Hot Comics to Buy This Week: 4/7/2015
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics and collectibles released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent, new books that look cool, and any toys we can't wait to play with.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
Written by Jeff King & Scott Lobdell & Drawn by Carlo Pagulayan | DC Comics
The Brontosaurus Name Should Be Reinstated, Scientists Say
After being lumped in with another type of dinosaur for more than a century, the iconic Brontosaurus could be returning to its original place in dinosaur history.
Although it's one of the more pervasive names in the dinosaur sphere, the Brontosaurus hasn't officially been considered its own type since 1903, when it was first grouped with the Apatosaurus, another member of the Diplodocidae family. Scientists thought there weren't enough differences to separate the two, and since the Apatosaurus was discovered first, its name survived in its sibling's wake.
But a group of experts recently used computer algorithms and bone comparisons to perform a deep-dive analysis of the Diplodocidae family. And they argue there are enough differences between the Brontosaurus and its close relative to reinstate the former's name, and also to add a new genus to the family: the Galeamopus.
Diablo 3 Adds New Treasures, Armor Sets and More
Blizzard's newest Diablo III: Reaper of Souls patch is live today, with new treasure goblins, legendary items and an improved crafting experience on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Patch 2.2.0 is now live in the Americas, according to Blizzard's patch notes, and will be in Asia and Europe soon. Most of the improvements come to Diablo III's Adventure Mode, including the addition of three new treasure goblins. Players can also increase their blood shard cap by earning new personal records in Solo Greater Rifts, the randomized dungeons in Adventure Mode. Blood shards, in turn, are spent on randomized items through Kadala in town areas.
The patch also introduces new items –– including two new legendary potions, two new legendary gems, and new armor sets for the Wizard, Barbarian and Demon Hunter classes. Although Blizzard doesn't usually modify legendary items, the new patch adjusted several to compensate for the class-item changes.
SPECTRE Trailer Recreated in GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto V has been used to recreate the recently released debut teaser for the upcoming James Bond film, SPECTRE.
YouTube user Joris Prudhon crafted the video using in-game content from Rockstar Games' hit open-world action title. You can see the stunning results of his creation below.
Prudhon made a name for himself late last year when he took the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer and gave it similar treatment using Grand Theft Auto V. You can check out that video, and the rest of his work, over at his official YouTube channel.
You Can Now Play Pac-Man in Minecraft
A Minecraft player called MrSquishy has recreated a physical and playable Pac-Man cabinet in-game.
The cabinet, spotted by Polygon, boasts the entire first level of Pac-Man. MrSquishy, who has no prior programming experience, documented the Pac-Man cabinet's progress on the Minecraft forums, where you can download and try it out yourself.
"Over a year ago I set myself the challenge of creating a fully functional Pacman minigame in Vanilla Minecraft using the same ghost AI as the original Pacman game," MrSquishy says. "After many hours and attempts, I've finally managed to create a map that manages to accomplish this, and much more!"
Google Patents Personality Development System for Robots
In a densely worded filing on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, Google has outlined systems and methods to develop personality in a robot.
The filing, dated March 31, would give a robot access to a device "to determine or identify information about a user." From there, a tailored personality would be created to interact with the user based on the user's own data.
In addition to forming a custom personality, the robot would also pull data associated with identifying a user, through speech or facial recognition systems. This data could then be shared via the cloud, which would allow the personality to be transferred from robot to robot.
Marvel Officially Announces Infinity War Directors
Following various reports over the last several months, Marvel officially announced today that Captain America: Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo will helm The Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2.
Reports that the Russo brothers would be directing Avengers 3 and 4 began to surface late last year. Following another report just a couple weeks ago, an official announcement seemed imminent, and today we got just that.
Smite’s New Content on PC and Xbox One
Welcome to IGN Godlike, IGN's show dedicated to covering the mythological mayhem that is Smite. Join Brandin Tyrrel, Kyle O'Connor, and Vince Ingenito as they cover all the new content to hit the PC and Xbox One, and what's in store for the future. Plus, they discuss how to keep your cool in a sea of bad manners online, and what tools you can use in Smite to keep things cordial. It's Godlike: Episode 4 – Love Thy Neighbor!
App Store Update: April 7
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – (Free, Down from $4.99)
From our Review: Valiant Hearts focuses on how lives are torn apart, how strangers become saviors, and how madness thrives. It’s a small-scale human perspective of the war, which tries to salvage those little acts of love and heroism from a world overwhelmed by violence. There’s not much of a challenge or a reason to revisit once you’ve finished, but the story alone is worth experiencing. Ultimately, it’s a game about warfare that’s more interested in the people and their experiences, than bullets and their targets. I could’ve done without some of the footnotes and heavy-handed narration, but it remains a beautiful, harrowing experience nevertheless.
Zen Studios Is Releasing an Avengers: Age of Ultron Pinball Table
Zen Studios' next virtual pinball table is based on the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron film.
According to Zen Studios' blog, the table will "allow players to relive the struggle of Earth’s mightiest heroes, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye against Ultron and his seemingly endless army."
It also includes three difficult levels and dedicated game modes for each Avenger. Hawkeye, for example, has a first-person sharpshooting minigame.
"It’s both exhilarating and a bit overwhelming to base a pinball table on a film as it is being made," Zen Studios said. "Often times, final decisions about the film (like costumes, lines, etc.) have not even been made while we’re designing the table, so we have to be able to change with the film as needed ... Timing a table release with a film’s release is always a challenge; we have to be careful that there are no leaks, and most of all, no movie spoilers!"