Monthly Archives: November 2016
How Ghost in the Shell Made the Nude Thermoptic Suit
One of the most iconic scenes from the Ghost in the Shell anime film sees its main character, Major Motoko Kusanagi, stripping off her clothes and dropping from the top of a massive skyscraper to assassinate a target, all while seemingly fully nude. After her assassination attempt is successful, it's revealed she's not actually naked, but rather wearing a thermoptic suit that allows her to become invisible, getting away without a trace.
The thermoptic suit is a staple of the Ghost in the Shell franchise, but anime has an easier time getting away with having its lead character move around seemingly unclothed and invisible than a live action movie starring Scarlett Johansson does. The filmmakers of 2017's Ghost in the Shell adaptation knew from the start that they wanted to include the thermoptic suit in their movie, but it was just a matter of adapting it for the big screen in a way that stayed true to the source material while also working with MPAA regulations.
First Look at Live-Action Beauty and the Beast Revealed
Ahead of its planned 2017 release, a first official look at the leads in Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast has been unveiled.
Entertainment Weekly's latest cover offers the first glimpse of Dan Stevens as the Beast and Emma Watson as Belle, evoking the iconic ballroom dance scene from the 1991 animated Disney film.
Beauty and the Beast EW cover
Talia al Ghul Joins Arrow as New Recurring Character
Lexa Doig is joining Arrow as DC Comics character Talia al Ghul.
The actress, whose previous work includes roles in Continuum, Stargate SG-1 and V, will make her debut as the daughter of Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable) and half-sister of Nyssa (Katrina Law) in Season 5's tenth episode. Doig will appear in multiple episodes, with Talia joining the fray as a new recurring character.
Talia al Ghul (image via DC Entertainment) will be played by Lexa Doig on Arrow.
Happy Wheels Gets Animated Series
A new animated series based on the popular online game Happy Wheels has been announced. It will be released on November 15.
Machinima (Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn) is behind the the nine-episode series, which is being produced by BMP Digital, the digital division of Bunim/Murray Productions. In addition to featuring the dark humor and gore from Jim Bonacci's game, Happy Wheels: The Series will have a number of recognizable characters, including Lawnmower Man, Wheelchair Guy and Irresponsible Dad.
Buy a PS4, Get a Free Copy of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launches on November 4, and to celebrate, Sony is running a special promotion that includes a free copy of Infinity Ward's new shooter with the purchase of a PS4.
According to a post on PlayStation Blog, the two-day promotion will run from November 4 to November 5 at participating retailers in the United States and Canada.
This offer applies to the new, slim PlayStation 4—including the Uncharted 4 PS4 bundle.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare releases for PS4, Xbox One and PC this Friday, November 4. While you patiently await the launch of Infinity Ward's upcoming first-person shooter, take a look at our comprehensive overview of everything you need to know about Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
Steam Will Ban Concept Art, Pre-Rendered Stills from Store Pages
Steam is removing concept and pre-rendered screenshots from game store pages.
As part of the upcoming Discovery Update 2.0, Valve aims to ensure all promotional images represent in-game experiences.
"Regardless of the content in your game, please make sure that images uploaded to the 'screenshot' section of your store page are actually screenshots of your game," Valve states in the update notes it sent to Eurogamer.
"We haven't been super crisp on guidelines for screenshots in the past, so we'd like to take this opportunity to clarify some rules in this space. When the 'screenshot' section of a store page is used for images other than screenshots that depict the game, it can make it harder for customers to understand what the product is that they are looking at.
Claire Temple, Stick, and Trish Walker Join The Defenders
Marvel has revealed three more characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage who will reprise their roles for Netflix's The Defenders series.
Revealed via a post on Twitter from the official Defenders account, Rosario Dawson, who's appeared in all three of Netflix's previously released Marvel series, will return as Claire Temple.
Dawson as Claire Temple
Meanwhile, Scott Glenn (Daredevil) and Rachael Taylor (Jessica Jones) will reprise their roles as Stick and Trish Walker, respectively.
Nintendo Unveils New Mini-games for Animal Crossing: New Leaf
A free update to Animal Crossing: New Leaf has introduced a raft of new features, including two new mini-games and a new in-game currency called MEOW coupons.
Both mini-games can be unlocked by finding two specific items within Animal Crossing. Find a Wii U and a mini-game called Desert Island Escape launches, which is very similar to the game of the same name from Animal Crossing amiibo festival. The second is Animal Crossing Puzzle League and can be played if you obtain a Nintendo 3DS XL or a new Nintendo 3DS.
MEOW (short for Mutual Exchange of Wealth) coupons can be used to buy new in-game items and are earned by completing daily and weekly "initiatives" (or challenges). These coupons can be spent on items in a new area called Harvey's Campground, where new villagers can also be summoned.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Update Introduces Amiibo Support
Nintendo is introducing amiibo support to Animal Crossing: New Leaf with a free update, available now.
Players scan their amiibo or card, which will prompt a character called Wisp to summon the card or figure into their town. In a twist, Nintendo also revealed that amiibo figures from other Nintendo franchises can be used in-game, including Zelda and Splatoon.
Characters from Nintendo franchises like Splatoon are part of the update.
For example, scanning the Splatoon Squid sisters amiibos will import Cece and Viché into Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Items specific to Splatoon will also generate in-game, and can be obtained by dropping by the respective amiibo's home.
Facebook Launches New Platform Gameroom
Facebook has launched Gameroom, its new gaming platform.
Originally called Facebook Games Arcade, Facebook announced the name change, and the rollout of its new desktop app, at Unity's game development platform conference.
Image credit: developers.facebook.com
The platform - which is suitable for Windows 7 and upwards and is available now in beta for both developers and users - will allow Unity developers to export games directly into it.