Weekly Nerd News: April 1


by Haylee Fisher (@haylee_fisher)
Have you fallen behind on your nerd news? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Here are a few stories to bring up at the water cooler this week:
Fans of the Batman Arkham video games rejoice! Rumor has it Rocksteady is working on a prequel to their successful series that will supposedly incorporate other Justice League members like Superman and Green Lantern. It is allegedly scheduled to be revealed at E3 and come out at the end of the year.
Speaking of DC, a MOBA game called Infinite Crisis involving characters in that multiverse will be released this fall. The game will be online only and free to play; the only charges will be to unlock characters, boosts, and other extensions. Players can choose to challenge themselves as multiple versions of characters like Green Lantern, Poison Ivy, Flash, and Zatanna. You can sign up to be a beta tester here.
Iron Man 3 will open around the world May 3, except for one place – China. That’s because China will be getting its own version of the film. Marvel and DMG have announced certain aspects of the movie will be altered for this China-only version, namely some bonus footage and the addition of appearances from a few popular Chinese actors.
Could we soon be getting our first glimpse of the box art for Grand Theft Auto V? It looks like Rockstar is painting a mural on a building in downtown Manhattan, similar to what they did to promote the fourth iteration of the game back in 2007. Upon close examination, it looks like stenciling for faces has already been mapped out, in addition to the ESRB’s “Rating Pending” symbol.
It has finally been confirmed once and for all that David Tennant and Billie Piper will be involved in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special. John Hurt will join them and filming will begin this week. There have been conflicting reports as to what other former Doctors and companions, if any, will appear in the special set to air in November.
Not only has Tomb Raider had the biggest opening of 2013, it has also set records as being the best first week sales of any game in the franchise. Crystal Dynamics heads recently spoke about their pride in the game at GDC and also said they are on the road to achieving what they wanted to with it. Twenty-one days after its release, the game had sold 3.4 million copies.
Also at GDC is Sony, who has revealed many new features about their upcoming PS4. The company’s senior staff engineer explained more about the DualShock 4 and the PS4 Eye peripherals, noting the new DualShock has enhanced dual vibration over its previous version in addition to other improved characteristics. He also said the face buttons, L1, and R1 are digital on the new controller and that it will charge while in standby mode. Furthermore, he also said each player will have two identities, their handle and their non-displayed real name (searchable through Facebook), and that players will now be able to share interesting game footage online with their friends.
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