Would You Ever Buy a Flying Car?
We're back! This week we dive into the backlog of news: the (potential) revival of woolly mammoths, the coming arrival of flying cars, watching a live human birth via VR, Microsoft's backpedaling on giving away Windows 10 to pirates, and more. But first, we start with tackling a listener question about the Nintendo NX. Hop to about the 3:40 min mark if you want to get right to it!
Why Marvel’s New Avengers Team Was a Welcome Suprise
This week Marvel Comics revealed the lineup to their “All-New, All-Different Avengers” that will form after the events of this summer’s Secret Wars, and it certainly looks like they meant every word of that overly long title.
The team consists of classic members Iron Man and Vision, but also the African-American Sam Wilson continuing his role as Captain America and the female Thor who has the respect and blessing of the old Thor. Rounding out the team are three teenagers heroes -- the plucky Sam Alexander as Nova, the Muslim Kamala Khan as the Spider-Man analogue for a new generation in Ms. Marvel, and an actual Spider-Man for a new generation, the half-black/half-hispanic Miles Morales.
A Visual History of Racing Games
Today's beautifully rendered racing games, with their licensed cars and amazing attention to detail, are a continuation of one of gaming's oldest genres. Back in 1974, Taito's Speed Race featured black and white graphics of a blocky on a vertically scrolling road. Interest in the genre meant racing games were able to evolve with gaming since the very beginning, with breakthroughs coming with each console generation.
As was the case for most games, the best graphics could be found in the arcades. Sit-down multiplayer cabinets and gearshifts, steering wheels, and pedals added further to the realism. However, as the price of advanced hardware fell, so did interest in arcades. Eventually the home console experience would reach parity with the arcade experience. While capturing the "feel" of driving is something that was best done in an arcade cabinet designed to simulate a car seat, today's racing games easily match the graphical fidelity once only found in the most advanced and expensive arcade games.
The Legend of Zelda for Wii U Has Been Delayed
Update: A Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed that there are no plans to show off The Legend of Zelda for Wii U at this year's E3. You can read the full comment below.
"As Mr. Aonuma announced, The Legend of Zelda game for Wii U is no longer targeted as a 2015 release. Rather than sticking to a specific schedule, the team wants to make this the most complete and the best game it can possibly be. The new launch timing has not yet been determined. Because we’d like to focus on developing the game, we aren’t planning on showing it at this year’s E3, where we will be highlighting games launching in 2015. We will let you know when we’re ready to share more specifics."
Daredevil’s D’Onofrio May Terrorize Magnificent 7
Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays the sinister Kingpin in Marvel-Netflix's Daredevil, is up for the villain role in director Antoine Fuqua's remake of The Magnificent Seven.
Variety reports that D'Onofrio is in early talks with studios MGM and Sony to join the already cast Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke.
Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil
Chronicling the Konami vs. Kojima Controversy
The past several days have been rife with rumors, reports, joint statements, and cancelations all centered around Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima's current standing with Konami.
There's a lot to process and sort through here, so we've provided a simplified rundown on all the major developments surrounding all the Kojima-related drama.
The controversy first began when Hideo Kojima's name and the Kojima Productions logo were being pulled off of Konami's website and related marketing material. In response, Konami released a statement to IGN, confirming the rebranding of Kojima Productions to Konami Digital Entertainment and a studio-wide restructuring.
Easy Fatalities Coming to Mortal Kombat X
NetherRealm Studios revealed today that Easy Fatalities will be a part of the upcoming Mortal Kombat X.
Tyler Lansdown, community specialist for NetherRealm, confirmed the addition of the easy fatalities during a Mortal Kombat X livestream.
"A couple eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a symbol with a skull on it" on screens of the game, Lansdown said. "People figured out that's 'Easy Fatalities.'"
Lansdown said that the MKX team has learned that there are some people who just can't pull of fatalities, whether it be they "just can't figure out the timing," or they get too freaked out and crumble under the pressure.
"When the game launches," Lansdown said, players will have access to "maybe 3" easy fatalities Day-One. But he added that there will be places in the game where more can be unlocked.
Marvel Reveals Massive Secret Wars Box Set
If you're looking to get caught up on all things Secret Wars ahead of Marvel's upcoming summer crossover, they have the box set for you. Assuming you have a lot of spare cash lying around, that is.
Marvel Reveals More Comics Spinning Out of Secret Wars
The Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld Box Set is a collection of 11 different hardcover graphic novels that collect just about every story connected to the original Secret Wars, its sequel, Secret War, and various offshoots like Beyond! and Spider-Man and the Secret Wars. Each of these graphic novels features a new cover design unique to the box set, and the spines combine to form a Secret Wars montage image. Much like last year's "Famous Firsts" box set, these books will come packaged in an elaborate slipcase container. The set will also include a poster featuring painter Alex Ross' rendition of the cover to Secret Wars #1.
Goro Will Be Coming to Mortal Kombat X as DLC
During today's Mortal Kombat X livestream, NetherRealm revealed that gamers will be able to add Goro to their roster of fighters even if they didn't pre-order the game.
However, there's a catch. Whereas Goro is a free pre-order bonus, to pick him up later down the road it will cost you. Answering questions from fans during the stream, the NetherRealms team confirmed that everyone will eventually have access to Goro, but "he's free if you pre-order... not so free if you don't."
The addition of Goro as a pre-order bonus was announced back in September when Mortal Kombat X's April 14 release date was revealed. The four-armed brawler made his debut in the first Mortal Kombat as Shang-Tsung's sub-boss. Strangely, his first appearance as a playable character was on the Game Boy port of Mortal Kombat.
Batman & Robin Writer May ‘Hatch’ Transformers Films
If you wanted a Marvel or Star Wars-sized expanded Transformers movie-verse then you're in luck.
According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures is negotiating with writer-director-producer Akiva Goldsman "to work with franchise director Michael Bay, exec producer Steven Spielberg and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to organize a 'writer’s room' that will incubate ideas for a potential multi-part Transformers sequel, and come up with potential spinoff films based on the billion-dollar franchise culled from the Hasbro toy line."
The site claims they "don’t get the impression the deal being negotiated calls for him to write one of these films. His will be an oversight role to secure writers and hatch the movies they’ll script. This is happening very quickly."