Explore Boston… in Assassin’s Creed 3
I’ve been powering my way through Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and about to start on Revelations in preparations for the upcoming release of Assassin’s Creed 3. This video just proves how much my wait is justified. Take a look.
Along with new improvements like moving blend spots and indoor escape routes, I’m really excited for the new combat system which seems more free-flowing and comparable to the Batman: Arkham series fighting mechanic. It looks there has also been a new update to the Animus. I can’t wait to play this game and see how Connor’s life effects Desmond’s in 2012.
Man, I really need to just marathon through Revelations.
Meet Oz: The Great and Powerful
Sam Raimi has been hard at work with a new venture into the world of Oz with James Franco. Along with Comic-Con comes great trailer premieres, including this one. Check it out:
I love Raimi’s decision to not only do the opening scenes in Kansas in black and white, but also in the 4:3 aspect ratio which matches the time period. The small touches of the flame escaping those boundaries will add to the 3D experience for this film, but whether that can be maintained in the color widescreen world of Oz is questionable. The story looks interesting as we get a glimpse of the various witches of Oz. I am definitely looking forward to this one.
Borderlands 2 Goes Musical
I used to avoid first person shooters. Sure I played Goldeneye, but I didn’t really enjoy them until a little game called Halo. Then, along came Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and I was sold on another franchise. But recently, there has been a little fatigue from the repetitive nature of first person shooters. Most recently, Danny and I have dived headfirst into the world of Pandora and enjoyed Borderlands. Now Borderlands still has a lot of the repetitive shooting mechanics, but what sets Borderlands apart from the plethora of FPS games out there is the sense of humor present in the game. Check out what I mean in this new trailer.
Marvel Phase One Revealed and Expanded
Can anyone deny that Marvel Studios’ planning for The Avengers was nearly masterful? What could make it any better? How about owning it? How many questions can I ask before getting to the meat of the article?
Marvel Studios has revealed the Marvel: Phase One Blu-Ray box set and it is a piece of nerdvana. You get all six movies and each respective special features, plus Blu-Ray 3D versions of Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and The Avengers. You also get a bonus disc with new bonus features. As you can see above, each movie will have some beautiful cover art. All of this comes in a replica of Fury’s briefcase complete with glowing tesseract to make all my dreams come true.
Oh yeah… There’s one more thing to be included in this amazing box set.
Batman: Arkham… Prequel?
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are two of the best comic video games ever created. Developer Rocksteady Studios is obviously hard at work at another installment even teasing back in December at the VGAs. Well, Variety is reporting Rocksteady’s new Batman game will be a prequel featuring Batman’s first encounter with Joker. Also, the game will feature Batman’s Justice League cohorts including Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.
There are a couple questions that come to mind. Will characters like Superman and Wonder Woman be playable or only appear in cameos? Who will voice the Joker with Mark Hamill claiming retirement from the character?
Also considering recent news that (a) Nolan will not be involved in future DC movies and (b) no possibility for new DC films after Man of Steel before 2015, I’m hoping this game manages to give me my DC fix in 2014, as that would be the earliest possible release. I’m also hoping DC and Warner Bros. gets their act together and utilizes their laundry list of characters in film soon. I’m loving Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series, but I really want to see them on the big screen!
RoboCop Viral Site Is Up
There is a new viral site up for the upcoming RoboCop reboot at http://omnicorp.com/. If you don’t feel like jumping over to the site, check out this video here.
Not too much in there, but we do get a glimpse at ED-209, XT-908, and a few small glimpses of the RC-2000 aka RoboCop. There’s also some news footage without audio in the upper right of the screen.
ASM End Credits: Another Take
Okay, a $7 million dollar take on midnight shows alone is a good indicator of how many people have watched The Amazing Spider-man, but on the off-chance you still haven’t, keep in mind there will be spoilers. Hit the jump to read on.
Ka-Pow 101: Intro to Galactic Defense
You’ve heard us talk about them on the podcast, and according to Kevin Feige, they are integral to introducing Thanos as the villain of a future Avengers movie. Variety has confirmed it is one of Marvel’s 2014 releases, so you have to ask yourself: just who are the Guardians of the Galaxy?
The Original Team
Clockwise from top: Starhawk, Martinex, Major Victory, Yondu, Charlie-27
Artist: Pasqual Ferry
In1969, the team was created by writer Arnold Drake and penciled by Gene Colan. As a group of freedom fighters in thirty-first century, Vance Astro (Earth), Martinex (Pluto), Charlie-27 (Jupiter), and Yondu (Beta Centauri IV) faced off against the Badoon, an alien race bent on conquering Earth’s solar system. Traveling back and forth in time, the Guardians would eventually defeat the Badoon and face the galactic threat known as Korvac alongside the Avengers. Members of the Guardians who fought in the twentieth century against Korvac even gained honorary Avengers membership. Team membership would also grow to include characters such as Firelord (a herald of Galactus) and Starhawk. Vance Astro would also recover Captain America’s shield and begin operating under the title, Major Victory.
The Modern Team
Clockwise from top: Groot, Star-Lord, Rocket Racoon, Moondragon
Artist: Alex Garner
In 2008, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning followed the success of two major cosmic events with a new series featuring several characters from the events. Following an invasion from the Negative Zone (an anti-matter universe) and a failed conquest of the Kree by Ultron, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, bands a group together to proactively stop galactic threats. This group consists of:
Adam Warlock – Artificial human with the ability to manipulate cosmic energy
Drax the Destroyer – The spirit of human Arthur Douglas in a new body with the sole purpose of killing Thanos
Gamora – Deadly assassin trained and raised by Thanos; Last survivor of her species
Phyla-Vell – Artificial daughter of Captain Mar-Vell; possessor of the Quantum Bands
Rocket Racoon – Genetically anthropomorphized racoon; space cop
Groot – Alien floral colossus (or Giant Tree Monster); Monarch of Planet X
Later additions include Major Victory (see above) and Moondragon (psionic human daughter of Drax/Arthur Douglas).
What Does This All Mean?
A Guardians of the Galaxy movie featuring this cast of characters allows for both a thorough introduction of Thanos and possibly the items of his desire the Infinity Gems. Drax, Gamora, Moondragon, Adam Warlock, and Thanos have all been possessors of various Infinity Gems as members of the Infinity Watch. Star-Lord, Rocket Racoon, and Groot are simply fan-favorite characters, but Drax, Gamora, Moondragon and Warlock all have pasts linked to Thanos. Phyla-Vell may be a tough transition especially if Marvel ever plans to introduce the Kree and Captain Marvel.
Creative Shuffle Now Called Marvel NOW!
Comic-Con is coming and that means exciting news barreling toward us for comics, movies, and more. So the Marvel creative shuffle we’ve been talking about on the podcast is now a relaunch with a lot of new titles, new costumes, and new #1’s. Entertainment Weekly has revealed this relaunch is titled Marvel NOW!, and here are some details.
Spider-man, Hulk, Jean Grey, Nova, Nick Fury Jr., Captain America, Rocket Racoon, Wolverine, Cyclops, Invisible Woman, Cable, Thor, Iron Man
Image Property of Entertainment Weekly; Artist: Joe Quesada
Uncanny Avengers will be from writer Rick Remender and artist John Cassaday. The series will feature an Avengers team comprised of mainstays such as Captain America and Thor as well as mutants Wolverine (already an Avenger) and Havok (who Remender promises to make a character to watch).
Avengers from Jonathan Hickman will feature a large cast of Avengers at about eighteen and who all are at the moment a mystery, save for one: Shang Chi. Hickman is known for his meticulously plotted stories in SHIELD and Fantastic Four, and I am definitely looking forward to this book no matter what characters are in it.
And Bendis is definitely moving into the X-Men side of the Marvel Universe with All-New X-Men which will feature the original X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) time-traveling to the modern day.
And that piece of art shown above features some of the costume redesigns with art from Joe Quesada. Captain America appears to be taking some fashion tips from Ultimate Cap and movie Cap. The armored Hulk begs the question: What the HELL does the Hulk need armor for (aside from Planet Hulk)? Hopes for a new Guardians of the Galaxy series are reinvigorated by the appearance of Rocket Raccoon. And the Cyclops redesign makes me hope for the time-traveling Iceman and Angel to see modern Cyclops and start laughing uncontrollably.
The Clown Prince Returns
He’s been MIA since the DCnU relaunched last August. All we’ve seen of him since the relaunch is his skinned face hanging in the Gotham City Police Department. But now he’s coming.
Artist: Greg Capullo
This October, the Joker returns in a story titled “Death of the Family” starting with Batman #13. That’s right. That Batman book written by superstar creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo who are just coming off the success of their “Court of Owls” storyline.
Call Yourself A Nerd 