Mysterio Explained: Who Is the Spider-Man Homecoming 2 Villain?

Marvel fans don’t know much about next year’s sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, but they do have one valuable piece of information. Mysterio will reportedly be the villain in Spidey’s sophomore solo film in the MCU, and Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to play him. At long last, the master of illusion will get his due on the big screen.

While we wait for production to begin on this hotly anticipated sequel, here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the villains who call themselves Mysterio and why this character has remained such a constant presence in Marvel’s comics over the years.

Continue reading…

Overwatch Art Used in a Paladins Strike Advertisement

Art from Overwatch accidentally made its way into Hi-Rez Studios’ new mobile game, Paladins Strike.

The error was first pointed out on r/Overwatch by Reddit user “XTeKoX”, who posted a short gif from a Paladins Strike advertisement. The ad shows a new player character skin, but if you take a close look at the city in the background you can see it bears a striking resemblance to Overwatch’s Lijiang Tower map.

The post was then shared to the Paladins Reddit where it caught the attention of Hi-Rez Art Director ThunderBrush, who responded with this explanation:

Continue reading…

Top Comics to Buy This Week: Invincible Iron Man #600, The Flash #47 and More

With dozens of comic books to choose from, let us show you which are the best coming out this week. Take a look at this list spotlighting our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.

Once you check out our picks, head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!

The Flash #47 – $2.99

STL081202

Writer Joshua Williamson | Artist Howard Porter (DC Comics)

Continue reading…

EA Loses PGA Tour License For Golf Games, New Company Picks It Up

Electronic Arts was once a big-time player in the world of licensed golf games, but those days now appear to be over. Independent developer HB Studios announced today that it has reached an agreement with the PGA Tour to add officially licensed courses to The Golf Club 19.

The PS4, Xbox One, and PC game will have a Career Mode that begins with players progressing as a real player would. This includes going through Q-School, then the Web.com tour, and eventually to the PGA Tour–including the FedExCup Playoffs. A press release explains that sponsorships will be unlocked through career mode, so the licensing may apply to more than just courses. Those courses include: TPC Summerlin, TPC Scottsdale, TPC Sawgrass, TPC Southwind, TPC Deere Run, and TPC Boston. More courses may be added as DLC later on.

The deal between HB Studios and the PGA Tour appears to only cover courses and potentially sponsors, but not players themselves. The financial terms of the licensing agreement were not disclosed. The deal was brokered by CAA Sports, which is the sports division of the mega-talent agency.

The first Golf Club game launched in 2014, with a sequel arriving in 2017. Those games were praised in particular for their course-creation tools, but as mentioned, they lacked a wider appeal due to how they did not have the PGA Tour license. The third game is coming out in August.

The PGA Tour’s licensing director Matt Iofredo told GolfChannel.com that the tour enjoyed a “long-term successful partnership” with EA, adding that the split was amicable. He told the site that video games are a good way to help grow golf as a sport, and that’s why he’s happy to see the PGA Tour’s licensing deal go to a new company.

“The hope is that you start playing the video game and it piques your interest in golf in general and then maybe you want to attend an event, maybe you want to tune in on TV or one of the digital platforms, or maybe you want to go out to a driving range and hit balls and eventually go play,” Iofredo said.

EA once enjoyed a lot of success in the licensed golf game market, thanks in part to Tiger Woods. But after losing Woods, the franchise went on a mini hiatus before getting resurrected in 2015 with a new game called Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. The game received generally poor reviews, and EA never released another major licensed home console game. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will be removed from digital marketplaces this week, presumably due to its expired licensing deal.

The Expanse Season 4 Could Find a Home at Amazon

After being cancelled by Syfy, it looks as though The Expanse could find its fourth season on Amazon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is in talks to pick up the show for its streaming service. The Expanse is an adaption from James S. A. Corey’s book series. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is reportedly a big fan of sci-fi novel series and wasn’t happy when Syfy got the TV show.

Amazon has not commented on the situation, but producer Daniel Abraham said on Twitter that the “deal’s not closed, but the talks are real.”

Continue reading…

Rage 2 Doesn’t Use idTech, But The Just Cause Engine Instead

We’ve learned a little more about Bethesda’s upcoming shooter sequel Rage 2, which is a joint development from id Software and Just Cause studio Avalanche Studios. Someone asked Avalanche boss Christofer Sundberg on Twitter what engine the game will use, and Sundberg responded by confirming it’s Avalanche’s internal engine that is under the hood.

This was surprising to some, given that the first Rage ran on id Software’s own idTech engine. Someone else on Twitter asked Sundberg if Rage 2 would use a combination of Avalanche’s engine and the next evolution of idTech, but he did not respond to this.

Avalanche’s internal engine sounds very sophisticated and, in the context of Just Cause 3, it allowed for some pretty incredible open-world activities and wackiness to happen. You can watch this YouTube video to see and hear Just Cause 3 developers talk about the Avalanche engine and how it helped make the game bigger and better.

Rage 2 is being billed as a “carnival of carnage …That’s right, this is a f***ing AAAAAA game.”

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2Gallery image 3Gallery image 4Gallery image 5Gallery image 6Gallery image 7

Bethesda has not yet confirmed a release date for Rage 2; it simply says the game is coming in Spring 2019. The sequel is set after an asteroid kills 80% of the world’s population: “Ruthless and bloodthirsty gangs roam the open roads and the tyrannical Authority seek to rule with an iron fist.” You play as Walker, “the last Ranger of the wasteland and a threat to [The Authority’s] power.” Your character is robbed of his home and left for dead, but you must now “rage for justice and freedom.”

Bethesda stated we’ll see new Rage 2 gameplay at the company’s E3 press conference, which is set for 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET on June 10. The company recently teased that the showcase might be its longest one ever, although beyond Rage 2, we know little else about what will be included.

Don’t Worry, Halo 6 Is Coming

Following the announcement of Halo: Fireteam Raven, a cool-looking Halo arcade, some fans wondered if Microsoft’s efforts on that game took away resources from the next core Halo game. Now, Halo community manager Brian Jarrard has spoken up to confirm that Fireteam Raven has “zero impact” on the team inside 343 Industries working on Halo 6, or whatever it ends up being called. Jarrard clarified that Fireteam Raven is being made by arcade companies Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix. And while 343 is creatively involved in the process, the actual work sounds like it is being done almost completely outside of 343.

“Just like the Halo books or toys aren’t being created instead of the next Halo game,” Jarrad said. “Plenty to go around.” He went on to say that he’s aware that Halo fans are thirsting for more information on the next “real” Halo game. Jarrard said he is perplexed by the “blind outrage” some Halo fans are expressing over Fireteam Raven.

The most recent Halo shooter, Halo 5: Guardians, was released back in October 2015 and has received a great deal of post-launch support ever since. Halo 6 will feature split-screen multiplayer support, while we also know it will be free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Given it’s been almost three years since the release of Halo 5 (there was a three-year gap between Halo 4 and Halo 5), it seems like the time is right for Microsoft to announce Halo 6 soon. If Microsoft is planning to do that, E3 2018 could be the venue for that reveal.

In other Halo news, Microsoft has teased more details about Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s huge updates coming this summer, while we’ve also learned more about the game’s Xbox One X enhancements.

What are you hoping to see from Halo 6? Let us know in the comments below!