Comic Book Reviews for August 26, 2015
DC COMICS
Written by Cullen Bunn | Drawn by Trevor McCarthy & Jesus Merino
Aquaman didn’t really need a status quo shake-up, but the series got one anyway thanks to DC You. The book’s new direction is unfolding well enough under Cullen Bunn’s hand, with a renewed emphasis on Arthur as a loner and the divide between he and Mera. This issue also features a cool team-up between Arthur and some of his enemies, though the story never mines that team-up in any real depth. The constant back-and-forth between the present storyline and flashback scenes is also growing repetitive, though the shifts between Trevor McCarthy’s dark, surreal pages and Jesus Merino’s more classical approach add some visual spice. The good news is that as Bunn continues to fill in the gaps between past and present, the potential is there for a return to a more cheery and optimistic Aquaman comic once more. -Jesse
Trine Series’ Future ‘in Question’ Says Developer
Developer Frozenbyte has released both written and video responses to negative fan feedback over Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power.
Last week in a post on the Trine 3 Steam page, Frozenbyte's Vice President Joel Kinnunen said that "the future of the series is now in question, as the feedback, user reviews and poor media attention has caught us by surprise."
Kinnunen blamed the relative shortness of the game on the switch to 3D. "We initially had a much longer story written and more levels planned, but to create what we envisioned, it would have taken at least triple the money, probably up to 15 million USD," he wrote.
IGN’s UK Daily Deals: 12M Xbox Live under £20
Argos has the Amazon Fire TV Stick for only £25.
12 Month Xbox Live Gold Membership is only £19.94 at CDKeys when you Facebook Like for 5% off.
Here’s When the Next Guild Wars 2 Expansion Beta Is
ArenaNet has announced that the second Beta Weekend Event for Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns will be running from noon PST on Friday, September 4 until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 6.
These beta weekend events allow players to get a taste of what's to come from the first Guild Wars 2 expansion. The base game has sold upwards of 5 million copies to date.
If you have pre-purchased the expansion, you will see a button appear on the character creation screen which will allow you to create a fully geared level 80 beta character. You'll have four character slots to use, and if you previously created characters in the first beta weekend, they will still be usable.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 Kickstarter Funded Already
Divinity: Original Sin II has already been fully funded on Kickstarter.
We only posted the news that the Kickstarter was live yesterday. It took under 12 hours for the RPG sequel to meet its $500,000 target. Now we can presumably be looking forward to some stretch goals.
Developer Larian Studios announced Divinity: Original Sin II earlier this month, and then responded to the reaction about its return to Kickstarter. The company is funding the project itself, but the extra money gained from Kickstarter will allow more than its budget allows for.
YouTube Gaming Is Now Live
Google has launched its Twitch competitor YouTube Gaming.
YouTube Gaming acts as a hub for everything video game-related. The website (or downloadable app) automatically categorises YouTube’s gaming content by game, features a trending game section, lets users import their subscribed channel list, and showcases top videos from YouTube’s ever-expanding roster of gaming YouTubers.
Arguably the biggest new feature comes in the form of live streaming, which should be live in beta form today. Previously YouTubers could stream on YouTube, but to do so required scheduling in advance, rather than the on-the-fly method competitor Twitch uses.
31 Konami Mobile Games Shutting Down in Japan
Konami has announced that it will be closing down 31 premium games and apps on iOS in Japan next month.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, the English versions will not be affected, although only some of the 31 games have actually been released in English.
However we did recently learn of a number of Konami mobile products being closed in Europe, starting from September 19.
The termination of the Japanese games will begin on September 10, and the full list of affected games can be found in English on Dr. Serkan Toto's website. The list includes the likes of Metal Gear Solid Touch and Silent Hill: The Escape.
Facebook Launches Its Own Siri and Cortana Called M
Facebook is rolling out M, its answer to a virtual assistant, to select Messenger app users in the Bay Area, according to a Facebook post by Messenger head David Marcus.
Integrated within Facebook’s messaging app, M can complete lifestyle tasks and source information. It can suggest restaurants, make reservations, purchase gifts and locate nearby dog-friendly beaches and more.
Kerbal Space Program Heading to Wii U
Space flight simulator Kerbal Space Program is coming to the Wii U via the Nintendo eShop.
A new trailer for the Wii U version of the Unity-based game was published on Nintendo's official YouTube channel. Details about its launch date or pricing information are yet to be announced. The confirmation follows more than a year after Nintendo revealed that over 50 Unity games were in development for the Wii U.
An Xbox One edition of Kerbal Space Program was just announced last week with limited launch details. It was also revealed during E3 in June that Flying Tiger Entertainment was porting the PC game to PlayStation 4.
Marvel’s Secret Wars Will Rage for One Extra Issue
Marvel's Secret Wars series will be getting an additional ninth issue, says the comics publisher.
Secret Wars #9 will arrive in December and will cap off Marvel's massive crossover event that ended the Marvel Universe, replaced it with Battleworld, and promises to be the catalyst for relaunching the entire Marvel publishing line.
The launch of this issue will not, however, interfere with those post-Secret Wars All-New, All-Different Marvel books scheduled to release this fall, the first of which will be Invincible Iron Man #1 in October.
Marvel's reasoning for adding another issue to the Secret Wars arc was simply so creators Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic could provide a satisfying conclusion to the "cataclysmic" event.