Games

Edgar Wright’s new movie, The Running Man, started streaming on Paramount+ on January 13th, just two months after it came out in theaters. This isn’t the first time King’s 1982 novel has been adapted for the screen – Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a version back in 1987. This new film is set in a bleak, futuristic world and follows Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, a struggling worker who enters the dangerous game show The Running Man to earn money for his daughter’s medical care. The show forces contestants to survive for 30 days while being pursued by skilled killers.

The animated series Velma debuted on HBO Max in 2023, running for two seasons and concluding with a special finale. Mindy Kaling starred as Velma and also served as an executive producer, attracting well-known voice actors like Sam Richardson, Glenn Howerton, and Constance Wu to play Shaggy, Fred, and Daphne. However, the show received significant criticism from fans who felt it didn’t capture the spirit of the original Scooby-Doo. Despite its cancellation in 2024, one character from the franchise never appeared in the series.

In a recent discussion on Bluesky, Sarzyński shared that the epilogue of Phantom Liberty went through significant changes. He explained that an earlier version was much darker and stranger, but as the main story became more focused, it didn’t quite match the overall tone and themes, so they opted for the ending we see now.

In the same email, Ubisoft also mentioned that its studios are enhancing the Snowdrop engine and Ubisoft Connect. They described this work as a new, currently unannounced tech project that’s expected to be key to the future development of both the engine and the platform for distributing games.

Although Goku clearly became more powerful than Vegeta by the end of the battle with Daima, the series still showed Vegeta excelling in areas where Goku doesn’t. These moments demonstrated Vegeta’s intelligence, adaptability, and more human side, proving he’s a brilliant strategist even if he’s not as physically strong as Goku.

To keep excitement high for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios has started a huge marketing push, releasing four different teaser trailers almost a year before the movie comes out. These teasers have already confirmed Chris Evans will return as Captain America, hinted at what’s coming for Thor, and brought back the original X-Men cast. This week’s fourth, and possibly last, teaser focuses on the kingdom of Wakanda, and suggests we’ll see a meeting between Namor and Sue Storm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The classic RPG design of using a separate overworld map is now rarely seen. Today’s role-playing games focus on large, connected open worlds with consistent graphics, leaving the older style behind. This isn’t due to a flaw in the original concept, but simply because tastes and technology have changed. Thankfully, overworld maps haven’t completely vanished, and a few recent games still demonstrate their appeal.

Here is an overview of the game, via Bandai Namco:

Filmmaker Boots Riley, known for his work on projects like Sorry to Bother You and I’m a Virgo, has confirmed he’s developing a Simpsons movie centered around Mr. Burns. The project originated from a live-action play called Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn, which spoofs The Simpsons and focuses entirely on the villainous owner of Springfield’s Nuclear Power Plant. Riley confirmed the adaptation is really happening after a post about the movie appeared on social media.

Okay, so I’m really excited because Wattrel, that super cute electric bird Pokemon from Scarlet & Violet, is finally coming to Pokemon Go! You might recognize it as one of the main characters’ partners in the Pokemon Horizons anime. It’s arriving with a new event called “High Zaptitude,” which starts January 13th at 10 AM and runs until January 18th at 8 PM – local time, of course. And that’s not all! They’re also boosting the shiny odds for Tadbulb, which is awesome, and there’s a Global Challenge where we can all work together to unlock even more rewards. Definitely gonna be busy catching everything!