Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2043

Our E3 Interaction With SPLATOON 2’s Salmon Run Mode Was Colorful Chaos

When you think of multiplayer gaming, are your first thoughts of machine guns, kill streaks, and headshots? Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that, but Nintendo’s Splatoon series offers a much different—and more colorful—take on competitive multiplayer gaming. Instead of using bullets, the half-squid, half-kid participants use paint to cover a map in their team’s colors. While that classic gameplay does return in Splatoon 2, Nintendo was showing off a new mode at its E3 booth: Salmon Run.

In Salmon Run, the point isn’t to cover as much surface as possible in day-glo shades of paint. Instead, you’re fighting waves of enemies while trying to gather their eggs in your basket. Bosses will spawn at random, and each one requires a different strategy to take down. It’s like horde mode, but with more fish. What’s great about Splatoon is the encouragement of solid teamwork, and in Salmon Run, it’s more important than ever. Unlike the four-on-four matches of the main event, this mode pits a team of four against some wily salmon and bizarre bosses. Downed squid kids need to be revived, egg carriers must be protected, and a single roller isn’t enough to destroy the big bad salmon. Even when playing with some Nintendo reps we’d only just met, the sense of teamwork was strong after a few rounds together; we were cheering our victories and groaning after each defeat.

If you’re thinking that Salmon Run doesn’t sound very Splatoon on paper, not to worry. We had some concerns that working cooperatively with a team of four to splat baddies wouldn’t be as fun as painting to town red (and green, and pink, and yellow…) but these were quickly squashed. You’re still using paint-based weapons to fight, and covering the area with bright splatters of color is necessary for moving around and refilling those weapons. Meanwhile, enemy waves of fish will spew their own shade of sickly green to slow you down, which becomes especially challenging when you’re trying to move an egg to your basket.

One thing we should mention: most of our play time on Salmon Run was at the lowest possible difficulty. Before starting, a Nintendo rep told us he was setting up the match on 5% difficulty—out of a possible 100%. Obviously, we scoffed, but the difficulty level was justified. At 5%, we were victorious, but it still took a good amount of effort. At 40%, we tried to stand our ground, but ultimately couldn’t make it past one round. At 100%, the egg-collection quota felt impossible to meet and we couldn’t even make a dent in the first wave of enemies. Don’t let the cheerful tone and bright colors fool you: Salmon Run is not messing around.

We had to get our hands on Salmon Run to really understand what made it great, but now that we have, it’s just one more reason we’re looking forward to Splatoon 2. We do wish we’d gotten to play some of the classic four-on-four mode, but that will have to wait another month.

Nintendo Switch owners are in for a treat come July 21. Will you be among them? Tell us in comments below.

Images: Nintendo

GODZILLA Gets Debunked by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist and “science communicator” Neil deGrasse Tyson is a national treasure. This is especially true in these dark, anti-science times, where it often feels like we are teetering on a Middle Ages level of understanding of even basic scientific facts. I mean, we live in a world of literal “Flat-Earthers” in the year 2017. (Don’t any of these people look out their window on airplanes?)  I think that fact alone speaks volumes about where we’re at. So Neil deGrasse Tyson as a voice for science–and one who can make learning about science entertaining as well as informative–is needed more than ever before.

But, let’s face it, sometimes the good Dr. Tyson is kind of a killjoy. Especially when it comes to debunking the scientific possibility of your favorite science-fiction franchises. He loves to be that guy, the one to tell you how Superman couldn’t really exist, or how this or that sci-fi movie got it wrong, etc. He loves to be Captain Buzzkill sometimes.

The latest example of Neil deGrasse Tyson telling us how one of our favorite science fiction icons simply could never be real happened on his Star Talk radio podcast. According to Tyson, beloved kaiju Godzilla simply could not exist in the real world, because the laws of physics could not allow for it to happen. A giant creature the size of Godzilla would be way too heavy for his limbs, and would therefore collapse under his own weight. Tyson kills your dreams of Godzilla ever emerging from the oceans in this clip from his Star Talk Radio podcast, which you can watch down below:

So there you have it. Neil deGrasse Tyson has destroyed all hope that there might be a real Godzilla lurking under the ocean floor somewhere, ready to stomp on Tokyo.

Here’s an alternate sciencey take:

How do you feel about Dr. Tyson crushing your kaiju fantasies? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Toho Studios

Kevin Feige Confirms No MCU FANTASTIC FOUR. At Least “Right Now”

It seems Marvel fans all across the world go through this at least once a year–call this seasonal event the “annual debunking of the Fantastic Four coming home.” Once again, during a Q&A, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, answered the question about whether or not there were any plans at the moment for the Fantastic Four franchise to return from Fox back into the hands of Marvel. Newsarama (via AlloCiné) got the scoop straight from the man himself, who didn’t exactly mince any words regarding the Fantastic Four joining the MCU anytime soon. Feige was pretty straightforward and said the following:

“[We have] no plans with the Fantastic Four right now. No discussions about it.”

So much for those rumors that there was going to be a big Fantastic Four announcement at Comic-Con in San Diego or D23 from Marvel this year. While the news sucks, here’s what fans of the Fantastic Four need to take away from this statement from Feige–“we have no plans for the Fantastic Four right now.” Emphasis on the “right now” part. Fans of Marvel’s first family should not lose hope however. Regardless of whatever Kevin Feige says at this moment, the Richards family are going to eventually be coming home to the MCU, in one form or another. And I’m going to explain to you just how and why this is pretty much a certainty at this point.

First off, the recent reboot of the FF for Fox from 2015, starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and directed by Josh Trank didn’t just disappoint, it mega-bombed. If comic book movies like Green Lantern and The Incredible Hulk are considered flops that killed those franchises dead in their tracks, let me remind you that each of those films made over $100 million domestic. FF made $50 million total, a true embarrassment for a superhero movie with the Marvel pedigree in this day and age. If Fox were to spend money on a sequel to this version that no one liked, it would look like what it is–a desperate attempt to keep the rights away from Disney.

Of course, Fox could wait five years and reboot again. The rights don’t lapse back to Marvel until 2022. But the problem there is that the most recent failure was a reboot of the property already, as the previous Tim Story directed versions of the Fantastic Four from 2005 and 2007 weren’t particularly beloved. For them to go back to the well so soon after this last fiasco would get so much negative press, and have such an uphill battle to make to be considered a success, it can’t possibly be worth it for Fox. It should also be noted that the last FF reboot was announced in 2009, with Josh Trank being hired in 2012, a good three years before the movie hit theaters. We are getting dangerously close to the point were movement on the next iteration of the FF from Fox would have to start happening if their 2022 deadline is going to be met.

So there are two options here. Fox does nothing, in which case Marvel/Disney get the rights back in 2022, make a big announcement for “Marvel’s Fantastic Four” as either a film or a TV series, with well liked directors and the Marvel Studios pedigree behind it. Or, Fox does what Sony did with Spider-Man, in which they keep the release rights, but go to Marvel Studios and beg ask them to produce the film, and incorporate the FF into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Throw in some cameos from Spider-Man, Iron Man, or whichever Marvel Studios major players you want, and suddenly this becomes an event: the redemption of the characters that launched the Marvel Universe at last. I can tell you this–Fox is very carefully watching the results for Spider-Man: Homecoming this summer. If that collaboration between Sony and Marvel is critically and commercially successful, you bet your ever-lovin’ blue-eyed butt they are going to make a similar deal.

I’ve heard it said that “Marvel Studios doesn’t need the Fantastic Four.” And this is true: they don’t need it. But I promise you, they do want it. The original FF comic book from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby launched an entire universe, and included some of the most beloved icons that Marvel owns. Just the character of the Thing alone, a character that Marvel has successfully merchandised for decades, would make it worth it for Marvel. One way or another, a Marvel Studios produced Fantastic Four is coming, either in cooperation with Fox, or eventually, without them all together. It’s just not happening right this second.

What do you want in a Marvel Studios version of the Fantastic Four? Be sure to tell us your thoughts on Marvel’s First Family down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Comics

REPLACE Combines the Themes of THE NEON DEMON with the Horror of MARTYRS (LAFF Review)

Following a downtown date night, Kira (Rebecca Forsythe) finds herself inadvertently walking back in circles, returning to the site of the sex scene, and discovering the apartment to have completely changed. Now, the apartment of the man she had only dated five times is no longer hers but his, filled with her stuff like she’s lived there for years. Also? The ghost of a little girl appears at terrifying moments (largely abetted by some skillful sound design). Even worse, the skin on Kira’s hand is not just flaking off, but doing so in chunks that threaten to expose the bloody flesh underneath.

That’s a lot to unpack, but in Replace, director Norbert Keil is content to let us orient ourselves for a while without explaining anything. The plot details sort things out later; in the meantime, the bisexual Kira develops a friendship (and more) with sexy French neighbor Lucie (Sophie Demeraux), who claims never to have seen the previous male inhabitant and is revealed to have been watching Kira from afar for a while.

As the skin condition worsens, Kira visits a clinic she has been to before but cannot remember, possibly because it looks a lot more like a modern art gallery than anything legitimately medical. There, creepy doctor Barbara Crampton subjects her to inconclusive tests, all as Kira begins to notice that, since the chunks of her skin that she peels off show an uncanny ability to stick right back on and become part of her again, her body might be able to do better with fresher pieces of epidermis instead.  First she tries to skin a cadaver, but before long she’s taken the leap to becoming a serial skinner… and it works, albeit only briefly. Stolen skin rejuvenates her own, but cannot stop the overall deterioration, which keeps coming back, faster and faster.

The metaphor, made obvious by the end, is a fear of aging, and in particular how age changes women’s societally pressured self-image. To what lengths will you go to fight the ravages of time, knowing you cannot win forever? In its proposed “solution,” it starts to play a bit like The Neon Demon, until the film’s final third takes a detour into some Martyrs-like territory. In its desire to give every young actress onscreen a nude scene, it also ironically undercuts its own statement, as it probably won’t surprise you that the older Crampton is the only woman in the story who doesn’t strip or get stripped at some point. The director could no doubt claim he’s using objectification to draw people in and receive the message they need to hear, but will they notice through all the gore? Maybe. It’s worth noting that there are no male savior or archvillain roles.

The screenplay, cowritten by the awesome and underrated Richard Stanley (Hardware, The Island of Dr. Moreau and YES THAT’S A GOOD MOVIE DAMMIT) thankfully offers more than just a simplistic serial killer take on the Elizabeth Bathory legend (that’s been done before, and badly), using Kira’s memory gaps/time jumps (it’s not clear until the end what they actually are) to keep viewers on edge and as unable to grasp quite what is happening as Kira is. The soundtrack runs the gamut from modern club beats to subtle score cues to synth-heavy John Carpenter tributes, while the frequent use of blurry filters and literal purple hazes add dreamlike notes where appropriate. That many of the effects at least appear to be in-camera (bravo if they’re digital replicas) gives the whole project a nice throwback feel.

Even the rotting skin makeup looks as simple as something like dried oatmeal, but it works because the consequences of it are completely sold by both Forsythe and the judicious use of special gore makeup underneath when needed. It’s like the inner ugliness is fighting to emerge, and winning.

I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more from Norbert Keil in the future. Replace may not be destined to be a massive crossover, but I suspect it’ll be one shared often by horror fans as a “Have you seen this?” cult favorite.

Four out of five burritos

Images: Sparkling Pictures/Indie PR

Luke Y. Thompson is a member of the L.A. Film Critics Association who loves the LAFF time of year. Tweet him @LYTrules.

Scarlett Johansson Learns the Secret of Stephen Colbert’s Captain America Shield

Life has got to be pretty weird when a good portion of your career is pretending to be a superhero. Your days are full of being a professional bad-ass straight from the pages of comic books while other people spend time in cubicles, serving food, or working retail. But it’s refreshing to know that these big stars, like Scarlett Johansson, are still just people who get a kick out of Reddit doppelgängers and are on a constant search for good chicken wings.

ScarJo stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert promote her new movie Rough Night, but ended up chatting with Colbert about all manner of things. Topics ranged from Johansson’s 72-year-old doppelgänger and how she joined her for the premiere of the movie to the quest for good chicken wings around the world.

When conversation shifted to the amount of characters that will appear Avengers: Infinity War, Colbert suggested that he should be a part of it (something I’m 100% on board with), since he’s actually a Marvel character after appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #573. 

To further prove his Marvel worthiness, Colbert and Johansson climbed the stairs on his set to check out his Captain America shield only to find it hiding a safe that even Colbert was unaware of.

So is this a fun mix-up where the host of the show doesn’t know the ins and outs of his set design or something more nefarious!? Considering Colbert conveniently leaves his glasses at his desk and can’t read the prompter at the send-off and that Scarlett “Black Widow” Johansson saves the day by sending things to commercial can only mean one thing!

“Forgetting” his glasses was actually a dig at the theory that Heimdall’s eyes are the key to the last Infinity stone and that the Soul Gem is actually in Stephen Colbert’s secret safe!

Thank you, thank you. Yes. I cracked the case. And you can thank me in the comments below!

Images: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Marvel

How the Biggest Changes in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM INFINITE Happened

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 launched back in 2011. Let that sink in for a second. So the incredibly popular fighter was prominant in the video game world before the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever took off. And that’s important to realize when looking at Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Looking through that prism will allow us to get a better understanding of the mindset that went into making the next iteration in a historic franchise. To get a good feel I had the great pleasure of sitting down at this year’s E3 with part of the Marvel/Capcom team, including: Creative Director of Marvel Entertainment Bill Rosemann, Director of Production at Capcom Mike Evans, and Peter Rosas (a.k.a. The Combo Fiend).

Both Marvel and Capcom are very cognizant of the cinematic universe’s popularity right now, but aren’t allowing the pressure of that success to force them into making compromises for the sake of making the movie fans happy. Instead, the team realizes that because the films have done so well there will be a slew of newcomers checking the game out because of the Marvel popularity in pop culture. To address that, there are settings that allow for easy combos by simply hitting the same button four times. It won’t win any fights, but it lowers the barrier of entry.

This mindset also brought about one of the biggest changes that’s being made to the franchise: going 2 vs. 2 instead of the usual 3-on-3 battles. By taking this route, it makes it easier to follow along, and isn’t as convoluted. Another reason for this change is the fact that the third character in in each team was usually being used for a function. The team felt that removing the character and replacing it with an Infinity Stone (you choose a stone that grants you some crazy power each time you fight) which serves the function equally as well if not better than a third fighter. The final reason for this shift also seems to be about utilizing the instant switches between characters while fighting. A simple click of a button allows you to change between your fighters with very little to no restriction, which becomes harder to manage with a third character.

As for the art-style and character designs, both Marvel and Capcom wanted to make this their own thing–independent of other mediums. The fine line being making characters that are recognizable with a twist that makes them unique to this video game. “Take a look at some of the characters from the trailer: Thanos and Gamora. The Thanos is a completely original design, while Gamora is more like her character in the comic book with the space armor, and she’s basically a space ninja,” explained Mike Evans.

It’s such a strange place to be simply because some of these characters now have films and their popularity is skyrocketing. So you don’t want fans to feel like you’re simply pandering to those newer fans, while still trying to take advantage of some cool opportunities like sticking Rocket Raccoon with Dante from Devil May Cry. On the Capcom side, the team definitely looks at interesting characters that are up and coming (at least on the Marvel side with the likes of Captain Marvel), and characters that make sense in this world. With a focus on adding a single-player campaign that will take about four hours to complete depending on your skill means that brawlers need to fit right into the narrative. And the developers looked at all the mediums to create the designs, which is great for fans of these franchises.

As for the competitive scene, it’s also interesting that the game wasn’t necessarily built from the ground-up to be an eSport, but the potential is there. The game still has that depth and following that could propel it to some interesting heights–if the quality is there, of course. I’m sure the business folks over there would love it to have that staying power, but I’ll take their word for it that their focus was on pushing out a game that speaks for itself. And honestly, while I was skeptical at first, the gameplay was still a total blast, despite all the changes made to the formula we’re used to.

This game is going to have an interesting launch, and a tough one because excellent fighting games like Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 are already in consumers’ hands. How this one will be received by the general consumer is going to be something to be on the lookout for. I’m hopeful that the final product will live up to the high-quality we’re used to with the franchise. Swing your thoughts into the comment section below.

Image: Marvel, Capcom

John Barrowman Announces CURSED from Legendary Comics (Exclusive)

I can’t think of anything John Barrowman can’t do. He sings, he dances, he is an integral figure in both DC Comics TV continuity and Doctor Who continuity, and he also finds time to write amazing stories for comic books. On Saturday during the Legendary Comics panel at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, a brand new Barrowman project was announced, which sounds like yet another in a long line of creative titles perfectly suited to his sensibilities. Cursed will bring folklore, legend, and modern day anti-heroics together, in an ongoing series along with his sister and writing partner Carole Barrowman and Firebrand writer Erika Lewis.

The story of Cursed will follow Charlie Stewart, a successful lawyer with a family, house, the whole nine years. Until his 40th birthday, however; that’s when he suddenly falls victim to a centuries-old family curse, dating back to his distant ancestor, Bonnie Prince Charlie, who angered the sisters of the Celtic god of war. Every decision Charlie makes, every relationship he has, every choice he’s given is doomed to fail spectacularly, no matter what he does. So he must travel to Scotland and get caught up in the petty squabbles of the gods in order to set his life back on track, and maybe learn not to be a jerk in the process. “Humbling,” they call it.

“We’ve always wanted to write a story that pulls together our love of history, our Scottish heritage, and our love of sci-fi and the supernatural. Mix these all together and Cursed was born,” said John Barrowman.

The art team will be announced at a later date, and the actual date of release has not be set either, but you can bet we’ll let you know more details as soon as we know them.

Are you stoked to get Cursed by John Barrowman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

Images: CW/Legendary Comics

Here are Our Favorite Moments of E3 2017

Boy howdy are we exhausted from the weeklong schlep of E3, but it was totally worth it. Essentially since all the major players emerged with news that made us want to sock away cash so we can splurge when everything comes out—we’re especially looking at you Nintendo.

If you’ve been following all of our E3 coverage, I bet you’ve probably asking yourself, “I wonder what that Nerdist News Talks Back crew thought about all of the developments at the LA-based conference?” Well good news everyone, because Amy Vorpahl, Kyle Hill, and Rob Manuel sat down for a kibitz about all their favorite moments from this year’s convention.

While Amy is a number-one stan for Skyrim’s VR—even with Bethesda’s murky graphics—Kyle was stoked about the new DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn and explained why he always opts to play as a female protagonist. Rob, on the other hand, had his interest most piqued by an indie traveling game called Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, which Amy decided is a game about making friends.

As with everything in life, E3 also had its share of disappointments. The group’s general consensus: there were more “meh” moments that focused on previously existing IPs than earth shattering revelations. Have we just been spoiled by the last few years of announcements? Perhaps. Are we still stoked by the sheer amount of gaming we have to look forward to in the coming year? For sure.

What were your favorite moments of E3 2017? What about the biggest meh moments? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter. Also be sure to check out all of our E3 coverage right here.

Image: FOX, Sony

An Awesome Mix of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Album Fan Art

Music figures heavily into Guardians of the Galaxy, so it’s beyond fitting that artist Kevin Tiernan expressed his appreciation for the films with album fan art. He came up with the concept of vinyl covers featuring the Guardians for the first film; making the record mock-ups back then marked his first time creating fan art.

Recently, Kevin was inspired to update the concept for Vol. 2. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a brilliant idea because it means we get Baby Groot!

Baby Groot on all the things.

And Rocket Raccoon:

I would so be down to collect a record featuring some combination of these designs. I’m all about the bold and minimalist combination Kevin presents.

Fly your ship to the gallery below to see all of the Guardians, plus a couple of others like Yondu, depicted in record art form. Then, go view more of Kevin’s work at Behance, his website, and on Instagram. If Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is your jam, he has a cool print available through Gallery 1988.

Do you create any sort of fan art? If so, I want to see it. Whether you focus on a specific fandom or pull inspiration from multiple stories and mediums, I’d like to highlight what you do. If you’re interested in being featured in a future edition of Fan Art Friday, get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com with examples of your work. If you’re not an artist, feel free to email me with recommendations for Fan Art Friday!

Images: Kevin Tiernan

This OVERWATCH Lúcio Costume Took Over 300 Hours to Make

Cosplayer Neverending Dreamz has been making costumes since 2009. He told Nerdist he’s always been an artist and wanted to see his art come to life. Cosplay happens to be the perfect way to achieve that goal. He recently knocked it out of the park with a Lúcio costume from Overwatch that he debuted at MomoCon in late May. The cosplay features a replica of the character’s Sonic Amplifier, complete with sound and light effects. [Insert impressed emoji here.]

Photo by Calibur Photography

Neverending Dreamz invested about 340 hours in the build. Aside from the prop gun—which we’ll talk about more in a moment—the boots were the most challenging aspect of the costume. Conventions don’t usually allow skates, so he went another way. “I took the alternative route and built the boots off of miniature two to three inch stilts. I ran the leds around the stilts to give it a floating effect,” he said.

Photo by Bamisaur’s Designs

Now for the incredible Sonic Amplifier! Neverending Dreamz put an eight inch subwoofer in the front of the gun and two four inch speakers on the side. The wires used to connect everything for the sound and LEDs run through the gun, in the tube, up Dreamz’s arm, and into an amp in his backpack. He explained, “The amp is Bluetooth which is synced to my phone, and my phone’s running a YouTube playlist of Overwatch music. With a switch on my gun, I can turn the music on or off, and with my phone I can cycle through the songs. I actually had a electrician teach and assist me with the speaker wiring, but I was already well experienced with LEDs.”

See and hear the amplifier in action:

Carrying the gun around is a workout, though, because it weighs around 40 to 50 pounds. Whew.

Take a visit to the gallery below to see a couple more photos of the finished costume and some work in progress shots. Keep up with Neverending Dreamz’s latest projects by following him on Facebook.

Do you cosplay or take photographs of cosplayers? Then I want to see your work so we can talk about highlighting your creations in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re a photographer, maybe we could focus on your images from a single convention. If you’re interested, please get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com and send photos you’d like me to feature—the more high-res the photos, the better. Be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image because giving credit is good manners—bonus points if you include links to relevant Facebook pages or websites. Though I wish I knew all the nerdy franchises, I don’t, so please let me know who or what is being cosplayed.

Featured Image: Calibur Photography