AvX: Consequences #5 Review

I'm accustomed to post-event epilogue pieces like this not actually doing much to rock the boat or alter the status quo established by the event itself. At best, you get a really nice, emotional coda like in Civil War: The Confession. But with AvX: Consequences, Kieron Gillen has't just put a nice little bow on he events of AvX. He's defined a significant new direction in the lives of Cyclops and his remaining allies.

Issue #5 regains some of the singular focus that was lost with issue #4. Apart from a few pages devoted to Hope's search for Cable, the entirety of the script focuses on Cyclops' jailbreak. As usual, the Hope material feels dull and pointless, but at least Gillen wraps it up firmly enough. The rest of the script is focused on Cyclops' escape and the vengeance he exacts on his jailers. Gillen has effectively reversed the Wolverine/Cyclops dynamic now, with the former being the idealistic hero and voice of reason and the latter willing to shed blood and do what is necessary to protect those he cares about. Most importantly, Cyclops remains an identifiable figure, not an overt villain. He and Magneto benefit from some strong dialogue throughout issue #5. It seems being on the lam suits them both.

Unfortunately, coming off the strong visuals of issue #4, issue #5 suffers from the weakest artwork of the entire series. Gabriel Hernandez Walta's style is inherently too different from the rest. It's too flat, oddly colored, and generally non-superheroic to fit the needs of the story.

Even so, Gillen delivers a strong finish to a surprisingly enjoyable and important mini-series. More than ever, I'm eager to see what the future holds for Cyclops and his dwindling band of allies as the Marvel NOW! status quo kicks in.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Chris Evans on Captain America 2 Start Date

Actor Chris Evans was asked about the status of Captain America: The Winter Soldier while doing press at this week's Toronto International Film Festival.

Collider's Steve Weintraub tweets that Evans informed him that the Cap sequel starts filming March 2013.

The Russo brothers are directing Cap 2 from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. In addition to Evans reprising his role as Steve Rogers, the cast includes Sebastian Stan back as Bucky, aka the titular Winter Soldier, and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, aka Falcon.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens April 4, 2014.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: The Last Guardian Trademark ‘Abandoned’

Listings suggest that the trademark for Sony’s long-in-development The Last Guardian has become “abandoned.” According to a status update on Trademarkia, “On Monday, August 6, 2012, status on the The Last Guardian trademark changed to Abandoned - No Statement of Use Filed.”

The Last Guardian was originally announced way back in 2009 and has continually been delayed since. It was originally set for holiday 2011 then pushed into 2012 last year. Executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama left Sony and was soon followed by creator Fumito Ueda.

Ueda said he was “committed to completing” the game in a freelance capacity and while rumors briefly indicated that the game had been canceled, Sony later reported it was still “making progress.”

After missing TGS 2011 and being absent from E3 2012, we last heard from Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida that The Last Guardian is “still in development.”

We’ve reached out to Sony for comment about the trademark and will update with any comment we receive. For more on The Last Guardian, listen to our thoughts on Podcast Beyond.

Source: PlayStation LifeStyle

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Grand Theft Auto V Making 'Substantial Progress'

Rockstar parent company Take-Two has provided a brief status update about Grand Theft Auto V. During the company’s first quarter fiscal 2013 earnings call today, CEO Strauss Zelnick commented that Grand Theft Auto V is in “full development” and that Rockstar has made “substantial progress” on the game’s “vast, detailed open world setting.”

Beyond that, Zelnick was coy about Grand Theft Auto V’s release date, commenting “we can't talk about the credibility of a release date that we haven't announced” when asked about various reports about the game’s timing. When asked how often Take-Two communicates with Rockstar regarding the game’s status, Zelnick simply said he “wouldn't talk publicly about the way we communicate with our teams internally” and noted that Take-Two is “blessed” to be in business with Rockstar. “We have the best creative teams in the business across our company,” he added.

Grand Theft Auto V seemed to be the focus of many shareholders during the call’s Q&A session, but one investor also inquired about Agent, which, aside from aside from a few screenshots, hasn’t been heard from since it was originally announced in 2009. “We haven’t announced anything about the title yet” was Zelnick’s only comment.

Overall, Take-Two referred to the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year as below expectations, largely pointing to lower than expected sales of Max Payne 3 (which has shipped three million units worldwide) and Spec Ops: The Line. The company earned $226.1 million for the quarter -- down $108.3 million compared to the same quarter last year -- and reported a $110.8 million loss, more than $100 million over last year’s first quarter loss of $8.6 million. “Consumers at this stage in the hardware cycle are more selective than ever,” Zelnick said. “Our teams are already trying to do groundbreaking work. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we succeed mightily. Occasionally we are disappointed. We’d like that to be even less occasionally.”

Take-Two is investing heavily in digitally-delivered content, including mobile games and downloads. 14% of Take-Two revenue this quarter came from downloaded content, including Civilization V’s recent Gods and Kings expansion and Max Payne Mobile. A free multiplayer add-on for Max Payne 3 was announced, as well as online launches including an open beta for NBA 2K13 in China, Comedy Central’s Indecision Game for mobile and NBA 2K All Stars for the GREE platform. Catalog sales were up 50% compared to last year, including successes like Grand Theft Auto III 10th Anniversary Edition and Red Dead Redemption.

Take-Two expects this fiscal year “to be one of the best years in Take-Two's history,” projecting between $1.7 and $1.8 billion. 55% of that total is expected to come from Rockstar, with the remaining 45% coming from 2K titles. 2K’s upcoming release slate includes Borderlands 2 in September, followed by NBA 2K13 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown in October. First-person shooter XCOM is scheduled for fiscal 2014 (meaning it will arrive between April 2013 and March 2014) and BioShock Infinite is scheduled for February 2013. Take-Two also hinted at additional titles that have yet to be announced.

Take-Two noted that Borderlands 2 has some of the highest pre-order numbers in the company’s history, behind only Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. "Consumer anticipation is phenomenal," chief operating officer Karl Slatoff commented.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com