SuperHeroes
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Amazon releases full-length trailer for superhero drama ‘The Boys’
Amazon has unveiled a full-length trailer for The Boys, its unsentimental, kooky look at a world where superheroes abuse their powers on the regular and it's up to mere mortals to stop them. It's a well-understood fact that absolute power corrupts absolutely -- so what happens in a society that has largely given up? A look at the show's trailer reveals that it isn't pretty.
'Iron Man VR' is as close to being Tony Stark as you're likely to get
Remember when Spider-Man came out last year for the PS4 and everybody was agog over how realistic and seamless the gameplay mechanics were -- how much it "felt" like you were Spidey himself? Marvel's Iron Man VR would like you to hold its beer.
Amazon assembles a high-profile cast for low-key superhero series
Amazon has recruited a glitzy crew of Hollywood stars for its animated superhero show Invincible, based on the eponymous comic book co-created by The Walking Dead scribe Robert Kirkman. Leading the voice cast is TV's The Walking Dead alum Steven Yuen as protagonist Mark Grayson, who inherits his alien superhero father's almighty powers. Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) will play the dad, while Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Seth Rogen (who's reportedly working on an Invincible film adaptation), and Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2) will also lend their oratory skills to the upcoming series.
Marvel's 'The Punisher' renewed for second season on Netflix
Almost a month after Netflix released the first season of The Punisher, the network has officially renewed it for a second. As usual for a first announcement, there's no hint at a release date or what's in store for violent vigilante Frank Castle whenever it drops. But clearly Netflix wants to keep the superhero train running after the highly-anticipated Defenders series flopped.
Netflix outbids Disney for superhero movie starring Daisy Ridley
There's no shortage of superheroes on Netflix, yet it's found room for a subversive spin on Hollywood's favourite genre, courtesy of Josh Gad. The streaming giant outbid Disney to nab the film, dubbed Super-Normal, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The character-driven flick will also star Daisy Ridley (who's back in the saddle as Rey for Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and Gad's Beauty and the Beast co-star Luke Evans. The script comes from the writing duo behind animated hit Moana (another Disney connection), with Gad in the production chair alongside It producer Dan Lin -- who's also involved in Netflix's Death Note.
Marvel’s full ‘Black Panther’ trailer shows a ruthless hero-king
Marvel dropped a teaser for its upcoming Black Panther film during the NBA Finals back in June, and our first look at the hero-king was glorious. Chadwick Boseman is electric and imposing as the monarch of the hidden, advanced African nation of Wakanda, accompanied by an incredible supporting cast of allies and villains. Today, the studio released a full trailer that dials up all the action and character conflict we saw earlier.
Square Enix is making an 'Avengers' game for Marvel
Yesterday morning, Marvel and Square Enix teased in separate tweets that they had an announcement to make. The internet went into overdrive: A superhero world for Kingdom Hearts 3? Wrong. Very wrong. Today, the two companies have revealed a multi-game partnership that starts with "The Avengers Project." A teaser trailer shows a pair of cracked glasses, Thor's hammer and an Iron Man gauntlet lying in the dirt, discarded. A sombre voiceover explains how "the world will always need heroes," even if people think "that if you're different, you're dangerous." It's all very doom and gloom, buts ends with the hopeful tagline: "We just need to reassemble."
Recommended Reading: Russia's professional trolling agency
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Agency by Adrian Chen The New York Times Magazine There's a super-secret group of internet trolls in Russia that's causing problems not only online, but also in US cities. The so-called Internet Research Agency caused a ruckus in Louisiana last September with fake reports of an accident at a chemical plant -- reports that eventually made national news. To find out more about the organization, Adrian Chen took a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, in April and found himself in the group's crosshairs.
Smedley announces SOE is no more, becomes Daybreak Game Company
In a surprising move, CEO John Smedley just announced on Reddit that Sony Online Entertainment is leaving behind its Sony roots and becoming Daybreak Game Company after being acquired by the investment firm Columbus Nova. This change allows the company to publish online games on multiple gaming platforms, including the XBox. Smedley also assured players via Twitter that all of the games in the company's portfolio are staying and will continue to be a part of the new company. Here's the full announcement plastered on the official forums of each of the company's games: Dear Players, Partners and Friends, Today, we are pleased to announce that we have been acquired by Columbus Nova, an investment management firm well known for its success with its existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more! As part of this transition, SOE will now become Daybreak Game Company. This name embodies who we are as an organization, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward. So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation. In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in. Our games and players are the heart and soul of our organization, and we are committed to maintaining our portfolio of online games and pushing the limits of where we can take online gaming together. Thank you for your continued support. See you in game! The Team at Daybreak
Marvel Heroes plans for a more awesome team-up system
While it's all groovy to have a sidekick to run around with your superhero in Marvel Heroes, apparently the team and the community felt as though the team-up system needed more work. That's why Gazillion has a major revamp of team-ups planned for Q1 2015. According to a new dev diary on the subject, the revamp will cover a range of improvements to the system. Team-up characters will see more customization, expanded power trees, a level cap of 60, increased survivability, synergy bonuses, and new powers on top of improvements to old powers. Players will also gain more control over what their team-up companions do on the battlefield. In addition to the developer diary, there's also a forum FAQ to deliver even more information on the planned revamp.
Valiance Online is coming soon to Steam early access
Great news for Valiance Online, as the fledgling superhero title announced recently that it has been voted onto the Steam Greenlight program by the community. This means that Valiance Online will "soon" be available to play through the digital platform via early access. The team said that it still discussing its release and pricing plan, although fans can currently access it in the open pre-alpha test going on right now. Valiance Online is making good progress as a City of Heroes spiritual successor and even picked up a former artist from the sunsetted superhero game in December.
City of Titans explains its prototyping process
The developers behind City of Titans haven't been shy about praising the Unreal Engine 4 at the heart of development. A new design article gives some insight into one of the major elements of design that makes it so useful to the team, a feature that offers rapid progress between brainstorming, prototyping, and testing: blueprints. While the article doesn't contain the nuts-and-bolts of the programming elements, it demonstrates how the team was able to build and test a tile-based map system (akin to Skyrim) as an independent element to be tested. The result is that instead of spending a great deal of time brainstorming the idea, the team can drop the prototype in for testing and it can be evaluated as an actual option instead of simply a theory. Take a look at the full article for more details on the map system and the test process. [Thanks to Byron for the tip!]
Marvel Heroes hands out free cows and plans team-up revamp
The Cow King is on the move in Marvel Heroes, and a call is going out for all supers to join the most ridiculous battle in the universe. During the weekend Cowtastrophe event, players will get an 40% XP bonus and a portal to the game's bovine levels, where they can slaughter beef for better loot. Marvel Heroes is even giving out a free mini-cow pet for any players who log in on Saturday. In other Marvel Heroes news, one of the next big projects for Gazillion is a revamp of the team-up system. While all of the details of this revamp are not clear as of yet, we do know that the revamp will allow players to customize team-up's power pools much like main characters.
Take a tour of DCUO's Amazon Fury raid with the devs
Coming soon to DC Universe Online is the Amazon Fury Part II DLC, because Amazons are not known to be timid, quiet souls. All about the fury, they are. Anyway, part of this upcoming patch is the new Halls of Hades raid, and the devs are inviting you to go along with them on a tour of this intimidating experience. We've got a 43-minute video of the Halls of Hades with devs and test center players after the break if you want to get a good feel for what's going to be faceplanting your heroes in the near future.
Pre-orders for Marvel Heroes' Winter Soldier are now open
After years of being mostly notable for being supposedly dead, Bucky Barnes turns out to have actually been kept alive as an elite assassin known as the Winter Soldier. You know, as comics do. The important things to note about the character for our purposes are the fact that he's coming to Marvel Heroes and you can pre-order him right now. You can also hear David Hayter voicing him as a closely related cousin of Solid Snake in the video past the cut, but that probably shouldn't influence your purchase. The hero pack is at a 10% discount before the character is released and includes the character himself, two costumes for Bucky (comic and MCU incarnations), an extra hero-specific inventory, six Fortune cards, and a retcon token. With the discount, it's just a hair over $16; if that sounds like a bargain for playing a mildly psychotic unfrozen Hydra assassin, you can pick it up now.
Marvel Heroes gets Omega event, level 52 Hulk review
Another weekend, another event in Marvel Heroes! This time it's Operation Omega, back for its first appearance of 2015. You'll get a 24% boost to XP, SIF, and RIF, as well as login rewards, harder enemies, and a faster leveling experience. Gazillion has also published Hulk's level 52 review as well as a new ultimate costume for the green monster.
Fight through the underworld in DCUO's new DLC
SOE has announced DC Universe Online's next DLC update. It's called Amazon Fury Part II, and it's coming your way "early this year," according to the firm's press release. Three eight-player raids are part of the new pack, as are a pair of four-player operations and one single-player mission. Story-wise, Amazon Fury Part II introduces Ares, Hades, and Cerberus to the DCUO mythos and allows players to fight alongside Wonder Woman or Circe as they battle through the underworld in search of Queen Hippolyta. The DLC also includes new themed base items, new feats and collections, more skill points, and new gear. Creative director Jens Andersen offers further details in the latest producer's letter.
John Smedley praises free-to-play on consoles [Updated]
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley knows a thing or two about running free-to-play MMOs on consoles. The studio already has DC Universe Online as a free-to-play title on PlayStation 4, it's bringing PlanetSide 2 to the console soon, and both titles are already free on the PlayStation 3. And there's good reason for it: Smedley said recently to Gamasutra that players on the PS4 have been monetizing on DCUO at nearly three times the rate of PC players. This isn't unique to the newest console, as DCUO players on the PS3 shell out cash twice as often as PC users. He also notes that it's a challenge to port to the console, as the lack of a mouse has to heavily influence design, plus it requires a method of dropping simultaneous updates across multiple platforms, which in and of itself can be a tricky venture. Read the full article for more insights from Smedley regarding the console market's free-to-play sustainability. [Update: Smed further clarified his statements over Twitter earlier today. "People think we're becoming a console first shop. NO! consoles are a great place for F2P, but we have always been a PC first company because that's our heritage. We aren't dumbing down PC ever."]
DCUO reclaiming inactive names this month
SOE will be releasing inactive character names for current DC Universe Online players to claim "shortly after January 20, 2015." If you haven't logged since July 20, 2013 -- that's 18 months ago, for what it's worth -- your character names will be appended with an underscore and a roman numeral. SOE says that accounts and characters "will remain otherwise intact" and that no deletions will occur. If you want to be that guy who saves names in games he doesn't play, you can simply log in once prior to January 20th. But you're not that guy, right?
One Shots: Brain Boy
Boy howdy, I do love seeing the wonderfully bizarre superheroes that players can whip up in MMOs. Here's another winner from reader Dynatos, who shows off a rather... unique hero from Champions Online. "Born with an oversized (and over-active!) brain, Alistair Chester Grayson VI was never content with his 'weak' flesh -- so he put his brain to work augmenting his body with cyborg components he created!" Dynatos revealed. "Here he is hovering over the Renaissance Center." Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
