Monthly Archives: December 2015
Abrams Admits to Star Trek Into Darkness Problems
Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmmaker J.J. Abrams has opened up about what went wrong with his previous movie, Star Trek Into Darkness.
Speaking with BuzzFeed, Abrams said he takes full responsibility for the film's flaws. "Any movie, any story has a fundamental conversation happening during it," he said. "There’s a fundamental argument; there’s a central question. And I didn’t have it
."
For example, Abrams states that the relationship between Kirk and Spock was a bit muddy compared to the first film. "What was their issue? What was their dynamic? What was their problem? And it wasn’t really clear," he said.
The Design Behind the Super Mario Maker December Update
Director Yosuke Oshino had a few things to say about the next Super Mario Maker update. He shared a few of them with IGN on the topics of new items, design decisions, and how he foresees players using them going forward.
He started by addressing the most obvious new element: a fireball-spitting Koopa Clown Car. Oshino explained that "There haven’t been any shooter game-like elements in the Mario series to-date," but that with the freedom of Super Mario Maker this might finally be possible.
Next is the "Bumper" item — a large inner tube that bounces players off in every direction. Something like a multi-directional music block, only much bigger.
Angelina Jolie Eyed for Bride of Frankenstein Reboot
Universal Pictures' Bride of Frankenstein reboot has found its writer in David Koepp.
According to Variety, Koepp is officially on board to write the remake, with studio execs Jon Mone and Jay Polidoro overseeing the project. In addition, sources have told the outlet that Universal wants Angelina Jolie to both star in and direct the film. That said, the actress is reportedly waiting until the script is complete.
In addition to writing the original Jurassic Park, Koepp also worked on a number of other hit films, including Toby Maguire's Spider-Man and Mission: Impossible.
Rocket League Has Made $50 Million
Rocket League has earned nearly $50 million in revenue since its release on PlayStation 4 and PC, Wall Street Journal reports. Psyonix spent less than $2 million over a span of two years on the game's development.
Studio founder and chief Dave Hagewood said the team built Rocket League while taking on contract work from major developers. "We paid the bills by working on some of the biggest games in the industry;" games like EA's Mass Effect 3 and Microsoft's Gears of War.
Hagewood's strategy for promoting the game was to get it into as many hands as possible. Rocket League was available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free for a month, and the game spread rapidly via word of mouth.
CoverGirl’s Star Wars Collection Brings the Force
The Star Wars merchandise machine has taken over all corners of our lives, with droid-covered water bottles and coffee creamers at supermarkets and Force Awakens toys being sold at airport shops. It makes sense, then, that CoverGirl would look to get in on the action, as the company announced in August it would be releasing a limited-edition collection of Star Wars: The Force Awakens-inspired makeup.
Beyond: Kojima Comes Home to Sony
Download Podcast Beyond Episode 423
The Metal Gear creator has started a new studio and the first order of business is a Playstation exclusive. Should we expect more tactical espionage action?
This week, Max, Marty, Brian and special guests Mitch Dyer and Zach Ryan weigh in on the piping hot announcement of the newly formed Kojima Productions studio. The episode is a little bit late because we were waiting for Zach to return from his top secret trip to Japan, during which he interviewed Mr. Kojima himself.
Jackson Back for xXx 3, Diesel Teases Riddick 4
Vin Diesel has made a string of announcements on social media lately that may interest fans.
First, Diesel confirmed via Facebook that Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Agent Gibbons in xXx 3 and announced on Instagram that UFC Champion Connor McGregor would be making his film debut in the sequel.
Daily Deals: Fast and Furious Move Set, Unlocked Android Phone, Star Wars: Battlefront
Six Fast and Furious Movies for $35
The first six F&F movies, plus room for the seventh, sitting at its low price. There is a set with all seven movies, but it's literally twice as expensive, so I'd go with this one.
12 Things We Learned About Star Trek Beyond
After the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond debuted Monday, we were among a select group of journalists invited to sit down and chat with director Justin Lin (the helmer of the third through sixth Fast and the Furious movies) about both the trailer and the upcoming third installment in the rebooted sci-fi franchise.
Here are twelve key things we learned from Lin that both clear up some longstanding rumors about the film and illustrate what will differentiate it from its previous two predecessors (while also embracing its small screen roots):
Justin Lin: At the most basic level, when you talk about deconstruction, I feel like (the destruction of the USS Enterprise) s a very literal interpretation. But I also felt like, it's going through that journey. J.J.
Hulu Reveals More of Its 11.22.63 in New Teaser
Hulu's upcoming miniseries 11.22.63, based on the Stephen King novel, has a brand-new teaser trailer.
The eight-part miniseries will follow high school teacher Jake Epping, here played by James Franco, as he travels back in time to before the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
In the novel of the same name Epping plans to stop the late president's assassination, but grows to enjoy his life in the past. If the new trailer is any indication, however, this life is neither completely normal, nor entirely safe.
The series is produced by King, J.J. Abrams, Briget Carpenter, and Bryan Burk, and debuts in February on Hulu.
Steven Strom is a freelance games writer whose name and face are plastered across the internet. One such place you can find him is Twitter.