Monthly Archives: March 2018
Hulk Is Like ‘Chicken Little’ in Avengers: Infinity War
We last saw the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok aboard the Asgardian ark as it drifted through space in a bittersweet ending. But the film’s post-credits scene quickly turned ominous as the Sanctuary II, a massive ship belonging to Thanos, appeared. While we don’t know yet exactly what happened next, the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War shows that Thor stays in space, likely to stand his ground to defend the ark, while Hulk flees to Earth to get help, landing square in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum. According to actor Mark Ruffalo, who IGN talked to with a group of press while visiting the Atlanta set of Infinity War, that’s how it falls on Bruce Banner and his alter ego to warn Earth’s mightiest heroes about Thanos.
Former Halo 4 Creative Director Announces New Game Scavengers
Josh Holmes, who previously served as studio head of first-person shooter development at Halo-focused 343 Industries, has announced a new game called Scavengers.
The multiplayer survival shooter comes from Midwinter Entertainment and features similar elements from Halo 5's Warzone mode. Scavengers is utilizing Unreal Engine and a cloud-based platform from Improbable named SpatialOS.
"When we introduced Warzone in Halo 5, it represented the pinnacle of blended PVE/PVP," said Holmes, who's CEO of Midwinter. "Now with SpatialOS, we have the ability to push the boundaries of ‘co-opetition’ gameplay in Scavengers, with teams of players competing as armies of smart AI move intelligently across the map, hunting down players and each other."
Final Fantasy 14 Update Adds New Region
Final Fantasy 14's The Forbidden Land, Eureka Anemos is finally open for players to explore with update 4.25, rolling out today.
Eureka will be similar to Diadem, and will "give players the opportunity to experience content that has a completely different set of battle rules from field or instanced content," according to Final Fantasy 14's director and producer, Naoki Yoshida, who went into more detail on Eureka last month.
Gameplay in The Forbidden Land will be a departure from that of the main chunk of the game, with altered battle mechanics, region-specific player progression, field area-style gameplay that supports up to 144 players in a single instance, and of course, rewards.
Monster Hunter World Getting Devil May Cry DLC
Monster Hunter World will receive Devil May Cry-themed armour and weapons in an upcoming event quest.
Revealed in an unbelievably excellent trailer (below), the armour will work similarly to the Horizon: Zero Dawn crossover, in that it transforms your hunter entirely into Dante, or a gender-swapped female Dante.
The crossover also includes a new Charge Blade variant, described as a "devious combination of the Force Edge and Alastor" swords from the original Devil May Cry.
It also looks as though there's an Ebony and Ivory damaging taunt, not unlike the Street Fighter crossover's Hadouken - it's not clear if that will be a microtransaction in the same way.
Last Jedi: 10 New Revelations from the Novelization
It's been several months since Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters, and the novelization has only just arrived in stores. But while it may have taken its sweet time, that book is a treasure trove for fans eager to learn about the events of The Last Jedi from a new perspective. The book isn't simply a straightforward adaptation. Instead, it offers a more introspective look at key characters and moments from the film and examines the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance from different angles.
Scroll down to find out just what new details and plot points are introduced in the novelization, from Luke Skywalker's fantasy life to General Leia Organa's relationship with the Force.
Nier: Automata Has Shipped Over 2.5 Million Units Worldwide
Just over a year after Nier: Automata's release, Square Enix has announced that the title has now shipped over 2.5 million units, both at retail and accounting for digital sales.
The news came via the game's official Twitter account, and indicates that around half a million copies have been shipped since September 2017, when the title hit the 2 million milestone.
After its February 2017 release in Japan, Nier: Automata hit one million units shipped by April, which turned into 1.5 million a month later, in May.
Fruit Ninja Developer Reportedly Lays Off Over Half Its Staff
Fruit Ninja developer Halfbrick Studios reportedly laid off over 30 people on Monday.
A report from CNET citing multiple sources claims Halfbrick cut its workforce by over half. Known best for free-to-play games like Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, the Australian studio was touted as one of mobile gaming’s earliest success stories but things have not been going so well over the last few years.
After large artist lay-offs in 2015 and the closing of its Sydney office in 2016, recent reports indicate that the company’s plan to create new IP is being scaled back. Instead the remaining staff will apparently focus on “maximising opportunities” for the company's two most famous games.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to Add Inclusion Rider in All Future Producing Projects
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have revealed that they will support Inclusion Riders in all future projects.
The news comes from Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, Head of Strategic Outreach at their joint production company Pearl Street Films.
Cox DiGiovanni put out a statement on Twitter on behalf of the company, noting that Damon and Affleck would be supporting the movement.
.@michaelb4jordan Thank you for always supporting broader representation in the industry. On behalf of Pearl Street Films, Matt Damon, @BenAffleck, Jennifer Todd, Drew Vinton & I will be adopting the #InclusionRider for all of our projects moving forward. https://t.co/ODit24D2Rb
Black Panther Editor Reveals Two Cut Scenes
Black Panther editor Michael Shawver has revealed two scenes cut from the film that added depth to character relationships - but has announced they’ll make it into DVD extras.
In an interview with The Wrap, Shawver discussed a scene that was, “hands down the most painful
to cut,” featuring a discussion between Wakanda’s General Okoye and Ambassador W’kabi, played by Danai Gurira and Daniel Kaluuya respectively. In the scene, Killmonger has already taken over Wakanda and the two characters are talking about what happens next.
“Those are two powerhouse actors and it was an incredible scene with so many layers to it,” said Shawver, “boyfriend and girlfriend, it was general and her advisor, all those things.” The scene was cut for pacing reasons with Shawver noting that his priority is to, “have your finger on the pulse of what the audience is feeling,” and that this scene was slowing down the movie’s penultimate act.
The Hidden Cost of Marvel’s Unbelievably Cheap Digital Comics Sales
Marvel Comics kicked off a new digital comics sale yesterday, one that sees roughly 300 graphic novels marked down to a measly 99 cents each on both Comixology and the Amazon Kindle store. That's about as good a deal as fans are likely to find these days. But while the prospect of being able to buy critically acclaimed books like Vision: The Complete Series and Thor by Walt Simonson for less than a buck is great for readers, this sale raises some significant concerns about an industry still grappling with the newfound challenges of the digital market.
