Monthly Archives: January 2016
WWE’s Paige Talks PCB’s Break-Up, NXT’s Rise and More
WWE wrestler Paige only moved up from NXT to the main roster in April 2014, the night after WrestleMania, but instantly made a major impact – winning the WWE Divas champion belt in her RAW in-ring debut (she’s been champ twice now) and quickly becoming a fixture in WWE programming.
That programming includes Paige’s role on the WWE reality series Total Divas, which begins its fifth season Tuesday night on E! I spoke to Paige about what it’s like to concurrently be a part of very different shows like RAW, SmackDown and Total Divas (and last year, WWE Tough Enough, where she was a judge) and the different fans she encounters as a result – and how these days, she is able to appear both as the character “Paige” and her actual self all at the same time.
Cory Walker and Robert Kirkman Reunite on Invincible
While The Walking Dead might have just hit issue #150, it's not the only Robert Kirkman-penned comic that's undergoing big changes right now. Invincible just wrapped up a major storyline called "Reboot?" that saw Mark Grayson dragged back to the past and forced to relive the events of the first year of the series.
Robert Kirkman Talks Hope and Betrayal in The Walking Dead #150
Perhaps it's appropriate that now Invincible is paying homage to its past in another way. Original Invincible artist and co-creator Cory Walker is returning to the series for a new six-issue story arc beginning with Invincible #127. It's not the first time Walker has returned to the book he helped define, but it's definitely the most ambitious story he's tackled since his original run. We recently had the chance to talk with Walker via e-mail and learn his thoughts on the enduring appeal of Invincible and what lies ahead for Mark Grayson and his family.
Minecraft: Education Edition Announced
Minecraft: Education Edition has been announced, and will be hitting classrooms soon.
In 2011, MinecraftEdu launched as a version of the game specifically for the classroom. Microsoft has now acquired MinecraftEdu and is investing in a new and expanded version. It will be available as a free trial this summer.
Existing MinecraftEdu customers can continue to use the product, and the first year of Minecraft: Education Edition will be free for them.
A community will be formed at education.minecraft.net, and the site will host resources like lesson plans and a new Minecraft Mentors page that allows experienced people to connect with those playing for the first time.
UK Deals – Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection only £21.99
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture Secures Top Writing Award
The Chinese Room's Everybody's Gone to the Rapture has received the top prize for writing in a video game at this year's British Writer's Guild Awards.
The British Writer's Guild Awards celebrates writing across a whole range of different mediums, including TV, film, games, plays, and radio. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture's script, written by Dan Pinchbeck, was shortlisted alongside Her Story and Sunless Sea.
Russell T. Davies - the man behind resurrecting Doctor Who - received the Outstanding Contribution to Writing award.
In our review, we said that Everybody's Gone to the Rapture was one of the most fully-realised gaming worlds we'd ever seen, building a potent sense of space and a fantastic mystery that culminates in a powerful tale.
£1.2 Million Investment Seeks to Make London World Games Capital
Ukie and Film London have launched Games London, a new programme to boost the games and interactive entertainment industry.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson held a press conference within Minecraft to announce the new plan. £1.2 million provided by the London Enterprise Panel will be injected into the UK games industry.
"London is already a star player when it comes to games and interactive entertainment, but international competition is fierce and we need to ensure our city can compete with our global gaming rivals," said Johnson. "Through Games London we are supercharging an increasingly important sector for our economy, one that exemplifies the capital's reputation for creativity and innovation. From design to banking and civil engineering to film, games technology is being used in a host of different sectors."
New DLC Coming To Fat Princess Adventures
Developer Fun Bits Interactive is rolling out free DLC for Fat Princess Adventures.
The 1.02 update offers Short Cakes' Tavern, a social space "perfect to meet up with friends", and a new Arena Mode will unlock once you've defeated Zug in the campaign.
"You can then compete in the Castle Arena against endless hordes of enemies," writes Fun Bits Interactive CEO Chris Millar on the PS Blog. "Play through the campaign and reach the Swamp, and then you can compete against your friends in the Temple Arena. These two new arenas pair players together against an onslaught of enemies that will put your survival skills to the test."
Agent Carter: Season 2’s Noir Style and Doctor Strange Connection
Agent Carter returns for Season 2 Tuesday night for 10 new episodes that take Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to Los Angeles for a new adventure that begins with a very strange murder case.
On a visit to the set of the show, Agent Carter executive producers Tara Butters, Michelle Fazekas and Chris Dingess discussed some of the new elements in Season 2, including an expanded noir-feel and Marvel comic elements like the Darkforce and Whitney “Madame Masque” Frost.
With the show’s move to 1947 Los Angeles comes a natural shift into more of a noir-influence.
Fazekas: We talked about L.A. a lot in the first season. I think because when you're talking about telling stories in the 40s, and a lot of the film noir of the 40s takes place in L.A. And obviously, we shoot in L.A., so it had been something that we talked about a lot. And we started to build a story around that because what's great about that is you have the glamour and the glitz of Hollywood, and you have crime and corruption right next to each other. And so we just started to say, well, how would we get Peggy to L.A, obviously, is the first question. And how much time has passed between the first season and the second season? And because there's been a lot of time between the first and the second season airdates, we wanted to sort of show, okay. Time has passed. People are in a little bit of different positions. And things have happened between the seasons that we maybe don't know about.
Top Comics to Buy This Week
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
Written by Scott Snyder & Drawn by Greg Capullo | DC
The previous issue of Batman ended on one of the biggest cliffhangers we've seen from this series, and that's saying something. We've been impatiently waiting to find out what happens when Bruce Wayne confronts a ghost from his past, and finally the next chapter is here. Look for a tense ideological showdown as Bruce searches for meaning and struggles to accept the man he once was. And expect a very physical showdown as the new Batman fights a losing battle against Mr. Bloom.
HTC Rumored to Spin Off Vive VR
HTC may be spinning off its virtual reality platform, as reports suggest the company is looking to make Vive VR its own independent company.
According to 9to5Google, Focus Taiwan claims HTC is "seriously considering, even planning" to separate Vive VR from the company. If this report indeed proves true and HTC moves forward in this endeavor, Vive's forthcoming headset could very well launch without the HTC branding.
The outlet suspects this move is likely being done to separate Vive VR from HTC's struggling smartphone line, as its virtual reality efforts could be compromised if its phone business fails to perform. However, the actual reason behind HTC's reported plans was not disclosed.