Monthly Archives: April 2016
Mafia 3: Taking Over New Orleans One Crime at a Time
Mafia 3, like its predecessors, has the potential to be among the heads of the open-world family. The series has always nailed story, setting, and time period -- the very things that many other open-world games come up short on. But it’s never been able to fill out its period-perfect places with enough to do. If my two hours with Mafia III is any indication, righting that wrong is a key design pillar. Combine that with heavenly driving physics and brutal combat, and I might be saying “Fuggedaboutit” to other games so that I can focus on Mafia 3 this October.
You play Lincoln Clay, an orphan whose only family has ever been of the organized crime variety. The year is 1968, and Lincoln is a Vietnam vet -- a convenient explanation for his otherworldly combat skills. Seriously, if you don’t recoil at least once at Mafia 3’s brutal takedowns (in a good way; they’re pretty damn fun to execute), then you’re truly desensitized to just about anything. Lincoln wages war against the Italian mob in New Bordeaux -- read: New Orleans -- by hitting them where it hurts: in the wallet. Also the face.
Mafia 3 Release Date, Pre-Order Bonuses Announced
2K announced Mafia III is coming to consoles and PC on October 7, 2017. It also revealed gamers who pre-order any edition of the game will be eligible to receive the "Family Kick-Back" pre-order bonus.
The Family Kick Back includes "three exclusive vehicles and weapons" and will be available at the game's launch.
Three different versions of the game are available for pre-order. In addition to the vanilla-version of the game, the $80 deluxe edition can be ordered either digitally or "in limited capacity from select retailers." The deluxe edition includes the game and season pass access, as well as access to "post-release downloadable content."
The $150 collector's edition is "packed with physical and digital items," including everything included with the deluxe edition, along with the game's original soundtrack on vinyl, an art book, art prints, "and more."
Joss Whedon Came off of Avengers: Age of Ultron Feeling Like A “Miserable Failure”
Joss Whedon has said that he was "beaten down" by the process of making Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
During an interview with Avengers star Mark Ruffalo at the Tribeca Film Festival (as reported by Variety), Whedon discussed his conflicting feelings on the film:
"I am very proud of it
The things about it that are wrong frustrate me enormously, and I had probably more of those than I had on the other movies I made."
Whedon ruled himself out of directing more films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Age of Ultron released, and his feelings about making the film seem to point as to why:
Dark Souls 3 Glitch Turns Game Into Grand Theft Auto
Ever wondering what Dark Souls 3 would be like if it featured the same camera perspective as the original Grand Theft Auto?
YouTuber Kappamari has managed to utilise a glitch whereby the game’s camera becomes fixed to a bird’s eye view, and the end result is, well, see for yourself below:
The glitch itself is performed by heading to the Pontiff Sulyvahn bonfire, then jumping off a ledge to a lower section. What happens is the camera stays at the higher point and doesn’t pan down with the character, which creates the Grand Theft Dark Souls viewpoint.
Legend of Zelda Manga Omnibus Gets a Release Date
Viz Media has revealed the Legend of Zelda Manga will be released on November 1.
As ThreeIfBySpace reports, each Manga contains two volumes of the 10 volume series, and comes with new covers and colour artwork from the original creator, Akira Himekawa. As well, each edition will now be printed in a larger resolution to that of the original, specifically; 5-3/4-inch by 8-1/4-inch.
The first volume follows the story of Ocarina of Time, and is set to retail at $17.99 in the US, and $21.99 in Canada. Future editions will be release bimonthly, of which, there are five volumes to collect in total.
Better Call Saul: Michael McKean on Coming to Love Chuck
Full spoilers for Better Call Saul's Season 2 finale, "Klick," continue below.
There is at least one person who loves Chuck McGill beyond his brother Jimmy, and that is actor Michael McKean. Even as Chuck turns into a straight villain out to take down his corner-cutting, rule-breaking younger brother, McKean is going to be the first person to defend him.
McKean got on the phone to talk about the cliffhanger at the end of Better Call Saul's Season 2 finale, how he relates to Chuck and how he portrays his character's illness. He also (barely) teased what's to come and whether any of these characters will get any peace.
Ridley, Abrams Re-Team for Fantasy Thriller Kolma
Daisy Ridley and J.J. Abrams are set to work together again.
The Wrap reports that Ridley and Abrams have come aboard 'Kolma', based on a 2003 Israeli telefilm from Keren Margalit called 'All I’ve Got.' The movie will focus on the tragic turning point in the life of a young woman, and the decision she is faced with just before she crosses over into the afterlife 50 years later.
Ridley will star in the film, Abrams will produce, and Diary of a Teenage Girl's Marielle Heller is currently in negotiations to direct.
This will be Ridley's first lead role in a film since Star Wars: Episode VII, though the 24-year-old is currently in high demand, and recently admitted to being in talks to star as Lara Croft in Warner Bros. and MGM's Tomb Raider reboot.
Rumor: PlayStation 4.5 Codenamed ‘NEO’, Specs Revealed
A new report has revealed the apparent specs for the PlayStation 4.5, aka PS4K, aka the PlayStation 'NEO'.
According to GiantBomb's sources, the upgraded version of the PlayStation 4 - rumored since March - is referenced internally as NEO, and will contain a a higher clock speed, improved GPU, and higher memory bandwidth. The console will also support 4K image output.
The publication reports that from October, games released for the PlayStation 4 must ship with a 'Base Mode' for the current model and a 'NEO Mode' for the upgraded model, while games released previous to October can opt to take advantage of the new hardware with a patch. In a nutshell, games running in NEO mode will offer higher visual fidelity and a more stable frame rate - the exact specs provided to GiantBomb are below:
Overwatch Closed Beta Ending Next Week
The current closed beta for Overwatch will end on April 25, Blizzard has confirmed via a new post on its website.
Overwatch has now entered its final phase of development, but there will still be a chance for players to try out the game before its official launch – an open beta for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One will run from May 5 to May 9. Players who pre-purchase Overwatch before April 29 will gain access to the open beta early, on May 3.
Progress made during the closed beta period will not be carried over to Overwatch's open beta or to launch.
Cameron: Pitching Avatar Sequels Against Star Wars Would be ‘Stupid’
James Cameron has elaborated on the release strategy for his upcoming Avatar sequels.
Speaking to Famousmonsters.com, Cameron explained that the rationale behind spacing out the sequels between 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023 was to avoid a potential clash with Star Wars.
“My original plan was to release them a year apart, but we’re opening that up," said Cameron. "If for no other reason than that I don’t want to land on the same date as one of the Star Wars sequels. That wouldn’t be fair to them. No, that’s just good business. I don’t want to go head-to-head with Star Wars. That would be stupid. And hopefully they won’t want to go head-to-head with us.”