September’s Legendary Pokemon Distribution at Best Buy August 31, 2018
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Every month this year, The Pokemon Company has released a set of legendary Pokémon for players of the most recent Pokémon games on the 3DS. September will see the release of the legendary third generation Pokémon Latias and Latios. That’s right, starting September 2nd, you’ll be able to pick up codes for these legendary Pokémon at Best Buy retail stores across the US.
The legendary codes can be redeemed on any of the four seventh generation games. The specific Pokémon you get and it’s abilities will depend on what game you redeem the code on.
Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are out now exclusively for Nintendo 3DS systems.
Spider-Man PS4 Getting Photo Mode In Day 1 Patch August 31, 2018
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Day 1 patches are nothing new to the world of gaming. Typically these patches include some last minute technical fixes that weren’t able to be found or fixed before the game was released. Insomniac Games on the other hand plans to include an entirely new feature for their Spider-Man Day 1 patch, Photo Mode. You instagram users will find a lot to like with this.
Spider-Man is coming September 7th, 2018 exclusively to PS4.
Things to Watch While Waiting for Spider-Man PS4 – Part 2 August 31, 2018
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Time keeps flowing steadily until the inevitable release of Spider-Man for the PS4. However, that wait has personally become agonizing and because of that, I’ve been spending time digging up all of the best Spider-Man content from across the web. While the last part focused on reviews and content inspired by the bad work Spider-Man has appeared in, with this part we are going to celebrate all of the great stuff Spider-Man has done throughout his history.
We’re going to kick off this part once again by featuring the work of the irrepressible comic reviewer Linkara and his series Atop the Fourth Wall. While he typically produces one video review a week, he will sometimes devote an entire month of reviews to a specific theme. One such month focused on him reviewing #1 issues from the Marvel 2099 universe. If you’re not familiar with 2099, it takes place in the far future and revolves around new characters who can be inspired by classic tales of heroes and villains. The year 2099 was chosen as Stan Lee believed that would be a year comics would no longer be printed. There was a DOOM 2099, a Punisher 2099, and even a Ravage 2099 series going on at the same time. Today, I want to highlight Linkara’s Spider-Man 2099 #1 Review.
Interesting to note that rumors have been circulating over the past few days that there will be a Spider-Man 2099 unlockable costume in the PS4 game.
Now with films out of the way, I want to talk a bit about television and not in the way you may expect. Many will probably remember the animated Spider-Man television shows that aired during the 90s and 00s, some may even remember the live-action Spider-Man show from the 1970s…but did you know that there was a Spider-Man television show from Japan?
John Ary is a name people who frequent the website Ain’t it Cool News should be familiar with. He is the host of John at the Movies, a YouTube Channel well known for great video reviews of obscure nerd cinema. He’s reviewed stuff that even I had never seen before such as the failed Justice League television pilot or Legends of the Super Heroes. Some of his reviews have even gotten me to watch these movies! In this video, he reviews the short lived but well received Japanese Spider-Man series. It would go down in history as being a huge stepping stone for what would eventually become Super Sentai! Give it a watch!
While John mentioned that the Japanese version of Spider-Man depicted in this television series is not officially considered part of Super Sentai, Marvel certainly considers him part of their canon Spider-Man universe, as he and his mech have made appearances in the Spider-Verse comic saga. People unfamiliar with that storyline should brush up on it because according to my sources, the Spider-Man from the PS4 game will make a comic book crossover with the Spider-Verse in the future!
Next we’d like to highlight some great fanmade Spider-Man content and what better way to start than with the work of Bat in the Sun? Lead by filmmaker Aaron Schoenke, a good friend of mine, Bat in the Sun started life on the Internet by creating some of the best Batman fan films ever made. Now Aaron’s the creator of Super Power Beat Down, an ongoing webseriees where two classic characters from comics, film or video games battle to the death based on fan votes. Of course Spider-Man has made an appearance in the series. In episode 17, Spider-Man battled the Sith Lord Darth Maul to the death. Who won? Watch the video and see for yourselves.
Now, whether you’re happy with the turnout of this battle or not, you gotta admit it was an awesome video. In fact, here’s Deadpool’s take on it.
If that isn’t enough Super Power Beat Down for you, why don’t we dig deeper into the Spider-Verse and watch an episode featuring the future Spider-Man and the future Batman? That’s right, they did an episode pitting Spider-Man 2099 against Batman Beyond. Watch it!
Not happy with the way the episode played out? Here’s the alternate ending:
Of course, Super Power Beat Down is not the only series Bat in the Sun is currently helming. They’re also responsible for the series My Morphin’ Life, a reality show that follows the real life of the original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank.
Next we have to talk about a different fan-created series that I would not have believed existed if a friend of mine hadn’t shown it to me. That’s right we’re going to talk about Italian Spiderman.
Italian Spiderman was a parody of the low grade internationally made films of the sixties. It was created by the YouTube Channel Alrigo and was released as a ten-part miniseries online.
If you’re hoping to see more Italian Spiderman in the future I have bad news for you. Unfortunately, this video confirms no more Italian Spiderman episodes will ever be produced. Director Dario Russo and actor David Ashby have created a new production company called DINOSAUR which are now responsible for the DANGER 5 series.
We’ve already written two parts of this article and so far I’ve felt like we’ve only scratched the surface of the great Spider-Man content out there. Stay tuned with us for Part 3, where I’ll feature some of the best professionally produced Spider-Man documentaries, and even highlight some required reading for Spider-Man fans everywhere!
Spider-Man is coming September 7th, 2018 exclusively to the PS4.
What Could Have Inspired Detroit: Become Human? August 30, 2018
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In 2012, developer Quantic Dream, hot off the heels of releasing the PS3 classic Heavy Rain, released a tech demo their next game engine using PS3 hardware. It was called KARA and was never intended to be made into a full game. If you haven’t seen the KARA demo, you can watch it below.
After it released, the public would not stop talking about the KARA demo. Something about Kara’s brief story just clicked with mass audiences. When I was a kid I was fascinated by classic science-fiction stories, and it’s clear that KARA‘s Director, David Cage, was also inspired by them. However, by 2010, not too many people were talking about robots in popular culture. They had a good run with fantastic films like Blade Runner, but there just wasn’t much going on with robots in fiction after the terrible Will Smith movie bombed. In fact, one of the only other Robot-related pieces of media I remember at the time was a review Noah Antwiler did of a Robots game from the 1980s. It was based on Issac Asimov’s novels and was played in your VCR.
While the Robots game was old and required obsolete technology to play, Noah was pretty complementary to the game. After seeing the game for myself, it’s not hard to see why. They hired decent actors to be in the game, the budget was decent, and they were adapting one of the best science-fiction stories ever written.
If there was one thing to take away from Asimov’s books was that all of his robots were covered by three laws:
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A robot may not harm a human or through permissive action allow a human being to come to harm.
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A robot must obey a human’s orders unless an order conflicts with the first law.
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A robot must protect itself at all times except when doing so conflicts with the first two laws.
These laws have since reached a legendary status. Many fictional stories released after I, Robot, such as the James Cameron film Aliens, would feature robotic characters governed by similar principles. The character of Bishop the android (played by Lance Hendrickson, an actor who ironically also appears in Detroit) mentions his newer android components prohibit him from doing harm or through permissive action allow harm to come to a human being. Sure sounded like James Cameron and Asimov were on the same page.
More recently, it seems the HBO series Westworld has made its own impact on popular culture. Based on the film directed by Michael Criton, Westworld told the story of a robot-staffed theme park where guests could live out their fantasies free of risk. Without spoiling anything, the player can come across a pirate-themed amusement park in Detroit staffed entirely by androids. HBO’s current series seems to take place after the events of the first film, and its themes match closely to the themes of the Kara demo. Both works ask the same question, can a robot really be alive?
Quantic Dream would go on to release their final game for the PS3 in 2013, Beyond: Two Souls. It wasn’t as well received by critics as Heavy Rain but I thought it was a great game regardless. Quantic Dream would make a full game based on the Kara short story, and Detroit would go on to be released Summer 2018 for the PS4. Many fans consider it to be the greatest game Quantic Dream has released to date. Its writing parallels the best of the Science-Fiction genre with the issues of the day.
While most people will make immediate parallels to Caves of Steel, you can’t completely discount Westworld’s influence in the game. That combined with the game’s highlight of the world’s ongoing issues with human rights makes for a game that will stand the test of time. If you’re interested in some extra viewing here’s a few nods to some of the great work I came across while researching this essay. If you want to hear specifics about the original book this story was based on I recommend watching SF Debris’s review of The Caves of Steel.
If you haven’t seen the original Westworld film, I recommend seeking it out. Barring that, Oliver Harper has done a fantastic retrospective on the film. While he only briefly talks the HBO series that shares its name, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much it had in common with Detroit as I saw his breakdown of the film.
Detroit: Become Human is out now exclusively for the PlayStation 4.
Spider-Man PS4 Behind the Scenes – Action Sequence Breakdown August 28, 2018
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In a surprising move, Marvel’s official YouTube channel published this behind the scenes video on the upcoming Spider-Man game. This particular focuses on what goes into making an in-game cutscene. Most of the video focuses on what went into making the climatic final scene from the E3 2018 demo, but the procedures they describe could apply to almost any in-game cutscene. It’s great to know that the games industry is on the cutting edge of filmmaking.
While the video is short it is really well made. I’d love to see more of these BTS videos on the lead up to the game’s release.
Spider-Man is coming September 7th, 2018 exclusively to the PS4.
Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase Summer 2018 August 28, 2018
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Nintendo calls the independently produced titles on their platform Nindies. The digital marketplace on the Switch has been going wild with a ton of new independent titles and many more are on the way. What’s coming? Well, take it away, Kurt!
Pokemon World Championships 2018 Video August 28, 2018
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This past weekend, the Pokémon World Championships were held in Nashville, TN. In that event, the best Pokémon trainers from the TCG and video games battled to be the very best like no one ever was. There were ups and downs, huge surprises, and at the end
For those of you who missed any part of the three-day event, I’m happy to say it has currently been archived on the Official Pokémon YouTube Channel. If you want to see it for yourselves, just give it a watch!
Spider-Man PS4 DLC Release Dates August 28, 2018
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We’ve known for a while that Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4 will get three post-release single-player DLC that will extend the game’s story past what we will see in the finished retail game. It’s called “The City that Never Sleeps” and it will be included at no additional cost in the retail Collector’s Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition of the game. We’ve known since San Diego Comic Con 2018 the first part of the DLC will revolve around the Spider-Man villain Black Cat. Today, we have all the details and the release schedule for all three of the DLC missions!
Episode 1, The Heist will release October 23rd, 2018. That’s slightly short of two months after the retail game releases. Episode 2, Turf Wars, will be released in November 2018. Episode 3, Silver Lining, is expected to release in December 2018. Each episode will cost $9.99 individually, or $24.99 for all three episodes. If you’ve already preordered the retail Collector’s Edition or the Digital Deluxe Edition offered on the PlayStation Store, the entire “City that Never Sleeps” DLC is included with your purchase and you will get the DLC missions for free as soon as they are released.
You can read all the official details about the news here. Insomniac has mentioned earlier that “The City that Never Sleeps” DLC will also include access to exclusive playable costumes you won’t be able to obtain in the regular game. They will become unlockable as you progress through the DLC.
Spider-Man is coming September 7th, 2018 exclusively to the PlayStation 4.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection 4K Patch Released August 28, 2018
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It’s been several hundred days since the last time Halo: The Master Chief Collection received an official update of any sort. Today, Microsoft and 343 Industries just released a MASSIVE patch for the game. Among the fixes and tweaks included in the patch is the long-awaited 4K update, making the game 4K native on the Xbox One X.
This is no minor software update. Even if you’ve previously installed the most recent version of the game, updating the game on the Xbox One X requires a 73.70 GB download. My advice is to shut off your console’s auto shutdown mode and start the download as soon as possible.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is out now exclusively on the Xbox One.
Things to Watch While Waiting for Spider-Man PS4 – Part 1 August 28, 2018
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We’re days away from the release of Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 and we have been going stir crazy in anticipation for its launch. If you’re like me and you’re planning to play it at its midnight launch, the time you’re spending counting down for that clock to strike twelve must be agony. So if you’re a fan of Spidey, how do you pass the time? Well, we’ve spent a lot of time scouring the internet looking for the best independently produced Spider-Man videos, and we’ve found a lot of great ones.
First off, we’re going to be featuring the work of Linkara. Host of Atop The Fourth Wall, Linkara has kept an incredible comic review series going for years. Most of the time he reviews horrible comics, but every once in a while he’ll feature a great comic or talk about the history of a classic franchise. Each year, he’s agreed to look at a new Spider-Man comic, and we’re going to feature some of our favorites.
First off, we’re going to highlight his review of The Greatest Responsibility. The reason I like this review is because it’s for a comic that is just the epitome of the 90s. There are so many stories from that time that centered around this new concept of Virtual Realty (VR) written by writers with barely any understanding of the actual technology.
Next up is a review he did for a mini-series that took place during the Clone Wars, Planet of the Symbiotes. In it, Spider-Man, Ben Reilly and Venom travel to Venom’s home planet to try to avert a full invasion of earth.
Those are some of our favorite reviews but I know you’re going to want to see his review of One More Day. If you really want to see his review of One More Day, go here.
Next up I want to highlight the work of comic reviewer StorytellerSKJ and his series Unrepentant Geeking. I first became familiar with his channel when he posted a review of the six-issue Spider-Man miniseries, Sins Past. It is considered to this day to be one of the worst Spider-Man stories ever written, it’s artwork has endured as memes and despite its out of character plot twist that was meant to have a huge impact on canon, as of the time that video was posted the twist’s enduring consequences have been mostly ignored by the main Spider-Man mythos.
He really does go quite mad while reviewing this awful storyline, but I cannot stress how great it is to hear his analysis of why Sins Past was a failure at nearly every level. It clocks in at nearly two hours to watch in total, but you’ll be hanging on it every moment.
Next up, we are going to take a closer look behind the scenes of the Spider-Man movies. While most people remember the first time Spider-Man appeared in the incredible 2002 film Spider-Man, most people don’t know how difficult it was to get that film on the screen, or all the studio interference that happened after the films started coming out.
Anyone interested in behind the scenes news about films and filmmaking should immediately check out the YouTube Channel Midnight’s Edge. They’re a fantastic source for news and analysis on upcoming films. I first became aware of them while they were covering the production of the atrocious Josh Trank directed Fant4stic (which they pronounced “fant four stick”), and stuck with the channel after that story wrapped. They’re huge fans of the genre and have covered a multitude of subjects ranging from The Phantom to the ongoing issues with the Star Trek license.
In this three-part video series, they covered the entire saga of bring Spider-Man to film. The first part involves the early plans and false starts that took place before the events of the 2002 film. Part two covers the development drama behind all the Spider-Man films Sony has released to date, and the third part covers the missteps Sony was planning to take trying to build their own Spider-Man cinematic saga. It’s a great watch and I recommend grabbing some popcorn before settling down to watch it in one go.
Even after watching this three-part video series, I still have pretty high hopes for the upcoming Sony film Into the Spider-Verse, despite the fact that Sony still won’t release their trailers on YouTube in 4K.
I just realized I spent a lot of this article devoting time to highlighting videos that showcase the worst of Spider-Man. Normally I would not have done that if the videos I featured weren’t so darn entertaining. Let’s focus on some of the positive next time shall we?
Spider-Man is coming September 7th, 2018 exclusively to the PS4.
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