Next Pokemon Go Event Gives Pikachu a ‘Festive Party Hat’
In celebration of Pokemon Day next week, Niantic Labs will hold a special event in Pokemon Go where players can capture a new festive Pikachu.
According to the official Pokemon website, the event begins on February 26 at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm UK (February 23 8am AET) and concludes on March 6 at the same time of day. Any Pikachu found in the wild during that time will be sporting a "festive party hat," which will remain attached to the creature forever.
Pokemon Day commemorates the series' debut in Japan, which is marked by the launch of Pokemon Red and Green on February 27, 1996.
The Last Jedi Scenes Shot in IMAX
Disney has announced that Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been partially shot in IMAX.
Director Rian Johnson has captured specific sequences from the film using IMAX cameras, which will provide an exclusive aspect ratio and an increased image quality. J.J. Abrams also partially shot The Force Awakens in IMAX. At least part of the IMAX footage in The Last Jedi was shot on location in Ireland, presumably on the island of Skellig Michael for the First Jedi Temple scenes involving Luke (and glimpsed briefly at the end of The Force Awakens).
Along with The Last Jedi, several other Disney films will also be shot in IMAX as part of an extended multi-picture deal between Disney and IMAX that will run until 2019. The deal includes films such as Lucasfilm's untitled fifth Indiana Jones movie, Star Wars: Episode IX, Beauty and the Beast, A Wrinkle in Time, Mulan, The Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Wreck-It Ralph 2, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War, the untitled Han Solo Star Wars anthology film, and the untitled fourth Avengers movie.
Suda51 on Nintendo Switch and Interest in VR
No More Heroes creator and Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda (aka Suda51) recently discussed what it's like developing for Nintendo Switch, saying "it's extremely easy to work with Nintendo."
On the latest episode of IGN's weekly show Up At Noon, Suda noted that Switch is "especially good for the developers," thanks to an environment that makes it easy to bring content to the platform.
Regarding his plans for Nintendo's upcoming console, including the recently-announced return of No More Heroes' protagonist Travis Touchdown, Suda said he's hoping "a lot of characters will come back" to make an appearance on Switch.
James Gunn Was Denied an R-Rated Hitman Movie
Before he became known as the man behind Guardians of the Galaxy, filmmaker James Gunn pitched an R-rated Hitman movie that went nowhere.
Over on Twitter, Gunn answered a question about whether there's any particular video game that could successfully adapt to the silver screen. That's when he opened up about his failed Hitman proposal.
I tried to make a Hitman movie a few years ago. But the producers at the time didn’t want to make it R rated, so they passed. https://t.co/BAToI5lfaQ
Premiere Date for Netflix’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 Revival Revealed
Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be returning to your screens on April 14, exclusively on Netflix.
This news came last night via the Netflix US Twitter account, and we are advised to "get ready for the Robot Roll-Call."
Joel Hodgson's reboot to Mystery Science Theater 3000 was announced back in 2015 after over 15 years off air. Over $5.7 million was donated to the Kickstarter to get the revival up and running.
The likes of Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt will be acting in the show, along with many alums from the original series. Community and Rick and Morty's Dan Harmon is also on board as a guest writer.
All the New Overwatch Funko Pop Figures Revealed
The next wave of Overwatch Funko Pop!s will arrive this April.
The lineup includes Mei, McCree, Symmetra, Lucio, Reinhardt, and D.Va’s Meka complete with a 1.75 inch D.Va mini pop which fits inside.
There are also a few exclusive variants available at different outlets. Best Buy has Reinhardt without his helmet. Summer Games McCree (American McCree) is available at GameStop. Hot Topic has Mei mid-Blizzard. Posh Tracer can be purchased through Think Geek. And finally, Blizzard Gear will be selling both the Carbon Fiber D.Va and Titanium Pharah figurines.
If Funkos aren’t your thing, The Good Smile Company recently showed off the super-adorable Tracer Nendoroid figure, which is as cute as you’d expect.
Co-op, Crafting, Come to Nintendo Switch With Troll and I
Troll and I from publisher Maximum Games is bringing couch co-op to PS4, PC, and Xbox One in March and Nintendo Switch in Q2 of this year. The publisher released a new trailer to show off some of its upcoming features.
The trailer shows off the game's "foraging and crafting systems," along with its split-screen co-op mode.
Players are "tasked with strategically utilizing" the two playable characters' "unique strengths to overcome the many enemies they will face."
Teenage boy Otto and troll Troll are the player-controlled characters. Otto has speed and stealth on his side, while Troll has the brute strength and size needed to "throw boulders at enemies," or simply crush them beneath his feet in order to dispatch them.
Nintendo of America Co-Founder Alan Stone Dies at 71
Twitch Streamer Dies During Charity Marathon
Twitch streamer Brian “PoShYbRiD” Vigneault was pronounced dead at the scene after stepping away from a 24-hour charity stream for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
The 35-year-old World of Tanks player was found dead on Sunday evening at his home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. PVPLive reports Vigneault left the livestream at 4:30 PM ET for a smoke. Polygon has since spoken to Virginia Beach Police who said they were called to Vigneault’s home around an hour later to aid an “unresponsive individual.”
Zelda: Breath of Wild Seemingly Leaks Online
The Wii U version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild appears to have leaked online, with details - including possible story spoilers - now appearing across the internet.
Seemingly beginning on 4chan, public forums such as Twitter, NeoGAF and the Zelda subreddit now have growing numbers of posts featuring unannounced details, plus attempts to prove the leak is real.
From our research, some elements of the leaks appear to be genuine, while others can't be verified at this time.
What we will say, essentially, is be careful if you'd like to experience the game fresh upon its March 3 release.
Previous major releases have seen trolls set up Twitter bots that send story spoilers to those tweeting associated words about the game/movie in question, while comments sections - including IGN's own - have had spoilers posted.