Author: Joseph Aberl

  • BREAKING: First Look at New ‘Persona 5’ Spinoff Has Also Dropped Early by Atlus West

    BREAKING: First Look at New ‘Persona 5’ Spinoff Has Also Dropped Early by Atlus West

    Well, it seems that Atlus accidentally revealed their two big reveals early. Not only did they seemingly accidentally reveal their Persona 3 Reload trailer on Instagram, but it seems they followed it up with the other planned Xbox reveal, Persona 5 Tactica. As shared by Twitter user @junoharuto, the game seemingly will re-use the Persona Q series’ design and adds a curious take on the strategy elements we’ve seen in other franchises.

    The designs are definitely a curious take on chibi designs, and it might not include any social elements but it’s definitely an exciting addition to the franchise. The film is also taking the late 2023 release with a definite 17th November release date. Once again, it was part of the Xbox Showcase with no exact wording of other consoles that will also get their hands on the release but do remain likely given past statements.

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitter

  • BREAKING: Atlus West Accidentally Leaks ‘Persona 3 Reload’ Trailer Early, Early 2024 Release

    BREAKING: Atlus West Accidentally Leaks ‘Persona 3 Reload’ Trailer Early, Early 2024 Release

    Well, it seems like Persona 3 Reload is real, as the trailer for the remake of the iconic game has seemingly leaked early. As shared by Twitter user @Spoopy06, the full trailer has seemingly found its way online and was initially shared by Atlus West’s Instagram account. The trailer showcases many familiar sequences but also has a variety of style updates that definitely is more in line with what we see with Persona 5.

    Not just that, it starts with the Xbox logo and ends with “Play it Day 1 With Gamepass” further hinting that this trailer was part of the upcoming Xbox Showcase. So, either they accidentally leaked it with the wrong event or the timing was off. Either way, the trailer confirms that it’s an adaptation of the base game, as there’s no sign of the female route being present in this version of the game. @ScrambledFaz has shared a better look at the adaptation.

    There’s no sign of it including a release on all consoles or PlayStation, but it does seem unlikely that this classic will only be available on one console. So, here’s hoping that the game will also be confirmed for other releases, as we saw a similar strategy with the remaster reveals earlier this year. It was commonly the website that revealed the multi-title release. The only big surprise is that this game is seemingly releasing in early 2024 rather than the rumored later this year. Perhaps that Persona 5 spinoff game, which was also hinted at potentially being revealed soon. Could we have a double-reveal planned for Xbox Showcase?

    Source: Twitter

  • SUMMER GAME FEST: ‘Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’ to Release Early 2024 on PS5

    SUMMER GAME FEST: ‘Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’ to Release Early 2024 on PS5

    Summer Game Fest ended in style with the long-awaited trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake will continue the storyline that many of us fell in love with on the PlayStation while setting up expectations of changing elements we might be familiar with. The trailer was a great reveal with some familiar and new teases of what’s to come. Yet, there was also the confirmation that we’ll have to wait a bit longer for its release.

    The second entry in the Remake trilogy was originally set for a release later this year but seemingly was pushed back to 2024. While they do state it’ll release in “Early 2024” they might be keeping the door open to push it back slightly in case the game still requires a bit more work. The game still remains a Sony timed-exclusive but it is surprising this wasn’t part of their recent Showcase given it was the first in a long time.

    Either way, the trailer gives us a great look at a finally playable Red XIII, the return of Yuffie, and surprisingly no teases of other party members like Vincent or Cait Sith. The big question is the opening of the trailer showing the party members seemingly passed out or even dead after the events of the last game. Yet, we see the journey we are familiar with hints of iconic sequences returning and a beautiful semi-open world to explore.

    There might be more to this story once again that is teased throughout the story. We even get more hints at Reunion and potential on what type of bosses we’ll face in this sequel. Rebirth is definitely looking like it’ll hold up t other original and it’s exciting to see how far the story goes considering that it’s already set as a trilogy for the entire retelling of Final Fantasy 7. A release on 2 discs on a Playstation 5 sounds like a massive game.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Illumination May Tackle a ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Film Next

    RUMOR: Illumination May Tackle a ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Film Next

    Nintendo might be quite happy with what Illumination and Universal Studios managed to accomplish with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It was a nostalgia-filled romp through the Mushroom Kingdom that brought together the many stories and elements from the franchise’s history. Going by online videos of kids singing Peaches from Jack Black, it definitely was a hit for a new generation as well and it wouldn’t be surprising if they are mapping out a sequel.

    Yet, a new rumor from The Hot Mic might be hinting at them focusing on another project moving forward. Nintendo might be set to once again tackle another one of their iconic franchises with Illumination and it’s none other than their other biggest franchise, The Legend of Zelda. For now, it’s still a rumor but it wouldn’t be too surprising if they are interested in sticking to an animated form and it’s still in a deal closing phase.

    It would be a shame if they are going to restrict themselves to just doing Illumination-style projects, especially with a franchise that has a more clearly defined storyline and high-fantasy concept to work off of. The Legend of Zelda would work quite well in live-action and it would be great to have Nintendo expand its ventures beyond just a single partner that only allows them to put out a restricted amount of projects.

    Plus, if they just stick to Illumination’s style of animation, it would not allow other franchisees to stand out from each other. Metroid would be an amazing science-fiction franchise but they might lean a bit too much into the usual comedy style one sees with Minions, The Secret Lifes of Pets, and more. Of course, it only is a rumor for now but we’ll have to see if they make an announcement at some point in the future.

    Source: YouTube

  • SUMMER GAME FEST: Eddie Brock Will Not Become Venom in ‘Spider-Man 2’

    SUMMER GAME FEST: Eddie Brock Will Not Become Venom in ‘Spider-Man 2’

    Summer Game Fest has finally arrived and with E3 no longer happening, it’s likely our biggest event for gaming news. While we didn’t get a new trailer for Spider-Man 2, we did get some great reveals and confirmations. The biggest is that the one major character confirmed for quite some time to appear in the game was finally focused on again. Besides some beautiful artwork, we now also find out that the character won’t be who we thought it is.

    The first look of Venom seemingly hinted at the design we’re used to that Eddie Brock ends up with when the symbiote takes him over after Peter Parker. Yet, the game’s director Bryan Intihar has confirmed that this is, in fact, not Eddie Brock but someone else. Naturally, they did not reveal who exactly that’ll be, and this has kept us wondering.

    There are many possible candidates. Most might think it’s Harry Osborne given we saw him fused with what looked like the symbiote in the first game. It’s a good chance that it’ll be him but they might also play around with the idea of it being Kraven the Hunter that ends up getting overtaken, which would match with him being one of the main big bads of the game.

    They could also have Dr. Curt Connors whose Lizard DNA might create the monstrous version of the character. Until the October 20th release, we might not know but it’s fun to guess. We’ll have to see if future trailers might offer more teases of who it’ll be and what it means for the character in this story.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Gunn and DC Studios Closing in On New Superman & Lois

    James Gunn and DC Studios Closing in On New Superman & Lois

    Superman Legacy is James Gunn’s biggest project yet. Not only is it him tackling a new superhero but it’s also his proof of concept that the DC Cinematic Universe with his leadership will prosper in this new era. So, there’s a lot riding on finding the right person to play the iconic superhero that was previously played by Henry Cavill in the Snyderverse. According to Deadline, it seems that the first in-person meetings are set to take place, interestingly enough, on Father’s Day.

    DC Studios’ CEOs Peter Safran and James Gunn are spearheading the auditionings. So far, it seems Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, and David Corenswet are going to audition for the role. They are also testing for Lois Lane; likely to ensure they can test out the tension between the acting duos as well given how integral their relationships are. Currently, Phoebe Dynevor, Emma Mackey, and Rachel Brosnahan are set to test for the role.

    It’ll be interesting to see what they are looking for, as many still wonder what exactly a Superman film will be by Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn. He definitely has proven his love for the comics and understanding of these universes, but there’s always the question of if he’ll use his iconic style of humor or might try to be a bit more subdued to focus on the messaging he has teased.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Eyeing Soft $70M Opening Weekend

    ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Eyeing Soft $70M Opening Weekend

    It’s looking like the opening weekends are continuing to average at around $70M, as another film is joining that club in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. After The Flash was initially projected with that box office opening, the recent boost for Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse may be a hopeful sign that there’s a bit more momentum building up for bigger releases that have been surprisingly mellow throughout the year. Though, the amount of competition in a post-pandemic world might be doing more harm than good for individual releases.

    Still, the return of Indiana Jones is set to be a big move forward as the final entry for Harrison Ford as the iconic character. So, perhaps a $60M to $70M opening isn’t quite what Disney was looking for given the nostalgia factor was a big driver throughout the last few major releases. It’s on par with the pandemic release of No Time to Die and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, but those had to compete in a very different market.

    The big question mark is that without a bigger marketing push, this film will open below 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That was around $100M across three days but even with conservative predictions, it’s a bit of a headscratcher given how off some have been as of late. The big problem is that Indiana Jones‘ latest entry is expensive at a staggering $295M, which means the film needs to at least make $600M just to cover its production costs. Even with good legs, it might look like it’s a loss for Lucasfilm.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter, The Direct

  • New Domain Update Further Hints at ‘Persona 3’ Remake Reveal as Rumor Hints at New Name

    New Domain Update Further Hints at ‘Persona 3’ Remake Reveal as Rumor Hints at New Name

    With Summer Game Fest just a few more hours away, the rumor mill is starting to go crazy once again. Surprisingly, after many years of holding back on their Persona franchise; especially with its 25th anniversary; it seems like we’re going to have many reveals building up across the rest of 2023. Just recently, we seemingly got a first hint that the rumored Persona 5 spinoff might be revealed soon with an Atlus-owned site titled P5T.jp getting updated.

    Now, it seems like the same has happened with P3RE.jp, which we recently reported is very likely the site used by Atlus for the long-rumored Persona 3 remake. As mentioned, the site now links to a 404 which means that it is technically “live” but being worked on for publication. So, it seems the rumors of an announcement during the Xbox Showcase on Sunday might turn out to be true after all.

    That isn’t all, Persona Central has retweeted an account that shared some supposed details on what we can expect from this remake of Persona 3. While we have to take it with a grain of salt, it seems the project might potentially be titled Persona 3 Reload, which still fits the P3RE.jp titling. They also hint that it’ll likely hit multiple consoles by November of this year.

    They do highlight it’s a “full remake” but add it won’t be a “definitive” version. It might mean that we’re only getting the base game updated to the modern age rather than the Portable or FES versions. Reload is fitting instead of just going with the word remake, as it also matches with the Evokers which are a core element of the entry. With only a few more days to go, here’s hoping the confirmation is around the corner.

    Source: Persona Central, Twitter

  • ‘One Piece’s Taz Skylar Shares What it Was Like Preparing to Play Sanji

    ‘One Piece’s Taz Skylar Shares What it Was Like Preparing to Play Sanji

    Netflix has a reputation when it comes to anime live-action adaptations. Ever since they released Death Note in 2017, it seemed like many have made up their mind about what future anime adaptations will be like. Cowboy Bebop wasn’t welcomed with a lot of fanfare before swiftly being canceled after only one season. Still, Tomorrow Studios has one major project up their sleeve for Netflix: a live-action adaptation of One Piece.

    It’s a major challenge to tackle one of the world’s biggest manga franchises but the talented team and cast added some hope for what’s to come. Among the talented cast is Taz Skylar, who will take on the role of the Straw Hat cook, Sanji. While filming, the actor shared his intense kick-based training while also highlighting he took cooking lessons.

    In an interview with Zero Nine, Skylar got a chance to share what it was like bringing the character of Sanji to life and added that he had “a clean slate” for bringing a character to life that never had a live-action adaptation before but is aware of the challenge of bringing an animated character to life.

    Whenever you see references of the character, (Sanji) I don’t have to worry about my interpretation being anything close or anything that is copying or resembling anything that anyone else has done. I get a clean slate when I do it. But secondly, with it being animation, there’s not a single thing you see that isn’t deliberately done.

    Taz Skylar

    He goes on to highlight what makes his character different from the others, as while most have a weapon of some kind, Sanji mainly uses kicks as his weapon of choice. He also deliberately doesn’t use his hands due to them being tools to cook.

    Every other character has an external object they had to practice with. This doesn’t diminish the process of learning how to be good at something. However, in my case, I couldn’t learn to use the object until it became usable. Understanding the mechanics of kicking, for example, doesn’t count unless you can reach the target.

    Taz Skylar

    Skylar goes on to also share that he was all-in or “gone psycho” for this role. We’ve seen a lot of dedication from the cast throughout the production. He shared how he handled the pressure of preparing for this multi-faceted role.

    I’ve never gone psycho like I’ve gone psycho on this. This is the hardest I’ve ever worked for anything in my entire life. But part of it was because of the pressure, which I don’t like admitting because I don’t think it’s a useful sentiment. My way of dealing with the pressure was to go, “Well, at least if I do everything that I know is humanly possible by my standards. And then, you know, if people don’t like it, I can’t go, ‘Oh, well, maybe just Ignore them and go for it.

    Taz Skylar

    To highlight what he accomplished during production, director Marc Jobst took to Twitter highlighting that “he’d come to rehearsal with another awesome dish” and that he was truly committed to the role.

    It’s great to see just how committed Skylar was to the role and here’s hoping that it’ll pay off with this series going on for many more years, as the story of One Piece is still being told after over 1,000 chapters. While the WGA may postpone any work on a second season and Netflix’s tendency to set very high standards for viewership, if there’s any project to accomplish it, it would be Eiichiro Oda’s work.

    Source: Twitter, Zero Nine

  • Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Blue Beetle is the only HBO Max original DC film that managed to survive Warner Bros. Discovery’s purge. While Batgirl might sadly never see the light of day, we’ll get to explore the story of Jaime Reyes who ends up having an extraterrestrial bug attached to his back. While we still have some time before the film releases as all eyes are on The Flash, it seems a major casting has been revealed.

    Ángel Manuel Soto’s film will seemingly integrate some familiar elements from other tech-based superheroes as the alien Scarab will have a voice. And it seems the one to voice the being is nonother than Rebbeca Marie Gomez, better known as the singer Becky G. She’ll be joining Xolo Mariduena, who played Jaime, in his unlikely adventure of becoming a new hero.

    The entity she voices will be named Khaji-Da and we already got a tease of her voice in a teaser that has found its way online, as shared by @bluebeetlenews on Twitter. It seems they are adding some more distortions to her voice but it’s definitely strongly inspired by the AI voices we’ve seen with Iron Man and Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’ll be interesting to see how they try to make this dynamic stand out.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter