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12 Nov

Top New Fantasy Books in November 2021

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Warring empires, magical creatures and deadly pacts make up the sprawling fantasy genre, from the epic to the slice of life. Take a look at our top picks for new fantasy books in November 2021. Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee Type: NovelPublisher: OrbitRelease date: Nov. 30 Den of Geek says: Lee’s writing has often been praised on both the technical level and as a vehicle for a fun adventure. Her East Asian-inspired high fantasy in a gritty city sets itself apart. Publisher’s summary: Jade, the mysterious and magical substance once exclusive to the Green Bone warriors of Kekon, is now…

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12 Nov

Top New Science Fiction Books in November 2021

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This November is a big month for some of the most well-known names in the genre, from a new addition to The Expanse to Brandon Sanderson’s space opera. Here’s what we’re looking forward to in November 2021 … Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey Type: NovelPublisher: OrbitRelease date: Nov. 30Den of Geek says: Does The Expanse need an introduction? The hit series (also made into a hit TV show) comes to an end this month after a ten-year run. Publisher’s summary: The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed…

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12 Nov

Cassandra Cain Steals the Spotlight in Young Justice: Phantoms

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This Young Justice: Phantoms review contains spoilers. Young Justice Season 4 Episode 6 It doesn’t take a lot to bring me back in, and Young Justice: Phantoms found the sweet spot this week with “Artemis Through the Looking Glass.” It turns out all they needed to do was toss me a couple of crumbs of Cassandra Cain content and everything would be better.  It helps that this week was actually animated. The story still feels rushed, but the kinetic energy of the show is back to its normal level. A huge chunk of the episode is dedicated to a fight…

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11 Nov

Legends of Tomorrow: Who is Gwyn Davies

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This article contains DC’s Legends of Tomorrow spoilers. Legends of Tomorrow Season 7 Episode 5 It was almost impossible for Legends of Tomorrow to follow up the spectacular 100th episode with something that matched it, and while they didn’t hit the same high, they came really close. Could they pull off three all-time classic episodes in a row? Could the best show on television put out a three episode run in season seven that eclipses the rest of the series?  Turns out no. But even a down episode for Legends of Tomorrow is a ton of fun. With a looming…

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11 Nov

Home Sweet Home Alone Reboot Will Ruin Your Christmas

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It seems particularly cruel that the first thing we see in Home Sweet Home Alone is the 20th Century Fox fanfare—and yes, it is still the Fox fanfare when the floodlights come on and the brass section plays, no matter the text on the screen. That fallen movie studio was of course no collection of saints when it came to milking popular IPs. They even made that horrible Home Alone 3 back in ’97 you forgot existed. But Home Sweet Home Alone? The belated and opportunistic “legacy sequel” which attempts to manipulate your childhood nostalgia into crass dollar signs? That’s…

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11 Nov

Endeavour’s Best Guest Cast

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Warning: contains spoilers for Endeavour series 1-8. Love them as we do, a great episode of Endeavour isn’t only down to the central pillars of Morse, Thursday, DeBryn, Bright and Strange. It also takes memorable turns from the host of actors playing one-time characters who leave their own indelible mark on the detective drama. After ruthlessly whittling down the possible choices to a mere handful (there are so many to choose from that the true villains deserve a list all to themselves), here are some of Endeavour’s most memorable guest stars. Tell us who tops your list below. Sheila Hancock…

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11 Nov

Paul Thomas Anderson Hypes Shang-Chi and Venom 2

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Wherever you stand on the relentless Marvel vs. Cinema debate, there are supportive voices in the film industry on either side. Dune director Denis Villeneuve just recently referred to a lot of Marvel Cinematic Universe entries as “nothing more than a cut and paste of others” while Joker fan Martin Scorsese famously declared them “not cinema” back in 2019, leading to many an exhausting online squabble and much trolling from his daughter, Francesca. But then there’s Paul Thomas Anderson. The celebrated director of Boogie Nights and Phantom Thread, whose 1999 ensemble film Magnolia was once heralded by the iconic Ingmar…

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11 Nov

Which Blade Runner Cut Is Really the Best?

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In 1982, a noir-esque thriller called Blade Runner quietly changed science fiction cinema forever. The reasons for this are numerous, and those explanations could (and have) filled several books. In the film, we’re not told exactly how “advanced robot evolution” intermingled with “genetic engineers” to create the Nexus 6 Replicants, but the film works anyway because we’re only interested in what the Replicants are doing right now.  Wondering why exactly science fiction film aficionados are so obsessed with Blade Runner is a similar paradox: It may not matter if we can explain the cult obsession and it’s probably just healthier…

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11 Nov

15 Best Skyrim Quests

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As much as we all like to joke about Skyrim‘s various re-releases, the fact of the matter is that there are only a few video games ever made that could be released that many times and still tempt you to play them again. Well, a big part of the reason why it’s so easy to return to Skyrim time and time again is the game’s quests are so good. In a previous look at the best quests in Elder Scrolls history, I mentioned that Skyrim‘s quests aren’t quite as good as those in Oblivion. While I stand by that potentially…

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11 Nov

Top New YA Books in November 2021

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Today’s young adult books bring romance, adventure and social commentary. Take a look at our best bets for what to read this November. The Seventh Queen by Greta Kelly Type: NovelPublisher: Harper VoyagerRelease date: Nov. 2Den of Geek says: This buzzy fantasy sequel is popular for a reason. Critics and readers praise the “gripping” story and female characters in the series, which started with The Frozen Crown. Publisher’s summary: The Empire of Vishir has lost its ruler, and the fight to save Seravesh from the Roven Empire is looking bleak. Moreover, Askia has been captured by power-hungry Emperor Radovan, who…

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11 Nov

Elden Ring: The Differences Between Every Character Class

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Elden Ring‘s ongoing network test is not only a great chance for some fans to play this game a little early but a chance for those who don’t want to go into the game completely blind to get a little more information about the open-world RPG’s core components such as its stats, equipment, and characters classes. We’ll obviously be focusing on the last one of those today, though it is worth noting that your choice of character class in FromSoftware’s previous games that offered them usually ended up dictating the “pace” of the rest of the experience. Well, that appears…

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11 Nov

Why the Eternals Escaped the Avengers: Infinity War Snap

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This article contains ETERNALs spoilers. Eternals arrived at the Marvel Cinematic Universe table with a grandiose cosmic tale involving immortal titans and celestial beings, bearing stakes consequential to the very nature of the world. Yet, since said tale represents an entirely unseen avenue of a vast canon consisting of 25 films and several television shows, one had to wonder how it would fit into a timeline in which Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to reduce half the population of the universe to dust, only to be revived five years later. Well, a seemingly definitive answer has come straight from the…

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11 Nov

Marvel’s Avengers Spider-Man Looks Very Different to PlayStation Spidey

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Over a year after Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics first announced that Spider-Man would release as a DLC character for Marvel’s Avengers, it’s finally happening in November. The game’s “With Great Power” hero event will see the wallcrawler join the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the fight against evil criminal organization AIM and their army of robots and mechs. “Peter Parker uncovers AIM’s new plan to acquire technology that could make their Synthoid army unstoppable and total domination inevitable,” reads of a synopsis of the game’s Spidey DLC. “He must partner with the Avengers to stop this looming threat,…

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10 Nov

Call of Duty Vanguard Sales Show This Franchise Will Still Dominate the Next Generation

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The first wave of Call of Duty: Vanguard sales figures are starting to pour in, and they strongly suggest that this franchise will continue to dominate the next generation of gaming. While we’re still waiting for Vanguard‘s full sales figures to become available, UK retailers are reporting that the game’s physical sales figures were strong enough to knock FIFA 22 out of the top spot (which is a nice little accomplishment on its own). Now, it is true that Vanguard‘s initial physical sales are not as good as Black Ops Cold War‘s were (GamesIndustry.biz says that they’re down 64% year-over-year),…

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10 Nov

Link Tank: Among Us Adds New Playable Jobs for Characters

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A new update for Among Us allows players to do more jobs, including scientists, shapeshifters, and more. “Among Us, once regarded as a simplistic take on the Mafia and Werewolf party games, is finally expanding on the basic Crewmates vs. Impostors format. In an update released today, Among Us players will be able to take on the role of Scientist, Engineer, Shapeshifter, or Guardian Angel, all of which come with their own unique sets of skills.” Read more at Kotaku Can we please stop trying to leak everything from Spider-Man: No Way Home less than two months before it’s released?…

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10 Nov

Benedict Cumberbatch Had Doubts About Playing “Dated, Sexist” Doctor Strange

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In advance of his first sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Sorcerer Supreme a.k.a. Doctor Stephen Strange is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved characters. As played by the irrepressibly charming Benedict Cumberbatch, Strange has accomplished quite a lot during his brief time in the MCU. He headlined his own film, somehow standing out amid Inception-style reality warping CGI and Mads Mikkelsen’s equally reality warping eyeliner. Then he played a major role in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, ultimately predicting the one scenario among 14 million that would lead to Thanos’s defeat.  It’s…

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10 Nov

Top New Horror Books in November 2021

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October may be over, but the scares don’t have to end. Take a look at our top picks for new horror books in November 2021. Vile Affections by Caitlin R. Kiernan Type: Short story anthologyPublisher: Subterranean PressRelease date: Nov. 30 Den of Geek says: Kiernan’s bloody, sometimes erotic fiction sits on the lines between fantasy, horror and the Weird. The author’s background as a paleontologist and biologist informs the texture of their stories, which often feel like finding uncanny but beautiful taxidermy in a dusty back room. Publisher’s summary: In Vile Affections, Caitlín R. Kiernan’s seventeenth short fiction collection, the boundaries…

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10 Nov

Elden Ring Brings Back Dark Souls 2’s Best Feature

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We’ve spoken before about how Elden Ring will obviously borrow ideas from Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3 (as well as change a few things), but the latest round of Elden Ring previews seemingly reveal that the game is bringing back one of the few nearly universally beloved features from Dark Souls 2: Powerstancing. What is Powerstancing? Well, brace yourself, because we’re about to get real nerdy for a second. Powerstancing is basically the ability to dual-wield a variety of weapons (or just two of the same weapon) and use them in conjunction with each other in order to enable…

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10 Nov

What Makes The Office So Rewatchable?

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You’ll have heard that young people don’t watch television anymore, which might come as some surprise to young people. They absolutely still watch television, just on their own schedule, not that of a broadcaster, and not the way it used to be done, anchored to a single spot or even a single screen.  If young people didn’t watch television, then The Office: An American Workplace wouldn’t have been streamed for 57 billion minutes in the US in 2020, because it’s far from only those of us who’ve experienced the mundanity of office life who love The Office. Increasingly, it’s youngsters who find in…

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10 Nov

American Gangster and When Denzel Washington Redefined Mob Rule

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Ridley Scott’s 2007 feature, American Gangster, let Denzel Washington lead a regime change in uptown mob movies. That heralded position had always been held by Bumpy Johnson, who steered the underworld through the real-life Harlem Renaissance, holding his own against the Irish and Jewish mobs, and enjoying a long relationship with New York’s Italian criminal outfit. Partnered with Harlem’s crime queen Stephanie St. Clair and her gang the 40 Thieves, Johnson made his bones in the turf war with Dutch Schultz from the Bronx in the 1920s and ‘30s. Lucky Luciano gave the order to take out Schultz and declare…

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