How to use this Page

Seth Rogen is Walt Disney...at least for these 30 seconds.

The post Seth Rogen Spoofs Walt Disney In ‘Sausage Party’ TV Spot appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Figuring out how to make the characters in "The Angry Birds Movie" look simple was a big challenge for Sony Imageworks.

The post A Big Challenge: Making Characters in ‘Angry Birds Movie’ Look Simple appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

"Angry Birds" is a hit in both the United States and China.

The post ‘Angry Birds’ Launches in First Place in U.S. and China appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

A new challenger has entered the arena!

Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s lovely Image series Descender was picked up by Sony for adaptation into a feature film last year before the first issue even hit the stands. It was even the subject of a big bidding war between studios, with the “House of Spidey” winning out. Just a little over 12 months later (by […]

What's the secret to Sony's convention success?

Critics lambasted "Hotel Transyvlania 2," but the complaints were directed at Adam Sandler's underwhelming humor and not Genndy Tartakovsky's directing.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Genndy Tartakovsky talks to Cartoon Brew about the challenges of making "Hotel Transylvania 2" and what he's trying to do next.

Valiant Entertainment are bring their comics to your PlayStation menus.

Sony succeeded in removing multiple films from Vimeo with the word "pixels" in its title.

After months and months of speculation, we now have a 100% official new Peter Parker as Tom Holland (The Impossible) will debut as rebooted version of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War as well as the next stand-alone Spider-Man film hitting theaters in 2017.

Not only did Marvel and Sony announce their newest web-slinger, but they also jointly unveiled that relatively untested directed Jon Watts will helm the solo feature. While Holland’s name had been bantied about for a while, and he was generally considered the front-runner along with Asa Butterfield, Watts is more of a surprise choice, though he did show up on the studios’ director short-list that was produced a few week’s ago. Watts’ only major feature to this point was last year’s horror outing Clown, and his recent Sundance debuting film Cop Car was met with mixed reviews.

But, at the very least, the speculation on this topic can end, and we can look forward to further discussion on villains and just how Peter Parker will play into the new Captain America feature.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige compared Watts to some of the other director choices made by the studio in the past:

“As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life. We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”

Amy Pascal, who is working hand in hand with Feige on this project, spoke to Holland’s casting specifically:

“Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

So there you have it, a Spider-Man and a director are now in place. What do you think about these two choices? Are you excited about the future of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler?

Well here’s something super progressive.

According to a leaked agreement between the Sony and Marvel studios that share film rights for the Spider-Man franchise, the Spider-Man character and his alter ego Peter Parker can only be portrayed under the strictest terms.  Most of these terms are par for the course for Marvel films, which have historically frowned upon portraying their characters killing for fun or expressing pedophilic desires.  However, in addition to these stipulations, there are some other interesting ones in the contract.  Notably the last one in this excerpt.

So.  Spider-Man can’t be gay unless his alter-ego is gay?  Okay….what are the stipulations to Peter’s character, then? 

So Peter Parker cannot be poor, must be white, and…must be straight.  Great.

When Gawker broke the story, they indicated that the contract between Sony and Marvel forbid Spider-Man from being any race except Caucasian and from expressing same-sex desires.  That is not true.  Peter Parker must be white and straight.  Then again, I highly doubt that Marvel or Sony would make a Spider-Man film using another alter-ego such as the black Miles Morales out of fear of confusing the general audience who only knows Spider-Man as Peter Parker.  Thus, while Gawker did sensationalize their claim to some extent, closing the opportunity for a studio to change Peter’s race or sexuality is tantamount to ensuring that we do not end up with a movie featuring a black or gay Spider-Man.

In the past, Marvel has demonstrated that they are willing to race-bend characters such as the traditionally white Nick Fury.  At the time, it was heralded as a great movie for representation in the predominantly white Marvel Cinematic Universe.  However, Nick Fury was, up until recently, never really considered an A-list hero, thus minimizing Marvel’s risk.  It’s unfortunate that film studios still appear to be unwilling to take the plunge and truly commit to creating a more diverse looking cinematic landscape.

We’re halfway through both the actual calendar, and the Summer blockbuster season (which started in May).  Even though it feels like a Friday night at the video store circa 1990, there have been some amazing movies released so far. Dinosaurs are battling robots for box office supremacy, and Pixar is once again at the front of Best Animated Feature Oscar speculation with “Inside Out”.

Here’s the latest movie schedule, culled from various sources… Not much to update, except for the Smurfs getting an actual title.  There will probably be more after San Diego and D23.

NOTE:  My colleagues have noted the confusion over Warner Brothers’ superhero schedule.

To be clear: past Suicide Squad, Warners Brothers/DC Entertainment has not matched announced movies with opening dates.

So, you will see a listing like:

Unknown 2018

Flash

and

3/23/2018

Untitled DC

That does not mean that there are two movies scheduled, only that DCE is planning movies, and has claimed dates. Other news sites have linked titles to dates. This has not been officially announced or confirmed by Warner Brothers, and until I see official confirmation, will continue to list the names and dates separately. When do I expect to see that confirmation? Either at a shareholder’s meeting, or sometime in July or August, just like last year. Like last year, I expect Marvel, via D23, to make a bigger splash than DC, although DC could try to win Comic-Con this year, given Marvel Studio’s suspected absence.

Updates are in bold.  I have included links back to Box Office Mojo, which is the source of this data.

Media Molecules's follow-up to "Tearaway" and "LittleBigPlanet" mines user-generated art to create endless dream worlds.

Midday Tuesday, the Los Angeles Convention Center will open its exhibit hall doors and over 125,000 gamers, press, and VIPs will spend three days talking about and playing video games. Monday was the traditional press conference filled day before the show where each major publisher gets an hour or so in the media spotlight (except Nintendo which happens Tuesday morning). Over the last few years it’s become the unofficial start of E3 and today the latest chapter of console wars was waged.

These lavish presentations full of bright lights, fog machines, and the occasional video game trailer have become a competition between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. Sure a case could be made for Bethesda after their take no prisoners flurry of Doom and Fallout 4 on Sunday night, but for now we’ll only examine two of the big three (Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation).

Every year this day has the feel of a heavyweight prize fight in Vegas but with less scripted stuff, and for the most part it’s worth paying to see. This year could be summarized as the year of distinction. Rather than trade jabs or brag about how many units they’ve moved, both Sony and Microsoft stuck to what puts butts in their seats… games. In doing so each showed a shifted focus on different aspects of the market.

When Xbox opened their presentation this morning they did so by having a female lead from 343 Industries take the stage. For those who don’t know 343 Industries are the current developer of Halo games and the unquestionable massive blockbuster in the making Halo 5: Guardians. Huge step for female leaders in the gaming industry. Now as to where Xbox has focused their energy and resource, well it’s easy to see; they’re after the Summer popcorn flick audience.

Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears 4, Forza 6; all these exclusive experiences coming to the Xbox One and all are created on the premise of generating revenue in excess of 3 times what it cost to produce. You know what? They’ve got a legitimate shot of doing so. Look at Gears 4:

It’s over the top action, it’s entertaining violence, it’s a sequel, it’s Hollywood. The same could be said for the other big titles shown by Xbox.

Sure ID@Xbox exists to keep the footprint of independent creation at Microsoft, but nothing has emerged exclusively out of that camp as a contender for a game of the year award. There are some promising titles coming soon from it, particularly the Cuphead game, but it’s far from a “game changer”.

Xbox’s current strategy is focused on opening wallets with adrenaline rushes to the eyes, and along the way they managed to be first to give console gamers the thing they’ve been clamoring for, Backwards Compatibility! Monday they dropped information on the first true version of this feature we all believe is so simple you’d think it should have been there all along. It’s not a service you’ll have to pay for, nope, Xbox simply wants you to put in an old 360 game and play it on your new Xbox One. There’s still a lot of details to work out including; if the day comes where every game is backwards compatible but has online multiplayer servers that were shut down, what then. But this is a step in the right direction for Xbox and will certainly help them get the audience who haven’t made the transition from Xbox 360 to Xbox One for fear of losing their library.

Remember when we all wanted to burn Xbox at the stake and everyone groaned at DRM protected games and a console that always had to be connected to the Internet. Then when it came in $100 more than its competition everyone all but wrote off Microsoft. They’ve come a long way since those days. Now consider that Phil Spencer was the first corporate face in this new era of consoles to come out, and by focusing on games, say this is why you bought an Xbox One. While Xbox hasn’t fully recovered from their mistakes which led to an almost insurmountable uphill PR battle; they have managed get back up before the count of 10. Xbox is actually giving gamers what we want, deal with it!

Now don’t get things mixed up. PlayStation is my jam! The warm feels you have about that old 8-bit Nintendo where you had to blow in the cartridges, throw salt over your shoulder, and sacrifice a chicken in order to make it work (not sure about those last two); that’s how I feel about the original PS one. I’ve stuck with Sony through all their missteps and those E3 press events where you keep yelling at the screen begging them to stop showing a demo of a book. This year Sony put up one hell of a show, especially when going in it appeared they might not have much to talk about.

What they did demonstrate on Monday is how radically different their focus is from that of the competition. PlayStation, more than Microsoft, has an uncanny affirmation to the art of video games. Sure, we saw one presentation for their triple-A exclusive planet destroyer of a blockbuster, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Mind blown!

When it arrives, Uncharted 4 will be a contender for game of the year. The only other triple-A title to make an exclusive appearance for PlayStation was Guerrilla Games finally revealing the project they’ve been working on in secret. This world looks epic to say the least and the setting is definitely unique, take a look at Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Both these games are said to be coming in 2016, leaving Sony without a 2015 exclusive blockbuster game. Star Wars Battlefront is available on Xbox One, and if No Man’s Sky were to come out this year it’s still “console debut” on PlayStation. This means it may see a release at the competition.

Where Sony is really leading the charge is in indie games. Their resume in these stylish artistic experiences is unparalleled; Unfinished Swan and Journey just to name a few. While Sony have yet to put out true killer apps that remind us why we bought the PS4, they’ve managed to add real value using games considered too experimental by big publishers. PS4 gets Everyone’s Gone to Rapture, Devolver, and Killstrain; all nice additions to the PlayStation library.

Sony isn’t stopping there. Just look at what Little Big Planet architect Media Molecule is bringing to the table at some point.

Dreams is a game that taps into the artistic zeitgeist of the gaming community. I can’t wait to see what twisted beautiful creations players come up with using the game.

While 2015 is a holding year for Sony they reminded everyone that even though the big games of the year won’t be exclusive to Sony, some of their bonus content will be. For comic fans there’s no bigger game this year than Batman: Arkham Knight. Part of their presentation was showing off the exclusive Scarecrow Nightmare Missions for the game.  It was a level of insanity not yet seen in the Arkham franchise, a level of experimentation perfect for PlayStation. You fired a gun in first person view! You fired a gun in a Batman game!

Yes, we finally saw The Last Guardian again. It’s been 7 years and whole console cycle but the game is still in the works. Though for as long a wait as fans have endured, it just didn’t feel like a PS4 game… at least visually it didn’t. It’s still early with much left to be revealed about the game and it will certainly be a part of the PlayStation Experience this year.

Perhaps Sony’s biggest pop came from another long awaited return.

PlayStation and Final Fantasy have always gone hand-in-hand. It’s one of the many reasons for Sony’s loyal fan base over the years. We saw this game announced some time ago with cheap place holder graphics but seeing how next-level this title looks in its CG trailer; you couldn’t help but be filled with glee.

Sony’s media presentation managed to not bore me when the talk shifted to PlayStation Vue‘s a la carte TV service. It’s a feature that, while not on my wish list, has an appeal for anyone who hates paying 50 bucks a month for cable TV.

Massive kudos to PlayStation for not totally forgetting the Vita. Sony’s handheld is a great piece of hardware that’s never received its due. Many of the games shown during the press conference have Vita ports on the way or remote play functionality.

Also personal note, Sony gets extra points for giving me an excuse to tweet @beckycloonan during their baller a** pre-show. Any time that happens it’s a win for everyone. Now go read Gotham Academy #7.

So while it was far from a bad outing for PlayStation, it did reinforce the fact that the company’s best year is not 2015. In a culture that demands instant gratification, teasing what you’ll be playing in 2016/2017 doesn’t win you the battle.

Ultimately, these companies are on two different paths to lead the industry. Xbox is here to blow sh** up and take your money now. Meanwhile, PlayStation has become the artistic torch bearer of gaming; they’re inventing new types of experiences using the technology at hand… just not for us to use right now.

Who won E3 2015 media day? Well by what we saw from both camps today, it’s apparent Xbox took the win. It’s really the first year they can make that claim. Microsoft showed big games for this year, new ideas, and gave the crowd something we wanted from both systems, first. I’m a PlayStation guy through and through so it’s with a heavy heart I had to give Xbox the W. However, judging by the path Sony laid out for gamers today; I expect E3 2016 to be the biggest year PlayStation has in recent memory. Hopefully by then our cyborg bodies built by robot overlords will be ready.

You knew it had to be coming. As soon as it was reported that Sony and Marvel would collaborate on all decisions related to Spider-Man for the SECOND live-action reboot of the character, it was just a matter of time before signs of dischord might surface.

We’re talking about two billion dollar studios and one of the biggest franchises of all time. There was no way this was going to be totally sunshine and happiness.

And according to Jeff Sneider over at Meet the Movie Press, that very conflict is starting to take shape as Sony is lining up behind the casting of Tom Holland (The Impossible, Wolf Hall) and Marvel is backing Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire). According to Sneider’s sources, those two along with Matthew Lintz (Kill the Messenger) are the final contenders for the role.

Surprisingly, there’s no mention of Asa Butterfield, who was long thought to be the front-runner for the role. Is he out?

Spider-Man’s scenes for Captain America: Civil War were supposed to begin shooting this month in Atlanta, but with casting at a stand-still, some changes may end up having to be made. Or perhaps something will snap into focus over the weekend or next week. Your guess is as good as mine at this point.

Last year, tons of comic book publishers made major announcements to avoid being drowned out in the noise that is Comic-Con. Looks like gaming is following suit. In the last few days we’ve had major gaming news surprise audiences and things we speculated would be revealed at the show be announced days before. Tonight, let’s talk about Star Wars Battlefront, Ratchet & Clank, and The Walking Dead. Let’s Go! ( Secret Wars books at the bottom)

DICE, the developer behind this November’s highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront game, released a new screen shot in anticipation of their showing at E3 next week.

The image reveled through the game’s twitter account shows rebels fighting off the empire on what looks to be the ice planet, Hoth. A planet that was revealed to be one of the Battlefront’s 12 multiplayer maps alongside locations like Endor and Tattoine.

Our Thought:

With Titanfall 2 being kept quiet, Battlefront will have a strong presence possibly showing off a nearly ready for launch version of the game. With Star Wars happenings announced for SDCC, this could be the beginning  of a tour that will see Battelfront hit locations like D23, SDCC, and Gamescom. And why not… with the movie to come out shortly after EA’s Star Wars there’s never been a greater opportunity more quality synergy between different mediums. With Sony’s presentation being light on first party exclusives we could see some gameplay during EA’s event and an announcement about more exclusive content during the PlayStation press conference.

In 2016, Insomniac Games partners with animation company Blockade to bring a feature length Ratchet & Clank movie to the big screen. Today on the PlayStation Blog, the developer released a trailer for the original Ratchet & Clank game re-imagined for the PS4.

The game will feature new planets, boss fights, and gameplay not seen in the original PS2 title. This might be the first time we’ve seen a game, based on a movie, based on a game. Ratchet & Clank the game comes exclusively to the PS4 in Spring 2016 alongside the film coming to theaters at the same time.

Also for any LA area readers, PlayStation Blog also announced plans for their E3 meet up:

E3 Community Event

If you’re lucky enough to live in SoCal, we’ve got a treat for you. You’re invited to swing by the San Diego Studios E3 Community Meetup located outside of the West Hall entrance of the L.A. Convention Center (at Figueroa and Pico) on Wednesday, June 17th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm — it’s free and open to the public! Just look for the MLB The Show “Trophy House” tent. 

You’ll meet San Diego Studios developers and be among to first to play:

• MLB 15 The Show
• Drawn To Death
• Guns Up!
• Killstrain

There will be opportunities to give feedback to developers, too, including a gentleman by the name of David Jaffe. You won’t wanna miss that!

Nearby, you’ll also be able to go hands-on with Star Wars Battlefront, try out the Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing Experience, and pick up PlayStation gear from the merchandise store. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon!

Our Thought:

The original PS2 platformer was one of the experiences that allowed PlayStation to overtake Nintendo and Xbox in the early console wars. Loaded with off the wall weaponry, action, and comedy; R&C is regarded by many as one of the best games of all time. I’ve consistently complained about companies porting over old games, but this is different for various reasons. Sony isn’t bringing over a game consumers already bought as recently as 2012, it’s been 13 years since the original game came debuted on the PS2. Additionaly, Insomniac isn’t handing over anything to another developer. Insomniac is giving fans more than just a visual upgrade, they’re loading this old favorite with a buffet of new additions. While the developer has promised to keep the beats of the story intact, they’ll be delving much deeper into the characters to be on par with the upcoming film. I believe it when they say it isn’t just a remaster. While we’ll see a ton of the game next week, it’s still too early to talk about price.

Global videogame publisher 505 Games today announced its line-up of titles and announcements that will be showcased at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles. Notably, they’re working with Overkill. If you played the ultra violent first-person shooter Payday you know their work well. Payday put you in the shoes of a team of bank robbers as you staged heist and went to war with the police.

While the company is concurrently working on another Payday title, they’ll also be showing off their new game based in the world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics.

OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD marries two of the most vibrant and rabid fan-bases in the world to create a true co-op, first person shooter experience. OVERKILL has conceived new characters, plots and story-arcs that will live in the ever expansive world of The Walking Dead graphic novel series. 

OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD is in development by OVERKILL – a Starbreeze studio, along with Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead graphic novel series. The game will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2016.

Our Thought:

Activision’s Walking Dead Survial Instinct wasn’t quite what we were hoping for out of an action themed game in Kirkman’s universe.  With limiting Overkill’s game release to the newer consoles, the studio has a chance to create an action experience worthy of the stories told in Walking Dead. This was the last thing we saw about the game a year ago, and I for one can’t wait to see what where they’re at a year later.

Monday, we’ll be on the ground at the Xbox, EA, and PlayStation events. Then as the show opens Tuesday we’ll be getting hands on time and talking to developers for:

• Rockband 4
• Lego Marvel’s Avengers
• Starwars Battlefront
• Disney Infinity 3.0
• And more…

In the meantime enjoy some of this week’s Secret Wars comics from Marvel

Marvel.com/redeem (1st come 1st served)

Ghost Riders #1: FMCR9WSS7AT0

Mrs.Deadpool & the Howling Commandos #1: FMC48U99AM1X

Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps #1: FMCSE0FKIRYR

Marvel Zombies #1: FMCN6X442PXV

We’re just a little bit over a week from one of the biggest video game trade shows around, E3. Publishers and developers are readying snipitets of their upcoming games for a select few to go hands on with. Before the madness ensues, Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls, Skyrim) took it upon themselves to make a major pre-show announcement earlier this week. Meanwhile, Telltale Games revealed they won’t have much to demo at E3, but teased something big for Walking Dead fans. Finally, Microsoft wants to bring the general public a slice of E3…Let’s Go!

The creative force behind popular games such as Skyrim and Elder Scrolls confirmed the long rumored next chapter of the Fallout game series. This past Wednesday Bethesda Softworks officially announced Fallout 4 and dropped the game’s first teaser.

The only things certain about Fallout 4 is that it won’t be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360. This one will be a modern console and PC only game. But from the trailer we can deduce for certain a return to Vault 111 with some good ol Nuka Cola, oh and it’ll have a dog and well that’s about it. More details about the game will be revealed during Bethesda’s E3 showcase on June 14 at 7pm PST. Fans can watch it live on the developers YouTube channel here.

Our thought:

Since the trailers debut the Internet has given Fallout 4 the scrutinizing response many a film and celebrity have enjoyed. Some have said “it doesn’t look as good as it should”, while others have made fun of the Baahston setting with Fenway Park. Bethesda’s previous entry, Fallout 3, was a technical and visual achievement for previous gen consoles. In this current shiny 4K era, visual achievements are few and far between. The room left for evolutionary leaps rests in the gameplay mechanics. If you enjoyed Skyrim on a PS3 or Xbox 360, then it’s fun to imagine what Bethesda’s mind could do with the power of this new generation of consoles, maybe even giving the game an online capability it’s never seen before.

What’s most interesting about the rumors still swirling around Fallout 4 is its possible release date. The Bethesda online store suggest it could be this year. Its estimated ship date is listed as “TBA 2015,” both before and after Fallout 4 is added to your cart. This could certainly just be a placeholder date because “dates subject to change” is always a thing. If gamers do indeed see the next chapter of Fallout in 2015 then it means Bethesda have pulled off something rare in today’s spoiler filled world. They’d have to have been working on Fallout since 2012 and kept it a secret from the public and press, something I didn’t think possible this day in age. Which will also mean we’ll see a heavy PR campaign bombard mainstream media and your favorite convention this Summer.

How mind-blowing would it be if Bethesda went on stage and said “pick up Fallout 4 this August”? The only thing that could top this is if Gabe Newell from Valve came to an E3 press conference and said Half-Life 3 is on STEAM today, then he Gallagher mallets an old Atari and walks off. Man I could go for some watermelon right now.

Just when we think we’ve got all the answers; Telltale Games changes the questions. While the award winning developers of story driven game adaptations such as Fables, Borderlands, and Game of Thrones won’t have a large presence on the E3 show floor; it doesn’t mean they won’t make waves. This past Tuesday the company’s Director of PR, Job J Stauffer, tweeted the following.

While they’ve previously made it clear their Walking Dead series would not get a season 3 in 2015; they haven’t said what fans will get in its place this year. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will be on the official E3 YouTube live stream to help make whatever this announcement is. You can watch it go down here Monday morning.

Also, fans of Minecraft expecting details on Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode game will have to wait till Minecon in London, this July 4-5.

Our Thought:

Kirkman has always spoken highly of simply having Telltale come up to him with the story and letting the developer run with it. With Robert on hand for the official announcement it could mean the developer’s first move into synergy with other Walking Dead properties. With AMC well into production on the upcoming Fear The Walking Dead spin-off we could see a game prequel that leads into the show’s debut.

Also, some have criticized Telltale for not showing Minecraft: Story Mode at E3. It’s actually far from a mistake. Minecon is the perfect setting to build a media frenzy with fans who are all but guaranteed to go crazy for the game in a market that often needs more push than the US. Telltale have been more questions than answers as of late but when they do peel back the curtains they have a knack for picking the most opportune time.

While we all knew Sony is sure to show more Uncharted 4 at their upcoming press event. PlayStation let leak the expected news of an Uncharted PS3 collection port for the PlayStation 4. Bluepoint Games, a studio with a portfolio full of stellar ports is tasked with bringing Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to the PS4 on October 9, 2015.

In addition to the full 1080p 60FPS and texture upgrades, the game not only brings the story modes but includes all the previously available multiplayer goodness.  Buying the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection grants you exclusive access to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer Beta version.

Our Thought:

Sony has put too much of its resources on ports. The ratio of good new PS4 experiences to ports is dismally lopsided. I love my PS4, but when I go long periods of time without turning it on… I start to wonder why I even bought it in the first place. Admittedly, when you consider that the PS4 console sales lapped the PS3 within its first year; it translates to an audience of Xbox 360 converts who might not have previously played Uncharted. In a way it makes them a necessary evil towards the success of a triple-A title like Uncharted 4 by removing any kind of high wall putting a #4 on the end of a game might place in consumers minds.

On a side note, Sony would be wise to include the six issue mini-series published by DC Comics as part of the Uncharted collection. Either as a bonus or on disc digital. Cause you know… comics!

Electronic Entertainment Expo or as it’s commonly known, E3, is the biggest trade show in gaming. It takes up the entire Los Angeles Convention Center and overwhelms the senses more so than SDCC ever could. So many have growled about it not being open to the public, but most trade shows typically aren’t for fans. While that’s not likely to change anytime soon, many developers and publishers that contribute to the spectacle of the show throw orbiting events the public CAN attend. Microsoft is taking full advantage of this.

Xbox want to bring Los Angeles gamers as close to the action as possible. While their social media guru, Major Nelson and company, will be delivering content from the show floor all week on the Xbox YouTube channel, the company is also putting together Xbox FanFest: E3 2015.

Xbox will give 500 lucky fans a one-of-a-kind ticket for E3 week, the gaming industry’s biggest showcase.  The Xbox FanFest Ticket will include:

• Entry into the Xbox E3 2015 Briefing on Monday, June 15^th, 9:30 am PT, at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles.
• Invite to the exclusive Xbox FanFest Party, Monday afternoon, June 15^th, where fans will get to play the best exclusives and biggest blockbuster games this holiday and beyond.
• VIP access to the Xbox esports Celebrity Challenge & Twitch Party sponsored by Xbox.
• Meet-and-greet with some of the industry’s top developers, leaders and influencers.
• Even more surprise events during the week.

To be one of the lucky 500:

Fans can begin lining up at Microsoft at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, starting at 10 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 13. This Microsoft store is located at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, though the line will start near the LensCrafters on Avenue of the Stars.

Tickets will be distributed on a first come first served basis beginning at 11am on June 14 at the Microsoft Store at Westfield Century City.

In order to be eligible, fans need to be at least 21 years of age with a valid Xbox Live gamertag (Gold Membership not required)

Our Thought:

Want to know a bit of insider info? Jeff Rubinstein of the Xbox team is a former part of Sony’s PlayStation Blog team. If you previously followed their E3 events, he was primarily responsible for all the run of the mill gamers getting into E3 every year they threw an event. Sony’s followers would line up like it was SDCC in front of the LA Sports Area to try and ensure their entrance into the press conference and be rewarded with a complimentary exhibits pass to E3. How the man did it, I have no clue.

So to anyone considering trying to be one of the 500, do it. Last year those at the Microsoft event had to go through a lottery to try and win their way in. From what I heard, 200 Xbox fans were granted entrance to the Xbox press event and access to the E3 show floor. Jeff’s highest number with Sony was 250, could he top that this year with Xbox? If you’re an LA area SDCC Hall H veteran, you’re no stranger to this and the loot is worth spending a summer night in an LA mall to find out.

With one week left till E3 don’t expect much in the way of major announcements in the next few days. If you’re one of those people that kills time on social media follow @Comicsbeatlive on twitter for some of the sights and free energy drinks of E3. Follow the Instagram account as well for blurry pics from the show as my finger partially covers cameras all week. How can I get fire on this iPhone again?

We’re just a month away from the super comic-con bowl of video games, E3. Soon the entire Los Angeles Convention Center will be filled with creative giants, CEOs, journalists, “models” tempting you with cheap sunglasses or free T-shirts, and those fortunate enough to get into the show.

This special late Sunday night edition of WTGB comes sponsored by my DayQuil binge followed up with NyQuil chasers to even me out and an apology for not being able to write wrap ups for Marvel’s Secret Wars. With E3 and a few other shows fast approaching, there’s just no time to do it justice after that fantastic second issue came out last week. I will be posting digital codes of all the May tie-in and spine series issues at the bottom of Game Beat, starting with this one. Enjoy!

For now let’s turn the focus to all the things we want to see at E3 2015. Which means I can officially confirm Comics Beat will be on the show floor and the press events covering all the comics related games and more… but mostly to collect free bags, shirts, and magazines to level out my coffee table with.

From indies to first party exclusives, E3 2015 will be about games, games, and more games. Being in the middle of a new hardware cycle, the focus for this E3 will be soely on the games coming to the consoles and PC.

Batman: Arkham Knight is the first big release post E3, having a full on playable version at the show is a bit of a no brainer, though I wouldn’t expect any new announcements concerning its content. The boys at Rocksteady are already doing an excellent job of teasing the public, they’ve even released a new Arkham Insider video showing off the “dual play” system.

Ever since Lego announced their toy based game, Dimensions; it’s been radio silent on the Lego Marvel Avengers game coming this Fall. While it won’t be part of anyone’s presentations, the game should be playable on the show floor and word of a hard release date seems like a good bet. I’m curious to see if it will still have all the open world goodness of Lego Marvel Super Heroes.

With the recent word of Telltale Games not releasing Season 3 of their Walking Dead game in 2015, the developer has been vocal about announcing something big to come soon for Walking Dead fans. Telltale usually like to keep things intimate and off the exhibit floor at E3, it stands to reason they’ll be showing a brand new Walking Dead one-shot game that doesn’t tie directly into Clementine’s story behind closed doors once again. Perhaps some art, a teaser; but whatever they show will most likely be their September release.

Then there’s the Secret Wars event going on at Marvel. We know there’s going to be a toy line coming to Toys R Us in conjunction with it . Word has been quiet on how the Marvel’s current buffet of mobile titles or a new game would play off the Battleworld. Remember Marvel Super Heroes, the fighting game on PS1?

It was more or less the Infinity Gauntlet game. While we probably won’t get anything close to that for Secret Wars, we’re sure to hear about at least some kind of add-on content for one of these games tying into Secret Wars.

As for the big three…

Per usual, Microsoft will start the round of June 15 press events. Xbox head, Phil Spencer, brought a strong showing in 2014 that translated to boosted sales for the Xbox One. He’s certain to follow the same game centric formula as last year. On the non-gaming front, we don’t expect them to waste valuable time going over all the services, however a demonstration of the Xbox One’s long talked about DVR functionality might be in order. Could we also see a redesigned version of the Xbox One? While the 360 went through some variants in its lifetime, it never happened as quickly as this one would, should it be part of Microsoft’s announcements for E3.

Where Halo 5: Guardians places in the Xbox presentation will be very telling in terms of aces up Microsoft’s sleeve. The game’s hard release date of October 27 is just a few months away. We’ve seen a ton of art and pieces of the story thanks to its viral “Hunt the Truth” campaign. If Xbox’s presentation opens with Halo, weather it’s campaign gameplay or multiplayer, it would indicate Microsoft will end with the official announcement of the new Gears of War game for Xbox One, maybe even alongside footage from the original GOW remake coming to the new console. With, Quantum Break delayed to 2016 and original unproven IPs set to be announced; closing their press event with a new installment of a proven franchise makes the most sense.

Sony PlayStation will close E3 Media Monday at the LA Sports Arena. We’re sure to hear a lot of bragging about the millions of units PS4 has sold to date during their presentation. As for what they’ll show and announce during their time in the media’s eye… Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a given. Even though it’s been moved to 2016 and an extended preview was previously shown during PlayStation Experience in Vegas; Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann will be onstage to tell us something we don’t know about the game that will make the wait feel that much longer.

If Druckmann is indeed on stage, what better time than having the eyes of the world watching to bring out Sam Rami and show the first clip of The Last of Us movie. Sure it’s a long shot, but E3 has a history of huge surprises. Could we also get the Uncharted trilogy remastered for PS4? So far the PlayStation 4 has been all about porting Sony’s previous system classics to the new one with The Last of Us Remastered and the next up God of War remaster. PlayStation has a ton of things they need to update consumers on such as their VR Project Morpheous, backwards compatibility, and the other big game of PS Experience No Man’s Sky. They could have an out of the blue announcement, but with so much they’ve previously confirmed yet not put in our hands they simply don’t need one.

There’s also the PlayStation Originals which brought us the polarizing Brian Michael Bendis adaptation of his creator owned book, Powers. Because of the season 2 announcement, it stands to reason the debut series was a success on some level for Sony. Why else would they be willing to invest further money in more episodes. If it exceeded their expectations expect solid viewer numbers to be part of their humble brag and some art or still from season 2 to be included. One of the few surprises Sony could have waiting in the wings might be an expansion of PS Originals content, maybe other adaptations of popular comics. Personally, I’m rooting for Matt Fraction’s Sex Criminals mainly due to my wanting to see Chip Zdarsky awkwardly appear onstage during another big presentation.

Nintendo is actually the gray area of the show. Their Tuesday June 16 digital press conference has already dropped news ahead of itself. According to Nintendo, we won’t be seeing the delayed Legend of Zelda for Wii U. They are however bringing the Nintendo World Championships to the show from the –long long long– ago film The Wizard. Would there really be much of a point to having Fred Savage and the Power Glove appear during a press event that no one will physically be in attendance for? Mario Maker will also be available that week for the general public to try at select retailers during E3.

The Wii U and DS are likely to have announcements about new Pokemon, Metroid, and Animal Crossing but those would probably be leaked a bit before the show. Nintendo also has the slim possibility of being the only console company showing off hardware with their rumored new “NX” system in development. Currently no details are known about the system. Nintendo wouldn’t want to deter any future Wii U sales by even talking about new hardware that isn’t coming out this year so the possibility that we’ll see it at the show is highly unlikely.

What do you want to see during E3 2015? Who do you think will win this year’s E3? What size shirts do you all use?

Also here’s codes for digital copies of Secret Wars 1-2, Magneto, and Mighty Avengers. (First come first served) We’ll also be giving away physical copies of all the May Secret Wars books at the end of the Month thanks to my LCS and if you’re in the LA or Long Beach, CA areas go buy your Secret Wars at Pulp Fiction. All this month they’re selling every new Secret Wars issue (and tie-ins) 50% off. 

Marvel.com/redeem

Magneto 18- FMC1M3NNXDX8

Mighty Avengers 18 – FMDUEP80DYIR

SECRET WARS 1- FMCJG76UTQDV

SECRET WARS 2- FMD7GMLM7F4B

On this New Comic Book Day, here are some of the non-Joss Whedon related headlines that are making waves today:

– Not long ago, after the Marvel-Sony deal was struck over the usage of Spider-Man, it seemed a surety that Sony would hang onto Drew Goddard to helm the newest entry. Not so, reports Deadline, as they’ve uncovered what is reportedly Sony’s director shortlist for the film:

Jonathan Levine – Warm Bodies, 50/50

Ted Melfi – St. Vincent

Jason Moore – Pitch Perfect

John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein – Vacation

Jared Hess – Napoleon Dynamite

From this list, it seems like Sony is still aiming for the comedic-slanted mindset that brought us the Marc Webb entries. We all saw how that turned out. Hopefully this is an incomplete list and Goddard is still in contention. With a 2017 release date, a decision will have to be made by January at the very least, if not much sooner.

– Following in the footsteps of Peter Serafinowicz and Chris O’Dowd, British actor Martin Freeman (The Hobbit Trilogy) is stepping into the Marvel Universe, as he’s joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War in an undisclosed role. Considering the cast is already fit to burst at this point, I have a hard time imagining he’s playing anything beyond a utility player (like the above two actors). Your guess is as good as mine.

– Machinima, the online network that is already producing the animated DC series Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, set to debut next month, announced this week two more DC related programs that will go into production in the near future along with a second season of Gods and Monsters Chronicles. The two new series include #4Hero, a modern adaptation of Dial H For Hero (this time it’s based out of a smart-phone app) and The DC Hero Project, a contest show where eight competitors must battle it out in elimination challenges to develop a short video based on their own interpretation of characters from the 90’s Starman series.

– For those thirsting for more X-Men: Days of Future Past, you’re in luck! The “Rogue Cut” that restores all of Anna Paquin‘s cut scenes from the feature, and adds 17 minutes to the film, will hit stores on July 14th. That date is also the 15th anniversary of the release of the first X-Men film. Now, don’t we all feel terribly old?

With a new Spider-Man film headed to theaters on July 28, 2017, Sony is in full swing trying to find its new Peter Parker and according to The Wrap, while the studio is going to be sending out test offers over the next few weeks, there are five major contenders that paint a picture of the type of performer they’re looking for.

Those five include:

Asa Butterfield – Probably the best known of the group, and was the lead in Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo as well as Ender’s Game

Nat Wolff – Recently seen in The Fault in Our Stars, but I rather liked him in last year’s Palo Alto

Tom Holland – One of the stars of 2012’s tearjerker The Impossible

Timothee Chalamett – Seen both on Homeland and as Matthew McConaughey’s son in Interstellar

Liam James – Star of The Way Way Back

Wolff is the oldest of the group at 20, so it’s clear that Sony (and Marvel) are seeking actors that can grow into the role and sign a multi-picture deal. The Wrap also reports that Drew Goddard remains the top candidate to direct the new feature, who was of course attached to helm The Sinister Six before Sony scrapped those plans after the big Marvel deal was struck.

I’d expect to hear big news pretty soon.

Yesterday the earthquake felt around the world was from the millions chanting “Yes!” in unison after the reveal of the new Star Wars film trailer. Today at Celebration, the aftershock came in the form of a game footage reveal for EA’s new Star Wars Battlefront game. Since it’s reveal at E3 last year, not much had been seen or revealed from the game. Now we know most of the crucial details. Look at the astonishing new video below along with info from the game’s developer, DICE (Battlefield) :

Here’s the rundown:

• - The game will release on November 17, 2015 on PS4, Xbox One, and on Origin for PC.
• - While the game doesn’t have a traditional story mode, all the online goodness takes place on four planets: The desert planet Tatooine, the forest moon of Endor, the desolate frozen wasteland of Hoth, and the previously unexplored Sullust, where Imperial outposts manufacture weapons. Instead of the traditional campaign, Star Wars: Battlefront features a series of missions, playable alone or via online and local co-op.
• - You’ll be able to play as your favorite characters including Darth Vader and Bobba Fett. Also, the Millennium Falcon will be a part of the aerial combat. A documentary style piece was shown that had iconic elements from other Star Wars characters like Han Solo.
• - On December 8, owners of the game will have access to free downloadable content featuring the new planet of Jakku revealed as part of the new JJ Abrams movie. Those who pre-order the game will have access to it a week early on December 1.
• - No Jar-Jar or prequel era stuff, it’s all original trilogy folks.

With all the new canon from shows like Rebels and the new Marvel published comics, the game could have a bottomless well of additional elements and content to turn Battlefront into a massive world that takes away our need to go outside on the weekends.

Are you excited about Battlefront? If you haven’t already, does the announcement want to make you buy a PS4 or Xbox One?

While most of us are still working our way through our Daredevil binge-watches on Netflix this weekend, a little bit of news regarding New York’s other masked vigilante broke today, as Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige relayed some interesting tidbits about the casting process for Spider-Man to Collider.

There’s been a lot of discussion surrounding Marvel’s newest character acquisition for their cinematic universe, as to whether we’ll see another version of Peter Parker or will the studio shake things up with Miles Morales? How old will he be? etc…

As a part of the press junket for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Kevin Feige cleared a good deal of this information up:

In terms of the age of an actor we’ll eventually to cast, I don’t know. In terms of the age of what we believe Peter Parker is, I’d say 15-16 is right…We want to play with Spider-Man in the high school years because frankly there’ve been five Spider-Man films and the amazing thing about it is, even though there’ve been five Spider-Man films, there are so many things from the comics that haven’t been done yet. Not just characters or villains or supporting characters, but sides to his character. The most obvious being the ‘young, doesn’t quite fit in’ kid before his powers, and then the fella that puts on a mask and swings around and fights bad guys and doesn’t shut up, which is something we want to play with and we’re excited about.

That makes it pretty official folks, we’re looking at a high school aged Peter Parker as the next Spider-Man.

With the character reportedly appearing in Captain America: Civil War, which began shooting this week, Marvel and Sony are clearly moving quickly to get their new webslinger in place. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a big breaking news story on that front in the next week or so.

Does more Peter Parker make you more or less excited about the Marvel Studios supported version of Spider-Man?

Coming off of WonderCon, this is gonna be a short one in the world of gaming crossing over with comics.

DC Universe Online is still very much alive and kicking with robust communities of players still devoting hours upon hours of their 2nd lives in the comics based MMO. Since its debut in January of 2011, the game has been well supported with new content, and today publisher Sony Online added what they call “munitions” to the game.  Munitions is all about big guns and big explosions. With it, you will learn to harness a vast array of conventional and modern weaponry to control and defeat your enemies.  If you have not yet downloaded DC Universe Online, you can do so for free. Munitions can be purchased at character create or you can gain access to it automatically when you become a DC Universe Online Member.

DC Universe Online is available for PS4, PS3, and PC.

Zen Studios has released tons of themed tables based on everything ranging from classic moves to retro games. Zen Pinball 2 is about to get the Marvel Studios treatment on April 21st when they release Avengers: Age of Ultron Pinball. The Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron table will allow players to relive the struggle of Earth’s mightiest heroes, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye against Ultron and his seemingly endless army. The table features dedicated game modes for each member of the Avengers team, including a first-person sharpshooting mini-game starring Hawkeye, a spectacular aerial melee combat sequence between Iron Man and Ultron, and selectable difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, or Hard) to cater to each player’s individual skill level.

The studio is cautious not to have any potential movie spoilers incorporated in the table. Anyone wanting to enjoy slapping your steel balls at Ultron can rest assured knowing they’ll still go into the movie spoiler free.

Zen Pinball 2 is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U.

Last Friday’s digital release of Batman: Arkham Knight the comic book series saw the beginning of a new storyline that points to the potential first encounter of Arkham Knight and Bruce Wayne. Part two of this story releases on Comixology this Friday.

A new installment in the Deus Ex series was confirmed by a new cover for the latest Game Informer magazine. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will take place two years after Human Revolution. It focuses on humanity’s fear of augmented people after the conclusion of the previous game. No release date is set yet, but it’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

DC Comics previously published adaptations of the franchise, but no publisher has announced anything in support of this new game. If one will be created, it’s typically an announcement for SDCC.

Gaming Comics in Stores This Week:

Batman: Arkham Knight #2 (DC COmics) (Printed edition collecting 2nd arc)
Mortal Kombat X #5 (DC COmics) (Printed edition)
Sonic The Hedgehog #271 (Archie Comics)
Sonic Boom #6 (Archie Comics)

Even though filming seemingly just began about a month and a half ago, MGM and Sony have started to rev up the marketing machine for Spectre full blast.

Here’s the first teaser which gives us just enough to get rather excited about, including the debut of Christoph Waltz‘s shadowy villain(?), who is maybe Blofeld?

One thing that’s clear, much like Quantum of Solace was for Casino Royale, with Spectre we’ll be getting another direct sequel, this time to the billion dollar grossing Skyfall. I’m holding out hope that it lives up to its predecessor’s legacy (unlike QoS).

Spectre arrives on November 6th, here’s the official synopsis:

A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.