Out This Week: April 27, 2015
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Dementium Was Pitched as a Silent Hill Game to Konami
Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham has revealed that Dementium: The Ward was pitched to Konami as a possible Silent Hill DS game.
"Little known fact: We pitched 'The Ward' to Konami in 2007 as something that could have become a Silent Hill DS game," Watsham said on Twitter. Instead, that project became Dementium: The Ward, an original horror game for Nintendo's handheld, and released in 2007 under the now-defunct Gamecock Media Group label.
Watsham elaborated on the Silent Hill DS possibility with IGN, saying the first pitch happened at GDC 2007, before Renegade teamed up with Gamecock. "Our goal was always to release The Ward as an original game, but we were also open to the idea of turning it into a licensed horror game and approached Konami to see if they wanted to work together to mold it into a Silent Hill game for the Nintendo DS."
John Romita Jr. Gets Superman Drunk
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Superman #40!
Ever since Superman got his new Solar Flare power -- which lets him expel all of his stored-up solar energy in a massive blast at the cost of becoming powerless aka human for 24 hours -- things have been a little different for the Man of Steel. We've seen him stand in front of armed thugs completely powerless; it's not like the city doesn't need saving just because he doesn't have powers. And in Superman #40, out this Wednesday, he does something we've rarely seen: he gets drunk.
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Long Lost Text Adventure Game Recovered
A game called Wander, one of the earliest if not the first text adventure ever, has been recovered.
Wander was a mainframe interactive fiction by Peter Langston. Created in 1974, it pre-dates more well-known classics like Adventure (Colossal Cave).
It wasn't just a game, but a toolkit similar to modern text adventure systems like Inform 7. The original description refers to itself as "a tool for writing non-deterministic fantasy stories."
Arkham Knight Trailer Reveals New Mechanic
The latest Batman: Arkham Knight trailer debuted a new mechanic called Dual Play, which will let you switch, Grand Theft Auto 5-style, between Batman and his allies.
In the trailer, we see Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman engaging in seamless, tag team-style combat with Arkham Knight's many foes.
Several other characters make appearances in the trailer too, including Oracle, Two-Face, Scarecrow, and Azrael.
While we don't get a look at anything particularly gruesome, Arkham Knight's darker tone is evident.
We first learned of Arkham Knight's M-rating, the first ever in the series, back in February, and were provided with some details of the game's more violent scenes in March.
App Store Update: April 27
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Gunpowder – ($1.99, Down from $4.99)
We first presented Gunpowder back on the first of this month, as its explosive chain reactions caught our eye even amid all that day's foolishness. Now it's back on our minds again thanks to its first-ever sale, so check it out now for three bucks cheaper if you missed it on April Fool's:
Oculus Rift Might Not Go Retail in 2015
Oculus Rift might not be hitting shelves for consumers anytime this year, according to statements from Facebook.
During Facebook's Q1 2015 earnings call, Facebook CFO Dave Wehner stated:
"We have not announced any specific plans for shipment volumes in 2015 related to Oculus. I'd just note that Oculus is very much in the development stage, so it's early to be talking about large shipment volumes, and our expense guidance reflects any volumes that we might do in 2015."
Included in Facebook's expense outlook are plans to "invest in long-term growth areas like Oculus." Find more info in the full earnings report.
DiRT Rally Steers Onto Steam Early Access
DiRT Rally is out now on Steam Early Access, featuring 17 cars and 36 stages right off the bat. It's Windows only and costs $35 / £25. You can get it 10% off until May 4th.
Early Access is new to the Codemasters team, who describes this move as "something that scares the absolute crap out of us, but in a good way" on DiRT Rally's official Steam page.
Over the course of DiRT Rally's development, Codemasters promises consistent free updates, including more cars, racing locations, and game modes.
While Codemasters is focusing on Steam Early Access for now, a console port is not out of the question.
Apple Poo-Poos Fart Apps on Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is already on the wrists of consumers, but apps for the device that simulate fart sounds are being rejected by Apple.
Wearers of the device who hoped the functionality of dozens of fart apps available for the iPhone would carry over to the Apple Watch will need to stick to their phones. Not just for the time being, but forever, as Apple has taken a stance against the apps on its wearable tech.
According to the developer of one such app who reached out to Cult of Mac, "Fart Watch" was rejected by Apple for simply being an app that would let users remotely control a fart sound broadcast from the iPhone.