Star Wars: Phases 1 & 2

Time to write my first blog post of 2013 I think, and it’s only taken my two weeks.

Courtesy of nerdreactor.com

In late October last year Disney started the process of acquiring Lucasfilm, and thus the Star Wars franchise. They also announced that a new film was in the cards and, not surprisingly, the internet was quickly flooded with rumours; Who would direct? Who would star? Would Harrison Ford return?

I was quite happy to sit back and wait for the first teaser trailer before I got over excited, Disney seemingly had their hands full with the several Marvel films currently in production and, even with an apparent release date of 2015, Star Wars Episode VII still seemed more of a possibility than a promise.

As it turns out Disney might just keep their promise after all, as earlier in the week JJ Abrams (Cloverfield, Star Trek) was confirmed as the future films director (though he initially refused), with an official press release on the Star Wars website;

"It's very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," said Kennedy. "J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

Now you’ll probably find plenty of sites mulling over the pros and cons of choosing Abrams, but as Disney are more than serious about updating the franchise as quickly as possible then some old rumours could shed new light (sabre) on how they intend to.

A couple of weeks ago Vulture reported that director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Sucker Punch) was in talks to develop a story not directly involved with the ‘new trilogy’, based on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (George Lucas has talked about the film makers influence on Star Wars). Representatives for Synder quickly denied any involvement, though Vulture stand by their story, and with no official announcement has been by Disney or Lucasfilm it’s unlikely this will come to pass, but it’s interesting to consider what elements might filter into the future of the Star Wars film series.

Seven Samurai (the basis for The Magnificent Seven) has been adapted at least twice within the Star Wars universe (most recently in the CloneWars animated TV show) so it might be jumping the gun to expect one of the future SW films to remake the classic story directly, but the central theme (loners banding together to fight for a common cause) does bare a similarity to another Disney property; Marvel’s The Avengers.

The Vulture articles uses the key phrase ‘the next phase’, a term used a lot when describing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and quotes the Disney CEO on their plan for after Episode VII ” to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years”. Presumably this plan would just cover another trilogy, and doesn’t currently hint at anything else, but considering that Marvel released several movies focussing on a single character, before bringing the Avengers team to the big screen, it’s not implausible that the same approach may be taken if Episode VII proves to be a success (though as this is Star Wars success is almost guaranteed, but not enough to instantly start producing spin-offs) and segments of the expanded-universe are selected for the big screen treatment. There are already hundreds of books, comics, video games, and cartoons bridging the gaps between the 6 movies (not counting The Clone Wars) as well as prequels and sequels set thousands of years apart, so we are a bit spoilt for choice.

Unfortunately my whole theory stems from this passing remark, and with another two years to go until we find out whether the world is even ready for another Star Wars trilogy it is just a theory, but with the S.H.I.E.L.D pilot in the works the long in-development live-action SW show could be moved along.

The Avengers: To DVD or not to DVD

 
I've been meaning comment on this but Home Cinema Choice has gone even further and we finally have a definitive answer. You may have been aware that for the home media release of the Avengers that a key scene had been altered, specifically a spear tip had been digitally removed from one characters death scene (links contain spoilers). Many reports were confused on the choice of censorship, but a statement from Disney UK’s home entertainment spokesperson Lydia Rodrigues convinced many that the version critics had seen was the US version of the film, whilst the UK release had already been edited.

"There’s been no censorship, no foul play. The version of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble on Blu-ray disc in the UK is the same as the version shown theatrically. It really is. The simple fact is for a 12 certificate film in the UK, that scene was deemed inappropriate. So Marvel Studios chose to remove the spear tip digitally."

But as many fans clearly remember seeing the spear on their own cinema trips HHC contacted the BBFC )British Board of Film Classification), who confirmed that two different versions of the film had been submitted to them.

“The DVD/Blu-ray version of MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE is classified 12. It differs from the theatrical version submitted to the BBFC which is classified 12A.”

The BBFC website already noted they had no problem with the spear’s presence, and there have been little (if not non) problems or changes in a films home media release since the introduction of the 12A category (and most DVDs/Blu-rays come in uncut forms). Following this Disney made their final statement on the subject.

‘Thanks to those of you who have let us know about an issue on the Marvel Avengers Assemble UK Blu-ray and DVD release, which has a less graphic depiction of [SPOILER]'s confrontation with Loki. Each country has its own compliance issues relative to depictions of violence. Unfortunately, another region’s elements were inadvertently used to create the UK in-home release which minimally altered this scene in the film. We thank our fans for their vigilance in recognizing this and apologize for the mix up.’

Sending another regions already edited copy to the BBFC isn’t the only problem Disney UK have had with the release, as fans are also missing out on Joss Whedon’s directors commentary, as Rodrigues has comments;

"That was a bit of a disappointment. Our DLT (Digital Linear Tape, required to replicate the disc) had to be delivered one month earlier than that required for the US pressing. So we missed out. We wanted it too."

She goes onto discuss the possibility of future released fixing these issues;

"That’s been the subject of heated debate here (at Disney UK), but we don’t think we can really ask fans who have bought this version to buy another just to obtain the commentary. So at the moment we are thinking it won’t be released. We also know that hardcore fans with Blu-ray players are probably going to end up buying the US release which has the commentary. The American Blu-ray is region-free. We don’t think we can ask people to buy both versions."

With several different ways to buy the film I was at odds at which to get, especially since there will be future box sets as more Marvel films appear on the big screen, which takes me nicely to the final issue Disney have had with the Blue-ray release, this time in the US. What I was really hoping to buy was the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One collection, a special box set of all the Marvel Studios feature films to date in a reproduction of the briefcase the holds the tesseract in the film.

 

However nobody has seemed to check with German luggage makers Rimowa whether they could use its likeness for other products (I’m not sure if this extends to toys) and are being sued for copyright infringement.

Amazon had pulled the item from pre-orders but has since made it available with the following statement;

ITEM UPDATE: The "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One-Avengers Assembled Collection" will not be released by Marvel as we originally expected. We know this delay is disappointing, and we're sorry for any inconvenience this causes. Marvel is planning to offer a similar collection in new packaging. The new collection will include the original titles offered with the first version of the item, and we expect it will be available in the spring of 2013. Additional information will be available on our website and via email when available.

Amazon kindly gave anyone who had already ordered the set a free copy of the Avengers Blu-ray, but as the price doesn’t appear to have changed I’m curious as to what the ‘new packaging’ will look like. In any case Disney really need to get their act together as this is a surprisingly large amount of problems considering a 5 year old could download and burn the film (if anyone used disks anymore). Avengers Assemble!!!

Source: Comic Book Movie

Source: BBFC

Source: Home Cinema Choice

Source: Home Cinema Choice

Source: Cosmic Book News

Source: Amazon

Source: Comics Alliance

SDCC - Marvel Phase 2

This year’s San Diego Comic Con has closed its doors once again to the hoards of fans that turn out to hear the latest news from the world of comics. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend but have assembled some of the highlights from the Marvel team.

Even before their various panels Marvel was already showing off to the fans with the Iron Man hall of armour (seen in the first image from the upcoming movie), with Tony Starks latest design taking centre stage.

As you can see from the picture, the new armour has kept the classic red and gold, but gold is now the primary colour, and whilst the third film is based on the Extremis story line of the comics, the armour closer resembles Bleeding Edge design, which made its first appearance in 2010 (Iron Man #25). It’s likely the BE was chosen as inspiration as new fans picked up from the film can more easily pick up newer issues.

Marvel has some close ups in the link below.

http://marvel.com/news/story/19058/sdcc_2012_iron_mans_new_armor_unveiled

In the Iron Man section of the Marvel panel even more info about the new armour was revealed. Robert Downey Jr. made a very Starkesque entrance (dancing down the hall to “Never Too Much”) before the audience were treated to some clips of the film. In the footage Tony is testing the armours ability to be summoned for auto assembly (rather than using a command station in the previous films) though apparently he didn’t expect it to work quite so well and is knocked over by the faceplate. Next came the usual chit chat between characters, nothing very important in terms of plot, until Ben Kingsley’s first appearance as the Mandarin in full costume as the villain launches a helicopter attack on Starks home. The clip ended with a shot of the Mandarins throne, but unfortunately the even tighter security (and the ease that companies can have videos removed from websites) nothing has made its way online yet. I say tighter security, seeing any test footage is generally the same as watching a movie at your local cinema, you get your bag checked but this time it’s by people from Disney rather than the underpaid ushers. As most of the case, characters, plot, and now armour from the film had been revealed it didn’t take long to get to the Q&A session, and Geeks of Doom have a nice recap of the panel.

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/07/15/sdcc-2012-marvels-iron-man-3-the-mandarin-confirmed-footage-shown/

Guardians of the Galaxy was officially announced as part of Marvels movie line-up, with a release date of August 1^st,, 2014. Presumably this will be the last film in Phase 2, as Thor and Captain America 2 are out earlier. The film is based on the teams latest incarnation of interstellar heroes, which you can see in the concept art below, but we might have to wait until next year’s SDCC for any plot or casting news, not even a director has been hinted at. Good luck to anyone who attempts a film where the cast includes a talking tree and raccoon.

(From left to right, Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Starlord, Rocket Racoon, Gamorra)

As mentioned above the Thor and Captain America sequels are due before GotG, and whilst we know barley anything about them (only a few casting tit bits on Thor) both now have full titles and release dates. You can see Thor: The Dark World from November 8^th, 2013, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier on the 4^th of April the following year.

You can guess all you want with what the Dark World is, but the story of the Winter Solider is already well known. I actually started writing a paragraph detailing the story, but decided that would be spoil things for those who want to enjoy the film. I will say though that the Winter Solider is a Russian operative who is often called upon to assassinate high profile targets, and was once a friend of the Black Widow so we could expect a cameo from Scarlett Johansson.

And finally Edgar Wright showed off his test footage for Ant-Man. The Shaun of the Dead director has been fuelling rumours of the film but until now it wasn’t certain if it was just a pipe dream. Once again no footage has hit the web, but judging by Geeks of Doom’s description it would probably be too rough to make anything out on a phone camera.

“The scene started by showing Ant-Man hiding in a vent at the end of a hall, with the other end guarded by a pair of guards. Ant-Man jumps out of the vent, runs down the hall, changes sizes a couple times, runs along the barrel of a pistol, and then punches one of the guards in the face while miniaturised, sending him flying. Ant-Man then changes sizes again and attacks the other guard at full size. At the end, Ant-Man walks into an elevator as “It’s a Small World” plays.”

You can read the whole piece in the link below, and in the next couple of days I think I shall tackle this year’s video games of SDCC.

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/07/14/sdcc-2012-edgar-wright-shows-off-ant-man-test-footage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geeksofdoom+%28GEEKS+OF+DOOM%29

E3 Top 5

E3 is over and you most likely have your Christmas list all written up, but here are some of my favourites this year.

L

LEGO Lord of the Rings, we’ve known it was coming ever since they announced the toy line earlier this year, but seeing the trailer isn’t any less impressive. The LOTR stories have a strong group of interchangeable characters perfect for the LEGO game treatment, as you battle Orcs, and the occasional Troll, in your epic quest to destroy the ring with the usual humours approach.

A surprising announcement, Batman Arkham City is coming to the Wii U. The new tablet console/controller has enough to it to match the PS3 and Xbox, but if it’s adding more mainstream games I might have to get myself one. What’s more is that this isn’t just the usual stand alone story you might expect (as far as I can tell), but the full game now with exclusive Wii U tablet features, from the obvious (mini map and inventory display), to the cool (motion control the batarang and touch screen hacking game). I just hope the PS Vita gets support next.

Another LEGO game, this time not based on a licensed property. Once again the Wii U uses motion control for vehicles, and other various features, as you go undercover to solve LEGO Cities biggest crime. The game play looks slightly different to other LEGO games, as the character free runs in pursuit of a crook then tackles him to the ground. It will be interesting to see if we get more games based on LEGO creations, maybe Firemen next, or underwater adventures.

Apparently games based on movies are out this year, but fighting games are in with the latest Marvel game, Avengers: Battle for Earth. There’s no game play footage in the trailer and it looks nothing special, and really this is only an honourable mention because of the cancelled THQ game based on the Avengers movie, which unfortunately looked to be game that could have made the Kinect worth owning.

Ok, maybe movie games haven’t gone away completely. Amazing Spider-Man is getting a game, we knew that, but here is the first trailer. The demo at E3 showed off the web swinging, the core feature of any Spider-Man game, and the open world New York City looks huge, with great detail added to ground level action as well. I say movie game but the story isn’t limited the films plot, so hopefully this can recreate the winning formula that was Spider-Man 2 as you take on multiple villains, including the Lizard, Scorpion, Black Cat, Rhino, and giant robot tentacles.

And finally, how could I not mention this game, Star Wars 1313. Taking place deep beneath the planet Coruscant the player assumes the role of a bounty hunter unravelling a criminal conspiracy, and the trailer tells us even less. What it does show off though is the combat, obviously heavy on blasters but also a bit of melee, which is what you’d expect from a bounty hunter game. What’s more interesting, and looks amazing with these graphics, is the sequence that ends the clip as the character jumps across the wreckage of his ship as it is still plummeting to the ground, whilst on fire. Possibly influenced by Uncharted it will be a while before we get a release date, but I’m speculating it will somehow tie into the planned Star Wars TV series in 2014.

I’ll continue to look for more interesting movie and gaming delights, in the mean time keep up to date with the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/roughcutonline

Sony Conference - E3 2012 Recap

Welcome to my second attempt at an E3 recap and lucky for you the Sony conference had less talking and more footage. This actually made it feel a little weak on content in comparison to Microsoft, but unlike the former everything we see is a PlayStation exclusive (bar one little piece of Assassins Creed news). So let’s get this thing started.

After a rather lengthy video highlighting the many new games we can look forward to, on both the PS3 and Vita, Jack Trenton enters the stage. President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America I actually recognise Jack from last year, whilst I’ve already forgotten the presenters of Microsoft’s conference this year. Charismatic as always he starts things off by saying how important E3 is, and pays tribute to the gamers, before complementing his boss, Sony President Kaz Hirai.

Next David Cage offers us the first look at Quantic Dreams latest game since their highly successful release back n 2010, Heavy Rain. Titled Beyond: Two Soul, the game stars Ellen Page as the main character of Jody Holmes, and has something to do with a ghost named Ivan. The video shows off more of the plot than game play, but Quantic Dreams games are more like movies than games, opening with Jody in a police station having been found on the side of a road with no I.D. After her possible psychic powers fling a cup at a wall a SWAT team shows up and we cut to different action sequences, including some fun on top of a moving train, as presumably the player must escape capture. Looks good, but I’d rather watch it than play it I think, and others have already noted the possibility of one giant quick time event.

A very strong start to the conference, which helps since the next game isn’t the most original. We get a live demo of PlayStation’s Super Smash Bros clone, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. There’s nothing to say about this game that you can’t guess, assorted PlayStation exclusive characters, including the newly announced Nathan Drake and Big Daddy (exclusive?), battle it out in tiny maps with their own unique weaponry and power ups, such as Sweet Tooth’s robotic walker. The map shown in the demo changed a few times through the level, and half way through three headed sea monster from God of War made an appearance. The game will also have cross-play compatibility with the Vita.

Trenton returns for some PSN updates, including some LittleBigPlanet 2 DLC that allows the Vita to be used as a controller for the game, but unfortunately this isn’t shown off. More great games are coming to the PlayStation store as well, mostly due to indie developers, and the addition of PS1 games to the Vita. PlayStation Plus gets a quick plug, and the audience get a year’s free access pass, and more content providers are announced for media streaming; Amazon, facebook, huluplus. Also the Vita gets a Call of Duty exclusive, Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified, though annoyingly we get no demo seeing as the game was announced last year.

What we do see though is some footage from the Vita’s Assassin’s Creed game, Liberation, where for the first time you play as a female assassin in New Orleans, and as always connecting to the PS3 unlocks bonus content. This segways nicely into some Assassins Creed 3 footage, as naval warfare is added to the game. You have a great deal of control over your ship, being able to walk about it as the character, or take the wheel for sailing. Why Ubisoft didn’t save this for their conference I don’t know, but as the seas turn choppy this is the coolest thing I’ve seen so far. Both games are available as a console bundle, with exclusive content; a memory card for the Vita, and DLC for the PS3.

To be honest I didn’t pay any attention to the Far Cry 3 multiplayer demo, FPSs normally have multiplayer as standard anyways and this looks no different other than being set in the Far Cry world. It looked ok though, plus there’s more exclusive DLC, and fans of the franchise shouldn’t be disappointed.

PlayStation move gets a quick mention, and apparently there are over 250 titles compatible with the move controllers, with the latest title demonstrated for us. With Wonderbook augmented reality is back again, this time in the form of interactive books, which doesn’t sound that appealing until they announce who the first title, Book of Spells, made with the help of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Aimed at kids it’s odd that adults are playing today, with the move controller acting as a magic wand in conjunction with an actual book (though most likely covered in barcodes). The basic game play element sees the player draw a symbol in the air to activate a particular spell, then flicking the controller to use it; in the demo fire is used to kill bugs. They finish off by mentioning Rowling again, and again, before showing a quote from her on the project. Microsoft hired Usher to sing and dance, Sony can’t even get a short video of the author, disappointing.

Next we’re reminded about PlayStation suit, which now has an open beta allowing developers to make certified games for mobile phones and tablets, including HTC who have now partnered with Sony. Too technical for me, but it’s been renamed PlayStation Mobile.

God of War Ascension arrives next, but gain there’s little point in talking about this, as it looks like all the other games in the franchise, epic if not stale. But it is worth mentioning a new ability of Kratos, he can now control time. After a sea monster throws a ship into a dock the God partially repairs the damage, leaving some parts suspended mid air, allowing him to climb further up the terrain. Later when attacked by goat people he seemingly slows down their attack, surrounding them in a green glow. Everything else is pretty standard for the franchise, but Kratos does fight an elephant man, which was pretty cool, and the demo ends with him jumping into the mouth of the sea monster, blades at the ready.

The final game of the conference is survival game The Last of Us, which at one point was rumoured to star Ellen Page. What strikes you first is the graphics, if this wasn’t a live demo you would think it was a just a cut scene, though when the characters enter a building some of the vibrancy is lost, and the decor is a little bland. Combat looks impressive, but influenced by Heavy Rain as enemies sneak up on you with pipes, and react to your lack of ammo (though no quick time indicators appeared on screen). Another demo ends with an action cut as you shot gun a guy in the face, but from what we’ve seen the story will rarely be broken up by extended combat sections as both the main characters and foes faced share banter.

Jack Trenton makes one last speech and thanks everyone for coming, and I thank anyone who bothered to read this blog post today.

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Microsoft E3 2012 Conference Recap

So it’s currently day three of E3 2012 and I’m a little bit behind with news and updates for you all, so let’s start things off with a recap of the Microsoft Conference.

The live action trailer for Halo 4 begins the conference this year, as the UNSC Infinity is sent on a mission of discovery now 4 years after the war has ended. As the ship is scanned by a mysterious object it is forced to crash land. Seamlessly transitioning into the game Master Chief watches it’s decent before a giant orb appears and flies after it.

Now we get the first glimpse of actual game play footage as Covenant forces arrive. Set in a traditional jungle environment we come across some scouts, who unfortunately notice the Chief who uses his rifle t dispatch them. An Elite rushes him but is disintegrated by unknown forces. The Infinities distress beacon continues to be heard as we enter a clearing, where the games first new opponents are revealed. The little robotic dog like creatures are quickly scared off, only to be replaced by more humanoid looking robot, with a skull for a face, who attacks with twin blades. With a shield and the ability to launch a drone from its back this new foe is quit menacing. Kill it and you receive the first new weapon, a ‘light rifle’ with components that assemble in mid air. Pursuing the drone it summons more robotic dogs, and once taken care of another skull faced robot teleports in but the rifle is more effective. Taking its weapon, the ‘scattershot’, allows a one shot kill on the next foe, but another distress call urges you on. Entering another clearing Cortana switches the Chiefs visor, which has an infra-red effect revealing more enemies. The demo ends as Master Chief is overwhelmed.

Ignoring the usual opening spiel the 9:20 mark gives you another new game announcement, this time for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Having infiltrated a terrorist base Sam Fisher proceeds to kill everyone he sees in various stealthy ways. Tagging the enemies first allows for quick execution in this game, and as the demo progresses six hostiles are taken out in 5 seconds, though it’s noted that this ability has to be unlocked first. Xbox Kinect creates a new twist on old game play elements, allowing the player to lure the enemy over by speaking, as well as ordering air strikes.

At 16:30 comes the sports section, which I ignored. After re-watching the conference I discovered that Madden NFL and Fifa are apparently “better with Kinect”, using voice commands for simple team control, as well as team management on Fifa, allowing the player to make substitutions on the fly. A “hall of fame quarter back” is dragged on stage to demo Madden NFL, showing off the voice commands that make the game very close to the real thing (note: I have never seen a game of American football).

Fable: The Journey returns at 21:40, after first showing us how to drive a horse and art wit kinect last year. Little progress seems to have been made on the game, a mix of trailer and game footage making it look like a traditional rail shooter, which sees the player control magic with hand actions.
23 minutes in we get another speech on the developers Microsoft have been working with, before a trailer for the next Gears of War game. Titled Gears of War: Judgment the game will apparently be a prequel with Baird and Cole as the lead characters (according to Wikipedia), but the video didn’t impress me at this early stage. This is quickly followed by Forza Horizon, the latest game of the Forza Motorsports series. As with Gears there was no actual proper game play footage but it looked pretty enough if you like your cars, and is expected 23^rd of October this year.

I like games consoles for gaming, so the talk on Bing didn’t keep me interested 27 minutes into the conference, but for those who like to stream music and movies here are some highlights. The Bing search facility is getting a genre option, as well as more language support for other countries. Even more “entertainment providers” are being made available to Xbox, including Nickelodeon (though if this is just for the States isn’t mentioned.) Sports are brought up again as the NBA comes to Xbox, as does the NHL. There were fewer cheers from the audience at this point as we get special trailer for the sports service, which includes a split screen option. Then short trailer for Xbox Music (what a unique name) apparently aimed at the teen market.

Finally Wii Fitness Kinect Fitness is revealed at the 36 minute mark before Nike talk about their partnership with Microsoft to bring Nike Plus to the Xbox with ‘Kinect Training’. The trailer combines footage of actually people training with game play footage, where the player copies the actions of the onscreen trainer.

After 41 minutes we get the strangest announcement, Xbox SmartGlass. Basically your Xbox connects to your smart phone or tablet, offering extra content displayed on those devices related to whatever you’re doing on the console. The example we’re given starts off with watching a film on your tablet, and then continuing playback from the point you left off on your Xbox, whilst the tablet gives you some details about the film, i.e. cast and crew list. Game of Thrones was the basis for the next example; as an episode is streamed on the Xbox, the tablet displays a map showing the characters current locations. This isn’t a completely stupid idea, but a bit too thought out as all tend to do is goggle whatever I want to know about the show on my phone then scroll through Wikipedia, having y tablet constantly updating content may prove a distraction.

The game play applications are more interesting though, with NFL allowing the player to manage and create their own starting plays with the tablets touch screen, whilst Halo 4 predictably connects to Halo waypoint, unlocking new content as you progress in the campaign (such as schematics for the UNSC Infinity), as well as instantly connecting you to a multiplayer match, at the press of the screen, when you receive invitations.

The SmartGlass feature ends with the use of a mobile phone as a touch screen remote for the Xbox, as well as the addition of Internet Explorer to the console. The browser looks similar to the Xbox dashboard, with Kinect voice implemented of course.

52 minutes in Tomb Raider returns to E3 after last year’s announcement. We’re treated to a new game play sequence, showing off Lara’s skills with a bow and arrow. Making her way through an encampment of some kind our heroin uses zip wires to traverse the mountainous terrain, before setting her arrows on fire to take out multiple enemies at once. It all looks very impressive, with its own set pieces to rival Uncharted, but the only downside is the camera, constantly covered in water splashes or mud it obscures most of the action.

Almost a hour have past of the conference and we’ve seen some cool stuff from returning games, but now we get a glimpse of three new IP’s. Ascend New Gods looks to be a fantasy RPG using Xbox live to track players, whilst LocoCyle is about a motorcycle, and Pirates of the Caribbean Gore Verbinski makes a Kinect game about an Orb, Matter.

At 01:01:00 Capcom demo Resident Evil 6 as Leon S. Kennedy once again shoots his way through the zombie hoards. Escaping into a nearby building with his partner both close range and melee combat is displayed, though the game appears heavy on quick time events when you get close to an attacker. Then something I haven’t seen in a while, running towards the camera to escape an explosion. The demo ends with another quick time event as your helicopter crashes through a building, before Leon falls into the centre of a hundred hungry zombies.

Only six minutes later the funniest looking game debuts, Wreckateer. A Kinect based game the player uses a catapult to assault castles, with the different types of ammo show cased needing varied arm movements to control; spinning your arms to aim the projectile in mid air, or pretending you’re a bird to guide towards targets.

We’re in the final stretch now at 01:09:20, as Matt Stone and Trey Parker come on stage to talk about the new South Park game, The Stick of Truth, whilst also poking fun at the rest of the conference; “How many time have you been watching an episode of South Park and thought ‘I’d like to be able to watch this on my television while hooked into my mobile device, which is being controlled by my tablet device, which is hooked into my oven, all while sitting in the refrigerator”. The game looks exactly how you would imagine a South Park game to look, the 2D design perfect for this side scrolling fantasy RPG. I would suggest just skipping straight to this section as they are the funniest and most natural public speakers compared to the Microsoft drones, but this section is cut short.

13 minutes on the hour (unlucky, definitely unlucky) Usher talks about Dance Central 3, claiming anyone can learn his moves. Oddly Usher is talking in VT, but then comes on stage to sing and dance for us, forgetting the words to his own song. Strangely footage from the game is only shown towards the end of the routine, and is blocked half the time by smoke machines, which defeats the point of showing off Usher’s dance moves.

Luckily 01:18:30 gets us back on track for the grand finally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Jumping right into the game, this section set in 2025, terrorists have attacked and David Mason is protecting the President in her convoy. Unfortunately drones are blowing up everything in your path and it’s not long before you’re flipped over. Grabbing your gun you head for a turret to take out the drones, before picking up a sniper to provide cover fire. This rifle can fire through cover if you charge it long enough, and comes with a handy x-ray scope. The footage then cuts to a shopping plaza, now with drone support via a tablet on Masons arm, giving the player mini remote controlled flying gun turrets. After a building topples onto your position Mason climbs into a fighter jet, and the demo ends with a brief flying section as the player protects another convoy from drones.

And that brings us to the end of the conference, hopefully tomorrow I’ll write a shorter piece on Sony’s conference.

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Iron Man Officially Starts Production

As I predicted yesterday, Marvel have given us the first official images from the set of Iron Man 3.  In their official press release they confirm the start of production, but nothing is said about plot, only which of the cast are returning from the previous films, as well as a small crew list. They then spend the rest of the release telling us how well their other movies have done.

As for the picture, which you can see below, it’s a nice shot of Tony with all the armour used in film to date.

PRESS RELEASE

Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios' release "Marvel's The Avengers," production on the highly anticipated film "Iron Man 3," directed by Shane Black, has commenced production in Wilmington, North Carolina. The production schedule will also include locations in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, Miami, Florida and China.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, "Iron Man 3" returns Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron Man," "Marvel's The Avengers") as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow ("Iron Man," "Iron Man 2,") as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle ("Iron Man 2") as James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Jon Favreau ("Iron Man," "Iron Man 2") as Happy Hogan. Set for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013, Marvel's "Iron Man 3" marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

 "Iron Man 3" continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world's favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka "Iron Man." Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D'Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

The creative production team on the film includes two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC ("Braveheart," "Legends of the Fall"), production designer Bill Brzeski ("The Hangover," "Due Date"), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. ("Marvel's The Avengers," "Captain America: The First Avenger") and Peter S. Elliot ("Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer"), and costume designer Louise Frogley ("Quantum of Solace," "Contagion").

Marvel Studios most recently produced the critically acclaimed "Marvel's The Avengers," which set the all-time, domestic 3-day weekend box office record at $207.4 million. The film, which is currently in release, continues to shatter box office records and is The Walt Disney Studios' highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time and marks the studios' fifth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.

In the summer of 2011, Marvel successfully launched two new franchises with "Thor," starring Chris Hemsworth, and "Captain America: The First Avenger," starring Chris Evans. Both films opened #1 at the box office and have grossed over $800 million worldwide combined. In 2010 "Iron Man 2," starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, took the #1 spot in its first weekend with a domestic box office gross of $128.1 million.

In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer blockbuster movies "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." "Iron Man," in which Robert Downey Jr. originally dons the Super Hero's powerful armor and stars alongside co-stars Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008, and was an immediate box office success. Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film brought in over $100 million in its opening weekend. On June 13, 2008, Marvel released "The Incredible Hulk," marking its second number one opener of that summer.