Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series Starts April 18

WDWNT on April 6, 2017

Marvel just shared the news that the first episode in Telltale’s latest episodic adventure will begin on April 18, when Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series episode one, Tangled Up in Blue, releases.

Episode one will be available for $4.99 on PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, and Android devices. As usual with Telltale games, you can buy the Season Pass for $29.99, which is already up for pre-order on most major retail sites, or digitally through your platform of choice.

Here are a handful of new artwork pictures, as well as the game’s box art:

Marvel will release the first full trailer for the game on Thursday, so stay tuned!

Club Penguin Island Launches Today

WDWNT on April 6, 2017

Today Disney has launched their new subscription-based game, Club Penguin Island.

Earlier this week the legacy game shut down for good, and now players can embark on the future of Club Penguin. All the activities one would expect are still around in this new game, including customizing characters, sharing food, playing games, and the list goes on.

http://https://youtu.be/z9xvMaJ2_aw

Club Penguin is over a decade old, and Club Penguin Island seeks to bring the franchise to a more modern audience that has grown up on mobile devices. The spirit remains the same, but the platform has changed, while the game has also evolved into a 3D experience (goodbye early 2000s flash game artwork).

As with the original Club Penguin, this game is extremely kid-friendly, with tools that are readily available to report negative content, and a strong community of respectable players, although shenanigans are commonplace in the Club Penguin community.

The game can be downloaded now on iOS and Android. You can start for free with a seven-day trail, but afterwards the game will cost $4.99 per month.

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VIDEO: Official Trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – The Telltale Series

WDWNT on April 6, 2017

As promised earlier this week, Marvel has released the first trailer for the upcoming episodic Telltale Game, Guardians of the Galaxy.

http://https://youtu.be/xrKBKk59bZw

The Guardians of the Galaxy humor is present, while the art style notable takes many cues from the MCU movies. It is important to note, however, that the Telltale series will be completely unrelated to the comics and the movies.

Episode one will release on April 18, which is just a few weeks away! Stay tuned for more news and some reviews as the game starts rolling out.

Insomniac’s Spider-Man Game Might Release in 2017

WDWNT on April 6, 2017

Although Insomniac’s upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive Spider-Man game may not have an official title yet, it has been reported that the game will release later this year.

Reddit user GamingSince95 managed to capture this clip from a livestream yesterday, where Marvel vice president, Ryan Penagos stated that “there’s more on the horizon for 2017, like Spider-Man coming to PlayStation 4.”

Of course it is possible that the game doesn’t hit the 2017 expected release. Games get delayed all the time, and projects such as this one are not always directly related with people like Marvel’s vice president, so it would not be a total surprise if Penagos simply misstated information about the game.

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When the game’s trailer was first shown at the Electronic Gaming Expo 2016 (E3), many speculated that the release was still a few years off, due to the trailer only being in-engine concept footage, and the game not having an official title. However, there is no telling how long the team at Insomniac has had the project in the works.

If the game is to release this year, I would bet we’ll see and hear more at E3 in June. Of course Marvel would probably prefer to have a brand new Spider-Man game release within months of Spider-Man: Homecoming, so perhaps the game really is coming this year. Because, you know, synergy.

VIDEO: ‘Cars 3: Driven to Win’ Releasing This Summer

WDWNT on April 6, 2017

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced the upcoming Avalanche Software produced game, Cars 3: Driven to Win will release on June 13, the same day that DisneyPixar’s Cars 3 hits theaters.

http://https://youtu.be/FTGbTKGPYB4

The new game takes place immediately after the events of the movie and features an all-new story with both old and new characters. In the game’s story, Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez take on racing rival Jackson Storm throughout locals such as Radiator Springs and the Florida International Speedway. In total, the game will feature 20 different racing tracks and 13 different locations.

Players will be able to play six different modes including Stunt Showcase, Takedown, Best Lap Challenge, Race, Battle Race, and Playground. Additionally, players will be able to learn a variety of abilities like Drifting, Turbo, Two-wheel Driving, Side-Bash, and Driving Backwards. While it is unknown if the game will feature online racing, players will be able to engage in split-screen multiplayer.

Cars 3: Driven to Win will be Avalanche Software’s first game under the ownership of WB Games, and since the cancellation of the Disney Infinity series. While Driven to Win’s art style does not reflect the iconic style of Disney Infinity, the game does run in the Octane engine, which was used to create the Disney Infinity games.

Cars 3: Driven to Win will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, and yes, Nintendo Switch. Driven to Win is available now for pre-order and will cost the industry standard $59.99 on current generation hardware, while the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U versions will be sold for $49.99.

Disney Executives Show Off New Technologies in Audio-Animatronics

WDWNT on March 27, 2017

Disney executives from a variety of fields held a panel at the 2017 South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, and discussed how emerging technologies will help the company to innovate and break new ground in storytelling.

Disney Imagineering R&D executive Jon Snoddy, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media senior vice president Mike White, and Disney Interactive vice president of Engineering Kathy de Paolo led the panel in talks about how both artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing the way future Audio-Animatronics are being implemented.

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During the panel, attendees got to see Audio-Animatronic versions of Jake (a droid once featured at Star Wars Launch Bay in Disneyland) and a pocket-sized Pascal (the chameleon sidekick from Tangled). Both were used to show how Disney is looking for new ways to bring characters to life in more natural ways. As White put it, “We are constantly evaluating emerging technologies, and we use the ones that make our products and experiences better.” He went on to stress the importance of emerging technologies, “Disney is committed to technology that enhances our stories. It’s not merely a science project.”

Snoddy reinforced Disney’s desire to inspire and move guests by always daring to delve deeper into the world’s most advanced technologies:

“Every new technology that has come along for the past 60 years has been adopted into a storytelling medium. It won’t be different now. [Guests] really come to be moved emotionally, and that will not change.”

Source: TheWaltDisneyCompany.com

Circle With Disney Now Supports Amazon’s Alexa and More

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Circle With Disney is rolling out a handful of new features, including Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa, making it a more powerful parental control device for families.

Known simply as Circle Connections, these updates and features will begin to come out over the course of the year. With this new system, parents will be able to connect with new partner apps that support the Circle With Disney application for iOS and Android.

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Here is a list of the new features that will be coming to Circle With Disney:

  • Chores: This feature will allow parents to partition kid’s time with internet connected devices using apps MotherShp and ChoreMonster, making devices inaccessible until certain “chores” have been completed.
  • Assistant: This will allow parents to connect their Amazon Alexa voice assistant to be able to ask questions regarding their kids devices and internet usage.
  • Activity: Connecting with Misfit’s activity tracker, parents can set goals for their kids to accomplish in order to earn more time with their devices.
  • Driving: Using the app Automatic, parents will be able to deactivate teen’s smartphones while driving in order to prevent their teens from using their phone behind the wheel.
  • Social: Using RAKKOON, parents can monitor what their kids do on social media apps like Instagram, Twitter, and iMessage, and even notify parents if their child comes across any inappropriate content.
  • Automation: With IFTTT, Circle With Disney can be used to adjust and control tons of smart home apps throughout the house. This will be useful for those that use smart home appliances that allow them to change light colors or adjust the thermostat.

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Circles With Disney is a parental control device that allows parents to set restrictions and standards for their kids using an app on their phone. Parents can restrict access based on age range, as well as other factors, and can even completely shut a device down all through the app when connected to home Wi-Fi.

PHOTOS: First Look at Telltale’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Video Game

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Telltale Games has unveiled the cast and a first look for the upcoming episodic adventure game, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series.

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The game will follow the Guardians on an adventure after the discovery of a powerful artifact. In Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, players will take control as Star-Lord and travel to a variety of locations, including Earth, Milano, and Knowhere.

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The cast of the game includes Friday Night Lights‘ Scott Porter as Star-Lord, as well as Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor‘s Emily O’Brien as Gamora, the Uncharted series’ Nolan North as Rocket, Brandon Paul Eells from Watch Dogs as Drax, and Adam Harrington from The Wolf Among Us as Groot

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The team from Telltale Games will be joined by Marvel Games creative director, Bill Rosemann, at PAX East in Boston, MA on March 10th to talk all about the series and the creative process behind it. Then on March 17, in Austin, TX at SXSW, an early version of episode one will be played live. The audience will be able to participate by making in-game decisions on mobile devices during the event. The whole thing will likely be streamed or later posted on the internet, so keep an eye out.

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Specific platforms are still yet to be announced, but expect to see Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series release sometime this year.

Disney Mobile Apps Get ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Makeover

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

To celebrate the upcoming release of the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Disney is updating some of their most popular mobile apps with new content.

The updates have already begun to roll out with Disney Crossy Road and Disney Story Central. In Disney Crossy Road choose a character from the movie such as Belle or Beast and play through levels themed to the new movie. Disney Story Central has added a handful of new Beauty and the Beast themed stories like The Enchantment, World of Reading: Beauty and the Beast, and more.

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From March 17-24 Disney Emoji Blitz will offer new Beauty and the Beast Item Cards like The Beast’s Magic Mirror, Belle’s Fountain, Belle’s Cottage, and more. Beauty and the Beast inspired emojis will also be added to the game including Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts.

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Then on March 17 Disney Jigsaw will release new Beauty and the Beast puzzles featuring stunning pictures from the upcoming movie.

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iOS users can now download a new Beauty and the Beast Disney Sticker pack for iMessage. The pack is available on the App Store for $1.99

Disney is also working on a brand new Beauty and the Beast mobile game that is expected to release this Summer. While nothing else is known at this time, we will be sure to keep you posted as soon as we find out more.