Days before the movie is released, reports are saying a sequel is already planned.
You may have heard a little about an upcoming movie calledDeadpool. The movie opens Friday, andyou can read our review. If you’re not too familiar with the character, we even fill you in on13 things you should knowabout him. It’s been a long road making this movie a reality. There’s been a lot of speculation over a sequel happening andit’s being reportedthat 20th Century Fox is indeed moving forward with one.
Box office estimates are tracking the movie to open in the $65-75 million area for the holiday weekend. This is an impressive amount for an R-rated film.Deadpoolwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have started working on the script for the sequel. Director Tim Miller did not sign on for a sequel but Fox is reportedly interested in keeping the creative team together.
What could we expect in a sequel?
Ryan Reynolds has expressedhe’d like to see X-Force. X-Force is a team that formed in the pages of Marvel’sNew Mutantsseries, where Deadpool made his debut. What separate X-Force from the X-Men is their more direct and aggressive methods in accomplishing their missions.
Mojang have a new game out, but this 2D shooter is not necessarily what you’d expect from the makers of Minecraft.
We’re sure it would be easier for everyone involved if Cobalt was marketed as the new game from the creators of Minecraft, but it isn’t. But it is notable for being Minecraft developer Mojang’s first attempt at publishing someone else’s game – in this case fellow Swedish studio Oxeye. The end result is absolutely nothing like Minecraft, and won’t necessarily appeal to the same people, but it’s definitely worth a look anyway.
Although it may look like a generic 2D indie shooter the best point of comparison for Cobalt is probably Max Payne, or any of the other myriad of games obsessed with the late ‘90s fetish for firing guns in slow motion. It does not, we admit, look impressive in either screenshots or videos, but it’s been in development for four years now and that clearly shows in the highly refined controls and action.
The plot, about saving a colony of humans from rogue robots and aliens, is purposefully silly and inconsequential but the game’s story mode is actually a nicely varied mix of platforming, simple puzzles, and shooting. The action moves at a dizzyingly fast pace, as you leap and flip across the landscape – right up until the point where you segue into bullet time and start picking off bad guys in slow motion.
For a dumpy-looking robot, the titular Cobalt is quite the gymnast, but in gameplay terms his wide repartee of jumps, rolls, and slides all have a specific purpose. Spinning in mid-air sends a Catherine wheel of bullets out in every direction, while rolling in mid-air can counter enemy bullets, sending them back to their source like a lightsabre deflecting a laser bolt.
Cobalt (XO) – better than it looks
Cobalt also has a range of dual purpose defensive moves, include a shield that can also reflect bullets and a particularly versatile parry that allows you to knock grenades out of the air and redirect them either at enemies or for other puzzle-solving purposes. Your momentum is also vitally important, to the point where being at full speed as you begin an encounter is often just as important as what weapons you chose to wield.
The game can seem almost overdesigned at times, with a loot system constantly tempting you into danger, a stealth element, and smaller details such as a Gears Of War style active reload system. The latter is never mentioned in any of the tutorials, and neither is the idea of riding pet animals (and using them as projectiles when you get tired of them). Which is one way to try and ease new players in, but not necessarily the most honest one.
There is an obvious cost for squeezing such a multitude of moves down into one diminutive robot body, and it’s the utter bewilderment of playing the game for the first time. To a newcomer the action can be utterly incomprehensible and uncontrollable. Not to say extremely difficult. Beyond some tutorial-like challenges Cobalt does relatively little to compensate for this, and so becomes a game you have to want to play – rather than you being drawn in by the spectacle or graphics.
Cobalt (XO) – imagine if John Woo made an indie game…
And you’d have to say that visually the game isn’t terribly interesting, it gets the job done but unlike the gameplay there’s no panache or originality about it. In short it’s no fun to watch Cobalt in action, and in this day and age that may cost it more than any other issue.
As you might imagine the game’s complex systems create quite the entry barrier when trying to indulge in the many multiplayer modes. There’s versions of Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and a Horde-like survival mode but competent human players give you even less margin for error than the computer-controlled ones.
That’s not necessarily a negative though and Cobalt has clearly been designed for people that are tired of being hand-held, and miss the days when playing a video game was about learning and perfecting new skills – not following objective markers. If you miss those times, or simply enjoy a good video game that’s out to test your reflexes and ingenuity instead of your patience, then Cobalt may have been crafted just for you.
Cobalt
In Short:A boldly inventive 2D shooter that asks a lot of its players but rewards them with one of the most versatile action games of recent months.
Pros:A dizzying array of abilities, many with multiple uses that take real skill to use. Cleverly varied story campaign and plenty of multiplayer modes and challenge missions.
Cons:Steep learning curve, where many of the game’s mechanics aren’t properly explained or only hinted at. Dull visual design and impenetrable multiplayer for newcomers.
Score:8/10
Formats: Xbox One (reviewed), Xbox 360, and PC Price: £15.99 Publisher: Microsoft Studios/Mojang Developer: Oxeye Game Studio Release Date: 2nd February 2016 Age Rating: 12
NewThor: Ragnarokstory details have been revealed, and if accurate, it sounds like we’re finally getting thatPlanet Hulkadaptation.
Take this with a pinch of salt for the time being, but a new report fromGeek.comclaims to reveal how The Hulk will factor intoThor: Ragnaroknext year. Revealing that Hela manages to destroy Mjolnir and banish the God of Thunder from Asgard, the site adds that the hero apparently ends up not on Midgard, but an alien gladatorial planet instead. Knowing he needs to stop her and Loki, Thor fights his way through all of the opponents put before him so he can escape this world, but it’s when he runs into the current champion that he gets an unpleasant surprise.
As you’ve probably already guessed, that’s The Hulk, and“he’s managed to avoid reverting back to the Banner state since we last saw him in the Quinjet in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Hulk in Hulk form is pretty much unkillable, so he survived the trip to Sakaar (however he got there). His ‘Banner’ is starting to seep through into the Hulk persona, and because of the Hulk-Banner melding, Hulk actually remembers Thor and his relationship to him. That’s what starts the two on a Midnight Run to the MacGuffin that Thor desperately needs.”That sounds awesome and all, but seeing as the script is still being worked on, it may be too soon to get excited!
Still, this sounds like a pretty cool way of utilsing thePlanet Hulkstoryline even if it isn’t a direct adaptation which will lead to World War Hulk somewhere down the line. Do you hope this is how Thor: Ragnarok plays out? Share your thoughts in the usual place.
It’s official: Marvel Phase Three is here. So what the heck does that mean? Well, for one, it means that many of your favorite characters are about to take a dirt nap. Here’s a look at some of the huge characters that will probably die in Phase Three—and why. Watch our video above or read about who’s going to most-likely get killed below. Plus, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more awesome list videos.
CAPTAIN AMERICA
No spoilers, but in the comic Captain America: Civil War is based on, Captain America gets killed. Wait, did we say no spoilers? Sorry. But that’s not the only reason we don’t expect Cap to make it out of Phase Three alive; while star Chris Evans has spoken publicly of his desire to continue working with Marvel, he’s also been forthright about wanting to work behind the camera instead of in front of it. Evans might be around for Phase Four, all right. He’s just more likely to be directing Stan Sebastian as the new Captain America. RIP, Steve Rogers.
THOR
If there’s one thing we learned from studying Norse mythology, it’s that Ragnarok is very, very bad. After all, it involves the destruction and death of all the gods. So expecting Thor to survive the events of Thor: Ragnarok is beyond optimistic. There is some hope, though; in the comics, Ragnarok is an endlessly repeating cycle of death and rebirth, so it’s possible Thor could be reborn. But he’ll have to die first for that to happen, so don’t be surprised when ol’ goldilocks takes a permanent arrow to the knee.
THANOS
At this point, big cosmic baddie Thanos has almost had more cameos than Stan Lee. But in the two-part Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos is finally going to get the spotlight—and it’s going to be a bloody one. Thanos, after all, worships Death. So even when he inevitably loses, he still gets what he really wants most in the end. The question isn’t whether Thanos will die, it’s how many heroes he’ll take down with him. Speaking of which…
IRON MAN
Of all the stars powering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, none is as important as Robert Downey Jr.—and none have been quite so up front as Downey about being tired of putting on his costume again. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone if Iron Man makes the ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity War, especially given the clear foreshadowing of exactly that in Tony Stark’s dream sequence from Avengers: Age of Ultron. At least it’s probably going to be epic.
THE VISION
Tony Stark is just one of many heroes we’re expecting to meet their end in Avengers: Infinity War. Chances are that The Vision is going to join him in perpetual rest. Why? Well, the synthetic man who stole every scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron was given life by the Infinity Stone he wears on his brow—and Thanos is going to need that stone in order to complete the Infinity Gauntlet. Hopefully someone will be able to rebuild Vision after Thanos dismantles him.
DRAX THE DESTROYER
Drax the Destroyer’s entire reason for living is to exact vengeance on the villains who killed his family. And that means Thanos. It’s inevitable that Drax is going to get a showdown with Thanos at some point, but given their relative power levels, it’s also inevitable that Drax is going to come out on the losing end. Don’t be sad, though. When you think about it, is there really any other way the single-minded Drax could go out?
GAMORA
Drax isn’t the only member of the Guardians of the Galaxy who has a grudge to settle with Thanos. His adopted daughter Gamora is also one of many looking to permanently wipe that giant grin off of Thanos’ ugly mug. Given that he trained her to be the universe’s deadliest assassin, she has a better chance than most. But, like Drax, Gamora has one big thing going against her odds for survival: in the comics, they both were killed by Thanos. Hey, it ain’t easy being green.
EVERYONE
If it sounds like pretty much everyone you care about is going to die, that’s because they are. In the comic book Infinity Gauntlet, which all of the cosmic stuff in the Marvel movies is based on, Thanos actually wins and kills everyone. Don’t be surprised if that’s the cliffhanger ending to Avengers: Infinity War Part One. Of course, eventually Thanos is defeated anyway and most of the heroes are resurrected, so don’t worry, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will survive. Whether you’ll survive the stress of the viewing experience, though, is another question.
Machine Zone spends $5M on Mobile Strike Super Bowl 50 commercial with Schwarzenegger
Above: Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the new ad for Mobile Strike from Machine Zone.
Image Credit: Machine Zone
Developer Machine Zone has spent heavily to advertise its products during the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
The studio brought back actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to help it promote Mobile Strike, its military strategy game for iOS and Android. The 30-second spot featured the actor battling it out in the game while sharing an elevator with other Mobile Strike players. The mobile gaming industry is a $30 billion business annually, and that is one of the reasons that Machine Zone is willing to spend the $5 million it costs to purchase 30 seconds of marketing time during the National Football League’s biggest game.
This ad comes just a few weeks afterplayer-acquisition costs hit an all-time highin December. On average, mobile publishers need to spend about $4.23 to bring in one new player. That’s extremely expensive, but the price is on the rise primarily due to the type of marketing we see on mobile devices. This is why companies like Machine Zone are turning to television to help with acquisition. A big push with something along the lines of a Super Bowl ad can raise the awareness for a mobile title among consumers, which then makes all other forms of player acquisition more effective.
Check out the Super Bowl spot below:
This comes after Machine Zone spent $4.5 million last year to advertise its Game of War fantasy strategy game for iOS and Android during the previous Super Bowl. For that ad, the company turned to celebrity bathing-suit model Kate Upton.
Obviously, if Machine Zone is returning to the Super Bowl, it must have seen some sort of positive return on investment from its Game of War ad, which you can watch below:
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WITH THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3
In fewer than two decades, the Spider-Man franchise has already amassed a history of stops and restarts. But the most surprising were the sudden cancellations of Amazing Spider-Man 3 and the spin-offs planned to follow. It was confusing and strange, but there’s an interesting story behind why the sequel to a successful movie got tossed in the garbage.
THE REBOOT
After Sam Raimi’s withdrawal from Spider-Man 4 because of studio interference, among other things, Sony Pictures decided to reboot the franchise. The new series starred Andrew Garfield and relatively new director Marc Webb. It was a bold move for Sony, since Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s collaborations were proven box-office draws. However, the studio wanted someone younger in the role of Peter Parker, feeling the story of Spider-Man is the story of “a boy trying to become a man,” according to Collider. While some fans expressed sadness over the loss of Maguire, they were happy there was going to be another Spider-Man movie of some kind. Plus, we wouldn’t have to look at that weird, confused expression Maguire makes when he’s acting.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN So 2012 came, and so did Amazing Spider-Man. The movie had a decent story, moving away from the goofiness of Raimi’s interpretation of the character and going for something a little more serious and grounded in the real world. It also had an impressive cast: Denis Leary as Captain Stacy, and Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Plus, there’s no denying that Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are a much more attractive pairing than Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire. The movie did well commercially, grossing almost a billion dollars, and set a record for the all-time highest-grossing reboot. It even garnered some impressive critical attention. In fact, in one of his final reviews, Roger Ebert said that it was the “second best” of the Spider-Man franchise. Sure, second-best doesn’t sound that impressive, but it’s not like he said it was godawful. So the reboot was off to a decent start!
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Of course, there was a sequel. Like most sequels, it didn’t perform as well with the critics as the first movie. It pulled in about the same amount of money, however, but the reviews weren’t as kind as theater goers’ wallets. The general consensus was that, while Garfield, Stone, and everyone else in the cast did a good job, there was just too much going on. As a result, the movie came off as something of a muddled mess. Still with all that went wrong with it, it wasn’t bad enough to earn any Razzie nominations. And it did well enough that not only had the studio planned to make more sequels, but spin-offs too.
THE PLANNED SEQUELS Sony’s plans for Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4 were pretty crazy. According to various websites, the plan involved not only resurrections for both Gwen Stacy and her father, but also Gwen becoming something like the Spider-Gwen character who has since debuted in the comics in 2015. (For those not familiar with the comics, “Spider-Gwen” is basically, “Gwen Stacy, but with the powers of Spider-Man. And is from another dimension.”) To add to that, Sony also planned some villain-centric films as well: Sinister Six and Venom. Casting villains in the lead role isn’t something that gets done a whole lot, especially not in comic book movies, making it a pretty controversial—yet interesting—move on Sony’s part. There were even rumors that Felicity Jones might get her own spin-off as Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Felicia Hardy, aka Marvel Comics’ Black Cat, but that was probably speculation. Sony’s plan was to create their own universe to compete with, or be something akin to, Marvel’s cinematic universe, while using Marvel’s own characters, ironically enough. Still, the ideas were all intriguing. But then, seemingly overnight, those plans got scrapped.
THE PLANS GET CANCELLED Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4 were both planned and even had release dates: June 10, 2016 and May 4, 2018, respectively. Paul Giamatti also confirmed that he’d return as the Rhino for the third movie, according to Collider. But then the movies began to get delayed. Also, Marc Webb, a huge part of the first two films success, stated that he’d only return to direct the third film and only act as consultant for the fourth, which wasn’t a good sign. Ultimately, all of the planned movies got cancelled. It was also strange that the studio, which had all of these big plans for the character, would suddenly ditch their plans. It’d be one thing if they delayed everything or put the plans on hold. That’d just mean the right script hadn’t been found or there was a technical issue or scheduling conflict holding things up. But a cancellation meant something bigger was going on.
THE SONY HACKS AND THE NEW DIRECTION The Sony hacks from late-2014 revealed a lot about the sudden changes with their Spider-Man franchise. According to some of the stolen and leaked emails, even though Amazing Spider-Man 2 was still better than any of the Transformers movies, the lukewarm reviews it received were enough to spur Sony into taking the character in another direction. This decision was made primarily by the new regime that took over after former studio head Amy Pascal stepped down. Subsequently, this new direction involved the hiring of another actor to play the role of Peter Parker, Tom Holland. The hiring of Holland, the youngest actor to take the role so far, suggested a desire to keep Parker young. Sony didn’t want him to be an adult struggling to make it in the real world. Nor did the studio want him to be a young adult. They want Spider-Man to remain young, a snot-nosed punk even. But this wasn’t the only big news to come from the hacks…
JOINING THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE According to documents made public by the hacks, Sony worked out a deal with Marvel to bring Spider-Man into Marvel’s cinematic universe. Fanboys and fangirls around the world squealed in delight. Since then, it’s been revealed that Spidey would make his debut in a big way, as part of Captain America: Civil War. This puts Spidey in line to participate in Marvel’s climactic Avengers: Infinity War movies, something a lot of fans, Hugh “Wolverine” Jackman included, want to see. But while all this is great news, it’s not the only thing the hacks revealed.
GARFIELD GOT HIMSELF FIRED
Andrew Garfield helped pave the way for this new direction for Spider-Man. It’s also the actual reason plans for Amazing Spider-Man 3 got canceled. According to a series of emails obtained by Showbiz411, Garfield was supposed to attend a gala after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he’d have been announced as the star of Amazing Spider-Man 3 by Sony bigwig Kaz Hirai, but Garfield cancelled at the last minute. Garfield most likely cancelled due to feeling under the weather from the long flight there, which is understandable. But still, Hirai felt slighted. And some of the execs not only agreed, but felt that it was a slight against the company as well. So Garfield was out. A man lost a job because someone’s feelings got hurt. That’s professionalism! And the old Parker luck in action…
