Monthly Archives: May 2015
This Spider-Man Statue Is Amazing and Spectacular
Sideshow Collectibles has revealed what may be the end-all, be-all as far as Spider-Man statues are concerned. Their new Amazing Spider-Man Premium Format Figure captures the hero in a truly dynamic pose as he swings his way across New York and doges the Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs.
This statue is designed at 1:4 scale and measures a little over 25 inches tall. The statue will include an alternate left hand piece with a web strand, while the Sideshow-exclusive edition will also include an alternate head with a comic book-style squinting expression. Check out this impressive piece below:
At $469.99, this statue won't come cheap. Luckily, collectors have some time to save up for it. It's currently available for pre-order on Sideshow's website with an estimated release date of June-July 2016.
10 of the Greatest MMO Raid Bosses of All Time
Nothing defines "massively multiplayer" quite like raids. Other genres may tell better stories or make it more fun to smash things with big hammers, but when it comes to bringing together dozens of players and letting them invent and coordinate complex strategies to defeat huge bosses, the MMORPG remains the top of the pile. Not all raids are created equal, however, so we decided to make a list of some of the greatest raid bosses of all time.
One drawback of the MMORPG genre is that it's impossible to experience the vast majority of the bosses listed here in their original states. Expansions bring new level caps, and the godly challenges of yesteryear become soloable by the sorriest player. Games shut down, key abilities for strategies get removed or rebalanced, and interest in old content wanes. But in their heyday, each of the 10 bosses chronicled below was something to behold (and fear).
Sony Files Trademark for ‘The Player’
Sony Pictures Entertainment has filed a new trademark for something called "The Player."
The trademark, which was filed a few days ago on May 18, appears to be tied to both "downloadable electronic game software" as well as "entertainment services in the nature of a dramatic television series."
No other details are provided in the filing; however, with this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo right around the corner, we may be hearing about Sony's plans for "The Player" in the not so distant future.
Sony's E3 media briefing will be held on June 15 at 6pm PT, 9pm ET. Additionally, the company announced just yesterday that those in North America will be able to view the conference in select theaters.
Here’s When the World War Z Sequel Hits
The sequel to 2013's hit zombie film World War Z will arrive in theaters on June 9, 2017.
The movie's release pits it against 20th Century Fox's sequel to Fantastic Four, which is set to make its debut that same day. Whether or not World War Z 2 faces stiff competition will depend heavily on how well the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot fares when it releases this August.
World War Z 2 will be directed by J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage) and is set to begin filming this October. According to screenwriter Steven Knight, the filmmakers are "starting with a clean slate."
Why Rock Band 4’s Next-Gen Tech Matters
Forge – the game engine powering Amplitude and Rock Band 4 – brings a lot to the table for Harmonix. The development tool enables the studio to create things that weren’t possible for the Rock Band franchise. Technical Artist Chris Artilius told IGN, “we basically get a chance to really make the materials of the instruments and clothing feel real.”
Visual fidelity in Rock Band 4 has taken a huge leap, but the expressive personality of the series’ angular characters remains entirely intact. The new engine gives Harmonix the ability to add finer details – particularly with lighting – to its characters, instruments, and environments.
“One of the fun things, to get into the new details, is of fingerprints showing up on a used guitar, and scratch marks on pick guards and stuff like that,” said Artilius. “Just having large amounts of wear and tear that’s natural for guitars. And again, because of the lighting engine, it just looks way better than it did in previous games.”
Mass Effect’s Disciple Gets Full-Scale Replica
Project TriForce is turning to the Mass Effect series for its latest full-size video game prop. The company has just unveiled the "Disciple Full Scale Replica," a recreation of the iconic shotgun weapon from the games.
First Look at Batman: Arkham Origins Full-Scale Replica Cowl From Project TriForce
The Disciple replica is cast in polystone and measures 23 inches long, 11 inches tall and weighs a whopping 20 pounds. While this replica obviously doesn't fire real bullets, it does feature an LED light-up function.
First Look at Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
Check out these new images from Netflix's upcoming series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, which is set to start streaming on July 31st.
From co-creators Michael Showalter and David Wain, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp is the prequel series to their hilarious 2001 cult film. While the film took place on the last day of camp at Camp Firewood, the series takes place on the first day of camp, back in 1981. The series consists of eight half-hour episodes and features all of the original cast - including Elizabeth Banks, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Nina Hellman, David Hyde Pierce, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, AD Miles, Christopher Meloni, Marguerite Moreau, Zak Orth, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Marisa Ryan, Molly Shannon and Michael Showalter. New faces include Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Chris Pine.
Blade & Soul: Where Crouching Tiger and MMOs Intersect
Considering it launched in Korea back in June 2012, Blade & Soul has certainly taken its time to come West. Now with a closed beta planned for autumn and full launch finally locked in before the end of the year, the long wait is finally coming to an end. According to NCSoft, the reason behind such a delay is because the MMO’s story, which fully incorporates the Chinese genre of “Wuxia”, needed time to be localised. Having actually had a chance to play bits of the game myself, however, I’m not convinced the wait didn’t do more harm than good.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Blade & Soul is a free-to-play MMO originating in Korea, with a story and setting reminiscent of films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero or House of Flying Daggers. It aims to differentiate itself from most other MMOs through both this setting, and zones designed with verticality in mind, which you traverse like a true kung fu master by running up walls, running along branches and gliding through the skies using the power of your chi. While the aesthetic makes a nice superficial change, it’s the foundational differences offered by the design mentality that make the biggest impact. While so many MMOs can feel like the same game with different skills, the freedom given to explore zones however you want feels fresh… at least at first. After a couple of hours however, it unfortunately just felt that instead of exploring zones horizontally I also had another axis to slog across when making my way back to quest-givers, rather than the fresh gameplay experience I was promised.
M. Night Defends His Avatar: The Last Airbender Adaptation
M. Night Shyamalan has returned to the murky waters of the mystery with his new surreal FOX series Wayward Pines. IGN was able to sit down with the writer director to talk about the show, where we also touched on the potential of an Unbreakable television series and the...less than enthusiastic fan and critical response to his live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender.
F1 2015 Release Date Pushed Back
Codemasters has confirmed the release of F1 2015 in Europe has been pushed back from June 12 to July 10, 2015 in Europe and to July 21 in North America.
To soften the blow, the studio has also released a new gameplay trailer for the racing sim -- which boasts a new game engine and enhanced handling system -- heading to the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One later this year.
UK players who pre-order the game from GAME will receive "exclusive pre-order items" including a F1 2015 metal case and a hints 'n' tips guidebook entitled 'Race Like a Champion'. North American gamers can get their hands on the metal case by pre-ordering from GameStop/EB Games.
Feeling nostalgic for driving games gone-by? Check out our visual history of racing games to see just how far the genre has come.