Monthly Archives: January 2016
Black Sails: Get Ready for One Hell of a Storm
Black Sails returns for a third season this Saturday, bringing with it another exciting season of pirate intrigue and action.
I sat down with executive producers Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine to discuss the introductions of Woodes Rogers and Blackbeard, Jack Rackham’s rise to power and a huge storm sequence that will be a part of Seaosn 3.
IGN: Last season, there was so much Flint vs. Vane, until right at the end. This year, they’re not buddy-buddy, but with this new threat from England coming in, how much might it mean them working together, whether they like it or not?
Steinberg: As much as Blackbeard was a character that we knew in the beginning had to be in the story eventually, so was Woodes Rogers. This was always a story about how eventually England was going to come back and stake its claim and try and clean up Nassau. What everything was angling toward as we started Season 2, and it’s said as we ended Season 2... For all of this infighting, when the British Navy shows up, they’re not going to care whose crew you’re on. We wanted to own that and start from there with a new palette and new relationships. When you begin this season, you’re in a universe where there’s a strange triumvirate running Nassau with Rackham and Vane and Flint having arrived at this compact where they’ve put their differences asides to try and protect Nassau against the British Empire. For us, it’s fun. It’s new relationship, it’s new dynamics, it’s new tensions.
Terminator Salvation Director Up for Masters of the Universe
Sony Pictures' upcoming He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reboot may have found its director in McG.
According to Deadline, McG is currently in talks with the studio to helm the live-action film. If he does join the project, McG will first oversee a rewrite of the latest script, penned by Alex Litvak and Mike Finch.
McG's previous work includes both Charlie's Angels movies, as well as Terminator Salvation. He also produced a number of hit television shows, including Chuck and Supernatural.
Do you think McG is the right fit to reboot He-Man? Let us know in the comments, and for more on Masters of the Universe, check out this fan-made trailer of the original 1987 film, crafted in the style of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
LEGO Marvel Won’t Be Downsized for Handhelds
For the first time ever a LEGO game is getting the open-world treatment on handhelds.
Steve Thornton, game director for the Vita and 3DS versions of LEGO Marvel's Avengers, wrote a blog post with all sorts of details about his team's versions of the upcoming game. Included was the promise of the same, open hub world as on consoles — something WB hinted at during our LEGO Marvel preview.
More than that: the full-sized portable versions will come "with no breaks, cuts or loading screens."
Unannounced Destiny Sequel Reportedly Delayed
The existence of Destiny 2 has never been officially announced, or even acknowledged, but sources familiar with Bungie's operations say a possible September release has been pushed back.
According to a report by Kotaku, plans for a sequel, which may or may not have an iterative, numbered name, are constantly shifting. High Moon Studios has been involved with Destiny since at least May, ostensibly helping to work on the game's official sequel.
However, another report from late last year pointed to a complicated development past with both the original game, its popular expansions, and its potential sequel. Destiny's original story was scrapped almost entirely, retooled and repackaged, with some bits making their way into what would later become the Taken King expansion.
No Mod Support for The Divison on PC
Tom Clancy's The Division is "not a game for mods," Ubisoft says. The size of the online, open-world RPG, a new blog post reads, "makes modding support technically challenging."
Ubisoft sat down with Massive Entertainment technical director Anders Holmquist and Red Storm Entertainment senior producer Stuart White to discuss some of The Division's PC-specific features. Though there will be no mod support, the team was "focused on providing the best experience for all PC players."
David Gaider Leaves BioWare After 17 Years
UPDATE: Bioware contacted us regarding this story and said its official statement is reflected in a tweet from BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn offering "an enormous thank you" to Gaider for all his work.
In a Twitter post today, David Gaider announced his departure from BioWare after 17 years of writing for the studio.
Some news: I must sadly announce that, after 17 years, today is my last day at BioWare. I'll miss my team, and wish everyone here the best.
— David Gaider (@davidgaider) January 22, 2016
How the X-Men Movies Will Affect Deadpool and Gambit
With Fox Studios owning the rights to make movies featuring the X-Men cast of characters, there’s potential for the upcoming Deadpool and Gambit movies to crossover/influence/interact with the X-Men movies. Fox also owns the rights to Fantastic Four, but given the universal panning of the latest attempt at that movie franchise, there aren’t many fans clamoring for that film to get anywhere near the X-flicks.
During my visit with a small group of press to the set of X-Men: Apocalypse, producer/writer Simon Kinberg talked about how X-Men: Apocalypse could affect the movies featuring Deadpool and Gambit.
“This movie
takes place chronologically before those other films, so it's more like those films have to acknowledge this than we have to acknowledge Gambit, Deadpool, or Fantastic Four or anything else that exists within the Fox Marvel Universe, but I work on all those films in one capacity or another, either as a producer on all of them or as a writer on Fan Four and this movie, so I'm certainly aware of all the different stories we're telling at the same time and they all are part of a larger fabric now,” Kinberg said. “The world of Deadpool, the world of Gambit exist in a post-Days of Future Past, post-Apocalypse world where all of these stories are the same as our shared history, the same way that each of us, of different ages, knows about Nixon and knows about Reagan and knows about 9/11, our fictitious events like the stadium dropping on the White House in 1973 is part of the world in which Gambit, Deadpool, everybody, Wolverine on forward exist.”
The Division PC System Requirements Revealed
Ubisoft has revealed the minimum and recommended PC specs for Tom Clancy's The Division.
Here are the game's minimum system requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2400, AMD FX-6100 or better
- RAM: 6GB
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 with 2 GB VRAM (current equivalent NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760), AMD Radeon HD 7770 with 2 GB VRAM or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Hard Drive Space: 40 GB of space available
And here are the recommended specs:
- Operating System: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
Explore The Division’s New York City With Interactive Map
In preparation for Tom Clancy's The Division, Ubisoft is unveiling an interactive map that'll put players into the game's destroyed world.
With 360-degree views, the map explores the streets of Manhattan after an epidemic wipes out much of the city. The interface, Ubisoft says, is for "
with quarantine zones, gangland activities, and other classified intel." You'll also find "developer insights" on key spots in the city.
There's more of the map still to come, but as of now, it highlights The Division's "RPG Basics." Clicking the green points on the map brings you right down to ground-level, where you'll have access to insights on the game. Clicking on Chelsea Pier, for instance, gives access to The Division's official podcast, where community developer Hamish Bode speaks with game director Ryan Barnard about the game's development.
Fallout 4 T-45 Power Armor Figure Pre-order Begins Soon
Threezero has announced that pre-orders for Fallout 4's T-45 Power Armor collectible figure will begin on January 27 at 8 pm EST.
Two versions are available—the online store exclusive will cost around $400 USD, and comes with Fallout 4's famed minigun; the retail edition will cost $380 USD, minigun not included.
Standing at 14.5", this 1/6th scale figure is fully posable, with over 35 points of articulation—including fingers. All of the outer-armor is detachable, leaving behind a highly detailed exoskeleton. The T-45 Power Armor figure's outer-armor will be interchangeable with Threezero's upcoming Power Armor figures.