I don't disagree with the assertion that Team 7 is a pointless series. It's sort of an inherently pointless exercise to showcase a team formed in the early days of the New 52 universe and comprised mainly of characters that have their own solo books set in the present day. We all know where this is leading for most of the players involved. But the most important thing is that I'm enjoying reading the adventures of characters like Black Canary, Deathstroke, and Grifter more in this series than I am in their own books. So yay for Team 7.

Issue #2 wraps up the team's first mission as they battle Eclipso zombies aboard a floating, trillion dollar prison. Given the absurdity of that sentence, it's a shame the tone of the series isn't a little goofier. That goes double considering that the book is penned by Luther Strode creator Justin Jordan. But Jordan plays it mostly straight, aside from the handful of 80s action movie one-liners. It's entertaining, regardless. The general team dynamic is fun, and Jordan is able to flesh out the various players enough that the #0 issue seems almost pointless in hindsight.

One element I would like to see done away with is the narration. Though the captions are written from Dinah's point of view this month, the narration is just as bland and unimportant as it was in issue #1. When the captions could simply be erased from the book with no ill effect on the story, that's a sign that they need to go.

Unfortunately, Team 7 is already becoming yet another New 52 book that suffers from inconsistent art teams. Ron Frenz provides breakdowns again, but this time Julius Gopez steps up to handle finishes. The storytelling is decent enough throughout, but the finer detail is diminished somewhat. Few panels really stand out and grab the reader's attention.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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After fans were told not to expect a new game in the Mega Man series to coincide with the franchise's 25th anniversary this year, many were worried that this signalled Capcom had no plans to expand upon the series any further. Thankfully, in a new interview the company has revealed this isn't the case.

“

I can say with certainty that you’ve not seen the last of the Blue Bomber on consoles and handhelds.

Speaking with Nintendo Power (via Siliconera), Capcom USA senior vice president Christian Svensson explained that we'd be seeing a lot more of the Blue Bomber in future on both handhelds and, interestingly, consoles too.

He explained, "I can say with certainty that you’ve not seen the last of the Blue Bomber on consoles and handhelds, and, with luck, we’ll be celebrating his 50th anniversary, including all of the games you’re going to enjoy over the next 25 years.

"That said, an issue we’ve had in the past has been talking about games and announcing them before we’re certain they’re going to come out, which unfortunately has lead to profound disappointment for many fans. So for now, I’m going to have to stay mum about any details."

The last game to be released in the series was Mega Man 10 back in 2010 on XBLA, PSN and WiiWare.

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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In the wake of the events of AvX: Consequences, Cyclops and his allies are going to be getting a new series of their own in the form of Marvel's latest volume of Uncanny X-Men, set to debut in February.

Written by new X-scribe Brian Bendis, who will also be handling All-New X-Men, with art by Chris Bachalo, Bendis told Marvel.com that Uncanny "came right out of our story planning for Avengers Vs. X-Men. There was a great deal of time where Marvel had asked Jason Aaron and [me] to bring all the elements of the story together. It was during this process that both of us came up with a lot of ideas for the mutants going forward. By this time I knew that I was taking over the X-Men and that allowed me freedom to take his [X-Men] characters into places I probably wouldn't have the guts to [in AvX] if it wasn't my job to clean up the mess so to speak."

The series will focus on Cyclops, Magneto, Magik, and Emma Frost attempting to recruit the new mutants that are popping up all over the globe as a result of AvX. These new mutants will play a huge role in this new series. "They are front and center. They will be interacting with our main cast. Time will show that some might become characters that people grow to love and some may interact with the Marvel Universe in surprising ways," stated the writer.

Those fearing that All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men will be necessary reading for one another, rest easy. "At least initially my goal is to do exactly what I did [with] Avengers and New Avengers. The books will connect thematically and sometimes even story-wise, but you don't have to buy both books to enjoy them. Hopefully I will make you want to buy and read both books with our stories and our characters," said Bendis. "But these books are both looking at mutants and Marvel from their unique point of view. Both of these books' points of view are, in my opinion, very legitimate and very much a concern."

In the interview, Bendis also confirmed that Scott Summers and Emma Frost are no longer a couple. "The romance is done. They are not together anymore romantically. It's pretty hard to come back from what they went through in Avengers Vs. X-Men. Things were said, powers were stolen, and as we will discover in the very first issues of Uncanny X-men, some things happen between them that cannot be taken back. And because they are Scott and Emma, this breakup is going to take a while. And it's not going to be pretty, but fun to write."

For more with Bendis on Uncanny X-Men, head over to Marvel.com.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.

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The crazy popular series, Call of Duty, continues on November 13th with Black Ops 2. With a new branching campaign, retooled multiplayer, and at least three to four robots, Black Ops 2 should make quite a splash.

We want to know what your launch day plans are. Will you rock a midnight launch party? Play a few hours after school or work? Call in sick? Knowing this stuff helps us understand you and further our steps for global domination  better serving you as a reader. Take our extremely short, hyper easy, totally cool survey and let us know. It takes less than 15 seconds -- no joke.

Go ahead, take the survey. We'll wait here.

No, really, it's fine. Take your time. We're not going anywhere. Go ahead. We promise we'll be here when you get back.

All done? Super, thank you so much for helping us out. We've entered your data into our Neural Matrix Hub and have used it in our quest for bettering the world through the joy of video games. Or something like that.

Ryan Clements writes for IGN and is totally not plotting to overthrow the current world governments and instate his own order fueled by k-pop. Follow him on Twitter at @PwamCider.

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Check out a new photo and series of banners from the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

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Acclaimed game developer Peter Molyneux is hard at work with his new studio, 22 Cans, developing his next big game. While Molyneux is busy designing a series of interactive experiments, beginning with Curiosity, he has kept abreast of the developing game industry as it branches out to growing platforms like mobile, free-to-play, and social. He's had a chance to check out the Nintendo Wii U, as well as Microsoft's SmartGlass.

Thus far, he has reservations about tablet gaming.

Molyneux talks about the challenges that developers face when trying to create true multi-screen gaming experiences.

IGN: What do you think of the multi-screen experience that’s evolving with tablets and with the new Nintendo Wii U and Microsoft SmartGlass?

Peter Molyneux: The thing about the SmartGlass is that the tablet is a thing that you have with you all the time. Now, in that sense, I understand completely as a consumer and I’m excited to see what these guys do with it. But I do have a problem with it. I now have a screen in front of me on my lap and a screen up on the wall that I’m looking at. Which one should I be looking at? Should I be looking up at the big screen and down, or at my lap and up? Should I be checking down on my lap every few seconds?  What’s going to incentivize me to move my eyes from the wall to my lap?

In a way, part of me is excited by this. But part of me is worried that this is a bit of tech which us tech boys get really excited about, and until I see some really great uses of that SmartGlass or the Wii U GamePad, the jury is out for me to be honest with you. I can see it if I’m watching a football game that the scores would come up on the SmartGlass. I’m all there for that. I can see if I’m watching a TV episode and it gives me some background on the actors. I’m kind of there, but I can do that on the internet already. The real use for me is how it’s used as part of the entertainment experience, and then that divided attention that you’re demanding of a player is going to be really challenging to balance well.

IGN: Do you think also it could be a generational thing in the sense that you and I are both older, but there’s a younger generation that does currently watch TV and play on a tablet or a smartphone or a PC all at the same time?

Peter Molyneux: That’s a very interesting point, but I think what people do when they have multiple screens is something very simple. They will listen to the big screen whilst distracting themselves on the small screen. That’s not what SmartGlass and Wii U are talking about.

They’re talking about producing an entertainment experience that you’re engrossed in. So you’re not typing an email while watching TV. You’re playing a game while watching TV on the GamePad and that’s where my problem comes in. I know I need it when I’m watching a football game. I need SmartGlass to do my emails or check Twitter or distract myself, especially when the things are at a low point in the plot. But that’s not what SmartGlass or the Wii U are about.

It’s about giving you a second screen into the same experience, and that’s where I’m a little bit challenged. I agree that the younger generation has the ability to switch very fast between different things, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about them being in the same experience. I just think it’s like a lot of tech out there at the moment. There’s a huge amount of tech out there at the moment, including the cloud -- and the cloud has been around for some time -- and it’s not until we get the great applications that actually use that hardware and delight us with those experiences, that we’ve really appreciated its value.

IGN: What are your thoughts on what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U overall?

Peter Molyneux: I struggle to see anything amazing coming out of Nintendo. There are a few, “Oh, that’s smart,” but there’s nothing that makes me rush out as a consumer to buy the new device. I’ll give you a great example of how tech should be used.  It’s what Nintendo did with the Wii when it first came out. They introduced motion control.  They were one of the first companies to introduce motion control and they had a fantastic Wii Sports Game. As soon as I picked up the controller and started waving it around, I got it. I already understood it. But I’m not sure there’s a same sort of application out there for Wii U. I think to myself, “Well, what’s the reason to get it?”  Do you see what I mean?

IGN: I do. I’ve tried out a lot of the launch games and outside of the Nintendo games like NintendoLand and Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends and ZombiU, there’s not a lot of innovations. And I did find it challenging, even while standing at the kiosk, focusing on both screens.

Peter Molyneux: There you go. I had exactly the same experience. I played those games and I thought, “That’s cute.” But the psychology of making a game is hard enough because plasma screens are so big now. It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

“

It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

When you’re designing a game for a plasma screen you’ve got to really flash the corners of the screen. You’ve got to get movement in, otherwise people don’t notice anything in the corners. Getting people to move their eyes from the screen down to their laps is incredibly hard. There has to be some huge motivational thing like the words coming up, “Look at your GamePad now.” If you’re going to do that, from a design perspective that sounds a bit clumsy and complex.

IGN: As we look at the upcoming launches of three new consoles, what role do you see them playing in this evolving gaming ecosystem?

Peter Molyneux: Consoles have a very tough time ahead of them. The main issue is that existing console manufacturers are so embedded into the standard retail model in that they spend two years developing a game and then they push it out to retail stores and they’re done. They get a huge amount of money and then they move on to the next sequel that takes another two years. That world is gone forever.

Retail is still an important part of the console business, but a lot of consumers are starting to move to things like the iPad and to digital distribution. People don’t want to go down to a store and buy something that they can buy online just like they don’t want to go down to the store and buy music anymore. The console manufacturers have these two big problems. Their existing business model of development and investing in multiple million dollar development projects and then launching and having this marketing shock and awe campaign. Plus the fact that the technology that’s out there in every consumer’s hands through tablets and phones is now more accessible than ever, and their consoles are stuck in the basement or they’re stuck in the living room. That’s hugely challenging for them.

When you look at the number of units that Apple and Android and Motorola are able to make, the power of tablets and phones are going to exceed the power of consoles very soon now. That’s a problem for console manufacturers because if they’re lucky, over five years they’re going to sell 40 or 50 million devices. And if they’re very, very lucky they’ll eventually -- over a lifetime of consoles -- maybe sell 100 million. That is a drop in the ocean when you compare it to the number of smartphones that are in the market today, and then a tiny drop in the ocean when you compare the number of smartphones that are predicted in the market in the next few years. Just the scaling cost of producing hardware or the penetration of it means that they’ve got a real pricing issue.

“

We gamers love our games.

On the plus side, they have a very loyal following. We gamers love our games. We love setting up our gaming locations. We love going into them and inviting our friends.  So they have some loyal fans, but they used to be on the cutting edge of innovation. And they just feel like they’ve fallen back a step now and the people at Apple and Android have taken the crown of innovation from them.

John Gaudiosi is a freelance writer that, among other things, travels the world.

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Teased in a new teaser a couple of weeks back, Marvel has unveiled its latest title, an all-female superhero series called Fearless Defenders, written by Cullen Bunn with art from Will Sliney. The series will star Valkyrie and Misty Knight as well as introduce some new female characters to the Marvel Universe. Following Fear Itself, Bunn was one of the writers that tackled the enjoyable follow-up series called Fear Itself: The Fearless which, perhaps not surprisingly, featured Valkyrie in a prominent role.

In an interview with Newsarama, Bunn said, "You've got Misty, who's a very street-level character. And you've got Valkyrie, who's a goddess. So you've got very different backgrounds, and I think they will see their potential teammates very differently, and I think you'll see that the two of them have some differences of opinion on who would be the right team for what they're going to be facing."

He added, "This will also be a book that gives us a great opportunity to showcase the women of the Marvel Universe. You'll be seeing a lot of characters in the book who may not necessarily be in the core team, but will have the opportunity to guest-star and rotate into the book."

Bunn also revealed that Dani Moonstar will be another member of this new Defenders team, though the entire team won't be present right out of the gate in issue #1.  The writer also coyly dodged a question about the possible inclusion of the Wasp, who was recently brought back in the pages of The Avengers, so take that for what it's worth.

For more on the Fearless Defenders, head on over to Newsarama.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.

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Detective Comics fills a niche right now as a Batman book that allows itself to be more free and more fun than the others. The tone of the series under new writer John Layman is not unlike Batman: The Animated Series, with its copious assortment of iconic Bat villains and a tone that isn't too dark or too comedic. It isn't ambitious or ground-breaking, but it achieves what it sets out to accomplish.

Though Penguin's quest for legitimacy is still the overarching focus of Layman' first arc, Poison Ivy hogs more of the spotlight. Layman attempts to fit his issue into the confines of the other at books, referencing both Scott Snyder's Death of the Family material and Ivy's recent defection from the Birds of Prey. Unsurprisingly, this continuity wrangling does nothing to actually serve the story, and I wish Layman could maintain a more continuity-light and editorial caption-free approach. The interaction between Bruce and Damian also seems odd and unnatural, partly because of the pointless references to other books, but also just because of the odd tenor of Damian's dialogue. But eventually the script shakes free of these shackles and focuses on the conflict at hand. Layman adds further spice to history with a surprise revelation at the end, one that is effectively fleshed out immediately after in the backup feature.

Both Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke provide attractive visuals to round out the solid script. Fabok's art play like a looser but still impressively detailed version of David Finch's style. Clarke's intricate line-work and moody panels stand out equally well. My only complaint is that Fabok's depiction of Poison Ivy's already underwhelming new costume is a bit weak compared to Clarke's.

I won't say that if you only read one Bat-book, to make it Detective Comics. It isn't the strongest of that pack by any stretch. But it still has its definite strengths, and when it isn't forced to reference pointless bits of continuity, it succeeds at offering a nice standalone adventure with plenty of familiar faces.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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If you’re looking for all the feels, they are in Sweet Tooth #39. The penultimate issue of the series and the conclusion of Wild Game, Jeff Lemire crafts a heartbreaking finale to Gus and Jepperd’s journey. I’ll avoid direct spoilers, but suffice it to say that this is the issue fans of the series have been simultaneously anticipating and fearing, and I can confirm that all of your fears/wishes come true.

Make no mistake, this is the issue that holds the final confrontation between Jepperd and Abbot, leaving the coming issue #40 to act as a sort of epilogue to the series as a whole. As such, this issue is jam-packed and deftly paced, but not at the expense of the necessary character beats that bring the entire arc of the series full circle. Lemire makes this issue about fathers and sons, ultimately culminating in a confrontation of feelings that has so long been simmering under the surface but never really given a chance to boil over. Here, Lemire effectively gives certain characters spectacular send-offs that not only call back to moments throughout the series but also serve to forge a new path for others.

The artwork remains consistent with what we’ve come to expect from Sweet Tooth, with several nice touches laced throughout. An opening splash page that features Abbot holding a gun to Gus’ head has the feint suggestion of a skull forming in the grey sky above, adding a grim ambience to the entire scenario. Later, as Jepperd undergoes an attack by wolf creatures, Lemire takes advantage of a two page spread that intercuts his battle with some notable moments from across the character’s history. It’s scenes like these that make this issue truly memorable and a fitting end for the story about the boy with antlers.

We’ve still got one issue to go – which Lemire promises will be far happier than this one – but issue #39 holds so much emotional resonance that you’ll be hard pressed to continue reading the rest of your comics from this week without your mind wandering back to Sweet Tooth.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.

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Epic Games has revealed the lifetime sales for the Gears of War series -- the 19 million copies sold span three releases since November 2006. In its first week alone, Gears of War 3 sold 3 million, while Gears of War 2 garnered 2 million sales in its first weekend. Not bad.

This is the second Xbox-exclusive series to share its significant success in the past weeks. Microsoft recently detailed the record sales for its Halo franchise, which cracked the 46 million mark leading up to Halo 4's release.

Coincidentally, today marks the sixth anniversary for Gears of War.The first Gears of War prequel entry, called Gears of War: Judgment, will release for Xbox 360 on March 19, 2013.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He loves Gears a lot. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

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Neil Gaiman will be returning to the Doctor Who universe, when the series returns in spring, 2013, the BBC has announced.

After much speculation, celebrated author Neil Gaiman finally got around to writing an episode for the cult British TV show in the shape of The Doctor's Wife, which went on to win the Hugo award. And he's back, taking on one of the Doctor's most iconic foes – The Cyberman.

But wait, there's more. The episode, in addition to featuring Matt Smith as the Time Lord and Jenna-Louise Coleman as his new companion, will also star Warwick Davies, Tamzin Outhwaite and Jason Watkins (Being Human).

Lead writer and show runner, Steven Moffat told the Doctor Who blog, that the "Cybermen were always the monsters that scared me the most! Not just because they were an awesome military force, but because sometimes they could be sleek and silver and right behind you without you even knowing. ’ He went on to say, ‘And with one of the all-time classic monsters returning, and a script from one of our finest novelists, it's no surprise we have attracted such stellar names as Tamzin, Jason and Warwick.’

The Cybermen were last seen in Closing Time (2011) but first confronted the Doctor in 1966's The Tenth Planet. Are you excited to see them return with Gaiman writing the script? Let us know in the comments below.

And if you don't know your Cyberman from your Daleks, check out our brilliant Doctor Who A-Z.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer, and you can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

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It looks like PlayStation gamers will be getting more Nathan Drake. Why? Because the Australian Classifications Board seems to have unveiled a new game in the Uncharted series.

Multiple sources have reported on the seemingly unintentional reveal, most notably GameSpot, which was re-Tweeted by Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida, all but verifying that the game is real.

So what does the classification listing tell us? Well, quite a bit, as it turns out.

For starters, the publisher, not surprisingly, is Sony Computer Entertainment, which owns the Uncharted franchise. What’s strange is that the developer of Fight For Fortune is a studio called One Loop Games. The Uncharted trilogy on PlayStation 3, as well as the PlayStation Vita iteration in the series, were developed in-house by Sony-owned developers Naughty Dog and Sony Bend, respectively. It appears this entry will leave the first party development stable.

One Loop Games’ website shows a picture of both an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The company claims its “team has over 30 years of interactive entertainment experience behind it,” with projects having appeared on XBLA, PSN, and elsewhere. Interestingly, the studio worked on God of War: Betrayal and Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, indicating it already has a relationship with Sony. The studio also had a hand in the development of consoles games like Full Spectrum Warrior and The Saboteur.

The rating also indicates that Fight For Fortune may not be your typical Uncharted game. Australian games are rated in six categories: Themes, Violence, Language, Drug Use, Nudity and Sex. Each of those categories can be ranked from “none” to “high impact”, with four other classifications in between. Fight For Fortune scores a “none” in Themes, Language, Nudity and Sex, with “very mild impact”, the next step up from “none”, in Violence and Drug Use.

Now, Drake and his friends have never been known for running around naked or using drugs -- so there are no surprises on that front -- but the four Uncharted games have, so far, relied a great deal on death-by-gun. So perhaps Fight For Fortune is something that deviates from the Uncharted formula.

Interestingly, the game is also listed as being multi-platform. Since Sony owns Uncharted and is publishing this game, indicating it will never appear on a non-Sony owned console or handheld, this could very well indicate that Fight For Fortune is a cross-play game PS3/Vita game. Or perhaps it’s a PS3/next-gen game. Or maybe it’s all just a mistake.

Developing…

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

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It’s been a long, strange road for Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. First announced as a webseries, it was then intended to become a full-length Syfy series – only for the network to pass on it, having produced a TV-Movie pilot. Syfy had insisted the pilot would air though, and indeed it shall – but first, it will be released as webisodes, bring the project full circle.

As first reported by EW.com, Machinima Prime will debut the webisodes, with the first available on November 9th. There will be ten webisodes total, ranging in length from seven to twelve minutes. Early in 2013, Syfy will then air the complete Blood and Chrome TV-Movie – before a Blu-ray and DVD release of an unrated version.

Set in-between the events of Caprica and Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome stars The Borgias’ Luke Pasquaino as a young William Adama, a gifted fighter pilot who finds himself assigned to one of the most powerful battlestars in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. Full of ambition and hungry for action, Adama quickly finds himself at odds with his co-pilot, the battle-weary officer Coker (Ben Cotton, Alcatraz). With only 47 days left in his tour of duty, Coker desires an end to battle as much as Adama craves its onset. Lili Bordán (Silent Witness) also stars.

David Eick (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica) is executive producer along with Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), who wrote the teleplay from a story by Eick, Bradley Thompson (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies) and David Weddle (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies). Blood & Chrome was directed by Jonas Pate (Prime Suspect, Caprica).

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Starz have released the first trailer for Da Vinci's Demons, the upcoming series from The Dark Knight's David S. Goyer. The series is expected to debut in the spring, as Spartacus comes to an end. Check out the trailer below.

You can also watch our recent interviews with Goyer and Da Vinci's Demons cast members from New York Comic Con:

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The biggest problem with Mark Millar's Hit-Girl mini-series is that it didn't come out sooner. The series is stuck attempting to fill gaps between the two Kick-Ass volumes that really don't matter now. On its own merits, it's a reasonably enjoyable offshoot of the main storyline, and it's enough to wonder why Millar didn't simply label this story Kick-Ass 2 and ship it before the previous series.

Issue #4 sees Mindy deal with Genovese's drug gang in her trademark, profanity-laden fashion. Her larger struggle is in maintaining her cover once her adoptive father Marcus shows up at the scene. This is where Hit-Girl works best -- it offsets all the grotesque humor and displays of violence with Mindy's more mundane efforts to placate her parents and fit in at school. I've more than had my fill by now of seeing innocent bystanders have their brains splattered on the floor, children cursing like drunken sailors in a David Mamet play, and meta-textual jabs at the comics industry. This book proves there is heart at the core of the Kick-Ass universe.

John Romita Jr. and Tom Palmer produce some attractive visuals in this installment. As always, the arrangement of Palmer providing finishes and ink washes over Romita's works out in the book's favor. Millar's big action sequence is a car chase, and luckily Romita is one of the few storytellers with the chops to pull it off in this medium. The one real quirk to the visual is that the younger characters are very oddly proportioned. Mindy and her classmates seem to have the heads of teenagers and the bodies of five-year-olds.

Though Millar does his best to raise the stakes for Mindy and her family in issue #4, as well as build on the looming threat of Red Mist, the drama simply isn't there. We already know how all of this is going to play out. The best that can be said for the series is that the art and smaller character drama are enough to offset this flaw.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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Lionsgate is sticking with Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence, announcing today that they've signed him to direct the series finale The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2.

Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine) is currently in production on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second film in the Hunger Games saga.

Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 make up the third and fourth installments of heroine Katniss Everdeen’s journey as she leads the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical and corrupt Capitol. As the war that will determine the fate of Panem escalates, Katniss must decipher for herself who she can trust and what needs to be done, with everything she cares for in the balance.

Mockingjay Part 1 opens November 21, 2014 and Part 2 opens November 20, 2015.

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Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman have been dragging more and more classic TMNT characters and elements into the new series in recent months. Issue #15 throws Leatherhead into the mix. Though the book hardly needs another villain at the moment, Leatherhead nonetheless enjoys a solid introduction into this new continuity.

The writers briefly establish Leatherhead's origin as another of Baxter Stockman's out-of-control experiments before shifting back to the present. The Turtles are currently searching for a new base of operations, which seems like another unnecessary addition considering how recently they moved into April's antique shop. In any case, issue #15 winds up offering a fun little blend of intrigue, horror, and levity. In the case of the latter quality, Splinter is given the opportunity to stop being so dour all the time and bond with Casey Jones. As far as horror goes, the creators offer up a cool sequence that sees Leatherhead stalk the Turtles in the shadows.

That fight sequence is expertly rendered by Andy Kuhn. While Kuhn's facial work is a bit bland compared to Dan Duncan's, his work is packed with kinetic energy and enough light and shadow to really pop off the page. The series continuously sets a higher visual standard for IDW's licensed comics.

One downside to this issue is a familiar complaint with the series -- it more or less requires readers to have read the April O'Neil micro-series one-shot to fully appreciate the events within. I understand that IDW is paying homage to the classic Mirage series by resurrecting the micro-series format, but in many cases these stories would have been better served by being integrated with the main book. After eight one-shots, maybe it's time to give it a rest and focus squarely on this series.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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Farewell, Attack of the Show and X-Play. TVGuide.com is reporting that the two long-running G4 series are coming to an end, as the cable undergoes a rebranding that will turn away from its geek-friendly past.

The final episodes of both will air in December, and leading up to the finale will be rotating guest co-hosts joining current AOTS hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter, including John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz.

TVGuide.com says both shows will have a series of farewell episodes that will include former guests and hosts returning, along with re-airing favorite segments from the past, including AOTS’s coverage of San Diego Comic-Con and X-Play’s E3 coverage.

"Attack of the Show and X-Play have been important for G4, and we want to acknowledge the creative people who have helped inspire and showcase the phenomenon of gamer culture," G4 Media general manager Adam Stotsky tells TV Guide. "With more than 3,000 episodes aired between them, we have more than enough great material to honor these innovators and their amazing contributions as we bring both shows to a close."

TVGuide.com says there is talk that G4 may be looking to partner with Esquire or another men’s magazine like GQ as it moves forward into “more upscale, sophisticated guy TV space.” The network may be renamed G4Men, among other possibilities.

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The multiplayer matchmaking system in Call of Duty: Black Ops II will work using latency and ping, Treyarch has confirmed.

In a series of tweets, game design director David Vondehaar explained that the upcoming entry in the Call of Duty series wouldn't rely on region-based matchmaking, as was the case in previous games.

In response to being asked whether the locale-preference in matchmaking would again appear in Black Ops II, the following exchange took place:

In theory, this should result in fewer instances of host migration and drop outs, which have frustrated Call of Duty players in previous instalments. This isn't the only good news we've had for Call of Duty multiplayer fans recently; earlier this month Treyarch announced that the Call of Duty Elite service would be free to Black Ops II players.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is due to release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 13, and on the Wii U on its respective launch dates.

Thanks, CharlieIntel.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and a meleeing ninja when it comes to COD. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Long-awaited by fans of The Walking Dead comic book, Michonne has made her debut this year on the uber-popular AMC TV series of the same name – portrayed by actress Danai Gurira (Treme).

I recently sat down with Gurira to discuss playing Michonne and her character’s notable characteristics – from her way with a sword to her two “pet” zombies.

IGN TV: For those of us who have read the comics, there was so much anticipation and excitement about your character. Was that exciting for you, or did it make it a little daunting?

Danai Gurira: It’s been all of it. It’s been very exciting and daunting all at the same time. But at the end of the day, it’s just making sure that you get a character’s story fully told and give her complexity and life. It’s different putting it on its feet than reading it in a book, so there’s obviously an adaptation process that these writers have been doing from the beginning. It’s also stepping into something very new. Hopefully everyone knows that. [Laughs]

Danai Gurira as Michonne in The Walking Dead.

IGN: When you got the part, how familiar were you with both the TV show and the comic? Was there a quick sort of learning process there?

Gurira: I had to do a learning process as I auditioned. I had never seen the show, but I knew it was critically acclaimed. I knew it wasn’t just considered a “zombie show”, that it was something better than that. But I never watched it because I’m a scaredy cat. I don’t watch scary things. Of course, I ended up watching the whole first season. The pilot’s very scary. The minute I watched it, I was hooked because it was such a beautiful, human story. Ironically, it was about the human needs, it wasn’t just about the zombies. They were there and it was a threat and a horrible epidemic that had happened -- and they made it so real, this idea that you wake up and the world has changed so dramatically. It’s this awful place, really. People have died in droves and have turned into these things. It really just got me. That’s when I knew why it was so critically acclaimed. You can’t watch that pilot and not really, really respect what these people were doing.

IGN: Did you get a chance to look at the comics and see the portrayal of your character there?

Gurira: I did, I did somewhat. Online, I looked through a few things and did a little research online before I went to the auditions. And the way they had written the scene was so clear -- it was a dummy scene -- and you could just see who this woman was. Then I did some research and I could see where she was coming from. It was really just clear who she was. To me, it really reminded me of when I was a playwright -- I did some work on a war zone in Liberia, which the war only ended in 2003 -- and I interviewed a lot of women who, because of the trauma of that war, had become very formidable female rebel fighters. So to me, there was something resonating about her and what I was seeing on the page. I was like, “Well, these chicks really exist. This isn’t fiction.” So that made it even more compelling and appealing to me.

IGN: Yeah, this show obviously is showing how people are reacting in different ways to this insane scenario. With her, we see right off the bat that she’s tough and can take care of herself. Is she pretty hard for other people to get to know for that reason?

Gurira: Yeah, she’s not easily trusting. She has her guard up, definitely. She’s not really looking to make a ton of friends. She’s not really looking to be Miss Congeniality. She’s very particular about who she takes in. You know, trust is a scary thing, and I think that’s a navigation of hers this season: trust is a scary thing. To be a part of a community with many people, that’s a scary thing.

IGN: With her and Andrea, they’ve been together a few months. is there a trust between them at this point?

Gurira: Oh, there’s definitely a trust between them. I think they trust each other’s instincts. In the first episode, there’s an aspect of how there’s a negotiation: do we stay, or do we go? And it was the instincts of one that influenced the other and causes them to make a move and do what they do. So there’s definitely a mutual respect and trust of each other and what’s needed. Andrea knows that Michonne is going to take care of her. She goes and tries to do all she can to help her in the situation she’s in. So there’s definitely a very close connection there.

IGN: Meanwhile, the trailers indicate that when she comes in contact with The Governor, she’s hardly saying, “Oh, sure, I’ll follow you.” Is that relationship a pretty big push and pull?

Gurira: Yeah, absolutely. Her instincts, which she trusts, are not to follow this man. She can just see something dark and disturbing -- it’s just not for her.

IGN: At a certain point I guess you’d get used to it, but what’s it like when you’re first on set and they’re like, “All right, these are the two armless, jawless zombies that you’ll be dealing with”?

Gurira: You know, it was while we were in rehearsal... I had gone to work that day just to work with -- I think it was a wardrobe fitting -- and then I’d meandered into props, so I picked up the sword and started working with that. Then the director walked in the room, and so we just started to play with how we’re going to shoot that, that first scene. I was showing him what I thought could work, and we were talking about how to do it. Then he was like, “Come outside. Our zombie pets are here.” So we go outside, and there are the zombie pets. Then they put the things around their necks and put the things in my hand, and I was like, “Okay, this is weird. I am weirded out!” But I became good buddies with them, so now we’re cool. But it was like, “Wow, these are my pets.” [Laughs]

IGN: Obviously though, those guys even existing in this woman’s life kind of say a lot about her and how she’s adapted to this scenario in a way that other people wouldn’t.

Gurira: It does! She’s figured out how to thrive and get past the fear and the horror. How do you even surpass survival - how do you thrive? You figure out how to leverage what they are for your own benefit, and that’s what she’s done.

IGN: At this point, have you gotten pretty decent with that sword?

Gurira: Yeah, I think so. I’ve spent a good amount of time with it and gotten very used to it. Of course, there are years of getting used to an instrument like that. But yeah, I think there’s a connection that Michonne has with that weapon that I feel. It’s a nice relationship. Picking it up and waving it around used to hurt muscles I didn’t know I had, but they’re used to it now.

IGN: Clearly, audiences have reacted so well to her. I’ve seen how people reacted when they released that early clip of you cutting off the heads inside the convenience store. Is it gratifying for you to see that?

Gurira: Yeah, you want to see that sort of stuff. I get it, seeing zombies taken out… It’s fun! This is a weapon she uses to navigate this world. It’s a very smart choice. You don’t want to attract too much noise with a gun, and you don’t want to be dependent on ammo. So it’s a very smart thing to do. It depends on the situation, but she can get very intense. But she doesn’t do things in a very hyper-animated way. There’s something very intense about her… It feels like someone negotiating all types of things with themselves, including perhaps some anger management. So I think that everything about her to me is just a chick who’s on the other side of the world ending. In fact, I feel like I know a lot of very tough women who would be that inventive, were they caught in that realm.

IGN: You’re entering the show in Season 3, but it’s not like you’re jumping in and working with the entire cast. Initially at least, it’s pretty much just Laurie [Holden]. Was it interesting for you to enter the world of Walking Dead but have her as the person to welcome you aboard?

Gurira: It was nice. It was an intimate experience to just work with her initially. It was great. She connected me to the city, she connected me to the world of the story. It was actually a really, really cool initiation, to start out small, so to speak, with a very, very powerful entity -- that being Laurie Holden -- but just to start out with one person. I think it was a great way to step in.

IGN: It occurs to me, you already kind of had this experience with Treme, but The Walking Dead stands out because it’s not shot in LA. It’s not like there’s a million other TV productions around.

Gurira: You’re not around all the madness, and I think that is nice. I’m from theater, so I enjoy insulated processes. And that’s definitely what Senoia, Georgia provides. [Laughs] But there are a lot of fans! I mean, not when we’re shooting on the studio, but when we’re on location, a lot of fans come from all around rural Georgia, outside of the studio. They’re definitely there!

Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on on Twitter at @EricIGN and IGN at ericgoldman-ign.

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