Yes, Rampage Is Based on a Video Game
The Rock's next blockbuster is pretty literal, with giant monsters busting city blocks in downtown Chicago. And in case you were unaware, the movie is based on a video game. And like other big-screen adaptations, it plays pretty fast and loose with the source material.
Rampage, the game, was released into arcades in 1986 by Bally Midway and featured three different monsters climbing, and destroying, buildings. The game starts out in Peoria, Illinois and charts a path of destruction across the United States over the course of 128 days. Gameplay is pretty straight-forward: just punch the crap out of buildings until they collapse into rubble.
From what is shown in the trailer, the movie takes the basics: giant monsters, smashing buildings, and fills it out a little to make it into a movie. The game was a clear homage to monster movies, with a King Kong stand-in and a kaiju-come-lately. But the movie deviates from the monsters in their origins.
Justice League Skins Coming to Injustice 2
To celebrate the release of DC's latest superhero flick, Justice League skins and events are coming to Injustice 2.
The content will be available in console and mobile versions of the Warner Bros. fighter. Players will be able to obtain costumes for Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, inspired by their film appearances.
Players will need to complete special limited-time Multiverse challenges to earn the gear, and in a wink to the powers of the speedster, The Flash's event is the first to arrive. It is live now and features four pieces of armor for Flash.
The latest update for Injustice 2 added the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Enchantress to the roster. Justice League hits theaters tomorrow, so check out our review before you go.
Path of Exile: War for the Atlas Expansion Announced
Path of Exile's next expansion is called War for the Atlas, and it's launching next month.
As detailed on Path of Exile's website, War for the Atlas will be released first on PC on December 8 and shortly after on Xbox One.
The expansion follows a new story set in Atlas focused on the war between the forces of The Shaper and a mysterious new entity called The Elder. Players will be caught in the middle of that war, with missions to complete and dungeons to explore that determine who wins and who loses on the battlefield.
War for the Atlas will introduce 32 randomized maps with a variety of end-game items, 50 new Unique items, new skills to master for the Necromancer class, and ten new gems. Also featured is the Abyss Challenge League where players battle new foes for a chance to earn Abyss Jewels.
Vivendi Rules Out Ubisoft Take Over for Next Six Months
Vivendi has ruled out a hostile takeover of Ubisoft for the next six months after the release of third-quarter earnings reports.
Reuters reports that Vivendi has made the decision due its third-quarter earnings before interest, tax, and amortization came in at 293 million Euros rather than a projected 324 million Euros.
Ubisoft, on the other hand, is up 96 percent since January and has beaten sales targets for a record high for the company.
The company has been fighting a potential takeover from Vivendi since 2016 when a hostile takeover bid was backed by Gameloft. Earlier this year Ubisoft announced a buy-back program to regain control of its stock and prevent the media conglomerate from taking over.
What Happens When Darth Vader Meditates?
The latest issue of Star Wars: Darth Vader offered some unexpected insight into what goes on in Vader's mind when he meditates.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #8!
As movies like The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One have shown us, Vader seems to spend most of his free time (when he's not hunting the Rebels or Force-choking his uppity lieutenants), meditating and escaping the confines of his heavy armor. But the movies have never offered any insight to what's going on the the Sith Lord's tortured mind during those periods. Does he daydream? Does he see visions of Padme? Does he just count nerfs until he dozes off?
Batman and Wonder Woman Team Up for Brave and the Bold Relaunch
DC Comics miniseries The Brave and the Bold is returning, and it will feature Batman and Wonder Woman.
Titled The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman, the series will be written and illustrated by Liam Sharp, The Washington Post reports. The first of six issues will be available on February 21.
Cover art for The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman illustrated by Liam Sharp (Image credit: DC Entertainment, via The Washington Post)
The Dolph Lundgren Punisher Movie Isn’t as Bad as You Remember
Let me take you back to 1989, the year Tim Burton’s Batman came out in theaters and changed superhero cinema as we know it, and the year when Dolph Lundgren starred in a Punisher movie that didn’t even get released in America until 1991… and then everyone said that they hated it.
We all know that live-action superhero movies more or less drive the national economy now, but there was a time when they were very rare. There had only been one feature-length, theatrically-released Marvel superhero film in America before The Punisher came out, and that was Howard the Duck, a movie that actually is as bad as you remember.
Switch and Super NES Classic Topped Sales Last Month
Nintendo had another successful month, taking both the number one and number two best-selling console spots.
Nintendo Switch came in at number one last month, according to numbers provided to Nintendo by the NPD Group. The next best-selling console was the Super NES Classic.
Additionally, Super Mario Odyssey was October's top-selling game, according to Nintendo, in spite of only having been available for the final five days of the month. However, NPD reports Middle-earth: Shadow of War was the top-selling game for last month. We've reached out to Nintendo for clarification.
James Franco Eyed to Be Marvel’s Multiple Man for Fox
James Franco may star as Multiple Man in a new Marvel film from Fox.
Sources have told IGN that Franco is in negotiations to star in a Multiple Man film that is currently in development. Deals are currently being made, and Jeremy Kramer will oversee the project for Fox.
Multiple Man art, via Marvel.com
Wonder Woman writer Allan Heinberg will reportedly pen the script, with Simon Kinberg and Genre Films, along with Franco and Ramona films producing it. The deal reportedly came out of another collaborative effort between Kinberg and Franco, The Hardy Men, a film that may see James and Dave Franco playing adult versions of the famous child detectives The Hardy Boys.
Justice League’s Steppenwolf Explained
The Justice League is finally coming together on the big screen. But this team's first enemy in the DCEU isn't the Legion of Doom or Brainiac or another A-List villain. Instead, they're going up against the bloodthirsty New God Steppenwolf.
Given his relatively lesser-known status, we don't blame you if you're not familiar with the film's main villain. But we're here to help. Here's everything you need to know about Steppenwolf!
Steppenwolf is a member of the New Gods, a race of powerful cosmic beings who dwell in a realm called the Fourth World. The Fourth World consists of two planets - peaceful, idyllic New Genesis and hellish, battle-scarred Apokolips. Steppenwolf lives on the latter. As the commander of the armies of Apokolips and uncle to the planet's despotic ruler, Darkseid, Steppenwolf is among the most feared and hated members of the New God family.