New NASA Vehicle Prototype Has Sick Drifting Skills
A new electric vehicle currently being worked on by NASA may one day be a big influence on battery-powered cars.
Called the Modular Robotic Vehicle (MRV), the prototype boasts four liquid-cooled wheel motors able to turn independently of each other, remote control capabilities that could allow astronauts to remotely pilot the vehicle on the surface of other planetary bodies, and is powered by a battery.
The MRV's wheel system makes the vehicle especially agile, allowing it to fit into tight spaces and pull off Hollywood-level drifts. It's being developed by NASA in partnership with the car industry, and there's hope it could serve as an experiment that not only could allow for a new method of space travel, but also may one day influence the design and construction of electric cars.
8 Dream Avengers Video Games
Marvel's Age of Ultron is almost here, but sadly, we won't be getting a big-budget tie-in video game. But this might not be so sad after all - licensed games based on massive Hollywood movies have almost always been disappointing. But what if the stars aligned, and the perfect game studio got matched up with the perfect movie license?
We asked IGN Editors to explain who they would like to see make an Avengers game. It's pretty much a guarantee that none of these games will never actually exist, but hey, we can dream, can't we? Read on:
Developer: Platinum Games
The Avengers is about an extremely powerful alliance of unlikely allies -- all comparable in power, but diverse in personality to the point of causing problems. Platinum Games understands the appeal of power better than almost any other game developer, and silly though its stories may be, the studio's characters are always memorable. With the right writer, a Platinum Games co-op action game starring The Avengers could capitalize on what one of Japan's finest does best: Beating the heck out of everything. Character combat is the studio's specialty, and with a handful of totally different fighters, there's a ton of opportunity for awesome, fun brawls as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and more. Honestly, though, I just want Platinum to do to Hulk what it did to Raiden. - Mitch Dyer
13 Questions for the New Star Wars Books
Star Wars fans have plenty to look forward to as we inch closer to the release of The Force Awakens this December. Disney Worldwide Publishing and Lucasfilm recently announced that they'll be publishing no less than 20 books that will explore the murky period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Those books will include novels, comics and young adult projects focused on a wide variety of characters. Among these projects will be Star Wars: Aftermath, the first in a trilogy of post-RotJ novels, and Star Wars: The Journey to the Force Awakens - Shattered Empire, a new comic from Marvel.
With so much of The Force Awakens shrouded in mystery, we're not surprised that few details have emerged regarding these tie-in books so far. But that hasn't stopped us from speculating on what these new novels and comics could be about. We've come up with 13 burning questions about the Star Wars universe after Return of the Jedi that we want these books to answer. Check out our list and let us know what you want from these books in the comments below.
Game of Thrones’ Season 5 Premiere Was the Most Watched Episode Ever
About 8 million people watched the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones, making it the most watched Game of Thrones episode ever.
The data comes from Nielsen (via Variety). Last year's Season 4 premiere garnered 6.84 million viewers -- about 1.16 million (or 17%) shy of this year's episode, The Wars to Come.
That's about 800,000 more views than any other Game of Thrones episode, as well.
Game of Thrones is back, so return to IGN every Sunday for a full episode review. For now, catch up with our review of Game of Thrones Season 5, Episode 1: The Wars to Come.
Nordic Games Buys Rights to Men of Valor
The Men of Valor property is now a part of the Nordic Games Publishing lineup.
Nordic Games has acquired the historical shooter property from 2015 Games, which developed the first and only game in the series. "With the addition of this IP, our shooter portfolio becomes enriched with a real classic," said Reinhard Pollice, business and product development director at Nordic Games, in a statement. “It feels great to have a piece of FPS history under our umbrella."
This isn't the first time Nordic Games has purchased a property from another publisher or developer. Nordic also bought the rights to Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs. ATV and more from THQ for $4.9 million USD in 2013.
App Store Update: April 15
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.
Avernum II: Crystal Souls – ($9.99)
"The end has come. Years ago, your people were imprisoned in the underworld, doomed to end their lives in the darkness. Then that was not enough. Your captors have invaded your caves, determined to kill you all. They are winning the war.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance DLC Dated for PlayStation and PC
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's second DLC pack, Ascendance, has a release date for PS4, PS3, and PC.
On April 30, players on those platforms will have access to four new maps, including Perplex, Site 244, Climate, and Chop Shop.
Ascendance also includes the new Infection episode of Exo-Zombies, which takes the four survivors to Burgertown -- a fast food restaurant known well by Call of Duty fans. It will cost $15 USD (€14).
Speaking of Zombies... Can you guess how many undead Advanced Warfare players have killed so far?
Brian is an Editor at IGN. You can follow him @albinoalbet on Twitter.
The Toughest Monsters You’ve Ever Fought
We recently played quite a bit of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, this month's IGN First. The game's world boasts a wide variety of monsters, so you'll have to stay on your toes.
Some aren't as difficult as others, though, and we started thinking about the most fearsome baddies we've faced in all of gaming. We were curious about which enemies had the worst reputations, so we took to Twitter to ask you: What's the toughest monster you've ever fought?
@IGN the loading screen for Bloodborne. I keep killing and it keeps coming back, as strong as ever.
— Brendan Graeber (@Ragga_Fragga) April 9, 2015Invisible Inc. Release Date & PS4 Details Revealed
Invisible Inc., the tactical, turn-based stealth game from the creators of Mark of the Ninja and Don't Starve, is headed to PlayStation 4.
The announcement trailer and a PlayStation blog post confirm the PlayStation 4 version as its exclusive console debut.
It's also headed to PC, Mac, and Linux on May 12th after spending over a year on Steam Early Access.
There's no conclusive word yet on PlayStation 4 release date, but the trailer does hint at either late this year or a few months into 2016.
Invisible Inc. tasks players with infiltrating bases with a team of skilled agents. Levels are generated randomly, characters are upgradable, and permadeath means every move counts.
Justice League: Gods & Monsters Trailer Debut
We have your first look at Justice League: Gods & Monsters, an all-new original animated feature film from renowned producer and animator Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros Animation and DC Entertainment.
The movie's voice cast roster which includes Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as Batman, Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, Despicable Me 2) as Superman, Tamara Taylor (Bones, Serenity) as Wonder Woman, Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter films) as Lex Luthor, Paget Brewster (Lana Lang in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 and 2) as Lois Lane, and C. Thomas Howell (E.T., The Amazing Spider-Man) as Dr. Will Magnus.