About Nathan Bowring

Warner Bros is working towards a potential Minecraft film, but the studio has yet to find the right story. Shawn Levy, director of Night at the Museum, proposed a Goonies-style adventure film which was ultimately shot down by developer Mojang. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Levy explained how it all happened.

“What happened simply is Warner’s asked me to develop, ‘How might this ever be a story for a movie?’ Because it’s not a narrative game. And we came up with an approach that felt good to us, and I discussed it with Mojang. And they’re like, ‘That doesn’t sound like what we want. If we’re going to see a movie get made, we don’t know what we want, but that doesn’t feel right.’ And I said, ‘OK, well that’s a movie I can envision.'”

So just what was his idea? He goes on to explain, “It was not a comedy. It had a bit of a Goonies flair… [I]t was an adventure movie, and I thought it could have been a lot of fun and fulfilled a lot of the qualities that people love about the game.”

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JUJU was developed by Flying Wild Hog and published on Xbox 360 by Nordic Games. It was released December 9, 2014 for $14.99. A copy was provided for review purposes.

So what is JUJU? I’m not able to tell you that. I completed the game, and I have no idea if JUJU is the main character’s name, or the world it lives in, or the totems you need to collect. What I do know is that JUJU is an increasingly rare XBLA title, and it has a terrible name for which to use in a Google search.

JUJU is a happy-go-lucky side-scrolling platformer that’s all about the colorful visuals. The game looks like a toddler’s fever dream, filled with giant toys and smiling unnaturally colored animals. It’s about as kid-friendly as kid-friendly gets, even going so far as to have a main menu that only uses pictures. Unfortunately, the game has a severe case of style over substance, as its core gameplay is not as fun and whimsical as you might expect. JUJU feels like an uninspired re-skin of similar titles, and attempting to finish it quickly becomes a chore.

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Its first time on top in 2014.
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Have you ever tried chocolate and bacon together? You know how combining those two great things sounds gross, but turns out to be amazing? That’s the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands. It’s chocolate-covered bacon.

Zero Sum proves Telltale’s patented formula has flexibility and that making decisions can be fun instead of torture. The episode is essentially a heist story, told from the perspective of two very different characters. Playing as Rhys and Fiona, you make the decisions as they tell their side of the story. Despite not being gun-wielding tanks, they’re still true Borderlands anti-heroes: likeable scumbags trying to get paid. Getting to tell their stories is a blast; you get dialogue trees full of wit and sarcasm, and some major choices just turn out to be jokes in disguise. Going through the events that brought them together, you get a more intimate look at Pandora; one that is a little more calm with humor more refined. It’s still a Telltale game; you’ll build relationships with the game’s great supporting cast and do some terrible things, but you’ll be smiling all the way through.

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Are you a human who likes to go skateboarding? Then you’d be happy to hear that the rad dudes at Curve Digital have teamed up with equally-rad developer Roll7 to bring their gnarly skateboarding game OlliOlli to Xbox One. This 2D sidescroller will be the ultimate test of your skateboarding skills, having you rack up massive combos using over 120 tricks. It’s all about getting the high score, meaning a single kick-flip could be the difference between beating your friends and utter failure. Shred your way through 100 levels and prove your mettle by completing over 250 challenges. The game features four game modes including The Daily Grind, which has the entire world competing for the high score on a single course.

OlliOlli is coming to Xbox One early 2015. Check out the teaser trailer after the jump. We’re sorry about the asdfmovie reference and poor use of slang, it’s unavoidable when you write about a radical skateboarding game.

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Hot off the heels of Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale Games has launched the premier of their highly anticipated Game of Thrones series. The first episode, Iron from Ice, is out now on both Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The episode costs $4.99, and you can upgrade to the season pass for $19.99.

Game of Thrones is a six-episode series based on the HBO show of the same name. The story will start around the end of season three, and end before the start of season 5. Characters from the show will appear in the game, played by their respective actors, but the main story will follow brand new characters. The game’s five playable characters are members of House Forrester, a noble house of the North whom are loyal to the Starks. The family is scattered across the lands of Westeros and Essos, taking players to new and familiar locations. The focus of the game is tough choices, as all five characters will have a part in saving House Forrester from a grim fate.

Check out the launch trailer for Iron from Ice after the break.

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Telltale’s newest series Tales from the Borderlands is coming out soon, and we mean really soon. Last night Telltale tweeted the release dates for the premiere episode, Zer0 Sum, and anxious players don’t have to wait very long. Xbox One users will be able to pick up the game tomorrow, November 26, while Xbox 360 users have to wait an extra week for December 3. The episode will cost $4.99 on either console, and the remaining four episodes can be pre-purchased with the $14.99 season pass.

Tales from the Borderlands takes place after the events of Borderlands 2, and shows what life is like on Pandora for those who aren’t face-shooting vault hunters. The series features two playable characters, Hyperion employee Rhys and con artist Fiona, as they tell the story of their unwilling partnership. Together they must face the dangers of Pandora, from bandits to vault hunters, in order to score the ultimate prize: a vault key. Check out the launch trailer after the jump, we promise it contains no Claptrap.

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Last month, rumors started circling that the black-and-white indie gem Limbo may get an Xbox One release. The rumor has been unofficially confirmed, as users have been receiving free copies of the …
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The Xbox One just received a huge helping of party games in the form of the Jackbox Party Pack. The pack contains a collection of five games, all of which can be played from the comfort of your phone or tablet. All players need to do is sign on to game’s website from any internet-capable device and enter the game’s room code, then they can play along with the action on the console. Most games support up to 8 players, expect Lie Swatter, which has a massive 100 player limit.

So what games are in the pack? First and foremost is You Don’t Know Jack 2015, the newest installment of the hit comedy-trivia series. Fibbage XL is a lying-based trivia game that builds on its predecessor, featuring everything from the original release plus over 50% more content. Drawful is a twist on classic drawing games, making good use of the game’s device capabilities by having players draw on their phone. Word Spud has players race to finish unfinished words, complete with adjustable levels of rudeness. Last but not least, Lie Swatter is a true or false trivia game filled with strange and unusual questions.

Jackbox Party Pack is available now for $24.99. Check out some screenshots and the launch trailer after the jump.

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If these leaked screenshots are to be believed, we may very well have our first look at Telltale’s upcoming Game of Thrones series. The screens, first discovered by @lifelower, do have that certain Telltale style, so we’re inclined to believe they’re legit (or just really good fakes). While the game is going to focus on the little-known House Forrester, it appears that its members will cross paths with some familiar faces from the show.

Telltale recently revealed the first details of the series, which will span six episodes and follow five playable characters. Game of Thrones is coming later this year, but not before Telltale’s other upcoming series Tales from the Borderlands.

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