Games

Extra has, at least from our perspective, given us another set of intriguing titles.

The first look at Doctor Doom during CinemaCon showed him as a truly massive threat. One scene depicted him effortlessly stopping Thor’s Stormbreaker with just two fingers, proving he’s far more powerful than even the God of Thunder. However, everything points to Doom not being the biggest problem in the movie. Like the comics, he actually believes he’s a hero trying to rescue what’s left of the multiverse.

Nearly ten years after the original game came out, one of the greatest games in the genre appeared in arcades worldwide. Released on April 19, 1996, SNK’s Metal Slug quickly gained popularity due to its precise controls, difficult levels, and appealing graphics. Even thirty years later, Metal Slug stands out as a prime example of how arcade games could perfect a genre, and it remains one of my personal favorites.

I’m excited about the direction of the new DC Universe, but it was hard to see elements of the previous DC Extended Universe disappear, particularly losing talented actors like Jason Momoa. He truly made Aquaman a popular and compelling character. Fortunately, the DCU is keeping Momoa on board by recasting him as Lobo! While we won’t see him as both Aquaman and Lobo at the same time, this is the next best thing, and it’s great that the comics allow for such transitions.

This summer, TV Tokyo will release a live-action series based on the works of horror manga artist Junji Ito, titled Strange – Junji Ito’s Sleepless Weird Stories. The show premieres on July 3rd and previews suggest it will feature adaptations of thirteen of Ito’s most popular stories, including “Lovesickness,” “The Mansion of Phantom Pain,” “The Rib Woman,” “The Bully,” “Face Thief,” “A Father’s Love,” “Memory,” “In Old Records,” “Penpal,” “Further Tales of Oshikiri,” “Earthbound,” and “Tomio: Red Turtleneck.” While a North American release hasn’t been confirmed yet, given Ito’s widespread popularity in the West, it’s likely the series will become available here soon. More information can be found on TV Tokyo’s website.

The second season of Beef premiered on April 16th to positive reviews, though some viewers are surprised by its new direction. Unlike the first season, which followed a single, escalating conflict, Season 2 tells a completely different story – something the creator, Lee Sung Jin, had planned from the start. This season focuses on Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), who work at a country club and get caught up in the messy breakup of their employers, Josh (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay (Carey Mulligan). According to Lee Sung Jin, the first season’s conflict was very direct and intense, while he wanted Season 2 to explore a more subtle, passive-aggressive type of conflict – something more realistic, especially in a work environment.

The anime Rent-a-Girlfriend has faced numerous controversies, and the lead-up to its fifth season was no different. Initially intended as a continuation of the fourth season, a delay turned it into a separate, full fifth season. The most recent episode finally adapted a particularly infamous set of images from the manga, which had been widely discussed and joked about online. An uncensored version of this episode will be released in Japan later this summer.

Although we see many Star Trek sequels and spinoffs today, the idea of expanding the Star Trek universe actually started over 50 years ago. The first real attempt to do this happened in 1968 during the final episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series. Called “Assignment: Earth,” the episode was originally planned as the pilot for a completely new show. However, Gene Roddenberry revised it to fit within the existing Star Trek storyline, featuring Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Roddenberry hoped using the popular Enterprise crew would help launch a new series about 20th-century spies and alien involvement.

Let’s start with the unexpected removal of a game from Steam. Disney recently delisted Star Wars Rebellion, a game originally released in 1998, without any prior notice. Developed by Coolhand Interactive and published by LucasArts, this real-time strategy game was only ever available on PC and hasn’t been significantly updated or re-released in the 28 years since its launch. The likely reason for this, and its removal from sale, is its generally poor reception – it currently has a 50% score on GameRankings.

On April 17th, Pokemon Horizons announced its next big story arc, called Wonder Voyage. The new promotional poster suggests that Ditto, a popular Pokémon from Pokopia, will be a key character. However, fans are particularly excited about a character standing behind Ditto, believing it could hint at the introduction of a long-awaited new Pokémon from Generation 10.