Pokken Gets a JP Release Date, Special Controller
Pokken Tournament will release on Wii U in Japan on March 18, and it’s getting its own arcade-style controller.
The Japanese release date lines up with the Western release window of “Spring 2016,” mentioned back in August when Pokken was first announced.
As for the Hori Erio controller, which features front-facing ZR and ZL buttons, it comes as part of a Pokken Wii U bundle, or is sold separately for 3,480 yen (around $30 / £20).
New Auto-Kicker Targets Rainbow Six Siege Team Killers
Update 1.1 for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is out, bringing with it a visual update, gameplay balances, and an auto-kicker for team killers.
Ubisoft says that 1.3 percent of matches had intentional team killing at the start of the open beta, which went as high as 7.8 percent by the end. After full launch, the number is lower at around 1.8 percent, but Ubisoft still believes this is an issue.
"We have set some parameters that will cause an automatic kick of a griefer within a match," Ubisoft says in the patch notes. "We are trying our best to make the distinction between accidental team killing and intentional team killing. Same goes for intentional hostage killing while playing as Defender."
Details on Lords of the Fallen Dev’s Dark Souls-y New Game, The Surge
Much like Lords of the Fallen, which Deck13 Interactive co-created with CI Games last year, the studio’s upcoming action-RPG The Surge draws heavy inspiration from Dark Souls. It embraces sci-fi rather than fantasy for its setting, though, which sounds likes it could represent a significant leap forward for the combat style if handled correctly. Up until now, most information about The Surge has focused on a single frame of concept art and a few scattered comments at conventions, but this weekend Deck13 CEO and creative director Jan Klose was kind enough to answer a few more questions and send over a few more bits of concept art from his studio's latest project.
UK Daily Deals – Fallout 4 under £25
Kojima Productions Officially Working on PlayStation Project
Sony has announced a partnership with Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima's new independent development studio, which will create a new game for PlayStation platforms.
Check out the company's new logo below, and come back to IGN on Wednesday, December 16 at 3:00 PM Pacific / Thursday December 17 at 8:00 AM Japan Time for an interview with Kojima to learn more details about his new studio.
Kojima's contract with Konami terminated today, December 15. He wrote on Twitter, "My employment contract with Konami has been terminated as of Dec 15th, so today marks a new start for me. I'm committed to be involved in creative activities for as long as I live."
Sony Wants Your Wish List for PS2 Games on PS4
If there is a specific PlayStation 2 title you’re hoping to see backwards compatible on PS4, you might want to let Sony know.
Recently, PlayStation Worldwide Studio’s Dave Thach took to Twitter to let PS4 owners know Sony is listening to feedback on PS2 titles appearing on PS4, and urged fans to tweet their suggestions using the hashtag “#ps2ps4”.
Loving all the PS2 on PS4 feedback! Use #ps2ps4 for your wish list suggestions so we can easily aggregate them all. We are listening...
TNT Renews Librarians, Murder in the First, Major Crimes
The Librarians has been renewed for a third season, TNT has announced.
In addition to the "hit fantasy-adventure," TNT's pair of crime dramas -- Major Crimes and Murder in the First -- have been renewed as well. The Librarians: Season 3 will span 10 episodes and premiere next fall. Meanwhile, Major Crimes: Season 5 and Murder in the First: Season 3 will debut this coming summer, with 13 episodes for the former and 10 for the latter.
The Librarians
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Has Already Made Over $100 Million in Advanced Ticket Sales
With just days until its general release, Variety reports the newest chapter of the Star Wars saga has already made more than $100 million in advanced ticket sales.
These staggering pre-sale numbers have Variety's box office analysts projecting a $200 million dollar premiere for The Force Awakens with that number likely shooting up to the stratosphere by the time the holiday season ends. All in all, the first part of the Sequel Trilogy is looking like it'll pay back it's projected $200 million budget in it's first weekend, not to mention a fair chunk of the $4 billion Disney paid for Lucasfilm in 2012.
Google’s New Game Turns Your Phone Into a Lightsaber
In anticipation of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Friday, Google has released a game that lets you turn your phone into a lightsaber. We played it. Check out our video below.
It's a collaboration between Google, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Industrial Light & Magic, and with it, you'll have to escape an Imperial ship using just your lightsaber, deflecting Stromtrooper blasters as you go.
To play, you'll need to go to the Lightsaber Escape website on your desktop computer, where you'll be given a link to access from your phone. Once you've calibrated your phone, you'll go through a short tutorial and be on your way. When you wave your phone, it should be synced up with your on-screen lightsaber.
Black Ops 3 Personalization Packs to Support Veteran Hiring
Activision has announced it will be selling a new Personalization Pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops III, with proceeds from sales going to the Call of Duty Endowment program.
The C.O.D.E. Warriors Personalization Pack includes 3x reticles, a calling card, and custom weapon camo and is priced at $4 USD for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
The Call of Duty Endowment was founded in 2009 by Activision. Its goal is to help unemployed veterans find “high-quality careers” after leaving military service. According to a statement from Activision, the program has funded over 17,500 job placements and expects to meet its goal of 25,000 by 2018.
Earlier today, Activision announced microtransactions are coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops III and players will be granted a one-time gift of 200 Call of Duty Points for a limited time.