Monthly Archives: May 2017
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2: First Hands-On
The Lego video games by British developer Traveller's Tales are, consistently, a near-cosmic impossibility. Most if not all of them have managed to be appealing to both kids and adults simultaneously, charming and/or funny, packed with good gameplay, and based off of a big and established IP to boot. Usually, games with that kind of recipe are mediocre at best and terrible at worst, owing to a deficiency in time, development talent, or both.
But here comes TT Games once again, out to continue their hot streak with Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. It starts with an absurdly large roster. While I only got to see the Guardians of the Galaxy, the roster screen had so many locked characters on it that it was almost intimidating.
PlayStation Network Now Has 70 Million Active Users
Sony has announced that its online PlayStation Network now has 70 million monthly active users.
This information was released in a slideshow going over the review of Sony's 2016 financial year, and some of the strategy for the upcoming year.
By the end of 2016, PSN had reached over 70 million active users across all Sony consoles, and the plan for this year is to expand the number of hardware units sold to 78 million.
In addition, by the end of last year there were over a third of that number, 26.4 million paying PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Sony is also looking to expand the appeal of PSVR, bring improvements to PlayStation Vue, and develop a new audience by creating "a new mobile content opportunity in Japan / Asia region."
Game Developers Begin to Agree to Voice Actors’ Strike Terms
Some game developers are starting to agree to terms that state voice actors will be paid royalties in accordance with sales from games.
In October last year, the Screen Actor's Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) commenced a strike after negotiations between the group and a selection of game companies fell through.
The companies involved include Activision, Blindlight, Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Interactive Associates, Take 2, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games, Inc.
Today the SAG-AFTRA magazine (via gamesindustry.biz) reported that some companies have begun to agree to the guild's terms of a residual payment plan, offering a full day's wage per two million units of sales, capping at four payments.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Coming for PS4 and Xbox One
In celebration of its 5th anniversary, Dragon's Dogma's Dark Arisen edition is being ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A tweet from Japanese magazine Famitsu revealed the return of Capcom's popular action RPG to console following a relaunch last year on PC.
The port is slated to release in Japan during fall this year and a tweet from the English-language Dragon's Dogma Twitter account implies we'll get a western release too.
Supergirl: 4 Theories About THAT Mystery Character
Full spoilers for Supergirl's Season 2 finale, "Nevertheless, She Persisted," continue below.
It wouldn't be a Supergirl finale without the show introducing a new mystery for fans to chew on over the summer. The Season 1 finale introduced a space pod we eventually learned was carrying Daxamite refugee Mon-El. This year, the show wrapped with another flashback to Krypton just before its destruction, revealing that another baby was sent to Earth along with Kal-El and Kara Zor-El.
It's pretty clear from that scene that this baby isn't going to be the valiant hero that Kara and her cousin are. If anything, we're probably looking at an early tease for the main villain of Season 3. But who could that mystery baby be? We have a few ideas.
DCEU Colleagues, Hollywood Pay Respects to Zack Snyder
DC Extended Universe colleagues and filmmaking friends of Zack Snyder are taking to social media to extend their condolences to the Justice League director after he revealed that due to the death of his daughter, Autumn, he is stepping down from Justice League to spend time with his family. (Avengers director Joss Whedon is taking over the reins of the film's post-production and additional shooting.)
DC Films co-bosses Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, Aquaman director James Wan, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, and The LEGO Batman Movie and live-action Nightwing film director Chris McKay were among those expressing their sympathies online to Snyder and his family.
Pinocchio: Skyfall’s Sam Mendes in Talks to Direct Remake
Skyfall and SPECTRE director Sam Mendes is in negotiations to helm Disney's live-action Pinocchio remake.
Deadline reports talks are still early between Mendes and Disney. The Pinocchio remake was first reported to be in the works in 2015 with famed screenwriter Peter Hedges attached to the film.
The remake is said to be a loose take on the beloved fairy tale centered around a wooden marionette who wishes to become a real boy.
Not much else is known about the project as it still seems to be in the early stages of production. Mendes' last film was 2015's SPECTRE, which IGN deemed an "entertaining if overlong" James Bond film.
The Conjuring’s James Wan to Produce First Resident Evil Reboot
The Conjuring and Aquaman director James Wan will reportedly produce the first of six recently-announced Resident Evil reboots for Constantin Film.
Deadline reports Wan, who's known for producing successful horror films like Lights Out and Annabelle, is only set to produce the first Resident Evil reboot for now. Greg Russo will script the remake. Wan worked with Russo on the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot.
Zack Snyder Exits Justice League After Family Tragedy
Following a heartbreaking personal tragedy, Zack Snyder and his wife Deborah Snyder are stepping down from production on Justice League. Warner Bros. confirms Marvel's The Avengers director Joss Whedon will finish the film, which is still on track for its November 2017 release date.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Snyders announced Monday that they are taking time off from Justice League following the March suicide of his 20-year-old daughter Autumn. Though they originally felt like they could continue to complete the movie and didn't plan to take the news public, the Snyders have since decided to take time with their family to heal.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Delayed to Spring 2018
Rockstar Games has announced that its upcoming sequel Red Dead Redemption 2 will now be released for the PS4 and Xbox One in the spring of 2018.
Originally revealed to be releasing in the fall of 2017, Rockstar announced the delay today, saying that "some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans."
Rockstar also offered a look at brand new screenshots from the Red Dead sequel: