Before PlayStation 4’s official reveal, rumors were swirling that the console would come packing some sort of used games block, disabling a gamer’s ability to play pre-owned or shared titles. But Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s head of its first-party Worldwide Studios, has confirmed to Eurogamer that that’s simply not the case.
In a rather strange conversation between Eurogamer’s writer and Yoshida, a back and forth ended up resulting in the following declaration from the Sony executive: “So, used games can play on PS4. How is that?” The answer came following an exchange between Yoshida and a Sony Japan PR representative, apparently seeking clarification about the particular question being asked.
We’ve reached out to Sony for official clarification, but considering that this comes from a well-established Sony executive in the know, it’s safe to assume that PlayStation 4 will indeed be able to play used games. Crisis averted?
Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.
If you’re a lover of Sgt. Rock, The War That Time Forgot, or just dinosaurs eatin’ dudes, chances are Chronos Commandos is your cup of tea. While the debut issue suffers a great deal from its lack of character focus and a reliance on too many familiar beats, its bouncy dialogue, pretty digital paints, and wacky (though sparse) time travel plot might be enough to warrant your cash.
Writer/illustrator Stuart Jennett seems less concerned with building his cast here – most of them serve as cannon fodder anyway – and is happy to rely on the reader’s familiarity with the archetypes. Think about Sgt. Rock’s Easy Company and you’ve got an idea of every character in Chronos Commandos #1. In lieu of notable character work, Jennett offers a fast-moving romp through a dinosaur-ridden island on a hunt for Nazis. Just as character work isn’t a concern, neither is plot, though it works well enough. We understand that these soldiers are on the hunt for time-disrupting Nazis, and the rest is pure spectacle.
Hopefully future installments can move beyond the gimmick and flesh out the characters and their world, but for an action-packed first issue, it works just fine. There is a problem with repeating beats, however, as we see the same moment essentially play out twice but for two different characters, and the surprise is less impactful both times because of the repetition.
Jennett’s art is the real star here, though. While human figures often suffer from a lack of emotion and a rather robotic quality of movement, his atmospheric detail and rendering of dinosaurs and non-human objects within the world are quite stunning. The opening sequence of dino-on-dino violence will get you riled up in no time; Jennett’s storytelling flow is flawless in this instance. Ironically, it’s only when the soldiers go on the run from the dinos that things feel a bit lifeless as the static quality of the characters lessens the illusion of movement within the panels.
One other gripe I have to point out is the lettering for the sound effects in this issue. Most are simply a bland white in a font that looks dangerously close to Comic Sans, making some of the lettering stand out like a sore thumb and look rather amateurish. Hopefully this can be corrected before this book goes to print in July.
In all, though, Chronos Commandos #1 is an enjoyable, if somewhat hollow, romp through time.
Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.
Tonight, in the blazing neon depths of New York City, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 exists. And it does a whole lot of cool stuff.
With a new system coming Holiday 2013 and massive games like Destiny, Watch Dogs, and Killzone Shadow Fall on the horizon, gamers have a lot to keep up with. That's why we just launched the PlayStation 4 channel on IGN. This brand new hub page will keep track of all our PlayStation 4 coverage. And only our PlayStation 4 coverage. If you want to put blinders on and focus on one system, that's the place to go.
But it's a new channel, so keep coming back as we build up our library of content. And enjoy.
At tonight's event we were offered a brief overview of the PlayStation 4's powerful new hardware and a few quick glimpses at its new peripherals, the DualShock 4 and Eye. Now, the company has released additional information about the console's internals and more detail about the controller and new camera.
Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 4 will be powered by a custom 8-core AMD "Jaguar" x86-64 with integrated graphics APU and "next-generation" AMD Radeon graphics processor capable of driving 1.84 teraflops. As detailed at the event, it will come paired with 8GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory, making it competitive with most gaming-focused PCs on the market. As expected, the system will ship with a Blu-ray drive, built-in 80.211 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, as well as HDMI, Analog-AV, and optical digital output. Sony is giving I/O options a boost with the inclusion of USB 3.0 ports and a mysteriously vague "AUX" port. Each system will ship a "Mono Headset" for cross-game chat and other social features.
What's more, we've gained new insight into the DualShock 4. As we know, the controller sports an integrated touch pad, headset jack, share button, and LED player identifier, but we've now learned that the touch pad features a mechanical button and supports "capacitive type." In addition to the obvious size and ergonomic changes, the DualShock 4 is expectedly gaining a bit of weight, going from 6.77 ounces on the DualShock 3 to 7.4 ounces on the DualShock 4. In addition to helping track a player for motion-based controls, the built-in LED can also be used to represent in-game elements, like a player's overall health.
Details were remarkably scant at the event regarding the PlayStation 4 Eye, which has been revealed as having a 1280x800 pixel sensor capable of capturing video at 60 frames-per-second — a significant gain over the Kinect's 640x480 30fps sensor. It can also be used to automatically detect players, though Sony hasn't detailed the exact application of the feature.
Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and Executive Editor of IGN Tech. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN.
Numbercruncher was one of the comics that led the announcement of Titan Comics, and after reading the debut issue – set for release in July 2013 – I can see why. It’s a philosophically dense read that’s definitely not for everyone, but if you appreciate flippant takes on the afterlife and concepts of fate and destiny, this is right up your alley. Writer Simon Spurrier and artist PJ Holden cook up a severely interesting new series that bucks your expectations at nearly every turn.
The basic premise of Numbercruncher is this: the Universe is essentially one giant ledger with an accountant at the center that controls everything – as our lead character calls it, “a karmic calculator.” Our protagonist, Bastard Zane, serves as the right-hand man of sorts to this mathematic god that controls the fates of everyone in the universe, but when a new entrant into the in-between makes a deal that could give Zane his out after decades of service, things, of course, go awry. Its sounds pretty trippy in theory, and it in practice, it absolutely is.
But that is also this debut issue’s greatest strength; the big ideas are fast and furious, but Spurrier manages to present it in a fashion so the reader is never left behind. On top of that, he’s able to effectively build his strange cast of characters with relative ease. Zane’s motivations get lost in the shuffle in favor of the world-building aspects at times, but it’s a forgivable offense considering how off-the-rails Numbercruncher dares to be in its very first issue.
Holden’s artwork manages to keep up to speed with Spurrier’s zany ideas. In fact, it’s the big sweeping landscapes of the in-between that makes for this issue’s most impressive visuals, showcasing stacks and stacks of file cabinets, clocks, and things generally floating about in the ether. The environments and backgrounds in general are the highlight of the issue, while the characters tend to lack emotion at times.
There’s some great caricature work in terms of the Divine Calculator and Zane – an exaggeration of their body language that fits itself into some classic cartooning archetypes – but the characters that surround them are far less interesting. Still, this is an impressive first effort with plenty of room for growth as the next issue grows even crazier.
If you’re a fan of books like Punk Rock Jesus, The Filth, or The Unwritten, give Numbercruncher a shot..
Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.
Nightwing #17 follows the same general approach the rest of the Bat books this month, exploring the fallout of Joker's rampage and Dick Grayson's generally fragile emotional state. The issue is competently executed, though it lacks the creativity and storytelling flair of something like Batman and Robin #17. It's more a means to an end as Dick transitions from one life stage to the next.
I've noted in previous reviews that, while certainly dark and dramatic, Nightwing's Death of the Family tie-in arc lacked a bit of weight simply because the series hadn't devoted enough time to building up the supporting cast and Dick's role as owner of Haly's Circus. That problem continues to drag the book down a bit, as the emotion in the script just isn't as raw as it should be considering how much Dick lost in Joker's attack.
The hero spends so much time in this issue telling everyone he's "fine" that we never get a full sense of how he's actually coping. Also disappointing is the lack of interaction between Dick and Damian in this issue. The latter spends most of the story silently stalking his former mentor, and their actual dialogue is annoyingly limited, though still enjoyable.
Juan Jose Ryp tackles this transitional story. His figure work is solid, with plenty of detailed figures and emotive facial work. But his layouts are fairly uninspired and not really well-suited to Nightwing's high-flying, acrobatic world. Luckily, action only becomes the focus of a handful of pages, so the issue mainly plays to Ryp's strengths.
This current phase of Nightwing's career ends with more of a whimper than a bang. At this point, the best thing for the character is a fresh start and a new story direction. Luckily, that's exactly what Higgins seems poised to do in the coming months. And we can thank the obnoxious Channel 52 segment for spoiling exactly what that new direction entails.
At the close of its live Future of PlayStation event from New York tonight, Sony confirmed that the newly announced PlayStation 4 will arrive this holiday season.
The news confirms rumors that circulated earlier this week.
Bungie has confirmed that Destiny is headed to Sony’s new console. The news comes from Sony’s live event in New York City and comes just days after Destiny’s initial reveal this weekend.
At the time, Bungie said Destiny was headed to “future generation technology,” and it’s now clear exactly what that meant. "We can't wait to see what PlayStation fans do when they set foot in our world for the first time," Bungie co-founder Jason Jones said tonight.
Activision called Destiny the first "shared-world shooter." PlayStation 4 will receive exclusive playable content, with details to follow "in the coming months."
Developing…
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.
Late last year, Marvel teased a new X-event called X-Termination. With that story about to hit next month, the publisher has revealed our first look at X-Termination #1. Starting in this debut chapter and continuing through Astonishing X-Men, Age of Apocalypse, and X-Treme X-Men, X-Termination focuses on the Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler, who's on a mission to get back to his own world, possibly at the expense of our own.
Written by David Lapham, Marjorie Liu, and Greg Pak with art by David Lopez and a cover by Ed McGuinness, X-Termination #1 goes on sale March 20.
Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.
During its live press event in New York City today, Sony announced that MotorStorm developer Evolution has a new first-person racing game headed to PlayStation 4 called Drive Club.
The project has existed as a concept at the studio for a decade. The name was trademarked nine years ago, and the game revolves around "driving the very best cars in the world in the very best locations in the world."
It features collaborative gameplay with friends in teams. Players can interact with the club anywhere, and cars have been "recreated with intense love." The studio has "gone borderline insane" with real-world details and subtlety.
The news follows a tease from Evolution last week, which included a countdown to today’s event as well as the mention of a “super secret project” on the Twitter pages of employees.
Developing…
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.
Sam Malone and Diane Chambers. Sam Malone and Rebecca Howe. Sam Malone and his hair. American sitcoms have had their fair share of legendary lovers over the years, some of them even from shows other than Cheers. But 2013 is all about the Pawneean power couple, Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt, who are getting married on this Thursday's highly-anticipated, and appropriately named, episode of Parks and Recreation, "Leslie and Ben."
Yes, I'm well aware that Valentine's Day was last week, but it's not my fault that NBC decided to cliffhang us and split up all the feels over two weeks. So I hope you guys still have your love hats on (that's a thing now!) because it's about to get mushy up in here.
Assistant Parks Director Leslie and former kid-Mayor turned budget slashing bureaucrat Ben started their relationship off in the traditional TV fashion - as bitter enemies. Ben came in to clean house and trim the fat while Leslie was determined to show him the importance and majesty of community parks. Needless to say, many arcs were arc'd.
So consider this feature a pre-wedding toast modern television's most adorable, loving and hilarious couple. Two peas in a pod who, defying most conventions, are better together than they are apart. To Super Nerd and Panic Attack (if we're to use their Wamapoke names). To Leslie and Ben! Here's why they rock:
They Will, Thank You Very Much
Characters hooking up on TV is always a bit of an unstable rope bridge. Most will tell you the the real meat is in the courting. In the flirting. In the time-honored trope called "Will They?/Won't They?" But more and more these days (Chuck, Nikita), it's become "Will They?/They Will!" and the two characters who fans want to see come together become a couple and then stay a couple. Sure, they squabble and for a few episodes they'll be on the outs, but typically storylines fizzle out and interest wanes once the prize is no longer a prize. Most often, people reference the ABC '80s series Moonlighting as an example of a TV show that was hot when the masked sexual tension between the two leads (Bruce Willis & Cybill Shepherd) was in play, and then experienced a major freeze up once they landed in bed together.
But Parks and Rec has created something magical. They've given us a couple that have made the show better by them being together. Their story isn't coasting, it's thriving.
There was a moment when these two did the predictable TV thing of splitting up, but it was against their will. And then the two of them, romantic as all s***, put their careers on the line to be with one another. Ben even sacrificed his own job to be with Leslie, and since then the writers haven't had to scramble to figure out what to do with them. Not only did Ben manage Leslie's campaign for Pawnee city council, but their projects and interests regularly criss-cross with one another showing us a loving support system like no other. The show not only survived the two of them predictably falling into one another's arm, but it was all the better for it.
Nerd Love
The notion of soul mates isn't that far-fetched when you think of Leslie and Ben. Neither is the phrase "Who would love me but for you," which I just totally made up for the sake of this piece. But it sounds right. Feels right.
Though it took time to get to know Ben, he was slowly revealed to be a cop-fearing, claymation-creating, Calzone-loving, incredi-nerd who loves to sit on benches alone and eat soup. He might be a sorcerer with numbers, but he completely melts into puddles on national TV and radio.
Ben writes Star Trek fanfic, he can't dance, he makes painfully awkward small talk and has a penchant for sobbing while wearing a full Batman costume. Namely, he is us.
Meanwhile, Leslie, as we all know, is a hoarder/organizational freak (???) who gets easily rattled by conflict, forgets to breathe when she rants about neighboring town Eagleton and has an unhealthy confidence in our broken political system. Oh, and she totally wants to do it with VP Joe Biden.
But even though Leslie thinks calzones are about as pointless as Ron Swanson sees cats, she's always there to support Ben. Even if it means uttering sexy phrases in Dothraki.
So while he geeks out on sci-fi and fantasy fare, she revels in sugar highs, strong female leaders and color-coded idea binders. And neither one gets annoyed with the other's idiosyncrasies. They're both beautiful disasters - a match made in Tumblr heaven.
More from Leslie and Ben on page 2, including the MOST ROMANTIC LINE OF ALL TIME!
On the heels of appearing on several episodes of Chicago Fire, the busy Sarah Shahi (Life, Fairly Legal) will make her debut this Thursday night on Person of Interest, kicking off a new recurring role.
Shahi plays a character known as Shaw, a tough-as-nails member of a secret paramilitary organization, who makes her presence known to Finch (Michael Emerson) and Reese (Jim Caviezel) in a big way. Shahi’s debut, in the episode “Relevance”, also marks the directorial debut of Jonathan Nolan, Person of Interest’s creator – and, of course, the co-writer of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, with his brother, Christopher.
I spoke to Shahi about her mysterious new role on Person of Interest and what it’s like playing such a skilled and deadly woman.
Sarah Shahi as Shaw in Person of Interest
IGN TV: Jonathan Nolan described your character on Person of Interest as, “If James Bond and Sarah Connor had a kid, Shaw would kick its ass.” That’s a pretty big statement!
Sarah Shahi: Yeah, she’s the ultimate badass. I went in to go do some ADR, and I saw what I was doing. I was like, “Holy s**t, I am not that cool! This character is f**king cool!” She would definitely not hang out with me. It’s funny, I say if Jason Bourne and Catwoman had a child, this would be her. She is sexy, she is deceptive, she is dangerous, she is flawed. And without being a superhero, she’ll just use anything that she can to get the upper hand in a situation. She’s completely fearless. There’s nothing really that holds her back. She’s almost like a machine in the way that she operates.
IGN: And what brings her into Reese and Finch’s world in this episode?
Shahi: Well, I can’t tell you much. If I told you, I’d have to kill you -- and by the way, now I can, because I’ve gotten training on that. I can take a newspaper and make it a lethal weapon. But what I can tell you is that she is a completely fearless operative in the most secret, covert, paramilitary branch of the government that there is. Just like Reese and Finch, she also tracks terrorists before they have a chance to execute anything. So these characters are kind of living these parallel lives in some way. Although, Reese and Finch don’t really handle big terrorist acts, they’re on a smaller scale. They’re kind of doing the same thing, she just does it on a bigger scale, and at some point they intersect.
IGN: This episode marks Jonathan Nolan’s directorial debut. What was it like working with him?
Shahi: This is a multiple-episode arc, and I can’t imagine my first episode being directed by anybody else, because this really is kind of inside his head. This was a character that he wanted to bring on board. As a director, he was wonderful to work with, and he knew exactly what he wanted. He didn’t waste time doing anything that wasn’t necessary or anything that he couldn’t fix later. You know, it’s a very high action, fast moving show. This episode in particular, the moment it starts, it really just doesn’t let up until the credits role. It’s kind of intense. So yeah, they move very quickly on the show. The action was movie caliber stuff that I and my stunt double were doing. It’s very impressive. Again, I can’t imagine Jonathan putting this in another director’s hands.
IGN: Did he give you any information on anything that’s going to happen down the line with Shaw?
Shahi: Only things that I needed to know. Some of it they were forming as we were going along. I just know the very broad strokes of what’s going on, but nothing that’s too detailed or would give anything away, even for my benefit. Honestly, as an actor, all I need to know, the way I kind of look at a scene, is like a puzzle. There are certain puzzle pieces that are bigger than others, and all I need to know is if this is going to fit here to make this part of the puzzle work. So I don’t need to get everything all at once. For me, sometimes the mystery of it is good, and it allows for me to play with different choices in the moment, which as an actor can be very liberating. You don’t know exactly what you’re playing to, but different things happen with each take. It’s very interesting, the different layers that can come up. But again, I know the very broad strokes of what I need to know to help form the character in the next few episodes. Specifically where it’s going, I couldn’t even tell you that.
Sarah Shahi and Michael Emerson in Person of Interest
IGN: You mentioned the action. In general, this is a very action-filled show, but your character is clearly particularly involved in that aspect. What sort of training did you have to do for this?
Shahi: Well, it was definitely a crash course in how to become a killer. I had less than seven days pretty much, divided between New York and LA, to learn different forms of military weapons. I had a wonderful trainer that came in, James Deever, to help me. He had 25 years in the marines, and he’s amazing. He came in and taught me a bunch of different stuff. Then I worked with their stunt team. I have to say, for it being the first time I’ve stepped into a role like this, that side came out very quickly and very naturally. I just hope that when people watch it, they believe it, because it felt pretty damn good. I’ve made my husband a little bit more nervous, I’ll say that. He’s a little intimidated.
IGN: [Laughs] So safe to say, you got to do most of your own stunts?
Shahi: There was one stunt that was not safe for me to do, and I knew that going in. I’m the one where they say, “We need someone to hang from a building,” and I’m like, “I’ll do it!” I want to do everything. But this, I tried, and they were like, “Absolutely not.” And when the stunt was over, I could see why they did not let me do that one. But for the most part, anything that you’re watching is me doing it. I was able to pull all of it off. Every time I pulled something off, I was like, “Holy s**t, did I just do that? And it looked good? You guys believe it?” They were like, “Yeah, you sold it. You did it” “Really!?” So as it was happening, I couldn’t believe it was happening.
Michael Emerson, Jim Caviezel, Sarah Shahi and Bear (!) in Person of Interest
IGN: What was it like working with the cast? I haven’t met Jim, but I have met Michael, and he’s such an interesting guy with such a unique screen presence.
Shahi: Michael Emerson is just a prince. There’s something about him. He’s so sweet. I don’t know how to describe it. There’s something about him that’s a bit royal. My time with them, ask me this two months from now and I might be like, “Oh, he’s a dick!” [Laughs] But I don’t think that’s going to be the case. No, they’re both incredibly giving actors. This was my first episode, and obviously the new kid on the block doesn’t want to press her luck, you know what I mean? So I respected their boundaries, and they respected mine. We all worked really well with each other. When we could chat in between takes, we did. But our stuff is pretty intense, so there wasn’t really a lot of chatting this time around.
IGN: Because you had a lot of asses to kick.
Shahi: I did, I did! [Laughs] I don’t think there was one person on the show whose ass I didn’t kick -- or at least try to kick.
IGN: So we know it’s going to be multiple episodes. Can you say when we’ll be seeing you again after this week?
Shahi: No, I can’t, because we want it to be a surprise.
IGN: Are you finished with your run on Chicago Fire?
Shahi: Yeah, as of right now, I’m done with that show. That was just a five-episode thing, and I just had to make out with Taylor Kinney each week, so how I could I turn that down? It was a pretty easy job. But it was fun, and we all got along so famously well. But they were kind of sad that I was going over to Person of Interest, I think, because there were plans to have Renee back with Severide and see where else that character was going -- because it does seem like they still have some unfinished business. So we’ll see what happens with that.
Sarah Shahi makes her debut in Person of Interest on Thursday, February 21st at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.
For a time, director Kevin Smith had mulled over the idea of making his third Clerks movie into a Broadway show. Later, he said that Clerks III could still potentially be his final feature film. Now, the filmmaker is considering the idea of making it into a book first.
As Smith revealed to What's Trending, the idea would be to release the book chapter by chapter online, allowing him to reflect on feedback from fans as he's writing it, while also deeply exploring the characters in a much more personal way. For example, Smith said that the first chapter would depict the characters Dante and Randall meeting for the first time in kindergarden.
According to Smith, a movie "would be the ultimate expression of Clerks III. The money will always be there if I do it as a feature, but if I want to get real creative, I'd break it down [into smaller pieces] and do it online."
Of course, a movie would also mean the collaboration of Smith's co-stars Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson. Only time will tell if a feature is still in the cards. Check out the interview below for the Clerks III question, roughly 13 minutes in:
In the meantime, Smith and Mewes are scheduled to begin touring their animated film Jay and Silent Bob's Groovy Cartoon Movie this April --much like Smith did with his last movie Red State in 2011.
Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.
Looks like Wesley Snipes might be back on the big screen before he's even out of jail. (The Blade star isn't scheduled to be released from federal prison until July 19th where he's been incarcerated for the last two years for tax violations.) His horror-action flick Gallowwalkers was shot back in late 2006 and is finally slated to hit cinemas this year via Wrekin Hill Entertainment.
Gallowwalkers is the story of a mysterious gunman, Aman (Snipes), the son of a nun, who breaks her covenant with God to ensure his survival. Her break with God curses her son to be hunted by all those who die by his hand - When he takes revenge on a gang that murdered his love, the gang rises as a cursed crew of undead warriors and hunt him mercilessly, seeking their 'dying' revenge.
In a post on his official website, comic book industry lightning rod Rob Liefeld has announced a new contest which can result in him drawing your 5-6 page short story. The only catch is that it's got to be one of Liefeld's characters -- but the winning story will be published in an upcoming issue of Bloodstrike or Youngblood.
The rules are pretty simple. According to Liefeld:
Step 1 – Write a short story featuring one of my EXTREME CHARACTERS. the story MUST BE EXTREME CHARACTERS ONLY. You are submitting a brief few paragraph’s pitching your idea for a short 5-6 page story.
Step 2 – HIT THE BUTTON. Here on this web site, to the right is a button that says CONTACT ME! This will send your story to my attention.
Step 3 – Wait to be contacted. I will choose 3 winners, 1 every few weeks starting March 6th, 2013. If your pitch is chosen you will be given a work for hire agreement to sign in order to participate.
I have the absolute highest regard for creators and for the ownership of original properties, and this agreement should in no way be misconstrued as license for us to appropriate your creations. This agreement protects Rob Liefeld from any liabilities involving coincidental similarities to works-‐in-‐progress or other submissions. Any submissions received without a signed agreement will be discarded without review.
5. GOOD LUCK!
If your life-long dream is to have Liefeld render your words, then get cracking. Also, read the submissions agreement carefully -- the only reward you'll get from this is Liefeld drawing your story, as he's not obligated to give you any further compensation -- so take that into consideration.
Go forth and discuss.
Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.
The sales war between rival smartphones rages ever forward. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the iPhone 5 surpassed the Samsung Galaxy S3 in worldwide sales during the fourth quarter. Accounting for 13-percent of all shipped smartphones, the estimated 27.4 million iPhone 5 units moved during Q4 propelled Apple's device to the top spot for the first time since launch.
Apple no doubt profited from the comparatively new iPhone 5, as Samsung's Galaxy S3 has likely reached its peak in terms of mass adoption. Amazingly, though, the iPhone 4S also outpaced the Samsung in the same quarter, selling 17.4 million units to the Galaxy S3's 15.4 million. Apple's iPhone models accounted for 1 in 5 of all smartphones sold globally in Q4.
Samsung and Apple have repeatedly volleyed for the "best-selling" position, with the Galaxy S3 taking the honor last September. And as the story goes each time these sales figures arise, Samsung will likely fire back with the Galaxy S4, or whatever its next flagship smartphone is called. Last we heard, Samsung may debut a Galaxy S4 this spring.
Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.
"They're talking to us," he said. "George [Lucas] wanted to know whether we'd be interested. He did say that if we didn't want to do it, they wouldn't cast another actor in our parts – they would write us out. … I can tell you right away that we haven't signed any contracts. We're in the stage where they want us to go in and meet with Michael Arndt, who is the writer, and Kathleen Kennedy, who is going to run Lucasfilm. Both have had meetings set that were postponed -- on their end, not mine. They're more busy than I am."
Hamill had previously stated that he and Carrie Fisher had spoken with Lucas about Episode VII and Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm well before the official announcement, so it is unclear how much has progressed since that time.
The actor wouldn't commit to saying that he knew precise details about the script and story for Episode VII, but his speculations are fairly close to the rumors that are now circulating.
"I'm assuming, because I haven't talked to the writers, that these movies would be about our offspring -- like my character would be sort of in the Obi-Wan range [as] an influential character. … When I found out [while making the original trilogy] that ultimate good news/bad news joke – the good news is there's a real attractive, hot girl in the universe; the bad news is she's your sister – I thought, 'Well, I'm going to wind up like Sir Alec [Guinness]. I'm going to be a lonely old hermit living out in some kind of desert igloo with a couple of robots.'"
He did stress that he’d like to see the bulk of the original cast make an appearance in the film rather than just one key player, i.e. Harrison Ford.
"Another thing I'd want to make sure of is - are we going to have the whole gang back? Is Carrie and Harrison and Billy Dee and Tony Daniels, everybody that's around from the original [returning]? I want to make sure that everybody's on board here, rather than just one."
Hamill also said he’d like to see the film revisit the magic of the original both aesthetically in terms of the balance of the practical and CGI effects and in terms of the tone.
"I said to George that I wanted to go back to the way it was, in the sense that ours was much more carefree and lighthearted and humorous – in my opinion, anyway....hope they find the right balance of CGI with practical effects. I love props, I love models, miniatures, matte paintings -- I'm sort of old school. I think if you go too far in the direction of CGI it winds up looking like just a giant a video game, and that's unfortunate. … If they listen to me at all, it'll be, 'Lighten up and go retro with the way it looks.'"
While there is no official word, it starts to feel more and more like Episode VII will indeed be exploring the Skywalker/Solo legacy.
Star Wars: Episode VII opens in theatres in 2015. J.J. Abrams is set to direct from a script by Michael Arndt.
Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.
Last week, news hit that the nine year run of Geoff Johns on Green Lantern (ranked our #5 best superhero run of the decade) would be coming to an end. With that, it seems, DC Comics is completely shuffling their Green Lantern line with new creative teams on board the four existing GL titles -- Green Lantern proper, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns.
In addition to the shuffle, they will be adding an all-new series to the line-up: Larfleeze! Nearly an instant fan-favorite when he was introduced in the lead-up to Blackest Night, everyone's favorite (and only) Orange Lantern finally gets the spotlight all to himself. I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way.
In an announcement to MTV, DC revealed these new teams:
Green Lantern by Robert Venditti and Billy Tan
Green Lantern Corps by Josh Fialkov and Bernard Chang
Green Lantern: New Guardians by Justin Jordan and Brad Walker
Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.
Last week, we asked the IGN community to vote for their pick of the best reader-submitted next-gen console designs. Now, after nearly 100,000 votes were cast, we have a winner. IGN reader Jon's outstanding Xbox Infinity concept garnered nearly 28% of all votes, followed closely by Neil's futuristic Xbox 720 design, which accounted for 23%. For his efforts, Jon will receive an Astro Gaming A50 wireless gaming headset.
Here's Jon's original description of his vision for the design:
After looking at a lot of design concepts already out there, I decided many were just too complex and busy. I wanted to design something that could and would make sense in the real world. There are certain existing elements (such as the LED ring) in the Xbox design language that I feel are iconic and immediately recognizable and I really wanted to pay homage to those. This is a new system, but it's still Xbox. Lastly, some time ago I heard a rumor that the new system could possibly be called Xbox INFINITY. I liked the idea and I wanted to design a geometric shape that captures that concept, though after I'd rendered everything I wish I would've called it INFINITI though. The result is a clean and striking design that is new but still the Xbox we all know and love. This was incredibly fun and I'd like to thank IGN for the motivation!
Thank you to everyone who voted and all of the designers for their great work!
2K has officially inked a five-year deal to publish WWE games. Under the 2K Sports label, the next WWE title will be re-branded as WWE 2K14 and Visual Concepts will be brought in to assist longtime WWE developer Yukes with the game. WWE 2K14 is still scheduled to arrive this fall.
“We looked at a lot of different leaders in the industry and talked to all of the big guys, and for us, we had been with THQ for so many years, it was nice to finally go out and date a few other companies and see what kind of thought process they had about the video game industry going forward,” WWE executive VP of consumer products Casey Collins told ESPN. “As we look at the next-gen systems coming out, whether that’s this holiday or next holiday, we want to make sure we align our property with who we thought would be a leader going forward on these next-gen systems.”
“With Yukes, we have a lot of history, and we’ve been very happy with what Yukes has done in the past,” Collins added. “What we’re going to do moving forward is meld Yukes with the team at Visual Concepts, so we can have the best of both worlds. Having Yukes’ experience and then getting the Visual Concepts guys on board with them, we think this is going to be a dynamic duo.”
2K will bring “some of the key designers behind the WWE gaming franchise” over from THQ. Collins also said that “the THQ Fight Team is also being brought over, and they’ll report directly to Visual Concepts. Their experience in the marketing, their experience in the development, their experience with our franchise for years. We thought that it was very valuable to keep that continuity.”
That’s the perspective of Death Inc., a macabrely charming Kickstarter project brought to you by some folks who used to work at Media Molecule, Lionhead, and Criterion, amongst others.
The endeavour is being described as a “pungent reimagining” of the Black Death – yes, the devastating pandemic that laid waste to Europe in the seventeenth century. As you can probably tell already, the game doesn’t treat death as some great mystery or taboo – the country from which no traveller returns – but as a rather banal, bureaucratic process. Or at least initially. This is how we find the game's main character, Grim T. Livingstone; as an employee of the Ministry of Mortality he has become disillusioned by it all – the repetition of dealing out death with grinding efficiency. Where’s the flair? The sense of individuality? So he strikes out on his own, forming Death Inc. – a startup run out of the basement of his elderly relative's cottage.
Death's work is never done.
There’s a pleasing analogy at work between the situation that Grim finds himself in the game and the predicament of its creators. Death Inc. is, after all, a Kickstarter, made by a newly-formed studio working out an office above a bathroom showroom, and the parallel isn’t entirely lost on those working at Ambient Studios. But Kickstarter isn't as novel as it was a year ago – there are lots of projects out there, demanding your attention, and appealing to your wallets. Is there a danger of it being overused?
“
I truly believe Kickstarter and things like it are a very strong force for the future. I think a lot of publishers would like you to believe otherwise because traditionally they’ve held all the cards."
“I think overused is very hard to judge,” says Daniel Leaver, the studio's creative director and co-founder. “It’s subjective. For someone who looks at a project on there, and loves it, it’s not overused.”
In fact, he believes it’s more than just a passing fad, a way to circumvent publishers – it might even represent the future of the game’s industry. “I truly believe Kickstarter and things like it are a very strong force for the future. I think a lot of publishers would have you believe otherwise, and would like you to believe otherwise, because traditionally they’ve held all the cards. I think the idea, basically, of games on demand – that is, where you demand a game, and it’s made, is really new at the moment, and it seems strange, but I think in the future that’ll be one of the ways we’ll get things made. I can totally see Steam having a section which is an evolution of Steam Greenlight, where they say here are the pitches – one of which will get made.
“I can’t see why you wouldn’t want that.”
It's clear that they're happier working as a team in this environment. “It feels like coming home. This is how you should make things. You present it to your audience, and you know, hopefully, they’ll learn in time that not everything they see will be great or as polished as we’d like it. I think the Kickstarter crowd really get that.”
From the description above you probably have a good sense of the game’s tone but not necessarily how it plays. Loosely, it can be described as an RTS, but that identity has been spliced with other genres, with such classics as Lemmings and Pikmin being name-checked by the studio.
“
Kickstarter felt like less of a risk. That might sound mental to you but it does feel like less of a risk, speaking to the people who will actually play it, as opposed to the suits who think that strategy is dead.”
It’s a strategy game in the sense that you’re tasked with acquiring and marshalling resources, using them to explore and influence an expanding landscape. But it’s the type of game that’s becoming increasingly endangered, and hence the decision to use Kickstarter.
“The strategy genre sadly is becoming more and more niche, and we knew that. Yet I can totally see this game on Steam as a Steam download. We knew with our experience with publishers that they are very precise about what they like these days and fund. And actually Kickstarter felt like less of a risk. That might sound mental to you but it does feel like less of a risk, speaking to the people who will actually play it, as opposed to the suits who think that strategy is dead.”
Leaver even admits, “RTS is maybe a scary word. There are often really good games when you get it, but the barrier to entry is massive. I would like there to be a resurgence in strategy. And hopefully we’ll lead that."
The game has a gorgeous art style.
Death Inc. attempts to undo this perception. The screen is refreshingly uncluttered – the idea is to have no HUD at all – allowing you to revel in the game’s gorgeous art style. It’s bright, bold, and full of colourful caricatures. Think Wind Waker – it has those same beautiful slivers of wind cutting across the screen and those gorgeous opaque blue oceans – but mixed with the sly humour of the gallows.
And that other unwelcoming blight of the RTS – the number of clicks per interaction – has been intentionally reduced, too. Instead, you interact with the world through a variety of fluid gestures, painting a bright pink miasma down the alleys and across the meadows of Medieval Europe. Consequently, gameplay is a smooth and continuous experience, not an RSI-inducing barrage of clicks.
Frothing in the streets!
Once infected, the peasants will obediently follow the path of the noxious cloud spread, and do Death’s bidding – that includes infecting the healthy, ransacking towns, and storming castles. You see, in Death Inc., catching the fatal malady isn’t as devastating as it sounds. The focus isn’t on vomiting blood or letting pus from distended buboes; it’s actually quite a merry affair. When touched by the disease, both the rural and town-dwelling peasants are released from the unbearable tedium of their feudal lives. No more tilling fields, harvesting crops or begging in the mud. In what is a lovely aesthetic detail, they’re visually transformed by the pathogen, their complexions touched by Grim’s favourite shade of pink.
There’s talk of playful variation and variety. Not every level will simply be a case of making the grinding journey from bustling port to a fortified castle, infecting the populace along the way. It’s hoped that each level will somehow play upon this central mechanic in unexpected ways. For instance, imagine a level in which you control not an entire horde of infected plebs but a single plague victim, who you must guide along the corridors of a heavily-guarded castle in order to take down a high-profile target. There will also be environmental problems that can be approached in multiple ways. For instance, do you use the infected to raise the castle gate, invading en masse, or do you load them on to a nearby trebuchet to lead a more targeted attack? They're not puzzles as such, just alternate ways of playing out scenarios.
Knocking at the gates.
But it's important to note that a lot of these features currently exist in the form of ideas and working models, underscoring the inherent dilemma of Kickstarter. You want to promise things, you want to impress, and you want to attract as much investment as possible by appealing to a wide audience, yet you don’t want to commit yourself to something which might not work when built. Fortunately, Ambient Studios is well aware of this risk. “That’s something we all really want to avoid is over-promising. Because it’s very easy to get excited. You come to visit us, and say you said something like, ‘wouldn’t it be really good if this unit could jump over the wall?’ Human nature says that I should agree, say ‘yeah, brilliant’. But you’ll go away thinking that’s a thing. And you’ve already over-promised, so unfortunately you have to learn to say no to people.” Promises aside, Ambient is certainly crafting a game that delivers on both charm and accessibility. It's time to welcome the Reaper.
So what next for Death Inc.? The Kickstarter has 2 weeks left to go – and there's a myriad of incentives for investment – but if your interest has been piqued, there's a playable demo of the game now available for PC, Mac, and LINUX.
Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. In death, he hopes to be the afterlife's leading bio-exorcist. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.
Nintendo has confirmed that it will exhibit at this year's Gamescom.
The event, which this year will take place in Cologne, Germany, between August 21 and 25, was missing both Microsoft and Nintendo last year as the companies chose to pursue other marketing routes.
Gamescom project manager at Koelnmesse Tim Endres said, "Nintendo's return is an absolute highlight for our community, exhibitors and trade visitors from around the world."
While there's nothing concrete on whether or not Microsoft will also return, Endres did add that other major firms are currently in talks about attendance, so it's a real possibility. Considering the company's big rival, Sony, is almost guaranteed to be there and with a new console in tow, it's not really an opportunity Microsoft can pass up.
Other publishers confirmed to be in attendance include Bethesda Softworks, Bigpoint, Deep Silver/Koch Media, Electronic Arts, Konami, NCsoft, Riot Games, Ubisoft, Wargaming and Warner Bros.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.
HMV and its administrators Deloitte have announced 37 more stores will be closed with 464 staff losing their jobs.
The shops are expected to close within the next four to six weeks. Earlier this month it was announced 66 stores would be closing; this now brings the total number of outlets closing their doors to 103.
When it entered administration HMV had 219 stores, but by the time it's fully restructured it looks like this number will have decreased to 116.
The newly announced stores facing closure are listed below:
While travelling on London’s newly-christened Skyfall train, we caught up with Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to discuss their past, present and future with the franchise.
IGN: So what do you make of the Skyfall train?
Robert Wade: We didn’t expect this to be the final chapter of Skyfall – actually being on a train named after the movie. It was 2 o’clock in the morning and we were trying to come up with a name for a grim house – an evocative name where you couldn’t tell what it meant. And that was the one that sort of fell out of the sky. And ends up being the name of the movie and a train. I wonder what it will be next!
IGN: Did the film’s finale always take place at the Skyfall estate?
Wade: The idea for the house came very late in the day. The original third act – which was in place for a year or more – was in a European city. And it didn’t have any resonance. And when we had the idea of Bond taking M to the home where he spent his unhappy childhood, it suddenly made sense. Everything clicked into place.
Purvis: That was in the last two weeks after writing it for a year-and-a-half.
Wade: It only made sense at the end of the day – it wasn’t a plan going forward.
IGN: What are the challenges involved in writing a Bond movie?
Wade: What we found when we suddenly ended up writing James Bond movies was that you work much harder than if you’re doing something similar. The reason why some of those Bond-a-like things didn’t last is because people think ‘Oh, that works for Bond, so we’ll do that.’ And that’s a lazy approach. If you’re actually doing Bond yourself, you can’t repeat yourself or be lazy. You’ve got to strive to do something different.
IGN: Did the 50th anniversary of Bond influence your writing process?
Purvis: When we started it we didn’t know it would be the 50th anniversary because you didn’t know when it was coming out.
Wade: If we’d actually gotten on with it, it could have been the 48th anniversary.
Purvis: We had the Aston Martin in place before there were elements of the 50th anniversary that came in.
Wade: But we had gone back to the books You Only Live Twice and The Man with the Golden Gun, because those movies didn’t really reflect those books. There’s a lot of interesting stuff – it’s about Britain in crisis. Particularly You Only Live Twice.
IGN: So why was now the time to bring Q and Moneypenny back?
Wade: We wanted to bring Moneypenny back. And we felt it was time because the last movie was a bit grim and unrelenting. And the nice thing about Q and Moneypenny… we deliberately didn’t have them in Casino Royale because we wanted to get rid of all the familiar elements and concentrate on Bond. But now that that story has been played out, it was time to give the audience some fun. And Daniel [Craig] wanted more fun and more playfulness. Less grimness.
IGN: What did Sam Mendes bring to the table as director?
Wade: He was extremely demanding.
Purvis: Usually we write a script and then the director comes onboard, and this time he was there right from the very beginning when we were working the story out. So we were all heading in the same direction, which helps.
Wade: And because he saw all the stages that it went through, he understood why it was built and oversaw it coming together.
Purvis: We talked about Javier Bardem in the very first meeting with Daniel Craig and Sam. As a worthy adversary to Bond – as a dark side to him. Having someone like Sam, it means you can get the person that everybody wants.
IGN: Do you have a favourite scene in the movie?
Purvis: I think when Silva comes into the room and Bond’s tied up. That long shot, what he’s saying, that attitude and everything. The film, which had been good until that point, goes up a notch.
Wade: And that story about the rats – Sam was apparently told by the cinematographer Conrad Hall.
IGN: Would you like to see Mendes direct another Bond?
Purvis: Yeah, I think everyone would. But he’s a busy man.
Wade: It took a lot of work. A hell of a lot of work. I don’t know whether he’d want to. But I think you know, [producers]Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson] are nice people to spend time with so it’s a really happy ship. So he had a good time. [co-screenwriter] John Logan had a good time. It’s not that, it’s whether or not he’s got the energy.
IGN: Having written five Bond movies, is Skyfall your last?
Wade: We don’t know. It’s our most recent one.
Neal Purvis: We’re not currently writing the next one, and it’s good for us to take a break, because we’ve been doing it for longer than Ian Fleming was writing Bond.
Wade: We’ve done five of them, and they really do take up a lot of your energy. And in a way, that film is Bond finished, played out. Can he pull it out of the fire again? That was for us, a movie about us. In the end the film was good, so we felt we did well. And now we’re doing stuff that we couldn’t do because we were always doing Bond.
IGN: So do you think you have more Bond movies in you?
Purvis: Well it’s nice not thinking about it, because we’ve thought about it nearly every day for 15 years. But it would be nice to look at it all again after a break. But it’s not our decision – you can’t just say ‘Oh, I think I’ll write another Bond movie.’ It is a question of if you have something fresh to say about it. And I think we did say quite a lot with the ones that we’ve done.
Wade: There’s still some Fleming – all that works is quite interesting, and a lot of it hasn’t been tapped. But it’s very difficult to do it because it’s period and you can’t do a period Bond.
Skyfall is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and his poor excuse for banter can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.
TLO began with map control -- scouting, towers, and three-bases. Brave began off two-bases and played a cheeky warp prism for aggression. TLO defended well and both moved into the mid-game. With little harassment in the game, TLO moved up with speedlings/roaches, but Brave's great force fields and the late infestors made the fight a slaughter for the Protoss side. Finally, Brave moved out with colossus, sentries, and immortals but not before TLO jumped the gun and made another terrible play that exposed his corruptors first. The fight was another massacre and it was over for TLO.
HerO's great defense and better army composition beat Brave without a last fight.
Cloud Kingdom -- Game two
HerO v. Brave
The first mirror match, PvP, pinned HerO and Brave together on Cloud Kingdom. Both started off of one base with small iterations in their build order. HerO grabbed the advantage after Brave misplayed an aggression charge that reaped no kills. HerO's better army composition held Brave's blink stalker all-in. Without a finishing engagement, Brave GG'd out.
A clever fake colossus play allowed for a victory in the biggest engagement of the match.
Entombed Valley -- Game three
HerO v. Jjakji
The big guns for NSH came out with Jjakji. Jjakji began the game with a very aggressive bunker rush to deny HerO's expansion, but the pull back cost him his entire force. Jjakji transitioned to a bio ball and viking composition, while HerO went with psionic storm, stalkers, and sentries. HerO's initial build of colossus prompted Jjakji to make more vikings than medivacs. One bad engagemnt, and some cheeky fake colossus from HerO, led to a counter attack on Jjakji's base and the game.
The better supplied and upgraded army made short work of Madbull's defenses.
Daybreak -- Game four
HerO v. Madbull
With no cheese in play, Madbull tried to play HerO in an honest fight. HerO began the harass with a fast phoenix group with a double attack of stalkers in the front. The caging in of Madbull paid huge dividends in economy and map control for HerO. HerO's warp prism ploy opened up Madbull's front and the better upgraded/supplied army dominated the only engagement.
Guardian shields were the difference in the big game-changing engagement.
Whirlwind -- Game five
HerO v. Tassadar
Tassadar was finally sent out to take out HerO in a PvP match. HerO started conservative with an expansion and defense, while Tassadar began with a fast star gate. Tassadar's harassment with phoenixes created all of the map control and time for his army to be created. HerO finally pushed out despite the constant phoenix pressure with blink stalkers against Tassadar's sentries/immortals/colossus with phoenix support. Tassadar's charge into HerO's natural with guardian shields crushed out most of the blink stalkers in the base. After that, Tassadar just snowballed with reinforcements to finish the game.
Snute's great flank on Tassadar's main armies swung the game in his favor.
Antiga Shipyard -- Game six
Snute v. Tassadar
Snute took the conservative route and macro'd up, while Tassadar also took the cue and went for two-bases. Both players traded mid-game engagements in each other bases, but the stale mate continued until the 20 minute mark. Snute's army composition of roaches, infestors, and speedlings overwhelmed Tassadar's colossus, sentries, and immortals to take the map control advantage. Snute's better macro and economy made reinforcements and supply easier. Eventually, Snute moved in and just crushed the lower supplied army for the win.
Snute's constant pressure ended Salvation's economy and chances.
Antiga Shipyard -- Game seven
Snute v. Salvation
Snute and Salvation started with a very slow and macro-heavy game as both went for expansions rather than pressure. Snute scouted out Salvation's greedy infrastructure build with a timing push of roaches. The attack of roaches caged in Salvation's second expansions while denying the third. With infestors reinforcing the roach army, the second expansion was exposed and denied as well. The lack of forces from Salvation to defend against the infestor/roach army ended NSHS' set.
The up-and-down match to determine who stays in Premier Division or Contender Division finished in a victory for team Liquid. The win allowed the squad to remain in Premier Division for the next season and NSHS has one more shot to move on up.
Timothy Lee is known more for his writing than his playing. He specializes in analysis, profiles, and news reporting. You can find his work on IGN.com, RotoAnalysis.com, 1UP.com, and the Daily Breeze. He is currently a free-lance video game and sports writer.
So last week was a pretty good week for Nintendo 3DS owners. Hot on the heels of the excellent Fire Emblem: Awakening, Nintendo unleashed yet another Nintendo Direct, this time revealing three new 3DS games coming this Summer - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario Golf: World Tour and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.
We were pretty excited by all that news, plus plenty of other (good and bad) things have been happening in the world of Nintendo. We figured it would be time to chat about everything that's been happening over the past week, so Rich, Sam and Brian gathered to argue and banter about Mario Luigi happenings.
This podcast has two distinct halves - a Nintendo Direct discussion in the first half, reader Q&A in the second half. Regardless, you can listen or watch it in its entirety below.
Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow Rich on Twitter, if you dare!
Arrested Development is a beloved series within the Hollywood industry, so it’s no surprise they’ll be some notable guest stars when the show returns on Netflix with new episodes this May. US have revealed that among those guest stars will be Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig.
US didn’t have details on who Rogen and Wiig will be playing, but Vulture has discovered who Wiig will be portraying – and it sounds like quite fun casting. If you don’t want to know what some may see as a spoiler, look away!
Okay, still with me?
Wiig will be playing none other than a young Lucille Bluth! Jessica Walter is returning to Arrested Development along with the entire original cast, so who knows how this glimpse at a young Lucille will take place. Home movies? A flashback? There’s many possibilities. Either way, we just keep getting more excited for new Arrested Development episodes!
Ambrose, and his meticulous facial ticks have touched a nerve. Down in the girl parts region. The guy's tongue is on a rampage. He licks his lips more than LL Cool J in a Fun Dip factory. He sticks his tongue out more than Bill the Cat in an Ack Factory.
So, for those of you who hadn't seen The Shield's two PPV matches, what did you think of them on their first RAW match last night? That match they had against Sheamus, Ryback and Jericho was sort of a reworking of their PPV match, since most matches seen by fewer people than who watch RAW get reworked for RAW (the excellent Del Rio vs. Ziggler match was a re-do of their Main Event match). The Shield really impressed me at TLC, but their matches at Elimination Chamber and RAW were just okay. A decent showing with the most important part being that, for f***'s sake, they won. Not only did they win against the seemingly unbeatable team of Cena, Ryback and Sheamus, but they won the next night too - defying my hot shot theory that Jericho, who'd awkwardly inserted himself into Cena's place, was going to reveal himself as the leader of The Shield and turn on Ryback. Turns out, the awkwardness was just awkward.
All that and they got to have JBL put them over both the Freedbirds and the Horsemen. Dayyum.
Ack!
But the Jericho swerve never happened and The Shield won again. Jericho being behind the Shield would have served a pretty nifty purpose, and given some real weight to his return. Without that reveal, that I freely admit, like a nutbag, I wished really hard would happen within the timespan of about twenty minutes, it just seems even more like Jericho's been all over the map since he's been back.
In a month's time he's been in the Rumble, feuded with Ziggler, had a match with Punk, Big Show, an Elimination Chamber match and now a war with The Shield. A few weeks ago the rumored plan was to have him face Ryback at 'Mania, so a Shield swerve would have made sense. Keep in mind that if Jericho's short-term contract is also up at 'Mania, then he'll have to lose at 'Mania. Another loss. I mean, look, Jericho's looked amazing since his return and the bouts have been stellar, but he doesn't seem to be serving a purpose other than outshining 90% of the roster. And winning polls that were supposed to be won by Orton. And getting bigger pops than Orton, Cena, Sheamus and Ryback.
Okay, I get it! Thank you, AJ. Enough now.
I really do like the Shield, and I'm even more happy that they're beating big guys clean. It means they'll stick around a bit longer. Some of you out there wonder why so many of us are looking for a "secret leader," and to be honest there doesn't have to be one. I think when they started attacking so many different people and their "injustice" explanations started to get more murky, it seemed like they might have had a different agenda than the one they originally stated. But they could just be themselves. Still, if done right, a big star revealing themselves as the true leader, in a heel turn move even, could be awesome. Plus, The Shield could always turn on that leader and Nation of Domination him. Which is now a verb because JOURNALISM!
Anyhow, I think that some of us douchebag dreamers are also just looking for that extra big story/swerve to get us into the 'Mania mood. Things seem a little grim right now. We're still over a month out, but Cena, who's now apparently done giving a s*** about The Shield after losing that one mid-card match to them, seems so irrelevant now. I don't know. Last year Rock vs. Cena was huge. And I thought they actually had a freakin' great match. With an ending that was a welcome surprise. This year, with the ending pretty much cinched up, things aren't buzzing like they were before. Not that I don't think they could have another excellent match, but it's Cena's stock that's fallen over the past year. Ever since that dumb, jokey pre-Rumble promo, Cena seems diminished. Not that most of us have a deep love for the man anyhow, but last year it really felt like Titan vs. Titan. There's a part of me that kind of just wants him to keep feuding with The Shield. He fits in that scenario better. Especially after Ambrose went off on Cena. Cena, basically, had no comeback for that. And then he lost.
Plus, there's the Punk factor. Man, there's nothing like teasing us with a big match and then telling us it's next week. Apparently, friggin' Undertaker is still wishy-washy about this year's 'Mania and so the WWE is giving him one more week to think it over and then they have to decide the finish to Punk vs. Cena. If Taker's back, Punk will lose. If Taker's out, then it'll end controversially or in a draw so that the 'Mania title match can become a Triple Threat. Which, in the end, might be for the best. I really wanted Punk vs. Undertaker. But if it means Punk has to lose to Cena and then enter into a rushed program then maybe it's better to let last year's "End of an Era" match be the end of an era. Then we can move on to the next era...
Rock vs. Punk at Elimination Chamber, plus the new WWE Championship Belt, on page 2...
