The Breakdown: Attack On Titan, Project Scorpio & More

Ello ello, and good day to you. Welcome back to BaicunnPress. It's Friday and I haven't murdered a single person yet; so I'd argue it's shaping up to be an alright week so far. If you're new here, The Breakdown, is a quick recap of nerd news you need to know about. (Usually delivered with an er of cheesiness and sarcasm.) I'll stop wasting, and let's jump into The Breakdown.

In case you've been out on expedition in the wilderness with the Scouts; Attack On Titan has returned. Season 2 first aired on April 1st, and is currently streaming with subtitles on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. If you hate reading subs and you've already Adult Swim will be airing the English dub starting on April 22. I'm a bit of purist on this front, but screw it; it's been 2.333333 years since the last english dub episode of season  1 aired for the first time. Crossed fingers that production isn't delayed for season 3, as season  2 will only contain 12 episodes. 

While on the topic of possible disappointments, we have some more info regarding Microsoft's Project Scorpio. That may seem like a bit of cheap shot, but I'm skeptical that this mid generation upgrade is going to stop Microsoft from continuing to get its ass kicked by Sony. The specs of Scorpio are impressive for a console, as you can see in the infographic below. Impressive though they are, the projected cost is somewhere between $400 and $700, and this is likely to be an issue.

In other self-saving attempts; Microsoft with its sights on boosting user experience, has announced that they will soon be offering  cross-platform gaming and Steam style refunds for pc and Xbox game purchases. Currently there's not a lot of details, but I believe these are positive changes.  

Moving in the opposite direction of Microsoft. Germany's Landesmedienanstalt (Germany's media regulatory body) shits on user experience. In a ruling announced recently, YouTube and Twitch streamers are now considered "broadcasters", and subject to government licensing for any stream with more than 500 viewers. This licensing can cost multiple thousands of euros. The current licensing ruling is being considered only temporary, as the German government admitted that the law is outdated. Originally created to target radio and TV broadcasters. It'd be interesting to know how this ruling could apply podcasts.

In a whole 2 dicks one internet moment, Atlus also recently decided to go after Persona 5 streamers. Threatening bad things for any streamers that stream past the in game date of July 7. They go on and on about their Japanese Masters and what not to do, to avoid angering these faceless nameless overlords, in a post on their site. Down below is a screen cap (selecting the image will enlarge it. Also there's a joke in previous sentence, somewhere):

Since we're discussing out of touch developers; Earlier this month Gearbox announced that they'd be teaming up with the much despised  key reseller, G2A. In the announcement it was revealed that G2A would have exclusive  selling rights for the launch of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, and fans of franchise quickly lost their shit. Due to the backlash, Gearbox laid out changes in business practice that G2A would have to start putting in place within 24 hours. Well that shit went sideways, and Gearbox  began pulling their support from G2A. After a bit more dick measuring the 2 parties have officially ended their relationship with Gearbox pulling out of their deal with G2A all together.

Before this thread is brought to a close, I want to leave you with some important PSAs:

As mentioned in a previous post, a BattleFront 2 ad trailer leaked below:



The Thor: Ragnarok teaser trailer dropped:



A reminder for you MTG players out there. The new Amonkhet set drops on 4/22. So now is the time to hit up your local card shops to check for pre- release events. Wizards of the Coast has a convenient tool HERE to help you find a pre-release event near you. 



Last but not least, this week is Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, FL. If you're interested in checking out any of the panels, the official Star Wars YouTube channel has them running HERE

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the content. As always I appreciate your support and feedback. The Breakdown will be posted up every Friday. Monday's UAS education post will be repaired and returned back to the blog this weekend. That's all for now, and I will see you next time.  

-Chali Baicunn  

Midweek Breakdown - Apple Takes On The Man, R Rating For The New Wolverine, And More

Hello and welcome back to BaicunnPress. I hope that you fine people out there are having a fantastic Wednesday. As you know by now, it's that time of the week, where I bring you a list of nerd news that you need to know. My sincere hope is that this post be the bedazzled My Little Pony, in what would be the dark dungeon of your week. So without wasting anymore of your time, I hope you enjoy!

Well well well. Who would have thought, I'd live to see the day that Apple raises the middle finger to the US Federal Government, but that's exactly what we're seeing. In a letter to customers, Apple CEO, Tim Cook openly shoots down a U.S. government request to compromise the security of iOS. The full letter can be found here, but the TLDR is:

Apple is refusing a government order to create a specially crafted iOS version that would allow the FBI to compromise any iOS device. The request and subsequent order came, when Apple was approached by the FBI to assist with the investigation of the San Bernadino terrorism case. Now the FBI is intending to force Apple into building the back door under the All Writs Act of 1789, to which Apple is preparing for a legal battle. The crux of Apple refusal to comply is that once security is compromised once on a single device, the rest of the devices are susceptible, and they will not set that precedent.

This move personally gives me some warm fuzzies about Apple, but we'll see where this goes. But please do read the entire letter by Apple here.

On to some lighter gaming news. Do you like soccer games? Do you like car games? Would you like both combined? If you're like me then your answer is probably, "Why the fuck would you combine these two?". This would mean, that like me you've missed out on some serious fun. Rocket League just hit Xbox after launching on PS4 and PC last year. Developed on a $2 million budget, Rocket League has moved 11 million copies plus DLC for a combined total revenue of over $50 million. If you're on any platform, I recommend that you check it out combined price of the game, plus previous DLC will set you back about $20. And with the explosion of popularity, Rocket League devs; Psyonix has released the Rocket Labs playlist, which is being used as a test bed for future competitive play.

Fans have spoken and it appears that the next Wolverine movie will be R rated. The news hasn't been officially released in a press conference, but in an image posted on social media from a pamphlet handed out at Toy Fair 2016 by Fox. The pamphlet notes the release dates, director, cast, and expected rating of upcoming Fox movies. If you look at the pic posted out to the right, you'll see that expected rating is R. To be honest fans maybe should have expected this due to the success of recent rated R comic book movies, the likes of The King's Men and of course Valentine's Weekend Champ Deadpool.


Street Fighter V releases and is already broken. Within 24 hours of releasing Capcom has been flooded with complaints from PS4 and PC gamers regarding latest edition to the famous Capcom franchise. With complaints ranging from random crashes, to corrupted game files, The Street Fighter community is a little more than agree. Campcom devs have reported that they are working hard on resolving the issues. Here's to hoping that if you bought this game, you can return it, and didn't burn your hard earned money on the season pass DLC. 

Marvel Studios announced that they have begun production of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 with the teaser pic posted to the left. Slated to hit theaters on on May 5, 2017. Filming will take place at Atlanta's Pinewood Studios.


Just out yesterday, from the fine folks at Pokemon, the new Pokemon: XYZ trailer. The series is set to begin airing on Cartoon Network on Saturday, 2/20/16 at 7AM ET. The following first episode description was released along with the trailer:

"In the first episode of the new season, Bonnie makes an unusual new Pokémon friend, and Ash encounters a new group of villains: Team Flare. This is an episode you definitely won't want to miss!"



A few weeks ago in another Midweek Rundown, I had mentioned that a new TMNT game was coming. IGN just posted new gameplay footage from the perspective of Leonardo.



Activision describes the game in the following way in their official blog post:

"...The Heroes in a Half Shell are taking back the streets of New York, and they’re doing it with the kind of style that only PlatinumGames can deliver. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael combine their unique skillsets to take on Bebop, Rocksteady, Shredder, and a posse of other iconic bosses..."

"...For years, hardcore fans have been asking for a TMNT game that lets players team up for a little co-op action, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is exactly what they’ve been looking for.  And if online co-op isn’t your cup of tea, you can always complete the campaign individually and dynamically switch between Turtles in the heat of battle.
Long-time fans will undoubtedly recognize the art. The developers took a lot of inspiration from IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series, blending it with their own distinctive visuals and animation. And lets not forget about the combat. PlatinumGames’ mastery of fast-paced, silky smooth combat is on full display, but referring to this game as an “Action Brawler” doesn’t really do it justice..."

***UPDATE - POSTED 2/18/15***
And a quick bit more for you RTS and classic game lovers out there. Make War Not Love 3 Sale is out on Steam. With substantial discounts on Company of Heroes 2, Total War, and Warhammer 40K. And anyone who appreciates gaming should like the free prize SEGA is giving away to anyone in until 10AM PT on Saturday, 2/20. If you're interested, please click the link here. 

Thanks for stopping by again. Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know. Make sure to share, and follow BaicunnPress on all of your favorite social networks. As always, I will see you later. 

-Chali Baicunn