AvX: Consequences #5 Review

I'm accustomed to post-event epilogue pieces like this not actually doing much to rock the boat or alter the status quo established by the event itself. At best, you get a really nice, emotional coda like in Civil War: The Confession. But with AvX: Consequences, Kieron Gillen has't just put a nice little bow on he events of AvX. He's defined a significant new direction in the lives of Cyclops and his remaining allies.

Issue #5 regains some of the singular focus that was lost with issue #4. Apart from a few pages devoted to Hope's search for Cable, the entirety of the script focuses on Cyclops' jailbreak. As usual, the Hope material feels dull and pointless, but at least Gillen wraps it up firmly enough. The rest of the script is focused on Cyclops' escape and the vengeance he exacts on his jailers. Gillen has effectively reversed the Wolverine/Cyclops dynamic now, with the former being the idealistic hero and voice of reason and the latter willing to shed blood and do what is necessary to protect those he cares about. Most importantly, Cyclops remains an identifiable figure, not an overt villain. He and Magneto benefit from some strong dialogue throughout issue #5. It seems being on the lam suits them both.

Unfortunately, coming off the strong visuals of issue #4, issue #5 suffers from the weakest artwork of the entire series. Gabriel Hernandez Walta's style is inherently too different from the rest. It's too flat, oddly colored, and generally non-superheroic to fit the needs of the story.

Even so, Gillen delivers a strong finish to a surprisingly enjoyable and important mini-series. More than ever, I'm eager to see what the future holds for Cyclops and his dwindling band of allies as the Marvel NOW! status quo kicks in.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #16 Review

Whereas The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men have been dealing with separate pieces of the same conflict, Ultimate Spider-Man has only recently crawled out of its hole and become more actively involved with these other books. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily to the benefit of this series. Issue #16 spends too much time retreading old ground and focusing on Ultimates-centric matters and not enough on the more "mundane" struggles that have made Miles' journey so interesting.

The most perplexing aspect of this issue is the renewed hostility between Captain America and Miles, as though Cap's acceptance of Miles' activities wasn't just documented in the aftermath of last issue's Rhino battle. I don't mind seeing Cap playing the reluctant mentor to Miles. It makes sense given his lingering guilt over Peter Parker's death and Miles' desperate need for some sort of combat training. But at this point that relationship should be further along than it is. Meanwhile, this issue too often feels like it's working in the shadow of Sam Humphries' Ultimates issues, from the battle with the randomly placed Hydra agents to the rehash of Cap's Presidential acceptance speech. Earlier issues in this arc did a better job of reflecting the new Ultimate status quo without letting that impact the flow of the story.

Issue #16 also suffers from the loss of David Marquez. Ultimate Spider-Man used to be a bastion of visual continuity thanks to artists like Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen. Those days are clearly gone now. Pepe Larraz steps on board for this issue. While he handles the action scenes well enough, his facial work is too loose and inconsistent to match the detailed expressiveness of artists like Marquez and Sara Pichelli. This series really needs to find some visual stability. I'm sure the recent plotting hiccups will work themselves out, but finding a regular penciller to fill their shoes is a much more difficult proposition.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Darksiders II Wii U Functionality Detailed

THQ has revealed details on the Wii U version of Darksiders II. Set to arrive on November 18th, Darksiders II on Wii U will offer multiple pieces of bonus content not featured on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC versions, including the recently-released Argul’s Tomb content with new dungeons and armor and the Death Rides Pack with three new side quests. Also included will be the Angel of Death and Shadow of Death packs with new legendary armor and weapon choices, plus the upgraded horse speed boost from the Deadly Despair Pack. Players will also have access to additional unique legendary weapon and armor sets from the moment they start the game.

Wii U will also allow players to instantly access inventory and ability menus via the GamePad’s screen, and players will have the choice of using the GamePad or the Wii U Pro controller to play. Darksiders II will also offer the option of using your TV to play, or the choice to entirely use the GamePad’s screen.

Vigil games said back in March that Darksiders II would allow players to access menus without pausing the game and called the Wii U version “an enhancement of the core game."

Darksiders II launched for other systems on August 14th. For more on what to expect, read our hands-on impressions with the Wii U version. Still haven’t decided if you should pick it up on launch day? Read our Darksiders II review and find all the info you need -- including a full walkthrough -- in our Darksiders II wiki guide.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Final Modern Warfare 3 DLC Plans Revealed

Activision has announced the final pieces of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s season of content.

On August 9th, the Chaos Pack will launch on Xbox 360, offering a brand new Special Ops Chaos Mode, three new Face Off maps and four new Special Ops missions. The Face Off maps include Vortex, U-Turn and Intersection (previously released for Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 in June and PlayStation 3 in July). The Special Ops missions include Vertigo, Arctic Recon, Light ‘Em Up and Special Delivery.

On September 6th, the Final Assault Pack will launch, adding five new multiplayer maps. The maps include Boardwalk, Gulch and Parish (which leaked out earlier this week) as well as Decommission and Offshore, which hit Xbox 360 in July.

As always, the packs are arriving first on Xbox 360. Each pack will be available for $14.99 (1,200 Microsoft Points), but the content will arrive first to Premium Elite members for free. This will mark the end of Modern Warfare 3’s content season, which includes 29 separate pieces of content overall.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Men in Black 4?

In a new interview, Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad dropped a lot of bits and pieces about several of the studio's properties, including Dragon Tattoo, Men in Black and Jumanji. Yes, Jumanji.

A New Director for Spidey 2?

While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Belgrad said that Men in Black is "an ongoing franchise" and "we're going to do [another one], but we don't have clarity yet on how it should be done."

He also revealed that one of the mandates of the company is to get more into family films, including the successful Smurfs franchise that they currently have going (the sequel is now shooting). But the plan is also to "reimagine Jumanji and update it for the present." (No mention, however, of Zathura. Ahem.)

The trade paper also notes that Belgrad is moving ahead with the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, despite that film's tepid response.

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

Source : ign[dot]com