Monthly Archives: February 2016
Penn Jillette Defends Video Games as Art
Penn Jillette, magician and co-creator of the bizarre unreleased SEGA CD game, Desert Bus, expressed his support for the video game industry this morning at DICE, defending it as an art form and shooting down the notion it breeds violent behavior.
While Jillette doesn't play very many games himself, the famed magician wasn't afraid to defend the medium during this morning's panel with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford, titled "Assumptions and Expectations with Interactivity and Magic."
Penn Jillette at DICE 2016
Daily Deals: Fallout 4 Season Pass, Shadow of Mordor, Wii U With Free Amiibo and Game
Get Fallout 4's Season Pass Before the Price Goes Up
Update: get the season pass on PC for $24 with code FEBURY-SVINGS-20PERC.
It seems Fallout 4's DLC plans have gotten a bit over-ambitious. Bethesda now says it plans to raise the cost of the season pass to from $30 to $50 on March 1. If you buy the season before then, or if you've already purchased one, you'll get all three DLC drops they've announced. While I'm not a fan of the high pressure sales tactic, at least they're giving gamers some opportunity to score it for its original price, and they're honoring purchases that have already been make.
Kingsman 2: Julianne Moore Up for Villain Role
Oscar-winning actress Julianna Moore is reportedly up to star as the villain in Kingsman: The Secret Service 2.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moore is in talks to join the sequel cast that includes Taron Egerton. Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn is apparently set to return to the director's chair for Kingsman 2 as well, after flirting with the idea in the past.
Julianna Moore in Still Alice
The ‘Netflix for Comics’ App Comes to iPhone
Digital comic book app ComicBlitz is now available for all iOS devices from the iOS App Store. The "all-you-can-read" service initially launched only for Apple's iPad, but has moved over to the iPhone as well.
Image via ComicBlitz
The app itself has changed, too. Users no longer have to provide a credit card up-front, and can now access free comics "just for signing up," CEO Jordan Plosky says. "This way, you get to experience the platform before you have to commit to anything." New users will be able to access "all of ComicBlitz's standard features," as well as read free comics, and "add to custom lists" and to "offline reading queue
4 New Ninja Turtles Movie Posters Revealed
Paramount Pictures has revealed four new character posters for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Check them out in the slideshow below.
Out of the Shadows is a sequel to Michael Bay's 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Megan Fox will return alongside Will Arnett, with Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, and Noel Fisher as Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, respectively.
Tyler Perry will take on the role of Baxter Stockman—a part Perry was very excited to play. Brian Tee will play Shredder, with Brittany Ishibashi playing his daughter Karai. WWE Superstar Sheamus is set as Rocksteady, while Gary Anthony William plays Bebop.
Aston Martin Partners for New Electric Car
Aston Martin is teaming up with Faraday Future to get truly serious about electric cars.
Engadget reports that Faraday, along with the technology company LeEco, will aid Aston Martin in producing an electric version of the Rapide S. That car was announced last year with the promise of 800 horsepower and a 200-mile range.
The so-called "RapidE" is currently planned for release sometime in 2018. With the help of Faraday Future that seems fairly reasonable.
Faraday, a Chinese-backed electric car company, showed off its own impressive model earlier this year. The FFZero1 concept car looked absurd (and amazing), but also promised a sort of modular design that allowed nearly any car body to be laid over it.
The Pink Ranger Gets Her Own Comic Miniseries
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Kimberly Hart is getting her own six-part comic book mini-series.
It's spinning off from the main Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team comic from BOOM! Studios and Saban Brands, Los Angeles Times reports.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink Issue No. 1 cover, by Elsa Charretier (via Los Angeles Times and Boom! Studios)
Virtual Reality Could Help Depression
Virtual reality therapy could help people with depression, a new study asserts.
Researchers from University College London and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies at the University of Barcelona have discovered "immersive virtual reality therapy" teaches patients to be "less critical and more compassionate towards themselves." This, in return, reduces the symptoms of depression.
Fifteen patients with depression—from ages 23 to 61—received virtual reality therapy for a month, nine of which reported reduced symptoms. Four of those nine, the study said, had a "clinically significant" drop in depression. Participants donned the virtual reality headset for just eight-minutes, three times a week.
Warren Spector Joining System Shock 3
Warren Spector, one of the original minds behind Ultima Underworld, Deus Ex, and System Shock, is joining the developer of System Shock 3 as a Studio Director.
Spector has acted as a "Creative Advisor" for OtherSide Entertainment since it was founded. Currently, the producer and director teaches film classes at the University of Texas at Austin. At the end of this semester, however, he'll be joining OtherSide in a more expanded role.
Spector will begin by working on Underworld Ascendant, which is billed as a spiritual successor to Ultima Underworld. The game had a successful Kickstarter last February, earning a total of more than $860 thousand.
After that Spector "will ramp up and lead the team developing System Shock 3." OtherSide announced System Shock 3 late last year, and hinted at possible VR support.
Deadpool’s Ugliest Faces
Most superheroes wear masks in order to hide their secret identities. Deadpool wears a mask because the sight of his face is known to induce vomiting and cause small children to weep uncontrollably. Deadpool has the distinction of being one of the least physically attractive characters in the Marvel Universe. But it's what's inside that counts, right? Well, that's the other thing...
Because Deadpool prefers to hide his ugly mug whenever possible, it's a memorable occasion when he does choose to unmask. In honor of his big return to Hollywood, here are 23 of the most iconic images of Deadpool's face, ranked in order from tolerable to completely repulsive and cringe-worthy.
It's interesting to see how Deadpool's physical appearance has evolved alongside his costume over the years. Some of the rougher edges has been smoothed off as Wade has evovled from wise-cracking assassin to leading man, but his is not a face many would describe as attractive. Except for that time he looked like Tom Selleck.