Monthly Archives: March 2015
Halo: Master Chief Collection Xbox One Bundle Announced
Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox One bundle featuring its latest console and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Available later this month, the new Xbox One: Master Chief Collection bundle costs £349 / $349 and includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4.
The new bundle marks the latest time the console's value has been re-evaluated. Originally costing $499, this was later dropped to $399 before a $50 holiday price drop in the US was announced last October. This caused Xbox One sales to triple, though the price of an Xbox One went back up to $399 after the holiday season. This was then reversed, with the console costing $349 again, and now it seems the company has decided to add one (or four) free games into the mix too.
GTA Online’s Heist Patch is 4.8GB on Xbox One
Grand Theft Auto Online's upcoming Heist patch weighs in at 4.8GB on Xbox One, according to some lucky users who've managed to get it early.
Though the patch doesn't officially arrive until tomorrow, some users who've got it early report it's 4.8GB on Xbox One, while the Xbox 360 version comes in at a smaller 1.2GB. We don't know how big it is on PlayStation platforms yet.
Additionally, Xbox Achievements has managed to uncover nine new Achievements heading to the game for 250 extra Gamerscore. We don't want to spoil anything for you here, but suffice to say completing missions, beating a Heist without taking any damage and buying new cars are all part of it. There's even one for splitting the money earned equally, so you may want to search for a Gamerscore-hunting Heist leader!
Driveclub Lamborghini Expansion Arrives This Month
Driveclub's next batch of DLC arrives later this month, bringing with it four new Lamborghini cars.
The Lamborghini pack contains the Veneno, Aventador LP 720-4 50° Anniversario, Huracán LP 610-4 and Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse. A new car tour and five additional Trophies are also set to be added to the game.
While Season Pass owners will get the additional content for free, anyone else will have to buy it separately from the PlayStation Store.
At the end of October of last year, president Shuhei Yoshida said the PS Plus version of Driveclub was "postponed until further notice." Sony remains committed to releasing it one day, however.
This is Why Batman: Arkham Knight is M for Mature
The scenes earning Batman: Arkham Knight its M for Mature rating has been revealed.
Last month, we revealed Rocksteady's concluding chapter in the Arkham series would be the first to get a rating other than T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Now, the reasons for the decision have been revealed.
Please note, some SPOILERS for scenes from Arkham Knight follow.
The ESRB's explanation centers on a scene in which someone is tortured on "a bloody operating table", though also mentions moments where you can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. This raises the question of whether you may play as another character as some stage, as Batman is renowned for his refusal to kill. The full text is as follows:
Valiant’s Comics Coming to Movies/TV
Valiant Entertainment has signed a deal with Chinese-based DMG Entertainment to turn their comic book properties into movies and television.
The New York Times broke the news with some insight on the deal:
Comic superheroes are profitable and highly sought intellectual properties for film franchises, said Dan Mintz, the chief executive officer of DMG, in a statement, “so taking a stake in the last independent massive comic universe is a strategic investment for DMG that will produce movies and TV that are both appealing and relevant to a global audience.”
NASA’s Dawn Arrives at the Largest Unexplored World in the Solar System
NASA's Dawn spacecraft became the first mission to achieve orbit around a dwarf planet last week when it was captured by Ceres’ gravity at 4:39 a.m. PST (7:39 a.m. EST) on Friday.
"Since its discovery in 1801, Ceres was known as a planet, then an asteroid and later a dwarf planet," said Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer and mission director at JPL, in a prepared statement. "Now, after a journey of 3.1 billion miles (4.9 billion kilometers) and 7.5 years, Dawn calls Ceres, home."
The Dawn mission will allow Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists "to look back in time to see how terrestrial planets are put together," director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division Jim Green said during a media briefing about the achievement.
Bryan Cranston Back as LBJ for HBO Biopic
HBO is adapting All the Way -- a Broadway play that starred Bryan Cranston as former President Lyndon B. Johnson -- as a biopic, with Cranston set to reprise his role as the lead, and Austin Powers director Jay Roach on board to direct.
According to TheWrap, HBO's adaptation of All the Way will chronicle the events of LBJ's first year in office, and will follow in the aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination, the looming Vietnam War and the burgeoning civil rights movement.
Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson
Star Wars Adds 1st Official LGBT Character to Canon
In his upcoming Star Wars novel "Lords of the Sith," writer Paul S. Kemp is introducing the first official LGBT character to canon.
According to Big Shiny Robot, Star Wars' first official LGBT character is named Moff Mors, and is described by the site as "an Imperial who has made some very serious mistakes," but is still considered to be "an incredibly capable leader and spends much of the book working hard to prevent absolute failure." Finishing off their description, the site notes, "
also happens to be a lesbian."
Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp.
Watch Us Fight Final Fantasy 15’s Behemoth Boss
After a standard-fare, instant-fail stealth sequence, Final Fantasy XV's hunt for the Behemoth turns into a terrifying, violent battle. It's the sort of encounter that forces main character Noctis to leverage his entire arsenal of abilities to fight, survive, and escape.
Check out this video for the first major boss battle we've seen in the upcoming Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae demo, in which Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto team up to take down Dead-Eye, the half-blind beast. For more on Final Fantasy XV, check out our impressions of the incredible world and ferocious combat.
American Sniper Now Highest-Grossing Movie of 2014
American Sniper, director Clint Eastwood's biopic of U.S. Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle, became the No. 1 domestic release of 2014 this weekend.
Since its limited release in December, the movie has earned $337.2 million and counting at the North American box office. American Sniper finally dropped out of the Top 10 at the box office this weekend.
“From its record-breaking Christmas opening, American Sniper has been a box office phenomenon. The film’s A+ CinemaScore in every category has translated into enthusiastic word-of-mouth that continues to generate both first-time and repeat business," said distributor Warner Bros.' Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, in a statement. "We could not be happier for Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and everyone on the incredible filmmaking team on this remarkable achievement.”