Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Loki’ Merchandise Offers First Look at TVA Mascot Miss Minutes

    ‘Loki’ Merchandise Offers First Look at TVA Mascot Miss Minutes

    Most of our attention has been towards the finale for WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In a surprising twist, we got some merchandise for the upcoming Loki series. The series will premiere in June, so we got an early look. The website, Zazzle, shared a variety that showcases Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki in his Time Variance Authority jacket alongside Owen Wilsons‘ Mobius. We also get our first official look at the TVA logo, which has the fitting tagline “For All Time – Always”. There is one visual that stands out even more, and that is the introduction of Miss Minutes.

     

     

    After some digging, this wasn’t a character that has a history in Marvel comics. It is also curious that the character has this vintage design, which is similar to Felix the Cat in some ways. The trailers didn’t reveal any mascot character for the TVA besides the strange devil-tainted glass. That started a lot of theories on Mephisto having a connection to the time organization. Well, Miss Minutes could connect to the organization’s technology that got showcased in the trailer. In a few sequences, we see some advanced holographic technology that briefly shows the TVA logo. It turns into the titular anti-hero but from his future in Thor: Ragnarok. That would prove she also has a databank on the events throughout time.

    She may be the mascot for the organization, especially with a name like Miss Minutes. In Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, we learn that Kang uses technology that had its origins in Stark’s designs. If he is involved with the time-traveling organization, they might have continued Tony’s love for AI butlers. Plus, if they can travel through, they might depend on some AI. So, they know how to avoid any negative influence on the timestreams. Avengers: Endgame made sure to warn viewers about the consequences of such actions. It’s a curious addition that hopefully gets some animated segments like Mr. DNA in Jurassic Park.

    Source: Zazzle

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Custom HARM Rooms Leaked Early

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Custom HARM Rooms Leaked Early

    All eyes were on the upcoming release of Hawkeye for Marvel’s Avengers. The archer would be the second DLC addition to the game, which would include a new storyline that would continue where Kate Bishop left off. Many have been wondering if we can expect any other future updates. There have been many requests for the game, which included a possibility to customize your HARM room challenges. Well, after a long wait, it seems that Crystal Dynamics has been working on it and waiting to officially unveil the design.

    It has finally come and it seems that the content was one of Square-Enix’s multiple contracts, as the customization option is sponsored by Intel. It was taken down shortly after it was released online. As it wasn’t released by the official Play Avengers account, it may have been released early. Luckily, @AssembleCast was able to get a video out on it, if you want to see it in action:

     

     

    Of course, anyone playing on a current-generation console will think this might be exclusive for PC, especially with the Intel advertising. Well, luckily, @StrumSlinger, the game’s community manager took to Discord to confirm that this is also going to be added to consoles.

     

     

    I have been waiting for the reveal of custom HARM rooms since the game was released. They do offer some standard missions, but it was an option that was sorely missing. I also am glad that we can use the location in the Helicarrier. It was a nitpick, but I was annoyed you could only access the HARM room through the War Table, so it was pointless to make the trip to the back of the flying fortress. The options look great for those that want to test out the different moves of their favorite Avengers. Hopefully, this is only the first of many major additions heading our way in the coming months. Here’s hoping we get an official reveal soon on what we can expect with this system.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter (AssembleCast), Twitter (PlayAvenger)

  • First Story Details Teased for ‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s First DLC

    First Story Details Teased for ‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s First DLC

    In the recent PlayStation State of Play video, we had a variety of reveals. One of the biggest came at the end in the form of Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade. Alongside the free upgrade to the Playstation 5 version of the game, we also can get our hands on the franchise’s first DLC. The chapter will focus on Wutai’s ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi. The base version of the remake focuses primarily on the Midgar arc of the 1997 game. As such, we haven’t seen all the iconic characters that we’ve come to love. We’d expected we wouldn’t get our first look at Yuffie until the release of the sequel. As we don’t know when that will release, we might get multiple sequels, which take place in the famous city to build up towards the next release. The first teaser gave us a glimpse, but an official tweet final gave us our first details on why Yuffie is in Midgar.

    Her search for the ultimate material is a curious reveal. When we meet Yuffie in the original PlayStation game, she is roaming the open world. You can play through the entire game without recruiting her. She is one of two optional characters, so her being an optional paid content is a nice touch. I wonder if Vincent will get the same treatment after the release of the official sequel. Her storyline is all about getting her hands on Materia, as she will even steal it from your team after joining you. So, the question remains what the ultimate material is.

    It could be a reference to the White or Black Materia, which is considered the strongest in the game’s lore. They may be using her to set-up the storyline for the sequel while fleshing out her story from the original. The tease at the end of the original teaser included Weiss, who is the antagonist of Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7. Yuffie had close ties to that storyline, so we’re seeing more of the compendium getting integrated, or would that be intergraded?

    Source: IGN, Twitter

  • ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Has Awoken in New Teaser

    ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Has Awoken in New Teaser

    We are only a few weeks away from the highly anticipated release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It has been a long road until the famous Snyder Cut would finally get released. The first trailer gave us a look at what we missed out on in 2017’s version by Joss Whedon. Now, Snyder can unveil his original vision, which includes the appearance of Darkseid, his original design of Steppenwolf, and the Knightmare sequence. The 4-hour film will be an event that no one wants to miss on HBO Max. To celebrate its release on March 18th, Warner Bros. has released a brand new design that highlights the epic tale we are about to jump into.

     

    https://twitter.com/snydercut/status/1365742293433655297?s=21

     

    Snyder is talented, especially when it comes to visuals, so this showcase highlights the spectacle the upcoming film will represent. Some great details highlight the different members of the Justice League. Aquaman sits on a throne wrapped by tentacles as if he took down a beast to show his strength, while Batman to his beliefs. If you take a closer look at the grave teased before Bruce Wayne, you might notice that the gravestone has Richard Grayson’s name on it, which finally answers that questions. 

    Cyborg has the Mother Box’s energy beating out of him to showcase his close ties to them. The idea of using the storyline’s focus as the backdrop for the characters is a fantastic visual and unique way to promote the film. It will be quite the experience once it releases and finally gives us the vision he always wanted to reveal.

    Source: Twitter

  • Final ‘WandaVision’ Episode Length Longer than the Last

    Final ‘WandaVision’ Episode Length Longer than the Last

    It looks like the runtime for an upcoming episode of WandaVision has leaked online again. Last week, the eighth entry got revealed by Reddit user, Plenty_Echidna_544, which confirmed the 47-minute episode. Of course, that was including the credits, which showcase the massive talent behind these ongoing series. The previous length of the “Breaking the Fourth Wall” episode also got leaked in advance to airing. Well, as you assumed by the title, it has happened again. In another moderator-approved post on the subreddit, the last episode will have a 50-minute runtime. It will also include the credits as with previous leaks.

    WandaVision Episode 9
    by inMarvelStudiosSpoilers

    It is rather curious that these runtimes are finding their way online. The post also points out that we shouldn’t expect a tenth entry for the series, so the series will sadly be coming to an end next week. It has been a crazy ride, especially with a lot of speculation on how much more we can expect. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been very vocal that they aim for around six-hour runtimes for all future shows. 

    We are going into the final episode with a lot of speculation on where the show might be heading. There are a lot of story threads that will get wrapped up, especially if we can expect a major battle, as teased on the approved Reddit posting. It makes sense that the final episode would be the longest, especially as we get ready for the next entry with Falcon and the Winter Soldiers in a few weeks.

    Source: The Direct, Reddit

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Talk Upcoming Patches and Content

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Talk Upcoming Patches and Content

    After a brief hiatus, Marvel’s Avengers has returned with a  new developer stream. They started this one off strong by jumping into discussing some aspects, as we are nearing the release of the next DLC character, Clint Barton. They couldn’t go into any details, but they did highlight that we’ll be getting a stream showcasing his moves on March 12th, so keep an eye out for that. Without further ado, let’s jump into the big talking points of this stream:

    • New Black Widow and Ms. Marvel skins arriving next week.
    • Next week we’ll get a minor patch that fixes Iron Man‘s noise glitch and brings back battery charge on his missiles. It will also repair the King Hulk hair glitch.
    • March 18th patch will include an extensive patch note (such as fixing the HARM Room issues), and they teased other things that will get revealed beforehand on Social Media. Challenge 4 issues will also be solved with this patch.
    • PVP is not of any priority, as they want to focus on what they have.
    • Hawkeye’s Stark Tech-inspired armor is called Iron Eye. 
    • Cloning Labs content is almost finalized. They are mainly focused on progression and fixing the bugs that affect the Omega Threat-Level’s gameplay negatively. The bug is an issue because of the longer playtime necessary to finish it and stands out with these lengthy missions. The mission will take several hours, as you need to solve the puzzles that only get hinted at through the environment. Teamwork is essential.

    Marvel's Avengers' finally gets Hawkeye on March 18 - Polygon

     

    • Once the roadmap gets signed off on, they can reveal what they are working on to the public more. CD has an internal one set but is working hard on getting it approved for the public.
    • Xbox has matchmaking issues, which aren’t connected to CD but with the platform.
    • Crafting isn’t getting worked on specifically, but they want to offer more freedom with gear stats in Loot 2.0. They are also adapting the loot drop to balance it.
    • Marketplace and vendors are getting looked into. They are working on an update and looking into a higher frequency for the offerings. Current drops weren’t changed or tuned, so they should’ve remained the same.
    • Progression Balance is being looked into, such as better farming options to avoid repetition and leveling up characters.

     

    Hawkeye Gets Detailed In Latest Marvel's Avengers War Table - Game Informer

     

    • Elevator dialogue will get cut off due to the faster loading times of next-gen consoles, but they plan to fix it.
    • The percentage issue with the War Table is getting looked into.
    • CD would love a Professor Hulk skin, so they are looking into it.
    • Emote wheel is something they are still actively looking into.
    • Haptic feedback highlighted again for the upcoming PlayStation 5 version.
    • Campaign Replay won’t add any new features. It is why they don’t call New Game+. It will release sooner than other content that is being worked on.

    They have gone into quite a bit of detail with some aspects and are still working hard on getting that roadmap out. We still have a few weeks to go before any big reveals are done, so it’ll be interesting to see what may be included in the major patch that arrives on March 18th with Clint.

    Source: Twitch

  • New Merchandise Showcases the Cast of ‘Eternals’

    New Merchandise Showcases the Cast of ‘Eternals’

    The pandemic hasn’t been kind to Marvel Studios. They were forced to delay their 2020 releases by an entire year. We still aren’t sure if Black Widow is going to release in May. If it gets delayed again, we might see other films face a similar fate. The other 2020 release, Eternals, never even got a trailer out, so we’ve been forced to scrap any information together we could get. It seems that most of our information for the film was connected primarily to toys. We got our first look at the villain Kro through a toy leak almost five months ago. Now, it seems we are still dependent on merchandise, as we got our first high-resolution look at the titular alien race through a calendar. @planetcameron was kind enough to share the source for the visual.

     

     

     

    I have to note that the image is a bit off. Thena is missing in the image and some of the faces look a bit off. There is also the fact that it says Marvel instead of the usual Marvel Studio logo. Still, it is our best look at the cast in their movie costumes. The film will span millennia and explore the history that defined the MCU. It will introduce a large cast of characters, which includes Ikaris, Druig, Gilgamesh, and so many more. We will also get a good look at the Celestials, who have been teased in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. Chloé Zao was at the helm of the project, which will have an all-star cast. Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Salma Hayek, and many more are rounding out the cast. Hopefully, the film industry won’t be hit by more delays and we can finally explore the vast galaxy when the film releases on November 5th.

    Source: Previews World

  • ‘Pokémon Diamond and Pearl’ Remakes Announced Alongside New Open-World Prequel Game

    ‘Pokémon Diamond and Pearl’ Remakes Announced Alongside New Open-World Prequel Game

    It is somewhat of a tradition that the various Pokémon games get remakes while Gamefreak is working hard on the next entry. As such, many weren’t wonder if we would get remakes of Diamond and Pearl, but rather when. Many believed it would be the case with the last Nintendo Direct, but it turned out they had an entirely separate event planned for it, as they finally revealed the remakes with the titles Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Not just that, they also revealed the game’s art style in a small teaser for its Nintendo Switch release:

    https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1365319952153083910?s=20

    they went ahead and recreated the original Nintendo DS games with a chibi design. It really looks like they made 3D renders of the original pixel art. It is rather surprising, as the franchise seemed to be moving away from the top-down view it has been using since its inception. Of course, once you enter battle the design shifts to showcase fully realized 3D models that we’ve seen in the new Pokémon Let’s GO games. However, it looks like they are also testing a new design out with the reveal of a pre-make game that is set within the land of Sinnoh titled Pokémon: Legends Arceus:

    https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1365321297190940673

    gives us a fully realized 3D Pokemon game many of us have been wanting to see in the franchise. You can freely explore open worlds and catch wild Pokémon without entering a specific fighting sequence. It seems like they might be testing out a new direction for the franchise. The Japanese design of exploring the history of this world is a great idea, which hopefully will be explored more in the future. The franchise is a perfect candidate for an open-world action-RPG. It looks like the Pokémon franchise has some big plans for the Nintendo Switch.

    Source: Twitter (Remake), Twitter (Premake)

  • Latest ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach’ Trailer Showcases First Gameplay

    Latest ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach’ Trailer Showcases First Gameplay

    The PlayStation’s State of Play has revealed quite a few interesting new details on upcoming games. While I am still waiting for an announcement on that rumored Silent Hill game, we did get a bit of horror in the latest showcase. Around five months ago, it was announced that the next entry in the Five Nights At Freddy‘s franchise, Security Breach. The newest trailer gave us an even better look at the game’s story and gameplay.

     

     

    The opening showcases a very familiar mask to those that played through the VR game, Five Night’s At Freddy’s: Help Wanted. We get a good look at the new location and animatronics that will become our living nightmare. The most exciting aspect is that this is the first time we have a fully realized game, as previously, the games were restricted to smaller sections of the game. Security Breach seems to offer us an entire world to explore, as we avoid getting captured by the various animatronics.

    Now, we can’t discuss the trailer without talking about the post-credit sequence. We see a human figure with a purple arm. Now, for anyone who doesn’t follow the overly complicated lore of these games, purple is associated commonly with the main antagonist of the franchise. The aptly named “purple guy” has deep ties with the creation of the iconic possessed animatronics. It will be interesting to see how this neon-drenched sequel will connect to the previous entries. I cannot wait to get my hands on the game.

    Source: YouTube

  • Square-Enix Announces Two New ‘Final Fantasy 7’ Mobile Spin-Offs

    Square-Enix Announces Two New ‘Final Fantasy 7’ Mobile Spin-Offs

    The Final Fantasy 7 Remake franchise is continuing to expand. In the latest PlayStation State of Play, we got a trailer for the first DLC of last year’s remake. It will explore a story that takes place during the Midgar chapter, as Yuffie tries to uncover Shinra’s dark secrets and take them down from within. It looks like Square-Eni wasn’t done with the franchise yet, as they simultaneously revealed two brand new mobile games. Interestingly enough, the titles for these games were leaked two months ago due to trademarks.

    The first mobile game is titled Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis. It will be a single-player game that covers the entire franchise’s timeline. It even includes the compilation and designs from the Remake franchise. The gameplay showcases the return of the classic ATB system. It even switches between chibi-versions of the characters and their larger designs. The ending seems to tease a story featuring Zack, which could potentially be tied to the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

    As mentioned before, it wasn’t the only mobile game reveal. It looks like they are dipping their toes in third-person shooters as well. Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier will be a Battle Royale game that takes place in Midgar before the events of the original game. You take over the role of a SOLDIER candidate, who will take on other players and some classic enemies from the original game.

    The quality of these games is impressive and showcases how far mobile gaming has come. There is a good chance there are some gacha or microtransactions integrated into the game, as is common for mobile games. I might check out The First Soldier game, as it seems like a fun distraction. Ever Crisis would technically count as a remake of the original with how faithful its adaptation seems to be. I am excited to see what else the franchise might have in store for us, as we anxiously wait for the sequel to last year’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

    Source: Twitter (Ever Crisis), Twitter (The First Soldier)