Monthly Archives: August 2018
New Rayquaza Is a Fast and Furious Game Changer
Rayquaza made a huge impact on the world of Pokemon when it first debuted in Pokemon Emerald, and it hasn’t stopped quickly dishing out big damage ever since, no matter which game it has appeared in. That holds true for the new version of the green sky dragon just released in the latest Pokemon Trading Card Game booster set, Celestial Storm. Rayquaza GX is an absolute beast of a card that immediately creates a brand new deck archetype focused around its Dragon Break attack. Although it has the tendency to occasionally crash and burn, it’s still a strong contender that players will need to prepare for, especially at this year’s Pokemon World Championships kicking off on August 24. (Need a primer on the Pokemon Trading Card Game and how to play online for free? Read our Pokemon TCG Primer.)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy Merchandise Revealed
Activision has partnered with Numskull Designs to create an official merchandise line for the upcoming Spyro Reignited Trilogy. The line includes everything from standard merchandise, like clothing and keychains, to items as far-out as an incense burner.
The full list of available merchandise includes a t-shirt, watch, bottle opener, mug, incense burner, hats, keychains, and more. The entire line is now available for preorder and will be released alongside the Spyro Reignited Trilogy on September 21.
The line's most unique item, the Spyro the Dragon Incense Burner Figurine, is fully functional. An incense cone is placed in the figurine's base, which then causes the Spyro figure on top to exhale smoke through its nostrils.
Castle Rock Renewed for Season 2
Hulu's latest psychological-thriller series, Castle Rock, will return for a second season.
Inspired by the writings of iconic American author Stephen King, Castle Rock centers on Henry Deaver (Andre Holland), a defense attorney who recently returned to the small Maine town in order to help a mysterious young boy (Bill Skarsgard), who was found in an abandoned section of Shawshank State prison.
Per Variety, Castle Rock will return with a "wholly original" story, according to an interview with Hulu's VP and Head of Content, Craig Erwich, which confirms that the show will be an anthology series. You can check out some of the Stephen King Easter Eggs in the SPOILER-FILLED slideshow below.
Star Trek Discovery Casts Spock
Star Trek Discovery has cast Ethan Peck as the latest actor to portray Starfleet officer Spock in the upcoming season two of the CBS All-Access series.
Peck will play the iconic role that was made famous by the late Leonard Nimoy in the original series and most recently by Zachary Quinto in the rebooted movies. He has appeared in That '70s Show, Madame Secretary, Gossip Girl, and voiced Gabriel Thorne in Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.
Peck recently tweeted out his thanks to the Nimoy family with a picture that includes members of Leonard Nimoy's family.
Why Pearl Is No Jessica Jones
Revamping the Superman franchise was just the beginning for the newly DC Comics-exclusive Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis has also brought his long-running imprint Jinxworld to DC, resulting in both reprints of existing comics and a whole new wave of creator-owned titles. The first of these new books is Pearl, a series that reunites Bendis with Jessica Jones co-creator Michael Gaydos and follows the journey of a tattoo artist trying to escape her life in the San Francisco Yakuza.
But don't expect a mere Alias rehash from Bendis and Gaydos. Pearl is a very different sort of comic. And to find out exactly why that is, we chatted with Bendis on the phone to learn more about Pearl and why DC is the ideal home for his new creator-owned projects. He even teased what to expect from the upcoming volume of Scarlet as that series makes the jump to DC.
Bethesda: ‘It’s Absolutely Critical’ Sony Allows Cross-Play for Elder Scrolls: Legends
Bethesda Softworks is pressuring Sony to change its much-maligned ban on cross-play, but not for its tentpole holiday release. Eurogamer reports that The Elder Scrolls: Legends, not Fallout 76, is the game for which Bethesda most wants Sony to change its policy.
While "it would be nice" to have cross-play on Fallout 76, said Bethesda Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Pete Hines, it's "OK" if that's not possible.
"But for Legends it's absolutely critical," Hines continued, "both cross-play, which is how Legends works right now on every device – you're playing against somebody who could be on any device – and, more importantly, cross-platform progression, which means no matter what you do on any platform, you load up the game and so long as you're logged in, here is all your progression, here is everything you had, everything you were doing."
Arkane says Dishonored Series is Taking a Break
In an interview with VG247 at QuakeCon 2018, Arkane Lead Designer Ricardo Bare said that Dishonored is taking a break at the moment for any future releases.
“I can’t say definitively what might happen down the road, anything could happen, but
is resting for now,” Bare said.
Arkane's latest, smaller game in the Dishonored series that released in Sept. 2017, Death of the Outsider, wrapped up the storyline that had begun five years prior.
“The things that are important to us as a studio are coherent, deep world building and environmental storytelling – we’re always going to craft spaces that you feel like you’re visiting, whether it’s Dunwall or Talos 1," Bare said.
Release Date for Dark Souls Remastered on Nintendo Switch Announced
From Software’s Dark Souls Remastered will be arriving on the Nintendo Switch on October 19, 2018.
Announced on Twitter, From Software has confirmed that the delayed Nintendo Switch version of Dark Souls Remastered will be arriving in just a couple months.
Michael Bay Forced to Confirm He Is Not Making a Dora the Explorer Movie
Michael Bay has been forced to confirm he's not involved with Paramount's live-action Dora the Explorer movie.
Bay's Twitter account confirmed the filmmaker is not developing the project for Paramount, as it was previously reported Bay and his production company Platinum Dunes was producing the movie. However, Bay is busy working on his next film, 6 Underground.
"One more time: Bay or Platinum Dunes has nothing to do with the Dora movie," the tweet reads. "It is being falsely reported in the press. Bay is set to start directing #6underground this week and Platinum Dunes has started developing #AQuietPlace 2."
EA Chief Design Officer Patrick Söderlund Leaves Company
Electronic Arts' Chief Design Officer, Patrick Söderlund is leaving the company after almost 20 years.
As detailed by EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Söderlund has decided to leave for a "new chapter". No reason for the departure was cited, and no word given on where Söderlund will end up next.
Söderlund was the head of Worldwide Studios at EA before being promoted to Chief Design Officer. His transition will take place over the next three months, and a few teams within EA will be affected as a result.
Johan Andersson's SEED team will join EA's studios group, while Rob Letts' EA Originals and EA Partners will now join EA's Strategic Growth group. Additionally, Jason Wozencroft has joined the company to lead a unified UX approach for EA's products.