We break down all the Easter eggs and comic book references in the first three episodes of HBO’s Watchmen.
HBO’s Watchmen: 17 Easter Eggs From Episode 3
Look on my works, ye mighty.
HBO’s Watchmen is back this week with “She Was Killed By Space Junk,” an episode focused on a newly reintroduced character: Laurie Blake, aka the second Silk Spectre. This week was full of “jokes” (emphasis on those quotation marks), solved riddles, and even more mysteries. Laurie, now working as an agent for the FBI’s anti-vigilante task force, is sent to Tulsa by Senator Joe Keene to investigate Jud’s death. Keene, meanwhile, only seems shadier by the day. But the police in Tulsa aren’t exactly thrilled to have an outsider meddling in their affairs–much less one that is so clearly distrusting of their masked methods.
Because, as Laurie explains to Angela, the differences between a masked cop and a vigilante aren’t obvious–they may not even exist at all.
Spoilers for this week’s episode abound, so please proceed with caution!
Terminator: Resistance’s Gameplay Trailer Shows How The Game Mixes Stealth And Action
Terminator: Resistance is the latest game set within the Terminator universe, and it’s going to pit you against the Terminators once again. The game casts players as Jacob Rivers, a character who is taking part in John Connor’s resistance against Skynet in the Terminator timeline established by the first two films. It’s set shortly after Judgement Day, and technically serves as a prequel to the original film, following events before Kyle Reese is sent back in time.
The new gameplay trailer gives us a look at the game’s combat, but also hints towards its stealthier elements. Your robot enemies will be impervious against regular weapons; if you’re not equipped with lasers, you’ll have to hide from the Terminators. The footage below shows Rivers shooting at classic T-1000 exoskeletons, as well as turrets and flying drones, but it also shows moments where you might have to avoid combat, or use an electro-knife to take down enemies.
The soundtrack should be familiar to any fans of the action movie franchise. It does not appear that the events of Terminator: Dark Fate, the latest film in the series, will factor in at all.
The last console game set in the Terminator universe, Terminator Salvation, released in 2010 to tepid reviews. Meanwhile the T-1000, as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the films, recently joined the cast of Mortal Kombat 11–he does not appear to feature in this game, though. Terminator: Resistance is releasing for PC, PS4 and Xbox One on November 15 in Europe and Australia, and then later on December 10 in North America.
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Dragon Age Writer’s New Game Nearing Funding Target, Romance Options Detailed
The first game from Dragon Age writer David Gaider’s new studio is closer to becoming a reality. The crowdfunding campaign for Chorus: An Adventure Musical has now reached 90 percent of its goal.
At press time, the campaign on Fig has raised $541,374 of its $600,000 goal. The campaign ends on November 10, so there is just under a week to go before it wraps up.
Chorus is a musical adventure game where the key moments play out in song. It’s a new concept for a game, and the team at Summerfall Studios bypassed the traditional publisher relationship to bring it to life.
Despite not having the funding of a big publisher, the company has secured top talent to work on it. Prolific voice actress Laura Bailey (Gears of War, Halo, Uncharted) is voicing the main character, Grace, while another veteran voice actor, Troy Baker (Uncharted, Far Cry, Batman) is the voice director. Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory (Journey) is also working on the music.
The story follows Grace in a sweeping narrative involving gods, music, and other-worldly creatures. “In Chorus, we follow Grace’s story as she finds herself thrust into a high-stakes world of weary gods and fantastical creatures after her new bandmate dies bleeding in her apartment–but not before granting Grace the divine power of song,” reads a line from the game’s description. “When the gods accuse her of murdering Calliope, the ‘fair-voiced’ muse, Grace must discover the truth… before the gods take her life in exchange.”
Chorus takes its inspiration from a number of different sources, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s musical episode, “Once More With Feeling,” the dialogue and companions of Dragon Age, and the quirkiness of Dream Daddy.
In a post to the Chorus Fig page, Summerfall teased that it is preparing “something cool” to wrap up the campaign later this month. While that remains a mystery, the company did release a new song (embedded below) and announced more details on the game’s romance options.
Gaider explained that romance in Chorus will work similarly to Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate 2, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In Chorus, the romance choices give players the opportunity to experience a “independent story arc” based on the particular romance. This story arc will culminate in a distinct song.
“You don’t have to romance anyone if you don’t want to, but if you do, know that the romance arcs are tied directly into the main story,” Gaider wrote. “They’re not a side feature, but rather have a direct impact on how the main story unfolds and particularly how it ends. Grace needs allies to win the day, and nothing would improve her chances more than being able to make her stand at the very end with someone she loves at her side!”
Gaider also confirmed the extent of Chorus’s romance options–there will be at least two different romance arcs in the game, including the characters Apollo and Persephone. If funding reaches $650,000, Summerfall will add two more romance options: Pan and Freddie.
You can read excerpts from the Apollo and Persephone romance options by following these links: Apollo, Persephone.
Grace and Persephone
Summerfall also announced new stretch goals for Chorus. At $700,000, the studio will add more songs and voiceover, including one song for each romance. If funding reaches $725,000, the studio will create a “Making Of” documentary that chronicles the development of the game, including interviews with the developers. Should funding reach $750,000, Summerfall will add additional voiceover, while Gaider will play a game of D&D and stream it live. Finally, at $900,000, the studio will add “full voiceover” for the entire game.
Finally, Summerfall told hopeful fans to stay patient. The studio has not yet begun the writing process–instead, the team is “still in the preparing, planning, and brainstorming stage.” The studio said it takes writing very seriously, and as such, it is taking time to make sure it lays the right foundation.
“When the time comes, we’ll be seeking out professional consultation as needed and hiring on at least one additional writer to help with the workload,” Summerfall said.
You can kick in around $25 to secure a copy of Chorus on Fig. Unlike Kickstarter, Fig allows people to invest in Chorus and share in the success if Chorus takes off. More information about investment back and other details are available on the Chorus Fig page.
As for the Dragon Age series, BioWare recently teased that it might announce more details on the long-awaited Dragon Age 4 during an event in December.
The Walking Dead: Negan Gets the Band – er – ‘Bat’ Back Together
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow…
Man.
“What It Always Is” was on its way to being a halfway decent chapter and then…that “nut-slapping” speech by Negan. Woof. Aimed at a young boy Negan had just met, no less. So much cringe. It basically took the most interesting and endearing quality possessed by Negan, which is his affinity and warmth for teens and tots, and turned it into full-tilt awkwardness.
I s*** you not, “keep those meaty fingers holstered up when my nuts are around” was a line spoken aloud by Negan. Wow. And things were going so well for this little side arc too, which featured Negan going head to head with a psychotic Negan fan named Brandon (who somehow managed to live and grow inside Alexandria without anyone noticing he was a mental trainwreck).
Jean Smart Explains the Irony of Silk Spectre’s Return to Watchmen
Spoilers follow for the first three episodes of HBO’s Watchmen.
In Episode 3 of HBO’s Watchmen, “She Was Killed by Space Junk,” Jean Smart (Fargo, Legion) makes her debut as Laurie Blake, formerly Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a. Silk Spectre, one of the main characters from the original graphic novel. Her arrival in this third week of the nine-episode season isn’t just a terrific way to connect the new show to the Watchmen world of 35 years ago, but Smart is also flat-out amazing as this older, more world-weary version of Blake, who has changed quite a bit in the years since the squid attack. Or has she?
I spoke to Smart about the return of Agent Blake, how she feels about Doctor Manhattan and Nite Owl these days, what her dynamic is with Regina King’s Sister Night, and more.
Watchmen: Season 1, Episode 3 Review
This review contains spoilers for HBO’s Watchmen Season 1, episode 3, “She Was Killed By Space Junk.” Watch our spoiler-filled discussion on the highlights of Watchmen episode 3 in the video recap above.
The third episode of Watchmen breaks from its predecessors’ narrative focus. It moves away from Angela Abar/Sister Night (Regina King), the brand-new protagonist written for the show, and towards Watchmen graphic novel alumna Silk Spectre II/Laurie Juspeczyk (Jean Smart). Now an FBI agent who hunts masked vigilantes, Laurie has taken the last name of her father, The Comedian/Edward Blake. By following Laurie, an outsider to the main plot, the episode provides insight into what the post-comic world feels like outside its Tulsa setting — as well as how these two worlds differ, and how they overlap — thus establishing what tensions and barriers could arise as Abar’s story unfolds.
The Sims Series Has Surpassed $5 Billion In Lifetime Sales
The Sims has surpassed an extraordinary sales milestone according to EA’s latest financial report.
As part of their quarterly earning report, EA revealed plenty about their current success stories. Apex Legends has reached 70 million players, for instance, and will now be treated as an annual franchise. CEO Andrew Wilson also singled out The Sims 4 as a strong performer, with an average monthly player count that rose 40% in 2019.
Now, thanks thanks to Wilson’s earnings call, we know exactly how much money The Sims franchise has made since the first game released in 2000.
“Engagement across the franchise has led The Sims to surpass $5 billion in lifetime sales,” Wilson stated. “The Sims continues to be one of the great franchise in gaming, and we have plans to bring new experiences to its amazing players for a long time to come.”
The Sims has long been a strong seller and a cultural phenomenon. The next expansion for The Sims 4, Discover University, will release for PC on November 14. The long-running series will return to Steam in the coming months, with The Sims 4 being made available on the storefront for the first time.
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Batwoman Still Has a Big Villain Problem
Warning: this review contains full spoilers for Batwoman: Season 1, Episode 5! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for Season 1, Episode 4.
With Batwoman finally gaining some momentum, the biggest obstacle to the show’s success is Kate Kane’s arch-enemy/long-lost sister, Alice. The show’s take on this DC villain falls well short of the mark established by the comics. With that in mind, the prospect of an Alice-focused episode could be construed as either the worst idea ever or a necessary shift in order to flesh out a struggling character. In the end, “Mine Is a Long and Sad Tale” makes some progress with Alice, bit not enough to suggest this character will ever become what the series needs her to be.
Another Fire Emblem Remake For 3DS Was Reportedly Cancelled–Will It Come To Switch Instead?
The news last month that 3DS developer AlphaDream has gone bankrupt reportedly led to the internal cancellations of several 3DS games that were in the works, including a remake of a previous game in the Fire Emblem series.
This news comes via Greg Miller’s Kinda Funny podcast during a chat with former Game Informer senior editor Imran Khan. At around the 45:20 mark of the video below, the two discuss Nintendo’s statements on the strong sales of the Switch Lite, and the likelihood that this will lead to more 3DS franchises coming to Nintendo’s new handheld.
The result is encouraging for Pokemon games coming next month. Nintendo chief Furukawa said company would make more 3DS franchises available on Switch to convey appeal of Lite.
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 31, 2019
The Switch Lite sold 1.95 million units in its first 11 days of release, showing that there’s still an appetite for handheld-dedicated consoles. But things aren’t looking so good for Nintendo’s older handheld: Khan notes on the podcast, AlphaDream’s Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey for the 3DS sold terribly despite strong reviews. According to Khan, the game shipped “something like” 11,000 units in its first month.
“When that happened, I heard that Nintendo cancelled a bunch of further 3DS plans,” Khan states. “I know there was another Fire Emblem remake in the works. And that was one of the things they shuttered.” He goes on to speculate the possibility of that game eventually coming to Switch.
It would make sense–the last Fire Emblem remake on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was well-received, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses on Switch has enjoyed the best sales figures of the series. Another Fire Emblem game on the series seems like a safe bet, especially if development was already underway.
This is in no way confirmed, though–so for now, if you want more Fire Emblem on Switch, consider investigating the excellent New Game Plus perks in Three Houses.
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