Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Arena Designed to Stop Boosters
During a livestream event at Gamescom today, Treyarch outlined Arena, the ranked online play feature in the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Arena replaces League Play found in Black Ops II.
Players can't get demoted out of their skill tier by intentionally losing matches. According to David Vonderhaar, studio design director at Treyarch, this will prevent reverse-boosting, where players intentionally throw matches to drop to a lower skill level, where they can then dominate other players.
"We want to see the best competition in every game," Vonderhaar said. In Arena, players are ranked on wins, and only on wins.
Currently there are 20 ranks as well as a Master's Division at the top of the rank structure. Demotions come only after losing two games in a row. Quitters will lose two steps in the ranking system.
Star Wars Battlefront’s Fighter Squadron Is Beautiful Chaos
If I had to choose between an X-Wing or a TIE fighter, I think I’d have to side with the Imperials. Having piloted both in Star Wars Battlefront’s Fighter Squadron mode, I can happily report that both fly differently from one another. The X-Wing is bigger and heavier, and while it’s still nimble it’s not as agile as its rival.
The differences aren’t purely down to how they fly either, and each has their own secondary power-ups. In addition to its laser cannons, the X-Wing can fire a homing proton torpedo, which locks onto its target if you track a TIE fighter for long enough. It also has a shield boost, which you can use to regenerate your starfighter’s hull if you’ve taken a hit. The TIE fighter also has lock-on missiles, but rather than a shield it has a speed boost, which is great for getting out of trouble or fast-tracking your way over to an objective.
Joe Dirt 2: Crackle’s Most Watched Original Movie
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser has become Crackle’s most viewed original movie ever.
The sequel to the 2001 original surpassed 2 million views since its debut on July 16, according to Deadline.
The Sony-owned streaming service claims the views for Joe Dirt 2 equate to a box office gross of over $16 million.
Joe Dirt 2 is a screwball comedy about the white-trash hero of the title, played by David Spade (who also starred in the original). Spade revealed he had written the screenplay for the sequel in a Reddit Ask Me Anything last year.
Inside the Year Anime Took Over America
Welcome back to IGN's History of Awesome - a year-long look back at all the coolest and most influential games, movies, TV shows, comic books, toys, and tech that have shaped pop culture, and shaped the lives of an entire generation. Up this week is 1988 - the year Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear debuted on the Famicon/NES, and the year Joker got a backstory in The Killing Joke.
Catch up on IGN's History of Awesome:
Jeff Garlin: 51% Chance Curb Your Enthusiasm Returns
During a panel for The Goldbergs at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, actor Jeff Garlin spoke about the possibility of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm returning for another season.
Garlin says he's still in touch with Curb creator Larry David, and the two have discussed bringing the improvised comedy series back, which last aired in 2011. However, for now, those discussions are as far it's gone.
"There’s not been any 'We’re going to do it.' You know what I mean? There’s nothing like that," Garlin said. "But I certainly would love to. And he’s the best guy to do an improvised show, do the whole thing with. And it’s been such an honor to work with him. I hope he does. I’d love to."
Black Ops 3 eSports Will Have Drafts and Bans
At Gamescom, Treyarch revealed new details about how Black Ops 3 multiplayer will work for competitive eSports.
Before a competitive match, players will enter a ban and protect phase. Two players at a time -- one from each team -- will be able to protect or ban any score streaks, weapons, specialists, or abilities. The feature will, for example, allow players to ban the weapons they know their enemies are skilled with, or to ensure they won't be stripped of their own.
Mega Man Legacy Collection Release Dates Announced
Capcom has announced the digital and physical release dates for Mega Man Legacy Collection.
Mega Man Legacy Collection will release on August 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and in early 2016 for 3DS, according to Capcom-Unity. The collection will retail for $15 USD.
Physical editions will release sometime in North America in early 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and 3DS and will retail for $30 USD. No mention was made of releasing the physical edition in other regions.
Mega Man Legacy Collection was announced at Comic-Con last month and includes the first six Mega Man games from the NES. It is intended to be a “Criterion Collection of video games,” according to Capcom.
This Massive Thor Cover Is Worthy of the Gods
The adventures of Jane Foster as Thor will continue in the pages of the relaunched The Mighty Thor this November. To give a glimpse of what's to come -- and to blow our minds -- series artist Russell Dauterman and colorist Matt Hollingsworth conjured up a grand image of Thor's allies and enemies, with both of Jane's personas as the centerpiece. Behold!
To attempt to crack to secrets of this gorgeous, stunning piece of art, we hopped on the phone with The Mighty Thor writer Jason Aaron. We asked him about the presence of Loki and Beta Ray Bill, he pointed out a few details (including a new character), and he talked about the brewing war in the Ten Realms that Jane will face once Secret Wars ends. We also talked about his current Thors series and how that will play into the new series, plus we snuck in a question about his violent and engrossing Image Comics series, Southern Bastards, to find out when we'll see that character join the story.
Nine Amiibo Coming Out in September
Nintendo of America has announced that the next wave of amiibo will be on store shelves on September 11, 2015.
There will be six amiibo released on this date: Zero Suit Samus, Olimar, Bowser Jr., Dr. Mario, Ganondorf, plus the Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Mario amiibo in classic colors. The release of 8-bit classic colors Mario amiibo now coincides with its release in other territories alongside Super Mario Maker.
Scalebound Isn’t the Game You Think It Is
A love of video games has flowed through Hideki Kamiya’s veins since he was young, but it wasn’t until he purchased his first PC during his high school years that his mind was fully opened to their potential. His new machine took him on journeys beyond the simple inputs of the mid-’80s arcades and introduced him to a myriad of mythical creatures that would quickly become a life-long obsession.
“It opened up a whole new set of games I could play; action games, adventure games, RPGs,” Kamiya says, sitting across from me in his PlatinumGames studio in Osaka, Japan. “Those games had a great influence on me.”
“Also,” he adds with a smile, “they introduced me to dragons.”
Dragons (and other giant beasts) have roamed the fertile fields of Kamiya’s mind since he started his career proper at Capcom in 1994. They’ve appeared in various guises throughout his games, from the griffin in the original Devil May Cry to the dragons in 2009’s Bayonetta and 2013’s The Wonderful 101. But their depiction in popular culture as fiendish monsters - prizes to take down with an earth-shaking thud - hasn’t always sat comfortably with Kamiya.