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Comcept officially announces Mega Man Legends successor Red Ash (and an anime too)
After teasing it a few days ago, Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept officially announced a spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends at the Anime Expo today.
Unlike a traditional Mega Man game, Mega Man Legends melded third-person shooting with RPG conventions while still referencing Mega Man’s rich history. The third-person shooter/RPG hybrid Red Ash: The Indelible Legend will do something similar by serving as a spiritual cousin to Inafune’s upcoming Mighty No. 9. Like Mighty No. 9, Red Ash will also star two teenagers named Beck and Call with a penchant for robotics and adventure. But that’s where the similarities end…
Danger looms over hundreds of thousands who make the city of Great Slope their home. The Mobile Citadel “KalKanon” is currently on a crash course with this city. At this rate, a major disaster is all but unavoidable.
Gecko Company, one of the organizations central to Great Slope, has prepared a massive electromagnetic cannon christened “The Peacemaker” to combat this catastrophe. They announced their plan to destroy the massive Fortress-City before it reaches the settlement. Great Slope quickly switches from a city enveloped in panic, to one ready to sit back and enjoy the fireworks of the special, once-in-a-lifetime Burning Cannon Festival. However, not everyone welcomes this announcement; particularly the young owner of the Bones Company, Call C. Bones. All Delvers have heard the famous folktale… that inside the belly of KalKanon rests the Legendary Legacy…
Of course, she sends the request for this crazy job to her favorite stooges: partners Beck and Tyger.
Comcept also launched a Kickstarter campaign today to help fund the development of Red Ash. The developer is seeking $800,000 and hopes to have the completed game ready for release on the PC by July 2017. However, a series of stretch goals would expand the size and scope of the game considerably (the first, at $1.3 million, will nearly double it). There’s no gameplay footage yet, but a wide variety of great-looking concept art is available on the campaign page.
A separate Kickstarter campaign has also been launched for a companion anime film, Red Ash: Magicicada, to be produced by Studio 4°C. This campaign is seeking a more modest $150,000, of which $13,000 has already been pledged. The anime won’t be a direct adaptation of the game and will instead explore “unique worlds and stories” with the same characters.
A console release for Red Ash: The Indelible Legend is a possibility, but it may not happen for a while. Writing in the campaign’s FAQ, Inafune and Comcept wrote they “want to first focus on making as good of [a] game as we can.”
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC
Tagged Red Ash: The Indelible Legend
New Dark Horse Comics… a CoD Black Ops III prequel, Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare, and the return of “classic” Lara Croft
Dark Horse Comics just announced a trio of new game-related projects ahead of next weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con.
The one that will surely get a lot of people talking is a prequel series to Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Set for release on November 4, the series will be written by Larry Hama, with art by Marcelo Ferreira. An exclusive minicomic promoting the series will be available Dark Horse’s booth during Comic-Con.
The Call of Duty: Black Ops III comic book series follows an elite group of cybernetically enhanced soldiers as they wage a secret war across a futuristic, war-torn world transformed by technology. In the first issue, the elite squad infiltrates Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to take down a double agent… but as they close in, the operatives uncover something much more sinister at hand.
Not so surprising is the expansion of the company’s line of Plants vs Zombies comics, which will continue to bloom with the launch of a Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare series on October 28. Serving as a prequel to this Fall’s Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, it’ll feature a story by Paul Tobin and art from Jacob Chabot:
In the recently announced Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, zombies have taken over, and now, for the first time in franchise history, the plants are on the attack. Delivering a story taking place between Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare and Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, the Garden Warfare comic has the exclusive reveal of how Dr. Zomboss conquered Suburbia. The evil-genius leader is up to a whole new set of tricks—and this time, he’s succeeding, thanks to his mighty Imp and Z-Mech! But hope remains, as our zombie-battling champs Nate and Patrice discover horticultural help from the future and the past, and Crazy Dave misses out on an ice-cream cruise!
Finally, Dark Horse will bring back the “classic” Lara Croft from 1996’s Tomb Raider in Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen. Written by Corinna Beckho, with art by Randy Green, the first issue will go on sale on October 7:
In this all-new adventure, Lara must stop a group of cultists from causing world-wide cataclysmic devastation, and ancient ivory artifacts hold the key to both salvation and destruction! It’s a race against time in Lara’s new quest, filled with incredible action, dual pistols, and non-stop adventure.
You can take a look at the cover art of each #1 after the break. (more…)
Ratchet & Clank remake pushed back to 2016 as film adaptation gets April 29 release date
We haven’t heard much about Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank remake since its reveal less than a year ago. Originally scheduled to launch earlier this year, the game was quietly delayed with no explanation or announcement. Until now, that is.
Yesterday, Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider confirmed (via the PlayStation Blog) that the Ratchet & Clank remake will be released in Spring 2016. The remake will include an overall new coat of paint and several new weapons and levels that will help it tie-in to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank animated film:
While you might have to wait a bit longer than expected, rest assured we’re using the time wisely to further polish the game to a spit-shine level, with dazzling shader response, awe-inspiring effects, velvety smooth animations, and spectacular new gameplay segments. Really, we can’t wait to show it to you.
Speaking of the animated film, Schneider also announced that it’ll make its theatrical debut on April 29, 2016. Distributed by Focus Features, the film will include a variety of big names in its cast list including Paul Giamatti as Chairman Drek, John Goodman as Ratchet’s mechanic mentor Grimroth, Bella Thorne as Galactic Ranger Cora, Rosario Dawson as Galactic Ranger Elaris, and Sylvester Stallone as the villainous Victor Von Ion.
But don’t worry, the original voice actors for Ratchet (James Arnold Taylor), Clank (David Kaye), Captain Qwark (Jim Ward), and Doctor Nefarious (Armin Shimerman) will all return to reprise their roles for the film.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4
Tagged Ratchet & Clank
Mortal Kombat X action figures, bobbleheads, plushes planned
Mortal Kombat X is about to get family-friendly as Mezco Toyz is now accepting pre-orders for plush dolls of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. The eternally-brawling pair will also be turned into bobbleheads, and action figures. The God of Thunder and Earthrealm’s protector, Raiden, will also get an action figure.
Both the bobbleheads ($16 each) and the plush dolls ($15) will be available in October. The action figures will be released in June as individual figures ($22 each) or in a three-pack ($66). You can begin throwing money at the screen to obtain any or all of these toys by visiting Mezco’s website.
I know my wallet suddenly feels a little bit lighter.
USC is the top school for Game Design in Princeton Review’s 2015 ranking
The Princeton Review recently published the 2015 update to their annual review of Game Design programs and the University of Southern California has once again emerged as the top Undergraduate Program. The school ranked fourth in the list of best Graduate Programs, behind the University of Utah, the University of Central Florida, and Southern Methodist University.
Each school was graded on “curriculum, facilities, technology, and career services” when compiling the rankings and many of the top programs were held over from previous years.
“For students aspiring to work in the burgeoning field of game design, these are truly the ‘cream of the crop’ institutions from which to launch a career,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Senior Vice President. “Some are nationally-known universities; others have well-deserved reputations within their regions. All are renowned for their exceptional faculties and awesome, state-of-the-art facilities. Collectively, these schools have graduated legions of the industry’s most successful video game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs.”
The Princeton Review’s 2015 rankings can be found after the break. And if you’re interested in applying to one of the ranked schools, Princeton Review has published in-depth profiles of each program on their website. (more…)
Nintendo President says Legend of Zelda Netflix series isn’t happening
Last week, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata sat down with Time Magazine to discuss the company’s future plans for mobile game development. This morning, Time published the rest of the interview, wherein they asked Iwata about the rumored Legend of Zelda series on Netflix.
Even though fans were excited about the prospect of a live-action Legend of Zelda (Warp Zoned’s Andrew Rainnie even created fantasy casting sheets for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf), Iwata told Time that the series is definitely not happening like the Wall Street Journal described:
In early February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix was developing a live-action series based on Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise. But Mr. Iwata says those rumors are inaccurate.
“As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information,” says Iwata.
Of course, a Legend of Zelda series could still be in the works as there’s a lot of wiggle room in Iwata’s reply. For starters, Nintendo’s President only put the kibosh on the Wall Street Journal report. For all we know, Iwata shot down the rumor because some other entity, and not Netflix, is adapting The Legend of Zelda. Or perhaps Nintendo is lying in order to preserve their surprise. They’ve done it before.
So fingers crossed that the Legend of Zelda series still has a green light, but it’s very likely the whole thing is deader than Link facing off against Ganon with a single Heart Container.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged The Legend of Zelda
Insert Quarter: What’s the Deal With Video Game Tie-In Novels?
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
It’s no secret that a lot of gamers look down on the dreaded “tie-in novel.” Even when they’re not poorly written, your average video game tie-in doesn’t have much going on below the surface. Or do they?
Writing for GamesRadar+, Benjamin Abbott tracked down Karen Traviss and learned all about the nitty gritty that goes into creating a tie-in novel. Traviss, who has lent her pen to the Gears of War and Halo franchises, revealed that authors of tie-in novels are given much more freedom than the average reader might expect. It’s this freedom that often creates a pretty decent book:
Tie-in novels in particular suffer from growing franchise cynicism, leading to something of an image problem they don’t always deserve. Presumed to be b-side lunges at tertiary publicity, it’s tempting to dismiss them out of hand, but to do so is to misguidedly tar them with the same brush as the million cheap movie novelisations that came before them. Celebrating gaming’s capacity for storytelling is currently in vogue, and for very good reason. Consequently, books set in these worlds are contradictory blends of potential and stigma. Such projects carry potential that their inspirations simply can’t, making them ideal for expanding those universes in meaningful ways. If people will just give them the chance to.
The full article is available for your perusal at GamesRadar+.
Posted in Etcetera, Insert Quarter
10 Actresses We Think Could Play Zelda in The Legend of Zelda TV Series
The three corners of the Triforce are now complete as we’ve come to end of our Casting Ideas for Netflix’s rumored adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. This time we shine a spotlight on the titular character, Princess Zelda, after previously posting our picks for Link and Ganondorf. Zelda has had an interesting development arc during the saga, from being the damsel in distress to becoming a woman of action, notably through her alter ego Sheik, one of the legendary Shiekah (“Shadow Folk”).
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to begin. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda