This Arcade Machine Connects to the Web for an Endless Supply of Games
Home arcade machines are much more accessible these days, but one thing that still holds them back is that many of them only have a dozen or so games. AtGames is trying to fix that problem with its Legends Ultimate Arcade Machine that not only comes with 350 games but is also connected to the internet, allowing you to expand your library with more arcade, console, and even PC games.
The Legends Ultimate Arcade Machine comes loaded with well-known classics like Asteroids, BurgerTime, Burnin' Rubber, Missile Command, Tetris, and Tron. However, this arcade really opens up when it connects to the ArcadeNet online service and AtGames’ array of cloud-connected PCs.
The Batman: Two-Face, Mad Hatter Among Latest Villains Rumored
The list of rumored villains for Matt Reeves' The Batman grows ever longer. In addition to the previously rumored Catwoman, Penguin and The Riddler, a new report claims Mad Hatter and Two-Face may be featured in the movie as well.
The new rumor comes from website DiscussingFilm.com, which claims that casting for Two-Face is looking for a male in their 30s to 40s, and casting for Mad Hatter looking for a male in their 40s to 50s. IGN has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
The Reason Marvel’s Avengers Spoiled Captain America’s Death
To the shock of many, the reveal trailer for Marvel’s Avengers debuted at E3 2019 shows the death of Captain America and what appears to be a flash forward in time to when a monument has been built in his honor. That’s a pretty heavy reveal to include in the trailer because it essentially gives away a huge early plot point, but when IGN spoke to Crystal Dynamics lead creative director and writer Shaun Escayg at E3 2019, he said the traumatic reveal was all by design... and that it may lead to one of Marvel's more out-there concepts.
“Well, Cap went down with the ship. The Avengers’ leader is Cap. The guy who always is logical, who always is able to bring this dysfunctional family together. Without him, how do they cope? … This is part of the set up, part of the conflict. It's, to me, the most exciting part of the story. What do the Avengers do without their beloved Captain?” Escayg said.
Hands-On with Microsoft’s xCloud Streaming Service and Halo 5
Microsoft is showing off its fledgling xCloud game streaming service at E3, and I was able to sit down and try it out for myself as well as discuss the tech with its General Manager, Kevin LaChapelle. The "cloud based gaming service" warranted only a brief mention in Microsoft's E3 conference, so I was pretty excited to discuss some of the details with Microsoft.
The company had setup a small demo table with a handful of Xbox controllers that had Samsung phones attached to them. Though the way the phones were attached to the controller screamed "pre-beta," the whole setup seemed to work quite well. Picking up the wireless controller I jumped into some Halo 5: Guardians, eager to check out how it felt and if there was any perceptible latency or sluggishness. Microsoft said the games were all being hosted on their Azure data center in the Bay Area, which is approximately 400 miles away.
Elden Ring: George R. R. Martin’s Involvement in New Dark Souls-like Game Explained
During E3 2019’s Microsoft Briefing, FromSoftware announced Elden Ring, a project in the works as a collaboration between Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Ice & Fire author George R.R. Martin.
“It all started with me being a fan of Mr. Martin’s works. A Song of Ice & Fire and its drama adaptation Game of Thrones are both masterpieces. I am also very fond of Fever Dreams and Tuf Voyaging.”
FromSoftware approached Martin for a meeting, but Miyazaki originally did not expect that Martin would be willing to meet him so easily.
“When we sat down together, it clicked right away. I proposed to make a game together, and he said yes. I was really surprised by how smoothly it all went.”
Marvel’s Avengers Will Not Change Designs After Fan Criticism
When Marvel’s Avengers debuted at E3 2019, the designs of the five heroes were met with heavy fan criticism online, with the main complaint being they looked like a pale imitation of the MCU Avengers of which they were clearly based on. Some cited how the Avengers’ faces created an “uncanny valley” effect because they look a few degrees off from the actors who played them on screen. Other elements that were picked on include Captain America’s overly bulky riot gear-inspired costume and the clunky discs that make it look like Thor has a sound system mounted on his chest.
IGN spoke with Crystal Dynamics lead creative director Shaun Escayg about the negative response from the community and he was adamant that the designs would not be changed.
Disney’s Avengers Land Could Be as Interactive as Galaxy’s Edge
Following the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney’s plans for Marvel Studios’ Avengers-inspired land and attractions are undoubtedly the most anticipated upcoming phase in theme park entertainment.
As details have emerged about the expansion of the Disney Parks universe through the presence of a new Stark Industries-affiliated organization, the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (WEB), the MCU’s presence has already taken shape in many ways.
Hong Kong Disneyland kicked off the year with its Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle ride, and Captain Marvel made her debut as a character fans of all ages could meet at Disney’s California Adventure and on Disney Cruises in the States.
Google Stadia Hands on with Doom Eternal
At E3 Google was hosting demos of Doom Eternal on its new Stadia game streaming service, and I was lucky enough to go hands-on with Id Software's latest First Person Slayer. As a longtime PC gamer who has always preferred a hardwired connection over wireless, I was curious to experience Google's technology with my own eyes and hands, though I figured since the company was demoing it with Doom versus a slower-paced game, they must be pretty confident about how it works at this stage.
To begin they sat me down on a comfy couch and placed the Stadia controller in my hands. The wireless controller was connected to a Google Pixelbook (I think via Bluetooth), and the laptop was connected to a wall-mounted TV using HDMI. The laptop was also connected to an Ethernet connection, which Google said was about 25Mb/s. They recommend that amount of bandwidth as a good baseline for 1080p and 60 frames per second (FPS). In the future, when they are ready to show 4K gameplay, that number will inevitably go up quite a bit.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Aims for the Moral Gray Area
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward's upcoming reboot of the 2007 classic, will be released on October 25. But it's already generating a lot of mixed reactions, including within our own team at IGN. And that seems to be the developer's intention.
The question is whether or not the new Modern Warfare will have anything to say, and if it does if it'll be able to do so in a way that is respectful to the countless men and women who have served or are serving in the armed forces. We wrote about both missions we saw prior to E3 in our big preview, which we also encourage you to take a look at. But here are a couple of excerpts:
How Marvel’s Avengers Character Customization Works: Skills, Gear and Cosmetics
During E3 2019, IGN met with Marvel's Avengers developers Crystal Dynamics to learn how character customization will work in the upcoming game.
During the interview, IGN's Joshua Yehl sat down with lead combat designer Vincent Napoli, who revealed there will be three main categories of customization: skills, gear, and cosmetics. At this point, we don't know if those are the official names of each category, but those are the player's primary pathways for customization.
Skill Customization in Marvel's Avengers
On the subject of skills, Napoli said, “There's a pretty in-depth skill tree that lets you customize abilities, upgrade abilities, gain new moves. It's a pretty robust moveset for each of the characters. The tree layout is very distinct because the characters don't really fit the similar mold. So while one character has alternate combos, another character might have weaponization stuff, like we did with Hulk.”