Summit Entertainment has just released a new promotional poster for the upcoming adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi novel, featuring Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggan and Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff.

“In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.”

The movie stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Moises Arias, Khylin Rhambo, Viola Davis, and Nonso Anozie.

Ender’s Game hits theaters on November 1st, 2013.

So Microsoft have put their cards on the table but is it a full house or a basic bluff?

Microsoft’s reveal of the Xbox One was nothing spectacular, there was no big lights, no fireworks, no dubstep and no fancy curtain with a wizard behind it. In fact it was more like a tech reveal than I care to think about, much like the way Apple would reveal a new IPhone or Panasonic a new TV.

They focused on what they thought this box should be and that’s the hub of your home. It was a show of how this somewhat large box could change your living room.
Much of the focus was on TV and its importance in our home, some would say too much emphasis was put on the TV portion but let’s face it Microsoft are trying to appeal to the mass market and not the core gamer. Yes that core gamer has made them lots of money in the past but are you telling me we don’t already use our consoles as entertainment hubs?
Microsoft see potential in the everyday Joe who might pick up the odd game but isn’t focused on buying all the new titles and from a business perspective this is a smart move.

They revealed the console itself early on, showing us this robust VCR looking machine, one that looks much larger than the current Xbox. It has multiple airflow vents for that all important cooling and to be honest it’s going to need it.
With an 8 core CPU
8GB RAM
64 bit operating system
USB 3.0
500GB HD
HDMI output
Hi-Speed WIFI
Blu Ray Drive

Plus three operating systems which are combined to give seamless switching between apps, gaming and TV.
So with all this going on we will need a cool machine, this usually equates to lots of noise but we will just have to wait and see about that.

The Xbox One will come bundled with an all new Kinect. This new Kinect system is not just for gaming and exercising, no with a 1080p camera and new technology it can trace the way we move, the simple move of a shoulder or a muscle. It has improved voice commands to recognise your voice and choose your profile, it will obey voice commands to change channel, app or game.
It will allow you to virtually grab the screen and move it, reposition or open two channels at once which Microsoft are calling Snap Mode.

Snap mode is an interesting feature which essentially allows you to do two things at once, for instance watching the all-important football game whilst calling your cousin in another country who is watching the same game. Bringing people together in ways that weren’t  possible just a few years ago.
It opens up avenues to search the web whilst watching a movie or looking up a YouTube guide whilst stuck on a game.

The new controller looks the same as the old controller with slightly better looking analogue sticks and a smoother back. I think both companies have dropped the ball in not adding paddle buttons to the back but that’s just my own preference.

Microsoft told us about their partnership with Steven Spielberg in creating a live action Halo TV show which is an exciting prospect both for the director and Microsoft themselves.
They shared their relationship with ESPN to shape the future of sport and the way it is broadcast and they told us about the ways they hope to change TV viewing by making the Xbox One the only box in the house controlling all your entertainment needs.

When it comes to gaming we were introduced to Microsoft’s new Cloud technology with over 300,000 servers running Xbox Live and helping developers create living worlds within games.
Allowing hundreds of players online and playing with each other at the same time.

There were only a few games shown but considering E3 is just around the corner I am not surprised.
FIFA 14
UFC
NBA
NFL

Were all shown as pre rendered scenes, the movements look hyper realistic and smooth but the graphics did strike as looking a little cartoony. There is definite potential for making sports gaming a smoother and better experience for the sports fan.

Forza Motorsport 5 was another pre rendered cutscene that looked prettier than ever, something about those sleek high performance cars with their shiny paint jobs and moving parts, does well to show off those types of games in tech demos to better represent shadow and reflection detail.

Alan Wake Developer Remedy revealed Exclusive game Quantum Break which seamlessly merges game with TV drama, it was a short and confusing reveal with little to no explanation but does look good.

And Call of Duty: Ghosts was given the biggest gaming reveal. Activison told how a whole new engine was created, they compared MW3 and Ghosts showing the vast differences in rendering techniques and revealed changeable environments for multiplayer maps.
Out of all the game reveals this one was the most comprehensive. Activision will be keeping their deal with Microsoft to release DLC exclusively to Xbox One first.

The reveal was slightly underwhelming with more a focus on all round entertainment than gaming. I understand what Microsoft are trying to do and really do hope it works but it is too early to tell who is racing ahead in the official start of the console wars. E3 will give us a better indication where they will tell us all about the 15 exclusive titles, release date and price, hopefully.
All we know is Xbox One is a powerful machine with future potential and a silly name.

*Since the event we have learned that Xbox One will not require always online but will require an online connection. In other words if your internet goes down you can still play games but you will need to be connected from time to time.

Kinect is required to use the Xbox One and hence why it will be bundled with the console

Games will be installed to hard drive and be locked to your account, it looks like there will be a price to pay used games as they are not ruling them out.

Your gamertag, achievements and Xbox live account will migrate with you.

The Xbox One will have background downloads, which we would expect with 3 operating systems.

And Sony’s stocks jumped up massively after the reveal showing that a lot of people have more faith in Sony at this point in time.

Microsoft have unveiled Xbox One, an all-in-one gaming and entertainment system.

The company said the machine would revolutionise its users’ lifestyles by integrating the cloud, voice control and gesture technology into a simple, intuitive machine.

It will go on sale at the end of the year and replaces the outgoing Xbox 360.

“Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Don Mattrick, president, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Our unique, modern architecture brings simplicity to the living room and, for the first time ever, the ability to instantly switch across your games and entertainment.”

Introducing Xbox One

With Xbox One, games push the boundaries of realism, and TV obeys your commands.[1] Say “Xbox On” to launch your personalized Xbox One Home screen, discover what is popular on TV or see friends’ latest gaming achievements all using the most natural interface — your voice. The more you interact with Xbox One, the more it gets to know you and learns what you like. Some of the breakthrough Xbox One features that put you at the center of your living room entertainment include the following:

• TV on Xbox One.[1] Navigate and watch live TV from your cable, telco or satellite set-top box through your Xbox One. Microsoft is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available.[3]

• Home. Turn on your entertainment system with two powerful words, “Xbox On,” and a custom-tailored Home dashboard welcomes you with your favorite games, TV and entertainment.

• Snap. Do two things at once on the biggest screen in your home. Use Snap to jump into a multiplayer battle while watching your favorite movie, talk with friends on Skype while watching live TV, or track your fantasy team on TV as you watch the big game and more.

• Skype for Xbox One. Specially designed for Xbox One, talk with friends on your TV in stunning HD, or for the first time ever, hold group Skype calls on your TV.

• Trending.[1] Stay on top of what is hot on TV by discovering the entertainment that is popular among your friends, and see what is trending within the Xbox community.

• OneGuide.[1], [2] Find your favorite entertainment easily, searching by network, name or time, all with the sound of your voice and presented in a tailored program guide.

To create the most advanced Xbox system ever designed for games, TV and entertainment, Microsoft created a state-of-the-art gaming operating system and fused it with an equally amazing entertainment platform, so you will not have to switch inputs to watch TV or play a game. An eight-core, x86 processor and more than 5 billion transistors helps make lag and load times a thing of the past, so you can instantly jump between a game and your entertainment at lightning speed or run a host of apps right alongside your game with no loss in performance.Introducing Xbox One titles and exclusives

Gaming on Xbox One immerses gamers in cinematic worlds that look like real life, with characters that feel more human than ever before. AAA blockbuster titles unveiled for Xbox One include the following:

• “Forza Motorsport 5” from Turn 10 Studios is the latest edition of the highest-rated racing franchise of the past 10 years.[3] Built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox One and the infinite power of the cloud, no game better delivers the sensation of being behind the wheel. “Forza Motorsport 5” sets a new bar for racing games and will be available exclusively for Xbox One at launch.

• “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is the next generation of “Call of Duty” and a stunning leap forward for the franchise. It delivers an all-new world, an all-new cast of characters and an all-new story, built on a new, next-generation engine. The next-generation technical innovations built to support the incredible gameplay advancements make this the most beautiful and immersive “Call of Duty” experience yet. Activision and Microsoft also announced the renewal of their close partnership that will see both the return of the “Call of Duty® Championship,” presented by Xbox, as well as all-new downloadable content debuting first and exclusively on the Xbox platform.

• “FIFA 14,” “Madden NFL 25,” “NBA LIVE 14,” and “EA SPORTS UFC” from EA SPORTS will change the way consumers experience and play sports games. Driven by the new EA SPORTS Ignite engine, these new EA SPORTS games will deliver massive innovations in human intelligence, true player motion and living worlds. Adding to its commitment to Xbox One, EA SPORTS also announced the promise of exclusive content to be revealed in the coming months.

• “Quantum Break” from Remedy Entertainment is a revolutionary entertainment experience from the creators of “Max Payne” and “Alan Wake” that blurs the line between gaming and TV by integrating drama and gameplay into one seamless, uniquely immersive experience. How you play the game impacts the show, and the show informs how you play the game.

In addition to the amazing lineup of games coming to Xbox One, Microsoft unveiled exclusive content partnerships with some of the top names in TV, sports and entertainment.

• “Halo” television series. Award-winning filmmaker, director and producer, Steven Spielberg will executive-produce an original “Halo” live-action television series with exclusive interactive Xbox One content, created in partnership with 343 Industries and Xbox Entertainment Studios.

• National Football League (NFL).[1] A multiyear, landmark partnership will deliver the ultimate interactive NFL television experiences for the next-generation Xbox One and leverage Microsoft devices and services to evolve both in-game and on the sideline. The NFL on Xbox will redefine broadcast experiences through innovations around Skype, Xbox SmartGlass and player-worn technology; add an all-new fantasy football solution for the biggest screen in the house; and create a personalized NFL destination only available on Xbox One.

Introducing a new generation of Xbox Live

Xbox One is built to amplify an all-new generation of Xbox Live that is more powerful, more personal and more intelligent. Unleashing the virtually unlimited power of the cloud makes everything more convenient and accessible, from allowing games to be installed in segments so that gameplay can start quickly to updates downloading in the background. Save and store your personalized profile, games and entertainment in the cloud to access them anytime, from any Xbox One console.[4] In addition, existing Xbox Live Gold Membership for Xbox 360 will seamlessly carry over to Xbox One.[5] Xbox Live takes you deeper into the games you love with all-new features.

• Smart Match. A new Smart Match matchmaking system virtually eliminates waiting in lobbies by estimating wait times and finding people you want to play with while you are enjoying other activities — reputation fundamentally matters and helps find best matches.

• Game DVR. A dedicated Game DVR captures and accesses your magic moments, all saved to the cloud. Along with sharing tools, you will have the most amazing bragging rights with Xbox Live.

• Living Games.[6] Dynamic, living worlds evolve and improve the more you play, and advanced artificial intelligence can learn to play like you, so friends can play against your shadow.

• Expanded achievements. A new and expanded achievements system captures video of your epic moments, continues to grow a game’s achievements over time and rewards you in new ways, and your Gamerscore carries over from Xbox 360.

• Xbox SmartGlass.[6] Xbox SmartGlass is natively part of the Xbox One platform, built in from the beginning with the ability to quickly render content directly onto your device, and now more devices can connect at one time for multiplayer and shared entertainment.

Introducing the Xbox One look and feel

New Xbox One hardware is sleek and modern and complements any décor. The console is shaped in the 16:9 aspect ratio and employs a horizontal orientation optimized for its high-speed Blu-ray™ disc player. It is molded in a deep and rich liquid black color and includes a distinctive beveled edge.

The completely redesigned, revolutionary 1080p Kinect is more precise, more responsive and more intuitive. Its unparalleled vision, motion and voice technology let you reach into games and entertainment like never before by dramatically expanding its field of view and fidelity. It works in nearly any lighting condition, recognizes precise motion control from a slight wrist rotation, and distinguishes your voice even in a noisy room using advanced noise isolation.

The class-leading Xbox controller is refreshed with more than 40 technical and design innovations. Updated directional pad, thumb stick and ergonomic fit immerse all gamers in ways that are uniquely Xbox, and precision and control have been dramatically increased with all new vibrating impulse triggers.[6] The Xbox One Wireless Controller is designed to work in concert with the new Kinect, allowing the two to be paired automatically to create seamless player syncing.

Xbox One will launch in markets around the world later this year. Visit the new Xbox Wire blog at http://news.xbox.com for in-depth features on the new system, including photos and videos from the unveiling event and new and rotating content from Xbox. More details about Xbox One and blockbuster games will be explored at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.

Brace yourself… The end of Season 3 of Game of Thrones is coming. It’s going to be a long, cold winter going through GoT withdrawal. However, it’s the perfect opportunity to read (or re-read) George R.R. Martin’s series or comb through the ol’ Wiki of Ice and Fire to brush up on your history of Westeros with plenty of time to spare before Season 4 gets underway.

For those who are more visual learners, a recently-released infographic details The History of Robert’s Rebellion, chronicling the events which lead up to the glorious bloodshed, bastardry, and backstabbing that laid the ground for Season 1 of HBO’s acclaimed sword n’ sorcery series.

A great starting point for those new to the show or those who hope to gain a deeper understanding of the epic mythology and history behind the series, the infographic lends insight into the (often gruesome) intertwined history of the Stark and Baratheon families, who were once allied as Robert Baratheon made his push to claim the Iron Throne.

A gander at the infographic allows readers to better grasp the bitterness behind Cersei Lannister-Baratheon’s grudge against the Stark clan, potentially due to her resentment of her husband Robert’s love for Eddard “Ned” Stark’s sister, Lyanna. Robert never quite let go of his love for dear, dead Lyanna Stark and no woman — queen of the realm or not — likes to feel as if she’s a consolation prize.

Other family histories of those currently playing an integral role in the Game of Thrones saga also crop up in the colorful infographic, as well. Readers can learn how Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons, ended up as the last of her house and just why she and her brother were sent into exile. Fans can also glean information on how Ser Jaime Lannister got his “Kingslayer” epithet; just how cunning Lannister patriarch Tywin can be; and how ruthless Ser Gregor Clegane — The Hound — is when given his orders during wartime… Or demonstrate why The Hound may harbor some shred of guilt for his past deeds where it concerns children.

As the third season of Game of Thrones is winding down to its close, so is a giveaway contest from satellite television providers, Connect Your Home. Three lucky Game of Thrones fans can win one of three copies of Game of Thrones Season 2 on Blu-ray. The contest ends May 24th, so get your entries in right away.

Avengers Assemble official trailer hits and we love it… this has to be movie canon, right?

Watch and let us know your thoughts…

Press release:

The Biggest Heroes. The Biggest Threats. The Biggest Stakes!

It’s the most anticipated new animated series to launch this year and this July, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble reunites Marvel’s most iconic Super Heroes – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow & Falcon! Featuring the team that took the world by storm in Marvel’s The Avengers, no fan can miss the action-packed adventures of Earth’s Mightiest as they must protect the Marvel Universe from the biggest threats they’ve ever seen – all while working together as a team! The world’s most dangerous Super Villains don’t stand a chance when the Avengers Assemble!

Don’t miss the miss the premiere episode of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble SUNDAY, JULY 7 with a special one-hour preview on SUNDAY, MAY 26 (both at 11:00 a.m., ET/PT) inside the Marvel Universe programming block on Disney XD.

The founders of the survivalist colony Safe Haven are sure that the end of civilization is at hand. Economic collapse, natural disaster, civil war — they’re prepared for it all in their underground compound deep in the woods of America ‘s northeast. But, in SHELTERED, the new series from Image Comics by Ed Brisson (COMEBACK) and Johnnie Christmas, the threat to their existence comes from a source they never expected: their own children.

Coming in July, SHELTERED follows the consequences after Safe Haven’s younger generation, raised in paranoia and isolation, rebel against their parents and take over the compound. Two leaders emerge from the rebellion: the teenagers Lucas, who led the revolt,  and Victoria, who leads another group of kids in their escape. With Victoria set to expose Safe Haven, Lucas and his faction are determined to hunt her and her group down before they reach the nearest town, forty miles away through dangerous wilderness.

The idea for SHELTERED grew out of Brisson’s interest in end-of-world scenarios. “Initially, I was researching preppers — people who are actively preparing for natural disasters, nuclear war, societal breakdown — to get and idea of how people would be able to survive any of the above,” said the writer. “My initial idea was to do a post-apocalyptic story. Through my research, I started to get obsessed with the culture — from the outside! I don’t own a bunker! — and how it would affect children raised in that sort of environment.”

With the art, Christmas strives to capture the isolation of the setting and the individuality of each character. “We’re going to be facing down the apocalypse with these people, it’s important to really get a sense of who they are and what they’re capable of,” he said. “These kids aren’t even out of high school, but they are probably the most prepared folks on earth, when it comes to riding out the end of the world.”

SHELTERED is a full-color comic book, with a five-issue first arc. Its first issue can be pre-ordered now (Diamond code MAY130408) and will be in stores on July 10, 2013.

Check it out kiddos, there’s some pretty good stuff coming tomorrow so get your lists ready. Dark Horse is offering not one, but two Star Wars books this week along with Mind MGMT #11. Wrath Of The First lantern wraps up with Green Lantern #20. The Uncanny X-Men face Dormmamu in issue #6 and Image wants to introduce to the slacker superhero in Bounce #1.

DARK HORSE COMICS

DC COMICS

IDW PUBLISHING

IMAGE COMICS

MARVEL COMICS

MISC. COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

Written by Nathan Edmonson

Drawn by Konstantin Novosadov

Published by Image Comics

Another week of comics and another new #1 from Image Comics. This time it’s the double-sized first issue of Dream Merchant written by Nathan Edmonson and drawn by Konstantin Novosadov. I hadn’t heard a lot about this new series before reading the first issue so I was going into it unaware of a premise.

After reading the issue I can best sum it up as the story of a guy who, from his childhood, has had very vivid dreams of a place he has no previous knowledge of. Every night he dreams of the same place and as he gets older the same dream becomes even more intense and harder to wake up from to the point where he is institutionalized in an asylum to help him.

It’s from here that things really get interesting. He is attacked by spectres best described as looking like dementors from the Harry Potter franchise and is forced to escape and go on the run with an assistant from the asylum. They are saved from their pursuers by an old shaman-type character claiming to be the titular character of the book, the Dream Merchant.

I couldn’t help but feel like this first issue was way too long. While I enjoyed the story as a whole I still felt it was padded and could have been condensed down into a much tighter issue overall. I had no previous exposure to either the writer or artist and while I enjoyed the characterization and dialogue, it was the art of Konstantin Novosadov that really impressed me.

His direction and figure work are top notch with a style reminiscent of Matt Kindt or Jeff Lemire. The colors used for the book are exceptional. A subtle palette reigns throughout and the blending of reality and the dream-world with more vivid and striking colors gives the book a rather unique flavor and saved it from being extremely mediocre.

There’s a lot to like about this book and while I had some nit picking I am still intrigued enough by mysteries introduced to read the rest of the mini-series. I hope Edmonson ascends to the level of his artistic collaborator and make this mini one to be talked about for years to come.

3 out of 5 nerds

This June, jump on the road to the biggest comic book event of the summer with Avengers #14 – a prelude to Infinity! From the blockbuster creative team of writers Jonathan Hickman & Nick Spencer and artist Stefano Caselli! With the Builders light years away, all of the Origin Sites across the globe activate sending their signal across the Marvel Universe! But what do they mean? And with A.I.M.’s S7 program about to kickoff – can the Avengers tackle both threats before it’s too late?

FULLY REMASTERED WITH RESTORED ART, ALL-NEW DIALOG AND TWO BRAND-NEW SHORT STORIES!

An infernal dimension of screaming torment – ruling over this domain is queen of carnage Razorjack! All that stands in her path is a pair of rogue cops, whose investigation into a series of horrific serial murders uncovers Razorjack’s existence – and risks the end of Humanity!

This is the ultimate edition of RAZORJACK: restored, remastered and reworked for a whole new audience! Razorjack hits stores on September 18, 2013.  The collection will also be available to read day and date on the iPad, iPhone, Web, Android and Kindle Fire, exclusively through the comiXology app and comiXology.com

Check out the teaser trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX_tTA3JJZQ