Is the Nintendo Switch in Early Access?
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing the Nintendo Switch, Castlevania, Madden, and more. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
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Longtime Kermit the Frog Performer Replaced
After 27 years on the job, Steve Whitmire will no longer voice Kermit the Frog.
Disney's Muppet Studio confirmed to Muppets fan site ToughPigs that Whitmire is being replaced by Matt Vogel, who's been with the Muppets since 1996.
Vogel is currently the performer behind Sesame Street's the Count, Floyd Pepper, and Camilla the Chicken. He also voiced Kermit impersonator Constantine in Muppets Most Wanted.
Steve Whitmire with Kermit the Frog
Game of Thrones: Season 7 Predictions and Death Wishes
Game of Thrones is coming back to a TV set near you this Sunday, and to kick off the new season, IGN's Dragons on the Wall dream team reunited for a preview episode. We also were lucky to welcome Samwell Tarly himself, star John Bradley, for a special interview to kick off this season of Dragons.
This episode launches our new season of Dragons on the Wall, so make sure to tune in every week after the episodes air for our experts' takes on the insanity that's sure to go down in Season 7.
What Does Joker Know About Batman’s True Origin?
DC released Dark Days: The Casting #1 today, the second of two comics designed to build towards next month's epic Batman story Dark Nights: Metal. But even though we haven't gotten to the main event yet, writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV have already delivered some pretty huge bombshells about the shared history of the DC Universe. Scroll down to find out what was revealed in this pivotal prologue issue.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Dark Days: The Casting #1!
Nintendo Switch Gets First Video Streaming App in Japan
Nintendo Switch is getting its very first video streaming app in Japan tomorrow, July 13.
According to Nintendo's blog post, the system's first streaming service isn't Netflix or YouTube. Instead it's Niconico, one of the biggest Japanese video platforms.
Niconico lets people livestream and upload videos, similar to YouTube. However, what makes Niconico stand out is that user comments actually appear over livestreams. Uploaded videos also have real-time comment pop-ups, and uploaders can add quizzes and polls to the video as well.
For the time being, the Niconico app can only be downloaded via the Japanese eShop. However, Switch owners outside of Japan can still download and use the streaming service by making a Japanese account.
Mysterious Pokemon Video Teases Reveal for Next Week
The Pokemon Company has released a mysterious new video teasing a reveal for July 19.
Check out the teaser, which includes some of the strangest footage from previous Pokemon titles, below:
As noted by Polygon, the video includes footage from Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon HeartGold and Soul Silver, and Pokemon Sun and Moon. While in Japanese, the video's title can be translated to read: "Pokemon Mystery File: A world of Pokemon you don't know."
Several mysterious questions appear throughout the video, including: "Is this a time slip? Is it manipulating time? It came from the moon? Is it a space virus? Is this an encounter with aliens?" The cryptic messages continue with: "The battle with the alien invader has begun! Is this the underside of this world? Is this a puzzle of ancient relics? Is this an attack from a parallel universe? Is it possessing humans?"
Wrestling Wrap Up: We Don’t Need a Shield Reunion
With Roman Reigns as a perpetually booed attempted-murderer, Seth Rollins as a hard-to-define quasi-over babyface, and Dean Ambrose as the dude who's way to old to still be hanging out in the QT parking lot, is this really a good time to reunite the Hounds of Justice? Even if one of them is still going by a notable canine moniker?
Secondary question: Are we past the point now that a Shield reunion will mean anything at all? Was the iron hot a year ago? Or two years ago? Fresh off the break up?
Crunchyroll Is Partnering with NBCUniversal to Make Anime
Anime streaming service Crunchyroll has announced it's partnering with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan to produce new anime.
This co-development effort will see Crunchyroll and NUEJ working together to create an array of titles, including entirely original projects as well as ones based on established properties, with the aim of making anime more accessible to audiences around the world.
"Crunchyroll and NUEJ share a passion for producing anime that has widespread appeal around the globe," Crunchyroll founder and GM Kun Gao said. "The partnership made sense as an exciting opportunity to bring more high-quality content to the anime community."
The two companies have a longstanding and well-established relationship, as Crunchyroll has distributed a number of series produced in Japan by NUEJ to audiences around the world, including Drifters and Berserk.
Green Lantern: Earth One Makes a Drastic Change
DC Comics’ Earth One line of graphic novels continues to expand, this time into the far reaches of space with Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 1 by writer Corinna Bechko and writer/artist Gabriel Hardman with colorist Jordan Boyd.
Earth One stories reintroduce DC’s greatest heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in a fresh comic book universe unburdened with years of continuity, often significantly changing elements of each character to better modernize their origins and create exciting new tales.
For Green Lantern, the story sees Hal Jordan re-envisioned as an astronaut who seeks the thrill of discovery, yet finds himself in an unfulfilling job prospecting asteroids for Ferris Galactic. His fortunes change when he finds a powerful green ring and learns that it came from the Green Lantern Corps, a group that was long ago murdered by killing machines called Manhunters. This sets him on a mission to reinstate the Corps, a nearly impossible task for the fearless Jordan.
What Remains of Edith Finch Coming to Xbox One
The exploration adventure game What Remains of Edith Finch is headed to Xbox One on July 19 for $20, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced today.
Developed by Giant Sparrow and currently available on PS4 and PC, What Remains of Edith Finch follows the story of the titular Edith as she explores the family home, discovering stories about the late members of her family in order to uncover the mystery as to why she's the last Finch still alive.
We lauded the gorgeous first-person experience in our What Remains of Edith Finch Review, awarding it an 8.8 as "one of the finest magical-realism stories in all of games."