Arcade Sushi editor-in-chief Luke Brown is an experienced video game journalist who has contributed to Official Xbox Magazine and Games Radar. As ComicsAlliance's senior editor, he spends most of his time dishing on the latest action figures, collectibles, and gaming trends.
Luke Brown
This Deal Gets Better All the Time: Lando Calrissian Comes to Star Wars Battlefront
Stop the presses. The greatest news to ever news has just been newsed. Lando Calrissian is coming to Star Wars Battlefront.
Also Dengar.
But more importantly, Lando "King of the Capes" Calrissian is going to be a playable character in Battlefront. Generations of players have been waiting for this moment since they were born, and now we are on the precipice of a new dawn in third-person Star Wars action. A dawn so handsome, so charismatic and so silky smooth, it's amazing that one single video game can handle bringing the Cloud City Charmer to life.
Disney Interactive Goes ‘Full Thanos’ in Marvel Avengers Alliance 2 [Interview]
Four years ago, Marvel Avengers Alliance hit Facebook gaming with all the force of the Incredible Hulk. Then it just kept going. Since launching in 2012, Avengers Alliance has recruited more then 70 million would-be heroes (and villains) to its cause. That's a lot of ISO-8 being thrown around all willy-nilly. In that time, the game has been telling its own story in its own corner of the Marvel Universe, while also expanding into comic book storylines like Fear Itself and films like Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This week, Marvel Avengers Alliance 2 comes out of beta testing to bring a whole new era of Avengers action to mobile devices. While the original game did come to mobile, it wasn't truly its own unique game. Developed exclusively for phones and tablets this time around, Marvel Avengers Alliance 2 features a whole host of changes courtesy of Disney Interactive. Ahead of its official release, ComicsAlliance spoke with creative director Scott Rudi and senior producer Justin Woods about what to expect from Marvel Avengers Alliance 2, what sets it apart from its predecessor, and going "full Thanos."
Mighty Jaxx XXRay Figures Show the Inner Strength of DC Super Heroes
There are a lot of different versions of DC Comics' characters out there in collectible form. From action figures to vinyl figures, from Hot Wheels to chess pieces, it's hard to find ways to stand out from the crowd. This is particularly troublesome for the Trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The tree pillars of the DC Comics Universe have had numerous entries in the toy catalog, and without delving into Radioactive Isotope with Night Vision Armor, there isn't much new that can be done that hasn't been done before. That's what makes these new XXRay vinyl figures from Mighty Jaxx interesting.
Based on designs from Jason Freeny, whose spent a great deal of time creating the skeletal and internal organ features of numerous pop culture figures. This time he's teamed with Mighty Jaxx to bring the bisected DC Heroes to life in strange, fascinating fashion. I mean, who hasn't always wanted to see what Superman's skeleton would look like, caricaturized as it may be?
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Gameplay Trailer is Filled With Star Wars, New Mechanics
If you were concerned another Lego game coming so soon on the heels of Lego Dimensions, Lego Marvel's Avengers and Lego Jurassic World might mean Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens would stick too close to the familiar formula, this new gameplay trailer offers a bit of hope. Since the first entry arrived more than a decade ago, the Lego series hasn't changed all that much. The core foundation has been in dire need of a shake-up, and that's particularly true in a time when four Lego games will have shipped in a calendar year. Though there have been small adjustments and additions made over the course of the last 10 years, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens appears to be making some significant improvements to the tried and true formula.
Marvel Comic Book Releases for June 2016 [Solicitations]
Courtesy of Marvel, ComicsAlliance brings you an advance look at new periodical comic books, collected editions and graphic novels going on sale in April 2016 (and in some cases beyond) from the publisher’s mainline Marvel Universe titles, its licensed properties, and the creator-owned label Icon.
Wonder Woman Arrives to Keep Hot Toys’ World of Toy Men in Check
Finally.
I know the movie is called Batman V Superman, but they've both had their cinematic adventures before and the subsequent action figure lines that come with the territory. Both Batman and Superman have had numerous Hot Toys figures too, so for me, it's been all about waiting for that Wonder Woman reveal. The Hong Kong company has done well to keep Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman figure a secret, but now that the first preview screenings have started, it seemed like the perfect time to finally loose the Amazon warrior into the wild.
There's not a lot to dislike about this Wonder Woman, but even in releasing the first set of official images for the figure, Hot Toys has managed to not give us a completely clear look at the whole piece. Not counting the accessories montage image, there are just nine images of Wonder Woman available, with six focused completely on the head sculpt. It's not a tactic we're used to seeing, as Hot Toys usually throws more than a dozen different prototype images together for reveals like this which show off more costume and articulation details. The lack of posing in these images has me a little worried.
Learning My Way Around the Octagon and Punching My Way to the Top in EA UFC 2
As the fight enters into the championship rounds, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald look like they've already been through hell. Their faces each carrying massive battle scars in the making, their bodies weakening by the second due to the high volume of punishment taken. Neither combatant looks like he can take much more, but both will gut it out for the gold and reverie awaiting at the conclusion of this historic and memorable night. The respective teams leave the Octagon and the referee summons both fighters to the center of the cage. The normally excited Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are tentatively speaking about the carnage that's about to ensue.
The Batmobile is the Perfect Vehicle for Rocket League’s Futuristic Car Soccer Action
In all my life, I never thought there would come a time when the Batmobile would be able to face off against Doc Brown's time-traveling DeLorean in a fevered game of turbo-boosted car soccer. But here I am typing out that very sentence, knowing full well that on March 8, that very thing will be possible when Rocket League adds the new Batmobile from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to its roster.
Now if you're not familiar with Rocket League, at its core it's game in which teams of three cars play indoor soccer. It's fast, frantic, and one of the most joyous video games to release in the last few years. Anyone can pick up an play, which is great, but there's also a tremendous amount of depth and strategy when it comes to high level play. Seriously, go watch a few highlight videos. Now imagine all of that, but with the Batmobile. That sound like something you might be interested in?
Toy Fair 2016: The Mattel Multiverse Adds Supergirl, Doomsday and More
After ditching the DC Universe Classics line and moving to 3.75" figures with the initial launch of DC Multiverse, it was a bit of a surprise to see Mattel would once again enter the 6" arena with the Multiverse collection. It made sense of course, given that DC Comics and Warner Bros. were releasing a new tentpole movie featuring all three of the comic company's iconic heroes, and (hopefully) kickstarting a cinematic universe. But the Multiverse line is much more than just Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and as recent releases like Arrow's Green Arrow and The Flash's Flash have shown, Mattel has larger goals in mind for the figure line.
That DC TV love will continue into the next wave, which will introduce CBS' Supergirl into the mix. It's good to see that a third party licensor sees the value of Supergirl toys, even as DC itself has struggled to find a way to make Kara Zor-el relevant in print and within its own collectibles. Green Arrow and Flash had to wait a season or two until they got their shot a figures, but Supergirl's jumping right out of the gate with her first attempt. That said, based on how infrequently the Multiverse line has shipped so far, it's unlikely we'll see this Supergirl figure until the fall. We've still got the second half of the Dawn of Justice wave and the TV/comics mix to come, plus those Suicide Squad figures.
The Teen Titans Arrive to Tackle the Justice League in the DC Animated Cinematic Universe
Every year, Warner Bros and DC release two animated features that take place in their new home video DC canon, continually building on the groundwork laid by previous entries, and it's these continually expanding animated universe films that have been the driving force behind DC Comics' home video expansion. This April, the Teen Titans will emerge in this universe for the first time in Justice League vs Teen Titans.
The film centers around Damian Wayne being sent to learn teamwork from the Teen Titans after he nearly botches a Justice League mission. Of course, he just happens to arrive as the Leaguers find themselves at the mercy of Trigon, Raven's demonic father. As you can guess, Trigon's back to attempt to take over the world once more, and it will be up to the Teen Titans to rally and save the day from the hordes of hellspawn and brainwashed heroes.
EA Cancels Plans for Next NCAA Football Game
EA is currently re-evaluating the future of its NCAA Football franchise, but the publisher has already scuttled plans for a new entry for 2014.