The Next Splatoon Splatfest is Spongebob Squarepants Themed
Nintendo has announced that the next Splatoon Splatfest will ask players to decide which of two Spongebob Squarepants characters they like best. It's not entirely clear why.
Players will pick between Spongebob himself or his starfish sidekick, Patrick, after which the assigned sides will spend a weekend battling to determine which character is better. Or more well-loved? I'm not sure. Either way, one will win.
If you want to take part, the Splatfest takes place from April 23 at 6 am PT and runs until April 24 at 12 pm PT.
Choosing a side will net you an in-game Spongebob or Patrick T-shirt, which you can see below:
Splatoon's Spongebob Squarepants-themed T-shirts.
39 Awesome Dark Souls 3 Builds from IGN Readers
Dark Souls 3 is upon us and it is a glorious sight to behold. With tons of awesome armor sets and fancy weapons to wield, there's absolutely no shortage of striking gear to mix and match.
Last week, we asked you to take a break from slaying Lords of Cinder and grab us a screenshot of your best Dark Souls 3 outfit – and you delivered.
In the gallery below, you'll find 39 of our favorite Dark Souls 3 builds sent in by IGN readers. Some images may contain spoilers for various Dark Souls 3 levels, weapons, and armor sets, so proceed with caution.
We love seeing the way Dark Souls gear allows players to merge self-expression and playstyle. Here we have characters with little to no armor, to some of the heaviest sets in the game, rolling into battle with standard sword-and-board setups, or giant two-handed greatswords. There are dual-wielders, spellcasters, dex-focused melee builds, and everything in-between.
LEGO Announces Huge Minecraft Set
LEGO is expanding its Minecraft universe with LEGO Minecraft: The Village.
The 1,600 piece set includes a "variety of biomes," plus a watchtower, library, blacksmith, butcher, and marketplace. Many of the buildings fold open to revealed detailed interiors.
Based on the expansive sandbox, LEGO's The Village set can rebuilt to create unique, customized creations. Rainforest, snow, and desert biomes offer plenty of options for the four included minifigures—Steve, Alex, zombie, and zombie villager—to enjoy.
There's also a Creeper, enderman, pig, baby pig, iron golem, and two villagers.
Accessories include the Minecraft essentials, like an iron sword, pickaxe, crafting table, water bucket, emerald-ore-style elements, two pumpkin heads, and a chest. LEGO Minecraft: The Village will cost $200 USD when the set hits shelves on June 1.
Unlocked: Gears of War 4 Director Interview
DOWNLOAD UNLOCKED 241 (Audio version)
On this week's Xbox show, Gears of War 4 boss Rod Fergusson joins us for a 30-minute interview about the new game as well as taking over the franchise. Plus: our thoughts on Quantum Break so far, the ex-GTA developer's lawsuit against Rockstar, Titanfall 2, the rumored effort to save Fable Legends, and more!
Oh, and Unlocked now has its own snazzy new homepage! Bookmark this: go.ign.com/unlocked
Gears of War 4 Includes Microtransactions for Cosmetic Items
Xbox One exclusive Gears of War 4 will include in-game purchases for cosmetic items. Players will collect cards that offer character customization, and have no affect on gameplay.
In an interview with GameSpot, The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson explained the process. "I feel like that paradigm of cards is really clear to understand for collectibles, like the ability to collect things. We had weapon skins and character skins, so that idea of collecting cards is just easily understood," Fergusson said.
The cards come in crates—and have different rarity levels—which Fergusson said adds some "engagement" to collecting. He likened the process to buying Magic: The Gathering booster packs. "If I could just buy the one card I want then I'm out, then you lose it, right?"
Street Fighter 5 Update to Address Rage Quitting Problem
Capcom will be addressing an issue in multiplayer matches of Street Fighter V where players leave early and deny victory to their opponents.
The Street Fighter Twitter account had the following message for fans: "We’re planning to roll out a system this month that will address the rage quitting issue in #SFV. More details coming soon!"
So far, Capcom has tried getting victims of rage quitting to send videos of the incident along with the report. The company has also targeted people with high disconnect rates and stripped them of League Points.
Now it looks like there's a more robust system coming that should hopefully root out the problem once and for all. We'll update you when Capcom releases more details.
Peter Pan: Disney Developing Live-Action Remake of its Animated Classic
A live action adaptation of Peter Pan is in the works over at Disney.
According to Deadline, David Lowery will be directing, Jim Whitaker will produce, and Toby Halbrooks is writing the script. Lowery and Halbrooks also worked together on another Disney remake, Pete's Dragon, which is set for release later this year.
Multiple films have tried to build on the success of the 1953 animated original, however neither Hook nor last year's Pan achieved expectations.
Peter Pan will mark another notch in Disney's live action belt, with The Jungle Book coming to theaters tomorrow.
Comic Book Reviews for April 13, 2016
April continues to be a great month for comic book fans. Marvel finally delivered the long-awaited Star Wars Special: C-3PO #1 and answered one of the many burning questions from The Force Awakens. They also relaunched Moon Knight and kicked off The Unbelievable Gwenpool this week. DC, meanwhile, debuted a new Harley Quinn comic and released another chapter in the epic crossover Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Elsewhere, we saw the debut of promising new creator-owned series House of Penance, Heartthrob, Black Road and Goldie Vance.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases. And be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
Gears of War 4 Multiplayer Beta: It’s Nice to Saw You Again
It wasn’t so much Gears of War 4’s new Unreal Engine 4-powered 1080p/60fps graphics that put a smile on my face, it was its sound. While the visuals may have changed in the last 10 years – thank goodness, of course – that familiar rev of the Lancer’s chainsaw bayonet and subsequent woodchipper-esque wail of carving through an opponent sure hasn’t, and hearing it triggered a surge of nostalgia that made me feel like I was catching up with an old friend.
My two-hour sneak peek of the imminent Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta took me to three maps across two game modes: good ol’ Team Deathmatch and the tug-of-war-style Dodgeball. Though none of the beta levels immediately gave off the “instant classic” vibe that Gears 1’s “Gridlock”, “Mansion,” and “Fuel Depot” did, I thought “Harbor” had a hint of “Gridlock” to it that made it my early favorite of the three. And while we’re on the subject, I was disappointed that none of the beta maps have any of the “map events” that made Gears 3’s battles more interesting and unpredictable, though perhaps there will be battlegrounds in the final game that will fill that void.
Warcraft Movie Gets a Prequel Graphic Novel
The upcoming Warcraft movie is getting a prequel graphic novel called Warcraft: Bonds of Brotherhood. It will be published by Legendary with a story by Blizzard’s Chris Metzen that will be written by Paul Cornell and drawn by Mat Broome, Michael O’Hare, Eddie Nunez, Roy Allan Martinez, Ale Garza, and Mike Bowden.
Behold the cover by artist Kevin Tong:
