Author: Trafficblast

John Wick’s Writer Has Pitches For TV Shows Based On Two Unusual Games

Derek Kolstad, best known as the writer of the John Wick film series and the creator of the character and world he occupies, is preparing to pitch TV adaptations of two video games. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Kolstad has revealed that he’s working on pitches for shows based on My Friend Pedro and Bendy and the Ink Machine.

Kolstad says that he named these two projects because, “literally, I have these Post-It notes on my computer of, ‘This is what I’m working on today.'” He’s also attached to numerous other film projects, including two remakes with David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, the co-directors of the original John Wick–A Company Man with Leitch, and A Map From Nowhere with Stahelski.

My Friend Pedro is a 2019 side-scrolling action game celebrated for its stunt-heavy gameplay; it received a 7/10 in GameSpot’s review. Bendy and the Ink Machine is a 2017 first-person horror puzzle game that sports a vintage cartoon aesthetic. Both are smaller titles with a lot of style, and both are pretty strange–which makes them interesting choices for adaptation.

If these projects go ahead, they will not be Kolstad’s first video game adaptation projects. The writer has been attached to a Hitman adaptation for Hulu since 2017; while we have not heard anything about it in some time, the adaptation has not been cancelled. In May 2019, he was also announced as the screenwriter for a Just Cause film.

John Wick will also return to cinemas for a fourth chapter, although the film’s writer and director have not been announced. The film will release on May 27, 2022.

Starting June 1, GameSpot will be hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of our friends from around the gaming world.

Now Playing: My Friend Pedro – S-Rank Bananas Difficulty Gameplay

Call Of Duty: Warzone — See The New World Record For Most Battle Royale Kills

Not long after one Call of Duty: Warzone squad set a new world record with 121 kills in a single game of Quads, that record has fallen.

Popular streamer Vikkstar set the record with three teammates from the FaZe Atlanta professional Call of Duty team: Cellium, aBeZy-, and priestahh. At the start of the video, Vikkstar acknowledges that the world record is actually higher, but he claims the other squad did so by creating new accounts that allowed them to matchmake with lower-skill enemies.

Vikkstar also confirmed that, for this new record, there were 136 players in the Warzone lobby–out of a possible 150. His team was able to get 138 kills because nearly half of players who are killed once are able to respawn through the Gulag system, while teammates can also buy players back. In total, there were 285 kills during the match, so his team got nearly half.

You can check out the full world record match in the video above. As you’ll see, the team spread out more than you might expect, and that’s because they were intentionally trying to set the record for most kills. You will also notice that they are extremely skilled, so you might be able to borrow some tips and strategies.

In other news, Modern Warfare and Warzone recently added a new DLC based on a real-life Medal of Honor recipient.

Starting June 1, GameSpot will be hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of our friends from around the gaming world.

Now Playing: Call Of Duty: Warzone Video Review

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Overwatch Fan Uses Workshop to Give Widow Terrifying Robot Spider Legs

Overwatch’s new Workshop mode is giving fans plenty of wiggle room to mod the game. Typically, that just means altering game or physics rules, like making the ground cause damage – a “the floor is lava” mode, if you will. One fan by the username of Therister has taken things a little far, though, giving the French assassin Widowmaker actual functioning robot spider legs that can vault her into the air and stick to walls.

Check out this monstrous creation in the video below.

 

Therister’s creation basically replaces Widow’s normal bipedal legs with four elongated limbs, each with a sort of purple foot that can stick onto surfaces. Normally, Widow can only shoot a grappling hook to sort of leap into the air, which helps her reach high areas, but she’s still effectively rooted onto flat horizontal surfaces like most other characters.

widowmaker 3
Source: Therister.

Not so with these new robot spider legs. The video shows off Widow reaching previously unreachable locations on the map’s architecture, climbing onto the roofs of the buildings outside the attacking team’s spawn point and others, which even flight-based characters like Pharah or Echo would have difficulty reaching. Not only that, Widowmaker can use the spider legs to make some pretty distant leaps from wall to wall and stick to the surface, allowing her a sniping position that any Overwatch League pro would probably envy. It doesn’t seem to stop her from entering the King’s Row subway station either. Nowhere is safe.

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If you want to give Therister’s creation a try, the Overwatch Workshop code is 5D4FX.

 Don’t forget to check out our updated review of Overwatch to see what we think of the game after four years of moving the payload.

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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Mercy main for IGN. Kill it with fire with him on Twitter.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Star Says The Gang Will Tackle the Pandemic

It’s Always Sunny’s Rob McElhenney, who recently unleashed a new “quarantine” episode of his Apple TV series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, has assured fans that – yes – once Sunny returns, we’re going to see an episode that takes on the COVID-19 crisis.

In a recent chat with NME, McElhenney recalled Season 9 of Always Sunny, which had ‘The Gang Gets Quarantined.”

“Well, we actually do have an episode…where we quarantine ourselves in the bar,” he said. “I think there’s a big flu going around Philadelphia or something like that.

“When we come back, don’t worry, we will address all this in the way only Sunny can!”

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Though there’s no official word yet from FX regarding new seasons, McElhenney insists that “Sunny very much still exists.”

“We’re still in active negotiations for season 15 and 16 and we’re hoping that as soon as we get out of Mythic Quest season, we jump right into something new with Sunny.’

With Sunny now prominently in its second decade, how much more gas is in the tank? “How many years do I have on this planet? I’ll do it forever,” McElhenney said. “If people keep watching it and we keep having fun, why would we ever stop? It’s my dream job.”

In other TV news, check out everything we know about Netflix’s Umbrella Academy ahead of Season 2, Steve Carell talking about his new Netfix comedy Space Force, and more on Ruby Rose’s exit from The CW’s Batwoman.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Killing Wolverine Was an Easy Choice for Logan Director James Mangold

After almost two decades of playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, Hugh Jackman’s tenure as the iconic Marvel mutant came to an end in 2017’s Logan, which saw our hero perish from wounds sustained while protecting young Laura (aka “X-23”) and other mutant children from the Reavers. It’s a decision that director James Mangold, who also helmed 2013’s The Wolverine, says was logical.

Comicbook.com spoke to Mangold, ahead of its upcoming Logan Watch Party, and he explained “The process is a lot less of a committee than you’d think. It was really Hugh [Jackman] and I at first. It seemed logical, that if it were going to be his last film, that he’s either going to ride off onto the horizon or die, that you need to have some kind of curtain on his story.”

“You either have the Shane ending where he rides off on the mountain to parts unknown,” he added, “which had largely been the way his character was resolved in every preceding movie, or you’d kill him.”

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“The reason the choice was at our feet was because you needed the sense of closure,” Mangold continued. “You needed some sense of an ending if you were going to end, if you were dealing with the legacy of Hugh’s many performances and many films, and trying to set this part in some definitive way.”

Mangold’s The Wolverine wound up on our short list of Best Superhero Director’s Cuts that you can now stream, along with Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, The Rogue Cut of X-Men: Days of Future Past and more.

A few weeks back, we dug up Hugh Jackman’s first filmed audition and screen test for 2000’s X-Men for a loving look back at the actor’s Weapon X legacy.

In other comic book movie news, Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League is headed to HBO Max in 2021 after Warner Bros. spends around $20-30 million to complete hotly-anticipated project.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Star Citizen Is Free To Play Through End Of May

The space exploration and combat simulator Star Citizen has a free-to-play trial period that is now live on PC, developer Cloud Imperium Games announced. You have 11 days to check the game out.

From now until Monday, June 1, you can download and play the full Star Citizen experience at no charge. With the game having a free trial period, Cloud Imperium Games is giving players the chance to test-fly a lot of Star Citizen’s ships for free as well. Every few days, the in-game ship manufacturers will rotate their selections, giving you something new to fly each time you log back in.

In addition to the free ships you can fly, you can also head over to the game’s Hologram Hall to check out a variety of vessels currently in production. It’s unclear if any of these in-development ships will be ready to fly while Star Citizen’s free trial period is going on.

You can download Star Citizen from its official website. We’ve also compiled the game’s system requirements below so you can check to see if your machine can run it.

Full Star Citizen PC System Requirements

Minimum:

  • Memory:16 GB
  • Graphics Card:AMD Radeon R5 M330
  • CPU:Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
  • Star Citizen File Size:40 GB
  • OS:64 bit version Window (Windows 7 service pack 1 (64 bit) or higher)

Recommended:

  • Memory:16 GB
  • Graphics Card:AMD Radeon HD 7990
  • Star Citizen CPU:AMD Ryzen 5 1600
  • File Size:40 GB
  • OS:Windows 7 (64-bit), Windows 8 or 8.1 (64-bit) or Windows 10 (64-bit)

Star Citizen has been in an alpha state for a few years now, with Cloud Imperium Games raising more than $300 million for the ambitious space sim. Recently, the studio pulled in some $17.25 million from investors in its latest round of funding. While the game isn’t feature-complete just yet, Cloud Imperium has been periodically releasing bits and pieces of content over the years to get Star Citizen closer to its intended vision.

In unrelated news, GameSpot will be hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming–starting on June 1. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of our friends from around the gaming world.

Now Playing: Tony Hawk Remastered and Leeroy Jenkins’s Birthday | Good News Gaming

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The Best Memorial Day 2020 Sales and Deals Are Live Now

Memorial Day might be on Monday, May 25 but many retailers have already kickstarted their Memorial Day Sale. This is one of the best times of year to score on gaming computers, laptops, and TVs. It’s not as big of an event for gaming, but that doesn’t stop some video game retailers from dishing out the best PS4, Xbox, and PC deals we’ve seen so far for 2020. Click on the table of contents below to skip to a particular vendor or just scroll down and browse away. There will be more deals added as we get closer to Memorial Day.

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Dell Memorial Day Sale

Click here for all Dell Memorial Day Sale deals

The Dell Memorial Day Sale arguably has better deals than the Dell Black Friday Sale. There’s a 10% coupon code that works on most Alienware gaming PCs, and it stacks with the sizeable Memorial Day instant discounts that have already gone live on the site.

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HP Memorial Day Sale

HP is the other big name in the PC industry. Their top of the line OMEN gaming PCs are no slouches; they feature premium construction, an excellent design (especially if you like red and black), and premium components. There are currently 5% and 10% off coupon codes that work most of the OMEN PCs, which sweetens the deal.

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More Laptop Memorial Day Deals

Want more brand options? There are some more great deals on Razer Blade, Origin PC EVO, and Lenovo Legion laptops as well.

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PS4 Memorial Day Sale

Make sure you snag the PS Plus deal at 42% off.

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Xbox One Memorial Day Sale

The Cyberpunk controller is only discounted at Adorama. Like all Xbox One controllers, this one is going to be compatible with the upcoming Xbox Series X.

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Nintendo Switch Memorial Day Sale

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Apple Memorial Day Sale

The Apple AirPods Pro is at the lowest price it’s ever been (lower than Black Friday). The newest Apple Watch, Apple iPad, and MacBook Pro 16″ are all on sale as well.

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TV Memorial Day Sale

It’s not a Memorial Day Sale without TV deals. Right now Dell is offering low prices on several LG, Sony, and Vizio TVs.  These prices match the best you’ll find anywhere else, but in addition you get a bonus gift card that you can spend on anything at Dell’s site.

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Epic Game Store Memorial Day Sale

Epic’s sale is, for lack of a better word, epic. Not only do you get the outstanding Civ 6 game for free, you get $10 off $15 on any number of games. This deal is hard to beat.

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Humble Memorial Day Sale

Humble has great deals on a number of games, but the best deal is definitely the Humble Choice bundle. For only $15 you can get XCOM 2 and Jurassic World: Evolution as well as 10% off all your Humble purchases for the rest of May.

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Mattress Memorial Day Deals

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Memorial Day Deals on Subscriptions and Services

Click here for more free subscription deals

Nothing’s better than signing up for a great service for free (or close to it). These subscriptions will offer you plenty of enjoyment while you’re holed up at home.

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Online Learning Courses from Stack Social

Want to be more productive at home? Stack Social has plenty of practical courses that can kick start your career. For under $40 per bundle you get dozens of hours of online instruction in programming, game creation, video production, ethical hacking, and more… all from the safety of your home.

More Memorial Day Deal Coverage

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.

The Evolution of the Xbox Controller

For nearly twenty years, Microsoft’s Xbox has been a constant force in gaming, nestled alongside Sony’s PlayStation as one of the most popular gaming brands. With the coming shift that the upcoming Xbox Series X will bring, fans have been clamoring for more details on what’s to come with next-gen. While the console itself has some impressive features, the one thing that players are especially excited to see more of, and to get their hands on, is the controller itself. The many controllers throughout Xbox’s history have placed themselves among the pantheon of gaming’s most iconic devices, and the Xbox Series X’s controller looks to continue on a tradition of being an accessible peripheral to get a grip on.

With this in mind, we wanted to take a look at the history of the Xbox’s key controllers and upgrades. Many of these controllers would possess features and innovations that would go on to become trailblazers for more exciting and accessible ways to play for the audience. In this video, video producer Jay Julio takes us back to the beginning with the Xbox’s original controller–often known as The Duke–and explains how each device in the console’s history paved the way for what came next.

The Evolution Of The Xbox Controller

The Xbox Controller AKA

The Xbox Controller AKA “The Duke” | Release Date: November 15, 2001

The controller that would define the early years of the Xbox came about as a compromise. Former Xbox designer Seamus Blackley, whose previous works include Looking Glass Studios’ System Shock and Thief, and artist/designer Denise Chaudhari produced the initial concepts for the original Xbox’s controller. The features of the controller possessed many aspects from the latest trends in gaming around the turn of the millennium, which included two analog sticks, an 8-way directional d-pad, six face buttons, two analog triggers, and two slots for add-ons like memory cards. Due to a variety of factors, which mostly point to bulky internal parts, the released controller was a noticeably large device, which would give the console something of a negative reputation.

While it was known as just the Xbox controller, the device would receive many unofficial names over the years. The one that stuck was “The Duke,” which was named after project manager Brett Schnepf’s son. In an article from engadget breaking down the history of the original controller several of Xbox’s key architects detailed the key moments leading up to the launch of the console. During production, talks with Japanese manufacturer Mitsumi Electric–which produced the PlayStation 2’s DualShock 2– fell through, which meant that potential designs that were smaller weren’t possible to produce prior to the US launch. Microsoft went forward with a design that was ultimately more bulky and larger in size compared to other controllers on the market.

When the console and the controller were revealed at CES 2001, with both Microsoft head Bill Gates and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson introducing the new hardware, all eyes were glued to the device meant for the player’s hands. The original Xbox controller would not only go on to become infamous for its massive size, but it would also become the Guinness world record holder at the time for the largest gaming controller ever. Despite the reception that the controller would have at launch, it did find an audience of players who took a liking to the added size, making it more of a comfortable fit for them compared to the more compact Dual Shock or GameCube controllers.

In 2018, the massive controller had a minor resurgence when Microsoft and third-party manufacturer Hyperkin issued a re-release of the controller for modern Xbox consoles and PC, allowing fans of the console and the original controller to relive the early Xbox days. While The Duke was the controller that most players got to experience with the Xbox in its first year, the Japanese market would see a different controller when the console launched in 2002.