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Reçu aujourd’hui — 10 novembre 2025 3.3 🎲 Jeux English

IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 3 Review

10 novembre 2025 à 04:00

Spoilers follow for IT: Welcome to Derry Episodes 1-3.

Well, it didn’t take long for IT: Welcome to Derry to hit what feels like its first filler episode. The first two installments of this IT prequel packed a lot of plot and characters into two hours, so there’s an air of inevitability to this week’s episode feeling like it has to grind the proceedings to a halt in order to sort it all out. Disappointingly though, Episode 3 (Now You See It) resets the status quo with elements that aren’t all that different from the status quo it already had, leaving Welcome to Derry feeling like its spinning its wheels a little earlier into its run than anyone would want to see.

This episode feels like the first real stumble for the kids’ side of the story, which was undoubtedly the stronger element of the first two installments, immediately doubling back on one of last week’s more disturbing developments: Lilly (Clara Stack) being reinstitutionalized at Juniper Hill after her grocery store encounter with Pennywise. For as much time as that episode spends reinforcing how terrified she is of getting sent back to that place, Episode 3 starts with her being discharged, and from there there’s almost no time spent on exploring what effect going back had on her.

...it starts to feel like déjà vu all over again, and three episodes in, that’s not a promising sign.

Lilly’s so far the most well-drawn of the young characters, so it was really disappointing to see a big development like that have to take a back seat to the plot, which has Lilly, Ronnie, Will, and Rich coming together to clear Hank Grogan’s name for the killings that ended the premiere. Since that brutal rug-pull took three Losers’ Club stand-ins off the board, Welcome to Derry has been working towards reassembling a gang of brave kids to fight Pennywise. But by the time Lilly’s bringing this new gang up to the hideout atop the Derry stand to discuss the source of their torment, it starts to feel like déjà vu all over again, and three episodes in, that’s not a promising sign.

Over on the air base, we’re getting some more context for James Remar’s General Shaw, and why he in particular is leading the charge to learn more about Pennywise. Shaw takes more of the spotlight this week, navigating the delicate politics with the local Indigenous population of digging around sacred burial sites looking for Pennywise “beacons.” With the Cuban Missile Crisis looming, Shaw’s interest in this mission has seemed entirely focused on national security up to this point, so the reveal that Shaw’s got a lot more of a personal connection to Derry than we first realized is a welcome one. Remar plays Shaw with more softness than you may expect of a Kingian military man (say, The Major from The Long Walk), which makes his more aggressive moves like ordering the attack on Leroy to prove his mettle or continuing the dig despite the protests of his old friend Rose (Kimberly Guerrero) all the more intriguing… almost as intriguing as naming a character “Rose” in a Stephen King story.

As manager of Derry’s Secondhand Rose pawn shop, Rose has been on the periphery of the action up to this point, but it’s clear from her role here as a confidant to both her community and to Shaw that she’s a force for good. The 1907 flashback set in Shaw and Rose’s childhoods that opens the episode reinforces an idea that Welcome to Derry’s been implicitly driving towards: that Pennywise’s cycles of terror are routinely opposed by a group of brave Derry children. Welcome to Derry has been at its most thematically interesting so far while interrogating the generational differences of how kids and adults have dealt with Pennywise/evil over the years, and if nothing else, at least Episode 3 leaves Shaw and Rose as deeper characters than when we met them.

Chris Chalk turns in another great performance as Dick Hallorann, and through him we’re treated to one of Episode 3’s few bright spots: a Shining-enabled psychic peek into the cistern under Derry that Pennywise calls home. Chalk’s really impressing with his performance, skillfully deploying recognizable tics and murmurs of Scatman Crothers’ to great effect here as his psychic visions lead him down terrifying paths. We have a pretty good understanding of the rules of how Pennywise operates on our physical plane of existence, but because we’re visiting the cistern through a psychic vision, Dick’s encounter with Pennywise feels way more dangerous. That’s underlined by Chalk after Dick’s vision concludes, as his telling Leroy Hanlon “it wasn’t supposed to see us” lands with the gravity that it should.

That said, the Hanlons get stuck without much to do this week. We learn a little more about Charlotte’s desire to be more involved with civil rights activism, and Leroy’s reservations about that, and Will forges closer bonds with Rich, Lilly, and Ronnie. But Episode 3’s focus is much more on building up the mystery of Pennywise’s presence in Derry over time, so the Hanlons’ place in that tapestry gets shelved for now.

The scares this week are sorely lacking, and seem to suggest that the visual effects animating them are going to be an episode-by-episode grab bag. Baby monster from the premiere? No thanks! Lilly’s dead pickle dad from last week? Shiny, briny, beautiful… but the skeleton man skittering around the forest in broad daylight this week? That wasn’t it, Welcome to Derry. There is some good dread generated as young Shaw nervously walks through a carnival haunted house, and in the aforementioned Dick Hallorann/Pennywise meeting, but payoffs here in Episode 3 largely miss the mark.

Episode 3 falls apart during its cemetery-set finale, as the kids attempt to conjure Pennywise to photograph him in the hopes of absolving Hank. But rather than drawing out the tension and really building up to a moment, all hell breaks loose shortly after the kids begin the rite and the hodgepodge of funhouse surprises that follow take all of the air out of the spooky setting. Here the episode’s visual effects are at their worst, as the kids ride through the infinitely dolly-zooming cemetery and the ground opens up beneath them. Whether it’s the uninspired designs of their ghostly dead friends or the obviously composited shots of the kids riding full speed on their bikes, nothing about this sequence works and, for all its chaos and scale, it’s a total letdown of an ending. The plan does seem to have worked though, and the kids get a handful of photos of their supernatural assailants which I’m sure the adults in Derry will believe are real.

Speaking of which, the 1907 prologue that opens the episode concludes on a pointed shot of a female clown with Pennywise-esque makeup. I wonder if the “Young Periwinkle” character in the episode’s credits knows anything about that… And who in the good gosh is Periwinkle, anyway!?

Predator: Badlands Sets Franchise Record With Biggest Box Office Opening Ever for a Predator Movie — Including the Aliens vs Predator Films

9 novembre 2025 à 23:18

Predator: Badlands looks like a hit after it secured the biggest global opening ever for a Predator movie — including the Alien vs. Predator films — at the box office.

Dan Trachtenberg, who revitalized Predator with 2022’s back to basics Prey and this year’s animated anthology Killer of Killer, has continued his hot streak with the PG-13 Predator: Badlands, which has enjoyed strong reviews from critics. (IGN’s Predator: Badlands review returned an 8/10.)

Disney said Predator: Badlands opened to $40 million domestically and $40 million internationally for a global opening weekend total of $80 million. That’s the biggest debut for a Predator movie ever at current rates. For context, 2018’s The Predator opened to $73.5 million.

Predator began with 1987’s much-loved Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Predator: Badlands is a very different film; less sci-fi horror, more mainstream sci-fi action. For the first time ever the Predator is the protagonist, with a Yautja called Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) out to prove himself to his father by killing a monster on a death planet. Along the way, he meets a Weyland-Yutani synth called Thia, played by Elle Fanning, in an Alien / Predator crossover.

It's a big swing for Predator and for Dan Trachtenberg, but he was uninterested in essentially remaking prior Predator movies for this new sequel. In a recent interview with IGN, Trachtenberg said he was inspired by Terminator 2 when it came to making Badlands. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day was like a movie my mom could watch," he said. "So that was a part of it for me, like how to make something that was bold and visceral but also emotional."

It’s a strong start, then, and hopefully a sign that Trachtenberg will be able to continue making more Predator movies, fleshing out his fledgling Predator cinematic universe and perhaps making good on that Dutch tease at the end of Killer of Killers. Could we perhaps see an all-star team up at some point?

Certainly, Predator: Badlands sets things up for a direct sequel. Check out IGN’s Predator: Badlands Ending Explained to find out what’s next for the series.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Best Deals Today: Apple AirPods 4, Yakuza 0 Director's Cut, Seven Samurai 4K Blu-ray, and More

9 novembre 2025 à 20:52

We've rounded up the best deals for Sunday, November 9, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers.

Apple AirPods 4 for $89

Amazon has the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $89 today. These earbuds feature Spatial Audio, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and so much more. Apple AirPods 5 likely won't be out for a good bit, so now is the perfect time to pick up a pair of new AirPods if your old ones are giving out.

Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set Blu-ray for $109.99

Crunchyroll Store is holding its annual Aniplex sale, meaning now is the only time you can save on some of the most expensive anime Blu-rays out there. Today, you can score the Gurren Lagann Complete Box Set, which includes both the original TV series and two movies, for $109.99. This is a must-watch for any fan of the genre, and this box set is the perfect way to make this all-time classic a permanent part of your collection.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Collector's Edition for $73.64

This weekend, you can score the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Collector's Edition for its lowest price ever. You'll get the limited edition full size Birdhouse Wings skateboard deck, in addition to a copy of the game with deluxe edition content. In our 8/10 review of the game, we wrote, "Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves yet again the series’ over-the-top skateboarding formula is totally timeless, even if some of the changes to THPS4 miss the mark and the soundtrack has been fumbled."

Save on the Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Commander Deck Bundle

This Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Commander Deck Bundle packs in all 4 decks available, and you can save over $90 this weekend at Amazon. The Final Fantasy collaboration was the biggest in history for MTG, with sets sold out everywhere around launch. If you've held out on starting your MTG journey, this is the perfect set to jump in with.

Bleach Rebirth of Souls for $34.99

Bleach Rebirth of Souls was the first major Bleach game release in many years, with Bandai Namco and Tamsoft bringing the iconic series to modern platforms as a fighter. All of the most iconic Bleach characters are here, including Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, and even Coyote Stark. Save $25 off the base game this weekend with this deal at Woot.

LEGO Technic NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle LRV Set for $159.99

Amazon has the popular LEGO Technic NASA Apollo Lunar Rover set on sale for $159.99 this weekend. This set features 1,913 pieces, with the model sitting 15 inches long and 10 inches wide. Three detailed equipment attachements are packed in, making this a perfect set for any space fan.

Raidou Remastered for $31.99

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army launched in mid June, and you can save almost 50% off a PS5 copy for this weekend at Woot. This action RPG is a remaster of the 2006 PS2 game, and there are many improvements and new features to discover. For one, UI, visuals, and voice acting have all been tweaked to refine the experience, but you can also discover more than 120 different demons.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut for $37

The Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Yakuza 0 is available on sale for $37 this weekend. The Director's Cut version adds new cutscenes among other features, and it supports 4K resolution at 60FPS. While you can start with most Yakuza games, this is arguably the best entry point.

Seven Samurai 4K Blu-ray for $29.98

Seven Samurai is a forever classic, and you can take home a 4K copy of the film for 50% off this weekend. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai follows a village who wish to hire a Samurai after their crops become the target of a group of bandits. As one of the most influential films ever made, this a must watch for all.

NBA 2K26 for $39.99

NBA 2K26 is on sale this weekend for $39.99, just in time for the start of the NBA season. This is even lower than last weekend's sale! In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Ball Over Everything” is a fitting description for NBA 2K26. The smooth on-court action is better than ever and MyCareer’s excellent started-from-the-bottom journey to the pros story make it so the imperfections are easier to ignore."

Reçu hier — 9 novembre 2025 3.3 🎲 Jeux English

Warhammer 40,000 Animations Trailer Shows a Running Khorne Berseker, Lae'zel Actor Devora Wilde as a Battle Sister, and a Blink and You’ll Miss It Look at Astartes 2

9 novembre 2025 à 14:32

Games Workshop has released a teaser trailer for upcoming Warhammer animations, revealing what subscribers to its streaming platform Warhammer Plus can expect in 2026.

There are a number of new animations teased in the video, below, but the one featured most prominently stars the Adepta Sororitas. We see a Battle Sister with a heavy bolter letting rip, with Devora Wilde confirmed to play one of the Battle Sisters. Wilde played Lae'zel in Baldur’s Gate 3, and for me is the perfect fit for the Sisters of Battle.

Elsewhere, there’s an animation that sees the Aeldari (in a post on Warhammer Community, Games Workshop confirmed these are from Saim-Hann, the fastest and among the most warlike of the Craftworlds) going up against the Imperial Navy in aerial battles.

And then perhaps the most exciting tease in the entire video: a Khorne Berzerker from the World Eaters Traitor Legion who is, Games Workshop said, “on the hunt.”

Some fans think this is actually a look at Astartes 2, the most hotly anticipated animation among the fandom. That’s because the Khorne Berzerker’s running style is similar to that we’ve already seen Space Marines perform in the original, much-loved Astartes. The original Astartes was created by superfan Syama Pedersen, who was subsequently brought into the fold to make the official sequel. Is this Khorne Berzerker from an entirely different animation, or Astartes 2?

That’s one big question coming out of this animation, but we do get a clear look at Astartes 2 work-in-progress. At one point we see animation work on a monitor screen, and it shows a squad of Terminators appear to protect an unnamed human soldier. This is the Inquisition-led Deathwatch Terminator squad from the debut Astartes 2 teaser in incomplete form, but we know from their pauldron chapter symbols that they’re the same as before (Retributors, Mortifactors, Scythes of The Emperor, Sons of Medusa, and Angels Vermilion).

Astartes is widely accepted as the greatest Warhammer 40,000 animation ever made, official or unofficial, with only Amazon’s excellent Space Marine 2 animation for the Secret Level anthology series competing with it in quality terms. Indeed, Astartes was so good that it inspired Saber Interactive’s hugely successful Space Marine 2 in terms of the look and feel of the Space Marines themselves.

Fans hadn’t heard a peep out of Games Workshop on Astartes 2 for years, leading some to wonder whether the company had quietly cancelled it. But in January this year Games Workshop released a teaser trailer alongside a 2026 release window, and now we have a reinforcement that it’s still in the works.

And finally, there’s a brief look at the finale of the current season of Blacktalon. Here’s the setup from Games Workshop: “Be’lakor is back, and odds are good that he’s up to something diabolical. With Hammerhal still far from safe, and their team fractured, can Neave and the gang foil the Dark Master’s plans?”

In other Warhammer 40,000 news, Titus from Space Marine 2 just got a promotion and the starring role in the next Warhammer 40,000 narrative expansion.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Games Workshop Just Promoted Titus From Space Marine 2 With a Fancy New Trailer That Sets Up the Next Narrative Expansion for Warhammer 40,000

9 novembre 2025 à 13:29

Lieutenant Titus from Space Marine 2 has become one of the most recognizable faces in all Warhammer 40,000 following the enormous success of the video game. We’ve already seen Games Workshop double-down on the Ultramarines hero with merch, an appearance in the Warhammer 40,000 episode of Amazon's animated anthology, Secret Level, and various cameos across the setting. But now things have leveled up — not just for Titus as a Space Marine, but his place in the ongoing Warhammer 40,000 narrative.

This week, Games Workshop unveiled Captain Demetrian Titus, Master of the Watch, which means Titus has had a much-deserved promotion since the now canon events of Space Marine 2 and Secret Level. Titus is once again Captain of the Ultramarines Second Company, a position he had already held before he was taken into custody on suspicion of heresy by the Inquisition after the events of the first Space Marine game. What does Titus' promotion mean for Sevastus Acheran, the former captain of the Second Company and Master of the Watch who we see in Space Marine 2? Let’s be real here: he’s probably dead. I guess he couldn’t spare enough men.

For Titus, his promotion comes with bigger and tougher responsibilities: he’s been put in charge of defending the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, the realm of Space Marine poster boys, the Ultramarines. With Primarch Roboute Guilliman off gallivanting with his Indomitus Crusade, Titus is now in charge of keeping things safe and sound back home, where new Necron threats have emerged, as they always do.

Games Workshop released a new trailer, below, to hype up this narrative expansion, and it features Titus front and center as he accepts his new job title and what he calls his “impossible mission.” He’s had an eye-catching glow up since we last saw him, and he has a cool new model for use in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game to boot. Titus is joined by friends his fans will know well: Ancient Gadriel from Space Marine 2, and Veteran Sergeant Metaurus from Secret Level (he lives!).

500 Worlds: Titus is the name for the next major narrative expansion for Warhammer 40,000. According to a post on Warhammer Community, that includes a set of four books that will tell the story of the Ultramarian Reclamation and the embattled Vespator Front, where Titus and the Ultramarines Second Company "are locked in a desperate struggle against a Necron force rife with the Destroyer curse."

This is a big moment for Titus but also the Space Marine video game franchise. It is evidence of the importance of the character to Warhammer 40,000, and the seismic impact Space Marine 2 has had on the setting.

Speaking to IGN at gamescom 2025, Tim Willits, development chief at Saber Interactive, said Space Marine 2’s popularity had opened the door to the grimdark Warhammer 40,000 setting for an army of new fans who weren't necessarily clued up about the intricacies of the universe.

“I heard that lots of people now think that Thousand Sons are the only Chaos faction because that's what we had in the game,” Willits said, reflecting on Space Marine 2’s first year.

“And so people are like, ‘Oh, I guess Thousand Sons, they're Chaos.’ It's like, ‘Actually no it's not.’ They're actually just a small faction. But people are just like, ‘That's the one I played against.’”

This assumption about Chaos extends to the Space Marines themselves. The Ultramaines — the chapter used by Games Workshop itself when introducing newcomers to the tabletop via starter sets — are the protagonists of the Space Marine 2 campaign, although many other factions are available to play as in the PvE and PvP modes.

“People have assumptions about the Warhammer 40,000 universe that are not correct,” Willits continued. “Like Thousand Sons being the only Chaos faction. That is kind of humorous. And like, ‘Oh Space Marines are only blue!’ That has been quite humorous to be honest, which is good for us.”

One of the big questions going into the already confirmed Space Marine 3 is whether Saber will venture beyond the Ultramarines and the Thousand Sons in terms of the next campaign. The story seems to set up the addition of the Necrons, which at this point probably wouldn't come as much of a surprise for Space Marine 3. But could other Space Marine chapters also appear? Perhaps other Chaos factions, too? We asked Willits about Space Marine 3, but he remained tight-lipped.

But now Titus is firmly back in the fold, we have to wonder, what does the overly suspicious Chaplain Leandros think? He spent pretty much the entirety of Space Marine 2 threatening to end poor Titus at the first sign of corruption, and even after Titus’ heroics, a commendation from Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, and what some think was a word of encouragement from the Emperor himself, Leandros remained unconvinced. If Titus manages to complete this impossible task and defend the 500 worlds, will he finally win Leandros over? Somehow I doubt it.

All of this probably feeds into Space Marine 3 in some way. Assuming Space Marine 3 picks up after the events of 500 Worlds, we may well see Titus lead armies into battle, rather than a single squad.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

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