaborating with the Ghost in the Shell director on their co-created manga Seraphim 266, 613, 336 Wings. In 1995, he made his directorial debut when Akira director and idol of Kon’s, Katsuhiro Otomo, requested him to direct one of three short films featured in Otomo’s Memories anthology, Magnetic Rose.

Continue reading…

Black Panther: Marvel’s Campaigning for Best Pic, Not Popular Film

The Academy’s recently announced Best Popular Film Oscar category reportedly won’t change Marvel Studios and Disney’s plan to campaign for Black Panther to be nominated as Best Picture.

Marvel has already begun the groundwork for a Black Panther Best Picture campaign, including hiring a veteran Oscar strategist and putting a “significant” awards season budget behind it — something, as The Los Angeles Times points out, Marvel had never done before.

Marvel’s strategy for getting Oscar voters to consider Black Panther for Best Picture includes leaning into the movie’s “creative accomplishments and the global impact it made,” according to the Times. In other words, Marvel’s Oscar campaign will play up the personal nature of director Ryan Coogler’s accomplishment and what the film has meant to so many around the world, particularly to underrepresented artists and audiences of color. Black Panther was not only a huge box office hit, it was also a film that mattered deeply to both the industry and to filmgoers. Marvel aims to remind Oscar voters of all that.

Continue reading…

Little Dragons Cafe Review

I’ve been up until 5 a.m. for three nights in a row, trapped in a loop of fishing for eels, exploring the forest, and feeding my (hopefully) harmless dragon heaps of food in an effort to turn him blue. This is all, ostensibly, in the interest of running a café and saving my mother. The details are hazy. But even when the controls get in the way and the repetition sets in, I’m still enjoying my time as a lost boy.

If it sounds a bit like a weird-world farming sim, that’s because it is. Little Dragons Cafe is helmed by Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and Little King’s Story. Like its addicting siblings, it’s all about the simple but rewarding tasks of gathering ingredients, building relationships, and earning money. But Little Dragons Cafe is its own beast, with pleasing storybook graphics, a much slower pace, dozens of hours of gameplay, and much, much lower stakes. In fact, it may be the only game of its type where there’s no money at all. Just better ingredients, baby.

Continue reading…

God of War Dev Explains the Crazy Little Details of Kratos’ Boat

Whether in the Lake of Nine or Helheim, God of War players spend much of their time in boats, and now Sony Santa Monica has opened up to give players an idea of the work that went into making that happen.

In a Developer Diary post on the PlayStation Blog Dean Rymer, God of War’s Senior Combat Designer, went into detail about the technical challenges of creating the boat, as well as some historical context for its inclusion.

According to Rymer, Sony Santa Monica’s Creative Director, Cory Barlog, was looking for an opportunity to introduce a boat since God of War II, but there never was “a narrative conceit to justify” it until the introduction of the Lake of Nine in the series’ latest installment.

Continue reading…

Cayde Is At His Most Badass In Destiny 2: Forsaken’s New Trailer

Unless you’ve been avoiding any of the new story-centric trailers for Destiny 2‘s upcoming Forsaken DLC expansion, you know Cayde-6 is in a bad way. A new trailer for Forsaken that debuted at Gamescom 2018 has revealed exactly what precipitated our previous look at Cayde’s apparent final moments. And if Destiny’s most interesting character has to go out, at least he’s doing so like a badass.

Created in collaboration with Blur Studio, the trailer shows Cayde fighting off numerous enemies who have escaped the Prison of Elders. While he’s often used as the comic relief (thanks to the excellent voice acting of Nathan Fillion, who has been replaced), here he’s fighting for his life. And while he holds his own for a while, his Ghost is ultimately destroyed and he finds himself on death’s door.

We’ll have to wait for Forsaken to find out exactly how things play out from here and if Bungie has some kind of swerve up its sleeve. The DLC will bring much more than just a possible conclusion to the tale of Cayde; this is the biggest expansion to date, appearing to be on par with the original Destiny’s acclaimed Taken King DLC. It includes new superclasses and Supers, weapons and gear, locations, and more.

Another big component of Forsaken is Gambit, a hybrid PvP/PvE mode that was revealed back at E3. Those eager to try it fortunately won’t have to wait to do so, as a limited-time free trial will be held just ahead of Forsaken’s launch. PS4, Xbox One, and PC players who own the game will be able to jump into Gambit on September 1 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST until the same time on September 2.

Forsaken releases on September 4. Unlike the first two DLC expansions, it’s not included in the original Expansion Pass. You can read more in our Forsaken pre-order guide.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s Archery And Close Combat Gameplay

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

Best New Amazon Prime Video Movies And TV Shows To Watch In September 2018

A new month means a slew of new streaming options on Amazon Prime Video. With so many new TV and film titles to choose from, it might be pretty hard to figure out what the cream is that will rise above the crop. That’s where GameSpot comes in.

After sifting through the release calendar for a new month of Amazon Prime Video additions, we have the highlights you aren’t going to want to miss. So sit back, put your feet up, and get ready to welcome summer with the best of what’s to come in September.

As far as TV goes, there’s really only one title you need to keep your eyes on and that’s Kidding. The new Showtime series features Jim Carrey as the star of a children’s show whose personal life if anything but kid-friendly. As his life begins to crumble, the man who has relied on the imaginary world he has built for his show now faces a harsh reality. Given that this is a Showtime series, it will require you to add a subscription to the premium cable network onto your Amazon Prime Video account to watch.

There’s also a new Amazon original series starring SNL alums Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph premiering, titled Forever. The show follows the two as a married couple attempting to spice up what’s become a pretty boring life by taking a ski trip that lands them in “completely unfamiliar territory.”

While there are a number of great films coming to the service, as well, the most exciting is surely the original Ghostbusters. The supernatural comedy is the perfect thing to sit down and watch, regardless of how many times you’ve seen it. Luckily, Ghostbusters II is also being added, so you can have your own little double feature.

Other films arriving that we’re excited about include Primal Fear and There Will Be Blood. As for originals, a new adaptation of King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson will also debut this month.

You can take a look at all of our recommendations for Amazon Prime Video in September above, or check out the full list of everything coming and going in September. You also don’t want to miss Netflix and Hulu’s offerings for the month.

New Rainbow Six Siege Update Nerfs Grim Sky Operator Before They’ve Even Officially Launched

Taking feedback from the Rainbow Six Siege Test Server for Operation Grim Sky, Ubisoft is implementing balancing patches for a few of the game’s Operators. One of the two new Grim Sky Operators, Maverick, is getting the most changes.

Players must have felt Maverick was too effective an Operator, as all of his changes are nerfs. His smoke grenade is being replaced with a stun grenade and his blowtorch’s volume is being made louder so that he can no longer easily hide where he’s cutting. Maverick’s blowtorch is also being made weaker against barbed wire, so the process of destroying it takes about twice as long as before. Ubisoft has heard that players want Maverick’s blowtorch to run through fuel faster and have a shorter range as well, but the developer is holding off on changing either for now.

In comparison, Operation Grim Sky’s other Operator, Clash, is getting no changes. Ubisoft reports that the team will continue to monitor her performance going forward, though.

Three of Siege’s older Operators are getting changes. Zofia is losing one of her concussion grenades, so it’s harder for her to single-handedly take over a room without a strategy. Glaz is also getting nerfed. A recent bug in Siege prevents him from being able to destroy Castle’s armored panels and Ubisoft has decided to keep it. Ubisoft is also planning a patch down the line to prevent Glaz from shooting through the panels entirely. Hibana is the only Operator getting a buff. She can now destroy a hatch with four of her pellets, instead of six.

Ubisoft has heard feedback concerning the length of Dokkaebi’s phone calls, but the team is passing on implementing any changes for her at this time.

Weapon recoil is also getting patched. Ubisoft is focusing on shotgun recoil for now. An update won’t be ready by the time Grim Sky launches, but Ubisoft will implement one before the new season is over. Ubisoft is also monitoring machine pistol recoil but has nothing planned for now.

The full patch notes for the updates coming to Operation Grim Sky prior to the expansion’s launch can be found on Siege’s website. Although it is not included on the game’s website, Siege tweeted out another change coming to Grim Sky: partial destruction to hatch reinforcements. This balances the meta of the game a little bit back towards the Attackers, who can now eventually get to hidden Defenders with enough explosives.

Operation Grim Sky launches this September. Rainbow Six Siege is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Nintendo-Themed Merch Sale At ThinkGeek: Mario Flask And More

If there’s one thing Nintendo fans could use more of in their lives, it’s Nintendo-themed gear. We’re talking everything from wristwatches and wall hangings to hand puppets and flasks. If that’s the kind of thing that satisfies your consumer needs, you’re in luck: this week, Nintendo-themed merchandise is on sale at ThinkGeek. Let’s take a look at the kinds of Nintendo deals you can take advantage of right now.

Zelda fans have plenty of items to choose from. You can get a fancy watch with a leather strap for half price at $30. If you like Link’s satchel in Breath of the Wild, you can pick up a similar one for $18 that’s big enough to carry more than just a Sheikah slate. And who wouldn’t want to sleep in pajamas modeled after Link’s outfit? You can also get some nice discounts on Zelda-themed shirts for women and men. There’s even a Zelda sports bra and holiday sweater.

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2Gallery image 3Gallery image 4Gallery image 5Gallery image 6Gallery image 7Gallery image 8Gallery image 9Gallery image 10

It would hardly be a Nintendo sale if Mario fans didn’t have anything to buy, so of course you can get some cool gear inspired by the Mushroom Kingdom. In terms of puppets–and who doesn’t want a puppet?–you can get Bowser ($13) or a Piranha Plant ($10). Or how about a cookie jar shaped like a question block for $17? Or a 1-Up plush for $15? And they’re calling it a “canteen,” but this container shaped like a Super Mario Bros. cartridge is clearly a flask made for hiding your booze.

General Nintendo fans can pick up a shirt with an SNES controller on it that says “Made in the Nineties” or a coffee canister that’s shaped like a Game Boy. There’s a lot more Nintendo gear on sale here, so check out ThinkGeek’s deals page to find the item that’s right for you.

Grab For Honor For Free On Steam Right Now

Here’s a game you should probably download if you haven’t already bought it. For Honor: Starter Edition is free on Steam between now and August 27. This isn’t one of those free play weekends where you lose access after a couple of days, either. If you download the game, you can keep and play it forever.

For Honor is quite a bit different from most other games on the market. It’s an online melee brawler that pits three factions of warriors against one another: Vikings, Knights, and Samurai. All of the heroes have unique fighting styles, and the combat system is deep and intricate.

The version that’s free right now on Steam is the Starter Edition, which typically sells for $15. As such, it’s more limited than the pricier versions you can also purchase. The Starter Edition comes with all the core content of the game–the single-player campaign and all the multiplayer modes and maps are there. What’s missing are most of the heroes.

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2Gallery image 3Gallery image 4Gallery image 5Gallery image 6Gallery image 7Gallery image 8Gallery image 9Gallery image 10

For Honor launched with 12 hero characters. The Starter Edition comes with three heroes fully unlocked (one from each faction). You also get to choose three additional heroes to make “playable.” Unlike the fully unlocked heroes, you can’t customize these characters with new outfits unless you spend 8,000 Steel (the in-game currency) on each one. The six additional heroes that launched with the game cost 8,000 Steel each to fully unlock.

Since the game launched, Ubisoft has introduced six additional heroes to the game. Unlocking these characters costs 15,000 Steel each. (A new faction comprised of four more characters is coming with the Marching Fire update on October 16).

You can buy Steel for real-life money or acquire it through gameplay. Ubisoft says earning 8,000 Steel requires an in-game purchase of $8 or between eight and 15 hours of play time. Even if you don’t want to do the mental gymnastics to figure out what it would take to unlock all the characters, you can still pick up For Honor: Starter Edition for free right now to try it out.