Worms and African Cinema. And a Fake Batman Game

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time once again to look back at TheGamer’s best features of the week, giving ourselves a big ol’ pat on the back. From the rise of African cinema to Streets of New Capenna’s lack of cops, we’ve been busy covering a broad range of topics over the last seven days.

MultiVersus is still going strong, She-Hulk is out – bringing Marvel’s VFX problems back into the limelight once again -, and Spider-Man has made its way to PC. Gaming (and, in this case, the MCU juggernaut) isn’t slowing down, and we have a lot to say about it.

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Is Africa’s Cinema on the Rise?

African cinema has never been more prominent, with everything from Black Panther to Beast to The Woman King. Stacey Henley, editor-in-chief, sat down with popcorn in her hand and watched as the soundtrack to tribal music started to play. She also hoped to see IdrisElba and his large muscular arms on the screen. Instead, she was met by John Boyega as well as Viola Davis. She was expecting Beast, but received The Woman King instead.

This boom in African cinema is a big step forward for representation, embracing Africa’s rich history without relying on white saviour narratives or stories from perspectives incapable of doing them justice.

I Don’t Want to Hear Anyone Tell Me Marvel’s VFX Team Are Trying their Best

It’s not all good in the world of cinema, though, as Marvel has continuously come under fire for mistreating its VFX teams. There’s no single in-house collective as Marvel Studios hires multiple companies to tackle its big blockbusters from Endgame to Thor: Love and Thunder. And with these studios, it changes plenty at the last minute, shortens deadlines without warning, makes ridiculous demands, and pumps out movies and TV like there’s no tomorrow, all cultivating a horrific crunch culture. Stacey argues that what we need to discuss is how these teams are being treated, not how hard they’re working.

It’s time for games to stop being afraid of the word ‘Transgender.’

I promise I’m not trying to score brownie points with the boss by putting three Stacey stories in a row, but this is an important one to touch on. Guilty Gear’s Bridget was born male and raised female, with her now proudly saying she’s a girl, finally proving once and for all that she’s trans. But Guilty Gear has been coy about it and is still scared to have her say, “I’m trans!” The same goes for Krem in Dragon Age: Inquisition and Lev in The Last of Us Part 2. As representation improves, it’s still clear how much has yet to be done.

The Owl House and Amphibia Fandoms are Filled with Worm Memes, And I’m So Afraid

Looking at something a little less serious, Features Lead Jade King dove into the world of gay cartoons and… worm memes. The Worm House and Wormphibia are the internet’s newest trend, a cursed concoction of kid’s toys and animated shows that I wish I had never seen put together, but here we are. Even the creators have taken note of the fandom’s nightmarish creations, all starting on a Discord server where someone pointed out that Hunter’s hair resembles a Squirmle. Should’ve kept that to yourself, bud.

Wolfe Glick Reveals What It Takes To Compete In Pokemon’s VGC World Championships

Freelancer Lowell Bell popped by TheGamer’s (100 percent real, physical) office the other day to bring us their interview with none other than Pokemon World Championship winner Wolfe Glick. Perhaps the closest to a real-life Pokemon Master. They discuss the differences between competing and making content, their journey into the world Pokemon, as well as how he became the 2016 VGC World Champion.

MTG’s Streets Of New Capenna’s Greatest Mistake Was Its Dearth Of Cops

Joe Parlock, Tabletop editor sat down and spoke to us about Streets of New Capenna – one of the most anticipated Magic: The Gathering releases of 2018. His opinion has changed since the launch of Streets of New Capenna a few months back. It’s a Great Gatsby-styled world, a huge shift in gears from MTG’s typical fantasy backdrop, but for all its glitz and ‘20s glamour, it lacks police. What was originally intended to be a group of crooked cops has become a legal team called the Brokers. This makes this a crime-centric community without a fully functioning legal system. It is best to keep it neutral and avoid any political commentary.

Meet Batman: Arkham World – The Batman Game that Doesn’t Exist

The Gotham Knights are continuing the DC games world with The Suicide Squad, but Reddit is focusing on the mythical fourth Arkham. It doesn’t exist. Arkham World is a made-up meme that everyone is jumping on top of, whether they’re imagining a playable Alfred, meeting Saul Goodman, or butting heads with Sonic in the fictional crime-ridden metropolis. And now that we’ve covered it – twice at that – we’ve killed it. Stacey said, “Sorry Arkham World Fans.”

Multiverse stories have been the hallmark of fighting games

MultiVersus is here and it’s sparking conversations about the multiverse. Again. Between Spider-Verse, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and now MultiVersus, it’s the hottest topic in fiction. But as features editor Andrew King points out, for fighting games, it’s nothing new. Years ago we had Scorpion breaking Flash’s arm in Mortal Kombat vs. DC, while Marvel vs. Capcom is a staple modern fighter. Smash Bros. embraces crossovers.

Please, no more launchers

Spider-Man is on PC, joining Day’s Gone, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Death Stranding. However, fans found references to a native PS launcher on PC in the files. It could be that we have another app to get gaming. Xbox, Battle.net and EA Desktop. Origin, Epic Games Store, Steam, Steam, Xbox and uPlay. And Stacey is tired of it – aren’t we all?

Rockstar Will Always Be The King Of Video Game Trailers

If I can say anything about News Lead George Foster from our chats in the work Slack, it’s that he loves a good bit of marketing. Rockstar is something else. Rockstar isn’t your usual big blockbuster trailer maker, drumming up hype through a trickle of reveals and teasers, working up to an event – it’s the trailer king. It knows how to make its games pop in those brief snippets, hinting at worlds we’ll be stuck in for decades. Just look at GTA 5’s iconic trailer.

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