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BGN interviews actor David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov) for the Marvel film Black Widow.
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha/Black Widow, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour portrays Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz is Melina. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.
Interviewer: Jeandra LeBeauf
Video Editor: Jamie Broadnax
Black Widow — the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — will launch simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets on July 9, 2021.
I’m not going to mince words or try to come in with a cute intro. I’m going to get right to the point. As of right now, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is this best game on the the Playstation 5. Period. Full Stop. It’s not only a must have for PS5 owners but a system seller and damn good reason to pick up a PS5… If you can find one.
Been a Long Time Coming
The Ratchet & Clank series has been surprisingly absent for a whole generation, only having one iteration which was a soft reboot of the first game to tie-in with the movie. It’s not that Insomniac has been sitting on their hands doing nothing. The last few games they blessed us with were Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales. Both are fantastic and beautiful games. But us long time fans have been clamoring for the return of the dynamic duo and I’m happy to report it was worth the wait. One of the first things I want to address is just how gorgeous this game looks. The graphics are stunning and actually looks better than the feature length film I mentioned earlier. There are three modes of visuals to choose from including focusing on just visuals at 30 FPS but with ray-tracing and a performance mode at 60 FPS and no ray-tracing. But the sweet spot is definitely Performance RT, giving us the beauty of ray-tracing lighting with the smooth butter 60 FPS. Everything from the lighting to the lush environments to our fuzzy and shiny main characters just pop. It’s truly an experience to behold.
A Universe Full of Heart
We start our adventure in a different universe with the new Lombax on the block, Rivet. She’s leading a resistance in her universe against Emperor Naferious and is a bit of a loner. Meanwhile, our heroes Ratchet & Clank are in there universe being celebrated for being heroes. Their worlds collide when Dr. Naferious, R&C’s version, steals the dimensionator and breaks reality, launching them into Rivet’s dimension. One thing Insomniac has always crushed is the story and characters. There’s always been a lot of heart and it really shines here. From our heroes trying to find each other, to Rivet learning to open herself up to others, to learning to deal with past mistakes and forgiveness. It’s a great story accompanied by that humor the series is known for.
For long time fans there is a lot of payoff. Seeing dimensional counterparts of characters we’ve known for many games was great. The lore it builds upon was also well told and it was fun seeing where some characters have grown to. You will get the most out of it being a fan. It’s not so exclusive however, that newcomers can’t enjoy it as well. With the introduction of new characters it’s a great place for those interested in the series to pick it up. Regardless of where you fall it is a solid story that just about anyone can and will enjoy.
Guns O’ Plenty
The core gameplay of Ratchet & Clank has always been the guns, and the feel just as strong here. From familiar ones like the Shatterbomb to brand new ones like the Topiary Sprinkler, they all feel tight and fun to use. The new DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers give more variety to how the guns fire. Not every gun takes full advantage, but it does give some more variety to the weapons. Another new feature is the new dodge, allowing you to dodge while strafing and gain temporary invulnerability. The guns are always fun and exciting and the new movement makes combat more fluid and fun.
What really takes advantage of the new hardware is the instant dimension hopping. There are moments when the game will shunt you into a completely different level almost instantaneous. It’s not a small area and a cheat like that but literally loads a completely different level in just a second or two. It’s pretty amazing how fast everything loads and this is what I look forward to with future PS5 games. There are also small rifts in levels that allow you to move forward instantly, which open up traversal and combat. It’s an interesting mechanic that works well with the game.
The Best Around
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the system seller right now. It’s a fun, beautiful game that takes advantage of the hardware provided. This game puts its best foot forward and makes a compelling argument to own a PS5. If you already have one then you should do yourself a favor and run out and get this game. I hope we get more adventures of the Lombax and company because this series deserves a few more iterations on this current gen. A must buy.
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The post A Multiverse of Magnificence – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Courtesy of SOSS By Blake Newby ·June 16, 2021June 16, 2021
Over the past few years the surge in Black men embracing flourishing, lush facial hair has been astonishing. With the men loving it and the ladies arguably loving it more, the trend, which has become more of a life target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Vernon Yancy (opens in a new tab)">Vernon Yancy and Jeremiah Regis, two HBCU graduates who make up the dynamic duo at the helm of men’s grooming brand SOSS.
An acronym for “So Organic So Suave,” SOSS was born of Yancy’s own personal experiences faced upon graduating from Howard University. “Once I entered the workforce in corporate America, it became a whole process of figuring out who is Vernon authentically and organically,” he tells ESSENCE. “I asked myself what my passion and purpose was, and what impact did I really want to have not only on myself, but on everyone around me. I realized ultimately that I shouldn’t be afraid to be who I am.” That realization led to Yancy deciding to grow out his beard, but the decision presented some obstacles. “I needed to maintain it,” he says. “But being a Black man I couldn’t use most of the products that were in big retailers and drugstores. So I ended up creating a product myself and it garnered a lot of attention.”
Courtesy of SOSSShop some SOSS favorites ahead.
01Fearless Beard Growth Duo
Courtesy of SOSS available at SOSS $44 02SOSS Brush 
Courtesy of SOSS available at SOSS $15 03Blessed Body Butter 
Courtesy of SOSS available at SOSS $30 TOPICS: beards beauty Black men with beards
The post Introducing SOSS: The Grooming Brand Your Man Will Be Obsessed With appeared first on Essence.