Monthly Archives: January 2015
Legend of Zelda Enemies as Artists
Anyone who has played the original The Legend of Zelda knows that some enemies move with slow, plodding movements, like Octoroks, while others, like Tektites, moves spasmodically around the screen. If you're low on hearts, passing through a screen littered with these randomly zigging and zagging foes can be a harrowing experience.
But for the artists' collective at nonhuman.net, the mindless plotting of these digital creatures is a thing of beauty.
By hooking the game to an HP 7475A Pen Plotter, the movement of Leevers, Peahats, Darknuts, and more are used to draw lines based on where the enemies wander.
Teen ‘Zombie’ Returns to Life Thanks to Disney Classics
Haley Smith, 17, spent three years convinced she was dead. Smith suffered from the rare delusional psychosis Cotard's Syndrome, aka Walking Corpse Syndrome, where a person truly believes they are deceased or that parts of their bodies no longer exist. And what helped her finally snap out of it? Disney movies.
"I’d fantasise about having picnics in graveyards and I’d spend a lot of time watching horror films because seeing the zombies made me feel relaxed, like I was with family," Smith told The Daily Mail. She eventually told friends and family about her condition, who advised her to seek counseling.
Connection Speed Priority Over Skill in Call of Duty Matchmaking
Co-founder and studio head of Sledgehammer Games Michael Condrey has addressed certain player concerns about online play with the company's latest entry into the CoD franchise, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
"In an effort to be transparent with you all," Condrey wrote on Sledgehammer's community page, he "wanted to address a few of the bigger conversations happening within the community today."
The subjects Condrey explained concern matchmaking and the banning policy for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Harmonix Delays Amplitude
Harmonix announced in a Kickstarter update to backers that Amplitude HD, originally targeted for a March release, will likely be pushed back until summer.
"This is our first time working on PlayStation 4, and it’s been a big learning experience for the team," Harmonix said, citing the work it's put into an all new, proprietary engine to support "awesome, new content" as a factor in the delay.
The team adds that they're still making "solid progress" on Amplitude HD, which originally met its funding goal in May. Harmonix promises it will have content to show off in Boston at the beginning of March for PAX East, which will take place on the weekend of March 6-8.
American Sniper Hits Box Office Bullseye
After a hot run in limited release, director Clint Eastwood enjoyed the biggest weekend of his career when his new movie American Sniper expanded into wide release with a $90.2 million haul. Industry projections had been in the $40-60 million range.
American Sniper -- which scored Oscar noms for Best Picture and Bradley Cooper for Best Actor -- is the biggest opening for a January release, and is projected to earn upwards of $105 million through the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday. That's also the biggest opening ever for a non-tentpole release, surpassing The Passion of the Christ's $83.8 million bow.
The Flash Returns This Week With Plenty of New Enemies
Having gone on a break for a few weeks as the holidays hit, The Flash returns this Tuesday for the second half of its first season – and on the heels of the big news that the show got an early renewal for Season 2.
The same day the renewal was announced, I sat down with The Flash himself, Grant Gustin, to discuss what’s to come when the show returns, including how Barry Allen is dealing with the Reverse-Flash and new threats like Heat Wave and Peek-A-Boo. Plus, what does he think about the potential for The Flash to meet Supergirl, should CBS and CW allow crossovers?
Grant Gustin in The Flash.
New Halo MCC Update Improves Matchmaking, Stability, Other Issues
The next content update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, is wrapping up testing and will be available in the next few days, according to 343 Industries.
This latest update to Halo MCC features improvements and tweaks to UI, matchmaking, "game-specific multiplayer and campaign, controls, and stability."
Matchmaking difficulties have plagued the title, with 343 apologizing for ongoing issues with Halo: The Master Chief Collection in November. While several updates to Halo MCC have addressed the problem, with one of many Halo MCC update in December, long matchmaking times are still being reported by players.
Walking Dead Creator Says Spinoff Will be Different
While we already know that the Walking Dead spinoff will be set and LA, as well as star Kim Dickens (Sons of Anarchy), Cliff Curtis (Training Day), Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and Alycia Debnam Carey (The 100), comic book co-creator Robert Kirkman (an executive producer on both Walking Dead TV shows) has opened up about the many differences between the companion series and the original, which include a new visual aesthetic and a "different" type of family at its core.
Stewart Says He and McKellan Won’t be in X-Men: Apocalypse
On the heels of the time-jumping Days of Future Past, it looks like the new X-Men film will indeed stick with only one incarnation/era of the team, as Patrick Stewart says neither he nor Ian McKellen will reprise their roles as Professor X and Magneto, respectively, in X-Men: Apocalypse.
When asked about the chance of returning for the Days of Future Past sequel on Larry King Now (via Yahoo! Movies), Stewart told King, “No. Nor Sir Ian McKellen, either."
Patton Oswalt & Patrick Wilson Reflect on Watchmen
A polarizing movie for comic book fans, Zack Snyder's 2009 film version of Watchmen still garners much discussion today. While Watchmen faithfully recreated panels from the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comic series, it also changed major aspects of the source material (especially the ending) - while some felt Snyder's attempts to generally replicate the comic sometimes left the film feeling cold. Now comedian Patton Oswalt and one of the star's of the film, Patrick Wilson (Nite-Owl) are looking back on it, years after its release.
On a panel at Word Bookstore Cafe in Jersey City (via The Playlist), Oswalt and Wilson opened up about their thoughts on Watchmen -- with Wilson believing the movie's similarities to the source material helped his performance, while Oswalt says the movie worked best in the sequences Snyder added for the film version.