Josh Brolin Cast as Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Comics)

     It appears that Marvel has let slip that The Eternals's most notorious cosmic despot Thanos will be played by Josh Brolin in Guardians of the Galaxy.

     In the Avengers film he was played by Damion Poitier, but will be given new purple-skinned life for the upcoming movie.  He'll be back to collecting a slew of items that will become Marvel's movie version of the Infinity Gauntlet which will allow him to famously "court Death" by warping space, time, and pretty much everything else.  Yes, Death personified as a female entity.


     Source [ Latino Review ]

Take-Two Games: Confirms Red Dead Redemption and Bioshock Sequels

     Strauss Zelnick, 2K's CEO, has stated that Red Dead is a permanent franchise along with GTA, Borderlands, and the NBA games- so a sequel is quite likely already in the works.  Since it's been 4 years since the last game, we might even guess at a potential announcement soon- possibly even at E3.

"I pretty much know the ones that I can assure you are permanent. It's obvious that GTA is a permanent franchise as long as we keep delivering this incredible quality; it seems quite obvious that Red Dead is a permanent franchise."

     This is pretty good news, as Red Dead Redemption was a huge and engaging experience and I've grown tired of all the Grand Theft Auto games.  We could use another good western game, the only two I've played that were this and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger.   Hell, I wouldn't mind a "Grand Theft Castle" or "Red Dead Renaissance" type game set in a fantasy realm or medieval era.
     Regardless, if it's considered a "permanent franchise" there'll be another game sooner or later.

     As for the expanding or continuation of the Bioshock franchise, Zelnick said this:

"We haven't given any color on how you should think about it yet except we do believe it's beloved; we think it's important [and] certainly something that we're focused on; something 2K Marin will be responsible for shepherding going forward. I don't want to say much else except to agree with you. I think there's a lot of upside in that franchise."

     Which means it might be a mere consideration at the moment, but because its popularity and "commercial potential" it stands to reason that they're looking for a way to continue the series after the dispersal of Irrational Games- there's an infinite amount of money waiting to be made from it.

     On the plus side of things 2k is focusing on the right aspects of making games and not just profit mongering:

"The risk of just [releasing more games] is that you end up just bulking up your release schedule and that isn't really what consumers want. Consumers want better, not more," Zelnick said.

     There's always a risk of receiving another glorious flub like Duke Nukem Forever.  Many might lament the potential for another The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, but honestly, I actually enjoyed The Bureau in how it broke away from the typical XCOM play and would fully enjoy a similar departure.

     Source [ Gamespot ]

Project Beast Footage Leaked: From Software Video

     It appears some new Souls are truly on the horizon.  From Software's rumored next game, currently under the working title Project Beast, seems to be looking more and more like the truth, and not just rumor and speculation.  NeoGAF user "drotahorror" posted some clips and Youtuber Vyktar has conveniently grouped the 4 short segments into a single video for our viewing pleasure.

     All these "leaks" are very plausible for a real new game, and even more convincing the closer we get to E3 this year.  As time goes the great hype machine is getting plenty of fuel for the bonfires, and this could be a brilliant marketing tactic to keep us wanting more.  Such a tantalizing prospect so soon after Dark Souls 2's March release.   As for now, the game is still officially unannounced, but things are looking like a big reveal will hit soon.

     Many Souls fans have been awaiting what Demons Souls and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki was working on, and this definitely has his style all over it.  We're all just waiting for the official announcement so we may enter the disturbing new fog gate with equal parts fear and excitement.

     Source [ NeoGAF ]

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Handsome Jack Teaser and Athena Commentary Gameplay

     It looks like the PAX East Handsome Jack Trailer has finally been made available- the one where Handsome Jack reads, well, alters and modifies the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

     Hopefully, the game truly can show us the transformation of Jack the hero into Handsome Jack the tremendous A-hole we all know and love.  This game will supposedly be showing us the gradual change of someone that starts as good becoming a tyrant.  By the sounds of it, we'll be given a way to look at Jack with a little more of a sympathetic eye, and maybe a slightly lesser view of the Vault Hunters' morally high ground- a sort of equalization- as he becomes a monster.

     In addition to the release of the trailer above, we get a demo video with commentary and some gameplay footage of the character Athena (as well as small bits with Wilhelm, and a cameo with Claptrap).  I wonder what will become of her as she is the only main character not mentioned in Borderlands 2...

     Overall, this looks to follow the tried and true formula of the Borderlands series, and will no doubt be more of the same enjoyable shoot and loot game loaded with humor.

Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock vs The Son of Crawmerax Review

     The last, and surprisingly best, Headhunter Pack ends the nearly year and a half run of DLC for the Borderlands saga.  I know that the Pre-Sequel is getting most of the press right now, and I forgot to post this way back on the week it was released, but another jaunt through it didn't take long. There's a remarkable amount of stuff in here to keep players busy and sated while we wait for what the future of the series may hold.

     The Vault Hunter's are trying to take a tropical vacation to Wam Bam Island when, of course, trouble follows.  On our trip, we get a wealth of enemies to gun down including the pirates from Captain Scarlett's, a ton of Savages from Hammerlock's Hunt, and a wonderful throwback to Borderlands' General Knoxx DLC with the Craboids.  There is a wonderful mix and variation of enemies in this installment, and in the end that simple fact gives it a replayability the other Headhunter Packs lack.

     Once you've taken care of the little things on this tiny paradise, you get to track down the abducted Hammerlock who is being sacrificed to Crawmerax Junior.  Then after defeating the greatest raid-boss' progeny you get another son-seeking-vengeance to deal with- Sparky Flynt.
     He's seeking to kill the ones that killed his father Captain Flynt. (No mention of the other possible family member Baron Flynt, who once punched Tannis' dog)  Which serves as a nice segue into a story based optional mission that drops clues in for the future of the series itself.  A group of assassins had been sent in to kill the current group of Vault Hunters and as players encounter them, they've all been killed by "friends," some known, some unknown- such as Zer0's cryptic and mysterious assistant One.  (I played through as Krieg, Maya, and Zer0- soon I might have a go as Axton for the Hawaiian shirt)  Each character has their own response dialogue and message to give a small incentive to play through with each one.  (Here's a link if you don't want to replay it with more than 1 character- Assassins of the Assassins)

     We get plenty of old characters like Crazy Earl and even a new face- after the death of our beloved Bloodwing, Mordecai's new baby bird Talon is a great addition to the story!  Mordecai even quit his drinking to raise them.  It'll be tough to replace Blood, but I have faith the writers will do the series justice.

     The main set up of this DLC is an homage to the first game for 75%, then the last 25% is spent pointing towards what's to come with clever and extremely vague hints.  The original Vault Hunters even pay fan service with the mentions of killing Crawmerax a lot and even a great callback to the "ledge exploit."  This is a great farewell to a game many of us have played quite religiously over the last year and a half.  It contains all the right nods to past occurrences and all the right hints to the future of the series, and it finally adds a true raid-boss finale to top off the list of awesome inclusions.  Well done Gearbox, I am now awaiting the next installment.

     It's also worth noting that while the heads for defeating Craw Jr. are a bit lackluster, the skins are quite excellent- beach attire for the whole team!  Sure, I'm a little sad there's no Swimsuit Maya skin, but at least there's a wet t-shirt Salvador... Gearbox has given me the ability to dual-wield wet nipples all over Pandora and it makes me quite ecstatic to have the privilege to do so.

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Announcement Trailer

     Traveller's Tales Games have released their newest Lego game trailer with the 3rd in the DC Comics Batman series, which should rightly be called DC Heroes now.  True to form, it's got the story and graphics with a bit of humor.  Hopefully they've fixed some of the control issues that have plagued Lego games in the past.

     Here's the official description:

     The best-selling LEGO Batman videogame franchise returns in an out-of-this-world, action-packed adventure! In LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the Caped Crusader joins forces with the super heroes of the DC Comics universe and blasts off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth. Using the power of the Lantern Rings, Brainiac shrinks worlds to add to his twisted collection of miniature cities from across the universe. Now the greatest super heroes and the most cunning villains must unite and journey to different Lantern Worlds to collect the Lantern Rings and stop Brainiac before it's too late.  

     Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will be available this fall for the PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U,  3DS,  and PC.

X-Men: Days of Future Past: Review and Thoughts (SPOILERS) (Guardians of the Galaxy Mention as well)

     ***OFFICIAL SPOILER WARNING***

     "I Don't Want Your Future"

     This is an apt quote, as the film resets the X-Men franchise with the exception of First Class.  Eliminating the horrendous Wolverine films, and the other X-men trilogy.  Thank goodness we've done away with X3, that movie was an abomination.  Good news!  The future of the X-Men movies has been fixed by the same means this film fixes the time line- through a little rewriting of history.

Edgar Wright Leaves Marvel's Ant-Man Movie Over Creative Differences

     In a huge surprise Marvel and Director Edgar Wright have parted ways on the upcoming Ant-Man film.  This is quite a shift in direction because Wright has been attached to the project since 2006, as both director and co-writer with Joe Cornish.  After years of postponement Marvel Studios and Wright have separated in an "amicable" way "due to differences in their vision of the film."
     This is depressing news as Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs The World was a tremendous film and Marvel could use that type of film in it's line-up, with only The Guardians of the Galaxy sounding similar in tone.

     A new director is apparently already lined up, but their name is still withheld, and both Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas are still playing two different versions of the character.  Personally I hope Douglas is playing Hank Pym, and Rudd as the Eric O'Grady version.  Although I think it might be that they are playing future and past versions of Pym.  We'll have to wait and see.

     With Marvel's future plans reaching into 2028 it seems like a bad omen to have a long time worker on a film depart like this.  I think their films need to branch out a little, and focus on more than one type audience or demographic- and Edgar Wright might've been able to help do that.

     The Ant-Man release date remains July 17, 2015.

     Source [ Variety ]

Batman: Arkham Knight: New "Evening the Odds" Gameplay Trailer

     The newest Arkham Knight trailer just appeared and it shows off some great gameplay mechanics.  We get some little bits of combat, an interrogation, the Batmobile, and a ton of amazing graphics.  This game might be the first real jaw dropper for the Next Gen systems.



     Everything in this trailer looks like it is part of a cinematic.  A part of me hopes there's more of a stealth element to gameplay instead of purely combat and Batmobile driving skills.  Something along the lines of being able to do traps and large scale stealth take downs.

     Regardless, Rocksteady looks to be knocking this game out of the park.

Godzilla: Mini-Review, Sequel News, and a Meme

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

     I went into Gareth Edwards' Godzilla with the lowest of expectations.  Heading in thinking we'll get a rubber-suited WWF wrestler demolishing everything in sight I was prepping for the worst.  Oddly enough, I think that actually led me to believe this movie was much, much better than I would've hoped.

Fat Shaming is Wrong: Real Giant Lizard Monsters Have Curves!

     In this new version of Godzilla we are given a rebirth of nuclear fueled creatures from the prehistoric era.  We, as humans, are merely fodder in the way of these titans.  At first I was bothered by the way that the humans are seemingly just for show.  They're given enough story to keep us interested, but not enough to really root for them.  Apparently the budget for Bryan Cranston was only enough for the fist 40 minutes.  Ken Watanabe's scientist is primarily ignored by the military, with the exception of one moment with David Strathairn and a pocket watch.  There was a serious under utilization of any of the female leads (Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as Cranston's son, is a fumbling military man that is trying to get back to his wife and son.
     What I realized was this was a smart move by the filmmakers.  The human element isn't the important part- it's the big monsters.  We aren't even a bump in the road for them.  As Watanabe's character, Dr. Serizawa, says, “The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around.”  In the end, none of the humans can do anything to help or stop the monsters.

     Maybe it's a statement on the ecological systems we are creating, maybe it's about the military's way of causing plenty of damage on top of nature's own havoc, or maybe it's just some big f***king monsters battling it out for our entertainment- regardless, I was thoroughly entertained.

     In addition I see that the news reports that a sequel has already been confirmed.  Many are asking if Mothra will be seen, but what about King Ghidorah?  I personally hope they get the rights to Gamerah and have an epic tag team battle against some other long dormant creatures of the past.
     Maybe some extremist group will try and use the knowledge to try and awaken some other slumbering giants...

     And one last thing, a Tweet I put up right after seeing the film, which ties in nicely with the image I made above:

Just saw #Godzilla and I gotta say, he's got some serious child-bearing hips. #LiteralThunderThighs
— Mr. J!sh (@jbarsody) May 19, 2014

    If Godzilla is the all-time greatest apex predator, why doesn't he eat the other giant beasts?  That would explain the massive hips and thighs...  I mean, one would think that he wouldn't solely subsist on radioactivity.  If I recall correctly Godzilla was always a little bottom-heavy and sort of pyramid shaped.  Oh well, I still enjoyed the crap out of this film and look forward to the recently announced sequel.

New Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer (2nd trailer)

     The newest trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy has dropped and it looks amazing.  After all the other Marvel films this year- I think this will be the big one.

     This looks so good I am pee-pants excited to see it.

First Trailer for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar

     With the release of Godzilla Christopher Nolan has given us his full trailer for Interstellar and it looks absolutely fantastic.



     Taking the notion of mankind's need to take to the stars and loading it with personal drama makes it quite intriguing.  Anticipation just ramped up for me- we are now awaiting something potentially catastrophic and humanity might need to be saved.  We can only guess what manner of bittersweet end might befall McConaughey- will he return, and if he does will time dilation have returned him long after everyone else has moved on?

"We must reach far beyond our own life spans.  We must think not as individuals, but as a species." 

Borderlands 2: Cross Save Patch Coming Friday (and a Mini-Review)

Shoot us now and be done with it.

     Gearbox Head Randy Pitchford Tweeted earlier today about the still unusable PS Vita/Ps3 cross-save function for the new Vita version of Borderlands 2:

Questions re: BL2 vita/ps3 x-save? I'm told PS3 update will happen Friday. Fingers crossed - it's totally out of our hands.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 14, 2014

     EDIT: UPDATE: Pitchford has since released another date, Tuesday May 20th.
 
    It appears that the game has suffered numerous setbacks since it's early launch date on the 6th.  Only a week before launch did we learn that the originally touted four player co-op had been reduced to a mere 2 player game, but the highly anticipated cross-save feature was completely missing on release.

     Now we've also heard that if our cross-save characters are above the Vita's player cap of 61, we won't earn any more exp., nor will be able to use any of the inventory items those characters have from the Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack 2, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, or Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.  So roughly 80% of all my level 61 plus characters will be rendered useless due to incompatibility of their inventories.

Zero Skill Points.  That sounds about right for this port.

     This news is just one more nail in the coffin- all the frame rate issues, sluggish motion, unresponsive controls (the rear touchpads are horrendous here),  extremely poor hitbox detection, and lagging of controls, visuals, and sound- the PS Vita version of Borderlands 2 is one giant pile of crap.  Iron Galaxy may have tried their best, but it wasn't even close to hitting the mark in any way.  Maybe they should've tried focusing on just porting the main campaign instead of cramming in an already humongous amount of substance.  As much of it as I've played makes me feel frustrated that I paid money to support the Borderlands franchise on the Vita after almost 2 years of supporting and purchasing all the various DLCs, and I'm quite regretful of that decision.

     All of the game's worst problems are quite magnified when compressed into such a small form- and the constant argument of the Vita's hardware limitations seem unrealistic, as Killzone: Mercenary was quite phenomenal, as were Gravity Rush, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Little Big Planet.  It can be done.

     In the end, it's sad to say, but this is Borderlands 2 chewed up and regurgitated into a mess that is like trying to play a sloppy slideshow instead of a game.  Perhaps someday Gearbox will release a smaller game with better controls- something like a combination of the Headhunter Packs and a full DLC as a Borderlands on the Vita.  Or, better yet, maybe they should make something Vita exclusive and really make it shine instead of cramming a whale-sized game into a can.  It was an ambitious project, but not well done and the few merits in the game definitely don't balance out the issues.

     Good gods, there were plenty of times I counted a full three seconds before the shot I fired registered, killed, and exploded enemies.  It goes from annoying to almost impossible to play when it's this consistently choppy.  All the fun has been drained out of the game and this is what was left.  Another 6 months of work could possibly have helped this game perform better, but as it sits, I can't honestly recommend it to either Vita fans or Borderlands fans.

     Here were my initial impressions of the Vita version [ Launch Day Problems... ]

Far Cry 4: Welcome to Kyrat: Ubisoft Official Announcement

     Ubisoft has finally announced Far Cry 4, and for this installment they are taking players to the dangerous and beautiful Himalayas.

     "Taking a sharp turn away from the lush island jungles of the top-rated Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4 is set in Kyrat, an untamed region currently ruled by a despotic self-appointed king. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the achingly beautiful views; Kyrat is a wild land full of perils. Once again, players will be able to craft their own stories as they travel through this exotic open world teeming with wildlife – using their wits along with an assortment of powerful weapons and diverse vehicles."

     We Far Cry fans can only hope they can match the expansive and wonderfully immersive world that Far Cry 3 had created.  Many of us are also hoping they can create a character with as much charisma as Vaas had.  He was a brilliant creation, full of madness and entertainment.
     ...and maybe they'll have something as originally hilarious as the Blood Dragon stand alone DLC.

     Far Cry 4 will be available November 18 (USA) on:
          PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows PC

     Ubisoft will have its exclusive first look at their E3 media briefing.

     Source [ UbiBlog ]

Channing Tatum Officially Confirmed to Play X-Men's Gambit

     In a fair surprise to me, Producer Lauren Shuler Donner has confirmed Magic Mike star Channing Tatum will be playing the role of Gambit in a future X-Men related movie.  Probably a spin-off film- maybe like the X-force or Deadpool films that've been mentioned plenty of times.

     Tatum has expressed interest in the character that he's loved since he was a kid, and Lauren Shuler Donner thinks he'll be great.  Those two things won't convince me he'll be good- remember all the people that tried to assure us the Wolverine films were going to be great?
     Although, Tatum's love of the character will give me a small bit of hope he'll do it justice. I mean John Carter star Taylor Kitsch, who played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, did a pretty good job in an awful film.  Hey, Deadpool was decent in the first half of that movie, and Ryan Reynolds might be getting a much-needed R rated Deadpool film.
     So, maybe, we'll get a Gambit film worth watching.  One that accurately captures the thieves and assassins of the New Orleans underworld- we want a dark and gritty crime or heist film, not a mere action spectacle.

     X-Men: Days of Future Past Premieres May 23.
     X-Men: Apocalypse is slated for a May 27, 2016 release.

     Source [ TotalFilm ]

Zack Snyder's New Batman Costume Revealed: Man of Steel 2: Batman vs Superman (Ben Affleck)

     Well, we finally get to see the new Man of Steel 2 Batman costume and Batmobile.  They are looking pretty damn good- very much like something right out of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns comic series-  he looks quite bulky, dark, and dangerous.

     I had my doubts earlier, but because of Ben Affleck's role in The Town, I was actually thinking he could do quite well in the role- just check old my older blog posts on the topic.

Community: NBC Officially Cancels the Show

     As a fan since the beginning I am at a loss for words.  Many of us believed Abed was right with "Six Seasons and a Movie," but alas, NBC has become the villain and crushed those hopes.

     With all the turmoil from behind the scenes, I'm frankly surprised I could even enjoy it as long as I have.  Rumor is that because of Hulu's deal, the show can't be picked up for a season on Netflix, but that doesn't mean there's no hope at all.  In my head Abed is saying that some shows need to fall so they can be brought back from obscurity later.  We can only hope the Dreamatorium's powers can bring back the show, complete with Troy and Hologram Pierce somewhere down the line...

     Source [ Uproxx ]

    Here's a couple Tweets from #Community that say things better than I could:

Twitter isn't big enough to hold my condolences and more importantly my gratitude to the best fans, cast and crew in TV history. Excelsior.
— Dan Harmon (@danharmon) May 9, 2014

#darkesttimeline
— Joel McHale (@joelmchale) May 9, 2014

     What I don't understand is a show as genius as Community gets cancelled, but Grimm and Parenthood are continuing?  Sure, I like Grimm, but it just isn't as good as a show overall, it's too predictable and formulaic.
     And they have a show called American Ninja Warrior coming soon show.  Seriously.

Borderlands 2: PS Vita- Launch Day Problems...

     Well, the new PS Vita Slim is quite a nice portable, but the Borderlands 2 on it already has disappointed me on 2 things.  The first issue was the 4 player co-op being chopped down to 2.  That isn't too awful, but much of the late game and Invincible Raid Bosses were designed specifically for multiplayer, not single player.  I can only hope that battling them will have been properly balanced to compensate for the lack of potential extra players.

A screencap from the Vita

     The second issue comes as a huge surprise, players cannot yet use the cross-save function.  I spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out how to get it to work, then scoped out the forums only to find out that it is currently unavailable.  I love the game, but I don't want to have to start ANOTHER character to play.  Shouldn't this have been mentioned BEFORE the game was released?  Customer Service Rep PaulG on the Gearbox Forums has said there will be a patch for the PS3 version "shortly."  It sure would've been nice to know that preordering the PS Vita Borderlands 2 bundle would've neglected to allow me to continue playing the game from where I left off with one of my other 15 characters.

     Other minor issues I've spotted while testing the game- stuttering and choppy animations, audio was off a couple times, and there were some odd color splotches instead of the normal graphical elements (backgrounds turn into a strange rainbow colored distortion).

     The last problem I've run is the strangest one- it says I've got an "Unloadable Inventory" item or items.  It claims that I've got inventory items that are from downloadable content I do not have (or are not permitted to use) and those affected items will not be loaded.  This is very strange because I can't yet access cross-save, and anything I have in my inventory came from the game I'm currently playing, not to mention the fact I've purchased pretty much every DLC pack available for the PS3 version.  A small but annoying bug.

     One last thing I would like to know is if we'll ever be able to get Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, or any of the 5 Headhunter Packs???  Considering the fact many of us have already bought the main game and all the DLCs, would we get a discount for them if they even get ported over?

     I'll be posting a more thorough review after the cross-save feature has been patched.

     Source [ Gearbox Forums ]

     More Links to Borderlands 2 Support for PS Vita [ Gearbox Forums ]

Batman: Fox's First Official GOTHAM Extended Trailer

     The first trailer has been released, and although it looks pretty good, I'm still a bit skeptical.  It feels like they're trying a bit too hard to work in too many villains for the show. We get young versions of Jim Gordon (even pre-stache, which I thought was impossible, even when he was in the womb I imagine he had the stache), Bruce Wayne, Edward Nigma- The Riddler, Selina Kyle- Catwoman, and Oswald Cobblepot- The Penguin.

     What bothers me is the fact that instead of making a story that fits in with canon continuity, it appears as if they are writing in a slew of interconnected plots which will probably lead to a convoluted mess when Bruce finally dons the cowl.  Why bother with a huge mish-mash of teen Gothamites?  Honestly, this feels like it has immense potential, except for the fact of all the villains in their youth.  We don't need a new Smallville, we need a TV version of Nolan's Gotham City.  Leave out all the villain name drops and give the show to Jim Gordon with maybe a couple cameos.  Keep it simple and effective.

     PS: Did I see a Daily Planet newspaper in there???

Tales From the Borderlands: New Images and Information

     Today the Playstation Blog has put up 5 "NEW" images and some more info about the upcoming Tales From the Borderlands game.  I put new in quotes because all 5 of these images I saw in the Official Xbox Magazine 2 weeks ago, along with a pretty decent article. (The article itself being the reason I purchased the mag.)

     Well there's something I thought might be very interesting in one of the images- Rhys's arm.  It appears as if he's got the Hyperion digi-structing capability in a neat and portable arm.  Can he summon things, or can he design or create things with it?  Is that how Handsome Jack is "still alive" when we know this takes place after the main campaign of Borderlands 2?  (I still think it would be awesome if they used the New-U tech as canon, so Jack would have a backup of himself, and could summon an entire army of Jacks for a battle)
     Maybe I'm completely wrong, maybe the arm only controls Hyperion objects, which would mean good old Claptrap would be at risk, but who hasn't wanted to shut him up a time or two? Maybe Jack still has a few decoys out there posing as him? Or did Professor Nakayama unintentionally succeed in cloning Jack before he died?

     Regardless, I'm excited for a more narrative focused Borderlands game, and with Telltale Games' track record, they are certainly the right company to make that happen.  It'll be nice to see all the familiar faces even if it's in passing, and even if is the face of Shade.

     Source [ Playstation Blog ]

Midi-Chlorians For Sale: Down on his luck Luke.

     Kotaku has another 'Shop Contest and this week it's a Star Wars new cast one.  Since I'm doing homework I can't really put much time into anything, so I quickly whipped this up.

     A down on his luck Jedi.  No offense meant to Mr. Hammill, as he is a tremendous person, this was just for laughs that's all.  At first I was going to put something like, "Will Force for Food" or a "Have you seen these droids?" poster, but just didn't have time to do it.  (Once school is out next Friday I have an awesome idea for a Luke Skywalker sketch/painting that I might toss up here

"Project Beast" From Software Screenshots Leaked

     When Dark Souls 2 was announced we learned a little something about the first 2 games' creator/director Hidetaka Miyazaki- he was not heading up Dark Souls 2.

     Now that these images have surfaced it's rumored that this is what Miyazaki has been working on this whole time.  Project Beast looks like, if these are true screenshots, it could really be a new game by the company.  If these are real, then this game will be From Software's first next gen game, and it might even be another "spiritual successor" to the Souls series.

     This time it seems there's a heavy Gothic atmosphere and in a much later period of time.   There looks to be a type of gun in the hands of a puritanical-looking individual as well as the more typical blades.  There's also the well known fog gate clearly visible in one picture.

     While this could just be a hoax or rumor, the images are rather convincing.

     Source [ Neogaf ]

Borderlands 2: PS Vita has a Two Player Co-Op Cap for Multiplayer

     As a Borderlands 2 fan AND a PS Vita fan, I was both worried and excited for the transition to get the game on the Vita.  I was worried about the compression of a massive game onto a small system, so far it's looking good, but with a couple drawbacks.

     The downsides, however, are starting to surface.  Playstation Blog revealed today that the original plan to have 4 player co-op is now limited to just 2:

"We checked in with the SCEA Third Party Production team, who confirmed that while they strived to include four-player co-op in the game, they made a decision late in their development cycle to focus on providing the best two-player-only co-op experience possible. As a result, the maximum co-operative player count for Borderlands 2 on PS Vita is capped at two."

     In addition to that I noticed that the listed items in the Vita Pack is missing a couple things:

"The gang’s all here, by the way, including DLC characters Gaige the Mechromancer and Krieg the Psycho. In addition to all six vault hunters, Borderlands 2 on Vita includes the campaign packs Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty and Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage; the Vault Hunter Upgrade pack, and the Collector’s Edition Pack!"

     So it would imply neither Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt nor Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep are included.  Does this mean that some of the things from those DLCs will be unavailable while playing on the Vita via the cross-save feature?

     There is still a wealth of material in the Vita version, but it'll be missing all the Headhunter Packs and the best of the DLC packs.  After a year and a half of being available on all other systems, will this version be worth having?  I'll give it a try since it's being packed with the Slim Vita, otherwise I'd be skipping it because it's arrived a year too late.


     Source [ Playstation Blog ]

Spider-Man Movies: No Miles Morales Coming to Film

     So Marvel has a huge plan of movies all the way through 2028, but apparently Miles Morales' Spider-Man isn't a part of it.  Well, ok, it sounds like NO non-Peter Parker Spider-Men are going to be a part of the future film plans.

An apt commentary for the picture.

     In an interview with The Playlist, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach on the cinematic future of the famed web-head:

Are Miles Morales ("Ultimate Spider-Man"), Ben Reilly (clone Spider-Man) or Miguel O'Hara ("Spider-Man 2099") on the table? If you want a Spider-Man movie every year why not bring in some of the other variations? 

Tolmach: No. 

Arad: No. The one thing you cannot do, when you have a phenomena that has stood the test of time, you have to be true to the real character inside – who is Peter Parker? What are the biggest effects on his life? Then you can draw in time, and you can consider today's world in many ways. But to have multiple ones… I don't know if you remember, but Marvel tried it. And it was almost the end of Spider-Man. 

So Spider-Man in the cinematic realm will always be Peter Parker? 

Arad: Absolutely.

     That seems a little odd though.  Arad is referring to the Ben Reilly "Clone Saga" series, which was quite unfavorably received.  In the mid-nineties pretty much all comic stories were ridiculous and then the fact they drug it out over years of convoluted storylines made it even worse.  Having Ben Reilly as a clone, then making Peter the clone, then his parents were cloned.  It wasn't that there were other Spider-men that almost ruined the character, it was how they handled the other ones.  Marvel planned a giant story and promised a bunch of answers that never came, it failed miserably.

     So, why not Miles Morales?  There are plenty of ways of working the story that don't involve the death of Peter Parker.  It would be a good change of pace, and even Andrew Garfield, the current Peter Parker, has mentioned why the world might be ready for a mixed race Spider-Man in an interview with Comic Book Resources:

"I have given that thought. I think one of the amazing things about Spider-Man is that you don't see skin color when he's in the suit. You don't see any religious beliefs. You don't see any denominations. Everyone can project themselves into that suit. It's incredibly powerful in that way. So of course I think it's important that the openness, the casting, in terms of who could be Spider-Man, could be absolutely anyone. A hero is a hero, whether you're a man, woman, gay, lesbian, straight, black, white or red all over -- it doesn't matter. 

Miles Morales was a huge moment in this character's comic book life. And I do believe that we can do that. It's something I'm really interested in figuring out; an eloquent way of coexisting, or passing on the torch. I don't have an answer, but I think it's actually a really important move. I think it's a really beautiful and important move."

     Really, there were plenty of failed Spider-Man stories, so why not take a chance on this one.  Broaden the cinema audiences with something good.  We could use a mixed race hero.

     It sounds like a massive plan to continue to tell the same stories to the same fans.  Where's the Marvel ability to adapt to new markets?  Is being inflexible to their "big picture" worth that much?  I think we need some more non-white-male hero films.  Miles Morales would open up a lot of ground, and a great story, for a new demographic.


     Source [ IGN ]

PS4 Getting Greek-Themed Apotheon

     My love of Greek Mythology and the Playstation are being combined into one 2D Platformer action-RPG called Apotheon.  It's a game that takes the ancient Greek amphoras, and brings it to life.

     It will be much in the manner of "Metroidvania" and will not follow in the mere button-masher games of old.  This will be a game that you unlock skills as you progress and can use the new abilities to open up new avenues of combat.  Shield bashes, feigned attacks to lure, and spear tossing will all add to the interesting and diverse methods of slaying your enemies.  Sounds a lot like the wonderful game Guacamelee.
     They'll be using light RPG elements to avoid grinding for levelling stats and there won't be skill trees to use.  There will however be plenty of sneaking around and looting for a crafting system which includes potions that can summon skeleton warriors.

     Apotheon has no release date yet, and I can only hope they'll bring it to the PS Vita as well.

     Source [ Playstation Blog ]