Editorials
Avengers Age of Ultron: a quick summary of all the characters
Ladies and gentleman we’re now only a few short weeks away from the release of Avengers Age of Ultron. I don’t know about you, but I’m super pumped to finally see it. The first part was arguably the best superhero movie of 2012 and we can expect the sequel to be just as impressive (if not even more so) judging by the plethora of trailers we’ve seen so far. Although the cast of the original film was nothing short of amazing, Marvel is going all out with Avengers Age of Ultron and have added even more characters to the mix, both heroes and villains. So many characters in fact, that it may be hard to keep track of the full line-up, which is why I figured that a quick summary of the full cast of characters might come in handy to some.
Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. returns in yet another movie in which he plays the already iconic Iron Man/Tony Stark. If you’ve seen any of the Iron Man movies or the original Avengers then you already know what to expect from him in Avengers Age of Ultron. Having said that, also expect Tony Stark to be just a little less confident and arrogant than usual given that he’s the one who created Ultron, aka the advanced AI that’s trying to kill everybody. Also, his relationship with some of the other Avengers (especially Cap) is starting to deteriorate very fast. Joining Iron Man from his own movie series will be War Machine and J.A.R.V.I.S (but more on him later).
Captain America: Although initially one of the least interesting Avengers to non-US folks, Steve Rogers/Captain America has become increasingly more badass with each passing movie. In Avengers Age of Ultron he’s going to be played by the same Chris Evans and seems to be the new leader of the Avengers following Iron Man’s fall from grace. Cap’s fighting style and shield throwing abilities seem to have improved even more in Avengers Age of Ultron, so expect him to punch and kick robots all over the place. In addition, he’s even seen moving Thor’s hammer just a little bit, which means that Steve Rogers is becoming the worthiest human there is (whatever that means). Captain America is also bringing a few people from his own movie series, including Falcon and Peggy Carter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpazy0BHzxY
Thor: Chris Hemsworth’s Thor chose to stay on Earth at the end of The Dark World and that was certainly a great decision because the team will need him now more than ever. The Avengers Age of Ultron trailers weren’t particularly focused on this character, but we can only assume that he will play a very important part in the movie given that he’s technically Earth’s godly guardian now. Thor is bringing quite a few characters from his own series into Avengers Age of Ultron, including Heimdall, Erik Selving and even Loki. No Natalie Portman I’m afraid, but Thor is unlikely to feel lonely in the movie even without her thanks to all the other familiar faces.
The Hulk: Mark Ruffalo also returns as the Hulk/Bruce Banner in Avengers Age of Ultron, along with some actual character development this time around. Seeing as how the trailers depict a fight between him and Iron Man at one point, it’s pretty easy to conclude that Bruce Banner is still not on friendly terms with everyone when he turns into the Hulk. We’re not sure what they’re fighting about, but the Hulk vs Hulkbuster armor is expected to be one of the most epic scenes of the entire movies, so I guess it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. What matters is that CGI has improved a bit since 2012, which means that the Hulk will look even more realistic in Avengers Age of Ultron (not that the original version was bad or anything). Also, Lou Ferrigno (of 1978’s The Incredible Hulk fame) is voicing Hulk again. Just thought I’d point that out.
Black Widow: Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow is bringing new toys to the table in Avengers Age of Ultron. She didn’t really have a lot to work with in the previous movies except for guns and punches/kicks, but thanks to some new gadgets provided by Tony Stark she will now be an even more valuable asset to the team. Black Widow is not only receiving new weapons, but also some much needed backstory and character development, which is always nice to see. What’s more, it seems that she may or may not have a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner, although this is mostly speculation at this point and not officially confirmed. We’ll just have to wait until next month to find out I guess.
Hawkeye: Similar to Black Widow, Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye is also receiving some much needed upgrades. These include not only various types of new arrows, but also a brand new uniform that’s a bit more eye-catching than the rather boring costume he wore in the original film. Sadly, Hawkeye seems to be the most pessimistic of our heroes in Avengers Age of Ultron, but that’s not very surprising as he, himself points out: “we’re fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow.” He does a point there. Well, at least you have some better arrows this time, so I’m sure you’ll do just fine Hawkeye.
Quicksilver/Scarlet Witch: Avengers Age of Ultron will introduce Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as the (Wanda and Pietro) Maximoff twins. Fun fact: they’re Magneto’s children. Unfortunately, we’re not likely to see an Avengers/X-Men crossover anytime soon, but at least we get to see two mutants joining the Avengers next month. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were first seen in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s post-credits scene and will initially join Ultron before ultimately being recruited by the Avengers. Both characters bring even more badassery and superhuman powers to the table, so expect to see some pretty epic fighting scenes involving them.
The Vision: Paul Bettany’s J.A.R.V.I.S. is finally becoming 3D in Avengers Age of Ultron as he takes an improved form known as Vision. The Vision is similar to Ultron in the sense that he’s also an artificial intelligence robot created by Tony Stark, but luckily Paul Bettany continues to play as one of the good guys. We don’t know a whole lot about the Vision as we only saw a brief glimpse of him in one of the trailers, but he’ll probably play a very important part in combating the threat posed by Ultron judging by his impressive powers. What we can say for certain is that he seems to be very faithful to his comic book version, so we can rest assured knowing that Avengers Age of Ultron will do him justice.
Ultron: As you might have guessed, the titular robot will be the main antagonist in Avengers Age of Ultron and a very powerful one at that. Ultron is being played by James Spader, an actor who must look convincing as he rebels against Iron Man, gathers an army of robots and tries to destroy all of humanity along with the Avengers. Needless to say, this is not an easy role for anyone to play. Despite all of this, director Joss Weldon says that Spader was his “first and only choice” for the role of Ultron, mainly because of his unique voice. In recent years we’ve seen a number of villains becoming more popular than the heroes they were fighting against and I wouldn’t be surprised if Spader’s Ultron would also join the club following Avengers Age of Ultron.
Aside from all of these characters, Avengers Age of Ultron will also feature the likes of Samuel L. Jackson as former S.H.I.E.L.D. boss Nick Fury, Thomas Kretschmann as Hydra supervillain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue (better known as Klaw, one of Black Panther’s main enemies), and of course, the absolutely mandatory Stan Lee cameo will be there as well. Serkis’ involvement in Avengers Age of Ultron will be minimal, but his character will set the stage for the upcoming Black Panther movie, which is scheduled to be part of Marvel’s Phase Three. Rumor has it that we might also see a Spiderman easter egg now that Sony and Marvel have agreed to work together on some projects, however, the partnership was announced after Avengers Age of Ultron finished filming, so the chances are pretty slim if you ask me. Still, a bit of wishful thinking doesn’t hurt.
Avengers Age of Ultron is scheduled to hit the theaters on May 1st in North America.
After many years of fans begging Square Enix to remaster Final Fantasy VII, they finally listened and did just that. There were numerous excuses as to why the game’s re-release had lagged behind the re-releases of both VII and IX, with the most common excuse being that the game’s original code was lost years ago. However, the company made it happen and the game is finally available for modern audiences to play on modern hardware today. We’re going to give you 5 reasons why you should do just that.
First time available on modern hardware
As we’ve already said, this is the first time that the game is available on modern hardware. While the game originally launched for PS1 back in 1999, it later got a PC port in 2000. That means that is has been a whopping 19 years since a new version of the game has been available for purchase, and that wait was a brutal one. However, it is finally over and you can now play this classic game on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch along with PC. If the lack of modern hardware support was stopping you from checking out, that excuse just got thrown out the window.
The visuals look better than ever
Thankfully, Square Enix did not just slap this port together quickly and throw it out there to shut everyone up. They did a terrific job of putting on a shiny new coat of paint for the game, with the character models in particular looking much better. While things like environment textures didn’t get quite the same amount of attention, this is nevertheless the best that the game has ever looked. It also helps that the game is simply beautiful from a design standpoint, with the game’s world being gorgeous to behold even though we’re dealing with the hardware limitations of 1999.
Quality of life improvements
While those who played the game 20 years ago will still be getting what is essentially the same experience, Square Enix did add some quality of life improvements to put it more in line with current JRPGs. These changes include the likes of increasing battle speed by 3 times, shutting off random encounters completely and even a cheat to give you max HP and limit breaks. While these may seem minor, these will go a long way to ease some of the tedium that many feel after some particularly long gaming sessions. Max HP and Limit Breaks will also make the incredibly tough Ultima and Omega Weapon boss fights a lot easier to deal with.
Triple Triad
The Final Fantasy series is known for having its fair share of enticing side quests and mini games, but there isn’t a single one that is as addicting as Triple Triad. The game is essentially a card game that is played on a 3×3 grid, and each card has a certain number on the top, bottom, left and right sides. You need to place your cards in a manner that the numbers on your cards are higher than your opponents, and seeing as your card can be attacked from four different sides this can be tricky. You’re able to challenge many different characters to a match throughout the course of the entire game, and doing so comes with plenty of nice rewards that will make your quest easier.
The game is awesome
While our previous points focused on specific elements of the game, this one is a simple fact that has been true since 1999: the game is awesome. Unfortunately, releasing immediately after Final Fantasy VII (a watershed moment for gaming) put it under a very cruel microscope, with many knee jerk reactions simply saying it “isn’t as good as VII.” However, in the years that have passed people have revisited the game, and the consensus has definitely changed. This adventure that Square created is unlike any other in the series, being host to an ambitious and bizarre plot filled with some of the best characters the series has ever seen. If you’ve played the game before then this is the perfect time to experience this masterpiece all over again, and if you haven’t then what are you waiting for?
2019 has been yet another good year for gaming so far, with several games releasing that will be big contenders for game of the year once the curtain closes. However, despite the year already being more than halfway over, there are still some huge titles on the horizon that are sure to make their own dents on the coming best-of lists. This article will list the 10 biggest games that are still coming in 2019.
Control
A new game from Remedy Entertainment is always highly-anticipated, and Control is no different. The game is an action-adventure game in the same style as Alan Wake or Quantum Break, but with a supernatural twist. Players will control Jesse Faden, who possesses a variety of supernatural abilities like telekinesis, levitation and more. She will be using her abilities in order to defeat an enemy known only as the Hiss, which has corrupted reality. Control launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on August 27th.
Borderlands 3
It has been many years since the last game in the Borderlands series released, but the hiatus is finally coming to an end very soon. Those who have played previous games in the series will feel right at home with this game, as it’s once again a loot-driven FPS. The game will offer more zany characters and a charming and insane world to explore, all while dealing with new antagonists Troy and Tyreen Calypso along with their Children of the Vault cult. Borderlands 3 launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on September 13th, with a Google Stadia port release date being TBA.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series is returning soon with Breakpoint, which will serve as a continuation of previous game Wildlands. The game is set in an open world environment called Aurora, which is a fictional island in the Pacific Ocean. Players will control Lieutenant Colonel Anthony “Nomad” Perryman, who is a special forces operative that was sent to the island to investigate a series of disturbances in the area. Breakpoint launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 4th, with a Google Stadia port coming in November.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Each new installment in the Call of Duty series is always huge, but Modern Warfare’s release marks a first for the long-running franchise. It will be the first game in the series that is reimagining of a previous game in the series, taking 2004’s original game and updating its mechanics and themes to match today’s world. The game will still have some of the beats that the first game had, but will also incorporate lots of surprises to make it a fresh experience. Modern Warfare launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25th.
The Outer Worlds
Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds is one that will be very highly-anticipated for fans of Fallout: New Vegas, as this game serves as a sort of spiritual successor to that game. It will be an open world RPG that allows you to explore many unique areas crawling with plenty of deadly foes. Players will also be able to encounter and recruit NPCs as companions that have their own personal missions and stories to take part in. The Outer Worlds launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25th, with a Switch port also being in the works.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
It seemed very unlikely that Luigi’s Mansion would become a recurring franchise for Nintendo following the original GameCube game, but here we are. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming to Switch, which also means it will be the first home console release since the original game back in 2003. This time the game is set in a haunted hotel rather than a mansion, and Luigi has some new tricks up his sleeves to take down all those ghosts. Luigi’s Mansion 3 will launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 31st.
Death Stranding
If you’re looking for the most ambitious (and weirdest) game still coming in 2019, then look no further. Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding has perplexed gamers ever since its announcement, and each new trailer that releases just brings more and more questions to the table. It is Kojima’s first game since breaking up with Konami after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (and the cancellation of Silent Hills), and it looks like Kojima has taken the newfound complete creative control to deliver something truly original. Death Stranding launches exclusively for PS4 on November 8th.
Pokemon Sword & Shield
At this point we all know what to expect from a new Pokemon game, and Sword and Shield seems poised to deliver even more cute creatures for players to capture and battle very soon. What sets Sword and Shield apart from its predecessors is that it will be the first home console release for the series, which is saying something considering the series has been around for over 20 years. Pokemon Sword & Shield launches exclusively for Switch on November 15th.
Shenmue III
If you’re a fan of Shenmue then nothing needs to be said for the inclusion of the upcoming third game on this list. Fans of the series have been waiting nearly two decades for a follow-up to the second game, and in just a couple of months that will finally be delivered to them. Brought to life thanks to an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, the game continues the adventure of protagonist Ryo Hazuki as he hunts down his father’s killer. Shenmue III will launch for PS4 and PC on November 19th.
DOOM Eternal
id Software’s DOOM 2016 was one of the best FPS games to come along in years, so it’s a no-brainer that the follow-up would be on this list. Eternal is set to offer yet another intense FPS campaign for players to plunge into, while also offering a multiplayer component that greatly improves upon the last game’s underwhelming multiplayer mode. There will also be twice as many demon types than there was in the last game, meaning that the chaos level just got that much higher. DOOM Eternal launches for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia and PC on November 22nd.
Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 Press Conference has officially come to an end, and with it came plenty of big announcements to get excited about. Some new games were announced, whereas previously-announced games got new footage and/or release dates. In this article we’ve narrowed it all down to the 5 most exciting announcements.
New Xbox “Project Scarlett” Coming Holiday 2020
We’ve known for a while now that a new Xbox was in the works, but now we know when to expect it. Microsoft’s fourth console (which hopefully has a better official name than Xbox One did) will be a big step up from the previous console. Things like much faster load times, an AMD Processor that is four times more powerful than the Xbox One X, 8K Resolution and 120 FPS were all mentioned. A price and exact release date weren’t mentioned. It will also be launching with…
Halo Infinite Coming Holiday 2020, Launching On Both Xbox One and Project Scarlett
The wait for the next Halo game has been longer than ever before for series fans, and the announcement at E3 revealed that the wait will continue. Halo Infinite will not be launching until Holiday 2020, meaning it will have been 5 years since the previous game released with Halo 5. It will also be launching on Xbox One and Project Scarlett, meaning the new console will have a big launch title for fans to get pumped about.
Cyberpunk 2077 Coming April 2020, Stars Keanu Reeves
It’s hard to pick a game that people have been more excited about than Cyberpunk 2077, and after Microsoft’s press conference we’re even more excited. Not only is it coming in April of next year, but Keanu Reeves himself will be playing a “key” role in the game. Everything shown from the game has looked great so far, so hopefully it all pans out and we have another classic from CD Projekt RED come April 2020.
FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin Collaboration Elden Ring Announced
This one was actually leaked prior to the presentation, but Dark Souls developer FromSoftware and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin are collaborating on a new game. The game is called Elden Ring, and it will be a departure from the developer’s most recent games as it will be open world. Very little information on the game is known at this point, as it is still in the early stages of development.
Phantasy Star Online 2 Is Coming West
It took a very long time, but the popular MMORPG is finally coming west. The game is coming to Xbox One in a free-to-play form in Spring 2020, so the wait won’t be that much longer. “There will be no limitations on game experiences,”says Sega, because they want to “provide all players with a fair and exciting experience.”
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