Monthly Archives: January 2016
David Bowie Was Considered for a Cameo in Guardians 2
Mourning the loss of legendary musician and actor David Bowie, director James Gunn revealed in a Facebook post that Bowie was being considered for a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
"Just a very short while ago,
Kevin Fiege and I were talking about a cameo role in Guardians Vol. 2, and he brought up Bowie's name," Gunn posted. "I told him nothing in the world would make me happier, but I heard from common friends that he wasn't doing well."
The Guardians 2 director goes on to say he heard back that Bowie was, in fact, doing okay, and that the cameo could "potentially happen." As such, the news of Bowie's death was a complete surprise.
Harrison Ford Dethrones Sam Jackson as Top-Grossing Actor
Thanks to his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Harrison Ford is now the top-grossing actor in the history of the United States box office.
According to Box Office Mojo, Ford has eclipsed Samuel L. Jackson's prior $4.63 billion record with a whopping $4.71 billion. Rounding out the top five are Tom Hanks with $4.33 billion, Morgan Freeman with $4.32 billion and Eddie Murphy with $3.81 billion.
Ford's work in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, among so many other popular titles, accounts for his multi-billion dollar total.
Meanwhile, the highest-grossing actress is Cameron Diaz, who sits in fifteenth place with $3.03 billion, EW notes.
Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympic Games Release Date Announced
Nintendo has announced a release date for Mario and Sonic’s latest Olympic tie-in game.
According to its official Twitter account, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games launches on March 18 for Wii U and 3DS.
Mario & Sonic have victory in their sights when #MarioSonicRio launches for #3DS on 3/18! pic.twitter.com/XEuBCTYIlW
HTC Vive Pre-Orders Open Next Month
Pre-orders for HTC's upcoming VR headset Vive will open on February 29.
HTC CEO Cher Wang revealed the pre-order date in an interview with The Telegraph. Unfortunately, there was no mention of price or release date. Vive was originally set to release in limited quantities last year, but was recently delayed to April.
Play Unravel Before Release With EA Access
Three new trial games are coming to EA Access in February and March - Unravel, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, and EA Sports UFC 2.
According to EA Access website, You'll be able to play Unravel from February 4, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 from February 18, and UFC 2 from March 10.
Although the site does not clarify how long the demos will be, the official EA Access twitter account confirmed that you'll be able to play Unravel for up to 10 hours.
@mustafayonev Nice. Don't forget that you get to play it early for 10 hours on February 9 because you're an EA Access member. :)
Awesome Games Done Quick Raises 1.2 Million
Speedrunning charity marathon Awesome Games Done Quick has raised more than $1.2 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to "stop cancer before it starts."
Amazing work, all of you donors, for we've just hit 1.2 MILLION dollars! Wow, the numbers you are all pulling is fantastic #AGDQ2016
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 10, 2016
Streamed on Twitch, the event ran for the past week. The participants over at AGDQ 2016 bolted through games like StepMania, Pokemon Blue, Half Life 2, Bloodborne, and Super Metroid. Peak numbers were reached during the Super Mario Maker run, boasting 220,000 concurrent viewers. You can check out the stats for yourself on AGDQ's website.
UK Deals – Rise of The Tomb Raider under £22
Will The Division’s Closed Beta Launch Later This Month?
According to UK games retailer FunStock Digital, a closed multiplayer beta for Ubisoft's The Division will launch on January 29.
In a Reddit thread discussion between a customer and customer representative, the retailer stated: "the closed beta starts on the 29th January".
The retailer added that it expected to receive beta keys within the next two weeks, as instructed by its unspecified "key supplier".
The beta had been expected in December of last year, but was pushed back to "early 2016".
When asked for comment, Ubisoft stated that it won’t "comment on rumor or speculation”.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits Coming to PS4 This Week
PlayStation 2 RPG Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is coming to PlayStation 4 later this week.
"For years, the Humans and the Deimos have been at war in their struggle to capture the Great Spirit Stones," states the blurb on the official PlayStation blog.
"To the Humans, the stones represent a magical source of power and light. To the Deimos, the stones are the viable force behind their spell-casting abilities. But fate is about to place the future of both races in the hands of two men."
In our Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits review way back in 2003, we said that: "Take it for what it appears to be, and Twilight of the Spirits is a commendable but flawed RPG romp through a traditional medieval world. Take it for what it is, however, and you'll discover something a lot more meaningful."
David Bowie Passes Away at Age 69
Legendary musician and actor David Bowie passed away today at the age of 69 after an 18 month battle with cancer. Bowie released his latest album, Blackstar, on his birthday, January 8, 2016.
The news was confirmed via David Bowie's official website and social media, as well as his son, director Duncan Jones. The official statement reads, "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief."