Yearly Archives: 2020

NBA 2K21 Ads Were ‘Not Meant to Run’ in Pre-Game and Will Be Fixed

Following the outcry that followed unskippable ads being added into loading screens in NBA 2K21, 2K has stated that the ads were "not meant to run as part of the pre-game introduction" and this issue "will be fixed in future episodes." Last weekend, owners of NBA 2K21 noticed that unskippable ads for the Oculus Quest 2 were appearing during pre-game - ads that weren't there at launch - and they wouldn't even let you edit your lineups while they were running. NBA 2K21's Twitter account responded to the controversy, saying that while ads have been previously integrated into 2KTV segments, they were not meant to run as part of the pre-game introduction. 2K "As many are aware, in recent years ads have been integrated into 2KTV segments," The statement reads. "Yesterday's 2KTV ad placement impacted our players' experience in a way we didn't intend, as these ads are not meant to run as part of the pre-game introduction. This will be fixed in future episodes. Thanks for your continued feedback." Many were upset that these ads were occurring in a game that is retailing at full-price, and this issue was very similar to what occurred in UFC 4, which also added advertisements weeks after release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/17/nba-2k21-review"] These intrusive advertisements add to the frustration many feel around the NBA 2K series, which also has, as our review put it, a "persistent addiction to obnoxious microtransactions." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Play Among Us on Twitch to Encourage Voting

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be streaming Among Us on Twitch.TV/AOC to encourage those who can to go out (or stay in) and vote ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election on November 3, 2020. Ocasio-Cortez will be streaming on October 20, 2020, at 6pm PT/9pm ET with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Pokimane, DrLupo, Myth, Maia, Jacksepticeye, MoistCr1TiKaL, Hasanabi, and Disguised Toast. AOCBR As of this writing, AOC's Twitch channel already has over 260,000 viewers, and she hasn't even started playing quite yet. AOC, along with figuring out who are the imposters, will be helping "folks make a voting plan at iwillvote.com and officially declare orange sus on Among Us." We've also built a guide to help you vote in the U.S. Presidential Election, as things are obviously a bit different this year as we all deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. For more on Among Us, be sure to check out how it came back from the bring of obscurity to becoming one of the biggest hits of 2020 and the rules and settings you needs to know to create the best Among Us game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fast & Furious 11 Will be the Final Film in the Saga

Director Justin Lin is aboard to helm the 10th and 11th films in the core Fast and Furious franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s been reiterated that these movies will conclude the main Fast and Furious saga. Franchise veteran Lin (who previously directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6) recently returned to the Fast universe to direct F9. F9 was scheduled to arrive this year but was pushed until May 28, 2021, alongside a horde of other major films to have their 2020 release plans scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/31/f9-fast-furious-9-official-trailer-1"] Franchise star Vin Diesel previously confirmed Lin would be directing F9 and Fast 10 back in 2018, and mentioned that the tenth instalment would be broken into “Fast 10 parts one and two” during an interview back in February this year. Fast and Furious producer Neal Moritz and Diesel have both previously discussed the fact that these films will form the finale for the main Fast saga, but Diesel has expressed his support for any future spin-offs, acknowledging “it’d be good to give back to Universal” in return for its support over the past two decades and noting “it would be nice for this world to continue for generations to come.” Dwayne Johnson confirmed that a sequel to 2019’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is in active development back in April this year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-dumbest-moments-from-the-fast-furious-movies&captions=true"] For more on F9 in the meantime, which will feature John Cena making his Fast & Furious debut, along with Guardians of the Galaxy's Michael Rooker, find out why Justin Lin decided to bring back Han Lue amid the popular #JusticeForHan fan campaign. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office, but Hector is going to be running three Honda Civics with spoon engines. And on top of that, he just went into Harry's and he ordered three T66 turbos, with NOS. And a Motec exhaust. You can find Luke on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.

Google Antitrust Lawsuit Is Too Early to Have an Impact on Users

The Justice Department is suing Google for alleged antitrust practices. But at this stage of the proceedings, it is too early to say for certain what ramifications this will have on customers and one of the largest tech companies in the world. In a complaint from the Justice Department, Google has been accused of stifling competition in order to maintain its position as the leader in online search and search advertising. 11 states — Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, and South Carolina — have joined the suit. One of the allegations against Google is that the search company pays billions of dollars to companies like Apple, Samsung, and more to be their default search engine.

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However, it will be years before the case ends and customers who use Google will likely not see an immediate impact on the service. David Hoppe, Managing Partner at SF-based Media/Tech law firm Gamma Law tells IGN, “The core of the DOJ’s case relates to Google’s agreements with other parties, like Apple. It’s possible as the case proceeds that Google will back away from those agreements.” Hoppe says, “From a consumer perspective, that may mean that mobile users will be presented with a choice of different search platforms rather than just being served Google as the default.” At a briefing, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen did not rule out breaking up Google. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Disney at War With CA Governor Over Stringent Theme Park Reopening Guidelines

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued guidelines for when amusement parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood can reopen. However, Disney has pushed back calling the guidelines “unworkable.” Gov. Newsome has kept parks like Disneyland closed in California, even after states like Florida opened up their Disney resorts. Disney continued to demand Gov. Newsome to make a call on reopening theme parks in California, and the governor sent a research team to both Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as each park’s counterparts in Florida to find a viable strategy to reopening.

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Following their findings, Gov. Newsome has issued guidelines saying that the two parks can operate when their county's COVID-19 conditions are under Tier 4 “Yellow” and even then the parks can only operate at 25 percent limited capacity. A reservation system will also need to be in place, and masks will be required in the parks. California operates on a four-tier COVID-19 system that ranges from Tier 1 Purple (widespread), Tier 2 Red (Substantial), Tier 3 Orange (Moderate), and Tier 1 Yellow (Minimal). For Disneyland to open at below Tier 1, Orange County will need to report a positivity rate of less than 2% or Less than 1 daily new case per 100k. Currently, Orange County is in Tier 2 Red, while Los Angeles Country is in Tier 1 Purple. Hence why it will likely be some time before either Disneyland or Universal Studios can re-open under the current guidelines. Disney, already unhappy with the restrictions placed on theme parks, appears less-than-thrilled about the new guidelines. In a statement from Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock, they said:
“We have proven that we can responsibly reopen, with science-based health and safety protocols strictly enforced at our theme park properties around the world. Nevertheless, the State of California continues to ignore this fact, instead mandating arbitrary guidelines that it knows are unworkable and that hold us to a standard vastly different from other reopened businesses and state-operated facilities.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/15/the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer"] Potrock added, “Together with our labor unions we want to get people back to work, but these State guidelines will keep us shuttered for the foreseeable future, forcing thousands more people out of work, leading to the inevitable closure of small family-owned businesses, and irreparably devastating the Anaheim/Southern California community.” Since the pandemic, Disney has laid off about 67% of its workforce, or “approximately 28,000 domestic employees.” Meanwhile, California has battled multiple waves of COVID-19, including a summertime resurgence after an early flattening of the curve. The ongoing battle over reopening Disneyland will likely keep the company at odds with the California government. Small groups of disgruntled park-goers have started protesting outside Disney demanding the park to reopen, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger recently resigned from Gov. Newsom’s coronavirus economic taskforce. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. Header Photo by MN Chan/Getty Images

Noita Review

One of Noita's best spells is the ability to summon a torrential downpour from thin air. A heavy, magical cloud bursts open above you, extinguishing damaging flames or washing away toxic poisons. Having this ability on one of my many runs always reassured me that I could be a little more reckless with my navigation through Noita's dangerous biomes--at least it did, until I discovered that I could just as easily drown myself in many of its narrow and twisting procedurally-generated mazes.

A big part of Noita's appeal is watching how all its physics-based systems interact with each other. This 2D roguelike's dynamic world is brought to life with vibrant pixels, each one reactive to the world and circumstances around it. Fires will spread and engulf nearby wooden structures, slowly burning them away. Those wooden structures might support a giant vat of toxic sludge, which will quickly pour through the tunnels of a mine once its supports are gone. This sludge, in turn, can erode enemies, infect life-giving pools of water, and melt away the ground. But it can also just as easily kill you. The simple act of knocking down a lantern creates a deadly domino effect, and part of Noita's appeal is learning to spin that into an advantage.

Noita doesn't give you the means to control this chaos, but with a variety of wands and spells you can learn how to nudge it in advantageous directions. It's easiest to think of wands in Noita as weapons, while spells are the ammunition loaded into them. Each wand features slots for spells, as well as attributes determining casting speeds, delays, and whether spells are shuffled when cast. Spells, on the other hand, determine your overall damage output and effects. This can range from the expected arcane fireballs and small jolts of electricity to the more absurd, such as combining specific spells to summon terrain-consuming black holes that spit out explosives or create magnificent electrical storms that spew out toxins.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Noita Review

One of Noita's best spells is the ability to summon a torrential downpour from thin air. A heavy, magical cloud bursts open above you, extinguishing damaging flames or washing away toxic poisons. Having this ability on one of my many runs always reassured me that I could be a little more reckless with my navigation through Noita's dangerous biomes--at least it did, until I discovered that I could just as easily drown myself in many of its narrow and twisting procedurally-generated mazes.

A big part of Noita's appeal is watching how all its physics-based systems interact with each other. This 2D roguelike's dynamic world is brought to life with vibrant pixels, each one reactive to the world and circumstances around it. Fires will spread and engulf nearby wooden structures, slowly burning them away. Those wooden structures might support a giant vat of toxic sludge, which will quickly pour through the tunnels of a mine once its supports are gone. This sludge, in turn, can erode enemies, infect life-giving pools of water, and melt away the ground. But it can also just as easily kill you. The simple act of knocking down a lantern creates a deadly domino effect, and part of Noita's appeal is learning to spin that into an advantage.

Noita doesn't give you the means to control this chaos, but with a variety of wands and spells you can learn how to nudge it in advantageous directions. It's easiest to think of wands in Noita as weapons, while spells are the ammunition loaded into them. Each wand features slots for spells, as well as attributes determining casting speeds, delays, and whether spells are shuffled when cast. Spells, on the other hand, determine your overall damage output and effects. This can range from the expected arcane fireballs and small jolts of electricity to the more absurd, such as combining specific spells to summon terrain-consuming black holes that spit out explosives or create magnificent electrical storms that spew out toxins.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Power Rangers: New Movies and TV Series in the Works With I’m Not Okay With This Co-Creator

The co-creator of Netflix's I'm Not Okay With This, Jonathan Entwistle, has been tapped to helm a new connected universe of Power Rangers movies and TV adaptations. Production company eOne was purchased by Hasbro last year and it's become more and more involved in the development of Hasbro properties. Entwistle and eOne will helm new Power Ranger movies and a connected TV series, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Before this new deal, a Power Rangers movie was in the works from Entwistle but it was with Paramount Pictures. Entwistle is still involved but he'll be working on the future of Power Rangers with eOne now. You can check out the new logo below. Power Rangers New Logo Entwistle "Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise, and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimagine the television and film worlds of this property," eOne film president Nick Meyer and eOne global television president Michael Lombardo said in a joint statement to THR. "Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro's rich fan-favorite brands and build entertainment universes around them." Entwistle called this new Power Rangers project an unbelievable opportunity to deliver the property to both new and existing generations of fans. As for what any of this looks like, all that's known at this time is that it will be a new universe of Power Rangers stories connected through the TV series and movies. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/17/the-7-weirdest-power-rangers-monsters"] When the movie eventually hits theaters, it will be the first full feature film since the 2017 Lionsgate-produced Power Rangers. We thought that movie was good and you can read about why in our Power Rangers review where we gave it a 7 out of 10. Be sure to check out this unofficial Green Ranger concept art that shows what Tommy Oliver might have looked like if the 2017 film got a sequel. If you're looking for some Power Rangers content to watch now, check out our list of the 25 best Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

Willow: Disney Plus Sequel Series Set With Warwick Davis, Director Jon M. Chu

Disney is moving forward with its Willow sequel series, and both star Warwick Davis and original director Ron Howard are set to return. Disney's press release confirms earlier rumors of a Disney Plus-exclusive Willow series featuring Davis reprising the titular role. Howard will executive produce the series alongside Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Chu is also directing the pilot episode. Jonathan Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Wendy Mericle (Arrow) will executive produce the series and serve as showrunners. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=19-shows-we-want-to-see-on-disneys-streaming-service&captions=true"] “Growing up in the ’80s, ‘Willow’ has had a profound effect on me,” said Chu in Disney's press release. “The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.” Disney confirms the series will be set years after the events of the original 1988 film and will again be shot primarily in Wales. It's unclear if any of the movie's other stars will be reprising their roles, and no other actors have been revealed yet. “So many fans have asked me over the years if Willow will make a return, and now I’m thrilled to tell them that he will indeed,” said Davis. “Many have told me they grew up with ‘Willow’ and that the film has influenced how they view heroism in our own world. If Willow Ufgood can represent the heroic potential in all of us, then he is a character I am extremely honored to reprise.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2012/12/13/willow-blu-ray-trailer"] As the press release notes, this will be Lucasfilm's first live-action, non-Star Wars-related project since the 2015 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Production is expected to begin in 2021, and no release date has been given yet. Howard previously teased the Willow series in July 2020, noting that the series hadn't been officially greenlit but "they have a great group of writers and it's in very active development." To find out more about the other Lucasfilms, check out our rundown of all of the ambitious movies that were not Star Wars. [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.