Monthly Archives: June 2015
Star Trek 3 Begins Filming in Canada
Production is now underway in Vancouver on the tentatively titled Star Trek 3 (rumored to be called Star Trek Beyond).
Trek cast members Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Zoe Saldana (Uhura) took to their respective social media accounts to post photos of them getting made up for shooting a scene. In Quinto's case, it means getting a Vulcan bowl cut and saying goodbye to his eyebrows (again). Check it out:
Bethesda May Not Have an E3 Press Conference Next Year
Fallout 4 publisher Bethesda Softworks may not be making its E3 media briefing an annual thing, as studio boss Pete Hines is unsure as to whether or not the company will do something similar at next year's expo.
"I don't know if we'll do one next year," Hines told the Telegraph. "I don't know if we'll do one again. This year felt like the right time to do this kind of thing."
Bethesda had a lot to show at this year's LA-based gaming expo, with reveals for both Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2, so it made sense for the publisher to hold a dedicated press conference this particular year.
This Week in the Nintendo eShop
We might have all complained about the lack of surprise Wii U games at E3 2015, but that isn't the case in the present day. Outside of the puzzling DSiWare games, every new release is for Wii U. Art Academy: Home Studio is the biggest title, finally coming out. Two interesting Wii U indie titles are also hitting the eShop in Never Alone and Shiftlings. Lastly, Star Fox Command and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time leap from the DS to the Wii U on Virtual Console.
Art Academy: Home Studio ($29.99)
At long last, Art Academy fully comes to Wii U with Art Academy: Home Studio. Coming with 30 drawing lessons, you can learn a thing or two about art. The main event, though, is creating your own art. Using the GamePad, you can draw your own masterpieces and upload them to Miiverse. You can even upload time-lapse videos of your work to YouTube. If you got Art Academy: Sketch Pad, you can get Home Studio for $4 less.
Apple Pulls Civil War Games Over Confederate Flag
Apple is removing games that feature images of the Confederate flag from the App Store, including several American Civil War strategy games.
Games affected by Apple's decision include Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Civil War: 1862, Civil War: 1863, and Civil War: 1864.
According to Andrew Mulholland of HexWar Games, Apple is telling developers the reason these games have been removed is "because it includes images of the Confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways."
We've reached out to Apple for a direct statement regarding the removed games.
The Confederate flag has become a recent (but not new) topic of debate in the United States. Many Americans view the flag as a symbol of racism, while others argue it represents Southern heritage.
New Avatar/Korra Collectibles Exclusively at Comic-Con
Nickelodeon has a bevy of cool exclusives this year at San Diego Comic-Con, with titles like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob Squarepants and Ren & Stimpy all featured.
IGN has the exclusively reveal of all of the products you'll find from Nickelodeon at SDCC, from prints to figures to t-shirts. Check them all out below!
While The Legend of Korra has come to an end, there will still be new items available for the many loyal fans of both that series and its predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender. A new print from Avatar/Korra co-creator Bryan Konietzko depicts both Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra.
July’s Xbox Live Games With Gold Are…
Next month's free games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers have been revealed, and include Gears of War 3, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Plants vs. Zombies, and So Many Me.
According to Major Nelson's announcement, from this point on, Microsoft will be offering two new free Xbox One games every month.
Throughout the month of July, Black Flag will be available on Xbox One as a free download, and So Many Me will be free from July 16 to the end of the month.
Meanwhile, on Xbox 360, Plants vs. Zombies will be free from July 1 to July 15, at which point it will be replaced by Gears of War 3.
First FrightFest 2015 Films Announced
The opening and closing films at FrightFest have been announced, with pagan horror kicking off the event and a Halloween anthology closing it.
Film4 FrightFest takes place in London over the August Bank Holiday weekend and opens with the European Premiere of Cherry Tree, which revolves around a young girl making a deadly pact with the head of a black magic coven. Dave Keating directs, while Anna Walton (Hellboy 2, Soulmate) stars.
The Tales of Halloween directors.
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance Release Date Announced
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will hit this October, NIS has announced.
According to the publisher, the next entry in the long-running strategy RPG franchise will come to North America on October 6, and then Europe on October 9. The North American date squares with a retailer leak from February.
In Disgaea 5, you play as Killia, a single demon standing up against the overlord Void Dark. It introduces new Alliance Attacks for characters who have formed a relationship, a Revenge Mode that grants bonus stats after taking a beating, and recruitment of more than 40 races and jobs.
Mr. Robot Renewed for Season 2
Thanks to almost 3 million viewers watching the premiere episode of USA's new hacker series, Mr. Robot, ahead of its official network debut (it was available for free online four weeks early across a wide array of digital platforms), USA has announced that they've picked up the show a Season 2.
The series, which stats Rami Malek as a paranoid vigilante hacker, was also met with critical acclaim. The second season, which will include a minimum of 10 episodes, will air in 2016.
Mr. Robot: Series Premiere Review
“We knew from the moment we read Sam Esmail’s provocative script, and witnessed the brilliant performances of Rami Malek and Christian Slater, that Mr. Robot is a stand-out series that is unlike anything currently on television,” said USA Network President Chris McCumber. “The overwhelmingly positive fan reactions to the pilot and the broad sampling of it, reaffirms our confidence in the series, and we’re excited to see where this timely drama will take us for season two.”
Comic Book Reviews for June 24, 2015
DC Comics has released another wave of comics embarking on new creative directions, including Superman #41, Batgirl #41, and Aquaman #41, as well as some new series like We Are Robin and Green Lantern: The Lost Army.
Secret Wars rages on at Marvel, as Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies and E is for Extinction debut and Planet Hulk and Infinity Gautlet power forward.
9 Best Daredevil vs. Punisher Comics
As for the rest of the publishers, we got the next chapter of Fight Club 2, a stellar issue of The Walking Dead, and the finale to Grant Morrison's Annihilator. That last one is from Legendary, so don't be surprised to see a movie in the near future.