Monthly Archives: May 2015
League of Legends Testing Out Autobanning System
Riot Games launched the test phase of its new "instant feedback system" for League of Legends today in North America.
The system offers a way for League of Legends to automatically punish reported players after processing complaints sent by teammates or opponents.
It works like this: after a player is reported, the system undergoes a validation process to make sure the case is legitimate. Once it decides that it is, the system determines what kind of punishment is necessary for the offense.
Then, it emails that player a "reform card," which informs the player of their punishment and provides the chat logs evidencing the negative behavior in question. This is all meant to happen within a 15 minute window at the end of a game.
Why Is Need for Speed Being Rebooted?
EA has announced the new Need for Speed will be a “full reboot”. IGN recently spoke with Executive Producer Marcus Nilsson, who explained in greater detail why this decision was made.
"It's been going from studio to studio, and creatives were creative, but there wasn’t really a strategic way of thinking of what the brand is and what it stands for," he tells me. “For sure, it’s been delivering great experiences, but not experiences that can build on top of each other to become better and better necessarily.
“If you look at the last few games – Hot Pursuit, The Run, Shift, Rivals, Most Wanted – and you asked people, ‘What does Need for Speed stand for?’, you'd get a million different answers.
Preview Wolverine’s Return to Marvel
Wolverine has been dead since last year's Death of Wolverine story (duh), but with Secret Wars destroying the Marvel Universe and creating a new patchwork world made up of alternate realities called Battleworld, it opens the door for just about any character to make a return.
That's the premise for the new Old Man Logan series by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Andrea Sorrentino. It sees the grizzled, gray-haired Wolverine from the acclaimed Mark Millar/Steve McNiven story take on all manner of villains in Battleworld's Wastelands territory. It's not the original, 616 Wolverine, but we're guessing that won't stop him doing all the cool stuff Wolverine always does. Namely, hurting people who deserve it.
Opinion: The Witcher 3’s Card Game is Better Than Hearthstone
I have a bold statement to make:
Gwent is a better card game than Hearthstone.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking: What the hell is a Gwent, and are you nuts?
Let’s answer the first question first. Gwent is the collectible card game played throughout the northern realms in The Witcher 3. While Geralt is running about slaying monsters and searching for his long lost adopted daughter, he’s also playing everyone he can in the Nilfgardian equivalent of Magic the Gathering, spending as much money (or more) on beefing up his deck as he does on food and drink. Who knew Geralt was a card flopper?
Battlefield: Hardline Criminal Activity DLC Detailed
"There’s been a recent uptick in reports in the local precincts – a rash of violent crime that is seemingly connected somehow..."
So begins the recent posting on Battlefield.com regarding the upcoming Battlefield: Hardline Criminal Activity DLC pack. The page gives us details on the new maps, weapon offerings, and even a storyline to tie it all together.
Apparently "small crews of well-trained, aggressive criminals have been using force of arms to terrorize the citizenry," the posting reads. There's evidence of a "secret crime ring that could be behind all of this activity." As you might guess, police have been given orders to put a stop to the mayhem.
Rumor: Krang’s Part of Ninja Turtles 2
A source close to production claims Krang will make his live-action on-screen debut in Ninja Turtles 2.
Before we go any further, possible spoilers ahead.
The source, who spoke to CinemaBlend, says the crew recently filmed a scene that depicted a number of extras, along with Krang, arriving on Earth through a portal of some type.
Krang first made his debut in the Turtles cartoon in 1987. His comic debut happened one year later in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book. Krang is to the Turtles what General Zod is to Superman; originally, Krang was a war criminal banished to Dimension X. Prior to his incarceration, Krang’s punishment was that his brain was stripped of its body, leaving him as nothing more than an over-sized organ of soft nervous tissue with two tentacles.
Razer Firefly is a Light-Up Mousepad
Razer unveiled a new mousepad today called the Razer Firefly, a solid mat featuring Razer's Chroma lighting options. It's priced at $60 / €75 and can be pre-ordered from the Razer store now. Shipping begins on June 2nd.
The Firefly is fitted with LED lights along its left, right, and bottom borders and can be customized with different color combinations and effects via Razer's Synapse configurator.
Some visual effects include a static base color, wave motion, spectrum cycling, a steady fade-in and fade-out, and reactive lighting that triggers when you click with your mouse. The last one only works with a Razer gaming mouse.
Here’s What’s Leaving Netflix in June 2015
Last call for June on Netflix. Here are all the movies and TV shows that are getting dropped from the streaming giant next month. You've got everything from classics like Taxi Driver and Amadeus, to Schwarzenegger flicks like Last Action Hero and Collateral Damage, to horror fare like The Silence of the Lambs and Bram Stoker's Dracula, to the really fun comic book movies Tank Girl and The Rocketeer.
"The Rock-a-who?"
This Week in the Nintendo eShop
While we wait for Puzzle & Dragons to come to 3DS tomorrow, the Wii U should keep us all busy. The biggest title of the week is Swords & Soldiers II, the sequel to the interesting side-scrolling real-time strategy. The Wii U eShop is chockful of other titles, too. Also, Mega May continues on the Wii U with Mega Man Zero 2, a GBA game that might be similar to the original, but the original was fun so that's mostly okay.
Swords & Soldiers II ($19.99)
This Wii U exclusive sequel brings back the innovative side-scrolling real-time strategy design from the first. You can play as Vikings, Persians, or Demons in this mission-based adventure that also includes a one-on-one local multiplayer mode that features TV-vs.-GamePad action. It has a really playful sense of humor and gets rather challenging. As someone who has played a bunch of the final version, Swords & Soldiers II is very special.
Telltale’s Game of Thrones Episode 4 Gets a Release Date
Telltale has revealed when you'll be able to play the next instalment in its Game of Thrones series.
Episode 4: "Sons of Winter" will be available on PS4, PS3, PC and Mac from Tuesday, May 26. Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners get the installment a day later on Wednesday, May 27, while it arrives on iOS and Android devices on May 28.
A new trailer for the next episode has been released, which you can see below. Episode 4 will see players venturing beyond the Wall, into King's Landing and across the sea into the slave city of Meereen.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.