Wednesday 13 August 2014

Rise of the Tomb Raider only on Xbox One



Tomb Raider, a franchise broadly synonymous with PlayStation, will see the first sequel to its successful 2013 reboot only on Xbox One. This exclusive bombshell was announced during Gamescom and ignited fan fury across the internet.

Whether or not Rise of the Tomb Raider is a timed exclusive doesn't matter. Tomb Raider is a multi-platform franchise. Presumably, Microsoft is bankrolling the development of the new game in the hope it'll go toe-to-toe with PS4 exclusive Uncharted 4: A Thief's End during holiday 2015.

In a blog post, Crystal Dynamics chief Darrell Gallagher said the company is trying to make “the most ambitious ‘Tomb Raider’ game ever built” and that “our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in 'Tomb Raider’ and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past — we believe this will be a step to really forging the ‘Tomb Raider’ brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.”

Other Tomb Raider games will still be released on the PlayStation and PC, including December’s Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will not be disappearing from shelves.

It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine Microsoft adding Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for Xbox One (updated to run at 1080p/60fps) to Games with Gold in the coming months.

Microsoft also detailed an update for Xbox One, which will bring multimedia feature parity with Xbox 360. A media player with USB device playback and DLNA support soon.

Are you annoyed Lara Croft has switched to Xbox? Let me know in the comments below.

Monday 11 August 2014

Sky Sports Week Pass on NOW TV



From Thursday NOW TV subscribers will be able to purchase a Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99. This a smart move in Sky's battle with BT Sport and includes the brand new channel Sky Sports 5, which launches tomorrow. However, sports fans will most likely prefer a competitively priced monthly subscription much like Sky Movies.

Gidon Katz, director of NOW TV said: "With the start of the football season just days away, this is a great time to be giving sports fans even more choice. We know our sports fans are hungry for more flexibility in how they watch sports and the new Sky Sports Week Pass offers just that. Now fans simply have to decide if they want to snack on a day pass or feast on a week's sport for just £10.99."

Richard Broughton, director of broadband at research company IHS, believes the new offer is recognition that NOW TV is too pricey. “The main thing Sky is recognising here is that it is facing a bit of an uphill challenge getting consumers to buy into NOW TV. Film and entertainment are great but sport has always been the driver. They have pushed NOW TV as the more premium alternative to Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, but it has not really been attractive enough to compete.”

NOW TV is currently available on the NOW TV Box, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android smartphones and tablets, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, YouView, LG Smart TVs, selected LG media devices, Roku boxes and Apple TV (Sky Sports Day Pass only).

Sunday 10 August 2014

First look at Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels



Disney has posted an extended preview for its upcoming Star Wars Rebels series on Disney XD.



The familiar sights and sounds of a galaxy far, far away with an Aladdin twist? I'd be remiss not to highlight a soundtrack that reprises John Williams' leitmotifs for the original Star Wars trilogy.

The new series premieres this October on Disney XD. Lookout for a range of collectibles including action figures from Hasbro.

Saturday 9 August 2014

Bad Robot tweets Batman and Star Wars mashup



Bad Robot has tweeted an image of the prissy protocol droid C-3PO dressed as Batman responding to an Alliance signal in place of the iconic Batman logo.

This playful game of Twitter tag began when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder posted a photo depicting Henry Cavill dressed as a Jedi Knight and wielding a lightsaber.

Any thoughts on this latest crossover? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday 7 August 2014

Hot Toys' Rocket and Groot are all kinds of awesome



Rejoice collectors!

Marvel studios is expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe and bringing fans to the cosmos in the action packed space adventure - Guardians of the Galaxy. A Group of two thugs, an outlaw, an assassin and a maniac will team up to battle evil and save the galaxy!

Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are excited to present the special Rocket and Groot Sixth Scale Figure Set which includes the gun-toting raccoon and his personal houseplant/muscle.

The movie-accurate Rocket Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on his unique physique in the film. It features a finely sculpted head and body, specially tailored costume, weapon, and specially designed figure stand.

The movie-accurate Groot Collectible Figure features a highly detailed head and body with amazing paint application to reflect his distinctive appearance, and a specially designed figure stand.

The Rocket and Groot Collectible Set will exclusively include an additional interchangeable angry expression face and a pair of partially clenched angry palms for Groot.

You can pre-order Rocket and Groot (affiliate link) from Sideshow Collectibles for delivery in March 2015.

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Marvel's misfits conquer all in Guardians of the Galaxy



Guardians of the Galaxy, earning an estimated $94 million on its opening weekend, is the summation of my misspent youth reading Marvel comics! It's tantamount to seeing Star Wars for the first time. Yes, it really is that good.

Director James Gunn took to Facebook to thank the fans for their support. “Thanks to all of you who saw (and are seeing) ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ this weekend, from the bottom of my heart,” Gunn wrote in a letter he posted on Facebook on Sunday.

“The Guardians are a group of oddballs, outcasts, and geeks. The movie is for anyone who ever felt cast aside, left out, or different. It’s for all of us who don't belong. This movie belongs to you. And, today, I think we're doing okay.”

Marvel's X-Men, alongside stablemate Spider-Man, filled that billing with aplomb whilst living with the consequences of a traumatic head injury at school, but the Guardians of the Galaxy bring joyous misfit mayhem to the mix (tape).

Guardians of the Galaxy is a most satisfying take on the Spaghetti Western in space, wrapped in 1980s pop culture nostalgia with a spaceship named after a childhood crush! What's not to like?

Groot and Rocket Raccoon FTW! It's the most fun I've had at the cinema since Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier scuttled S.H.I.E.L.D. and rebooted a struggling television series in the process. As always stay until after the end credits have rolled.

Seen Guardians of the Galaxy? Let me know in the comments below.

Monday 4 August 2014

Dive into the world of Rapture in BioShock for iOS



2K China bypasses PS Vita to bring Irrational Games' dark deco dystopia BioShock to iOS later this summer at a premium price! This is the studio's followup to its excellent XCom port, which comes highly recommended.

"BioShock was such a huge game back when it released," production assistant Ben Holschuh said. "With more and more people having iPads and iPhones and using that as their core gaming device, there has been a lot more demand lately for some more core experiences.

"BioShock seemed to make a lot of sense."

Would you prefer to play BioShock on PS Vita? Let me know in the comments below.

Saturday 2 August 2014

True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll joins Marvel's Daredevil



True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll joins the cast of Marvel's Daredevil, which exclusively premieres on Netflix in 2015.

"Deborah Ann Woll is fiery, self-assured and inspires those around her--all words that perfectly describe Karen Page," said Jeph Loeb, Marvel's Head of Television. "It's through Deborah Ann's nuanced portrayal that we see just why Karen is not only important to Matt Murdock, but is a central figure in the war for the soul of Hell's Kitchen."

Looking forward to the Daredevil series? Let me know in the comments below.

Friday 1 August 2014

An Avengers movie every 3 years?



During San Diego Comic-Con Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige outlined plans for where the Avengers movies might fall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe release schedule.

"The last one was just a scheduling thing, there were other studios that were moving their chess pieces around on their boards, which is why that had been in the works — why that other 2018 date came up a few days after the initial release. We haven’t really talked about when we’ll see Avengers 3. I assume we’d like to stick to three years between Avengers movies like we did [between Avengers and Age of Ultron]."

This is the theatrical release schedule as it stands. May 4, 2018 seems most likely for The Avengers 3, but is unconfirmed:

Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015
Ant-Man on July 17, 2015
Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016
Untitled on July 8, 2016 (Doctor Strange?)
Untitled on May 5, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on July 28, 2017
November 3, 2017
May 4, 2018
July 6, 2018
November 2, 2018
May 3, 2019

Are you excited for more Avengers? Let me know in the comments below.