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January 2, 2018
Disney Rings in New Year with WRECK-IT RALPH 2, INCREDIBLES 2, and WRINKLE IN TIME Teases
New Disney and Pixar films arrive every year, but we’re particularly excited about 2018. The coming months will see the release of A Wrinkle in Time (March 9), Incredibles 2 (June 15), and Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (November 21). Yeah, two of the three films are sequels, but I’m sure I’m not alone in my excitement to get back to both of those universes. Disney and Pixar know they have a stellar schedule, and via Slashfilm, they kicked off the new year with new posters, fresh footage, and the vaguest of teases.
Let’s start with Wrinkle, which has a new TV spot that really emphasizes how they’re going to squeeze mileage from the “Be a warrior” quote.
Disney also released motion posters for the sci-fi film featuring Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who.
.@RWitherspoon is Mrs. Whatsit
Welcome to 2018, warriors. pic.twitter.com/UDth9uKceT
— A Wrinkle In Time (@WrinkleInTime) January 1, 2018
.@Oprah Winfrey is Mrs. Which
— A Wrinkle In Time (@WrinkleInTime) January 1, 2018
.@MindyKaling is Mrs. Who
— A Wrinkle In Time (@WrinkleInTime) January 1, 2018
As for Wreck-It Ralph 2, they’re not showing any footage from the movie yet, so temper your expectations. The sequel is set six years after the first movie and will follow Ralph as he travels to the internet to look for a part to save the Sugar Rush game. We saw a few minutes at D23 Expo, and the scenes were meta and very silly. This tease has good ol’ Ralph doing what he does best: wrecking 2017, which I would have been fine with him doing months ago.
This year he’s going to break it
Sneak a Look at the STAR WARS Flight Shooter Game That Never Was
In the Hoth-like coldness of Star Wars “Wilderness Years,” following Return of the Jedi in 1983 but before The Phantom Menace in 1999, advancements in the story of the galaxy far, far away had to be done in the form of books, comics, and video games. The last gave us some of the best flight simulator and combat flight simulator titles of the era, like TIE Fighter, X-Wing, and most of Rebel Assault. It’s been a long, long time since we’ve gotten a really great shooter in the Star Wars universe, and we very nearly had one, as footage from a 2016 pitch has surfaced (via Kotaku).
Double Damage, the studio that gave us Rebel Galaxy, was responsible for the pitch to EA, and their basic goal was to take the X-Wing model and update it for modern gaming sensibilities, like pilot aids and control modifications to suit control pads, as well as the much-needed ability to save your progress and not be forced to redo an hour-long mission if you blow up at the finish line.
“It was a long-shot,” Double Damage cofounder Travis Baldree told Kotaku, “and we had near-nil hopes that it would be seriously considered, but we probably did it to please ourselves rather than out of any hope that it would get greenlit.” It took the team 2-3 weeks to put the video pitch together, using assets from various sources (you’ll certainly recognize some Rebel Galaxy in there). Baldree said EA was gracious in listening to the pitch, but that “it never came to anything, and we moved on.”
With all of the backlash heaped at EA surrounding the release of Battlefront II, the company might secretly be regretting not giving the go-ahead to a simple, crowd-pleasing space shooter, hearkening back to the classic early-’90s titles. From the pitch, it looks like it could have been a pretty fun game, but alas, it’s become lost to the coulda-been games that have passed into Star Wars legend.
Images: Travis Baldree
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
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New Hack Turns SUPER MARIO 64 into a First-Person Adventure
Last year, Super Mario Odyssey reinvigorated Nintendo’s most iconic hero with yet another all-time great adventure. But two decades ago, it was Super Mario 64 that paved the way for the franchise to enter the realm of 3D gaming. While Mario has yet to conquer virtual reality, a recently revealed hack may be the next best thing. This version of Super Mario 64 puts players in Mario’s shoes for a first-person view of his magical adventures.
Via Kotaku, this Super Mario 64 hack was created by Kaze Emanuar and he demonstrated its potential in a video on his YouTube channel. Within these clips, Mario ventures into the castle and all the way through the “Bowser in the Dark World” stage, including the first confrontation with Bowser. As explained by Emanuar, this hack keeps the dynamic in-game camera in a fixed position near Mario’s head. The result is a somewhat disorienting view of Mario’s many platform jumps. However, due to the limitations of the original game, objects and characters become invisible if Mario gets too close to them.
As shown above, many of Mario’s signature tricks and short cuts still work in this hack. Not every classic game lends itself to first-person, but this is an impressive proof-of-concept. Aside from the occasional visual glitch, this could almost work as an official VR release, if Nintendo ever decides to go in that direction.
What do you think about the first-person Super Mario 64 hack? Take a warp zone to the comment section below and let us know what you’re thinking!
Featured Image: Nintendo
January 1, 2018
Marvel is Setting Up a Create-Your-Own-Comics Platform
Have you ever wanted to make your own superhero comics? While it’s not an impossible dream, the comic book industry does tend to favor people who can either draw and/or write on a professional level, or a team that can handle the challenges of production. However, Marvel will soon be offering everyone a chance to be a comic book creator. The company is teaming up with Tap Tap to release Marvel: Create Your Own, a new digital platform that will allow fans to use some of Marvel’s most popular characters in original stories and situations. And as you can see in the video below, this may offer fans some intriguing possibilities.
There are also some significant drawbacks to to Marvel: Create Your Own. For starters, any stories made with the platform will belong to Marvel and Tap Tap. There are also many story restrictions that will specifically ban “content that could frighten or upset young children or the parents of young children.” That includes divisive political stories, as well as depictions of graphic violence and death.
However, this could represent a unique opportunity for fans who are able to work within those guidelines. It may be very difficult, but anyone who can take this platform and deliver entertaining content will potentially have a chance to show off their creativity for a wide audience. It will be very interesting to see if any writers using this platform will eventually make the leap to creating comics of their own. For now, Marvel and Tap Tap haven’t set a launch date for Marvel: Create Your Own, but the official site is up and running here.
What do you think about the possibilities of Marvel: Create Your Own? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Comics/Tap Tap
The Jackie and Laurie Show: #105: There Is Somebody Worse Than Jackie Kashian
This week on The Jackie and Laurie Show, how many people have to die on camera? Also, some people have a lifetime of premises ahead of them and Laurie doesn’t brush her hair on hiatus.
Comic of the Week: Natasha Muse @NatashaMuse
Pre-Order Laurie’s new book Dead People Suck!
Follow @jackiekashian and @anylaurie16 on Twitter!
Follow the show! @JackieandLaurie
Nerdist News’ Top 12 List for 2018!
Happy New Year, everyone! 2018 is here, and we have 365 days until 2019 arrives. Fortunately, we also have a lot of things to look forward to before the end of this year: movies, television shows, video games and more. To kick off the new year, Nerdist News is presenting our top 12 list for 2018!
Join host Jessica Chobot as she runs down the very best reasons to power through the year ahead. We’re going to start in the world of video games with of our two most anticipated titles. Unlike its predecessors, Far Cry 5 is letting players create their own characters as they go up against a doomsday cult in an open world shooter. Considering that we’re still playing and living in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V, we’re dying to see what awaits us in the open world western of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Speaking of westerns, HBO is going to make this Game of Thrones skip year a little easier by unleashing the second season of Westworld. And with the robot uprising fully underway, maybe we’ll see more of Samuraiworld as well. The other big TV event of 2018 is the return of Doctor Who, with Jodie Whittaker‘s Thirteenth Doctor. The cliffhanger at the end of this year’s Christmas special may have set up an interesting dynamic for the first female Doctor, and we’re eager to see that play out.
Finally, we have to talk about the movies. Fan favorite novels Ready Player One, Annihilation, and A Wrinkle in Time are already set to make 2018 a year to remember for sci-fi fans. Add in the highly anticipated Solo: A Star Wars Story and Pacific Rim: Uprising, and it becomes an embarrassment of riches. We don’t even have to wait six months until the next Star Wars movie arrives.
We can’t forget about the comic book movies either. Marvel’s got the one-two punch of Black Panther in February, followed by the massive team up movie, Avengers: Infinity War in May. Disney’s deal with Fox may mean that we’ll eventually get a good Fantastic Four movie, but in the interim, Pixar’s Incredibles 2 is going to give us the next best thing with the further adventures of the Parr family.
What are your top 12 picks for 2018? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Pixar, HBO, Marvel Studios
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Half Hour Happy Hour #175: Drunksmas Day 12
The last day of Drunksmas, what should we do, how about dueling fan favorites Jerry Trainor and Ross Marquand?! This one is a bit longer, a way more off the rails.
Follow @HalfHourHappyHr and hosts @alisonhaislip, @alexalbrecht on Twitter
December 31, 2017
Princess Leia Learns How to Ride a Tauntaun in This FORCES OF DESTINY Preview (Exclusive)
Did you know you needed to see Leia Organa learning to ride a tauntaun with Hera Syndulla and Han Solo at her side? That’s the kind of magic that happens when Forces of Destiny makes the leap from the screen to the sequential page in IDW Publishing‘s Star Wars Adventures. Princess Leia on Hoth is at the heart of the first Forces of Destiny comic. Written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet with art by Charretier, the story follows Leia as she wrangles with a stubborn tauntaun–and we have an exclusive preview.
Like the Forces of Destiny animated shorts, the comics will focus on the heroic moments that happen in between Star Wars films and TV series scenes. They put emphasis on both the big and small choices and how they shape the galaxy. This weekly series kicks off with Leia, and will also feature Rey, Padmé Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, and Rose and Paige Tico. Each issue will have with a variant cover by Charretier and animation cell variants.
Scroll below to read the first seven pages of the issue. And if you’re longing to see what happens next, don’t stress because Star Wars Adventures: Forces of Destiny—Princess Leia will be on shelves at your local comic book shop on January 3.
Does it make you happy to see Leia and Hera riding tauntauns? Are you looking forward to picking this issue up? Sound off in the comments.
Images: IDW Publishing
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.
Read more about Forces of Destiny!
Star Wars Rebels‘ Hera Syndulla is alive as of the Battle of Endor.
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A look at the Forces of Destiny adventure figures.
Japan’s Plastic Food Displays Look Good Enough to Eat
The world is absolutely obsessed with making food look good. Take a look at your Instagram and Facebook feeds and you’re likely to run into pictures of friend’s brunches, second breakfasts, and lunches. We hit the thumbs up and heart on those pictures because we’re all obsessed with food and love showing it off. And it just so happens that Japan has made a functional art form out of it for decades.
Making realistic looking plastic meals is big business in Japan and has been part of food culture there since the mid-20th century. Restaurants figured out showing off what they served was a good way to entice customers to eat at their establishments and while a picture may say a thousand words, a replica meal says way more.
These videos are but a sampling of the many out there showcasing the intricate art of creating this faux food. Companies use assorted plastics and massively talented artistic employees to create dishes to put on display all over Japan.
What may come as a surprise is just how pricey some of these dishes can get. Some of the more complex meals land in
the neighborhood the thousands of dollars. It’s not so shocking when you think about how much work goes into making plastic noodles look real and if you think of them as investments. If people are able to see exactly what you’re offering, then it’ll mean more customers in your restaurant.
How often do you think co-workers prank each other by swapping out lunch items in the break room fridge? What do you think of this faux food facsimiles? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Great Big Story
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Seth MacFarlane Made His Own STAR TREK Fan Film as a Teenager
As the star and creator of The Orville on Fox, Seth MacFarlane has already shared his take on Star Trek‘s outer space adventures. MacFarlane’s show may veer more towards comedy, but he’s clearly a big Trekker. And MacFarlane’s fandom goes back further than you might think. Recently, footage of MacFarlane’s Star Trek fan film resurfaced online, and it may be the only time we’ll see MacFarlane step into the role of Captain James T. Kirk on the original Enterprise.
Via Bleeding Cool, an excerpt from MacFarlane’s Star Trek short was posted by TrekGenius News, which estimates that MacFarlane was 14 or 15 when this video was made. Since MacFarlane is 44 years old, that would mean that the short was created around 1987 or 1988. This doesn’t appear to be the complete short, as it leaves the Enterprise stuck outside the realms of time and space, with Spock and Uhura portrayed by MacFarlane’s friends.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising to see a young MacFarlane embrace the role of Kirk in this geeky endeavor. MacFarlane has spoofed Star Trek numerous times in Family Guy and his other animated series. MacFarlane even parodied William Shatner’s Kirk in his pilot episode of Life of Larry, which is the project that eventually led to Family Guy.
What did you think about MacFarlane’s Star Trek fan film? Beam down to the comment section and share your thoughts!
Image: TrekGenius News
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