Monthly Archives: September 2018
Telltale’s Underappreciated Contribution to Games
Adventure games are some of my all-time favorites. I was more of a LucasArts guy than a Sierra guy, but both studios made incredible stuff in the late ‘80s through the ‘90s: The Monkey Island series, Space Quest, Sam & Max, King’s Quest, Full Throttle, etc. They were smart and, in an era where video games had never been thought of as comedies before,often funny. They were also successful by any and all metrics.
Until they weren’t.
As gaming moved into the third dimension, adventure games, by and large, didn’t come along for the ride. And so they were left behind, with layers of dust gathering on them. They were forgotten, seemingly bound to a specific time and place in the industry’s history. That is, until Telltale came along.
My Favourite New Fighting Game Character is a Self-Flagellating Disciplinarian
Kill la Kill is one of my favourite anime series of recent years. It’s creative, weird, super high energy and wonderfully animated. It also manages to indulge in, while simultaneously parodying, many classic anime tropes.
If you’ve never seen it, the basic story set-up sees teen protagonist Ryuko Matoi searching for answers about the death of her father. She transfers to Honnoji Academy in the dystopian Honno City, which is run with absolute authority by the student council and its ruthless president Satsuki Kiryuin. Ryuko finds herself facing off against a bizarre parade of characters, all of whom have special uniforms that boost their abilities to an insane degree... and also transform. Ryuko, meanwhile, has an outfit that’s even more powerful.
Players Discover Shadow of the Tomb Raider ‘Mistakenly Included’ Alternate Ending
Shadow of the Tomb Raider has an official ending with playful nods to the original games in the series, but an ending that wasn’t supposed to be in the game was mistakenly included in launch copies of the title.
Spoiler Warning: For those who don’t want the real (or unofficial) ending of Shadow of the Tomb Raider ruined, finish the game and come back to read this strange story after.
As reported by Kotaku, the day-one patch for Shadow of the Tomb Raider actually included the proper ending of the game. In this official post-credits scene, Lara is sitting at a desk at Croft Manor while the camera pans over various items and artifacts from this latest trilogy of Tomb Raider games. The scene ends with a shot of a hand-drawn picture, one Lara drew as a child, that shows her with her parents next to a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a pyramid. It’s a fun reference to the original 1996 Tomb Raider, which featured both of these elements.
Marvel’s Jeph Loeb Hints at Defenders Return With Potential New Team
Marvel's Defenders may continue, although Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage may not always be the stars.
Marvel TV Head Jeph Loeb told Entertainment Weekly there is potential for a continuation of the series, saying, "all we've ever said is that there are no plans right now
. It doesn’t mean that it’s off the table."
That could mean much more than just another season with series regulars, however. "It doesn’t mean that it even has to be with the original characters that were in the first Defenders" Loeb said.
When asked to elaborate, he said, "There are lots of Avengers, and through that, you should be able to ascertain that there may be lots of Defenders.
PlayStation Classic Will Support Smartphone AC Adaptors
With the PlayStation Classic's announcement this week came the exciting news of 20 classic PS1 games packed in a mini nostalgia console. Some questions about the hardware came from its initial announcement, however.
One of the biggest lingering questions concerns the way the PlayStation Classic will actually be packaged. The box for the system notably revealed that a USB AC Adaptor would be sold separately. Speaking to IGN via email, a PlayStation spokesperson did not comment on the decision to sell power supplies separately, but did note that many widely available power sources could be used.
Kingsman 3 Officially Announced for 2019 Release
Manners will maketh the man once again, as Fox has officially announced a third Kingsman movie will be released next year.
IGN can confirm that Fox has set an untitled Kingsman movie for a November 8, 2019 release. Matthew Vaughn, who wrote and directed the first two movies, is back on board to write and produce the third entry in the series.
No cast or plot details have been revealed. Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong have been main stars of the series. The second film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, introduced Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, and Julianne Moore to the franchise.
Early last year, ahead of The Golden Circle's release, Vaughn had confirmed he was already considering Kingsman 3.
Battlefield V Changes Coming After Open Beta Detailed by DICE
DICE has pinpointed a lot of specific areas following the Battlefield V open beta that will be changed before the full game arrives on November 20.
Announced through a blog post on EA’s website, changes will be made to Battlefield V’s attrition system, player visibility, bleed out times and more.
The attrition system, which is designed to limit health and ammo to optimize the game’s tempo, is getting some changes to make sure it doesn’t simply force players to spawn, sprint and die over and over again. DICE acknowledges that fans wanted changes to attrition, so in the full game players will be more capable when they spawn. Some weapons will start with more ammo, and others will have increased ammo limits, for example.
Why Arrow’s Black Siren Deserves a Real Shot at Redemption in Season 7
The death of Laurel Lance in Arrow Season 4 was a tragic event that sent shockwaves through the series, which can still be felt today. The loss of such a fan-favorite character, along with all her connected legacy from the Green Arrow comics, was an exceptionally dark moment for the CW superhero drama already known for its grim tone. But the introduction of Laurel’s Earth-2 doppelganger, known as Black Siren, gave Arrow a chance to create an entirely new version of the character, with a completely different story.
This Laurel had a harder edge, a more villainous attitude, and less of the complicated emotional baggage the Earth-1 version often struggled with. In many ways, Black Siren felt like a fresh start for a character the show often had no idea what to do with in the past. This iteration even came complete with an obvious initial narrative arc – redemption for her previous sins.
Every Live-Action Joker First Look Photo
In light of the first photo of Cameron Monaghan in full Joker makeup for the Gotham series finale being released and with the first trailer for the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie now here, let's take a look back at the first photos ever released for the modern live-action incarnations of the Clown Prince of Crime.
There have been four big screen, live-action incarnations of the Joker in the last three decades, and each first look has provoked a different response -- and each seemingly more divisive among fandom than the last. The first shot of Cameron Monaghan finally in full Joker persona is only the latest example of that, and will almost certainly not be the last.
Netflix & Chills: 5 Horror Titles Just in Time for Halloween
It's that spooky time of year again, filled with candy, costumes, and plenty of scares provided by your friendly neighborhood streaming provider. That's right, Netflix is promoting five new horrifying titles to watch throughout the Halloween season.
Netflix is releasing three new original films and two new series starting on Friday, September 28, with Hold the Dark. For a look at what else you can expect to see, check out the trailer below:
Netflix has also provided us with a synopsis for their upcoming horror slate.
Hold the Dark (Sept. 28) - Netflix Film
Courtesy of Netflix