Monthly Archives: August 2015
Angry Birds 2 Hits 20 Million Downloads in First Week
Angry Birds 2 has flown to the top of the download charts on iOS and Android, hitting 20 million downloads in its first week of release.
According to Rovio's creative director Patrick Liu, it took nine months for the first Angry Birds game to reach as many players - something helped along by the fact that Angry Birds 2 eschews the original's paid app model in favour of free-to-play.
Rovio adds that over 1.4 billion hapless birds have been launched in Angry Birds 2 so far, with over 300 million levels cleared.
This first full Angry Birds sequel was announced last month. In IGN's review of Angry Birds 2, we said that the birds and pigs looked better than ever but found the gameplay "a pale shadow" of that found in the original. The series nevertheless remains popular, with even an Angry Birds movie on the way.
This Week in the Nintendo eShop
It's an update-filled week on the eShop as the two biggest things aren't even new games. Last week, a new Super Smash Bros. update came out that added new levels, costumes, and modes. This week, Splatoon was updated with a higher level cap, new weapons, and custom games. Aside from that, the biggest releases this week are the 3DS RPG Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold and the pair of Wii U Virtual Console games, Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Onimusha Tactics. The latter two games kick off a month in which Nintendo will release "hard-core" games on Virtual Console. Let's hope they release Contra: Hard Corps, because that game is rad.
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight ($39.99)
Warcraft 3-Inspired Mode Likely Hitting Heroes of the Storm
Blizzard has revealed it's keen to take the tools and characters it's developed in Heroes of the Storm to create a mode reminiscent of the game that started the MOBA phenomenon.
Speaking to IGN during Gamescom 2015, we asked game director Dustin Browder if he'd considered reverse-engineering Blizzard's MOBA, and instead taking it back so there was a Story Mode or some form of gameplay similar to RTS title Warcraft III. Judging by his reply, there's every reason to be optimistic.
"Yes," he said when asked if it had been discussed internally. "We've definitely thought about it. It's not being worked on today, but it is cool.
"We'd love to do it - we have the tools, we have the technology, we have a team that's very passionate about that type of content. I've certainly heard it mentioned around the office many, many times. No one's coding today, though. I don't want to overpromise and say it's imminent - it's not imminent. But it's something we definitely want to do."
Darth Vader Finds His Sherlock Holmes
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #8!
The newest issue of Marvel's Star Wars: Darth Vader comic has introduced another new player into Vader's world, an Imperial officer named Inspector Thanoth. If you thought Vader was the type to work alone, this comic is proving you wrong.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #8 Review
What makes Thanoth stand out is the fact that he's clearly modeled after Sherlock Holmes. Thanoth's first interaction with Vader involves the Inspector deducing Vader's recent travels simply by examining the residue of ionized dust on his armor. Plus, he sports a monocle, a cane and some truly 19th Century-worthy facial hair.
We’ve Seen New Footage from The X-Files Revival
During FOX's presentation today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, new footage was shown from the hotly-anticipated upcoming six-episode return of The X-Files - premiering January 2016.
Along with a montage of FOX show clips featuring a new glimpse of The Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), a scene was screened featuring stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson - along with new cast member Annet Mahendru (The Americans, The Following).
Here's a description of the scene, along with a transcription of the dialogue:
Mulder: "What are you doing here, Scully?
Scully: "Mulder, you hang up on me. I don't hear from you all day."
Sony Isn’t Gobbling Up Third-Party Exclusives, Says Spencer
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has spoken out to address Sony's current focus on securing third-party exclusives for PlayStation 4.
According to Spencer, the PlayStation manufacturer isn't locking down deals for games like Street Fighter V because of PS4's sales lead over Xbox One. Nope, these exclusive partnerships are being made simply because Sony is paying for them.
"So, they don't 'gobble' the deals up. They buy them," Spencer told GameSpot. "You know, I read the same things you do, and I know some people think it's somehow less expensive to sign third-party exclusives if you have a bigger market-share. I can tell you, it has nothing to do with market share.
Fallout 4 Won’t End When the Story Concludes
Fallout 4 won't have a level cap, Bethesda Game Studios has confirmed.
In a post on Twitter, the developer behind the massive post-apocalyptic role-playing game also revealed that the game won't end for players when the main story concludes.
To fans who’ve asked: Fallout 4 doesn’t end when the main story is and over and there is no level cap. You can keep playing and leveling.
— BethesdaGameStudios (@BethesdaStudios) August 6, 2015
Doctor Strange Aims to be ‘Marvel’s Fantasia’
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange will have a much different style and tone than the recent action-oriented Marvel films.
According to ScreenDaily, Doctor Strange cinematographer Ben Davis (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron) says the upcoming film has a “psychedelic grounding” and that it would be “Marvel’s Fantasia” because the direction is so different compared to the other films.
“Most of the work within it is about other dimensions,” Davis said.
“And I described it, I think, when I was talking to Marvel as Marvel’s Fantasia, in a way, because it’s so sort of out there and different to everything else that they’ve done.”
Lara Croft Go Strangely Feels Like Classic Tomb Raider
As I watched Lara Croft slitting throats and silently taking down henchman during Microsoft’s Gamescom conference, I couldn’t help but yearn for a simpler time. Rise of the Tomb Raider will have tombs, puzzling-solving, and exploration aplenty, but it’s also had to make several concessions to keep pace with modern action-adventure games. Lara Croft Go – like Hitman Go before it – returns to the origins of the series, works out what really makes the series tick, and repackages it in an elegant and beautiful experience.
Even though Go is a mobile experience, it definitely looks like an authentic entry in the Tomb Raider experience since it taps into exploration and puzzle-solving, the most distinctive qualities the series has to offer.
World of Warcraft: Legion Announced
Blizzard has revealed World of Warcraft: Legion, the sixth expansion for its long-running MMO.
A cinematic featuring Gul'dan was shown, where the Orc was shown setting up the events of the next expansion... and it seems Illidan the Betrayer is making a return.
The expansion will revolve around the invasion of the Burning Legion with other features including the new Broken Isles Continent, a level cap raise to 110, a new dungeons and raids, new Honor System, new Artifact Weapons like Ashbringer, Class Order Halls and a New Hero Class - Demon Hunter.
The Broken Isles is a forgotten land at the heart of Azeroth. This used to be a Night Elf civilisation, but was destroyed. This continent is a graveyard. It's here that you'll be facing the Legion at the Tomb of Sargeras. It's an active gateway to endless Legion worlds thank to Gul'dan. The demonic invasion underway is bigger than that experienced during the War of the Ancients.