The Morning After: Tuesday, October 24th 2017
'Super Mario 64' speedruns.
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
This Tuesday morning, we're already talking Stranger Things 2 (minus spoilers), Super Mario 64 speed-runs and a love letter to the Instant Pot Ultra.
'Stranger Things 2' basically gives everyone a cellphone
ST2 arrives this week, and we've taken an early look at the second series. It's interesting how the show's creators have managed to sew in communication gadgets -- walkie-talkies, a police radio and a video camera, specifically -- in way that not only nods cleverly to a bygone 8-bit time, but drives the story, too. They also work together as a handy stand-in for a contemporary mode of communication: the cellphone. We also talked to Director of Photography Tim Ives about how the team keeps Stranger Things looking somehow lo-fi in a high-tech world.
'Star Trek: Discovery' is returning for a second season
CBS is renewing Star Trek: Discovery for a second run. The show, which was used as a tentpole to launch the CBS All Access streaming service, has been enough of a success to justify a second season, which will presumably air at some point toward the back-half of 2018. The move comes as a vote of confidence for both the show and its platform, since it recently aired the sixth of its fifteen-episode first season.
'Destiny 2' is 2017's best-selling game after just one month
Destiny 2 hasn't been out long -- and it's only just now coming out on PC -- but it's already the best-selling game of 2017. Of course, a few heavy hitters are due to arrive later this week, but with the new version and DLC on the way, it could stay atop sales charts for a while.
The life of an elite 'Super Mario 64' speedrunner
Allan Alvarez can complete Super Mario 64 faster than anyone in the world, which means that most days he gets out of bed around 4 PM. He's is a full-time speedrunner, and his primary game, the classic platformer Super Mario 64, is the most popular for speedrunners. Alvarez holds the world record for beating it: 120 stars, which essentially means conquering every goal in the game. It takes the average gamer about 24 hours to do this.
Play the first set of original Xbox games on the Xbox One
We finally have the first list of OG Xbox games ready for play on Xbox One, and it includes choices like Black, Ninja Gaiden Black and Star Wars: KOTOR. Microsoft will flip the backwards compatibility switch today, so it's time to grab those old discs, or buy them on its store for $10.
But wait, there's more...
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