App Store Update: June 25
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Fairystone – ($2.99 Launch Sale, Normally to be $5.99)
Minecraft's seen plenty of competitors in the "build whatever you want" open sandbox genre it founded, but Fairystone looks like the most serious contender to the throne yet. The combat and tension of battling enemies is taken out, replaced by more whimsy, elegance and magic – and lots of fairy friends to invite to populate your world whenever you like. Free flight at any time, and inventive new rolling block cursor to build and erase and easy musical composition as well . . . seriously, don't miss this one from Sweden's talented Odenis Studio.
Aquarius Renewed for Season 2
NBC has given a second-season renewal to its 1960’s-themed drama Aquarius, starring David Duchovny as an LAPD cop on the hunt for Charles Manson.
The summertime series made the news rounds in May as the first broadcast series to be streamed in its entirety following its debut, with NBC having made all 12 Aquarius episodes available online for the four weeks following its intial NBC telecast.
In fact, you can read our full review of Season 1, including the individual episode breakdowns, right here.
David Duchovny as Detective Sam Hodiak in Aquarius.
Heroes Reborn Trailer
NBC has finally pulled back the curtain on the first official trailer for its upcoming sci-fi drama Heroes Reborn.
The trailer, titled "The Extraordinary Among Us," comes hot off the heels of a teaser which surfaced earlier this week. In this new trailer we get a sneak peek at the show's cast, including the return of Masi Oka's Hiro. Give it a look below.
It's important to note that this still isn't all of the footage NBC has teased, as IGN's Eric Goldman got a chance to see an even longer trailer for Heroes Reborn several weeks ago at Upfronts, which included a lot of footage that still hasn't been released publicly.
Over 750,000 Played the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Beta
The Coalition has revealed that 786,415 people played the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition beta.
There also were 41.2 million kills in the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition beta, which started June 15 and lasted eight days on Xbox One.
from the multiplayer sessions, which added up to over 120 total years played.
Other notable beta figures for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition include over 1.6 million chainsaw kills, more than 1.7 million curbstomps performed and almost 6 million executions.
Microsoft officially unveiled Gears of War: Ultimate Edition last week at E3 2015. For more on the remastered shooter, be sure to check out IGN's preview of the game.
Daily Deals: Dragon Age: Inquisition, $5 Off PlayStation Gift Card, Xbox One With A Free
IGN's Game of the Year is back down to its low price, $30 on all platforms. This is a great price for a big, meaty RPG.
Update: That didn't last long. The price must have been a mistake and Amazon found it fast.
Fantastic Bluetooth Speaker For $50
This is a great wireless speaker that usually retails for $90, but you can often find for $65. Right now though Best Buy has it for an all time low of $50. Amazon is currently selling it for $100, but I'm watching to see if they match the price.
Fear the Walking Dead Clip Details Undead Virus Spreading
In this new TV spot/clip for AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, which premieres this August, Kim Dickens' high school guidance counselor, Madison, listens to the paranoid ramblings of one of the school's students.
Fear the Walking Dead Promo Shows Man Running for His Life
Unfortunately, the kid's right to worry as there are reports of a mysterious virus spreading though five states. Check it out...
Fear the Walking Dead premieres August 2015 on AMC.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity.
Star Trek 3 Begins Filming in Canada
Production is now underway in Vancouver on the tentatively titled Star Trek 3 (rumored to be called Star Trek Beyond).
Trek cast members Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Zoe Saldana (Uhura) took to their respective social media accounts to post photos of them getting made up for shooting a scene. In Quinto's case, it means getting a Vulcan bowl cut and saying goodbye to his eyebrows (again). Check it out:
Bethesda May Not Have an E3 Press Conference Next Year
Fallout 4 publisher Bethesda Softworks may not be making its E3 media briefing an annual thing, as studio boss Pete Hines is unsure as to whether or not the company will do something similar at next year's expo.
"I don't know if we'll do one next year," Hines told the Telegraph. "I don't know if we'll do one again. This year felt like the right time to do this kind of thing."
Bethesda had a lot to show at this year's LA-based gaming expo, with reveals for both Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2, so it made sense for the publisher to hold a dedicated press conference this particular year.
This Week in the Nintendo eShop
We might have all complained about the lack of surprise Wii U games at E3 2015, but that isn't the case in the present day. Outside of the puzzling DSiWare games, every new release is for Wii U. Art Academy: Home Studio is the biggest title, finally coming out. Two interesting Wii U indie titles are also hitting the eShop in Never Alone and Shiftlings. Lastly, Star Fox Command and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time leap from the DS to the Wii U on Virtual Console.
Art Academy: Home Studio ($29.99)
At long last, Art Academy fully comes to Wii U with Art Academy: Home Studio. Coming with 30 drawing lessons, you can learn a thing or two about art. The main event, though, is creating your own art. Using the GamePad, you can draw your own masterpieces and upload them to Miiverse. You can even upload time-lapse videos of your work to YouTube. If you got Art Academy: Sketch Pad, you can get Home Studio for $4 less.
Apple Pulls Civil War Games Over Confederate Flag
Apple is removing games that feature images of the Confederate flag from the App Store, including several American Civil War strategy games.
Games affected by Apple's decision include Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Civil War: 1862, Civil War: 1863, and Civil War: 1864.
According to Andrew Mulholland of HexWar Games, Apple is telling developers the reason these games have been removed is "because it includes images of the Confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways."
We've reached out to Apple for a direct statement regarding the removed games.
The Confederate flag has become a recent (but not new) topic of debate in the United States. Many Americans view the flag as a symbol of racism, while others argue it represents Southern heritage.