Monthly Archives: August 2020

1 2 3 72

Fortnite vs. Apple: Parody Ad Disappoints Original Director, Ridley Scott

When Epic Games launched its legal action against Apple over alleged ‘anticompetitive’ behavior in the App Store, the developers of Fortnite created a shot-for-shot remake of the famous “1984” Apple Super Bowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. IGN spoke with Scott about Epic’s homage in a recent interview and while Scott feels the Fortnite ad was well produced, he believes the message should have been about a more powerful topic. IGN asked Scott, director of critically acclaimed films like Alien, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down, if he has seen the Epic remake of his famous Apple “1984” commercial. “I sure have and I wrote to them because on the one hand I can be fully complimented by the fact they copied [my commercial] shot for shot,” Scott says. “But pity the message is so ordinary when they could have been talking about democracy or more powerful things… And they didn’t use it.” Scott added, “I think the animation was terrific, the idea was terrific, the message was ‘ehh’.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/13/fortnite-1984-apple-parody-video-short"] “1984” is the name of Ridley Scott’s famous Apple commercial which aired nationally during Super Bowl 18. The commercial was based on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and was meant to convey Apple as a rebel against an oppressive regime believed to be IBM. After Epic bypassed App Store rules by implementing its own payment system on the Fortnite iOS app, Apple removed Fortnite from iOS devices. After this, Epic announced a lawsuit against Apple over anticompetitive practices and started its #FreeFortnite social media campaign. As part of this campaign, Epic released its version of Scott’s “1984” commercial, only this time Apple is the oppressive regime, and Fortnite is the rebel. There's even an in-game Fortnite event about the dispute with Apple. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=games-that-came-back-from-the-brink-of-disaster&captions=true"] Apple has countered Epic’s lawsuit, claiming the company broke the App Store rules and has threatened to revoke Epic’s developer account, which will jeopardize not only Fortnite but any iOS game running on the Unreal Engine. Companies like Microsoft have come to Epic’s defense, claiming that revoking access to Unreal Engine will harm more companies and developers than just Epic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Project Cars 3 Review – Into The Horizon

Project Cars 3 really stretches the definition of a sequel. It bears no resemblance to previous Project Cars games, tossing aside the franchise's traditional tough-as-nails racing for a more approachable formula that a wider range of players can enjoy. The result is a racing game that leans heavily into territory that should be familiar to Forza players, meaning you can enjoy its racing without extensive knowledge of the inner workings of each car you drive. But it's also a racing game that struggles to bring together all of its new elements cohesively.

Core to Project Cars 3's transformation is its overhauled handling system. You'll have more than enough downforce in the front to bend around each corner with the right amount of car, only briefly having to counter-steer to prevent the back from whipping out from underneath you. It makes racing faster and more action-packed, and it's exhilarating when you're chaining together one perfect corner after the other.

The suite of assists lets you cater the experience to your needs in a granular way. There are standard difficulties to choose from, but each option--including stability assists, traction control, and ABS brakes--can be tweaked independently to deliver the right amount of challenge. Having more options to tune Project Cars 3 to your preferred playstyle is a welcome addition to the series, opening it up to more players than before. There's still just a hint of simulation constantly present that reminds you to still take care of how you approach each turn, which is aided by markers on the racing line pointing out each braking zone and apex. Having markers instead of a dynamic racing line keeps some of the thrill intact when tackling a track for the first time, challenging you to come to grips with its best lines and limits. It's exhilarating to perfect a track after mastering each corner, even if Project Cars 3 sometimes rewards some messy sectors when it shouldn't.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Project Cars 3 Review – Into The Horizon

Project Cars 3 really stretches the definition of a sequel. It bears no resemblance to previous Project Cars games, tossing aside the franchise's traditional tough-as-nails racing for a more approachable formula that a wider range of players can enjoy. The result is a racing game that leans heavily into territory that should be familiar to Forza players, meaning you can enjoy its racing without extensive knowledge of the inner workings of each car you drive. But it's also a racing game that struggles to bring together all of its new elements cohesively.

Core to Project Cars 3's transformation is its overhauled handling system. You'll have more than enough downforce in the front to bend around each corner with the right amount of car, only briefly having to counter-steer to prevent the back from whipping out from underneath you. It makes racing faster and more action-packed, and it's exhilarating when you're chaining together one perfect corner after the other.

The suite of assists lets you cater the experience to your needs in a granular way. There are standard difficulties to choose from, but each option--including stability assists, traction control, and ABS brakes--can be tweaked independently to deliver the right amount of challenge. Having more options to tune Project Cars 3 to your preferred playstyle is a welcome addition to the series, opening it up to more players than before. There's still just a hint of simulation constantly present that reminds you to still take care of how you approach each turn, which is aided by markers on the racing line pointing out each braking zone and apex. Having markers instead of a dynamic racing line keeps some of the thrill intact when tackling a track for the first time, challenging you to come to grips with its best lines and limits. It's exhilarating to perfect a track after mastering each corner, even if Project Cars 3 sometimes rewards some messy sectors when it shouldn't.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Will Smith and Fresh Prince Cast to Reunite for HBO Max Special

HBO Max will reunite Will Smith and the cast of the classic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for a special in honor of the show's 30th anniversary. Smith's Westbrook Media company is producing the special. Joining Smith will be cast members Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Alfonso Ribeiro, as well as the series' recurring guest and Smith's hip hop partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. HBO Max says the special will also include special guest appearances, music, and dancing. fresh-princeThe special will be recorded on September 10, the 30th anniversary of when Fresh Prince first debuted on NBC. The series ran until 1996. This reunion special isn't the only way Will Smith is revisiting the show that launched his acting career that put him on the path to superstardom. Smith is also exec producing a dramatic series reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. HBO Max is the exclusive SVOD home of the full series library in the US. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-hbo-max&captions=true"]

PS5’s Backward Compatibility Is Even More Confusing Now

PlayStation 5's full backward compatibility potential has remained somewhat of a mystery as Sony has not confirmed or denied any potential for support beyond PS4 games, but a recent, and now updated support page from Ubisoft, has further muddied the waters about what past generations the PS5 will or won't be potentially backward compatible with. A Ubisoft Support Q&A page, in response to a question about upgrading games from PS4 to PS5, as spotted by Wario64 and confirmed by IGN, originally said that "Backwards compatibility will be available for supported PlayStation 4 titles, but will not be possible for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation games." The page has since been updated to remove all mention of backward compatibility or prior PlayStation generations of hardware. It only continues to mention the upgrade process moving into the PS5, as well as that PS4 players will be able to play multiplayer games with PS5 players. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-series-x-price-and-release-date-have-sony-and-microsoft-waited-too-long-next-gen-console-watch"] PS5's backward compatibility has been a murky topic for those looking forward to PlayStation's next-generation hardware. Sony began talking about PS5's backward compatibility potential earlier this year, confirming that the "majority" of PS4 games would be playable on PS5. However, that confirmation came after an unclear first discussion of its compatibility, in which Sony's Mark Cerny seemed to imply only most of the top 100 PS4 games would be playable. Sony later clarified with follow-ups about most of this generation being playable on the PS5, and that Cerny was only using the top 100 games as an example. Yet the company has still not outright confirmed whether older generations will be playable on PS5, a feature not included on the PS4, but one the Xbox Series X touts for parts of its library from for all previous Xbox generations. And patents that surfaced earlier this year also suggested PlayStation could support backward compatibility for those older systems via the cloud, leading many to hope for those past Sony consoles' games to be supported on PS5. IGN has reached out to Sony for comment on whether the PS1 through PS3 libraries will be backward compatible on PS5 and will update this story should they respond. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] Speaking of the cloud, however, Sony does have one existing way to play several generations of PlayStation games on PS4 — PlayStation Now, its subscription streaming service, which features PS2, PS3, and PS4 games. PS2 and PS4 games can even be downloaded to play offline. With PS Now looking to continue into the future, that could be one potential outlet for Sony to offer its back catalog, even if the system itself does not inherently offer backward compatibility with discs or PSN downloads. For more, be sure to read our deep dive into PlayStation's history with backward compatibility. The PlayStation 5 is still set for a holiday release, but the PS5 is not yet available for preorder, however Sony is offering fans a chance to sign up to be the first to preorder a PS5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, PlayStation lead, and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Rocky 4: Stallone’s Director’s Cut Scraps Paulie’s Robot

Sylvester Stallone announced over the weekend that Paulie's robot will be cut from the director's cut of Rocky IV. Rocky IV came out in 1985 and Stallone is celebrating its 35th anniversary on November 27 with a director's cut of the boxing movie. He talked about this new cut on Instagram over the weekend and showcased a beautiful piece of art highlighting Rocky's bout with Ivan Drago, which you can check out here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/07/the-rocky-creed-saga-in-7-minutes"] "For the 35th anniversary Rocky 4 is getting a new DIRECTORS cut by me," Stallone said in the Instagram post. "So far, it looks great. Soulful...Thank you MGM for this opportunity to entertain." While the prospect of a director's cut of Rocky IV is exciting, longtime fans of the movie will likely be saddened to learn that Paulie's robot will be cut entirely from the movie. Stallone responded to a comment on the Instagram post, saying, "the robot is going to the junkyard forever." If you don't remember the robot in question, it's gifted to Paulie Pennino, who is one of Rocky's close friends, as a gift from Rocky on Paulie's birthday. It's here that Paulie said the now infamous, "I wanted a sports car for my birthday, not no walking trash can" line. This robot was admittedly a very strange inclusion in the film and certainly dates the film now upon a rewatch, but it is nonetheless part of this classic movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-10-best-80s-action-movies&captions=true"] Stallone will possibly hear from people unhappy about this – like the commenter that asked about the robot on Instagram in the first place – but something tells us fans of the movie are willing to say goodbye to the robot if it means they get a new cut of Rocky IV. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Hasbro PulseCon to Spotlight New Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers Toys

Hasbro has announced Hasbro PulseCon, a new virtual, Comic-Con-style event aimed at showcasing upcoming releases and exclusives collectibles. Hasbro PulseCon will feature many of the company's perennial franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, Power Rangers, Ghostbusters and Magic: The Gathering. The event will also focus on a newer addition to the Hasbro lineup, giving fans a glimpse of what's to come from Hasbro's future Dungeons & Dragons releases. With Hasbro sitting out Comic-Con@Home this year, Hasbro PulseCon will also serve as an outlet for a number of different exclusive collectibles, including a Marvel Legends box set featuring X-Men villains The Hellfire Club and a Snake Supreme version of Cobra Commander. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the exclusives being offered: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-exclusive-figures-at-hasbro-pulsecon&captions=true"] Hasbro PulseCon is hosted by SyFy Wire's Jackie Jennings and will feature a number of panels, unboxings, interviews, product giveaways and audience Q&A's. The event will run on September 25 and 26 and will stream exclusively on Hasbro Pulse's YouTube channel. “We are constantly impressed by our fan community and their unwavering passion for Hasbro brands. The Hasbro Pulse community was built with them in mind, and we’re excited to take fan-first engagement with our Pulse platform even deeper,” says Hasbro's Chief Consumer Officer Eric Nyman in a statement. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the fans, providing community connection at a time where everyone needs it most, and ultimately delivering a peek behind the curtain on their favorite brands in a way only Hasbro can.” This is the latest example of a company hosting a virtual convention in lieu of a traditional Comic-Con appearance. DC FanDome just gave us our first looks at The Batman, Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League and Justice League: The Snyder Cut, while a second FanDome event in September will spotlight upcoming CW series like Batwoman: Season 2 and Superman & Lois. Other recent virtual conventions include Skybound Xpo and Comic-Con@Home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] In other recent Hasbro news, the company is going all-in on X-Men movie toys and kicking off a new themed series called Star Wars: Celebrate the Saga. Hasbro also recently kicked off a crowdfunding promotion for a massive Marvel Legends Sentinel figure, one which blew through its original goal in a matter of hours. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Crusader Kings 3 Review

There was a naked man in my court.

On June 14, 1073 AD, my steward, vassal and knight, Earl Muiredach mac Carthach of Desmond arrived at the meeting of my small council dressed only in, well... his birthday suit. This was the man I'd entrusted to manage the paperwork of my realm, to ensure taxes were being collected. Was this newfound fashion choice a portent of his impending madness? Was it some bold power move designed to put me off my game? A sign of the contempt in which he held his ruler? Or was it a bug, a highly specific graphical glitch that just happened to leave one of my councillors undressed? I didn't know.

Perhaps it's a credit to Crusader Kings 3 that I didn't have an immediate answer, a sign of the depth and complexity of its simulation and its capacity for surprise. Perhaps it was also a failing, a breakdown somewhere between the calculations of a mass of colliding gameplay systems and how their results were communicated to me. Perhaps it's both. Regardless, this memorable event served only to highlight the singular vision of Crusader Kings 3, a grand strategy game that successfully operates across a bewildering scale, feeling vast and unknowable one moment yet awkwardly intimate the next. It's a marvel of connectivity, effectively linking together complementary elements plucked from different genres--the role-playing game, the visual novel, the life simulation, the city-builder, the wargame--even if at times you can sense it straining at the seams.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Crusader Kings 3 Review

There was a naked man in my court.

On June 14, 1073 AD, my steward, vassal and knight, Earl Muiredach mac Carthach of Desmond arrived at the meeting of my small council dressed only in, well... his birthday suit. This was the man I'd entrusted to manage the paperwork of my realm, to ensure taxes were being collected. Was this newfound fashion choice a portent of his impending madness? Was it some bold power move designed to put me off my game? A sign of the contempt in which he held his ruler? Or was it a bug, a highly specific graphical glitch that just happened to leave one of my councillors undressed? I didn't know.

Perhaps it's a credit to Crusader Kings 3 that I didn't have an immediate answer, a sign of the depth and complexity of its simulation and its capacity for surprise. Perhaps it was also a failing, a breakdown somewhere between the calculations of a mass of colliding gameplay systems and how their results were communicated to me. Perhaps it's both. Regardless, this memorable event served only to highlight the singular vision of Crusader Kings 3, a grand strategy game that successfully operates across a bewildering scale, feeling vast and unknowable one moment yet awkwardly intimate the next. It's a marvel of connectivity, effectively linking together complementary elements plucked from different genres--the role-playing game, the visual novel, the life simulation, the city-builder, the wargame--even if at times you can sense it straining at the seams.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Watch the Chilling First Trailer for Netflix’s Haunting of Bly Manor

Netflix has released the chilling first trailer for The Haunting of Bly Manor - the second season of Mike Flanagan's horror anthology series which began with The Haunting of Hill House. Season 2 of The Haunting series will be released on October 9 and is loosely based on the 1898 horror novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Expect creepy children singing creepy songs and playing with creepy dolls, a beautiful but creepy country estate, and some very creepy things moving around in the dark. Watch the Haunting of Bly Manor trailer above or below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/31/netflixs-the-haunting-of-bly-manor-teaser-trailer"] Here's how Netflix describes The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is set in 1980s England: "After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires a young American nanny (Victoria Pedretti) to care for his orphaned niece and nephew (Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) who reside at Bly Manor with the estate’s chef Owen (Rahul Kohli), groundskeeper Jamie (Amelia Eve) and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (T’Nia Miller). But all is not as it seems at the manor, and centuries of dark secrets of love and loss are waiting to be unearthed in this chilling gothic romance. At Bly Manor, dead doesn’t mean gone." Several cast members from The Haunting of Hill House are returning for Season 2 to play new characters - which is a completely standalone story separate from the Hill House tale - including Pedretti (who played Nell Crain in Hill House), Thomas (who played the young Hugh Crain), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (who played Luke Crain), and Kate Siegel (who played Theo Crain). New additions to the cast include Tahirah Sharif, Kohli, Eve, Miller, Smith, and Ainsworth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-haunting-of-hill-house-season-2-first-look-at-the-haunting-of-bly-manor&captions=true"] Creator Mike Flanagan previously revealed that Bly Manor will draw from more than one of James' stories, and will use the novel as a "jumping-off point" for its haunted house tale. “It’s a cool way to expand on some of the things I loved about Season 1, but within the framework of a new story, without having to be restrained by the decisions we made last time. For Henry James fans, it’s going to be pretty wild, and for people who aren’t familiar with his work, it’s going to be unbelievably scary. I already think it’s much scarier than Season 1, so I’m very excited about it.” The Haunting of Bly Manor will be released worldwide on Netflix on October 9, 2020. IGN named The Haunting of Hill House our show of the year when it was released in 2018. Here's our review of The Haunting of Hill House. To reminisce about the horrors of Season 1, check out the hidden ghosts we found: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hidden-ghosts-in-the-haunting-of-hill-house&captions=true"]
1 2 3 72