Microsoft Renews Jet Force Gemini Trademark
Microsoft has renewed the trademark for Jet Force Gemini, a Rare-developed adventure game that first appeared on Nintendo 64.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the renewal was filed on June 12, 2015 and published on January 19, 2016. The online document identities the trademark’s use as “game software” related.
The original Jet Force Gemini launched in 1999 for Nintendo 64. IGN’s review called it “wonderfully stylized” and “one of the N64’s most original games” at the time.
100 Atari Games Coming to Steam in New Collection
Atari has revealed Atari Vault, a new 100 game collection coming to Steam this Spring.
Games in the collection include classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Warlords, and more. An upgraded user interface, online and local multiplayer options, Steam Controller support, and Steam Leaderboards are all being added, to boot.
Code Mystics is the developer behind Atari Vault. The studio previously worked on the PlayStation ports of Nidhogg, co-developed Rare Replay on Xbox One, and worked on Atari Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2 for Nintendo DS.
Atari Vault will be shown off at PAX South, which takes place January 29-31, and will have a playable demo by request.
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New Members Rumored for Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Three new members could be joining the Guardians of the Galaxy in their next film, according to a new report.
Fair warning, potential movie spoilers follow.
Geek.com reports that Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis will join Star-Lord (Chris Pratt,) Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) in Guardians Vol. 2. We met both Yondu and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, while Mantis is a newcomer to the cinematic universe. Yondu, played by Michael Rooker, is a space pirate of sorts, and butted heads with Star-Lord in the first film. However, the two did seem to make up towards the end of the film (and Yondu has been a member of the team in the comics).
Grant Gustin ‘Fully Supports’ Ezra Miller as the Flash
Grant Gustin, star of CW's The Flash, has come out in support of Ezra Miller as the big screen version of the character.
After being accused of bashing the Perks of Being a Wallflower actor by liking several posts by fans saying they'd prefer to see him in a Flash movie, Gustin posted a message on Twitter expressing his full backing for Miller.
"I fully support Ezra Miller as Barry Allen and the Flash on the feature side of DC. I've never met the guy but I think he is a fantastic and interesting actor," Gustin wrote. "Would I have liked to play Barry Allen in a movie? Sure. I love this character and it has changed my life and making movies and TV is something I hope to be fortunate enough to be doing for the rest of my life."
This Is How Awesome Doctor Who’s Matt Smith Is
Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith is currently out and about promoting his upcoming film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As part of that tour, he and his Pride castmates stopped by the IGN office in Los Angeles this week for some fun interviews (watch for those soon). But here's the thing -- my son Nicholas claims to be the world's biggest Matt Smith fan. He dressed as the Smith Doctor for Halloween this year, wears a fez often, and had a "Handles" (fans know what that means) cake at his eighth birthday party just this week. How could we not tell Smith about the kid?
I'm not based in LA, but luckily my colleagues Jim Vejvoda and Terri Schwartz were happy to show Smith some pictures of Nicholas in Doctor cosplay. And his response was just awesome: "Can we send him a video message?" he immediately said. And so they did! Take a look:
11 Anime That Will Make You Smarter
Mention the word anime to most people and they conjure images of spiky-haired heroes throwing fire balls and magical girls transforming into sailor outfits. But anime isn't just about over-the-top explosions and galactic guardians. It can also be a valuable educational tool. Here are eleven shows that teach everything from microbiology to economics.
Students Moritaka and Akito aspire to become professional manga artists, but the road to success is long and hard. The two friends (and by extension the audience) must learn everything from the difference between a G-Pen and a Kabura Pen to creating a storyboard. If you have a passion for drawing and reading manga, check out Bakuman. (Found on Hulu)
Spielberg’s The BFG Gets a Poster
Disney and DreamWorks Pictures have revealed the first poster for Steven Spielberg's The BFG. Based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same name, The BFG follows Sophie—a young orphaned girl—who meets The BFG and realizes that he's not as scary as she first thought.
The poster shows Sophie standing at the feet of the 24-foot tall giant, played by actor Mark Rylance.
Having spent much of their lives alone, Sophie and the BFG become fast friends, though their friendship isn't approved by all. The BFG's evil giant cohorts—like Bloodbottler, played by Bill Hader, and Fleshlumpeater, played by Jermaine Clement—are "twice as big, and at least twice as scary" as the gentle giant. Sophie and the BFG set off for London to warn the Queen (Penelope Wilton) of the giants gone-bad.
Black Sails: Get Ready for One Hell of a Storm
Black Sails returns for a third season this Saturday, bringing with it another exciting season of pirate intrigue and action.
I sat down with executive producers Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine to discuss the introductions of Woodes Rogers and Blackbeard, Jack Rackham’s rise to power and a huge storm sequence that will be a part of Seaosn 3.
IGN: Last season, there was so much Flint vs. Vane, until right at the end. This year, they’re not buddy-buddy, but with this new threat from England coming in, how much might it mean them working together, whether they like it or not?
Steinberg: As much as Blackbeard was a character that we knew in the beginning had to be in the story eventually, so was Woodes Rogers. This was always a story about how eventually England was going to come back and stake its claim and try and clean up Nassau. What everything was angling toward as we started Season 2, and it’s said as we ended Season 2... For all of this infighting, when the British Navy shows up, they’re not going to care whose crew you’re on. We wanted to own that and start from there with a new palette and new relationships. When you begin this season, you’re in a universe where there’s a strange triumvirate running Nassau with Rackham and Vane and Flint having arrived at this compact where they’ve put their differences asides to try and protect Nassau against the British Empire. For us, it’s fun. It’s new relationship, it’s new dynamics, it’s new tensions.
Terminator Salvation Director Up for Masters of the Universe
Sony Pictures' upcoming He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reboot may have found its director in McG.
According to Deadline, McG is currently in talks with the studio to helm the live-action film. If he does join the project, McG will first oversee a rewrite of the latest script, penned by Alex Litvak and Mike Finch.
McG's previous work includes both Charlie's Angels movies, as well as Terminator Salvation. He also produced a number of hit television shows, including Chuck and Supernatural.
Do you think McG is the right fit to reboot He-Man? Let us know in the comments, and for more on Masters of the Universe, check out this fan-made trailer of the original 1987 film, crafted in the style of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.