The Super-Sized Spoiler That Couldn’t Sink Terminator 2
Way back in 2011, a study out of UC San Diego and published in the Psychological Science journal found that exposing people to spoilers prior to reading a story actually tended to make them report enjoying said stories more. On average, those people who knew what was coming tended to describe gleaning more pleasure from the stories than the participants who hadn’t had them spoiled.
Just a few years later, however, a 2014 study out of VU University Amsterdam found the opposite. In this study subjects consistently reported spoiled stories were less fun, less moving, and less enjoyable in general.
Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Potential Plot Revealed by Writer
Shortly before Half-Life 2: Episode 2's 10th anniversary, the series' writer Marc Laidlaw has posted what appears to be one possible plot for Half-Life 2: Episode 3.
Laidlaw posted "Epistle 3" to his personal website, a letter written from the first-person perspective of "Gertie Freemont" about her adventures with "Alex Vaunt," in what appears to be a gender-swapped version of events following Half-Life: Episode 2 and its cliffhanger ending. He made sure to note, however, on his Twitter that this piece is by no means official to Half-Life's story and is "fanfic," as far as he is concerned.
Movies Podcast: DC and Star Wars Standalone Films
Welcome back to the IGN Movies Podcast!
This week, Jim Vejvoda and Tom Jorgensen talk up all those reports about upcoming DC movies (from standalone films to The Batman and a Joker-Harley Quinn team-up film) to Obi-Wan Kenobi getting his own standalone Star Wars movie.
We discuss director Jame Gunn's comments about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 setting up the next 10-20 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also answer YOUR questions.
And with summer drawing to a close, we reveal our favorites movies of this past season.
Listen to our latest podcast by clicking the lovely large type below - right click to download.
IGN Movies Podcast #4
Xbox One X Breaks Preorder Record for Microsoft
Microsoft's upcoming console appears to be off to a strong start, as Xbox One X has set a new preorder record for the company.
According to a post on Xbox Wire, more Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition consoles were preordered in the first five days than any Xbox before. Microsoft said it saw record-breaking sell-out times for the console, which is currently sold out in many countries.
"The speed at which we sold through our initial preorder supply surpassed expectations, and what we experienced with preorders for the original Xbox One console," GameStop senior VP of merchandising Bob Puzon said.
Crackdown 3 Announced Too Early, Says Microsoft Exec
The reveal of Crackdown 3 at E3 2014 may not have been a bit premature, according to Microsoft Studios Publishing general manager Shannon Loftis.
Speaking to Polygon at Gamescom 2017, Loftis admitted the company "probably announced Crackdown too early," noting the game features three different modes, is being developed by three different studios, and was delayed to spring 2018 so the teams could up the game's overall quality.
How PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Xbox Compares to PC
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is well-loved, even in its Early Access stages, for being an intense, tactical and difficult multiplayer experience, and porting a multiplayer game with 100 players per match from PC to console isn’t without its challenges. The Xbox build of PUBG was playable on the show floor at this year’s Gamescom, and there’s a lot to adjust to, and a lot of unanswered questions.
Unsurprisingly, there were performance problems from the very beginning, but nothing remarkably out of the ordinary for PUBG. It's not a very pretty game, and the only noticeable graphical difference on the Xbox build seemed to be a slight change to draw distance, though that didn't seem to hinder gameplay in any negative way. The framerate was consistent and smooth, with developers aiming for, but currently unable to confirm, 60fps. It's still a bland, dull-looking game, but it ran almost as well as the current PC version, and I don’t think console players will be disappointed.
Jodie Foster to Direct Black Mirror Season 4 Episode
Netflix has revealed the cast, directors and episode titles of Black Mirror Season 4.
The directorial lineup includes several standout names, including Jodie Foster, Sherlock's Toby Hanes, Game of Thrones' Tim Van Patten and American Gods' David Slade. Likewise, the cast is comprised of many recognizable faces, including Fargo's Jesse Plemons, Mad Men's Rosemarie Dewitt and Westworld's Jimmi Simpson.
See the names of each episode, as well as its respective writer(s), director and cast members below. (Note: Episode list is in no particular order).
"Arkangel"
- Cast: Rosemarie Dewitt (La La Land, Mad Men), Brenna Harding (A Place to Call Home), Owen Teague (Bloodline)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Is Beautiful, Confusing, and Captivating
At Gamescom 2017, tucked away in a small room in Nintendo’s press area, I got to spend forty minutes playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Monolith Soft’s monstrous new Nintendo Switch RPG.
I was dropped into a save file more than a dozen hours into the game where my eclectic party of level 20 warriors were nudged to start attacking the first enemy we saw. “This should be easy,” I thought. “There’s five of us and one of whatever that thing is, so I should be able to fly through this quickly.” I was quite wrong.
Xenoblade’s battles are a frantic mix of charging icons, switching characters, finding and mashing buttons for short quick time events, and darting your eyes around every corner of the screen to manage a set of interconnected systems. There's a lot going on here, and I immediately realized even this low-level grunt was going to take some strategy and perseverance.
Jared Leto ‘Proud’ to Be Part of Suicide Squad
Jared Leto is more than happy to continue playing the Joker in the DC Extended Universe.
His recent appearance on the Australian "Kyle and Jackie O" show featured a segment in which he was quizzed on his involvement in 2016's Suicide Squad, which was notable both for his approach to the role—allegedly sending his castmates gifts including a live rat and a dead pig—and for Leto's vocal disappointment over the way the Joker was handled in the film's final edit.
Nintendo Switch: Telltale’s Batman, GotG Incoming
Telltale Games is bringing the first seasons of two of their episodic adventure games to Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo of America has confirmed, via Twitter, that both Batman and Guardians of the Galaxy are heading to its console. "Get ready to defend the galaxy or become the Dark Knight when more Telltale Games adventures arrive on Nintendo Switch!" the company said.
The news follows Telltale's previous release of Minecraft: Switch Edition this summer.
There's currently no word on how close we may be to seeing the two games on Switch; expect more news and release dates to follow in the coming months.