BIG HERO 6 NOW 2014'S HIGHEST-GROSSING ANIMATED MOVIE

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Disney's Big Hero 6 has earned over $620 million globally, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of 2014.

With $221 million of its total coming from the domestic box office, Big Hero 6 is Walt Disney Animation Studios' third biggest domestic release of all time. Additionally, its worldwide total has now surpassed Tangled, making it the studio's third biggest global release behind Frozen and The Lion King.

 

Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, Big Hero 6 is now the biggest animated release from Disney or Pixar in China, bringing in over $51 million since its release two weeks ago, and the second biggest in Japan with over $75 million. It's also the second biggest Disney or PIxar animated release in Korea and Russia, and the biggest animated release of all time in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Big Hero 6 hit theaters stateside on November 7, 2014, and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

 

For this and more check out IGN.com

Evolve is getting two new DLC maps, both free of charge

 Posted on IGN.com

A blog post announces the addition of Broken Hill Mine and Broken Hill Foundry, available on Xbox One on March 31 and then on PS4 and PC on April 30. Both maps are available for Hunt, Nest and Rescue modes, through Skirmish, Custom matches and Evacuation campaigns.

The Broken Hill Mine map takes place in a labyrinth of caves beneath the surface of Shear. There's three key areas: a rock quarry, a venom hound nest and then a final zone featuring a huge conveyor belt. In the center of all of these is a drill chamber. Hidden, destructible entryways allow the Monster to shortcut through the map or lead Hunters down the wrong path. As you'd expect, stealth and close-quarters fighting will be a prominent component of matches here.

Broken Hill Foundry, which can be viewed when looking up from the mine, mixes open areas, corridors and low ceilings. A warehouse containing three levels is present, as are tight streets and high rooftops. Crates of bohrium litter the facility and can be eaten by the Monster, though electing to do so will create a lot of noise.

Each map also has unique Evacuation campaign effects.If the Hunters win in the Mine, Drones get repurposed as Shield Drones in the next match for them. If the Monster wins, however, the area becomes tectonically unstable, with the resulting earthquakes scaring birds and tricking the Hunters as to the Monster's location. A Hunter win in the Foundry, meanwhile, supercharges the Hunter's jetpacks, while a Monster win engulfs the beast in bohrium gas, supercharging its melee attacks.

Evolve launched across Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on February 10. 

 

For this and more check out IGN.com

Marvel Select: Cable

 

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X-Force fans can finally rejoice this week. The new Marvel Select Cable from Diamond Select was released this week.  Cable has already had a few figures made, but he's definitely been on the short end of the stick for figures, especially considering that he was incredibly popular during the 90s and has been featured in several runs during the last ten years.  

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So now that he has his own Select figure what is it like?  It looks great.  The detail that was put into Cable is spectacular.  Cable's vest and the additional grenades are done well.  Cable's techno-organic arm looks great.  Cable's face has the familiar scowl and his techno-organic eye though unfortunately his eye isn't well defined.  It's incredibly small which makes it disappointing because his eye tends to stand out in the comics.  I feel like the eye does detract a bit from the overall awesomeness of the figure.

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The articulation is a little disappointing as well but the vest is a problem.  It's huge, which cuts down on his shoulder movement. Elbow to shoulder you have limited movement, however, from the elbows down, there are no movement problems at all. The loss of upper arm movement is a problem from a posing standpoint.  The legs don't share the same issues as the arms. They're not held back by any limitations at all, in fact Cable can even do the splits should you feel the need to pose him like that.  

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Cable comes with five guns and one knife.  He has three holsters to carry two guns and one knife, which is attached to his back.  The weapons look great and Cable would be proud to have so many readily available at his disposal.  They attach without too many issues once you figure out how to manipulate the hands and figures.  The larger gun has an issue with how far it goes back.  Once again the vest becomes an issue because the larger gun sort of runs into Cable's vest. However, the wrists are able to twist so you can sort of get around it.

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I really want to love this figure because I'm a huge fan of Cable and I've been looking forward to this release for months.  Don't get me wrong, I do like it...but I don't love it.  The vest takes so much potential away from this figure.  It reduces the amount of poses that the figure can do.  It's far too bulky and restricts a large amount of movement that could be possible.  Also, I really wish they had a better job with Cable's eyes.  There just isn't enough detail in the eyes for my liking.  

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Still, I would recommend this figure to fans of Cable and X-Force. Despite the criticisms it really does look pretty awesome. Obviously you aren't going to get the detail that higher end action figures have, though I really wish that they had put in a little more effort in the painting of Cable's eye and in doing some testing with Cable's arms.  Really these two issues are the only negatives of this figure.

 

 

Mario goes mobile: Nintendo is making games for smartphones and tablets

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In a surprise move, Nintendo plans to put games on mobile devices in a tie-up with Japanese mobile gaming giant DeNA.

The alliance, which involves the two companies holding stakes in each other, will focus on building apps for smart devices and setting up a worldwide membership service to launch this fall, the companies said Tuesday at a hastily arranged press conference in Tokyo.

Nintendo was keen to emphasize it is not abandoning consoles, with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirming that his company is working on a new dedicated console code-named NX, with details to come next year.

The new apps for the partnership will include iconic Nintendo characters but will not involve porting games developed for the Nintendo Wii U or 3Ds systems. Only new games will be created, the companies said.

However, all Nintendo intellectual property like its games and characters could be used in new game development by the alliance, which has yet to announce a game lineup and availability. The global online membership service will be open to mobile devices, as well as Nintendo consoles and PC platforms.

Iwata said he hopes the service will reach hundreds of millions of users. In one slideshow illustration shown by the companies, the new membership service was shown surrounded by and linked to tablets, smartphones, PCs, the 3DS, the Wii U and the NX device.

The move represents a path forward for Nintendo, which has struggled to find a way to embrace the lucrative mobile gaming market while preserving its heritage and presence in video game consoles, which it has produced for decades.

"We do not share this pessimistic view of the future for dedicated video game systems," Iwata said in reference to negativity related to the future of consoles. "We are challenging ourselves to redefine what 'Nintendo platform' means."

After years of hearing Nintendo express hesitation about mobile games, industry observers reacted with shock to the news.

"This is basically a bombshell, especially given that Nintendo hasn't been really fond of the smartphone gaming market," said Serkan Toto, a video game consultant based in Tokyo. "Nintendo is planning to go beyond consoles, which they have never done. They never even did anything on the PC before. So they just shook up the entire game world."

DeNA, which has built a large e-commerce, online auction and mobile gaming empire in Japan, has seen its profitability take hits in recent years, just as Nintendo seemed lost amid the mobile game surge, Toto said. The alliance of the struggling partners will make Nintendo the biggest shareholder in DeNA after Tomoko Namba, who founded the company in 1999.

"Mobile gaming is a hit-driven business, and we believe our alliance with Nintendo will significantly increase the possibility of creating hit titles with Nintendo's beloved IP," DeNA spokesman Tomoyuki Akiyama said via email when asked about the company's profit slide

For this and more go to pcworld.com

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Screen shot posted on reddit.com

Star Clipper Returns With Downtown Location

From riverfronttimes.com

"Oh my God, it looks just like Star Clipper!"

Ben Trujillo was visiting 1319 Washington Avenue, where two long-time friends wanted to open a new comics shop, when he first noticed the similarity to his own store.

Trujillo and his wife, A.J., had just decided to close their venerated Delmar Loop comics shop Star Clipper, ending its nearly three-decade reign after years of struggling to recuperate revenue lost after the economic collapse of 2008.

See also: Why Star Clipper's Owners Shuttered Their Beloved St. Louis Comic Book Shop

Hoping to fill the void left by Star Clipper's closure, Steve Unverferth and Tony Favello, co-owners of Fantasy Books, Inc., purchased the store's fixtures for their Wash. Ave. store and even hired four of the Trujillos' former employees. Unverferth and Favello didn't have a name for their shop yet, but it was easy for Trujillo to see how this new store -- a long, narrow space with hardwood floors that had formerly housed an art gallery and a dojo -- could channel the spirit of its popular predecessor.

"I was like, 'Wow, this really does look like Star Clipper,'" Trujillo remembers.

Until then, Trujillo hadn't seriously considered selling Star Clipper's name or branding along with its bookshelves and inventory.

"Our feeling was that we wanted to take it with us," Trujillo says. "We had built it up into what it was, and we didn't feel like there was anyone who could really pick up the reins."

But as any comic fan knows, the hero never really dies. As the Washington Avenue store took shape and as St. Louisans floundered over the loss of their favorite comic-book store, the Trujillos agreed on February 21 to keep Star Clipper alive by selling to Unverferth and Favello.

"We decided that St. Louis needed to have Star Clipper, and these are the guys who could do it," Trujillo says. "When you see the space, you'll understand. They're going to put their own spin on it, but I think they understand what made Star Clipper special, and they're committed to keeping it that way."

The resurrected Star Clipper Comics, Games and Collectibles, now owned by Fantasy Books Inc., will open in early April at 1319 Washington Avenue, with a grand opening scheduled for a couple of weeks later. That gives the store plenty of time to prepare for May 2, which is Free Comic Book Day.

Unverferth hopes that by reviving the Star Clipper name he's also resurrecting its role among comic fans and pop-culture enthusiasts as a hub for creativity and community, supported by a knowledgeable and welcoming staff.

"We want to keep that going," Unverferth says. The store will continue the artists signings, Comics University series and other special events it's known for, and even has two rooms where customers can play multiplayer games, such as Magic: The Gathering or Settlers of Catan, without interruption.

"We are providing a safe environment for people to do the things they love to do," Unverferth says.

Unverferth and co-owner Favello have been in the comics game since 2004, when they bought Fantasy Books Belleville, a store Unverferth had worked in part-time since 1996. The business partners bought two more comics and gaming stores in the Metro East: Fantasy Books and Games in Fairview Heights and Heroic Adventures in Edwardsville, before deciding to bring their comics empire across the river, locating on Washington Avenue across the street from a lighted parking lot on a block surrounded by trendy restaurants, a dog park and the incomparable City Museum.

"We are the little brother nobody talks about," says Unverferth. "Star Clipper, everybody talks about. We try to do the same thing over on the Illinois side. So we decided we just had to buy big brother."

So if Star Clipper is coming back, why did it have to die in the first place?

Star Clipper has been dropping a few hints at its superhero-style rebirth online:

Post by Star Clipper.

Trujillo admits the timing of Star Clipper's rebirth may seem cliche to comic book fans wary of Superman-style resurrection tropes, a marketing ploy to drive readership to the superhero's "last" issue. Indeed, in a January 21 cover story, the Riverfront Times wrote that for Star Clipper, "there is no miraculous regeneration in the near future, no alternate dimension from whence the shop will emerge stronger than ever just in time to celebrate another Free Comic Book Day."

Turns out, there is an alternate dimension for Star Clipper to emerge victorious for Free Comic Book Day, and that dimension is Washington Avenue.

"We never meant to fool anyone," says Trujillio, adding that he decided a month after thatRFT feature story to sell the name. "It was a very natural evolutionary progress."

Unverferth adds: "Our feeling was, it still could be very meaningful to bring it back."

Meaningful, indeed -- especially to the Star Clipper supporters who crowded the store in its "final" two months to mourn their loss. Trujillo said the outpouring of grief from customers took him totally by surprise.

"I expected there to be some outpouring, but the degree and level and volume, they really exceeded any expectations I had," Trujillo says. "I know all the metrics about the store. I know all the regular customers we have, I know how many people are in our database and how many people shop with us multiple times a year. But how attached such a huge proportion of those people were to the store was a surprise. You can run the numbers, but their emotional attachment to the store was more difficult to judge."

Before the deal to sell Star Clipper was inked, Unverferth says he and co-owner Favello were having a hard time picking a name for their store.

"We had a whole long list of names," Unverferth says, listing St. Louis Comics and Washington Avenue Comics as two potential options. "Nothing was exciting. Nothing was really fitting in."

For awhile, Unverferth considered calling the store Arch Nemesis, a name Trujillo disliked.

"One of the things that Star Clipper was and being in a location like where you're going to be on Washington Avenue, you have to be open to the casual person just waiting down the street," Trujillo says. "And if you're called Arch Nemesis, they're not going to know. I mean, Star Clipper? They're not going to know either. They might think it's a hair salon. But Arch Nemesis, I think, comes across as too weird and nerdy."

In true superhero fashion, Unverferth says, Trujillo sold them the name Star Clipper in the nick of time. "He was saving us," Unverferth says.

Again, for this and more go to riverfronttimes.com