Monthly Archives: July 2016
An Avenger Stands Trial in Civil War II #4
The new issue of Civil War II pushed the Avengers closer to all-out war.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Civil War II #4!
This issue opens with She-Hulk finally waking from her coma and learning that Hawkeye killed her cousin (as seen in issue #3). But while she's none too happy about that piece of news, it seems the general public supports Hawkeye's preemptive killing of Bruce Banner. It's quickly revealed that Clint Barton was acquitted of the charge of murdering Banner.
Life Is Strange to Become Live-Action TV Show
Legendary Entertainment and Square Enix have partnered to create a live-action Life Is Strange TV show for digital streaming services.
The show will be produced in conjunction with dj2 Entertainment, which has also had a hand in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
With a deal only recently completed, it's unclear when the show will arrive, or even what it will be about.
In an interview with IGN, Life Is Strange co-creator, Michel Koch talks about how Square Enix went to Legendary looking to "expand the universe" of Life is Strange.
However, it's not clear as yet whether that means adapting the existing first game season's branching story into a single linear narrative, or if this will be a separate plot in the same location.
Yakuza 0 Release Date Revealed
Sega has revealed Yakuza 0 will be coming to the Americas and Europe on January 24, and it's available for pre-order now.
Set in 1980s Japan, Yakuza 0 tells the origin story of the long running gangster game series. It will be released physically and digitally for $60 on PlayStation 4.
We first learned Yakuza 0 would be heading west back in December last year. Sega provided an "early 2017" release window at the time, and now have revealed the final release date.
PlayStation Plus Free Games for August Revealed
Sony has revealed the lineup of free games available to PlayStation Plus subscribers in August.
According to PlayStation Blog, WeirdBeard Games' new physics-based puzzler Tricky Towers will be available free of charge for PlayStation 4 owners next month, as well as Double Damage's space combat game Rebel Galaxy.
Additionally, both Yakuza 5 and Retro/Grade will be free for subscribers with a PlayStation 3, and Patapon 3 will be available on PS Vita. Finally, the old-school arcade shooter Ultratron will be available as a free download across PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.
PlayStation 3 Launch Price a ‘Total Shock’ to Microsoft
While Microsoft wasn't surprised by Sony's decision to release PlayStation 3 a year after Xbox 360, the announcement of the console's $599 launch price came as a "total shock" to the company, according to former Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach.
"The single moment when I knew we had real upside was when they announced the pricing at E3," Bach said on the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered. "We knew their bill of materials was going to be too expensive but we thought they’d suck it up."
Bach recounted their reaction to Sony's announcement at E3 2006, adding, "Kaz
said the price and the room we were in went silent and I said, 'Did he really say what I think he said?'" After getting confirmation that what they heard was indeed correct, the former Xbox exec noted that many in the room said aloud: "Oh, this could be really fun."
StartUp: New Trailer and Poster
Launching Tuesday, September 6th on Crackle, StartUp is a new scripted drama series starring Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock), Adam Brody (CHiPS, The O.C.), Edi Gathegi (The Blacklist, The Blacklist: Redemption) and Otmara Marrero (Graceland).
IGN's got your first look at StartUp's new extended trailer, along with the official key art for the series, which features Freeman as an FBI agent, Phil Rask, who crosses paths with Brody's smart financier, Nick Talman, in Miami - but it's not Talman that Rask is after, but his father.
Nick has a problematic relationship with his wealthy, irresponsible father, who disappears and forces Nick to stash his ill-gotten gain. Instead of going to the FBI, he decides to hide the money by investing in a tech startup pitched by the unorthodox Izzy Morales, a tech whiz out to change the world, played by Otmara Marrero. Gathegi also stars in the series as Ronald Dacey – second-in-command of the local Haitian gang. When Ronald discovers that the money he left with Nick’s father has vanished, Ronald moves on to the next best thing - his son. An unexpected partnership forms between Ronald, Nick and Izzy which culminates in a dangerous alliance that make them a target for Risk, who plans to take a journey to the very pit of darkness to take down the unsuspecting trio.
The International 2016 Now Has the Largest eSports Prize Pool in History
Dota 2 has broken the record for the largest eSports prize pool in history once again, with The International 2016's latest total.
At time of writing, the prize pool for Dota 2's biggest tournament stands at $18,656,487, and it won't stop there. The prize pool is funded by fans buying Battle Passes, and these will remain available until August 13.
Last year's International had the previous largest pool, and the eventual winners, Evil Geniuses, won the tournament and took home $6.6 million from the pot.
Changes to Ana and McCree in New Overwatch Patch
The PC version of Overwatch has a new patch which brings a number of changes, most notably to the heroes Ana and McCree.
Ana, Overwatch's newest hero, has had her Biotic Rifle rate of fire increased by 20 percent, and the magazine size has been increased from 8 to 10. Since her rifle is used for healing allies and damaging enemies, it'll increase her overall effectiveness on both ends of the spectrum.
McCree, who saw a nerf a few weeks ago and a subsequent range increase, has been changed once again. Now the Offence stalwart's primary fire damage falloff range has been decreased by 10 meters, however the effective range is still higher than it was at launch.
Oculus Rift Update Adds Multiple Sensor Capabilities
The latest update to Oculus Home has added the ability to connect multiple camera sensors, preparing the virtual reality technology for the launch of Oculus Touch later this year.
According to TechCrunch, the update will enhance movement tracking, and developers will now be able to access precise room-scale setups. Touch will add motion controllers to Oculus' repertoire, making it more competitive with the gaming experiences of the HTC Vive.
Up to four sensors can now be connected, however it is believed developers will only use two, especially considering the Touch will only launch with one additional Oculus sensor. Plus, the camera sensors are not currently sold separately.
Nintendo Posts Massive Loss
Nintendo has revealed its latest financial report for the three months ending June 2016.
According to the report, the Japanese giant posted a net loss of 24.5 billion yen. Not the best of news when contrasted with the same period from 2015, where the company made a profit of 8.2 billion yen.
Dedicated hardware sales for the period come in at 25.1 billion yen, while dedicated software sales are at 34.8 billion yen. Smart devices and IP related income brought in 1.6 billion yen, a rise compared to last year's 932 million yen.
Nintendo’s latest output comes in the form of Star Fox Zero, Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympics, Kirby: Planet Robobot, and the Nintendo-published Shovel Knight. None managed to surpass one million in sales.