Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols Recovering from Minor Stroke
Nichelle Nichols, 82, is "in good spirits and able to have full conversations" after suffering a minor stroke Wednesday night.
Nichols is best known for her role as Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek series and several of its films. She was the first black woman to be cast in a major role in prime-time television when Star Trek made its debut in 1966.
A representative for Nichols first posted the news of the stroke to Nichols' Facebook page yesterday morning, writing "Last night while at her home in LA, Nichelle Nichols suffered from a mild stroke. She is currently undergoing testing to determine how severe the stroke was. Please keep her in your thoughts."
Katana-Wielding Robot Borrows Moves from Japanese Sword Master
A Japanese commercial for the Yaskawa Electric Corporation proves robots have the potential to be master swordsmen.
Kind of. Kotaku reports after working with sword master Isao Machii, engineers were able to program a robot with the same precision and skill Machii has gained from years of training.
Machii's movements were analyzed in 3D, captured, and then given to a Motoman - MH24 industrial bot typically used in medicine.
Whether or not the robot has any intentions of becoming a muderbot with amazing katana skills remains unknown.
Walking Dead Dev Acquiring Valhalla Engine
Starbreeze Studios, parent company of Overkill, is in the process of buying the Valhalla game engine for use in its upcoming Walking Dead game, among other things.
Valhalla, which Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint calls a "powerful future proofed engine," is VR-ready and still in development.
According to a report on the Starbreeze website, "leading Valhalla architects" will continue working on the engine at Starbreeze.
Diesel 2.0, the engine used for PayDay 2, won't be abandoned if the company acquires Valhalla. Instead, Starbreeze plans on maintaining Diesel for PayDay 2 and using Valhalla for Overkill's The Walking Dead game, co-op FPS Storm, and "future games and applications."
Supergirl: DC’s Geoff Johns on Those SNL / Black Widow Comparisons
While talking to Geoff Johns at a signing for his recently released Batman: Earth One, Vol. 2 graphic novel, the DC Comics CCO addressed the criticism aimed at CBS’s Supergirl trailer, which many decried for its romantic comedy elements that made it seem uncomfortably similar to SNL’s Black Widow spoof trailer.
“Everyone deserves to have a reaction, but at the end of the day, I believe in the pilot, I believe in the show. When people see the pilot, they’re going to be blown away,” Johns said.
Fans being harsh on the first look at a new superhero TV show is nothing new to Johns, who likens the reaction to what happened with The Flash.
Mortal Kombat X’s Huge Prize Pool Just Doubled
Inspired by the success of their Blue Steel costume DLC for Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat X, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has decided to double the prize pool of the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Finals.
Now at $100,000, the pool will continue to grow as all proceeds from purchases of the Blue Steel Sub-Zero costume will be contributed. The costume costs $2, and all sales between now and June 29 will be used to help boost the prize winnings for the tournament on July 11.
Additionally, Warner Bros. plans to establish a prize pool of $50,000 at EVO 2015, and will contribute to a number of other international tournaments.
The Witcher 3’s Latest Patch Out Now for PS4 and PC
The latest patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently being rolled out to those on PlayStation 4 and PC.
According to reports on NeoGAF, those on Sony's platform can now fire up the game and download the 1.04 update. Meanwhile, those on PC are receiving version 1.05.
Earlier this week, CD Projekt RED outlined the numerous changes included in the latest patch, and PlayStation 4 owners will be pleased to know this new update address the game's framerate issues. Other fixes like quest bugs and XP glitching have been remedied as well.
11 Things We Want in Fallout 4
The leaks the teases are finally over: Fallout 4 is real, and it’s on its way to your favorite gaming platform. But many questions remain: what will Fallout 4 be about? Where will it be set? What will it look like? Since we’ll have to wait until E3 to get those answers, we rounded up four of our biggest Fallout fans and asked them what they’d like to see in the long-anticipated post-apocalyptic RPG sequel.
The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System is one of the best and most distinctive gameplay mechanics in the Fallout franchise, but how will it change in Fallout 4? Hopefully for the better and one of the ways they could do that is by giving us a reason to aim for something other than the face. This could be accomplished through enemy design, giving us more robots to shoot in something other than the head. Alternatively, creative weapon design might make certain weapons more effective when used on body parts like the arm or leg. V.A.T.S. is already great, but let’s look at some other rewards for using it that aren’t just an exploding body… not that the gory explosions are a problem. Those are one of the things you should keep! – Destin Legarie
Here’s When Lucas Joins Super Smash Bros.
Lucas will join the roster of playable characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on June 14.
Nintendo made the announcement in a post on Twitter.
PK THUNDER! On 6/14 @ 8 a.m. PT, Lucas is available to buy as a DLC character in #SmashBros for #WiiU & #3DS. pic.twitter.com/DlzexRRjYa
First Look at Syfy’s Lavalantula
What are your thoughts on tarantulas? Gross, right?
Now what if those tarantulas WERE HUGE AND BREATHING LAVA??!
Check out this exclusive image from the upcoming Syfy Original Movie, Lavalantula, showing your first look at the title characters. That's right. Lava + Avalanche + Tarantula = your next summertime TV thrill ride.
Here's a good look at the crawling hell that awaits you, along with photos of the cast from the movie.
On Saturday, July 25th, terror will erupt out of ancient volcanos in the Santa Monica Mountains, raining death and destruction upon Los Angeles. And Police Academy icons Steve Guttenberg, Leslie Easterbrook and Michael Winslow will be the only ones standing between the City of Angels and this monstrous swarm of bloodthirsty creatures who burn their victims alive. Nia Peeples (The Young and the Restless) and Ralph Garman (KROQ/LA DJ) co-star.
Transformers: Hasbro Unleashes the Combiner Hunters
When it comes to Transformers toys, Hasbro is placing a lot of emphasis on the new Combiner Wars line this year. That trend will continue at San Diego Comic-Con, as Hasbro offers an exclusive box set of Combiner Hunter figures.
The Combiner Hunters collection will include three Deluxe Scale figures - Windblade, Arcee and Chromia. All three figures feature unique paint schemes and exclusive Combiner Hunter accessories. The set is based on the Combiner Hunters comic book storyline, which sees these three female Transformers team up to take down the original Combiner, Devastator.
Check out this set below, along with the special edition Devastator set that will also be sold at the show: