Monthly Archives: June 2016
Wilson’s Heart Is Like a Hitchcock Movie You Star In
With an Oculus Rift atop my head and an Oculus Touch controller in each hand, Wilson’s Heart suddenly put me inside a 1950s Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller. My virtual hands-on test drive of the macabre, black-and-white first-person spookfest began with each of my hands shackled to a rigging. I reached down and undid the bolts on each hand and then I was free to explore this mid-20th-century mental institution and wonder, “Where the hell did my heart go, and what on earth have the madmen here replaced it with?”
You navigate the hospital using an increasingly popular VR movement method: you look around, and when you see a silhouette of yourself appear, you press one of the Touch’s face buttons to teleport there. It’s an effective method of navigating the space in the absence of the Vive’s room-aware sensors, even if it requires a firm suspension of disbelief. I moved from hallway to room and back, stopping at one point in front of a mirror. Cleverly, you can crane your neck, lower your chin, and otherwise mug in front of the mirror, and Robert Wilson changes his facial expression according to the angle of your gaze. It’s a clever, immersive touch.
Justice League: Everything Zack Snyder Told Us on Set
I visited the Leavesden set of Justice League on June 17, during which time the invited press interviewed Batman star Ben Affleck, saw Batman's new vehicles and costume, found out who Willem Dafoe is playing, learned Justice League is not a two-part film after all, and even saw some scenes from the DC movie.
Mass Effect Novel Series Connects Original Trilogy to Andromeda
A new series of Mass Effect novels published by Titan Books will serve as a link between the original Mass Effect trilogy and the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The canonical novels will function as prequel and sequels to the in-game events, "and will become part of the overarching Mass Effect saga," Titan Books wrote in its Fiction Rights Guide. Each book will focus on key characters, "answering the many questions fans have been asking."
Mass Effect: Andromeda Initiation cover, via Titan Books
Tons of Stuff on Justice League and Star Wars: Rogue One
Download Keepin' it Reel, Episode 331!
Welcome back to Keepin' It Reel, the IGN show where Jim Vejvoda and Terri Schwartz bring you the latest genre movie news.
This week, we discuss Jim's recent visit to the set of Justice League and all that he learned there, this week's big reveals about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and more. We also discuss the box office prospects of Finding Dory and Independence Day: Resurgence.
Humor & Tragedy Smash Together in Black Hammer
Every so often, you read a comic that grabs hold of you and won't let go. Its world is fascinating, its characters are captivating and its art is mesmerizing. You just can't get enough of it. There are mysteries that dig their hooks into your brain and tug you along, leaving you thinking about them hours after you put the book down.
Black Hammer, by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston, is that kind of comic. I was actually sent the first three issues in preparation for this interview, but I told myself I would just read the first so I wouldn't ask questions about something that readers wouldn't be seeing for months. I wound up blazing through all three issues and got a little depressed when I reached the end and there was no more. I simply couldn't stand not knowing what happens next. I always marveled at Lemire's Sweet Tooth for being so gripping and readable, and now he's captured that magic again.
Nintendo Voice Chat: Talking About Zelda Wii U, NX with Bill Trinen
Download Nintendo Voice Chat Here
The cast of your favorite IGN Nintendo podcast has a special guest this week.
In this special episode of Hyrule Times Vol. 2 (you can watch/listen to the first volume of HT here), Nintendo's senior marketing manager Bill Trinen joins host Jose Otero, Brian Altano, and Peer Schneider to share their adventures in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Trinen tells us a bunch of fun stories from his time with the new open world Zelda game, and he also shares his fond memories from Zelda: Majora's Mask, Link's Awakening, and more.
Feast Your Eyes on This Awesome Breath of the Wild Link Figure
If you want to recreate scenes from the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in the wilds of your suburban enclave, Medicom is releasing an amazing Link figure to help you achieve your miniature Nintendo dreams.
The highly detailed figure comes equipped with a sword, shield, bow and a quiver of arrows. And from the photo via GANKING on Twitter, it looks like Link will come with an actual cloth tunic.
Image source: @GANKING
Top 10 Best Disaster Movies Ever Made
From hurricanes to shipwrecks to molten lava to alien invasions, the disaster movie pits us humans at our best (or worst), and gives a select group of almost always beautiful-looking people the chance to make it out alive. These are the 10 greatest disaster movies ever made:
Along with flying cows, one of the more interesting twists in the storm-chasing thriller Twister is its leading couple. In movies like Outbreak, Independence Day and 2012, it’s the stagnating husband who has to win back his jet-setting ex. Not so in Twister, where Bill Paxton is the collared shirt wearing sellout, while soon-to-be ex-wife Helen Hunt has to lure him back to the passion project that united them.
The 5 Best Anime from Spring 2016
Of all the completed anime from the spring 2016 season, these five stood out for their excellence in telling stories of pain, friendship, and a little bit of espionage.
Though we love ongoing shows like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable and Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, they are not eligible for this list. To qualify for this list, the anime must have completed its season.
Production I.G.’s brilliant World War 2 spy thriller continuously challenged us to keep up with the clever exploits of Japan’s clandestine D-Agency as it sent its best covert operatives around the world to one up the governments of Germany, America, Britain...and Japan. We were glued to our seats as we watched each mission unfold in unexpected ways, turning and twisting in different directions until it all came together like a Rubix Cube. Joker Game is as beautiful as it is smart, with great art direction and lots of attractive locals. This mix of brains and beauty — combined with its historical backdrop, makes Joker Game one of the best anime of the season.
6 Cool Things We Learned About Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Last week at E3 2016, Nintendo finally gave the world a deeper look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While we learned a lot over the course of the show, IGN had a chance to interview some key people involved in making the new Zelda game that's coming to Wii U and NX in 2017. We spoke to series producer Eiji Aonuma, executive producer Shigeru Miyamoto, and senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen (in separate interviews) to see what else we could learn about Nintendo’s new open world game.