Monthly Archives: June 2020
Fortnite Ditches Early Access Label, Slows Development Of PvE Mode
Fortnite is finally shedding its early access status, and as a result, development of its original Save the World PvE mode will slow down.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/24/full-fortnite-x-travis-scott-astronomical-concert"]
The news arrives after three years of development, during which the game has become quite the phenomenon after it pivoted from its initial horde mode to battle royale. Recent months have even seen it boasting virtual concerts and Star Wars collaborations, something only one of the world's most popular video games could carry off.
In a post on the Epic Games blog, the development team revealed that Save the World's main story "is complete," but that it will endure as a "premium experience" instead of being free to play. Fortnite players considered to be "Founders" - those who purchased the game at full price - will have their Founder's Packs upgraded as a result. Save the World mode won't be able to support all upcoming Battle Royale cosmetics, but existing player libraries will remain in-tact.
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As Save the World winds down, its content will rotate for replayability purposes. A new Ventures mode is coming to the game too, which will feature new season-long excursions in zones with "new and unique modifiers to tackle." Players can take part in these ventures to progress through the levels, pick up venture-specific rewards and upgrade the items in their personal collection.
In other Fortnite news, the game recently hosted a series of Christopher Nolan movie screenings as part of the Movie Nite at Party Royale's Big Screen event.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Fortnite Ditches Early Access Label, Slows Development Of PvE Mode
Fortnite is finally shedding its early access status, and as a result, development of its original Save the World PvE mode will slow down.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/24/full-fortnite-x-travis-scott-astronomical-concert"]
The news arrives after three years of development, during which the game has become quite the phenomenon after it pivoted from its initial horde mode to battle royale. Recent months have even seen it boasting virtual concerts and Star Wars collaborations, something only one of the world's most popular video games could carry off.
In a post on the Epic Games blog, the development team revealed that Save the World's main story "is complete," but that it will endure as a "premium experience" instead of being free to play. Fortnite players considered to be "Founders" - those who purchased the game at full price - will have their Founder's Packs upgraded as a result. Save the World mode won't be able to support all upcoming Battle Royale cosmetics, but existing player libraries will remain in-tact.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=games-that-came-back-from-the-brink-of-disaster&captions=true"]
As Save the World winds down, its content will rotate for replayability purposes. A new Ventures mode is coming to the game too, which will feature new season-long excursions in zones with "new and unique modifiers to tackle." Players can take part in these ventures to progress through the levels, pick up venture-specific rewards and upgrade the items in their personal collection.
In other Fortnite news, the game recently hosted a series of Christopher Nolan movie screenings as part of the Movie Nite at Party Royale's Big Screen event.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
PSVR Patent Filed For Advertisements Displayed Within The Headset
A new PlayStation VR patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment suggests that the company is working on technology that will allow advertisements to be displayed within the headset.
The patent listing from Sony, published on June 25, shows drawings that offering an example of how a virtual reality advertising model may look in practice. It appears that the advertisements will show up in the periphery parts of your vision, in the top corners of the display or as a banner in the top middle of the screen.
[caption id="attachment_2374000" align="alignnone" width="1280"]
A technical drawing from the Sony patent.[/caption]
According to the text of the patent, the way advertisements will be displayed depends on the position of the user's head within the head-mounted display and their line of sight. The patent describes the advertisements as "additional content" for "promoting recognition of a given thing or service."
One example used in the text is of the user watching a concert with a set of performers appearing at the same time. The technology claims to be able to "detect on which performer the user is focusing his or her attention and then change the advertisement in accordance with the performer of interest."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/the-10-best-psvr-games"]
It should be noted that patents are no guarantee of end results, just that the company in question is researching and developing such technologies. As such, we can't say if Sony is definitely bringing advertising 'pop-ups' to PSVR. It is certainly working on the concept, though.
In other weird patent news, here's another bit of Sony technology discovered in April which suggests that in the future we might get fuzzy robotic gaming companions that react to our emotions.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN, excited to be sold Lightspeed Briefs when he's playing Bloodborne Kart in VR. Follow him on Twitter.
A technical drawing from the Sony patent.[/caption]
According to the text of the patent, the way advertisements will be displayed depends on the position of the user's head within the head-mounted display and their line of sight. The patent describes the advertisements as "additional content" for "promoting recognition of a given thing or service."
One example used in the text is of the user watching a concert with a set of performers appearing at the same time. The technology claims to be able to "detect on which performer the user is focusing his or her attention and then change the advertisement in accordance with the performer of interest."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/the-10-best-psvr-games"]
It should be noted that patents are no guarantee of end results, just that the company in question is researching and developing such technologies. As such, we can't say if Sony is definitely bringing advertising 'pop-ups' to PSVR. It is certainly working on the concept, though.
In other weird patent news, here's another bit of Sony technology discovered in April which suggests that in the future we might get fuzzy robotic gaming companions that react to our emotions.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN, excited to be sold Lightspeed Briefs when he's playing Bloodborne Kart in VR. Follow him on Twitter.PSVR Patent Filed For Advertisements Displayed Within The Headset
A new PlayStation VR patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment suggests that the company is working on technology that will allow advertisements to be displayed within the headset.
The patent listing from Sony, published on June 25, shows drawings that offering an example of how a virtual reality advertising model may look in practice. It appears that the advertisements will show up in the periphery parts of your vision, in the top corners of the display or as a banner in the top middle of the screen.
[caption id="attachment_2374000" align="alignnone" width="1280"] A technical drawing from the Sony patent.[/caption]
According to the text of the patent, the way advertisements will be displayed depends on the position of the user's head within the head-mounted display and their line of sight. The patent describes the advertisements as "additional content" for "promoting recognition of a given thing or service."
One example used in the text is of the user watching a concert with a set of performers appearing at the same time. The technology claims to be able to "detect on which performer the user is focusing his or her attention and then change the advertisement in accordance with the performer of interest."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/the-10-best-psvr-games"]
It should be noted that patents are no guarantee of end results, just that the company in question is researching and developing such technologies. As such, we can't say if Sony is definitely bringing advertising 'pop-ups' to PSVR. It is certainly working on the concept, though.
In other weird patent news, here's another bit of Sony technology discovered in April which suggests that in the future we might get fuzzy robotic gaming companions that react to our emotions.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN, excited to be sold Lightspeed Briefs when he's playing Bloodborne Kart in VR. Follow him on Twitter.
A technical drawing from the Sony patent.[/caption]
According to the text of the patent, the way advertisements will be displayed depends on the position of the user's head within the head-mounted display and their line of sight. The patent describes the advertisements as "additional content" for "promoting recognition of a given thing or service."
One example used in the text is of the user watching a concert with a set of performers appearing at the same time. The technology claims to be able to "detect on which performer the user is focusing his or her attention and then change the advertisement in accordance with the performer of interest."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/the-10-best-psvr-games"]
It should be noted that patents are no guarantee of end results, just that the company in question is researching and developing such technologies. As such, we can't say if Sony is definitely bringing advertising 'pop-ups' to PSVR. It is certainly working on the concept, though.
In other weird patent news, here's another bit of Sony technology discovered in April which suggests that in the future we might get fuzzy robotic gaming companions that react to our emotions.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN, excited to be sold Lightspeed Briefs when he's playing Bloodborne Kart in VR. Follow him on Twitter.Crysis Remastered Launch Details And Trailer Leaked
The launch trailer and details about Crysis Remastered have been leaked ahead of the game's official reveal on July 1.
The leaks appear to stem from a Microsoft Store listing for the game, which was picked up by Twitter user Wario64. According to the Microsoft Store page, the game will launch in just a few weeks on July 23. The trailer for the remaster has also found its way onto Reddit. All of the remastered footage on display has been captured on a PC.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/10/10/crysis-video-review"]
According to the listing, which is still live as of writing, Crysis Remastered will land on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, and will offer remastered graphics, bringing the 2007 original into the current-generation. This will be the first time a Crysis game will launch on a Nintendo console.
The official Crysis Remastered reveal is still set for July 1, so look out for more details tomorrow. The game is being co-developed by Saber Interactive, and the initial reveal also suffered an unfortunate leak thanks to a set of sleuths who checked the Crysis website's cookie policy to find a blurb about the now-official remaster. We recently uploaded the first 21 minutes of the 2007 original in 1440p, if you're looking to sate your excitement.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Crysis Remastered Launch Details And Trailer Leaked
The launch trailer and details about Crysis Remastered have been leaked ahead of the game's official reveal on July 1.
The leaks appear to stem from a Microsoft Store listing for the game, which was picked up by Twitter user Wario64. According to the Microsoft Store page, the game will launch in just a few weeks on July 23. The trailer for the remaster has also found its way onto Reddit. All of the remastered footage on display has been captured on a PC.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/10/10/crysis-video-review"]
According to the listing, which is still live as of writing, Crysis Remastered will land on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, and will offer remastered graphics, bringing the 2007 original into the current-generation. This will be the first time a Crysis game will launch on a Nintendo console.
The official Crysis Remastered reveal is still set for July 1, so look out for more details tomorrow. The game is being co-developed by Saber Interactive, and the initial reveal also suffered an unfortunate leak thanks to a set of sleuths who checked the Crysis website's cookie policy to find a blurb about the now-official remaster. We recently uploaded the first 21 minutes of the 2007 original in 1440p, if you're looking to sate your excitement.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Allow Chairs on His Movie Sets
Director Christopher Nolan is responsible for some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed blockbusters of recent years. Actress Anne Hathaway, who worked Nolan on The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, thinks she might have cracked the code to Nolan's success: he doesn't allow chairs on his movie sets.
Hathaway revealed this unusual working method during a one-on-one interview with her Les Miserables co-star Hugh Jackman, spearheaded by Variety (via the Playlist). According to the Catwoman actress, Nolan's philosophy can be summed up this way: "If you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working."
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Hathaway continued, "I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing."
Nolan fans will remember Jackman also starred in a Nolan film (2006's The Prestige), but he doesn't reveal whether that "no chairs" rule was in effect back then.
(It should be noted that film sets are very busy and often crowded and cluttered places with the most notable seating usually reserved for the video village where a bank of monitors allow for playback. Stars, of course, have trailers they can return to during downtime on set.)
Nolan's next big screen epic is Tenet, an ambitious, time-bending spy movie starring John David Washington and future Batman Robert Pattinson. We're still not entirely sure what the movie is about, and even Washington admitted the cast was confused about the plot of Tenet.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/22/tenet-official-trailer-2"]
Unfortunately, it's also hard to say when exactly Tenet will arrive in theaters. Like many film and TV projects, Tenet's release date has already been pushed back multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nolan was reportedly very adamant to release the film theatrically in July, but Warner Bros. has now pushed the release back to August 12. Accordingly, AMC Theaters has delayed its planned reopening until July 30.
Do you think an anti-chair agenda is the secret of Nolan's filmmaking success? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Allow Chairs on His Movie Sets
Director Christopher Nolan is responsible for some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed blockbusters of recent years. Actress Anne Hathaway, who worked Nolan on The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, thinks she might have cracked the code to Nolan's success: he doesn't allow chairs on his movie sets.
Hathaway revealed this unusual working method during a one-on-one interview with her Les Miserables co-star Hugh Jackman, spearheaded by Variety (via the Playlist). According to the Catwoman actress, Nolan's philosophy can be summed up this way: "If you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=87-images-from-christopher-nolans-tenet-official-trailer-2-2020&captions=true"]
Hathaway continued, "I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing."
Nolan fans will remember Jackman also starred in a Nolan film (2006's The Prestige), but he doesn't reveal whether that "no chairs" rule was in effect back then.
(It should be noted that film sets are very busy and often crowded and cluttered places with the most notable seating usually reserved for the video village where a bank of monitors allow for playback. Stars, of course, have trailers they can return to during downtime on set.)
Nolan's next big screen epic is Tenet, an ambitious, time-bending spy movie starring John David Washington and future Batman Robert Pattinson. We're still not entirely sure what the movie is about, and even Washington admitted the cast was confused about the plot of Tenet.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/22/tenet-official-trailer-2"]
Unfortunately, it's also hard to say when exactly Tenet will arrive in theaters. Like many film and TV projects, Tenet's release date has already been pushed back multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nolan was reportedly very adamant to release the film theatrically in July, but Warner Bros. has now pushed the release back to August 12. Accordingly, AMC Theaters has delayed its planned reopening until July 30.
Do you think an anti-chair agenda is the secret of Nolan's filmmaking success? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Everything Coming to Disney+ in July 2020
Disney+ in July features the debut of the X-Men franchise on the streamer, with X-Men: Days of Future Past dropping on July 10 and X-Men: Apocalypse on July 17. More titles set in the imaginative X-Men universe will be released in the coming months, including the original X-Men film on August 7, and The Wolverine on September 4. Other upcoming Marvel titles coming to Disney+ include Ant-Man and the Wasp on August 14 and 2005's Fantastic Four on August 28.
Also premiering in July is the award-winning Broadway hit Hamilton on July 3. Subscribers will be able to stream the original Broadway production, which stars Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.
Other notable titles coming to Disney+ in July include Ice Age: Collision Course on July 3, and Solo: A Star Wars Story on July 10. In our Solo: A Star Wars Story review, we say that the film "commits to being a charming and fun exercise in repackaging nostalgia and pre-owned protagonists."
Read on to see the full list of shows and movies coming to Disney+ in July.
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New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 3
- Animal ER (Seasons 1-2)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
- Ice Age: Collision Course
- Ice Road Rescue (Seasons 1-4)
- Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
- The Big Green
- The Mighty Ducks
- Hamilton
- Pixar in Real Life - Episode 109 "UP: Balloon Cart Away"
- Disney Family Sundays - Episode 135 "Peter Pan: Shadow Box Theater"
- One Day At Disney - Episode 131 "Zama Magudulela: The Lion King Madrid, Spain"
- It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 108 "Movie Star Dogs & Hounds and Horses"
New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 10
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Critter Fixers: Country Vets (Season 1)
- Gigantosaurus (Season 1)
- Secrets of the Zoo (Season 3)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Disney Family Sundays - Episode 136 "Lilo and Stitch: Family Tree"
- One Day At Disney - Episode 132 “Marc Smith: Story Artist”
- It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 109 "Movie Star Dogs & Hounds and Horses"
New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 17
- X-Men: Apocalypse
- A Pre-Opening Report from Disneyland
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
- Disney Junior Music Lullabies
- Lost City of Machu Picchu
- Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (S1-2)
- The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World
- Wild Chile (Season 1)
- Disney Family Sundays - Episode 137 "Moana: Tomato Photo Holder"
- One Day At Disney - Episode 133 "Mike Davie: Imagineering Project Manager"
- It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 110 "Snake Search Dogs & Hawaiian Conservation Dogs"
New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 24
- Wild Congo (Season 1)
- Wild Sri Lanka (Season 1)
- Disney Family Sundays - Episode 138 "The Jungle Book: Finger Puppet"
- One Day At Disney - Episode 134 "Chris Cristi: Helicopter Reporter"
New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 31
- Alaska Animal Rescue (Season 1)
- Animal Showdown (Season 1)
- Best Job Ever (Season 1)
- Big Cat Games
- Cradle of the Gods
- Destination World (Season 1)
- Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (Season 8)
- Fearless Adventures with Jack Randall (Season 1)
- Hidden Kingdoms of China
- Hunt for the Abominable Snowman
- India’s Wild Leopards
- Jungle Animal Rescue (Season 1)
- King Fishers (Season 1)
- Lost Temple of the Inca
- Marvel Funko (Seasons 1-2)
- Surviving the Mount St. Helens Disaster
- Weirdest, Bestest, Truest (Season 1)
- What Sam Sees (Season 1)
- Muppets Now - Episode 101 - “Due Date”
- Disney Family Sundays - Episode 139 "Mickey and Minnie: Pillows"
West Of Dead Review – Run And Cover
There are a lot of reasons to take a look at West of Dead. Cowboys and Wild West aesthetics are hot in games right now, in the wake of Red Dead Redemption 2. Run-based games are, likewise, very much a structure du jour. It's dusted with voiceover narration from Ron Perlman, who you might know from Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy films or the FX TV Show Sons of Anarchy. And it certainly doesn't hurt that its core mechanical conceit, as a cover-based twin-stick shooter, helps Frankenstein it to original and, dare I say, innovative gameplay. Unfortunately, West of Dead is a textbook case of a half-baked concept: Though its big sweeping ideas work well, the minutiae, from scaling the difficulty of encounters to unrefined enemies and plain old technical issues, threaten to undo the experience at any time.
West of Dead's conceit builds up a simple but interesting little tale. In Purgatory--which is apparently in Wyoming--the dead have stopped filtering "east" to heaven or "west" to hell. You play an undead cowboy called the Marshall who's lost his memory, save for his mission to kill the evil preacher holding up the afterlife. Though it's more narrative glue than captivating storytelling, the Marshall's inner monologue, in subdued performance from Perlman, keeps the story in mind, evoking a world that you might not see in its generic, monotonous Wild West-themed levels.
Like so many of today's Rogue-inspired games, the story naturally falls away at a certain point, as you play and replay the game over and over, attempting to reach your goal. West of Dead retains many of the tropes established by the many, many rogue-lites that have launched in the last few years, and it cribs its structure specifically from 2018's wildly successful version, Dead Cells. West of Dead procedurally generates long levels, which are punctuated with a store where you must spend Sin points to permanently expand your arsenal of weapons. In each run, you find upgrades to your specs and more powerful gear--two weapons, two accessories, and a passive charm. By defeating optional bosses, you gain access to branching paths with harder levels. You carry an upgradable healing flask, which you refill between levels. There's even a hall at the start of each run where you can see all the weapons and upgrades you've bought. Though it comes dangerously close to getting branded as a "Dead Cells clone," using familiar structure makes it easy to focus on West of Dead's combat, where its real innovations lie.
Continue Reading at GameSpot