Monthly Archives: June 2015
Here’s Shia LaBeouf as Every Doctor Who
Check something off your bucket list, folks: An artist has created oil painting renditions of renowned actor Shia LaBeouf (Transformers) as all 13 incarnations of The Doctor from Doctor Who.
Artist Brandon Bird is responsible for these uncanny portraits and is selling each original oil painting, along with art prints and posters of Shia as the various Time Lords, over at his website.
Check out a few of Bird's stunning portraits below...
Shia LaBeouf as The Fourth Doctor
Shia LaBeouf as The Ninth Doctor
Spoilers! My Problem with The Arkham Knight’s Identity
SPOILERS! You should not read this unless you’ve already played Arkham Knight, or don’t care if the reveal is spoiled for you. If you're playing the game now, bookmark this and come back.
I love Arkham Knight to death as a game, and for the most part as a Batman story, but it’s super, super dumb that Rocksteady was intentionally deceptive about the Arkham Knight being an original character.
Back in March 2014, Rocksteady Producer Dax Ginn told a room full of press the following: “There are only two things I can say about the character you just saw. Number one: his name is the Arkham Knight. Number two: he is a completely original character that we have designed at Rocksteady in collaboration with DC Comics. That’s it.”
Activision: World War 2 Shooter Comeback ‘Certainly Possible’
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a promising game, but yet another shooter set in a near-future with believable technologies. Like Ghosts, Black Ops 2, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and more before it, the trend of future-shooters is imitating the World War II genre rising of previous generations. Maybe it's time for World War II to make its return, then.
When asked if he expected the World War II shooter to make a comeback, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg told IGN it was "certainly possible."
Hirshberg explained, "There are these moments where certain ideas seem to be floating in the collective consciousness, and there are two 'meteor hitting the earth' movies in one summer and were both in production for years." Indeed, video games experienced a similar occurrence when WWII-themed the Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Medal of Honor series (and other imitators) saw regular releases for generations.
Borderlands Humble Bundle Offers Core Games, DLC
The folks at Humble Bundle have teamed up with Gearbox Studios to release an all-new pay-what-you-want bundle containing the loot-driven first-person shooters Borderlands and Borderlands 2, with additional DLC for both.
In the first tier is the original Borderlands, plus The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, and The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC. Those who pay more than the average of $4.54 will get the same amount of content, plus Borderlands 2, two character DLC packs, the Creature Slaughterdome add-on, and a 75 percent off coupon for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
More content is available for people who pay a minimum of $15, including the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2, the Borderlands 2 Season Pass, and a coupon for 25 percent off items in the 2K Store. More content will likely be added to this bundle as the sale continues now through July 7. Proceeds will go toward funding the National Videogame Museum. Visit the Humble Bundle store to learn more.
The End of Paranormal Activity
The upcoming sixth Paranormal Activity film, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, will be the last in the series, according to producer Jason Blum.
"It's coming to an end. This is it, the finale," Blum told USA Today. "We're saying it before the movie opens. We're not going to grind this horror franchise into the ground. This will keep Paranormal Activity as part of this culture and this particular time in a really fantastic way."
Blum promises the final film in the franchise will provide plenty of answers to questions that date back to the original film's release in 2009.
Bourne 5 Adds Ex Machina Star
On-the-rise Ex Machina star Alicia Vikander has been confirmed to star opposite Matt Damon in the fifth Bourne movie, to be directed by Paul Greengrass.
According to Deadline, Vikander’s casting in the film means she can no longer commit to the upcoming Michael Fassbender-led Assassin’s Creed movie or the upcoming Tom Hanks-produced sci-fi/thriller The Circle.
Alicia Vikander in Anna Karenina (2012)
Blue Forza 6 Xbox One Bundle Announced
Update: the 1TB Xbox One Forza 6 bundle is available for pre-order on Amazon.
Microsoft will release a Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 limited edition console worldwide in September.
The blue Forza 6 Xbox One bundle marks the 10-year anniversary of the racing franchise and includes a digital copy of the game. In addition, the package features the first custom Xbox One console with a racing theme and automotive sound effects, a 1 terabyte hard drive, and blue wireless controller with rubberized diamond grips for $400 USD.
Earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled the first 1TB Xbox One, which is now on sale in North America and coming to Europe and Australia this week. The Xbox One is traditionally available in black, though there have been white console bundles here and there.
Luna Blaster Joining Splatoon’s Arsenal Tonight
Splatoon fans will have a brand new weapon to play with very soon, as the Luna Blaster will be added to Nintendo's ink-filled shooter tonight at 7pm PT.
Take a look at this new weapon in the gallery below.
According to an announcement on the official Splatoon Tumblr, the Luna Blaster is designed specifically for close quarters combat. "What it lacks in range, it more than makes up for in fire rate and explosive impact," the post explains. "This blaster-type weapon is perfect for getting up close and personal."
For more on Splatoon's growing arsenal of ink-powered firearms, be sure to check out our comprehensive wiki guide, which provides a breakdown of each weapon. You can also get a rundown on all of the game's different modes.
Sony ‘Really Wanted’ Black Ops 3 PlayStation Partnership
At E3 2015 this year, Activision debuted the next Call of Duty on Sony's stage rather than Microsoft -- a first for the franchise in many years. When asked how this new partnership came to be, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg said it was a combination of timing and previous work.
"The time was right for us to partner up with Sony," Hirshberg told IGN. "They really wanted it."
Activision's partnership with PlayStation on Bungie's Destiny gave the publisher confidence as well. "When a first party is really excited and gets behind your games it makes a really big difference," said Hirshberg. "
Comic-Con: The Walking Dead: Season 6 Poster Revealed
AMC has revealed The Walking Dead key art for next month's San Diego Comic-Con.
The poster, which will be showcased on banner ads around the convention, hints at a potential Season 6 showdown with Rick and Morgan front and center, while the members of Rick's group and residents of Alexandria can be seen in the background. Note that Father Gabriel, who traveled to the safe zone with Rick and co., is now placed with the group from Alexandria following last season's events.
Click the image below for a better look.
