Monthly Archives: June 2015
Christopher Lee Has Died at the Age of 93
Legendary star of stage and screen Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93.
The actor, who is best known for his work in the Hammer Horror films as well as villainous turns in the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings movies, was being treated for respiratory problems when he passed away.
Born in Westminster in 1922, Lee found fame playing Count Dracula in a series of films for Hammer throughout the 1960s, and continued to play bad guys for the rest of his career. He was a terrific Bond villain in The Man With the Golden Gun, while perhaps his greatest performance was as Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, both of which made it into our list of his 10 greatest movies.
Star Wars: Rogue One to be Partially Filmed in 6K
Director Gareth Edwards' (Godzilla) Star Wars spinoff film, Rogue One, will reportedly film some scenes in 6K – thus distancing itself from the core Star Wars film series, which is to be primarily shot on 35mm.
Rogue One joins upcoming blockbuster Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation as part of the 6K club. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both the Star Wars spinoff film and the fifth Mission: Impossible installment are using Arri Rental's Alexa 65 camera to shoot in the revered format.
Additionally, Captain America: Civil War and the entirety of Avengers: The Infinity War Parts 1 & 2 will be filmed on a version of the Alexa 65, specifically geared towards IMAX presentation.
Plantronics Reveals eSports Headset
Plantronics has announced the RIG 500 Series of PC headsets.
The big selling point is interchangeable components, which allows users to personalise their audio experience.
The RIG 500 Series is also endorsed by the eSports League (ESL).
Personalisation options include small, medium and large ear cup attach points; as well as aesthetic options for team logos, colours, patterns and finishes.
Shadow Warrior 2 is in Development
Shadow Warrior 2 is in the works.
A cheeky post on the Shadow Warrior Facebook page links through to a stylised teaser '2' with the text, "Who wants some more Wang?" Flying Wild Hog, which made the Shadow Warrior reboot, is confirmed to be the developer in the post, too.
Freddy vs. Jason Coming to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
Two of horror's most iconic villains are returning to Halloween Horror Nights 25 in the recently announced Freddy vs. Jason house at Universal's Orlando.
Like in the film, Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees will find themselves battling it out in this new maze. The first portion of the experience will focus on Friday the 13th, with guests finding themselves at Camp Crystal Lake reliving Jason's various kills. The second part is all Freddy as guests are transported to Elm Street through the dream realm.
Scientists May Have Found 75 Million Year Old Dinosaur Blood Cells
Scientists have examined part of a fossilized dinosaur claw and observed "tiny ovoid structures" resembling red blood cells.
According to the BBC, scientists from Imperial College London have found evidence of preserved dinosaur soft-tissue, including signs of the collagen found in the skin, tendons and ligaments of modern animals.
What separates this from earlier findings that made similar claims is the condition of the specimens studied. Dr. Susannah Maidment told the BBC previous reports of soft tissue found in dinosaur fossils "have tended to be in specimens that are really exceptionally preserved." Maidment called such cases one-offs that "require special pleading," to explain how they ended up in a state of preservation.
Nonlinear World of Action RPG Kyn Coming Next Month
The two-man game development team of Tangrin Entertainment has announced its action RPG Kyn will be coming to PC, Mac, and Linux on July 28th.
Kyn is an action RPG where gamers can control up to six different warriors in a nonlinear world inspired by the myths and legends of the Vikings. During the game, players will "customize their party, craft new items and develop new combat strategies," according to Tangrin.
Gamers who pre-order Kyn will qualify for the Legendary Fire Master Set, which "includes full body armor set" that players can equip once a character’s body stat reaches 20.
The pre-order bonus also has the Eye of the Fire Axe, a "badass fiery weapon that deals extra damage," as well as increases attack speed when characters body stat reaches 45.
Unlocked: Reacting to the Huge Halo 5 News
DOWNLOAD PODCAST UNLOCKED EPISODE 199
In light of the big Halo 5 campaign details and multiplayer bomb dropped by 343 Industries, we spend a good chunk of the show getting SUPER EXCITED for Halo 5. Plus: reactions to the 1TB Xbox One announcement, a talk about how Forza is a victim of its own success, why we love Mirror's Edge Catalyst's new title, and much more. And, yes, there's another In-N-Out bet made over Games With Gold and, specifically, PoolNation FX.
NOTES:
The "should there be a third Forza franchise" discussion starts at the 10:33 mark of the audio podcast.
Take on the UNSC or Covenant With These Con Exclusive Halo Guns
If you're a Halo fan and you'll be attending this year's San Diego Comic Con, you'll have the chance to get your hands on a set of exclusive weapons from the Halo universe.
Currently available for pre-order through Matty Collector, the set includes the UNSC M6 Blaster and the Covenant Plasma Overcharge Blaster. The BOOMco-built toy guns claim a dart range of 70 feet, and the pack includes 16 darts and a target.
The set also comes in a collectible case "inspired by in-game UNSC supply crates," according to the product description.
Magic Player Reclaims Stolen Cards With Sting Operation
A cache of stolen Magic: The Gathering cards worth roughly $8,000 USD has been recovered by police in Prince William County, VA. The cards belong to 23-year old Kemper Pogue, whose car was broken into to get at the collection.
After having nearly 300 Magic: The Gathering cards stolen, Kemper Pogue did what anyone in a similar situation would do: he went into his house, opened up a beer, and "promptly started screaming expletives," while waiting for the police to arrive, Pogue told The Washington Post.
Police report filed, Pogue then turned to the Internet to help track down his stolen collection. "I’d been collecting these cards since I was a kid," he said, and so he was determined to get them back. Pogue's first move was to alert members of his local Magic community of the theft via Facebook. After that, he called stores in the area that deal in Magic cards to be on the look-out.