Monthly Archives: April 2016
Comic Book Reviews for April 13, 2016
April continues to be a great month for comic book fans. Marvel finally delivered the long-awaited Star Wars Special: C-3PO #1 and answered one of the many burning questions from The Force Awakens. They also relaunched Moon Knight and kicked off The Unbelievable Gwenpool this week. DC, meanwhile, debuted a new Harley Quinn comic and released another chapter in the epic crossover Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Elsewhere, we saw the debut of promising new creator-owned series House of Penance, Heartthrob, Black Road and Goldie Vance.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases. And be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
Gears of War 4 Multiplayer Beta: It’s Nice to Saw You Again
It wasn’t so much Gears of War 4’s new Unreal Engine 4-powered 1080p/60fps graphics that put a smile on my face, it was its sound. While the visuals may have changed in the last 10 years – thank goodness, of course – that familiar rev of the Lancer’s chainsaw bayonet and subsequent woodchipper-esque wail of carving through an opponent sure hasn’t, and hearing it triggered a surge of nostalgia that made me feel like I was catching up with an old friend.
My two-hour sneak peek of the imminent Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta took me to three maps across two game modes: good ol’ Team Deathmatch and the tug-of-war-style Dodgeball. Though none of the beta levels immediately gave off the “instant classic” vibe that Gears 1’s “Gridlock”, “Mansion,” and “Fuel Depot” did, I thought “Harbor” had a hint of “Gridlock” to it that made it my early favorite of the three. And while we’re on the subject, I was disappointed that none of the beta maps have any of the “map events” that made Gears 3’s battles more interesting and unpredictable, though perhaps there will be battlegrounds in the final game that will fill that void.
Warcraft Movie Gets a Prequel Graphic Novel
The upcoming Warcraft movie is getting a prequel graphic novel called Warcraft: Bonds of Brotherhood. It will be published by Legendary with a story by Blizzard’s Chris Metzen that will be written by Paul Cornell and drawn by Mat Broome, Michael O’Hare, Eddie Nunez, Roy Allan Martinez, Ale Garza, and Mike Bowden.
Behold the cover by artist Kevin Tong:
It Is Possible to Play Oculus Rift Exclusives on the Vive
One independent developer has created some software that patches Oculus Rift exclusive games to make them compatible with the HTC Vive.
Reddit user CrossVR has released a LibreVR plug-in called Revive on GitHub. Its description says it's a "proof-of-concept compatibility layer between the Oculus SDK and OpenVR."
"It works by reimplementing functions from the Oculus Runtime and translating them to OpenVR calls," writes the creator on the GitHub page. However, you will still need Oculus runtimes running in the background on your PC while you play the games using the Vive.
Bandai Namco Releases Dark Souls 3’s VHS Cover Art
Remember the '80s style "Dark Souls III: The Movie" trailer Bandai Namco released a couple of weeks ago? Well, that cover art is real and you can download it now.
If you haven't seen it yet, check out the trailer below, and no, it wasn't an April Fool's joke. Bandai Namco UK's official Twitter account has tweeted out the relevant links for each platform.
The cover art is the same for each platform, but the sizes are different to cater to your Dark Souls III box. Here's the PC version, the Xbox One version, and the PlayStation 4 version.
Transformers 5: Nickelodeon Starlet Isabela Moner Up for Female Lead
Isabela Moner is reportedly up for the female lead in Paramount's Transformers 5, opposite the returning Mark Wahlberg.
According to TheWrap, the 14 year old actress is being looked at for the role of Izabella, "a street-smart tomboy who grew up an orphan and was raised in foster care." She has a small Transformer as a friend, but soon she'll meet the inventor Cade Yeager (Wahlberg).
Isabela Moner.
All Battle.net Games Unavailable After DDoS Attack
All games powered by Battle.net are currently unavailable to play in the US and EU after a DDoS attack on a Blizzard datacenter.
Hacking group, Lizard Squad has claimed responsibility for the attack, with members claiming they have also accessed Blizzard employees' emails.
US Blizzard #Offline - WoW #Offline, Diablo 3 #Offline, Starcraft 2 #Offline, Hearthstone #Offline @fbiarelosers @AppleJ4ckxoxo
Young Han Solo: Alden Ehrenreich Emerges as Frontrunner for Lead Role
Hail, Caesar! and Blue Jasmine actor, Alden Ehrenreich has reportedly emerged as the frontrunner to play young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars prequel about the roguish smuggler's early days.
As reported by Deadline, the news seemingly comes from inside sources after impressive screen tests that edged him ahead of fellow actors Taron Egerton and Jack Reynor.
Alden Ehrenreich (seen here in Beautiful Creatures)
Take a Virtual, 360-Degree Tour of Blizzard’s Office
If you've ever wanted to see inside Blizzard's offices, you can now do so without leaving the comfort of your home.
We recently visited Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine in sunny, southern California and we brought our 360-degree camera with us. That means you can check out the office in virtual reality, if you're so inclined. Don't bother searching for secrets, though. We didn't see any of Blizzard's secret areas, but it is a cool peek inside its headquarters.
For those of you without a VR headset, you can still click and look around with your mouse.
There's a lot to see, including walls covered with art for Blizzard's upcoming Overwatch. There's also a museum-like display of characters, miniatures, concept art, and more, to satisfy your Blizzard cravings.
Benedict Cumberbatch to Voice the Grinch in New Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game) is set to voice The Grinch in a new animated version of the Dr. Seuss classic.
Directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's big screen adaptation will be produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, and Scott Mosier, with Audrey Geisel and Chris Renaud executive producing.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is expected to hit theaters on November 10, 2017.
Artwork for Universal's upcoming animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie.