Yearly Archives: 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X Special Edition Comes With Free DLC Expansion
The limited edition Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X console bundle doesn't just entitle buyers to a digital copy of the game when it's released, but the game's first DLC expansion pack, which will be "delivered directly to the console upon release".
Announced in April and available to purchase now, listings for the console point out the new detail. We previously knew that the console comes with a custom look, a matching limited edition controller, and entitles you to a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 when it's released on September 17. However, we didn't know the console would give owners the first expansion as well - a very nice bonus.
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Developer CD Projekt Red has previously confirmed that those expansions will be at least as big as the ones released for The Witcher 3, and will be announced before the core game's launch. We don't know how long after release those expansions will arrive, however.
Only 45,000 of these consoles will be manufactured, and they'll mark the last ever special edition variant of the Xbox One X, ahead of the release of the Xbox Series X. It's worth pointing out that getting an Xbox One copy of the game automatically entitles you to a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X version when that's released, thanks to Microsoft's Smart Delivery service. Presumably, that will include the expansion content too.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/28/cyberpunk-2077-53-gameplay-details"]
We're waiting to learn more about the much-anticipated action-RPG, with CD Projekt Red's Night City Wire news broadcast recently delayed to June 25. You'll be able to watch that, and much more, as part of IGN's Summer of Gaming event.
If you're in the US, you can save $100 on the Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X right now.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Hereditary Director Says His Next Film Will Be a 4-Hour Long ‘Nightmare Comedy’
Horror director Ari Aster has confirmed that he is currently working on a "nightmare comedy" that will clock in at four hours.
In a recent interview with UC Santa Barbara's Associated Students Program Board, Aster shared a few teasers about his upcoming projects, as he revealed that he is working on a "nightmare comedy," having just finished a new draft, and said, "All I know is that it's gonna be four hours long, over 17 [years of age]."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/07/hereditary-review"]
While it's not entirely clear from the interview transcription whether Aster was being deadly serious about the length of his next film, his recent filmography indicates that he has somewhat of an affinity for longer films.
Aster made his feature film directorial debut in 2018 with the blood-curdling, horror-drama Hereditary, which made audiences' toes curl throughout its runtime of 2 hours, 7 minutes. He then followed up his critical hit with the lyrical and surreal folk horror tale Midsommar, which slow-burned in movie theatres for 2 hours, 28 minutes in 2019. Midsommar's extended cut was released later, with a runtime of 2 hours, 51 minutes.
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Aster referred to Midsommar as an "apocalyptic breakup movie" before its release, so some of his terminology might be open to interpretation. In our review of Midsommar, we described the film as "an emotionally harrowing and slowly insidious journey, languidly forcing dread on the viewer, wrapping them in a weird nightmare summer camp of sunlight and cheer."
Midsommar also earned a spot on IGN's Best Reviewed Movies of 2019 following directly on from Hereditary, which was one of IGN's Best Reviewed Movies of 2018.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Hereditary Director Says His Next Film Will Be a 4-Hour Long ‘Nightmare Comedy’
Horror director Ari Aster has confirmed that he is currently working on a "nightmare comedy" that will clock in at four hours.
In a recent interview with UC Santa Barbara's Associated Students Program Board, Aster shared a few teasers about his upcoming projects, as he revealed that he is working on a "nightmare comedy," having just finished a new draft, and said, "All I know is that it's gonna be four hours long, over 17 [years of age]."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/07/hereditary-review"]
While it's not entirely clear from the interview transcription whether Aster was being deadly serious about the length of his next film, his recent filmography indicates that he has somewhat of an affinity for longer films.
Aster made his feature film directorial debut in 2018 with the blood-curdling, horror-drama Hereditary, which made audiences' toes curl throughout its runtime of 2 hours, 7 minutes. He then followed up his critical hit with the lyrical and surreal folk horror tale Midsommar, which slow-burned in movie theatres for 2 hours, 28 minutes in 2019. Midsommar's extended cut was released later, with a runtime of 2 hours, 51 minutes.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-controversial-horror-movies&captions=true"]
Aster referred to Midsommar as an "apocalyptic breakup movie" before its release, so some of his terminology might be open to interpretation. In our review of Midsommar, we described the film was "an emotionally harrowing and slowly insidious journey, languidly forcing dread on the viewer, wrapping them in a weird nightmare summer camp of sunlight and cheer."
Midsommar also earned a spot on IGN's Best Reviewed Movies of 2019 following directly on from Hereditary, which was one of IGN's Best Reviewed Movies of 2018.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Cinemark Customers Not Required to Wear Masks When Theaters Reopen
Movie theater chain Cinemark will "encourage" but not require its customers to wear face masks when they reopen their cinemas later this month despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cinemark intends on reopening in four phases, starting June 19, with its theater employees required to wear face coverings.
During an analysts call this week, Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said: “We have been intensely focused on developing enhanced health and safety protocols, understanding that these factors will weigh heavily on the confidence and peace of mind of our employees, guests and community as we reopen our theaters."
Zoradi added, “Of course it depends on a continuing positive movement, relative to the decline of COVID-19 and the government restrictions being reduced across the country.”
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TheWrap reports that Cinemark will implement social distancing at the box office and concessions stands, be vigorous in cleaning and allow for ticket buyers online to physically distance themselves from others when selecting seats.
Cinemark also promises to "supply hand and seat cleaners for guests, stagger movie times to reduce foot traffic and join other companies, like Amazon, in screening staff before their shifts," according to FOX Business. "It will also run an initial maximum seating capacity of 50 percent with six feet between patrons."
Why is Cinemark not requiring its costumers to wear face coverings when the CDC says the virus is spread when people do not wear masks or observe social distancing?
As Collider suggests, a big reason for Cinemark to not require patrons to don masks is concessions, which account for a huge portion of a theater's revenue.
Exhibitors have to share half their ticket sales with the studios so they make most of their money off concessions. Thus, if moviegoers are wearing masks then they're probably less likely to buy food and beverages.
Would you feel comfortable attending a theater that didn't require face masks? Let us know in the comments.
Cinemark Customers Not Required to Wear Masks When Theaters Reopen
Movie theater chain Cinemark will "encourage" but not require its customers to wear face masks when they reopen their cinemas later this month despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cinemark intends on reopening in four phases, starting June 19, with its theater employees required to wear face coverings.
During an analysts call this week, Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said: “We have been intensely focused on developing enhanced health and safety protocols, understanding that these factors will weigh heavily on the confidence and peace of mind of our employees, guests and community as we reopen our theaters."
Zoradi added, “Of course it depends on a continuing positive movement, relative to the decline of COVID-19 and the government restrictions being reduced across the country.”
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]
TheWrap reports that Cinemark will implement social distancing at the box office and concessions stands, be vigorous in cleaning and allow for ticket buyers online to physically distance themselves from others when selecting seats.
Cinemark also promises to "supply hand and seat cleaners for guests, stagger movie times to reduce foot traffic and join other companies, like Amazon, in screening staff before their shifts," according to FOX Business. "It will also run an initial maximum seating capacity of 50 percent with six feet between patrons."
Why is Cinemark not requiring its costumers to wear face coverings when the CDC says the virus is spread when people do not wear masks or observe social distancing?
As Collider suggests, a big reason for Cinemark to not require patrons to don masks is concessions, which account for a huge portion of a theater's revenue.
Exhibitors have to share half their ticket sales with the studios so they make most of their money off concessions. Thus, if moviegoers are wearing masks then they're probably less likely to buy food and beverages.
Would you feel comfortable attending a theater that didn't require face masks? Let us know in the comments.
Update: Xbox Live Is Back Up
Update:
Xbox Live is back online according to Microsoft's official Status page. Online services for games should be up, either now or momentarily depending on your region.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Live is down. According to the official support page, the Xbox Live Core Services are having issues preventing users from signing in to Xbox Live and using its services. “We’re aware that some users are unable to sign-in and our teams are investigating,” says Xbox in a statement publishing on its official Support Twitter account.We've heard back that users should once again be able to sign-in. Thanks to everyone that reported this to us! As always, we're here and listening. https://t.co/HpDqwGPSQq
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) June 4, 2020
The outage has impacted the online services for games including Sea of Thieves, which issued its own Twitter statement regarding internet issues. The last update from Xbox was from 2 pm PT/5 pm ET confirming that services were still down and a resolution is “pending.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-xbox-one-games&captions=true"] IGN will update this story when Xbox Live services are back up and running. The outage may impact other online game services, including Grand Theft Auto Online, which is back online after a purposefully going offline in support of George Floyd. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.We're aware that some users are unable to sign-in and our teams are investigating. We'll update here & on our status page when we have more info. https://t.co/PzAdjUFMJj
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) June 4, 2020
Update: Xbox Live Is Back Up
Update:
Xbox Live is back online according to Microsoft's official Status page. Online services for games should be up, either now or momentarily depending on your region.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Live is down. According to the official support page, the Xbox Live Core Services are having issues preventing users from signing in to Xbox Live and using its services. “We’re aware that some users are unable to sign-in and our teams are investigating,” says Xbox in a statement publishing on its official Support Twitter account.We've heard back that users should once again be able to sign-in. Thanks to everyone that reported this to us! As always, we're here and listening. https://t.co/HpDqwGPSQq
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) June 4, 2020
The outage has impacted the online services for games including Sea of Thieves, which issued its own Twitter statement regarding internet issues. The last update from Xbox was from 2 pm PT/5 pm ET confirming that services were still down and a resolution is “pending.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-xbox-one-games&captions=true"] IGN will update this story when Xbox Live services are back up and running. The outage may impact other online game services, including Grand Theft Auto Online, which is back online after a purposefully going offline in support of George Floyd. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.We're aware that some users are unable to sign-in and our teams are investigating. We'll update here & on our status page when we have more info. https://t.co/PzAdjUFMJj
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) June 4, 2020
PS5 Games Reveal Event Delayed
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by resident elderly Irish woman Lucy O'Brien, Blessing Adeoye, Jr. from Kinda Funny, and freelance journalist Funké Joseph.
Watch the episode below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/04/ps5-games-reveal-event-delayed-podcast-beyond-episode-648"]
The group discusses PlayStation's decision to delay the PS5 reveal event, discusses what we hope and wildly predict we might finally see at that event, and discuss what we're playing.
Download or listen to the show on these platforms:
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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For the latest on PS5, check out the PS5 full specs list, why we're excited about PS5's 3D audio focus, and an analysis of what teraflops really mean for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
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Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
PS5 Games Reveal Event Delayed
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by resident elderly Irish woman Lucy O'Brien, Blessing Adeoye, Jr. from Kinda Funny, and freelance journalist Funké Joseph.
Watch the episode below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/04/ps5-games-reveal-event-delayed-podcast-beyond-episode-648"]
The group discusses PlayStation's decision to delay the PS5 reveal event, discusses what we hope and wildly predict we might finally see at that event, and discuss what we're playing.
Download or listen to the show on these platforms:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"]
- Direct Download
-
YouTube (Link to come!)
Sea Of Thieves Review (2020) – A Voyage Finally Worth Taking
It's 3 AM. Your two-person ship, a modest sloop, is anchored at Golden Sands Outpost while you sell off the loot from a five-hour voyage. You've been sailing as an emissary of the Gold Hoarders, and through questing for a lengthy stretch without your ship sinking, you managed to make it to rank 5. Now, every chest, trinket, and gem you sell is worth two and a half times its normal value, but there's a catch: Sailing with an emissary flag, particularly a high-level one, etches a giant red "X" on your back. Any player that sinks your ship and steals your emissary flag will get their own big payday, and pirates sworn to the new Reaper's Bones faction can even see you on their ship's navigation map if they rank up their own emissary flag high enough.
In an instant, your triumphant loot turn-in transforms into a disaster. Another duo's sloop rounds the corner behind your boat, positioning their cannons to lay waste to all your hard work. Adrenaline washes through your body like an icy tidal wave, but you saw them coming too late: An enemy player has boarded your ship with a dangerously explosive stronghold keg, which erupts as you hurl yourself from the deck. There's almost no way to recover from this onslaught; your entire boat is on fire, the hull is punched through with holes that gush water at an alarming rate, your mast is leaning uselessly to one side, your steering wheel is missing several pegs, the capstan (which raises your anchor) is half-broken, and the incoming cannonballs are knocking you around inside your own boat.
Somehow, incredibly, you and your crewmate repair the mast, raise the anchor, put out the fires on your deck, and lower the sails, all the while bailing water, hammering planks over the gouges in the hull, and using your trusty blunderbuss to fend off the other crew's continued attempts to board. By this point, your hands are violently shaking. You sail off and do the only thing you can: With the pursuing ship directly behind, you set your boat on a clear heading, jump off the back, and grab their ladders. Distracted as they are, you slay them both; in the interim before they respawn, you steer their boat onto some rocks, destroy their mast, lower their anchor, and use some handheld firebombs to light the whole thing up like a floating tinderbox.
Continue Reading at GameSpot