Will Smith Reveals He Turned Down The Matrix, And Here's Why
Actor Will Smith was offered the role of Neo in The Matrix but he turned it down. The actor explained in a new video that the he was not sold on the Wachowskis' pitch, which supposedly involved promises of new camera technology and hard-to-grasp concepts that Smith didn't resonate with.
"There is a fine line in a pitch meeting between genius and what I experienced in the meeting," he said. Instead of doing The Matrix, Smith made Wild Wild West, and well, Smith acknowledged that he's "not proud of it." That is probably an understatement.
Smith had nothing but praise for Keanu Reeves, who played Neo, and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus. They were both "perfect" in their career-defining roles, Smith said.
Smith said had he done The Matrix, the film would have featured Morpheus played by a white person. Val Kilmer was reportedly going to play Morpheus in this alternate timeline.
"I probably would have messed The Matrix up," Smith said. "I would have ruined it. So I did ya'll a favor."
This is a fascinating and frank statement from Smith, and it's nice to see him speak so openly and honestly about missing out on starring in a movie as popular as The Matrix. Of course, Smith didn't need The Matrix. He had already made Independence Day, Bad Boys, and Men In Black at that time, and he has gone on to star in many other films later in his career.
In the video, Smith also spoke briefly about how he originally did not want to be in Men In Black, because he had just come off Independence Day and didn't want to be type-casted as "the alien movie guy." Producer Steven Spielberg called him and convinced him to take the part.
It's always interesting to think about alternate casts for movies that go on to be huge hits. You may also recall that Nicolas Cage said no to playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, while Al Pacino turned down the role of Han Solo for Star Wars: A New Hope.
Smith will be seen next as the Genie in Disney's new live-action take on Aladdin. He's playing both a human form of the Genie and a CG version that is very, very weird-looking.
Umihara Kawase Joins The Crystal Crisis Roster As The 20th Character
In case you forgot, last May, Nicalis announced a new game called Crystal Crisis would be coming to the Switch. This crossover puzzle-fighter was scheduled to arrive this April and is now actually due out on 28th May 2019.
With the release date now finalised, the official Nicalis Twitter account has been spending most of its time showing off each of the characters in the upcoming game. Here’s how the roster is shaping up:
Noticeably, there’s one space left in the above image and it’s now been officially confirmed Umihara Kawase will be joining the line-up. This is how she will look:
The Umihara Kawase platform series started out in 1994 on the Super Famicom and has had multiple follow-ups released on platforms such as the DS and 3DS. The next outing will be Umihara Kawase Fresh! on the Switch, scheduled to arrive this year. Crystal Crisis includes other characters from the likes of Cave Story, The Binding of Isaac, Tezuka Productions and Code of Princess EX. To get a better idea about this game, take a look at the announcement trailer:
Have you been keeping an eye on this one? Will you be purchasing it on release? Tell us in the comments.
Studio Head Of PlatinumGames Talks About Astral Chain In Official Blog Post
One of the shock announcements of the recent February Direct was Astral Chain. While we were all led to believe PlatinumGames was hard at work on Bayonetta 3, it turns out the team has also been developing this brand-new futuristic IP for quite some time now.
Following the reveal of this action game set in a cyberpunk metropolis, Studio Head Atsushi Inaba published the following message on the official PlatinumGames Inc. blog page, explaining who is developing it and the world the game takes place in:
With today’s Nintendo Direct, we at PlatinumGames are proud to show off our latest project: ASTRAL CHAIN, a thrilling new Synergetic Action game for Nintendo Switch. We’ve been working on ASTRAL CHAIN for a while now, but we’ve had to keep it under wraps until now. But now that it’s announced, you won’t have too long to wait – It’s coming to Nintendo Switch on August 30! I’m sure some of you were surprised to hear that an all-new, original PlatinumGames title is on its way so soon!
The idea for ASTRAL CHAIN came from none other than Takahisa Taura, the lead game designer for NieR:Automata. Taura and his team – which includes veterans of such PlatinumGames classics as Bayonetta and NieR:Automata – have worked very hard to make his ideas into reality with ASTRAL CHAIN, his directorial debut. Naturally, Taura’s no stranger to action games, but he’s pushed himself to new heights with the dual-character, Synergetic Action of ASTRAL CHAIN.
ASTRAL CHAIN brings you to a bold, near-future cyberpunk metropolis, featuring character designs by Masakazu Katsura, the acclaimed artist behind beloved manga and anime like ZETMAN and Video Girl Ai.
Last but not least, the team has received supervision and guidance from none other than Hideki Kamiya, to ensure that ASTRAL CHAIN has that special something that action game fans have come to expect from PlatinumGames.
I hope that all of you will join me in looking forward to this exciting, original title from one of our up-and-coming directors. I’m confident that you’ll enjoy it.
Astral Chain is due to arrive on the Switch on 30th August this year. In the meantime, take a look at the announcement trailer below:
Was this one of your favourite announcements of the recent Direct? Tell us in the comments.
Apex Legends Lifeline Guide: Tips On How To Be The Best Combat Medic
While most of the elements in Apex Legends are similar to other battle royale games, there is one big difference between Respawn's entry and others in the genre: the Legends, Apex's its unique cast of characters. Each character handles a little differently thanks to their specific abilities--some are best at offense, some specialize in defense, and some excel at supporting teammates. Deciding which character to play as and knowing how best they can aid your team is an essential part of the game.
When it comes to Lifeline, Apex Legends' combat medic, it's all about playing smart and helping your teammates. Lifeline has some of the best support abilities in the game, but lacks any offensive options. She's great to have on a team, but when playing as her, you'll need to be smart about using her abilities to the fullest.
Lifeline is the only medic of the current crop of Apex Legends characters, and as such, you'll see her on a lot of teams. Her healing abilities can be indispensable in times of crisis, making it a little easier to revive downed teammates and get them back up to fighting strength in the middle of a firefight. Her slate of support abilities mean she foregoes some offensive strengths, though--unlike other characters, she has no good means of attacking other players.
Playing Lifeline well is all about working with your team and staying together. She's best kept close to other players but away from the front lines to lessen the chances that she'll get knocked down, so that when other players need help, she can assist them. She also lacks abilities that can help her escape in emergencies--she has nothing like the grapples, smoke, and shields that other characters can use. When you're playing Lifeline, you need to be smart and protect yourself so that you can protect your teammates.
Abilities
Passive: Combat Medic
Lifeline's most useful ability is the shield she projects in front of her when reviving teammates. While other players are stuck under fire when they revive and can be easily killed, Lifeline's shield saves her from the incoming damage. It can be the difference between losing a whole team and getting everyone back in the fight. Lifeline also heals herself and can revive teammates more quickly than other characters.
Tactical: D.O.C. Heal Drone
You can save teammates and yourself from spending their health items with your healing drone. Lifeline can drop the drone anywhere, and anyone standing close to it gets health restored--although how much health the drone can dish out is limited, and gets split between all the nearby players. You should also note that anyone, including opponents, can make use of a healing done, so be sure to be careful about where you summon it.
Ultimate: Care Package
Lifeline's ultimate ability allows her to call her own supply drop anywhere she wants. It's not quite as good as the supply drops that appear automatically on the map from time to time, but it's still pretty solid--Lifeline's care packages include defensive items, so you can get some sweet armor and healing items out of them, and even high-level weapon attachments.
Tips To Play
Lifeline's healing capabilities are great for supporting your squad, but they leave her vulnerable to attack from enemies, and mean she doesn't have any handy abilities to use against opponents or get herself out of trouble. Therefore, when you're playing as Lifeline, you should try to stay back from fights and out of harm's way as much as you can so that you're ready to help out teammates when they need you.
Going after revives will put you in the thick of the action, though, so it's best to be ready to defend yourself. Pick weapons that offer a lot of range, like the Longbow DMR or the G7 Scout, as well as shotguns or submachine guns for up-close encounters. Remember that while your job is to revive and heal people, getting killed while you do it is a great way to lose matches; shoot first, revive second.
Whether you're playing as Lifeline or you have one on your team, keep an eye out for Ultimate Accelerants. Lifeline has one of the longer Ultimate cooldown timers, and the quicker you can get care packages, the quicker you can grab high-tier defensive loot. It's also worth trying to get several of Lifeline's care packages in a single match to help kit everyone else out.
If you're set on gear and you still have a care package ultimate ready, try using it to distract enemies or confuse them. You can drop a package in one direction and run in the other, for instance, or call one and use it to draw out another squad for an ambush. We've also seen care packages kill enemy players by landing on them, and you use them to crowd tight areas or for cover--so get creative.
Lifeline's quick healing means you should try to stay as healthy as possible. If you can manage to heal up without leaving your teammates hanging during a fight, do it; your chances of winning a fight are always higher if you have a higher health pool. Just remember that, in a fight, helping your team keep shooting is usually better than falling back. Gaining or losing a numerical advantage usually determines which team wins a battle.
Drop health drones in cover positions so your teammates can fall back to them. Be careful where you leave them, though, because anyone can use them, including opponents.
How To Counter Lifeline's Weaknesses
Lifeline is a great support character, but her lack of offensive abilities mean that all you've really got in a fight are your guns and your wits. You've got nothing that can help you escape bad situations or save you in a pinch. That means you want to be careful about the fights you get into and where you get into them. Lifeline is best when she has ample cover that she can use to protect herself and maybe even heal up, as well as clear escape lanes for when things get to hairy. If you're going to get into a fight with Lifeline, give yourself the best chance you can of surviving.
You'll also want to be careful about committing to reviving other players. Just because you can use your shield to block incoming fire doesn't mean that you should go for those questionable pickups under fire. It's easy for other characters to close the gap and get around or through your shield to finish you off, so try to avoid going for revives when you don't have suppressing fire from a teammate to help.
Lifeline is particularly vulnerable to things like sniping and airstrikes thanks to her lack of emergency abilities, so do your best to keep your head down--you're a high-value target for any squad trying to cripple your team in a fight. Conversely, if you're fighting another squad, their Lifeline can be an easier target than other characters for those same reasons. Taking out Lifeline early can make it tougher for a squad to recover in the midst of fighting you.
Super Mario Maker™ 2! The Legend of Zelda™: Link’s Awakening! Astral Chain™! The recent Nintendo Direct added several big Nintendo Switch™ games to the year’s growing lineup. Host Chris Slate wouldn’t stop gushing about the news to everyone within earshot, so to get some work done, his coworkers locked him in a room with Bill Trinen from Nintendo Treehouse and Anthony Foster from the social media team at Nintendo of America. It turned out they couldn’t wait to talk about the games, too!
We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!
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Wargroove Tips and Tricks Everyone at Chucklefish is blown away by the response to Wargroove. It’s been truly fantastic! That said, we know the game can get pretty tough, so we’re here to offer you some tips. We hope they help you on your way to becoming a groovy Commander! Knowledge is Power Each unit in Wargroove is unique, with unique stats, abilities, and critical hit conditions… Read more
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Pumped BMX Pro Available Today on Xbox One and with Xbox Game Pass Hello, Xbox Wire readers! We’re proud to announce that Pumped BMX Pro available now on Xbox One and with Xbox Game Pass. Pumped BMX Pro is a trick-based BMX game which has you riding and grinding your way through 60 levels of ever increasing difficulty, each with its own challenges and feats to complete… Read more
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39 Days to Mars Available Now on Xbox One Pack your tea-cosy, oil your Penny-Farthing, and hold on to your Top Hat, because: 39 Days to Mars is out now on Xbox One! It’s been a long journey to get to this point, and after five years of development, hundreds of hours of play-testing, and thousands of hand-drawn sketches, it’s unbelievably exciting to see 39 Days to Mars launch on Xbox One… Read more
A Plague Tale: Innocence Takes You Behind the Scenes in an Emotional New Webseries A Plague Tale: Innocence, the new title from Asobo Studio, will release May 14 on Xbox One. You take the role of Amicia, a young girl in medieval France, navigating an infected and war-torn world while trying to protect her younger brother Hugo. Swarms of rats lurk in the dark while the mysterious Inquisition pursues them constantly… Read more
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Crackdown 3 Wrecking Zone Technical Test Coming on February 7 for Xbox Insiders We’re just a little over a week away from the launch of Crackdown 3, and we couldn’t be more excited for fans to dive back in to the over-the-top world of Crackdown that is coming to Xbox Game Pass on February 15. As the team moves full steam toward launch, we will be conducting a technical test of Wrecking Zone… Read more
Inside Xbox February Episode News Recap Today, on our February episode of Inside Xbox, we gave fans a closer look at the highly anticipated Xbox One exclusive Crackdown 3, talked to the creative talent behind Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, revealed new titles coming soon to Xbox Game Pass like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and de blob, unveiled a hot new Xbox One controller… Read more
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Kick Your Style up a Notch with the Xbox Wireless Controller – Sport Red Special Edition Bring your ABXY game with the new Xbox Wireless Controller – Sport Red Special Edition. Whether you’re gearing up for a new Xbox Game Pass Quest or bringing some extra flair to your next Mixer stream, this vibrant, bold controller will make a statement. Inspired by the world of active wear and sports lifestyle, the Xbox Wireless Controller… Read more
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Number Of Players For Link’s Awakening On Switch To Be Determined
Nintendo arguably left the best announcement until last in the most recent Direct presentation. In case you missed it, we’re talking about the reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the Nintendo Switch – a remake of the Game Boy classic, first released in 1993.
With very few details about the game available at this point in time, other than the year of release and game trailer (see below), most returning fans are likely expecting it to be a relatively straightforward port, with a new lick of paint and some quality of life changes here and there. The game listing on the official Nintendo website though has led to speculation there could be a multiplayer option in the game, as the page says the number of players has not been determined. See for yourself below:
We know it’s still early days, but given the fact the original title was a solo experience, it raises questions as to why the listing doesn’t already say this. If we were to wildly speculate ourselves, perhaps there is a chance Nintendo will add in a bonus mode or game similar to Tri Force Heroes or the Four Swords, as this next outing appears to be another classic take on the series.
What do you make of this? Were you expecting a multiplayer component to be included with this Game Boy remake? Are you excited about Link’s Awakening coming to the Switch? Tell us in the comments.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 02-17-2019, 03:22 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Get An Xbox One X With Free Fallout 76 For $400 Right Now In US
Microsoft is offering a nice deal on one of the Xbox One X bundles right now. The Fallout 76 Xbox One X bundle, which normally sells for $500 USD, is now going for $400 USD.
Two versions of the bundle are available, including the Robot White and standard black editions. Both come with a 1 TB Xbox One X system, as well as a copy of the game and one-month trials for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Shipping is free through the Microsoft Store website.
Fallout 76 launched in October behind a lukewarm critical reception. Even if you're not interested in the game, getting the Xbox One X for $400 USD is a fantastic deal on its own.
The timing of the deal is also notable, given that the latest Microsoft first-party game, Crackdown 3, is launching this week. It's free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, so you can use the one-month trial to play the game without spending extra. You might want to try before buying anyway, as our first reactions in our Crackdown 3 review were not all that positive.
Dead Cells Switch Update Adds 60fps And Custom Game Support
Shortly after the Switch release of Dead Cells in August last year, the game’s developer Motion Twin was forced to issue an apology because of the frame rate issues. In certain areas of the title, players were reportedly experiencing significant dips in performance, resulting in entire sections of the game running well-below 60fps.
Motion Twin, at the time, said it would prioritise the issue and later on in September released a temporary fix, allowing “sensitive” players on the Switch to cap the game at 30 frames per second. Now, in the latest major update, the developer has finally got the game running on the Switch at a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. Here’s exactly how Motion Twin fixed it, courtesy of a message from the game’s newsfeed on the Switch:
We went back to the drawing board and completely rebuilt the driver that runs the graphics on the Switch, interfacing between Haxe, our home made game engine and Nintendo’s hardware. That was August last year…
As you can see we hit a few roadblocks, it was something of a technical challenge. However, we pulled it off and we’re really excited to see what you all think of our work.
In addition to this is a major update for the game. It adds custom game support – allowing players to select their level seed, and adjusts the difficulty and balancing. You can read the full patch notes over on the Dead Cells website.
In case you missed it, be sure to check out the recent interview with the Dead Cells team as well:
Have you been waiting for this Dead Cells frame rate fix? Will you be trying out the new update? Tell us below.
