The 6 Most Emotional Experiences I Had at Tokyo Game Show
Outside of the big booths like PlayStation, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Konami, TGS has a huge emphasis on VR and mobile games. After checking out Monster Hunter World and Zone of the Enders’ new VR mode, I explored the rest of the show floor to see what this year’s TGS had to offer.
There were many cool – and disappointing – experiences. While most of everything I experienced was neat, there were some that stuck with me for wrong reasons. Below you’ll find the things on TGS’s show floor that impacted me most, for better and worse.
Shin Megami Tensei on Switch: New Details Coming Soon
New information about the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei game for Nintendo Switch will be shared on October 23.
Atlus teased the forthcoming news during its "Atlus Live Special #1: Megaton Feature" at Tokyo Game Show, Persona Central reports. After showing the same teaser image that was released back in March, Atlus shared the following image, teasing the arrival of new information about the game next month:
Inside Is Coming to Nintendo Switch
Inside, the critically acclaimed side-scroller from Limbo developer Playdead, is coming to both Nintendo Switch and iOS.
Inside creator Arnt Jensen shared the news with Famitsu (via Eurogamer) while touring Japan. Pricing and release details for the forthcoming iOS and Switch versions have yet to be announced.
Earlier this year, Playdead revealed the first piece of concept art from its next game. While details about the untitled project are few and far between, given the studio's pedigree, there's plenty of reason to be excited for whatever's next. Not only did Inside earn a 10 from IGN, it was also our runner-up for 2016's Game of the Year.
Justice League: Iris West Reportedly Cut
Latest reports suggest that Iris West, the long-time love interest of Barry Allen (aka the Flash), will no longer make her cinematic debut in this year's Justice League.
According to Batman News, all of Kiersey Clemons' scenes as Iris West have reportedly been cut. Earlier this year, Clemons confirmed she was not involved in the recent reshoots, but said her introductory scenes as Iris are "sick."
It's important to note that this isn't the end for the DCEU incarnation of Iris, as Clemons is still signed on to appear in The Flash: Flashpoint in 2018. It's also possible Iris will appear in deleted scenes featured on Justice League's Blu-ray release, much like how Jena Malone's DC character appeared in the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray of Batman v Superman, after being cut from the theatrical release.
First Gameplay Clip of Harley Quinn in Telltale’s Batman
Harley Quinn is making her debut in Telltale Games' Batman: The Enemy Within, and IGN has your first look at how Bruce Wayne handles meeting her for the first time.
IGN can exclusively reveal the first clip of The Enemy Within: Episode 2 "The Pact," in which Bruce, led by John Doe, encounters a gun-toting Harley. Check out the gameplay clip below:
Harley is voiced by Laura Post, joining Troy Baker as Batman and Anthony Ingruber as John Doe.
Batman: The Enemy Within, Telltale's second season of its DC series, debuted earlier this year. IGN's Ryan McCaffrey said the first episode of the season, The Engima, is a "strong start
DC Writers Reflect on 25 Years of Harley Quinn
Today marks DC Comics’ fourth annual Batman Day, but this year there’s a twist: Harley Quinn is stealing the spotlight to celebrate her 25th anniversary. To commemorate the legacy of this comic book icon, we hopped on the phone with a few of Harley Quinn’s most prolific writers, who all gave us an insider perspective on how the Joker’s sidekick became what Jim Lee calls the fourth pillar of DC Comics alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.
Harley Quinn first debuted in the “Joker’s Favor” episode of Batman: The Animated Series in September 1992. Writer Paul Dini needed a gang for the Joker and wanted to come up with something a bit different than the mafiosa-type guys Joker usually employs, so he decided to craft a Bonnie to the Joker’s Clyde. After coming up with the Harley Quinn concept and name, Dini brought the idea to Bruce Timm, who drew up the character in a harlequin/pied piper costume. Finally, Dini reached out to his friend and Days of Our Lives star Arleen Sorkin to lend her bubbly personality to Harley’s voice, the final touch on what would become one of DC’s most popular characters.
Square Enix to Further Invest in Games as a Service
Expect to see more multiplayer-minded games from Square Enix as the company plans to further embrace the concept of games as a service.
In a message to its shareholders as part of Square Enix's 2017 annual report (via Twitter user Nibel), president and representative director Yosuke Matsuda discussed the increasing importance of multiplayer games and experiences designed with long-term engagement in mind.
"Gone are the days in which single-player games were of primary status and multiplayer games secondary. Lately, multiplayer games have taken the lead, and it is standard for games to be designed for long-term play," Matsuda explained.
Super Mario Run Update Will Add Daisy, New World, More
A new update is headed to Super Mario Run on September 29, adding loads of new content to Nintendo's mobile platformer, including a new world, new mode and new playable character.
According to the update's App Store preview (which is only viewable on iOS), Princess Daisy will join the game with a special double jump ability, providing new ways to play against others in Toad Rally, as well as new ways to collect the elusive coins in each stage.
Daisy will soon join the mobile platformer
Every Mark Millar Adaptation
Now that comic book adaptations have been ruling the box office for nearly two decades, we’re starting to notice that patterns have emerged. Some comic book writers have their work translated to the screen more often than others, and we can look at these films together, as a unit, to form a sort of de facto filmography. Maybe they’re faithful adaptations, maybe they’re bad, but at the root of all these movies there was one creator who keeps popping up at the multiplex, and whose writing keeps getting adapted for one reason or another: Mark Millar.
Millar is a Scottish comic book author who has been working in the industry since the 1980s, and who has written such famous characters as Judge Dredd, Superman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and The Ultimates, while also creating his own distinctive, subversive heroes in various other imprints. Mark Millar is renowned for his controversial ideas, his vicious sense of humor, and his outlandish action sequences, and so it’s no wonder that his work has been translated to the big screen many, many times.
How Star Wars Is Fixing Its Biggest Problems
For as much as we love everything in Star Wars, we also can't seem to help ourselves from complaining about it. Whether it’s the Ewoks, the prequels, or The Force Awakens plot holes, people can’t help but nitpick, myself included. But as I’ve been reading Marvel’s Star Wars comics, I’ve been amazed at how they’ve been able to take those problem areas and make them into clever and compelling stories. It’s like turning lead into gold.
Take Captain Phasma, for example. Leading up to the release of The Force Awakens, her caped Stormtrooper in gleaming armor was featured prominently in the trailers and on the posters, and actress Gwendoline Christie did tons of press alongside the lead actors. She was even featured on the cover of Vogue in a silver dress evoking Phasma’s armor. But when the movie hit, she had sparse screen time and barely any lines. As for her role in the climactic battle, she was nothing more than a plot device and a means for Han Solo to make a trash compactor throwback joke. It was Boba Fett all over again: a cool costumed character that ultimately disappointed fans.