Monthly Archives: March 2016
The Banner Saga 2 to Arrive Next Month
Stoic Studio has announced a sequel to its Norse tactical RPG, The Banner Saga. The Banner Saga 2 will release on PC and Mac on April 19, with PS4 and Xbox One versions to follow on an as-yet unannounced date.
Announced via a Steam Community page, the game will retail at $19.99 / £14.99, but pre-orders will net you a 10% discount.
The Banner Saga 2 was announced back in 2014, and picks up the story mere weeks after the end of the first game's dark tale. It takes up the same RPG-adventure-management template, as well as the beautiful hand-drawn art style, but aims to drop in more combat variety alongside new races and characters.
The Predator: Director Was ‘Reluctant’ to Take Over
The Predator co-writer and director Shane Black recently opened up about taking over the long-running franchise, saying he was "reluctant" when Fox approached him with the idea.
"They called me and I was reluctant," Black told Thrillest. "I said, 'Look. You guys at Fox, I mean, I enjoy these movies, but we've been churning out these AVP whatever, they each cost a certain amount of money, they're okay, but there's no effort to elevate them or make them any kind of an event.'"
Fox responded, saying it didn't want just another Predator movie, but for Black to "reinvent" the franchise. The company said it'd be willing to spend "a bunch of money" and treat the film with "as much of an event status, or as much hoopla," as Alien: Covenant.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Doc Savage
Doc Savage writer/director Shane Black has named Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as The Man of Bronze, adding he hopes to begin shooting the long-gestating film sometime next year.
"Doc Savage is sort of in the ether now," Black told Thrillist. "We're hoping to make it sometime next year. I would very much like to do Doc with a fellow named Dwayne Johnson if we can make that work. I made a decision that Dwayne is the guy. It's on the back burner while he's busy."
Johnson in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
New Overwatch Patch Adds Weekly Brawls
Overwatch recently received a massive content patch, adding a new map and new play mode to the game.
Blizzard's new escort map is called Route 66, and is inspired by the Main Street of America. The country's "travelers and road trippers" are gone, but the historic route remains "a testament to a simpler time." Among the abandoned gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes, the outlaws of the Deadlock Gang are "planning their biggest heist yet."
Weekly Brawls—inspired by the namesake Hearthstone feature—offer a "fun, alternative" way to play Overwatch. With it, Blizzard will rotate different custom games with unique and "sometimes crazy" rules.
For instance, one Weekly Brawl may select a random hero for players to use with each respawn, while another could restrict players to just support heroes. For Overwatch's beta period, Weekly Brawls will rotate once per day, though it will return to its weekly schedule "in the near future."
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: See Chris Pratt’s Set Tour
Ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's debut next year, Chris Pratt has provided a sneak peek at James Gunn's highly anticipated sequel in the form of a behind-the-scenes set tour for charity.
The backstage video tour comes courtesy of Omaze, who's teaming up with the Star-Lord actor to bring one lucky fan onto the set of Guardians 2 for an entire day. See it below.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens May 5, 2017 and will feature several newcomers, including Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki Chris Sullivan and Tommy Flanagan. Additionally, reports suggest the film may also include appearances by Sylvester Stallone and a returning Marvel character.
Disney, AMC May Boycott Georgia Over Anti-Gay Bill
Disney and Marvel aren't happy with the state of Georgia over the possible passage of a religious-liberty bill.
According to Vanity Fair, the companies see the bill — known as HB 757 — as anti-gay, since it allows faith-based organizations to avoid accepting consumers or employing people who violate their beliefs. In addition, religious officials could deny overseeing same-sex marriages.
As such, Disney and Marvel are threatening to not shoot any more films in Georgia, after filming Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War and their current production, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, in the state. Ant-Man alone reportedly spent over $100 million in the southern state.
March’s Best PSN Deals
Every week dozens of PS4, PS3 and Vita games go on sale in the PlayStation Store, and it's hard to keep up with all the best deals before they disappear. We've 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.
Grim Fandango Remastered
See the Images Cut From the New D&D Adventure
Curse of Strahd is a new, gothic horror-themed Dungeons & Dragons adventure, written in collaboration with the authors of Ravenloft, Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman.
While the adventure is available today, several images were cut from the final book, which you can only see here on IGN.
Check out the slideshow below for the extra Curse of Strahd art, provided by Wizards of the Coast.
Curse of Strahd is set in the land of Barovia, crawling with deadly creatures and ruled by the vampire Strahd von Zarovich, who lives in Castle Ravenloft. It is meant for characters level 1-10.
You can find more information on the official Dungeons & Dragons website.
7 Reasons Why Skyrim and Witcher Fans Should Be Excited for Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Warhorse Studios' upcoming open-world RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance is, in a word, impressive. Taking place during real historical events in 1403 Bohemia, players explore a whopping 16 square-kilometers of countryside as Henry, the son of a blacksmith tasked with rescuing his kidnapped king. During my time with the game, I was impressed by its realism as well as the developer’s dedication to making this a tried and true role-playing experience in the vein of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. Here are seven reasons to be excited for Kingdom Come Deliverance.
Unlocked: Halo 1 and Shadow Complex Dev Interviews
DOWNLOAD UNLOCKED 238 (Audio version)
On this week's Xbox show, Shadow Complex creator Donald Mustard sits in for a lengthy interview about his history on Xbox (Advent Rising, Undertow, Shadow Complex, the newly released Shadow Complex Remastered, and...maybe...Shadow Complex 2?)! And then we have Halo 1 designer Jaime Griesemer on to talk old Halo war stories with him. You won't want to miss either interview. We kick off with just Ryan and Mitch, as Ryan says goodbye to his longtime partner-in-crime. Don't miss this episode!
Oh, and Unlocked now has its own snazzy new homepage! Bookmark this: go.ign.com/unlocked