Monthly Archives: April 2015
DC’s Convergence Is Fan-Fiction Become Canon
Writers Jeff King (Convergence), Dan Jurgens (Booster Gold), Marc Andreyko (Batman and the Outsiders), Len Wein (Swamp Thing), and Scott Lobdell (Convergence) and Convergence colorist Peter Steigerwald took the stage for DC’s Convergence panel at WonderCon 2015.
King moderated the panel, starting off by talking about the epic double-page spread of Superman’s death from Convergence #0. Jurgens pointed out that the three double-page spreads in that spread all join into one six-page image.
Salem: It’s Time for War as Season 2 Begins
The creators and cast members from WGN's Salem were at WonderCon Anaheim this weekend to preview what to expect in Season 2. The season premiere's Sunday night and WonderCon guests got treated to a preview of the first eight dark and twisty minutes. The clip offered a small glimpse of the Plague coming to Salem, as brought on by Mary's completion of the Last Rite. It also featured a peek at John and what he's up to with his Native American friends, while Mary spent time with her newly discovered son, only to have that interrupted by Tituba. In just eight minutes, the clip promised a dark Season 2 that sees its characters on new and interesting paths - and includes some notably gory moments.
Killer Instinct Dev Details New Character Cinder
Iron Galaxy Studios has revealed new details on incoming classic Killer Instinct character Cinder's evolution from his original concept in a post on the game's official forums.
The “lone holdout” from the original Killer Instinct game started out as a parolee given a choice to be experimented on but the studio scrapped that backstory and settled on a mercenary for hire concept. His visual style started out as a “human/alien hybrid" and has evolved into making Cinder look far less alien and more like a fiery humanoid .
As a preemptive measure, Iron Galaxy will also include a “retro” Cinder for the players who want the “true ‘dude on fire’ from KI Arcade.”
Mad Men: The Final Episodes Begin Sunday
It’s a bittersweet time for Mad Men fans, as the acclaimed series returns Sunday night to kick off the final seven episodes. Per usual, creator Matthew Weiner is keeping any story specifics to himself, as he wraps up the tale of Don Draper and his colleagues and family members. But at a recent press day for Mad Men, Weiner was reflective on what it felt like to bring the show to an end.
Mad Men - Final Season Photo Gallery:
I asked Weiner if, going into making these final episodes, he was pretty locked in on how he would wrap up the various characters’ stories or if it continued to change. Said Weiner, “It’s always changing. I have images in my head sometimes and I sort of know what I want the resolution of the story to be and it’s part of why I’m so spoiler-phobic. Because telling somebody what happened on Mad Men, that’s like a sentence. How it happened is the part that people are like ‘No you don’t understand, Pete said ‘I know who you are!’ And that’s all that happened. ‘And then Cooper said ‘Who cares?’’ That’s not what it’s like watching that episode. That episode is honestly like being pulled over by the police and dragged into jail. You have a knot in your stomach and it’s fifteen minutes. That’s the way it worked.”
Cheat in Grand Theft Auto 5, Get Blown Up
Grand Theft Auto V developer Rockstar Games is punishing players who are using an exploit that allows them to bring a rare car from the game's single-player mode into Grand Theft Auto Online.
Instead of simply banning the cheaters or patching out the issue, the studio came up with a much more clever solution. When players attempt to enter the vehicle after using the exploit, they are greeted by a massive explosion.
YouTube user xKoingWolfx captured Rockstar's solution to the problem. Check out his explosive video below.
Why Spider-Man Should Stay a Swinging Bachelor
You may have noticed that Marvel has announced quite a few new comics that'll be tying into Secret Wars this summer. Several dozen, in fact. But aside from X-Men '92, none of these new books have attracted as much attention as Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows. This series (from current ASM writer Dan Slott and artist Adam Kubert) will showcase a world where Peter Parker never made his controversial deal with Mephisto and sacrificed his marriage to Mary Jane in exchange for Aunt May's life. Not only is this Peter still married, he and MJ even have a daughter. Between the concept and creative team, Renew Your Vows is easily one of my most anticipated Secret Wars tie-ins. That being said, it wouldn't be in Marvel's best interests to use Renew Your Vows and the potential post-Secret Wars continuity reboot as a chance to reintroduce a married Peter Parker in the core Marvel Universe. That ship has sailed.
Dyscourse Review
In the world of Dyscourse, I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts which has taken my career no further than the coffee shop. And while I might be an internationally renowned barista, I don't have the skill set to ensure surviving a plane crash on a remote island. Just a couple months past my 25th birthday, I certainly don't have the life experiences needed to manage a group of mentally unraveling survivors. But that's where the no-longer-proverbial tailspin of life has jettisoned me. I hold not only my survival in my hands as I fend off starvation, dehydration, wild animals, and the basest human survival instincts; I've become responsible for five other lost souls, and I don't know if I can handle this responsibility.
It's raining, and we've been on this island for three days now. Teddy makes me uncomfortable. His paranoid delusions get worse every day. He's convinced that Garrett--the chubby, sad, and lonely gamer--conspired with the government to crash our plane. He insists that we build a signal to escape the island, but we have to take care of food and water first. We found water yesterday, but in his excitement, Garrett found himself covered in leeches, and he ran into a rock as he tore the bloodsuckers from his body. It will be a while before I forget the image of those parasites squirming on his body. But now, he won't stop babbling incoherently. He seems to think he's in a massively multiplayer game. I hope he isn't concussed.
And Steve nearly died today. I think on some level he wanted to. His cigarette lit the jet fuel around the fuselage, and if he hadn't jumped at the last second, the rain would have put his fire out, but lightning struck the exact spot where he'd been standing. Steve looks like he needs a hug, though I wish he would stop pouting and do something productive. Not that Louise was any more helpful. I don't know where we'd be if it weren't for her husband, George. I think he's the only sane person left--besides me. Maybe I'll talk to him tonight before we go to bed. Well…we'll talk if our shelter at the beach holds up. This storm is getting bad.
That is just one of many stories that unfold in survival-adventure game Dyscourse. Imagine Lost as a cartoon in which Jack was a girl and all of the psychological issues of everyone else on the island were amplified to eleven, and you'll get a feel for the tone and style of Dyscourse. After crash landing on a remote island, you play as Rita--a girl whose personality and leadership style you're free to shape however you choose--and it's up to you to lead you and your fellow survivors to rescue…if you can avoid being eaten by jaguars or dying of hunger first.
Dyscourse is a game about choice and light environmental exploration. Although you're free to roam the island and engage in a handful of basic adventure-game staples--finding tools, solving simple puzzles--Dyscourse's best moments are of the "choose your own adventure" kind. For anyone frustrated by many of the false choices in Telltale's Walking Dead series, Dyscourse takes branching paths to nearly ludicrous lengths--though enough playthroughs will reveal the limitations of even this game's systems. You make difficult decisions at every turn. Do you search for water, or food? Do you rescue the flares that could signal rescue, or save a beloved survivor's life? Do you try to save a woman attacked by jaguars, or let her die to ensure your own survival? Dyscourse lets the consequences range from immediately apparent to long-term mercies and cruelties. The endings are limited to three major scenarios, but the details surrounding them feel nearly infinite.
Beyond offering consistently anxiety-riddled conundrums for how you live on this island, Dyscourse succeeds on the back of charming and clever writing. Although every Dyscourse playthrough invariably takes a turn towards darkness--particularly the one where I intentionally made the worst decisions I could--the game's style is lighter than most survival fare, and I lost track of the number of times when the game made me laugh out loud. Although all the characters but Rita and kindly farmer George seem irreparably broken, you grow to care about your troupe of island-dwellers through the sincerity of the game's writing. It's unfortunate that Dyscourse takes cheap shots at Teddy's clear schizophrenia and plays it for the wrong sorts of laughs.
The game's storybook visuals, where characters and environments feel like they were lifted from a felt-crafted stop-motion cartoon, may not initially appeal to you, but they work well within their context. In one playthrough, a character had his arm ripped off by a jaguar, and anything resembling realism would have destroyed the tone. The moment made me audibly gasp, and the severity of the game's situation hit home very quickly, but it wasn't unnecessarily and graphically violent.
Dyscourse's writing and sense of place is so strong that when the game ends as suddenly as it does, it's natural to want even more. Any individual playthrough shouldn't take more than an hour or so. And though the game offers you many options on how to play, there's little reason to return after having seen all three major endings because you'll learn how to game the system to your favor…though in Dyscourse's defense, I never had a successful playthrough in which every survivors was rescued. My best playthrough still experienced two casualties.
Dyscourse has charm and personality to spare, and though you can peel back the layers of its systems if you spend enough time replaying it, few games make your choices feel as meaningful and impactful as this one does. Throw in an excellent musical score, and it's not difficult to mark it as one of the most aesthetically pleasing titles of 2015 thus far. It's rare that I would want to spend more time on a desert island, but Dyscourse left me craving slightly more of those agonizing days and nights.
AJ Lee Retires from WWE
While AJ Lee's future with the WWE has been a much-talked about topic over the past few months, it still came as a shock to read this tweet from the WWE just mere days after AJ and Paige's big wins at both WrestleMania 31 and Monday's RAW.
BREAKING: AJ Lee (April Mendez) has decided to retire from in-ring competition with WWE. We wish AJ the very best.— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2015
Granted, this tweet doesn't say she won't wrestle for someone other than WWE, but the word "retire" is notable, as they could have just written that she's chosen to leave/quit WWE.
New Muppets Variety Show in the Works at ABC
The Muppets may be heading back to TV for another variety show.
ABC is filming a proof of concept for a modern version of the classic Muppet Show, says The Hollywood Reporter. According to sources, the show could go straight to a series if a presentation in May goes well enough.
The concept uses the Muppet gag of breaking the fourth wall, revolving around the Muppets themselves meeting with ABC Studios about reviving the Muppet Show. In the story, ABC won't move forward without the involvement of Miss Piggy, who has had a fight with Kermit the Frog. The plans call for two celebrity cameos, one of whom would be Piggy's new co-star, along with a few more muppets like Fozzie Bear's girlfriend and her parents.
Jason Statham Explains Why He’s No Longer The Transporter
Actor Jason Statham claims his time with The Transporter films ended due to an offer he deemed unfavorable.
"You know what? It was obviously a great experience doing those films, and I would have loved to keep doing it. But they wanted me to sign on and do three more films without even seeing a script, and they offered me less money to do three than I'd get paid for one!" Statham told Vulture in an interview.
"So it was a business decision. I would have loved to have done it, but you can't really sign on without doing a script, and to sign on for three of them? And to get paid a pittance? I just couldn't see the value in that."