“It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?” Why not pawn a few golden rings, magic or otherwise, to pay for the new $208 Boromir figure from Asmus Collectibles? Do it for Frodo. Do it for Sean Bean!
Asmus will release a 12″ tall version of Boromir this January as he appeared in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The likeness to actor Sean Bean is … OK. However, the nose and the eyes look too narrow. Other than that, Asmus delivers another highly detailed figure with incredible tailoring. The addition of a diecast sword is a nice touch.
Asmus Toys doesn’t give us a lot of detail, and there are many odd spelling errors in the official description of Boromir’s action figure. Also, I wish the facial detail were more in line with what we saw from the Gandalf the White figure we covered last month.
The fallen son of Gondor comes with the following features and accessories:
Super detailed head in super detail and likeness to the movie actor
One pair of gloved fists
One pair relax gesture gloved hand
One pair of weapon-holding gesture, gloved hands
One black inner shirt with chain-mail-like sleeve
One patterned fleece cape
One dark blue robe
One pair of dark brown pants
One plastic belt with a scabbard
One pair of ankle-articulated boots
One diecast alloy sword
One diecast alloy dagger
One shield
Poor Boromir. His heart was in the right place, but the Ring corrupts all who wield it, particularly the prideful. Regardless of his brief madness when demanding the Ring from Frodo, the son of Denethor redeemed himself by protecting his friends at Parth Galen.
The Street Fighter series is responsible for laying down the foundation of the fighting game genre and its competitiveness among players. While it wasn’t the first video game series to do so, it was definitely the one that popularize the genre and made the fighting game community what it has become today. Now Capcom is ready to enter the next phase of the ongoing series with Street Fighter 6. New characters, fresh stories, and a ton of runbacks can be expected to happen when the game officially releases in June 2023. But before then, eager players and fans were able to try out the game in a Closed Beta Test for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Is Street Fighter 6 a solid next step for Capcom after everything that happened with the previous entry of the series? Based off what one can experience in the online beta, the short answer is yes. But the closed beta isn’t the whole picture of Street Fighter 6, only giving us a glimpse at the core gameplay mechanics and overall presentation of the game, not the full package. For the closed beta, players can explore the online Battle Hub and play matches with each other, both ranked and unranked. It’s a different approach to what Capcom has done with online lobbies in Street Fighter 5, but also a very fresh experience overall.
There’s a total of eight fighters to play with in the online beta, each with an assortment of special moves and playstyle. There’s a nice selection of returning fighters and newcomers that give a good view of what to expect from the full release. Classic fighters like Ryu, Ken, Juri, Guile, and Chun-Li have both a familiar feel and an interesting new flair with their arsenal of attacks. Playing with Ryu feels right with special moves and inputs that are recurring from almost every previous Street Fighter entry, but the new Drive mechanics mix things up.
Drive Parry and Drive Reversal offer nice defensive options to counteract your opponent, while Drive Rush and Drive Impact can hurt them and close the distance between you. Combine all of this with everything you might already know with the classic characters, and you’ll find yourself on a good footing for taking battles online.
The newer characters on the roster will be interesting for everyone to try out. Whether you take a liking to them or not is entirely subjective, especially if you already have a set playstyle in mind to stay with. The beta allows players to use Luke, Kimberly, and Jamie online. Their attacks have recognizable inputs that may remind you of games like Street Fighter Third Strike or Street Fighter 4, but their personalities and strategies are original and clever. It will definitely take time to discover all of the nuances for each new character, but it’ll be worth it if you want to take on the world on or offline.
As far as other parts of Street Fighter 6 that are ambitious, the beta doesn’t give much to offer. Things like standard Arcade Mode and World Tour will have to remain a mystery until the game officially releases in 2023. But that doesn’t mean the beta is short-lived at all. Getting into matches online with other players is pretty fast and easy, especially since Street Fighter 6 has cross-play between platforms. Whether you’re on PlayStation 5 or PC, you’re going to be able to match up with someone and play a ton of rounds.
And if you’re worried about connection quality, then rest easy knowing Street Fighter 6 will have rollback netcode. Matches run smoothly and with little to no big issues, provided you have a decent to good internet connection to be online with. Everyone’s experience with online matches will be different because of that, but the majority of matches in Street Fighter 6 online will turn out very well for most.
For a second closed beta to the game, Street Fighter 6 has made a very good first impression. The gameplay at its core is very well designed and feels great to play. Characters you know and are unfamiliar with have a lot of neat aspects to them that will uncover more discoveries over time, leading to some very cool matchups and strategies that the fighting game community will love. If you were on the fence about Street Fighter 6 turning out well, then get ready to square up when the game finally comes out in 2023. You won’t want to back down from this challenge and miss out on all the fun.
Are you a big Street Fighter fan and going to pick up Street Fighter 6? Which character are you planning to main when the game is out? Post a comment about all of it below and let us know!
Like Star Trek The Motion Picture‘s Admiral Kirk figure, Kolinahr Spock sold out almost immediately. The 1/6th scale figure based on Spock’s initial appearance in the first Star Trek film was destined to go quickly, not just because of the character’s popularity but also due to the quality of EXO-6’s Museum Quality figures.
Had the figure still been available, he would have cost $175, plus a flat shipping fee of $25. Spock lacks accessories, like Admiral Kirk’s figure did. This version of Spock is 12″ tall and is dressed in his heavy Vulcan robes. No phasers, tricorders, multiple hands, or anything like that. This is a bare-bones representation of Leonard Nimoy’s first stint back as the fan-favorite Vulcan after a decade-long absence.
Instead, EXO-6 includes an Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations badge from Fansets. There’s no denying that real Star Trek fans still love merchandise based on the pre-J. J. Abrams era of the franchise. I can’t wait to see the Ilia figure. You know she’s coming next. But don’t expect Willard Decker to make the cut, considering Stephen Collins’s inappropriate contact with multiple minors. Ugh. In Decker’s place, we should get another Spock, this time in his spacewalk suit.
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Photo Credit: Exo-6
Spock features the likeness of the late great Leonard Nimoy, and he comes with the following features and accessories:
Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 31 cm tall.
Vulcan robes: This layered black cloak has Vulcan runes down the front matching the look from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He wears black pants and boots to complete the outfit.
Boots: Plastic boots sculpted to match the cut and style of the original movie footwear.
Display Base: A hexagonal display base will provide additional support for the figure.
If you’re looking for other Star Trek figures from EXO-6, click here. Other characters from TNG, DS9, Voyager and other series are still available.
The irreverent fantasy series for adults ‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ has been renewed for a second season which will return viewers and fans to a magical world of chaos.
Amazon said in a statement, “Prime Video released the official trailer and announced the premiere date of the highly anticipated second season of The Legend of Vox Machina, the critically acclaimed animated series from Critical Role and Titmouse. The second season will consist of 12 episodes, with three episodes premiering every week starting January 20…”
The first season consisted of twelve episodes and was funded thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign. It will receive a third season.
Amazon also dropped a red band trailer for the second season:
Amazon Studios describes the synopsis in a statement, “After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again—this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave.”
The show stars Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV: Comrades), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers).
New guest cast members include Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings), Henry Winkler (Barry), Lance Reddick (John Wick), Cree Summer (Rugrats, The Patrick Star Show), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria), Cheech Marin (Up in Smoke), Troy Baker (The Last of Us), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast), Ralph Inerson (The Witch), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence).
The production of ‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ is handled by Amazon Studios, Critical Role, and the animation studio Titmouse.
Tubi has once again expanded its streaming library with the South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. The deal will include film, television, music, and possibly animated series.
The streaming service said in a statement that they, “announced it has entered a content deal with the leading entertainment company, CJ ENM. The partnership will launch with over 75 Korean films, dramas and K-POP series, totaling 500 hours of content, to be added as a branded curation to Tubi’s robust non-English content offering beginning in December. Titles to be made available starting this month include “Squad 38,” “Reply 1994,” “Hogu’s Love,” “The Chronicles of Evil,” “A Werewolf Boy,” “Hindsight,” and eight seasons of “M Countdown,” with additional titles to be added in 2023. As one of Tubi’s fastest-growing categories for non-English content, Korean programming viewership has grown over 25% year-over-year on the platform.”
Tubi has been aggressively expanding its streaming library over the last few years including deals with Shout Factory and Lionsgate.
Tubi Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson celebrated the deal, saying, “Our partnership with CJ ENM comes at an optimal time for Tubi as we scale and enhance our focus on foreign language content.”
“Korean-language titles have been an increasingly popular destination for Tubi viewers and we’re excited to kick off this collaboration with a leader in the Korean content space,” he continued.
Director of Content Sales & Acquisitions at CJ ENM Sebastian Kim shared the sentiments.
“We are excited to bring our content to Tubi viewers as we look to expand our global reach not only by launching our content on various platforms but also in terms of offering a wide range of services from AVOD to FAST,” he said.
“We plan to continue to seek opportunities to increase the accessibility of our content to global audiences to meet the growing demand of K-content,” he added.
Tubi has also made headway into sports entertainment in a deal with several sports outlets that allows them to broadcast live football, wrestling, and soccer games.
He left Netflix’s The Witcher. He was denied a return as Superman. So what will the perfect human specimen known as Henry Cavill do now? Star in and act as executive producer of an adaption of Warhammer 40,000, of course! Rejoice, brothers and battle sisters!
It was a bad couple of weeks for fans of Cavill, but this news coming out of The Hollywood Reporter eases the sting of the actor dropping from two significant franchises. We need to proceed with caution, though. Remember what Amazon did with Rings of Power? Also, Games Workshop has not finalized all the legal paperwork with Amazon for the Warhammer 40k rights. Anything could happen.
Information regarding what parts of Warhammer’s extensive history and lore would be adapted is still unknown. The ninth edition of 40k debuted in 2020, so the Necrons’ battle with Space Marines will probably be the main focus. However, it would be hard to make a Warhammer series without showing the Imperium of Man’s war with the Orks. While we’re on the subject of wishful thinking, there had better be flashbacks to the Emperor of Mankind and the Horus Heresy.
As much as I would have liked to see Cavill reprise his role as Superman, I doubt that James Gunn would finally be the right person to do justice to the Man of Steel. The character was already off to a rocky start with a so-so solo film and the Justice League trainwreck. In addition, adding Gunn’s meta-humor and cynicism to the mix probably would not have helped Henry Cavill become the Superman we all know he’s capable of being.
If Amazon can hire writers who don’t openly hate Warhammer and the game’s fanbase, we may not have a repeat of what happened with Rings of Power and The Witcher. That’s the rub, though. We’ve repeatedly seen that those behind the scenes can’t help themselves when it comes to not using a major franchise as a platform for their grievances and personal politics. Nevertheless, the fans are there, and they’ll gladly support your product if you stop treating them like the enemy.
What are your thoughts on Henry Cavill’s Warhammer project? Do you think he will have the same uphill battle with Amazon that he did with Netflix? Let us know below.
Lara Croft is coming back thanks to Crystal Dynamics and … Amazon Games? Yup, the next Tomb Raider will be published by Amazon’s video game department, but will Luna have first dibs when the title is released? Probably not, since Business Wire mentions the next installment of the action-adventure franchise will be multiplatform. Still, I wouldn’t put it past Amazon to try to give its streaming service a leg up on the competition by making some DLC or skins exclusive to Luna.
The vice president of Amazon Games, Christoph Hartmann, had a lot of corporate speak to throw out which ultimately said something along the lines of, “this is a popular IP. We’re totally not going to do something dumb with it.” The quote available at Business Wire doesn’t tell us much about the Tomb Raider game. However, what was interesting was how this could affect Cyrstal Dynamics.
Crystal Dynamics’s Scot Amos, the studio’s head, appeared to be very enthusiastic about the team-up under Embracer, saying, “Transformative is what we’re looking for, and with Amazon Games, we found a team that shares our creative vision, ambitions, and values for a Lara Croft universe across the spectrum of possibilities. They’re uniquely positioned to rewrite what publishing and development collaborations are…” Considering how the studio’s Avengers game turned out, a new Tomb Raider will probably be used to wash the taste of $14 character skin DLCs out of customers’ mouths.
Don’t worry. This does not mean that the next adventure of Lara Croft will be a Luna exclusive. Well, if it’s another outing with the timid, dull Lara from the recent reboot, it can stay on Luna. The new game will be multiplatform. Let’s hope it’s developed for the PS5 and XBOX Series X rather than the previous generation. Sorry, but if we’re going to get charged $69 for a game, it better be built from the bottom up based on the current generation of hardware. At least we know that what is coming our way will be a single-player outing developed with Unreal Engine 5.
Amazon Studios and Legendary Pictures released some “first look” images for the upcoming second and final season of the alternate history series ‘Carnival Row.’ Several of the scenes show several protagonists who are featured in the fantasy world of a magical London.
“Prime Video debuted first-look images from the second and final season of the fantasy-drama Carnival Row,” Amazon said in a press release. The highly anticipated series, from Amazon Studios and Legendary Television, and starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, will return February 17 exclusively on Prime Video…”
“In a fantasy world where humans and creatures clash, Season Two of Carnival Row picks up with former inspector Rycroft Philostrate aka Philo (Orlando Bloom) investigating a series of gruesome murders stoking social tension. Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) and the Black Raven plot payback for the unjust oppression inflicted by The Burgue’s human leaders, Jonah Breakspear (Arty Froushan) and Sophie Longerbane (Caroline Ford). Tourmaline Larou (Karla Crome) inherits supernatural powers that threaten her fate and the future of The Row. And, after escaping The Burgue and her vengeful brother Ezra (Andrew Gower), Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant) and her partner Agreus Astrayon (David Gyasi) encounter a radical new society which upends their plans. With humans and fae folk divided and freedom on the line, each hero will face impossible dilemmas and soul-defining tests in the epic conclusion of Carnival Row.”
The first season premiered in August 2019 and had a run of eight episodes before it went into hiatus for three years. The show was based on a spec script titled ‘A Killing on Carnival Row’ by Travis Beacham, who serves as showrunner along with René Echevarria (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Terra Nova).
Tony Stark is accused of being a murderer in the new series announced on Marvel’s new pull list. It is not just Iron Man blasting off, but we also see Spider-Man team up with the X-Men, and Monica Rambeau returns as Photon.
Marvel said on their website, “This week’s Marvel Comics send Iron Man on a devastating new adventure. In INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2022) #1, Tony Stark, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, has lost it all: his wealth, his fame, his friends. But Stark doesn’t realize he still has so much more to lose—especially when the assassins start to come for him! It’s the beginning of the end, as the Golden Avenger must fight for his life and find out what it really means to hit rock bottom. Join Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri as they take Iron Man to the darkest corners of the Marvel Universe yet!”
If you follow all of the different spinoff releases within the compilation of Final Fantasy VII, you’ll remember that Crisis Core FFVII was a prequel released on the PlayStation Portable. Beforehand, fans of Final Fantasy VII never had a detailed backstory about Zack Fair, an important character that has a significant impact on Cloud and his friends from that game. Crisis Core fleshes out the events prior to the RPG classic and what led up to the start of the story we see play out, which received a lot of praise. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion on the PlayStation 5 is a remastering of the original PSP game, with a big upgrade to the visuals and soundtrack. But that’s not the only thing you’ll find that’s different about this new version of the game.
The presentation of Crisis Core feels more in line with Final Fantasy VII Remake. Not only are the character models and backgrounds during gameplay much better looking than the original, but the music and sounds have also been remixed. While there are a few tracks Crisis Core fans may prefer from the original over the remixes, one cannot deny how good Crisis Core Reunion looks and sounds overall. For a remastering of the original game, every edges closer to remake territory in terms of quality. While Crisis Core Reunion is on multiple platforms, the fresh presentation really shines on the PlayStation 5 where you can get the full effect of polish and smooth framerate. The story itself is the same as before and still a rollercoaster, especially if you know anything about the story of Final Fantasy VII, but it benefits from the visual overhaul very nicely.
Another part of this however is the recasting of voice actors. Everyone sounds different than their original release counterparts, for better or worse. Zack still sounds carefree and serious when he needs to be, which is good for the story, but there is some dialogue that isn’t always delivered very well. The same goes for other characters like Sephiroth as well, along with a few others, who have some very awkward line delivery at times. Some of the dialogue in the original had the same issue, but within Crisis Core Reunion it can occasionally sound worse.
The Japanese voice track does remedy some of this, but the subtitles may not always sync up with the spoken dialogue. Whether you like the new voice actors in their roles will be entirely different for everyone, but voices are more consistent with what we get in Final Fantasy VII Remake and the new games from Square Enix related to Final Fantasy VII overall.
But that’s not the only thing different about this version of Crisis Core. The gameplay has undergone a few changes, specifically the combat. You still have the ability to equip materia and use their abilities in battle, which is exactly the same as the original release. However, now combat isn’t sluggish and feels more like a fast-paced action game. Zack can attack enemies and combo into AP attacks or magic for extra damage, as well as stun enemies and exploit weaknesses at critical moments.
The DMW slot from the original game is still here, but it feels more effective and un-intrusive despite its randomness. When the slot triggers a Limit Break you have the choice of using it at the moment or waiting a bit before executing it, giving you more control over the flow of combat and saving your big attacks for key moments. It also helps that every Limit Break you gain looks great and can sometimes trigger a small cutscene you can skip at any time.
Moving around with Zack feels so much better than before, with the ability to sprint ahead and explore the area around you a lot faster. The camera also feels smoother to move around when getting a view of the environment, even though it still has moments where it can get blocked by objects or enemies. Luckily you can adjust things faster, smoother, and not get stifled by its viewpoint. Some of the quirks from the original release are here as well, including the ability to avoid battles by hugging the side of the area to skip encounters in most sections.
The tougher enemies and sections are still as tough as before, so you’ll have to do a bit of grinding by finishing the side missions you have access to via the menu and at save points. Leveling up feels a bit faster than before as well, despite not much changing with how you level Zack up by defeating enemies. The randomness of the DMW and uncertainty of leveling from the original Crisis Core is still here, but it doesn’t come off as prevalent as it did before. If you do more side missions or finish more encounters, you’ll definitely feel like progress is being made with Zack’s overall strength.
As a total package, do players need to play anything Final Fantasy VII related to enjoy Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion? No, you can go into this with a basic understanding or shallow knowledge of that game. You don’t even need to play Final Fantasy VII Remake to follow this story. But you will get the most that Crisis Core has to offer if you have beforehand. The gameplay and presentation are a huge step up from the original release, making this the best way to play through Crisis Core if you haven’t yet, especially on the PlayStation 5.
What do you think of Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion? Are you a fan of role-playing games and enjoy Square Enix titles? Post a comment down below and let us know your thoughts!
