Mario 3D World Headlines Week 2 of Nintendo’s Winter Sale
The second week of Nintendo's Winter Warm-Up Sale has begun, offering discounts on an array of platforming titles for Wii U and 3DS.
This week's theme is "Jumpin' Fun," and as such, Nintendo has discounted some of Wii U's most popular platformers, including Super Mario 3D World and Rayman Legends, which are currently available for $42 and $28, respectively.
Also on sale for Wii U is the original Donkey Kong Country, which is just under $6, and Game & Wario, which has been marked down to $21. Meanwhile, 3DS owners can pick up SteamWorld Dig for $5 and Sonic Generations for $21.
You can check out all of this week's deals over on the Nintendo eShop.
The Martian’s Benedict Wong Joins Doctor Strange
Prometheus and The Martian actor Benedict Wong has joined the cast of Doctor Strange.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wong will play Doctor Stephen Strange's sidekick and manservant who, coincidentally, is also named Wong.
For those unfamiliar the Marvel character, Wong is the descendant of a Chinese monk named Kan who studied the occult. In addition to being a healer, he's also skilled in martial arts and protects Strange's body when the Sorcerer Supreme is off in another dimension.
Rock Band 4 January Update Delayed
Rock Band 4's January update has been delayed by a week, and is now the game's February patch. No official date has been announced, but Harmonix promises that it'll be released during the first week of the month.
As discussed in December this update will fix score exploits, allow leaderboard postings for Play a Show mode, and improve audio quality. The February update will also launch Rock Band 4's new Psychonauts themed-gear, available for free in the Rock Shop.
Last week we showed off new #Psychonauts helmets for your RB characters, available in the Rock Shop soon! pic.twitter.com/Iae2RC9euh
Deadpool Has a Message for the People of Australia
Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth has a few choice words for the people of Australia.
To honour Australia Day on January 26, Deadpool waxes lyrical on our proud nation's criminal past, Hugh Jackman, and predilection for "blackout drinking" in a new video. Check it out below.
The video is in line with 20th Century Fox's 'cheeky' marketing for its upcoming R-rated superhero flick.
Deadpool opens in theaters on February 12, 2016.
Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN’s AU office but is a proud New Zealander. Follow her ramblings on Twitter.
Google Breaks Down the Millions of ‘Bad Ads’ it Removed in 2015
Google put up quite a fight to defend its users from harmful ads. The company says it dealt with thousands of fake websites and millions of "bad ads" throughout 2015.
In a Google blog post detailing the whole ordeal, the company reveals that it disabled over 780 million ads for violating the policies it put in place to determine what kinds of ads businesses can run through them. That number has only gone up over the years, but so has the amount of harmful ads it has managed to eliminate.
About 1,000 Google employees monitored and removed these ads last year. They blocked over 7,000 phishing websites; suspended over 10,000 websites attempting to sell counterfeit products, and another 10,000 sites offering "unwanted software" that did nothing but affect system performance and alter user's homepages.
NASA Achieves Gender Equality Milestone
NASA's newest class of astronauts has just graduated with a 50-50 split of men and women - four of each.
The group were selected from more than 6,300 applicants, and while the four women are far from the first female astronauts, this is NASA's most balanced astronaut class ever.
The women, who completed their training in mid-2015, are Christina Koch, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Anne C. McClain and Jessica U. Meir.
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Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella Set for The Mummy
Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) have officially joined Universal Pictures' upcoming The Mummy reboot. The studio also announced the monster movie's release date will move from March 24, 2017 to June 9, 2017.
Cruise and Boutella were both previously rumored for the film, but their involvement wasn't confirmed until today. Cruise will star, with Boutella on board as a female version of the Mummy.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, Variety reports the reboot is expected to take place during present day -- a first for the franchise since the original films.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to Investigate Exploding Hoverboards
Hoverboards/self-balancing skateboards have started one too many fires, prompting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce that it's now looking into these hoverboards to determine how safe (or unsafe) they really are.
The issue has become a priority investigation for the organization, which is "devoting the staff time and resources necessary to find the root causes of the fires." As part of their investigation, the CPSC will continue to test newer hoverboards, as well as those involved in any recent fire incidents.
Microsoft Explains How to Replace the Surface Pro’s Power Cord
Microsoft is finally ready to start replacing the faulty AC power cords for certain Surface Pro models.
In a blog post on the official Windows Blog, the company explains that it's starting a voluntary replacement program for the AC power cords that came with any Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 bought before March 2015 (July 2015 in other areas). Microsoft will provide one redesigned power cord for each eligible Surface Pro tablet someone owns, no proof of damage required.
Johnny Depp Could Go to the Triple Frontier
Johnny Depp is reportedly in early talks to star in a crime thriller about the dark heart of the South American drug trade.
The news comes courtesy of Variety who note that offers have also gone out to Tom Hanks and Will Smith.
Titled Triple Frontier, the movie takes place in the wild region where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet along the Iguazu and Parana rivers. The three borders makes the area very difficult to police and thus a perfect place for crime to thrive.
The movie has been in development for a long time with The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow originally tapped to direct. The movie is now being helmed by A Most Violent Year's J.C. Chandor.