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October 17, 2017
Is SOLO The Best Title for STAR WARS’ Young Han Solo Film?
Solo: A Star Wars Story. Is that a perfectly fine name, or did Lucasfilm drop the porg with the title of their Young Han Solo movie? We discussed that on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with whether or not The Big Bang Theory gave away a major Justice League spoiler, and how hyped we are to play Wolfenstein II after that new Nazi-killing trailer.
Joining host Jessica Chobot on today’s show were producers Kate Meyers and Derek Johnson, along with our director of development Brendon Schulze. They started with director Ron Howard’s big, huge, mega announcement that the young Han Solo movie has… perhaps the most obvious name ever. Is that actually okay, or a letdown? Are all the Star Wars standalone films going to get super simple names? And despite the title, are we looking forward to seeing Solo?
From there the show went to Spoilerville, after a Big Bang Theory sweepstakes might have accidentally given away something pretty big from Justice League. So if you want to avoid a potential leak from the film, skip past the photos of Sheldon.
Bazinga! Looks like the Green Lantern might show up. Is he really going to appear in the movie? Would that be the right move, or would it be better to introduce him in a standalone movie. And which Lantern do you hope eventually joins the team?
Finally, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus got a new trailer. What did we think of it? Are we looking forward to this followup? What about how Bethdesda has responded to the Alt-Right whiners who have been complaining (seriously) that freaking Nazis are the game’s bad guys? (2017 is exhausting.) Does the chance to virtually punch some Nazis make us more eager to play it?
WARNING: Super NSFW!
Nerdist News Talks Back was live today, just like it is every weekday, at 1:00 p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels. Tune in and get in on the conversation with us. And make sure to to vote in today’s Monster Madness poll!
Today's #MonsterMadness poll is a match-up of beasts. Who would win in a fight: Drogon from #GameOfThrones or Knifehead from #PacificRim?
— Nerdist (@nerdist) October 17, 2017
But even if you weren’t able to to watch live today, don’t think you have to go solo with your thoughts about today’s topics. Talk back to us about them in our comments below.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
The Big Bang Theory Images: CBS
We Finally Know Why Nintendo’s Famicom Cartridges Have Those Little Holes
The Nintendo Entertainment System and the Family Computer (or “Famicom“) are technically the same console, capable of playing the same games–aside from regional exclusives and that sort of thing. That said, the cartridges for each system look very different: The NES cartridges are tall, rectangular hunks of plastic, while Famicom carts are small and colorful.
If you’ve ever seen a Famicom cart, you may have wondered why those two holes on corners of the top edge are there. NES games don’t have them; there are plastic clips that hold the cartridge together instead. It turns out that there is a reason for this, as Nintendo recently revealed (via Kotaku), but it’s probably not the exciting answer you were hoping for.
Japanese website Afternoon News asked Nintendo about the holes and learned that they’re part of the cartridge’s design. That’s it.
Afternoon News: “I believe there are holes on the top of [Famicom] cartridges. Do you know what kind of meaning they had?”
Nintendo: “Yes, to be honest, they were just part of the design.”
Afternoon News: “Um, these aren’t holes made during the molding or the assembly?”
Nintendo: “That’s correct. They’re just [part of the cartridge’s] design.”
They’re not for ventilation, they don’t have a function. Nope, nothing like that: Nintendo just thought they looked nice. This is sort of a “don’t meet your heroes” scenario, but with a question and an underwhelming answer.
Now that Nintendo seems to be in a sharing mood, are there other unanswered questions you’d like to have resolved? What did you think the holes in the cartridge were for? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Bryan Ochalla/Flickr Quagmire’s Photos
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October 16, 2017
STAR WARS REBELS’ Season 4 Premiere Wrapped This CLONE WARS’ Character’s Arc
Warning: Spoilers are ahead for the Star Wars Rebels season four premiere, “Heroes of Mandalore.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.
The premiere of the fourth and last season of Star Wars Rebels spent time focusing on Sabine Wren. Her family and all of Mandalore, really, were put in extreme danger from the Empire. Tiber Saxon (voiced by Outlander‘s Tobias Menzies, by the way) got a weapon designed by Sabine during her time at the Imperial Academy up and running and used it to target Mandalorians opposing the Empire. The threat brought Sabine and the Ghost crew face to face with a familiar face from Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Bo-Katan Kryze.
In some ways, Rebels has given series executive producer and co-creator Dave Filoni the opportunity to wrap unfinished arcs from the cancelled Clone Wars. The show is close enough to Rebels on the timeline that fans have received more time with the likes of Ahsoka Tano, Hondo Ohnaka, and now, Bo-Katan. Voiced by Katee Sackhoff, Bo-Katan was introduced to the Star Wars universe in season four as a member of Death Watch, a splinter group that opposed the government of Mandalore. It didn’t matter to Bo-Katan that her sister, Duchess Satine Kryze, was the ruler of Mandalore.
When Darth Maul killed the leader of Death Watch (who was the previous owner of the Darksaber wielded by Sabine), Bo-Katan realigned with her sister and her sister’s leadership. She was starting down a new path, but her progress was cut off by the premature end of The Clone Wars. The animated series was going to show the siege of Mandalore and liberation of the world from Maul’s rule. When all was said and done, Bo-Katan was going to be the provisional leader.
Now, that fate has come to pass in Star Wars Rebels. Sabine took responsibility for her mistakes and destroyed the weapon she made, but she didn’t want to be the leader of her people. She didn’t feel she had earned it. Instead, she handed the Darksaber over to Bo-Katan—which this Clone Wars fan was beyond delighted to see.
What do you think about Sabine handing over the literal and symbolic power of the Darksaber to Bo-Katan? Do you think it’s a fitting cap on Bo-Katan’s story thus far? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm/Disney
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.
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Square’s SECRET OF MANA Remake is a Faithful, Rough Love Letter to SNES Classic
Secret of Mana is widely regarded by RPG fans as a classic. Originally released in 1993 for the Super NES, its fantasy-based story, colorful graphics, and real-time battle system made it an instant hit, despite the limitations of 16-bit hardware. With high-def remakes being all the rage these days, it makes sense that Square Enix would want to revisit the early classic and give it a fresh coat of paint for new generations to enjoy. However, our demo session with the Secret of Mana remake had us wondering if a newer version was really necessary.
The upcoming remake — due out on PC, PS4, and Vita in early 2018 — certainly boasts an ambitious list of reworked features. Most notably, we’ll get to hear Secret of Mana’s characters voiced for the very first time, and will be treated to a rearranged score. The 2D sprites of the SNES era have been replaced with 3D character models, and the same added depth makes the environments feel bigger and more epic. It’s not a bad-looking game by any means, but there’s something to be said for the lovely sprite art of the original as well.
It was a little hard to focus on the graphics when we couldn’t help but notice our demo’s rough edges. Audio skips were frequent during our 20 or so minutes of gameplay, and responses to dialogue or character choices were delayed just a second or two too long, enough to ruin the pacing of a conversation. The build was far from finished, but it’s still a bit concerning with release just over four months away. For a game boasting significant improvements to the audio, these kinds of issues stood out as especially glaring.
The story remains intact: relying heavily on RPG tropes, Secret of Mana follows unlikely hero Randi and a ragtag band of friends as they stumble into adventure and are tasked with saving the world. Just because we’ve seen these elements before doesn’t mean they’re not effective; Secret of Mana’s storytelling has always been a source of its charm and enduring legacy, and if an updated version for modern systems gets more people to play it (or allows old-school fans to experience it all over again), it’s worth it.
That said, the original version of Secret of Mana is still widely available, unlike many other games from that era. It’s been on iOS and Android devices for years, and was bundled in with the recent Super NES Classic release (though to be fair, the latter isn’t exactly easy to get your hands on). In order to justify its existence, the Secret of Mana remake needs to make a compelling case for why gamers should pick up a new, nearly-full-priced game over the more affordable original versions. Thus far, the demo doesn’t have me convinced—but I’m holding out hope that the early glitches will be smoothed out in time for its February 15 release.
Are you stoked for a modern version of Secret of Mana? Will you stick to your 16-bit original? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Square Enix
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7 Things We Loved About the New BLACK PANTHER Trailer
Marvel got the week off to a good start with the second trailer from Black Panther, which offered us an even deeper glimpse into the hidden nation of Wakanda. Within the Marvel Universe, Wakanda is one of the most advanced countries on Earth, and that certainly seems to be the case for the MCU as well. Black Panther looks like its going to be a mix of both superheroes and sci-fi, and we can’t wait to see more. In the meantime, today’s Nerdist News is all about the 7 things we loved in the new Black Panther trailer.
Join host, and honorary member of the Dora Milaje, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the details. One of the first things that caught our eye was that Black Panther’s got a new costume. It appears that T’Challa got a serious upgrade between his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War and his solo flick. This makes us suspect that his first costume actually belonged to his father, the late King T’Chakka.
It was also intriguing to see that T’Challa’s rival, Erik Killmonger is apparently getting his own supersuit. The Golden Jaguar armor looks like it may have been re-purposed from a previous Black Panther costume, and it will presumably give T’Challa a much harder fight. The trailer also seems to be setting up Martin Freeman’s character, Everett K. Ross, to be the audience surrogate just as he did in Christopher Priest’s excellent Black Panther run.
Perhaps the most stunning parts of the trailer dealt with the insanely high tech behind Wakanda, including the holographic shield that is used to hide its true nature from the prying eyes of other countries. The influence of the original Blade Runner was keenly felt, especially during Princess Shuri’s scene in the electric car and the mag-lev monorail. Even Klaw’s new sonic canon arm shows its roots in both the comics and sci-fi.
Finally, this one may be a bit of a spoiler, but it appears that the new trailer revealed Djalia, the ethereal plane of Wakandan memory. Basically, it allows T’Challa to literally commune with the past. There is a spiritual side to the Wakandan people, and that appears to be a part of this story as well.
What did you think about the new Black Panther trailer? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Studios
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Funko Unveils Classic James Bond POP! Series
Until Daniel Craig came along in 2006’s Casino Royale, it was always a two-horse race as to who was the best James Bond of all time. For a lot of people, it never got better than the very first big screen Bond, Sean Connery, who did six official films between 1962 and 1971. Others have a soft spot for the sillier antics of Roger Moore, who starred in seven Bond films from 1973 to 1985. Who can choose?! Well luckily, Funko isn’t making you choose and their first line of classic 007 POP! vinyl figures features characters from both the Connery and the Moore eras.
The James Bond films made spy movies stylish as hell and revolutionized the modern action flick in over the course of its five decades in existence. That level of suave is translated to the Funko POP! mold with a set of heroes and villains from some of the most popular and beloved films in the series. The above Connery figure has him in his iconic pose from the From Russia with Love poster, but wearing his white dinner jacket from Goldfinger, which is considered to be the best Connery Bond movie. (We’ll get a lot more Goldfinger stuff in a moment.
In addition we have Roger Moore in his pose from The Spy Who Loved Me, easily his best movie, by a country mile. That’s the movie that introduced the world to Jaws, the giant, metal-toothed henchmen played by Richard Kiel. As you’d hope, Jaws also gets represented in Funko form.
They even got the weird middle-part hairstyle correct. Speaking of villains, the first wave of Bond figures also includes Bond’s arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld, complete with facial scar and white cat, as he appeared in the 1967 entry You Only Live Twice, when he was played by the inimitable Donald Pleasence. This version of Blofeld is clearly the most iconic one, and is the direct inspiration for Austin Powers’ nemesis Dr. Evil. And, back in that silent henchmen game, we have Goldfinger’s right-hand man, Oddjob.
Easily the most macabre Funko POP! this side of Twin Peaks‘ Laura Palmer‘s body, wrapped in plastic, is the “Golden Girl” from Goldfinger. A very memorable image, the girl with gold paint on her lying naked on Bond’s hotel room bed, but she was dead—a message sent to Bond by Goldfinger himself. So, gross, Funko.
There are also a few store-specific variants you can pick up, including Connery Bond from Dr. No and Moore Bond from Octopussy. Really, these are just the same molds, but this time Connery has the black dinner Jacket and Moore has the white one. You can get these at Toys ‘R Us and Barnes & Noble, respectively. And, one that’s actually pretty cool, Oddjob holding his famous razor-edged Sandringham hat. That one’s exclusive to Target.
All of these 007 Funko POP! figures will be available in December, where all good plastic stuff is sold. Who’s YOUR favorite Bond? Who’s your favorite Bond villain? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Funko
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
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GARFIELD Creator Jim Davis Drew a Galactus Story For Marvel
Nearly 40 years ago, cartoonist Jim Davis‘ Garfield became one of the most popular comic strips in the world. Davis’ fat cat is famous for his voracious appetite, so it’s appropriate that Davis’ first-ever Marvel comic book story will feature a character whose hunger might surpass Garfield’s: Galactus, the devourer of worlds.
Entertainment Weekly (EW) has posted an advance preview of Davis’ story for The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #26, which is part of format breaking issue that takes the form of a magazine that was made by Squirrel Girl and her friends. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North penned the Galactus story, which was drawn by Davis with his assistants Gary Barker and Dan Davis.
Garfield creator Jim Davis drew a Galactus story for new Marvel comic https://t.co/Jh6o60HS44
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) October 16, 2017
In the page posted on EW’s site, Galactus is basically a cosmic Garfield, with the Silver Surfer playing the role of Garfield’s long-suffering owner, Jon Arbuckle. The story also maintains the comic strip format of Garfield, as Galactus frustrates his herald’s attempts to keep him from eating inhabited planets. This version of Galactus probably hates Mondays, too.
Davis and his assistants aren’t the only guest collaborators for the issue. Frank Cho is illustrating a story about Spider-Man‘s nemesis, Kraven the Hunter, while Rahzzah takes on the webhead himself. Chip Zdarsky also gets to revisit Howard the Duck in a short story, while Rico Renzi’s contribution puts Squirrel Girl’s companion, Tippy-Toe, in the spotlight. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #26 will be released on Wednesday, November 8.
Are you eager to see Davis’ mash up of Garfield and Galactus? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Comics
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Breaking Down That Amazing New BLACK PANTHER Trailer
The amazing new Black Panther trailer has us itching to travel to Wakanda, but what can we expect when we get there? We discussed it on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with guessing which Avenger might not survive Infinity War, a weird Sonic the Hedgehog/Hooters promotion in Japan, and laughing at some NFL bloopers.
Host Jessica Chobot welcomed Nerdist News writer Aliza Pearl, and editors Kyle Anderson and Dan Casey on the show, where they kicked things off by sharing their reactions to the latest Black Panther trailer that set the internet on fire. Was there anything non-comic book readers might have missed? Do the film’s villains look bad enough? And how excited are we for Black Panther compared to the rest of the many upcoming Marvel movies?
Speaking of Marvel (minor spoiler warning!), a casting call went out in Georgia for people to play mourners in Avengers 4. We know not everyone will survive the big battle, but which superhero(es) do we expect to bite the big one? Whose death would impact us the most?
They also discussed a strange new promotion out of Japan, which will see Hooters inexplicably teaming up with Sonic the Hedgehog. Uh…why? No, really, why? What does a chili dog have to do with Sonic? Is this the weirdest corporate crossover ever? If not, what is? And are there any unusual promo-pairings we actually want to see?
Finally, because everyone could really use a laugh right now, we enjoyed some NFL bloopers before discussing another inappropriate Harvey Weinstein joke.
Remember, Nerdist News Talks Back airs live every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels. You can be a part of the conversation with us when you tune in live. And don’t forget to vote in today’s Monster Madness poll!
Today's #MonsterMadness match-up is an anime giant vs. a literary sci-fi terror. Who wins in a fight: Colossal Titan or Sandworm?
— Nerdist (@nerdist) October 16, 2017
And on a day like today we need your help, because there are only so many ways we know how to say, “Holy **** Black Panther looks amazing!”
But we still want to hear from you about today’s topics, so talk back to us in the comments below.
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Featured Image: Marvel
Sonic Image: Sega
9,000 HARRY POTTER Fans Took Over a Small Canadian Town for Festival of Wizardry
The fandom surrounding Harry Potter is one of those pop culture phenomena that never seems to stop growing. Case in point, the second annual Festival of Wizardry. The unofficial Potter event swept into the small Canadian town of Blyth, Ontario over the weekend, welcoming over 9,000 witches and wizards and geeks of all kind to the ordinarily small town for a weekend of magical fun. Nine thousand. That’s up from 1,500 attendees in 2016.
The Festival of Wizardry, run by Transfigured Town, is about offering an immersive experience for fans who wish they’d received an acceptance letter for Hogwarts. Participants played Quidditch, competed in trivia competitions, and took lessons in various subjects like Divination and Potions. The second day of the festival was canceled due to inclement weather, but based on what I can see on social media, attendees crammed plenty of fun into the first day.
One fan brought a Ford Anglia like the one belonging to Arthur Weasley. No word on whether it flies.
Getting the Anglia ready for #TransfiguredTown | So excited! #WeasleysFlyingCar pic.twitter.com/tyJmiBZE99
— Marie Antoinette (@MurryAntoinette) October 14, 2017
Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts cosplay was all around.
This just happened… & we're starstruck! Thanks @morganhoffman #TransfiguredTown #BlythON #FestivalOfWizardry #HarryPotter pic.twitter.com/WjLG4F8MKW
— Fiona Williams (@FionaWilliams3) October 14, 2017
A post shared by Mischief Managed (@mischiefmanagedpodcast) on Oct 14, 2017 at 5:16pm PDT
Expectro patronum! #transfiguredtown #blyth #harrypotter
A post shared by Alex Tyml (@alex.tyml) on Oct 14, 2017 at 3:55pm PDT
A post shared by Jen Rinaldi (@jenniferannrinaldi) on Oct 15, 2017 at 8:30am PDT
https://twitter.com/FionaWilliams3/st...
The snacks were themed and on point.
A post shared by Alyssa Leonard (@aleonard_yqg) on Oct 15, 2017 at 12:38pm PDT
What would a Harry Potter event be with Butterbeer?
A post shared by BIG Emilie Custom Creations (@big.emilie) on Oct 15, 2017 at 11:21am PDT
You could play some Quidditch and then listen to a wizarding band.
Just chillin’ listening the @thelovegoodz at #FOW2017 pic.twitter.com/0cDMsPCQNh
— Steve Bergen (@the2bergens) October 13, 2017
Quidditch Cup @blyth #FestivalOfWizardy #TransfiguredTown pic.twitter.com/pAPzrKcNpd
— enneevee (@enneevee) October 14, 2017
I daresay, it all looks positively magical.
Would you grab a Portkey and travel to Ontario for the Transfigured Town experience in 2018? Are you feeling motivated to start a similar festival in your neck of the woods? Take a broomstick to the comments and let me know.
Featured Image: Warner Bros.
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.
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