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'The Defenders' Comic-Con trailer features punching, heroes
Stop us if you've heard this one before: There's a threat facing New York, and a few of Marvel's punch-happy heroes need to clean it up. Based on the new trailer shown tonight at Comic-Con -- where, Deadline reports, Netflix screened the entire first episode -- the plot of every Netflix Marvel series so far will remain consistent with this eight episode The Defenders mini-series that arrives August 18th.
Spider-Man and Frank West join latest ‘Marvel vs. Capcom’ roster
Like comic books, fighting games are ripe for the crossover treatment. Nintendo has done it with good success in the Super Smash Bros. series, bringing characters from disparate franchises like Street Fighter and Fire Emblem together to brawl on the Wii U and 3DS. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe mixed up heroes from video games and comic books into its arenas, as well. Really, any announcement of new playable characters in upcoming fighting games are sure to please fans across the board. Now we're seeing a couple of big-name reveals at Comic-Con for two upcoming games, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Frank West of Dead Rising fame is headed to the former, along with Spider-Man, Mike Haggar (from Final Fight) and Nemesis (from Resident Evil). Dragon Ball Fighter Z fans will be able to play both Piccolo and Krillin, longstanding characters in the anime universe.
'Stargate' revival will launch a new MGM streaming service
At Comic-Con, MGM celebrated the 20th anniversary of Stargate by announcing a new TV show in the series: Stargate Origins. Other than a teaser trailer and news that it will serve as a prequel there isn't much info about the show, but we know that to watch it, fans will be asked to subscribe to a new streaming service.
Netflix drops the full trailer for David Ayer's 'Bright'
Netflix has some 40 original movies due for release this year, but the highest profile release will likely be Bright. Directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch), it stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as a pair of cops, but the twist is that they live in a world with orcs, fairies and elves. Following a panel appearance at Comic-Con Netflix posted this three minute trailer on YouTube, giving us our first good look at the movie ahead of its December 22nd release date.
'Contra' is still cool enough to get a vinyl soundtrack
Mondo's skill at curating some of the coolest pop-culture art is unparalleled. Whether it's posters, enamel pins, T-shirts or classic soundtracks on vinyl, even if you don't like one piece, it's hard to deny that it's at least interesting. Well, with San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner, the purveyor has unveiled what'll be on offer at its booth. Headlining this year (so far; more on that in a bit) is a killer limited-edition poster and vinyl soundtrack for Contra.
Twitter to stream live coverage of Wimbledon and Comic-Con
Twitter's livestreaming efforts have been well documented, and today we have news that the microblogging service is expanding it further. Variety writes that next month Twitter will broadcast the opening preview night from San Diego Comic-Con as part of a deal with entertainment publication IGN -- much like what the pair did with E3 earlier this month.
What's next for 'Pokémon Go'? Custom locations and more monsters
As Pokémon Go continues its global assault, Niantic Labs founder John Hanke took to a panel discussion at Comic-Con to tease at what's coming next to the app -- and how the team hopes maintain this insane momentum. To start, more Pokémon critters will eventually make their way to Go, although Hanke's wording makes it sound like not all of them will make the cut. "Beyond first generation [the original 150], there are some others that may make their way into our universe. We're looking forward to finding interesting ways to make that happen in the coming months and years." The CEO went on to elaborate on developments for the in-game world too -- and that's where it got interesting.
'Mystery Science Theater 3000' comeback lands at Netflix
You won't have to go out of your way to watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 revival. Netflix has picked up the crowdfunded make-fun-of-movies show and will be the only place to stream it in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. The move isn't exactly shocking (Netflix has already offered classic MST3K episodes), but it's that much sweeter if you're already a Netflix subscriber and would rather not head to another service to watch. Just don't be in a rush to catch up with Joel, Tom Servo and Crow. In keeping with the tone of the series, Netflix will only say that MST3K is coming back "in the not-too-distant future..." and we don't think it means "next Sunday, AD."
Netflix previews 'Luke Cage' and more Marvel at Comic-Con
The San Diego Comic-Con is underway, and Netflix kicked things off with a few announcements about its various Marvel superhero series. Luke Cage is due September 30th, and its teaser trailer brings about a minute and a half of Mike Colter fighting bad guys in hallways. The Iron Fist series' release date is still TBA, but its trailer showed off a hint of what's to come there as well. Last but not least the preview for The Defenders leaves much more to the imagination but lets us know that as originally promised, Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Iron Fist will team up to take on bad guys in 2017. Speaking of Daredevil, Netflix also confirmed that the Hell's Kitchen hero will get a third season which is "coming soon" -- check out all the videos below.
Google Play Books 'Bubble Zoom' makes it easier to read comics
Google Play Books become more comic-friendly last year with addition of vertical scrolling. At this year's Comic-Con, Google is announcing another handy feature that will be reading the illustrated panels even easier. The tool is called Bubble Zoom and as you might expect, it detects and zooms in on those speech bubbles as you read. Before now, you had to use two fingers to zoom like you would in other apps. When reading graphics-heavy comic panels, that isn't an ideal solution. Thanks to the new tool, you can enlarge the text with a tap while still gazing at a full-screen view of the page.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' preview shows 'nothing's changed'
No, you're not at Comic-Con, but that doesn't mean you have to skip this preview of Star Wars Episode VII. Disney previewed video from The Force Awakens interspersed with behind-the-scenes chatter tonight in San Diego, and you can watch it after the break. You can enjoy Simon Pegg's appearance (he's playing an alien), and get a better idea of how this Star Wars flick is staying true to the old ones with "real sets, practical effects." The usual cast of characters and equipment are making an appearance, along with the cast we've seen in previous trailers. StarWars.com has a live blog of the panel too, so the only thing you're missing out on (you have the app, right?) is the post-reveal concert.
Amazon previews its 'The Man in the High Castle' series tonight
We already got a look at the pilot episode from Amazon's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, but now it's time to get ready for the series. At Comic-Con Amazon is presenting the first two episodes, which you can watch live online at EW.com at 10:30ET. Even if you can't make the stream, you can still check out the full series trailer, embedded after the break, presenting an alternate history where the Allies lost World War II, or the pilot on Amazon before the show launches this fall.
'Battletoads' is getting a Comic-Con exclusive vinyl soundtrack
The rumors circling a Battletoads return came to a head at E3 this year with the announcement of the Rare Replay collection, and Microsoft didn't waste its next tradeshow appearance for a chance to capitalize on the hype. Folks roaming San Diego Comic Con can pick up a limited edition soundtrack for the amphibious beat 'em up on a very fitting yellow and green 180 gram LP. If the cover art up above looks a little familiar, that's because it was done by the same artist responsible for Run the Jewels' records, Nick Gazin. The SDCC run is $25, limited to 300 copies and features different art than what'll be sold outside of the show later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.
'Halo' dart guns are perfect for the galactic war in your backyard
Need something to take your Master Chief Collection frustrations out with? Then these Halo branded Nerf foam-dart guns from BOOMco might be right up your alley. For $30 you get toy versions of the sci-fi series' M6 Blaster pistol and and the alien Covenant Plasma Overcharge Blaster, a target, foam ammo and a gun case modeled after those you'd find in-game. As reseller MattyCollector writes in the product listing, these are apparently accurate up to 70 feet too. You can pre-order them through the site right now, but the catch is you have to pick them up in San Diego at Comic Con this year. A number of the armaments will be sold at the Mattel booth as well. You've already gotten your tickets and booked a hotel, right? If not you can try your luck for the "limited" supply that's going to Toys R Us' website after the show, sans the SDCC-exclusive case pictured below.
Live improv saves the day when Witcher 3 SDCC panel goes awry
Pop quiz, hotshot. You're at the San Diego Comic-Con panel for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. A demo showing live gameplay has started, but none of the characters' voices are working. You've got a packed room full of fans who want to see the game in presentable condition, and not enough time to start over and try again. What do you do? What do you do? Well, if you're Doug Cockle, voice actor behind Witcher series hero Geralt of Rivia, you start performing your lines live. Despite the potentially embarrassing circumstances, Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt RED has taken its technologically-challenged SDCC panel and made it available for viewing in a video showing Cockle's live improv outtakes. If you've ever wanted to hear Geralt call a big, burly bald man "cute," well ... now's your chance. [Image: CD Projekt RED]
Barely Related: Wonderwear, Deadpool footage
Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
SDCC reveals new details about the Warcraft movie
Are you excited for a movie about World of Warcraft? Because the Warcraft movie won't be about that, exactly; it's focused on the backstory of World of Warcraft, specifically how the First War got started before the first Warcraft game. At SDCC, some new details were revealed about the title, which is currently set for release in theaters in March of 2016. The story will focus on both sides of the conflict, with Durotan being the central character of the orcish side and Anduin Lothar taking up the protagonist mantle on the human side. A teaser trailer was also shown with a blend of both CGI and live effects, although the trailer has not yet been released to the general public. Director Duncan Jones stressed that he wants the film to be accessible to everyone and not just existing fans of the fanchise; it'll be a couple more years until fans can see how well that goal was accomplished.
Barely Related: Comic-Con envy, Hello Kitty convention
Happy San Diego Comic-Con week, everyone! To the lucky few (thousand) that are actually there, pick up some swag for us, yeah? Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Riot Games promises to increase diversity in League of Legends
League of Legends features a lot of diversity among its male champions, but the female champions all feature a fairly uniform body type. That's something the developers at Riot Games are keen on changing. In response to a fan question at SDCC, producer Omar Kendall said that the company has been introducing new ways of looking at body types and shapes, with the end goal of making female champions who don't look like the others. Kendall went on to specify that the call for more diversity is one that players should see represented soon in a new character coming out. He also noted that diversity is being strongly considered with further character designs and any new champions. Game designer Brian Feeney noted that it would be a net boon to the game as a whole -- as Riot is very concerned with distinctive silhouettes, a more robust selection of body types makes it easier to tell champions apart.
Rob Zombie debuting Assassin's Creed short at Comic Con
We've seen Assassin's Creed Unity's hooded justice-seekers hunt their prey in conceptual trailers and gameplay demonstrations, but it seems like another perspective will debut at Comic Con International in San Diego later this month. A listing for a Unity-focused panel describes the showing of an "animated short" inspired by Unity, which will be shown by musician and film director Rob Zombie and Tony Moore, an illustrator whose work includes Image Comics' The Walking Dead series. Judging by the listing, the panel will also focus on Unity protagonist Arno, general details about the game and "new announcements" for the Assassin's Creed series. If you're able to go, Unity's "Heads Will Roll!" panel is scheduled for July 25 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific in room 6BCF. [Image: Ubisoft]
