Cult Game El Shaddai to Get Spiritual Sequel
Game director Takeyasu Sawaki and Kadokawa Games have announced The Lost Child, a spiritual sequel to 2011's El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.
The game - which swaps the first's precision brawling to become a turn-based RPG - is due out in Japan later this year on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Announced in Famitsu (via Gematsu), The Lost Child takes place in the same world as El Shaddai and will feature the return of the archangel Lucifel, who was voiced by Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs in the English version of El Shaddai. Development on the spiritual sequel is reportedly 90 percent complete.
The Third James Bond, Roger Moore Has Died
Sir Roger Moore, the actor most famous for being the third person to play James Bond in the mainline film series, has died at 89.
Announced by his children on Twitter, Moore passed away after a "short but brave battle with cancer".
With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. pic.twitter.com/6dhiA6dnVg
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) May 23, 2017
Moore played the world's most famous spy in seven films, including Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun. He brought the most outright humour to the Bond series of any of the mainline actors, and remains a favourite of many for that reason.
Hitman Developer Announces Layoffs
Hitman developer, Io Interactive has announced layoffs, following its enforced split with publisher/owner Square Enix.
Announced in a short statement on Twitter (below), the details are vague, simply saying that "we're sad that great talent and good friends will be leaving the studio."
An update from the studio: pic.twitter.com/k0aoms5cOQ
— Io-Interactive (@IOInteractive) May 23, 2017
It follows the announcement that Square Enix had decided to focus on "key franchises and studios" - of which Io and Hitman are apparently not a part - and had withdrawn from the business.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2: First Hands-On
The Lego video games by British developer Traveller's Tales are, consistently, a near-cosmic impossibility. Most if not all of them have managed to be appealing to both kids and adults simultaneously, charming and/or funny, packed with good gameplay, and based off of a big and established IP to boot. Usually, games with that kind of recipe are mediocre at best and terrible at worst, owing to a deficiency in time, development talent, or both.
But here comes TT Games once again, out to continue their hot streak with Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. It starts with an absurdly large roster. While I only got to see the Guardians of the Galaxy, the roster screen had so many locked characters on it that it was almost intimidating.
PlayStation Network Now Has 70 Million Active Users
Sony has announced that its online PlayStation Network now has 70 million monthly active users.
This information was released in a slideshow going over the review of Sony's 2016 financial year, and some of the strategy for the upcoming year.
By the end of 2016, PSN had reached over 70 million active users across all Sony consoles, and the plan for this year is to expand the number of hardware units sold to 78 million.
In addition, by the end of last year there were over a third of that number, 26.4 million paying PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Sony is also looking to expand the appeal of PSVR, bring improvements to PlayStation Vue, and develop a new audience by creating "a new mobile content opportunity in Japan / Asia region."
Game Developers Begin to Agree to Voice Actors’ Strike Terms
Some game developers are starting to agree to terms that state voice actors will be paid royalties in accordance with sales from games.
In October last year, the Screen Actor's Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) commenced a strike after negotiations between the group and a selection of game companies fell through.
The companies involved include Activision, Blindlight, Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Interactive Associates, Take 2, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games, Inc.
Today the SAG-AFTRA magazine (via gamesindustry.biz) reported that some companies have begun to agree to the guild's terms of a residual payment plan, offering a full day's wage per two million units of sales, capping at four payments.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Coming for PS4 and Xbox One
In celebration of its 5th anniversary, Dragon's Dogma's Dark Arisen edition is being ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A tweet from Japanese magazine Famitsu revealed the return of Capcom's popular action RPG to console following a relaunch last year on PC.
The port is slated to release in Japan during fall this year and a tweet from the English-language Dragon's Dogma Twitter account implies we'll get a western release too.
Supergirl: 4 Theories About THAT Mystery Character
Full spoilers for Supergirl's Season 2 finale, "Nevertheless, She Persisted," continue below.
It wouldn't be a Supergirl finale without the show introducing a new mystery for fans to chew on over the summer. The Season 1 finale introduced a space pod we eventually learned was carrying Daxamite refugee Mon-El. This year, the show wrapped with another flashback to Krypton just before its destruction, revealing that another baby was sent to Earth along with Kal-El and Kara Zor-El.
It's pretty clear from that scene that this baby isn't going to be the valiant hero that Kara and her cousin are. If anything, we're probably looking at an early tease for the main villain of Season 3. But who could that mystery baby be? We have a few ideas.
DCEU Colleagues, Hollywood Pay Respects to Zack Snyder
DC Extended Universe colleagues and filmmaking friends of Zack Snyder are taking to social media to extend their condolences to the Justice League director after he revealed that due to the death of his daughter, Autumn, he is stepping down from Justice League to spend time with his family. (Avengers director Joss Whedon is taking over the reins of the film's post-production and additional shooting.)
DC Films co-bosses Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, Aquaman director James Wan, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, and The LEGO Batman Movie and live-action Nightwing film director Chris McKay were among those expressing their sympathies online to Snyder and his family.
Pinocchio: Skyfall’s Sam Mendes in Talks to Direct Remake
Skyfall and SPECTRE director Sam Mendes is in negotiations to helm Disney's live-action Pinocchio remake.
Deadline reports talks are still early between Mendes and Disney. The Pinocchio remake was first reported to be in the works in 2015 with famed screenwriter Peter Hedges attached to the film.
The remake is said to be a loose take on the beloved fairy tale centered around a wooden marionette who wishes to become a real boy.
Not much else is known about the project as it still seems to be in the early stages of production. Mendes' last film was 2015's SPECTRE, which IGN deemed an "entertaining if overlong" James Bond film.