Monthly Archives: April 2018
Microsoft Job Posting Gives First Clue About Future Xbox Tech
The next Xbox console may use GDDR6 or flash storage, if two recent Microsoft job postings give any indication.
A posting made on the Microsoft Career site on April 10 reveals the company is looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to help lead development for existing and "leading-edge memory" tech for "currently shipping and future Xbox design projects."
In addition to requiring a "deep understanding of current DDR3 and GDDR5" tech, those solutions include the more powerful GDDR6, as well as "future DRAM technologies."
The company posted another job opening for an Xbox Storage Architect the same day, searching for a team leader to help develop solutions for hard drives, solid state drives, and even flash based tech in future Xbox consoles.
Shenmue I & II Re-Release in the Works Before Shenmue III Announcement
Ever since the reveal of Shenmue III at E3 2015, fans have held high hopes that the first two games in the series, until now consigned to the obsolete Dreamcast and original Xbox, would be remastered for modern consoles. In fact, discussions at Sega were underway even before the Kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming sequel began.
Speaking just hours after the announcement of new console and PC ports of Shenmue I & II, John Clark, Sega Europe’s executive vice president of publishing told IGN that the project has been under discussion internally for several years – but that the announcement of Shemmue III helped Sega Europe to prove there was global demand for the original games.
Epic Lost in Space Limited Edition Skateboard
Legendary Television, in partnership with Bear Walker Industries, revealed their limited-edition collector’s board inspired by the new Lost in Space series. Scroll through the slideshow below to check out the images:
The skateboard, referred to as the J2 Beacon, will have a limited production line of 100 models. If you're interested in picking one up, it will set you back $425 on Bear Walker's website.
Sonia Borris, the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Legendary Television is thrilled to be working with Walker.
“Partnering with Bear Walker was an easy decision,” Borris said. “He’s not only a gifted craftsman but also a true fan of the property. His enthusiasm for Lost in Space is apparent in every detail of this beautiful board.”
Kingsman Star Will Play Elton John in Biopic
Paramount's Elton John biopic Rocketman has cast its lead role.
THR reports Kingsman star Taron Egerton will play the music artist in a film that will chronicle John's days at the Royal Academy of Music and his rise in the rock 'n' roll scene of the 1970s and '80s. The movie will also cover his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in the '90s before achieving international superstardom. Egerton will sing the songs himself.
Taron Egerton in Kingsman.
Deadpool 2 Director to Helm The Division Movie
Ubisoft's The Division movie has found its director in David Leitch.
As reported by Variety, Leitch has signed on to helm the video game-inspired movie, which will star Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal. Gold and Syriana director Stephen Gaghan was previously set to helm The Division, but has since departed the project.
13 Big Things Coming From Marvel and DC in July
Both Marvel Comics and DC Comics released their solicitations for July 2018 this week. July is promising to be another busy month for the industry, with more Marvel books relaunching for Fresh Start and DC celebrating the long-awaited wedding of batman and Catwoman.
Scroll down to see the most noteworthy new comics coming from the two publishers.
Superman #1 cover by Ivan Reis. (DC Entertainment)
The Bard’s Tale 4 Aims to Put a Modern Touch on a Classic RPG
Not many realize it, but it’s true: The Bard’s Tale is one of the oldest franchises in gaming history. The dark-humor adventure/RPG began as a 1985 Apple II title under the direction of Michael Cranford with help from Brian Fargo, and Fargo has carried the torch ever since. In fact, the series has more or less returned from the dead twice: first as a hack-and-slash action-RPG for PS2 and Xbox in 2004, and then again for PC via Kickstarter in 2015 for The Bard’s Tale 4.
That Kickstarter was successful, and now The Bard’s Tale 4 is coming along quite nicely. I got a chance to play a brief alpha demo build, which showcased the Unreal Engine 4-powered visuals (a far cry from the Apple II’s sprites!) and a bit of its humor, but paid particular attention to the combat system. It’s structured similar to a turn-based tactical RPG, with a grid dictating which spaces your three party members can move to and attack from.
Disgaea 1 Complete Announced for PS4, Switch in the West
The HD remake of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness has been announced for the west.
Per PlayStation Blog, the remake, titled Disgaea 1 Complete, will launch this fall for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Along with updated HD graphics, the game will feature English and Japanese audio options, as well as English and French subtitles. Also featured is the Etna Mode, which includes extra characters not found in the original release.
Fans can now preorder the $50 USD standard version or the $100 USD Rosen Queen's Finest Edition, the latter of which which will be available in limited quantities from NIS America's online store.
Fortnite Players Attempt to Destroy Tilted Towers
Last night, Fortnite's Tilted Towers became the site of a massive demolition fest and dance party to welcome a mysterious meteor the community has been tracking for a month. The meteor didn't end up striking Tilted Towers as anticipated, but the Fortnite community still got some excitement out of it.
Reddit user xsqoof posted to the Fortnite subreddit yesterday to plan the event, writing, "Today, at 6:00 PM EST we will all queue up at the same time into solos, and land at Tilted Towers to honor it’s greatness by destroying every single structure in the city. Every tree, every building, every car. Once everything is gone, we all have a massive dance party to pay respects to the city. Be there, to honor this soon-to be fallen location by standing united and in harmony."
SHIELD’s Ming-Na Wen is Getting a Guardians of the Galaxy Cameo, Kinda
We probably won't see a live-action crossover between the Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD any time soon, but SHIELD star Ming-Na Wen is bridging the gap in animated form by voicing a character on Marvel's animated series Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, which airs Sunday mornings on Disney XD.
Even better, she'll be playing a role that would be equally at home in the Guardians universe and on Agents of SHIELD. Get a sneak peek in the exclusive video above.
In "Happy Together," the first of two episodes airing Sunday, March 22 (beginning at 8 a.m. ET/PT), Wen will guest star as a ruthless Kree leader, Phyla-Vell the Accuser, who will stop at nothing to hunt down the Guardians after they unwittingly steal a mysterious item from the warmongering alien race. In the following episode, "Gotta Get Outta This Place," airing at 8:30 a.m., the Guardians find themselves imprisoned for their theft, all because of a set-up orchestrated by Howard the Duck.