This is the Invisible Studio That Works on Your Favorite Games
You remember it - slo-mo bullets, long takes, Kanye West’s single du jour. The CG ‘Power’ trailer for 2011’s Saints Row The Third was a stylish commentary of the game as a guilty pleasure, a reminder that the series was meant to be anarchic fun. It was just one of many high profile projects by Plastic Wax, a VFX and animation studio that has dominated CG sequences in AAA video games for over a decade yet has remained largely out of the public eye.
Plastic Wax is based in Sydney, Australia, and identifies as a boutique business; small, family-run, laser-eye-focused on ‘getting the job done.’ Yet its resume includes the likes of BioShock, Darksiders, Saints Row, Borderlands, Gears of War, the Lego video games, and Injustice - you know, the sort of thing to write home about. So why do so few know its name?
Guardians Vol. 2 Director on Cut Nathan Fillion Cameo
James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, took to Facebook to explain why he cut Nathan Fillion's cameo appearance out of the movie.
Gunn explained that Fillion is one of his best friends (alongside Michael Rooker and Gregg Henry, Gunn has put Fillion in every movie he's directed) but that he didn't want to limit the actor's chance at becoming a more substantial staple in the Marvel Universe later down the track but throwing him in a small cameo role.
Gunn's solution was to have Fillion make an appearance as Wonder Man, but only in the form of movie posters boasting his acting alter-ego Simon Williams.
12 Monkeys is Back! …And Airing in an Unusual Way
The awesome time travel adventures in 12 Monkeys resumes this Friday on Syfy as Season 3 kicks off! With the season finale airing... this Sunday?
Yes, it’s true, thanks to an unusual bit of scheduling that has the entire ten-episode season airing over three nights, beginning Friday, May 19th and wrapping up Sunday, May 21st. But lest you think this means 12 Monkeys is in trouble, the acclaimed show has actually already been renewed for its fourth and final season, which is in production now.
On a recent visit to the Toronto set of 12 Monkeys – while the cast were filming Season 4 scenes they can’t discuss just yet – I spoke to stars Aaron Stanford (“James Cole”), Amanda Schull ("Dr. Cassandra 'Cassie' Railly") and Barbara Sukowa ("Katarina Jones"), along with the show’s executive producer/showrunner, Terry Matalas, about what to expect in Season 3, the new eras the characters are traveling to and that noteworthy airing tactic.
53 Images from the Star Trek: Discovery Trailer
The first-look trailer for Star Trek: Discovery dropped today. The series takes place 10 years before the events of the original Star Trek series, and it's packed with aliens and human crew members alike.
Check out our huge gallery of images from the new trailer below:
CBS also released a poster for the series, making it a full day of fresh content for Trek fans.
Star Trek: Discovery
The Star Trek: Discovery premiere, initially planned for this month, was pushed back until late summer/early fall in the US. In addition to the new trailer, CBS also released images of the Star Trek: Discovery cast.
Splatoon 2 Single Player Mode Revealed
At the end of its Arms-focused Direct, Nintendo revealed a brand new look at Splatoon 2, highlighting the single player campaign with a new trailer.
Check out the first Splatoon 2 single player mode footage below:
For a closer look at what to expect in the campaign, Nintendo also released a host of high-res screenshots from the solo mode, in addition to some new concept art for the campaign.
Check out the gallery below for a better look at the weapons, characters, levels, and more from the mode:
The official description of the story mode from Nintendo explains that "Callie—of Squid Sisters fame—has gone missing and it’s up to you, with the help of Marie, to search for Callie and the Great Zapfish while battling against the Octarian army."
Arms: Nintendo Takes a Jab at a New Fighting Series
After a few minutes of duking it out in a match of Arms, it’s easy to see that Nintendo’s new fighting game for Switch has more in common with Street Fighter than it does Punch-Out!!! The combat is built around stretchy limbs and a familiar trio of options, where you have to use punches, throws, and blocks to K.O. your opponent. This is a fighting game with a balletic rhythm and flow that feels unique. The near-finished version of Arms I saw felt like a tried-and-true fighting game that uses simple motion-based inputs to set up the same tense, electric all-or-nothing moments found in plenty of modern competitive games. But Arms also has a wacky spirit, and we got a glimpse of it in some of the game's off-beat modes (Editor's Note: Nintendo announced that Arms is getting a Testpunch beta period later this month, and it's getting free updates post launch).
Nintendo Announces Arms Global Testpunch Beta
During a Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced the Arms Global Testpunch, a limited beta period where you can play the company's new fighting game for Switch.
The first Global Testpunch will run on the following dates:
North America:
- Friday, May 26 to Sunday, May 28
- Friday, June 2 to Sunday, June 4
Europe:
- Saturday, May 27 to Sunday, May 28
- Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, June 4
Nintendo said it will outline a more detailed schedule for the beta at a future date, but you can download the Testpunch app right now. Similar to the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire, anyone with a Switch can participate in the beta trial period.
Major DC Hero Returns in ‘The Button’ Finale
The Flash #22 wrapped up "The Button" with another major DC Rebirth development.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Flash #22!
There's no point in burying the lede, as the cover to this issue makes it clear which hero made their return. Batman and Flash's ongoing investigation into the culprit behind the New 52 put them squarely in the path of Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick. Not the younger Jay Garrick seen in comics like Earth 2: Society, but the one fans have known and loved for decades.
These 5 Stars Reportedly in the Mix to Star in Bloodshot
Sony has reportedly put together a wish list of several actors to star in its upcoming film adaptation of the Valiant comic, Bloodshot.
TheWrap reports five of the eight actors Sony wants to lead the movie are Jake Gyllenhaal, Oscar Isaac, Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy and Nicholas Hoult. Sony is preparing to make an offer for the lead role, but the studio may not necessarily be in talks with everyone on its wish list.
Bloodshot #1, Valiant Entertainment
The Witcher Dev Not Involved in Netflix TV Series
While The Witcher will soon become a television series, the development team behind its successful video game adaptation won't play a role in the show.
CD Projekt RED, developer of the successful Witcher game franchise has confirmed to IGN that the studio "is actually not involved in" The Witcher Netflix series announced earlier today.
"CD Projekt RED is actually not involved in this. We wish this project all the best and are looking forward to watching the series on Netflix," a representative for the studio told IGN.
The studio's comment lines up with the announcement of the series, which briefly mentions the game adaptations but makes no mention of direct involvement from the studio, while going on to explain that the series is based on "the globally popular fantasy saga from Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski," who does not receive royalties from the game franchise. The Witcher games have of course been part of that global popularity, as evidenced by The Wticher 3: Wild Hunt selling six million copies in its first six weeks of release in 2015 and the overall Witcher series having sold more than 25 million copies.