Super Mario Run Passes 50 Million Downloads
Nintendo announced today that Super Mario Run has been downloaded 50 million times since its launch on December 15.
The news comes via Twitter, and came along with the following image from Nintendo:
Nintendo celebrates 50 million downloads of Super Mario Run
Today’s milestone marks 10 million additional downloads since the 40 million milestone Nintendo announced earlier this week. According to Nintendo, Super Mario Run was “the fastest in App Store history” to hit that milestone, topping the charts in 140 different countries.
Oculus Exec: VR Is the ‘Last Computing Platform’
Jason Rubin, the co-founder of Naughty Dog and current head of content at Oculus, sees no limit to the potential for VR, going so far as to suggest it could very well be the final form of computing technology.
"If you believe in VR, you believe it's the last computing platform," Rubin said on the latest episode of our monthly interview show IGN Unfiltered.
"There have been various computing platforms that have come over time, and all of them have opened up opportunities that the previous computing platform has not," Ruben explained, citing GPS-equipped mobile devices as one such example.
13 Most Epic Video Game Moments of 2016
2016 was a year full of video game surprises. Beloved franchises took exciting turns, new games wowed us with their brilliance, and we got our first real taste of the wonders of VR.
As the year draws to a close, join us in celebrating some of the epic moments that made 2016 an awesome year for gamers. Be warned, though: major spoilers ahead!
Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham VR let you don the Dark Knight’s suit piece-by-piece, from his infamous cowl to a host of awesome gadgets. Yet it's the moment after the suit is assembled, when you see yourself reflected in a mirror as the Batman himself, that made us feel like our six-year-old self’s dreams had come true. Arkham VR makes you feel like Batman. And it feels awesome. — Jonathon Dornbush
New Restaurant Opening at Mount Everest
Earth's highest mountain is about to host an exclusive eatery. A pop-up One Star House Party restaurant is taking 15 guests and serving them locally-sourced meals at base camp.
It's not nearly as dramatic as a Taco Bell at the summit, but given how dangerous the trek to the top can be, it's probably for the best.
Mount Everest Image Source: Wikipedia
Potential diners had to have made reservations before the end of November, and chef James Sharman has organized more than just a stop at the base of Everest.
IGN UK Podcast #363: The Alternative IGN Awards 2016
The end of the year is nigh. So before we peer into the future (well, it'll be more a cursory perusal of a release calendar) on the next week's show, we take a moment to look back at 2016. No, we don't focus on that or that and especially not that, but there's plenty of time to focus on the things we did like.
We'll be giving out some very important, serious awards shortly on the site, but until then, check out these very special 9 categories cooked up by our very partial panel of Daniel Krupa, Gav Murphy, and Joe Skrebels... enjoy:
Militaristic ‘Mastodon Sentries’ Are Modeled After Black Power Ranger
Coming hot off the heels of the mysterious new Green/White Power Ranger, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #11 by writer Kyle Higgins and artist Hendry Prasetya from BOOM! Studios will debut another new type of Power Ranger called Mastodon Sentries.
Take a look:
Art by Hendry Prasetya. (BOOM! Studios)
Assassin’s Creed Movie’s Animus Could Make It Into the Games
Ubisoft is apparently interested in making the Animus device used in the Assassin's Creed game series more like the one created for its new tie-in movie according to its director and star.
The movie Animus is a far cry from the virtual reality headset/hip lounge chair we're used to, instead comprising a giant mechanical arm and holographic lights to help represent the genetic memories its accessing in the user.
"We're really excited about it," explained director Justin Kurzel in an interview with IGN. "Actually, Ubisoft were really interested in it. They thought that the potential of it to actually interact as gameplay was really interesting. So they were talking about maybe evolving it even further for possible games for the future.
The Secret History of Westworld
20 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2016
With just a few weeks left this year, there’s still a chance that the 2016 box office could come out ahead of 2015’s record totals. But that’s not the complete picture of this year’s cinematic landscape. There was a lot of carnage along the way, as previously safe sequels and franchises were soundly rejected by audiences or met with indifference.
Even a few quality films fell victim to some of 2016’s strange box office fluctuations, which may only encourage Hollywood to take fewer and fewer risks going forward. We can’t say what the future holds for the movie industry, but we can look back at some of the biggest flops of the year. Note that our box office data is current as of December 21, 2016.
Watch These Awesome Rogue One Fan Film Contest Winners
Last week Disney announced the winners of its global "Go Rogue" contest, which celebrated Star Wars fan content, creativity and storytelling in the run up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The competition invited fans from around the world to share their own rogue stories, for a chance to win a trip to Lucasfilm in San Francisco and see their videos premiered on the big screen before an early screening of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The seven winners from Australia/New Zealand, Germany, Mexico, South East Asia and the U.S./Canada were selected based on their quality of storytelling, character development, originality and overall entertainment value. Led by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, the panel of judges also included Ashley Eckstein, who voices “Ahsoka” on Star Wars Rebels.