Yearly Archives: 2018
Splatoon 2, Ninja Turtles Collaboration Splatfest Announced
Nintendo is teaming up with Nickelodeon for a special Splatfest next month to determine which of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the best.
The collaboration will see Splatoon 2 players vote and compete in three rounds over the course of three weekends in May to pick a favourite out of the four characters.
“We love working with unexpected partners to expand our brand and bring smiles to people’s faces in surprising ways,” said Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser. “Teaming up with Nickelodeon and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made perfect sense, as we share many of the same fans who enjoy family-friendly entertainment and classic characters.”
Netflix’s The Rain Is a Fresh Take on the Post-Apocalyptic Genre
Check out the video above for our SPOILER-FREE thoughts on the first 3 episodes. You can stream the entire first season of The Rain on Netflix from May 4.
The continued success of AMC's The Walking Dead (which just ended its eighth season) and The 100 (just beginning its fifth) proves that the post-apocalyptic genre is here to stay, making it every bit as enduring in the TV landscape as shows about cops, lawyers and doctors. Now Netflix is getting into the dystopian game with The Rain. So, how does it stand out among its peers?
Instead of zombies, The Rain has something much more deadly: unpredictable weather patterns. The story centers on a virus that is spread by rainfall and kills as soon as it comes in contact with human skin. No one is sure how it all happened, but a pair of Danish siblings, Simone (Alba August) and Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen), are determined to find out why, which is a key difference when compared to The Walking Dead, which is more about survival than finding out why people are coming back from the dead.
Disney’s New Star Wars Show is an Anime-Inspired Force Awakens Prequel
Disney has found its next animated Star Wars TV show - an anime-inspired adventure series called Star Wars Resistance. Created by Star Wars Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni, the new project will focus on Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.
While no specific premiere date has been set yet, Disney has announced that Star Wars Resistance will premiere this fall on Disney Channel in the US before debuting thereafter on Disney XD and around the world.
Much as Rebels weaved in familiar characters from across the Star Wars galaxy, Disney promises that Resistance will feature "the beloved droid BB-8 alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites, including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively."
Netflix’s Lost in Space vs. CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery
Netflix recently debuted their reboot of Irwin Allen's classic 1965 sci-fi series Lost in Space, making it the second high-profile reboot of a notoriously campy 1960s sci-fi TV series in as many years. Last year, of course, also saw the release of Star Trek: Discovery, the seventh show to bear the Trek title. And while Star Trek and Lost in Space were incredibly different shows in terms of tone and premise – Gene Roddenberry himself famously discouraged comparing the two – they do frequently occupy the same cognitive space in the minds of sci-fi fans. Not only are they contemporaneous shows of a common genre, but they also share common attitudes rooted in the glories and hardships of American frontier life in the early days of Manifest Destiny. Star Trek was Wagon Train, and Lost in Space was The Swiss Family Robinson (which was a Swiss novel, yes, but was famously transposed to America in a 1940 feature film).
What Did You Think of This Week’s Comics?
It was another big week for the comic book industry, as The Mighty Thor reached its series finale and Marvel kicked off its Hunt for Wolverine crossover. Check out our new reviews and thinkpieces and be sure to let us know your favorite new books of the week in the comments below.
Written by Charles Soule | Drawn by David Marquez & Paolo Siqueira
"Marvel Comics has an annoying tendency to take a good story and overextend it with too many tie-ins and offshoots. That was the case with the Death of Wolverine event in late 2014. The initial Death of Wolverine miniseries was well-crafted, but the story turned into a bloated mess thanks to the numerous spinoffs that followed and the dreadful Wolverines weekly series. Unfortunately, Marvel doesn't seem to have learned any lessons from that particular event. Rather than simply give readers a clear, straightforward look at the hows and whys of Wolverine's return, Hunt for Wolverine #1 is merely a prelude to a four-month-long crossover no one asked for." -Jesse
How Marvel Perfected the Heroic Doctor Doom
It's safe to say that no Marvel character was more changed by the events of 2015's Secret Wars than Victor Von Doom. He was profoundly altered both inside and out, evolving from a bitter tyrant whose armor hid a terribly scarred face to a handsome man determined to finally use his power to make the Marvel Universe a better, safer place. He even abandoned the mantle of Doctor Doom and instead became "The Infamous Iron Man." But for all the focus on the reformed Doom in recent years, it's only with new series Marvel Two-In-One that the character seems to have found his voice.
Prior to Marvel Two-In-One, this reformed Doom was mostly seen in the pages of Invincible Iron Man and Infamous Iron Man, both written by Brian Michael Bendis. Needless to say, this is a very different Doom from the one readers are used to following. For one thing, he's unafraid to show his true face. Now that his scars are gone and he bears more than a passing resemblance to French actor Vincent Cassel, why should he be? This newer, handsomer Doom shows genuine remorse for the many misdeeds of his past. He's determined to make amends and prove himself a hero, even if absolutely no one is prepared to take him at his word. And if that requires him to usurp the mantle of Iron Man, so be it.
Preorder Nintendo Labo Variety Kit for £54, Robot Kit for £64 and Customization Set for £9
Like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for the latest deals.
God of War Nendoroid Somehow Makes Kratos Cute
The grumpiest video game character of all time is getting his own Nendoroid figure, and Good Smile Company's chibi Kratos is just as angry as his in-game counterpart - but infinitely more adorable.
Nendoroid Kratos is based on the most recent instalment in the series, with Kratos sporting his grief beard, axe, and shield.
The axe can be slung across his back or put in his chubby hands to wield against imagined tiny foes. He has a fully articulated body, complete with battle scars, and comes with a "determined expression" and a "battle expression," both of which are ridiculously cute.
Super Mario Odyssey Hits 10 Million Sales
Nintendo has released an updated list of its best-selling Switch titles, revealing that Super Mario Odyssey has now sold over 10 million copies.
The game launched in October last year and sold two million units in just three days, becoming the fastest-selling Mario title ever in the US and Europe. The latest financial report from Nintendo reveals that Super Mario Odyssey has now sold 10.41 million copies.
Nintendo Gets a New President
Current Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima will retire in June, and will be succeeded by Shuntaro Furukawa.
Furukawa is currently a board member for both Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. He will become Nintendo's sixth president in its 128 years of operation.
At 46, he's a particularly young appointment, which is apparently a purposeful decision on the part of Kimishima, who wanted a successor that could more easily connect with the company's customers.
“We will develop the company to its fullest,” Furukawa said at a news conference (per Bloomberg). “I will balance Nintendo’s traditions: originality and flexibility.”