Ghostbusters - First Official Trailer

Watch the first official trailer for the Ghostbusters reboot. Who you gonna call?

That last line got a laugh out of me. Also, Kate McKinnon looks like she could steal the movie with her unique character. She really stands out. I like the look of the ghosts, which is similar to the old films but with an updated touch. They even had the library ghost and a Slimer cameo!

That said, I think this looks just OK so far. I would be more excited if this was a sequel with the ladies taking over for the old team. They could always open a dimensional rift and team up with Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore somewhere down the line. Nonetheless, what they have here looks acceptable. Hope to see more soon.

Directed by Paul Feig (Bridemaids, The Heat), the movie stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Andy Garcia, Michael K. Williams, Matt Walsh, and Neil Casey.

Ghostbusters will arrive in US theaters on July 15, 2016.

Street Fighter V - F.A.N.G Reveal Trailer & DLC Characters Announced

Capcom revealed F.A.N.G and 6 DLC characters for Street Fighter V at PlayStation Experience!

F.A.N.G is a Shadaloo fighter who uses poison, which damages his opponent over time. He looks a little silly, but he also looks like a unique and fun character to use.

F.A.N.G is the 16th and final playable character to be revealed for the fighting game's starting roster of world warriors including Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, Birdie, Ken, Vega, Necalli, R. Mika, Rashid, Karin, Zangief, Laura, and Dhalsim.

Capcom also revealed 6 new DLC characters, which will be released over the course of the first year after the game launches. These fighters will be Alex, Guile, Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, and Urien. The plan is to release a new character every 2 months. Players can purchase the characters outright or earn them by playing the game.

For the impatient type, you can preorder the DLC characters now with the Street Fighter V Season Pass for $29.99. The season pass also includes a premium costume for each DLC character and an exclusive PS4 theme.

Street Fighter V is scheduled to release exclusively on the PS4 and PC on February 16, 2016 in North America and Europe.

Street Fighter V - Dhalsim Reveal Trailer

Dhalsim sets the competition on fire in the latest trailer for Street Fighter V!

Looks like Dhalsim retains some of his keep-away gameplay, but has also gained some new options. That arching fireball looks like a great new ability.

Alongside the character announcement, Capcom release information on Dhalsim's V-Skill, the Yoga Float. This ability allows Dhalsim to float in midair for a few seconds, which is a great way to catch your opponent off guard and launch a counterattack.

"Yoga nana nana boo boo!"

Dhalsim's V-Trigger, Yoga Burner, is a flame attack that burns the floor for an extended period of time. If your opponent stands in the flames, they will slowly lose life. However, once they step out of the flames, they will recover this lost health.

"My eyes! The goggles do nothing!"

While there is only one more playable character to be revealed for the final roster of 16 fighters, Capcom announced that they plan to release 6 more characters throughout 2016 after the game's launch. The idea is to release one new character every 2 months. This will bring the roster up to 22 by 2017.

All DLC characters can be purchased with Fight Money, which is earned by completing daily goals or leveling up individual characters. Daily goals include challenges such as landing a certain number of Hadokens or anti-air attacks. Leveling up a character just means playing the various game modes with a single character. When you level up a character, they do not get any stronger, but you do earn bonus Fight Money. So the game rewards gamers who play often and experiment with multiple characters.

If you are the impatient type, you can also buy new content using Zenny, which is purchased using real money.

Street Fighter V is scheduled to release exclusively on the PS4 and PC on February 16, 2016 in North America and Europe.

Street Fighter V - Laura Reveal Trailer

Capcom officially announced Brazilian fighter Laura in the latest trailer for Street Fighter V!

Very interesting character. Laura is a Jiu-Jitsu fighter, but she wields electricity like Blanka, and her spin move looks like something right out of his moveset as well. Also, her fighting style is referred to as "Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu", which could mean she has a connection to Sean Matsuda, a Brazilian fighter from Street Fighter III. Furthermore, she is the first grappler in the series to wield a projectile. It will be interesting to see how this new kind of character will be utilized during gameplay.

Laura using her Thunder Clap projectile.

Capcom also released information about Laura's V-Skill and V-Trigger. Laura's V-Skill is called Linear Movement, which allows her to quickly move forward to attack, or backward to escape. She can also change it up to confuse her opponent. If the player does not specify a direction to move when activating this skill, Laura will perform an overhead kick instead.

Laura's V-Trigger is called Spark Show, an electric buff that makes it easier to stun opponents, and allows her Thunder Clap projectile and Linear Movement to go further.

I don't think your arm is supposed to bend that way.

Laura joins Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, Birdie, Ken, Vega, Necalli, R. Mika, Rashid, Karin, and Zangief as part of the game's roster of world warriors. The final roster is expected to have 16 playable fighters total, so expect two more characters to be revealed soon.

No official release date has been announced, but Street Fighter V is expected to arrive no later than spring 2016 exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Street Fighter V - Zangief Reveal Trailer

Zangief piledrives the competition in the newest trailer for Street Fighter V!

Wow. The Red Cyclone looks stronger than ever. Zangief has gained a "V-Skill" called Iron Muscle, which allows him to absorb one attack and recover health. His "V-Trigger" is called the Cyclone Lariat and allows him to spin very quickly, pulling in his opponent for a multi-hit attack. Each character in the game has his or her own V-Skill and V-Trigger.

Karin is another old character who was recently announced.

Like R. Mika, Karin hasn't been seen since Street Fighter Alpha 3 back in 1998. Her new V-Skill is a knockdown attack that can go through projectiles like Ryu's fireball. Her V-Trigger is an incredibly flexible attack with a variety of follow-ups and variations at your disposal after the initial attack connects. This allows Karin to control the flow of the fight while confusing her opponent.

Zangief and Karin join Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, Birdie, Ken, Vega, R. Mika, Necalli, and Rashid as part of the game's roster of world warriors.

No official release date has been announced, but Street Fighter V is expected to arrive no later than spring 2016 exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Street Fighter V - Rashid Reveal Trailer

Capcom revealed new Middle-Eastern fighter Rashid in the newest trailer for Street Fighter V!

Rashid looks like a really fun character. He is incredibly agile, which fits well with his unique wind-based attacks. But what is with that scouter he wears over his left eye? Maybe there is an interesting backstory to the "Turbulent Wind".

Rashid joins the savage Necalli as newcomers to the series. Street Fighter veterans Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, Birdie, Ken, Vega, and R. Mika have also been announced as part of the roster.

No official release date has been announced, but Street Fighter V is expected to arrive no later than spring 2016 exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Street Fighter V - R. Mika Reveal Trailer

R. Mika makes her long-awaited return in the newest trailer for Street Fighter V!

Stone Cold Stunner at the 30 second mark! Rainbow Mika originally debuted in Street Fighter Alpha 3 back in 1998, but has been missing from the fighting game scene until now. She is bringing along a tag team partner (Yamato Nadeshiko) this time around, which looks like an interesting game mechanic.

R. Mika joins Street Fighter veterans Ryu, Chun-Li, Charlie Nash, M. Bison, Cammy, Birdie, Ken, Vega, and savage newcomer Necalli.

No official release date has been announced, but Street Fighter V is expected to arrive no later than spring 2016 exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Street Fighter V - M. Bison Reveal Trailer

M. Bison returns in the newest gameplay trailer for Street Fighter V, and he's a little different than you remember.

Check out the white hair and longer coat. Those are small changes but they help make the old dictator feel a little fresher. In addition, his moveset looks to have changed a bit as well. Bison's attacks look flashier, but they also look like a lot of fun to try out.

M. Bison is now the fourth character to be revealed for the new fighting game along with Ryu, Chun Li, and a cyborg Charlie Nash. Those who preorder the game in North America will automatically be enrolled in the beta access program. Can't wait to see what else Capcom reveals for Street Fighter V.

No official release date has been announced, but Street Fighter V is expected to arrive no later than spring 2016 exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Street Fighter V - Charlie Nash Gameplay Trailer

Sonic Boom! Capcom revealed a new gameplay trailer for Street Fighter V, featuring the long-awaited return of Charlie Nash.

Wow, so Nash definitely learned some new moves. This is no doubt a result of his new cyborg body. Just like with Ryu and Chun-LI, Nash appears to have those watercolor flourishes first used in Street Fighter IV, though it appears each fighter's flourishes will look more unique this time around in terms of color. We also caught a glimpse of Bison at the end as well.

If that news isn't exciting enough, Capcom also announced that those who preorder the game in North America will automatically be enrolled into the beta program. Great! Now I just need to buy a new console.

A release date has yet to be revealed, but Street Fighter V will arrive exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Spider-Man Joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Finally! Sony and Marvel Studios have reached a deal to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Sony Pictures Entertainment, the current holders of the Spider-Man movie license, are collaborating with Disney and Marvel on a new creative direction with the franchise. The beginning of this deal will have Spider-Man show up in a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will be followed by a new Spider-Man film set for July 28, 2017.

It has not yet been announced which Marvel film Spider-Man will debut in, but the infamous Sony hack revealed plans for Spider-Man to possibly appear in Captain America: Civil War. Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 are the only other Marvel films set for release before the new Spider-Man film, so Civil War still seems like the most likely option for the web slinger's MCU debut. It is unknown if Andrew Garfield will reprise his role for these new films, but the new creative direction means a new actor will most likely take over.

Will Spider-Man make his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War?

As a result of this deal, Marvel has pushed back some of their films such as Thor: Ragnarok, which will now release on November 3, 2017 since the new Spider-Man film took its spot in July. In 2018, Black Panther arrives on July 6, followed by Captain Marvel on November 2. Finally, Inhumans is now set for July 12, 2019.

Despite these changes, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 is still scheduled to open on May 4, 2018, with Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 also keeping its release date of May 3, 2019.

Sony and Marvel are also looking at opportunities to integrate other MCU characters into future Spider-Man films.

Can we get FOX and their X-Men license in this deal somehow? One step at a time.

The new Spider-Man film will be produced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and former Sony executive Amy Pascal. Sony will continue to own, finance, distribute, and have final creative control over the Spider-Man movie property.

Keep an eye out for more amazing Spider-Man news as it develops.

Street Fighter V - Announcement and Gameplay Trailers

Capcom has released two new trailers for Street Fighter V, exclusive to PS4 and PC. First, check out the official announcement trailer.

That was inspiring. Nice nod to the history of the franchise, while teasing the future. Now watch the gameplay trailer.

The graphics definitely look much better than before. The character models have improved, and the draw distance makes the stage feel much larger. Nice little touch with the lights breaking when Chun-Li kicked Ryu in front of it. Hopefully all stages have little effects like this. It really makes the stages feel more alive, and the fighters more powerful.

Also noticeable was the return of the water color look from Street Fighter IV, although Chun-Li's water color effects were a light blue. Perhaps each fighter will have their own color effects, which would add to their individuality.

The big question is what gameplay elements has Capcom added to make this game worthy of the number 5? Cross platform play was announced, so both PS4 and PC gamers can play with each other. Furthermore, Ryu went through a wall to reveal more of the stage, which showcases how large the stages have become. It looks great but hopefully there will be more than that. Capcom will be releasing a video of the first Street Fighter V match next week, so we should find out then.

No release date has been revealed, but Street Fighter V will arrive exclusively on the PS4 and PC.

Silent Hills - TGS 2014 Concept Trailer

Check out the creepy new concept trailer for Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro's horror game, Silent Hills. Warning: nightmare fuel.

It seems that the "concept" of the game is to scar gamers for life. Kojima previously stated that his goal for this game is to force players to soil themselves. While the trailer is not showing actual gameplay, the ideas present demonstrate that Kojima may well be on his way to achieving his goal.

Starring Norman Reedus, Silent Hills will be released for the PS4, but other possible platforms have not been announced. An official release date is still unknown.

Final Fantasy XV - TGS 2014 Trailer

The Tokyo Game Show is underway and Square Enix has released a new gameplay trailer for the long-awaited Final Fantasy XV! "It's been a long time coming. Almost there."

Looks like gamers will be able to drive around in a car this time around. Hopefully chocobos won't be completely forgotten. Either way, it is nice to see that it is a real game now and will be available for purchase at some point.

Square Enix also confirmed the first playable demo for the game will be available to those who purchase their spinoff title, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, which will launch in North America for the Xbox One and PS4 on March 17th, 2015.

No official release date has been announced for Final Fantasy XV yet, but it will be available both on the Xbox One and PS4.

Silent Hills - Gamescom Teaser Trailer

Norman Reedus stars in the creepy teaser trailer for the new Silent Hill video game developed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro!

Those are some awesome names attached to this project. The official name of the new game is Silent Hills. The teaser is a reward for completing a mysterious playable demo called P.T. Demo, which is available in the PlayStation Store now for PS4 owners.

Check out some scary gameplay footage of the P.T. Demo courtesy of IGN.

Looks intense. It will be interesting to see what the final gameplay actually looks like. Kojima says he is aiming for a game that will make you..... defecate in your pants. Well the demo sure looks like the project is well on its way to meeting those lofty expectations.

Silent Hills is coming to the PS4, but other possible platforms have not been announced. An official release date is still unknown.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Review

"Three villains? What could go wrong?"

After the mistake that was Spider-Man 3, Sony rebooted the Spider-Man franchise and enjoyed some success with The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012. The film was flawed yet still generally liked thanks to a capable director and a well-chosen cast, but how does the sequel stack up?

Thankfully, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone return to reprise their roles as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. These two have great chemistry onscreen, and feel like a real couple. There may be a little too much back and forth in their relationship in the sense of that they may or may not stay together, but overall Peter and Gwen are one of the highlights of the film. Every conversation between Peter and Gwen feels like a real conversation between real people. It gives the film a much needed down-to-earth vibe, which is further echoed by the venerable Sally Field in her role as Aunt May.

Emma Stone, wondering if there is a way out of these movies.

The main villain of the film is Electro (Jamie Foxx), formerly Max Dillon, a loser with no friends. Max idolizes Spider-Man after being saved by him, but after the transformation, Electro suddenly hates Spider-Man when he seems to forget who Max is. That is all the depth there is to Electro. Jamie Foxx is a talented actor, but he cannot carry a film portraying a character with such weak motivation.

Furthermore, Jamie Foxx plays Electro like a cheesy super villain out of a Schumacher film. He is not nearly bad as Arnold's Mr. Freeze, but a bit reminiscent of Jim Carrey's Riddler. It might have been easier to swallow had Electro been given a better backstory to work with.

Dat combover doe!

The one good thing about Electro is the special effects. The fight scenes between Electro and Spider-Man are spectacular, with some great use of slow motion and web action. It also adds to the film that Spider-Man is forced to use his brain to come up with a strategy to take down such a powerful villain. It is too bad that it just does not make much sense why they are fighting in the first place.

"Everyone must die!...... I forget why."

The film also introduces Peter's good friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), another character who is underdeveloped. The sad thing is that he did not have to be. DeHaan is a very capable actor, but Harry's character arc is rushed because Sony wants to create a mega-franchise the same way Marvel has with The Avengers. The problem is that Spider-Man is just one hero. They would have to use his film to shoehorn several characters so they can set up spinoffs because they do not have any other heroes to launch more films from. Thus, ASM2 ends up with too many subplots, and it all feels like a large setup for more movies. This just takes away from the story, which could have been a lot stronger if it were more focused.

"Hi, I'm Peter's friend. Please care about me!"

The subplot with Peter's parents, which was hinted at in the first film, compounds the problems further. It is a story element that could be completely omitted and no one would miss it. In fact, it would make the film stronger overall because there is already too much going on as it is, and it does not add anything important to the story.

The Rhino (Paul Giamatti) also shows up, but only for a total of about 5 minutes of screen time, and only half of which is in his suit. It is almost pointless except for the fact that Sony really wants us to know that the Sinister Six movie is coming somewhere down the line. But if no one cares about these characters, will anyone want to watch the future films?

"Is it my turn to fight now? No? See you in the next 3 films."

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 shows great potential, with all the pieces needed to tell a good story. Had Electro and Harry Osborn been fleshed out, and some of the story elements been omitted and less rushed, the film could have been a lot stronger. The fight scenes are thrilling, but with so much crammed into the film, the characters outside of Peter and Gwen are difficult to care about. As a result, a few of the more potentially powerful scenes lose some their emotional resonance. Ultimately, the film feels like a 2.5 hour trailer for future sequels and spinoffs. If you have to watch it, wait for on-demand or home video, but skip this mediocre mess in the theater.

"In The Amazing Spider-Man 5, I'm also a firefighter. Pew! Pew! Pew!"

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Final Trailer

The final trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is here with a much clearer look at the Rhino!

The action looks like fun, but let's hope the multiple villains don't bog down the story. I'm cautiously optimistic.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 2nd.

E3 2012 Musings

Welcome to another edition of The Doctor's Prognosis! E3 is done and it's time to contemplate what we've seen once again.

Microsoft

Why is the Xbox my most used console, yet Miscrosoft continues to disappoint every year with their conferences? The gist of it was this, Microsoft wants the Xbox to be your primary media hub. You can play games, watch movies and ESPN, and now link up with your iOS, Android, and/or Windows Mobile devices with what they call Xbox SmartGlass.

I like the idea of being able to watch almost anything on my Xbox. I wouldn't need cable or satellite any longer so it would save me money. But unfortunately, I want to see games from E3. And they focused almost entirely on how the Xbox is going to rule the world. Not to mention the overly long Usher sing and dance routine.

So what did I like? Halo 4 looks ok. Nice graphics but I'm not excited for it. I like Gears of War but it feels a little early for a new one to be announced. Though I do like that it's supposed to be VERY difficult. Resident Evil 6 looks like fun too. But what I like best from the MS conference was the South Park RPG!

They made fun of Microsoft and made me excited for their game all at the same time. I love me some South Park, and The Stick of Truth could be a hilarious good time.

Sony

I was actually impressed with Sony's press conference. That's saying a lot since I tend to use my PS3 primarily as a BD player. Sony focused on games for the most part, faulting mainly with that Wonderbook demo thing. I guess that's good for the kids.

First, I was very impressed with Beyond: Two Souls. It looks amazing. The story has me intrigued and I want to see what happens to the main character, played by Ellen Page. In fact the in-game character looks exactly like Ellen Page!

The other game that impressed me was The Last of Us.

The gameplay looks so visceral. I see myself playing this when it comes out. And I'm actually looking forward to using my PS3 as more than just a BD player. Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale looks like a fun game as well. It's basically a Smash Bros rip-off, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The new God of War could be fun too.

Bravo Sony on a good conference overall.

Nintendo

With the exception of the WiiFit stuff, I think Nintendo did a good job overall with showing off games. Nothing too exciting, though I like Pikmin 3 a lot.

I like how Miyamoto teases giving away the red Pikmin before being all, "Haha no. It's mine!" I can see myself buying that along with maybe Ubisoft's ZombiU.

On that note, Ubisoft looks to be very gung-ho on the WiiU tablet controller, which can only be a good thing. It has the potential for innovation. There were also a lot of 3rd party games shown, but many of them are older games. Arkham City: Armored Edition adds some tablet functionality, but it's unlikely to make you want to buy the game again.

Thankfully, Nintendo also showed off New Super Mario Bros. U and a new Paper Mario. Good stuff but nothing terribly exciting. I want to see a true next-gen Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc.

They closed off their show with NintendoLand, which is a game based in a theme park filled with minigames. These minigames are supposed to show off what the tablet can do. This should really be a pack-in game with the WiiU. I just can't see anybody clamoring to buy this thing. Even worse, the graphics look like a vanilla Wii game. They're still using the same Miis. Beef the graphics up a bit! Show off what your console can do!

Overall a good show but could have been better. I'm still excited to see what else they have up the pipeline.

Bonus!

What else got my attention?

Watch Dogs looks like it has an interesting premise.

Dishonored also caught my attention. I'm getting a Bioshock meets Assassin's Creed vibe from it.

And anything from PlatinumGames is going to be on my radar. Project P-100 for the WiiU looks like one to watch.

Now if I had to pick a winner of E3, I'd have to say Sony pulled it off this year with their conference. I can't believe I just typed that. I think Nintendo and MS have good things going for them, but Sony actually got me excited to play some games. And in the end, that's what is most important coming from the biggest game show of the year.

So what did YOU think? Which games got you most excited? What did you feel was lackluster? Let me know your thoughts on E3!

See you next time!