Batman: Arkham Knight Announced with Trailer

Rocksteady has wasted no time in their development of another Arkham title with Batman hitting the streets of Gotham once again to round up the criminals. The trailer lasts an awesome four minutes and  depicts Gotham, overrun with criminals and villains like Two Face and Penguin. The city seems to be in the process of being evacuated as citizens flee in terror. Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce narrates the trailer as Batman jumps into sweet looking new Batmobile and kicks some butt.

The trailer looks great and the game is looking a little different from the previous Arkham titles. Bruce, while still muscular looks a little slimmer. He's not quite as buff and his arms don't look to short for his body. His body looks more realistic and more proportional than it had before. That kind of bothered me in the other games and I thought he always looked a little strange. His suit also looks, Blacker? There's definitely something cooler looking about the suit but I can't quite pinpoint it.

Despite how awesome it looks though, this announcement is also very surprising, especially after Arkham Origins was just released in October. Arkham Knight is already available for pre-order and is currently slated for a October 14th release. That's a pretty fast turn around for a game. I'm wary for what this means for the Arkham series. Arkham Origins was met with generally postive reviews, but many noted the game was more of the same and did little to mix things up.

So what does that mean for Arkham Knight? Is it too soon for another Arkham game, or does it just need to be done right? Will Rocksteady take the advice of the fans and change things up a bit, or should we expect more of the same? And on that note, what do you want from this new entry? What would really get you excited for this game? Speaking of exciting things, I almost forgot to mention, Rocksteady also revealed that sweet new Batmobile is integral to the game and Gotham is being built to accommodate some driving! Yeah, just think about that for a little bit.

NECA Announces Ellen Ripley Figures

NECA, the toy company responsible for making awesome action figures like the Predator line and figures from the Alien series made a big announcement yesterday. NECA has finally gained the rights to the likeness of Sigourney Weaver and they have confirmed that Lt. Ellen Ripley action figures, plural, are on the way. NECA is planning a figure of Ripley in a Nostromo spacesuit and at least one other figure from Aliens, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see more.

This is such big news because Ripley is easily the most important and recognizable character from the Alien series. Weaver however wasn't interested in being made into an action figure and collectors were forced to be content with characters like Hicks, Hudson, and Dallas among a few others (might I note, these figures all look incredible still). NECA was recently able to get approval from Weaver though; perhaps she saw what a great job the guys over at NECA were doing and realized just how bad fans wanted the figure. NECA's Twitter feed was full of fans expressing their thanks and excitement over the news that they will finally be able to fill that gap in their collection.

As a fan of the Alien series, I am also very pleased to see that NECA will be making a Ripley action figure. I don't think there is any company that could do it better, nor any that I would prefer oversee the making of this figure. I'll be looking forward to the prototype reveal in summer during Comic-Con and purchasing them later this year hopefully. What other iterations of the Ripley figure would you want to see? 

Quantic Dream Announces Beyond: Two Souls

David Cage, head developer of Quantic Dream, took the stage during Sony's press conference to announce the team's newest project, Beyond: Two Souls. In case you didn't know, Quantic Dream is the developer of Heavy Rain; the interactive thriller that follows an adventure from the perspectives of four different characters who's choices and actions alter the ending of the game. Heavy Rain delivered brilliant visuals and unique but intense gameplay. Beyond: Two Souls seems to be using a similar formula but the story is something completely different this time around.

Beyond follows Jodie Marsh, voiced and acted by Ellen Page (Inception). It is unknown if Jodie will be the only playable character in Beyond but the game spans 15 years of her life. The trailer shown during the press conference revealed that Jodie is on the run from the law. we don't know why but it may have to do with the strange supernatural powers she's been endowed with. No, she isn't super strong and she can't fly but she definitely has abilities beyond that of normal humans.

She seems to have the ability to manipulate objects and people with her mind; at one point a coffee mug is sent crashing into a wall and after a S.W.A.T. team encounters her, their vehicles are destroyed and a nearby clock tower topples over. She is also able to form a force field around her body which seems to act as a protective barrier. Now, it is unclear if these are actually powers or if these strange occurrences have a paranormal origin. Jodie is accompanied by a disembodied spirit named Eiden or Aiden aids Jodie as a companion throughout her life. By the looks of the super natural powers and the police chases, Beyond may be a little more action heavy. You can see the trailer for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Check out the trailer below and keep an eye out for more news on Beyond: Two Souls.