Monthly Archives: December 2015
Kojima Interested In Games, Anime, Film With del Toro
Hideo Kojima is still interested in working with Guillermo del Toro, his partner on the canceled Silent Hills project, but the duo could end up working on something other than a video game at the newly formed Kojima Productions.
"I have no idea what I’ll be working on with him, if it’ll be a game, a movie, anime, but someday I definitely want to create something with him," Kojima told IGN.
The Metal Gear Solid creator made no guarantees that del Toro would be involved in any future Kojima Productions projects, but emphasized that the two still discuss working together "every now and then."
Why Kojima Productions Partnered With PlayStation
Kojima Productions has partnered with Sony for its first video game project, and studio founder Hideo Kojima explains that it’s because of his great relationship with the publisher, which has developed over the course of more than a decade.
"I feel like this is an environment where I will be able to make something and feel comfortable," Kojima said, "and I believe that’s the environment I need right now."
Following his departure from Konami, Kojima received "a lot of offers from overseas companies," but ultimately chose to work with the company he admits he owes his global success to.
Kojima ‘Definitely Interested’ in VR
Hideo Kojima “can’t make an assurance right now” about working on a virtual reality game at Kojima Productions, but told IGN it’s absolutely in his interest.
“One day I’d like to make something using this technology, I’m not sure yet,” Kojima said. “But I do believe it has a future.”
The size of the technology as it exists now is a concern for the Kojima Productions founder.
“I’m not sure if it’ll be current format, the big goggles, maybe it’ll change to AR or something,” he said. “But when this technology enters the living room, games and movies will change significantly for a lot of people. And I’d like to take part in that.”
New Just Cause 3 Patch to Improve Load Times
Just Cause 3 patch 1.02 is rolling out this week for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and aims to "significantly" reduce load times.
Developer Avalanche Studios noted in its blog post about the patch that it's reading through reviews and comments to help "prioritize" fixes. It added that the patch is part of "a much larger plan" to improve some of Just Cause 3's issues.
Besides improved load times in the 1.02 patch, you can expect optimization to online stats, a few stability tweaks, and a fix to a screen resizing issue on PC.
The developer also addressed some fan and reviewer feedback about the game's lack of sprint and crouch buttons. "Rico doesn’t hide," said Avalanche in the post. "Getting him up in the air is our version of the cover mechanic." As far as the lack of sprint goes, Avalanche noted that the intent was for players to use Rico’s grapple instead.
The Origins of Star Wars Names Explored
As the first new episode of Star Wars in years prepares to hit theaters, one resource is looking into the origins of the names that have become pop culture mythology.
The language site Babbel examined the likely origins of several names from the Star Wars universe, including the possible inspirations from foreign languages and the media that may have influenced George Lucas when writing the original script for A New Hope.
For example, Han Solo may be known for his preference for solitude, but the site posits that the name was also likely a reference to the character Napoleon Solo, from the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Princess Leia Organa bears a resemblance to Princess Dejah Thoris from John Carter of Mars, the series of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels from the 1930s. R2-D2 has a much more definite origin, having been inspired by a technical term Lucas overheard from a sound engineer while he was writing the script.
Apple, Samsung Dominate Google Trending Tech Chart
The Google Trends top 10 trending items list for 2015 in consumer tech shows Apple and Samsung are on the hearts and minds of consumers more than any other brands.
In fact, the two companies make up a clear majority, with nearly two-thirds of the tech-trending search terms being for either a Samsung or Apple device.
At the very top of the list is the iPhone 6S, meaning it topped user searches in Google over the course of 2015. Nipping at its heels is the Samsung Galaxy S6, followed by the Apple Watch, and the recently-announced iPad Pro.
Game of Thrones Announces New ‘Seven Kingdoms’ Beer
In anticipation of Game of Thrones: Season 6's debut this coming April, Brewery Ommegang has announced a new beer inspired by HBO's hit fantasy series.
It's called Seven Kingdoms Hoppy Wheat Ale, which Ommegang describes as "a marriage of a traditional Belgian-style wheat and a hop-forward American ale – but unlike so many of the marriages on the show, the resulting hoppy wheat is pleasant, playful and inspired."
The new Seven Kingdoms brew will be available in March.
Ford to Test Self-Driving Cars in California Next Year
Expect to see more cars, but fewer drivers on the roads of California next year, as Ford has announced plans to bring their self-driving Ford Fusions to the state in 2016.
The automaker recently acquired its autonomous vehicle driver's permit and became a member of California's Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program, which permits the testing of such vehicles. Ford joins several other companies that are already part of the program, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Tesla and Google, which joined the program last year.
Terminator 2 3D Rerelease in the Works
A remastered 3D rerelease of Terminator 2: Judgment Day is currently in the works and will open in theaters across the globe in 2016.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron is partnering with both DMG Entertainment and Studiocanal "to supervise and produce" the film's conversion to 3D using StereoD's technology.
"Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Terminator 2 and that seemed like the perfect time to bring it back but this time in an all-new 3D version," Cameron said. "If you’ve never seen it, this’ll be the version you want to see and remember."
While the film will be released worldwide, it's being primarily targeted at China. Terminator 2 never had a theatrical release in the region and there's a huge following for the franchise. As such, DMG's China division will be working with China Film Group to bring the movie to Chinese theaters.
10 Biggest Comic Book News Stories of the Year
Comic books had a big year in 2015, filled with new powers, mass destruction, and shocking reveals. With the year coming to a close, we tallied up the 10 biggest comic book news stories according to you, the IGN community.
Here’s what grabbed people’s attention the most in 2015.
Warning: this article contains tons of spoilers for this year’s comics! Seriously, watch out!
10. New Thor’s Identity Revealed to be Jane Foster
