Sigourney Weaver estaría en conversaciones para protagonizar El mandaloriano y Grogu película.
Fue informado por primera vez por expertos de la industria. jeff schneidery confirmado por publicaciones comerciales que incluyen diverso Y reportero de hollywoodParece que Weaver está en conversaciones con Lucasfilm sobre la próxima película. guerra de las Galaxias película. La identidad del personaje de Weaver no ha sido revelada, pero Snyder afirma que la legendaria actriz tendrá un “papel importante” en la película si se inscribe.
EXCLUSIVO: La guerrera espacial más mala de todos los tiempos, la tres veces nominada al Oscar Sigourney Weaver, está en conversaciones para unirse a THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU… https://t.co/kvQjOK5kF211 de mayo de 2024
Si Weaver se une a Pedro Pascal (quien interpreta a Din Djarin, también conocido como The Mandalorian) en la lista del elenco de la película, se sumará a su ilustre lista de apariciones en franquicias de ciencia ficción. Weaver es mejor conocida por interpretar a Ellen Ripley en los primeros cuatro. extraterrestre Entre mayo de 1979 y noviembre de 1997, pero también interpretó a Nefi, conocido como Kyrie, en 2022. Avatar: Camino del agua Apareció como Dana Barrett en los dos primeros. Cazafantasmas Clics.
Lucasfilm y su empresa matriz Disney no han proporcionado ninguna pista sobre la trama de la próxima película. Sin embargo, se ha sugerido que modifique las historias principales, en las que podría haberse utilizado. El mandaloriano Temporada 4para la película.
Una época muy ocupada para esa galaxia muy, muy lejana
Star Wars: The Acolyte llegará a Disney Plus a principios de junio. (Crédito de la imagen: Lucasfilm)
Como he mencionado, El mandaloriano y Grogu No es el único proyecto de Star Wars en el que están trabajando Lucasfilm y Disney. Actualmente, hay hasta siete películas en varias etapas de desarrollo, y se cree que esta película y una nueva película de la Orden Jedi protagonizada por Rey son las que están más avanzadas en desarrollo.
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En el frente televisivo, Star Wars: El Asistente Será la próxima serie que se estrene en Disney Plus, también conocida como una de las series internacionales Los mejores servicios de transmisión. Se estrenará el 4 de junio y sigue los pasos de otras series de Star Wars. lote malo Temporada 3 y cuentos del imperio – que fue lanzado este año.
Serie estilo Goonies llamada Star Wars: Tripulación esqueleto Si bien era muy esperado, también se espera que se lance antes de finales de 2024. Andor Temporada 2 Debería emitirse a principios de 2025. Agregue la segunda temporada de la serie a la mezcla. Star Wars: Ahsokaque se encuentra en las primeras etapas de su creación, y es un momento de mucha actividad para esta famosa galaxia muy, muy lejana.
Lucas necesitaba muchos Jedi para completar la batalla decisiva en “El ataque de los clones”, donde los Caballeros Jedi intentan enfrentarse al ejército de Dooku. Aquí es donde entra en juego la cita de Allen con el destino. Como ella explicó:
“Un día, mi jefe de producción, que acababa de regresar de Sydney, puso en mi escritorio una copia de un cómic de Star Wars protagonizado por Ayla Secura y dijo: ‘¿Quieres hacer esto?’ ¡Y por supuesto dije que sí! Meses después de eso, me vestí como un twi'lek azul en una escena de la versión en DVD de “La amenaza fantasma”, así que ya lo había hecho y, por supuesto, quería hacerlo de nuevo, no me di cuenta en ese momento. Era el momento en que Ayla Secura se convertiría en este personaje brillante.
ayla Desde entonces ha regresado en el programa animado “The Clone Wars”, Lo que de por sí se ha convertido en una parte extremadamente popular de la franquicia para una nueva generación de fanáticos que crecieron con las precuelas. Y Allen, que resultó estar en el lugar correcto en el momento correcto, es quien recibe el crédito por darle vida a este personaje.
Apple and Star Wars come together in these new accessories. Photo: Casetify
Casetify partnered with Lucasfilm to release an exclusive collection of iPhone cases and other accessories in honor of Star Wars Day. It’s all about the Dark Side of the Force, with a range of styles featuring Darth Vader, the Death Star, stormtroopers and more.
These are limited editions so don’t procrastinate about ordering.
Decorate your iPhone with a new case on Star Wars Day
It’s Star Wars Day thanks to the pun that “May the Fourth be with you” sounds like “May the Force be with you” catchphrase.
Casetify’s latest cases go nostalgic by featuring images from the original trilogy from the 1970s and 1980s.
“Fans will be able to shop a laser-engraved Death Star Aluminium Case and the Darth Vader Leather Embossed Case — honoring the resilience of the iconic space station and the Dark Lord of the Sith,” said the accessory-maker. “In addition to special edition products, customers can shop a variety of cases inspired by the Death Star, Darth Vader’s helmet, stormtroopers, the Empire’s crest, and more.”
Not all of the Star Wars iPhone cases have given in to the Dark Side. There’s one of the Millennium Falcon and another is an iconic scene from Tatooine.
And users of other Apple devices can get into the fun, too. There are iPad cases, MacBook cases, AirPods cases, wireless chargers, clip-on iPhone wallets and more, most featuring Darth Vader, the Death Star, etc.
To see the full collection of Star Wars iPhone cases and other offerings, visit the Casetify website. Prices range from $38 to $112.
21st-century science has all the necessary principles to create a working Star Wars lightsaber, but not the know-how.
A few years ago, Swiss fusion physicist Federico Felici explained in detail to The Science Museum blog how hot plasma contorted into an elongated, 3,100-degree Fahrenheit toroidal cylinder (think of a doughnut stretched into a long tube) by powerful magnets and contained in an insulated handle could make a working lightsaber.
The problem is much of this technology, at least at that pint-sized scale, is theoretical and there are still huge issues to work out like how to keep the plasma beam in one piece. One theory is to use AI (!) to learn plasma fluctuations and use the magnets to counter them on the fly.
So now we have a microcomputer and a fusion system that somehow generates massive amounts of fusion energy inside a device no larger than a standard flashlight. Oh, and it needs tiny magnets that are exponentially more powerful than their size would indicate.
In the real world, that’s no moon
Joel Pinkham’s “Light Saber Blade” is really just a toy lightsaber. (Image credit: USPTO)
In my quest to find a single working or under-development lightsaber, I turned to the US Patent and Trademark Office where I found a pair of intriguing patent applications. Both mention lightsabers and each tries to make something workable. However, sadly, neither is intended to be the real deal, just workable props.
Joel Pinkham’s “Light Saber Blade” (AKA Patent Application US 2023/390661 ), published in December 2023, looked promising. However, as I read it, I realized that Pinkham was simply suggesting better housings for toy lightsabers that use lights and extended tubes to fake the Lightsaber experience. His innovation is a new way to connect disparate lightsaber toy elements.
Slightly more promising was Michael Chau’s clunkily-named “Apparatus for generating three-dimensional visual effects and smoke-generating device for such an apparatus.” Right, that sounds nothing like a Jedi Knight’s go-to weapon, However, in the abstract, Chau writes, “Application in particular to the production of ‘lightsaber’ visual effects.”
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Chau’s idea in the now four-year-old patent application is to build a cylinder with a powerful LED light source, a heating element, and a small fan inside. The heating element would cook up glycerol, which makes dense smoke, while the fan propels that smoke out of the business end of the ‘lightsaber” and the LED light illuminates the gas. The “plume” as Chau described it would look like a “beam of light” similar to the plasma beam out of a real lightsaber.
It’s just a visual effect, but we give Chau points for an impressively innovative approach.
There are, however, a few-not-quite-real lightsabers both for sale and in use that may offer enough sparks and excitement to satisfy most Star Wars and May the Fourth devotees.
I want to be a Jedi like…
YouTuber and engineer Hacksmith built, perhaps, the most famous lightsaber device and maybe the only one that uses what may be a real plasma flame (regular fire can be considered “plasma’ if it’s hot enough and messes with surrounding ions).
As he says in his video, “My team and I make the most realistic and functional lightsabers the world has ever seen.”
His blades burn at a metal-cooking 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit and, as Hackmsith claims, they can “cut through almost anything.”
In his videos, Hacksmith shows off full-sized lightsabers that look like they might satisfy Luke Skywalker or Kylo-Ren. But if you look at the end of the plasma blades, you’ll notice that they look more like blowtorches than blades of light.
The mini ones he sells resemble fancy lighters, but at least the flames can burn in accurate Jedi knight colors. Hacksmith’s last major lightsaber update was almost a year ago. I wonder if they’ll introduce something even more eye-popping in 2024.
When you wish upon a Star Wars
Perhaps the most exciting fake lightsaber comes from the House of Mouse. Last year, Disney, which owns the Star Wars franchise, showed up at the SXSW Conference in Texas and demonstrated a retractable lightsaber that looks and works pretty much like every lightsaber you’ve ever seen in at least Episode IV, V, and VI.
Just about the only record we have of it is a 15-second video in which a Disney exec casually extends and retracts a white lightsaber blade from a metal hilt. It even makes the iconic lightsaber extension sound.
While there were rumors Disney might eventually sell the lightsaber in stores or at least at Galaxy’s Edge in Disney Land and Disney World theme parks, it’s looking like that won’t be the case.
If a blade that generates extreme heat or can cut through metal doors is not a requirement, you could build your own or buy one of the countless screen-accurate lightsaber replicas on the market. The blades are usually made of plastic and embedded with a series of LED lights. Obi-Wan wouldn’t approve but then he’s just a force ghost now, so you do you.
May the Fourth, also known as Star Wars day, is today and for Meta Quest 3 (or Oculus Quest 2) owners there are some far better ways to celebrate than simply watching one of the classic films. That’s because you can immerse yourself in a galaxy far far away with some stellar Star Wars VR titles.
What’s more there are some superb savings to be had on my favorite Star Wars VR game – Star Wars Pinball – right now, making it the best time to pick this title up if you haven’t already. There are others you can check out too that aren’t discounted like Vader Immortal and Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, as even at full-price there’s a lot to love about them.
Alternatively you can celebrate Star Wars day the traditional way with a marathon of the Star Wars films in order, or by reading up on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew which is set to land later this year.
Star Wars Pinball VR
Okay, okay, I know pinball won’t leave you feeling like a lightsaber-wielding badass, or a slick space pirate, but I promise you have to try this game out. If only because it’s currently massively on sale – coming in at just $8.49 / £6.79 instead of $24.99 / £19.49 just for Star Wars day.
Star Wars Pinball VR reimagines the iconic digital cabinets Zen Studios has crafted over the past few years in a full VR experience. They are situated in a fan’s dream hangout space you can decorate with collectible goodies that you unlock by getting high scores and competing challenges, and the pinball machines themselves are a delight.
They capture the retro-chic flair that real world pinball machines offer, while delivering on digital expectations by featuring interactive elements that wouldn’t be possible in real life. There are 10 total cabinets to master, but if you want to mix things up further you can explore the Career mode; it adds various restrictions and powers to your gameplay that force you to mix up your playstyle.
I’ve enjoyed this game since it first released, and will admit to almost falling over a few times because I’ve been so immersed in the game that I tried to lean on a cabinet that wasn’t there. If you haven’t tried it already you absolutely should right now, especially because it’s at a bargain price.
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Vader Immortal
No villain, nor character in general, is more iconically Star Wars than Darth Vader. So what better way is there to celebrate Star Wars day than with a trilogy inspired by the Sith Lord himself.
As a smuggler who picked the wrong planet to explore – the fiery world of Mustafar which Vader calls home – you must use your lightsaber skills and latent force powers in order to survive the adventure that fate has thrust you into, including an encounter with Vader himself.
This series is far from fault-free – chief among its issues is it’s fairly brief even spread across three games – but the lightsaber combat feels exactly like you always dreamed it would. The force abilities are clunkier, but again it’ll be exactly what everyone who’s ever tried (and failed) to pull an out-of-reach object closer by willing it towards them ever wanted.
The other downside of grabbing Vader Immortal right now if you’re interested is you can only pick each entry up individually. They’re often bundled together in a package that comes with a big discount but that’s currently not the case – so if you’re not desperate to play this game today you might want to hold off until it’s on sale.
Supernatural
If you want to swing a lightsaber around – or at least something like one – and get a little fitter whirl you’re at it, then check out Supernatural. I got hooked on the VR fitness app during my month-long VR workout experiment with my Meta Quest 3, and recently I’ve been enjoying its limited time Star Wars-themed Flow sessions.
My personal favorite one is the Dark Side list because it features Duel of the Fates – it’s so much fun to do battle while this tune blasts through my headset’s speakers. But there’s also a general Star Wars and a Light Side mix if you don’t want to embrace the Sith’s teachings.
Just act fast as these Star Wars levels are leaving very soon.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
If you’re less interested in being a laser sword-wielding space wizard, and would rather be like the blaster touting characters in The Mandalorian or Andor, then Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge will be right up your street.
Set in Batuu – the same location you can travel to at Disney World in Orlando Florida – you must help some familiar droids as you adventure through the wilds of this Outer Rim settlement. Once you’re done you can continue this quintessentially Star Wars story with the Last Call DLC, and if you’ve enjoyed the main game I know you’ll enjoy this expansion too.
As an extra bonus, you can additionally explore tales from Star Wars’ rich history, with short bonus IG-88 and Ady’Sun Zee (a Jedi Padawan) missions. They’re very much secondary to the main game’s plot, but they’re great minigames especially if you’re sharing the experience with friends and family who just want a quickfire burst of Star Wars.
I very much enjoyed the Obi-Wan Kenobi, and stuck it out with Star Wars: Ahsoka, when this highly anticipated Star Wars TV duo landed on Disney Plus. But, by the time the credits had rolled on the latter in mid-2023, I think I’ve had my fill of Jedi-led stories in Lucasfilm’s iconic galaxy far, far away.
Sure, seeing these series’ Force-wielding protagonists clash with their Sith counterparts and other overtly villainous folks – amid the crackle and buzz of lightsabers – is always highly enjoyable. But the bits in between – channelling the Force and so on – have become rather stale in my eyes. Blah blah “concentrate”, blah blah “use your feelings”… you get the idea.
Even in Disney Plus shows that initially don’t revolve around the Jedi, such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, still tread old ground and eventually lead to the telekinetic hot-glow-stick wielders showing their faces. While I was entertained by the Kill Bill-style battle between Ahsoka and Morgan Elsbeth at the end of The Mandalorian, other appearances from the Jedi have either been a tad underwhelming or overbaked. Yes, I know ‘Baby Yoda’ is cute and all, but seeing Grogu train with a digitally recreated Luke Skywalker in season 2 of The Mandalorian (one of the best Disney Plus shows, in many people’s eyes) wasn’t the dose of nostalgia and role-reversal I think Disney hoped it would be.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s self-titled Disney Plus series wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney Plus)
Andor, though, showed me and many other Star Wars fans that you can make a great Star Wars show without a single Jedi appearance. In fact, I’d argue that Andor is the most interesting piece of Star Wars content that Disney has done to date – something that TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter Tom Power also claimed in his Andor season 1 review.
Yes, I know it was a slow-burn to begin with, but the series’ determination to explore how planets and societies operate under the yolk of the Empire is fascinating, as is peeking behind the curtain of how the Imperials maintained galactic control (beyond their legions of Stormtroopers) across the cosmos post-Star Wars Episode III. Andor’s morally gray characters with a strange mix of selfless and selfish motivations, including its so-called heroes in the titular renegade, Luther Rael, and even Galactic Senator Mon Mothma, made for far more interesting viewing than the stereotypical good and bad guys that we’ve come to expect from those on the Light and Dark, and the Republic and Empire, sides of the divide.
Andor gave me all of that, as well as a planet-hopping yarn, complete with tense action, cool ships, great costume design, and even discussions over the foundations of society and rebellion to fuel one’s mind with discourse. Throw in its multi-genre appeal – Andor is filled with sci-fi drama, political thriller, and espionage-based action – and here is one of the more recent new Star Wars shows and movies that feels creatively unique among its peers.
Andor‘s story isn’t over yet – we’re getting a second season, which is likely to air in 2025. (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney)
So I want to see Lucasfilm lean more into other parts of the lived-in Star Wars universe, especially projects that ask audiences to question what we know of it. Okay, Star Wars: The Acolyte (out on June 4), is yet another tale based around the Jedi, which contradicts the points I’ve made. But, considering it’s set during the High Republic era – the first time we’ll see this period in a live-action production – and it’ll be similarly amoral to Andor with how it positions the too-comfortable Jedi and their Sith underdogs, it should deliver something befitting the kind of show that I want to see from the Disney subsidiary.
But that’s all I’d like to see. Not only do I want more Andor (thankfully, Andor season 2 is on the way), but how about a series that goes deeper into exploring what life is like from an Imperial point of view – the Star Wars: Tie Fighter videogame did this, as did other recent gaming titles like Star Wars: Battlefront II and Star Wars: Squadrons. Disney has a vein to tap into there.
Star Wars: Ahsoka tried to give us something different from other Jedi-centric TV series, but didn’t quite stick the landing. (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney Plus)
Equally, I’d like to see a series that looks at Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Okay, Solo: A Star Wars story already did this to some extent, but I feel there’s more to dig into there. Could something of this ilk happen in the apparently still-in-development Lando project, which may see Donald Glover play the roguish schemer once more? I live in hope.
Failing that: how about focusing on the adventures of explorers or traders adapting to the new Imperial rule, or ignoring it completely and pushing into the worlds on the far edges of the Outer Rim? We could bounce forward into the era of the recent Star Wars movies and examine how Benicio Del Toro’s DJ, the oddball slicer first and last seen in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, came to be. Speaking of those movies, Finn was basically side lined after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so I’d love for that wrong to be righted, and for us to get a look at how Finn became a Stormtrooper under the First Order. John Boyega, who played Finn in the sequel films, exclusively told TechRadar (in a chat with Tom Power) that he’s “open” to appearing in another Star Wars movie, so give him the tale that he deserves.
In summary: there’s a rich tapestry of untapped potential in the Star Wars franchise that Disney could explore without looking all doe-eyed at the Jedi – and I, for one, want them to actively lean into this more. Make it so, please.
“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose”
Star Wars: The Acolyte is another Disney Plus series that’ll star the Jedi and the Sith. (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney Plus)
In a chat with fellow Managing Editor Matt Bolton, we brainstormed a few er… creative… Star Wars show ideas. Read on for our machinations:
How about Pod Racing: Drive to Survive, where we follow pod racers in their efforts to gain renown while staying alive.
Jawa Storage Wars could follow plucky Jawas in the bowels of a Sandcrawler as they try to trade all manner of items scraped and scrounged across Tatooine.
One Man and His Droid: a touching tale of a moisture farmer bonding with an errant astromech.
Keeping up with the Kashyyykians, a semi fly-on-the-wall docuseries following socialite Wookiees as they go about the high life on their homeworld of Kashyyyk, compete with jewel-encrusted bowcasters.
Similarly, The Real Housewives of Coruscant could explore the glitz and glamour of the spouses of high-ranking senators in the capital of the Republic/Empire, complete with high-drama and high-fashion inspiration from Padmé Amidala.
Below Deck: A Star Wars Documentary would be a reality show-meets-documentary following the life of select crew members of a Super Star Destroyer, where we see junior officer Bendak Willough-tee get in a steamy relationship with TIE pilot Courtnita Skipponch.
Deal or No Deal: Tatooine Edition sees new contestants try and get a good deal out of Jabba the Hutt – only those that fail to strike said deal get fed to a Rancor.
Cantina Nightmares where galactic chef Goron Rancorsey tries to save falling cantinas around the Outer Rim, all the while yelling “you’re serving f***king blue milk!”
Frozen Planet could feature Droidvid Clatteborough, renowned nature documentary presenter and protocol droid with dulcet tones, exploring life on Hoth while dodging predatory wampas.
There are some ideas for you there, Disney. Matt and I are happy to consult – just please cut the amount of Jedi shows and realize that not everything has to happen on Tatooine and/or feature those crowd-pleasing but overused Jedi, you hear?
Every Star Wars fan’s favorite day is fast approaching, and the Force will very much be with us this weekend. As we get closer to May 4, you’re probably thinking of ways to make the most of Star Wars Day 2024.
You may be spending the day binging all the Star Wars movies (and here’s how to watch them in order), but you may want to keep your hands busy while you do it. If you’re a keen Lego collector, Amazon has some fantastic deals on Lego Star Wars building sets you can dedicate your day to. And the best thing about Amazon’s deals is that they’re available to Star Wars fanatics in both the US and UK.
There are offers on lots of sets, with some at their lowest prices to date – ranging from fun playsets for kids, to advanced models in Lego Star Wars’ Collector’s Series, for adults who like to display their creations with pride.
But you should note the deals may not stick around for much longer, so it’s best to snag them up before it’s too late – as they’re more tempting than the Dark Side for some fans…
Knowing where to pre-order Star Wars Outlaws is now a hot topic, with the game’s release date out in the wild – it arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on August 30.
Plenty of retailers are getting in on the listing action already and there’ll likely be more to come out of the woodwork soon. So getting to the right places efficiently to spend your hard-earned cash is paramount – and that’s where we come in as we can direct you to the best place to pre-order Star Wars Outlaws quickly.
The main thing to know is that there are three versions to choose from for the game on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The Standard Edition gets you the main game, and a cosmetic pack as the pre-order bonus; the Special Edition bags you a few more digital goodies; while the Gold Edition throws in the season pass and some early access content too. For full details on what’s included, jump down to our dedicated section on what’s included with each edition.
Anyway, let’s stop beating around the bush and get to it. Below are all the Star Wars Outlaws pre-order editions and the best links to use to snag your copy.
Star Wars Outlaws pre-orders – PS5 US
Star Wars Outlaws pre-orders – PS5 UK
Star Wars Outlaws ore-orders – Xbox Series X
Star Wars Outlaws pre-orders – Xbox Series X UK
Star Wars Outlaws pre-orders – What’s in each edition?
(Image credit: LucasFilm Games/Ubisoft)
With multiple Star Wars Outlaws pre-order editions and options, there’s also a range of digital bonuses and levels of access that come with each level or tier of edition. If you’re looking for a quick overview to inform your choice then we’ve got you covered.
Starting simply, if you pre-order any version of Star Wars Outlaws you’ll get the following:
The base game
The Kessel Runner Bonus Pack that includes the Spaceship Cosmetic and Speeder Cosmetic Pack
(Image credit: Lucas Film Games/Ubisoft)
The Special Edition, sitting in the middle of the variants available, and being sold by a couple of retailers only, gets you the standard version of the game and a few extras to take your full package to the following list of items:
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The base game
The Kessel Runner Bonus Pack that includes the Spaceship Cosmetic and Speeder Cosmetic Pack
The Sabacc Shark Character Pack, which includes cosmetics for Kay, her blaster, and Nix
(Image credit: LucasFilm Games/Ubisoft)
The Gold Edition gets you everything in the previous two variants, the same pre-order bonuses, and also throws in a season pass to get you access to the DLC that will follow the main release, as well as three days of early access to the game. The full list for this version is as follows:
The base game
The Kessel Runner Bonus Pack that includes the Spaceship Cosmetic and Speeder Cosmetic Pack
The Sabacc Shark Character Pack, which includes cosmetics for Kay, her blaster, and Nix
Season Pass which has 2 upcoming story pack DLCs and an instant Day 1 mission and cosmetics.
Three days of early access to the game (play before the official release date)
While I know first-hand how awesome the digital world of technology is – if I didn’t love it then I’d be in the wrong profession – I’m also the first to admit it can all get a little overwhelming.
Back in January, I offered my personal board game recommendations to help you fend off the New Year blues without turning on a screen, and this month I want to do the same for three trading card games (TCGs) that I love – and that don’t require any tech for you to enjoy them.
More importantly, they’ve all just had new releases on March 8. So if you’re reading this when it gets published, your friendly local game store might be running events where you can check these games out in a beginner-friendly environment.
Card games are my go-to way to get away from tech, and I’ve found that they’ve been a really useful tool for meeting new people so I can combat the rise in loneliness brought about in the post-pandemic era we find ourselves in. I hope they can help you too.
So, with that all in mind, here are my low-fi, low-tech recommendations for March 2023.
Magic The Gathering x Fallout
Rather than gaming on a PS5 or one of the best gaming laptops, why not bring the game to the kitchen table with one of the new Fallout Commander Decks for Magic The Gathering. Of the three TCGs on this list, Magic is by far my favorite, and Commander is one of the best ways to play the game.
Ideally played with four players (though games with more or fewer players are allowed), each person has a 100-card deck – one stack of 99 and a 100th ‘Commander’ that sits separately from the rest and can be cast at any time during your turn. By playing a mixture of lands and spells, your goal is to bring your opponent’s life totals from 40 to zero (you can also win if their deck runs out of cards or you achieve a special win condition based on the cards you play) before you’re eliminated.
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ivan Krivenko)
Because of its multiplayer format, I find Commander is more casual and a lot more social than other card games. It’s easier to chat during matches, and sometimes you’ll need to work together with other players rather than against them to stop whoever is ahead from stomping you both.
What makes these Fallout decks special is that they feature exclusive new game pieces and reprints of iconic cards from the game’s 30-year-long history that show characters, themes, and items from the Fallout video game series – which is soon to be a TV show on Prime Video.
There are four to choose from: ‘Scrappy Survivors’ headed up by Fallout 4’s loyal canine companion Dogmeat, ‘Hail Caeser’ for all of you who love to play the villain, ‘Science!’ if you’re fascinated by Fallout’s Nuclear science, or ‘Mutant Menace’ if you’re interested in irradiated monsters and hazards that have been left in wake of the ‘Great War.’
(Image credit: Bethesda)
If you’ve never played Magic before, picking up one of these decks is an excellent place to start. Not only does it take all the hassle out of designing your deck – a challenge for newer players – but while I’ve yet to use one of these specific decks myself, I’ve seen plenty of preconstructed Commander decks like these win games straight out of the box.
You can also bling out your new deck with exclusive-Fallout Collector Boosters which offer exclusive reprints and artwork not found in the decks. Though the disadvantage is you don’t know what you’re getting, and one pack can be pricey – so you might be better off buying the exact card you want from your local game store or online (I use eBay and Cardmarket).
Lorcana: Into the Inklands
If you prefer Disney to Fallout or are a little newer to TCGs and frightened by the complexity of the game, then you might want to try Lorcana instead – a game that brings the best Disney films to life in cardboard form.
The game shares a lot of similarities with Magic, chiefly that you have a resource – Ink in your Inkwell – that you use to summon iconic Disney characters, play items, and use special powers. But it has several advantages that I think make it way more approachable for people who aren’t super familiar with card games – while still being a blast for veterans like myself.
The first is that the new Into the Inklands set is only the game’s third expansion. While it does add an exciting new card type – Locations that your characters can visit, and that offer benefits for as long as you have them in play – the card pool is still very easy to wrap your head around.
(Image credit: Future)
Also, the recognizability of the Disney characters puts their abilities into context.
The Titans in Hercules are all about destroying Greece and Olympus, so it makes sense that they like to mess with Locations in Lorcana; there are famously 99 Dalmatian puppies (with mum and dad Perdita and Pongo making 101) so it makes sense that you can have 99 of them in your deck instead of the usual limit of four; and the Mousketeers are all about protecting Princess Minnie in the film, so, of course, they’d be Bodyguards who protect your other characters.
Lastly, Lorcana has simplified a few rules you might know from Magic. Rather than special cards you use for Ink, you can play most cards face down in your Inkwell to build up your resources – making deckbuilding way simpler. Plus, opponents can’t play cards on your turn, so you generally only have to worry about what’s on the table in front of you, especially hidden info that can disrupt your strategy for each turn.
(Image credit: Ravensburger / Disney)
If you’re looking to try the game out, a draft or sealed event at your local game store is an excellent way to start. Everyone only plays with the cards they open at the event so you don’t have to fret about someone stomping you with a deck they’ve dropped hundreds on.
Alternatively, a couple of starter decks can be a fun way to learn with a friend. They aren’t the most competitive, but they are well-balanced against each other and show off most of the core mechanics.
Star Wars: Unlimited
Lastly, if you feel three set releases are still too many then why not try Star Wars Unlimited? It has just launched its first-ever set. So if you go and play you’ll be just as much of a noob as anyone else there.
This also means this is the game I’m least familiar with – I’ve only played it once or twice – but so far it seems to be a blast.
It combines a few ideas already seen in this list – the familiarity of characters and locations, cards as your resource (here called Resources), and the Commander (here called a Leader, who’s paired with a Base of your choice) from Magic The Gathering. But there’s also a lot of freedom that satisfies the Unlimited name.
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(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
If Luke Skywalker is your Leader, you’re incentivized to play Heroism and Vigilance cards – aspects that fit his on-screen personality. But if you want to throw the odd Villainy or Aggression card in, you can embrace the Dark Side – albeit at a cost of more resources.
Because it’s so new, your local store will likely be running lots of beginner-friendly events. I’ve found store staff are generally very happy to help TCG newcomers get to grips with any of the options on this list (as well as others like Pokemon, Flesh and Blood, and One Piece), and they should be especially ready to aid you and others with this completely new release.
There’s also a Starter Kit on sale that comes with two decks and a bunch of handy cardboard and paper accessories so you and a friend can get up to speed on the new Star Wars Unlimited experience in your own time.
