Arcade Sushi editor-in-chief Luke Brown is an experienced video game journalist who has contributed to Official Xbox Magazine and Games Radar. As ComicsAlliance's senior editor, he spends most of his time dishing on the latest action figures, collectibles, and gaming trends.
Luke Brown
Naboo-m Goes the Dynamite: Hands-on With ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’s Multiplayer
Whatever your opinion of 2015's Star Wars Battlefront, DICE crafted a multiplayer experience that truly made you feel as if you were part of the action. The scope may have been limited, but the battle between the Imperial army and the Rebel forces gave us the impression we were the unseen heroes of the Galactic Civil War. With Star Wars Battlefront II, that feeling once again returns. After going hands-on with Battlefront II's multiplayer at E3 this week, it's clear DICE has crafted a deeper experience that gives actual weight to the battles beyond a kill count.
Hot Toys‘ ’Spider-Man: Homecoming‘ Figures Do Whatever a Spider Can
The action figure world has no shortage of Spider-Man toys, as the webslinger has been on shelves continually since the Mego era in the ‘70s. However, not all Spider-toys are created equal. For every figure you wouldn't mind your kid taking into the bath or on a play date, there is an opposing iteration that you’d rather keep secured in a windowed display case that children under the age of eight would have a hard time opening. That former category are the kind of Spider-Man figures these new Hot Toys pieces fall under.
Keysha Ramos Explores the Forces of Destiny For Hasbro‘s New ‘Star Wars’ Collectibles
Forty years ago, Star Wars exploded onto the scene, and pop culture was never the same. From the moment the first film hit the screens, the phenomenon that was Star Wars could hardly be contained. There were movies, books, comics, stickers, trading cards, socks, pajamas, and all manner of products with the epic sci-fi saga flooding stores and homes around the globe. Most of all, there were the toys. Star Wars changed the action figure game forever in 1978, and it's still looking for new ways to shake up the industry.
At this year's Star Wars Celebration, Hasbro and Lucasfilm announced a new venture that would combine toys, comics and animated shorts into one new brand called Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. Following similar concepts from the likes of DC Super Hero Girls, Forces of Destiny's main focus was new dolls with a focus on articulation and action rather than lifestyle and fashions. We spoke with Forces of Destiny's product designer Keysha Ramos to learn more about the figures, and what makes now the right time for such a line.
Bask in the Glory of Warrior Hulk and LEGO Jeff Goldblum in New ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Sets
If you’ve been following the Lego Super Heroes tie-ins to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you no doubt have an entire home already set aside just for the various Iron Man, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and handful of other sets released over the last ten years. That means you’ve also probably got room for two new sets coming this summer to tie into Thor: Ragnarok. At least, I hope you do because this isn’t just the first time we’re getting a Hela or Valkyrie figure; it’s also the first time Jeff Goldblum will be immortalized as a Lego character.
Hasbro’s Steve Evans Reflects on 40 Years of ‘Star Wars,’ And Looks to The Black Series Future
We hit up Steve Evans, director of design and development for Hasbro's Star Wars series, to talk about Hasbro's 40th Anniversary figures, the return of the Vintage Collection, and what lies ahead for the Star Wars Black Series.
There‘s No Fate But What You Make in ‘Terminator Genisys: Future War’
Just when you thought the Terminator franchise was dead, along comes a mobile game developer to prove you wrong. Hitting mobile platforms today is Terminator Genisys: Future War, a new clan-based multiplayer game from Plarium Games. Why the developer wanted to hitch its wagon to the least-successful sequel in the series is beyond us, but setting Future War in the post-Skynet timeline where humans battle machines was definitely a smart choice.
The World Will Soon Be Possessed By William Friedkin’s Exorcism Doc ‘The Devil And Father Amorth’
Originally released in 1973, The Exorcist has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest horror films of all time. It also jumpstarted the cultural fascination with the occult ritual of exorcism, an act still practiced by the Catholic Church — though not without rigorous screening. It was in seeking out just how accurately The Exorcist captured the authenticity of the act that director William Friedkin sought out the “Dean of Exorcists” last year.
Doctor Aphra Wins Fan Vote, Will Get First Figure in Hasbro’s New ‘Star Wars’ Vintage Collection
At Star Wars Celebration last month, Hasbro unveiled a number of new action figures from across the Star Wars saga. Most importantly however, the toy company announced plans to bring back the Star Wars Vintage Collection, a 3.75” figure series that was massively popular with collectors and fans before disappearing from shelves.
To kick off the Vintage return, Hasbro announced a Jakku Rey as the first figure in the line, but opened up its yearly fan vote to decide the second character to join Rey. After a tight race, only one could be the victor, and Doctor Aphra has taken on all comers to earn her very own action figure.
Mondo’s Jay Shaw on Turning ‘The Thing’ Into a Board Game
At Toy Fair 2017, Mondo and USAopoly's Project Raygun division announced an all-new board game set in the universe of John Carpenter's classic horror film, The Thing. Back in February, we weren't allowed to talk about what we'd seen. With the official reveal of The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 yesterday, everybody now knows what Mondo and Project Raygun have in store for players.
To learn a bit more about the development of Infection at Outpost 31 and how Mondo was able to turn such a tense film into a table top game, we spoke with Mondo's creative director Jay Shaw. But was he being honest, or was he just trying to convince us he wasn't an alien monster?
Pacific Rim: Uprising’s New Gipsy Avenger Jaeger Design Teased at Tamashii Toy Show
While we've seen a number of the actors in Pacific Rim: Uprising on set, Legendary Pictures has managed to keep the new Jaeger designs under wraps rather successfully. Pacific Rim Uprising wrapped up filming last month, but isn't due out until early 2018. That means there’s nearly a year of post-production work do be done. It’s probably safe to assume the bulk of that work is bringing the new skyscraper mechs to life. It’ll still be some time until we get a proper look at the Jaegers in action, but thanks to this weekend’s Tamashii 10th Anniversary World Tour, we do know what the Gipsy Danger successor will look like, and what it's going to be called.