Monthly Archives: March 2017
Nightwing Explained
With a Nightwing solo film announced as in development, possibly directed by Chris McKay of the delightful The LEGO Batman Movie (if all negotiations go well), it’s time to turn our attention to that guy in the black-and-blue (or red after The New 52) tights. Although there have been a number of different Nightwings over the years, for most fans there’s really only one, and he has a history that technically stretches all the way back to April 1940 and Detective Comics #38!
So let’s breakdown the history of Nightwing, a.k.a. Robin, a.k.a. Dick Grayson…
Most dedicated comics fans know that this guy was once the original Robin, sidekick to the Dark Knight Detective himself, Batman! Dick Grayson -- created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane way back when -- was a circus performer in a family of acrobats, and when his entire family was killed, he found himself an orphan with a need for vengeance. Fortunately, there was someone who knew exactly how that felt, and before too long Grayson was wearing a modified version of his circus costume as Batman’s trusty chum, Robin.
Steep Is Free This Weekend
Ubisoft’s open-world extreme sports-‘em-up, Steep, is free to play this weekend.
The free trial period kicks off today, March 10 (10AM PST), though to March 12, and is available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Uplay.
The free trial, per country.
The free weekend offers full access to the entire game, so you’ll be able to check everything out to see if it’s for you. Should it turn out you like it, you can transfer your progress over to the full game at a 50 percent discount (active until March 13 on consoles, and March 14 on PC).
Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days Announced
Lionsgate and Big Star Games have announced Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days, an action-shooter based on Quentin Tarantino's iconic 1992 film.
In celebration of Reservoir Dog's 25th anniversary later this year, Bloody Days is slated to launch for both PC and Xbox One in 2017. The game will release first on Steam this spring, with the Xbox One version to follow sometime thereafter.
Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days features a top-down perspective, where players must strategically rewind time to control a team of characters as they blast their way through a variety of heists based on the movie. The game features six playable characters fans of the film will no doubt recognize, including Mr. Blonde, Mr. Brown, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink and Mr. White.
All of The Division’s Year Two Content Will Be Free
Ubisoft has announced The Division's Year Two expansion content will be released for free.
“The one-year anniversary is a celebration of everything we’ve done in the first year of the game’s release,” said creative director Julian Gerighty in a recent interview on the Ubisoft blog. “But we also want to turn ahead and look at Year 2 and how we’re going to support the game for everyone, for free."
Although Year Two's DLC has yet to be fully detailed, the first drop - which is scheduled to release mid-year - will feature three components, one of which will be Seasons (temporary title), an event system that "drives players to activities that feature modifiers, leaderboards, and unique vanity items that will only be available through these activities".
Niantic Admits Pokemon Go’s Gyms Have to Change
Pokémon Go developer Niantic has admitted the game’s Gym system needs work.
Speaking to Polygon at the Game Developers Conference 2017, senior product manager Tatsuo Nomura said the following:
“The gym portion
needs a lot more work, and we are trying to improve it and make a bigger change to how the system works,” says Nomura. “Overall, I think we need a little bit more time to think through how we do it.”
“We needed to define
in a way that works in a mobile game. For example, we didn’t have ... there’s no non-playable characters. That’s not how the game works. We’re an MMO, and we expect people to play with other people.”
The Lego Group Makes More Money Than Ever Before
The latest The Lego Group financial results are out, revealing record-setting revenue of $5.38 billion throughout 2016.
The total revenue is The Lego Group’s largest reported amount in the 85-year history of the company. The Lego Group points to Lego City, Ninjago, Friends, Duplo, and Star Wars as the most successful brands. Many of the former – excluding Star Wars, specifically – are Lego-made and owned IP.
Subtracting expenses, The Lego Group is left with a net profit of around $1.34 billion, reports The Brothers Brick.
"We are satisfied with our performance in 2016,” says CEO, Bali Padda. “We had a strong first half of the year, while consumer sales growth in the second half was at more sustainable levels than previous years. We were encouraged by our performance in mature markets in Europe and continue to see strong potential in China, which represents an attractive growth opportunity.
Destiny Shows Off New Vault of Glass, Crota’s End Raid Armor Sets
Bungie has provided a glimpse of the new armor sets from Destiny’s Vault of Glass and Dark Below that you can earn during the final live event for the game, Age of Triumph, from March 28.
Age of Triumph will bring back updated versions of all of the Destiny’s previous Raids, “bringing them up to parity with each other,” according to Bungie community manager David Dague.
There will be one featured Raid every week throughout April. Crota’s End will be the first featured Raid, followed by Vault of Glass, King's Fall, and Wrath of the Machine.
Destiny Shows Off New Vault of Glass, Crota’s End Raid Armor Sets
Bungie has provided a glimpse of the new armor sets from Destiny’s Vault of Glass and Dark Below that you can earn during the final live event for the game, Age of Triumph, from March 28.
Age of Triumph will bring back updated versions of all of the Destiny’s previous Raids, “bringing them up to parity with each other,” according to Bungie community manager David Dague.
There will be one featured Raid every week throughout April. Crota’s End will be the first featured Raid, followed by Vault of Glass, King's Fall, and Wrath of the Machine.
The Wolverine Foreshadowed the Ending of Logan
Logan director James Mangold had the film's conclusion planned out quite a while ago. In fact, he foreshadowed Logan's ending in an prior movie he directed starring the clawed mutant, The Wolverine.
Warning: Logan spoilers follow.
In The Wolverine, a mutant who can see the future named Yukio tells Wolverine (Hugh Jackman): "I see you on your back, there’s blood everywhere. You're holding your own heart in your hand." While this prophetic word does come to pass the The Wolverine, when Logan must carve out a parasite that is embedded in his heart and inhibiting his regeneration ability, it is also realized in Logan.
At the conclusion of the film, when Logan is on death's door covered in blood, he's figuratively holding his "heart" as he grips the hand of his daughter. A fan on Twitter (via Collider) spotted the connection and Mangold retweeted the post, confirming that he indeed was foreshadowing this moment during The Wolverine.
The Wolverine Foreshadowed the Ending of Logan
Logan director James Mangold had the film's conclusion planned out quite a while ago. In fact, he foreshadowed Logan's ending in an prior movie he directed starring the clawed mutant, The Wolverine.
Warning: Logan spoilers follow.
In The Wolverine, a mutant who can see the future named Yukio tells Wolverine (Hugh Jackman): "I see you on your back, there’s blood everywhere. You're holding your own heart in your hand." While this prophetic word does come to pass the The Wolverine, when Logan must carve out a parasite that is embedded in his heart and inhibiting his regeneration ability, it is also realized in Logan.
At the conclusion of the film, when Logan is on death's door covered in blood, he's figuratively holding his "heart" as he grips the hand of his daughter. A fan on Twitter (via Collider) spotted the connection and Mangold retweeted the post, confirming that he indeed was foreshadowing this moment during The Wolverine.