How exactly do you follow up your first film which happened to be nominated for Best Picture? You get Matt Damon and Jodie Foster to star in your second sci-fi epic of course.
Elysium takes place in the year 2154 where the rich and privileged live on board a floating utopia named…you guessed it, Elysium. Matt Damon stars as Max Coburn, an ex-con that lives on the ruined shambles of Earth with the rest of the sick and poor. He has a plan to infiltrate Elysium to find the medical care he needs to save his life. To do this he is outfitted with a robotic device that connects to his spine and connects to his arms giving him super strength.
I will go ahead and say that, personally, I was not the biggest fan of District 9. I thought it was a pretty good movie, but couldn’t heap all the praise on it that was given. I am decidedly more excited about Elysium.
Check out the first trailer for the huge sci-fi film below. Elysium releases on August 9th.
NetherRealm Studios brought Mortal Kombat back into the mainstream in 2011 with a bloody brawler that controlled like the Kombat of old and added in a fun story and unlockables galore. They threw a lot of people off with their followup, which was not in fact Mortal Kombat 2, but a game featuring characters from the DC Universe using the fighting engine from their MK reboot. Now one could be wary of this seeing as how we have already had to suffer through Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but have no fear, this will not be anything like that.
Here are my five reasons to pick up [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link].
1. This is NOT Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
The fighting engine in MK vs. DC was tired and had not seen any real change in a long time. That changed with 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot. Combos felt natural, brutal and moves were easy to pull off. If you lost on higher difficulties it was not for a cheapness factor, it was because you most likely did not strategize your moves well enough against your opponent. After playing the demo for Injustice, it feels these controls are mostly transferred over. Since the DC characters are not having to share the same fighting game as the more brutal MK ones, they do not feel like they have been neutered or made weak to mix well.
2. Downloadable Content
Injustice will come with a Season Pass that will include four new unknown characters to the roster as well as new character skins from the Flashpoint event. If you pre-ordered the game at Gamestop you will receive the Red Son pack that gives you alternate costumes for three characters as well as 20 new missions set within the Red Son alternate reality in which Superman crash landed in Russia and became an agent for that country. Best Buy pre-orders will receive a Blackest Night pack which has undead character skins and a special zombie mode for the game. Now don’t worry where you pre-order your game at because all the DLC packs will be made available at a later date to everyone.
Photo courtesy Xbox.com
3. The Roster
There will be a total of 24 playable characters when you pick up Injustice and that is not including the four extras you will be getting with the Season Pass. The part I love about the roster is that you are getting your well known names that you would expect in a game featuring DC characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luthor and Bane should surprise no one. Where this game gets it right is the inclusion of heroes and villains that will not be very familiar to fans outside of the comics. Hawkgirl, Black Adam, Ares and Raven are just a few of the names that may have people scratching their heads, but you will get to know them quickly and see how good they can be in a fight. All I ask from NetherRealm is that they make Swamp Thing or Animal Man one of the future characters.
4. Super Moves
Since this is not Mortal Kombat, you won’t be getting any bloody fatalities, but I assure you that once you hit your first super move you will not miss the carnage. For example, Aquaman summons a massive tsunami that lifts his opponent up, he stabs him with his trident and feeds him (or her) up to a great white shark. The Joker will assault you with a crowbar Jason Todd-style, shoot you in the face and then blow you up with a rocket launcher. Yeah, badass right? Then there is Superman’s:
5. Batman
Photo courtesy winterdrake.com
That is all. Batman needs no explanation.
I hope these five reasons have convinced you to, at the very least, give Injustice: Gods Among Us a shot. We will have our review for it up in the future so keep your eyes open.
The May issue of Game Informer has broken HUGE news on the next Batman game.
Batman: Arkham Origins will see Batman in his early days take on eight of the world’s best assassins (including Deathstroke) as they make their way to Gotham on Christmas Eve to try and eliminate Batman.
The game is being developed by WB Montreal, not Rocksteady, so I understand if that gets some fans worried about if this will be as good as Arkham Asylum or City. I think we don’t have too much to worry about. WB Montreal handled the port of Batman: Arkham City on the Wii U which was received well and the creative director, Eric Holmes, was the lead designer on one of the most fun and addictive open world games ever, [amazon_link id=”B0007OSLAA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction[/amazon_link].
This will be the first of the Arkham series that takes Batman out into the city of Gotham. And since it will be on Christmas Eve I am hoping that we can get a Max Shrek cameo or at least a picture of Christopher Walken somewhere in the game. I think all games would do good to have one piece of Walken in them.
The game will be coming to PS3, 360, Wii U and PC. A handheld version called Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will also be releasing for the 3DS and Vita.
Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25th. Take a look at the reveal video below thanks to Game Informer.
Naughty Dog has released the second video diary for [amazon_link id=”B007CM0K86″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Last of Us[/amazon_link]. “Wasteland Beautiful” focuses on the creation of the environment in this world where humans are on the verge of extinction. A lot of time is spent on how important the lighting is to convey exactly how hauntingly beautiful this world is that has been reclaimed by Mother Nature.
Naughty Dog is able to draw so much power out of the PS3 it makes me excited for when they finally unveil their first PS4 title. (Uncharted…cough cough.)
Are you ready? I know I’m ready. We are just over a month away from the release of Star Trek Into Darkness. A new poster has just been released featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison/Khan/George Mitchell/Sherlock/that weird guy from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or a skinny British Harcourt Fenton Mudd for all I know.
Theories will be accepted below. Thanks for playing.
We here at Nerd Rating are in love with Bioshock Infinite. We will be doing a dual review for the game like we did for Tomb Raider last month. We are enjoying the game so much that we want one of our lucky readers to be able to get everything out of this amazing work that they possibly can.
“How can you do that!?”, I hear you screaming at your computer screen as people in Starbucks look at you like a mental patient.
It is as simple as answering five questions. Just read the five questions below and message us your answers to either our Facebook page or direct message our Twitter and be entered to win. That’s it!!
Ready? Set? Skyhook!
1. In what year does BioShock Infinite take place?
2. What is the name given to the game’s super-powerlike abilities?
3. Handymen have one weak spot; what is it?
4. Name three characters other than Booker or Elizabeth.
5. What was #4 on our “Five Reasons” to be excited about Bioshock Infinite?
Irrational has released all of the alternate covers for [amazon_link id=”B003O6E6NE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bioshock Infinite[/amazon_link] that were up for fan vote before the game released. All of the covers can be accessed on the Bioshock Infinite website and have copies available for print for the PS3, 360 and PC versions of the game.
Our dual review for Bioshock Infinite from Trey Sterling and I will be up soon.
We here at Nerd Rating love achievements and trophies. We are admitted whores for them, but when you think about it, the practice of gamerscores is only seven years old with the introduction of the Xbox 360. We have 30 years of backlogged video games that need to be updated! So that is what we are venturing to do. Our new feature called Retro Achievement List will look back at games of the past and give them a set of achievements to strive for even if they may not seem serious.
Today we will take a look at one of the most time consuming games to ever make its way into living rooms, Goldeneye. This game, for many, defined multiplayer for a generation. Hell, I could still pop this game in right now and lose hours just for nostalgia sake. Now we will take a trip down memory lane and give this classic the achievements it deserves.
Slappers only!!
Achievement Unlocked:
*Achievement #1
Die by a proximity mine because your “friend” changed the agreed upon rules as you went to go take a piss.
*Achievement #2
In a four player game, when one friend chooses Oddjob, hit them in the nuts and while two friends hold him down you must kill him ten times in a row to make the game fair for everyone.
*Achievement #3
During a “slappers only” match, your friend’s dad says, “that reminds me” and yells out his wife’s name. Leave quiet and unseen.
*Achievement #4
While playing on the Satellite level and your friend keeps singing the Dave Matthews song, threaten to strap him to an ATV if he doesn’t shut up.
*Achievement #5
Break your controller after dying from an unseen enemy behind those big ass leaves on the Jungle level. Finish game with shitty Mad Catz controller you bought for people you don’t like.
*Achievement #6
With your TV turned towards your bathroom, headshot the man on the toilet in Facility while you also sit on your throne. Laugh at the irony.
*Achievement #7
Delight in the rage that fills your friend as they can’t figure out how to work the watch laser to get off the train.
*Achievement #8
Before you begin any large scale Goldeneye tournament (8+ players), ask who everyone’s favorite Bond is. Any that answer Timothy Dalton are immediately disqualified and beaten with a sock full of oranges.
*Achievement #9
In any multiplayer match, kill the player with Parkinson’s five times in a row.
*Achievement #10
As your first enemy drops to his knees you must say this and forget that your very Christian mother is in the same room. Take in the awkward silence knowing Jesus hates you.
We want to hear from all of you also! What achievements would you add to Goldeneye? Leave us a comment below or tweet us your responses on Twitter (@nerdrating) and use the hashtag #RetroAchievementList
Captain America: The Winter Soldier has officially started shooting and Marvel has sent out an image from the sequel. Cap will have to become readjusted to life in this new, modern world after the events of The Avengers. He will be pitted against his old wartime friend Bucky Barnes who has been transformed into a dangerous agent known as The Winter Soldier. With Scarlett Johansson having a bigger role as Black Widow in this story I would think they will play out a Bucky/Natasha love story (or at least plant the seeds of one). And somehow I managed to get Scarlett’s name in a sentence with plant a seed….I have a problem.
Captain America: The Winter Solider releases on April 4, 2014.
It hurts me to watch the Wii U flounder like it has. It is nowhere near as powerful as what will be offered by Microsoft or Sony, but I still have hope that Nintendo can carve their own niche when we finally get some damn games for the system. This E3 will be Nintendo’s biggest test and show if they are really ready to compete.
Shigeru Miyamoto was interviewed by CNN and gave his impressions on how the Wii U’s second screen will eventually become the standard for gaming and a integral part of the living room.
“There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there’s no way people can look at two screens at once. I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like ‘I can’t do everything I want to do if I don’t have a second screen.”
“I feel a device like Wii U, with its ability to continue to offer new features and that network connection and the connection to the TV and the interface, really makes it feel that it’s more than just a game machine, but something that offers a lot of practical use and practical purpose in the living room. I look at it as being a very useful device that can do many different things and therefore really seems to be the device that’s ideal to have in the living room.”
“Our immediate objective over the next few months is to improve the Wii U system and make it a little more stable, a little bit more convenient to use from a system standpoint. Miiverse (a sort of social network that lets players interact) is an example of an ongoing project. We really wanted to be able to leverage Miiverse in something like ‘New Super Mario Bros. U.’ We’re obviously still early on in it and just trying things out, but so far, it does feel like the community itself is doing a very good job of being a warm and welcoming place for people.”
