Monthly Archives: January 2016
John Romero Makes His First Doom Level in 21 Years
Doom creator John Romero says it had been 21 years since he made a level for the game. However, that changed when he created his own iteration of the classic E1M8 map.
The dev used a Doom level editor to create it, limiting himself only to the "shareware assets." The original level was created by Doom I and Doom II level designer Sandy Peterson. Romero included the Dropbox download link for his version in a Facebook post today.
Doom's fourth installment is said to release in Q2 of 2016, but IGN reported that the date may have been leaked by Amazon France. The company listed the game's release as June 30, though Besthesda remains firm that they haven't yet set a date, saying that "a variety of retailers have different placeholder dates."
Nintendo President Publishes His Plans for the Company’s Future
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has revealed some of his plans for the company in 2016.
The plans were published in the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, and subsequently translated by games industry consultant Dr. Serkan Toto. They offer hints about Nintendo's upcoming console — codename NX — as well as intentions for anime, and mobile apps.
Regarding the NX, Kimishima says the company isn't looking to build on old ideas, but offer entirely new ones. Nintendo will offer more concrete details sometime this year, however, Kimishima made no mention of the console actually arriving in 2016. Nintendo also plans to branch its characters further out of its traditional games. Smartphones and theme parks are one thing, but "TV anime" with licensed characters is also on the docket.
The Walking Dead: Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan Gave Robert Kirkman Goosebumps
Walking Dead fans aren't the only ones excited about the upcoming debut of the psychopathic villain Negan in the second half o Season 6. Creator Robert Kirkman is also thrilled to be seeing one of his most memorable characters making his live-action debut. According to Kirkman, seeing actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan bringing Negan to life gave him goosebumps.
When we talked to Kirkman earlier this week about the recent release of The Walking Dead #150, we also asked if he had a chance to see Morgan's performance yet. Kirkman told us, "I have seen him in action, and it’s very great. You’d expect me to say that because, you know, I’m part of the production. I can’t exactly come out and say, 'Oh, it’s not good!' But it’s one of the most goosebump-y moments I’ve ever gotten watching the show. I’ve walked through the prison. I’ve seen Steven Yeun and Andrew Lincoln meet for the first time. There have been a lot of huge moments that I’ve experienced on this show that have really touched me and moved me in ways that I can’t really describe with words."
New Star Wars Rebels Trailer Has Darth Maul, Kylo Ren Connections
The latest trailer for Star Wars Rebels' season 2 -- which resumes January 20 with an episode about Princess Leia -- has tons of revelations. EW debuted the video, which gives us our first look at Ahsoka Tano fighting Darth Vader, and connections to The Clone Wars, The Force Awakens, and The Phantom Menace.
Ezra Bridger -- whose commitment to the Light Side of the Force is in question -- is seen speaking with what may possibly be Darth Maul as well as Yoda, learning about Anakin Skywalker, and igniting a very Kylo Ren-esque cross-guard lightsaber. We also get a look at Hera's father, Cham Syndulla.
FOX Wants Rambo TV Series to Have ‘Contemporary Take’ on Story
The Rambo TV series continues to be in development at FOX. FOX's Chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman are still waiting for the first script to be delivered for the show, which is reported to be called Rambo: New Blood.
"That script continues to be in development. We haven't seen a draft yet, but once have it, we'll know more about what our plans will be," Newman said during a FOX executive Q&A at the 2016 winter Television Critics Association press tour.
Of speculation about Sylvester Stallone being involved with the project, Newman reiterated that rumors had said Stallone would be acting as a producer and not an actor in the series. "Nothing changed on that front," he said.
Prison Break Officially Returning to FOX
Update added at the bottom of the story regarding scheduling, episode count and story questions.
It’s official: Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows are coming back to TV. At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today, FOX officially announced that Prison Break is returning as an event series.
Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell – who also both currently star in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow -- will reprise their roles as the oft-imprisoned brothers. The original Prison Break producing team, series creator Paul T. Scheuring (Zero Hour), Neal Moritz (The Fast and the Furious franchise), Marty Adelstein (Aquarius, Last Man Standing) and Dawn Olmstead (The Whispers, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce), all are back as executive producers, with Scheuring serving as showrunner/writer. FOX's executives promised other returning characters, yet to be named.
New Promo for Marvel’s Three-Hour Event on ABC
Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter are taking over ABC for three hours on Tuesday, January 19. Marvel's new promo for the event highlights the Captain America: 75 Heroic Years special, starting at 8 PM EST, and the second season premiere of Marvel's Agent Carter, starting at 9 PM EST.
Check it out below:
Captain America: 75 Heroic Years looks back at Cap's history, starting at his first appearance in 1941. Chris Evans, who plays Steve Rogers himself, will be joined by Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, and Clark Gregg (Marvel's Phil Coulson) in discussing the character's legacy.
Captain America's latest film—Captain America: Civil War—hits theaters on May 6. Recently, the Russo brothers spoke out about some plot details.
Pine Confirms Wonder Woman’s Time Period
Chris Pine, who stars as Steve Trevor in Warner Bros.' upcoming Wonder Woman film, has come forward to shed light on his role, confirming the film will indeed be set during World War I.
"Steve Trevor is a rogue-ish, cynical realist who’s seen the awful brutish nature of modern civilization," Pine told the Toronto Sun. "He’s a worldly guy, a charming guy and it’s going to be a great, fun film. There are some incredibly deep, interesting and morally relevant themes."
Half Life 2 Add-on Prospekt to Release in February
Indie developer Richard Seabrook has been working for two years to bring Prospekt, his Half Life 2 add-on, to life. Seabrook announced on Steam today that the game is now available for preorder, with a release in February 2016.
With Valve's approval to use Half-Life 2's license and assets, Prospket is a standalone game built with the Source engine. Seabrook developed the entire game himself, and its length is comparable to Half-Life 2's episode one. It'll the continue the story that Gearbox Software began with Half-Life 1: Opposing Force.
While Gordon Freeman is "being overrun by soldiers in the Nova Prospekt prison," the player will control Adrian Shepherd, "the unsung hero" of the US Marines who's sent in to fight.
Michael B. Jordan Says Creed 2 Needs “A Real Villain”
Michael B. Jordan had been talking about Creed 2, stating that he feels the proposed sequel needs a proper villain.
Sylvester Stallone recently suggested a follow-up bounce back-and-forth in time, like The Godfather 2, but while Jordan thinks that’s possible, he also believes that a believable bad guy is the film's biggest priority.
“I think The Godfather take is super ambitious and awesome,” he explained. “But when you’re dealing with someone like
Ryan
I think honestly he could pull off anything. So that’s pretty cool. And honestly in Creed 1 we didn’t have a real villain I don’t think, so it would be kind of cool to have that antagonist character for Adonis to go up to and have some real animosity towards. That would be pretty cool.”