Would you allow a company to use facial recognition and AI to permit or deny your child from playing a game? The ESRB thinks that you will.
The ESRB’s job is to slap a label on a game, letting buyers/parents know if the title’s content is suitable for a certain age range. That’s really it. So, why does the Entertainment Software Rating Board need the FTC to modify the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)? Because it wants to use the cameras on smartphones and tablets to gain verifiable parental consent (VPC).
Are red flags waving? Certainly.
It is understandable that the ESRB would want to make sure that kids aren’t playing games that they shouldn’t. However, using AI and facial recognition to lock them out of an app comes with a lot of potential issues. Such as what data is stored and if/how/when can it ever be accessed.
The ethics issues extend beyond a faceless self-regulating non-profit having access to the faces of minors and feeding their personal data into an AI. A co-applicant for the petition is an extension of Epic Games, SuperAwesome. Thanks to the subsidiary’s actions, Epic had to fork out a fortune for violating COPPA.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board, in a statement, made the following proclamation:
“First and foremost, this application is not to authorize the use of this technology with children. Full stop. Nor does this software take and store ‘selfies’ of users or attempt to confirm the identity of users. Furthermore, this application makes no mention of using age estimation to prevent children from purchasing and/or downloading restrictively rated video games, nor do we intend to recommend its use in that way…”
Clarification on how the VPC would be implemented was given by a spokesperson for the board:
“To be perfectly clear: Any images and data used for this process are never stored, used for AI training, used for marketing, or shared with anyone; the only piece of information that is communicated to the company requesting VPC is a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ determination as to whether the person is over the age of 25.”
Mortal Kombat 1 is not slowing down when it comes to new character announcements and surprise reveals. Most recently, the first Kombat Pack was revealed for the game, which announced several guest characters and returning Mortal Kombat alumni. Fans of the series will have more announcements to look forward to, including the return of a character that first appeared in Mortal Kombat 11. The roster of playable fighters just continues to get bigger and bigger.
Revealed in a brand new trailer that debuted during DreamCon 2023, Netherrealm Studios announced that Geras from Mortal Kombat 11 will be returning in MK1. The trailer showcases Geras interactions with Fire God Liu Kang and hints at his influence during the story of Mortal Kombat 1. The trailer also showcases some hard-hitting combos and special moves that Geras can use, which focus heavily on his time magic from the sands of time. His brutal fatality was also shown for the first time, which involves decimating half of an opponent’s body off using the magical sands he controls.
Geras was originally a villain that the warriors of Earthrealm had to face in Mortal Kombat 11. He was a servant of Kronika, the big boss in MK11, and tried to prevent Raiden and his warriors from stopping her plans. In Mortal Kombat 1, Geras will have a new design that is a little different than his first appearance in the series, as well as plenty of special moves that expand upon his fighting style.
In the trailer, we see Geras team up with Sector, the robotic Lin Kuei ninja that appears in the game as a Kameo fighter. But that’s not the only fighter we catch a glimpse of in battle. Geras also teams up with Darius in a battle against the Edenian ninja Rain and Kano. Although we don’t get to see a lot of attacks from Rain, Geras and Darius get to display many different Kameo moves and combos on their opponents. The rest of the trailer goes on to show Fire God Liu Kang in action, finishing off with Fatalities from both fighters at the end.
Are you excited about more new characters getting revealed for Mortal Kombat 1? Which fighter do you want to see be added to the main roster or as extra DLC? Tell us your thoughts about Mortal Kombat 1 down below in the comment section and let your voice be heard!
Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride is a classic attraction at Walt Disney World that many people love to experience. It’s a ride with goofy, lighthearted thrills that nod to classic horror cinema with a family-level twist. Because of its popularity, Disney made a live-action movie based on The Haunted Mansion back in 2003, which had a mixed reception for a variety of reasons. 20 years later, Disney is once again attempting to bring the fun of their attraction to the big screen in a new movie about the Haunted Mansion. However, everything this time is a bit more faithful to the spirit of the ride than the previous film, making it look and feel different than before.
Disney’s Haunted Mansion follows an astrophysicist named Ben Matthias, who years prior lost his wife to a car accident. He gives up on his career, takes up a job as a tour guide, and secludes himself to deal with the immense grief. One day he is visited by a priest named Father Kent at his home. Father Kent entices Ben about a job with a mother and child who moved into the Gracey Mansion, which they believe is haunted by ghosts. Ben is hired to take pictures of the ghosts in the mansion using a device he created to detect paranormal activity, leading him down a path connected to the history of the mansion. But while the spirits haunting Gracey Mansion are a problem, another great evil lurks in the shadows of the mansion looking to bring havoc to all who enter it.
Surprisingly, Haunted Mansion has a number of great moments that come close to being truly scary. Although the tone of the whole film is more comedic than horrifying, the timing and cinematography really play up the scary aspects of the mansion being haunted. But it never goes fully scary in any case. When the action picks up, you get some very neat-looking visuals that are heavily inspired by the attraction the movie is based on.
Some of the 999 ghosts that haunt the Gracey Mansion look creepy with a lot of effort put into the makeup and costumes. Eagle-eyed Disney fans will definitely notice some of the ghosts that are huge nods to the ones you would see on the Disney ride. The fan service does pass by quickly, so you might miss it entirely if you aren’t paying attention.
But a few things from the Disney ride are a bigger focus in the story of Haunted Mansion, including the Hatbox Ghost and the woman in the crystal ball, Madame Leota. Both are iconic parts of the original ride that play a major part of the plot in various ways, with Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost and Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota.
They each look great as their characters, with the Hatbox Ghost looking very creepy and intimidating in some scenes. Both deliver good performances with the material they have to work with but don’t expect any Oscar-worthy performances in here. The movie is lighthearted and cheeky with its humor and scares, opting to be mindlessly fun as opposed to thoughtful or truly terrifying.
Ben Matthias is played by LaKeith Stanfield and is able to get a good range of emotions throughout the film. There are funny, sad, and suspenseful moments with him that work out very well as the movie goes on. His backstory is something that is hinted at throughout the film, leading up to a great monologue that feels heartfelt and sad. Unfortunately, Ben is probably the only character that gets to really flex a range of emotions and elicit empathy from the audience. His performance is complimented by Owen Wilson who plays Father Kent, who gets some of the best funny moments in the story. The banter between the two of them is fun, but over quickly. When Ben and Father Kent are together, the comedy of the movie really takes off, especially in scenes that involve ghosts chasing everyone around.
At the same time, the rest of the characters we meet aren’t as interesting in comparison. Most of them either feel one-note or are around for just a few bits of comedy. Rosario Dawson and Chase W. Dillion play Grace and her son who move into the Gracey Mansion, both of which feel lightly impactful to the events of the movie. There’s a minor plot point that involves Grace’s husband that feels important but is never truly explored, only being used as a means to set tension towards the latter part of the film. The two of them also don’t appear to do as much during some of the big events involving ghosts, when everyone is being chased or scared suddenly.
Two of the biggest wastes of potential in the film are Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito, as Harriet the psychic and Professor Bruce respectively. Both get some funny moments throughout the film that are great, with a few really good ones due to Tiffany Haddish’s timing and exaggerated reactions. The problem is that they are far between and over too quickly. While Tiffany gets to do things towards the climax of the film that are very important, it feels rushed. Danny DeVito almost gets forgotten after a certain point in the plot, where things begin to get dire for everyone. It would’ve been great if the story had more ways to incorporate the two more often or have other bits with them involving some of the ghosts that haunt the mansion.
But what about the ghosts themselves? Many of the ghosts are pulled from the Disney ride, but we don’t get to see most of them have any significance to the plot. The few that we do see have great moments that can be scary, with the film leaning heavily on the suspense of their reveal. But the majority of the 999 ghosts recede into the background, with a lot of emphasis on the Hatbox Ghost and Madame Leota. Could the movie have showcased a few more unique ghosts to terrify everyone? Yes, it would’ve been great to see. Would it have impacted the story enough to matter? Probably not.
Haunted Mansion is a movie that you can have fun watching during Halloween with friends and family. It’s not one of Disney’s best films based on their iconic attractions, but it’s not a terrible movie at the same time. It has some good moments that will give you a thrill, and maybe a scare or two. Disney fans will appreciate the care that went into it to be more faithful to the original attraction. But this is not a deep story that will have you wanting to rewatch it again outside of the spooky holiday where it best fits.
What do you think of Disney’s Haunted Mansion? Have you ever been on the ride that the movie is based on? What other movies do you want to see based on Disney attractions? Let us know your thoughts about all of this in the comment section!
During the early 90s, the games that dominated the arcade scene were shoot ’em-up titles. These were action-packed and made with the intention of getting players to spend more of their quarters in hopes of continuing, which was often due to the crazy difficulty of most of these games. Shmups as they came to be known were popular among gamers who loved a quick fix of fast-paced gameplay. During that era, TAITO released the Ray series in arcades, which consisted of three games that pit you against legions of mechanical enemies in a chaotic shooter. The Ray’z Arcade Chronology for PlayStation 4 (also on Nintendo Switch) bundles together all three games together into one package, allowing everyone to try out these classic arcade shooters for the first time if they never did so back in the day.
What makes the Ray series a little different than other shmup games is how it plays with the foreground and background of stages. You’re able to attack enemies ahead of you with your standard shot, but you also have a secondary shot that locks onto enemies that are receded into the background. Getting through stages requires you to actively fire both your weapons at incoming enemies in both areas, including bosses that you face at the end of each stage. This can be a lot of fun and get very chaotic, especially when the screen fills up with bullets from enemies coming at you in all directions. The Ray games can be very tough to complete because of this, but luckily the Ray’z Arcade Chronology lets you continue endlessly if you find yourself getting shot down.
The three games that are part of the Ray’z Arcade Chronology include Rayforce, Raystorm, and Raycrisis. Although the gameplay of each is primarily the same, the latter two games have extra features and changes introduced into the series. This includes 3D graphics and new attacks that started with Raystorm, as well as more stages and alternate endings that came with Raycrisis. If you find yourself enjoying one of the games, chances are you’ll feel the same about the rest. They’re easy to get into but can be very tough to finish.
Luckily there are some additional features in this package, but it’s only a fraction of what could have been. Both Raystorm and Raycrisis can be played in their original arcade versions, as well as an HD version with higher-definition graphics for modern televisions. The original Rayforce doesn’t have this at all, which is a shame because it’s the first in the series. For the other two games, there’s almost no differences between both versions outside of the visuals. You’re getting the same experience either way you play through them.
Although Ray’z Arcade Chronology has trophy support for all three games, there are no other extras related to them. There is no Gallery with artwork, no section that tells the history of the Ray series, or anything else related. It’s confusing why no other effort went into including any bonus content for fans of the series, including things that could have been unlockables for playing or finishing all three games.
Although the screen during gameplay shows things like what music is playing, including other technical details about your ship, you don’t have a jukebox or music gallery to listen to any of the music from any of the games. This is disappointing because it makes Ray’z Arcade Chronology feel very meager as a package, leaving Ray fans with little to nothing else to enjoy alongside these games.
Those that love being competitive with their arcade games have Replay downloads and Rankings to explore. You can compare your scores and playtime to everyone online, as well as save your playthrough to share with others in every version of these games. There’s not much you can get from interacting with any of this unless you really care about personal rankings and speed runs. Although this stuff is great to have, it would have been far better to have other bonuses related to the Ray series than just this alone. And although the games all have local multiplayer co-op play, it would have been even more interesting to allow online co-op multiplayer for each game. This would’ve made the entire package feel more valuable.
If you love classic arcade shooters, then you may enjoy checking out Ray’z Arcade Chronology. All three games are fun to play through and considered classics in the genre that still hold up well. The Ray games are quick to get into and challenging enough to test your skills to their limit. But if you were hoping for more from this bundle to explore more about the series, you’ll be disappointed at what is here. Without any additional extras or bonus features to enhance the experience of playing these games, Ray’z Arcade Chronology just feels like a meager package.
Are you a fan of classic arcade shooters? Will you be checking out Ray’z Arcade Chronology on any platform? Share your thoughts on everything down below in the comment section!
A good brawler can be fun to play through despite being repetitive over time. There’s enough satisfaction in punching through groups of baddies as you progress from point A to point B to keep you wanting to play more. But there also needs to be something else to make that worth overcoming, whether it’s a good story or other gameplay elements that complement the core of the experience. PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe on PlayStation 5 (also available on Nintendo Switch and PC) is a neat idea that mixes up the concept of a brawler but does so at the expense of missing out on aspects of the gameplay that could’ve been taken further. Although it’s a good game that can be fun, it just misses out on being great because of a few shortcomings.
PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe puts you in the shoes of a robotic garbage man that roams the streets collecting garbage and beating down enemy robots. You go through each stage escorting a large garbage truck and tossing in various trash you pick up along the way. The more trash you pick up; the more money you make at the end of the stage. You can pick up random objects and enemies you defeat and earn cash by trashing them, which is key to advancing to new stages and unlocking extra goodies. It’s a fun twist on a brawler that makes things more interesting than simply going straight through a level you jump into. But the charm of this fresh take on the genre is held back by a few things.
Some of the biggest issues you run into involve rushing through stages to pick up enough trash to earn money, as well as chaotically fighting enemies that continuously annoy you. It can get difficult to pick up trash when enemies harass you at every chance they get, forcing you to deal with them before you get any trash. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if it weren’t for the fact that the garbage truck you escort begins to move forward when you least expect it. You might not have enough time to grab nearby trash because of this, especially if you waste your time fighting every enemy on screen. Sometimes the truck will advance forward even if you haven’t defeated every enemy that appears, forcing you to rush forward and make quick decisions on what to do before the stage ends.
In some cases, you can prolong the time you have by leaving at least one enemy around so you can evade and pick up trash. But one hit from them will cause you to drop everything you carry, even if you’re powered from an item you can grab that speeds up your movement. Later stages with tougher and better-equipped enemies make this much more difficult to avoid. You might have things under control and try to stack multiple items for a bonus when you trash them, only to get busted up by enemies that appear with faster attacks that deal more damage. You can only attack so fast yourself and will often get overwhelmed by enemies that gang up on you. While you don’t have to worry about getting knocked out constantly, the game lets you respawn multiple times, it does become incredibly annoying. The game has objectives for you to finish at each stage, and it can sometimes be very difficult to accomplish them when you’re constantly hindered.
But can this get easier to deal with as you play more of the game? Unfortunately, not as much as you might think. Scoring money from the trash you pick up can let you purchase new characters, weapons, and other mods for the garbage truck. But these upgrades are mostly cosmetic and won’t change your attributes, with the exception of weapons you purchase to have on hand at the start of a stage. Some weapons have faster attacks and more power, but you’ll have to complete stages over and over again to unlock new ones to purchase.
Some of them do help a bit when you obtain them, but you’ll still have the same problems to deal with when picking up trash in various stages. New characters you purchase don’t come with any perks or abilities to help you out, which almost defeats the purpose of having them as unlockables. They are glorified cosmetics that often cost way too much for no reason, much like any of the changes you can make to the garbage truck. If these had extra bonuses or abilities that came with them as you purchase them, it would justify their inclusion in the game significantly.
One extra thing that PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe has is cooperative multiplayer, both online and offline with up to four players. But good luck trying to connect with people online if you don’t already have a pre-planned session in mind. You often won’t find others online to get matched with, even if you host a room for others to join. The other issue with the online mode is how the game automatically locks one slot off to friends you must give a six-digit room code to, rather than allowing all slots of the room to be open to anyone to join. Why online multiplayer was limited in this way is confusing, when it could’ve been easier to just have open slots for anyone to join a room when searching for others online.
There are the makings of a great game with PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe. The concept is a neat take on the brawler genre that can be fun to play with others. But the areas where it stumbles hold back the experience from being a great recommendation for anyone who loves this style of game. And with the multiplayer mode being so limited online, it makes recommending PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe a little harder. If a few updates could change up some of these things, then you’d have a far better game to try out here.
What do you think of PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe? Are you a big fan of indie games on any platform? Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below!
Call of Duty has been able to put together some pretty lucrative collaborations for its Warzone and Modern Warfare releases. Those that continue to play Call of Duty online are treated with tons of new content and frequent updates that help keep the game feeling fresh. Luckily for everyone, another major collaboration that will get a lot of attention for all Call of Duty players. In celebration of the 50 Years of Hip-Hop event, Call of Duty will be adding new operators for everyone to play as in-game.
One new operator for the event is none other than popular rapper and hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj, in addition to Nicki joining the game, players will also be able to play as both Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage as part of the 50 Years of Hip-Hop celebration in the game. According to a blog post on the official Call of Duty blog, players will also be getting free hip-hop War tracks to play if they log in between August 7th and August 16th, with various tracks and weapon blueprints being awarded.
“The first three days will grant a War Track from the ’80s (Foundation), ’90s (Golden Era), or 2000s (Life After Y2K). On the fourth day of logging in, you will receive a special Weapon Blueprint that can be used in any online mode. Players will automatically be granted these items upon log-in…” This isn’t the first time Call of Duty has included hip-hop music tracks as part of War tracks since it was first introduced back in 2019. War tracks allow you to listen to music while playing through Warzone game modes, letting players mix up what they hear when playing any mode.
The official blog also goes on to detail aspects of the operators for Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and 21 Savage. Each operator will go live at various points of the game’s Season 5 game content, showcasing their own style and flair for which they are known. Snoop Dogg will be out at launch, Nicki Minaj will be out during the season, and 21 Savage will be live mid-season. Their appearance in Call of Duty also coincides with new changes for Prestige rewards and challenges that are also coming with Season 5, which includes new icons and weapon blueprints. Snoop Dogg originally appeared in Call of Duty as a playable operator back in 2022 to a very positive reception.
The operator for Nicki Minaj is a big deal because her inclusion marks the first female operator in the game that is self-named. While there are other female operators for Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare, Nicki’s inclusion is the first to be added as part of a collaboration. “Nicki Minaj first teamed up with Call of Duty earlier in 2022, because yes, she holds the control like the gamers… Now in Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone, she’s ready to make all rival Operators pound the alarm, as Nicki Minaj has her own Store Bundle, perfect for those who think they have good form across Battle Royale, DMZ, Multiplayer, and Special Ops. Nicki is known to break barriers in hip hop, and this is no different; come Season 05, she will be Call of Duty’s first-ever self-named female Operator.”
Other changes and tweaks to the gameplay of Call of Duty Warzone and Modern Warfare are expected to be added as well. New maps for various game types will appear, as well as new quests and game-type variants. All of the specific details for what is coming with Season 5 are on the official Call of Duty blog, but fans of Warzone will be happy to see all of the new changes incoming. Doesn’t look like Call of Duty has any plans of slowing down its momentum any time soon.
Are you excited about all the new content coming to Call of Duty? Will you be getting any of the new operators like Nicki Minaj for the game? Let us know your thoughts about everything down below in the comment section!
The second season of the mature audiences isekai comedy ‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ began releasing in July 2023 with Japanese animation company Studio Bind and Hiroki Hirano taking over as director. With a second part planned for 2024, Crunchyroll is streaming the show based on the light novels from author Rifujin na Magonote.
Crunchyroll revealed the English cast on their website:
Rudeus voiced by Madeleine Morris (Taiyo in My Clueless First Friend)
Rudeus (Former Self) voiced by Ben Philips (Shiraishi in Golden Kamuy)
Suzanne voiced by Giovanni Cruz
Timothy voiced by Phil Parsons
Mimir voiced by Dalton Tindall
Patrice voiced by Reagan Murdoch
Sara voiced by Molly Searcy
Receptionist voiced by Tabitha Galand
Media Factory publishes a manga version of the series as well as several spin-offs.
“Despite being bullied, scorned, and oppressed all of his life, a 34-year-old shut-in still found the resolve to attempt something heroic—only for it to end in a tragic accident. But in a twist of fate, he awakens in another world as Rudeus Greyrat, starting life again as a baby born to two loving parents.
Preserving his memories and knowledge from his previous life, Rudeus quickly adapts to his new environment. With the mind of a grown adult, he starts to display magical talent that exceeds all expectations, honing his skill with the help of a mage named Roxy Migurdia. Rudeus learns swordplay from his father, Paul, and meets Sylphiette, a girl his age who quickly becomes his closest friend.
As Rudeus’ second chance at life begins, he tries to make the most of his new opportunity while conquering his traumatic past. And perhaps, one day, he may find the one thing he could not find in his old world—love.”
‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ was originally a web novel published on the Rifujin na Magonote website.
‘Liar, Liar’ is a romantic comedy light novel series written by Haruki Kuō, illustrated by the artist known as konomi, and published by Media Factory since 2019. The Japanese animation studio Geek Toys released an anime adaptation in July 2023 with Crunchyroll announcing that they had acquired the rights to stream it in the United States. Satoru Ono and Naoki Matsuura direct the series while Momoka Toyoda is the writer for the series. The character designs are being handled by Yumi Nakamura.
Crunchyroll revealed the dub cast on their website:
Hiroto voiced by Blake McNamara (Saitou in Handyman Saitou in Another World)
Sarasa / Rina voiced by Taylor Murphy (Samora Sinclair in Fear the Walking Dead: The Althea Tapes)
Ichinose voiced by Monica Piskor (Sariphi’s Mother in Sacrificial Princess & the King of Beasts)
Shirayuki voiced by Meg McClain (Aisha in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation)
Suzuran Kazami voiced by Ariel Graham (Samidare Asahina in Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer)
Morgan Lauré, Dani Chambers, Philip Annarella, Grant Paulsen, Jalitza Delgado, and Izzi Raine will also voice various characters throughout the series.
Jason Lord has been tapped as the ADR Director, Kieran Flitton is handling the scripts, and Zach Bolton is producing.
You can watch the trailer below:
The singer May’n performs the opening theme song “Lies Goes On” while Smile Princess performs the ending song “Faky Merry Game.”
“At Academy Island, everything is settled through “Games” waged for a certain number of stars, with the strongest student being granted the ranking of Seven Stars. Hiroto, a transfer student, unexpectedly beats the strongest empress and becomes the pseudo-strongest in the school! A mind game of lies and bluffs begins!”
Media Factory serializes a manga version in their ‘Monthly Comic Alive’ magazine with Funa Yukina taking on the illustrations.
Yen Press releases the light novels in the United States.
Star Wars fans have a lot of projects to look forward to in the coming years in theaters and on Disney Plus. Although some projects have moved forward toward completion, others have been quiet for a long time, leading many to speculate whether they would be coming out or not. One such project was the Lando Star Wars series for Disney Plus that was announced back in 2020, two years after star Donald Glover played Lando Calrissian in the theatrical Solo: A Star Wars Story. But now it looks like things will be progressing with the show and getting closer to release on Disney Plus.
According to a news report first revealed on Above the Line, Donald Glover has been brought on board to help write the Lando series for Disney Plus. At the same time, Donald’s brother, Stephen Glover, will also be writing the series alongside him. This comes after reports about Justin Simien, the director of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, steps away from the Lando series, with the Glover brothers replacing him. Justin was first announced to be involved with the Star Wars series back in December 2020 during a Disney Investor Day call.
Recently in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Justin was asked about his involvement with the Lando series and if the project was still in development. His response garnered attention from various outlets, which eventually led to follow-up reports about Justin exiting the project. “I am attached, I think, but I don’t really know… The last thing I was told was that they loved it but needed to put a pin in it until they could figure out everybody’s availability. I haven’t investigated further, but I’m not an idiot.” Since that quote was published in THR, Above the Line gave an update on Justin’s exit.
Many Star Wars fans who watched Solo: A Star Wars Story highlighted Donald Glover as one of the better aspects of the film for his portrayal of the suave scoundrel. And since the announcement of a Lando series in development, a lot of fans have speculated on what direction the show would go, as well as if other Solo characters would make an appearance. This would include Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo from that movie. No confirmation about his Han Solo showing up in the series has been made, nor has Alden made any statement on the show since its announcement.
Back in April 2023, Donald Glover was asked about the Lando series in an interview with GQ. “We’re talking about it. That’s as much as I can say without Kathleen Kennedy hunting me down… I would love to play Lando again… It’s a fun time, being him. It just has to be the right way to do it.”
What do you think about Donald Glover helping to write the Star Wars Lando show for Disney Plus? Will you be watching it when the show is finally made? And do you think Donald Glover was a great Lando Calrissian? Share your thoughts about this in the comments down below!
I guess in between writing books for The Pineys, I decided to light a trashcan on fire and throw it on the Internet, but I can no longer sit here and stay silent about what’s becoming more and more obvious to me. Feminism, regardless of its potentially noble origins, is helping to destroy the comic book industry. And let me be clear; this isn’t an anti-woman list. Women are not the ideology that is called Feminism (or, more accurately 4th wave feminism).
It is the ideology of Feminism and those who are in its thrall that is doing tremendous damage to the comic book industry, especially in the mainstream corporate media. So strap in and let me either validate what you already were suspecting or outrage you, fangirls.
Photo by Pixabay
1: Feminism denies reality. For more in-depth academic coverage of this point, please visit James Lindsay’s New Discourses channel on YouTube. But, in a nutshell, Feminism — regardless of whatever it was, is now a grievance ideology. Men have been oppressing women for centuries, and only by challenging and overturning traditional roles can we ever hope to be free. This is not reality.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t misogyny or injustice against women perpetrated by men, but it does mean that there’s no cabal called the Patriarchy forever oppressing women. Traditional gender roles didn’t just develop in a week; they evolved over hundreds of thousands of years, keeping humans alive and happy for much of that time. Additionally, many other factors contributed to humanity (both good and bad), so the idea of merely focusing on gender roles is the sort of tunnel vision thesis that only a university academic that’s never been outside Plato’s cave could believe.
And because Feminism denies reality, building a story on that non-reality makes it unrelatable and off-putting unless you happen to be a feminist. It’s a little like making a comic about people living on a flat Earth. Unless you believe the flat Earthers, you’ll probably scratch your head in confusion reading a story based on that false reality.
2: Feminism is an ill-defined concept. What are feminists? If I write a story with a female lead that saves the day, is that feminist? How many metrics of feminist dogma do I need to inject into my comic to make it so? Feminism is an ideology, not a science, so there’s no way to really know. Show two comics to two different feminists, and you could get two different answers.
You might say that you could make the women less overtly sexy and more “empowered” in the comic, but again, what does that mean? How many metrics of “less sexy” and “empowered” make it feminist? Like art, it’s all subjective, and you’re at the mercy of any feminist who decides to read and possibly decry your comic. This is why they say, “The left is a circular firing squad.” Feminists and Leftists eventually fall into a purity spiral where no one is feminist or left enough for the other because there is no objective metric, and the Leftists don’t believe in objective metrics anyway.
Consequently, going down this path might bring you glory and praise from the feminists, but you’re just as likely to receive scorn. And since the concept itself is ill-defined, your storyline will likely be too. Your focus needs to be crafting a good story with good art, not counting how many lines each female character gets to say.
3: Feminists aren’t funny. As I’ve often said in my videos, comedy is a shared experience. Feminists don’t live in the same reality, sotheir jokes don’t land with anyone other than feminists with the same version of Feminism in their brains. Any joke about gender roles will come off weird to an average person that isn’t indoctrinated in the feminist’s personal ideological brand.
One of the most recent examples was when Chelsea Handler posted a video about how great her life was without kids. From her perspective, she thought her video was funny. But many others, myself included, felt it was a pathetic self-own. Comedy is about punching up against authority; Handler’s comedy bit was making fun of people with families who choose not to be lonely, sex-crazed singles that drink in the middle of the day. People raising kids and just trying to get by? Not exactly a ripe target for sarcastic, TV personality millionaires.
I think this explains why much of the MCU humor in Marvel Comics comes off as unfunny and mean-spirited. You’d probably be that way, too, if you got drunk in your apartment alone with your cats every day.
Image by Img2Go
4: Feminists react poorly to criticism of their Feminism. When you don’t have much of a sense of humor, you tend to get mad when criticized. Much of comedy can rely on the overreaction of a deserving target. Since feminists often have ideological blinders on and they do not share the same reality, pointing out this fact is likely to infuriate them. I’ll give you my personal example.
Years ago, I was at a comic con — I think Pittsburgh, but don’t quote me. A female comic creator wore a bikini outfit for a comic where she was the main character. She came by my table, and I tried to sell her my comic, but she thought she’d turn the tables and try to sell me.
Leaning over on my table, she gave me an eyeful of her cleavage, trying to press me and saying that the comic was outstanding. In my thirstier moments, I might’ve asked her out if I thought I had a shot at her, but after a few minutes of what sounded like too many red flags— I just wanted her to stop blocking my table. The following exchange went something like this:
“Well, at least give me a critique of my comic book.” *smile-smile, wink-wink*
“I don’t think you really want that,” I warned.
*gets all serious* “No, really. I would love your honest opinion.”
“Okay.” *exhales* “No one’s interested in your comic; you’re only selling it because you’re in that costume. They’ll buy it because they think they have a chance of having sex with you. They probably won’t even read it.”
Image by Img2go
That sent bikini girl off. She stormed back to her table in Artist’s Alley, and I returned to selling for a moment. Seeing a lull in traffic, I handed the reins of the table to one of my artists and headed for the bathroom. Along the way, I passed by the bikini girl’s table. I didn’t see her follow, but she chased me right into the bathroom!
After leaving the stall, I walked out to wash my hands, and she was standing there in full fury. (Now imagine how much trouble I would be in if the roles had been reversed.) Nevertheless, she lectured me about how wrong I was and how I was only putting her down because she was a woman.
I said, “Look, if you want to be treated seriously as a comic book creator, you must act like a serious creator. No one is going to take you seriously dressed as a booth babe. You are using your sexuality to lure in fans, not the comic. I get it, you’re hot, but your hotness isn’t adding to your creative rep. It’s competing and winning when it comes to the men.” (She was pretty hot, by the way.)
She stormed out of the men’s bathroom, and I spent the rest of the show telling my artists about what happened and making jokes about who might next follow me into a bathroom to complain about my critiques. (It was agreed that this kind of thing only happens to me.)
So this very hot woman was, essentially, ruined by Feminism. It told her that even in a bikini, in the middle of a convention center primarily full of men— People would have to take her art seriously and not look at her as a sex object, even as she literally shook her boobs in everyone’s face. Imagine if I showed up to a comic-con in a Speedo with my junk barely covered and then got mad; no one wanted to read my comic. (Gross, you don’t want to see that. Trust me.)
5: Man-hating makes characters unappealing. Any character that hates should probably be a bad guy. Someone who hates half the population of the Earth? Sounds pretty irredeemable. You definitely lose 50% of the audience out the gate, and since most women like and love men— Again, you’re just left with the same feminists who hate men as much as you do.
The worst is when a writer assumes that everyone is or should be as feminist as them. This comes across in Marvel comics whenever they talk about such nonsense as “male privilege.”
And replacing male cinematic icons with feminist women as they did in Indiana Jones and the Dial Destiny? How’d that work out? It’s the same thing in comics. Fans don’t like change to popular characters. Change the costume, change the artist, change the writer— These things can set fans off your comic forever, but completely undermining a previously manly character and turning him into a broken down, bitter Jedi or an old retiree with a dead son headed for divorce? What part of that sounds appealing to anyone other than hateful, vengeful feminists looking to even the score?
Image by Pixabay
6: The Bechdel Test The test was based on a comic strip. The idea is that the movie, comic or work, or whatever must feature at least two women that talk to each other about something other than a man. I include it because I think this is just another distortion you should ignore.
When creating something, the process should call for whatever you discover it calls for as you’re making it. It may call for two women to talk to each other about something other than a man, but it may not. It may call for them to talk about something other than a man and then talk about a man in a second conversation. Does that count? Who knows? Only a feminist can answer the question, and that’s the real point. Feminists and Leftists decry gatekeepers, but they are the ones that really want to be in charge of what’s considered “acceptable” in the comic book industry and anywhere else.
If a comic book is entertaining, that’s all that matters. You won’t care whether or not it passes the Bechdel Test or any other test. If you read it and have a good time, you will want more from the same creator. Applying a gender litmus test to your plotlines while creating could lead you away from an organic and great plot.
7: Traditional gender roles help ground a story. When doing a comic book, you’re often doing a tale full of sci-fi, fantasy, and/or superhero elements. It’s essential to ground those stories in a reality everyone can relate to. Everyone has a family and knows what a mom, dad, siblings, and relatives are. Besides romance, it’s the most broad and basic appeal you can inject into a story.
The problem with Feminism is it subverts traditional gender roles constantly. It’s pretty much its primary purpose. This tends to drive the narratives so everyone is divorced, from a broken home, or a non-traditional family. Now I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t do those stories, but to live in a reality where those stories are the norm isn’t the reality on the ground. And the more you inject these non-traditional ideas into your story, the more you have to explain and justify, whereas you don’t have to explain much if your characters come from a nuclear family with two kids.
You create an uphill battle for yourself. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t do a story challenging gender roles or with non-traditional families, but you have to recognize that they are not the majority, no matter how much you wish that was the case. The problem with most feminists, again, is that they don’t live in reality. Everything oppresses women, so they believe these nuclear families should be different. That there is nothing more natural for a woman to have three children by three different men and never be married to any of them. Those stories can work, but only if you recognize how they fit into the actual reality on the ground. These families are possible, but they are not the majority. If you treat it as such, your story takes on a skewed tenor. Have you read the conflicting origin story of America Chavez at Marvel?
Image by Img2go
8: Feminism divides and limits your audience. The vast majority of men don’t like Feminism, especially the fourth-wave Feminism that currently plagues us. Most women don’t like it either, and it can get pretty divisive for the people on the fence about it.
Like Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, Feminism has become a Gnostic religion. It requires belief and faith in the dogma and persecution of its heretics. Belief in the myth of the gender pay gap is one of these divisive issues. One could see how genuinely earnest (but ignorant) creators would seek to point out these injustices and incorporate them into their work.
And no matter who you are, it’s sometimes easier to believe that forces beyond your control hold you back rather than that you did not live up to your expectations. You undermine your protagonist by placing those myths in your comic and blaming others for a character’s failures. Who wants to read a story where Supergirl blames the Patriarchy for everything rather than punching bad guys? And by letting your character off the hook for their shortcomings, you short-circuit any possibility of character growth or a character arc, which is crucial to your character’s journey. “I defeated you, Thanos, because I was always awesome!”
9: If Feminism worked, the feminists would not have needed to take over comics. By Feminism’s own internal logic, women are fantastic and should be ruling the world. But if they’re so incredible, how did men get to be in charge in the first place? And if women can do anything, why haven’t they taken over by now? And if the Ladies of Marvel Comics were already so wonderful, competent, and talented, why didn’t they create a rival comic book company and crush Marvel and DC? How can the Patriarchy keep winning when the women are always so much better?
The short answer is women make different choices from men. Many women choose to be mothers and homemakers because it makes them happy and fulfilled. That just doesn’t leave them enough time to build comic book companies full of superheroes, and most women I’ve met are perfectly fine with that. And at the same time, there are female comic creators of note, but naturally, because fewer women opt for careers in comics, there are fewer of them, just like there are fewer men in nursing. Certain professions just suit women better. That’s reality, something the feminists continue to struggle against.
10: The comic book audience is mostly men. As I’ve stated in previous columns and videos, most comic book fans are men. I’ve heard numbers as high as 90% and one as low as 60-something, but even today— Men make up the majority of the fan base in the comic book medium. I’ll just go out on a limb and say that’s probably why comic books were full of muscle-bound dudes that punched other dudes through buildings instead of inviting them to a tea party for a reading of Gloria Steinem.
Feminists and other woke cultists have tried to turn the tide. They turned Marvel into a “lifestyle brand,” complete with podcasts that discuss Marvel’s “fashion.” Has it worked? Well, I’ve been doing comic cons and making comics for over 30 years, and it’s still primarily guys coming out to the shows. None of them have ever talked about fashion trends or the X-men Gala unless it was to laugh at how pathetic the concept is. Speaking of which…
Photo by Pixabay
11: Marvel Comics is being run into the ground. If there was ever a test case to show why feminists should not be put in charge of anything, it’s the current Marvel Comics. Like clockwork, about every month or so, an outrageously woke dialogue sequence from Marvel flies around social media for the fans to meme. From making Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey into a “throuple” to the regular announcements of which character is now gay, bi-sexual, ortrans, the feminists at Marvel have probably earned a lot of ESG points, but they have destroyed the Marvel Universe more thoroughly than Galactus on a bender. Fan fic is less embarrassing than what passes for comic books at the once Mighty Marvel.
12: The MCU is following it into a ditch. It started with Captain Marvel. Until that point, the MCU mainly had followed in the spirit of the old Marvel comics. But when Disney decided to bypass the original Captain Marvel (The one whose cosmic power killed him, even as he saved the universe.), the Ladies at Marvel opted to resurrect Carol Danvers and pass her off as some kind of feminist icon. Hollywood, apparently itching to jump on board with corporate suicide, said, “Where do I sign up?!”
Now the MCU is dying. We went from heavyweights like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America to Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man 3: Quantum Mania, and Secret Invasion. All three of the latter projects had several layers of failure, mainly because the MCU seems to be following the lead of their current Marvel Comics (the ones that aren’t selling well) instead of basing movies on massively popular storylines. And after several delays, rumors exist that The Marvels will be delayed again. Excellent job, ladies.
13: Feminism is anti-romance. Since feminists have a problem with traditional gender roles, they often have problems with men’s and women’s relationships. Because no two feminists will agree precisely on the proper methods and behavior of courting a woman, men are left to guess or risk getting screamed at by the modern-day date.
You should have consent between both people having sex, but some would suggest you ask every step of the way. “Can I hold your hand? Can I touch your cheek? Can I kiss your neck? Can I kiss your lips?” Hey, slow down! You’re getting too steamy! This is a family-friendly website!
Like comedy, the feminists will likely suck all the romance out of anything they write because it will remove all the risk. In the quest to be ideologically perfect, the story is destroyed. Romance requires mystery, spontaneity, fun, laughter, and attraction— But the average feminist can only see things through power dynamics, so none of that matters. Is it any wonder they end up living with cats?
Image by Pixabay
14: Men and women process entertainment differently. As I learned from RJ over at The Fourth Age, men and women have physical differences in their eyes. Women can see more subtle nuances of color that men cannot. That’s why the early comics are awash in primary colors, and the current-day comics are a jumbled mess of browns and beige.
Men want to see characters that accomplish things, build and compete. Women want to see stories about social status, relationships, and who sleeps with whom. There’s room in this world for both, and there was no reason for women to sacrifice men’s entertainment just to get a platform for their own. (Of course, now they have a platform as the medium is being destroyed.)
15: Pushing women into superhero comics over the last 50 years hasn’t worked. I’ve heard the old canard about getting more girls into comics for over 30 years, and it goes back decades before that. Comic book companies have tried a bunch of gimmicks, but none of them seems to work. Why did feminists suddenly expect it to work now? The arguments were exactly the same. The progressives of the 70s wanted women’s empowerment and chastised those that stood in the way even as their comic books didn’t sell. (Fortunately, that continued to be a metric for success in those days, which is why they were canceled instead of turned into movies or relaunched.)
One of the more popular comic books was the Barbie comic book at Marvel which was aimed at little girls, and I’d hardly call that a superhero comic book. Archie was also wildly popular with young girls, probably because the main thrust of the stories was the relationship between Archie, Betty, and Veronica. Again, boys like action, and girls tend to like relationships. If you’re going to launch a comic, launch it to an appropriate audience. Don’t launch a superhero comic where the men are emasculated and then call men misogynists for not reading it.
Image by Pixabay
16: Feminists don’t relate to the average comic book reader. If you don’t live in reality or spend your time denying it, you don’t relate to many people in the real world. Additionally, since comic book fans are mostly men, most men aren’t feminists, and most feminists can only relate to other feminists.
After over 30 years of doing comic cons and making comics, I have a reasonable grasp of what the average fan looks for in a comic book. Assuming they’re not a collector, they look for sound art and a good story. They are primarily men that enjoy escapist fantasy with action and adventure. Is challenging traditional gender norms a plus for them? No. Escaping reality into a world of adventure doesn’t involve a stern lecture from some college-educated Karen about how they are oppressing her gender. It doesn’t matter that you took over Marvel and DC, hired a bunch of fellow gender cultists, and forced Superman or Spiderman to say your words. This isn’t reality; fans don’t want to hear it.
If you don’t want to make comics that appeal to readers, why are you making them?
17: One worldview makes for a boring comic book universe. In previous eras, superheroes had conflicting views. This added to the drama and made their personalities different. Green Arrow was cast as a progressive, while Hawkman was more conservative. Superman was a goody-two shoe that always obeyed the law, while the Punisher murdered organized crime figures in his war against crime.
But under a cult (which is feminist but more broadly Leftist), you cannot have these differences. Look at how Marvel has destroyed the Frank Castle Punisher character. Because law enforcement and military figures (mostly men and mostly conservative-leaning) used the Punisher logo, the “talent” at Marvel decided to change his logo and remove Frank Castle’s guns! Did this make the character or the story better? I say no. But I believe it did bring it more in line with what the current Ladies of Marvel think is ideologically acceptable.
However, that wasn’t enough. Next, they brought back Frank Castle’s wife from the dead! You know, the character that died and was part of the motivation for the Punisher in the first place? She then divorces him and takes his money, eventually banishing him to some kind of purgatory. Gee, that doesn’t sound like it was written by a bitter divorcee at all! Enjoying the thrills and chills at Marvel Comics, kids? Maybe we’ll castrate the Hulk next! Excelsior!
Image by Pixabay
18: Feminism isn’t taken seriously. Hate to tell you, cultists, no one outside your intellectual bubble takes it very seriously. This is why a mini-industry has sprung up, making videos and memes laughing at this nonsense. This is 100% the reason for groups like Comicsgate and the Iron Age. These groups are reactions to the ideological conformity being imposed from above. This is why mainstream comics are crumbling.
The Feminists and, more broadly, Leftists see everything in power dynamics. Therefore, they concluded it wasn’t that their projects and comics weren’t popular; the reason they weren’t successful was because of the evil Patriarchy that controls everything. So they seized power. (“Why are there hardly any women represented in your company? Why do you make all these sexist comics? We’re going to boycott your comics unless you listen to us, even though we rarely buy them!”)
Call it browbeating, intimidation, or just plain ruthlessness— But what it isn’t is organic. No one asked these people to seize the industry and then force ideological change on all the characters, especially the fans. In fact, many people would’ve warned the feminists (myself included) that this couldn’t possibly work, and it hasn’t. Comic bookstores have become ghost towns, and comic book fans continue to read, but it’s everything from the past. The main complaint I hear from every comic book retailer is that no one is buying new books anymore. And I can attest that no one is talking about them at comic cons except to talk about the latest outrages and to shake their heads.
You’re a bunch of clowns, feminists, and I’ll tell you how this all ends. Any corporate comic company that continues to follow your advice will eventually either shut down, collapse, or get sold to someone that will do actual comic books free of your nonsense. You will walk away from the rubble, still declaring victory and still declaring the Patriarchy somehow ruined it all, not you.
Your best bet is to realize the dead-end cult you’re a member of and leave it immediately. Not every injustice is a personal affront to your gender. Were comic books a men’s space? Absolutely. Just as brunch places, shoe stores, and tea rooms tend to be women’s spaces. Men are not looking to fill your spaces with sports coverage and topless bikini girls; how about leaving us to our hobby the way it is? You can come inside the clubhouse, just stop trying to take it over.
Image by Pixabay
19: Feminism is built on a house of cards and ESG. There’s a reason transwomen are infiltrating women’s sports and taking them over. In Feminism’s endless quest to transform and make everything equal, they opened their doors to Queer Theory. Without diving too deep into the rabbit hole, it means accepting transwomen as women. Period.
The house of cards in comics is simple: Anyone that says they’re a woman is a woman, and you must accept that without question. Therefore, even if you replace your entire staff with men who are just saying they are women— You’re still staffed with women.
In the past, progressivism run amok was always stopped by the objective metrics of whether the comic books sold or didn’t. Unfortunately, ESG has entered the mix. It stands for Environmental Social Governance and is a social credit score for corporations. Have a high score, and your company gets access to low-interest loans via venture capital, have a low score, and you might find your stock purposely tanked. The more Feminism and Leftism you jam into your corporate comics, the more ESG-compliant your company looks.
So no, these “woke” corporations didn’t suddenly realize the Patriarchy existed and something had to be done. They are doing this for the money. They are using you feminists, and they don’t really care how many sacred comic cows you ruin and humiliate.
This grift is all going to come crashing down one way or another. Either the companies stay away from ESG because they realize this will endanger their long-term financial viability, or the corporations that don’t will be so hollowed out there will be no audience for their product. Does anyone think taking out a low-interest loan to make more cans of Bud Light is a good idea? The grift’s being exposed, and short of enslaving the entire population and forcing them to read your comics, it will collapse.
And just as companies are avoiding hiring people with pronouns in their bio, you can bet that the proud feminists working today will be too radioactive to hire in the future. Meanwhile, mainstream comics continue to suffer— Bleeding fans to the rising crowdfunding creators like Eric July.
Image by Pixabay
20: Female creators don’t need Feminism to make a great comic. But let’s end on a happy note; you don’t need to be part of this cult to make a great comic. It just needs to be well-written and well-drawn.
Don’t get caught up in what is and isn’t feminist. You don’t have to avoid discussing relationships from your female perspective just not to be feminist, and you certainly don’t have to hammer it into a story just to be feminist. What creators need to do is be themselves and find their own individual voice. That voice will be unique to you and only you.
Feminism is an intellectual box that confines you. By placing yourself in that box, you make your work less unique. And don’t think for a second that the ideological demands on being a feminist will stop. Just as a Leftist can never be woke enough, a Feminist can never be Feminist enough.
Follow your true calling because your uniqueness gives you the distinction no corporate comic can ever duplicate. I met a female creator who did a comic book about knitting. I don’t knit, but I thought it was fascinating. She was an icon amongst knitting circles and attended knitting conventions to sell her comic book. I don’t think it was feminist, but it was aimed at women and seemed very popular in her niche.
That’s what you want to do— Capture an audience regardless of their gender. And if your comic is genuine, heartfelt, well drawn, well written— And most important, adheres to a reality the reader recognizes, then you will do well.
Now go forth and create fangirls. Until next time, see you at the con.
Are you excited about more new characters getting revealed for Mortal Kombat 1? Which fighter do you want to see be added to the main roster or as extra DLC? Tell us your 
Surprisingly, Haunted Mansion has a number of great moments that come close to being truly scary. Although the tone of the whole film is more comedic than horrifying, the timing and cinematography really play up the scary aspects of the mansion being haunted. But it never goes fully scary in any case. When the action picks up, you get some very neat-looking visuals that are heavily inspired by the attraction the movie is based on.
But a few things from the Disney ride are a bigger focus in the story of Haunted Mansion, including the Hatbox Ghost and the woman in the crystal ball, Madame Leota. Both are iconic parts of the original ride that play a major part of the plot in various ways, with Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost and Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota.
Ben Matthias is played by LaKeith Stanfield and is able to get a good range of emotions throughout the film. There are funny, sad, and suspenseful moments with him that work out very well as the movie goes on. His backstory is something that is hinted at throughout the film, leading up to a great monologue that feels heartfelt and sad. Unfortunately, Ben is probably the only character that gets to really flex a range of emotions and elicit empathy from the audience. His performance is complimented by Owen Wilson who plays Father Kent, who gets some of the best funny moments in the story. The banter between the two of them is fun, but over quickly. When Ben and Father Kent are together, the comedy of the movie really takes off, especially in scenes that involve ghosts chasing everyone around.
Two of the biggest wastes of potential in the film are Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito, as Harriet the psychic and Professor Bruce respectively. Both get some funny moments throughout the film that are great, with a few really good ones due to Tiffany Haddish’s timing and exaggerated reactions. The problem is that they are far between and over too quickly. While Tiffany gets to do things towards the climax of the film that are very important, it feels rushed. Danny DeVito almost gets forgotten after a certain point in the plot, where things begin to get dire for everyone. It would’ve been great if the story had more ways to incorporate the two more often or have other bits with them involving some of the ghosts that haunt the mansion.
Haunted Mansion is a movie that you can have fun watching during Halloween with friends and family. It’s not one of Disney’s best films based on their iconic attractions, but it’s not a terrible movie at the same time. It has some good moments that will give you a thrill, and maybe a scare or two. Disney fans will appreciate the care that went into it to be more faithful to the original attraction. But this is not a deep story that will have you wanting to rewatch it again outside of the spooky holiday where it best fits.
The three games that are part of the Ray’z Arcade Chronology include Rayforce, Raystorm, and Raycrisis. Although the gameplay of each is primarily the same, the latter two games have extra features and changes introduced into the series. This includes 3D graphics and new attacks that started with Raystorm, as well as more stages and alternate endings that came with Raycrisis. If you find yourself enjoying one of the games, chances are you’ll feel the same about the rest. They’re easy to get into but can be very tough to finish.
Although Ray’z Arcade Chronology has trophy support for all three games, there are no other extras related to them. There is no Gallery with artwork, no section that tells the history of the Ray series, or anything else related. It’s confusing why no other effort went into including any bonus content for fans of the series, including things that could have been unlockables for playing or finishing all three games.
Those that love being competitive with their arcade games have Replay downloads and Rankings to explore. You can compare your scores and playtime to everyone online, as well as save your playthrough to share with others in every version of these games. There’s not much you can get from interacting with any of this unless you really care about personal rankings and speed runs. Although this stuff is great to have, it would have been far better to have other bonuses related to the Ray series than just this alone. And although the games all have local multiplayer co-op play, it would have been even more interesting to allow online co-op multiplayer for each game. This would’ve made the entire package feel more valuable.
If you love classic arcade shooters, then you may enjoy checking out Ray’z Arcade Chronology. All three games are fun to play through and considered classics in the genre that still hold up well. The Ray games are quick to get into and challenging enough to test your skills to their limit. But if you were hoping for more from this bundle to explore more about the series, you’ll be disappointed at what is here. Without any additional extras or bonus features to enhance the experience of playing these games, Ray’z Arcade Chronology just feels like a meager package.
Some of the biggest issues you run into involve rushing through stages to pick up enough trash to earn money, as well as chaotically fighting enemies that continuously annoy you. It can get difficult to pick up trash when enemies harass you at every chance they get, forcing you to deal with them before you get any trash. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if it weren’t for the fact that the garbage truck you escort begins to move forward when you least expect it. You might not have enough time to grab nearby trash because of this, especially if you waste your time fighting every enemy on screen. Sometimes the truck will advance forward even if you haven’t defeated every enemy that appears, forcing you to rush forward and make quick decisions on what to do before the stage ends.
But can this get easier to deal with as you play more of the game? Unfortunately, not as much as you might think. Scoring money from the trash you pick up can let you purchase new characters, weapons, and other mods for the garbage truck. But these upgrades are mostly cosmetic and won’t change your attributes, with the exception of weapons you purchase to have on hand at the start of a stage. Some weapons have faster attacks and more power, but you’ll have to complete stages over and over again to unlock new ones to purchase.
One extra thing that PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe has is cooperative multiplayer, both online and offline with up to four players. But good luck trying to connect with people online if you don’t already have a pre-planned session in mind. You often won’t find others online to get matched with, even if you host a room for others to join. The other issue with the online mode is how the game automatically locks one slot off to friends you must give a six-digit room code to, rather than allowing all slots of the room to be open to anyone to join. Why online multiplayer was limited in this way is confusing, when it could’ve been easier to just have open slots for anyone to join a room when searching for others online.
There are the makings of a great game with PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe. The concept is a neat take on the brawler genre that can be fun to play with others. But the areas where it stumbles hold back the experience from being a great recommendation for anyone who loves this style of game. And with the multiplayer mode being so limited online, it makes recommending PixelJunk Scrapper Deluxe a little harder. If a few updates could change up some of these things, then you’d have a far better game to try out here.
“The first three days will grant a War Track from the ’80s (Foundation), ’90s (Golden Era), or 2000s (Life After Y2K). On the fourth day of logging in, you will receive a special Weapon Blueprint that can be used in any online mode. Players will automatically be granted these items upon log-in…” This isn’t the first time Call of Duty has included hip-hop music tracks as part of War tracks since it was first introduced back in 2019. War tracks allow you to listen to music while playing through Warzone game modes, letting players mix up what they hear when playing any mode.
The official blog also goes on to detail aspects of the operators for Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and 21 Savage. Each operator will go live at various points of the game’s Season 5 game content, showcasing their own style and flair for which they are known. Snoop Dogg will be out at launch, Nicki Minaj will be out during the season, and 21 Savage will be live mid-season. Their appearance in Call of Duty also coincides with new changes for Prestige rewards and challenges that are also coming with Season 5, which includes new icons and weapon blueprints. Snoop Dogg originally appeared in Call of Duty as a playable operator back in 2022 to a very positive reception.
Other changes and tweaks to the gameplay of Call of Duty Warzone and Modern Warfare are expected to be added as well. New maps for various game types will appear, as well as new quests and game-type variants. All of the specific details for what is coming with Season 5 are on the 
Recently in an interview with 
Back in April 2023, Donald Glover was asked about the Lando series in an 
