Monthly Archives: October 2017
Here’s All the News From the 2017 BAFTA Awards
One of the most prestigious awards in the arts, the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards were held in Los Angeles to recognize exceptional achievements in UK and US film and television.
The event naturally brought out all the stars, making it a who's-who of international celebrities. Here's a run down of everything that happened during tonight's show.
English comedian Jack Whitehall hosted the awards show, opening the ceremony by asking Claire Foy if the Queen of England had seen The Crown.
John Lithgow introduced Claire Foy to accept her Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year, saying, "Acting with Claire was one of the greatest joys of my 50 year career."
Publishers Don’t Realize Microtransactions Are Hurting Them, Too
Last week, EA announced that they were closing down Visceral Games, the studio working on a new Star Wars game, essentially because it was too linear and story-based - meaning, exactly what I want from a Star Wars game.
They said the game is instead being “reshaped” to fit the “games as service” brand, which is a business model causing a whole bunch of developers to turn their backs on the type of games I grew up playing - the ones I’ve loved for my entire life. Of course, Battlefront 2 has a 5-7 hour single-player campaign, but it also has microtransactions that, in the beta, effectively encouraged a pay-to-win, low-key gambling system.
Inhumans: IMAX on ‘Misalignment’ and Disappointing Returns
The first two episodes of Marvel's Inhumans were not received especially well when they debuted in IMAX theaters last month, which, according to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, is because of a "misalignment of customer expectations."
As reported by Deadline, Gelfond addressed the underwhelming performance of the theatrical premiere during a quarterly earnings call, essentially attributing the poor reception to moviegoers expecting to get a film-quality experience but instead getting to two episodes of a television show.
Lethal Weapon 5 May Be in the Works
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Dick Donner are looking at the possibility of making Lethal Weapon 5.
Deadline reports the trio are interested in a sequel, and Donner would direct the film for Warner Bros., with the script handled by Lethal Weapon 4 writer Channing Gibson. The report claims there are "many moving parts" and so nothing is official just yet, but that all parties are interested.
The Lethal Weapon franchise focuses on the relationship between reckless cop Riggs, played by Mel Gibson, and his more even-headed partner Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.
EA Announces FIFA’s Biggest Tournament Ever
Electronic Arts has announced the largest tournament ever for FIFA with the EA Sports FIFA 18 Global Series on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.
The competition kicks off November 3 and will culminate in the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018. The worldwide competition has several stages, with each competitor qualifying based on FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Weekend League online performance as well as at live qualifiers during the year.
We Run Down Every Mario Game Ever
Eager to learn even more about your favorite video game franchises, consoles, and the history behind them? If so, you're going to love Every Ever, our encyclopedic series that takes a deep dive into the most iconic titles, characters, and series in all of gaming, and breaks them down with expert analysis.
Join us in Episode 3 as we take a comprehensive look at the incredible history of Mario, who appeared in over two hundred games. The beloved Nintendo mascot, who's revitalized an industry and saved the Mushroom Kingdom a hundred times over, has led the Nintendo library for nearly as long as the company’s made video games.
Saudi Arabia Grants Citizenship to a Robot
Saudi Arabia has just granted citizenship to Sophia, the Hanson Robotics robot.
As reported by TechCrunch, the announcement was made during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia.
While the announcement lacked details on what that citizenship might mean, this is the first time citizenship has been granted to an artificial life-form.
Sophia (courtesy of Hanson Robotics)
Ragnarok Brings Death, Destruction and Great Thor Comics
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to expand in some interesting new directions with the release of Thor: Ragnarok. Not only are we basically getting a Planet Hulk adaptation squeezed into our Thor sequel, the film is tackling one of the most fascinating pieces of Thor's mythology - Ragnarok. This is very fertile ground for the MCU. Ragnarok is a vital piece of Thor's story, and it's been at the heart of many of the best Thor storylines over the past few decades.
While I recommend reading Arnold Blumberg's Ragnarok Explained feature for more on this particular Thor trope, the gist is that Thor and his fellow gods are constantly under the threat of extinction. As in classic Norse mythology, the gods of Asgard are bound by a cycle of death and rebirth that unfolds every couple thousand years. The exact catalyst and circumstances may change, but the end result is usually the same.
EA: Visceral’s Star Wars Game Not Canceled for Being Single Player
The decision to close Visceral Games and refocus the studio's Star Wars project wasn't made because it was a single-player title, according to Electronic Arts executive vice president Patrick Söderlund.
"This truly isn’t about the death of single-player games—I love single-player, by the way—or story and character-driven games," Söderlund told Kotaku. "Storytelling has always been part of who we are, and single-player games will of course continue."
He went on to note that the publisher's decision to refocus the project also "isn't about needing a game that monetizes in a certain way."
Canceled Visceral Star Wars Game Story, Gameplay Details Revealed
Visceral's now-defunct version of a Star Wars game would have a heist story with a focus on "scoundrels in space," according to a new report.
Kotaku's new report on the production and eventual shutdown of both Visceral Games and its untitled Star Wars project, codenamed Ragtag, delves into vision for gameplay and story director Amy Hennig and the studio attempted to create. According to the report, which involved the input of nearly a dozen former Visceral employees, the game would have followed Dodger, a "'cracked mirror version' of Han Solo" in a story of crime families, heists, and more.