Monthly Archives: March 2015
Overwatch Trademark Suspended… Again
Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming class-based shooter Overwatch is facing trademark issues again, as the USPTO has suspended the studio's rights to the name for a second time.
Earlier this year, a similar suspension was made on the grounds of brand confusion with similar trademarks already owned by Innovis Labs. However, a compromise was made shortly thereafter in the form of a co-existence agreement between Blizzard and Innovis.
Oddly enough, the new suspension, which was filed yesterday, once again cites brand confusion as the reason for challenging Blizzard's ownership of the name Overwatch. It appears Innovis Labs has not amended its prior application.
Game of Thrones: 6 Book Elements We Miss
UPDATED: Spoilers for both HBO's Game of Thrones TV series (through Season 5) and for all of George R. R. Martin's completed A Song of Ice and Fire novels follow...
Not that HBO's Game of Thrones hasn't deviated from the original George R. R. Martin books, but from a book-to-show adaptation standpoint, knowing what can happen in situations like these, the show's actually been surprisingly faithful. More or less. Almost every big moment has remained intact, as creators/producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff didn't feel the burning desire to fix something that ain't broke.
But now, having entered Season 6 - which has no direct book correlation - the show is off and running on its own. George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons were his most recent published Song of Ice and Fire books, with two still left to finish. Which means -- aside from a few remaining Iron Island aspects and a couple other subplots -- the TV series has overtaken the show and will complete the saga with nothing tethering it to the original text.
Flip Through 15 Gorgeous New GTA 5 PC Screenshots
Rockstar has shared 15 gorgeous high-res photos of Grand Theft Auto V on PC.
The screenshots are in 4K resolution, so be sure to maximize your browser window and our image gallery for the full details.
Rockstar also said we can expect a GTA 5 PC trailer sometime next week. The PC version will be released on April 14. Check out the GTA 5 PC system requirements to see if your rig can run it.
Previously, if you pre-ordered GTA V before February 1, you would receive a bonus $300,000 in-game currency for GTA Online. That deal is still active, though the new deadline is March 31.
Bloodborne Getting Major Bug Patch Next Week
A major bug fix is on the way for Bloodborne to address an issue that prevented some players from obtaining a significant item required to progress. Some very minor spoilers follow.
The item in question is the Lunarium Key, found in Byrgenwerth College. The criteria to trigger the bug involves ringing the Small Resonant Bell or the Sinister Resonant Bell in the Forbidden Woods area, items that initiate co-op and PvP play respectively.
According to a press release from Sony Computer Entertainment, this series of actions prevents the Lunarium Key from appearing, which is used to unlock a required area in the game.
The team is currently finalizing a 1.02 hofix and aims to release it next week, though an exact date has yet to be decided.
BioWare Can’t Reveal Dragon Age DLC’s PS4 Release Date
BioWare has confirmed it's unable to reveal when Dragon Age: Inquisition's Jaws of Hakkon DLC will hit PlayStation platforms because of an exclusivity deal.
According to tweets from executive producer Mark Darrah, the studio is currently unable to announce when the DLC will be available on PS4 and PS3, though he reassured fans it would get there at some stage.
"We can not discuss when Jaws of Hakkon will be coming on other platforms," he wrote. "We are looking into options."
Though it's far from set in stone, 30-days has been the mark after which console-specific exclusivity has expired for a lot of DLC in the past, so it's possible this is the case again this time.
Facebook’s Internet Drones are Wider Than a Boeing 737
Facebook has unveiled its high-altitude drones for the first time, revealing the unmanned aircrafts have a wingspan to rival a Boeing 737.
At the organisation's F8 developer conference today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a little bit more info about the crafts, designed to stay aloft for months at a time and beam internet access to remote sections of the world.
Xbox One April System Update Also Adds Voice Messages
The Xbox One April System Update will add voice messaging, dedicated servers for party chat and more.
Microsoft has revealed a second wave of additions coming when the patch hits, in addition to the chat and achievement improvements previously announced.
Top of the new features is the ability to leave voice messages for friends. You'll be able to compose and playback voice messages in the messages app when snapped on Xbox One and then send them by double-tapping the Xbox button. You'll also be able to exchange between Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles.
John Slattery on Returning as Howard Stark in Ant-Man
When John Slattery filmed his role as Howard Stark in Iron Man 2, Marvel was riding high off the success of the first Iron Man film – but still, no one knew just how huge these movies would become.
Five years later, Slattery is reprising his role this summer in Ant-Man. The specifics on how this will occur have yet to be revealed by Marvel, though rumors abound about some sort of flashback scene to a younger Hank Pym.
During a recent interview for Mad Men’s final episodes (more on that soon!), I asked Slattery what it was like to return to Marvel now that they’d become this huge and he said, “It’s crazy, yeah. It’s the biggest set I’ve ever seen, I think, or I’ve ever been on certainly. It’s just a gigantic room and there’s numbers and girders and you think, is that what green screen looks like? And things change so fast. The way you did special effects last year can be completed outmoded in three months when they figure out some other way of generating some image. But yeah it certainly has become like it’s an industry. Marvel is just this unbelievable force now.”
Square Enix Wants Your Feedback on Final Fantasy 15
Square Enix has launched a feedback survey for those who played Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae.
Currently only available in PAL territories, though a rollout is expected, filling it in should take 10-15 minutes and unlocks three exclusive Final Fantasy XV wallpapers created by the dev team. As you'd expect, the feedback will then be used to improve the finished product. The survey closes on May 31.
In order to provide feedback via the survey, you need to complete the product registration process via Square Enix Members.
After nearly a decade-long wait, we finally got a chance to go hands-on with Final Fantasy XV at PAX East 2015, and we're happy to say that it looks like the wait was worth it. Mitch Dyer and Marty Sliva went back and forth on how much we loved the new action-oriented combat system, while Luke Karmali dove into what makes Episode Duscae so special.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse DLC Adds New Character
Dragon Ball Xenoverse's third downloadable content pack will include a number of extras for fans of the series, not the least of which includes the addition of Golden Frieza.
According to Shonen Gamez, not only will the villain's new final form be thrown into the mix; this third DLC pack also includes new Super and Ultimate attacks, as well as new Parallel Quests and Masters.
Golden Frieza is making his debut in the upcoming DBZ movie Revival of F. The film is scheduled to release across theaters in Japan on April 18.