Arena Mode Coming to Heroes of the Storm in 2016
At BlizzCon today, Blizzard announced a new mode for Heroes of the Storm called The Arena. It's set to arrive sometime next year, but will be playable at BlizzCon this weekend.
The Arena is meant to be quick and easy to join, but tough to prepare for because of its unpredictability. Learn more in the preview below.
For more BlizzCon news, keep an eye on IGN's BlizzCon hub.
Warcraft: Full Movie Trailer Released
The first full trailer for Duncan Jones' Warcraft movie debuted at BlizzCon 2015 today. Jones himself appeared onstage for the reveal, alongside numerous actors from the film.
The trailer focused on the Alliance's fear of the Orc Horde, which is seeking refuge in a new world. We get a look at large-scale action sequences, iconic locations, and ruthless character brawls. Check it out below.
Mitch Dyer is an Editor at IGN. Talk to him about Dota 2, movies, books, and other stuff on Twitter at @MitchyD and subscribe to MitchyD on Twitch.
StarCraft 2: Nova Covert Ops Revealed for 2016
Blizzard has revealed StarCraft 2: Nova Covert Ops, a story expansion pack whose first three missions kick off on or before June 19, 2016. At BlizzCon 2015, Blizzard's Mike Morhaime explained StarCraft 2 will see additional mission packs following the launch of StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void.
In an interview with Polygon, story director James Waugh said, "This game is really about choice, which really speaks to the theme of who Nova is, and I think by the time we get through this game, we’re going to put Nova in a more empowered position than where we’ve seen her in the past."
New Info on One of Disney World’s Avatar Rides
Disney has revealed more about one of the upcoming rides that will be featured in its Avatar-themed land, Pandora — The World of Avatar, at their Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.
The ride in question is called Na'vi River Journey, and, according to Walt Disney World News, is a canoe-based adventure that takes you down a "mysterious, sacred river hidden within the bioluminescent rainforest."
Borderlands Online Canceled, 2K China Shuttered
Borderlands Online, Take-Two’s free-to-play online version of the first-person shooter for the Chinese market, has been canceled.
Venture Beat reports Take-Two has stopped development on the game and has shuttered a 150-person game studio based out of Shanghai.
“We are excited about the opportunities to expand our business in Asia, and we remain committed to delivering triple-A offerings for that region,” a spokesman for Take-Two said in a statement. “At this time, we can confirm that we are closing 2K China. We determined that the additional time required to finish current projects at the studio, particularly Borderlands Online, would not yield a favorable return on investment.”
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Prometheus’ Noomi Rapace Cast as Amy Winehouse
Noomi Rapace, known best for her roles in Prometheus and the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies, is reportedly in talks to play Amy Winehouse in Kirsten Sheridan's upcoming biopic about late English singer.
According to Variety, Lotus Entertainment is financing and producing the film, with Seridan directing from a script she penned herself.
Rapace in Prometheus
Robot Chicken Spoofs Arrow, The Flash, and The CW
A new video from Robot Chicken has been released, poking fun at The CW's lineup of comic book-themed superhero shows.
Check out the clip below, titled "The Nerd on The CW," in which the show's nerdy television fan visits a number of the network's shows, stepping into the shoes of both Arrow and The Flash.
The CW is currently airing the fourth season of Arrow, and its latest episode featured a guest appearance from Constantine, making it this week's TV highlight.
Meanwhile, The Flash is now five episodes deep into its second season. Be sure to check out our review of this week's episode, "The Darkness and the Light," in which Barry learns some shocking news about Zoom.
Blowing Up Star Wars Was a Good Thing
About a year ago, Disney blew up the Star Wars galaxy. Before the change, Star Wars stories were tiered...the movies and Clone Wars had storytelling supremacy, and then came the supplemental books, comics, and TV shows, collectively called the Expanded Universe. Suddenly, almost everything old outside the movies and Clone Wars was rebranded a Legend...and no longer part of the canonical Star Wars story. Everything created after the change under Disney’s management would henceforth be the official Star Wars canon, right up there with the films. Boom. Like that. The Expanded Universe was gone. Grand Admiral Thrawn? See ya.
As a bona fide Star Wars nerd (with the shrink-wrapped Story of Star Wars 8-track to prove it) I was deeply concerned. I grew up in the era between the production of the original trilogy and the prequels...the golden age of the Star Wars novels and supplemental sources. Losing them to a new, empty galaxy seemed a dubious prospect at best.
Alleged SNES PlayStation Prototype Powered On
Owners of the alleged SNES PlayStation prototype turned the unit on and opened it up at a recent retro game expo in Hong Kong.
You might recall Dan Diebold and his father Terry obtained the prototype unit recently but couldn’t prove it was real because they lacked the proper power cable. Terry Diebold used to work for Advanta Corporation and found the SNES PlayStation prototype in a box of junk after the company went bankrupt.
Nintendo Life reports, the two went to the Retro.HK Expo, where they were able to boot the machine up and play cartridge games on it. Images, as seen below, show the unit in a side-by-side comparison with the Super Famicom, as well as the unit’s “Super Disc” BIOS screen and the unit running games like Bomberman 5 and a version of Street Fighter II.