Can you imagine Zombieland without Bill Murray’s cameo? The writers have taken to Twitter to share some of the scenes that could have been if another celebrity were put in Murray’s place, including Patrick Swayze, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Mark Hamill, Sylvester Stallone and more.
Swayze was actually the original choice, writer Paul Wernick has shared, but the actor’s declining health prevented him from taking the role. The original scene would have featured the potter’s wheel from Ghost, and a dancey fight number with a zombified Swayze set to (you guessed it) I’ve Had The Time Of My Life.
Since we’re all currently living in #zombieland, @rhettreese & I thought it’d be fun to take you behind the curtain, back to the early days. The role Bill Murray played started in the original draft as Patrick Swayze. Patrick tragically got sick and we never had the opp (1)
Another version of the scene pitched to Sylvester Stallone reads similarly, but with a Rocky-themed fight set to Eye of the Tiger.
Mark Hamill’s script is the most outright nerdy, featuring a house cluttered with Star Wars memorabilia, a lightsaber fight with an undead Hamill and the cantina scene playing on the TV.
Joe Pesci’s script is laden with Goodfellas references, with The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter blasting through the scene.
All follow the same basic structure, which is notably different to the Bill Murray zombie fake-out that appeared in the final film. The writers have said the original Murray scene was similar to the ones they’ve posted on Twitter, and it was the actor himself who suggested the changes that made their way to the final cut.
We’ll post the original version of the Murray draft. It did take this structure. Bill wanted more to do, and someone came up with the idea… what if he’s only dressed as a zombie?
All the scripted scenes feature the main characters kicking the famous actor’s corpse repeatedly, berating them for their bad career decisions. “That’s for the ’78 Christmas Special,” is yelled at Hamill’s corpse, for example. The final scene with Murray ended up being a lot gentler, still teasing him over his Garfield role, but letting him make the joke himself.
Writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese have promised to share one new script per day, revealing a little bit more of Zombieland’s history more than 10 years after its release. Thanks to its enduring fanbase, Zombieland received a late sequel last year, which got Bill Murray back for a credit-scene cameo.
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The Batman’s composer, Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino, has shared some new insight into what to expect from the much-anticipated DC film. Speaking to Collider, Giacchino said he felt “total freedom” to write whatever music he wanted for the film, because the movie itself is aiming to stand apart from the many that came before it.
“I felt total freedom to do whatever I want,” he said. “[Director Matt Reeves] always agreed, this is our Batman, this is our version. In the same way that I always loved, what I still do about Batman comics and graphic novels, is that each of these artist, each of these authors, they take their own crack at what they want this to be. It’s their version of Batman.”
Giacchino continued: “I’m not the kind of person that says Batman must always be ‘this’. It’s like no, why? It can be whatever the artist wants to be and it has over the years done that, many times over. I love the idea of taking something and just kind of doing our version of it.”
He went on to say that, after having read the script, he “loves” Reeves’ take on Batman. “It’s different and it feels fresh. In the way that I get excited when I see a new graphic novel or a comic book coming out with a new take on it. It feels like that,” he said.
Giacchino also revealed that the music you heard in the first teaser for The Batman was actually written in 2019. Reeves used it during internal presentations for The Batman, and he liked it so much that he plans to keep it for the final cut. Giacchino pointed out that this is very rare in film, as music is often added last.
“This was a great opportunity to, from the get go, say, ‘Nope, this is our Batman,'” Giacchino said about the music. “‘Like it or not, this is what we’re doing.'”
Also in the interview, Giacchino praised the casting of Robert Pattinson as Batman. The doubters will understand why he was the right choice when they see the film, he said.
Giacchino is a Hollywood veteran. He collaborated with Reeves before on War for the Planet of the Apes, while he is also known for the music he wrote for the Mission Impossible, Jurassic Park, and Star Trek franchises. He also did the music for Pixar’s Ratatouille and Up, the latter of which won him an Oscar. In the world of video games, Giacchino wrote the music for numerous Medal of Honor games, as well as the first Call of Duty.
Production on The Batman shut down earlier this month due to the COVID-19 crisis. The movie, which also stars Andy Serkis, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, and Jeffrey Wright, remains scheduled to hit theatres on June 25, 2021.
After vanquishing the Gladiator in Doom Eternal‘s eighth mission, it’s back to shooting some more demons. Below you can find a step-by-step walkthrough of the game’s ninth mission: Taras Nabad.
Follow the path around and jump to the lower platform on your left. A number of enemies will swarm you on the bridge, including a Hell Knight and Cyber Mancubus. Once they’re dead, melee the two contraptions at the end of the bridge on both sides to open the door.
As the door’s hinges swing open, you’ll be confronted by a few Zombies, a Cacodemon, and the return of the Marauderas a regular enemy. You’ll want to approach the Marauder in the same way you did during its boss fight, maintaining a medium-ranged distance and counter attacking with a couple of Super Shotgun blasts when its eyes flash green. Do this enough and you’ll eventually be able to finish it off with a Glory Kill.
Continue through the door when everything’s dead and swing on the pole to reach the next platform. Keep going until you enter a large arena with a statue on the opposite side. While things start out quiet, you might eventually find yourself overwhelmed by both regular and buffed enemies. There is no Buff Totem here, however. Instead, you need to find a new enemy type called the Archville. This demon summons other enemies to fight you. It can usually be found on one of the upper platforms using a fiery shield to protect itself. Get up behind it and try to quickly take it down to finish it off before it can summon more enemies, and dispatch the rest it’s conjured up to that point.
After surviving this scrap, melee the back of the large statue in the arena and then drop down to hit a button at its base. This will open up a hatch in the center of the arena leading to some irradiated water. Swim through the hazmat symbol to avoid taking damage, then Dash into the glowing wall to break it. Now that the water has lowered, you can use the walls to climb back up and shoot the glowing green symbol at the back of the hole beneath the statue. This opens a pathway under the water, so swim through there and exit out the other side.
Clear out the enemies in this next corridor and enter the large set of doors in the next open area. Once the cutscene is over, follow the waypoint through the exit and into another combat arena. Utilise the Blood Punch or Super Shotgun to take care of the two Cyber Manbuses that appear, and focus your rocket fire on the Doom Hunter’s sled to disable it. With the arena cleared out, you’ll want to climb up the rubble to the left of where you entered and melee the contraption, then rush to the opposite side and hit the other contraption there. This will open up a path leading to the sewers.
Follow the sewers until you arrive to a flooded room. Grab the hazmat suit on the right side and dive into the water. There’s another glowing wall to Dash through that will lower the water level. Once that’s done, submerge yourself again and swim into the gap in the wall. Climb out and shoot the glowing symbol, then enter the gate that’s opened up beneath it. Dash through the wall here and the water level will lower once again. Melee the block, climb up it and then leap to the climbable wall. From here you can shoot another glowing green symbol and open up the exit.
Continue through the sewer and climb the fallen giant once you reemerge outside. With the Crucible now in your possession, head right and into another combat arena. There’s not a lot of room to work with here, but you can make use of the jump pad and pole to create some separation from the onslaught of enemies. With everything dead, follow the waypoint through the next corridor and jump to the platform on the right once you enter an opening. There’s a few enemies to defeat here, and once you dispatch them, you can then use the nearby Dash refill to reach the next structure.
Keep moving and an elevator will take you up to some more enemies. Survive this and then run across the bridge and enter the door ahead. Take a left, shoot open the next gate, then press the switch in the back right corner of the room to open two other gates. Melee the contraptions behind each gate and the big vault-like door will open. Follow the waypoint, and you’ll eventually come to a room with a demon skull on one end. Jump down to the platform behind the skull and flip the switch to activate two jump pads on either side. Use these to melee the chandelier above and drop down into the hole it creates in the room.
Hop into the next big pit you come across and melee the chain holding the block in place at the bottom of the water. Climb on the block and shoot the green symbol to open up the exit. Continue down this corridor, killing the group of enemies that assault you on the way, and follow the waypoint into more irradiated water. Dash through the breakable wall at the bottom to lower the water level. Now you can stand on the block to shoot another green symbol and use the climbable walls to get out. Kill the enemies in the next room and follow the waypoint until you arrive in a room with a pot of lava in the middle.
After the cutscene plays, you can now use the Crucible to insta-kill any enemy type. Don’t waste it on fodder enemies, and instead hone in on killing the more powerful enemies, making sure to recharge the Crucible by using the pick-ups throughout the arena. Once everything is sliced into tiny pieces, it’s time to exit through the portal.
Fortress of Doom (Last Call!)
This is your final visit to the Fortress of Doom until after the final credits have rolled. So use any of the Sentinel Batteries you have left and activate the portal to begin the next mission.
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Doom Eternal‘s eight mission has a surprising focus on story, so it’s fairly straightforward. Regardless, it has a big fight in it, so you’ll still have to come in ready to shoot things up. Below you can find a walkthrough detailing exactly what you need to do to overcome the threats that lie ahead.
Follow the path onto the elevator and keep going after the cutscene ends. Eventually, you’ll exit through a door and see a large hole in the building to your right. Carry on from here and go left in the next room and climb up the platform to reach the top. Take a right through the next door and take the stairs up to another elevator, then head straight and prepare for the next boss.
Boss Fight – Gladiator
The Gladiator functions similarly to the Marauder in that you need to counter attack when it flashes green. In this instance, it’s the eyes on the Gladiator’s demonic shield that will flash green when it’s about to attack. Keep strafing the boss and shooting when that flash happens. A successful hit will give you the opportunity to execute a Glory Kill and take off a chunk of the Gladiator’s health. Once its health bar drains down to the halfway point, it will start shooting replicas of its shield at you. These are easy to sidestep–you just have to look out for its shield bash to know it’s coming.
Once the Gladiator’s health bar has fully depleted, the second phase of the boss fight begins. Instead of using a shield, the Gladiator will now spin one of its flails for a few seconds. Avoid shooting it when it does this or your shots will deflect right back at you. Shoot the Gladiator whenever it’s not spinning its weapon, and Dash out the way of its attacks when one of its flails flashes. Occasionally, it will put up two barriers on either side of you and launch various projectiles your way. Use the Dash to quickly position yourself beneath the highest point on these projectiles to avoid them. Once you’ve done enough damage, you can finish the Gladiator off with a Glory Kill.
Fortress of Doom
Your latest return to the Fortress of Doom is a little bit different than the others. With the Khan Maykr overloading the fortress’ systems, you need to kill a group of fodder enemies before making any progress. This is simple enough, so once they’re all dead, just follow the waypoint to restore power and then travel through the portal to the next mission.
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Half-Life: Alyx nails so much of what makes the series great, and VR elevates some of its best qualities. But if you’re not familiar with the ins-and-outs of VR or the way Half-Life typically does things, we have you covered. Even veterans such as myself wish I knew a few of these tips before playing, such as what weapon upgrades to spend your valuable Resin on, among other things.
One aspect you may not be familiar with is how Half-Life tends to do puzzles; there are no waypoints or objective markers, so you need to pay attention to what the environment is telling you. This extends to multitool puzzles and knowing what objects to interact with. If you’re concerned about motion sickness or if you have physical limitations, we also have some pointers about your options.
Well then, here are some of our basic tips and tricks to get you on the right path before you start playing Half-Life Alyx.
Look For Doors With Handles, And Especially Red Handles
Look, I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but the way Half-Life: Alyx leads you from section to section is in its visual cues, one of them being doors with handles. Don’t bother with doors that don’t, they don’t open and there’s nothing that lies beyond them.
Now, you’ll also want to be on the lookout for more than just any old door handle. If something you can grip has red paint on it, it’s important. This is particularly relevant to garage doors that require you to get down near the floor to open and some cabinets that contain critical items. In later sections of the game, it’s very important to keep this in mind.
Follow The Circuits And Cables
Most of Half-Life: Alyx’s puzzles revolve around the multitool. Critical path puzzles usually consist of rewiring circuitry to power certain objects. As the game goes on these become more complex and you’ll have to be more mindful of where these circuits lead. You can trace them or check where they are inside the walls by simply holding your multitool against the wall. Tracking the current flow is also important as these puzzles begin to span larger spaces.
Similarly, you want to keep an eye on where cables lead and come from within the environment. A few puzzles may have you scratching your head, but if you keep an eye on clues like cables and wiring, these will guide you to locations of critical points and what you need to interact with next.
Quick Tip For Spatial Puzzles
There is one set of multitool puzzles that require you to move one node to another. It starts with a few red nodes that cause you to fail the puzzle, but ramps up in difficulty. Red nodes start to move and leave dangerous trails, but you can take your time. As long as your multitool is disengaged, you won’t fail the puzzle as red nodes hover over.
Upgrade The Pistol, SMG, And Shotgun For Laser Sights ASAP
Throughout Half-Life: Alyx, you’ll collect Resin, which serves as a currency for upgrading your slim arsenal. However, you have to be smart about how you spend Resin since upgrades are costly. We’d recommend saving your Resin to outfit your guns with laser sights ASAP (and avoiding the reflex sight since it’s not as helpful).
Aiming in VR can be difficult, but the laser sight shows you exactly where your shots will land for the Pistol and SMG (when you eventually get it). As for the Shotgun, the laser sight is also very helpful because it paints a circle of how your shot will spread. And since shotgun shells are quite rare, you’ll want to make sure each shot hits. Most other upgrades will come down to preference, but the Shotgun’s grenade launcher and SMG’s multi-clip upgrade are easy to recommend.
Each Weapon Has Its Best Use Case
You may have a limited loadout, but it’s just enough to get by Half-Life: Alyx combat scenarios. And we have some recommendations as to what to use for specific encounters. A few examples: the shotgun is great against Combine, especially Heavies, the pistol is great for slow moving zombies and clipping the weak points off Antlions, and SMG is best suited for other Combine soldiers, drones, and larger crowds of weaker enemies.
Use Objects In The Environment Against Barnacles
Early on in the game, ammo will be hard to come by, and you’ll encounter the ceiling-dwelling Barnacles–your instinct might be to shoot and get them out of the way. They take 3 to 4 pistol shots to kill, but you can save that ammo by tossing any old object into its tongue to keep it occupied for a few seconds, giving you a window of opportunity to get by.
Some instances have red barrels or gas canisters in the environment, and if you get a Barnacle to eat one, it’ll explode. It’s pretty satisfying to see them blow to pieces, but take a step back first so you don’t get hurt. Don’t forget to check the aftermath for any ammo they might have dropped!
Shoot Headcrab Zombies In The Headcrab
Half-Life veterans may know this all too well but if you’re not aware, there’s a proper way to kill a zombie. Aim for the headcrab attached to it and you’ll kill the zombie and (possibly) the headcrab attached simultaneously. If you shoot zombies in the body, the headcrab will survive and come at you, which will take up more of your ammo, and make your life that much harder.
Store Grenades And Syringes In Your Wrists
You may forget from time to time that Alyx can store health syringes and grenades in her wrist pockets. Simply hold the object near your wrist to put it away and you can grab it at any time. Remember this will come in clutch for heated encounters, especially when the game ramps up the challenge in the latter half.
Pull Grenades Using The Gravity Gloves
Combine soldiers will sometimes throw grenades at you, but what if you just threw it right back at them? You can do that with the Gravity Gloves. Just pull the grenade in as you would any other object and toss it, saving yourself from getting hurt and inflicting damage on enemies. If you’re clever enough, you can pluck a grenade off an unsuspecting (or dead) soldier’s belt, too.
Use A Combo Of Walking And Teleporting For Movement (And Other Mobility Options)
Half-Life: Alyx incorporates multiple VR movement styles and you should go with whatever’s most comfortable for you. We found the most effective method, gameplay-wise, was to use a combination of continuous analog locomotion alongside teleportation.
Teleportation can get you out of a bind fast and covers more ground. However, analog movement can be more precise when trying to get in specific positions, especially in combat scenarios or getting close to objects if you’re not using a room-scale setup. Test if any of this makes you motion sick and tweak your options accordingly. If you are playing through a seated experience, you have options that let you crouch and stand a bit taller with the click of the analog sticks to help you grab things that are out of reach.
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Stalker 2, the sequel to Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, was announced in May 2018, but we haven’t seen any screenshots from it since–until now. Developer GSC Game World has celebrated the 13th birthday of the original Stalker by releasing this first screenshot from the sequel, and while it doesn’t show any gameplay, there’s material here to speculate on.
The screenshot, below, came alongside a Facebook post about the series on the game’s official page, which praised the Stalker community and discussed the current isolation many are feeling as they practice social-distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Being inspired by everything you do (including arts, stories, cosplays and mods), we fully understand we can’t let you down,” the post reads. “The second chapter of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga will be our most ambitious game so far. It will live to the legendary legacy. A lot of you are joining social isolation now. That’s why today, on a very special occasion, we are ready to slightly uncover the mystery of what we are working on.”
The screenshot shows what looks like a distortion that is ripping the glass right out of a broken van. It’s more of a look at the game’s visual style than anything, but then, we’ve seen very little of the game so far–the first piece of art released was no more revealing.
The post promises more news about Stalker 2 in 2020. A release date for the game has not been set, but if you’re a fan, feel free to speculate on what information we can take from this screenshot.
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You’ve probably seen the adorable video of the Chicago-based Shedd Aquarium penguins going for a leisurely stroll around the aquarium’s many exhibits.
After the Shedd Aquarium closed its doors in Chicago on March 13 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a video of rockhopper penguin Wellington spread like wildfire across social media. Thanks for a report from Polygon, we now know this is a regular occurrence for the penguins as part of the their standard exercise and enrichment program.
“They are familiar with many places within the Shedd Aquarium,” Shedd’s Senior Director of Animal Behavior and Training Steve Aibel explained. “The only thing that is new is that they have the whole aquarium to themselves without guests.”
According to Aibel, the penguins naturally show curiosity about new things, and their minders help by mixing up the places they visit.
Penguins aren’t the only ones that get to go on adventures around the aquarium. Aibel said sea lions play soccer and macaws get to fly around the entire campus. Don’t worry, though. Aibel said each animal is closely monitored to guarantee their safety while exploring.
Though letting animals run are may seem like a bad idea, their keepers aren’t worried about any escape attempts. In fact, Aibel said that when penguins find themselves in new situations, their first instinct is to run back to their caretakers, rather than flee the aquarium.
If you you by chance haven’t caught the video of the penguins in action, you can check it out below.
The adventure continues!
This morning, Edward and Annie explored Shedd’s rotunda. They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season. Springtime is nesting season for penguins at Shedd, and this year is no different! (1/3) pic.twitter.com/VdxN3oQAfe
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare are bringing back a DLC pack that benefits military veterans. Activision’s Call of Duty Endowment charity, which helps place veterans in jobs after their military careers, has announced that the “Defender” DLC pack is coming back to the digital store because “in these difficult times, veterans need more help with employment than ever.”
The Defender pack includes 11 items in total, spread across multiplayer, Spec Ops, and Warzone. As when the pack was sold before, 100 percent of net proceeds will go to the Call of Duty Endowment.
The Call of Duty Endowment “Defender” Pack
The Defender Pack was previously available for Modern Warfare multiplayer, but this is the first time that players can bring this content into Warzone. Modern Warfare and Warzone share the same store. The Defender Pack costs $10 USD.
The Defender Pack includes:
A customized .357 revolver with three attachments: rail mounted sight with a custom reticle, a lightweight trigger, and a stippled grip.
A watch for your Operator that has the Endowment logo on the fact.
Special weapon camo.
An Endowment Calling Card.
Three Endowment emblems, one of which is animated.
For those that find themselves stuck at home, socially distant from their friends and relatives, WWE has a new option to keep you entertained. The company has announced that the WWE Network is unlocking much of its video library for free for a limited time.
In a press release from the company, WWE explained, “This unprecedented offering to WWE fans worldwide includes each epic installment to date of WrestleMania, plus, every Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series event; every NXT TakeOver and NXT UK TakeOver; and groundbreaking originals such as the entire WWE 24 docuseries, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview show, the recent five-episode hit, WWE Ruthless Aggression, and its 20-episode predecessor, The Monday Night War series.”
Additionally, recent episodes of Raw and Smackdown will be available, along with original series like WWE Untold and A Future WWE: The FCW Story. Live programming like the monthly pay per views, though, do not appear to be included in this option.
This new programming offer comes as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has forced the company to change course with the upcoming Wrestlemania 36. The event was to be held in a packed football stadium in Tampa, Florida. Now, instead, it will broadcast on April 4 and 5 from WWE’s training facility with no studio audience.
To access the free WWE Network content, new users need to sign up for an account on WWE.com. At this point, there is no expiration date for the free content offering.
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