Roland Emmerich passed on the movie adaptation of the video game Asteroids

By Adam Rosenberg September 15, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The gamer nation and film-lovers of the world can collectively breathe a sigh of relief today. A movie based on the popular old-school coin-op arcade game Asteroids may still happen, but Independence Day helmer Roland Emmerich won’t be directing it. The rights have been in the hands of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra producer Dino de Laurentiis since 2009.

Emmerich revealed the news in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival with Collider. “I was very honored that they wanted to have me as a director, and I kind of liked the script very much, but at that time I was writing with my writing partner Harold Kloser a new script called Singularity and I opted for that.”

While Singularity is a sci-fi project, it should not be confused with the recently released (summer 2010) Activision video game bearing the same title. He revealed that the story takes place 40 years into the future, with trouble brewing that seems to have some shades of Terminator to it. “It’s like kind of this moment where computer technology is so advanced that we kind of—- It’s the danger of losing control.”

Fine, whatever. I’ll see it. As long as it’s not some silly attempt to cash in on a classic video game that never had nor needed a guiding narrative of any kind.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

How to unlock all weapons in Hades 2

Hades 2 key art from its first trailer.

Hades 2's Melinoë is a very different main character from the first game's Zagreus in terms of personality and in how she fights. Being a witch, magic is core to her moveset, but she still wields all sorts of new weapons. You won't find the standard sword or spear here, as she starts off with just a witch's staff . You'll need to unlock the rest in traditional roguelike fashion. Each item requires you to gather up different materials, but most have some overlap so you will need to be selective about which one you craft first. We're still in the early access period, but for now, here are all the Nocturnal Arms in the game and how you can unlock them.
How to unlock every Nocturnal Arm
Ignoring the Witch's Staff, which you start with, there are four additional weapons to unlock.
Sister Blades
These fast, close-range melee daggers are the easiest to unlock and cost one Silver.
Umbral Flames
This is a medium-range weapon that prioritizes magic and fire attacks for three Silver and three Cinder.
Moonstone Axe
The heavy Moonstone Axe is your big, but slow damage dealer. It will cost you 15 Silver to pick up, so you will need to save up a bit.
Argent Skull
This si an explosive casting weapon that won't be available to unlock until you reach a certain point in the game that we won't spoil here. It will cost you two Glassrock and one Bronze to make.

Gaming

Should you play Hades 2 in early access or wait for the full game?

Melinoe fighting under a full moon in Hades 2.

After what felt like a much longer wait than it really was, Hades 2 is out now in early access. PC players can dive into the roguelike sequel right now and start their war against Chronos. Not everyone is rushing to buy their copy, though. Since its release, I've seen a common question across social media and my own personal circles: "Should I play it now or wait for 1.0?"

It's a great question. Personally, I rarely ever play games in early access. I'd much rather prefer to wait for a game's full release so I can play the feature-complete version all at once. I intended to do the same with Hades 2, especially since it's more narrative driven than your average roguelike, but I made a rare exception here. Call me weak, but the good news is that I can now answer that burning question: Should you play Hades 2 now or later? You won't be let down either way.
Should you play early access or not?
If you're skeptical about early access, I don't blame you. The term generally implies that a game is incomplete in key ways, which can lead to an unfulfilling experience. This year's surprise hit Palworld is an extreme example of that. While it hooked players right out of the gate, the early access version was fairly bare bones. That led to a major player drop-off as developer Pocketpair, Inc. looked to staff up to keep up with demand. Roguelikes tend to be especially unsatisfying in early access too. Rogue Legacy 2 initially launched with a limited taste of a full run, including only four character classes. You were better off waiting for 1.0 unless you actively wanted to help shape the game.

Gaming

The best Arcana Cards in Hades 2

The arcana cards menu in Hades 2.

Fitting right in line with the new more magical and "witchy" tone of Hades 2, Arcana Cards have been introduced as a new upgrade system to further customize your runs.

These unique cards grant you new abilities and buffs on whatever run you take them on, but the system isn't as simple as activating them and reaping the rewards. Like all things in this game, you will need to slowly unlock them and make choices about which ones you want to equip and which to leave off. The system isn't as complex as reading real tarot cards, but there are enough of them that it wouldn't hurt to have a little help deciding which ones are the most effective.
How to unlock and equip Arcana Cards