Harley Quinn Gets a Makeover
Batman isn't the only DC icon to undergo a major costume change this week. Harley Quinn #26 debuted a new look for the titular anti-heroine, one that's clearly inspired by the character's appearance in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.
Harley Quinn #26 cover by Amanda Conner
Harley's appearance hasn't changed as dramatically as Batman's, but she did gain a new jacket and recolored hair to put the comic book version of the character more in line with actress Margot Robbie. Harley even acknowledged the similarities when she took in her new outfit for the first time.
Arrow’s Cupid Talks Harley Quinn Comparisons
Could Cupid's arrow be just what Oliver Queen needs to get his life to a better place?
Full spoilers for Arrow continue below.
The villainous archer is heading back to Star City in this week's episode "Broken Hearts," and she's coming just after Oliver and Felicity had a pretty brutal breakup. Her new mission is to destroy anyone in love, and is executing it by killing couples on their wedding day. Team Arrow sees no better way to stop her in her tracks than by posing a faux wedding between Oliver and Felicity -- something that adds another complication on an already difficult situation.
Get This Hardcore Henry Poster at These Special Screenings
We're big fans of the upcoming FPS action-thriller Hardcore Henry -- as evidenced by our advance review out of the SXSW Film Festival -- so we have a couple of cool things from it to share with you today to get you psyched up for it.
First up is this exclusive Mondo-designed movie poster by artist Cesar Moreno. Check it out below ... but maybe you actually want one of your very own? Here's how!
Mondo poster by Cesar Moreno. Click for the hi-res version!
Battleborn Requires a Continuous Internet Connection to Play
Battleborn will require a constant internet connection to play both online and single-player, publisher 2K Games confirmed.
Originally reported by VideoGamer, 2K also provided IGN with a statement, saying the reason for requiring an internet connection is so "experience points earned in Battleborn's Story Mode carry over to Multiplayer and vice-versa."
This XP in Battleborn is "earned through the game's persistent progression system," which helps a player level up both individual Character Rank and player profile Command Rank. What's more, a constant online connection maintains data integrity, which protects player data "even after experiencing a hardware malfunction or purchasing a new console."
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is the Episode 7 Game We Deserve
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens beautifully captures both the authenticity and excitement of the film. In addition to its cute and clever representations of people and places from The Force Awakens, the new LEGO Star Wars tests even the most obsessed fan’s knowledge and attention to detail.
Unsurprisingly, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens functions similarly to previous LEGO games, with puzzles aimed at kids and humor aimed at everyone. New systems allow for more experimentation, such as building numerous different objects using the same pile of LEGO pieces found in the environment.
Finn, Rey, BB-8, and the rest of the cast of over 200 characters have distinctions that make them unique, both in terms of how they fight and what they can do. The agile Rey navigates better with the help of her staff, but she needs a droid to power certain generators to open new pathways.
This XCOM 2 Beam Pistol Replica Is Awesome
High-quality merchandise maker Project TriForce has announced its XCOM 2 Beam Pistol replica.
Based on the Beam Pistol from the XCOM universe, the real-life replica isn't based on alien technology, but it does get every other detail nailed down. Technically, it even shoots a beam, although a far less destructive one powered by LED lights.
Measuring just over a foot in length and weighing in at 7 pounds, the XCOM 2 Beam Pistol replica isn't a simple plaything. Rather, it's a meticulously detailed recreation of the weapon from the recently released XCOM 2.
Each full-scale replica is "hand-finished and hand-painted to precision quality," and the pistols are "intricately crafted and cast in polystone." Polystone, for those unfamiliar, is a hard composite of polyurethane and powdered stone with a decidedly stone-like feel and weight.
1979 Revolution Turns History Into a Telltale-Style Adventure
After working on games like Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Homefront, ex-Remedy and Rockstar cinematic director Navid Khonsari has turned to real-world history for his studio iNK Stories' debut game, 1979 Revolution.
Set during the Iranian Revolution, 1979 Revolution follows an aspiring photojournalist named Reza as he becomes tangled up in the political struggles of both friends and enemies. The action and drama are presented as a branching, Telltale-style adventure, rooted in real historical events. It's set to launch on April 5th for PC.
See the official trailer for 1979 Revolution: Black Friday below.
I played a few brief scenes of 1979 Revolution during GDC last week and was struck by its emotional intensity. An interrogation scene set in Evin Prison holds nothing back in capturing the brutality of the revolution's dark side, while a flashback depicting Reza among a gathering of peaceful protesters conveys the mixture of hope and uncertainty present among Iranian citizens of the time.
How The Beatles Influenced the Halo Theme Song
Halo’s theme is built upon gothic monk chants and orchestral swells, but its inspiration has roots in an unlikely source.
During an interview on IGN Unfiltered airing later this week, Halo composer Marty O’Donnell shared the origins of the Halo theme and how The Beatles were partially responsible for its inception.
Around the time of MacWorld 1999, O’Donnell remembers the development team at Bungie creating a demo to be shared onstage. Despite the rapid progress they made, the demo still lacked the music it would need to help make a good impression.
Sensing the urgency, O’Donnell offered to create a theme for the demo, making a deal allowing him to retain the rights to the composition and license its use for an estimated $3,500.
Batman Gets a New Costume
The finale to Batman's "Superheavy" arc is here, so we hopped on the phone with writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo to hear about the design of the new Batsuit, the mystery of Bloom's identity, and we even get a tease of where they're going from here.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Batman #50!
IGN Comics: The end of Superheavy is here. How does it feel?
Xbox One March System Update Rolls Out Today
Microsoft is releasing its March system update for Xbox One and the Xbox app today.
The update—which was previewed earlier this month—will allow Xbox One users to purchase Xbox 360 backward compatible games directly through the Xbox One. Once the update hits, players will be able to find and purchase 360 games exactly the same way as with Xbox One titles.
Head over to IGN's Xbox One backward capability wiki for a full list of available games.
Other updates will allow players to include party chat in a Twitch broadcast, output party chat to both headset and speakers simultaneously, and enable 16-person party chat. Microsoft has also improved thumbstick precision on its Xbox Elite wireless controller.