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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.
Harada: Tekken X Street Fighter 'still in development'
Remember Tekken X Street Fighter, Bandai Namco's crossover fighter that was announced in 2010? Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada sure does, because it's still in development! Also, because he's probably bombarded with questions from fans concerned it's becoming the next The Last Guardian. Thankfully, it doesn't sound like that's the case, as Harada stated during a San Deigo Comic-Con panel that TxSF is "proceeding" and "still in development," according to a report from Polygon. Harada explained that between Tekken 7, Rise of Incarnates and the ongoing free-to-play efforts Tekken Revolution and Soulcalibur: Lost Swords, finding space for TxSF is a matter of timing. Maybe you just had a flashback to August 2013, when Harada said that Bandai Namco was "looking for the right time" to release TxSF while reassuring us it was still in development. In the 2013 statement, Harada noted the recent release of Street Fighter X Tekken, Capcom's take on the series crossover project, as a reason we hadn't heard much about TxSF. Considering how similar the titles are conceptually and in name, that makes plenty of sense. With 11 months between this statement and the last however, it's tough to still consider SFxT a recent release, so hopefully we can catch a glimpse of a new trailer or something soon. You know, after Bandai Namco finishes everything else it's working on. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Battlefield Hardline's story makes good cops bad cops
We can't uphold or defy the law in Battlefield: Hardline until 2015, but thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, we can get a sense of what will unfold in its single-player content right now. According to Polygon's report, Hardline's story follows a pair of straight-shooting cops as they're set up by another group. As a result of being framed, they land in prison, faced with fighting their way out before settling the score with the people who put them there. Polygon notes a video shown to panel attendees depicted urban environments, as well as a scene following Hardline's lead cops as they storm a cocaine warehouse in a desert-like area. A crime lord named Roark owns the facility, and given his profession and choice of locale, we can't imagine he's receptive of any stop-ins from local law enforcement. Eugene Byrd (Bones), Kelly Hu (Arrow) and Benito Martinez (The Shield) will have significant roles in Hardline's story, with Mark Rolston (The Departed) playing Roark. Wendy Calhoun, co-producer of Justified, is serving as a narrative consultant, with The West Wing editor Bill Johnson working as Hardline's performance director. [Image: EA]
The Walking Dead: Season 3 confirmed by Telltale
The Walking Dead: Season 3 was confirmed yesterday at San Diego Comic-Con, much to the delight of fans and emotional masochists. We're not even sure how Clementine and co.'s travels will end in Season 2, but time - and the shuffling hordes of undead - wait for no man. Season 3 is coming, prepare while you can. Which ... might be awhile. Or not! We're not really sure, as no details regarding a release window were given. Oh, those darn zombies - so inconsiderate to not let us know when they plan on dropping by. [Image: Telltale Games]
Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist web series sequel in the works
Live-action web series Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist exhausted the entirety of its first routine on May 23, but Street Fighter fans know how these things go: Round two, fight! Polygon reports that Assassin's Fist's production team will be handling Street Fighter: World Warrior, a followup series announced at San Diego Comic-Con that will introduce series stars Guile, Chun-Li and Sagat, as well as M. Bison's Shadaloo organization. Polygon adds that World Warrior is scheduled to arrive in late 2015 or early 2016, but in the mean time, Assassin's Fist will reach the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand territories in DVD, Blu-ray and on-demand formats on October 28. Physical copies will include behind-the-scenes bonuses, such as director's commentary, a blooper reel and deleted scenes, one of which will reportedly feature the bright pink karate gi-donning joke competitor Dan Hibiki. [Image: Machinima]
The next Mass Effect might be about you and yours
The next Mass Effect will not revolve around Commander Shepard and crew, according to a BioWare Comic-Con panel. However, Phil Hornshaw of GameFront tweeted that the game's hero will have "something to do" with N7, the military designation for special forces soldiers with the highest levels of proficiency in badassery, which Shepard was a part of before becoming savior of the galaxy. So if the game isn't about Shepard, who is it about? Andrea Rene of The Escapist snapped some offscreen pics of a customizable hero labeled "your hero," as well as a picture of a new version of the Mako landrover from the original Mass Effect. Interestingly, this Mako was referred to as "your Mako." Does the "your" imply customization options? Are we playing as ourselves? Unfortunately, such questions won't be answered for awhile, if ever. Hornshaw reports that the BioWare panelists caution that the game is years away, and things can change between now and then.
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.
Kingdom Hearts dev's Batman comes from a canceled project
Whether you love it or loathe it, the Batman Play Arts statue dreamed up by Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts designer Tetsuya Nomura is a curious beast. After revealing the very dark knight yesterday, Nomura told Siliconera the design goes far back in time to a "game-related" project that was eventually canceled. It goes so far back, Nomura said, that it began before Kingdom Hearts was even conceived. So if you're seeing a bit of keyblade armor in there, that's because the canceled project went on to influence the Disney series and its armor design, and not the other way round.
Comixology now offers DRM-free comic backups, but only from select publishers
When Amazon purchased Comixology, it was a herald of change: iOS users lost the ability to purchase comics in-app, Android users were gifted with a new purchasing system and, now,the digital book seller is going DRM-free. Sort of. Comixology CEO David Steinberger announced today that DRM-free backups of select comics are now available to download in PDF and CBZ format, giving readers the ability to enjoy their content outside of the Comixology ecosystem for the first time. That said, it's somewhat limited: backup downloads are only available to book published by Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Zenoscope Entertainment, Thrillbent, Top Shelf Productions and MonkeyBrain Comics -- in other words, publishers that have already dabbled with DRM-free comic distribution.
Comic-Con bans Google Glass from super secret screenings
While you might be able to don an Oculus Rift to pilot a Pacific Rim jaeger, Comic-Con isn't as accepting of another piece of (not so) popular headgear. As TechHive reports, event organizers have begun mirroring actions taken by some US and UK movie theaters in outright banning Google Glass from screenings. On its official website, Comic-Con states that Glass is held in the same regard as smartphones and video cameras, noting that attendees "cannot wear Google Glasses during footage viewing in any program room." If you're a trendy Explorer who has a prescription Glass, let's hope you've brought a backup pair of specs because you're getting no special treatment.
Final Fantasy's Tetsuya Nomura envisions a new Batman
Square Enix unveiled a new Play Arts Kai statue that provides a glimpse of what a Batman game might look like in the hands of Tetsuya Nomura. The figure is one of a new Batman line dreamed up by the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts designer, and it's on display at the San Diego Comic Con, which kicks off today. The word that springs to mind for us is sharp, literally. The cape looks sharp, the horn-like ears look sharp, the additional claw things look sharp - generally the caped crusader looks dangerous to even touch. The most surprising aspect? We can only see the one belt. Check out a larger shot of the very dark knight below the break. If you prefer your Batmen more 8-bit and purpley-blue (who doesn't?), take a gander here.
Pilot one of the robots from 'Pacific Rim' with Oculus Rift at Comic-Con
We're not sure how many of the new Oculus Rift VR kits have shipped out to developers already, but it looks like a healthy amount are in San Diego right now. That's where Comic-Con is happening this week and, following the X-Men VR demo we already heard about, Legendary Pictures and Oculus have teamed up for Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot. It lets attendees take control of the 250-foot tall Jaeger "Gipsy Danger" (no drift connection necessary) and do battle in a virtual reality combat simulator against the kaiju Knifehead (the first one you see in the movie). The whole experience is built in Unreal Engine 4 using the same assets Industrial Light & Magic worked with for the movie. Sure, you've seen the movie, and maybe even in IMAX 3D, but we're pretty sure even Guillermo del Toro's directing tricks can't add up to feeling like you're there, fighting an 8,700 ton monster off the coast of Alaska. It's all in Legendary's booth #3920 for all four days the show is open, from Thursday through Sunday. Don't have a ticket? There's a video preview embedded after the break, but it can't compare to diving into a VR world with Oculus -- maybe we'll be able to enjoy it at home by April 2017 when Pacific Rim 2 arrives.
Marvel's giving you the key to over 13,000 comics for 99 cents
To celebrate the start of Comic-Con tomorrow in San Diego, Marvel is kicking off a promotion that provides an all-you-can-have pass to its entire digital library for less than a dollar. There are a few caveats, as expected, but not enough to make the offer seem any less attractive. According to Wired, Marvel Unlimited, which is home to more than 13,000 comics, can be accessed over the next week with a simple payment of 99 cents. The deal will only give you an in to the service for one month, but the renowned publisher is hoping that's plenty of time to keep you locked in beyond said period.
Oculus Rift turns 'X-Men' into a VR head trip
If you've every wanted to try X-Men-style telepathic brainwave amplification, Cerebro isn't real (yet) -- but the Oculus Rift is a damn good surrogate. 20th Century Fox will let you step into Charles Xavier's mind and don the futuristic headgear (the Rift, that is) at Comic-Con in San Diego, starting tonight. Each participant will be immersed in a three minute, panoramic VR presentation on a quest to find nudest of all mutants, Mystique, with the best reactions recorded on a GoPro for Facebook posterity. On top of the VR experience, Fox is offering a limited-edition, thousand-run of X-Men: The Cerebro Collection in a replica Cerebro helmet on pre-order for $80, or $90 with X-Men: Days of Future Past. The latter will also be up for pre-order at $23 alone and both will arrive October 14th, with the Digital HD version set to come on September 23rd.
San Diego Comic-Con 2014 programming schedule released
San Diego Comic-Con International has begun to release its program of events for this year's convention. Blizzard Entertainment will once again have a presence at the convention as well as a panel with Chris Metzen himself. The panel, titled Blizzard Entertainment Showcase, takes place Thursday, July 24 from 2:15-3:15pm in Room 6BCF. Attendees looking for expansion information should take note that this is a panel about Blizzard merchandise and licensed products. While it may include some new information on upcoming projects, there likely won't be a lot of talking about game development -- but the panel does include a Q&A. However, attendees looking for other Blizzard information would do well to hit up Hall H on Saturday, July 26. Legendary Pictures will be presenting a panel featuring their upcoming slate of films in Hall H from 12:25-1:10pm. Last year, Director Duncan Jones made a brief appearance at the convention to show off what he called a "mood piece" for the upcoming Warcraft film. Filming for Warcraft officially wrapped in May of this year, which means that attendees at the panel may very well see more than just a brief glimpse of Warcraft. Fans looking for Blizzard on the main convention floor can head to booth 115 for Blizzard Entertainment. At the moment, there still isn't an official schedule for any signings that might take place at Comic-Con. Given last year's list of notable names, we should see an official announcement regarding potential signings and other pertinent Comic-Con info soon.
New Art of Capcom collection to debut at San Diego Comic-Con
UDON Entertainment has unveiled the Art of Capcom: Complete Edition art book, a massive, 600-plus page hardcover tome dedicated to UDON's frequent collaborations with the House of Street Fighter. Not only will Art of Capcom: Complete Edition include all content found in UDON's two previous Art of Capcom books, it will also add an additional 75 pages, packed full of comic art, character sprites, tribute art and even toy designs. Unlike the 30th Anniversary Capcom Character Encyclopedia, which covered the full gamut of Capcom's offerings, UDON's work has long been focused on the publisher's many fighting games. As such, Art of Capcom: Complete Edition primarily showcases art from Street Fighter, Rival Schools, Darkstalkers, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, Marvel Vs Capcom and even the almost totally forgotten Capcom Fighting Evolution. That said, you might see a few pieces devoted to Mega Man and Strider, just for good measure. Art of Capcom: Complete Edition will make its debut at the San Diego Comic-Con this July, where it will be available for purchase alongside an exclusive dustcover. Keep in mind, the book won't be released to the public for "months" after Comic-Con, so those clamoring for this massive collection of UDON art may want to book a flight to San Diego. [Image: UDON]
