We’ve known for a while that Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), the astrophysicist who also happened to be Thor’s love interest in the God of Thunder’s first two movies, was not appearing in Thor: Ragnarok. At first, Marvel’s answer was simply that most of the movie wouldn’t take place on Earth, where humans like Jane Foster tend to be found. The new answer is... less satisfying.
Natalie Portman exiting the Marvel universe isn’t surprising since, as we’ve noted before, rumors said she wasn’t happy with how things went down on Thor: The Dark World, particularly the way director Patty Jenkins left the project. Plus, she’s an Oscar winner whose other big science fiction franchise was the Star Wars prequels. She’s busy, she’s not in love with this work, and she’s probably done with franchises. This all makes sense.
As a result,Thor and Jane have broken up prior to Ragnarok, according to Entertainment Weekly, which isn’t a huge surprise. First of all, it was hinted that they were having problems back in Avengers:Age of Ultron. And that’s probably a better solution than pretending she’s hanging out off-screen somewhere in Ragnarok.
That said: this was the exact same way Marvel dealt with Gwyneth Paltrow’s absence from Age of Ultron, with another off-screen break-up with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Dumping of two of its heroes’ major love interests in this way indicates that Marvel considers many of its female leads rather disposable, which isn’t great.
But even that we could have handled. Then Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made it worse when he advertised the new addition Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) as Thor’s love interest in Ragnarok an EW interview:
“We wanted Thor to encounter somebody that was near his equal and that his relationship with Jane may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok and we wanted to pit him against a character who was much more his equal and in many ways his superior,” says Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. “Valkyrie is trying to not embrace any sort of Asgardian heritage that she has. Thor thinks maybe that will create a bond between them and, on the contrary, she wants to forget it all entirely.”
Valkyrie is more “equal” to Thor than Foster was? She was an astrophysicist who did mind-boggling science. Her different skill set was one of the reasons they worked so well together on-screen. Equating “punching things as hard as a male character” with equality is reductive—also because it presents them as existing only in contrast to each other and within their relationship to Thor. It’s disappointing because there is no reason that Marvel needed to explain it this way.
On the plus side, I’m pretty sure Feige’s gaffe was unintentional because Marvel’s universe is packed with scientist-heroes. But there are still absolutely better ways to frame Natalie Portman and Jane Foster’s absence. Feige could have pointed out the new dynamic that could be explored with Thor having a relationship with someone with interests and a history more similar to his own. That’s certainly interesting and doesn’t belittle Foster in the process.
In terms of Marvel live-action entertainment’s gaffes, this is hardly the most egregious one. So instead of shaming Marvel, I hope they consider this... constructive criticism. You can do better! It’s not as hard as you may think!
I’m about five hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda, and so far, it seems like Bioware has created a behemoth of a sci-fi action RPG.
Our review will drop later in the month, but for now, here’s 20 minutes of the very first mission, played on PS4. Note that the footage has been lightly edited to get rid of stuff like ‘the two minutes I didn’t know where to go.’
Some quickfire thoughts, in bullet-point form:
As many of you know, the story involves a journey into the Andromeda Galaxy, where humanity must find a new home. The task of finding habitable planets falls on you, the ‘Pathfinder.’ Wouldn’t you know it, once you actually arrive at Andromeda, the ‘golden planets’ you scouted ahead of time aren’t what you expect them to be. Actually, little of the colonization scheme goes according to plan, with some ships getting lost, some people stuck in cryo, others staging a rebellion, and in general, supplies are dwindling fast. The tension is immediate: you’re in a completely new territory of space and nobody can help you. Everything is going to shit. Can you untangle the mess?
Character creation seems like an improvement - I made someone who appeared human on the first go around, without feeling too much regret once I saw them in action.
The new dialogue system is MUCH better. Now there are a many different types of responses, none of which are the obvious right/wrong/paragon/renegade choices. I’ve found myself picking liberally, depending on what felt right.
The voice acting feels more natural now, because you’re not a gruff Spectre.
Combat is more intense and kinetic, largely because of the added mobility. I can run, I can dash, I can get in the enemy’s face. On normal, the game seems harder, too - I’ve died in the tutorial mission / first real mission, which I’ve never experienced in a Mass Effect game before.
I love that I can mix and match abilities, regarding of what specialization I pick.
Then again, the number of SYSTEMS and CHOICES are kinda overwhelming, and Andromeda throws you right into the thick of it. Where older games felt as if Bioware were making a compromise between an RPG and an action game, it feels like they’ve gone full throttle in both directions this time around. Combat is thrilling, but you’re also going to spend a lot of time managing resources and equipping different things.
I was surprised to find that the tutorial mission had several optional side-quests I could pursue, and that the map was so big, I had multiple path options too. In the mission you can watch above, there’s an obvious critical path, but you can also stop and investigate more of the planet, if you’d like. So many choices! The game feels more on the scale of Dragon Age Inquisition, though I haven’t seen any filler yet.
To wit, all the side-quests I’ve seen thus far were really interesting, including figuring out what to do with the first potential murder of Andromeda, to investigating who the hell keeps sabotaging some ship tech.
Gun customization is back, and you can add all sorts of modifications and tweaks. I accidentally gave my pistol a big scope, which made using it unwieldy.
There are so many small environmental details that pop out even in the middle of combat, whether it’s floating debris, or cool little lights lining the fancy new technology you encounter. Andromeda is a looker, and Bioware uses that power to great effect—planets look alien.
There’s a whole lotta scanning in this game. You’re going to scan everything from containers to corpses, Batman-style.
I haven’t gotten to know all of the characters very well, but what I’ve seen thus far has me intrigued. The female Turian I’ve met seemed more kickass than Garrus (!). I’ve met a racist Salarian. I’ve met a very...forward Asari. I’ve met a lot of people who are just trying to get by under trying circumstances. Nobody is boring. Even the most annoying characters have a reason as to why they’re being so dickish.
This game has some of the fanciest haircuts I’ve ever seen.
The new Mako (aka the Nomad in this game) handles better, but still has some funny physics to it, depending on what you’re trying to traverse.
We’ll have more on Mass Effect: Andromeda in the coming weeks. For now, if you have questions, I’m happy to chime in the comments.
This 320 page cover art book is the perfect gift for the Marvel fan in your life, even if that person is yourself. It’s gotten down to this price a few times in the past, and it almost always sells out quickly.
James Gunn on the set of The Belko Experiment. Image: Blumhouse
Long before Rocket Raccoon and Groot entered his life, James Gunn had a dream. Literally. In 2007, Gunn had a dream about a corporate office where the employees are forced to kill each other as part of some mysterious experiment. But 10 years ago, the director could have never imagined how the Marvel heroes would affect a bunch of murderous office workers.
Gunn immediately realized his dream was a movie waiting to happen, and suddenly The Belko Experiment had taken over his life. “I wrote it very quickly over a couple of weeks and really fucked my back up,” Gunn said. “It was an incredibly tense experience. A dark experience.” When he finished, the company Gold Circle offered him money to make the movie and he was going to. However, it was then that he and his wife at the time, The Office’s Jenna Fischer, got a divorce.
Gunn had planned to fly to Brazil for a few months to shoot the film, but changed his mind. “I didn’t feel like it was where my headspace needed to be,” Gunn said. “I wanted to be with my friends and family. I didn’t want to be going down having people shoot each other in the head. So I backed out of it.” The Belko Experiment went into a drawer… until Gunn made one of the most beloved and successful Marvel movies to date, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gunn and his brother Sean on the set of the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Image: Disney/Marvel
After Guardians was released, Gunn got a phone call from film executive John Glickman. “He said, ‘I love that script The Belko Experiment. If I just gave you the money […] would you just go off and make it?’” Gunn explained. But after Guardians’ success, he was too busy to direct it himself, plus he had been working on the sequel even before the first movie premiered. “I said, ‘If I could choose a director, and if I had freedom to do whatever I wanted to make it as extreme as the script is, then I’d do it.’”
Glickman had no problem with either request, so Gunn chose director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) to execute his vision. He didn’t just sit on the sidelines though. He helped in preproduction, was heavily involved in the edit, and had a huge hand in casting the film, which included a bunch of his regulars (like Michael Rooker and brother Sean Gunn) as well as new additions like Tony Goldwyn, John C. McGinley, and John Gallagher Jr., who Gunn met when the Tony-award winning actor auditioned for Guardians.
“[Gallagher] auditioned for Peter Quill in Guardians 1,” Gunn said. “He wasn’t right for the role, but I called his agent the minute I got out of the meeting because I was like, ‘That was maybe the best audition I’ve seen in my entire life.’ The guy works at a number of levels at one time, and it’s fascinating to watch him. So I noted that and said, ‘I can’t wait to find some place to use John Gallagher, Jr.’”
John Gallagher Jr. and Adria Arjona in the Belko Experiment. Image: Blumhouse
In addition to the cast, the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie helped Gunn make The Belko Experiment better in another way, too. “I’ve learned a lot about streamlining concepts,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about streamlining feelings, of streamlining tone. Making something that makes sense to people. Belko Experiment was the harshest, most extreme movie I ever made. But I still think there’s a very cohesive center to it that wasn’t always in my early films. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But I think it’s a commercial thing. To make it more cohesive.”
Now both films are about to come out within two months of each other, but Gunn hasn’t slowed down. He’s directed the footage for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy theme park ride, “Mission Breakout,” at Disney’s California Adventure; he’s got ideas for a Belko sequel if there’s an opportunity; and he’s even lending a hand to another movie currently in production that you may have heard of—Avengers: Infinity War.
Gunn and Chris Pratt on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Image: Disney/Marvel
Infinity War will be the first time the Guardians of the Galaxy meet Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and the first time they’ll show up on screen without Gunn behind the camera… at least directly. “I’ve been heavily involved in what the Guardians do in Avengers: Infinity War,” Gunn admitted. “I gave [the film’s directors the Russo brothers] tons of advice on how to direct the actors, talked to them a lot during the shooting, and talked to the actors a lot during the shooting to make sure that the Guardians are staying authentic.”
That presumably means Rocket Raccoon and Groot won’t be getting jobs at Belko anytime soon—although they’d likely be pretty good at the experiment.
The Belko Experiment opens March 17. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens May 5.
NASA is getting ready to melt some space nerd hearts with an adorable little robot named PUFFER—which stands for Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robots—designed to explore alien worlds like Mars and Europa. The “origami-inspired” rover can fold itself to become as small as a smartphone, but will take on an enormous task once it’s ready for use.
Its small size, light weight and flexibility make it an excellent option for exploring some of the harshest landscapes in the solar system. According to a series of videos the space agency posted over the weekend, PUFFER can survive falls from as high as 3 meters under simulated Martian gravity, and scale rocky inclines at slopes of up to 45 degrees. NASA envisions robots like PUFFER traversing lava tubes on Mars, or icy “chaos terrains” on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Though PUFFER is still in development as an 18-month-long collaborative project involving NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UC Berkeley, and Distant Focus Corporation in Champaign, Illinois, the team has already been testing out prototypes on pseudo Martian terrain. Look at this intrepid little baby fold up its wheels and adjust its orientation to clamber around an obstacle course!
Or, watch it PUFFER go for a long walk. So adventurous!
The most squeal-worthy part is that PUFFERs are designed to be packed into a larger parent rover or spacecraft, which can deploy its miniature robots on a planet’s surface. Like baby seahorses escaping their daddy’s belly, the little PUFFERS will scatter off, ready to take on their tasks.
“A larger parent rover could use a collection of PUFFERs to explore extreme terrains that are easier to access with a small, low-cost “child” rover,” the team wrote in a fact sheet from 2016. “When the parent spacecraft finds an exciting region for exploration, it simply ejects one or more PUFFERs, which then pop-up and go on to explore the target of interest.”
This year, the PUFFER team plans to test out these little guys in the Mojave Desert, as a practice run for Mars. My only suggestion is to have these bad boys piloted by kittens—then my mind will explode.
A promotional image from David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Image: Fox
It doesn’t get much better than David Cronenberg’s The Fly, the 1986 remake of the scifi classic. That’s a film that works in so many ways, it’s silly to think anyone could do better. But if you had to try, a filmmaker who just made a movie about magic would be a good place to start.
Deadline reports that. J.D. Dillard, whose gritty, coming-of-age magic movie Sleight opens next month, is in negotiations to co-write and direct a new version of The Fly for 20th Century Fox.
There’s no word on how Dillard’s take, which he’ll co-write with Alex Theurer, would be different from either the 1958 original or Cronenberg’s version, which starred Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and some of the most gloriously gross transformation scenes ever. But you have to guess there’s something, either a new take on the main characters or new way to pull off the visual effects, that got Dillard and Fox on the same page.
When this would happen is also up in the air. The director is currently prepping another thriller, called Sweetheart, which he’s likely to shoot first. Nevertheless, a remake of The Fly will almost certainly be coming at some point.
Emma Allen calls short film Santiago an “animated self-portrait”—not just of the artist and performer herself, but of the human race itself. It starts with images of the smallest water-dwelling organisms, moves on to mammals, and then envisions an endpoint, or perhaps a new level, that looks decidedly robotic.
This entire piece runs just over a minute long, and it’s so visually dynamic (despite literally unfolding across Allen’s face) that you’ll want to watch it again, just to see how she does it.
Warner Bros. is apparently considering plugging back into its blockbuster science fiction franchise The Matrix.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, nothing is set in stone just yet. Everything is in very early talks but screenwriter Zak Penn (Ready Player One, Last Action Hero, X-Men: The Last Stand) is on board to write. Michael B. Jordan is being considered to star, but the involvement of the Wachowskis, who created the universe, is not certain.
Also, this might not be a straight reboot. It may follow what Lucasfilm has done with Star Wars, which is take a well-known universe and mine it for side stories. But again, that’s just one of many early possibilities. For example, the Hollywood Reporter suggested a film that focuses on Morpheus first finding out about the Matrix himself could be a movie. You could also do the same thing for Trinity.
We reached out to Warner Bros. and the studio had no comment.
A few weeks ago, Keanu Reeves, who played the star of the films, Neo, commented to several outlets that he’d be open to returning to the franchise, but under specific conditions.
“The Wachowskis would have to be involved,” Reeves told Yahoo Movies. “They would have to write it and direct it. And then we’d see what the story is, but yeah, I dunno, that’d be weird, but why not? People die, stories don’t. People in stories don’t.”
The three Matrix films, 1999's The Matrix, 2003's The Matrix Reloaded, and 2003's The Matrix Revolutions, grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide.
The Russo brothers’ next project after Infinity War could be a Valiant Comics TV show. Of course the Power Rangers movie has a post-credits scene. Get another glimpse at the Inhumans show with more set pictures. Plus, the Defenders are in action in new videos from the set, and a new look at Transformers: The Last Knight. Spoilers, roll out!
The Batman
According to Variety, it’s going to be a while until Matt Reeves begins work in earnest on the standalone Ben Affleck Batman movie—due to his contract for War for the Planet of the Apes, production will likely not begin until 2018.
What does this mean for now? Basically, any casting rumor is probably gonna be worthless:
Wonder Woman
Director Patty Jenkins confirmed on Twitter that boxer Anne Wolfe has been cast as Artemis.
Darkmouth
David Pimentel and Douglas Sweetland are slated to direct an animated adaptation of the YA fantasy series from author Shane Hagerty and publisher HarperCollins, which focuses on an overeager teen who becomes a monster hunter. [Coming Soon]
Power Rangers
Speaking with Collider, director Dean Isrealite promised a post-credits scene, because this is a superhero movie coming out in the year of our lord 2017.
It was always gonna be a coda. It was always gonna be sort of a post-credits scene. The only thing that we debated about that was where it comes two and a half minutes into the…after the main one ends, or is it gonna come right at the end of the credits. So we decided to kind of break the credits up.
Transformers: The Last Knight
Isabela Moner spoke about her character, Izabella, at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards.
Despicable Me 3
A new trailer introduces Gru’s twin brother, Dru.
Mayhem
Here’s a poster for an upcoming horror movie that sounds like The Belko Experiment meets Snowpiercer with a biohazard twist, and starring The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun.
A dangerous virus, one that prevents the infected from controlling their inhibitions, is discovered in a corporate law building, the very same firm that recently cleared an infected man on murder charges. When a quarantine is issued and the building goes on lockdown, all hell breaks loose inside, while a disgruntled employee (Steven Yeun) and an irate client (Samara Weaving) must fight and even kill their way to the top to “have a word” with the corrupt executives who wronged them before time runs out.
Tremors 6
Director Don Michael Paul shared a photo of Jamie Kennedy inside the digestive tract of a Graboid on his Instagram page. Apologies if you were eating your breakfast/lunch, depending on time zone.
Quantum & Woody
The Russo Brothers are producing a TV series based on the Valiant comics series Quantum & Woody, according to The Wrap. The series follows two estranged adopted brothers who become crimefighters shortly after meeting each other in adulthood and getting superpowers.
Cloak & Dagger
Gina Prince-Blythwood spoke to Black Film about directing the Freeform pilot:
I’ve just been a fan of Marvel. When I heard what the story was about, it was right into my wheelhouse and the fact that my boys are big comic book guys and honestly, three years ago I was watching a Marvel show and my youngest ask when will we have a black superhero. The fact that we’re so excited for Black Panther to come out, and the fact that I got to put something out on TV with a young female superhero and a black superhero was just a gift.
I came in to do the pilot so I’m excited for the opportunity to do it. It was such a great script and to be able to help create the look of the show was exciting for me. I love that they are starting to open up and broaden who there are bringing in.
Big Hero 6
Disney XD’s Big Hero 6 series has been renewed for a second season, before the first has even started airing! [Coming Soon]
Inhumans
Even more set pics from Hawaii have turned up online, and here, if you squint juuuust hard enough, you get a glimpse of Medusa’s hair and signature purple gown.
The Defenders
Some set footage has leaked to Youtube. The video shows a brief scene with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (carrying a possibly injured Misty Knight), Danny Rand, and a bloodied Collen Wing from that most deadly of enemies: a post-production effect.
Once Upon a Time
Finally, the two-part season six finale is titled “The Final Battle, Parts I & II.”
Additional reporting by Gordon Jackson. Banner art by Jim Cooke.
We’ve been hearing about Pixar’s next movie for a while now, but this morning we finally got our first good look at Coco, the studio’s new movie about a boy, a magic guitar, and the Land of the Dead. And it looks very pretty.
Directed by Toy Story 3's Lee Unkrich, Coco follows Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young boy entranced by the music of deceased guitar player Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). But when Miguel breaks into de la Cruz’s tomb to see he legendary guitar, he finds himself inadvertently transported to the Land of the Dead—and has to find a way out of he wants to return to his family in the realm of the living.
Aside from the frankly stunning visuals, it’s interesting to see where Coco goes in its discussion of Mexican culture and the Day of the Dead—and to see what influence Lalo Alcaraz, one of Disney’s harshest critics, had on the film. For now, we’ve just got a gorgeous trailer to look at.
As part of the promotion for the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell, a new “I am Major” website was launched that allowed folks to upload their own photos and enter their own text. It’s damn perfect troll fodder.
As pointed out by Japanese site IT Media, here’s some of what ensued:
We’ve said it before and we’ll undoubtedly say it again, but the second season of Legends of Tomorrow is delivering more fun per minute than any other superhero show on television, and it’s not even close. Last night... oh my god, last night’s episode.
Earlier this season, the Legends had disguised themselves as Nazis to find some important information but when then caught due to a moral inability to Heil Hitler, and then gave George Lucas part of the Spear of Destiny, which I feel compelled to remind you is the spear that pierced Jesus’ side when he was on the cross. Last night’s episode featured the Legends (and the Reverse-Flash) traveling to the moon via Apollo 13 to find another piece of the spear, hidden inside the pole of the iconic U.S. flag planted on the moon, which seems almost mundane in comparison.
That’s until NASA needs to check in with Apollo 13, and the Legends—who try to avoid altering history (to varying degrees of success) and realizing it might be trouble if NASA calls Apollo 13 and gets an unknown superhero and supervillain on the line—realize they need a distraction until team member Jax (Franz Drameh) can cause a communications malfunction. This is the distraction they go with:
The best part? It works. Completely.
If you haven’t been watching LoT recently, this scene may seem insane and/or stupid, but as a guy who has been delightfully surprised on several occasions by this season, I can only tell you it is the funniest thing ever. The buttoned-up Dr. Stein (Victor Garber), so panicked he breaks into “Day-O”—the fact that borderline evil killer Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) joins in—but also that both had also needlessly decided to use British accents and wear those glasses to infiltrate NASA—it literally made me cackle out loud.
If you find Arrow boring and/or The Flash is bumming you out, seriously—please, please, switch to Legends of Tomorrow. They may be shockingly bad at repairing the timeline, but they’re very, very good at being entertaining as hell.
Image: DC Comics. Art by Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz, and Rob Leigh.
The ongoing story in Superman and Action Comics has been a hell of a ride for not one, but two Clark Kents. Last week, we learned about the true mastermind behind the entire crazy plot—and yet, this week, there’s been a new twist that somehow even tops that for madness.
So, a quick recap: Last week, we learned that fourth-wall-warping fifth dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk was the secret identity of the weird Clark Kent that’s been running around in DC’s Rebirth comics—yes, a separate Clark Kent, not to be confused with either the New 52 Clark Kent, who is dead, or Clark “White” née Kent, the Clark of the Pre-New-52 reboot, currently operating as Superman.Anyway, Mxyzptlk, angered at Superman for forgetting him during that whole, you know, entire reboot of the known multiverse thing, has kidnapped Clark and Lois’ son Jon and locked him in the fifth dimension—and the longer he stays, the more likely Clark and Lois will forget he ever existed.
In this week’s Superman #19 (by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz, and Rob Leigh), Mxyzptlk offers Superman and Lois a challenge: climb to the top of a hellishly weird tower in the fifth dimension, and they get their son back (this is, of course, a trap). Meanwhile, Jon is floating around in the limbo between worlds, glowing in a strange blue essence—the same one his father and mother also glow in once they enter the fifth dimension, for reasons unexplained by Mxyptlk.
Jon then comes across two balls of red energy, which, uh, throws a polaroid at him basically:
As the photo indicated, these balls of red energy are the essences of none other than the New 52 Clark and Lois, who both perished, and both burst into strange red light at the end of their lives. For whatever reason, their energy was been transported to Mxyzptlk’s dimension.
Art from Superman #52 and Superwoman #1.
The essences of the New 52 Lois and Clark help lead Jon to his parents, who are trapped in Mxzyptlk’s bizarre prison and starting to forget their son. In one last moment of desperation, Jon summons these red balls of energy to him, and then plunges towards his parents and Mxyzptlk, resulting in a fiery explosion.
When the interdimensional dust settles, Jon is fine. But he’s not accompanied by his parents.
It’s the Clark and Lois of the New 52, and the pre-New 52 Clark and Lois are nowhere to be seen.
So what the hell is going on? Have Supermen old and new merged into one new character? Or are Jon’s parents gone for good, replaced by the essence of their New 52 incarnations? It’s worth mentioning, of course, that this all took place within Mxyzptlk’s fifth-dimensional limbo world of total nonsense, so it could all just be a bizarre trick or metaphysical quibble that’ll be resolved within moments of the next issue.
That doesn’t stop it from being one hell of a crazy cliffhanger, though.
The Central Intelligence Agency needs to make sure its operatives are at the top of their game, so maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise games have become one of the agency’s most popular training tools?
At this year’s SXSW, the CIA debuted a series of internal training board games, card games, and RPGs that are used to train officers in the art of intelligence gathering and problem-solving. These include Collection, a Pandemic-like board game where analysts collaborate to solve international crises, and Collection Deck, a card game where mazes and monsters are replaced by satellite photos and government red tape. There’s also one where you try to capture El Chapo, which teaches collaboration with other law enforcement agencies.
According to CIA Senior Collection Analyst David Clopper, who first started developing the program in 2008, the board games are a creative way to quiz officers on their vast pool of knowledge and problem-solving skills. These games are basically one long Google interview quiz—they’re tough, detailed, and unforgiving. They also encourage players to work together toward a common goal, a necessary skill in intelligence gathering.
“This game is really about value of collaboration,” Clopper told Ars Technica. “We saw [game sessions] where people took the time to talk to one another, talk about your capability, how we can work together, or thought ahead, strategized, ‘I go first, you go next.’ They tended to win. The tables where someone would go on their own and do what they wanted, or do their own thing, or didn’t collaborate until too late, they couldn’t catch up.”
Don’t expect these games in stores anytime soon. They’re solely designed for internal use, and were only dusted off so a lucky few could get a peek at them at this year’s SXSW. Ars Technica has a cool write-up about playing through some of the games, feel free to head on over and check it out. If you’re looking for games that simulate the information-gathering experience you could expect from the CIA’s gaming arsenal (albeit much easier), here are a few games you could definitely try out.
1) Spyfall
Spyfall is a fun, quick-round party game where everyone (and no one) is a dangerous covert agent. During this game, every player is secretly given a location and suggested character role (i.e. “Hairstylist” at a Beauty Salon), except for the Spy, who isn’t told a thing. It’s the spy’s job to figure out where they are by sneakily asking questions of their fellow players, while everyone else is trying to determine who among them is the undercover agent. There’s a card version, but you can also play for free online using the internet browser on your phone.
2) Codenames
This collaborative card game pits teams of agents against one another in a word-based race to the finish. In Codenames, players give their teammates one-word clues so they can remove certain names and phrases from the game board. It’s a great experiment in secretive communication and collaboration. There’s also a naughty version, for those who want an extra chuckle after the kids go to bed.
3) Night’s Black Agents
This more intricate RPG (from the designer behind Trail of Cthulhu) puts players in the roles of intelligence officials navigating a secretive government where nothing is as it seems. Because, spoilers, it’s full of vampires. The mix of gumshoe mystery and supernatural mythos make Night’s Black Agents a perfect role-playing game for those who want to build information-gathering skills while avoiding boring storylines like “South China Sea Conflict.” Because, let’s face it, demons are more fun.
Note: Previous version of this article mentioned there were three games present, with a fourth in development. There are more games, so that total has been removed from the article.
That’s a pretty great price for any Quick Charge car charger, but Nonda’s has some features you won’t find anywhere else. Most notably, your phone connects to the charger over Bluetooth, and every time the connection drops (meaning your car has turned off), a free app will make a note of your location so you can find your parking spot later.
In addition, you can track your mileage for tax and expensing purposes (free for 60 drives per month, $3/month or $30/year for unlimited), and even monitor the health of your car battery if you sign up for a $1 per month premium subscription. Even if you don’t use those features though, this is well worth the $13 for the parking location feature alone.
The past year or so has seen a deluge of Wi-Fi router innovation, and Portal seems to be one of the best newcomers in the space, particularly for smaller dwellings in congested, urban environments.
Portal includes app-based configuration, nine internal antennas, 802.11ac...table stakes these days for a good router. But while almost all home Wi-Fi routers limit you to public channels over 5GHz, Portal also opens up four so-called DFS channels that are typically reserved for military use and commercial radar.
The law allows home routers to use these DFS channels, but they must shift off of them for a set amount of time whenever they detect active radar to avoid interference. Portal does just this, and moves all of your devices off of the busy channel in the background automatically, and shifts them back on when it’s safe. That means that most of the time, these channels are practically empty, so you won’t have to worry about interference from your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks operating on public channels. This Digital Trends review has a much thorough explanation of the technology, if you’re curious.
This router retails for $200, and has sold for around $175 on Amazon since it launched late last year, but for a limited time, you can try it out for $149. Mine will be here Friday.
Tile is the ultimate device for anyone who can’t stop losing their things, and you can get four Tiles (in two different designs) for $70 today, matching an all-time low.
You’ll get two Tile Slims, which are designed to slide into a wallet or stick to objects, and two Tile Mates, which you can attach to keychains or keep in bags. Once you have your Tiles in place, the Tile app on your phone can ping them over Bluetooth and cause them to beep until you find what you’re looking for. And if your lost item is outside of your phone’s Bluetooth range, it’ll show up on a map automatically any time another Tile user comes into range.
Buying these Tiles a la carte would set you back $100, so if you can think of four things you want to track, this is a fantastic bargain.
Power plugs that block multiple outlets should be outlawed, and violators should face stiff punishments, but until that day, we either have to suck it up, or buy a different power strip.
The PowerCube features a unique design that puts its four outlets on four different sizes of—you guessed it— a cube, plus two USB charging ports on a fifth face. That keeps your plugs out of each others’ way, and it can be yours for an all-time low $16 today.
If your phone supports Qi wireless charging, it’s a great day to buy some new pads to scatter around your home and office, as Anker’s 5W and 10W PowerTouch pads are both on sale.
Other than the maximum charging speed and a few very minor design differences, these are functionally identical. The headlining feature is an LED light ring on the bottom (which you can turn off, thankfully) which pulses to indicate whether your device is charging. Just note that not all phones can accept 10W wireless charging, and that these don’t include power adapters, so you’ll need to plug them into a USB charging port somewhere.
Sure, you could borrow someone’s cable login and stream the NCAA tournament, but then you’ll be like 90 seconds behind Twitter and excited texts from your friends, which is the worst. But with this $15 amplified antenna, you’ll be able to pull in CBS (plus the other broadcast networks) live, for free, and with better picture quality than you get online. It won’t get you TBS, TNT, or whatever the hell TruTV is, but you’ll get the entire Final Four, plus plenty of earlier games.
Just be sure to check out Lifehacker’s guide before you buy to find out if an indoor antenna will work well in your area. If you live too far away from broadcast towers, you may want to opt for this directional, roof-mounted antenna for $33 instead.
Amazon’s Fire Tablet doesn’t exactly feature bleeding edge technology, but hey, it’s a perfectly good portable TV screen and web browser for like $50. Today, you can get the upgraded 16GB version (which retails for $70), a case, and a screen protector all for $60 with promo code FIREBUNDLE. Yes, that’s $10 less than you’d normally spend on the tablet by itself.
Half of your electronics charge over USB these days, so it makes sense to buy power strips that include both AC outlets and USB ports. For $16 today, you can take your pick between a nightstand-friendly plug-in model, or a more traditional power strip with more outlets, and a 5' power cord.
There’s not a whole lot to say here: This phone stand has nearly 4,000 reviews, looks great, and is only $6 today with code 6VGBXP2D. Why wouldn’t you put one on your desk?
Your favorite USB car charger just happens to be the smallest one you can buy, and you can grab it on Amazon for $7 today with code AUKEYCAR. We’ve seen it go as low as $6 on a few occasions, but this is the best deal we’ve seen in a long time, if it’s been on your wish list.
The SoundBuds Slim are, as you might have gleaned from the name, far smaller than the originals. Heck, they look like a small set of wired earbuds; you might never guess there were batteries and Bluetooth radios in there. Despite the size, these buds are still rated for seven hours of battery life, and recharge fully in just 90 minutes.
There was a $6 launch day discount on these a few weeks ago that dropped them to $24, but if you missed out on that sale, they’re slashed to $22 today, no code required.
Despite its diminutive size, this includes all the same features as the full-sized WeMo Switch, including IFTTT support, Alexa compatibility, and an Away mode that will randomize your lights to deter ne’er-do-wells.
Whenever I see any of Dyson’s fans or heaters, I just feel like they’ll end up opening a portal to something in my home. Amazon is marking down a certified refurb of Dyson’s gateway to the unknown (that will also heat and cool your room) to $150, the best price we’ve seen on one of these. As with any Gold Box, though, this deal will be blown away at the end of the day.
No matter how you prefer to prop up your phone in the car, Anker makes a mount for it, and four different models are on sale today. I’m most intrigued by this $9 dashboard model, which combines the ease and minimalism of a magnetic mount without blocking a vent.
If you’re spending an sizable chunk of your paycheck on overpriced greek yogurt every month, you can make your own at home with this $20 contraption. Just add milk, plus a small amount of normal yogurt, and enjoy.
Without any wiring to futz with, Mpow’s solar-powered, motion-sensing spotlights are the easiest way to illuminate your front porch or lawn, and a bunch of different configurations are on sale today, including two different sizes of lights. All of the promo codes are below, just note that the more lights you buy, the more you’ll save.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that buying a travel pillow will make flyign pleasant. But maybe, just maybe, it’ll let you sleep through the experience to make it go faster. This memory foam model from Naipo is just $12 today on Amazon, and needless to say, you’d pay a bit more than that at the Hudson News outside your gate.
Unlike the West Loop, the SnapSeal’s lid doesn’t open and close automatically, though many reviewers say it’s easier to clean. It also includes a handle, which is a nice touch at this price.
Most of the French press deals we see are for 34 oz. (1 L) models, but this one is 50% larger at 51 oz. Just be sure to use promo code OVZLL57Y at checkout to get it for $25.
You might not need to use it often, but a car inverter is one of those “just in case” things that you should always keep in your trunk or glove box. At $18 with code A893NO8Y, why not?
It’s a scientific fact that every outdoor space looks better with copper string lights, and $10 is a fantastic price for a 33' strand, especially one with a remote that can power them on and off, and even make them dim, pulse, and strobe on demand.
Anker, producer of a lot of your favorite charging gear, has its own line of flashlights now, and all three are on sale today for the best prices we’ve ever seen.
The cheapest model is IP65 dust and water resistant, but actually doesn’t include a rechargeable battery. However, you can run it on three AAAs or a single rechargeable 18650 battery, which are cheap and easy to find.
The next step up is far brighter (900 lumens vs. 400), and includes a rechargeable battery and a microUSB port, while the most expensive model is brighter still at 1300 lumens, and is IP67 rated, meaning you could even use it underwater. Whichever model you choose, just be sure to note the promo codes below.
Here’s something to chew on: Amazon’s taking an extra 30% off Mentos gum for a limited time. Just pick your favorite flavor, and start stretching out your jaw.
Just like the Philips light, Vansky’s Sunrise Alarm Clock fades in a sunrise-simulating light for 30 minutes prior to your designated wake-up time, and then finishes the job with your choice of six natural alarms, or an FM radio station. That means by the time your alarm goes off, your body will already have begun the process of waking up, eliminating that awful feeling of being jolted out of a deep REM cycle. You can even choose from seven different light colors, a feature that doesn’t exist on any of Philips’ models.
I’ve had a Philips Wake-Up light for years, and absolutely love it, but $29 is an insanely great price for a feature-packed alternative.
A couple weeks ago, I would’ve laughed if you told me that winter wasn’t done yet, and now, here we are. The East Coast is recovering from a nor’easter and Uniqlo is giving you $10 off their Ultra Light Down coats, vests, and parkas for men and women. All the products included in the discount are marked, so maybe you’ll be ready for the next random act of weather.
The Mass Effect hype train is going faster than light right now, and ThinkGeek is hopping aboard with 20% off apparel and accessories sure to please every Shepard and FemShep in the galaxy. Inside, you’ll find gear to represent both N7 and the Andromeda Initiative (though not Cerberus, hmm).
Practice your “Namaste” and get in touch with your muscles with this $22 yoga gift set that includes a mat, towel, and block. That’s basically the price of one good mat by itself. Choose between periwinkle and aqua verde (which sounds more like a chip dip than a color, but I digress).
Another day, another J.Crew Factory markdown. This time, get an extra 30% off all clearance styles with the code EXTRA30. J.Crew Factory is basically always on sale, but it works even better when they have extra discounts, so if you haven’t stocked up on workwear staples and outwear galore, maybe this one will change your mind.
If reliability is something you crave in a pair of shoes (if it isn’t, you may need to reconsider), I bet you have Cole Haan in your closet. And if you’re looking for a new pair but don’t want to spend the normal asking price, Cole Haan is taking an extra 40% off all their sale styles with the code EXTRA40. That includes waterproof boots, outerwear, bags, and accessories.
I have painful, yet fond memories of my college’s Athletic Trainer using one of these on my thigh after I suffered a strained quad. They are hell while using it, but heaven afterwards. And for $10 when you use the code KINJA604, this muscle roller can help further your love-hate relationship with working out.
Your coworkers and family members will cower in fear during your next Nerf gun fight when you pick up the Rival Atlas XVI-1200 Blaster for an all-time low $25. Rather than darts, this blaster shoots two “high impact” yellow balls at once at up to 80 feet per second. Good luck dodging that.
Mass Effect Andromeda’s Pathfinder edition game guide might be the most impressive limited edition guide I’ve ever seen. Here’s what you get:
Mass Effect™: Andromeda Initiative Backpack: A two-pocket Andromeda Initiative backpack that holds a 15-inch laptop.
Alternate Premium Hardcover Guide: An exclusive hardcover version of the complete guide. A must-have for every Mass Effect fan! Only available in the Pathfinder Edition.
DLC Code Inside: Get a head start on Day 1 co-op play with the MultiPlayer Booster Pack, which includes weapons and equipment to kick-start your progress (entitled instantly, limit one per match).
Welcome Letter: An introduction letter, written by the mission’s founder, Jien Garson, welcomes you to the Andromeda Initiative.
Galaxy Chart: A full-color 11”x17” map of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Field Journal: A 32-page journal with field notes and sketches about the Initiative with space for your own note-taking needs while on your adventure.
Branded Envelope: The Galaxy Chart and Welcome Letter come packaged in an Andromeda Initiative branded envelope.
Mobile-Friendly eGuide: Unlock the enhanced eGuide for strategy on the go, all optimized for a second-screen experience.
This was listed for over $120 at launch, and was in the $90s for the last several days, so $78 represents a substantial price drop. Plus, if you preorder now and the price goes any lower, you’ll automatically get the best price Amazon listed once it ships.
Apropos of nothing, Prime members can still preorder the game for 20% off. Just note that you won’t see the discount until checkout.
One of the biggest highlights of Rogue One—maybe the biggest—is when the Dark Lord of the Sith boards the doomed Rebel ship that’s trying to get the Death Star plans to Princess Leia’s Tantive IV. But it turns out the scene was conceived at practically the last minute.
We know, of course, that the ending to Rogue One went through a lot of changes. We’ve seen a number of scenes from the trailer that didn’t make the final cut, and we’ve seen behind-the-scenes footage of deaths that changed completely. But the Darth Vader scene is one so full of action and effects, you’d kind of expect that it was planned out and shot far in advance.
Not so, says director Gareth Edwards in an interview with Fandango. We’ve known for a bit that the scene was added later, but Edwards shares more details, including exactly how late it was and how fast they had to film:
He arrives and obliterates the Calamari ship, and then the blockade runner gets out just in time and he pursues the blockade runner. And then [editor] Jabez [Olssen] was like, ‘I think we need to get Darth on that ship,’ and I thought, yeah, that’s a brilliant idea and would love to do it, but there’s no way they’re going to let us do it. It’s a big number and we had, what, like three or four months before release. Kathy [Kennedy] came in and Jabez thought, fuck it, and pitched her this idea, and she loved it. Suddenly within a week or two, we were at Pinewood shooting that scene.
Only four months before the release date and only at most two weeks to plan! That’s pretty ridiculous.
A persistent rumor has been that the original ending had Darth Vader confronting—and possibly killing—our heroes on the beaches of Scarif. This made more sense when the ending had the team reuniting after getting the plans and then making a separate journey to a new location to transmit them. In the final film, everyone stays separated, and the place where the data is stored and the place it’s sent from were merged into one location. Since the team was no longer fighting together, no single storyline really warranted an appearance by Darth Vader anymore.
Edwards added that he felt the new corridor scene was “the greatest hits of Darth,” and that he literally sent the stunt team off to do whatever they could think of, and then he did some editing. “They came up with a whole shopping list of ideas. Seventy percent we used, and maybe 30 percent felt a little too extreme. They were things you hadn’t seen him do before, and I wanted to stick to what Darth does in the original trilogy.” In a way, the scene is pure fanservice, but in the best possible way.
Next time you watch Rogue One, think about the idea that there were ideas “too extreme” for it. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
He never had the charisma of Cobra Commander, but Serpentor, genetically engineered from history’s most brilliant military commanders, was still the ultimate G.I.Joe baddie. And while the G.I.Joe toyline hasn’t enjoyed the same longevity that Transformers has, I don’t know that Transformers has any merchandise as magnificent as this Serpentor statue from Prime-1 Studio.
Looking like a cross between an Egyptian warrior, a Roman centurion, and a character from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Serpentor gave G.I.Joe (as well as Cobra Commander) a lot of headaches in the animated series and comic books. But he never really ended up being a fan favorite, possibly because the over-the-top character—a snake man riding a hover-chariot—was always played so straight.
But regardless of his status, that doesn’t make this statue any less incredible or gorgeous. Standing 32 inches tall with an adjustable cape that can be posed hanging or flapping in the wind, there’s so much detail on this character you might not flinch when you hear it will set you back a hefty $900. It will be limited to 1,000 pieces, with an additional 50 statues that will include an alternate head sculpt.
Still, if you love G.I.Joe and have a large amount of disposable income, I think you have to try to get one of these. This, I command!
Every single bit of footage that Starz releases for American Gods makes us even more feverishly excited for the show. The latest trailer is jam-packed with gods who look deceptively normal but are, as the trailer notes, soon to entangle protagonist Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) in “some really weird shit.” That seems to be an understatement.
It’s actually hard to name every single god we get to see here, but it looks like at least Bilquis (Yetide Badaki), Czernobog (Peter Stormare), Zorya Vechernyaya (Cloris Leachman), Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber), Vulcan (Corbin Bernsen), Easter (Kristin Chenoweth), and Mr. Nancy (Orlando Jones) are all getting time. And, of course, Technical Boy (Bruce Langley) stands out from the pack, in terms of new gods.
Also, a lot of blood floods the screen. So much blood.
Current events and social issues have always played a part in shaping Star Trek from its earliest days, whether it be the idealistic future of the Federation or using alien races as metaphors for society’s dark side. In Deviations: Star Trek, it’s humanity that’s messed up after the tyrannical Romulans make first contact instead of the Vulcans.
A one-off “What If” comic released as part of a larger series of similar comics riffing off other licensed properties at IDW. Deviations: Star Trek (written by Donny Cates with art by Josh Hood, Jason Lewis, and AndWorld Design), humanity is conquered and ruled by a secretive, sinister empire, instead of being inspired to create the idealistic, technologically advanced Federation. We sat down with Cates to discuss how he came up with this miserable new reality for Picard, Data, and the others, and why Star Trek’s message of hope is still vital half a century later.
io9: Tell us a little bit about the premise of your latest Star Trek story.
Donny Cates: To not give too much away, I’ll just go with the official company tagline of “What if the Romulans made first contact with Earth instead of the Vulcans.” From there, though… well, things may not be as advertised. And those things [will be] as much of a surprise to our readers as they are to the characters in the book. I’m afraid I’ll have to give you the boring answer of “You’ll have to read to find out more!”
Were you given the premise of the Romulans being Earth’s first contact, or was that a story you came up with yourself?
Cates: [IDW Editor] Sarah Gaydos came to me with a very simple message of “Hey, we want you to do to a Deviations issue. A kind of ‘What if’ for the Trek world. Got any ideas?” and that was it. My first draft of what I wanted to do was insane and we all agreed that we liked the core idea of it, but that we needed to change the “what if” of it all so It made a bit more sense.
So in that regard, yeah Sarah helped to kind of mold it and package it into something that wasn’t essentially me remaking and undoing the entirety of Trek existence! Sarah is great about that kind of thing, always saying “Hey, I love this idea. But how do we earn it? How do we make it fit?”
Humanity is so oppressed by the Romulans in the reality, it almost feels post-apocalyptic. Was the setting did figured out in your head before you started, or did you have an endpoint you wanted to reach and work back from there?
Cates: That was all in the original pitch, to be honest. I wanted to open on the [traditional members of the] Federation at their lowest point imaginable. Almost every incarnation we’ve seen of them up until this point we’ve seen a Federation at their pinnacle, at their most advanced. I wanted to take that all away from them. All the ships, and the gear and the science and break it back down to that very human idea of simply wanting a better life. I wanted to see them fight to get back into the stars.
There are certainly elements in this story that feel inspired by what’s going on in the world lately. Can you speak on that?
Cates: I wrote a little essay in the back of the issue that folks can read if they like, but to summarize it quickly here, I started writing this issue on November 9th, the day after the election. So I was more than a little fired up to talk about certain things. And honestly, I’m so thankful I had a Trek issue in front of me I could say them through. Because holding up a mirror to current events is one of the things, I believe, that had made Star Trek as special as it has all these years. I felt like I had to take this opportunity to express myself and my frustrations in this world.
What do you feel is the most important message Star Trek can offer today, 51 years after it first aired?
Cates: This goes back to what I was saying that last question. I think, personally, that Trek isn’t a story, or even necessarily science fiction. I think to a lot of us, that it’s a promise, a goal. Something to strive for.
Star Wars and many stories like it are about grand evil ruling the galaxy and us overcoming it. Star Trek always begins from a place of “No, we already did that. We got over all the petty stuff and the wars and politics and now look at all this cool stuff we have!” [laughs] It’s a show about ethics and reason, about compassion and exploration.
It’s a show that shows us what we could be at our best. Which is why I chose to tell a story about us our worst… fighting like hell to get back to our best. Which, to me anyway, is about as political as it gets right now.
