Sam Lake Still Wants to Make Alan Wake 2
To this day, Alan Wake remains one of Remedy Entertainment's most enduring franchises, even if it's really just one core game and a notably wackier DLC adventure. Though review scores were generally high (IGN gave it an 8.5, and it's eventual PC port a 9.0), Alan Wake didn't exactly fly off the shelves. Instead, the franchise found a longer, more modest lifespan through nearly a decade of sales events and a dedicated cult following, but no sequel has ever materialized. On this month's episode of IGN Unfiltered, famed Remedy games writer Sam Lake stated that he still wants to make a proper Alan Wake 2.
Plants vs Zombies Leak Suggests Garden Warfare 3
EA has reportedly begun to invite a select group of players to alpha test a new Plants vs Zombies shooter developed by the Garden Warfare team.
As reported by Eurogamer, who have been shown the invites by sources, EA intents to run an alpha playtest of the game in August. The invite says "Made by the team that created PvZ Garden Warfare, the Picnic Closed Alpha will give players a first glimpse into the new game - you don't want to miss out!"
The invites - marked as “confidential” but quickly uploaded to Reddit - explained that recipients are “invited to participate in the new PvZ shooter (codename Picnic) playtest on Xbox One or PS4.”
Top Gun: Maverick Trailer Sparks Controversy over Change to Cruise’s Jacket
The Top Gun: Maverick trailer has stirred up controversy as eagle-eyed fans have spotted two key changes to Tom Cruise's leather jacket, which he also wore in the original film.
Premiering at San Diego Comic Con, the first trailer for the long-awaited sequel showed Maverick donning his iconic bomber jacket, featuring a very different arrangement of patches compared to those that the character wore in Tony Scott's beloved 80s classic.
Journalist Mark MacKinnon was amongst the first to spot the difference, as he shared a screenshot of the original garment side-by-side with the updated version, which sparked speculation across social media.
Netflix’s The Witcher Will Have a Bathtub Scene
The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich has confirmed that Netflix's adaptation of the story of Geralt won't draw from CDProjekt Red's video games, but has hinted that there will be a scene that pays service to fans.
"There is a bathtub this season," Hissrich told iO9, in reference to the fan favourite image of Geralt in a wooden tub from The Witcher 3. "I won't tell you who's in the bathtub, but there's a bathtub."
Disney’s $4bn Marvel Investment Has Earned the Company over $18bn
Disney has earned the more than $18 billion through Marvel since the company purchased the comic book giant for $4 billion over a decade ago.
The House of Mouse made a tactical decision to buy the rights to Marvel back in 2009, and the investment has paid off handsomely, as USA Today reports that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now raked in more than $18.2 billion at the global box office.
Marvel's Iron Man first blasted onto the big screen in 2008, with Robert Downey Jr starring as the fast-talking tycoon-turned-superhero Tony Stark, who swooped in and won the hearts of audiences around the world instantaneously.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair’s Levels Can Completely Change – and It’s Awesome
Though a sequel to the Banjo-Kazooie spiritual successor Yooka-Laylee from Playtonic Games, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair harkens back to Rare’s even older work, Donkey Kong Country, with a 2D-focused platforming adventure. And from my play time with a handful of levels — and the new capability to “flood” levels and create an alternate stage to play through — the sequel could very well prove to be an even better fit for the colorful, anthropomorphized world of Yooka and Laylee.
Watch the gameplay video above to see several of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair’s stages — namely, Gasping Glades, Factory Fright, and Urban Uprise — in both their standard, and “flooded” or “updrafted” forms.
Death Stranding Could Have Starred Keanu Reeves Instead of Mads Mikkelsen
Keanu Reeves' name was floated for a lead role in Death Stranding, but director Hideo Kojima had his heart set on Mads Mikkelsen instead.
Kojima took to the stage at San Diego Comic Con where he revealed, “I originally was recommended Keanu Reeves but I wanted Mads". The recommendation came from none other than Nicolas Winding Refn, who is himself part of the Death Stranding cast, playing Heartman.
The bromance between Mikkelsen and Kojima is well-documented, mostly through Kojima's personal Twitter account. Death Stranding's head honcho frequently immortalises the Danish gymnast-turned-actor in lengthy Twitter threads filled with candid monochrome snaps of Mikkelsen puffing on a cigarette, or staring moodily into the middle distance.
UK Daily Deals: Save 50% off Kaspersky Total Security Antivirus
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest deals and follow IGN UK Deals Amazon Storefront for our curated lists of best games, tech and accessories.
IGN Exclusive: Save 50% off Kaspersky Total Security
Asus Upgrades the ROG Phone 2 With a Faster CPU and 120Hz Screen
Asus has announced its second-generation gaming phone, the ROG Phone 2, and based on its specs it looks like a monster of a smartphone.
Firstly, the Asus ROG Phone 2 is the first handset to officially feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus. This new processor runs at the same 2.96GHz speed as its predecessor and it also features the same Adreno 640 GPU as its predecessor, but the clock speed on the on-board graphics has been increased by 15% from 585MHz to 675MHz.
The Asus ROG phone 2 features a new and larger 6.59-inch screen with a display resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels and the added ability to render 10-bit HDR color. The new display helps fill out some of the older phone's thick bezels and gives it a slightly taller 19:9 aspect ratio, but the handset's overall dimensions have increased slightly to 170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48mm—as opposed to the 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.3mm Asus ROG Phone. Instead of being limited to a 90Hz refresh rate, the new AMOLED screen hits 120Hz, which puts it on par with the Razer Phone 2.
D&D Announces 5th Anniversary Adventure Collection
Wizards of the Coast has announced that they'll be publishing Tyranny of Dragons, a repackaging of early D&D 5e adventures, this coming fall.
The set celebrates the fifth anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition by repackaging Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat. These were the first full adventures released for the full rule set (which came out after the D&D 5e Starter Set and its adventure, The Lost Mine of Phandelver). The new release features cover art from artist Hydro74, who has created the art for limited editions of several 5e books.