Monthly Archives: June 2020
XCOM 2 Collection For Nintendo Switch Review – Close Encounters of the Bugged Kind
You're hunkered down behind a beaten-up truck, bleeding from a chest wound. You can hear the labored breathing of one of your squadmates over the comms. Nightmare, as the team knows her, is unconscious at your feet, but you can't think about that right now as a horde of zombies comes skittering around the corner. You take aim, the first of your targets weaving erratically in your field of vision before you blow its brains out. You repeat this twice more and as the horde advances yet again, you hear a shot ring out and a bullet zips past your ear, splintering the helmet of an ADVENT soldier who had a flamethrower at the ready.
The sniper, Rat King, holds up five fingers--minutes until evac arrives. Another member of your squad, Outrider, drops cloaking and picks Nightmare up to take her to safety as the sounds of more Lost ring out in the distance. It takes seconds, in the end. With the Commander's voice in your ear, you pull the pin on the frag grenade and chuck it, close enough to clip the rampaging horde but also to light up the truck that you're taking cover behind. This resulting explosion will finish you, but allow everyone else to make it to safety. After all the hard choices the Commander has had to make, your last thought is the hope that this has been easy in comparison.
XCOM 2 Collection on the Switch is an ambitious port, full of those excruciating choices and richer for it. Firaxis Games' alien-massacring hit has become a bit of a household name when it comes to strategy games. Even though it's infamous for its Russian roulette-style approach to combat probability, the impact that XCOM 2 has had on the genre as a whole is widely accepted, making this one of the more highly-anticipated ports of legacy franchises to Nintendo's flagship console. Unfortunately, the full experience is too performance-intensive for the Switch to let the title's tactical magic truly shine through in this latest iteration.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSong From The Last of Us Part 2 Trailer Was Inspired by Existing Cover Version, Uncredited
Seattle, Washington-based singer/songwriter Kestner pointed out the similarities to Naughty Dog and Druckmann via Twitter late last week, calling the version used in the game’s trailer a “replica” of her own track, released in 2011 on her album Stolen. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/03/the-last-of-us-part-ii-official-extended-commercial"] “I wrote original parts not in the original song that are copied exactly by whoever covered it,” wrote Kestner. “I am heartbroken.” Kestner has since removed that post and noted her thanks.Ellie's rendition of “True Faith” was inspired by Lotte Kestner's haunting cover of the song. Due to an oversight on our end, she wasn't credited as intended. Our deep apologies -- we are rectifying this ASAP. We hope that @lottekestner receives the recognition she deserves.
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) June 10, 2020
Towards the end of Kestner’s cover is a hummed vocal segment, which has been replicated at the end of the version ostensibly sung by Ellie in the trailer. This hummed melody does not appear in the original 1987 new wave synth-pop track by New Order, either as vocals or an instrument solo. To compare, listen to Kestner’s cover, the trailer, and the original New Order song. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-new-screenshots&captions=true"] For more from The Last of Us Part II, check out the new enemy factions, the new terrors of the infected, and our final, story spoiler-free preview. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.So proud this music has found a home in such an amazing project. Thanks to Neil, Naughty Dog and everyone at Sony. https://t.co/FJ2r5Xgbgs
— Lotte Kestner (@lottekestner) June 10, 2020
Cops Canceled After 32 Seasons on TV
Zack Snyder Reveals Some Key Visual Changes in Store for Justice League
Justice League's theatrical aspect ratio.[/caption]
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Justice League in 1.66.1 aspect ratio.[/caption]
So what do you think of these visual alterations to Justice League? Let us know in the comments.
And for more on The Snyder Cut, behold Zack Snyder's version of Darkseid, learn why it will cost a lot more than originally reported, and read up on why the cast won't be involved with reshoots.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-superhero-directors-cuts-you-can-stream-now&captions=true"]Who Is Punchline? Why Joker’s New Partner Is No Harley Quinn
Art by Mikel Janin. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption]
Alexis poisons the dean with her own homemade Joker toxin and reveals her desire to destroy the world and usher in a new era of chaos and anarchy. As it turns out, the Joker is hiding in Alexis' closet and watching the whole performance. Now satisfied she's worthy of being his partner, Joker officially welcomes her into the fold and agrees to make her part of his latest and greatest plot to destroy Batman. Thus, Punchline is born.
This story reveals two crucial differences between Punchline and Joker's former flame Harley Quinn. Whereas Harleen Quinzel was a well-meaning psychiatrist corrupted through her sessions with Joker, Alexis was well on the path to villainy before ever actually meeting Joker. And while Harley was treated more as Joker's sidekick and punching bag, Joker seems willing to accept Punchline as a true partner-in-crime.
What exactly are the two villains planning? As Batman Secret Files #3 reveals, they're going after the money. A story by Tynion and artist Sumit Kumar flashes back a month before the events of the current "Their Dark Designs" storyline, as Joker and Punchline approach Deathstroke with an offer. Joker wants to steal the Wayne fortune and use it to fund his war on Batman. In exchange for his help, Deathstroke will receive the beneficiary trust Bruce set up for Dick Grayson.
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Art by Sumit Kumar. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption]
Even as Deathstroke has been among the hired assassins working for the Designer, it seems Slade has had ulterior motives.
If Joker wants to steal the Wayne fortune, he may have to get in line. Batman #92 (by Tynion and artist Guillem March) serves as the penultimate chapter of "Their Dark Designs," which deals with a villain called the Designer manipulating Batman, Catwoman, Riddler, and Penguin as part of a larger plot to rule Gotham. The Designer once showed Catwoman a way to steal the Wayne fortune and become Gotham's richest resident, and now Selina is desperate to stop him from carrying out that plan himself. Unfortunately, she and her temporary partner Harley Quinn are stymied when they bump into Punchline, who's also looking to do a little bank robbery. Needless to say, Harley isn't amused by Joker's biggest fan.
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Art by Guillem March. (Image Credit: DC)[/caption]
With only one issue remaining in this storyline, we're getting a much better picture of how Joker plans to strike at his nemesis. If all goes according to Joker's plan, Batman will find all his wealth and resources turned against him and wielded by an enemy who knows his secret identity.
Look for Joker War to officially begin in Batman #95, which is currently scheduled for release on Tuesday, July 8.
For more on the future of the Batman franchise, find out why Three Jokers is a spiritual sequel to Batman: The Killing Joke and which iconic Batman: The Animated Series villain is finally making their DC Comics debut. Then see which series and creators were included among the 2020 Eisner nominations.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.How to Watch PlayStation’s The Future of Gaming Event
How to Watch the PS5 Reveal Event (June 2020)
The PS5 games reveal, also known as The Future of Gaming livestream, takes place on Thursday, June 11 at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET/ 9pm BST. You can watch it here with us or on one of the many IGN channels we have across several major platforms. We'll be hosting a pre show, starting at 12:45pm PT/ 3:45pm ET/ 8:45pm, and a post-show which we estimate to start around 2pm PT/ 5pm ET/ 10pm BST but could be sooner depending on when the PS5 event ends. Either way, check-in 15 minutes before it begins and stay turned after it ends to hear our predictions, impressions, and more. For the sake of convenience, here is a list of all the places you can watch the PS5 games reveal event:- IGN.com (homepage)
- IGN's Facebook Channel
- IGN’s Twitter
- IGN's Twitch Channel
- IGN’s Youtube Channel
- IGN's TikTok
- IGN's Mixer
- IGN's iOS App
- IGN's Android App
- IGN's PlayStation 4 App
- IGN's Xbox One App
- Roku
- IGN App for Android TV
- IGN for Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- IGN 1, Samsung TV Plus
What Games to Expect at Sony's The Future of Gaming Event
There's no official word on which games we'll see at The Future of Gaming livestream. All we know for certain is that Sony plans on revealing some of its up-and-coming titles at the event. That said, we can speculate a little bit about what we might see based on the list of games confirmed and rumored for the PS5 so far. Following the reveal of Unreal Engine 5, Epic Games confirmed Fortnite as a launch title for the PS5. Rainbow Six Seige is yet another title confirmed for launch. Additionally, when speaking on the topic of PS5 backward compatibility, Sony says it intends to have the majority of PS4 titles available on its next system. Whether or not this is a feature we'll see at launch like the Xbox Series X is still to be determined. Take a look at the list of confirmed games we might see at the PS5 reveal event:- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Holiday 2020)
- Battlefield 6 (2021)
- Chorus (2021)
- Cygni: All Guns Blazing (TBA)
- Destiny 2 (TBA)
- DiRT 5 (October 2020)
- Dying Light 2 (TBA)
- Fortnite (Launch)
- Godfall (December 2020)
- Gods and Monsters (Holiday 2020)
- Gothic Remake (TBA)
- Madden NFL 21 (TBA 2020)
- MicroMan (2021)
- Moonray (2021)
- Nth^0 Infinity Reborn (2021)
- Observer (Holiday 2020)
- Outriders (Holiday 2020)
- Psyhotel (TBA)
- Quantum Error (TBA 2020)
- Rainbow Six Quarantine (2020-2021)
- Rainbow Six Siege (Launch)
- Redo! Enhanced Edition (TBA 2020)
- Scarlet Nexus (TBA)
- Soulborn (2021)
- The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2021)
- The Sims 5 (TBA)
- Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 (TBA 2020)
- Untitled Game from The First Development Division/Square Enix (TBA)
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (TBA 2020)
- Warframe (TBA)
- Watch Dogs: Legion (Holiday 2020)
- WRC 9 (TBA 2020)
Red Dead Online: Score Triple Rewards in All Races, Free Horse Provisions, and More
Destiny 2 Next-Gen Details, Beyond Light Expansion Revealed
IGN stands in solidarity with the black community, and condemns racism. We encourage those reading to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and support the fight for racial justice.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
