Image Sources: Capcom (Japanese) and Superhero Hype Following the week of rumors, fake "leaked" images and speculations regarding a fourth Marvel vs. Capcom game, gamers of all walks of life, including the Fighting Game Community, got their first look at Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, at the 2016 PlayStation Experience and Capcom Cup 2016. Starting with the annoucement trailer at the 2016 PlayStation Experience event on December 3, 2016, the reveal, seen below, left me in awe, symphony and shock with the upmost hype... Well, not as much as everybody on YouTube... Source: Carnatavr T YouTube Channel Later that night during the 2016 Capcom Cup at the end of the Street Fighter V tournament on ESPN, Capcom debuted the gameplay trailer of MVC Infinite. During an encore presentation of the Capcom Cup, an extended gameplay trailer was shown with a few new surprises. What do we know so far...?What's New?According to the Official PlayStation Website (US), Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite will include several single player modes including Arcade, Training, and for the first time in the MvC franchise, a cinematic story mode. As seen in the gameplay trailers, the battles will be 2-on-2 like Marvel vs. Capcom : Clash of the Heroes and several MvC games before it. Also seen in the trailers, the X-Factor machanic has been replaced with the activiation of the Infinite Stones. Like the Marvel lore, the six Infinity Stones (or gems) has specific powers when harnest any individual stone. It would be the first time since Marvel Super Heroes that the Infinity Stones would be used as a fighting machanic. Like Street Fighter V, MvC Infinite will run on Unreal Engine 4 technology. The Characters Staring with the returning and new playable characters that's been confirmed since MVC Infinite's announcement...
Four of the returning characters who are regulars in the franchise still retain some animations and movesets from the previous game, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Contrary to the opinions of members of the FGC, the presentation of the character models look amazing for an early build. Though I'm too familiar with the current Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, aside from the fact that she was the original Ms. Marvel, her gameplay is highly impressive. Of course, the biggest surprise from the reveal is X's inclusion in the game. In terms of his gameplay, he moves as he does in the MMX games complete with a charge shot and air dash like Zero in the previous game. And a bit of an FYI, X's inclusion was made possible due to the popularity of Mega Man X here in the west, according to Famitsu via EventHubs. As for who I want to return or debut in the latest game will be perserved for another time of day. More characters are yet to be announced as of this blog. Black Panther or riot! We're watching you CAPCOM!!! Separating Facts from RumorsIn my last LETS TALK post, the "leaked" promotional images that has since been proven fake, sparked the rumor mill of the then-unannounced installment of a new Marvel vs. Capcom game a week before the PlayStation Experience event. Around that same time, however, Polygon reported that a fourth MVC game is in development and slated for a 2017 release; in which been confirmed after "Infinite." Prior to the rumors and eventual MVC Infinite's announcement, Ryoto Niitsuma, producer of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, stated via Twitter "...[he] would love to make [Marvel vs. Capcom 4], but nothing's happening on that front." Shortly after the official announcement, Niitsuma tweeted that he'll be in no way involved in the development of MVC Infinite. In the same Polygon article, it was stated that the roster on Marvel side will be heavily focused on Marvel Studio's Cinematic Universe (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Gaurdians of the Galaxy to name a few). Although, there has been a sense of uncertainty for the inclusion of X-Men and mutant characters including Wolverine, who has been a stable of the MVC series since 1994's X-Men: Childern of the Atom. Given that Marvel Entertainment is a Walt Disney subsidary and don't have full rights or control over the X-Men or Fantasic Four characters outside the comics (Movies, Toys, Video Games, etc.), the chances of characters like Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, Sentinel, Deadpool, Dr. Doom or Super Skrull to return in Infinite are slim to none as of the date of the Polygon article. Source: The Outhousers Despite the conflicts with Marvel character rights, not all is lost... or at least that's what Creative Director of Marvel Entertainment Bill Rosemann told Game Informer. With Rosemann's short statement, "That's heritage is not loss," gives me a little more reensurence that there will be a chance for any X-Men or Fantastic Four characters. In addition, Ryce of the FGC forum, NeoGAF, who leaked information about Infinite before it's official announcement, stated in a post seen below... While not 100% confirmed by Capcom or Marvel, but if Ryce's claims turn out to be true later down the line it would pretty much solved the "free-advertisment" issue between Marvel/Disney and Fox. What does the FGC think of "Infinite?"Since it's announcement, several prominent members of the FGC and Fighting Game Tournament regulars weight in on Infinite in regards to changes to the previous installments. Surprisingly enough, most are ready to get the MAHVEL hype train going again. Seonwoo "RZR|Infiltration" told EventHubs via translater during the Capcom Cup 2016, "A lot more Korean players are familiar with those Marvel characters [now], and hopefully if the game comes out, I would like to play this game very seriously and make sure my local community plays it as well." Additionally, he adds, "When Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite comes out, I will definitely play this game very seriously." In a recent interview with PVP Live, FGC competitor, author and commentor James Chen was "just as surprised" when Infinite was announced. When asked about the upcoming MvC title to be aimed towards casual players and what does it mean for vetern players, Chen answered, "because the Marvel games are DESIGNED to be beginner friendly, they always have... Marvel games are great examples of easy to pick-up yet still high levels of execution, and I do hope they maintain that idea. That's a key factor, IMO... If the game ends up being too watered down, it won't be 'Mahvel.'" When asked the same question to NYChris G in another PVP Live Interview, he responded, "All I/We need is the ability to be creative, and play with speed. The endless possibilities are what makes a Vs game so great." Of course, no veteran player is more excited for the return of MAHVEL than Michael "IFC Yipes" Mendoza. Yipes was recently interviewed by EventHubs on his thoughts on Infinite, 2v2 gameplay and the inclusion of the Infinity Stones, seen below... Source: EventHubsFGC YouTube Channel My Two CentsThe announcement of MVC Infinite definitely took me by surprise, even while settling for the possibility of another 11-year drough after Ultimate UMVC 3. Though it's too early to decide whether or not to purchase the game, it definitely refueled my excitment and love for the MVC series. Admittedly, I am wiry of how the game will be handled given Capcom's shady track record after UMVC 3, Street Fighter x Tekken and Street Fighter V. Also, given how Capcom being under fire several times for handling post-released DLC for their recent games, I decided to hold off getting Infinite on day one. Wheither or not Infinite will help redeem Capcom's past mistakes is entirely up for debate, but one thing for sure is that IT'S MAHVEL BABY!
So what are your thoughts on Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite? What characters you're hoping to make a return or make its debut in the series. Let me know in the comments. Until next time, keep it lock!
0 Comments
Growing up during a time where Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were the kings of the fighting game genre and 3D fighters like Virtura Fighter, Tekken and Dead or Alive are not too far behind, I like the element of surprise from the pre-internet gaming scene. In 1996, "the game was change" with the release of X-Men vs. Street Fighter for the arcades and from there I never look at fighting games the same way again. With the X-Men animated series, in which leads to Capcom making a fighting game subtitled Children of the Atom, and the many versions of Street Fighter II where at the peak of their popularity at the time, it made sense that the crossover would eventually be possible. Thus, the Marvel vs. Capcom series was born and many games featuring Marvel's super heroes and villains taking on characters from Capcom's library soon followed. Fast forward to 2010, after Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes left an eternal mark on the fighting game tournament scene, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was announced with much hype and anticipation. However, prior to the game's release for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the then-new chapter in the MvC franchise came under controversy with the exclusion of fan favorites like Mega Man, Captain Commando, Gambit and Venom just to name a few. So this past weekend after Thanksgiving, just one week before the PlayStation Experience event, rumors of a fourth installment of Marvel vs. Capcom began to surfaced. It began with the images seen below... Image Sources: NeoGAF These alleged images in what it appears to be stills from a yet-to-be-revealed teaser went viral throughout social media including a MvC Facebook I created and moderate. It was also said in a NeoGAF thread that Marvel vs. Capcom 4 will be announced at the PlayStation Experience. However, there has been several red flags on the images the second I saw them.
Source: Maximilliam Dood YouTube Channel Not too long after in this article from Shoryuken.com, not even to my surprise that the "leak images" are in fact fake. The maker of the images and NeoGAF regular confessed to making them without realizing that the false stills would go viral in a huge way. As much I want to see a new MvC game, there chances are being made are very slim. One reason being several sources including EventHubs and GameSpot via Famitsu stating that the PS4-exclusive, Street Fighter V, will continue to be supported for the market and tournament scene until 2020 or so, according to SFV executive producer Yoshinori Ono. Additionally, Ono also states that he'll be happy to see Capcom releases other titles, they are focusing on Street Fighter V for the time being. At that time, I figured the chances of MvC4 being in the works and being announced at the upcoming PSX event is 5% All that changed when Polygon reported that Marvel vs. Capcom 4 is being developed and slated for a 2017 releases, though it is all but confirmed by Capcom. It was also reported that it'll be reveal at the PSX this coming weekend during the 2016 Capcom Cup. However, Polygon's Michael McWhertor stated in the article that there will be a lack of X-Men and Mutant Characters within the roster. "Fans of the series should expect Marvel vs. Capcom 4's roster of Marvel characters to draw strongly from the cinematic universe that Marvel Studios has popularized — and has full control over — during the past decade.," McWgertor stated. "That means fighting game fans will more likely see characters plucked from The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy films, and not from properties like the X-Men." This led to speculation that X-Men and Mutant characters would be excluded due to 20th Century Fox having film rights to those characters. Contrary to popular belief, characters from the X-Men franchise including Wolverine, Magneto and Deadpool are still property of Marvel Entertainment and Publications, even though Marvel Studios recently departed from them. The fact that those particular set of characters are licensed for Fox's film adapations, it's only just that despite Maximillian Dood in another video and one in particular from VesperArcade said otherwise. Me and a fellow gamer who is also a cosplayer recently discussed over the MvC4 rumors on Facebook. When I ask for his opinion on the possibility of X-Men and mutant characters being excluded from the roster, he shared me something interesting... "Seeing that Fox only has exclusive rights to films, and not any other entity, I feel excluding the Xmen of Fantastic Four characters (like Dr. Doom, Galactus, and Super Skrull) would be rather bush league. I am predicting a stronger emphasis on characters within the MCU within rhe game's roster, but to exclude the Xmen especially in definitely would be a diservice to both fans of the series and to the games' lineage. "Wolverine, for example, has been present in every Marvel game Capcom has produced with the license (with the exception of The Punisher). Having him absent in MVC4 would be disheartening and makes apparent this political douchebaggery Disney and Marvel Studios perpetuate." FYI, thanks to Carl F. for the input and granted me permission to use the insert of our conversation here.* Though my chances of MvC4 being in development and being announced at this years PSX event are now 40% thanks to the Polygon article, I still skeptically over the whole thing in general. Given the popularity of the X-Men animated series and Street Fighter back in the 1990s, the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise would not be possible without. After the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, their legacy came to question after the exclusion of Mega Man and going Ultimate. If Marvel vs. Capcom 4 is indeed a possibility, then its now up to both Marvel and Capcom to redeem the franchise where it nearly failed. As for as the rumored announcement at PSX, only time will tell. So what do you think of the Marvel vs. Capcom 4 rumors and what characters would you like to see in the fourth game in the series. Let me know in the comments... Til next time, keep it lock! * The views and options from the Facebook chat insert are only those of Mr. Carl Farmer and do not represent those of ADTC Productions, Dynasty Network, LLC, or any affiliated channels or partners.
Image Souces: Trailer Addict and Varitey
Last weekend, two films in the afrocentric varitey were releases in theaters nationwide. One being the story of Nat Turner's rebellion, Birth of a Nation (not to be confused with the racially-offensive D.W. Wright film from 1915), and the other is the Halloween-theme comedy in Tyler Perry's Madea franchise, BOO! A Madea Halloween. After thats weekend, both films were in the subject of controversy not in the way of the separate themes in each respective film, but rather each movie's audience and box office earnings.
According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Birth of a Nation debuted at #6 on its first weekend at the box office earning $9.5 million. Three weeks later, Boo! A Madea Halloween top the box office on its opening weekend with $35.3 million while Birth of a Nation fell way behind at #15 earning only $1.26 million with the total earnings at $13.5 million, making the film a flop. Despite recieving critical praise from Justin Chang from Variety and a 74% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, the mixed critical reception was part of why Birth of a Nation bombed. During the first three weeks of its theatrical run, Nate Parker, who starred as well written, produced and directed the film based on the 1831 rebellion in Southhampton County, VA, was in the center of controversy. Parker was confronted during an interview on 60 Minutes with allegation of a rape that dates back to 1999, while attending Penn State University at the time. Despite being exonerated at court in 2001, the damage was done and was removed from the Penn State wrestling team a year later. After the 60 Minutes interview, The Washington Post reported that the film's poor box office run was a result of the interview that lead to boycotts, several theaters dropping the film, and co-star Gabriel Union, who was a rape survivor herself, told the New York Times that she cannot take Parker's allegation lightly and "can't sell the film." While, Parker's rape allegations reflected Birth of a Nation's failure at the box office, Pro-Black members blamed the Black Community for not supporting the Nate Parker film and see the Madea Halloween movie instead. Even Pro-Black memes, like the ones below, belittling the Black Community for seeing one film and not the other.
Even an article from The Black Loop slams Black movie goers for falling for the "distractions" like the N.W.A. film Straight Outta Compton. Recently, Devon Starshooterz Walls shoot a live video where he came to a Regal Cinema to see Birth of a Nation, but could not because the showing was "sold out." During the live-feed, Walls pointed out the some theaters to not screen the Nat Turner movie is also the problem.
"Sold out" my ass! But I digress... Regal Cinema's came under fire for not screening Birth of a Nation according to a TMZ.com article which also features Walls' live Facebook video.
As a black man myself, I understand the importance of bringing the story of Nat Turner's rebellion to the mainstream media, but at the same time that and most "historical" films are often fictionalize in a way to get the audience's attention. As for Nate Parker's 17 year old rape case, I'm not going give my option on it. I have my reasons for not seeing both films which leads me to ask two questions: "Why see another Tyler Perry film that, for once receives so much commercialism that overshadows what made the original stage plays great?" And "why spend $10 or more to watch a fictionalized 'historical' movie about Nat Turner when you can read or resource the accurate facts about his rebellion at the library for free?" Think about it.
While I enjoy a few "Madea" films, that is just here or there. Most of Perry's films that feature his trademarked character showcased American Americans or those of African decent in a negative light. While I consider seeing Birth of a Nation myself, I grew tired of films about slavery because so many has been releases in the last 15 or 20 years to a point it becomes a sub-genre. It's better to stay away from the escapism of going to the movies and stay in tune with the real world. Black America is already living in dark times, especially with the unjust killings of Black men, women and children in the hands of the Police and citizens who use "standing their ground" as an excuse. Stay true to yourself and know your history. Now I'm saying you shouldn't see nether films and whatever and however you think of those movies is entirely up to you, just that there are other things to worry about in this crazy world we live in . Have you seen Birth of a Nation, Boo! A Madea Halloween, or both? What do you think of the films and my options in this blog? Let me know in the comments. Until next time, keep it lock! Since 2000, a movie adaption based on Marvel Comic's unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL, has been passed around movie studios like a hot potato but was too hot to handle and feel through until 20th Century Fox pick it right up from the ground. Before Fox became interested with the project, Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, Just Friends, Blade Trinity, Waiting) was choosen for the lead role as he showed interest soon after. Reynolds was eventually cast as the "Merc with the Mouth" in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however the film was criticized mainly for Reynold's character becoming the mutant killer Weapon XI (Scott Adkins) and not the Deadpool fans known and loved. In addition, unfortunately any chance of a Deadpool movie was cut shot due to Reynolds starring in the heavily-criticized and box-office bombed Green Lantern, based of the DC Comics superhero of the same name. Fast forward to 2014, a proof of concept test footage patch the Deadpool movie was leaked online and went viral. As a result, the DEADPOOL movie came to be and was released on Valentine's day earlier this year. Reprising his role from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which has since been retconned due the timeline change in X-Men: Days of Future Past), Ryan Reynolds returns as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. "Deadpool" also stars Morena Baccarin (Firefly, V, Spy), Ed Skrein (The Transporter Refueled), T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley, Big Hero 6), Gina Carano (Haywire, Fast & Furious 6), Brianna Hilderbrand (First Girl I Loved), and Stefan Kapičić (The Brothers Bloom, Big Miracle) as the voice of Colossus. The film starts out with the craziest opening credits I've ever seen in recent history and re-create the over-the-top highway scene from the leaked test footage. The films before back and fouth between the "Merc With a Mouth" hunting down the film's antagonist Ajax/Francis (Ed Skrein) and flashbacks of pre-Deadpool Wade while in a relationship with an escort name Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Similar to the comics, after discovered to have terminal cancer, Wade sets off to Department H for experimental treatment to cure his cancer but ultimately became deformed by Ajax's experimentation. After learning that Vanessa has been kidnapped by Ajax and Angel Dust (Gina Carano), Deadpool reluctantly teams up with X-Men members Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hikderbrand) to save Vanessa and confront Ajax in a final showdown. The film itself is everything you expect from a Deadpool movie from the strong violence, sexual innuendos, unfiltered profanity and, of course, the titular character breaking the fourth wall. Like other Marvel-based films such as Blade (1999) and The Punisher (1987), Deadpool earns it's hard R-rated for it's over-the-top action and violence, graphic sexual content, and mild-to-extremely cruel humor that will make South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut look tame in comparison. In other words, Deadpool (like the comic) is definitely not for kids! Regardless of the very mature content, it is unapologically hilarious and glorious at the same time. Also, bonus points for a couple of Easter Eggs and of course, a cameo from Stan Lee. Aside from the obvious inconsistencies that separate the film from the source material, here were a few moments in the film that were predictable and a but cliche. With two X-Men members only appear throughout the film, even Deadpool himself thinks that 20th Century Fox couldn't afford to have more X-Men characters. (I shit you not, that's what he said!) Overall, Deadpool is Ryan Reynold's redemption from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Green Lantern and it's the movie that every Deadpool fan (myself included) truly deserves. Funny, Ultra-violent, and unapologetic as it is unconventional. That said, Deadpool is... Looking pass the predictable cliches, it'll definitely makes up with its raunchy comedy and over-the-top action. Strangely enough, even though Deadpool is the highest ranked R-Rated movie in any opening weekend (as of April 2016), it has a home release date of May 2016, just three months after the theatrical release. As much I want to grab a copy, I'm gonna wait for the UNRATED DVD/BLURAY editions. Other than that, one, Go see Deadpool (if not get it on DVD or BluRay), and two, don't let your kids see it...EVER! What you all think of the Deadpool movie? Let me know in the comments below. Until then, keep it lock! More blog reviews coming your way soon...
|
Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|