Fan Remake of Metal Gear Solid is a Labor of Love
Konami's 1998 classic Metal Gear Solid is being remade by fans using Unreal Engine 4.
The project, titled Shadow Moses, is not in any way Konami approved, something creator Airam Hernandez is fully aware of.
A post to Shadow Moses's Facebook page clarified that the remake does not have Konami's "full permission." Openly sharing the project from the beginning, Hernandez said, is key to dealing "with any issues that may arise."
Konami wants to continue the Metal Gear Solid franchise despite losing series creator Hideo Kojima. In fact, IGN reported last month that Konami Group is actively searching for a "wide range of highly-skilled development professionals" for a new Metal Gear game. The company is looking to expand its Tokyo and Los Angeles studios, despite the announcement that the California branch would be closing.
Tanner Girls Talk Returning for Netflix Spinoff, Fuller House
Everywhere you look, on February 26th, the Tanner clan returns for more wholesome Full House goodness with Netflix's Fuller House - a decades later spinoff revolving around recently widowed veterinarian D.J. Tanner Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure) living in San Francisco with her younger sister, an aspiring musician, Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin), and lifelong best friend and fellow single mom Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), and Kimmy’s feisty teenage daughter Ramona. All living under one roof and taking care of D.J.’s three boys: Jackson, Max, and her newborn baby, Tommy, Jr.
Cameron Bure, Sweetin, Barber, and executive producers Bob Boyett and Jeff Franklin appeared at the TCA Winter Press Tour to preview their new series and answer questions during a Q&A panel. With Franklin even addressing the fact that, as much as they worked to make it happen, the character of Michell Tanner wasn't a part of the series due to the Olsen twins refusing to return. "I tried," he said. "We all tried to persuade them to come and play. They decided not to at this time. We’re hopeful at some point in the future that they may change their minds and come back and reprise Michelle."
Tom Clancy’s The Division Setting Limited to Manhattan
Though set in the ravaged ruins of New York, Tom Clancy's The Division will reportedly not feature the entire New York City area.
According to The Examiner, the game will only feature one borough of New York: Midtown Manhattan. This contrasts what we've seen leading up to this point from Ubisoft, including an E3 2013 demo set in Brooklyn that will reportedly not appear in the launch version of The Division.
Magnus Jansen, creative director on Tom Clancy's The Division, told The Examiner Midtown Manhattan was chosen "because of the one-to-one re-creation" and because of the way the pandemic happened. According to Jansen, the Manhattan area is a huge experience and "more than enough to sink your teeth into."
Fragments of Him Examines the Effect of Losing Someone You Love
Fragments of Him is a deeply personal game about a man named Will. We follow his tragic death, which has a ripple effect throughout his life and the lives of the people he loved. Anyone that’s ever had to cope with the loss of a loved one at some point in their life knows how terribly crippling the feelings of death and loss can be.
The final version will be split into several different sections, each of which shows events from a different character’s perspective. The preview I played only covers the introductory moments leading up to Will’s death. You’ll explore the life of not only Will, but also his partner, Harry, ex-girlfriend, Sarah, and grandmother, Mary.
The developers made sure to emphasize that while Fragments of Him has many of the tenets of branching narrative games – different characters, impactful events, personal struggles, and more – it’s not a choose-your-own-adventure game such as Heavy Rain or Until Dawn by any means. This story is already in motion – you can’t save Will. There are no puzzles, or collectibles, or boss fights muddying up the story.
Movie Based on London’s Hatton Garden Jewel Heist in the Works
Metrodome is among backers of a feature film based on the Hatton Garden heist that took place in London last year.
According to Screen Daily, The Hatton Garden Job is the film's working title, and it will be produced by Mark Harris and Ben Jacques with a script from Simon Cluett. It is hoped that filming will begin in the spring.
Image credit: Getty Images
The Division Won’t Have Player-to-Player Trading at Launch
Ubisoft has cut player-to-player trading in Tom Clancy's The Division. This feature would have allowed players to buy and sell items between each other in-game.
Speaking to GamesRadar, associate creative director Julian Gerighty said "priority of different features" took precedence over trading. "It's the reality of production. Some features make it, some features don't," he said.
Last week, creative director of Ubisoft Massive Magnus Jansen announced that Tom Clancy's The Division would have free updates and paid post-launch DLC. This is where, presumably, player-to-player trading could "make an appearance in the future," Gerighty said, mentioning that it's "something that obviously some people are very passionate about."
Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode Coming to Wii U This Week
Telltale Games announced today that Minecraft: Story Mode, one of the studio's ongoing adventure game series, is coming to Wii U on January 21.
The Wii U version of Minecraft: Story Mode will have platform-specific features, like off-TV play and mirroring, as well as touchscreen controls on the GamePad.
The first episode, "Order of the Stone," will launch on the Nintendo eShop for $5 USD. Episodes two through five will be added in the coming weeks as they release, with a Season Pass available for $20 USD.
If you'd like to see thoughts on Telltale's block-based story, check out IGN's review of the recently released fourth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Renewed for Season 3
Netflix has renewed Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for Season 3. The renewal comes before Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Season 2 premiere, which debuts on Netflix on April 15.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was scooped up by by Netflix with an initial two-season order, after NBC, who initially ordered and produced Season 1, decided it wasn't for them. Season 2 is the first season of the show produced with he knowledge it's being made for Netflix, which will change things a bit.
Co-Creator Tina Fey said at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour that the biggest difference moving forward is that viewers will "get more show." Broadcasting limits on NBC restrict a half-hour comedy to 21 minutes and 15 seconds of screen time (to accommodate commercials), but with Netflix, all episodes are "slightly different lengths," with an average of around 27 minutes. Fey says having the extra time is "delightful for storytelling," giving "a little breathing room around jokes and stuff."
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution Announced for PS4, Vita
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution has been announced for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.
One of the big changes coming in the sequel is the addition of an all-new co-op mode. Series creator Sian Yue Tan says his biggest issue with the first game was that once you killed everything and solved all the puzzles, that’s it.
“My gut told me that we should build on Co-op mode and have customisable Budgie Commando characters with lots and lots of guns and items to collect,” says Yue Tan on the PS Blog.
Netflix: NBC’s Netflix Viewership Numbers are “Remarkably Inaccurate”
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour Sunday that the recent stats given by NBC Universal -- claiming to reveal Netflix's never-released and much sought-after viewership numbers -- consist of "remarkably inaccurate data."
Last week, NBC Universal's president of research of media development, Alan Wurtzel, spent a considerable amount of time refuting Netflix's dominance, implying that the streaming giant's numbers are lower than those of NBC's biggest hit shows and other network successes.