Monthly Archives: May 2017
Every Xenomorph (and Alien) from the Alien Movies
What started out as a simple monster movie in space -- Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien -- has in the decades since seen burst from its chest, if you will, an entire franchise of seemingly unstoppable, acid-bleeding, double-jaw chomping xenomorphs. And now, with Alien: Covenant about to be released, it's time to get ready for even more deep-space shenanigans.
In the wake of Scott's return to the franchise with 2012's Prometheus, some fans felt that the filmmaker had strayed from the original concept of the Alien series. As a result, the director has recently been vocal about trying to get back to the roots of the franchise with Covenant. So what better time than now to take an accounting of the many different versions of the xenomorph, and its offshoots, that have plagued not just Ellen Ripley over the years but all those other poor space colonists and space marines and space scientists and, well, you get the picture. Let's take a look at every xenomorph (and alien) from the Alien movies:
Prey’s Patch is Out of Beta, Fixes Game-Breaking Bugs
The patch that fixes Prey's most debilitating issues on PC is now live.
As promised a few days ago, Prey publisher Bethesda and developer Arkane have pushed a patch out that fixes Prey's game-breaking save-game corruption issue, which has caused a number of players (and IGN's reviewer Dan Stapleton) grief since Prey was released on May 5.
As well as the fix to prevent save games from being corrupted, the patch also fixes a number of other issues, including fixes to the GLOO cannon and navigation issues. Check out the full 1.2 update to Prey on PC below.
Game of Thrones, The Witch Stars Join New Mutants
New Mutants, the upcoming X-Men spinoff film, will include a Game of Thrones star and the lead of 2015's The Witch as part of its ensemble.
IGN can confirm that Maisie Williams will star as Wolfsbane, while Anya Taylor-Joy will play the mutant Magik in the 2018 film directed by The Fault in Our Stars Josh Boone, who also co-wrote the script with Knate Gwaltney.
In addition to these two, the team for the film is expected to include Moonstar, Sunspot, and Cannonball, and Warlock. Boone teased the New Mutants lineup back in 2016.
Thief Film Producers Suggest Fifth Game Is in Development
With a Thief film adaptation in the works, Square Enix is also reportedly working on the fifth game in the series to coincide with the movie.
Straight Up Films, which acquired the film rights to Thief from Square Enix last year, revealed the news in a post on the company's website describing the production.
"Widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever created, a fifth sequel is currently in development to be released in step with this motion picture adaptation," the page reads.
Comparing Blade Runner 2049 to the Original
I have to admit that I have not been looking forward to the idea of a Blade Runner sequel. It's always seemed like one of those movies that just didn't need any kind of follow-up, so perfect and complete the original was. But then after years of potential sequel chatter, a Blade Runner 2 started to actually materialize. And now here we are with our first full trailer for the film, and I have to say -- I can't wait for Blade Runner 2049.
There are several reasons why I've turned around on this one, not the least of which is the fact that while the original's Ridley Scott is an executive producer on the project, they've brought in younger, talented blood with new helmer Denis Villeneuve (Arrival). Also, Harrison Ford is back as Deckard, which for decades seemed very unlikely (I remember him being asked about Blade Runner 2 at a press junket some years back and the star scoffed, saying something to the effect of "That was never a real thing"). But now, with this trailer, we also have a taste of the approach Villeneuve is taking, which essentially looks to be an uncanny return to the world of Blade Runner... but also an expansion of it.
American Gods Renewed for Season 2 by Starz
Following its debut on April 30, Starz has renewed its critically-acclaimed series American Gods for a second season.
According to the network's announcement, the premiere of American Gods garnered over five million multiplatform viewers and placed number one on Nielsen Social Ratings for all scripted broadcast and cable television series.
"Bryan Fuller, Michael Green and Neil Gaiman have evolved the art form of television narratively, structurally and graphically with American Gods, and we're thrilled to be working again with these artists as they continue to build the worlds and wars of the gods," said Carmi Zlotnik, president of programming for Starz.
Based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel of the same name, American Gods tells the story of a war brewing between the Old Gods and the New. The Old Gods have mythological roots around the world and find themselves seduced by the New Gods' technology and money.
The 7 Things We Want To See in The Deadpool Animated Series
18 is already shaping up to be the year of Deadpool, but now, fans have more than just a cinematic sequel to look forward to. Yesterday, FXX revealed that Atlanta’s Donald Glover and his brother, Stephen Glover, are writing and creating a new Deadpool animated series in collaboration with Marvel TV. As part of the deal, Donald Glover will follow in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds as he gives Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth a new voice.
This won’t be Deadpool’s first animated appearance, but this may be the first time that the character can truly be used to his full potential. As much as we loved the first live-action film, it was somewhat limited in scope due to its budget. Surely a Deadpool cartoon can afford to show more than just two X-Men!
Payday 2 Is Getting a Free VR Mode
Payday 2 developer Overkill Software is working on a virtual reality mode for its first-person bank heist shooter, which will launch for free for all Payday 2 owners. The VR mode will allow Payday 2 players to experience the entire game in VR. A beta is planned for sometime this year.
The Payday 2 VR teaser trailer demonstrates players using the HTC Vive's motion controllers and full-body tracking to hide behind cover, order hostages, shoot weapons, steal jewelry, and revive fallen teammates.
Crossplay will allow VR players and traditional PC players to team up in the same game.
Watch the Payday 2 VR Mode trailer below.
Payday 2 is also getting an Ultimate Edition, which will merge nearly every piece of DLC into a single collection available for $45 along with the base game. That includes over 55 heists, 18 playable characters, 77 primary weapons, 51 secondary weapons, and 82 melee weapons.
FOX Cancels Son of Zorn, APB and Making History
FOX has canceled its freshman series APB, Making History and Son of Zorn.
Deadline reports the tough production and lack of a new showrunner for Son of Zorn ultimately led to the hybrid live-action/animated show's cancelation.
The story follows Zorn, a barbarian warrior from the fictional South Pacific island of Zephyr, who moves to Orange County to reconnect with his teenage son. For our thoughts on the short-lived show, read IGN's reviews of Son of Zorn's first two episodes, "Return to Orange County" and "Defender of Teen Love."
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Comes to Twitch
Twitch will be hosting a Mister Rogers' Neighborhood marathon for 18 days starting on May 15 at 12 p.m. PT/9 a.m. ET/8 a.m. CT.
All 886 episodes of the beloved children's show will be streamed live at www.twitch.tv/misterrogers. The marathon will feature episodes that only aired once and aren't available online anywhere else, with additional mini-marathons to follow. Twitch will also be running a fundraising campaign during the marathon to help support local PBS stations.
“We were drawn to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood because Fred Rogers was a positive voice in fostering inclusivity and diversity, and, like our streamers, he talked to the viewers as if they were in the room with him," said Bill Moorier, Head of Creative at Twitch. "While his show was geared toward children, his messages have universal appeal.”