Micro-Transactions to be Permanently Removed from MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR

MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR

In a major step toward improving the latest Lord of the Rings game, Monolith Productions has announced that it will be removing all micro-transactions from Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. The announcement came just yesterday in a blog post, where the developer addressed a number of long term changes planned for the sequel to Shadow of Mordor.

In this announcement, the developer admitted that the introduction of such elements had proven to be problematic: “Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses.” The removal of these elements was also specifically cited to “fully restore the core promise of the Nemesis System,” as Monolith felt they had detracted from the experience.

Players will be able to spend gold on in-game purchases until the May 8th, and the market as a whole will be completely shut down by July 17th. The in-game currency of Shadow of War, Mirian, will still be present in the game but it will instead be used to buy gem slots or fortress upgrades.

Monolith also made it clear that this would be the first of a number of free updates to Shadow of War. In their outline they also mentioned that the Nemesis System will see an overhaul to account for the removal of loot boxes and that the Shadow Wars segment will undergo changes a number of changes in service to the story. Specifically that it “will be improved with new narrative elements and streamlined for a more cohesive experience.”

Each of these updates directly addresses a number of the most heavily criticised segments of Shadow of War, as much of the game had seemingly been reworked in service of its lootboxes. The inclusion of these elements heavily influenced the final score of our own review, and even the most positive responses cited them as low points for the game.

This move also follows the severe backlash in-game microtransactions and lootbox systems have faced in recent months. Between Shadow of War and Star Wars: Battlefront II, the system was brought into the political spotlight. This has led to heavy scrutiny and multiple attempts my multiple countries to pass legislations or outright bans.

New THE STAND Adaptation to be a Ten-Hour TV Effort

The Stand

It feels as if a new take on Stephen King’s famed The Stand has been in development for years now, largely because, y’know, it has been in development for years. Well now comes an update on this upcoming adaptation.

Previously, The New Mutants’ Josh Boone has been putting together a movie take on this King classic, with the loose plan being to spin the film in to a four-picture franchise. Now though, Tracking Board has word that this latest adaptation of King’s 1978 effort will actually be developed for the small screen. The outlet is reporting that the current plan is for Boone to put together a ten-hour limited series for CBS All Access.

The Stand, of course, was previously given the TV treatment back in 1994. Then, Mick Garris helmed a miniseries that clocked in at just over the six-hour mark in total, with names such as Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Miguel Ferrer, and Ossie Davis starring.

For those not familiar with The Stand, the loose plot centres on a decimated post-apocalyptic world in which a deadly plague has wiped out a huge chunk of the population. Two rival groups form, with the vastly differing views of the leaders of these groups putting both sides on a collision course as good battles evil.

The CW Renews Ten Shows for New Seasons

DC CW

Given how popular and well received they’ve been, it comes as no major surprise to hear that The CW has moved to renew all of their superhero shows for new seasons.

The network has announced renewals for a whole host of their shows, including a seventh season of Arrow, a fifth season of The Flash, and fourth seasons for both Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. In addition to that, newcomer Black Lightning has also been greenlit for a second year.

Elsewhere, The CW has confirmed a fourteenth season for Supernatural, a third season for Riverdale, a fourth season for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a fifth season for Jane the Virgin, and a second season for the rebooted Dynasty.

While all of these aforementioned series have been renewed, there’s still no word on the future of iZombie, The 100, Life Sentence, and Valor.

Marvel’s THE SENTRY Gets Release Date

sentry

Obscure Marvel hero The Sentry is to get a cinematic outing after decades in relative obscurity, STARBURST has learned today. The Sentry is one of Marvel’s more outlandish characters. Billed as having ‘The power of a thousand exploding suns’, this super strong flying powerhouse is unknown outside comics fandom,  but the character was almost as big as Iron Man, with his own movie originally planned for release in 2007.

The Sentry saw actor Brendan Fraser as Bob Reynolds, the young man who would become a yellow and blue powerhouse. The cast included Jennifer Connelly as his wife Lindy Reynolds and Shia LaBeouf as Scout. Plagued with technical issues and various expensive disasters, director Carl Denham washed his hands of the project during production, and the movie was completed by an unknown party.

Following a limited run of screenings to a select group of producers, distributors and press, all signs of the movie vanished. Digital copies of the movie were reportedly distributed, forgotten and then deleted by all involved, leaving a void in the release schedule.  No copies of the original screenplay remain. They are highly sought after as it one of the few screenplays produced by horror novelist Sutter Cane. Only snatches of the original score by composer Erich Zann have been discovered by fans. It was left to the movie Iron Man to introduce the MCU to audiences; we can only wildly speculate what would have happened had this strangely forgotten movie been released first.

STARBURST has been exclusively informed that a copy of the movie resurfaced in an LA warehouse recently, but the news was not released in order to prevent confusion with major Marvel Cinematic Universe movie releases. We understand that the movie will have a limited one day release on April 1st, 2019 at select cinemas in the UK, including the Ghost Lantern Theatre in East Bromwich, The Lighthouse in West Shields, The Ambient in Ambridge, The Tackleford Odeon and the Steeple Bumpleigh Playhouse.

sentry

Original release movie poster recovered by Mike Smith.

Check Out BAD FRIDAY This Easter!

bad friday

We have a special Easter treat for fans of fun classic horror shorts. The Misty Moon Society – who host a whole lot of fantastic events in London with some of our favourite stars of yesteryear – and Robo Films have released two films they made together to view for free on YouTube.

Rather aptly, one is Bad Friday, in which a Good Friday outing goes wrong when a knife-wielding giant rabbit turns up.

Also released is Frankula. Both films star (and were written by) David Barry, who returns to his famous character Frankie Abbott, the former pupil of Fenn Street School in cult TV comedy Please Sir! and feature a whole host of familiar faces. In Frankula, you can catch Emma Dark (STARBURST Fantasy Award-winning director of Salient Minus Ten), Hammer legend Caroline Munro, Judy Matheson (The Flesh and Blood Show), and Fenella Fielding (Carry on Screaming). Bad Friday also stars Vera Day (Hammer veteran and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and Gary Shail (Quadrophenia and Metal Mickey). Both shorts were directed by Jason Read, whose latest short Ripper Tour has just begun its festival run.

What better way to spend a Bank Holiday than having a bit of horror fun with some British legends?

Check out the films below:

Frankula

 

Bad Friday

 

BLACK LAKE Crowdfunding Campaign Starts

Black Lake

A crowdfunding campaign for the new animated short film Black Lake has launched, and you get involved and help a fantastic team make a great film.

Writer/director Martin Stocks, whose award-winning short Toll Booth recently wowed audiences at the STARBURST MediaCity Festival, and producer James Wren (The Man You’re Not) have a distinct vision for the film and have brought in Gabriela Swan as the concept artist to produce some artwork to capture the unique visual look of the world they are creating.

The synopsis for Black Lake is:

A man wakes up in a dark, foggy, beautiful yet hostile world after causing a fatal car crash. He navigates this place, spellbound by its stunning ethereal nature, which includes a lake with small stars floating on its pitch black water. Dread quickly sets in as he realises the malevolent dangers of this half-dead world, lurking beneath the surface. He is forced to confront his darkest fears and make the ultimate sacrifice as he attempts to escape.

Black Lake

To get involved, and score some great perks, including some really unique things such as SEO optimisation or a day’s worth of copywriting for your website, as well as the usual incentives like your name in the credits, head over to Indiegogo, and find out more by following on Facebook and Twitter.

I AM THE DOORWAY Short to Premiere at Sci-Fi-London.

doorway

Stephen King’s ‘Dollar Babies’ scheme has been letting up and coming filmmakers adapt his short stories for the nominal sum of $1 for over 40 years. Frank Darabont did one when he was about 20 and he’s not done badly since. A couple of years ago American screenwriters Jeffrey Stackhouse, Richard A. Becker, and Wendy Lashbrook acquired the rights to King’s 1978 short story I Am the Doorway and the now completed film has been directed by our very own Simon Pearce (Judas Ghost, Horizon web series).

For those who don’t know the story, an astronaut returns from an expedition to Pluto only to find eyes growing in the palms of his hands with entirely unhilarious body-horror consequences.

The short will be premiering at Sci-Fi-London in May but here at STARBURST we’ve already seen it (of course we have) and we can confirm that it’s good atmospheric stuff and that Pearce has done his usual trick of making it look like he had rather more money to spend than he did. While the Scottish location of Carrick Shore is used particularly effectively, we may never know how he managed to afford that close orbit of Pluto.

Sci-fi-London runs from 1st May to 7th May (date of premiere not yet known) but you can catch the I Am the Doorway trailer here:

I AM THE DOORWAY (2018) Short Film Trailer from Falling Shadows Productions on Vimeo.

ATTACK OF THE ADULT BABIES Hits DVD & Blu-ray

adult babies

Dominic Brunt’s latest OTT shocker Attack of the Killer Babies is heading to DVD, Blu-ray and VOD on June 11th.

The Emmerdale star’s third feature as director is an outrageously shocking tale of how the elite behaves behind closed doors… maybe.  The official synopsis is:

The aftermath of a shocking home invasion forces three frightened family members to break into a remote country manor and steal Top Secret documents. Little do they know the stately pile is also the clandestine venue where a group of high-powered elderly men go to take refuge from the stresses and strains of daily life by dressing up in nappies and having a bevy of beautiful nurses indulging their every perverse nursery whim. Nor do they realise this grotesque assembly is compelled to refuel the world’s economy by very sinister, sick and monstrous means.  As the bodily fluids hit the fan, the bloody carnage and freaky weirdness escalates.

Nothing can prepare you for what you will see in this fabulous and bizarre film! Starring Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies), Kate Coogan (Emmerdale), Charlie Chuck (Bait), Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence), Seamus O’Neill (Inbred) and Joanne Mitchell (Before Dawn), it also features a brilliant animated Claymation scene by the legendary Lee Hardcastle.

Check out the new trailer below:

Attack of the Adult Babies is released on June 11th from Nucleus Films.

Marvel’s CLOAK & DAGGER to Hit Amazon Prime

cloak dagger

It’s been announced that the eagerly-awaited TV version of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger will be making its way to Amazon Prime UK in the summer. It will debut on the streaming service one day after it screens in the US.

Additionally, the sci-fi mystery series The Crossing will hit Amazon Prime on April 3rd as part of a new deal between the service and Disney EMEA.

From the press release:

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is the story of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt, Ultimate Spider-Man) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph, The Night Of), two teenagers who are awakened to newly acquired superpowers which are mysteriously linked to one another. Tandy can emit light daggers and Tyrone has the ability to engulf others in darkness. They quickly learn they are better together than apart Alongside Holt and Joseph, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger also stars Emma Lahana (Hellcats), Jaime Zavallos (House M.D.), Andrea Roth (Rescue Me), Gloria Reuben (ER), Miles Mussenden (Bloodline), Carl Lundstedt (Grey’s Anatomy), and J.D. Evermore (True Detective). The series is co-produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios.

The Crossing sees refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America – and the war they are fleeing hasn’t happened yet. As the government tries to uncover the truth behind this mysterious migration only one thing is certain: the lives of the people here — both the townspeople and these newcomers — will never be the same. The series stars Steve Zahn (War for the Planet of the Apes, Captain Fantastic) as Jude Miller, Natalie Martinez (Death Race, End of Watch) as Reece, Sandrine Holt (House of Cards, The Returned) as Emma Ren, Rick Gomez (Band of Brothers, Sin City) as Nestor, Jay Karnes (The Shield) as Craig Lindauer, Marcuis Harris (Grey’s Anatomy) as Caleb, Simone Kessel (Of Kings and Prophets) as Rebecca, Kelley Missal (Sleepy Hollow) as Hannah, Rob Campbell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Paul, Grant Harvey (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) as Roy, Bailey Skodje (If there be Thorns) as Leah, John D’Leo (The Family) as Will, Luc Roderique (Godzilla) as Bryce and Tommy Bastow (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging) as Marshall. The series is produced by ABC Studios.

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger sees Joe Pokaski (Underground, Heroes) serve as showrunner and executive producer, Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s The Punisher, Marvel’s The Defenders) and Jim Chory (Marvel’s The Punisher, Marvel’s The Defenders) also serve as executive producers. The Crossing sees writers Dan Dworkin (Criminal Minds, Scorpion, Revenge) and Jay Beattie (Criminal Minds, Scorpion, Revenge) executive produce with Jason Reed (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

STREET FIGHTER TV Series in Development

Street Fighter II

Get ready to give a big Hadouken – or should be ‘How do, Ken?’ – as a Street Fighter TV series is now in development.

As per Deadline, Entertainment One is developing the show with the producers of the Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist webseries and executive producer Joey Ansah, who was a stuntman back on 2010’s Street Fighter Legacy short.

On this news, Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono enthused, “After a long search, guided by the team behind Assassin’s Fist, we are delighted to be partnering with a company with the outstanding TV experience of Mark Gordon and eOne. They have the credentials to help us launch a faithful adaptation of Street Fighter as a major TV series.”

After several shorts, fan-made efforts, and webseries, many will be eager to see what we can get from seeing the famed Street Fighter franchise fully on the small screen as a legit TV series. And yes, this new show will indeed be largely based around the plot and characters of the iconic Street Fighter II game.

Expect more on this as it continues to develop.