Like many fighting game developers, Arc System Works loves updating its games instead of putting out sequels. Guilty Gear XX — what you could say was the third major installment of the series — was released in 2002. Since then, it’s been updated with Guilty Gear XX #Reload (2003), Slash (2005), Accent Core (2006), Accent Core Plus (2008), and most recently Accent Core Plus R (2012). Part of this was due to weird rights issues that prevented them from making a new game, which led to the spiritual successor BlazBlue (and its various updates). But after over a decade, Arc System Works is finally putting out a new major sequel: Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-.

As you watch the trailer, you might assume that the game is using high-res 2D vector art on top of 3D backgrounds, as BlazBlue does. But then the camera rotates around a sword clash and it becomes clear that these are actually 3D models rendered with the Unreal Engine. While I usually prefer 2D sprites/vector art instead of 3D models if it’s a fighting game, I can’t believe how good this looks. The 3D models are replicating the 2D style with great coloring and the same sort of frame-by-frame animation you might expect.

The word Xrd seems weird, but I guess it’s their way of saying that this game is Guilty Gear XXX (or X3) without using that potentially misleading name. The -SIGN- subtitle is likely taking a cue from BlazBlue, so that future updates can simply have new subtitles. (The first BlazBlue game was BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, followed by Continuum Shift and some smaller updates, with Chronophantasma being the most recent sequel.)

Confirmed characters so far are Sol Badguy, Ky Kisuke, Milla Rage, and Eddie. While I’m not quite sold on Ky’s ponytail or the new song in the trailer by director Daisuke Ishiwatari, it still looks like it could be a very fun new fighting game. There’s no word on a console port yet, but it will likely come later after the arcade release.

Source: YouTube

I love behind-the-scenes articles and seeing how things were made for the movies we enjoy, so this great interview by Inventing Interactive with Jorge Almeida about the UI design process in Star Trek Into Darkness is right up my alley. Jorge goes into detail about how he and his team worked on the UI and graphics that the Enterprise crew would be interacting with. My favorite bit it when they talk about the space jump sequence, and the heads-up display used there. If you love those kinds of details this is a fun read. Check out some more concepts below and read the interview here.

Forget the new Spider-Man movie coming out, this is how Spider-Man should really look, right? Well, it’s definitely more impressive since it was made by only one guy, and he detailed the entire process as well! So if you’re a very flexible person, you could fit into this outfit too. MoonSpider does a good job of selling the character with his poses too. Check out a few images below and then take a long journey through the process he went through the make it here, in this photoset.

Remember how Ubisoft has been pushing to get an Assassin’s Creed film made? Well, it’s slowly becoming more of a reality. Last year we heard that Michael Fassbender would star and Michael Lesslie would script the affair. Then in last October 20th Century Fox and New Regency put their weight behind it, making it appear much more likely that this would happen. Thus, a date has been assigned: May 22nd, 2015. Now to simply find a director, the rest of the cast, and make the movie! Simple, right? 

Seen via SlashFilm.

When roughly 25 employees were fired at Valve a while back, people started worrying that the developer was in trouble, but instead it seems they were just canceling hardware projects that they no longer wanted to pursue. Jeri Ellsworth and Rock Johnson were two of those let go, and when they left they got Gabe Newell’s blessing to continue their work at Valve on their own: augmented reality glasses called CastAR.

This is different from Google Glass or the Oculus Rift – instead it projects images out of the headset onto a reflective surface, which is then filtered into your glasses so it’s seen in 3D. Essentially, it’s creating the illusion of 3D holograms with glasses. Really impressive stuff, but it require a big setup. Hopefully it will improve in the future. Watch the video below.

Seen via the Verge.

ThreeA has some skilled people working there. I love the character and design put into their figures and models, but their recent penchant for picking up licenses is really neat too. Next up? Atlas and P-Body from Portal 2! These two will be available for an unknown amount sometime this month on the Bambaland store. As soon as the pre-orders go up you’ll probably want to rush in and claim a pair for yourself, because these typically go very fast. Check out some more images below of these excellent 1:6th scale figures.

Seen via Figures.com

SEGA has been making a transition to a much more PC-oriented focus recently, but Sonic is still their big name brand. But what about on consoles? Nintendo has just snatched up a publishing and distribution deal with SEGA for the next 3 Sonic the Hedgehog games. The newly announced Sonic Lost World as well as Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be published by the Big N in Europe and Australia. While SEGA US will still publish the games here, the games themselves will be exclusive to Nintendo systems, aka the Wii U. It seems Nintendo’s new strategy of forming partnerships (like with Platinum Games) is solid, but will it pay off?

Nintendo also mentioned that they’ll be putting E3 demos up to play in Best Buy stores around the US, so you can have a chance to try the E3 games just like everyone at the show! I really like this, but I’d rather it download directly onto your system. I understand their reasoning though, since E3 demos are typically very buggy and can possibly brick systems due to their unstable nature. Logic be damned! I still would love some E3 demos at home.

Seen via NeoGAF.

Brad Bird recently did an interview and talked about a ton of projects he either passed up or still wants to do. Being asked about the always-wanted Incredibles sequel, Bird said that he “would probably wanna do that” and that he has ideas floating around in his head for the next film if the opportunity ever arises. That gives me some hope! He also spoke about Star Wars Episode VII, and mentioned that Kathleen Kennedy offered him the director’s chair for the movie, but he had to pass it up to finish Tomorrowland. Too bad, I think it would’ve been a good fit, but with a new Star Wars film every year starting in 2015, he has a much higher chance of doing one sooner or later!

Seen via The Hollywood Reporter.

I bet you thought they couldn’t fit more robots in, right? Well, they can, as well as some more Kaiju to beat up as well. Some of the set pieces in this film look really neat, and I’m loving the designs for the various Kaiju. I guess about all else this shows me that a giant robot movie can be done well (go away, Michael Bay), and I kind of want to see a live-action Neon Genesis Evangelion or Big O movie now. Perhaps one day! Until then, this is a wonderful replacement. Check out the trailer below.

So who would win in a fight: Superman or Batman? How about a different Superman or Batman? How about all the Supermen and Batmen? Get ready to pair off characters, because reportedly every DC character is going to be in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, a new game for 3DS, Wii U, and PC this fall. The new game is making an attempt to get all the various versions of characters in, with reports that there will be 33 different Batmen and 133 Green Lanterns.

I’m a bit skeptical of that claim, since there’s always some character variation that could slip through the cracks. But still, good on them for trying! Now let’s hope the controls and hitboxes are cleaned up more, as every Scribblenauts game has felt pretty loose in terms of controls and completing puzzles.

Source: YouTube

Vin Diesel is back in a new Riddick film, and it seems like it’s practically Pitch Black with a bigger budget. Simply entitled Riddick, the film trailer depicts Riddick tearing up monsters, making cool poses, and just basically acting like you’d expect. This looks like a very effects-heavy film, but you know what? We need those now and then, and this looks to fill that need nicely. I have to wonder though if there will be a marginally-related video game released in conjunction with the film that turns out to be higher quality and more fondly remembered. I think many will agree that The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was better than the second movie.

Source: YouTube

The latest battle for viewership is being fought on subscription services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Original shows like House of Cards are proving to be draws, and Netflix’s exclusive season four of Arrested Development could be a major win for the service. In light of this and the renewed popularity of Star Trek thanks to J.J. Abrams’ rebooted films, has led some fans to try and resurrect Star Trek TV series on Netflix. The only thing is that the prime candidate is Star Trek: Enterprise, of all things.

Apparently this stems from Enterprise Executive Producer Brannon Braga musing that it would be possible to bring back Enterprise for a fifth season or even a movie on Netflix, with enough support from fans. Calling to mind the campaign to save the original series (and Enterprise, for that matter), fans have started a campaign to bring back Enterprise on Netflix. It’s not unprecedented, as every Star Trek TV series is already on Netflix, and Netflix has shown it is willing to resurrect series with Arrested Development. While more Star Trek TV would be nice, I feel like a brand-new TV show would be a better bet than a series that is often considered mediocre, even if it improved in later seasons. A new TV show could still be on Netflix, but could take advantage of the new audience brought in by Abrams’ films.

You can follow their Facebook page here, and I do wish them the best. I just think they have an uphill battle, and that includes that iffy final episode of Enterprise.

Source: IGN

I know that a big company can make almost anything happen, but I’m still kind of giddy to see what Marvel is accomplishing with their Marvel Cinematic Universe. I was still uncertain that Joss Whedon’s proposed TV series based on S.H.I.E.L.D. would be produced, but those fears were laid to rest last Friday, when ABC confirmed that it had picked up Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the fall. Now the first trailer is out, and things are looking great.

Joss Whedon directed and co-wrote the pilot, which sees the return of Clark Gregg as agent Phil Coulson. There’s no explanation yet why he’s present after the events of The Avengers, but it’s teased in the trailer, so hopefully there’s a comic-book-y explanation for his presence. The trailer also sees the return of J. August Richards, who has previously worked with Whedon on Angel in the role of Charles Gunn. I’m speculating Richards may be playing Luke Cage, but there’s no confirmation yet. Or the cast could be mainly original characters, like Coulson was.

Source: Facebook

Tales of Symphonia, originally released on the GameCube (and later the PS2 in Japan), was one of the high points in Namco Bandai’s long-running Tales JRPG series. It now seems that it may be getting an HD rerelease on PS3, according to series producer Hideo Baba. He teased the rerelease, calling it “a representation of the dreams and hopes of the fans, who have long been wanting it.” Namco Bandai has yet to officially confirm anything, but it also seems that the Wii-exclusive sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, will also be included. Considering how that title shares many assets with the first game, I wouldn’t be surprised, since it would cut down on work. It will be interesting to see how the updated games look once there’s a formal announcement!

Source: Destructoid

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has been delighting the internet with his videos from space since he took over command of the International Space Station last December. Now, his time has come to an end and he is handing over control to Expedition 36, but not before recording and uploading one last video: a rather well-done cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

Watch as Hadfield sings lines like “high above the world” while literally being high above the world, with Earth in the background. I hope Hadfield sticks around in the public eye, because having a social media-friendly astronaut who wants to show everyone how cool being in space can be is the best argument for continuing and expanding our space programs.

Source: YouTube

A while ago I posted a short video of Cube World, a game being made by indie game designer Wollay. Combining the cute blocky graphics of Minecraft along with the exploration and levelling of an RPG, it looks to be doing a good deal more than the typical Minecraft imitator. Instead he looks to be doing his own thing, and this new video shows off the classes, world, skill trees, and crafting. I love the bright and vivid colors in the world too – it makes it really stand out. Hopefully a public beta test will begin soon, because I’m really interested in getting my hands on it.

Well there you go. We were all wondering a bit how Paul Giamatti would fit into The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as the Rhino, and how much they would play up the “rhino” aspect of his character. At the very least I was pretty sure he wouldn’t have a horn coming out of his forehead. He does have a tattoo there, though! This time the Rhino will just be a simple Russian merc, Aleksei Sytsevich. Maybe he’ll still have super-strength? Or perhaps he will get some sort of crazy suit later in the movie. On the other end of things, if you haven’t seen Jaime Foxx as Electro yet, you might wanna take a peek below to see what you’re missing. I think he may have blue himself.

Seen via SlashFilm.

What happens when your drawings fight back? You amp up the stakes! Jonny Lawrence has created a great little video in which “Marker,” his drawing, battles against the “Maker,” a human hand. Obviously it takes a lot of inspiration from Street Fighter, but people have also been enjoying the Master Hand comparisons, from Super Smash Bros. It’s a pretty impressive animation, so check it out below and be sure to look at his other work on his YouTube page.

Are you surprised? The Disney-owned channel ABC will be picking up Joss Whedon’s TV side-story featuring Agent Coulson and his team, called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Later this evening the first look at the show will air at 8pm, before the season finale of Once Upon a Time. I’m not sure if it will be substantial peek or just a 5-second promo, but hopefully we’ll get a good look at the pilot footage. What I wonder most about is whether Agent Coulson’s big-screen popularity in Avengers will translate to the small-screen as well. Watch the preview tonight if you want to find out!

Seen via THR.

The minute I looked at this Pb & J Sandwich suitcase I was blown away! This is the handy work of artist Andy Yoder:

“An unsuspecting exterior opens up to a telling interior in this three-foot sculpture of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that stimulates our intellect rather than our appetite. The giant hinged slices of wonder bread swing open and reveal thirty-one compartments, each containing an artistic representation of the thirty-one ingredients that make up this simple sandwich. The ingredients, some natural and some artificial, look far from edible, advising viewers that the food we eat involves a lot more than what meets the eye.”

Found via gizmodo.jp.

Children of Men is one of my favorite films ever – definitely in my top 10. So hopefully you can understand why I am so excited to see the director of that film, Alfonso Cuarón, return to the big screen finally. His new film is titled Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as two astronauts working on the International Space Station when tragedy strikes. Aside from the setup, many details about the movie are vague, but I’m expecting an intensity not exactly common in theaters right now. There’s also a possible 17-minute long shot, which also has me very intrigued. Check out the trailer below!

We heard a few days ago that Jurassic Park 4 had been put on hold, but Universal’s reasoning was unclear. However, now we have a rumor coming out saying the Steven Spielberg himself asked the film to be halted after he stated that the script was “crap.” I feel bad for the scriptwriters, but then again – this is the guy who supported the mutant dinosaurs with guns in the original script. Not trying to rag on Steven here, but while I love his movies, sometimes his decisions are a bit bizarre. We’ll wait and see if the script gets re-written into an acceptable state, or if JP4 remains on ice for now.

Seen via NeoGAF.

Remember how I was getting excited for Hiroyuki Imaishi’s new studio and their work? Well their first full-length series has been announced: Kill la Kill. This show will reunite a portion of staff who worked on Gurren Lagann,  including Kazuki Nakashima (scriptwriter for the popular giant robot show), along with Imaishi. Sushio will be doing the character designs. The story will revolve around a post-apocalyptic all-girls school in which each girl has a uniform that match their skills and powers. The main character, Ryuuko, will battle against the equally powerful Satsuki, the Student Council President, who desires control of the school. Seems like a suitably ridiculous premise for a series. Check out some more concept and promotional art below.

Seen via NeoGAF.

Have you ever wanted to see Zachary Quinto or Leonard Nimoy duke it out in brutal, hand-to-hand combat? A bloody battle to the death? Well, sadly, you’ll have to wait for that – perhaps some other time. For now, you’re getting a slow-paced race between the two Spocks as they drive their cars to the golf course. Rich people problems! Yes, it’s an Audi ad. So just temper your consumerist tendencies and just enjoy the jokes they pile on. Especially the Bilbo Baggins joke. Which, if you need a refresher on that, just click here. You won’t regret it.

I’ve always been a fan of Uglydolls but the photo above melted my heart! It won’t be out until later this year but it’s part of an Uglydolls line that’s based on DC Comics: