New to Netflix for June 2015
Netflix favorite Orange is the New Black returns for its third season in June, but that's not the only original series on the docket. The Wachowskis are delivering 12 episodes of their trippy new show, Sense8, to our doorstep in what marks Netflix's first dabblings with sci-fi.
Amazon Prime in June: The Shining, The Mist, More
Also, in a surprise move, Season 2 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is being made available well before Season 3 kicks off. Normally, with TV shows, you only get a few weeks to binge before a new season starts up. Or in some cases, the previous season won't even be ready to stream when the new one rolls around. So take advantage of this "early bird" SHIELD special.
Game Scoop: The Big Xbox E3 2015 Preview
E3 2015 is less than one month away, and there's a lot to get excited about from Microsoft's press conference -- so we gathered on Game Scoop! to discuss the reveals and demos we'll see. The publisher previously stated that this year will be very first-party focused, and with the imminent release of numerous promising exclusives, 2015 is looking like a great year for Xbox One. We're confident in what we'll see, but in this week's Game Scoop! we also explore what we may see, and we dig into what we'd love to learn more about as well. Take a look at Microsoft's history at E3 for a refresher on year's past, and be sure to check out the games we know will be at E3 with certainty with IGN's Games at E3 list.
App Store Update: May 21
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.
Til Morning's Light – ($6.99)
"Erica Page is an ordinary teenage girl, just trying to fit in. She’s also trapped in a mansion haunted by a 200-year-old curse. You know, the normal stuff. Help her explore the huge, creepy, and not exactly empty mansion, revealing its darkest secrets and hopefully a way out. There are clues to decipher, tools to collect, and puzzles to solve. If all else fails, Erica can beat the goo out of supernatural nasties with an arsenal of clubs, knives, and swords. Oh, did we forget to tell you? Erica has to escape by dawn, or she’ll become the next ghost in the mansion!"
First Look at Samurai Jack’s Finale
The Samurai Jack comic book from IDW Publishing is coming to a conclusion on June 3, and that's when we will finally see the story return to one of the show's most epic moments. You know the one -- after Jack is defeated by the blue portal guardian, we get a glimpse of an older, battle-torn King Jack.
It was a short yet powerful scene that teased what many assumed would be the final fate of Jack, but alas we never got a follow-up before the show ended... until now. This comic is as close as we have ever come to getting some closure for the beloved series. Plus, Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky has signed off on this story, so you know that it's legit.
We have your exclusive first look inside Samurai Jack #20 by writer Jim Zub and artist Andy Suriano (a character designer for the Samurai Jack TV show). Take a look, then head to the comments to let us know how pumped that cover gets you.
Don’t Starve: Giant Edition Gets Wii U Release Date
Don't Starve: Giant Edition will be making its way to Wii U owners in North America next week on May 28, developer Klei Entertainment has just announced. Meanwhile, the game will be available to those in Europe the following week, on June 4.
As a special bonus, if you purchase the game through the Nintendo eShop before June 28, you'll get an extra copy of the title, which you can gift to a friend.
Klei has added a few features unique to the Wii U version, with GamePad support that allows you to reference the controller's screen to view your inventory and map. The game also supports off-TV play.
League of Legends Testing Out Autobanning System
Riot Games launched the test phase of its new "instant feedback system" for League of Legends today in North America.
The system offers a way for League of Legends to automatically punish reported players after processing complaints sent by teammates or opponents.
It works like this: after a player is reported, the system undergoes a validation process to make sure the case is legitimate. Once it decides that it is, the system determines what kind of punishment is necessary for the offense.
Then, it emails that player a "reform card," which informs the player of their punishment and provides the chat logs evidencing the negative behavior in question. This is all meant to happen within a 15 minute window at the end of a game.
Why Is Need for Speed Being Rebooted?
EA has announced the new Need for Speed will be a “full reboot”. IGN recently spoke with Executive Producer Marcus Nilsson, who explained in greater detail why this decision was made.
"It's been going from studio to studio, and creatives were creative, but there wasn’t really a strategic way of thinking of what the brand is and what it stands for," he tells me. “For sure, it’s been delivering great experiences, but not experiences that can build on top of each other to become better and better necessarily.
“If you look at the last few games – Hot Pursuit, The Run, Shift, Rivals, Most Wanted – and you asked people, ‘What does Need for Speed stand for?’, you'd get a million different answers.
Preview Wolverine’s Return to Marvel
Wolverine has been dead since last year's Death of Wolverine story (duh), but with Secret Wars destroying the Marvel Universe and creating a new patchwork world made up of alternate realities called Battleworld, it opens the door for just about any character to make a return.
That's the premise for the new Old Man Logan series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Andrea Sorrentino. It sees the grizzled, gray-haired Wolverine from the acclaimed Mark Millar/Steve McNiven story take on all manner of villains in Battleworld's Wastelands territory. It's not the original, 616 Wolverine, but we're guessing that won't stop him doing all the cool stuff Wolverine always does. Namely, hurting people who deserve it.
Opinion: The Witcher 3’s Card Game is Better Than Hearthstone
I have a bold statement to make:
Gwent is a better card game than Hearthstone.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking: What the hell is a Gwent, and are you nuts?
Let’s answer the first question first. Gwent is the collectible card game played throughout the northern realms in The Witcher 3. While Geralt is running about slaying monsters and searching for his long lost adopted daughter, he’s also playing everyone he can in the Nilfgardian equivalent of Magic the Gathering, spending as much money (or more) on beefing up his deck as he does on food and drink. Who knew Geralt was a card flopper?
Battlefield: Hardline Criminal Activity DLC Detailed
"There’s been a recent uptick in reports in the local precincts – a rash of violent crime that is seemingly connected somehow..."
So begins the recent posting on Battlefield.com regarding the upcoming Battlefield: Hardline Criminal Activity DLC pack. The page gives us details on the new maps, weapon offerings, and even a storyline to tie it all together.
Apparently "small crews of well-trained, aggressive criminals have been using force of arms to terrorize the citizenry," the posting reads. There's evidence of a "secret crime ring that could be behind all of this activity." As you might guess, police have been given orders to put a stop to the mayhem.