Category: News

How to Play Thor and Captain America in ‘Avengers’ Beta

It just doesn’t end for the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game. More players are getting a chance to test out the Beta on various consoles. This limited players to four characters. You can only play as Ms. Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow. Only during A-Day can players test out Thor and Captain America. Still, they were in the game’s code so some crafty players didn’t let that stop them. They found a way to play as both characters and access their various features. Here is some gameplay from YouTuber TonyBingGaming playing the patriotic hero:

If you are interested in checking out the costumes and skill trees, they have been shared on Reddit as well:

LEAKED Cap & Thor Costumes from Marvel Avengers Countdown on Twitter
byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

LEAKED CAP AND THOR SKILL TREES Preview
byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

As one can see from the gameplay, the glitch won’t give you the final build of the characters. Captain America has the hover ability of Iron Man, as he replaces him through the glitch. What stands out though is that their character cards and skill trees are included in the beta. these could still be from an earlier build of the game, as the introductions to the moves are missing. It is exciting though to think what the game lets you unlock as you play through it. There are quite a few costumes one can unlock for these characters with the “season pass”-inspired character card. It is quite impressive what the Internet can do when they get their hands on something. This certainly wasn’t planned to happen by developer Crystal Dynamics.

Source: YouTube (TonyBingGaming), Reddit (Costumes), Reddit (Skill Tree)

August 16, 2020
‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man DLC Confirmed for March

Starting to feel bad for Crytal Dynamics. Marvel’s Avengers had another massive leak today that revealed around 15 unannounced characters. It hasn’t been easy for the developer. A. lot of their plans seem to be getting released online way in advance than originally scheduled. We thought this was it, as the Beta was made available on all platforms. Well, not quite as the release date for their most controversial exclusive has also been revealed prematurely. The UK retailer GAME has sent out e-mails that confirm the release month for the PS exclusive DLC character Spider-Man.

Don’t know if this is known but I got a email from Game UK who I ore ordered with saying that spider man will come out in March !
byu/Judewhite1 inPlayAvengers

It is hard to make out but it does state that he will be made available by March. It isn’t an exact release date but it seems reasonable. Hawkeye was confirmed as the first DLC character, so he probably is getting the most development currently. We also have no official render for Spidey, so they might still be finalizing his design. With all the different characters revealed, there is the possibility we could see a constant stream of updates every two to three months. Keep in mind though that nothing has been confirmed so far. We barely know how far in development they are with most of these characters.

Naturally, this exclusivity deal is a selling point for the PlayStation. It worked out quite well for the developer going by the UK sales charts after the announcement. They’ve also already included it on the box art to boost sales before its upcoming September release. Naturally, it is a very controversial move but it seems strongly linked to the branding of the console. Spider-Man and it’s Miles Morales spin-off are only available on that console. They may have gunned hard to keep that consistency even if it is a rather questionable decision. I believe this might be a timed exclusive but we will have to wait until that is confirmed.

LookSource: MP1ST, Reddit, WhatCulture, VGC

August 16, 2020
Retailer Leaks ‘Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory’ November Release Date

In June, we got the official announcement for the latest entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It sadly isn’t an entry in the mainline, which fans are still anticipating. This latest game, as the subtitle Melody of Memory teases, will be a rhythm-action game. It lets you play through the iconic music from the franchise while taking down Heartless. It was revealed in their Kingdom Hearts 2020 video without a definite release date. Sadly, it was uncertain when exactly we could expect this spin-off. Well, looks like an Austrian retailer GameWare has accidentally leaked it online, as Twitter user Ezereal shared. Seems the game is going to be released on November 13th.

https://twitter.com/So_Ethereal/status/1295057362940760082

It isn’t uncommon for retailers to create placeholders for upcoming games. Sometimes, they do so just in case an announcement is made. Yet, this is a little to exact to just be a placeholder. While checking is still listed on the Austrian site. Just to make sure, I checked others but this is currently the only platform it is listed. We haven’t had an official announcement yet, so there is a good chance it might be around corner if this has been shared with retailers.

As a Kingdom Hearts fan myself I am quite excited to get my hands on it. At first, it seemed like a spin-off but fans know better. During the 2020 video, we got glimpses of what seems to be a bridge towards the next major entry. Kairi might be taking center stage as they Kingdom Hearts 3 did tease that they are using her memories to find Sora. It’s been a big year for the game with the release of the Re:Mind DLC and the mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road. Here’s just hoping the wait for the next main entry won’t take another 14 years like last time.

Source: Square-Enix, Twitter, GameWare

August 16, 2020
Untitled ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Show Eyeing Production Start Next Month

The Mandalorian kickstarted the Disney+ era. It was quite the success and Disney didn’t waste time to announce multiple projects in the Star Wars galaxy. Just recently, we got an update on casting for the unnamed Cassian Andor project. Hell, we are even getting a new Star Wars Holiday Special on the streaming platform. One major project many are excited for was the announced Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Ewan McGregor is confirmed to return to the role, as it takes place eight years after Revenge of the Sith. In January, it was reported that the production was set on hold long before the pandemic hit. Rumors pointed to issues with the scripts that were going to be reworked. As a result, production was delayed indefinitely.

Well, looks like that wait is finally over. The site Making Star Wars has uncovered that there are plans to start production as early as next month. It seems that they are planning on using the train yard location in California. This has been used for many exterior shots for The Mandalorian in the past. They could be reusing the Tatooine materials filmed during the first season of the Disney+ show.

Their source does confirm that this doesn’t mean they will instantly jump into filming. This story takes place long before our favorite Mandalorian took a step in Tatooine so it was a very different place then. So, they will need to adapt the existing material to fit that timeline before Deborah Chow starts the actual filming. As she was involved with the previous show’s production, she can reuse this experience for Obi-Wan. Making Star Wars also points out that it is unsure how much will be shot in Southern California. Originally, plans seemed to indicate that they wanted to film in the U.K. but with the current situation this may be hindered. It will be good to keep an eye out if anything happens for the show next month.

Sources: TechRadar, Collider, Making Star Wars via DisInsider

August 16, 2020
Disney Confirms More Upcoming Blockbuster Films on Premier Access

A few days ago, Disney+ revealed their plans to release the upcoming live-action interpretation of Mulan through their streaming service rather than delay the film’s release date any further. The catch, however, is that in order to watch this film, users of the streaming platform would have to pay a $29.99 fee in order to watch this film, under a new brand Disney+ calls “Premier Access.”

Disney’s “Mulan” will release on September 4th via Disney+’s offering of “Premier Access”

Disney+ explains:

“Once you have Premier Access to Mulan, you can watch [the film] as many times as you want on any platform where Disney+ is available. Your access to Mulan will continue as long as you are an active Disney+ subscriber.” Following the announcement, Disney CEO Bob Chapek described the move as a “one-off” in a Disney’s Q3 FY20 Earnings Results Webcast,explaining that right now they’re “going to have a chance to learn from this and to see whether that [Premier Access] makes sense.”

Needless to say, the Premier Access offering has sparked some debate amongst some users of the platform, some believing it’s too high a price for a single film, while others (myself included), have been wondering about Premier Access’ potential for other films to be displayed utilizing this PVOD format, some examples being Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Marvel Studios’ Black Widow.

So I got to investigating and started working on a theory piece for the potential this service has and how Mulan’s release can affect the future of PVOD itself. Then, simply because I wanted to make sure I used all my options, I decided to just directly contact Disney+’s Help Center, via their live chat option and see if they could help out. And they certainly did.

My first Disney+ Live Help Chat Conversation with an agent.

In my first conversation with the Disney+ Agent, I asked about the Premier Access service, its pricing and if it was going to be a yearly subscription added to the one I already had or if it was a one time fee on a “film-by film” basis where one would pay the $29.99 fee for every film released via Premier Access. The agent replied with the following string of messages after he contacted his account specialist and left me on read for nearly 10 minutes. He confirmed that the $29.99 fee is just a one time fee, on top of our monthly/yearly subscription, that gives you access to Mulan and that “FOR NOW WE have Mulan, but when time goes by, the premier access WILL BE MORE UPDATED and more movies to watch.” This confirms that Disney does indeed have plans to premier other films via Premier Access, similar to what they’re doing with Mulan.

Now, rationally, I contacted the “Scooper Supreme“ known as Charles Murphy and I showed him what I had. We needed more proof. After all, the main purpose of an experiment is to show that if you obtained the same result once, then theoretically, if we do it over and over, we should get a similar result. So we tried 3 MORE TIMES. (I did it twice and Charles did it once.)

My second Disney+ Live Help Chat Conversation with a second agent.

The second agent was more focused on discussing Mulan but eventually answered my question and offered a similar response with a “guarantee…that Disney+ will offer more amazing movies” in regards to the Premier Access itself.

My third and last attempt was not as fruitful because the agent had kept referring me to this page. (Well someone gets a 1/5 in customer service). But it is important to note out that I managed to verify the page’s identity, and confirmed that it is a “Hero Content Page”, meaning the page linked above isn’t specifically just for Mulan, but that it can be updated with other film properties simply replacing the Mulan information and inserting another film in there.

Charles also attempted to get information on this, to make sure of the veracity of these comments and he was fruitful as well being told that while Mulan was the only film available “for now”, Premier Access could be used similarly in the future.

So, in a string of either complete naiveté on my part and literal sheer dumb luck, we managed to get a confirmation that Disney+ is indeed planning on using this PVOD service to push films out through their streaming platform. Yes, you’ll be paying an additional fee for each film ($29.99 does not get you access to all Premier Access films) but this resolves one of the biggest discussion points surrounding the platform since it was announced.

This gives fans an opportunity to see films that they were planning to see before the COVID-19 pandemic arose back in March, starting with Mulan as their first true test, and with 60.5 million subscribers on the platform already, I predict Premier Access has a very bright future ahead of it. So don’t be surprised if you get one of the following promos on your twitter feed or your email address.

Unofficial Jungle Cruise “Premier Access” Mockup Image. (Made by Superhero Theorist)

Unofficial Black Widow “Premier Access” Mockup Image. (Made by Superhero Theorist)

August 15, 2020
John Ridley’s Batman Mini-Series to Impact The Future of the Character

Enough about games and movies, let’s talk a bit more about comics. The Hollywood Reporter got a chance to sit down with DC’s Jim Lee to discuss the future of the company. Many have been worried after it was announced that WarnerMedia was laying off up to 600 employees, downsizing the company by 20%, that the comic department would be hit especially hard. Senior editors were already let go, so the uncertainty could have larger implications for the industry. Lee was quick to point out that they will remain in the comic industry and that no work has been halted.

While discussing the future of the comics, he also teased the importance of John Ridley‘s involvement with Batman. He is currently involved with various projects in the DC Universe. He is a contributor to the Batman: The Joker War Zone anthology with the art of Olivier Coipel. The Oscar-winner also is behind the upcoming DC Black Label mini-series The Other History of the DC Universe. This will reframe iconic moments of DC history from the eyes of heroes from disenfranchised groups. According to Jim Lee, his addition to the Batman mythology will have a large impact on the character’s future. It is always intriguing when what seems to be a smaller story will actually have a much bigger role moving forward.

The Oscar-winner has quite a history with comics, as he wrote The Authority in 2004 and collaborated on the limited series The American Way. It’s great to see DC Comics as a steady rock within Warner Bros. Even during these trying times, they seem to be keeping their eyes on the future. They are also bringing back the Milestone label to offer more spotlight to under-represented heroes and creators. It’s a new era for DC and it looks like a lot of interesting things are heading or way.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, DC Comics

August 14, 2020
DCU Originals Migrate to HBO Max

The launch of DC Universe was something special and unprecedented: taking one brand under a single roof from comics, movies, tv, and their most ambitious venture, the originals. At launch DC Universe began a weekly release of their first original series Titans and had begun on the third season of the fan favorite animated series Young Justice. From their DCU began to announce more such as the Titans spinoff Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Harley Quinn, Stargirl, and Bizarro World. Since the launch of HBO Max and the news that many of DC Universe’s originals would begin streaming elsewhere the future of the service to be cast in doubt.

Today, to the surprise of no one, it was confirmed by DC comics CCO Jim Lee that the originals would be migrating from DCU to a new home: HBO Max. To those that have been living under a rock, hints of this have been becoming more and more obvious. Doom Patrol, which streamed on both DCU and HBO Max, should’ve been the biggest attention grabber for most as it seems like Warnermedia may have been testing the waters for a pilgrimage of sorts. HBO Max will become the new homes of many fan favorite shows such as Young Justice and Swamp Thing that will join Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn . Also available on the service will be Titans where it’ll most likely debut it upcoming third season.

The best course of action would be to develop ‘DC Universe’ into a digital comic library and possibly begin to offer exclusive digital issues for subscribers of the service. Right now DCU is holding on tight to what could be some of HBO Max’s biggest persuaders such as the ever popular Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, both animated Justice League Series, and a vast library of animated features that could really beef up the DC Library on Max. The end is nigh for DC universe, whether it cease to exist or be rendered a virtual library of comics for subscribers, it’ll be sad to see lose a lot of what made it so great.

August 14, 2020
‘BLACK ADAM’ Surprises in Store for DC FanDome

The full schedule for next Saturday’s DC FanDome was revealed today and on first glance it truly looks to be a spectacular event, almost too full of great panels, that will give fans a big boost as the COVID-19 pandemic presses on. Of all the scheduled events, the one that caught my eye will be taking place in the Hall of Heroes at 6:00 PM EST when Dwayne Johnson is set to appear in a Black Adam panel with some surprises tossed in. What kind of surprises might be in store? Let the speculation begin.

Landing a Hawkman

The most obvious and most anticipated bunch of surprises would come from adding to the cast. As of now, only the film’s star, Johnson, and Noah Centineo, set to play JSA member Atom Smasher, have been announced. That means there are plenty of roles left to be filled but it’s the role of Carter Hall/Hawkman that’s going to make or break this movie. The studio has been searching for a while now but rumors swirled recently that they had narrowed down their search. We know they want someone physically imposing who could appear to be able to tussle with the Rock (let’s be honest, you’re going to have one hell of a time finding that guy given Dwayne’s commitment to fitness) but also someone with a timeless quality to them. Hard to do all that, but you could see someone the likes of Charlie Hunnam, Joel Kinnaman (who, apparently, is a hot super hero commodity right now) or Alexander Skarsgard pop up in the panel, turning up the hype on this one even more.

The Villain

While the film is certainly going to see Black Adam and Hawkman come to blows, it’s unlikely that Hawkman would be the film’s true antagonist meaning there’s one big piece of the puzzle missing. I’ve heard rumblings for a while now about what type of villain the studio wants and, unsurprisingly, it seems it’ll be someone who can match Teth-Adam’s longevity. At first this sounds a lot like Vandal Savage and he would be a great pick but there’s another character whose recent retcon might make him THE perfect bad guy. The New 52 gave a new story to a character named Ibac and that story could tie right into this film. Originally, Ibac was just a guy named Stanley Printwhistle who, like Billy Batson, could say a name and be imbued with magical powers. The retcon turned him into a barbarian warlord, Ibac the First, who conquered and enslaved the people of Khandaq, killing Teth-Adam’s family in the process. Black Adam had his vengeance on Ibac only to later come to blows with a descendant. With some careful crafting, Black Adam could tell the tale of the barbarian Ibac and bring the original character back to life as well granting him the magical powers of IBAC (based on some of history’s greatest warlords), making him a better match for Black Adam.

There are certain to be more cast announcements and surprises, but these two really stand out among the potential crowd given how they’ll define the public’s perception of the film going into production. What else are you hoping to hear next week?

August 14, 2020
More Details Revealed for ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’

It’s been quite the day for gaming news. We got the official title for Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad game. WB Games Montreal will finally reveal the latest game next week and just recently we also got an update on PlayStations’ upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales game. It is quite the time to be a comic book fan and a gamer. In addition to the Avengers game, 2020 will be filled to the brim with major releases and news for these major franchises.

Entertainment Weekly got an insight into what we can expect from the upcoming spin-off. the story will pick up one year after the events of the previous games in Harlem. It is the epicenter for a war between an energy corporation and an unnamed criminal organization armed with advanced weaponry. The game was described as a short spin-off similar to Uncharted’s Lost Legacy spin-off. Insomniac’s creative director, Brian Horton, did point out this will still be a full-fledged game.

“This is a full arc for Miles Morales that started in Spider-Man. We are completing this hero’s coming of age in our game. It is a complete story.”

They even offered insight into how Miles will be different from Peter. they went out of his way to ensure that his movement and animations will make him a unique character. They also will include his bioshock and invisibility powers to add more depth to the gameplay. They compare him to Peter by stating that his origin lies more of his family rather than tragedy.

Marvel Games Vice President Bill Rosemann also confirmed that this franchise is separate from the upcoming Avengers game. The main reason is that he wants to keep the artistic freedom between different developers. There are certain aspects of game development that would just hinder the development of these games. Sometimes, they can take multiple years, and trying to keep some kind of consistency in a singular universe would just constantly drag out productions. Still, that doesn’t mean they could explore a Secret Wars-type storyline at one point to have these different universes interconnect. Whatever they have planned, this is quite an exciting time to play games.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

August 14, 2020
WB Games Montreal Latest Project to be Revealed at DC FanDome

It has been a wild ride getting to this point. For months, the game studio WB Games Montreal has been teasing a project. They started releasing cryptic messages on their Twitter profile. It always included the title “Capture the Knight” which pretty much confirmed for most that it would end up being a Batman game. It was the same studio that brought us Batman: Arkham Origins, so it seemed like a shoo-in for them to work on the latest title. Now finally, we got the confirmation that they will reveal their game at the upcoming DC FanDome event. It’s one of the earliest announcements in the publicly released schedule and will put quite the spotlight on the event.

We have been waiting for a new entry in the Batman Arkham franchise since the release of Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015. Now, rumors even seem to be supporting that they will drop the Arkham title. It is a smart decision, as it was a bit restricting in how they approach their stories. This move would give them the freedom they need to tell any story they want to without having to fall back on some Arkham connections.

It has been quite the build-up to this reveal and it is great to have actual confirmation. We will finally find out what they have been working on. There were rumors of a complete reboot to focus on Batman. At one point, they were working on a version that focused on Damian carrying on the mantle. Suddenly, it was a story featuring the entire Bat-family trying to keep a turf war at bay. Whatever it ends up being, this is exciting and cannot wait to see what the game will look like. Alongside the reveal of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, there is some amazing game reveals at the event.

Source: VG 24/7, GameRant

August 14, 2020