When Minions and Dinosaurs Collide
The Minions and the dinosaurs joined forces at Toy Fair this week -- with an assist from LEGO Chris Pratt -- to show off the upcoming toys, collectibles and products that are getting a big push from Universal in the coming months.
The Despicable Me characters are getting their own spin-off film in July, which will result in over 740 licenses worldwide. That’s a lot of bananas, and includes Thinkway Toys’ action figures, a plush line, playsets, Hasbro games like Life and Operation, and Mega Bloks construction sets. Jurassic World, meanwhile, is getting figures from Hasbro -- with the new dino the Indominus Rex being the centerpiece there -- LEGO sets, a LEGO video game, and lots more.
How This Police Training Simulator Uses Kinect
MILO Range is a Kinect-centric training simulation for cops.
The simulation program, powered by Kinect, aims to provide a pseudo-realistic training ground for police officers, armed forces, and other public safety jobs.
According to the range’s website, the program can detect and respond to a myriad of verbal and non-verbal actions, such as baton swings, punches, strikes and kicks, defensive and offensive positioning, poses and gestures, and speech and verbal commands.
As showcased in the videos, the MILO Range also utilises firearm training through the use of plastic guns, complete with recoil and a reloadable magazine.
15 New Marvel Comics Coming in May
Marvel released their full solicitations for May 2015 today. It's a pretty big month for the publisher, as they'll be kicking off their yearlong Secret Wars event and many new projects that spin out of the new status quo. In case you missed Marvel's recent announcements, we have the full breakdown of these new series and what they have to offer.
New Series:
- A-Force #1
- Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars
- Inferno #1
- Inhumans: Attilan Rising #1
- Master of Kung Fu #1
The Most Adorable Marvel and DC Characters Ever
Stepping onto the showroom floor at Toy Fair this year, it was very clear how big Funko has become. The maker of those cute little Pop! Vinyl figures has just blown up, and their booth at Toy Fair is a clear indication of that this week -- it’s bigger than ever before, full of so many must-have products, and also now features a separate area called Vinyl Sugar that is a new subsection of Funko.
So Many Pop! Vinyls: Arrow, Flash, Doctor Who, More
Vinyl Sugar has a so-freaking-adorable line that is appropriately called Dorbz -- just look at those X-Men! -- but then there’s also the Vinyl Idolz, which would seem to be aiming for a slightly different demo. Who doesn’t want Jeff Spicoli on their desk, or Young Frankenstein? I mean, come on! As with the Pop! Vinyls, these figures cover a ton of licenses: Marvel, DC, Shaun of the Dead, Seinfeld, Back to the Future, Fast Times, Napoleon Dynamite, Ghosbusters, Walking Dead, and so on.
2K Reveals Hall of Pain DLC for WWE 2K15
A new piece of DLC has come to WWE 2K15.
The Hall of Pain pack, which is out today, is a story-driven campaign that highlights the rise of The World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry between 2011 and 2013.
In terms of what matches players will be able to take part in, there’s The Big Show match from Vengeance in 2011 where the ring implodes, and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Randy Orton at Night of Champions, also in 2011.
Other matches include Kane, The Great Khali, Daniel Bryan, Ryback, and The Usos.
The Hall of Pain DLC joins the previously released One More Match pack in which players were given the chance to experience the rivalry between Christian and Randy Orton in 2011. For more of that, be sure to follow the link.
Xbox One Ultimate Game Sale Confirmed For This Week
Microsoft is set to hold an Ultimate Game Sale this weekend, with a wealth of discounts expected for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles.
Though the exact titles and dates of the sale have yet to be confirmed, Major Nelson has confirmed such a thing is taking place, and a NeoGAF member appeared to get the jump on a heap of the details.
This Week’s Deals With Gold Includes GTA 5
The latest list of titles included in Microsoft's Deals with Gold program have been announced.
The company's Major Nelson made the reveal on his blog, though the discounts aren't quite as big as some we've seen previously. While the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto V has a huge 58 percent off, the Xbox One edition only gets a reduction of 15 percent. Still, if you're yet to pick up a new console or Grand Theft Auto V, now's probably a good time to rectify that.
Two Xbox One titles are discounted, which can be seen below.
- Duck Dynasty – Xbox One Game – 50%
Bryan Singer Teases Apocalypse’s Look in New X-Men
X-Men: Apocalypse may not enter production until April, but that hasn't stopped director Bryan Singer from giving us a tantalising tease of what we should expect from the upcoming flick.
Taking to his Instagram account, Singer has posted some production concept art from the movie done by Grant Major, who formerly worked on The Lord of the Rings. In it, you can see what appears to be Oscar Isaac on the verge of his transformation into the titular villain.
New Nintendo 3DS Sells 335,000 in Western Launch Week
Nintendo has revealed it's sold around 335,000 units of the New Nintendo 3DS during its launch week in North America and Europe.
The information comes from the Japanese giant's latest financial briefing, where it was revealed around 170,000 units were shifted in the US, with 160,000 being sold in Europe. When it launched in Japan back in October, sales over the launch weekend came in at 230,000.
In terms of software, big champions were Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Majora's Mask 3D sold around 340,000 units in North America and 230,000 in Europe, which was a leap on the 180,000 and 150,000 respectively enjoyed by A Link Between Worlds.
Amiibo in the Form of Cards Coming This Year
Nintendo will launch select Amiibos to markets in card form this year, CEO and president Satoru Iwata revealed during the company's financial results briefing today.
"In contrast to the current figure-shaped Amiibo available, we will make Amiibo in the form of cards this year as one of our future plans as Mr. Miyamoto mentioned at the Corporate Management Policy Briefing in October," Iwata said.
The last news on Amiibo cards was when Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto outlined in an interview December that discontinued Amiibo functionality may still be made available, in the form of cards.