The Most Epic Video Game Moments of 2015
As 2015 draws to a close, we thought we'd look back on the moments that made our favorite video games of the year great.
From Bloodborne to Super Mario Maker, our standout moments ranged from exciting to sad, hilarious to downright scary. Read on for the most epic video game moments of 2015, but be warned... there are some major spoilers ahead!
Snake’s first encounter with Sahelanthropus, The Phantom Pain’s imposing bipedal tank developed by Huey Emmerich, occurs at the end of a long, grueling infiltration mission. Most games would have you go in guns blazing during a confrontation like this, but Metal Gear Solid isn’t most games. Instead, you’re left feeling small, vulnerable, and encumbered against this sinister new adversary, tasked with finding cover across Afghanistan’s rocky terrain to avoid its line of sight, and make it to the landing zone undetected. It’s a tense and terrifying sequence that makes your eventual final encounter with Sahelanthropus in a later mission that much more powerful. -Chloi
Bill Nye on the Star Trek vs Star Wars Debate
The world may be going crazy for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the moment, but Bill Nye seems to prefer sci-fi's other massive franchise.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, celebrity scientist Bill Nye talked about the rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek.
"Star Wars has magic in it... it's really about family conflicts, and it's Shakespearean... you know, there's commoners and all powerful kings, essentially," said Nye. "But in Star Trek, it's an optimistic view of the future with science."
Nye clearly enjoys the more scientific series over the one with The Force. "They have anti-matter contained in magnetic fields... which is a real thing, but in Star Wars it's just magic and they have wings and there are sound effects in space... The Force is like a ghost or magic."
New DLC in the Works for Metal Gear Online
Metal Gear Online will continue to be supported with new DLC, Konami has announced.
In a post on MGO's official Twitter account, the publisher confirmed that additional maps are on the way, as well as Survival mode and more content that will be detailed at a later date.
New DLC planned for MGO, including new maps, Survival, and more! Further details to come pic.twitter.com/iDu5CSJ113
— Metal Gear Online (@MetalGearOnline) December 17, 2015
Ranking Tarantino’s Movies
With The Hateful Eight, the eighth film from filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, now in theaters, we're looking back at the auteur's filmography and ranking his feature-length movies. (Notice we said "feature-length," meaning we're overlooking the segments he helmed for Sin City and Four Rooms.)
We don't think Tarantino's made a truly bad film yet, just a couple that aren't as good as his best efforts. So bear that in mind as you read the following list… Even the worst of Tarantino is usually better than any other filmmaker's best.
And as always, remember to comment at the bottom of the page and let us know how you would rank Tarantino's films!
Let's get this out of the way now: Death Proof isn't as fun as Planet Terror, but it definitely is the smartest homage to B-movies ever made. The film plays like something one of the most talented (and cocky) filmmakers ever put together with some friends over a series of weekends, albeit with a weekend funded by a major production outlet and one hell of a rapid-fire script.
First Look at Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange
Behold Benedict Cumberbatch as Marvel's Doctor Strange!
The first officially released photo of the Sherlock star in costume as the Sorcerer Supreme grace the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Check it out:
Cumberbatch told EW that the photo shoot was one of the first times he'd actually worn the full costume and tried out Strange's classic spell-casting hand gestures.
Lightning Models Clothes for French Fashion Brand Louis Vuitton
Final Fantasy's Lightning is starring in French fashion house Louis Vuitton's new ad campaign.
Louis Vuitton's creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere shared the video—"Series 4"—on his personal Instagram, saying that Lightning is a "genuine heroine." Watch the video below.
Ghesquiere also writes that the campaign's art is a collaboration between Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix's Visual Works, created especially for the fashion powerhouse. The clothes modeled by Lightning were previously worn at Louis Vuitton's spring/summer 2016 fashion show back in October—you can watch it on Louis Vuitton's YouTube channel. The first model even from the show even sports Lightning's signature pink hair.
First Orphan Black: Season 4 Teaser
BBC America just released the first teaser for season 4 of Orphan Black. The show returns to the air in April 2016. Watch the video below.
Season 3 wrapped in June, and IGN reviewer Max Nicholson said it was "consistently great, save for a couple episodes (including the finale) that were only just okay." The ending, he said, wasn't as strong as the first two finales, but "it did set up some intriguing thread to follow in season 4."
Tatiana Maslany and her many characters will return next year with fellow cast members Jordan Gavaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Kristian Braun. We'll keep you updated here with more news as it comes.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Once Had a Different Name
Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn't always have that title. Pablo Hidalgo, creative executive at Lucasfilm Story Group, said on Twitter that "for the longest time," The Force Awakens was known as Shadow of the Empire.
@justinlasalata for longest time, the TFA title was the same as an old novel. Thankfully it changed. :) With so many books, it's inevitable
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) December 25, 2015
Does the name sound familiar? That's because it's close to the title of a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel by Steven Perry. Shadows of the Empire was released in 1996 and is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi—it was one part of a multimedia campaign, which also featured a video game, comic book, and set of action figures.
Michael Fassbender Has Finally Played Assassin’s Creed
While Michael Fassbender is set to star as Callum Lynch in the upcoming Assassin's Creed move, it wasn't until recently that he finally played a game in the popular video game series it's adapted from.
"I hadn’t played it before these guys approached me," Fassbender admitted in an interview with EW, saying he's since played one of the titles "mainly to get an idea of the physicality of the character."
Fassbender went on to note that he's well aware of the passion that Assassin's Creed fans have for the franchise. As such, the studio is "striving to find something special" and deliver the historical accuracy and attention to detail that series veterans expect.
Star Wars Reigns Over Xmas Weekend Box Office
Surprising no one, Star Wars: The Force Awakens took the top spot at this weekend's box office with $153.5 million.
J.J. Abrams' space epic not only dominated the North American charts over the Christmas weekend, it also managed to surpass $1 billion in global sales faster than any other movie in history.
Sean Anders' new comedy Daddy's Home, starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, debuted in second place with $38.8 million, performing well ahead of Paramount's expectations. "This is a movie that the whole family can go to together. This is the Star Wars for comedy," studio vice chairman Rob Moore said told THR.