Rhythm Heaven Not Dead, Producer Says
Despite rumors to the contrary, it appears that the zany and addictive Rhythm Heaven series is not dead.
When Eurogamer interviewed Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto about the upcoming 3DS title Metroid: Samus Returns and the rivival of the Metroid series, they also asked about the fate of Rhythm Heaven. Recent reports have suggested that the series was dead at Nintendo.
Sakamoto replied vaguely at first, saying "We generally don't comment on those kind of rumors, but I don't remember us ever saying it was over. Generally speaking, if there's an opportunity, a motivation, a need, we consider all opportunities and leave the door open. That's all I can say."
Patty Jenkins Responds to Cameron’s Wonder Woman Slam
Update: Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins took to social media to respond to James Cameron's claim that the DC film is "a step backwards" for making her an "objectified icon."
In a post on Twitter, Jenkins said:
James Cameron's inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, thought he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman. Strong women are great. His praise of my film Monster, and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated. But if women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we aren't free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we haven't come very far have we. I believe women can and should be EVERYTHING just like male lead characters should be. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman. And the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is, can surely choose and judge their own icons of progress.
Ninja Gaiden Creator Steps Down at Devil’s Third Studio, Will Become a Consultant
The creator of the Ninja Gaiden series Tomonobu Itagaki has stepped down from his position as Representative Director and Chief Technical Officer at Valhalla Game Studios.
An official letter from Valhalla Game Studios details Itagaki's resignation from his position to focus on contributing as much to the games industry as possible rather than focusing on creating individual games as he had done in the past.
In this vein, Itagaki will continue to work with Valhalla Game Studios as a prime advisor in which he hopes to continue to provide help and direction to the young team that work there. However, his plans are also to act as a consultant to many other studios all over the world in order to contribute as much as possible to the games industry as a whole.
Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan Details Mercy, D.Va Changes
Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan announced some "big changes coming for Mercy" as well as other heroes, including D.Va, in a new developer update video, which you can watch below. All the changes noted are currently available to test in the Overwatch PTR.
Mercy's ultimate ability, Resurrect — which currently lets Mercy revive multiple dead teammates within range — will become a common second ability next to Guardian Angel, with some vital tweaks. The revamped Resurrect will become a single-target revival ability that relies on "a rather long cooldown."
The replacement for Mercy's Ultimate is called Valkyrie. When activated, it will allow Mercy to fly freely and buff all of her current abilities: extending the range for Guardian Angel and her healing and damage boost beams, allowing her beams to connect with multiple targets at once, and increasing the fire rate and damage of her Caduceus Blaster, for all the "Battle Mercys" out there.
How The Defenders Uses Color to Define Its Characters
Warning: Contains spoilers for all of Marvel's The Defenders. Do not read unless you've seen it or don't mind.
Marvel’s The Defenders released this past weekend, and it’s got some problems. I came away from the show with mixed opinions, but one of the things that really impressed me was its use of lighting and color to distinguish each character.
For the first half of the series has nearly all of Daredevil’s scenes tinted red, Jessica Jones in blue, Luke Cage in yellow, Iron Fist in a dark and brooding green, and Sigourney Weaver’s Alexandra with a crisp white.
It All-Clown Alamo Drafthouse Screening Announced
If you love dressing up as a clown and watching scary movies, then you're in luck.
Following its women-only Wonder Woman screenings earlier this year, Alamo Drafthouse has announced it will host an all-clown screening of Stephen King's It on September 9.
The showing will only take place at the chain's Austin, Texas location at 7:00 p.m. Alamo advises attendees to actually dress up as a clown. Additional ticket information can be found here.
Before the screening, Alamo will host a pre-party at its carnival-themed bar Barrel O' Fun. The party will have a photo booth, as well as a few fun activities, including face-painting and raffles for prizes.
Fall TV 2017 Guide to Remakes and Adaptations
With more than 400 new series debuting on TV in 2017, it makes sense that plenty of those additions to your DVR lineup will consist of remakes and adaptations. Hey, all those ideas have to come from somewhere.
And while there are plenty of comic book shows on air—as of this fall, Marvel and DC will have a combined total of 19 series based on their books (and four more are joining the schedule in 2018)—not all of the reboots are superhero-based. (OK, some of them are.)
Here's a guide to every new Fall 2017 TV series based on an existing property, from super-powered mutants to hair-pulling oil magnates.
If you want to know our thoughts on those already-premiered adaptations, check out our reviews of DuckTales, The Tick, Marvel's The Defenders and keep up with our Twin Peaks weekly reviews.
Game of Thrones: Which Characters are Still Alive in Winds of Winter?
Warning: Spoilers follow for all of HBO's Game of Thrones through Season 8 Episode 4 "The Last of the Starks." A few book spoilers follow as well, with regards to who's still alive at the end of A Dance with Dragons.
Ever since Season 6, HBO's Game of Thrones has been untethered from George R. R. Martin's book series, having passed the author's Song of Ice and Fire saga while Martin continuously works to finish the (presumed) penultimate book in the series, The Winds of Winter. Needless to say, many characters have died on the show since then - many of whom were still alive by the end of A Dance with Dragons and may even survive all of TWOW and make it to the entire adventure's endgame.
Teaming Up in Sonic Forces
There are a few different types of levels in Sonic Forces. As SEGA showed off at E3, Modern Sonic levels are fast, featuring big moments of spectacle, while Classic Sonic levels are more about platforming and traditional Sonic gameplay. A third type of level is built around the custom-made hero characters you can create in Sonic Forces, offering gameplay tailored around the ability you pick for your character.
At Gamescom, SEGA is showing off yet another type of level: Tag Team, which teams up Modern Sonic with your player-made character. In a level we played, Sonic and the custom character have to break into one of Eggman’s factories and open up a path to let in the resistance, and you control both characters simultaneously.
The Last Jedi: Two New First Order Vehicles Revealed
The Resistance will have to go up against the First Order's more dangerous AT-ATs and warships in The Last Jedi.
Revealed via The Star Wars Show (which you can view here), the new AT-AT is called the AT-M6 (All Terrain Megacaliber Six) and features a deadly-looking mounted cannon. It's a lot larger than a regular AT-AT and moves like an elephant with its "simian-like gait" which stabilizes that dangerous cannon.
The AT-M6, image via StarWars.com