Monthly Archives: April 2017
Xbox Project Scorpio Unveil Confirmed for E3 2017
Microsoft will fully unveil its upcoming Xbox console, codenamed Project Scorpio, at E3 2017.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer confirmed the impending reveal in a post on Xbox Wire. "I'm proud of the progress made with Project Scorpio and what it will mean for the creators who fuel the passion of gamers around the world," he said, adding, "We’re excited to unveil Project Scorpio and the amazing game experiences it powers at E3 this June."
Microsoft announced Project Scorpio last year at E3 2016, touting it as "the most powerful console ever built." Last week, the company revealed Scorpio's tech specs and, just yesterday, pulled back the curtain on the Project Scorpio dev kit.
Everything You Need to Know about Prey
The Prey of 2017 is narratively, tonally, and mechanically divorced from the Prey of 2006.
It’s not a sequel or a remake; Instead it’s a “reimagining” that keeps the name, plus the basic principle of a first person shooter where you’re hunted by aliens, and builds something completely new.
Here’s everything you need to know about Prey before it launches.
After the success of the first Prey, work on a sequel fell into development hell. The rights to the game transferred to Bethesda in 2011, but in October 2014 the publisher officially confirmed it was cancelling a game titled Prey 2.
Pokemon Go Easter Event Offers Double XP
Niantic has announced an in-game “Eggstravaganza” for Pokemon Go that will offer egg-themed bonuses and rewards.
Beginning today and lasting until April 20th, players will earn double experience points for in-game actions like hatching eggs, catching Pokemon, and spinning PokeStops. During the event, Lucky Egg items from the shop will also be half-price. Since Lucky Eggs normally double experience points earned for a 30-minute period, players will be able to earn 4x experience by using a Lucky Egg during the duration of the event.
In a blog post on Pokemon Go’s official site, Niantic also teased that “a greater variety” of Pokemon will hatch from 2 kilometer eggs, expanding the pool Pokemon you can potentially get from hatching eggs. In addition, hatching eggs will earn players twice as much candy during the event.
Comic Book Reviews for April 12, 2017
It was another big week of comics. DC moved forward from the recent "Superman Reborn crossover." Marvel kicked off two new X-Men titles and wrapped up Brian Bendis and Valerio Schiti's Guardians of the Galaxy. Action Lab debuted the promising new "Calvin and Hobbes Meets Sin City" story that is Spencer and Locke. And Image delivered another strong lineup that included new issues of Motor Crush, Seven to Eternity and The Wicked + The Divine.
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.
DC COMICS
A Horde of Goldars Attack in Power Rangers #14
Rita Repulsa's latest scheme involves Goldar... a whole lotta Goldars. That's right, she made clones of the fearsome tiger-ape warrior and sent them after the Power Rangers, who are currently divided and overwhelmed thanks to the machinations of the powerful Black Dragon.
Click through the slideshow below to get a peek inside the issue along with a host of morphenomenal variant covers from publisher BOOM! Studios.
Also check out the full solicitation info for the issue.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #14
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Cover Artists:
The Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia
DK has just published the Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia, a 200 page book covering over 3,000 characters, planets, vehicles, Droids, and more. The book is split up into five sections: Geography, nature, history, culture, science and technology. Once in those sections, the authors (Adam Bray, Cole Horton and Tricia Barr) provide extensive details on the galaxy far, far away.
This book is an invaluable resource for Star Wars fans. As someone who has been reading a lot of Star Wars novels lately, the Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia is helpful when you want to check how far Wild Space is from the Inner Rim planets, how to say hello in Tusken (“Aargh”), or what a V-Wing actually looks like. The book also includes a timeline section, which displays the major story beats of the TV shows and films.
MotoGP 17 Revealed, Arrives in July
Italian racing developer Milestone has announced the next instalment of its long-running MotoGP series, MotoGP 17. The game, naturally based on the 2017 season, will arrive July 11 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Milestone notes that the physical release will be available exclusively via GameStop in the US and “participating retailers in Canada and Latin America.” The circumstances around its release in Europe and Australia/NZ were not discussed, but MotoGP17 will also be available to download via normal digital storefronts.
MotoGP 17 will feature all 2017 riders, teams, and tracks, as well as the new rules and the Red Bull Rookies Cup championship. Milestone also confirmed the game will run at 60FPS for the first time in the series.
New Star Wars Animated Shorts and Toy Line Revealed
One of the biggest brands ever is expanding again, as Disney and Lucasfilm are launching Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a new initiative that includes a series of animated shorts and an accompanying toy line.
Focused on the female heroes of Star Wars, Forces of Destiny’s six core characters are Leia Organa, Padme Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Rey and Jyn Erso. In the 16 shorts, which will be released on YouTube, each of these six will take a turn starring in new stories that co-exist alongside the existing Star Wars lore. Which is to say, yes, these are canon! On top of that, several notable Star Wars actors from both live action and animation are reprising their roles here, including Daisy Ridley (“Rey”), Felicity Jones (“Jyn”), Ashley Eckstein (“Ashoka”), Tiya Sircar (“Sabine”), John Boyega (“Finn”), Matt Lanter ("Anakin Skywalker"), Vanessa Marshall ("Hera Syndulla") and Lupita Nyong'o (“Maz Kanata”).
Dolph Lundgren Joins Aquaman
Veteran Swedish action icon Dolph Lundgren has joined the cast of DC’s upcoming Aquaman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lundgren will star as King Nereus, the leader of a rival colony of Atlanteans called Xebel. The Hollywood Reporter claims Nereus wants to kill Aquaman and seize Mera, Aquaman’s Queen.
Lundgren will feature alongside a cast of Hollywood heavyweights, including Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, and Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison as Aquaman’s parents. The film will be helmed by director James Wan (Saw, Furious 7).
Thanos Returns for Epic Guardians of the Galaxy Finale
The series finale of Marvel's current Guardians of the Galaxy comic featured a massive showdown with Thanos.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #19!
This issue wrapped up the "Grounded" story arc, with the Guardians remaining trapped on Earth after having their spaceship destroyed during the events of Civil War II. Though initially scattered, the Guardians quickly reunited to deal with an invasion force led by Thanos and featuring the combined might of the Brood, the Badoon and Annihilus' Negative Zone bugs.
However, even with three of the biggest armies in the universe at his disposal, Thanos couldn't seem to defeat those pesky Guardians. And Thanos' daughter Gamora wasn't shy about rubbing his failure in his face.