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Blizzard will team up with Titan Comics to release Diablo comic miniseries later this year
We missed this one during Comic-Con last week, but it looks like Blizzard and Titan Comics will team up to produce a brand new miniseries based on the Diablo franchise. Set to launch this Fall, the four-part comic saga will be written by Marv Wolfman (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein):
The [Diablo] comics will follow a group of zealous scholars and crusaders as they discover the true origins of humanity. Will their faith survive these shocking revelations?
For those keeping score at home, Titan’s untitled Diablo series will actually be the third comic adaptation of Blizzard’s battle between the angelic Nephalem and the hordes of Hell. The developer worked with Dark Horse to publish Diablo: Tales of Sanctuary in 2001, and partnered with DC Comics ten years later to produce Diablo: Sword of Justice in 2011.
More information about the Diablo miniseries (and presumably, a collected edition) will be announced soon. But for now, you can take a gander at a pair of teaser images from Kowalski after the break. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Comic-Con 2018, Diablo III
Professional awesome guy Nathan Fillion is Nathan Drake in this Uncharted fan film
If all goes according to plan, Tom Holland will soon put his Spider-Man suit in the closet and head out on an adventure as a young Nathan Drake in an Uncharted movie adaptation.
It’s been a very winding road for the film adaptation of Sony’s wildly popular action-adventure series, and one point in time, fans were pushing hard to give the role to Nathan Fillion. The star of Firefly and Castle was very interested in the idea, but Sony’s prequel plans have seemingly put a stop to that.
So instead, Fillion teamed up with director Allan Ungar to create a live-action fan film based on the franchise. The 15-minute short also features plenty of excitement, as well as Stephen Lang as Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Mircea Monroe as Elena Fisher, Geno Segers as Diego, and Ernie Reyes Jr (Keno from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II!) as El Tigre.
Fillion expounded a bit on what making the fan film meant to him on Instagram:
This is something I’ve wanted to do, but more importantly, something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. If you’ve ever pinned a towel around your neck for a cape, or donned a fedora and nearly put your eye out with a homemade whip, this is for you. Thank you, [Allan Ungar], for letting us all scratch this itch. Thank you, [Naughty Dog], for creating such a wonderful archetype. Thank you fans, for your excellent taste. You know who you are. Enjoy.
The Uncharted fan film directed by Allan Unger, and starring Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake, is embedded above.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
State of Decay 2 rises as the best-selling game of May 2018
I think we can all agree that the Xbox’s two biggest franchises are Halo and Gears of War. But it looks like Microsoft can add the State of Decay series to the list, as The NPD Group (via Game Informer) has confirmed that State of Decay 2 was the best-selling game of May 2018.
The zombie survival sim beat out other several other May releases including Detroit: Become Human (#3), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (#7), and Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection (#17).
While it might have seemed like a slow month for new releases, The NPD Group confirmed that increased hardware sales gave the game industry a 13% bump over May 2017’s retail figures.
The complete Top 20 for May 2018 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Detroit: Become Human, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Hyrule Warriors, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, NPD, Overwatch, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, State of Decay 2, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
God of War slays all comers and emerges as the best-selling game of April 2018
You might say that Kratos returned with a vengeance last month, and that’s because Sony’s God of War reboot climbed to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for April 2018. According to the NPD (via GamesIndustry.biz), God of War was also the “best ever launch for a PlayStation exclusive.”
Sony and Kratos weren’t done setting records, and the former “Ghost of Sparta” helped sell a lot of PS4 consoles too. Thanks to a push from the newly-available PS4 Pro 1TB + God of War Limited Edition Bundle, Sony’s console was propelled to the top of the NPD’s Hardware Chart for both “units sold” and “dollar sales.” The PS4 also set a new record for console sales during the month of April, besting the previous mark set in April 2008 by Nintendo’s Wii.
While Nintendo lost out on one record, they almost stole Sony’s thunder by placing six games in the NPD’s Top 20 last month, including the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit (#4), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13), and Kirby Star Allies (#19).
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for April 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Call of Duty: WWII, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Far Cry 5 and Sea of Thieves sail to the top of March 2018’s list of best-selling games
The number of high-profile new releases has slowed to a trickle in April, and that’s probably because game publishers threw open the tap in March. Not surprisingly, gamer scooped up these new titles by the armful, with Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5, Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves, Sony’s MLB The Show 18, and Nintendo’s Kirby Star Allies taking the top four spots in The NPD Group’s monthly tally of best-selling games.
The venerable Grand Theft Auto V remains in the top five, but other new releases, including Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (#8) and A Way Out (#15), managed to break into the NPD’s top twenty.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, overall sales for the industry were down by 11% in March, however, “first quarter 2018 spending across the four categories [software, hardware, game cards, and accessories] was up by 15% year-on-year to $3.4 billion with growth in all areas.”
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for March 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Dragon Ball FighterZ, EA Sports UFC 3, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Lindsay Lohan loses appeal in her lawsuit against GTA5 and Rockstar Games
The beancounters at Rockstar Games can rest easy, the Court of Appeals in New York has firmly shot down Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit against the publisher.
If you recall, the actress originally sued Rockstar in 2014 over her belief that a character from Grand Theft Auto V named Lacey Jonas was based on her “portrait and voice.” The character was regularly depicted in the game’s advertising as a blonde woman in a red bikini, and she also appeared in an optional in-game mission. After lengthy legal proceedings, Lohan’s lawsuit was dismissed in 2016, but she vowed to appeal.
Yesterday, that appeal came up short as New York’s Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling in the earlier case. Judge Fahey wrote that even if Lacey Jonas had been inspired by Lohan’s “portrait,” Rockstar cannot be held liable because she’s a fictional character that’s never identified as Lohan in the game:
We conclude that the amended complaint was properly dismissed because the artistic renderings are indistinct, satirical representations of the style, look, and persona of a modern, beach-going young woman that are not reasonably identifiable as plaintiff.
In addition to shooting down her lawsuit, the Court of Appeals also ordered Lohan to pay Rockstar’s court costs.
World Video Game Hall of Fame announces finalists for Class of 2018
Curators at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum have announced the finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. Eight games will get their first chance to be inducted into gaming’s inner circle, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Ms. Pac-Man, and Spacewar!.
Two other games, Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider, were previously in the finalist pool for the Class of 2017. They’ll get another chance this year alongside John Madden Football and Minecraft, which were previously on the ballot in 2016.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame will announce the inductees for the Class of 2018 on Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 AM. But this year, fans will get a vote in the first-ever Player’s Choice ballot. According to the rules, “the three games that receive the most public votes will form one “Player’s Choice” ballot, which will join the 27 other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, a supporting group composed of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” Fans can make their voice heard through the Player’s Choice ballot once a day until April 4th. So vote early and vote often!
And if, for some reason, you’re unfamiliar with this year’s finalists, the World Video Game Hall of Fame has put together a helpful cheat sheet that can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, Minecraft, Ms. Pac-Man, Tomb Raider (1996), World Video Game Hall of Fame
Monster Hunter: World is king of the jungle… and the bestselling game of January 2018
The Monster Hunter franchise is an absolute phenomenon in Japan, and Capcom has been trying to replicate its success in North America since since Monster Hunter was released for the PS2 in 2004.
It might have taken more than a decade, but it looks like the series finally broke through with Monster Hunter: World, which was the best-selling game of January 2018. According to The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), Capcom’s unique Action RPG helped push the industry to its best performance in January since 2011.
However, Capcom wasn’t the only publisher to post a monster-sized debut in January. Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball Fighter Z fought its way to the #2 slot, beating out some of 2017’s biggest titles, including Call of Duty: WWII (#3) and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (#5).
All told, video game fans purchased more than $517 million in software, as well as $278 million in hardware. Microsoft’s Xbox One, Nintendo’s Switch, and Sony’s PS4 were neck-and-neck-and-neck, and total hardware sales crossed one million units during the month.
You can find the NPD’s recounting of January 2018’s top ten best-selling titles after the break. (more…)