Mad Max 4 Finally Gets a Start Date

Two years after being indefinitely postponed, Mad Max 4: Fury Road finally begins filming next Saturday, June 2!

One of the film's stars, Charlize Theron, revealed the start date during a recent interview with MTV promoting her new release Snow White and the Huntsman.

The long-delayed sequel/reboot, which stars Tom Hardy as the title character, will see Theron play Furiosa, a character with half of her arm missing. Theron coyly acknowledged this attribute during her MTV chat.

Director George Miller will shoot Mad Max 4 in Africa's Namib Desert. The cast also reportedly includes Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Adelaide Clemens and Richard Norton.



Source : http://www.ign.com

Angry Birds Friends Announced for Facebook

Angry Birds creator Rovio announced today that Angry Birds Facebook has exited beta in a big way. The Facebook app has been renamed Angry Birds Friends, and has been updated with a bevy of new content and features.

Angry Birds Friends has been redesigned to encourage weekly play. Every week four new levels are introduced for that week’s tournament. Gamers have seven days (Monday to Sunday) to post the highest cumulative score they can. At the end of the week each player’s score is then compared to their friends, and medals are doled out. One nice detail is that the medals are cumulative, encouraging gamers to collect as many gold medals as possible.

These medals can then be redeemed for power-ups that normally need to be purchased with cash. A gold medal earns players a bundle of three power-ups, silver medal is good for two and bronze a single power-up.

Angry Birds Friends is free-to-play on Facebook right now.

Angry Birds first entered public beta on Facebook in Spring 2011. The title quickly climbed to over 20 million monthly users. It is currently the 7th most popular game on the entire social network, and the most popular non-Zynga title.



Source : http://www.ign.com

Why Pixar's Making a Movie About Death

Not much is known about Pixar's recently announced Dia de los Muertos film -- it doesn't even have a title yet -- but we're starting to get a sense at least of why the animation studio might've decided to go with a Mexican-themed picture -- and one that's about death.

The LA Times spoke to director Lee Unkrich about the film, which he's making with his Toy Story 3 producer Darla K. Anderson.

"Pixar movies do extremely well in Mexico," Unkrich said. "This will allow us to explore a really fascinating aspect of the culture there."

Indeed, Toy Story 3 is the highest-grossing movie of all time in Mexico, and Unkrich has been taking trips there to research the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday where tribute is paid to the dead. As The LA Times points out, the idea of designing specifically Mexican characters and exploring that culture is surely appealing to the Pixar creative team -- and perhaps to their accountants too.

"This is a very different view of death than the American one," said Unkrich. "It's not spooky. It's celebratory."

A kid's movie about death… that's our Pixar! The film still doesn’t have a release date, but it's hard not to get excited about this one.

In the meantime, let's reflect upon that Angel episode that took place on the Day of the Dead:

Source : http://www.ign.com

Darksiders II: Enter the Fourth Horseman

You’ve already played Darksiders II. You just don’t know it. Though THQ’s action/adventure sequel is still several months away, the game borrows from so many games of its genre that it immediately feels familiar. Combat is reminiscent of God of War. Navigating environments as Death quickly recalls moments of Uncharted. Equipment, experience and leveling up systems feel like a typical RPG, but with an exaggerated art style that may remind you of Kingdoms of Amalur. And through it all you get a strong resemblance to Zelda, which contains some amount of all the aforementioned titles.

Many assume familiarity or the absence of absolute originality is an unforgivable sin in a video game. Yet Darksiders II, for all that it borrows, blends the elements of its predecessors well. If a derivative game that features engaging combat, solid control and considerable depth through its customization options is a bad thing, then this industry is cursed with a number of failures.

Put aside the fact that Darksiders II borrows from some of the best in the industry ,and you’re left with an action game that pulls you in with its stunningly accessible depth. Every enemy drops something of value, whether it’s gold, armor, weaponry or some mix of all three. Modern RPGs could learn a thing or two from developer Vigil, as a pop-up window will quickly inform you whether equipping each item will benefit Death, or whether you’re better off holding it for sale later. The fact that Death’s design reflects the armor and weaponry choices you make helps reinforce the immediate sense of gratification this game offers. There’s no agonizing over menus and charts - just a simple and clean interface that allows for complexity without slowing gameplay down.


Combat is smooth, effective and addictive, allowing you to mix heavy, light and (eventual) ranged attacks with ease. The fact that Death’s arsenal is constantly in flux helps considerably, as one second you’ll be gleefully smashing enemies with a hammer, and the next you’re testing the effectiveness of an axe. It remains to be seen how deep the fighting system will go, however, as the first 30 minutes of the game mostly focused on mashing attacks in whatever openings were available. Considering all that Vigil has learned from rival action games, here’s hoping battles in Darksiders II demonstrate a remarkable maturity as the story advances.

Death is certainly not his brother, War, and to emphatically illustrate that, Vigil designed a character that is far more agile than his predecessor. Enter plenty of Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted and Prince of Persia-esque ideas. Death not only scampers around his environments like a monkey with a mission, he can run along walls and vault up poles like nobody’s business. Most of these actions are done through the use of a couple context-sensitive buttons, and it’s a relief to see that if Darksiders II mastered one tributary gameplay element, it’s this one. Many games fail to make level navigation sensible. This game doesn’t seem to fall into that trap.

If there is one concern about Darksiders II it’s this - though it skillfully pulls together many familiar ideas into a package that is very entertaining, it doesn’t master or evolve any of those concepts. Combat is good, but lacks the crisp precision of Ninja Gaiden or the creativity of Zelda. Navigation does at times feel like Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed, yet the camera feels a bit eager to adjust itself unnecessarily. The art design of the world is remarkable, yet the game’s engine just isn’t crisp enough. There are better looking games out there. In other words, despite looking to the past for inspiration, Darksiders II doesn’t appear to attempt to best its predecessors. At least not yet. It would be a bit surprising to see the complete identity of a game summed up in its opening half hour.

Still, even if these complaints remain consistent throughout the game, none of them will come as much of a surprise to fans (or critics) of the first game, Darksiders II borrows much, yet is still entertaining despite some rather obvious flaws. That said, the addition of loot drops, skill trees and the fundamental speed of combat goes a long way in making this sequel feel fresh. Sometimes familiarity can be a good thing, particularly when recalling some of the finest franchises of all time.



Source : http://www.ign.com

A Guide to Batman Incorporated

DC launched most of their “Second Wave” books earlier this month, but they saved one of the biggest new series for last. Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 is the continuation of Grant Morrison's six-year Batman run, chronicling the war between Batman's worldwide team of heroes and the shadowy organization known as Leviathan.

The problem is that, being the continuation of such a long saga, Batman Inc Vol. 2 isn't necessarily as welcoming to new readers as books like Scott Snyder's Batman or Pete Tomasi's Batman and Robin. But as much as we'd advocate reading through Morrison's full run before jumping into this series, we understand not everyone has the time, money, or desire to read those 60-odd issues.

Luckily, we're here to help. Whether you're new to the world of Batman Inc. or just forgot key plot points in the months since Morrison's story went on hiatus, we have a guide to the essential plot points and characters of the new series.

And for those curious about the specifics of what happened prior to Batman Inc. Vol. 1, check out our Modern Batman Guide.

What is Batman Incorporated?

Towards the tail end of his chaotic journey through time in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Bruce glimpsed a vision of a dark future. At the same time, he realized the defining truth of his entire career – Batman has never been alone in his war on crime. Propelled by a desire to prevent this possible future and by his new revelation, Bruce decided to take the concept of Batman to the next level. If crime is an idea, then Batman is the idea to counter it.

Bruce's first step was to go public, announcing that he had been secretly funding Batman's operations for years. His new goal was to provide funding and resources for heroes around the globe, with the ultimate goal of building a worldwide network of heroes all dedicated to the eradication of crime. In addition to his usual allies – the Robins, Barbara Gordon, the Outsiders, etc. - Bruce recruited Japan's Mr. Unknown, Argentina's El Gaucho, England's The Hood, Africa's Batwing, and scores of other international vigilantes.

Batman was now a symbol that extended far beyond the borders of Gotham City. It had become a commodity, hence the name “Batman Inc.”

What is Leviathan?

Unfortunately, just as every hero has at least one villain to oppose them, no global organization of heroes can exist for long without being challenged by a similar conglomerate of villains. Leviathan is a terrorist organization that had its origins in the small African nation of Mtamba (home of Bruce's one-time lover and Black Glove member Jezebel Jet).

Leviathan's goal is to create a “ring of terror” that circles the globe, with Mtamba as its starting point. Leviathan has ensnared hundreds of innocent children using mind-controlling drugs, turning them into bloodthirsty, easily manipulated killers. As Batman Inc. has grown, so too has Leviathan. They seek to kill Batman's many operatives and tear down the symbol of the bat wherever it arises.

In addition to the numerous pawns under their control, Leviathan has several lieutenants. One is a mysterious, muscle-bound figure dressed in robes and a Batman-like armored suit. Known only as The Heretic, this person vaguely resembles the Three Ghosts of Batman seen earlier in Morrison's Batman run.

Another high-ranking figure in Leviathan is Doctor Dedalus. Dedalus was once Otto Netz, a Nazi scientist who specialized in meta-human genetics and designing outlandish death traps. Dedalus also formed the spy agency Spyral, which secretly employed heroes like the original Batwoman (also Netz's daughter) and El Gaucho. Though imprisoned for years in the Falkland Islands, Leviathan freed Dedalus so he could complete his greatest death trap before he succumbed to Alzheimer's.

Also in Leviathan's employ are Son of Pyg, the successor to the transformation-obsessed villain Professor Pyg, and Lord Death Man, an eccentric and seemingly unkillable Japanese crime lord.

Who Rules Leviathan?

Despite early clues that Jezebel Jet was the leader of Leviathan, the final pages of Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! revealed that the group was actually formed by Talia al Ghul. Talia is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul and has taken control of his criminal empire. Talia is deeply in love with Batman, as she and her father both agreed he was the only man worthy to marry her and inherit the League of Assassins. But as Batman has frequently refused the offer, he has often found himself at odds with his beloved.

Relations between the al Ghul and Wayne families have soured ever since Bruce and Talia's son, Damian, abandoned his place in the League of Assassins and instead elected to become the newest Robin. To Talia, Damian is now as much an enemy as the rest of Batman's empire. As proof, she put a half billion dollar bounty on her son's head as her first act of war against Batman Inc.

As if this weren't trouble enough for Bruce and Damian, their relationship has grown troubled since Damian killed Doctor Dedalus in battle. Can Batman trust a partner who doesn't obey orders? For that matter, is the ever-crafty Dedalus even dead in the first place?

What is Ouroboros?

The Ouroboros is an image that has popped up repeatedly during the first volume of Batman Inc. The Ouroboros depicts a serpent devouring its own tail, thereby forming a ring. It has plenty of symbolic meaning. It represents the cyclical nature of life. It depicts something that is constantly recreating and rebuilding itself.

This symbolism applies to Leviathan in several ways. The Ouroboros serpent is eternal and incapable of being destroyed, much as Talia sees Leviathan. The shape is replicated in Leviathan's ring of terror circling the world.

The Ouroboros shape also mimics the molecular structure of a new “meta-molecule” Batman discovered during his travels. Dedalus has called this meta-molecule the fifth element and has used it to create new weapons of mass destruction. Batman, however, sees other uses, and he's dispatched Lucius Fox to develop new crime-fighting technologies around it.

How Does This Fit Into the New 52?

Morrison's ongoing Batman storyline hit a bit of a snag with the New 52. DC postponed the first volume of Batman Inc. after the eighth issue so as not to confuse new readers with multiple Batman continuities. The remainder of Morrison's first year of Batman Inc. stories was depicted in the aforementioned one-shot issue Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes!. That issue offered a disclaimer that the story was taking place before Flashpoint and the New 52 shake-up.

However, with Batman Inc. Vol. 2, Morrison's saga will begin to reflect the changes brought about by the New 52. This is cause for confusion, as some characters and entire storylines from earlier in Morrison's run now no longer exist. For example, Final Crisis never happened in this new universe, meaning Batman couldn't have been blasted by Darkseid's Omega Sanction and sent hurtling through time. This in turn wipes out the existence of Doctor Hurt and much of the material in the first two years of Morrison's run. Meanwhile Stephanie Brown apparently never took over the mantle of Batgirl, while Batwing is significantly different from how he was portrayed before the New 52.

It remains to be seen how much Morrison will acknowledge these changes. Most likely, the writer will sidestep any potentially thorny issues, as Geoff Johns has done with the current volume of Green Lantern. It has been acknowledged in other books that Bruce Wayne was missing for a year. There are probably ways of reconciling many of the discrepancies created by the continuity shift, but we're hoping Batman, Inc. Vol. 2 will simply push forward and avoid dwelling on the past.




Source : http://www.ign.com