Monthly Archives: February 2019
The Latest Nintendo Direct Made Our Childhood Dreams Come True
Weeeelcooome to this week's giant new episode of Nintendo Voice Chat! After months of speculation, anticipation, rumors, lies, 808's, and heartbreaks, we FINALLY got a brand new Nintendo Direct, and oh boy was it packed to the gills with new game reveals, updates, and legendary announcements that gave us chills. On this week's episode, Brian Altano, is joined by Casey DeFreitas, Zach Ryan, and Tom Marks to break down every single detail revealed in the Direct, from the new first party games unveiled (Mario Maker 2! Link's Awakening remake!)
Pirates of the Caribbean Reboot Loses Deadpool Writers
The sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film has lost two key writers.
According to Deadline, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writing duo responsible for both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, have left the project. Pirates of the Caribbean 6 was reportedly set to function as a relaunch of the series.
What this means for the future of the Pirates franchise is unclear. Some sources close to Deadline say Disney is currently looking for new writers to join the project, while others say this may be the end for the crew of the Black Pearl.
Why Is a Super Mario Chain Chomp in Link’s Awakening?
In the pantheon of Zelda games, Link’s Awakening is sort of an obscure one. Seeing as it’s an obtuse handheld-only game from 1993 that was never ported to consoles with a fever dream of a plot, many modern Zelda fans missed it 25 years ago when it was first a thing. That’s why many of them were very surprised to see that bouncing around the trailer for the recently revealed Nintendo Switch remake of this classic game was a Chain Chomp straight out of Super Mario Bros.
Yes, a Chain Chomp from Mario was trying to attack Link in the new Zelda game trailer.
Wait, what?
So, this specific Chain Chomp is named BowWow. She’s the aggressively chompy pet of a local woman named Madam MeowMeow a who lives in the center of Awakening’s main town and owns a trio of Chain Chomps, two small and one large one. She lives alone and has a guest bedroom connected to her house where the Chomps sleep at night, but BowWow can most prominently be seen outside of the house barking and snapping at any passersby (namely Link) while chained to a post. At one point in the story, BowWow gets kidnapped by local Moblin thugs and Link has to rescue the weird ball-shaped tooth dog from their lair.
Every Art Style Zelda Games Have Ever Had
With the announcement of a Link’s Awakening remake for Switch, Nintendo is trying out yet another new art style of The Legend of Zelda series. This is far from the first time it’s done something different, so we decided to take a look back at every unique visual style Zelda has used over the years.
While Nintendo’s other flagship franchise, the Super Mario series, has generally stayed fairly consistent with how its mustachioed plumber looked over the years (at least since it made the jump from 2D to 3D), the Zelda series has always been much more experimental.
You can flip through the slideshow above for loads more images and examples than we were able to fit on this page!
Jade Added to Mortal Kombat 11 Roster
Series alum Jade has been added to the Mortal Kombat 11 roster, and she’s rocking a decidedly darker look.
Announced during the latest Kombat Kast, this ultimate stealth assassin will be returning after sitting out Mortal Kombat X. Jade’s most recent appearance was in 2011’s Mortal Kombat, where she was
violently disemboweled by Sindel and subsequently resurrected and enslaved by Quan Chi
. This likely explains her somewhat undead appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
You can see her in the official reveal trailer below, which showcases her staff moves against opponents like Baraka, Sonya Blade and more.
Oscars Reverse Decision on Not Airing 4 Categories Following Backlash
UPDATE, Feb. 15: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has reversed its stance to not air four categories from airing during this year's Oscars broadcast following an industry-wide outcry.
“The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards – Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling. All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format. We look forward to Oscar Sunday, February 24,” the Academy said in a statement.
Conan the Barbarian Joins New Avengers Team
Conan the Barbarian has joined a new team of Avengers for an upcoming comic series.
Conan will join the Savage Avengers alongside the likes of Wolverine, Venom, Punisher, Elektra, and Brother Voodoo. The series will hit shelves May 1, and a 10-page story will be available for interested readers on Free Comic Book Day.
Be sure to check out the first issue cover below:
Savage Avengers #1, written by Gerry Duggan, with art by Mike Deodato. Cover by David Finch.
Ken, Daisy, and Young Link Amiibo Out Now
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The next wave of Smash amiibo are out today, and they haven't sold out yet (note: that could change at any second). If you've been out of the amiibo game for a while, you should know the quality of amiibo now, versus when they were first introduced, is night and day. The newer ones are more detailed, with better sculpts, paint, and poses, and zero weird yellow translucent stands.
If you were hoping to add a Piranha Plant amiibo to your collection from the last release wave, you're out of luck. For the time being, the plucky plant is sold out at all the major online retailers. That doesn't mean you should plunk down a sum of money to get one on the grey market just yet. There's a good chance Nintendo will release more. Trust me. I paid... more than asking... for a Japanese ROB last time around.
Batman & Ninja Turtles Animated Movie Crossover On the Way
An animated movie based on the 2016 Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic miniseries is being released on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital later this spring.
SyFy reports that the film will feature the vocal talent of Troy Baker, known for many voice roles including The Last of Us' Joel, Infamous Second Son's Deslin, and Uncharted 4's Sam Drake.
Baker will be playing both the Joker and Batman. He's no stranger to either character, having portrayed Batman in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, to name a few.
Parks and Recreation’s Cast Still Celebrates Galentine’s Day Together
A small portion of the Parks & Recreation cast got together this year for Galentine’s Day - a holiday invented for the show that takes place on February 13 and is all about celebrating female friends in your life.
This year, former cast mates Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza and Rashida Jones got together for a meal. Plaza posted a photo of the occasion on Instagram, nearly four years after the final episode of Parks & Rec aired. Not only did these women of Parks & Rec celebrate their friendship yesterday, they’ve made a reoccurring date of it, getting together last year along with featured cast member Kathryn Hahn - this too was commemorated on Instagram.