Tag: Apple TV

Geekscape TV Reviews — ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2 Premiere: Goodbye Earl!

by Alexandra Gallarza

Ted Lasso is back!

Ted Lasso returned to Apple TV+ for its second season on Friday, July 23rd.  Returning to the streaming service, the first season of Ted Lasso has raked up quite a few accolades — it’s the record holder with 20 Emmy nominations for a Comedy in its freshman year. Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca Welton, earned a Critic’s Choice Award as well an Emmy Nomination for her work in the first season. Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso, won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. The cast and crew won a Peabody Award “for offering the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity, both on-screen and off, in a moment when the nation truly needs inspiring models of kindness.”

Fair warning: If you have yet to watch any of Ted Lasso, I would suggest doing so before reading. There are minor spoilers.

The first season of Ted Lasso introduces audiences to Coach Lasso, who moves to London to coach Football (also known as Soccer in the States) with absolutely no clue how the game works. Rebecca brought Ted Lasso to London for her own mission. When we first meet Rebecca, she fires the current Football manager and, on his way, out he asks Higgins, played by Jeremy Swift, “What do you think is worse? Finding out your husband was cheating on you? Or that you were the last to know?” She later tells Higgins, after Ted gets through the Press Conference relatively unscathed, that she brought Ted to London to help bring down the club, which was the only thing her now ex-husband ever cared about.

Rebecca has her own journey. As does Ted. In the end of the first season when the truth comes out, he forgives Rebecca for sabotaging him every step of the way. “Divorce is hard,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the leaving, or if you’re the one who is being left.” Up until that point, the only person who had left the team was Jaime Tartt (played by Phil Dunster), at Rebecca’s doing, to further drive the team into the ground. She had been teetering on being a team player and still finding ways to bury the team into the ground, not caring who was affected. That is until her ex-husband Rupert tells her that his new and much younger girlfriend/fiancee is pregnant. (Side note: the six thousand emotions that Hannah Waddingham had over her face in that one scene is masterful and heartbreaking.) Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, who is also a writer on the show, had a seemingly career ending injury that had him limping off the pitch.

Season 2 picks up (light spoilers ahead) a few months after the end of Season 1. It was established that the injury Roy sustained did prompt Roy to retire. The team has had 7 ties, and Dani Rojas,kicks the ball so hard, that they had to say goodbye to the team mascot – Earl. Devastated with the events, Dani goes into depression, or the “Yips”. Which brings in Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, played by Sarah Niles. Dr. Fieldstone is a Sports psychologist who tells Ted, “Well, as good as you are at your job, I’m twice as good as mine.” Which is a line that shocks everyone into saying, “Welcome.” And in similar fashion to Trent Crimm, the Independent, a reporter who has wormed his way into fans and Ted’s heart, who said the same about Ted, I can’t help but root for her.

Roy, now no longer a player of AFC Richmond has turned to coaching his niece Phoebe’s team. He also has his Yoga Lady friends, who have absolutely no idea what he does or who he is and he is quite fine with that. He tells this to Keeley, played by Juno Temple, who is also there to ask him to go out on a double date with Rebecca and a man Rebecca has been talking to.

At the dinner, Rebecca’s date John, asks Roy questions about being retired, reminiscing about his favorite team being either Manchester City or Manchester United. Rebecca, rather pleased that she herself was on the date, was surprised when Roy bluntly said that John was just fine. That she didn’t deserve fine. She deserved someone who makes her feel like she was struck by lightning. Let me tell you, if this is the kind of gruff but loveable advice Roy Kent gives – I would listen to it on a run, every day.  

Goodbye Earl ends with Ted apprehensive about therapy. He tells Beard as such. His players are eagerly waiting for a meeting with the Doctor, which seems to make Ted uncomfortable. Whether Ted will warm up to the Doctor, only time will tell.

Episode 2 streams July 30th on Apple TV+.

Have you seen the first episode? Sound off in the comments below and we can have a proper chat about it.

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘The Jackbox Party pack 4’!

by The_acz

Reviewed On: Xbox One
Also Available For: Nintendo Switch, PS4, AppleTV (4th Gen), PC, Mac, Amazon Fire TV, Android, 

MSRP: $24.99

Review Copy Provided By Publisher 

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is the 4th installment in what has become the yearly Jackbox series. This time around, Jackbox Games has brought only 1 familiar game, and 4 brand new ones revealed over the course of this summer, and while they all aren’t perfect, There are still plenty of great laughs and moments to be had with the game 4 iterations in.

Fibbage 3 is the first and only returning veteran game this time around. Nothing has changed other than new questions and the removal of the deFIBrillator.  The best new addition to Fibbage 3 comes in a new mode titled Fibbage: Enough About You. This mode is where you write out truths about yourself and see if you’re closest friends can get them right. It can be incredibly satisfying when you’ve perfectly guessed one of your friends, and even more surprising when you find out things you never knew about them.  

Survive the Internet is the first new game of the pack and is also a contender for one of the pack’s best offerings. Players are asked pretty tame and tepid questions about their thoughts on medial and trivial things. Afterwards, those words are given to another player and are told to twist them into something vile and untrue in order to slander their reputation. Much like Quiplash before it, this game is not for the faint of heart, but you’ll find plenty of gut-busting and chuckle-worthy moments that make the game worth coming back to constantly.

Monster Seeking Monster is a mystery dating game where you play the role of a monster in disguise trying to date other monsters. Each of you has a hidden ability that’s only revealed if you are the highest placing player. You must attempt to date and gain hearts for 6 nights while trying to avoid having your ability revealed. It can take at least 1 full game to really understand the game which goes against the easy pick-up-and-play nature of Jackbox, but it can be very rewarding the second time around, as play styles can slightly change depending on which monster you are. The only thing weighing the game down a bit is that the usual 8th spot in the game is exclusively reserved for the audience this time around. It can be fun to watch it choose random pickup lines in hopes of dating someone, but it would have been nice to have an option to turn them off and replace them with a proper 8th person.

The 4th game on the list is Bracketeering, this pack’s answer to Quiplash. Players answer one prompt and duke it out in a tournament sized bracket to see who’s answer is the best. Players can also bet on which answer they think will make it out on top before, and during the start of a new bracket for extra points.The big draw of the game is the ability to play with up to 16 people at once, but sadly this ends up hurting the game in the long run. There are no options to readjust brackets for games with less than 16 people, so the game automatically fills in answers. The computer prompts aren’t especially enticing or fun, and more often than not, just draw the game out too long. There’s also the fact that ties are settled by quickly tapping the answer you want to win. In a group f 16+ this probably wouldn’t be a big problem, but when you have a group of 6-8 people, it can become unbalanced if someone is faster at tapping than others. While a great idea on paper, Bracketeering is ultimately undone by its ambitious scope.  

The 5th and final game is Civic Doodle. In the game, the mayor of Doodle Valley tasks you with drawing murals and pictures of citizens in order to make the town a nicer place. Players will take turns competing against each other as they draw different murals on the same wall. Once a winning mural is chosen, the next players will be tasked to modify or add more to the drawing. once everyone has had 2 turns to draw, everyone must name the mural. Much like Survive the Internet, Civic Doodle is one of the top contenders for this year’s pack. It’s tons of fun seeing odd and hilarious modifications being made to previous paintings. the only downside is that 2 rounds in an 8 player game can drag out just a bit as 8 phases to one round is already a lot. 

Overall, The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is still a great time with friends on or off the internet.  Expanded audience features are nice, such as being able to choose a collective lie for Fibbage 3, but others such as being the only 8th player in Monster Seeking Monster impede on some of the local aspects of the game.

FINAL VERDICT: ★★★★☆ 

Geekscape Mobile: My Favourite iOS Game Of All Time Is Headed To Apple TV!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’m unbelievably excited (and terrified) for this, and it’s something I’d never have expected.

After what seems like years of silence, Andreas Wulfila, developer of classic iOS gem Tiny Wings has just revealed that in just a few days time the simple, adorable, laughably simply, scarily addicting one buttoner will be hitting a new platform: tvOS on the fourth generation Apple TV.

I don’t know that I’ve ever been as addicted to another mobile title as I (along with many of my close friends) became to Tiny Wings. I can recall countless nights of groups of friends sitting around, playing their individual games, screaming with frustration when they failed, missed a goal, or messed up a run, and screaming with joy when they’d beat one another’s score. A single player game at heart, it’s one of the few titles that I ever became truly competitive with, which was pretty easy to do using iOS GamevCenter and its challenges.

The tvOS version was announced with a super cute trailer, and Andreas also revealed that the Apple TV version of the game will support split-screen multiplayer with the Siri Remote or with a combination of Siri Remote and MFi controller, and that the Tiny Wings iOS app will also let you use your iOS device as a controller.

I can’t freaking wait.

For now, take a look at the trailer below, get practicing on your iOS device, and let me know the most addicting mobile game you’ve ever played (I’m always looking for new titles)!

‘Disney Infinity 3.0’ Is Also Headed To The New Apple TV!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Another big name title is headed towards the new Apple TV, and it’s Activision’s just-released Disney Infinity 3.0!

Here’s the announcement, straight from the Disney Infinity Blog:

John Vignocchi here with a quick update on an announcement you might have heard about earlier today…

I’m happy to share that the full Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition console experience will be available on the new Apple TV later this year. The game will be available through a special Apple TV starter pack, with a similar configuration to the one offered for consoles, including the Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures, and a new wireless Disney Infinity 3.0 bluetooth base! We’ll have additional details on this starter pack to share soon.

We are honored to have worked closely with Apple over the past few months to deliver a console–quality experience for this exciting new device. We can’t wait for fans — old and new — to give it a try when it releases later this year.

Apple let us know that Disney Infinity would head to the Apple TV earlier today, but didn’t offer any details about the release.

Will you pick up a new Apple TV? Plan to play games on it? Sound out below!

Disney
Photo via TheVerge.

‘Beat Sports’, ‘Guitar Hero’, ‘Skylanders’, More All Revealed For New Apple TV!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Apple announced a new, App-focussed Apple TV earlier today, and while every Apple event always garners an unsurmountable level of hate (wake up sheeple), I’m damned excited for the thing.

First, it looks like an inexpensive and phenomenal way to get content to your TV. I’m not a cable subscriber, and as an everyday user (and fan) of the 3rd-generation Apple TV, it has been far and away the best device for getting content to my television, be it Netflix, iTunes rentals, photos, YouTube, or countless other services.

This new Apple TV does all that too, and by the looks of it, it does it even better.

But there’s something I’m looking forward to even more than that, and that’s apps and gaming. Sure, I own multiple consoles and handhelds, but there are no devices on the market that bring more approachable gaming to the masses than Apple’s. I had never seen anyone’s grandmother play a video game of any sort until the iPad, and that’s a trend that I think will continue with this new Apple TV.

No, Apple didn’t make a gaming console, and no, they’re not targeting Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. This is going to be a gaming device for people who are not gamers, and Apple and developers are going to make a killing off of it.

Oh, and it’s going to get full featured games too.

Following Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ event this morning, Activision revealed that Guitar Hero, Skylanders, and Geometry Wars are headed to the new Apple TV.

Skylanders: Superchargers is a full port of the console game, and “The Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch will include everything fans with those devices need to play, including a Bluetooth-enabled portal, an embedded Bluetooth controller, and even a built-in stand. What’s more, if you have multiple Apple devices, your progress can be seamlessly synced across Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch with cloud save support under the same Game Center account.”

GHero

That sounds freaking awesome. You can play on your TV, and then actually take the same game on the go with you, it kind of sounds like what Sony wanted to do with the Playstation Vita, except it will actually work.

Here’s what the company had to say about Guitar Hero Live:

Guitar Hero Live is also coming to a wide array of devices, including consoles, mobile devices and Apple TV. Guitar Hero Live’s GH Live mode brings you closer to the live stage experience with live-action, first-person gameplay with crowds and bands that react dynamically to how you play. There’s also GHTV, the world’s first playable music video network, which lets you play along with a continually updated collection of official music videos spanning a variety of genres. Guitar Hero Live for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices will come with the redesigned six-button guitar controller, which connects through Bluetooth so it be used across all supported Apple devices.

“We jumped at the opportunity to bring back Guitar Hero in a cool new way with Guitar Hero Live and have been energized by the response from fans who have had a chance to play it so far,” said Jamie Jackson, co-studio head and creative director at FreeStyleGames. “We can’t wait for the game to launch next month and think people are going to get a kick out of living their rock star fantasy on consoles, mobile devices and Apple TV this fall. It’s going to be rad!”

Geometry Wars 3: Retro Evolved is also headed to the Apple TV this Fall.

Rock Band creator Harmonix has also developed an entirely new IP for the Apple TV called Beat Sports, which looks like a mixture of Wii Sports and an extremely approachable rhythm title. The title offers “a collection of music-infused mini-games based loosely on familiar sports like tennis, volleyball, and golf. Designed and developed exclusively for the new Apple TV, Beat Sports is controlled using the brand-new remote.”

It looks simple, and it looks like a blast.

Another thing that I’m excited about? App store games are generally far more affordable than their console counterparts, and with my ailing exchange rate, I need to save all the money that I can. Also, my current Apple TV turns on way, way faster than my PS4 does, so if I have just a few minutes to jump into a game, guess which controller I’m more likely to grab?

Bring on the hate.

https://youtu.be/5R5cD094oWA

 

The New Apple TV Includes The App Store, And It’s Going To Be Huge

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: After five long years, Apple has finally revealed a powerful new Apple TV, and it’s going to be freaking huge.

Now, the event is still ongoing, so there’s still a ton of news coming through, but it’s pretty clear (and I’m not just saying that because I’m an Apple fan) that this is going to turn the Apple TV from a well designed hobby product, into a central hub for all of your media, be that television, movies, games, apps, comic books, and more.

In introducing the product, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that “Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps.”

Disney

The new tvOS features a gorgeous new design (and I absolutely love that Siri support), but the biggest game-changer that the new Apple TV brings to your living room is the App Store. Yep, that same App Store that has brought hundreds of thousands of apps to millions of phones, including console quality games, incredible sports apps, and other amazing experiences, is coming to your TV.

Apple showed off some pretty cool applications, but the thing that I’m most excited for? Local multiplayer games. Many of the games showed off on stage had multiple people playing at the same time, on the same screen, which is almost unheard of these days unless you’re playing on a Wii U.

One of the best gaming experiences that I’ve had with friends as of late has been playing Jackbox Games’ Xbox One titles, a series of party games that utilize your smart phones as controllers, and have a large amount of players playing at the same time in the same room. It’s a freaking blast, and I can see a myriad of titles with similar mechanics making their way to the new Apple TV.

I own multiple consoles, and have so many games, but have never found a need to buy another controller. With the new Apple TV, all of my friends have a controller in their pocket, all of the time, and that’s the thing that I’m most excited for.

APPLETV

It’s got a brand new remote, with a gyroscope and an accelerometer for motion gaming, and I’m sure that a lot of games will use your iPhone as a controller as well.

Developers can begin working on apps starting today, and Apple showed images from console ports like Transistor and Disney Infinity, and even noted that developers will have the opportunity to have one purchase cover the app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Pretty freaking cool.

The new Apple TV will cost $149 for a 32Gb model, and $199 for a 64Gb Model, and will launch in October.

Cook said that “When you consume this way, you realize just how much better it can be,” and I cannot wait to try it out for myself.

Photos via TheVerge.

Watch the ‘Game of Thrones’ Season Five Trailer From the Apple Keynote!

by Eric Francisco

Right now as Apple is showing off the Apple Watch, the new Macbook, and pimping out HBO Now on Apple TV, a new, super intense trailer for the upcoming fifth season of Game of Thrones premiered.

Enough talk. Just watch while you can before it’s taken down (for the inevitable official upload).

Update: Watch now in much higher quality!

http://youtu.be/odyueSMwxcM