Monthly Archives: May 2017
Rime Seeks to Manipulate Your Mind, and Your Mood
Take a puzzle-filled island setting, a plucky young fox companion, and an illusive cloaked figure watching over you at all times, and you have Rime. This gorgeous adventure that takes its gameplay and storytelling cues from the likes of Ico and The Last Guardian is almost upon us, and after getting hands-on with a full hour of the game I’m more keen than ever to get to the heart of its mystery.
Rime’s early puzzles show a promising level of variety. Some are triggered by the young protagonist’s voice, such as a door which has four separate voice-activated statues that need to be roused at the same time. Rather than shout at them independently the player must find and manoeuvre a large orb within an optimal radius, so that it can act as a vocal amplifier to activate the switches in unison.
NASA Needs Help Mining the Moon
Nasa has released a letter outlining its interest in assistance from private companies regarding future collaborative missions to the moon.
The request states “NASA has identified a variety of exploration, science, and technology demonstration objectives that could be addressed by sending instruments, experiments, or other payloads to the lunar surface. To address these objectives as cost-effectively as possible, NASA may procure payloads and related commercial payload delivery services to the Moon.”
Futurism explains that NASA's message marks an increase in interest regarding Earth's natural satellite and both the commercial and scientific benefits it can afford us. It goes on to explain that some experts believe mining the moon with current technology is definitely possible and much of what would be needed can be 3D printed on site, saving on launch resources.
Every Major Character and Cameo in Guardians Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 features one of the biggest casts we've seen in a Marvel movie to date. Not only did the Guardians themselves gain a few extra members, but the film dove even deeper into the weird, wild landscape that is the cosmic Marvel Universe.
It's a lot to keep track of, especially since some of these characters appeared in the form of a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo. But don't worry, because we've put together a helpful slideshow breaking down every notable character in the film, from the Guardians themselves to their new enemies to the many surprise cameos. Check them all out here, but obviously full spoilers follow:
Don't be surprised if the cast gets even bigger for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Director James Gunn has already confirmed that he'll be returning, and that the movie will prominently feature Adam Warlock. We also have some ideas for other Marvel characters that should join the Guardians 3 roster.
Psych Returns for Holiday TV-Movie
Psych is coming back for a two-hour holiday TV-movie that will premiere on the USA Network this December.
The movie picks up three years after the series finale, with fake psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Dulé Hill) teaming up once again to pursue and stop a mystery assailant who has targeted one of Shawn's and Burton's friends.
The rest of the returning cast includes Timothy Omundson (Lassiter), Maggie Lawson (Juliet), Kristen Nelson (Chief Vick), and Corbin Bernsen (Henry). Steve Franks will direct from a script he co-wrote with James Roday.
James Roday and Dulé Hill in Psych.
Injustice 2 Championship Series Offers $600,000 Prize Pool
Earlier today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced the Injustice 2 Championship Series, a global esports program which will offer a $600,000 prize pool for competitors who pick up the sequel to NetherRealms Studios’ fighting game based in the DC comics universe.
The championship series is a joint partnership between GameStop, Electronic Sports League, Gamelta esports Professional League, Twitch, and PlayStation 4 entertainment system. Amateur and professional players in North America, Europe, and Latin America will get a chance to compete for a portion of the prize pool. WBIE announced a the following schedule:
13 Best ’80s Movies Streaming on Netflix
One of the great tragedies of online streaming services is that they often don’t offer a very good selection of older films. Type in “1980s” into Netflix’s search engine, for example, and you’ll probably be very disappointed to discover that most of the decade’s best films aren’t available. In fact, most of the whole decade is unavailable, period. If you’re feeling nostalgic for any time period earlier than the 2000s you’re basically out of luck, and that’s a shame.
Fortunately, Netflix does still have a smattering of great 1980s classics. It’s just that, with the exception of the occasional highbrow art film (Kagemusha is available on Netflix, believe it or not), they seem to represent the 1980s as a cultural idea. The sorts of films that seemed to define the most popular of popular culture are reasonably well represented. The blockbusters, the cult flicks, the sorts of entertainment you see name-checked on — fittingly enough — the Netflix original series Stranger Things.
New Nintendo 2DS XL: The Best Gets A Little Better
The recently New Nintendo 2DS XL might not seem all that special on the surface, but that latest revision to Nintendo’s flagship handheld has some good improvements under the hood. For a relatively low $149.99 USD, you’re getting a solid hardware revision with an unbelievably thin top screen, a fast processor to cut load times on heftier games (like Smash Bros. or the Monster Hunter games) and a big library of great software. If you need a primer on what games buy for it, just check out IGN’s Top 25 3DS games for a few suggestions.
Doug Liman on Why He Decided to Not Direct Gambit
Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman recently discussed why he decided against directing the solo Gambit movie, saying he couldn't connect to the project.
In an interview with Collider, Liman explained that ever since making Swingers and Go, he's always looked for ways to tell his particular version of a film's story, which was not possible for him with Gambit.
"Ever since Go, I've looked for that personal connection where, because of the experiences I've had in life, if I tell this story, it will be fundamentally different than if any other director tells it, even if the experience I'm talking about is the previous movie I've made," Liman said.
Black Panther’s Opening Weekend Box Office Compared to Every MCU Movie
Black Panther dominated the box office in its opening weekend, with an estimated $201.8 million debut. With such success in Black Panther's benchmark debut, how does the rest of the MCU compare in opening weekend hauls?
Check out the chart below for updated numbers through the MCU's latest release, Black Panther, in comparison to the opening weekends, both adjusted and unadjusted, of each Marvel film so far, as well as their worldwide box office totals. We've also taken a look, where applicable, at a film's percentage increase or decrease over its direct predecessor (rounded to the nearest whole percentage). And then read on for more analysis of all of Marvel's 2017 releases so far.
Defenders: Luke Cage Star Teases One Big Bad Villain
Just like Thanos is a puppet master for the villains in the Marvel movies, there's apparently been a big bad behind The Defenders and each show.
Luke Cage star Mike Colter opened up to TV Guide (via Screen Rant) about the villains in the upcoming superhero series on Netflix. And he revealed that the Defenders are tied together from a single villainous someone or something.
“The villains that we’re dealing with are a combination of several entities, and they all have something to do with our separate stories that have played out in each of our own individual series," Colter said. "So this has been going on for a while.