J.J. Abrams Talks Luke Skywalker in Force Awakens
Luke Skywalker’s part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been shrouded in mystery, but he is not forgotten, according to director J.J. Abrams.
Speaking with EW, Abrams compared Luke Skywalker to a mythical fairy tale figure that a generation of people may or may not have believed existed in the upcoming Star Wars sequel.
“It was the thing that struck me the hardest, which was the idea that doing a story that took place nearly 40 years after Jedi meant that there would be a generation for whom Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia would be as good as a myth,” Abrams said.
October Saw Xbox One at the Top of Console Sales
The top selling console for October was Xbox One the NPD Group reported today.
According to a statement from Microsoft, the Xbox One saw 81 percent growth compared to October 2014. Staying on message, it said "the strength of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history," including October's top-selling game Halo 5: Guardians, helped drive "record Xbox Live" usage for the month, as well as put the console above its competitors.
Halo 5 did indeed top the charts for October, beating out multiplatform NBA 2K16 for the month. Microsoft expects its top-spot to trend forward, pointing out the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider, the high consumer demand for the Xbox Elite controller, and "the New Xbox One Experience including backward compatibility" as future drivers of hardware sales.
The Best Selling Games for October Announced
The top selling game for the month of October was Halo 5: Guardians, according to numbers published today by the NPD Group.
Directly behind Halo 5 was NBA 2K16, which was knocked out of the number one spot it grabbed during its debut month. The big news is that while NBA 2K16 is sold on all consoles, Halo 5: Guardians is an Xbox One exclusive. Assassin's Creed Syndicate came in third place for the month.
Yoshi's Woolly World broke into the top 10 with a respectable showing at 8th place on the chart, while Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection for PS4 charted afterall, coming in 9th.
Here's the complete list of games in the top 10 for October 2015:
Smash Bros-Focused Nintendo Direct Coming in December
At the end of its Nintendo Direct presentation today, Nintendo teased that another broadcast focused entirely on Super Smash Bros. is coming in December.
No specific date or additional information was revealed, but the broadcast could conceivably contain all kinds of new announcements, ranging from new characters and stages to release dates for amiibo figures and more.
The news followed today’s surprise announcement that Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife is joining the Smash Bros. roster.
Keep an eye on IGN for all the latest news on Smash Bros.
Cloud Joins Super Smash Bros Wii U, 3DS Roster
Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud Strife will join the roster of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U as a playable fighter.
Watch the full trailer above: Cloud Strife joins Super Smash Bros.
Revealed in a trailer during today’s Nintendo Direct, Cloud comes complete with limit breaks, an Odin summon, and even an alternate costume based on his Advent Children look.
As seen in the trailer, a stage based on famous Final Fantasy VII city Midgar is also headed to Smash Bros.
No specific date was revealed for Cloud or the Midgar stage just yet. We also don't know when to expect the inevitable Cloud amiibo figure.
Nintendo Announces Zelda’s First Female Link, Linkle
Nintendo has announced that Hyrule Warriors Legends will be available on 3DS in North America on March 25, 2016.
During a Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo also revealed a new character: Linkle, the series’ first official female version of Link. Linkle duel wields crossbow weapons and has a spin kick attack similar to Link’s traditional sword spin.
Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow Headed to 3DS Virtual Console
Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Blue, Pokemon Red, and Pokemon Yellow are headed to the 3DS eShop as digital downloads.
All three games will be presented exactly as they originally were with one notable exception: trading via the Game Boy Link Cable has been replaced by wireless trading.
All three games will hit the eShop on February 27, 2016 -- 20 years to the day from Red and Blue’s original Japanese release in 1996.
Stay tuned to IGN for all the latest Pokemon news.
Andrew is IGN’s executive editor of news and can only be traded via a link cable. You can find him rambling about Spelunky and cute animals on Twitter.
Gold Mega Man Amiibo Announced
A Gold Mega Man amiibo is coming alongside the release of the Mega Man Legacy Collection on 3DS on February 23, 2016. The amiibo will only be available in special edition versions of the game. Further details and pricing aren’t available at this time.
In addition to this, Nintendo announced that either version of the Mega Man amiibo will unlock 11 exclusive challenges in Mega Man Legacy Collection.
Fire Emblem: Fates Collector’s Edition Combines All 3 Games
During an online presentation, Nintendo announced pricing and release info for Fire Emblem Fates, as well as collector's edition bundle that brings together all three playable campaigns.
Fire Emblem Fates will be available for $29.99 USD at retail and the eShop on February 19, 2016. There will be two versions: Birthright or Conquest.
Once players choose a side in the conflict (Hoshido or Noir), the other side's campaign will be locked off. It can be purchased on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for $20 USD. A third playable campaign, called Revelations, will be available after launch.
Final Fantasy Explorers Collector’s Edition Revealed
A Collector’s Edition to Final Fantasy Explorers is coming early next year. When the game launches on 3DS on January 26th, you’ll have the option of picking up a Collector’s Edition that comes with a soundtrack with 20 songs, a hard case for your 3DS, an art book, and exclusive in-game quests where you can get legendary weapons from classic Final Fantasy games.
No matter which version of Explorers you buy, you’ll be able to play as classic Final Fantasy characters like Cecil, Lightning, and Tifa. In addition to this, all of the DLC from the Japanese version of the game is included day one in the version being released in the west.