New Tony Hawk Title is a Free-to-Play Mobile-Exclusive Game

Tony Hawk's latest venture in gaming has been unveiled, and it's a little different to the big console release some of us may have been hoping for. The long-running series has now gone free-to-play with the mobile-exclusive Tony Hawk's Shred Session, which soft-launches within the next few weeks.

As revealed by TouchArcade, Shred Session is a 3D endless runner - think Temple Run-style gameplay, with the player swiping to perform tricks. Two gameplay modes are included: Survival has you stringing together tricks to keep going, and Shred Sessions puts the focus on completing familar Tony Hawk-style objectives.

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Photos from Big Bang Theory's Star Wars Episode

Thursday night, the galaxy far, far away is headed to The Big Bang Theory. CBS has partnered with Lucasfilm and their effects studio, Industrial Light & Magic, to create a special episode celebrating Star Wars Day, May the 4th. They even recreated a piece of Dagobah as Sheldon seeks advice from his idol Professor Proton - who appears to be a Force ghost. Bob Newhart will guest star once again, in the role that won him an Emmy.

The Star Wars touches don't end there. The gang will don appropriate apparel and feast on a Death Star cake. And of course, there is the obligatory explaining of the nerdy event to Penny. See photos from the galactic episode below.

The Big Bang Theory: "The Proton Transmogrification" Photo Gallery:

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The Americans: "Yousaf" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

After last week’s super low point, it was awkward seeing Philip try and mend things back home – being a bit too upbeat with his “April Fools!” and forced jovial nature. However, him deciding to use Annelise in such a key way seems to hint just how off his game he is. In her couple of appearances, Annelise has seemed like a less than concrete asset – Kate expressed her own concerns about using her in this episode – but Philip was determined she was the right call, only to have her display that she, understandably, does not have the necessary mindset to be able to compartmentalize sleeping with someone as part of the spy game. Hopefully this is enough for Philip to cut her loose, as using her again would seem to be a giant red flag at this point.

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Game Review

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game feels like what would happen if you found a cursed monkey's paw and wished for the best web-slinging experience ever. For all the fun you can have swinging around New York City, it’s canceled out by boring Peter Parker segments, frustratingly dull combat, and annoyingly persistent glitches. Meanwhile, plot is tossed aside in favor of churning out an unsatisfying parade of supervillains.

Traversal is much-improved from 2012’s Amazing Spider-Man game. Your web lines have to actually attach to a nearby building or structure, so you're encouraged to swing close to the ground where taxis and other vehicles honk as you narrowly miss them. It’s much more fun than flying high above them on webs apparently attached to clouds. Having the left and right triggers (or mouse buttons) mapped to swinging with their respective arms is a nice addition, too; the ability to alternate adds a tad more authenticity to Spidey's wild and fast swinging, as does cutting around a corner by using the inside arm. The first time I made a crazy dive from a skyscraper and attached a web to a building right before hitting the ground, I could finally relate to the common scene that’s played out in just about every Spider-Man movie over the last dozen years. I never wanted to stop moving in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

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Michael McKean Joins Breaking Bad Spinoff

The great Michael McKean, who's starred in everything from Laverne & Shirley to This Is Spinal Tap to The X-Files (and who can currently be seen on Broadway with Bryan Cranston in the play All the Way), has joined the cast of AMC's new Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul.

According to Deadline, McKean will mix things up with Breaking Bad alum Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks, playing the new character, Dr. Thurber - a brilliant attorney who is now "restricted by an unusual affliction."

McKean on HBO's Family Tree.

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The 100: "Contents Under Pressure" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

While not quite as thrilling as last week’s installment, this week’s The 100 was perhaps the most balanced yet as far as big storylines occurring both on the Earth and the Ark (not counting flashbacks, like last week).

It’s a familiar story to chart what happens when you have a prisoner and some wish to torture him for information and some do not, but the conflict here worked, especially as things escalated. Raven deciding to go further than Bellamy had and actually electrocute Zartan -- yep, I’m still calling him that until he gets an onscreen name! -- was a legitimate shock (pun only slightly intended), and it was also exciting to see Octavia go for the route of poisoning herself, risking her own life on the bet that Zartan wouldn’t let her die.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's Arrow?

We'll have our review of "City of Blood" up later tonight, but for now we want to hear your thoughts on the latest Arrow episode and the rise of Slade Wilson's super-powered army. Sound off in the comments section below.

Arrow Photo Gallery: "City of Blood"

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Podcast Unlocked: Xbox One's Chinese Fortunes

DOWNLOAD PODCAST UNLOCKED EPISODE 143 RIGHT HERE

Xbox One is heading to China. So what does that mean? We're not even sure but we have theories. Plus: Is Gamestop closing 2% of its stores a harbinger of doom? And now that we finally got to play Destiny, why are we still not crazy excited? Should we be? Tune in, because there's more!

DOWNLOAD PODCAST UNLOCKED EPISODE 143 RIGHT HERE

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Writer Suing Warner Bros. for Stealing Gravity

Best-selling author of the Rizzoli & Isles crime series Tess Gerritsen -- who sold the rights to her novel Gravity in 1999 -- is now suing Warner Bros. for stealing the premise of her work, and turning it into last year’s massively successful, Alfonso Cuaron-directed film.

In 1999, Gerritsen sold the Gravity rights to Katja Motion Picture Corporation and its parent company, New Line Productions. Gerritsen’s premise -- which featured a lone female astronaut floating adrift in the vastness of space, as well as satellite debris crashing into the International Space Station -- was also the basis of the 2013 film.

While Gerritsen believed her project to be dead in 2002, she claims that New Line -- which has since been acquired by Warner Bros. -- stole her idea, and used it for their eventual film of the same name.

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FF Reboot Casts Incredible Hulk Actor as Mole Man

Veteran character actor Tim Blake Nelson (Minority Report, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) is said to be in final talks to play Dr. Harvey Elder, aka the Mole Man, in 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four reboot.

Harvey Elder, also known as The Mole Man.

"Sources say the Mole Man will not appear in this movie but Elder’s appearance does set up the character to be the villain in future installments of the franchise," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The trade describes the film's Elder as "an eccentric and socially awkward scientist."

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Fan-Made Armor and Weapons That Should be in Dark Souls 2

We started a Dark Souls 2 art contest a little over a month ago. To enter, people had to create their own set of armor or design a weapon.

The prizes were split into two groups. Contestants had to submit a design for a full set of armor if they wanted to win a 7 foot Dark Souls 2 statue and/or submit a design for a weapon if they wanted to win a life-size shield. The entries were fantastic.

There were a TON of amazing designs submitted to us. It was a close race, but we managed to pick a winner. Joshua Carrenca knocked it out of the park with his Bonfire Armor set.

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The Evil Within Gets a Prequel Comic

If you enjoyed getting scared to death while playing Bethesda's The Evil Within video game, then get ready for another dose. Titan Comics is publishing a four-part prequel mini-series that tells a story before the events of the game.

Check out this sickening cover by 30 Days of Night artist Ben Templesmith:

The comic will be written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Alex Sanchez.

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Vikings: Has Ragnar Met His Match in Horik?

Warning: Full spoilers for Vikings Season 2 episode 9 follow.

The Vikings Season 2 finale approaches and the stage has been set for a showdown between Ragnar Lothrok and his one-time ally in war, King Horik. IGN was able to speak with Horik himself, Donal Logue, about the King's state of mind and what we can expect from the big season closer.

Vikings: Nobody Like a Rat

Horik pursued an alliance with Ragnar out of expedience, Logue, explained, and is ultimately loyal only to himself and his family. In fact, that need to create his own legacy is the crux of what drove Horik away from Ragnar. Once he realized that Lothbrok's fame far exceeded his own, Horik felt deeply threatened.

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Andrew Garfield Talks Miles Morales as Spider-Man

In a recent interview with CBR, Spider-Man franchise star Andrew Garfield spoke about possibly passing the torch to the Miles Morales Spider-Man - from Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man series - after triology-ender Amazing Spider-Man 3 wraps up.

"Miles Morales was a huge moment in this character’s comic book life," Garfield said. "And I do believe that we can do that. It’s something I’m really interested in figuring out; an eloquent way of coexisting, or passing on the torch. I don’t have an answer, but I think it’s actually a really important move. I think it’s a really beautiful and important move."

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A Closer Look at the New Star Wars Actress

While the cast for Stars Wars: Episode VII is full of familiar faces and names, one of the lesser known players is Daisy Ridley, who also happens to be the only new main female addition to the Disney/Lucasfilm movie revealed so far. But a five-minute short film from Ridley's past gives us a better idea of what to expect of the actress in a galaxy far, far away.

Spotted by SlashFilm, Ridley appeared in a short film called "Blue Season" as part of last year's Sci-Fi London 48-Hour Film Challenge. The thriller project showcases the young actress as a trapped prisoner who receives a phone call from an older man, who apparently can help her escape her imprisonment. Ridley shows off a range of emotions in the brief project, which may have helped her land the big gig in Star Wars: Episode VII. Watch it here:

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Joe Dirt 2 May Happen

David Spade has written a sequel to Joe Dirt, with plans of filming the movie for Crackle.

The Saturday Night Live alum did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit earlier today, and fans asked him about the 2001 comedy, which features Spade as a white-trash custodian who goes on an adventure searching for his parents. While thanking fans for enjoying the movie, Spade then revealed that he's written a sequel to Joe Dirt.

Joe Dirt!

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Mendes: Bond 24 is Part 2 of Skyfall's Story

Sam Mendes has now confirmed that Bond 24 -- which he is returning to direct -- builds off the events of Skyfall, with characters from his first Bond flick reappearing, and aged.

On the Charlie Rose show, Mendes explained Bond 24's link to Skyfall, saying that with his second Bond film he will be "creating the second part of a two-part story." While the film isn't a "direct narrative connection," it features returning characters from Skyfall, now aged and clearly affected by the previous film. Bond 24 will complete "a number of stories that are left incomplete" from the first film.

Mendes also reveals that while he and screenwriter John Logan will return for Bond 25, it will not be a direct continuation of Bond 24.

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Sharknado 3 in the Works

Los Angeles and New York were only the beginning. Syfy and The Asylum announced today that another city will be devoured by flying sharks in Sharknado 3!

But which city, you ask? Speculations abound. For now, details surrounding the threequel remain slim. The only thing we know for sure is that Sharknado 3 will debut sometime in summer 2015 on Syfy.

This actually happened. And it was the best thing ever.

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Republique Episode 2 Available Now for Season Pass Holders

The second episode of Republique is available now on the App Store for the game's Season Pass holders, developer Camouflaj announced today. Everyone else will be able to purchase the game for $5 USD starting on May 1st.

A total of five episodes are planned, along with eventual release on Mac and PC later this year. Episode 2: Metamorphosis continues the story of Hope, who is attempting to escape an Orwellian prison. Her current aim is to meet with the librarian, Señor Luis Octavo, currently targeted by The Overseer.

Camouflaj reports that in addition to continuing the story and improving performance on iOS devices, Episode 2 adds numerous new features that include a new 3D map, abilities, and a new type of guard.

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Jackman Pretty Sure Wolverine 3 Is His Last

Hugh Jackman is pretty confident that the next time he plays Wolverine on film, it will be his last as the X-Men mutant.

Jackman: Wolverine Recasting Is Inevitable

Speaking with SFX, Jackman was asked about the third Wolverine movie and where it could take his character. "I don’t know yet," he said. "We’re talking it through. I still am very ambitious for the character. And tonally I feel like we corrected the ship with the last one. But I feel we can still go further, in a way. If I did another one, I’m 99.9 percent sure it would be the last, so that will inform what it is for me."

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Let the Right One In Helmer in for Snowman

Tomas Alfredson will direct a film adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s Norwegian crime novel The Snowman for Working Title Films and Universal. Alfredson will also collaborate on the script with Soren Sveistrup.

Alfredson, a Swedish director, became an international success with 2008’s stunning vampire tale Let the Right One In. His most recent effort was 2011’s well regarded thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman. Like The Snowman, both films were adaptations of novels.

Per Variety, The Snowman “revolves around Harry Hole, a detective who has been featured in ten Nesbo novels. Described as a loose cannon in the Oslo police force, the story has Hole investigating the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.”

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Elder Scrolls Online's Escalating Struggle Against Bots

The main story of Elder Scrolls Online may hinge on the threat of an invasion by the Daedric prince Molag Bal, but at least one invasion is well under way--and so far, it looks successful despite commendable efforts on the parts of both players and developers at ZeniMax Online. There's no other way to put it: Elder Scrolls Online has a bot problem.

Only a week ago the news concerning the automated pests chiefly focused on the dungeons, but now they've moved out into the world to cause problems for harvesters and general questers.

It's not hard to find them. You'll still encounter them most often in the delves and public dungeons, where they clump around boss spawn points and kill them repeatedly for both gold and XP. Swords swing, spells unleash, and boom--a foe that may have given three players a hard time dies one brief moment after respawning. Not too long ago ESO's lead developer Matt Firor said that bots and spammer complaints make up 85 percent of the current service tickets, which means the issue's partly preventing the repair of the numerous bugs that still plague the game. The ESO team is forced to spend resources fighting bots instead of squashing bugs.

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The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy Coming to Disney Infinity

Disney has announced Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, a new "2.0 Edition" launching in 2014 on all previous platforms, in addition to Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

All characters, Power Discs, and Toy Boxes from Disney Infinity 1.0 are compatible with 2.0, developer Avalanche confirmed. The Starter Pack comes with Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, and a mysterious crystal shard piece. More play sets, both Marvel and other Disney-themed characters, will come to Disney Infinity 2.0.

The new toys.

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Sony Files 'Bloodborne' Trademark

Sony Computer Entertainment America filed for a game-related trademark of "Bloodborne" last week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Spotted by Siliconera, Sony filed for the "Bloodborne" trademark April 24, but not much information — such as a possible developer — can be gleaned from the document. The trademark filing is game-related, though, as the USPTO mentions it's for "computer game software; downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices;

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Syfy Adapting Frank Miller's Ronin

THR is reporting that Syfy is currently developing Frank Miller's (300, Sin City) limited DC Comic series Ronin as a potential miniseries.

Ronin - which was published once every six weeks between 1983 and 1984 - centered on a dishonored, masterless 13th century samurai, who was mystically given a second chance to avenge his master's death. He found himself suddenly reborn in a futuristic and corrupt 21st century New York where he was tasked with defeating an ancient demon.

Syfy's adaptation is described as taking place "eight centuries after a Japanese Ronin samurai failed to protect his master from a demon. He awakens in a futuristic, nihilistic New York in the body of Billy, a medical experiment. Now Billy/Ronin is chasing the demon, which has reawakened. Both parties want control of a sword with magical properties and will stop at nothing to get it back.

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Mass Effect 4 'In The Middle' of Development

BioWare has revealed development on the next Mass Effect title is progressing well, explaining that it's somewhere around the middle of development.

In a tweet, BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy responded to a fan asking whether the game was in the early or late stages of development to explain neither statement was technically accurate.

@Jackmayall5757 Too late for one, too early for the other... So I guess we're somewhere in the middle? :-)

— Yanick Roy (@YanickRRoy) April 30, 2014

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5 Reasons Mario Kart 8’s Online Matters

People have wanted more options and fun ways to play Mario Kart for years. With the latest installment, it looks like Nintendo is paying attention. We already posted some detailed hands-on impressions back in early April, but Nintendo recently pulled back the curtain on a few new details for its next big kart racer.

Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach -- a counterpart to Metal Mario that’s totally pink! -- join the races of Mario Kart 8 along with two new items: The first is called Crazy 8, which is the spiritual successor to Mario Kart 7’s Lucky 7. The second is called the Super Horn, an item that emitted a sonic blast around my kart. This pulse can knock out other racers or ward off Green, Red, and Blue Shells. Nintendo finally has a counter measure to the dreaded Blue Shell, but the Super Horn was described as a rare item. During my eight races in Mario Kart 8, I only picked it up once.

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Mario Kart 8 Bundle Announced for North America

Nintendo has announced a Mario Kart 8 Wii U Deluxe bundle for North America. Featuring a 32GB Wii U, a copy of Mario Kart 8, and a red racing wheel, the package will cost $330 on May 30.

Additionally, anyone who registers a copy of Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo before July 31, 2014 can redeem one free Wii U game from a selection of four.

Nintendo is offering a digital copy of Pikmin 3, New Super Mario Bros. U, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, or Wii Party U to Mario Kart 8 owners.

To make that choice easier, read our reviews for Pikmin, Mario Bros., Wind Waker HD, and Wii Party, or watch the video reviews below.

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Housemarque Releases Fresh Resogun Expansion Tease

Housemarque has teased what's in store for Resogun's first expansion with a mysterious image.

The shot, which you can check out below, basically suggests balls are involved. It's not a lot to go on, but it's something.

Second official teaser for the upcoming expansion. #Resogun #DLC http://ift.tt/1iC3E8E

— Housemarque Team (@Housemarque) April 30, 2014

Previously, the developer tweeted out an announcement regarding additional content was coming that's supposedly so good, it'll blow the original away. No pressure, guys.

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A Visual History of Spider-Man Costumes

Continuing with IGN's Spider-Man Month, today we are rolling out a slideshow showing a visual history of Spider-Man's different costumes over the years across different mediums.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man seems to change his costume as often as he spins a web, and while he inevitably returns to the classic red-and-blue eventually, we always get a kick out of seeing what kind of spider-suit he'll come up with next.

Click through our Spider-Man costume slideshow that looks at his different costumes throughout comics, TV, movies, video games, and even Broadway!

Which is your favorite Spider-Man costume? Let us know in the comments!

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Game of Thrones: Hodor Speaks!

Spoiler warning: Mild spoilers from certain sequences in Game of Thrones are discussed.

This past weekend at C2E2, Game of Thrones actors Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Natalia Tena (Osha) took the stage in front of a packed house to talk about shooting the iconic series. Nairn entered and simply said "Hodor," which made the crowd of several thousand erupt into applause. But that was the very last "Hodor" we heard. Instead, the crowd was treated to a good deal of behind-the-scenes info about the show as Nairn and Tena recounted everything from the infamous full frontal Weirwood sequence to skinning rabbits in sweltering heat.

The pair spends a lot of time filming in the elements, and recounted multiple stories about shooting in rain, cold, wind and extreme heat. "You're always either too hot or too cold," said Nairn. "If you look carefully, there's a scene underneath the wall we did. It's an icy tunnel and you can just see… the sweat running off us."

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Outlast DLC Whistleblower Comes to PC and PS4 Next Week

Developer Red Barrels has announced that its survival-horror game Outlast will receive its DLC, Whistleblower, next week.

According to Red Barrels, Whistleblower will release online on PC and PS4 on May 6 - with the exception of PS4 players in Europe, who will be able to buy it on May 7. It'll cost $9.

The early May release is a slight delay from its previously announced April date. In the announcement, it was revealed that Whistleblower would put the player in the shoes of a software engineer named Waylon Park, unveiling the final chapter in the story of Mount Massive Asylum.

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Vita and PlayStation App Updates to Coincide With Major PS4 Update

Sony has detailed updates for PlayStation Vita and its PlayStation App, both of which will launch with the major PS4 update scheduled for tomorrow April 30.

According to the PlayStation blog, the Vita and app updates are designed to facilitate "greater integration with your PS4 system."

The Vita 3.15 update enables automatic device registration, which will automatically detect and pair both systems when they're both online and signed in. This will make it quicker to get started on Remote Play, or access other second-screen features.

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Person of Interest: "Beta" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

"Beta" might not have been the all-out siege episode I thought it would be (as in, something akin to "The Crossing"), but it still surprised me in many ways. First and foremost, it was a huge showcase for Grace (the returning Carrie Preston), and her second act scene with Greer, where she was a tea time hostage, was magnificently done. Well mapped out and wonderfully acted. And the whole time you're waiting for Greer to shatter Grace by telling her that Harold was still alive. But it never came because he held back. Which made the scene even better.

At first, it seemed like he was doing it out of respect for her feelings, but later we discovered that he was doing it in order to, in the very least, enter into a dialogue with Finch on somewhat cordial terms. He even kept Grace blindfolded during her release as well, just to keep things copacetic.

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Supernatural: "Bloodlines" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Supernatural needs some fresh blood. In a season when the series regulars like Crowly and Castiel are more engaging than the Winchesters, something's gotta give, and tonight's detour to set the scene for a spinoff series was just the change of pace we needed.

Since this was a backdoor pilot set in a world we already know, it didn't suffer from the usual pilot-itis problems. All they have to explain is the monster families and how they're controlling Chicago, and they did so without making it terribly obvious. Sam, Dean, and Ennis all needed to learn about what was happening so there was a natural way to work in the necessary information about the politics.

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FOX Cancels Almost Human

J.J. Abrams has plenty on his plate, what with directing Star Wars: Episode VII, but he'll be down at least one TV show come the next TV season, as Deadline is reporting that FOX have cancelled Abrams' freshman sci-fi series, Almost Human.

It was an increasing long shot for the show to come back, after FOX gave early renewals to a ton of their lineup, including last fall's new success, Sleepy Hollow (the first show on any network to get a renewal this season), plus Bones, The Following, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project and more. On top of that, FOX have several commitments for new series already and Deadline notes that FOX's recently-produced pilots -- Gotham, The Red Band Society and Empire -- are all considered strong contenders to go to series. The Batman prequel Gotham had previously been said to have a series order, but it actually instead has a penalty commitment - meaning FOX would have to pay the studio, Warner Bros., a penalty if they pass... but it's looking like a near-lock for a series order.

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Is Star-Lord Marvel's Han Solo?

Between Marvel's Avengers cartoons and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, pretty soon everyone will know the name Peter Quill. And for this troubled, space-faring hero, that's just the way he likes it. Marvel is continuing to place an increased emphasis on its cosmic characters and properties as the movies venture farther away from Earth. And as was announced at C2E2 this past weekend, that includes giving Star-Lord his own ongoing solo series, courtesy of writer Sam Humphries (Avengers A.I., Uncanny X-Force) and artist Paco Medina (Deadpool, Nova).

Marvel held one of their "Next Big Thing" press calls today to shed more light on the new series. Humphries, editor Mike Marts, and Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso were in attendance to discuss all things Star-Lord.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's SHIELD?

Our review of this week's Agents of SHIELD is coming later tonight at this URL. In the meantime, if you've seen it, you can share your thoughts in the comments below.

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: "Nothing Personal" Photo Gallery:

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Do You Have a Question About Final Fantasy 14?

Hey Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn fans! We're going to be spending Friday afternoon with the game's director and producer Naoki Yoshida, and we want to ask him your questions.

Yoshida-San joined Square Enix in 2004 to head up the Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road series. In 2010, he was put in charge of overhauling Final Fantasy XIV, which, for a myriad of reasons, had suffered from an unsuccessful launch. He would eventually transform what had been described as a "monstrous failure" into an incredibly successful MMO.

How Final Fantasy 14 Was Reborn

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Apple's iWatch Could Debut This Fall

Yes, everyone is expecting a smartwatch from Apple this year. The seemingly tepid outing from Samsung's Galaxy Gear leaves a lot to be desired, and at this point, if Cupertino doesn't release an iOS wristwatch we're all going to have a fit. But according to China Times, your wait is almost over.

Reportedly, the Apple watch will sidestep its competitors and take on a decidedly slim form factor. According to sources, the iWatch--or whatever it's called--will use a system-in-package (SiP) design to keep things extra slim. Essentially, Apple's smartwatch could look a lot like a Nike Fuel Band, with all its components existing under a simple armband. But those developments do lend credence to reports of a fitness-based band from Apple.

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Minimum: What Human Head's New Shooter is Doing Differently

When I first played Human Head's new third-person shooter, Minimum, I didn't expect giant robots or MOBA elements to play a front-and-center role. But Minimum incorporates them in a way that feels new and authentic, not exploitative.

I went hands-on with Minimum’s “Titan” mode, which is the one mode it will launch with when it hits early access on Steam. The rules may seem complicated at first, but they’re easy enough to pick up within a round or two.

Before the battle starts, the map is filled with “creeps,” which are non-player characters that scurry around rapidly. Killing them awards you with resources that power up a huge titan robot. Whichever team collects more resources has a stronger titan for the following round. It’s also possible to kill off enemy players during the creep wave, though by denying them time to hunt for resources, you may also harm yourself. It’s neat that Minimum allows this sort of risk and reward in the earliest moments of the game, much like more traditional MOBAs do.

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DC Declares July 23 to be Batman Day

2014 is the 75th anniversary of Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics #27. We've already seen DC celebrate that milestone in various ways, including the oversized Detective Comics Vol. 2 #27 in January. But it seems the party isn't truly getting stated until July.

DC have declared Wednesday, July 23 to be "Batman Day." Fans who show up at their local comic shops will be treated to a special edition of Detective Comics #27, designed by artist Chip Kidd and featuring Brad Meltzer and Bryan Hitch's modernized take on the original Batman story,. "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate." We assume this book won't include the rest of the stories included in the original issue, as that would make for a pretty expensive freebie.

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More Star Wars: Episode VII Casting Coming

Thought you'd heard all the Star Wars casting news for today? Much to learn you still have, Padawans...

As revealed earlier this morning, the cast of director J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII now include John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow, as well as the saga's original stars, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker.

Even in the few short hours since the announcement was made, some fans have pointed out that the new cast is largely male-centic. As of right now, Ridley is the only new female cast member to join the film... but that may soon change.

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Rockstar Addresses GameSpy Server Shutdown

Rockstar has explained its plans to keep its older library of games playable online in light of the impending GameSpy closure.

"We want to give everyone a quick update on the actions we’re taking in light of GameSpy and GLU Mobile’s decision to shut down their backend servers this coming May 31," the publisher stated. "While Grand Theft Auto V is unaffected, our teams are currently working to patch specific older titles to keep the transition as smooth as possible and minimize the impact to online-enabled play and your in-game experience. The majority of changes will be in the form of Rockstar Games Social Club services, including stat tracking and leaderboards."

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Keepin' It Reel: Star Wars: Ep. 7 Podcast

Welcome back to Keepin' It Reel! Jim Vejvoda, Roth Cornet, Eric Goldman and Joshua Yehl join forces for a special edition of the IGN Movies podcast devoted exclusively to the week's big Star Wars: Episode VII announcement.

We discuss how large of a role Han Solo should play in the story as opposed to the Skywalkers, whether the story will have a female lead hero, the shocking lack of Lando, Oscar Isaac reportedly playing a Han-type character, what if any Expanded Universe elements might be used for the film, speculation on the nature of the villains, and if any of the prequel trilogy cast could appear as Force Ghosts in the movie.

Look for a special video edition of this episode of Keepin' It Reel later this week!

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Naming a Kid after Mass Effect's Liara - Beyond

PlayStation. Does the word send a chill down your spine? Does it caress your senses with wave upon wave of irresistible pleasure? No? Do you like PlayStation? Then you're certainly in the right place. Welcome to Podcast Beyond, your link to the IGN crew that pushes news, opinions and utter hilarity straight to your ears (and subsequently, your brain).

A Podcast Beyond listener named his daughter Liara in honor of the Mass Effect character. He wants to know when he'll stop getting cross looks, so Altano, Justin Davis, and me -- Greg Miller -- discuss! Plus, we tell you what to get from the Golden Week Sale, talk about ANOTHER Naughty Dog departure, and laugh. We laugh a lot.

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Top 10 Comic Book Covers of the Month

Comic book covers are made to grab your attention so you’ll pick up an issue and give it a read. But what makes a good one? Is it technically accurate artwork or wild designs? Humorous pictures or shocking imagery?

We like to think it can be any mix of those factors, but a great cover is one that is memorable, so here are the Top 10 that we couldn’t take our eyes off in April.

Deadpool #27's cover isn't that interesting from a composition standpoint. It's basically just several hundred characters standing around, which is why it didn't rank in the top ten this month. But for the sheer amount of effort and care that went into cramming so many familiar Marvel faces into one image, the cover deserves some sort of recognition. The cover even claimed the Guinness World Record for most characters on a single cover. Nearly every Marvel character who's anyone, as well as a handful of Marvel editors, all showed up to help Wade Wilson celebrate his nuptials.

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Wrestling Wrap Up: Ric Flair Sides with The Shield

Didn't catch TNA's Sacrifice PPV (busy Sunday nights + prioritization + not willing to pay $/not willing to watch on my computer screen) and missed Legends' House (it was the all-claymation episode, right?), so this week's Wrap Up will be quick and painless. Like "she," of fabled lore, once said.

So ever since the whole Shield/Evolution feud started up, people have been wondering when Flair would show up. To make Evolution whole. And there he was last night in St. Louis and...on a scale of "stylin'" to "profilin'" how lit would you say he was? Or maybe I should say "on a scale of 'Space Mountain' to 'Mr. Toad's Wild Ride'." Either way, he still managed to cut a better promo than a sober Hulkster.

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Starlight Inception Review

If the internet is any indication, I’m not the only one who remembers Wing Commander and its ilk fondly. Starlight Inception -- another crowd-funded passion project and the first mission-driven space combat sim on the PlayStation Vita -- seems remarkably well-positioned to capitalize on the re-emerging genre. And yet, it can’t.

As much as I hate to malign a scrappy independent game, Starlight is irredeemably flawed from top to bottom. During my playtime, every engaging moment was almost immediately tarnished by some new irritation, whether it was a technical issue, an aggravating design decision, or just simple boredom. Many of the underlying ideas showed real potential, but the consistently faulty execution undercut all that ambition.

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More DC Comics Movies?

Warner Bros. already dropped big news over the weekend when they confirmed a Justice League movie was in the works, but that's not all.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the studio and DC Comics seem to be trying to rival Marvel's big plans: They're planning to develop at least nine more films based on comics. That sounds like quite the commitment, but if they want to make a splash in the world of comic book movies, it's almost necessary. Quantity doesn't equal quality, but the more films there are, the better the chance that more of them will be solid.

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This Week on the PSN (April 29, 2014)

Every Tuesday, Sony drops a bunch of new stuff onto the PlayStation Network. Those with a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, or PlayStation Vita can download these goodies, which include PSN games, movies, themes and more. While the Official PlayStation Blog outlines these updates in full each week, we thought we'd help truncate the good news into something more digestible.

Here are this week’s new PlayStation 4 games.

• Child of Light ($14.99)


• Daylight ($14.99)


• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($59.99)

And here are some new PS3 games.

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Star Wars Rebels: New Images and Trailer Info

Lucasfilm has plenty to say about the future of Star Wars today! On the heels of announcing the cast for Episode VII, the company have revealed that the first full trailer for Star Wars Rebels will debut this Sunday, May the 4th. May the 4th has become known as "Star Wars Day" for several years now and it was expected that Lucasfilm would have something official that day - in fact, many of us figured they'd save the cast announcement for that day until this morning.

The Rebels trailer will debut on Disney XD during the 7pm showing of the new Star Wars LEGO special, "Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles" at 7:00 pm ET/PT.

In addition, several new images have been revealed for Rebels as seen below.

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Rise of Incarnates Puts Fresh Spin on Fighting Games

The quick pitch for Rise of Incarnates—Bandai Namco’s

forthcoming fighter/shooting game hybrid— could almost pass for the plot of a summer blockbuster. “It takes place in the near-future on the devastated landscapes of real-world locations, such as New York City,” begins executive producer Ryuichiro Baba. “These various characters, the Incarnates, have awakened special powers within them through their link with gods and demons from mythical lore.”

The fact that Incarnates concept could have been ripped from the pages of a Marvel comic is no mistake. You see, while its set-up sounds like the sort of geek pop culture we usually consume alongside a large tub of popcorn and super-size soda, its gameplay is based on a very niche sub-set of the fighting game genre. Heavily inspired by Gundam Extreme Vs.—a popular Japanese arcade and console title—Incarnates largely represents an entirely new experience for Western gamers. While the simple strategy might have been to introduce Gundam Extreme Vs. to a new audience, the smarter move, according to Baba, was to package its unique gameplay into a new IP that might be more appealing stateside. In other words, if players become hooked by the superhero-inspired yarn, they also might find themselves addicted to this fresh spin on fighting games.

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DC Honors Batman '66 with Sweet Retro Comic Covers

DC Comics is celebrating Batman's 75th anniversary all year long, and for the month of May they are honoring Batman '66, the Adam West TV show, with 19 variant covers by artist Mike Allred.

Batman '66 is the name of an ongoing digital-first comic book by Jeff Parker, Jonathan Case, and a slew of artists that tells fun, quirky, self-aware stories in the style of the Adam West TV show. Allred's variant covers are done in the Batman '66 style featuring other popular DC heroes.

It's also worth noting that Batman '66 won IGN's Best Digital Comic Series of 2013 award, so it's definitely worth checking out.

Click through the slideshow to check out our exclusive reveal of the variant covers for The Flash #31, Superman #31, Batman #31, Justice League Dark #31, and Aquaman #31. Also included in the slideshow are all of the other previously released Allred variant covers.

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Wargame: Red Dragon Review

The Wargame series is about combining dazzling spectacle with brutal tactical realism and more real-world military hardware than you'll find in a lifetime's subscription to Jane's Defence. Wargame: Red Dragon follows along the evolutionary path set by its immediate predecessor, AirLand Battle, by introducing even more armies, more campaigns, and a new tactical environment: the ocean. As you might expect from a third game in a real-time strategy series, Red Dragon's additions aren’t gamechangers the way AirLand Battle's dynamic campaigns and aircraft are. They do, however, add some welcome variety to the old formula and also make Red Dragon the biggest, most comprehensive Wargame yet. But this progress comes with some surprising backward steps.

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MacBeth Director to Helm Assassin's Creed

Actor Michael Fassbender will re-team with his MacBeth director Justin Kurzel for Assassin's Creed: The Movie. New Regency and Ubisoft are producing the video game adaptation.

Deadline reports that Aussie filmmaker Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders, The Turning) will helm, but there's no deal set yet. 20th Century Fox is said to want the film to go before cameras soon.

Assassin's Creed is slated to open May 22, 2015.

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Watch Dogs vs. Reality - This Thursday

Welcome to our Watch Dogs hub where we'll be bringing you never-before-seen content from the team who created the game. IGN and Ubisoft have come together to present a four-part series that delves into the creation of Watch Dogs and gives you a closer look at what you can expect when the game launches worldwide on May 27th 2014. Keep checking back here to see new content from the series. Our next piece Watch Dogs vs. Reality hits May 1st at 10am PT / 1pm ET.

Coming May 1st - 10am Pacific...

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Maya Rudolph Joins Disney/Marvel's Big Hero 6

Comedienne Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) has now joined the cast of Disney's adaptation of the Marvel Comics property Big Hero 6, in an unspecified role.

The Wrap reports that Rudolph will join T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley) and Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch) in the animated comic book film, who have been rumored to play Fredzilla and Go Go Tomago, respectively. Disney has yet to give confirmation of the voice cast.

Maya Rudolph (right) in NBC's Up All Night

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Craig Ferguson is Leaving the Late Late Show

Craig Ferguson has announced that he will step down from his gig as host of CBS’s Late Late Show in December, after a decade of hosting the program.

On Monday’s show, Ferguson announced his departure from late-night, saying, “CBS and I are not getting divorced, we are ‘consciously uncoupling,’” joked Ferguson. He went on to say, “We will still spend holidays together and share custody of fake horse and robot skeleton, both of whom we love very much.”

Craig Ferguson with guest Zooey Deschanel on the Late Late Show.

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Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced

And finally, after much Internet speculation, scorn, and insanity, Lucasfilm has seen fit to reveal the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII.

Here's the full statement from the company:

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

The cast of Episode VII

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Delayed Amazing Spider-Man 2 Releases on Xbox One

In a weird turn of events, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 released on time digitally for the Xbox One.

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on Xbox One was reportedly delayed — and even thought to be canceled at one point — the Beenox-developed game released on time with other versions today on Xbox Live. In addition, Major Nelson announced that the action game was available on Xbox One and Xbox 360 on his blog.

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Watch Dogs Season Pass and DLC Unveiled

Watch Dogs is getting a Season Pass encompassing DLC that includes a unique single-player story, new game mode and more.

As we heard earlier this month thanks to a leaked retail listing, DLC for the game is planning to add new characters, missions and weapons to the game. The pack is set to cost $19.99 in North America, though European pricing hasn't been confirmed.

Check out the full range of additions in the trailer below.

First up, the single-player story will cast you in the role of T-Bone, an eccentric yet talented hacker. Other DLC titled "Conspiracy" is set to introduce the new Digital Trip game mode that enables you to hunt down cyborgs in an alternative game universe. Other bits of DLC covered by the Season Pass include more missions, weapons and outfits, including 1920s mobster gear and garb only available to Season Pass holders.

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2 New Tales RPGs for PlayStation

“It’s one of the flagship titles in the Tales series” begins Kohei Rokugawa, director of the upcoming western version of Tales of Xillia 2. Sporting a proud smile and stroking a plush toy cat—more on that in a bit—Rokugawa isn’t referring to the sequel to last year’s popular PS3-exclusive JRPG, but Tales of Hearts R, the series stateside PS Vita debut. “Its gameplay hours are almost equal to that of a console Tales…around 40 hours,” he continues.

Of course, as anyone who’s slogged through a grind-heavy JRPG or repetitive Monster Hunter-wannabe on a portable platform will attest, length alone does not equal a console-quality experience. Thankfully, Hearts R appears to be packing as many fresh features and new story elements as it is gameplay hours. According to Rokugawa, one of the title’s most differentiating additions is its battle system. While Hearts R doesn’t entirely abandon the series’ famed Linear Motion Battle system, it significantly expands up on it. “Hearts R’s new Aerial Chase Motion Battle system is very different from Tales of Xillia and its sequel. It’s focused on aerial combat and juggling, so it allows users to make long and strong combos,” explains Rokugawa. Break attacks from previous entries return, but will now be complemented by new “Chase” mechanics, which allow players to continue combos in mid-air by rushing toward their targets.

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What Are the Secrets of The Maze Runner?

Last summer, I joined a group of entertainment reporters for a drive from New Orleans to just outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- about 38 miles outside, actually, in the middle of the woods where director Wes Ball and his star Dylan O'Brien were in the midst of the night shoot on The Maze Runner. The first thing I learned on the set? Bug spray and snake wranglers were very much required.

Do you dare enter the maze?

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Child of Light Review

Elegance. It's a word I've rarely found applicable where video games are concerned, but there's no better way to describe what Ubisoft has achieved with Child of Light. With its earthy, hand-painted art style and charming character designs, it deftly sidesteps the tropey land mines that have littered the RPG landscape for the better part of a decade. Yet it still pays loving homage to what's come before it with enjoyable exploration and puzzle solving, and a combat system that's second to none. The intelligent simplicity with which it's been crafted makes it both easy to grasp, and rewarding to master in a way that very few RPGs can match.

From one screen to the next, Child of Light commits fully to its hand-crafted aesthetic. Each stunning, water-color backdrop looks ready to be framed and hung in an art gallery. That's not strictly because of the high level of overall quality, but also due to how warm the characters and environments all feel. Dark silhouettes of gnarled, ancient trees scroll through the foreground, adding a sense of depth to painterly forests, and oppressively dreary caverns give way to towering windmills amidst rolling hillsides.Each area possesses a rare, naturalistic beauty that words honestly fail to capture.

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No Live Press Conference For Nintendo at E3 Again

Nintendo will not hold a live press conference at E3 2014 once again, opting instead to stream a "Digital Event" online.

The event will be available to watch on Tuesday June 10 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT and will apparently "reveal and provide further detail about the gaming experiences on the way for Nintendo platforms in 2014 and beyond."

If you haven't, be sure to check out the rather hysterical announcement video for the plans below.

That's not it for Nintendo's E3 plans however: a Super Smash. Bros. Invitational Tournament is set to take place at the conference for top-ranked players that will be streamed online. Alongside this the "Nintendo Treehouse: Live @ E3" will stream in-depth game demos during all hours of the E3 show, hosted by the company's Product Department.

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Injustice: Gods Among Us 2 Reportedly Coming

Injustice: Gods Among Us is reportedly set to receive a sequel in the future, according to reports from WonderCon.

According to Furious Fanboys, Injustice Gods Among Us 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) was briefly mentioned in a segment discussing the upcoming Arkham Knight, due out later this year.

We currently don't know who's developing the game, and there's no word on a fixed release date. Assuming NetherRealm are back at the helm, one might assume the studio is working on a new Mortal Kombat title before returning to DC. If this is the case, a release next year may be unlikely. Then again, if a new studio is heading up the project, a release in 2015 isn't beyond the realms of possibility.

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Kevin Smith Prepping Festive Horror

Kevin Smith is preparing for a not-so-merry Christmas, with the Clerks helmer making plans for festive frightner ANTI-CLAUS.

The film – which will start principal photography in September – tells the tale of ancient, devil-like creature Krampus, who eats naughty children at Christmas-time.

“When I was a kid, if they wanted to make a Christmas horror movie, they’d stick an axe in Santa’s hands” explains Smith. “In ANTI-CLAUS, we leave Santa alone and creep with the Krampus through twisted tales of holly-jolly murder, desire, desperation and despair. Just in time for the holiday season.”

Creepy Krampus.

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Daylight Review

It took me three hours to finish Daylight’s randomly generated maze of horror. While two of those hours managed to be somewhat spooky, one was pure frustration, spent wandering aimlessly through hallways in first-person perspective, looking for a collectible item I’d missed. In that time, the well-constructed atmosphere and story drained away and revealed Daylight’s true frame: a formulaic find-the-hidden-object game padded out with some meaningless crate puzzles.

What’s scarier than being hunted in the dark? Being hunted in the dark and lost, that’s what. Daylight’s abandoned hospital is a great horror environment, complete with powerfully unsettling creaks and whispers and groans, spontaneously moving objects, foreboding narration, and all the other trappings I expected from a quality horror game. Finding your way around by the light of a smartphone (which is also your minimap) gives it a nice contemporary touch, too, and it shows off some impressive lighting effects. The foundation is sound.

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Watch This Awesome New Godzilla Trailer

Sweet mother, you have to watch the new Asian trailer below for Warner bros. and Legendary's upcoming Godzilla. This preview showcases lots of awesome new monster footage not just of the title character but of the flying beast he battles in the film. Seriously, is it May 16 yet?!

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Sandler’s Pixels to Open Against Mad Max

Adam Sandler’s video game-themed comedy Pixels will open against Mad Max: Fury Road on May 15, 2015. Pixels previously carried an unspecified summer 2015 release date.

Pixels is directed by Chris Columbus and stars Sandler, Kevin James, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Michelle Monaghan. Based on a short film, the sci-fi adventure comedy depicts an alien invasion in the form of video game characters come to life.

Mad Max: Fury Road, the long awaited reboot of the legendary Australian action franchise, finally settled on a May 15, 2015 release after nearly three years of production. It’s directed by George Miller and stars Tom Hardy as Max. Nicholas Hoult and Charlize Theron also star.

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4 Awesome New Batman Action Figures

If you're a big fan of artist Greg Capullo, or of just great action figures in general, then you'll want to check out DC Collectibles' latest batch of Batman action figures.

As you can see, Batman, Talon, Nightwing, and Riddler are all part of the DC Comics Designer Series 1, all based off designs by Capullo, who is currently killing it on his Batman run with writer Scott Snyder.

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The Following: Season 2 Finale Review

Warning: Full spoilers for The Following's Season 2 finale follow...

Yes, we're doing a Following season finale review! Unfortunately, interest waned to the point that we stopped doing weekly rundowns, but the plan was to always check back in come the season ender. And here we are with "Forgive" - a finale featuring a showdown between Ryan and Joe and the twins, Mark and Luke. AKA "Bangs" and "Slick."

I was happy to see the the episode left Joe alive and didn't go for another fake-out death (the church wired with explosives had me worried for a second), but then it tried to sell us on a Ryan/Joe team-up, literally just moments after Joe caused a preacher to slit his own throat and then shot the man's son in the head. Granted, the banter between Ryan and Joe can be fun and when the two of them are on screen together, as rare as that is, there's a definite chemistry. But not one that would ever make me believe that they'd team up right after two very publicly broadcasted murders.

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Report: Han Solo Has 'Gigantic' Role in Ep. 7

An official casting announcement on Star Wars: Episode VII should be coming any day now (May the Fourth perhaps?), and with that anticipation has come a flurry of rumors and reports about who might be in the film.

Deadline claims that Harrison Ford's Han Solo "has a gigantic role in the first of the next three films." Ford, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) are all expected to reprise their iconic roles for the new trilogy, and rumors have swirled that Peter Mayhew's Chewbacca and Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian will also be back. Series mainstays C-3P0 and R2-D2 will also be in it.

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The Last Federation Review

Oh, how we gamers dream of slipping the surly bonds of genre! Why, we ask, must games follow the well-trodden paths of games that have come before, instead of trying something new, something dangerous, something revolutionary? It all seems so obvious! This is what The Last Federation tries to do, offering a science-fiction strategy game very much unlike the typical Galactic Civilizations empire-building or StarCraft-style tactics. But while its simultaneous turn-based tactical combat is great, and strategic ideas are clever, its novel systems are disappointingly underdeveloped, making too much of The Last Federation confusing.

That novel premise is that instead of proceeding in typical empire-building fashion, your goal is to create a federation that unifies the races and prevents future genocides like the one that eradicated your people (who happened to be tyrants, but that’s beside the point). You also get to blow up your enemies in a surprisingly satisfying turn-based combat mode.

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Parks and Recreation Season 6 Review

Warning: Full spoilers for Parks and Rec Season 6 follow...

So here I am, still chasing the high of Parks' pitch-perfect season finale, reflecting on all of the funny, wonderful moments (along with the game-changing time jump), while having to somehow write about the entire season. Which I will say right at the top here, began and ended magnificently. But I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that things got a bit repetitive and chewy in the middle, particularly when it came to Leslie having to go to battle with the numbskull citizenry of her own hometown.

Because there was a point in the midst of Season 6 - particularly around "The Wall" and "New Slogan" - when it just felt like the show was running the same play over and over. And it all started to feel like a bummer. Nothing Leslie did could sway the popular opinion that she was an irresponsible power abuser, and for every step she took forward, she got pushed back several. Not only did she fail to conquer the recall vote, but the Pawnee-Eagleton merger was in jeopardy of collapsing due to her denizens' cartoonish ignorance.

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Ranking All 8 Spider-Man Animated Series

Spider-Man has been doing whatever a spider can on TV ever since the late 1960's. To date, there have been no fewer than eight animated series to star the wall-crawling hero. Sometimes he slings solo, and other times he teams up with fellow heroes to battle evil and scarf down Aunt May's wheatcakes. Some of these shows have been better than others, but all have tried to put their unique spin on this iconic hero.

With Spidey returning to theaters this week in The Amazing Spider Man 2, The Spectacular Spider-Man finally being released on Blu-ray, and Ultimate Spider-Man continuing to do well on Disney XD, now seemed like the perfect time to examine all the Spider-Man-themed animated series so far, ranking them from worst to best. Keep in mind, we're focusing on the shows specifically starring Spider-Man, not ones he's guest starred in like Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes or Spider-Woman.

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See The Simpsons' LEGO Episode Poster

This Sunday, The Simpsons will celebrate their 550th (!) episode with a special installment in which the family are transformed into LEGOs. In the episode, Homer finds himself in a world where Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of Springfield’s residents are made of LEGO bricks. It's up to Homer to figure out a way home before he’s stuck in this world forever... Which may take a lot of good luck.

FOX have now released a poster for the episode, called "Brick Like Me," which you can check out below.

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Jamie Chung Cast in Marvel's Big Hero 6

Disney's first animated Marvel movie might have a new voice.

Jamie Chung (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) has reportedly joined Disney Animation's Big Hero 6. While the casting has not been officially announced, ComingSoon reports that the actress' bio on the site for NBC's Believe lists the animated film among her credits. At the time of writing, it appears that this credit has been removed.

Jamie Chung in Sucker Punch.

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Evolve: How Small Changes to Goliath Changes Everything

Developer Turtle Rock has already made a massive change to the core of Evolve’s gameplay, and the 4v1 multiplayer game is still scheduled to release in 2014.

When we first played Evolve, the Left 4 Dead team’s next big thing was so pristine and polished that I would have believed it were ready for launch.

Now, the basis of its character progression has been uprooted — and I don’t know yet if it’s for the better.

Goliath, the dino-gorilla brute you may have seen, used to work like this:

Before a match, you’d select two powers. When Goliath ate enough wildlife to evolve, it would unlock a new ability. By the time you reached your final form, you’d have all four powers — pounce, fire-breath, rock-throw, and charge.

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Dota 2's Spring Cleaning Adjusts Heroes, Items, Bugs

Major changes will come to Dota 2's Heroes, items, gameplay modes, nonplayable characters and more when Valve's Spring Cleaning update rolls out this week.

In addition to dozens of bug fixes and some user interface tweaks, Valve has made substantial changes to many Dota 2 Heroes. Among other things, Sven has received a +6 base damage increase; Lich's Frost Armor ability now affects buildings; Bounty Hunter's Track range has increased; and Terrorblade's strength has been reduced.

Certain items have been updated as well -- the Shadow Blade's active Shadow Walk ability lasts two seconds longer, Mjollnir's damage has been reduced by 10, and the courier respawns 40 seconds faster. Additionally, new treasures are available for purchase in the Dota 2 store, Roshan's armor has gone up one point, and Meepo has been removed from Ability Draft mode.

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6 Comics You Can't Miss This Week

One thing we all have in common is that we want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent, new books that look cool, and any toys and games we can't wait to play with.

Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!

By Rick Remender & Paul Renaud | Marvel Comics

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Sarah Silverman Joins Masters of Sex

Emmy-winning comedian and actress Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph, The Sarah Silverman Program) is joining the cast of Season 2 of the Showtime drama series Masters of Sex in a recurring role.

Silverman will join Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan on the series, playing "Helen." That's it. That's all they're giving us. Just the name. Maybe it refers to sex-therapist Helen Singer Kaplan? Though based on the timeline in the show, Kaplan would have been earning her medical degree in New York. So maybe she's just a regular chick named "Helen."

Sarah Silverman.

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These are the Scariest Games You've Ever Played

Do you remember when the dogs jumped through the window in Resident Evil? If you were like most gamers, you probably freaked out and cried internally... or externally. Video games can be scary.

Last week we played Alien: Isolation to see just how scary it was. Based off of the video we made, you can see that it made us scream in fear more than once. Coming off our spooky high, we asked the community to tell us the scariest game they've ever played.

@IGN The Condemned. The Xmas mall level was absolutely horrifying!

— Stephen-Alva Wood (@StephenAlvaWood) April 28, 2014

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The Best Games for Amazon Fire TV

Have you picked up Amazon's streaming set-top box and micro-console, Fire TV? Even if you're still on the fence about taking the plunge, you're going to want to know what games are available for the new device. So, here's a list of ten of the best Fire TV games available--so far.

OK, so this one goes without saying. Sev Zero is the first game developed specifically for Fire TV, and comes free with the purchase of a Fire Controller. The game basically plays out like a sci-fi third-person shooter and tower defense hybrid. And if your friend downloads the free Kindle Fire companion app, they can even help you out. Sev Zero is about as close to a "console exclusive" you'll find on Fire TV at the moment, so it's worth giving it a shot.

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Live Grease Production Coming to FOX

Dust off those old T-Bird and Pink Lady jackets -- the students of Rydell High are enrolling at FOX with Grease Live, a televised, three-hour production of the iconic musical.

Scheduled to air in 2015 and featuring a young ensemble cast (TBA), Grease Live will reintroduce Danny Zuko, Rizzo, Sandy and the rest of the Rydell crew to a new generation of viewers. While Grease started out as a Broadway musical in 1971, most folks will probably remember the 1978 movie adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Earning almost $400 million worldwide at the time of release, Grease remains the highest-grossing musical movie of all time.

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Skype Group Video Calls Now Free on Xbox One, PC

While most of the base features of Skype have long worked without the need for a paid subscription, a few options like group video calls were exclusive to a premium subscription. Starting today, Skype will make group video chats available for free on its PC, Mac, and Xbox One apps.

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Out This Week: April 28, 2014

With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.

Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.

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Check Out These 52 Marvel Character Portraits

Last week, we debuted an exclusive sneak peak of the Mike Mitchell x Marvel x Mondo show that was debuting at the Austin Mondo Gallery over the weekend. And now the full line-up of 52 portraits -- as conceived by artist Mike Mitchell -- of some of the Marvel Universe’s best and brightest (and worst and darkest!) have been made available online. Check them all out in the two galleries below:

The Mike Mitchell x Marvel x Mondo show will run from April 25 through May 17 at the Mondo Gallery in Austin, TX.

Talk to Senior Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN , on IGN at scottcollura and on Facebook .

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Madden NFL 15 Release Date Revealed

EA announced today that Madden NFL 15 is slated for release August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe.

The release date was revealed in the first teaser trailer (seen below) for Madden NFL 15 and features Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. EA is promising the "most immersive defensive gameplay control in franchise history" with Madden NFL 15, as well as a new broadcast presentation, teaming up with ESPN again.

Madden NFL 15 is planned to release on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Evan Campbell is a freelance news writer who just recently got an Xbox One and Titanfall. He's streaming his experiences over on his Twitch channel. You can also check out what he's saying on Twitter.

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Watch Showtime's Penny Dreadful Premiere Now

Showtime is offering viewers nationwide a chance to sample its new drama Penny Dreadful across multiple platforms in advance of its series premiere in two weeks.

The series premiere can now be accessed now across multiple platforms including YouTube, on the Showtime website, via a number of television providers' free On Demand channels and websites, and on Showtime On Demand.

The pilot episode is also available for free via Showtime Anytime on any computer, iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming players anywhere in the U.S., on Hulu, and on the Showtime Preview app on Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Vizio, Panasonic and Sony.

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I Played Destiny and…

The first Strike Mission I played in Destiny presented a familiar feel from previous first-person shooters made by Bungie, but with a dash of something new. For all intents and purposes, Destiny sounds massive: It's a world filled with strife and opportunity to craft a legendary hero. Distinct focus paths and special abilities distinguished the different character classes of Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. But the slice of gameplay I played on a PS4 only filled in a small part of a much bigger picture. And though I enjoyed it, there's still so much more to see.

Our three-man team spawned inside what appeared to be an instance or campaign-like space. This wasn't one of Destiny's proclaimed Patrol areas, a public space where players can stumble into other wandering Guardians, fire teams, and shared events. Our mission was to explore a dilapidated ship refinery within Old Russia (the same area we saw at E3 2013) and locate the Devils' Lair, a name that hinted at potentially ominous possibilities. As we wandered into this dusty facility during broad daylight, I couldn't help but notice how it quietly conveyed the broken state of affairs on Earth. But we didn't have much time to take it all in: Enemy patrols outside of the refinery welcomed us with rounds of weapon fire.

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Where's the Child of Light Review?

Child of Light is a game that, when I first saw it, made me feel inclined to curb my expectations. I never for a second thought it could actually be as good as those first trailers made it out to be. But from what I've played so far, it seems my skepticism was misplaced.

Child of Light is on course to more than meet the high bar set by the delicious footage that's been trickling out from Ubisoft. Even now, I wish I were playing instead of writing. It's so good, in fact, that I want to give it the time and attention it truly deserves, which sadly, is more time than I was given leading up to today. So in order to make sure Child of Light gets its proper due, I'll be taking just a bit longer to get you fine folks the full review.

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Full Trailer for Damon Lindelof's The Leftovers

After a couple different teasers, HBO have released the full trailer for The Leftovers. Based on the book by Tom Perrotta, the series follows what happens after 2% of the population vanishes without explanation. Those left behind have no concrete answer for how or why this occurred -- was it the biblical rapture? Something more ominous? -- leaving society in a very different place as a result.

The Leftovers is the first TV series from Damon Lindelof since the end of Lost, with Lindelof executive producing alongside Perrotta. You can watch the trailer below, but be warned it's pretty NSFW, both for its language and glimpses at nudity and sex scenes.

HBO have also released a new teaser poster for The Leftovers.

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Kirby Triple Deluxe Review

Kirby Triple Deluxe suffers from the same fundamental problem most standard Kirby platformers have in the past: With so many powers and abilities at his disposal, breezing through its levels becomes incredibly easy for most of the game. It just gets boring. Despite some expanded ideas, neat graphics and music, and a few fun boss fights, there aren’t a whole lot of reasons for anybody older than 12 to pick this one up

Playing as Kirby is kind of like playing as Superman foiling common bank robbers: he’s practically unstoppable. He can swap between 26 useful and diverse abilities by copying them from his foes. For example, the Bell copy ability gives you useful defensive and offensive powers against bosses. Each one has layered mechanics and combos, but they’re almost never needed because enemies are so weak.

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Mad Men: "Field Trip" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

What a wonderfully awkward, prolonged sequence that was watching Don go back to SC&P. It was expertly done from the start, as we cut back and forth between Don at home stressing out about going back in to him in the elevator at the office, where he was really freaking out, in a way that’s very rare for him. It was great how, by cutting back and forth between these two things, it wasn’t even clear that Don had actually gone into the office, as it seemed that perhaps he was only imagining how it might go – until he (and we) saw Dawn’s name on that office, conveying the changes that had occurred while he was gone.

It’s a testament to how involving Mad Men is that simply watching Don sit in the office was so packed with tension, as it became increasingly clear no one knew he was coming – and that none of the partners -- among others -- were happy to see him. Lou coming in to pull all of the young creative folks away, who were excited to see Don, was another blow, with Lou clearly trying to display that he’s got the power now.

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AFL Live 2 Gets a 2014 Season Update

Tru Blu has announced its plans to release a new DLC pack for AFL Live 2014 to freshen up the game for the current AFL season.

Developed by Wicked Witch, the AFL Live 2 – Season Pack 2014 will feature 2014’s AFL fixtures (including the NAB challenge), updated rosters and player ratings, tweaked player likenesses for star players, fresh guernseys and sponsors, and a variety of other improvements (including alternative controller mapping).

(And tighter shorts).

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Atlus is Teasing a 'Super Important' Persona Announcement

Atlus is teasing a forthcoming, "super important" announcement related to its JRPG franchise Persona.

On May 2 at 11:30pm Japan time (7:30am PDT), Atlus will host a livestream containing the announcement, says Gematsu.

The Dark Hour TV Persona Hour will also feature a preview of the film Persona 3 the Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream, as well as a panel of as-yet-unannounced guests discussing the franchise.

Persona 5 is coming to PS3 sometime this year in Japan, and to western territories in 2015. We're big fans of Persona's social interaction and dungeon crawler formula; our Persona 4 review declared it an instant classic.

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Marvel Comics Teases Big Avengers/X-Men Event

Marvel Comics' C2E2 panel had a lot of exciting announcements -- which we covered here -- but they waited until the end to show a glimpse of things to come, not unlike a post-credit scene from one of their movies:

As you can see from the shot snapped by the folks over at Newsarama, the Avengers "A" and the X-Men "X" are part of the word "axis," implying it will star both teams. Could this be a follow-up to 2012's Avengers vs. X-Men event? Or something else entirely? Curiously, the "I" wasn't stylized to represent the Inhumans. Given Marvel's huge push to make them to next big thing, it would be easy to raise the Inhuman's profile by involving them in an event with their two biggest franchises, but clearly that's not the plan here.

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Driveclub Release Date Confirmation Coming Soon

A new post on the official Driveclub Facebook page has promised fans a release date for the delayed racer will be revealed shortly.

“We know you want news about DRIVECLUB. We are going to bring you up to speed with a full ‪#‎DRIVECLUB update soon, because we are immensely proud of how the game is developing and we’re confident you’ll see why when we show you more.

“Expect an official release date, full game details and new videos in the weeks to come.”

The post echoes a statement issued a month ago, back in late March, also promising an development update and release date confirmation “in the weeks to come.”

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Silicon Valley: "Fiduciary Duties" Review

Full spoilers for the episode below.

After suffering through his antics for a couple of episodes too many, “Fiduciary Duties” finally lets Erlich earn his keep as part of Pied Piper and in the process makes him a character that finally deviates from being insufferable. This episode finds Erlich becoming a board member of Pied Piper after a drunken promise from Richard, while Richard struggles to articulate the “big picture stuff” for the company. It’s this particular problem that lets Erlich do what he does best – talk – and cement his role in the company.

Richard’s relative ineptitude handling the CEO position is the source of a lot of humor here, but thankfully not at the expense of his newfound aggressiveness. The scene where he argues with Erlich and tries to get out of his promise was a particularly nice touch, and the fact that he only agrees to hold up his end of the deal when Erlich is actually useful was reassurance that Richard’s adopted “be an ass****” mantra still stands true.

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South Park: The Stick of Truth Dev Kickstarting New Game in 2014

Obsidian Entertainment chief executive Feargus Urquhart has confirmed the studio is shoring up details on what its next Kickstarter project will be, and is keen to have a campaign running before the end of 2014.

“We are working on what that is,” Urquhart told CVG. “I think we’ve come up with what it’s going to be. We have to still firm up some details, but my hope is that we’ll get one going before the end of the year.”

“I think we’ve got a good idea. I’m not going to share anything, but a few times in my career I have these things where I say, ‘hey, that’s a cool idea!’ and I’ve generally been right. So I think this one’s going to be a cool thing.”

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Turn: "Eternity How Long" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Turn offered up another strong outing that effectively dampened the euphoria we felt at end of last week's installment. The Rebels still have a long way to go, and are facing opposition from within their own ranks, as well as from the occupying British army.

The episode began with Abe watching the flogging of the officers who Anna had distracted into letting Caleb escape. He didn't take lightly the role he played in the death of Simcoe's men, and he doesn't enjoy this either. The scene also gave us more information on Thomas, Abe's late brother. He was a Redcoat who died in the line of duty, and his legacy still haunts the surviving Woodhulls.

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What Did You Think of Tonight's Game of Thrones?

No more advance Game of Thrones press screeners for the rest of the season means no more reviews posting right at the end of the east coast airing of the episode. So feel free to discuss "Oathkeeper" amongst yourselves down in the comments while I type away - the review will be posted at this same url later tonight. Full spoilers are of course fine for this episode, but you're risking getting banned if you venture into info from the books beyond this episode, so please play nice.

Game of Thrones: “Oathkeeper” Photo Gallery:

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Once Upon a Time: "A Curious Thing" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Hopefully you went into tonight's Once Upon a Time ready to have your feelings throttled because that's exactly what happened. From moments of happiness like watching Regina be giddy about kissing Robin to the heartbreaking scene where Snow crushed Charming's heart to relief when Henry remembered everything. Feelings.

Though there was plenty of excitement, the best part of the episode was learning Zelena wasn't responsible for casting the curse – just the forgetting element. This series doesn't always nail the surprise twists, but they knocked this one out of the park. The path that led them there could only have been improved by Glinda being more interesting, but she doesn't need to be yet. She had a specific part to play, and she handled it.

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