Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2133

This Speedrunner Beat THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD in Under 50 Minutes

It will take most mortals about 30 hours to complete the main quest in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but speedrunners are a lot more skilled than you and I. While this open-world masterpiece is no cakewalk, the speedrun community has been able to defeat Calamity Ganon and saved Hyrule on “any%” runs (beat the main quest with any percentage) in less than an hour–in under 50 minutes, to be exact.

The current world record holder, Venick409, just recently achieved this impressive feat in 49:43. Better yet, he did it while dealing with a known texture glitch that reared its ugly face towards the end of his run, all while enjoying a few drinks during the stream. It’s a magical sight, and the amount of skill, talent, and sheer precision to pull this off is incredibly impressive. I encourage y’all to feast your eyes on the clip above. Note: avoid the video if you don’t want any spoilers and instead turn your attention to this glorious shot of Prince Sidon from the game.

For those who don’t want to watch the whole 50-minute video, I’ll give you a brief rundown on why folks are able to accomplish the feat. Because the game is so open, players can actually go directly to the final boss fight once they’ve completed the first tutorial area. Of course, this is not the recommended route, since you’ll likely be Ganon food if you attempt the final clash unprepared. You also have to keep the stamina bar in mind because you’ll need it to reach certain areas, and you’ll also need to make sure you don’t take damage because this early in the game, most enemies in Hyrule will kill you in one hit. In short, complete the game as it was intended if you’re not one of these amazing speedrunners.

As impressive as this may be, there’s zero doubt that other speedrunners are already attempting to beat the time. The first sub 60-minute run came from gymnast86 at 58:01, who set the standard. Now it’s a blazing race to the fastest time. Venick409 actually held the previous world record at 54:05, so he too will probably keep attempting to best himself and anyone who dares to beat his time.

The only controversy in all of this comes from the use of the amiibo. Nintendo’s little collectables can spawn random, mostly useful, items in the world just by tapping the figurine onto the NFC scanner on the Joy-Con. One of in particular–the Smash Bros. Link amiibo– will actually spawn Epona into the world. Why have some taken issue with this, you ask? Well, Venick409 and other speedrunners use this nifty feature to spawn the horse of legend to make their trek through Hyrule quicker.  Personally, I don’t think this should even be an issue since it’s part of the game, and there’s no funny business to make this work, so it’s fair usage. I haven’t seen folk complain about changing the game’s language to German, and that also shaves an extra 10 seconds off the run. Speedrunning games is an art.

Have you completed the game yet? What does your game time look like? Do you care that this world record was accomplished using an amiibo? Which Zelda title is your favorite? Drop your thoughts into the comments section below.

Image: Nintendo

Conan O’Brien Strips KONG: SKULL ISLAND of CG…Kind of

By now you’ve probably all seen Kong: Skull Island, and marveled at how the use of real locations created the most believable onscreen rendering of Skull Island yet. But how much of it was actually real, and how much was digital magic?

Conan O’Brien claimed to have the answer this week and presented what was apparently some production footage before effects were added. No, it wasn’t the real thing–but what was striking about the spoof is how much it assumed the TV audience already knows about post-production and motion capture. Humans in real life might not play mountains and pistols (though they could), but they definitely do wear suits covered in ping-pong balls, and have faces drawn on volleyballs for their acting eyeline’s sake. And who knows? That final fight scene may have gone down quite similarly to the way Conan depicted it…albeit with Toby Kebbell rather than a little person.

I for one was hoping Conan himself would play the stick-insect monster. It would seem like the kind of part he was born for. Maybe next time.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts weighed in on Twitter with his approval:

Now you all know how ILM works behind closed doors… https://t.co/UifDwQfm4W

— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) March 19, 2017

If that’s remotely how it really is, sign us up to work there! I can play a helicopter, once somebody tells me what my motivation is for flying.

Would you like to see Conan vs. Kong? Go ape in comments below.

Image: Warner Bros., TBS/Team Coco

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

This should give Conan a lot more to work with in the future.

The BBC Dad Interrupted By His Kids Gets a STAR WARS Spoof

In a video that’s been going viral for a week now, British South Korea expert Robert Kelly was being interviewed on a BBC news broadcast when his children, excited to see him on the TV, came rushing into his office mid-interview, followed closely by a frantic mother who wrangled them quickly out of the scene. Kelly handled the whole thing with an admirably straight face, and parents everywhere laughed knowingly at the inevitably unexpected nature of having a family.

So of course there is now a Star Wars version (courtesy of Jack of All Genius), because the Internet. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a version starring tiny hamsters (if there is one by the time this article goes up, please post it in comments).

Now, sticklers for accuracy are bound to note that it should be Padme coming in to corral li’l Luke and Leia, rather than Leia coming in to get two rowdy droids (let’s not even think about all the familial implications there. Oops, too late). And the Darth Vader voice is obviously not a James Earl Jones parody–it’s a voice done as if Robert Kelly, rather than Anakin Skywalker, had become Darth Vader. Or is perhaps cosplaying as him.

And while, say, Wicket and Paploo are more obvious for kid roles in the Star Wars universe, you can’t really cast them here because some people still hate Ewoks irrationally. R2-D2 and BB-8, though, are impossible to dislike, even though they often interfere at inopportune times.

Just wait till  Vader gets interrupted by his grandkid someday. That won’t be pretty.

Have you seen any other “BBC Dad” parodies we should check out? Let us know below, or post them to our Facebook page!

Image: Jack of All Genius

When you think about it, Snoke’s the one who always does TV interviews…

Weekend Earworms: Remembering Chuck Berry

An estimated 92% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things, ever. We here at Nerdist are dead set on bringing you those types of songs—even if only for the weekend. So shove this into your grey matter!

So… yeah. Chuck Berry.

It is flat out impossible to string together any amount of words to properly convey what Chuck Berry’s musical contributions meant to the world. There’s just no way to wrap your head around such a long and important career. Not that people won’t try, though. These days, when someone famous passes away, there begins a cycle of tributes that tend to seem…fairly disingenuous. Not that they shouldn’t be done because one of the main goals of the internet (myself and this article included) is to convey some sort of message, and tribute articles are sometimes part of the job. But unlike so many articles you’ll see in the coming days, I’m not going to pretend that I had Chuck Berry albums queued up on a regular basis.

However, I do believe his music is a touchstone for countless artists and something so ingrained in our own minds that Berry pretty much is the embodiment of rock and roll. His music is such a fundamental force that it’s like arithmetic or tying our shoes. We know it without thinking and it’s something we certainly don’t ever appreciate enough.

So, with him gone, the only way I see fit to mourn him is to celebrate what he gave us. Here are a few of my go-to Chuck Berry tunes.

“Johnny B. Goode”

Cards on the table, I don’t think I’ve ever watched this whole performance until today. I knew the song from a young age thanks to a mom who loved the oldies station and, of course, because of Marty McFly’s version in Back to the Future.

Just think about this performance and the minds it must have melted back in 1958. Berry was fearless in shredding his guitar and completely in his own element dancing around the stage. Look at the audience and how most are unsure whether or not to even move. The only thing more satisfying than that is this performance with John Lennon. Not only does it feel like Lennon and company are struggling to keep up with Berry’s energy, but they also shut Yoko Ono’s microphone off during the song so she can’t make her signature nonsense noises over the song. (1:50 vs 5:33 marks for reference.)

“Rock And Roll Music”

Hey, they’re hits for a reason, right? “Rock and Roll Music” is one of those songs that just wiggles its way into people’s heads without warning. A song that most people know without really remembering ever listening to it. It’s been in so many movies and TV shows over the years that I think we all learned it through some sort of musical osmosis. Plus, I suppose we mostly have the Beatles version to thank for that as well. But under no circumstances do we thank the Beach Boys version. It’s basically a Kidz Bop song.

Hey! Let’s talk about dicks!

“My Ding-a-ling”

Like, there’s no way around this. This is just one big sing-along all about dicks. I unabashedly love this stupid song and it’s not just because it was The Simpsons that first turned me onto introduced me to it. But a few things. First, who goes swimming across something called Turtle Creek with their bits hanging about? And secondly, I am very disappointed that SNL never had Tim Meadows parody this because it seems his lispy Ladies Man voice (and overall creepiness) is directly inspired by Berry.

What are your favorite Chuck Berry songs? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Universal Pictures

Blake Rodgers writes for Nerdist from Chicago, IL where he lives happily with his Guinness World Record for High Fives. You can be his pal by following him on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers)

Bask in the Many Faces of MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA With These 12 GIFs

You’ve probably already heard the bad news: the animation in Mass Effect: Andromeda is proving…problematic. The game is a mere three days from launching, and reviewers and folks with EA Access have already been bashing the awkward character faces in the game—which Bioware reportedly won’t be fixing with the day one patch. With so many people having access, the issue has spread across the web like wildfire with a series of hilarious GIFs. Here are 12 of our favorites!

This is noot good. Noot good at all.

HT: Drew Peacock

TFW when you completely nail a mission. Say it with me, “Yaaaas!”

HT: Roidan

You’re never fully dressed without an incredibly creepy smile.

HT:missesbull

Oh no.

HT: DeathMetalist

No words…

HT: Saya

That awkward moment when you realize how awkward you look.

HT: Lime

Nope, nothing to see here.

HT: Officer.Sanchez

The actual quote from the game says it all: “Sorry, my face is tired of dealing with…everything.” Indeed.

HT: BeastGaming

At this point, you’re probably thinking that you can’t believe your eyes.

HT:XLetalis

A twist on the Michael Jackson classic.

HT: XLetalis

Act natural.

HT: DrewPeacock

Okay, that’s enough for today!

via GIPHY

HT: Katamariontherocks

As of right now, the animation problem only seems to plague the human characters in the game. Aside from the Asari, most of the alien races seemed to have come out relatively unscathed. It will be interesting to see if the issue persists or worsens as players dive deeper into the world of Mass Effect: Andromeda. It’s a strange issue to see, especially so close to the game’s release. Despite its own quirks, Bioware’s previous title, Dragon Age: Inquisition performed much better.

"Drop it, now!"

"You first."https://t.co/McRrXSdXJX pic.twitter.com/FdJPhw4LjZ

— Mass Effect (@masseffect) January 3, 2017

When the problem first came to light back in January regarding the footage seen in the above tweet, fans were quick to point out how awkward Sara’s face looked. Amidst the uproar, Bioware general manager, Aaryn Flynn, apologized for the bug, and promised that the team would fix it. So although it won’t be fixed by the time it comes out, it sounds like there will be a patch later on down the line.

Which gif was your favorite? Will you still be picking up Mass Effect: Andromeda, despite the glaring issues with character animation? Let us know in the comments below!

HERE’S EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA SO FAR. 

Featured Image Credit: Bioware/Gamespot

Why Australia Is a Continent, but Greenland Is Not

It’s a question that has probably plagued you since you were old enough to learn what geography is: at what point does an island become a continent? (As opposed to when you were old enough to learn about puns, and you wondered if an island could be incontinent. But that’s another story for another time.) Is Australia really an island? Is Antarctica? And if they are continents, why isn’t the similarly large Greenland also a continent?

Simon Whistler, of YouTube’s “Today I Found Out” channel, has the answer. Sort of. Because it turns out there isn’t an easy single answer, when we can’t even all agree how many continents there are (is “America” one, or two? Rational people disagree).

However, there are ways to narrow it down. And as every insecure male has ever been told, it’s not necessarily the size, but what you do with it that counts. In even more Freudian speak, you can conceivably answer the question, “Why aren’t we a continent?” with “Why do you believe you’re NOT a continent?” In the Matrix, you can’t just think you are…you have to know you are.

There’s more to it than that, but we’re not going to spoil every detail for you before you watch the thing. Whistler’s a charming fellow and he deserves your eyeballs (no, not like that! Keep them in your head, please!). But now that he’s done explaining why Greenland isn’t a continent, maybe the host can clear up which continent Greenland is actually a part of. Because there’s some dispute over that as well.

Are you satisfied with the answer? What geographical dilemmas still have you puzzled? Map them out for us in the comments.

Image: Today I Found Out

Mark Hamill Shares First Ever LUKE SKYWALKER Photo

This year marks four decades since the original Star Wars hit movie theater screens, changing the pop culture world as we know it. Maybe the big anniversary of A New Hope’s release put actor Mark Hamill is a particularly nostalgic mood, because on Saturday, March 18,  Hamill tweeted out a throwback photo from his first day at work on the set of Star Wars, (via Entertainment Weekly) showing him wearing his iconic orginal Luke Skywalker costume.

The photo was taken on March 22, 1976, almost 41 years ago to the day, and is very likely the very first photo of Hamill as Luke Skywalker ever taken. The shot of Hamill as Luke was taken in the Tunisian desert that served as the set for Luke’s home planet of Tatooine. You can see the photo in question in Hamill’s tweet down below:

Taken in Tunisia early morning Day #1 waiting for my 1st shot (emerging from home for robot auction)-Perhaps the very 1st #LukePic #SW pic.twitter.com/WMCGnWCotP

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 18, 2017

Shown in the background of the photo are a couple of actors in Jawa costumes. This makes sense, since among the scenes planned for day one of production include Luke and his Uncle Owen buying R2-D2 and C-3PO at auction from the nomadic desert scavengers.

In response to a fan’s comment on the photo about whether or not that day Hamill thought this would be a hit or a turkey, the actor wrote, “Crew was kind but thought [Star Wars] was ‘rubbish’ – I kept telling them ‘We’re on a winner!’” Hamill has always been on record believing that Star Wars would be a hit, even when his fellow cast mates didn’t believe in it.

After thirty-four years, Mark Hamill will have his first Star Wars speaking role as Luke since the original trilogy in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which hits theaters this December. He’ll be joined by Carrie Fisher as his sister Leia, who shot her scenes before her untimely death last December, along with other original cast members like Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew, along with  newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac.

Does this photo of Hamill as Luke give you all the nostalgic feels? And just how excited for you to see Luke in action again in The Last Jedi? Be sure to give us your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Lucasfilm 

The Salvador Dali + Walt Disney Short Film Time Almost Forgot

It’s somehow strange to think of Salvador Dali and Walt Disney as contemporaries. That they could have worked together is insane and wonderful, but we almost never saw the fruits of that labor.

The astoundingly influential animators began working on a short film project together in 1946 that would lie dormant for 55 years. That project, Destino, appropriately deals with time. Its wordless plot focuses on a woman named Dahlia falling in love with Chronos, the God of Time, and languidly dancing through the types of surreal landscapes you’d expect from the bizarre-minded master.

It’s tempting to think of the Disney/Dali partnership as intriguing because of how different their styles were until you remember that Disney was just as much Fantasia as he was Mickey Mouse, and Dali had produced work for Hollywood before (specifically Hitchcock). Still, their mythic personae on the same title screen conjures up images of Goofy’s face melting off his head.

So, obviously we all want to see that short film, too. Or maybe just use virtual reality to dive into Dali’s mind.

As for Destino, it exists because of the Fantasia side of the Disney legacy. The story goes that the collaboration was scrapped because there simply wasn’t enough money to make it after WWII. Those were the lean Disney years. In 1999, Roy Disney rediscovered the Dali storyboards while mining Disney’s history for Fantasia 2000, fell in love with the images, and the rest is what you see on your screen.

It’s a stunning short film comprised of Dali’s signature imagery (vast wastelands, melting figures, exotic transformations, shifting perspective, and shapes emerging from negative space), but it’s also technically an homage. Only 17 seconds of original footage (from animator John Hench) is in the finished piece. Fortunately, you can see the marriage of Dali’s imagination and Disney’s production ingenuity beaming in every cel.

You’d watch a trippy Goofy short, too, right? Let us know in the comments section.

Images: Walt Disney Company

On the subject of Disney memories…

RIP Bernie Wrightson, Horror Illustrator and Co-Creator of SWAMP THING

The world of comic books has lost another legend, as artist Bernie Wrightson, known primarily for his work on horror comics and being the co-creator of DC Comics‘ iconic horror hero Swamp Thing, has passed. The legendary artists lost his long battle with brain cancer on March 18, 2017, at the age of 69. His wife Liz Wrightson posted the news on Bernie’s official Facebook page. Aside from Swamp Thing, Bernie Wrightson was also well known for his work for Heavy Metal magazine, as well as his years-ahead-of-its-time illustrations of the Frankenstein monster.

Wrightson was born in Dundalk, Maryland in 1948, and was raised on a steady diet of EC horror comics. In 1966, Wrightson began working for The Baltimore Sun newspaper as an illustrator at the age of 18, and it was in the following year, after meeting artist Frank Frazetta at a comic-book convention in New York City, that he decided to create and illustrate his  own stories. In 1968, he showed pages of his artwork to DC Comics editor Dick Giordano, and he was then given his first freelance assignment.

In 1968 he drew his first professional comic book story, “The Man Who Murdered Himself,” which appeared in House of Mystery No. 179 (March–April 1969). He then became the “go-to” illustrator for horror and mystery anthology comics for DC, which were very popular back in the early ’70s. He did contribute some work to Marvel books at this time as well, such as Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows. Essentially, he was THE horror guy in comics at the time. It was in 1971 that Wrightson co-created Swamp Thing with writer Len Wein, a character that would go on to become a pillar of DC Comics publishing, and become the subject of one of the very first DC Comics films outside of Superman: The Movie.

In January 1974, he left DC to work at Warren Publishing, and in 1975 he would begin what many consider to be his greatest achievement, when he  spent seven years drawing approximately 50 detailed pen-and-ink illustrations to accompany an edition of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein. Wrightson’s take on the monster was unique and terrifying, and looked totally different that anything we’d seen before in movies or television. In the late ’80s, he returned to DC, where he drew the now-classic Batman mini-series The Cult.

In 1983 Bernie Wrightson began a long and fruitful collaboration with the modern master of horror Stephen King, when he illustrated the comic book adaptation of the King written horror film Creepshow. This ended up leading to many other collaborations with King, including illustrations for the novel  Cycle of the Werewolf,  which became the movie Silver Bullet, and the restored edition of King’s apocalyptic opus, The Stand. He also lent his talents to Wolves of the Calla, the fifth installment of King’s Dark Tower series.

In more recent years, Wrightson did production design for the Reavers in the 2005 Joss Whedon film Serenity, and illustrated many comics for publishers like Bongo, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Kitchen Sink Press. He ended up retiring from comics in January of 2017 following complications from brain surgery. In addition to his wife Liz, he is survived by two sons, John and Jeffrey, and one stepson, Thomas Adamson. You can read his full obituary on his official website by clicking here.

—

Is there a particular favorite comic from Bernie Wrightson that speaks to you the most? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: DC Comics / Warner Brothers / Bernie Wrightson

Scream at a Wall: OBITUARY, SLOTH HERDER, FANGE, and More!

Wipe the blood from your teeth and get in the pit: it’s time for a recap of this week’s best hardcore, metal, and punk rock. Spring is upon us, the flowers are in bloom, and it’s the perfect time to get amped up on some new heavy tunes. Looking for some new death metal to bring into your life? Got you covered. Need some grindcore to get your wedding reception off on the right foot? Say no more. Strap in, kiddies; it’s time to rock.

 

 

Metal legends Obituary have just released their 10th album–that’s right, 10th!–and it’s an absolute killer. You’d think a career that spans over three decades would slow a band down, take a little wind out of their sails. It’d be understandable if they fell into a routine and just focused on playing to the faithful and churning out the same album over and over again. Obituary clearly are not interested in taking that road. They are not slowing down and this self-titled album proves they’re still pushing themselves to the very limits. The guitars sound amazing, maybe the best they’ve ever sounded; top-notch from the solos to the mean riffage. The band is as heavy and crunchy as ever, but they are also at their catchiest. There’s some serious mainstream appeal on this record, but not at the sacrifice of Obituary’s edge or raw intensity. These guys are heavy metal royalty, no doubt. Whether you’re a long time fan or just looking for some fast and heavy tunes for the weekend,  Obituary deliver the goods. You can pick this awesomeness up from our friends Relapse Records right now.

Obituary by Obituary

 

Silence Equals Death play straightforward hardcore and they play it well. Within thirty seconds of their song “Peacemaker,” it becomes apparent these guys are from the East Coast: you can just hear it. Close your eyes and picture a band that would have toured with Sick of it All in the ’90s, and that is what Silence Equals Death sounds like. These New Jersey boys have it dialed in: the riffs, the shout-along choruses, the hard-hitting breakdown. Silence Equals Death knows the formula and they play it well. This stuff will get in your ears and stay there, leaving you with a burning urge to stage dive and circle pit. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. This is the sort of hardcore we grew up on and we’ll never get tired of it.

 

When you hear the name “Sloth Herder,” you may not immediately think “death chorus grindcore,” but that’s exactly what Sloth Herder is. They play some fierce numbers that are filled with deathly screams and brutal licks. The guitar sounds like something straight out of riff-fueled nightmare, complete with soaring highs and crushing grooves. Punishing and relentless, Sloth Herder are not messing around, even though their name might lead you to believe otherwise. This band is ugly, dark, and wonderfully strange. Their time signatures are all over the place and they jump from blistering blast beats to furious breakdowns at the snap of a finger. If you are looking for something different, check out Sloth Herder. Sonically, they are in a class all their own.

No Pity, No Sunrise by Sloth Herder

 

French monsters Fange are an angry, angry band. Their sound is somewhere between Daughters, Helmet, Unsane, and Full of Hell. They ride the low end hard and find some serious grooves on their new album Pourissoir, but the vocals are a violent, jagged edge that cut through any attempt at melody or rhythm. You can’t get comfortable listening to these guys, because they are assaulting you vocals that sound like the death screams of demons. Listening to this album is a chaotic and savage experience, in the best possible way. Fange is raw like freshly burned flesh, sticky and stinging. They’re infectious and you’ll find you mind drifting back to these songs long after the last track has ended.  Challenging and complex, Fange is a band you listen to at 3 a.m. on Saturday after watching a couple Cronenberg movies. They are audio horror and we love them for it.

Pourrissoir by Fange

Menacing and atmospheric, Dodecahedron’s new album Kwintessens is a black metal masterpiece. It’s a wall of noise, fury, and wrath. If you are familiar with Season of Mist’s catalogue, you have a rough idea of what to expect here, but these guys take it a step further. Like labelmates The Great Old Ones, Dodecahedron play black metal that is epic and grand in scale. It’s big, cinematic stuff. Unlike other black metal bands, Kwintessens also spends lots of time wallowing in noise and heavy breakdowns. It’s freaking anarchy; audio mayhem that washes over you in a sea of disorder and brutality. You can hear all of Kwintessens below, but be warned, this stuff will haunt you. Once you’ve unleashed this maelstrom, it will consume you.

And that’s all the time we have to bludgeon your earholes this week. What tunes are rocking your world lately? Leave us some pointers in comments and we’ll try to check ’em out.

 

Image: Obituary/Relapse Records

Gif: Cannon Films

Benjamin Bailey writes for the Nerdist and can be found on Twitter talking about Godzilla, comic books, and hardcore music.