Monthly Archives: February 2016
How Quantum Break’s Live Action Show Actually Works
Remedy Entertainment has revealed exactly how in-game actions will affect Quantum Break’s live action episodes, and vice versa.
Watch our video preview above to find out why Quantum Break is a shooter with brains.
Quantum Break is Remedy’s Xbox One and Windows 10 third-person story-shooter featuring time manipulation, famous faces and four, 22-minute “TV show” episodes, woven throughout its game play.
“The game is Jack’s story, the origin story of a superhero, whereas
is the villain’s story, Monarch Solutions story of what happens when this empire starts to crumble,” explained creative director, Sam Lake during a recent visit to the Finland-based Remedy’s Helsinki HQ.
Alan Wake Now Backwards Compatible on Xbox One
Xbox One's next wave of backwards compatible games have arrived. Starting today, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, LEGO Batman, Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space, and Trials HD are available to play.
If you already own these games, either physically or digitally, you won't have to re-buy them. Also your Xbox 360 saves, add-ons, and achievements will carry over. If you don't own these games, but still want to try them out on Xbox One, you can purchase each title from the Xbox 360 store.
There are already a number of backwards compatible titles available on Xbox One. Head over to our Xbox One backwards-compatibility games list to see what's there. Microsoft will continue to release backwards compatible games as they're ready.
Quantum Break Is a Shooter With Brains
There really aren’t very many games about time travel. Sure, there are a lot of games that feature time travel as a tool or plot device, but there aren’t many that explore its implications, attempt to dissect the nature of it or highlight the science on which it might be based. That’s odd, because time travel is a fascinating subject that’s rich in theoretical conundrums, like “If I travel back in time to re-eat the delicious sandwich I just had for lunch, will I feel hungry or full before I tuck in for a second time?”
Happily, Remedy Entertainment, creators of the under-appreciated Alan Wake and the over-the-top neo-noir Max Payne and its sequel, is rectifying this (sans sandwich conundrum) with its upcoming third-person story-shooter, Quantum Break. Of course, the elephant-sized DeLorean in the room is Remedy’s introduction of several, 22-minute live-action episodes threaded throughout the course of the game. We’ll get to those later but suffice to say that they work better than you might expect, for the most part at least.
Quantum Break Is Coming to PC
Quantum Break has been confirmed for Windows 10 PCs, while the contents of its Xbox One bundle have also been revealed.
A listing on the Brazil Advisory Rating Board had previously hinted at a PC version being in the works, but now we have official confirmation that both Windows 10 and Xbox One versions will arrive simultaneously on April 5. Pricing for the PC version is yet to be confirmed and there’s no word on whether a non-Windows 10 version will be forthcoming.
Remedy has also revealed details of what its Quantum Break Xbox One hardware bundle will include. US pricing puts the bundle at $349, which will net you a Cirrus White 500GB Xbox One, matching controller, a 14-day Xbox Live Gold subscription, a download code for Quantum Break, and further download codes for Alan Wake, along with its DLC packs, The Signal and The Writer.
Ghostbusters: First Look at the Ecto-2
This summer's reboot of Ghostbusters is not only bringing a new cast of specter-catching heroes to the big screen, but also a new version of the team's signature vehicle.
In the original 1980s films, Ecto-1 was the team's souped-up station ambulance-hearse combo emblazoned with the Ghostbusters logo.
In the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, Ecto-2 was a two-seater autogyro.
For the 2016 reboot, however, Ecto-2 is a motorcycle. Click on the photo of the vehicle below for the hi-res version:
Check out the Ecto 2 from 2016's Ghostbusters (courtesy of Sony Pictures).
Why Will Ferrell Won’t Make Elf 2
Will Ferrell has no plans to make a sequel to Elf. Unless it takes place in Japan. And features a Japanese family.
We spoke to Ferrell and his Zoolander 2 co-star Kristen Wiig about the subject of belated sequels, with Elf, Step Brothers and a A Night at the Roxbury discussed. Though while we've transcribed the conversation below, you're probably best off watching the video above as it all gets a bit confusing.
IGN: Are there any of your older movies that you think should have had a sequel? A Night at the Roxbury for example?
Ferrell: No.
Wiig: You’ve been asked to do Elf a lot haven’t you?
New House of Cards: Season 4 Trailer Released
Netflix has released a new, 60-second trailer for House of Cards: Season 4.
The new trailer follows last month's brief teaser and December's Frank Underwood campaign video. New additions to House of Cards cast for season four include Neve Campbell and Colm Feore.
Late last month it was confirmed that House of Cards is already slated for a fifth season in 2017, but also that creator and showrunner Beau Willimon is departing the team. A replacement showrunner has not been named at this time.
Amazon Has a Zombie Apocalypse Clause In Its Terms of Service
Amazon released its open-source game engine, Lumberyard, for free this week. This means extensive customization for game developers, unless they're looking to use Lumberyard to run "life-critical or safety-critical systems," like medical equipment, self-driving cars, or nuclear facilities.
That's totally against the rules, according to the company's terms of service—until the zombie apocalypse comes.
Written into Amazon's clause 57.10, those restrictions won't apply "in the event of the occurrence of a widespread viral infection transmitted via bites or contact with bodily fluids that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh, blood, brain, or nerve tissue."
Researchers Are Using Cotton Candy Machines in Organ Engineering
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a technique to mimic complex systems of capillaries using cotton candy machines. The new technique is used in creating three-dimensional templates of the capillary system and is said to be a huge improvement over other methods.
Sugar wouldn't work in creating the threads needed for the template—it was too soluable—so the researchers turned to a special polymer for the job. After spinning a system of polymer threads, the researchers pour a gelatin mixture that includes human cells over the polymer structure. Once the mixture cools, the polymer threads dissolve, leaving behind an elaborate network of tiny passages.
"Some people in the field think this approach is a little crazy,” researcher Leon Bellan told Vanderbilt's research news site, “but now we’ve shown we can use this simple technique to make microfluidic networks that mimic the three-dimensional capillary system in the human body in a cell-friendly fashion."
Danny McBride in Talks to Join Alien: Covenant
Eastbound & Down actor Danny McBride may co-star alongside Michael Fassbender in Alien: Covenant.
According to TheWrap, McBride is in early talks with 20th Century Fox to join Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi horror film.
McBride in Eastbound & Down
While Noomi Rapace won't reprise her role as Elizabeth Shaw, Fassbender will be back to play David from Prometheus. Additionally, series newcomer Katherine Waterston is on board to star as Alien: Covenant's female lead.