Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is PSN-Bound

Konami has revealed it will resurrect Castlevania: Symphony of the Night via PlayStation Network.

The 2D side-scroller was originally released in 1997 and was the first game in the series to offer an open-world level design and RPG elements. The game places you in control of Alucard as he tries to hunt down his vampiric nemesis, Dracula, using both spells and swords.

The game will be available in Europe from October 10 for £10.99. We've reached out to Konami for details about an American release and will update the story when we know more.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Last Resort's Autumn Reeser on What's to Come for Kylie Sinclair: "People Around Her are Dying"

Since the end of her time on The O.C. as the amazing Taylor Townsend, Autumn Reeser has been plenty busy with roles in series like Entourage, No Ordinary Family and Hawaii Five-0. Now she’s part of IGN’s favorite new fall TV series, Last Resort, playing Washington D.C. power player Kylie Sinclair – who finds her life turned upside down, after the submarine being used to test her new stealth technology becomes the focal point of a far-reaching conspiracy.

During my recent visit to the set of Last Resort in Hawaii, I spoke to Reeser about her new role and the dangers that Kylie faces as she moves forward.

IGN TV: You’re a few episodes into production now. What have you been learning about your character?

Autumn Reeser: Oh my goodness, I love Kylie. Kylie has this great inner conflict with wanting to do what she’s always done, which is be self-serving and serve the money, basically. That’s been her god for years. She’s ambitious, and that’s all she’s really had to worry about. She’s been good at business, and all of the sudden she’s finding herself with a moral center -- and it’s very confusing to her. She’s trying to make the right choices, and that’s such a fun conflict to play because sometimes she wants to and sometimes she doesn’t. She’s a good guy and a bad guy; she’s a little of both.

IGN: It’s a nice duality that I think the pilot establishes well, because you have that first scene with her, with her so excited about what’s happening with her tech, but then she has that switch when she goes to the Admiral and she thinks that he attacked his own daughter's sub and is so horrified. You see that she’s definitely not 100 percent coldblooded.

Reeser: Right, exactly. I think that’s what I love about that scene, is that it surprises her. Her emotions surprise her. She hasn’t needed to be moved by much in life, and all of the sudden the world is on the brink of World War III, and she’s finding it to be a distressful, uncomfortable feeling. I think the majority of us would say, “No s**t!” But Kylie hasn’t been affected by much. There’s a line where a character says to Kylie, “Nothing touches you,” and that’s been true for most of her life. Now, all of the sudden, life is dangerous for her. People around her are dying, and she’s not safe.

Autumn Reeser in a scene from this week's new Last Resort:

IGN: Yeah, I would imagine that she’s putting herself in some pretty direct harm by digging into this conspiracy.

Reeser: Yeah, there are people who are very invested in keeping the reasons that we nuked Pakistan secret.

IGN: At this point, who are you working with? This show has a very large cast, but people are in very different places.

Reeser: [I’m working with] a lot of our guest star cast. There are a couple recurring people, Darri [Ingolfsson] from the pilot and Bruce Davison. I got to work with my friend Assaf [Cohen], who came over; it was a nice treat to work with a friend. I don’t want to say who else, because I don’t want to spoil it.

IGN: At the TCA press your this summer, I think it was Shawn [Ryan] who said that you guys in D.C. will get to the island eventually. Are you hoping it’ll be your turn soon?

Reeser: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about ways that Kylie could get over there. My guess is that it wouldn’t be until Season 2 -- knock on wood. I have my theories about how she would end up over there...

IGN: Is it funny for you that you’re here on set with your co-stars, but you don’t actually have scenes with them?

Reeser: Yeah, it can be kind of strange. I can feel on the outside sometimes, but certainly the cast is so warm and wonderful. I try to see them as often as possible. Daisy [Betts] also has a young son, so we try and get them together. Jessy [Schram] and I also see quite a bit of each other.

IGN: Have your character and Jessy’s character had any interaction together?

Reeser: I don’t know what I’m allowed to say on this. I will say we do both live in the D.C. area, so that wouldn’t be out of the question…

IGN: Are Shawn [Ryan] and Karl [Gajdusek] giving you any hints as to what’s to come?

Reeser: I have a general idea of Kylie’s character arc throughout the season. I know where I wanted Kylie to start, because I have an idea of where she’s going to end this season. But it is still a surprise to me on a week-to-week basis. I’m waiting on episode 106 right now. Literally every time I get [a new script], I read the whole thing on my phone because I can’t wait until I get home to read it on my computer. People are like, “What are you doing?” I’m like, “Shh, I’m reading episode 105 -- in tiny, tiny print, but I can’t wait.” It’s exciting. They continue to keep you on the edge of your seat.

IGN: The response to the pilot has been very strong. I’m sure you knew it was high quality, but it must be nice to see that people are responding to it.

Reeser: It’s really gratifying because things don’t always end up on the screen how you imagine them in your head and how you see them on the pages. It’s amazing that anything ever does because there are so many people involved in making a film or a television show. It’s nice to see it reflected as a lot of us see it in our head.

IGN: The show has such a big, gripping concept. The only thing people wonder is, “Wow, that’s so huge! How do you sustain that in the long run?”

Reeser: Right, right. Exactly, and I wondered the same thing. I had to do some press for the show before I had read any of the other episodes [past the pilot], and I found it really difficult because people were asking me these in-depth, provoking questions and I couldn’t answer. They’d be like, “What will see on a weekly basis?” I literally answered, “I don’t know,” because I hadn’t read any of the scripts. I had wondered the same thing that a lot of the critics and audience wondered, which is how do you sustain this? What happens in the next episode? And I think the best way to think about it, now that I’ve read six episodes, is the world’s on the brink of World War III. There are a lot of stories that can come out of that. That is a very provocative position that we find ourselves in in the fabric of the show after the pilot. There you go. That’s rich soil to build a story in.

IGN: As you continue to be in contact, what does Bruce Davison's character, Admiral Shepard, make of you? He’s also trying to figure out what’s going on, and his daughter’s life is at the center of it.

Reeser: I think the Admiral and Kylie are constantly in a dance of, are you friend or foe? Are we on the same team? Are you lying? That’s the world that Kylie and the Admiral are living in. They don’t know who to trust. Nobody in this show knows who to trust, especially the people in Washington, where people in very powerful positions are very invested in keeping all of this behind closed doors. So anything or anyone that’s a threat to that finds themselves in danger.

IGN: Is it as awesome to work here in Hawaii as we all imagine it to be?

Reeser: Yes. You may now be jealous. [Laughs] No, we are completely spoiled. I wake up every day, and I am so grateful to be here. I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I don’t take it for granted. This is my dream job. It’s amazing. I love living here, I love it. It can be hard after you’ve lived here for awhile, I’ve heard. But so far -- and maybe it’s just the time in my life with having a small child -- it was a good time for me to leave LA, and I feel like I’m only just now processing all of these monumental changes that I’ve been through in the last three or four years - getting married, having a child. I think my life in LA is so busy and so hectic.

I’m so used to, just when I think I’ve got my feet under, something else [coming up] - You know, “I’m going to go to Vancouver for the month. Okay, great!” There’s just never any time to process. And here, there has been. I’m reading again. I don’t have cable. I feel like my mind has some breathing room, and it’s a really good thing because having a small child can be so all-consuming that you don’t have a lot of processing or thinking time. Because I have no nightlife here, I have more processing and thinking time, you know? I’ve worked it out that way. I’m an hour outside of Honolulu. Not only am I on a remote island, I’m in a remote part of the remote island -- and I like it that way! It’s good. It’s letting me focus on this job and the personal questions that this character is bringing up for me. I hope we’re on for years so that you guys can come out and visit again and again!

Last Resort airs Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT on ABC.

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Watch the Dexter Season Premiere

If you've seen Matt Fowler's IGN review of the Dexter season premiere, you know he was quite happy with it, finding it a big return to form for the series - a sentiment shared by many of here at IGN, myself included. But if you haven't seen the episode yet, what are you waiting for? You can watch Dexter: "Are You...?", right here, right now!

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How I Met Your Mother Creators on Setting Up the Final Pieces

How I Met Your Mother’s Season 8 premiere ended with a big moment for the series – Ted and the still-unidentified Mother seen at some point “a little ways down the road” waiting at the same train station, presumably about to meet.

If you’re worried they’ll be a swerve, and she’ll walk away before Ted talks to her or some such, don't fret. HIMYM creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays recently spoke to the press about Season 8, with Thomas firmly stating, regarding that train station, “That’s the moment we’re gonna meet the mother. We can honestly say that. That’s where it happens. We’re moments away.” Said Bays, “That moment is something we’ve been building to for a long time and we’ll see more of that moment as the series goes on.”

Bays noted that back in Season 6, Ted said, “When I met your mother, it was the day of a wedding,” and added, “We specifically at that time made it the day of a wedding, not at a wedding. I think a lot of people were a little misled by that, which I feel a little bit bad about. But it’s not actually at [Robin and Barney's] wedding, it’s at that train station.”

Said Thomas with a laugh, “We like jumping to endings and then not telling you the middle. It’s very sort of awkward storytelling when you think about it, but we enjoy it! We’re gonna fill in all of the blanks on that day for sure. That day is the biggest day in the history of the group, obviously, and that’s where the series is heading. We’re getting close now.”

Just how close is still being figured out, since it’s still not clear for sure whether Season 8 is the final one for How I Met Your Mother or if it will be renewed for Season 9. But as Carter and Bays explained, for now, they are moving forward as though this is the final year. [Click the link below for more on the unusual situation the show is in]

How I Met Your Mother Creators on the Potential for Season 9

Asked again about whether the show might bring in the mother before the very end and continue with her as a character, rather than introduce her at the very end, Thomas replied, “That’s one of the biggest questions of the series and people ask us all the time. I feel like I haven't come up with a good way to dodge it yet, so I’ll just say, 'I’m dodging that!' It’s certainly something we’ve talked about and considered. But I don’t wanna say whether we’ve committed to it. Wait and see.”

Bays and Thomas said that through the eight years of the show, their plan for how HIMYM would end hasn’t changed. Said Thomas, “It’s the same plan. It’s the same plan we’ve always had. So if you hate it when you see it, just know that we committed really early to it. We were 29!”

As for what else is to come before that ending arrives…

Romances of Doom!

Right now, Ted has reunited with Victoria (Ashley Williams), Barney is engaged to Quinn (Becki Newton) and Robin has begun dating "Crush" (Michael Trucco) . But because of the way How I Met Your Mother works, we know all these relationships are doomed. Which is why the showrunners don’t mind spoiling that coming soon is what Bays joked is “the break up month!” for all those couples.

As Thomas noted, “We’ve shown you the end of all these relationships. We know that Ted doesn’t marry Victoria, we know that Barney doesn’t marry Quinn. So we’re showing you this sort of path of carnage of these relationships. I think ultimately the challenge was can all three of these breakups be completely different from each other? Can there be a funny one, can there be a dramatic one, can there be this? And I think we’ve done it. That’s the goal of breakup month – to show you three completely different disillusions of relationships. I think everyone, including the guest cast – like Michael Truco, Becki Newton – everybody got to be great in all of it. We’ve shot all of that now and we’re happy with it."

Meanwhile, “[November] sweeps will really heat up that progression of Barney and Robin getting back together and I think we’ve come up with a fun, weirdly appropriate way to reunite them in a whole new way that I hope that everyone will like. It’s a weird way to get them back together, but it’s really fun.”

New Kids on the Block

Thomas Lennon popped up in the season premiere as Victoria’s fiancée, and Bays and Thomas revealed he’d be in at least one more episode. In addition, his fellow The State alum, Joe Lo Truglio will be introduced as the partner to Martin Short’s character, Garrison Cootes, at Marshall’s law firm.

As for "Crush", while he was briefly seen back in Season 6 and in the premiere, future episodes will establish that he’s what Thomas described as, “sort of a struggling, cable access chef. He’s really awful and searching for his perfect chef catchphrase.” Added Thomas, “We don’t want to give away too much away about the character, because we kind of have a little reveal about him. His relationship with Robin will delightfully implode during breakup month.”

The Past Returns

How I Met Your Mother has had a ton of memorable guest characters over the years. So with the end in sight, might we see some more familiar faces again? Revealed Bays, “Yeah, we have a plan actually – and this might be a very expensive plan. We have a plan to bring back many, many people that we’ve had on the show. Not to completely steal their idea, but I enjoyed the Seinfeld finale, when you saw everyone that’s ever been on the show and we have a way to do that that sort of fits in with the universe of our show. So hopefully there will be a cavalcade of familiar faces going into the final episode.”

In the meantime, True Blood’s Joe Manganiello is confirmed to be returning this season as Brad, Marshall’s old friend. Said Thomas, “He went to law school with Marshall and he’ll come back as a lawyer and will feature into the trial [involving Marshall’s firm].”

How I Met Your Baby

Adding a baby to a long-running sitcom can be a tricky thing. So will that addition become central to Marshall and Lily’s storylines and How I Met Your Mother itself this season? Said Thomas, with a knowing laugh, “This is what I’d like to believe… We are tending to the fact that they have a baby more than some other shows have, I think, but I don’t feel like the baby takes over the show… It feels like they have a baby, but not like the show is all baby, all the time. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

Bays and Thomas noted that they were often using what Thomas described as a, “Really creepy, lifelike stunt baby. It’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever touched – and I’ve touched some creepy things! So a fun game this season is pick out the creepy, fake baby if you want to do that sort of as a drinking game at home.

Robin Sparkles Forever!

As our time with Bays and Thomas was wrapping up. I had to ask the duo: If How I Met Your Mother is wrapping up soon, we have to see Robin Sparkles again, right?

Replied Bays, “That’s always hanging out there as a thing we want to go back to - I think one more time before we hang it up.”

Added Thomas, “We have an idea. The challenge is always to do it and have it be completely different than the others. I’d like to think that all three that we’ve done have been different and we have a way to do it that I think would be completely different from all the other three. So yeah, we want to do it before the series ends.”

How I Met Your Mother airs Mondays at 8pm on CBS.

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Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Could Be The Series' Best

The annual, unchanging Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm series has little to offer anyone but hardcore fans. For that particular audience, though, it’s a consistent, reliable giver. It rarely shakes up the core mechanics of its 3D combat, instead opting to improve the spectacle of it all.

Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 appeals to fans that may have been let down last time, and gives them new layers to appreciate. And all the while, it leaves those unfamiliar with the popular anime in awe.

It’s clear developer CyberConnect2 learned a lot working on Asura’s Wrath – Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 has more interactive button-prompt sequences than ever. Typically quick time events leave bad tastes in gamers’ mouths, but these are so stylish in presentation that they’re easy to love. Fights are as much about fast-paced punching as they are presentation, so if you’re not into watching a bit of action go down and having control taken away, you’re absolutely not going to fall for Naruto Shippuden. That said, battles are fully watchable separate from the game because they’re so true to Naruto’s television style.

This is particularly true during the returning boss battles. What’s not to love about beating a city-smashing fox with a giant pipe, or transforming into a massive fighter and suplexing it in a Godzilla fight? Yes, that’s really a thing. Check it out:

Their spectacular scale is part of a broader thesis in Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Size matters. It’s all about huge bosses, more fighters, and more ways to play. The most intriguing new addition for Naruto fans, though, is the minor element of choices – again, another in-the-moment interruption for those concerned about it. During some battles, the camera will zoom in behind your brawler at an important moment, giving you the opportunity to finish the fight or play through a flashback. The memories serve more than a story purpose – giving you insight into the characters – because they fundamentally change the form and function of your fight.

If you're playing as Naruto, for instance, you'll flip back in time from the Shippuden era -- just before the Fourth Shinobi World War in which Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is set -- to the ninja's childhood. The characters you and your opponent play revert to their younger selves, changing their appearance as well as play style, special moves, and interaction. This disrupts expectations you have going into a fight, and forces you to learn to play multiple fighters. It's a clever bit of fan service that also adds an interesting element to an encounter.

Naruto Shippuden games have been predictable until now. With more than 70 characters in the roster, the return of epic boss battles, and the switcheroo flashback matches, there's enough here to keep even the most vetted fans on their toes -- and that's exactly what this series needed to stay strong.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

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Ex-Rare Devs Planning Banjo-Tooie Spiritual Successor

Ex-Rare employees have apparently reunited to try and create a spiritual successor to Banjo-Tooie.

The group, which includes series composer Grant Kirkhope and artist Steven Hurst, have set up a new Twitter account under the handle Mingy Jongo to gauge support.

“

That same kind of humour, silly characters, fun game play, great tunes and all that stuff.

It's unclear what format the game would be released on, though as Rare was bought by Microsoft and is currently helming its Kinect Sports series, it's not unreasonable to think it'll be an Xbox exclusive.

Not much is known about the project as yet, but we can glean some information from the account's tweets.

As regards to what engine will be used in the new game, it seems the team is interested in using Unity as they've tweeted, "#unity will probably be perfect for our spiritual successor. I'm thinking keeping level of detail and googly eyes close to the original..."

There are also mutterings of a Kickstarter project, as well as the clarification that the game wouldn't be a new title in the Banjo-Kazooie series, but rather a brand new IP that shares " that same kind of humour, silly characters, fun game play, great tunes and all that stuff."

The original Banjo-Kazooie released on N64 in 1998 and a sequel, Banjo-Tooie, followed in 2000. Both of these games were later re-released via XBLA in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

If you're interested in supporting the team in their endeavours, make sure to follow their Twitter account to show your support.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and was a great fan of getting Jiggy with it. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Elementary: "Pilot" Review

Advance Review: The idea of updating Sherlock Holmes is nothing new. It's not even new for CBS, which has twice before aired modern-day series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective (The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1987 and the radically differently titled Sherlock Holmes Returns in 1993). But this latest iteration is notable for coming out at a time when Holmes is enjoying a resurgence on screens both big and small. Tempted as I am to compare and contrast Elementary's version of Sherlock Holmes to the recent Guy Ritchie film franchise or the Steven Moffat series (still my favorite) or even Hugh Laurie's Dr. House, I'm going to try and stick to evaluating the premiere on its own merits.

But let me just say this before moving on - if you enjoy Elementary and you haven't yet seen Moffat's Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, track it down and watch it immediately. You won't be sorry. Then you can come back to Elementary and bask in the notion that there will be a fourth episode a week after the third, and then another one after that, and so on for likely 13 episodes at the very least, and probably 22 in one whole year if it gets a full-season order. Of course, just those 13 would be more than twice as many episodes as Sherlock has had in its two seasons combined.

The case that kicks off the series is a standard murder mystery, with twists and turns no more surprising or extraordinary than those you might find on Law & Order, or any other procedural show (and not, as far as I know, based on any particular Doyle story). What sets Elementary apart is the enigmatic personality of Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) himself and the unique way he reacts to his surroundings. He leaves rehab early to offer his skills as a consultant, free of charge, to the NYPD via a former colleague, Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn). Worried about his son's rash actions, Holmes' father --- unseen for now, though producers say we will meet him -- hires a "sobriety companion" to follow him around and make sure he doesn't use. That companion, of course, turns out to be Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), a washed up surgeon who finds that solving murders is a lot more fun than glorified babysitting.

Miller gives us a more emotionally vulnerable Holmes than we've seen before. He's had his heart broken and is recovering from drug addiction, exiled to New York for the convenience of an American television show. These scars are close enough to the surface they sometimes get in the way of the cold, robotic analysis we're used to seeing from the ultimate detective. He still makes instant appraisals of total strangers based on deductive reasoning but, at least in the pilot, it's often as much a trick of smoke and mirrors (and Google) as it is the unrestrained tick of a genius mind. This Sherlock is good at looking like he has a master plan, even when he's just losing his temper. He may not always be in control, but it seems like he is. And if there's one thing Miller is good at, it's looking cool.

As fascinating as he is, we can't truly appreciate Holmes' intellect without Watson by his side to serve as an exposition device, someone to ask, "How did you know that?" Liu's Watson is quite capable, almost his equal. She even picks on clues he misses. Based on this first episode, it doesn't seem like the show will immediately be exploring a romantic angle between the two, but by casting a woman as Watson the door will always be open for that possibility. So far, I like platonic working relationship the two have established in the pilot, even if it is muddied by the fact that Watson's loyalties are divided between Sherlock and his father. I hope the writers can resist messing with it for a while - and for what it's worth executive producer Robert Doherty says he doesn't intend to make things romantic between Holmes and Watson. Regardless though, that relationship will keep viewers coming back to the show more than the weekly cases, I suspect.

Speaking of the cases, it's worth pointing out that it isn't just the other versions of Sherlock Holmes that Elementary has to contend with, but all the other procedural shows on television now as well. This kind of detective storytelling has become so formulaic it's difficult to be original or shocking. The first hour does a good job of introducing us to a new Sherlock, but I predict the ongoing challenge of making this show will be to keep the storylines as smart as the main character.

Elementary premieres Thursday, September 26th at 10pm on CBS.

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Voodoo #0 Review

Like Resurrection Man #0, Voodoo #0 is one of those Zero Month issues that simultaneously serves as a flashback tale and a series finale. One thing Voodoo has going for it that Resurrection Man didn't is that the ongoing plot threads will be continued in the pages of Grifter, meaning Josh Williamson isn't forced to tie up all the loose ends in the span of 20 pages. The result is a very straightforward but competently executed finale that offers readers no real surprises.

This issue opens as Priscilla finds herself a Daemonite captive and doesn't stray far from there. There are the obligatory scenes of confusion and Pris coming to grips with her newfound powers. Williamson does little more than elaborate on details that were already reasonably well developed earlier in the series. The dialogue is sort of a mixed bag. While Williamson relies heavily on Priscilla's internal narration, there's really no other way to convey her jumble of thoughts and emotions in such a sparsely populated comic. The stilted Daemonite dialogue is more of a chore, though at least one of the characters pokes fun at them at one point.

One area this series deserves ample praise for is the art. Sami Basri holds the distinction of being one of the very few artists to remain on the same New 52 title for these past 13 months. Through it all, Basri has delivered consistently clean, attractive work with a strong sci-fi flair. I can only hope DC has future plans for Basri that will result in an equally long stint. Maybe an ongoing WildCATs series?

On that note, though Williamson has few surprises to offer here, he does effectively pave the way for the Grifter/Voodoo partnership and helps transition readers into that series. All signs seem to be pointing to a full WildCATs reunion down the road. It may be that Voodoo functions better as part of a team than on her own.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following Jesse on Twitter, or on IGN.

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Talon #0 Review

The idea of Talon as a series is certainly sound; following a man that was able to break free of the Court of Owls’ clutches and try to redeem himself is a concept with plenty to offer. We could see him try and right the many wrongs he’d done as a Talon while trying to avoid assassination by the Court he betrayed. However, with Calvin Rose being a brand new character introduced in issue #0 – after we’ve seen the kinds of motivations that lead one to becoming a Talon – he’s got a long way to go to proving his worth as not only a hero of Gotham, but as the anchor of one of DC’s New 52.

Writer James Tynion IV makes him endearing enough – he’s an escape artist that is led to the Court as a child – but his motivations for “accepting” his role within the Court are questionable. Compared to past tie-ins that provide these seemingly evil characters reason enough for becoming tools of assassination, Calvin’s is never made entirely clear. He’s got daddy issues (a necessity in the DCU, it seems), but other than that, he just seems to be easily swayed by the Court’s monologue about cleaning up Gotham. Granted, it’s doubtful he would’ve even had a choice in the matter, but Talon #0 still shows Calvin accepting the offer rather quickly and without good reason. Since this is serving as an origin story, it’s a bit disappointing that we don’t get more of an understanding of Calvin’s character other than the very broadstrokes.

That said, Tynion’s narrative voice is solid, offering many anecdotes about Calvin’s early days in the circus and as a Talon. Despite the narrative captions serving mainly as exposition, Tynion deftly spices things up with insight into Calvin’s personality. Talon #0 also makes great use of Calvin’s history as an escape artist, using it for solid thematic content instead of just convenient plot points (having a lockpick hidden away in dire circumstances is always recommended). The Court of Owls also makes a significant appearance here by necessity, but Tynion is able to mine that psychologically disturbing element that makes them such spectacular villains to great effect.

It’s nice to see Guillem March on a book that doesn’t rely simply on cheesecake, allowing him to showcase his storytelling chops to the reader without worry of distraction. March isn’t known for subtlety, but he gets to enact some during the aforementioned Court sequences, both in terms of action and horrific imagery. It’s a very nice change of pace for the artist, so here’s hoping that the future installments can maintain this sort of quality.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Dwayne Johnson, Barry Sonnenfeld Team for Lore Movie

Action star Dwayne Johnson will team with Men in Black series director Barry Sonnenfeld for Lore, based on the IDW comic book series.

Deadline describes the Warner Bros./Mad Chance movie as similar in tone to the MiB films, so it makes sense for the studio to tap the director behind that franchise.

Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott penned the screenplay for Lore, which has been in development since 2010.

In the comics, Lore is set in a world where creatures from myth are real, but have been banished and kept at bay by a secret society called Shepherds. The story centers on Jennifer Bradley, who is trying to uncover the truth behind her father's mysterious death even as she and the rest of humanity are threatened by the return of these beasts.

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FX Closes Deal to Develop Fargo as a TV Series with Coen Brothers Executive Producing

Back in March, it was revealed that FX were in very early conversations with MGM about a potential TV series based on the Academy Award winning Joel Coen & Ethan Coen film. Now, Deadline reports FX have closed the deal and are actively developing the project, and that the Coen Brothers will be involved -- in title at least -- as executive producers.

Fargo will be written and executive produced by Noah Hawley, the creator of The Unusuals and My Generation, which will be co-produced by MGM and FX Productions.

Frances McDormand won an Oscar for her role as the lead character, police chief Marge, in Fargo, with the Coens themselves winning for best screenplay. It’s expected that Marge will be the main character – though we’ll see just how pregnant she is this time.

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'Homeland' and 'Modern Family' are the big winners at Emmys

LOS ANGELES –  "Homeland," which puts the battle against terrorism on American soil, was honored as best drama series at Sunday's Emmys and earned trophies for stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. "Modern Family" was named best comedy.

"We feel so lucky, lucky not only to have jobs in these challenging times, but to have jobs that we love with people we love," said Steven Levitan, co-creator of "Modern Family."

The drama "Homeland" stopped "Mad Men" in its tracks, denying the show a record-setting fifth trophy and kept Bryan Cranston from his fourth consecutive best drama award for "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm an also-ran once more.

The Emmys refused to play it predictably Sunday, with Jon Cryer of "Two and a Half Men" earning a best actor award and Jimmy Kimmel proving a game but uneven host.

"I'm one of those pesky Brits, I apologize," said Lewis, who plays an American in the espionage thriller. "I don't really believe in judging art, but I thought I'd show up just in case."

Danes, eye-catching in a bright yellow dress that gracefully draped the pregnant actress, was effusive.

"My husband, my love, my life, my baby daddy, this doesn't mean anything without you," she said to her spouse, actor Hugh Dancy.

Backstage, Danes said she particularly appreciated one fan: President Barack Obama has said he's a fan of "Homeland," about a Marine and former POW who's suspected of working for al Qaeda.

"No pressure," the actress said. "It's way cool that he is a fan. It speaks to the relevancy of the show and it's hugely validating."

The acting trophies, along with a best writing award for the show, gave "Homeland" momentum as it headed toward the best drama award.

Aaron Paul won best supporting drama actor for "Breaking Bad" and "Homeland" won the best writing award.

"Thank you so much for not killing me off," Paul said of his drug-dealing character's lucky survival. "Thank you Hollywood for allowing me to be part of your group," he added, noting he'd moved from Idaho to pursue his dreams.

On the comedy side, Emmy voters decided that "Two and a Half Men" with Jon Cryer and without Charlie Sheen is really good, as Cryer claimed the best comedy actor trophy.

"Don't panic, people. Something has clearly gone terribly wrong. I'm stunned," said Cryer, who on the red carpet before the show has expressed confidence he wouldn't win. Among others, he beat out two-time winner Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory."

Ashton Kutcher, who joined the show after Sheen was fired, wasn't nominated.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was honored as best actress in comedy for "Veep."

Andy Griffith topped a segment honoring industry members who died during the previous year. Ron Howard, who played Griffith's son Opie in "The Andy Griffith Show," said he belonged "in the pantheon."

"Dang if he didn't make it look powerful easy while he was going about it," Howard said.

Phyllis Diller, Davy Jones of "The Monkees," Sheman Hemsley and Richard Dawson were among the others honored in a montage.

Earlier in the show, Kimmel dared to mock the in memorian package that typically airs at awards shows with one showing him in various guises. Josh Groban sang a mournful "You're Beautiful" in background.

"I will be missed," Kimmel said.

Maggie Smith was honored as best supporting drama actress for her tart-tongued dowager in "Downton Abbey," unhurt by the program's move from the miniseries category.

"Homeland," the domestic espionage thriller, won the best drama writing award.

"Modern Family" made it look easy as the comedy won the best directing trophy and Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen claimed supporting actor awards. There was at least a minor backlash online as some questioned whether the show had a deserving season.

Stonestreet was funny and touching as he accepted for his role as half of a devoted gay couple.

"I wouldn't be standing here without Jesse Tyler Ferguson, there is no Cam without Mitch," he said, saluting his co-star. "We get the awesome opportunity to play these two characters on TV and show America and the world what a loving couple we can be just like everybody else."

Then he turned saucy: "I never knew I'd be on TV as a gay man, but I love the pictures of hairy chests you guys are sending me, it's really amazing. Thank you for those."

Among reality competitors, "The Amazing Race" was honored as best reality series, ninth time in 10 nominations for the award. Tom Bergeron of "Dancing With the Stars" won as best host of a reality series.

Julianne Moore's uncanny take on Gov. Sarah Palin in the TV movie "Game Change," about the 2008 presidential campaign, earned her best actress honors.

"I feel so validated because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down," Palin said, beaming.

Kevin Costner was named best actor for the history-based miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys," while Tom Berenger was named best supporting actor for the project and Jessica Lange won supporting actress honors for "American Horror Story." `'Game Change" was crownd best series.

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" proved unstoppable, winning its 10th consecutive best variety show trophy. Stewart, discussing the lasting value of his show, apparently forgot that what flies on free-wheeling cable gets censored on network television.

"Years from now when the Earth is just a burning husk and aliens visit, they will find a box of these, and they will know, just how predictable these (several bleeps) can be," he said.

Standup comic Louis C.K. won the Emmy for best comedy writing for "Louie" and for the special "Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre." Said the comedian after his second win: "Thank you to audiences around the country who still go to see live comedy."

Kimmel, who played it clean, set up one of the night's best filmed comedy bits by musing on what "Breaking Bad" would have been like had it aired in a G-rated, pre-cable era.

The answer: a spoof of the opening to "The Andy Griffith Show," with "Breaking Bad" stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, fully suited up to cook crystal meth, out at the lake with their fishing poles as the "Andy Griffith" whistling theme song was heard.

As a pungent punchline, they shot dead an unexpected witness: a friendly deputy billed as co-star Don Knotts.

The show started with bathroom humor: A filmed bit with Kathy Bates, Zooey Deschanel and other nominated actresses prepping in the restroom, then discovering a weeping Jimmy Kimmel lamenting a Botox reaction he said would keep him off stage as host.

"You look beautiful," he was reassured. "You look like a `Real Housewife."'

Viewers of the skit may have been puzzled by a nude Lena Dunham, the creator-star of "Girls," who's routinely brave about showing skin on the HBO comedy.

Not all his material worked. One bit that fell flat had Kimmel's parents, or so the host said, escorted out of the theater because they promised he would win an Emmy and he didn't.

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane found presenting can be tricky.

"Oh, the mic's over there," he said, after discovering he was on the wrong side of the stage. "This is what happens when you don't come to rehearsal," MacFarlane said.

Fashionistas noticed yellow was hot, the color of choice for Julianne Moore, a pregnant Danes, Julie Bowen and Hannah Simone from "New Girl."

"Best hair and makeup goes to Danes. Perfect!" tweeted Emma Roberts.

HBO came into the night with a leading 17 creative arts Emmys from a Sept. 15 ceremony honoring technical and other achievements. CBS was second with 13, followed by PBS with 11. Discovery received six awards, NBC got five and ABC and the Cartoon Network won four each. Fox received two trophies.

Emmy has to prove herself a winner with the audience. After rebounding somewhat to 13.5 million viewers in 2010 after an all-time low in 2008 of 12.3 million, last year's show drew 12.4 million viewers airing on Fox. The ceremony rotates annually among the four major networks.

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J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuarón Team for NBC Pilot

On the heels of Revolution’s big debut this week, J.J. Abrams continues to be a busy guy when it comes to developing potential TV series and he has a formidable collaborator for his newest project – Alfonso Cuarón. The acclaimed filmmaker behind Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Cuarón will co-write and direct a currently untitled pilot for NBC, reveals Deadline, with Abrams executive producing. It is the first TV project for the Oscar-nominated Cuarón.

The story is described by Deadline as being about “a girl in possession of a great gift/powers — which will come into their own in seven years — and the man who is sprung from prison to protect her from those trying to hunt her down.”

Mark Friedman (Home of the Brave/The Forgotten) will co-write the pilot with Cuarón. and the two will executive produce along with Abrams and Bryan Burk.

Abrams and his Bad Robot production company also recently set up a new potential series at FOX from Fringe’s J.H. Wyman.

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FOX Nabs New Comedy Series from Ted Trio

Deadline is reporting that FOX has bought a new live-action comedy series, with a put pilot commitment, to be written/executive produced by Ted co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and executive produced by Ted co-writer/director/star Seth MacFarlane.

Yes, the minds behind the biggest comedy hit of the summer ($408 million worldwide) are working up a series about two successful guys in their 30s who have their lives turned upside down when their nightmare dads unexpectedly move in with them.  MacFarlane, of course is most famous for creating and starring in FOX's Family Guy, where Sulkin and Wild have also written and produced for years.

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Mr. Ed Returns as CGI/Live-Action Hybrid

Waterman Entertainment is looking to adapt the classic television series Mr. Ed into a feature film. The company also recently bought the rights to The Brave Little Toaster, hoping to breathe new life into beloved children's properties.

"We are identifying properties that have had success with multiple generations of parents who feel comfortable and have excitement about reintroducing the characters and storylines to their own kids and grandkids," said executive producer Cooper Waterman. "While each property remains independent of each other, they will share the commonality of addressing social values, morality lessons, and characteristics that are clearly identifiable for kids with comedic elements for all age groups."

The original TV show centered on the exploits of a talking horse, Mr. Ed, and his klutzy but affable owner Wilbur Post. Current plans are to adapt the series into a live-action/CG hybrid movie.

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Why Monster Hunter 4 is Not Multi-Platform

Speaking with IGN at Tokyo Game Show, Monster Hunter series creator and producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has explained why Monster Hunter 4 is not a multi-platform title.

Following the news that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – an improved version of 2010’s Monster Hunter Tri – would be released on both 3DS and on Wii U on HD, some fans have been wondering whether Monster Hunter 4 would make its way to other platforms. But it doesn’t seem like it will.

“Other than what we’ve already announced, we don’t have anything that we’re planning,” said Tsujimoto, asked if Monster Hunter 4 might appear on any other console besides the 3DS.

“The way that we work with Monster Hunter games is that we see them as single entities, so we don’t develop for one platform and then think about porting it to another platform. The situation with the 3DS and the Wii U is that we wanted people to play this game a lot, so that’s why we have taken this [multi-platform] approach with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. But it doesn’t mean we’ll do that with new entries.”

Monster Hunter has historically appeared on Sony platforms – the first game appeared first on the PlayStation 2, before an improved and updated version was released on PSP. Monster Hunter 2 was released on PS2 as well, but it wasn’t until Monster Hunter 2nd G came out for PSP that the series achieved the enormous success that made it synonymous with portable gaming in Japan. Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii was the first game to appear on a Nintendo platform.

“The series did start out on Sony platforms, but it’s just realistic to think that it can’t continue on one platform forever,” says Tsujimoto. “With Monster Hunter 4, it actually just came down to timing  - we were developing a new Monster Hunter and the 3DS hardware had just come out, so we figured it was probably the best platform for us to develop it on. You have two screens, with action on top and menus on the bottom, and there’s the 3D view as well. It just made sense to put it onto 3DS.”

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will be released on both 3DS and Wii U in 2013 in North America and Europe; it’s already out on 3DS in Japan, and hits the Wii U there on launch date, December 8th. Monster Hunter 4 for 3DS has not been confirmed for the West yet, but it’s out in March 2013 in Japan, and after Tri’s breakthrough success worldwide, our hopes for seeing Monster Hunter 4 outside of its native country are high.

Keza MacDonald is in charge of IGN’s games coverage in the UK, and has spent hundreds of hours hunting monsters on the PS2, PSP and Wii over a good five years now. You can follow her on Twitter and IGN.

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First Look: Metal Gear Rex Collectible

The Metal Gear series has shown us a lot of enemies over the course of its 25-year run, and now, Kotobukiya has revealed its upcoming model kit depicting one of the most bad-ass: Metal Gear Rex, which was first introduced in 1998's Metal Gear Solid.

Standing nearly 9 inches tall (1/100 scale), the Rex kit has multiple points of articulation, including legs that fold up allowing the cockpit to rest on the ground. The collectible is comprised of 600 pre-colored pieces. Check out the images below for a closer look:

Koto's Metal Gear Rex will retail for $79.99 and is scheduled for release in January 2013.

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The Mob Doctor: "Pilot" Review

Advance Review: The first thing that FOX's new series, The Mob Doctor, has working against it is... its name. It's hard to not giggle and pre-judge a show with such a nail-on-the-derp title. Yes, creators often look for for a name that can singularly sum up their show, but I feel like a lot more people aren't going to be able to get past this silly title than will wind up eventually over-looking it. Also, it doesn't help that the show a mostly-laughable shlock-fest riddled cliches and familiar beats.

My Boys' Jordana Sprio (off her two-episode dramatic arc on Dexter last year) stars as Grace Devlin (a name not lost on anyone), a tough, punchy surgeon who grew up poor on the south side of Chicago. She's part angel, part lie/cheat/and steal if it protects the right people hellion. And her hospital rounds are filled with a rogue's gallery of characters you've seen before. Her bitchy rival (Jamie Lee Kirchner), her arrogant, weaselly boss (David Pasquesi, almost channeling his Strangers with Candy role) and wasted Emmy-winner Zeljko Ivanek as an extra-bland Chief of Surgery.

Instead of starting off the show with the story of how Grace became a doctor who moonlights for the local mob in order to pay a debt for her brother's life, we begin in the thick of it. Grace has been a "Mob Doctor" for years already and we're just catching up with her on a particularly busy day where she deals with a goon who has a screwdriver in his head, a kid with a gunshot wound, a girl from the "neighborhood" who's pregnant thanks to outercourse and an FBI witness in dire need of heart surgery. And once again, thanks to pilot-itis, everything moves at breakneck speed, with the writers thinking that fast stories and super-speed dialogue make things seem more urgent and characters seem more clever.

Spiro can be a fun and lively actress, but she crumbles here at the feet of sloppy sentiment and an interesting premise that's treated more like a glossy adventure series than a tension-filled drama. Grace's doctor boyfriend, Brett (Zach Gilford), is handsome and nice while the crooks she deals with, notably Michael Rapaport's Moretti, are dumb and mean. It's all flat. I will say that, toward the end, there's a surprise twist that gave the show a jolt, but it's all for naught. One would think, that given the premise, Grace would be desperately looking for a way out. That she's afraid of being caught and tired of keeping secrets. But she's not. In fact, when given the opportunity to actually leave criminal servitude and make a clean getaway, she stays. And becomes an even mobbier Mob Doctor! Her excuse is, naturally, family. Even though we meet her pushy mom and incompetent brother and see first hand that they're no treasure trove.

But she's from the south side. And just like Boston's south side, cinematically, family is supposed to mean more than anything, no matter how dopey and troublesome they are. William Forsythe, fresh off his Boardwalk Empire stint, plays a typically Forsythian role in the form of Constantine Alexander, a soft spoken crime boss freshly released from prison. And while his relationship with Grace might feel more interesting, and rife with potential, the fact that, right off the bat, Grace has accepted her lot in life as a physician for both sides of the law makes the show feel empty and harmless.

The Mob Doctor premieres on Monday, September 17th at 9/8c on FOX.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and IGN. WARNING: No Nudity!

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Guatemala Tourist Hub Rocked by Volcano Eruption

ESCUINTLA, Guatemala –  One of Guatemala's most famous tourist attractions was hit Thursday by a series of eruptions from a long-simmering volcano that sent thick clouds of ash nearly two miles (three kilometers) high, spewed rivers of lava down its flanks and prompted evacuation orders for more than 33,000 people from surrounding communities.

Guatemala's head of emergency evacuations, Sergio Cabanas, said the evacuees were ordered to leave some 17 villages around the Volcán del Fuego, which sits about six miles southwest (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua, home to 45,000 people. The ash was blowing south-southeast and authorities said the tourist center of the country was not currently in danger, although they expected the eruption to last for at least 12 more hours.

The agency said the volcano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes billowing with ash around Acatenango, a 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) volcano whose name translates as "Volcano of Fire."

SUMMARY

Many of those living around the volcano are indigenous Kakchikeles people who live in relatively poor and isolated communities, and authorities said they expected to encounter difficulties in evacuating all the affected people from the area.

"A paroxysm of an eruption is taking place, a great volcanic eruption, with strong explosions and columns of ash," said Gustavo Chicna, a volcanologist with the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology. He said cinders spewing from the volcano were settling a half-inch thick in some places.

He said extremely hot gases were also rolling down the sides of the volcano, which was almost entirely wreathed in ash and smoke. The emergency agency warned that flights through the area could be affected.

There was a red alert, the highest level, south and southeast of the mountain, where, Chicna said, "it's almost in total darkness."

He said ash was landing as far as 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the volcano.

Teresa Marroquin, disaster coordinator for the Guatemalan Red Cross, said the organization had set up 10 emergency shelters and was sending hygiene kits and water.

"There are lots of respiratory problems and eye problems," she said.

Many of those living around the volcano are indigenous Kakchikeles people who live in relatively poor and isolated communities, and authorities said they expected to encounter difficulties in evacuating all the affected people from the area.

Officials in the Mexican state of Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala, said they were monitoring the situation in case winds drove ash toward Mexico.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Paul W.S. Anderson Mulls Monster Hunter Movie

Resident Evil film series helmer Paul W.S. Anderson is reportedly hoping to turn another Capcom video game franchise, Monster Hunter, into a movie.

Punch Drunk Critics got the lowdown by translating a Japanese interview Anderson did while promoting his latest video game movie, Resident Evil: Retribution 3D. Capcom has trust in Anderson at this point given the commercial success of the Resident Evil movies, the most successful video game franchise yet.

Anderson he's actively planning the film adaptation now. While there are no details on his take for bringing the fantasy-action-horror game to cinematic life, it's probably a safe bet that his wife and Resident Evil leading lady Milla Jovovich will likely be involved with it.

Thanks to Dread Central for the heads-up!

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