Monthly Archives: March 2016
ARK: Survival Evolved’s Poop Button Has a Dark Origin Story
ARK: Survival Evolved has gained notoriety for, among other things, the ability to make your character defecate on command - but it's been revealed that this seeming joke started as the logical design endpoint for how a player could kill themselves if they got stuck.
Speaking to Kotaku at GDC, Studio Wildcard co-founder, Susan Stieglitz explained that the game allowing players to become trapped or imprisoned necessitated a way for players to be able to respawn, but the developer didn't want to add a simple suicide button:
“If you’re trapped in a room,
Why We’ve Got into The Division as a Team
We've been running around Manhattan all week, clearing up an apocalypse, and giving chocolate bars and bottles of water to the needy in exchange for their clothes. It's been a weird week. We've also got in quite a bit of time in The Division.
But if you've not played yet, there's plenty more in this week's show, including Hitman, Dead Island 2, and Spidey's return and why one member of the podcast couldn't care less.
IGN UK Podcast #323: Why We've All Really Got into The Division
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The TV Show Obituary: Here’s What Got Cancelled
Welcome to the 2016 edition of the IGN TV Show Obituary, formerly known as the "Endangered Series" list. With all of the broadcast networks having announced their 2016-2017 lineups this past week (and thus making their final renewal and cancellation decisions) it's time to put another endangered list to bed...
Per usual, you'll find shows below that ended for very different reasons. A lucky few got to end "naturally," with pre-announced final seasons and true series finales. But for the unfortunate remainder, whether after one season or four, the show was more abruptly cancelled - some series with more closure than others when last we saw them.
Note that our focus here is specifically on broadcast network series that ran during the traditional TV season, so cable shows (which don't operate under the same September-May TV season cycle) or summer series are not included.
Colony: Season 2 Will Have Spaceships and Scarier, More Fanatical Resistance
Full spoilers for Colony: Season 1 continue below.
Will Bowman (Josh Holloway) got what he wanted -- a chance to rescue his son -- by the Season 1 finale of Colony, but his family was destroyed in the process. With his wife Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies) now a known Resistance collaborator and his son Bram (Alex Neustaedter) captured after illegally trying to leave the Los Angeles colony, this family isn't in a good place going into Season 2.
Showrunners Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal are already hard at work writing the second season of the USA sci-fi drama, and the duo got on the phone to talk about the events of the finale and the gameplan for what's coming up next in Season 2. While the Bowmans will remain front and center on the show, expect to see the world of Colony expand a lot more when it returns.
Vikings Star Discusses Kalf’s Big, Tragic Wedding Day
Warning: Full spoilers for the Vikings episode "Promised" follow...
This week's episode of Vikings ended with a a big wedding day betrayal. A knife in the gut of Kalf, the former Hereby usurper who now shared the Earldom with Lagertha. The man who now intended to marry her. And after she informed Kalf she was pregnant with his child, I'm sure he felt like all of his dreams and planning were about to come true.
But then it all came crashing down when Lagertha plunged a dagger into him on what was supposed to be a blessed happy day. In her big move to retake Hereby for herself.
I spoke to actor Ben Robson, who plays Kalf, about his big show exit. Also, about Kalf's true feelings for Lagertha, his decision to try and assassinate Bjorn, and what Kalf was thinking during his final few moments of breath.
Details Revealed for Guillermo del Toro’s Next Movie
Anxiously awaiting Guillermo del Toro's next film? New details reveal it's a supernatural movie set in 1963 Cold War-era America and centers on an "otherworldly love story."
Much of the untitled project is being kept under wraps, though it has been reported Octavia Spencer is in talks to join the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, del Toro will write, produce, and direct the film for Fox Searchlight, and it's already "deep into casting." The film is expected to shoot this summer.
In February, del Toro stepped down as director of Pacific Rim 2, though he continues to serve as producer. Daredevil: Season 1 showrunner Steven S. DeKnight took his place. We also learned this year del Toro is developing an adaptation to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Zack Snyder Reveals Batman v Superman R-Rated Cut’s Run Time
Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director's cut will be a half-hour longer than the theatrical release. This bumps the film's total run time to just over three hours.
The additional footage also shifts Batman v Superman's rating to R, which Zack Snyder said has nothing to do with Deadpool's success as a R-rated superhero movie.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, producer Deborah Snyder said the duo gets the comparison a lot, though fans seem to forget the film wasn't shot or edited last week. "Some of the additional material is some of the stuff we took out for the rating," Zack Snyder added. "When
Vikings Renewed for Season 5, Jonathan Rhys Myers Joins Cast
Vikings will return for its fifth season, History announced. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors, Roots) was also announced as the show's newest cast member.
Season 5 will return in 2017 with 20 episodes, looking to replicate the success of its first 20 episode run in Season 4. Vikings fourth season debuted on February 18. After 10 episodes the show will take a break, and return later in the year with the next 10.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Dracula
Miitomo Debuts at Number 2 in the App Store
Nintendo's first mobile app just debuted at number two on the Japanese iOS App Store.
A quick search for the software, which just launched in Japan, reveals it's currently only beat out by Puzzle & Dragons Radar.
Our own Miitomo preview explains the free social application has a lot in common with another Nintendo product: 3DS game Tomodachi Life. Though silly, Miitomo features a greater focus on communicating through Nintendo Miis than outright fun and games.
Unfortunately, the Japanese App Store is currently our only measure of success for Miitomo. The app hasn't launched in outside territories just yet, but is currently scheduled to exit Japan at the end of this month.
Destiny’s Spring Update Detailed
The wait is over—Destiny's next update is set to release on April 12. The April update will include new PVE challenges, updated gear, increased rewards, and a new quest featuring the Blighted Chalice Strike. Additionally, Bungie intends to update both Sandbox and Crucible.
Players who've purchased Destiny: The Taken King will receive the update for free. It's unclear what those without the expansion will pay.
More information will be released in the three weeks leading up to the date. On Wednesday, March 23 at 11 AM PST, Bungie will take to its Twitch channel to detail the new things to do in Destiny's April update. On Wednesday, March 30, the team will explore the new things to earn. And on Wednesday, April 6, Sandbox and Crucible updates will be explored.