The First Star Trek Film Could Have Had Captain Kirk Punch Jesus
William Shatner could have had a fist-fight against an alien that had shapeshifted into the form of Jesus.
This is according to an unauthorised oral history of Star Trek put together by Edward Gross and Mark. A. Altman and excerpted by the Hollywood Reporter. Author Michael Jan Friedman recounts the tale of being asked to adapt the original spec script for 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture into a novel after Roddenberry's death:
"When I read the material, I was dismayed. I hadn’t seen other samples of Gene’s unvarnished writing, but what I saw this time could not possibly have been his best work.
Hitman Has a New App, and His 6th Elusive Target Has a Twin
Io Interactive has released the Hitman Companion, a free mobile app for iOS and Android which will help you keep up to date with all the live Hitman content.
All the details on the Elusive Targets, as well as the Escalation and Featured contracts will be updated here.
In addition, Hitman's sixth elusive target has been revealed, and it has a slight twist to it.
The Elusive Targets are missions where you have one objective, and if you fail it, you can never attempt it again. The next target will be Dylan Narvaez in Sapienza, however Io Interactive has made things even more tricky by giving him a twin.
Activision – Call of Duty: Roman Wars ‘Was Not Seriously Considered’
The Roman-themed Call of Duty game revealed this week was never likely to be made, according to Activision.
"The game concept was proposed by a former employee while working at the studio," said an Activision spokesperson in a statement to IGN, "but was not seriously considered nor requested to move to prototype.”
Apparently proposed by Skylanders studio Vicarious Visions, the concept centred around both first- and third-person gameplay, and would have had players taking on various military roles throughout the Roman Empire. Only a single level was created, however.
Here’s How to Get Dragon Ball Z Season 1 for Free
Remember watching those episodes of Dragon Ball Z where it'd just be two muscly people straining lasers out of their pores like effulgent sweat and maybe punching each other once before "TO BE CONTINUED" filled the screen? Remember how furious - how powerless - you felt? Take revenge on the past today by getting the entire first series for free, courtesy of Microsoft.
By heading to the Microsoft Store you can grab all 39 episodes of the 1996 series (that's 16 hours of screaming and kicking and robe wearing), in HD, for free. I don't know why they're doing this, but I appreciate it.
July’s Free Ubisoft Game Revealed
To celebrate Ubisoft's 30th anniversary, the company is giving away free PC games every month until December.
Currently, you can grab Prince of Persia: Sands of Time free of charge. This month's game will be the original Splinter Cell, and it'll be available from July 13.
All you have to do is register at the Ubisoft Club using your Uplay account, download the game, and it'll be yours to keep forever.
Only one game will be free at a time though, so make sure you check back every month to get them all.
If you want to take a trip to the past, check out IGN's review of the original Splinter Cell from way back in 2002. It was excellent back then, how does it hold up today?
Comic Book Reviews for July 6, 2016
The first week of July brought with it an impressive comic book lineup. DC debuted their new Justice League comic while also delivering memorable new chapters of batman, Superman and Green Arrow. Marvel dove deeper into Civil War II with the release of Captain America: Sam Wilson #11 and Civil War II: Kingpin #1 while also paving the way for The Clone Conspiracy in Amazing Spider-man #15. Plus, Image delivered a solid assortment of indie titles and Black Mask Studios kicked off the eagerly anticipated Kim and Kim.
Scroll down to see our reviews for these and various other new releases. And be sure to let us know your favorite books in the comments below.
DC COMICS
3 More Amiibo Revealed for Monster Hunter Stories
A second wave of Monster Hunter Stories amiibo have been revealed, but for the moment they're Japan-only.
Coming on December 8 in Japan, the new wave features Cheval riding a Rathian, Ayuria with a Barioth, and Dan and a Qurupeco. That’s a person plus a monster for anyone who doesn’t speak Monster Hunter. As Perfectly Nintendo reports, the riders can be removed from the monsters and replaced on other monsters to create your own riding combo.
New GTA Online Expansion’s Release Date Announced
Rockstar has revealed the next expansion for GTA Online, Cunning Stunts and set a release date of Tuesday, July 12.
The expansion turns swathes of the game's multiplayer world into a fantasy racing game akin to Trackmania, complete with boosts, loop-the-loops, enormous stunt jumps and, seemingly, massive bowling skittles to smash over. You can watch the reveal trailer below:
New Stunt Races will add the aforementioned surreal elements to the landscape, and each one will be matched to a specific type of vehicle, keeping everyone on a level playing field (metaphorically speaking - these actual playing fields are bumpy as hell).
According to Rockstar Newswire, Cunning Stunts also offers new vehicles in the form of "new Super cars, Sports cars and Motorbikes". There will be racing-themed cosmetics to match, too, with "appropriately tatted and dressed drivers, sporting new motocross gear, racing suits, helmets and host of other additions."
Hasbro Unveils Marvel The Collector’s Vault SDCC Exclusive
Hasbro will be releasing an exclusive set of figures in the Marvel Legends Series at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring The Collector, Howard the Duck, and more.
IGN can exclusively reveal The Collector's Vault, a collection of Marvel figures in the 3.75 inch Legends series and items that will go on sale at the show for $69.99 at Booth #3329. A limited run of the set will then also be available on Hasbro's official shop. The set will also be available at Fan Expo Canada in September.
The set includes five figures: Howard the Duck, The Collector, Cosmo, Lockjaw, and Moon Boy.
The Zodiac Key, Casket of Ancient Winters, and the Wand of Watoomb are also included in the collection, which you can preview below:
Evolve Re-launched As A Free-to-play Game
As of this morning, Evolve is relaunching with a new free-to-play business model.
Entitled Evolve: Stage 2, this new version of Evolve completely replaces the existing one. Legacy Evolve owners will have instant access to any and all content they’ve previously purchased right from the start, as well as additional rewards for their loyalty down the line. New players will have immediate access to a weekly revolving door of Hunters and Monsters, with plenty of ways to unlock characters of their choice for free, through Evolve’s new earnable in-game currency, Silver Keys.
In an interview with IGN, Turtle Rock Studios said there would be a multitude of ways to earn Silver Keys, and to directly unlock characters and perks. In addition to daily challenges, and rewards for ranking up individual characters and your overall profile, characters will also be given out as rewards for logging in on consecutive days, or by completing tutorials.