Losing Your Mind in Phantasmal
Hong Kong’s famed Kowloon Walled City was a ramshackle, ever-growing colossus of haphazardly-connected high-rise buildings, ungoverned by the country’s health or sanitation authorities. Before its demolition in 1993, some 33,000 families resided and worked for a living in dank, windowless apartments, with some children having never seen true sunlight. Squatters, criminals, and drug addicts alike dwelled in the city’s corridors, mingling with great fleshy spiders and sanity-sucking tentacles.
Well, okay – the monster spiders or tentacles probably weren’t part of the real Walled City, but they’re a squirm-inducing addition in New Zealand developer Eyemobi’s procedurally generated horror game Phantasmal, which takes place in the notorious metropolis after its residents have been evicted, just weeks before demolition.
Xenoblade X: 4 Hours in the Alien Wilderness
Just minutes into Xenoblade Chronicles X, it’s difficult to not be impressed by the ambitious scale of this open world role-playing game. The hook (so far) doesn’t involve the mythical blade, called the Monado, from the previous game. Instead, this installment focuses on the theme of survival, as you and an NPC-driven squad explore a dangerous alien planet called Mira. Like its predecessor, Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, this Wii U game is punching above its weight class, with lots of open space to explore, gorgeous vistas to take in, and plenty of activities to keep you busy.
We spent the four hours with a Japanese import copy of this anticipated RPG. While Xenoblade X is still a ways off for North America, here's what we experienced.
The Batman Theme Park We Want to See
This week's IGN UK Podcast see's Krupa, Alex and Luke react to the news that Nintendo has got into bed with Universal to produce beautiful Mario-shaped rides. I sh** you not.
From Batman and Superman, to World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy, the guys talk about the theme parks they want to see. Lightsabers, Harley Quinn and Poo Beards may also crop up.
Download the podcast now to find out who makes this terrible faecal-related gaffe, or watch the video to see the other guys lose their minds at the revelation.
Yoshimitsu in Tekken 7 Sure Looks… Different
Iconic cyber-ninja Yoshimitsu will once again return to the arena in Tekken 7, though he looks somewhat... different.
The head of the Manji clan - who's appeared in every Tekken title to date, as well as moonlighted in the odd Soul Calibur game - returns once more, this time with an octopus on his head.
Check it out below:
Yoshimitsu is famous for never appearing in the same guise twice, and his latest look is by no means the craziest we've seen. Still, it's good to know the folks at Bandai Namco aren't resting on their laurels.
Recently, a new Saudi Arabian character named Shaheen was announced. He's the fourth all-new character revealed for Tekken 7, following Lucky Chloe, the “sassy mouthed” talking Latin American Katarina, and a male character named Claudio. Series veterans Kazuya, Heihachi, Paul Phoenix, King, and more will return in Tekken 7.
Carl Sagan’s Solar Powered Spaceship to Get Test Flight
Late astronomer Carl Sagan's vision of a solar powered spaceship has come to life and will receive a test flight on May 20.
The Planetary Society, which was founded by Sagan, will run the test to see if the four Mylar sails deploy properly. Its orbit won't be high enough to make use of the Sun's energy yet, but a full flight test is expected in April 2016.
It works by using radiation from the Sun to push the craft along through space, just like a sailing boat would use wind.
Japan's IKAROS probe, and NASA's NanoSail-D are both solar powered crafts which have already received test flights, but the hope is that LightSail is cheap enough at $4.5 million, and light enough to affect the future of space travel.
Holes in the Ozone No Longer a Problem by 2040
NASA has reported that the Antarctic ozone hole will be "consistently smaller than 12 million square miles by 2040."
Harmful chemicals cause holes to appear in the ozone, particularly during the winter months in the southern hemisphere.
However thanks to the Montreal Agreement in 1987, usage of ozone depleting chemicals has been in decline, contributing to the shrinking of the holes. NASA believes that by 2040, the ozone holes should no longer be a concern.
Hopefully these changes will stop us going the way of Mars, where the Curiosity Rover recently found evidence of an ancient habitable environment.
Nintendo Reveals More Details About Its Mysterious Service
During a recent Nintendo investors meeting, CEO and president Satoru Iwata teased a few details about its new membership program slated to replace its customer loyalty program, Club Nintendo.
“While we will announce the details of this integrated membership service at a later date, I can share with you at a high level the idea is that the consumer can access multiple devices using one common ID,” Iwata said.
“So far, the members input their Club Nintendo ID to use the services,” he explained. “With this new service, our members will be able to visit Nintendo’s website and log in with one ID, and they will receive various services including the ones based on their past purchases and gameplay records as well as services that will be an improved version of the current loyalty program.”
Nintendo Will Launch Five Smartphone Games by March 2017
Nintendo will release five smartphone games based on its IP by the end of the next fiscal year, president Satoru Iwata revealed during an investors meeting.
“Regarding the number of the titles, you may want to know that we will release approximately five titles by the end of the next fiscal year, which is the end of March 2017,” he said. “You may think it is a small number, but when we aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases, this is not a small number at all and should demonstrate our serious commitment to the smart device business.”
Nintendo Will Launch Five Smartphone Games by March 2017
Nintendo will release five smartphone games based on its IP by the end of the next fiscal year, president Satoru Iwata revealed during an investors meeting.
“Regarding the number of the titles, you may want to know that we will release approximately five titles by the end of the next fiscal year, which is the end of March 2017,” he said. “You may think it is a small number, but when we aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases, this is not a small number at all and should demonstrate our serious commitment to the smart device business.”
Uncle Joey Returning for Fuller House
Uncle Joey is returning to Full House.
Actor Dave Coulier revealed on Instagram earlier today that he would indeed be involved in the Netflix Fuller House reunion special.
“Yes, I'll be on the Fuller House reunion. And this guy, Mark Cendrowski will be directing. #cutitout,” Coulier said.
Last month, John Stamos, who starred as Uncle Jesse on Full House, announced Netflix was planning a revival for the show. Fuller House will consist of 13 episodes and the reunion special and will focus on Candace Cameron-Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber—DJ Tanner, Stephanie Tanner, and Kimmy Gibbler, respectively.