Yearly Archives: 2020

The Batman’s Kravitz on Catwoman Training, Catsuit & Quarantine

Catwoman actress Zoe Kravitz jokes that she might need a bigger catsuit by the time self-isolation is over and The Batman can resume production. Although she credits "food, wine, and weed" with getting her through quarantine, Kravitz is training virtually with her trainer to remain in tip-top shape to play the DC Comics femme fatale. In an interview with Vanity Fair (via Batman-News), Kravitz was candid about the challenge of maintaining actorly discipline in regards to staying in shape when stuck at home for weeks on end with food and wine. Kravitz had already been training "four or five months" for her role as Selina Kyle when The Batman shut down roughly a quarter of the way through production. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-how-robert-pattinsons-batsuit-draws-from-the-past&captions=true"] "I mean, it’s not like the studio called and said, 'Don’t get fat, bitch,'" Kravitz said. "The first couple weeks that I self quarantined, I remember texting the director, I texted Matt [Reeves] and I was like, ‘We might have to make the cat suit a few sizes bigger when this is over.’" Kravitz then said she started training virtually with her trainer, David Higgins, five days a week. She credits this with providing her some kind of structure during self-isolation and said "it’s actually been really great just for my mental health." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/20/big-changes-for-the-batman-and-other-dc-movies-ign-now] The actress, who's currently starring in Hulu's High Fidelity, is nevertheless "definitely eating whatever the f*** I want. But yeah, try to stay in decent shape so I don’t have to start from scratch." The Batman, now moved to an October 2021 release, isn't Kravitz's first time playing Catwoman. You may recall she voiced the character in 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Save Editor Makes Red XIII Playable

A new Final Fantasy 7 Remake save game file editor can make Red XIII a playable character, albeit one with significant limitations. The save editor is the work of Xeeynamo, and is actually his Kingdom Hearts save editor updated with Final Fantasy 7 Remake options. The software allows you to modify decrypted saves from the game, such as managing inventory, materia, and character levels. The surprising thing it allows you to do, though, is select who is in your party, including Red XIII. Red XIII is not a playable character, and so editing him into your party means there are major limitations on what you can do with him. For example, you can see in the above tweet that he doesn’t have a special move assigned to the Triangle button. He does have his own unique attack animations, though, as these were developed for him to use as an AI ‘guest’ party member. The biggest limitation, though, is that he is removed from the party when the game hits cutscenes or when other party members leave. As this is just a save editor and not a modification (it’s harder, if not impossible, to mod PS4 games) it’s unlikely that Red XIII will ever be more than a temporary playable character on console. However, it does signal that if there is ever a PC version of the game then modders may be able to flesh him out into a more permanent teammate. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-7-remake-25-new-images&captions=true"] Earlier this year Square Enix explained why Red XIII is not a playable character in Final Fantasy 7 Remake; the developers decided that since he would only be present in the game’s final hours, it didn’t make sense to have him as a full party member. A second game in the series, which will take place after the party leaves Midgar, is already in the works, and so hopefully Red XIII will be fully playable in that game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Save Editor Makes Red XIII Playable

A new Final Fantasy 7 Remake save game file editor can make Red XIII a playable character, albeit one with significant limitations. The save editor is the work of Xeeynamo, and is actually his Kingdom Hearts save editor updated with Final Fantasy 7 Remake options. The software allows you to modify decrypted saves from the game, such as managing inventory, materia, and character levels. The surprising thing it allows you to do, though, is select who is in your party, including Red XIII. Red XIII is not a playable character, and so editing him into your party means there are major limitations on what you can do with him. For example, you can see in the above tweet that he doesn’t have a special move assigned to the Triangle button. He does have his own unique attack animations, though, as these were developed for him to use as an AI ‘guest’ party member. The biggest limitation, though, is that he is removed from the party when the game hits cutscenes or when other party members leave. As this is just a save editor and not a modification (it’s harder, if not impossible, to mod PS4 games) it’s unlikely that Red XIII will ever be more than a temporary playable character on console. However, it does signal that if there is ever a PC version of the game then modders may be able to flesh him out into a more permanent teammate. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-7-remake-25-new-images&captions=true"] Earlier this year Square Enix explained why Red XIII is not a playable character in Final Fantasy 7 Remake; the developers decided that since he would only be present in the game’s final hours, it didn’t make sense to have him as a full party member. A second game in the series, which will take place after the party leaves Midgar, is already in the works, and so hopefully Red XIII will be fully playable in that game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Phil Spencer: Xbox Series X Game Reveals Won’t Be ‘Too Much of a Wait’

Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer has said that the next step for Xbox Series X reveals won't be "too much of a wait" - and that next step seems to be about revealing games. In a tweet (below), Phil Spencer said he had, "Reviewed plans yesterday for continued sharing through launch. Team is doing great work and adapting. I've never been more excited about Xbox plans. We've heard you, you want transparency/authenticity. We plan to keep showing that way, next step is not too much of a wait (games)". It's led to renewed speculation after rumours began swirling around the possibility of a Series X event in May, and the fact that Xbox recently trademarked a new logo for Series X. Many of those same discussions mention a reveal for Lockhart, the long-rumoured 'low-end' variant of the Xbox Series X. Xbox Series X is scheduled to be released during Holiday 2020. Right now we know the Xbox Series X specs, we have an educated guess on its price based on those specs, and a full comparison with PS5. What we know far less about is Xbox Series X games, but we have a list of confirmed and rumoured titles for the next-gen console. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-x-controller-6-new-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Phil Spencer: Xbox Series X Game Reveals Won’t Be ‘Too Much of a Wait’

Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer has said that the next step for Xbox Series X reveals won't be "too much of a wait" - and that next step seems to be about revealing games. In a tweet (below), Phil Spencer said he had, "Reviewed plans yesterday for continued sharing through launch. Team is doing great work and adapting. I've never been more excited about Xbox plans. We've heard you, you want transparency/authenticity. We plan to keep showing that way, next step is not too much of a wait (games)". It's led to renewed speculation after rumours began swirling around the possibility of a Series X event in May, and the fact that Xbox recently trademarked a new logo for Series X. Many of those same discussions mention a reveal for Lockhart, the long-rumoured 'low-end' variant of the Xbox Series X. Xbox Series X is scheduled to be released during Holiday 2020. Right now we know the Xbox Series X specs, we have an educated guess on its price based on those specs, and a full comparison with PS5. What we know far less about is Xbox Series X games, but we have a list of confirmed and rumoured titles for the next-gen console. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-x-controller-6-new-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Nintendo Confirms Account Hacks, Disables Nintendo Network ID Logins

Nintendo has confirmed that hackers have been accessing Nintendo Accounts, and pinned the problem down to a Nintendo Network ID login method. In a post on its Japanese website, Nintendo says that hackers were able to access user and password data for Nintendo Network IDs (NNID), then used that information to log in to Nintendo Accounts, and potentially make unauthorised purchases. The company estimates that around 160,000 NNIDs have potentially been affected. NNIDs are an older form of login for Nintendo services, created for 3DS and Wii U. The Switch uses newer Nintendo Accounts, but legacy NNIDs can be used to log in. In response, Nintendo has abolished NNID logins for Nintendo Accounts, and NNIDs and Nintendo Accounts that look to have been compromised will see automatic password resets. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/26/nintendo-switch-lite-review"] After widespread reports about unathorised access to Nintendo Accounts this week, the company said it was investigating the issue, and asked users to enable two-factor authentication for their accounts. The company now says that users who had the same password for both their NNID and Nintendo Account could have seen unauthorised payments on their account - if your purchase history includes payments you didn't make, Nintendo says to request to cancel the purchase, and it will respond. Nintendo explains that credit card information will not have been viewable for hackers, but warns that they could have had access to users' nickname, date of birth, country / region, gender, and email address, attached to both NNIDs and linked Nintendo Accounts. What remains unclear is exactly where the NNID login information has been obtained from. Nintendo's statement mentions only that it was obtained "by some means other than our service" at the beginning of April. A separate statement from Nintendo UK explains that there is "currently no evidence pointing towards a breach of Nintendo’s databases, servers or services." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-2020-video-game-release&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Nintendo Confirms Account Hacks, Disables Nintendo Network ID Logins

Nintendo has confirmed that hackers have been accessing Nintendo Accounts, and pinned the problem down to a Nintendo Network ID login method. In a post on its Japanese website, Nintendo says that hackers were able to access user and password data for Nintendo Network IDs (NNID), then used that information to log in to Nintendo Accounts, and potentially make unauthorised purchases. The company estimates that around 160,000 NNIDs have potentially been affected. NNIDs are an older form of login for Nintendo services, created for 3DS and Wii U. The Switch uses newer Nintendo Accounts, but legacy NNIDs can be used to log in. In response, Nintendo has abolished NNID logins for Nintendo Accounts, and NNIDs and Nintendo Accounts that look to have been compromised will see automatic password resets. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/26/nintendo-switch-lite-review"] After widespread reports about unathorised access to Nintendo Accounts this week, the company said it was investigating the issue, and asked users to enable two-factor authentication for their accounts. The company now says that users who had the same password for both their NNID and Nintendo Account could have seen unauthorised payments on their account - if your purchase history includes payments you didn't make, Nintendo says to request to cancel the purchase, and it will respond. Nintendo explains that credit card information will not have been viewable for hackers, but warns that they could have had access to users' nickname, date of birth, country / region, gender, and email address, attached to both NNIDs and linked Nintendo Accounts. What remains unclear is exactly where the NNID login information has been obtained from. Nintendo's statement mentions only that it was obtained "by some means other than our service" at the beginning of April. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-2020-video-game-release&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Sequel in Development at Paramount

Paramount is said to be teaming up with Entertainment One to make a sequel to 2019's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, with André Øvredal returning as the director. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman will also return to flesh out the script from a screen story written by Guillermo del Toro, who served as the producer on the first movie. As of right now, it's unclear whether he will return to that role. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/07/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-exclusive-red-spot-clip"] The first Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie was inspired by the iconic anthology series of horror tales, written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, but story details for the sequel are being kept under wraps for now. "These books have now entertained three generations," del Toro previously told IGN about the process of adapting the source material. "A lot of fathers know that the stories are campfire stories basically. They have a factor of fun. None of them are gory. They're all creepy. They all have a humorous slant or very human. So we're trying to cultivate the same PG-13, but spooky and fun." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-reviewed-movies-of-2019&captions=true"] Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was a big hit at the box office, with the PG-13 horror movie taking more than $105 million worldwide on a budget of just $28 million. In our review of the first movie, we noted that it likely wouldn't "satisfy hardcore horror hounds in the way they were hoping, but as a kids movie that also dedicates itself to being truly scary it both satisfies and succeeds as well as being occasionally surprising." For more on the fright-light franchise, find out about the secrets and creatures behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Tintin Game in Development for PC and Consoles

A new Tintin action-adventure game is in development for PC and consoles. French publisher Microids has revealed a partnership with Moulinsart to develop and publish a new title based on The Adventures of Tintin comic book series. The game has been described as "an action-adventure" that will offer "a whirlwind of situations and suspense." As well as the eponymous Tintin and his sidekick pup Snowy, iconic series characters like Captain Haddock, detectives Thompson & Thompson and Professor Calculus will make an appearance. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/05/18/the-adventures-of-tintin-the-secret-of-the-unicorn-trailer"] In a press release, Stéphane Longeard, CEO of Microids notes that the studio has been "willing to make this happen for quite some time [...] Our team members are fans of the famous reporter and will do their best to pay this franchise a vibrant homage," the quote reads. Director of Moulinarts, Nick Rodwell added that the ambition of the partnership is "to provide a mainstream audience with a fun and friendly game for everyone to enjoy." The Tintin game is yet to receive a title, firm release date, or even specific release platforms - but the release asserts that these details and more will be revealed in due course. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/09/blacksad-under-the-skin-launch-trailer"] Microids previously worked on licenses such as Asterix & Obelix, Blacksad and Garfield, and are known for creating the Syberia series of adventure games. Many moons ago in 2011, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn launched on consoles as a tie-in to the film of the same name from Steven Spielberg. Check out our review of the game, which we thought was "hard to recommend to anyone other than diehard fans." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.