Monthly Archives: March 2016
What to Expect in Grimm’s Big 100th Episode
Grimm is going "Into the Schwarzwald" -- aka the Black Forest -- for its 100th episode, and it's finally going to reveal what the mysterious keys are all about.
The NBC fantasy series first introduced the Grimm keys in its pilot episode, and has spent five seasons and 99 episodes slowly unfolding that mystery. When Grimm turns 100 on Friday, March 11, it's going to reveal what the keys unlock -- though, inevitably, that will just lead to more questions.
IGN was invited to celebrate Grimm's 100th episode when it was in production, and we asked the cast to tease what fans can expect and share what the big keys reveal meant to them. Here's what each of them had to say. (Some light spoilers continue below.)
Star Wars Ep. VIII Image Offers a Glimpse of the Set
Star Wars: Episode VIII writer-director Rian Johnson has offered up a tease with a behind-the-scenes shot from the film's production.
The images is of cinematographer Steve Yedlin on set (next to what looks like part of the Millennium Falcon), accompanied by the caption, "Hard to believe we’re wrapping up week four already, it’s just flying by."
Set of Star Wars: Episode VIII. Image credit: Rian Johnson
Dying Light Gets Rocket League DLC and Vice-versa
Dying Light is getting Rocket League DLC, and Rocket League is getting Dying Light DLC.
As of today, fans of the open-world zombie game will be able to download a unique Rocket League paint job for their dirt buggies. Simply head on over to the Dying Light Dockets page and enter the code ‘LightMyRocket’ to receive the skin.
As for fans of the over-the-top driving football game, you’ll be able to download Dying Light-inspired “stuff” also as of today. What that ‘stuff’ is remains a mystery. We’ve asked for clarification and will update when we hear back.
In our review of Dying Light’s hefty DLC The Following, we said “A great car and a surprising story carry Dying Light: The Following to a new level of zombie slaughter.”
Watch the Chuckle Brothers Play Real-Life Hitman
In celebration of the release of Hitman, English children's entertainers, the Chuckle Brothers have been playing a real-life version of the game created by the studio behind the Chatroulette FPS, Realm Pictures. In related news, no one knows what's real life anymore.
If you're not from the UK, and of a certain age, you'd be forgiven for not knowing who the Chuckle brothers are. To explain, these two mustachioed, Northern gentlemen were part of the childhoods of millions of British kids, so watching Paul Chuckle telling Agent 47 to say his catchphrase "to me, to you" while garroting a workman is a bit like Barney the Dinosaur beating a Russian mobster to death while singing "I Love You, You Love Me". Astonishing stuff.
GoT Cast Reflect on S5’s Most Shocking Moments
WARNING: BIG SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 AHEAD...
Young Sansa Stark raped by psychopath Ramsey Bolton on their wedding night. Even younger Princess Shireen Baratheon sacrificially burnt alive by her father in thrall to a witch. Major – and one of the few genuinely decent – character Jon Snow’s shocking murder, betrayed by his own Night’s Watch, his young ward delivering the final knife to the heart.
So, business as usual for Game of Thrones, Season 5.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s epic novels, HBO’s fantasy blockbuster already had a fearsome reputation for ruthlessness, offing ostensible lead Sean Bean in Season 1, and regularly culling its large ensemble without warning or sentiment. Season 3’s infamous ‘Red Wedding’ ambush of three main characters (beheading, throat slitting, a pregnant woman stabbed in her belly) is still arguably GOT’s most shocking incident, but you can’t accuse Season 5 of slacking off. To those highlights (lowlights?) above, add Dragon Barbecue, Zombie Massacre and yet another young princess (Myrcella) assassinated, revenge-poisoned moments after finally openly expressing love for the father who’s the brother of her mother. Yep, that old chestnut.
Elite: Dangerous Will Be an Oculus Rift Launch Game
Elite: Dangerous will be coming to Oculus Rift on March 28, the day the headset is released.
Existing Elite: Dangerous and Horizons season pass owners will be getting the Oculus version for free. If you've pre-ordered a headset, the Oculus Rift is coming on March 28 for $600.
"Frontier was one of the earliest Kickstarter backers and developed Elite Dangerous with VR in mind," said Oculus in the announcement on its website.
Batman: The Killing Joke Doesn’t Need a Retcon
The current volume of Batgirl has never been a stranger to controversy, especially where its ties to the classic graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke are concerned. The latest kerfuffle came last week as Batgirl #49 opened the door for DC to essentially throw The Killing Joke out of continuity altogether. But while the creative team's intentions were noble, it would be a mistake for DC to pretend that The Killing Joke never happened or attempt to downplay its impact on the Batman franchise. This is one story that doesn't need to be retconned.
Affleck’s Batman Is Grieving for Robin
Ben Affleck has discussed how the death of Robin in the DC Cinematic Universe has affected the version of the caped crusader he plays in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck said:
"He’s bitterly disappointed in the past that he’s lost this guy who fought by his side. That character’s death must have been devastating to him, and he’s suffered. We get the sense that he’s suffered a lot of devastating losses before this movie even starts."
We already knew about Robin's death - and had seen clues as to the effect of that loss in the film's Comic-Con trailer, where Robin's seemingly Joker-ravaged suit was mounted in the Batcave - but Affleck's provided the clearest insight yet into the kind of Batman we'll be seeing come the film's release on March 25 (March 24 in Australia) - namely, a sad one.
Sony to Hold a Recruitment Event for Lionhead Studios Staff
On Monday, Sony will be hosting a recruitment event in Guildford, England, and it has invited everyone at Lionhead Studios to come along.
Lionhead Studios is owned by Microsoft, but it seems likely that Microsoft will be shutting the studio down, joining Press Play Studios in Denmark.
Lionhead Studios was co-founded and formerly led by Peter Molyneux. It is well known for creating the Fable series, however Microsoft also announced on Monday that work on the upcoming Fable Legends has now ceased.
Sony reached out to the employees of Lionhead via the @PlayStationJobs Twitter account, saying that there will be people from all of its European game studios at the event available to chat.
Dark Souls 3 Will Run at 60 FPS on PC
After recent rumours that Dark Souls 3 will be locked at 30 frames per second on PC, the game's official Twitter account has categorically stated that the non-console version will run at a full 60 FPS. Of course, it illustrated this with a silky smooth 'Praise the Sun' gif.
Forget what you've heard. #DarkSouls3 will run at 60 FPS on PC! https://t.co/h8O21GTxR8
— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) March 10, 2016
The Dark Souls series has a shaky reputation when it comes to PC versions, with the Dark Souls 2 director even calling the original game's PC port "half-assed" - before his own game memorably included a glitch where those playing with double the frames were losing double the weapon durability with each strike.