Even though writer/director Kevin Smith was once leaning towards retirement from filmmaking, the past couple years have actually seen him take on more projects at once than he’s ever had before. He’s going to finish his horror trilogy that he revealed last summer, which already began with Tusk last year, will continue with Yoga Hosers on June 1st this summer, and end with Moose Jaws sometime next year. There’s also Clerks III shooting this May, and the holiday horror flick Anti-Claus on the way as well. And now Smith seems to be hinting at a sequel to the biggest box office bomb of his career after all those are done. Read on! ›››
Right around the time of the Academy Awards, we got a “Sesame Street” parody of Birdman with Caroll Spinney, the man who brings Big Bird to life on the iconic children’s television show. Now we have the traile for a documentary called I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story on the way looking at the man who few people know, despite his work as one of the most iconic Muppets of all-time. You may not know, but Spinney is also the voice of Oscar the Grouch, and this doc, which has been on the festival circuit for awhile, chronicles Spinney’s life and career starting from life as a child to work with Jim Henson. ›››
The stars of Marvel Studios are turning out to be more like real superheroes than actors. Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt and Captain America franchise star Chris Evans made a couple stops at children’s hospitals (photos here and here) after they made a charitable bet for the Super Bowl to help raise thousands for kids who need medical care. And now Robert Downey Jr. stepped into Tony Stark‘s shoes yet again, but not for a movie. Instead, he dressed up and appeared in character as the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to deliver an Iron Man fashioned prosthetic limb to a 7-year old boy named Alex. Watch! ›››
More than one million microcomputers will be given to every Year-7 student in the UK from August this year, as part of a major nationwide initiative to inspire a new generation of coders.
The small, wearable microcomputer–nicknamed the Micro Bit–is said to be a “standalone, entry-level coding device that allows children to pick it up, plug it into a computer and start creating with it immediately.”
In a bid to recapture the success of the BBC Micro computer, which was released to schools in the ’80s and helped cultivate a generation of coders, the Micro Bit device will teach students aged 11-12 the fundamentals of coding.
This flagship initiative, spearheaded by the BBC, comes amid fears that the UK is facing a skills shortage as it enters into the digital age. According to a 2014 report from the creative media council Skillset, more than 1.4 million digital professionals will be required in the UK for employment over the next five years.
It is hoped that giving children devices to code with will help inspire them onto the path of a programming career, which could theoretically close the skill gap within a decade.
The Micro Bit’s specs were not disclosed, and the BBC said the name is not final.
Meanwhile, as part of the wider “Make It Digital” initiative, a trainee scheme is expected to provide opportunities for up to 5,000 young unemployed people. Companies already signed up to the trainee scheme include ARM, Barclays, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.
Finally, the broadcasting arm of the BBC is bringing together a season of programmes that it hopes will help arouse interest in coding. As part of this, the broadcaster will air a BBC Two drama based on Grand Theft Auto, as well as a documentary on Bletchley Park, where the enigma code was cracked during World War 2.
“This is exactly what the BBC is all about – bringing the industry together on an unprecedented scale and making a difference to millions,” said BBC director general Tony Hall.
“Just as we did with the BBC Micro in the 1980s, we want to inspire the digital visionaries of the future. Only the BBC can bring partners together to attempt something this ambitious, this important to Britain’s future on the world stage.
“BBC Make it Digital could help digital creativity become as familiar and fundamental as writing, and I’m truly excited by what Britain, and future great Britons, can achieve.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the project director of action-RPG Bloodborne, has confirmed that the PlayStation 4 exclusive title will feature a New Game Plus mode.
In an interview with MCV, the developer claimed that the hardened difficulty mode, which unlocks after completing the campaign for the first time, is proving to be a tough challenge even for its creators.
“Yes, there will be a New Game Plus mode. We’re having trouble beating it, though,” he said.
Bloodborne is a spiritual successor to the Dark Souls games; a series that cultivated a dedicated following due to its merciless difficulty in an era where other games designers tend to make life easy for their customers.
Following a delay, the Bloodborne release date is now March 24 in the US and March 27 in the UK. For more on Bloodborne, check out our previous coverage.
Bungie’s Destiny live team has outlined its hopes and priorities for the 1.1.2 update that is currently being coded.
The team cites increasing vault space as a key objective, meaning that players who accrue items won’t need to micro-manage their inventories so much. Writing on the Destiny blog, community manager David Dague also cites Raid bugs and Strike difficulty balances as goals for the next update.
Meanwhile, further in-game display and audio options will allow players to better customise the way Destiny looks and sounds.
The list of tweaks, as written by Dague, follows:
Vault Space: We know you need more space to collect all the treasures you gain from your missions, and more gear is on the way.
Raid Fixes: There are times when Atheon and Crota can be uncooperative, so we’re tackling their worst bugs.
Audio and Visual: Not everyone wants to see or hear a game the same way, which is why we’re looking at providing more options.
PVP Ammunition: The Crucible team wants to change the way ammo crates dictate the flow of a battle.
Strikes: The numbers tell us that there are some missions that are successfully completed far less than others, inspiring us to look at why people quit.
No timeline for the update was announced. Elsewhere in the Destiny blog update, Dague talks to some of the team about how they consider and plan updates. Read about that here.
Despite dividing critical opinion upon release, Destiny has accumulated numerous awards from the industry, the latest being the BAFTA Best Game Award.
The long-awaited remake of The Legend of Zelda classic, Majora’s Mask, was the best-selling game in the US for February.
While February is typically a slow month for game releases, it’s still a surprise win for what is generally considered an obscure (but beloved) entry in the Zelda franchise. Nintendo’s only other showing on the NPD Group’s top 10 list was for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.
NPD rankings do not include digital sales, only new, physical sales, but it does include collector’s editions, game of the year editions, and bundles. It’s worth noting that, while Nintendo did release a special edition Majora’s Mask New 3DS XL in the US, the game was not bundled with that system.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS) — Nintendo
While most companies don’t reveal exact sales numbers, Nintendo wrote in a press release that Majora’s Mask sold “515,000 combined physical and digital units.” Nintendo also wrote that it is “the fastest-selling Legend of Zelda hand-held title in US history.” Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate sold “290,000 combined physical and digital units and is now the fastest-selling Monster Hunter title — across all platforms — in US history.”
For console titles, the NPD Group’s Liam Callahan offered the following guidance: “This is the first time since the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One that the top 10 console software SKUs were all from eighth generation consoles, a sign of consumer’s further transition away from seventh generation consoles towards the new console generation.”
Blizzard has announced ticketing details for this year’s BlizzCon event, taking place on November 6-7 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets will cost $199 each, plus taxes and fees. Those interested in picking up tickets will be able to do so using the BlizzCon Eventbrite site.
This year’s attendees will also have the opportunity to attend an exclusive pre-BlizzCon dinner on the evening of November 5, which will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).
Tickets will be sold in two batches. The first will be available from 7PM PST on Wesnesday, April 15. The second will go on sale at 10AM PST on Saturday, April 18.
As usual, BlizzCon 2015 will feature the latest line-up of Blizzard’s games for attendees to play. The global finals for the Starcraft II World Championship Series and Hearthstone World Championship will take place at the event. For those unable to attend, Blizzard has confirmed that the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will be returning this year. Pricing details and available till be announced later.
Destiny also picked up nominations for the Game Design, Multiplayer, and Persistent Game awards. This isn’t the first time the game has been nominated for the Game of the Year award, as it received a nomination for the same category at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards as well as at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
Here’s the full list of winners for each category at this year’s BAFTA awards.
The New 3DS XL isn’t just being propped up by sales of the earlier hardware either. Nintendo noted that the 3DS family has sold 395,000 units in the US so far, and “the great majority of these sales were New Nintendo 3DS XL systems, which sold 130 percent more units in its initial frame than Nintendo 3DS XL did when it launched.”
And sales continue to escalate; Nintendo wrote: “Through the first two months of 2015, sales of Nintendo 3DS hardware have increased by more than 90 percent over sales in the same period in 2014.” The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was the top-selling title for February as well, cementing Nintendo’s strong handheld performance. We’ll have the full list of NPD best-sellers available shortly.
Sony also wrote, “Demand for PlayStation 4 remains incredibly strong in the U.S. as it was number one in hardware and software sales in February according to the latest NPD report. PS4 remains the cumulative leader in hardware sales with more than 20.2 million units sold to consumers worldwide demonstrating the fastest growth in PlayStation hardware history.”
While the messaging from Sony and Nintendo sounds conflicting, a Sony representative clarified to GameSpot that its statistic refers to home console sales.
From Microsoft, the company noted that the Xbox One had “record February sales in the US … and 84 percent more consoles sold compared to January 2015.” And Nintendo’s Wii U sales “have increased by more than 20 percent over sales in the same period in 2014,” according to Nintendo. Another impressive statistic the company revealed: “Life-to-date sales of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Amiibo have surpassed 1.5 million total units and 3.5 million figures, respectively, an attach rate of nearly 2.5 amiibo figures per game unit sold.”
