Monthly Archives: September 2017

How Does Final Fantasy IV Stand Up Today?

As I approached Final Fantasy IV for the latest instalment of this series playthrough (read my impressions of Final Fantasy 1, 2 and 3), I realised it was the first of the pre-PlayStation era entries that I've had prior history with. I've started it three times over the years, absolutely adored its early premise, but then dropped it for something else a few hours in. That's never been the game's fault, exactly, just that I'd always started it in-between releases, then the next big game would drop and take priority.

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Bobby “The Brain” Heenan Passes Away

Legendary wrestling manager/announcer/personality Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (or "The Weasel" as co-announcer Gorilla Monsoon would insist) passed away this afternoon at age 73.

Considered by many to be the best heel manager and color commentator in the business, Heenan started in pro-wrestling in the late 60s, his larger-than-life personality bringing joy to fans for four decades. Heenan became a household name thanks to his iconic 80s/early 90s WWF run when he managed the likes of Andre the Giant (who he historically accompanied to the ring at WrestleMania III), Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, and many more.

Heenan, like others in WWF at the time, made the leap over to WCW in the mid-90s and was a part of their commentary team until that company went under in 2000.

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Box Office: Stephen King’s IT Scares Off American Assassin

Stephen King's IT had a strong second weekend in domestic theaters, retaining its first place position at the box office with an estimated $60 million.

After a record-breaking debut last weekend, New Line's horror film has now passed the 1986 classic Crocodile Dundee to become the highest-grossing film ever to be released in the month of September (not accounting for inflation). The current domestic total for Stephen King's IT now stands at approximately $218.7 million.

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Star Wars: Paul Bettany Wraps Filming on Han Solo

Paul Bettany has officially wrapped filming on the Han Solo movie.

Director Ron Howard took to Twitter to announce the end of Bettany's work on the film, while also revealing an on-set photo of him and Bettany. The actor joined the Han Solo movie just a few weeks ago, and his role still remains a complete mystery.

"Had to say goodbye to my friend @Paul_Bettany today. Another terrific performance from a world class talent," Howard tweeted.

Paul Bettany and Ron Howard, via Twitter

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Fast Franchise Must ‘Evolve or Die,’ Says Michelle Rodriguez

Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez believes the franchise must "evolve or die" when it comes to how it handles its female characters.

While speaking to TMZ (via Heroic Hollywood), Rodriguez doubled down on her remarks earlier this year criticizing the franchise's lack of meaningful female roles. "My path is about female empowerment, and if I'm feeling a little stagnant in that area in what I'm doing for a living, then I'm gonna have to move on," said Rodriguez.

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Star Wars: Hux Actor on Abrams Returning for Ep. 9

Actor Domhnall Gleeson, who plays the villainous General Hux in the new Star Wars trilogy, calls the return of director J.J. Abrams to the franchise "very exciting for the fans of the film."

I chatted with Gleeson on the phone today about his new movie American Made -- look for my full interview with him in the coming weeks -- during which time I asked for his thoughts on J.J. Abrams replacing Colin Trevorrow as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX.

"I can't speak from any perspective except for the fact as somebody who likes the movies because it's not been disclosed to anybody -- because obviously nobody knows what's going to happen with The Last Jedi -- whether I'll be involved in that film or not," said Gleeson. "So I don't think of it as somebody who's necessarily involved or not involved, that's just its own thing."

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Stephen King’s IT: The ‘Disturbing’ Flashback That Was Cut

Bill Skarsgard, the actor who stars as Pennywise in Stephen King's IT, has come forward to discuss a "disturbing" flashback scene involving his character that was shot but didn't make it into the movie.

Speaking on Variety's "Playback" podcast, Skarsgard said the scene is set in the 1600s before Pennywise became the terrifying clown. "The scene turned out really, really disturbing," he said, noting he looks more like himself rather than the clown.

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Call of Duty: WW2’s Zombies Mode Detailed

Sledgehammer Games has offered new details about Call of Duty: WWII's Zombies mode.

PlayStation Blog interviewed Jon Horsley, the lead for Call of Duty: WWII's Zombies mode, to find out what fans can expect from this new iteration of the popular cooperative mode, which features all all-star voice cast.

According to Horsley, the new Zombies mode will deliver more of the tried and true four-player cooperative gunplay against waves of Nazi zombies that fans have come to know and love. He also echoed the studio's prior claims that Sledgehammer is aiming to make this the scariest Zombies mode yet.

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PUBG Passes Dota 2’s Player Record on Steam

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has set a new record with the highest number of concurrent players for any game ever on Steam.

While the game temporarily passed Dota 2 late last month, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds pulled well ahead of Valve's popular MOBA today. According to Steam's stats page, PUBG amassed a whopping 1,349,584 concurrent players, surpassing Dota 2's prior record of 1,291,328 concurrent players (via Steam Charts).

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