Toyko Disneyland Getting Big Hero 6 and Beauty and the Beast Rides
Several new attractions—including Big Hero 6 and Beauty and the Beast rides—will open in Disney's Tokyo Resort, the company announced.
To make room for the new attractions, Tokyo Disneyland's Raceway, StarJets, and some shops in Tomorrowland will "permanently close." Tokyo Disneyland's Big Hero 6 musical "whip ride," which is hosted by Baymax himself, will open in its place.
Beauty and the Beast's Fantasyland area will recreate Beast's castle and Belle's village. In the village, there will be a shop and restaurant. The ride will take guests right into Beast's enchanted castle. Reportedly, "guests will feel like they have entered right into the film."
Additionally, Tokyo Disneyland plans on opening a live entertainment theater in Fantasyland, as well as a Minnie Mouse greeting area in Toontown. Oriental Land Co.—the company that runs Tokyo Disney Resort—expects all new facilities to open in spring 2020.
The Walking Dead: Michonne – Episode 3: What We Deserve Review
What We Deserve feels personal, a narrative so steeped in familial heartbreak that it almost plays more like a visual stream-of-consciousness diary than a choose-your-own-adventure zombie apocalypse story. What started as a typical tale about how to survive the zombie apocalypse shifts in its final episode into a fascinating tale that asks the most relevant and important question of all: why bother?
The fallout of the second episode is dealt with, for sure--and how to leverage that outcome in order to please Norma and the remnants of the shantytown Michonne helped ruin. Once it’s figured out, however, Michonne is left as the only true adult in a house of abandoned children. The time with them that follows can be played coldly, but the cruelty of Michonne keeping distance from those in need, given what she has and will envision, doesn't feel right. To take Michonne this far is to accept that the mother she was did not die with her daughters, and more than the machete at her back, this is what will keep her alive. And so much of the first half of the episode goes, with Michonne carefully preparing her unconventional family for the worst. Aching, mournful moments lie within: a mother’s last letter, having to explain to a child what happened to his father, the decision to spend precious time to conduct a burial. And yet, it is all to the benefit of Michonne herself, showing strength far beyond the ability to lop of zombie limbs.
It’s because of this that when the zombies do show up, it’s almost incongruous. The people add depth, tension, and terror all on their own. The Walkers look increasingly boring in the face of the human drama that surrounds them. Sure, the action is kinetic and brutal, as always, and one particular death gets especially gross, but the relevancy of these moments in the face of Michonne's layered story is diminished. It’s a problem exacerbated by graphical hitches, with faces disappearing, and jitters during QTEs at points where precision is crucial--issues that weren't apparent in the first two episodes.
This episode's strengths still lay in its human element. The climax--a prisoner exchange with Norma--would be an anxious affair by itself, with Michonne's actions potentially hinging on a massive bluff. The scene becomes more impactful when you realize Norma's concerns mirror Michonne's, albeit with Norma fighting for the sake of a far more awful person. Telltale pulls off a minor miracle here: keeping the villains just empathetic enough to second-guess every action, which raises the tension in this sequence even higher.
The real action occurs later, as Michonne loses her grip on reality and flashbacks and hallucinations cloud her judgement at the worst possible time, forcing a funhouse mirror redux of the reality-shifting intro in Episode 1. It’s hair-raising in the moment, and an example of excellent direction and planning.
With the miniseries now complete, the game’s biggest flaw is in its structure. At least a half hour shorter than the other two episodes, What We Deserve nails the story Telltale has been tiptoeing around since first minute, and it’s something that only begins to present itself towards the end of Episode 2 before taking off here.
As a complete story, Walking Dead Michonne is, truly, a story about family, in a way few game narratives are. Familial loss and the forced adoption of new members isn’t new for Walking Dead, but in Michonne--barring choosing to be cold during a moment of sorrow--we have someone who finds power in parenthood, instead of living in constant fear of it. Her weakness is in having already failed at it. It’s in finding out whether the weight of that failure should be allowed to break her or not. Of course, that’s the question that drives anyone stricken by loss. It’s an easy question with hard answers, and this is a game that doesn’t flinch from either.
What We Learned on the Set of the Ghostbusters Reboot
The rain was falling heavy in Boston on the day I took a bus over to the set of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters. The tent for craft services was borderline flooded, the crew working outdoors were covered in black ponchos, and the Ecto-1 that sat outside the former Naval Air Station South Weymouth was draped in a tarp -- though that was probably more for the sake of secrecy than weather protection.
But the most noticeable thing on set, despite the skies having opened up and the weather being objectively terrible, was high spirits; everyone I talked with was genuinely thrilled to be working on Ghostbusters, rain, shine, dogs, cats, or mass hysteria.
The crew, operating under the code name “Flapjack” for the duration of the production, told me it’s the first movie to be shot at Naval Air Station South Weymouth since the base was decommissioned 1997, but walking into the main building, you’d never know it. I entered a giant hangar-turned-sound stage, where I found Melissa McCarthy dangling by her ankle from a wire, arms flailing, zipping over the heads of a robust cast of extras dressed in all manners of funky costumes laced with blue LED lights and her fellow Ghostbusters – Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones – running around in the chaos. “I, weirdly, love it,” McCarthy told me of all the stunts she gets to do in the film. Wiig added: “She’s so good at stunts, it’s crazy.”
Comic Book Reviews for April 27, 2016
April went out with a huge bang as far as new comic book releases are concerned. DC dropped several huge new releases this week, including The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4, Batman #51 and Justice League #49. Marvel wrapped up the Avengers Standoff crossover and delivered stellar new chapters of The Ultimates, Star Wars and All-New Wolverine. And with books like Faith #4, Hellboy & The B.P.R.D. 1953: beyond the Fences #3 and Sex Criminals #15 to round out the lineup, there was plenty of quality to go around this week.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
Samsung Is Working on a New Virtual Reality Headset
Samsung is working on a virtual reality headset more along the lines of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
According to Variety, Samsung's head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee revealed the plans during a conference in San Francisco yesterday.
"We are working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working with our mobile phone,” Rhee said. Samsung's current product is the Gear VR which uses a compatible Samsung device to act as the display. Samsung is now apparently working on a standalone device.
Samsung Is Working on a New Virtual Reality Headset
Samsung is working on a virtual reality headset more along the lines of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
According to Variety, Samsung's head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee revealed the plans during a conference in San Francisco yesterday.
"We are working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working with our mobile phone,” Rhee said. Samsung's current product is the Gear VR which uses a compatible Samsung device to act as the display. Samsung is now apparently working on a standalone device.
Uncharted 4 Reportedly Has a 5GB Day 1 Patch
The contents of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End's day one patch have apparently been revealed.
AllGamesDelta on Twitter (via Gamespot) shared a screenshot of what could be the Update History of Uncharted 4 version 1.01.
It's reportedly 5GB, and contains various "bonus features," some of which actually look quite essential, such as "Gameplay Modes," and "Weapon Selector." Also listed is "Multiplayer support," a "Singleplayer 'Encounter Select' menu," and general bug fixes.
PS4 Sold 18 Million Units Last Year
Sony sold 17.7 million PS4s between March 2015 and April 2016, bringing the total number of hardware units sold up to over 40 million.
Revealed in Sony's yearly financial briefing, the numbers indicate that PS4 sales are actually accelerating, and Sony used its speech to investors to say that it expects "the strong momentum of the PS4 platform to continue".
Nintendo's Wii U - which has been on sale for a year longer than the PS4 - has sold 12.8 million units in its lifespan. Microsoft does not release sales figures for Xbox One, but a recent estimate put that number at around 18 million, lifetime.
The Division Figure From VTS Toys Coming This Year
VTS Toys is making an action figure of a Dark Zone Division Agent, and it'll be available towards the end of the year.
It's available for pre-order from now until May 19 for £100, and it's expected to be released in Q4 2016. Check out the gallery below to see all the little details.
For your money you'll get a whole range of weapons and accessories. The figure has a Kriss Vector, G17 pistol, a Shotgun, and attachments to go with them, as well as a claymore, grenade, and tomahawk.
As for equipment, the figure has holsters, ammo pouches, a flashlight, climbing rope, multiple glowsticks, and more. The full list can be found on the V-Storebiz website.
This Iron Man Xbox One Is Quite Something
Xbox has created a set of custom, Iron Man-themed Xbox Ones - but you might find it tough to get hold of one.
Spotted by Eurogamer, the modified white console comes complete with a light-up Arc Reactor decoration, Stark Industries logo plate and a matching controller (with its own baby Arc Reactor for good measure).
According to the YouTube clip it was designed by Tony Stark but, guys, I'm calling BS on that one. I'll put my professional neck on the line for this - I just don't think the dude has time.
So far, the three versions of the console we know of are being given away by Xbox France on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages - we can't guarantee anything, but there don't seem to be restrictions on who can enter.