Home Blog Page 31

Volition Has Officially Shut Down. Thanks Saints Row and Embracer Group

Mike Phalin
-
0
Volition Has Officially Shut Down. Thanks Saints Row and Embracer Group

The studio behind Descent, Red Faction, and the Saints Row series is officially dead. The shutdown notice was posted on LinkedIn out of all places.

The post, which was met with a mix of sympathy and criticism regarding the studio’s last release, states the following:

“The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We’ve been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.

This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately. 

To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition for our Volition family members. We thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years. You will always be in our hearts.” – Volition Games.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/volition_an-update-from-volition-activity-7103051392797351936-hkgT/
Image Credit: Volition

It’s doubtful that many will be surprised by this news. The reboot of one of the company’s most famous franchises was met with loads of criticism and poor sales numbers. The reboot decided to move away from the adult themes and anything-goes attitude. Instead, the new Saints focused on topics like student loans and ditched the inner-city gang aesthetic from the previous games.

The attempts to make the typically raunchy game “grow up” were met with backlash. This resulted in the Saints Row Twitter account being defiant when people questioned this new direction.

Before that, Agents of Mayhem arrived on the scene in 2017 and also underperformed. Not even re-releases of Saints Row IV could improve things.

As we covered several months ago, Volition’s Saints Row may have cost the developer’s parent company, Embracer Group, around $100 million. Not long after the game launched, development and update duties were handed over to Gearbox, which may have been the true beginning of the end.

The sad irony is that Sony announced that September’s PlayStation Plus free game is Saints Row.

[Source: LinkedIn]

Shout Studios And Blue Fox Entertainment Nab Animated Film ‘The Canterville Ghost’

Jacob Airey
-
0
Shout Studios And Blue Fox Entertainment Nab Animated Film ‘The Canterville Ghost’

Shout Studios and Blue Fox Entertainment have acquired the rights to the animated feature film ‘The Canterville Ghost,’ which stars British comedian Stephen Fry as the titular ghost Sir Simon de Canterville.

Deadline reports, “Shout! Studios and Blue Fox Entertainment have jointly acquired North American rights to the starry new animated feature The Canterville Ghost from Beverly Hills-based sales agent Cinema Management Group.”

“A Stephen Fry-led reimagining of the same-name short story by Oscar Wilde that screened as an Official Selection of the 2023 Annecy Animation Film Festival, The Canterville Ghost tells the story of a modern American family that moves to their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost,” they added.

The collaboration will ensure the animated movie will arrive in theaters on Halloween. Shortly thereafter it will receive a home video release and will debut on various streaming services.

You can watch the trailer below:

Besides starring in the movie, Fry also served as a co-executive producer. The movie also stars Hugh Laurie (House, Stuart Little), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel), Emily Carey (Wonder Woman, Game of Thrones – House of Dragons), David Harewood (Supergirl, Homeland), Meera Syal (Yesterday, Beautiful Thing), Miranda Hart (Spy, Call the Midwife) with Toby Jones (The Girl, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, The Crown).

Shout Studios describes the synopsis as follows,

“Join us on an Oscar Wilde adventure where… being scary is not what it used to be! As the nineteenth century gives way to the twentieth and scientific invention brings forth new ways of traversing and seeing the world, a modern American family moves to their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost. Effectively, Sir Simon de Canterville has been haunting the grounds of Canterville Chase successfully for over three hundred years, but he meets his match when he tries to scare out the new arrivals.”

The original comedic short story was published in two parts in the literary magazine ‘The Court and Society Review’ on February 23rd and March 2, 1887, respectively.

Sony Increases PlayStation Plus Price, Offers Saints Row Reboot For Free

Mike Phalin
-
0
Sony Increases PlayStation Plus Price, Offers Saints Row Reboot For Free

If you want to retain access to all the games you’ve been adding to your library via PlayStation Plus, you’ll soon need to pay more. Sony has announced via the PlayStation Blog that each tier of the console’s subscription service will increase starting on September 6th.

The 12-month subscription pricing, if your renewal date is after the above date, is as follows:

  • PlayStation Plus Essential 12-Month Subscription
    79.99 USD | 71,99 Euro | 59.99 GBP | 6,800 Yen
  • PlayStation Plus Extra 12-Month Subscription
    134.99 USD | 125,99 Euro | 99.99 GBP | 11,700 Yen
  • PlayStation Plus Premium 12-Month Subscription
    159.99 USD | 151,99 Euro | 119.99 GBP | 13,900 Yen

Month-to-month and 3-month sub-pricing were not mentioned but will most likely go up as well, but they’re typically much higher in comparison to a single-year subscription anyway. If current users decide to upgrade their accounts, the pricing will not be affected until after November 6th.

If you want to opt out of renewing or just cancel your subscription, click here.

PlayStation Plus is somewhat of a relic, like XBOX LIVE. You must have it to play online, while PC games don’t. The two companies tried to balance this by offering “free” games each month that were accessible as long as you paid the yearly dues.

Over the past few years, Sony and Microsoft have added premium tiers to these services, giving subscribers access to more extensive libraries of games to stream, download, or play on PC (in XBOX’s case). However, it has always felt like console gamers are being strongarmed into paying close to $100 just to access multiplayer games.

The irony of this price increase from Sony is that the news was bundled in with the announcement that September’s free games include the mega-flop known as the Saints Row reboot. Maybe Sony thought people wouldn’t click on the story if they saw that dumpster fire in the headline?

Recently, Sony announced the PlayStation Portal, a Wi-Fi-enabled device letting you stream PS5 games locally. Thankfully, the ability to use the Portal isn’t tied to a subscription to PlayStation Plus.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

Mickey Haller Will Return To Court For A Third Season Of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’

Jacob Airey
-
0
Mickey Haller Will Return To Court For A Third Season Of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo will return as the fictional defense attorney Mickey Haller for a third season of the Netflix courtroom drama ‘The Lincoln Lawyer.’

“Season 3 will consist of 10 episodes and will be based on the fifth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly, ‘The Gods of Guilt’,” Netflix said in a press release. “The second season of The Lincoln Lawyer premiered on July 6, 2023 and quickly climbed up the Netflix Global Top 10 with a cumulative 40 million views as of August 29, 2023, reaching the Top 10 in 81 countries.”

Besides Garcia-Rulfo, the principal cast including Becki Newton (Lorna), Jazz Raycole (Izzy), Angus Sampson (Cisco), and Yaya DaCosta (Andrea Freemann) will reprise their roles. Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez are returning as the showrunners with A+E Studios handling the production.

“The audience response to the show has been so gratifying and wonderful, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to dive back into Michael Connelly’s universe and bring Mickey Haller and his world to the screen again,” the showrunners said in a joint statement.

Netflix posted the announcement on X:

The first season had its premiere on May 13, 2022, with the first season consisting of ten episodes and the second season arrived on July 6, 2023. It also consisted of ten episodes.

Netflix describes the synopsis as follows,

“Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles. Based on the series of bestselling novels by renowned author Michael Connelly, the second season is based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, The Fifth Witness.”

The television show is based on ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ book series by Michael Connelly with the first novel being released in 2005.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Season 2 Release Date Announced

Jacob Airey
-
0
‘Our Flag Means Death’ Season 2 Release Date Announced

Ahoy, ye mateys! The pirate adventure comedy is returning and a release date has been confirmed. Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that ‘Our Flag Means Death’ will return to the MAX streaming service on Thursday, October 5th.

“The eight-episode second season of the Max Original comedy series OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, from creator-showrunner David Jenkins, Emmy®-nominated executive producer and star Taika Waititi, and Emmy®-nominated executive producer Garrett Basch, debuts with three episodes THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 on Max. The season continues with two new episodes weekly leading up to the season finale on Thursday, October 26,” Warner said in a press release.

You can watch the trailer below:

Besides Waiti and Darby, the series stars Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, David Fane, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon, and Leslie Jones.

The showrunners confirmed that Ruibo Qian, Madeleine Sami, Anapela Polataivao, and Erroll Shand, and guest stars Minnie Driver and Bronson Pinchot will appear in special guest roles.

Warner Bros. Discovery describes the synopsis as follows,

“OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH is based (very) loosely on the true adventures of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby). After trading the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede became captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas…they found love. Now, they have to survive it.”

David Jenkins returns as the showrunner and executive producer with Waititi. Jenkins will direct the first two episodes of the second season.

The first season made its way to television sets on March 3, 2022.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Gets Ending Changes with New Updates

Jakejames Lugo
-
0
Baldur’s Gate 3 Gets Ending Changes with New Updates

If you’ve been following all of the news dropping about Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll know how the game has been received very well. Larian Studios managed to release a game that many fans of Western RPGs and Dungeons & Dragons have connected with, leading to high review scores and good word of mouth. But despite how vast Baldur’s Gate 3 is in content, the game has been getting a number of new updates. Various bug fixes and changes have been addressing different problems fans have pointed out within the updates, but that’s not all that will be coming. Baldur’s Gate 3 is going to be getting other changes that tinker with its ending.

According to a new blog post shared on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Steam page, Larian Studios is going to be adding a new optional ending that players can discover. The ending is related to the character Karlach, the hot-headed Tiefling warrior that you can recruit into your party after finding her in the first act of the game. In the blog post, Larian explains that they plan on adding some better closure to the character’s ending in the conclusion of Baldur’s Gate 3.

“Patch 2 is just around the corner, and while it does include bug fixes, it also includes substantial performance improvements for the first time since launch. Perhaps more notably, we’re adding better closure to the story’s final act in the form of a more fleshed-out ending for Karlach… Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a moment to focus on a conversation some of you have been having in the background. Many of the points that come out of this conversation are being funneled into the umbrella term of ‘cut content’, so we thought it would be helpful to give you some clarity about that as we think about the future of Baldur’s Gate 3.”

The blog post also goes on to discuss many of the UI changes and other technical improvements that will make the overall experience of playing Baldur’s Gate 3 even better. For many who are big fans of Karlach, the changes to her ending are the bigger news. A lot of the feedback from players was about how the conclusion of her story was unsatisfactory based on player choices throughout the game. Beyond that, Larian is also planning to tweak the epilogue of the game as well with new scenes that will extend things a bit. “We’re happy that Baldur’s Gate 3 has resonated with a great many of you, but we’ll never take that for granted. We’re committed to tying up loose ends, fixing the remaining bugs, and improving things where we see they could – and should – be improved.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 has already been released on PC but will be coming to both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. The game will be out for PlayStation 5 on September 6th, 2023, with early access to those who get the deluxe edition a few days earlier. Xbox players will see the game on Xbox Series X at a later date in 2023, but will not have local co-op play like the other versions.

What do you think of the various updates coming to Baldur’s Gate 3? Are you interested in seeing the new ending details for Karlach and the epilogue of the game? Share your thoughts about Baldur’s Gate 3 in the comment section down below!

‘Highlander’ Reboot With Henry Cavill Gets An Update

Jacob Airey
-
0
‘Highlander’ Reboot With Henry Cavill Gets An Update

Fans of the sci-fi fantasy franchise ‘Highlander’ have received long-awaited news of the announced reboot. Details were scant, but in May 2021 ‘John Wick’ director Chad Stahelski announced that he would helm the film and that he had tapped Henry Cavill to take on the role of immortal hero Connor MacLeod, previously performed by Christopher Lambert.

There was no news for a while, but Stahelski spoke to Josh Horowitz on the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast in August where he gave a few details about the upcoming remake.

“We’re looking to do our story [and it] engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that,” Stahelski explained. “But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows.”

Speaking of The Gathering, an event where immortals will clash, he said, “We’re trying to do a bit of a prequel setup to The Gathering.”

Stahelski continued, “So, we have room to grow the property. We have ideas for days about how to make the coolest characters and to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology.”

Games Rader notes that Henry Cavill expressed his enthusiasm for the role when he posted an image with a kilt and a book on Scotland.

“Being not shy with swords, and having a director as talented as Chad Stahelski at the helm, this is an opportunity like no other,” the ‘Justice League’ actor said in the caption. “Deep diving into franchise storytelling with all the tools at our disposal, is going to make this an adventure I (and hopefully all of you) shall never forget.”

‘Highlander’ first hit theaters in 1986 and was a smash hit. Its 1991 sequel ‘Highlander II: The Quickening’ rebooted the series and tried to add a science fiction element to it. This was not received well by fans and the movie would get a director’s cut known as the “Renegade Version” which edits out the sci-fi elements. There would be a total of six films as well as two television shows.

XBOX Disables Comments On Ill-Received ‘Dustborn’ Trailer

Mike Phalin
-
0
XBOX Disables Comments On Ill-Received ‘Dustborn’ Trailer

We first saw Dustborn three years ago when Red Thread Games released a developer presentation. The Norway-based studio claimed that their upcoming game was a narrative-driven adventure.

We would follow a group of “outcasts” trekking across America in a story about “hope, friendship, love, and robots.” It gave off very 2010s vibes, from character designs and its Borderlands-esque aesthetic. The whole thing seemed harmless enough, if not a bit bland.

The central gameplay element shown at that time was that words acted as physical attacks or were similar to Jedi mind tricks. It’s an exciting idea, but there were some Life is Strange warning signs.

The game faded from memory until it sprouted up again recently thanks to GamesCom and YouTube. The new reveal trailer made it clear that Dustborn was akin to something you’d find on Tumblr around 2016. There’s nothing subtle about what the game is trying to say or which side of the aisle your characters will be coming from.

At one point in the trailer, the player can cause two people to draw firearms on each other by saying, “He has no respect for you.” Also, the large character has a ground-pound attack. Is that considered body-positive or stereotypical?

All the tropes and checkboxes we’ve come to expect look present, but we were surprised to see how poorly Dustborn would be received. Perhaps don’t start your reveal with a line about how this game takes place “in a world divided by disinformation.”

The game was getting roasted in the comments section of the XBOX trailer up until just a couple of days ago. As you can see, the ratio was pretty bad. Microsoft must have taken exception to the reception because comments have been shut off.

Dustborn - Reveal Trailer
Image Credit: XBOX’s YouTube Channel

However, the PS5 reveal trailer for the game is still allowing comments even though it has an equally terrible ratio of 815 thumbs up to 4.7k thumbs down.

Image Credit: PlayStation’s YouTube Channel

Footage from Gamescom 2023 shows that few people cared about Dustborn. The crowd remained silent the whole way through, and as the trailer drew to a close, not a single clap could be heard.

What do you think of Dustborn? Let us know below.

[Source: YouTube]

[Source: YouTube]

[Source: YouTube]

[Source: YouTube]

Super7 Announces Mars Attacks Ultimates & Boodega Edition Rita Repulsa

Mike Phalin
-
0
Super7 Announces Mars Attacks Ultimates & Boodega Edition Rita Repulsa

Last year‘s Super7 Boodega event gave us glow-in-the-dark Mars Attacks ReAction Figures. This year, the bloodthirsty Martians are back as part of the ULTIMATES line of premium toys!

The nasty menaces from Topps’s 1962 trading cards are joined by a special edition version of Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers! The nasty witch has donned a new purple hue to her garments, including a softgoods robe and her iconic pointy chest armor!

Each Ultimates figure is priced at the standard $55. Expect the Mars Attacks Martians to land in July 2024. Meanwhile, Vile Violet Rita Repulsa is available right now!

Photo Credit: Super7
Photo Credit: Super7

The Mars Attacks Martians will come with the following:

Smashing The Enemy

  • 9x Hands
    • 2x Fists
    • 2x Grip hands
    • 2x Open hands
    • 2x Trigger hands
    • 1x Damaged hand
  • 1x Rifle
  • 1x Combat knife
  • 1x Holster
  • 1x Removable helmet
  • 1x Removable eyeball

The Invasion Begins

  • 9x Hands
    • 2x Fists
    • 2x Grip hands
    • 2x Open hands
    • 2x Trigger hands
    • 1x Pointing hand
  • 1x Rifle
  • 1x Pistol
  • 1x Holster
  • 1x Removable helmet

Photo Credit: Super7
Photo Credit: Super7
Photo Credit: Super7

Vile Purple Rita Repulsa is no slouch when it comes to parts and accessories either:

  • 2x interchangeable heads
    • 1x Screaming head
    • 1x Headache head
  • 8x interchangeable hands
    • 2x Fist hands
    • 2x Gripping hands (vertical hinge)
    • 2x Gripping hands (horizontal hinge)
    • 2x Expressive hands
  • 2x Bracelets
  • 1x Wired Fabric Dress
  • 1x Chest Armor
  • 1x Magic Wand
  • 1x Red Candle
  • 1x Red Power Crystal
  • 1x Love Potion

If you do not want to spend $55 for a Rita Repulsa figure, the Hasbro Lightning Collection version of the villainess can be picked up for $33.99. Remember, she’ll be packaged in one of the company’s terrible windowless boxes. The choice is yours!

What do you think of the Mars Attacks figures? Let us know below!

[Source: Super7]

[Source: Super7]

New Mortal Kombat 1 Ad Nods to Original MK Commercial

Jakejames Lugo
-
0
New Mortal Kombat 1 Ad Nods to Original MK Commercial

Fans of Mortal Kombat who have been around for a while will remember the original 1993 commercial for the first MK game. The ad was first played on television to promote the home console release of the original Mortal Kombat after it had been in arcades for some time. With the latest entry of the series coming out in September 2023, marketing for the game has taken a very nostalgic approach. Seeing as Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot of the series’ timeline, it seems very fitting.

The new live-action trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 does its best to recreate the same vibe and emotion that was in the first game’s ad campaign back in 1992. The new trailer starts off with former WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista in a library quietly pushing books. That is until he leans over to someone and says the infamous words to get everyone hyped up and marching outside. As more and more people begin to say “Mortal Kombat” to each other, a large group of people converge outside to scream out the name of the game.

Like the original 1993 commercial for Mortal Kombat on consoles, the MK1 trailer follows in its footsteps by showing brief glimpses of the game intercut with shots of the crowd. It’s a tone that was geared towards getting fans excited for the series, which still holds true even today. Although Dave Bautista isn’t involved with the game in any capacity (as far as we know), he is a great celebrity to get for the trailer to promote the game. Based on how enthusiastically he screamed the name of the series for the trailer, he’s most definitely a Mortal Kombat fan like many of us.

From the trailer’s description. “It’s In Our Blood. Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and Fatalities!”

Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release for PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch on September 14th, 2023. The game will have a Kombat Pack that includes multiple DLC characters, which include guest fighters Homelander, Omni-Man, and DC’s Peacemaker. More importantly, however, Mortal Kombat 1 marks a reboot for the series once again, giving fans new looks at classic characters and a reimagining of the lore of the series. Recently, the game had an open online beta for those who preordered Mortal Kombat 1 on any platform, but the game has had a playable beta beforehand. Those who got a chance to play in the betas got a quick preview of what to expect on release, which is looking pretty good so far.

What do you think of the new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer? Are you going to pick up the game on any platform? Who are you planning on picking up as your main fighter in MK1? Let us know everything in the comment section down below!

1...303132...352Page 31 of 352
Clownfish TVAction FiguresToysAnime NewsRetroMoviesVideo GamesComic Books

Copyright © WebReef Media, a subsidiary of Clownfish Studios LLC.

Close Subscribe Card
Clownfish TV

Clownfish TV

6,707 Videos

Subscribe 621.0K