Daily Deals: Major Anime Discounts and Digital Game Deals
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Super Mario Run Reaches 40 Million Downloads in 4 Days
Super Mario Run was downloaded 40 million times in its first four days, Nintendo revealed this morning.
According to Nintendo, Mario's mobile debut was the "the fastest in App Store history" to reach the milestone, and was at the top of the free app chart in over 140 different countries, plus was among the ten highest-grossing apps in over 100. Nintendo didn't release specific numbers for how many players went on to purchase the full version of the app.
Super Mario Run's 40 million downloads puts it ahead of the record-setting pace set by Pokemon Go, which reportedly reached 30 million downloads in two weeks — though a direct comparison is tricky considering platform and region availability.
Naughty Dog Co-Founder Discusses Studio’s ‘Darkest’ Days
Naughty Dog went through a difficult transition in the mid-2000s. According to studio co-founder Jason Rubin, the time during which he departed the company, which was just prior to the launch of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, were "probably the darkest days at Naughty Dog."
"For two years, Andy
and I transitioned out of Naughty Dog, knowing we were leaving after having announced we were going to leave and having chosen successors," Rubin said on the latest episode of our monthly interview show IGN Unfiltered. "It was very important to us that Naughty Dog survive and Naughty Dog go farther."
Ralph McQuarrie Darth Vader Statue Available for Pre-Order
Sideshow Collectibles has pulled back the curtain on the latest addition to its Concept Artist Series, a Ralph McQuarrie Darth Vader Statue, which is now available for pre-order.
The figure is priced at $474.99 and available for pre-order on Sideshow's official site. Check out the gallery below for a detailed look at a prototype of the polystone statue, which stands just under two feet tall.
The statue serves as tribute to Ralph McQuarrie, the brilliant illustrator who designed Darth Vader's iconic look. As such, Sideshow's statue is based on McQuarrie's "original illustrations featuring an alternate concept helmet."
Teens Spend More Time Playing Games Than Seeing Movies
According to a new report by the non-profit Common Sense Media, teenagers are now spending 25 times more free-time playing video games than watching movies.
The report states that teens (ages 13 to 18) spend about an hour and 21 minutes a day playing video games in some form -- be that on a console, computer, or mobile device -- while they only spend three daily minutes going to the movies. Admittedly this is a weird way to quantify time spent at the movies, as movies tend to always run at least over an hour in length, but the study is pointing out that teenagers are simply spending less and less time in theaters. Furthermore, the study claims 15 percent of polled teenagers claim playing video games is their favorite media activity.
Rogue One: Image Released of Star Wars Rebels Cameo
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story features several Easter eggs and cameos from other Star Wars media, including a character from the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels.
An official photo of the character's appearance in Rogue One has been released, courtesy of StarWars.com.
Warning: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spoilers below.
In the film, Chopper, the droid from Star Wars Rebels, appears at the rebel base on Yavin 4. You can spot the character on the left side of the photo below.
Thor: Ragnarok Will Journey to Planet Hulk’s Sakaar
Thor: Ragnarok will reportedly include the main setting from Planet Hulk, Sakaar.
While doing an interview with Total Film (via MCUExchange), director Taika Waititi confirmed that the third Thor film will incorporate Sakaar in some fashion, though it's not known just how much the movie will focus on the Planet Hulk storyline. According to the director, Sakaar proved to be a big shift for the movie and its characters because it's "just an insane, far-off, futuristic place."
Thor: Ragnarok will also borrow heavily from Jack Kirby's work, who co-created the Hulk character alongside Stan Lee, in order to nail the look and feel of all the Planet Hulk scenes.
New Alien: Covenant Photo Spotlights Katherine Waterston
A new photo of Alien: Covenant has been released, providing an early glimpse at Katherine Waterston as Daniels in Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi horror film.
Check out the photo, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, below.
Katherine Waterston in Alien: Covenant, via EW
Travelers Trailer: Netflix Launches New Sci-Fi Series Friday
Netflix has released a new trailer for its latest sci-fi series, Travelers, which hits the streaming service this Friday.
The series stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and focuses on a group of FBI agents who send their consciousnesses back in time in order to save humanity.
Here's the full synopsis for the new series, courtesy of Netflix:
"Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These "travelers" assume the lives of seemingly random people, while secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future. These travelers are: FBI Special Agent Grant MacLaren (McCormack), the team's leader; Marcy (Mackenzie Porter), a young, intellectually disabled woman in the care of her social worker, David (Patrick Gilmore); Trevor (Jared Paul Abrahamson), a high school quarterback; Carly (Nesta Marlee Cooper), a single mom in an abusive relationship; and Philip (Reilly Dolman), a heroin-addicted college student. Armed only with their knowledge of history and an archive of social media profiles, the travelers discover that 21st century lives and relationships are as much a challenge as their high-stakes missions."
Explaining the Weird Character Choices in Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
Today sees the start of DC’s first big event comic since the launch of Rebirth, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad by writer Joshua Williamson and a host of top-tier artists, starting with Jason Fabok of “The Darkseid War” fame.
Today’s Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 set up the threat that will bring the two teams to blows -- a group of largely unknown supervillains led by a familiar face from DC lore. We interviewed both Williamson and Fabok on the phone to get the dirty details on why they dug so deep into DC's history to make use of these weird characters.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1!
Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 cover by Jason Fabok. (DC Comics)