Batman's future will be terrifying, as the horrific elements from the Dark Multiverse invade DC Comics in the upcoming months with the new book Batman: Metal. However, it's not just a singular story. This event will spin out multiple one-shot issues and create a whole banner called "Dark Matter." During San Diego Comic-Con, writers from the upcoming event and banner discussed the finer points of this shocking new event.
Speaking to GameSpot, Scott Snyder, the writer behind the main August series--Batman: Metal--explained the story, saying it will feature the DC Universe facing their greatest fears: "The Justice League discovers there's a dark multiverse, and they're coming here to invade, and the only way to stop it is Nth metal, which is one of the rarest substances in the DC universe. So they have to go find the remnants of it before it's too late.
"In doing so, the first wave of attack comes here, and it's these nightmare Batmen. Dark multiverse is like all of our fears are material down there--all the things we're worried about," continued Snyder. "When that doorway opens, the first thing that comes through are these versions of Batman that are his worst fears about himself. Those things come here, and it's a knockdown, drag-out fight. We wanted it to feel fun, out of control. It feels like Mortal Kombat, Injustice. In fact, I wanted [to call the book] Dark Kombat, with a 'K,' and they were like 'It's copywrited, you can't.'
Promo art for Dark Nights: Metal, which mixes Batman with other characters in a horrific way.
Traditionally, DC Comics focuses on their 52 different universes, which is called the Multiverse. The Dark Universe is something entirely different, as it's more of a sentient being that is affected by the thoughts of the people on Earth. "Dark Multiverse feeds the world worry in a different way," explained Snyder. "If this is a sentient, conscious, set multiverse, that's almost the subconscious rolling ocean of our hopes and fears where worlds are created and might materialize or concretize strongly enough to make it up through into the multiverse or might not. So that realm is hellish and scary and fluid and reactive and all of it. It's not planet with histories.
"It's more like… You have a fear when you hear the alarm and [an announcement over the PA] talking about testing the alarm at Comic-Con that there's gonna be a stampede," Snyder continued. "That world bubbles up for a moment, and if enough people fear it or hope for it--whatever it is--it could solidify in a different way." Snyder is working again with artist Greg Capullo. Together, the team had a critically acclaimed run on Batman
Increasing the Mortal Kombat atmosphere is adding the element of horror to Metal, which has been done in the past at DC, so this is nothing new. However, the minds behind this story, including Snyder, are accomplished writers within that genre. One of the other big names in both superhero books and horror is writer Joshua Williamson. He'll be writing a one-shot issue about a new character named Red Death, which you can see above. Obviously, he's the red one.
Williamson was passionate about working with Snyder and company on this new story, in which he'll be rejoined by artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, whom he worked with early on during his run on The Flash. The Red Death story focuses on the relationship between Batman and Flash, something DC has been building on since Rebirth: "These two guys are friends, so we get to show that relationship again but from a very different perspective," said Williamson. "It's a lot of energy and in the spirit of Metal, which is devil horns and rock 'n roll."
He had been working closely with Snyder on the book, and he wants to make it big and fun, akin to a summer blockbuster, with elements of horror. However, creating the feeling of horror within the reader can be a tough task. "There's a certain type of dynamic that goes into writing horror," explained Williamson. "How do you mess with a reader and make it genuinely scary? How do we build it up?" In the past, Williamson has had no problem creating a horror atmosphere with his Image books Ghosted and Nailbiter.
Promo art for the Dark Matter banner.
While the main story--Batman: Metal--delivers all of the main action, and the one-shots, including Williamson and Di Giandomenico's Batman: The Red Death, delve into a group of horrific Batmen from the Dark Multiverse, DC also announced a group of new books under the "Dark Matter" banner. The aftershock of the story will have a greater reach into the DC Universe, as a new line of books that team up iconic artists with some DC-favorite writers will hit shelves in the fall.
One of those books is Damage, written by Robert Venditti and drawn by Tony Daniel. Venditti explained that the Dark Matter initiative is artist driven, while adding to the mythos of the DC Universe by creating new characters: "You don't really get opportunities, too many times, to introduce new characters into this kind of mythology," explained Venditti. "You can have a new Green Lantern you've created, but [these are] entirely new concepts and entirely new superheroes that are going to come right out of the gate and be the title characters of a book that occupying space in the DC Universe alongside Batman, Superman, and everyone else. It's really cool to be a part of that kind of initiative."
This large-scale story kicks off with Batman: Metal #1 on August 16. Williamson's book--Batman: The Red Death--will release on September 20. The Dark Matter banner, featuring Venditti's Damage, will hit stores in October, just in time for the Halloween season.
San Diego Comic-Con is happening now, and it's the biggest day of the event today. Soon, the cast of the Justice League movie will be uniting in Hall H to give one of the highest profile panels at the convention. Ahead of the panel, DC released a new poster for the movie that looks a lot like an homage to an Alex Ross image.
DC shared the image on Twitter, and it shows the five members of the Justice League team. Batman is surrounded by Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash, while the words "You Can't Save the World Alone" are emblazoned between them. There's also a banner version; you can see the images below.
The poster is reminiscent of older art created by comic book icon Alex Ross. It looks especially like this cover for Kingdom Come, the comic mini-series drawn by Ross back in 1996.
Justice League comes out on November 17, and its first trailer was revealed in May. We got a look at some of the costumes from the film earlier this week; check them out here. The Warner Bros. panel is taking place at the time of this writing, and although we likely won't see everything shown off about Justice League, we'll cover any news that breaks. Keep an eye on GameSpot for more about the movie today and in the coming months.
A movie based on Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom is in development, with Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley attached to the project. The news was revealed by Hawley during a Comic-Con panel for Legion, the X-Men related TV show he created.
"Two words," Harley said at the end of the panel, before following up with, "Doctor Doom." According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources have said Hawley is developing the movie "with an eye to direct" it himself.
Victor Von Doom is primarily an antagonist for the Fantastic Four but, being a supervillain, has clashed with many of Marvel's greatest heroes. In the movies, however, he has only ever featured in the various poorly received Fantastic Four flicks.
Rumors have indicated Fox is trying to reboot the Fantastic Four movie franchise, but is looking at doing so from new angles, instead of trying to bring back the core team for yet another outing. Reports have suggested Fox may be looking at Ultimate Fantastic Four as inspiration for younger versions of the team.
Franklin and Valeria Richards, the children of Mr. Fantastic, could be focus of one new film. Seth Grahame-Smith, co-writer of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, has been linked to this.
Netflix has renewed Marvel's Iron Fist series for a second season. The announcement was made by Jeph Loeb, executive vice president of Marvel TV, during San Diego Comic-Con on Friday.
As reported by Variety, Loeb said that Misty Knight, who was played by Simone Missick in the first season of Luke Cage, would be featured in the new season. Knight will reportedly be teaming up with returning character Colleen Wing. No further details on the second season have been revealed thus far.
Iron Fist stars former Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones as Danny Rand, who returns to New York after training in K'un-Lun. There, he was transformed into Iron Fist, a living weapon. The series also has various other characters from across the Netflix Marvel shows, including Claire Temple, who was played by Rosario Dawson in Daredevil and Luke Cage.
The crossovers are set to culminate in The Defenders, a series that will bring together Iron Fist, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. During SDCC, a new trailer for The Defenders was released, confirming that Elektra Natchios, who was previously seen on Daredevil Season 2, would also be making her return.
San Diego Comic-Con is in full swing and we're expecting to get plenty of news from the show this year. Marvel has a big presence this year, so there's sure to be new information on its upcoming blockbuster movies Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok.
Of course, Marvel also has TV shows in the works, with The Defenders, Punisher, and more, and those will no doubt also be represented. To keep you up-to-date on it all we're going to be updating this article with all the Marvel news as and when it happens.
GameSpot is at SDCC 2017 and will be attending panels, conducting interviews, and snapping pictures of all the cool things we spot on the show floor. Check back regularly and you won't miss a thing.
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is hosting the first official live event for the popular mobile game today in Chicago's Grant Park. The sold-out Pokemon Go Fest begins at 8 AM PT/11 AM ET, but those who aren't able to attend the event in-person can still watch a livestream of it below or on Twitch.
Even if you can't attend the event, you'll want to tune in to the livestream, as Niantic has all but confirmed that this will be the weekend that Legendary Pokemon finally appear in the game. The developer has been teasing Legendaries for a long time now, but this will be players' first opportunity to battle and potentially catch one.
In order to make a Legendary Pokemon appear, players around the world will need to capture a certain number of monsters during the event's Challenge Windows. If the players at the event are able to defeat the Legendary Pokemon, it will begin appearing worldwide. Based on the recent live-action trailer that Niantic released, it appears Legendary Pokemon will be fought the same way as standard Raid Battles, so players will need to cooperate to whittle away its health and defeat it.
We still don't know which--if any--Legendary Pokemon will appear, so today's event should be interesting for Pokemon Go players. Niantic is hosting a number of other Pokemon Go live events around the world this summer; you can find more details on those here.
Update: Sure enough, the SNES Classic has sold out. We'll report back as other retailers bring their SNES Classic pre-orders online, though keep in mind we don't yet know how soon those will be coming.
Original Story: The Super NES Classic Edition is available for pre-order right now in the United States. You can place an order through Walmart's website, but hurry--it's possible they will sell out quickly.
The micro console was announced In June and a round of pre-orders became available in Europe soon after. However, there has been frustratingly little word on how or when those in the US would be able to pre-order. If you miss out on this Walmart availability--or simply prefer to shop elsewhere--it seems likely that other retailers will offer pre-orders prior to the system's release on September 29.
For $80, the SNES Classic includes a total of 21 of the Super Nintendo's best games. One of those games is Star Fox 2, a title that was never officially released to the public. You can see all of the SNES Classic games here.
Last year's NES Classic Edition was notoriously difficult to come by. It sold out well in advance of its launch, and additional shipments were gone virtually the second they became available. This resulted in prices skyrocketing on the secondhand market. Nintendo ultimately discontinued the system before demand could be satisfied--a situation that many fear will also be the case with the SNES Classic. Nintendo has already said its current plans are only to offer the system until the end of 2017, but it claims it will offer "significantly more" units this time around.
Update: Those in the UK may have missed at least their first chance to pre-order from certain retailers, but Nintendo's online store has the SNES Classic available as of this writing.
Original Story: Nintendo announced the SNES Classic today. A miniature version of the classic Nintendo console, the $80 system that comes with 21 games and two controllers launches in the US in September. Given that last year's NES Classic sold out basically instantly everywhere it was sold, fans might be wondering how they can secure the SNES Classic right away.
US retailers are not yet widely accepting pre-orders, but in Australia, you can secure a pre-order right now through JB Hi Fi and EB Games. The console sells for $120 in Australia and it looks a little different than the North American edition.
In the US, Amazon has a page up for the SNES Classic, as does Best Buy, but you cannot actually pre-order the system there as of yet. We will update this post as more retailers open pre-orders for the SNES Classic. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
As with the NES Classic Edition, the SNES Classic features HDMI output and resembles the look of the system it's based on but in a smaller form factor. But unlike that system, it comes with two controllers in the box.
On the subject of supply, while Nintendo isn't sharing specific numbers, it did say it will deliver "significantly more" units than it did with the NES Classic Edition. That said, it only plans to ship the system between September and the end of 2017.
Overwatch's newest character, Doomfist, was a long time coming--his existence in the lore was known before the game released, and players had been clamoring to see him since launch last year. But the character that will soon be available is quite different from earlier versions that Overwatch's developers worked on.
At San Diego Comic-Con tonight, Blizzard hosted a panel where it discussed the development process of Doomfist, sharing early concept art and ideas that didn't ultimately make it into the final iteration. Lead designer Geoff Goodman explained that an early version of Doomfist was able to physically pick up enemies. This allowed him to use them as human shields to absorb damage or even throw them off of cliffs.
Concept art for Doomfist and some of his skins
"But as fun as this is, it's getting away from the original idea of Doomfist," Goodman explained. "He's not a wrestler. He's not a luchador."
Another thing Doomfist could do was pick up pieces of the ground and throw them as projectiles. This would allow him to "pick up big rocks and knock Pharah out of the air." And his Ultimate, where he flies into the air and then slams down, started out as part of Orisa's kit before being moved to Doomfist.
Also addressed was the question of why Doomfist doesn't simply punch people more directly. It all goes back to the issues Blizzard encountered with melee attacks when designing Genji, who at one point only had a sword. That style of gameplay was difficult to get right, so Blizzard ultimately introduced ranged attacks like his shurikens; similarly, Doomfist ended up with ranged attacks. While he can shoot bullets, an earlier version of his ranged attack involved him punching the air, which caused a "phantom fist thing" to shoot out in front of him.
Blizzard noted that Doomfist was considered a tank early on in development. Although the developers believed this made sense, Goodman noted, "It ended up feeling weird. His fist can't be crazy lethal. And we can't have a Roadhog-like situation coming back."
We're now less than a month away for the debut of Netflix's latest Marvel series, The Defenders. With Comic-Con underway, a new trailer has arrived for the show.
The Defenders is a crossover series of sorts featuring characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. This new trailer provides us a look at the protagonists of those series, as well as Elektra Natchios, who was previously seen on Daredevil, and Alexandra, an antagonist played by Sigourney Weaver.
The new series stars Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), and Finn Jones (Iron Fist). Aside from Elektra, they will be joined by a variety of other characters from the individual Netflix shows, including Daredevil's Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Jessica Jones's Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Luke Cage's Misty Knight, played by Simone Missick.
The Defenders premieres on Netflix on August 18; it follows the poorly received Marvel show Iron Fist, which premiered in March. That show was confirmed to be receiving a second season during a Comic-Con panel tonight. Beyond all of this, a third season of Daredevil and second for both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are also in the works, as is a new Punisher series.
Ahead of Project Cars 2's release in September, you might be wondering what cars and tracks are in the simulation racing game. GameSpot recently had the chance to play the game and we created videos that show off all the cars and tracks--and there are a lot.
As announced previously, there are 180 cars in Project Cars 2 and 60 tracks. Each of the cars has been "faithfully built to exacting standards," developer Slightly Mad said, adding that car manufacturers have signed off on the game's designs. Not only that, but real-world drivers have even tested the cars to ensure their authenticity.
There are a number of big-name car brands represented, including Ford, Lotus, and McLaren. There are modern-day cars and classic ones, while you can also race in open wheel and indycars. Karts are also in the game, if that's what you're looking for.
As for the tracks, the 60 courses make up the "largest track roster on console" ever. The courses are from all around the world, including North America and Europe. In a blog post, Slightly Mad said the tracks were "carefully chosen to reflect the 9 motorsport disciplines and 29 series that come with Project Cars 2."
Additionally, the courses will be affected by four seasons of weather, as well as transitions from day to night. Drivers will also have to contend with the elements, as ice, snow, mist, wind, and rain will all bear down on the courses.
One of the joys of being at San Diego Comic-Con is hearing the stories that come out of your favorite actors, directors, artists, and more when they're in an environment where they feel comfortable. Comic-Con may be bigger than ever, but for many creators it seems it still feels like a place they can let loose.
At a press conference preceding Preacher's official panel today, executive producer Seth Rogen shared one such story from the set of the AMC show.
Image credit: AMC
"We made Joe piss himself one time," he said, referring to actor Joe Gilgun.
"This is going to make me sound like a dick," he continued. "But there's this scene where he jumps out of an airplane and splatters in a field at the bottom of a crater with his guts out. And to shoot it, he was buried in a hole basically with like, a prosthetic thing. It took him like 45 minutes to get in and out of the hole, and we were kind of f***ed for time. The sun was going down, and he was like, 'I have to get out of the hole to piss,' and I'm like 'You're not getting out of that hole to piss. I can't let you.' And he pissed himself while he was in the hole."
Gilgun, who plays the vampire Cassidy, was sitting farther down the table. He took the story in stride. Apparently, he's a real trooper.
"If he actually cared, I wouldn't have made him do it," Rogen said, chuckling.
"I think that's kind of the challenge of television, is making it look interesting while shooting things basically in as few shots as humanly possible," he continued. "But it's not s***y. I love it. Directing this show, and directing in general, is a fantastic job."
The show's panel, in the enormous Hall H, began with a performance by an actual New Orleans jazz band, fitting with the show's current setting. The band continued to play as the actors and Rogen took their seats onstage, amid jokes from the cast that they're sick of the trumpet players following them everywhere.
The panel opened in full with a trailer showing some upcoming events fans will find exciting, including a meeting between Jesse and Herr Starr, a fan-favorite villain who so far has only appeared very briefly on the screen. "I hear you've been looking for God, Preacher," Starr says. "You can't find him alone."
The trailer also teased Hitler and Eugene's possible escape from Hell, and it ended with a fitting line from Starr: "Like a 10-inch dick, I need to see it to believe it."
In a further clip showed exclusively at Comic-Con, attendees got to witness some of Starr's early training with the evil organization The Grail. "I want everyone to know that what is about to transpire, I take no pleasure in," the villain says, before visibily masturbating to distract a foe in single combat. In another scene he seems to be vaguely enjoying having a battery hooked up to his testicles. Standard Preacher, in other words.
Image credit: AMC
Rogen teased The Grail's role in the show, before the actors behind Herr Starr and other Grail members took the stage. "The next episode that airs is the one that introduces the Grail more thoroughly. I can say they're a super secret organization, the most powerful in the world. And we will ultimately learn that their Samson Unit, which is dedicated to something we will learn about next episode, is run by Herr Starr," he said. "In the comics he's one of the best characters, and we're starting to learn more about the Grail and what they do exactly, but if you've read the comics you know exactly who they are."
The panel's moderator, comedian Chris Hardwick, had opened with the obvious question: Did Rogen ever think he'd see something like Preacher on TV, much less be the one making it?
"When we read the comic, TV was totally different," Rogen replied. "Luckily, people's sensibilities have declined over the years."
Preacher's first season was widely considered a little slow compared with the books, but Season 2 has picked up the pace.
"The first season we were compressing the spring, and this year we're really letting it go," Rogen said during the press conference earlier in the day. "It was a weird strategy, in retrospect, because we could have just been canceled."
Season 2 is in full swing, and the cast had few other teases to offer. But one thing the show has alluded to is a storyline that appears early in the comics and takes Jesse back to the roots of his character, and his family.
"Living in a coffin under a swamp, as we saw in the comics, is a bad form of behavioral [correction]," Dominic Cooper, who portrays the Preacher onscreen, teased. "The more the writers write about [Jesse], the more is revealed about him, the more he terrifies me."
Meanwhile the complicated relationship between the three main characters is bound to come to a head eventually. Tulip and Jesse seem meant for one another, but Cass is determinedly infatuated with her as well. "He's like a turd that won't flush, Cassidy," Gilgun said.
It's unclear whether Cass actually has a chance, but there's one big potential source of strife between Tulip and Jesse: Tulip's very open disapproval of the Preacher's use of his Genesis power.
"She understands the arbitrary nature of power. I think she has an innate sense of decency," Ruth Negga, who plays Tulip, said. "She understands that If you have authority, you must use it wisely. And I think she really doesn't understand the way that he can just arbitrarily use it on anybody. If there's a fight, she wants it to be a fair fight."
The show has done more to explore Jesse and Tulip's backstory than the books ever did, including a recent flashback-heavy episode that showed some particularly hard times in their relationship.
"I felt like it was a really interesting dissection of a relationship, and truthful--when two people can't communicate, and what it does," Negga said. "I do really love that storyline. I thought, this is real life. This is what happens."
There's weirder and weirder stuff coming on Preacher, but the show is also bound to get more and more real as season 2 progresses, and beyond.
"In the pilot, in the first series, we were still really finding the direction we wanted to take these characters in," Gilgun said. "And I think this year ther'es much more trust. It feels much more like a collaboration. You feel like you can invest a piece of yourself in it."
It's been a long time since the comic book character Spawn has been on movie screens: the first--and last--Spawn film was released way back in 1997. A new Spawn movie is on the way, though. Creator Todd McFarlane announced today at San Diego Comic-Con that his comic is being adapted for film once again, and this time he's going to be directing it.
He's written the first draft of the script already, and he's teaming up with producer Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions to create the film. If Blumhouse sounds familiar, it's the company that specializes in ultra-low budget horror projects like Paranormal Activity and Get Out. Spawn is envisioned in a similar vein to those films.
McFarlane has been attempting to start work on Spawn for a while, and he's been shopping it around to production companies for a couple of months.
In February 2016, the creator told Comicbook.com that he wanted to avoid the big budgets of other superhero movies so that he could make the film himself. "Basically, I can make this version of the movie on a budget without crazy special effects," he said. "I want to keep it small, keep it tight, so they'll let me direct it!" The partnership with Blumhouse allows him to do just that.
The Spawn comic book was first published in 1992 and was massively popular, with the first issue selling 1.7 million copies. However, the 1997 film adaptation received a negative critical reception and underperformed commercially.
If you haven't been tuned into No Man's Sky news lately, there's an alternate-reality game going on right now that seems to be leading to a new update in August. It's been going for a few weeks now, but today a new, interesting phase began. A mysterious website went live that allows you to type in commands, and it gives glimpses of some of No Man's Sky's lore.
If you go to the Waking Titan site, you'll be greeted with a command line. From here, you can play around with different commands and see what comes up. Typing in "Whatis Atlas," for instance, brings up a short poem about the game's shadowy Atlas organization. You can also type in "ship" to see a painting of a spacecraft that has appeared elsewhere in the ARG.
Things get really interesting if you type "List Commands." This'll show you a short selection of different commands and files that exist; you can enter "Start Atlas.init" and "Start CSD.init," for instance, and see that the website is waiting for some sort of input before progressing. "Citizen science protocols loaded ready for live test input seed to continue," it reads.
If you're interested in reading more about the ARG and the efforts to solve it, check out the No Man's Sky subreddit thread on it here. There's no word yet on what the August update might include; developer Hello Games has been tight-lipped about the game since its previous update in March. The Waking Titan website actually is a bit self-referential: if you type "Hello Games," you'll get "Process Hibernating" in return.
Assuming that the teased update is a major content patch, it'll be the third such update since No Man's Sky's release last year. The first, called the Foundation Update, added base-building and frigates, while the second added land vehicles.
As part of its San Diego Comic-Con panel today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released a new trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The focus is on Shelob, the giant evil spider that fans know well, but she's got a much different look than you're likely expecting.
While we do briefly see a giant spider toward the end of the trailer, Shelob spends most of the trailer in a human form. Talion interacts with her and is provided with visions of the future, which sparks a conflict between Talion and Celebrimbor, who believes she is not to be trusted.
Shelob is voiced by Pollyanna McIntosh, who played Jadis on The Walking Dead and starred in 2011 horror movie The Woman. She was confirmed as part of the voice cast recently along with comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani, who voiced a character in this year's Mass Effect: Andromeda. In Shadow of War, he'll be playing an orc who may fill a role similar to that of Ratbag in the previous game.
Also in the trailer, we get a glimpse of the Nazgul, including the Witch-King, as well as a Palantir. There's also an ominous line about the connection between Celebrimbor and Sauron.
Despite releasing almost three years ago, Dying Light continues to have a very active user base, with roughly half a million players still playing the survival horror game weekly. With so many players engaged with the title, developer Techland has announced it plans to continue supporting the game with a year's worth of DLC.
Techland will release 10 pieces of DLC for Dying Light over the course of the next 12 months. These expansions will include new enemies, more in-game events, new locations to explore, and "much, much more." This additional content will be offered for free across all of the game's platforms. The first, dubbed Content Drop 0, will arrive "in the coming weeks" and introduces new enemies to the game. "Drop #0 is a taste of the new things coming to the game, before the '10 free DLCs in 12 months' campaign fully launches later this year," a press release reads.
Additionally, Techland has said it will host more community events going forward--up to four per quarter. It also plans to continue tweaking the gameplay and balancing based on fan feedback. To better facilitate community interaction, the developer will launch a dedicated community platform "through which fans will have an influence on what kind of new content is created." Techland will announce more details about this platform in the near future.
Dying Light is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game was well-received when it debuted; GameSpot awarded the original version 7/10. Meanwhile, its DLC expansion, The Following, earned 8/10, with critic Scott Butterworth calling it "a sizable chunk of story-driven content that feels at once distinct from and in sync with the original experience" in GameSpot's review.
Less than a year ago, Ben Affleck was lined up to write, direct, and star in DC's standalone Batman movie. However, Affleck stepped down as director in January and was replaced by War of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves. Last month, Reeves revealed that he would not be using Affleck's co-written script for the movie--and now it has been reported that DC might be looking to recast the role entirely.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio are considering "gracefully" easing Affleck out of the role that he first played in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck is set to reprise the role in Justice League later this year, and he is still officially on board for Reeves movie.
However, this could yet change, and THR's sources suggest that in any case he will replaced before too long. Reportedly, this change will be addressed "in some shape or form in one of the upcoming DC films."
As the site points out, Affleck is nearly 45, and with Reeves' Batman film a couple of years off and another Justice League even further away than that, it is not surprising that the studio might be looking for a younger star with long-term potential for the role. Reeves has already spoken about the possibility of making a trilogy of Batman movies. Neither DC or Affleck have commented on this story.
Over the past week, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds has been running into server issues. This has caused many players to frequently lose connection to the game, and it compelled developer Bluehole to do emergency maintenance on them. However, the problem's been pervasive enough that the studio has had to delay the monthly update for July by one week, to August 3.
The studio announced the delay on Twitter, saying that it needs extra time to smooth things out. "Due to the client crash issue we are dealing [with] in the internal build, we need to push the monthly update by 1 week," it wrote.
Bluehole hasn't revealed all of the changes and additions coming in the update, but we do know that it'll include new, first-person servers. These will be added alongside the existing servers, so no one will be forced to play in first-person. Alongside this, Bluehole will be improving the first-person perspective.
In other news, Bluehole proved this week that no matter who you are, the game's terms of service still apply. A popular Battlegrounds streamer killed a squadmate in order to free up space in a vehicle, which prompted Bluehole to ban him from the game for a short time. Creator Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene and the streamer then got into a Twitter argument over it.
The minute-long video deals primarily with the various sides trying to rally support to their respective causes. Cersei argues that "the Mad King's daughter" poses a threat, while Jon makes a case for the assistance that Daenerys (and her dragons) could provide in the coming battle against the White Walkers.
We also see a meeting between Daenerys and Melisandre, who has apparently made her way to Dragonstone; a seemingly triumphant Euron; and flashes of numerous other scenes. Among them is a conversation between Littlefinger and Sansa in which he says, "Every possible series of events is happening all at once."
It's not uncommon for the cheers and screams during San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H panels to border on deafening, and that's never more true than during the annual Game of Thrones panel. But the noise hit an unusual crescendo when Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor on the absurdly popular HBO show, sidled up to the podium today in Hall H and uttered a single word. You can probably guess what word it was.
The Game of Thrones panel this year came at an odd time for the show, as the Season 7 premiere aired last weekend. As such, the cast didn't bring much in the way of teasers, and Nairn pronounced right off the bat that his moderating style will be more casual than that of the average Comic-Con panel moderator. Alfie Allen, who plays Theon, followed up on this promise almost immediately by walking onstage with an actual puppy held like a baby in his arms.
"This is a very important question: Do you miss me?" Nairn asked Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who portrays Bran.
"It's been so empty without you on set this season," Hempstead-Wright replied, adding, "He's making me say this. Help!"
Nairn did get to some actually pertinent questions as well, though--questions such as: Is Sansa still being manipulated by Littlefinger, or has she finally gained the upper hand?
"Initially there was definite manipulation on Littlefinger's part, but as Sansa has grown and been a prisoner by all of these master manipulators--especially Littlefinger--she's been silently absorbing and learning and adapting," said Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark. "In my opinion, she's just as good at playing the game as he is at this point."
"Thanks, guys," she added, in response to the enormous crowd's raucous applause.
Nairn turned back to Hempstead-Wright, asking him about the significance of being the new Three-Eyed Raven.
"What exactly his purpose is I don't think has been revealed yet," the actor replied. "But clearly it's something important."
We've seen in trailers and teasers that Melisandre will soon arrive at Dragonstone to commune with Dany, but Nairn asked Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, how Jon Snow might react should he meet the red priestess again after banishing her from the North in Season 6.
"I don't think he's the vindictive type," Cunningham teased.
The topic also turned inevitably to love, given how many of the show's long-running relationships are being tested.
"Maybe there might be a happy ending for [Missandei and Grey Worm]," said Nathalie Emmanuel, who play Missandei.
What about Sansa? Does she still believe in romance like she did in earlier seasons? "She's always on the search for happiness, but she doesn't see the world through rose-tinted glasses anymore. I think she sees the world in a different light [now]," said Turner. "She's woke now, guys. She's real woke."
"I actually have a theory that Brienne and Hodor would make a good couple," Nairn joked. The crowd seemed split on whether Brienne should end up with Tormund Giantsbane or Jaime Lannister--or no one at all.
In the brief Season 7 teaser that was released today, and which played just as today's panel ended, Littlefinger notes that "Every possible series of events is happening all at once." Watching Season 7 and seeing the teasers for what's coming, that's never been more true. The clash between the Lannisters and the Starks is bound to come to a head, and the arrival of the Dragon Queen in Westeros can only complicate things further. Arya Stark is an agent of pure, vengeful chaos let loose on the land. Winter is here, the White Walkers are coming, and the dead are rising on both sides.
As viewers and fans, all we can do is strap in and enjoy the dragons.
Nintendo is giving away another set of free items for Pokemon Sun and Moon. This time, players can snag four rare Mega Stones using a special Mystery Gift password.
With this code, players can get their hands on Mega Stones for Tyranitar, Abomasnow, Manectric, and Aggron. Those who participated in May's International Challenge may have already received the former three stones, but this marks the first time that Aggron's is obtainable in the seventh generation titles. All four Pokemon are especially powerful when they Mega Evolve, so you won't want to miss your chance to get these items.
To receive the Mega Stones, select Mystery Gift from the games' menu screen and choose to receive your gift "via Code/Password." When prompted, input the code "SABLEVOLANT," then pick the items up from the deliveryman inside any of the games' Pokemon Centers. Today's code is universal, allowing players around the world to download the items.
Those aren't the only bonuses Nintendo is distributing for Sun and Moon. Players also still have a chance to add a rare Shiny Tapu Koko to their team. Nintendo is giving the Legendary Pokemon away via Mystery Gift from now until August 14. Tapu Koko cannot be found in the wild in its shiny form, making this the only legitimate way for players to obtain one.
A new pair of seventh generation Pokemon titles dubbed Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are slated to arrive for 3DS on November 17. The games are set in the same world as the original versions, but they tell an "alternate story" and include some Pokemon that weren't originally obtainable in Alola. Players can pre-order a steelbook dual pack right now from Amazon. The series' second generation titles, Pokemon Gold and Silver, are also releasing on the 3DS Virtual Console this September, and any Pokemon captured in those can be transferred to Sun and Moon using Pokemon Bank.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving was announced as NBA 2K18's cover star in early June. The NBA Finals were happening, the Cavs were competing for the championship, and Irving was seen as one of the cornerstones of the team. Now, however, it appears that Irving's time in Cleveland may be waning: ESPN is reporting that Irving has asked to be traded.
According to ESPN's sources, Irving has expressed dissatisfaction playing alongside the NBA's biggest celebrity, LeBron James. He wants to be more of a focus, and he's looking for a team where he could be the biggest star. He's reportedly expressed interest in the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
If the trade were to go through, it would put the game in the peculiar position of depicting its cover star playing for his old team. Considering that NBA 2K18 hasn't even launched yet, this might be a bit of a marketing headache for developer 2K Sports.
In any case, you can get some nice bonuses if you pre-order the game. You'll get to play it four days early, starting on September 15. In addition, you'll receive the following content:
Just like at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, this year's event has brought with it a new trailer for the current season of Fear the Walking Dead. You can watch it above.
While not quite as long as the lengthy new trailer for The Walking Dead: Season 8, the nearly three-minute video does offer a good sense of what to expect when the show returns in just over a month's time.
The trailer premiered as part of a Comic-Con panel dedicated to the franchise. It featured a moment of silence for John Bernecker, the show's stuntman who died following a serious on-set accident earlier this month.
The second half of Fear the Walking Dead: Season 3 premieres on September 10 on AMC. It will likely wrap up on October 15 with a double episode, as we learned this week that Season 8 of The Walking Dead kicks off on October 22.
Cartoon Network's popular animated series Steven Universe is making its home console debut later this year with Save the Light, a 2D RPG for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. At San Diego Comic-Con today, Cartoon Network released the first full trailer for the game that gave fans a glimpse at a few new characters who'll be appearing in the title.
Steven Universe: Save the Light is the sequel to the mobile game Attack the Light. It stars Steven and other major characters from the animated series, who are on a quest to rescue an ancient Gem weapon called the Prism from a mysterious new villain. Along with series mainstays like Connie and the Crystal Gems, the game will introduce some original characters, one of whom was unveiled in today's trailer: Squaridot, a game-exclusive Crystal Gem who's an ally of Save the Light's mysterious antagonist. You can watch the trailer above.
Save the Light features a turn-based battle system reminiscent of Paper Mario. Players select attacks and must press the button at the right time to inflict more damage and defend themselves from enemies. Certain characters are also able to fuse together; previously, we got a look at Steven and Connie's combined form, Stevonnie, but today's trailer shows off some of the other character fusions, such as Opal (Amethyst/Pearl) and Sardonyx (Garnet/Pearl).
Steven Universe: Save the Light is slated to release this summer as a digital-only title. You can watch an additional 20 minutes of gameplay footage here. Cartoon Network is also releasing a video game this fall based on its newest animated series, OK KO. You can read our impressions of that game here.
The next DLC fighter coming to Injustice 2 is Starfire, but up until now we hadn't seen much more than her appearance. Today, though, developer NetherRealm showed off Starfire gameplay for the first time.
The studio showed Starfire's trailer at San Diego Comic-Con. The short video gives a good idea of what sort of fighter she'll be. She'll float, fly around, and create weapons and projectiles out of green energy. Check it out above.
"As the next Queen of Tamaran, Princess Koriand'r found herself the victim of her fratricidal sister's vengeful plot that resulted in their planet being conquered," the video's description states. "Now a royal exile on Earth, Koriand'r uses her ability to absorb and convert ultraviolet energy as Starfire."
Starfire is coming sometime in August, and she'll presumably be made available first for owners of the $20 Fighter Pack 1. The pack also comes with Red Hood and the recently released Sub-Zero.
A total of at least nine characters, including the three in Fighter Pack 1, will be released as DLC for Injustice 2. During its SDCC livestream, NetherRealm's Ed Boon teased the next fighter pack, saying that the announcement video is coming soon. "Of all the characters we're going to reveal, we'll have the biggest 'wow' for the last one we're going to show," he said.
With San Diego Comic-Con underway, the much-anticipated Season 8 trailer for The Walking Dead has arrived. You can watch it above.
It opens with the voice of Negan, who says in typically elegant fashion, "I hope you got your s***ing pants on." From there, you'll get more than a decent look at what's to come this season, as the trailer runs for more than five minutes. Most of the first half lacks any dialogue, which establishes an eerie mood.
This trailer made its debut at Comic-Con today. Prior to its showing, however, the panel members paid tribute to John Bernecker, the show's stuntman who died following a serious on-set accident earlier this month.
AMC recently announced that Season 8 will premiere on October 22 and released a new poster. In April, showrunner Scott Gimple explained that the new season will move at a much faster pace than the more character-driven Season 7, as the show's heroes prepare for war with Negan.
"The narrative has turned into one of pretty intense conflict," he said, "[And] it's going to affect the structure in ways that make it a bit more kinetic, a bit more breakneck--shifting away from entire stories in one episode, and sort of fractured over several episodes, with little pieces of each story coming together."
During this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Capcom had a big presence with panels devoted to Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, and all of the Capcom-related merch the company has for sale. But there was also one big surprise announcement: during the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary panel, Capcom revealed how to unlock Shin Akuma in the Nintendo Switch version of Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers.
In the image above, you can see a slide detailing the very specific steps, but here they are bulleted out as well.
Select Ryu, cancel on Color 1
Select Ken, cancel on Color 9
Select Sagat, cancel on Color 8
Select M. Bison cancel on Color 7
Place the cursor on Random, press L & R at the same time
We're covering Comic-Con live from San Diego, so stay tuned for even more news, trailers and reveals from the show!
A new update has been released for a mod that sets out to improve The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's visuals on PC. As the trailer below demonstrates, it does a mighty fine job of doing so.
Developer by modder Halk Hogan PL, The Witcher 3: HD Reworked Project has just been updated to version 4.6. Halk describes this as the mod's "biggest update ever," with improvements to water, most stone walls and roofs, and most "poor wood" (including things like doors and planks). There's also a fix for crashes related to the optional Novigrad roof replacements, which cause them to look like those from a pre-release E3 showing.
The 10-minute video consists almost entirely of a comparison of the graphics with and without the newly updated mod. Stone walls, in particular, stand out as one of the biggest advancements, but you're clearly in for a treat by taking advantage of the mod.
A full rundown on the mod's improvements can be seen over at Nexus Mods, where you can also download it for yourself. Halk notes that it shouldn't have a dramatic impact on performance, so if your PC is able to handle the game, it may be worth a try. Meanwhile, console players are in for an improvement as PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enhancements are on the way.
Netflix and director Adam Wingard had a daunting job adapting Death Note for western audiences. For one thing, the 37-episode anime series (and the manga before that) contain a lot of story to try and pack into a single feature film. But more importantly, the original Death Note anime series, aired first in 2006 and 2007, is widely considered a classic. The series' enthusiastic and critical fanbase awaited this westernized adaptation with white knuckles and gritted teeth, not unlike protagonist Light as he contemplates adding another name to the notebook that kills.
There's good news out of Death Note's first public screening, held during San Diego Comic-Con this week: There's little in here that should enrage most fans. Death Note is far from an exact adaptation, taking great liberties with the plot and some with the characters as well. It doesn't even try to replicate the anime's entire story, which arguably went on for too many episodes in its original run. But it does cram a lot of story in, which turns out to be both a good and a bad thing.
Like the original, Death Note's story focuses on Light (Nat Wolff), a high school student who finds a mysterious notebook that lets him kill anyone he wants, in any way he specifies, simply by writing their name in it and picturing their face. He also meets the notebook's keeper, a shinigami (a "death god") named Ryuk (Willem Dafoe). The film doesn't get into Ryuk's origin and motivations as much as its source material does, but it does drop enough hints and nods that fans should be happy. Unsurprisingly, Dafoe portrays the demonic Ryuk with pitch-perfect mania.
Light quickly discovers what the Death Note is capable of when he uses it to kill a school bully in a scene that, like many of the film's deaths, is hilariously gruesome. Death Note consistently features the kind of violence that makes you guffaw and cringe at the same time, occasionally verging on campy, but never overdoing it. The camera always cuts away a split second after the explosions of gore, so you're left with a vicious after-image in your mind.
One big difference from the anime is that Light, who eventually dubs himself "Kira," is all too eager to show off his new power the second his high school crush, Mia (Margaret Qualley), starts showing interest in him. The change works well, though, since Wolff is so good at portraying Light as basically a whiny loser. Mia is a cheerleader who smokes cigarettes on the field during practice, and Light correctly intuits that she'll appreciate the power of the Death Note as much as he does.
Light and Mia's exploits are complicated by the fact that Light's father, played by Shea Whigham, is a detective. But their real adversary, as in the source material, is the investigator known simply as "L." Played by Lakeith Stanfield, L is a neurotic but ingenious man of mystery who scarfs candy like his life depends on it and rarely sleeps. He's accompanied everywhere by an equally mysterious man named Watari (Paul Nakauchi), and they together provide a decent foil for Light and Mia. What the film really captures is the cat-and-mouse dynamic among these four characters, staying true to the original in spirit, if not in the precise details of how it all plays out.
Death Note moves quickly--sometimes to a fault. Most of Light's early exploits with the notebook play out in montage form, as the film is in a hurry to introduce L and get to the real meat of it. The first act feels a little rushed, a symptom of simply having to cram a lot of story in, even if the movie doesn't go as far plotwise as the anime does. Yes, it leaves room for sequels.
One asset this westernized take has over the original is its setting in Seattle, a city famous for its copious rainfall. It's used to great effect here, generating ample mood in scenes like a quiet face-off between Light and L in a late-night cafe. Water pours from the sky and soaks into the movie's almost noir-like aesthetic. The music, ranging from understated electronic beats to John Hughes-level cheesy pop anthems, is always right on cue, adding tension or humor as needed. The soundtrack grants some of the most dramatic scenes a wryly funny edge, a slight tonal change that helps ensure Death Note doesn't feel overly serious.
The writing is inconsistent in quality, occasionally verging on cringey--although when you're dealing with highly confused teenagers, that's arguably appropriate. At other times the dialogue transcends to become truly great, particularly in one late homecoming dance scene in which Margaret Qualley cements herself as the movie's driving personality. Light is delusional, and L is maniacal in his pursuit of the former, but Mia is straight up insane, and the actress really revels in it. It's great fun to watch.
With some issues, especially in its inconsistent pacing and dialogue, Death Note isn't a perfect adaptation. But it is a fun one. Fans of the original should walk away happy, and newcomers to the morbid world of shinigami and sociopathic high schoolers with god complexes will get more out of the film's relatively short runtime than they would from trying to tackle the anime's full 37-episode run.
Death Note probably won't become one of Netflix's biggest hits, but for what it pays tribute to and what it accomplishes, it's not hard to recommend.
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