Monthly Archives: June 2016
Minecraft 1.10 Update Adds New Blocks, Fossils, Polar Bears
Mojang has released its latest major update for Minecraft, version 1.10, also known as Frostburn.
Frostburn primarily makes changes to the the hottest and coldest areas of the game, adding polar bears and a new Skeleton variant, Strays to frozen biomes while fossils and a stronger Zombie type, Husks will pop up in deserts.
There's also a new technical block for Creative mode admins which allows for templates of structures to be placed with the help of "Redstone trickery".
Here's Mojang's list of changes (although you can see a far more detailed version on the Minecraft Wiki):
- Many bug fixes
Blizzard CEO Meets With World of Warcraft Nostalrius Server Developers
Blizzard recently invited the core development team of the fan-made World of Warcraft legacy server Nostalrius to its campus in Irvine, California.
The legacy server ran a "vanilla" version of World of Warcraft that that's since been lost to years of patches and expansions. Blizzard shut down Nostalrius earlier this year for breach of its terms of service, but a petition for Blizzard to introduce legacy servers gained over a quarter of a million signatures.
At the meeting, which was attended by Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime along with multiple other World of Warcraft executives, the subject was discussed for five hours, despite the meeting being only scheduled to last for two.
Skylar & Plux Gets Release Window, New Gameplay Trailer
Developer Grip Digital announced its upcoming 3D platformer Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island is coming to PS4, PC, and Xbox One January 2017.
In addition to the release window reveal, Grip Digital also released a new gameplay trailer showing off Oasis, a never-before-seen area in the game, as well as a new "time manipulating gadget."
The new gadget slows time and allows players to create "time-bubbles to change the environment around them."
Skylar & Plux was first introduced at the 2016 Game Developer Conference. After playing it during GDC, we said the game does a fine job of scratching that old school 3D platforming itch seen in games like Banjo Kazooie or the original Ratchet & Clank. The bright, colorful, and varied levels shown off "felt wonderful," and showed off the games crisp, responsive controls.
Harmonix’s Next VR Music Game Detailed
Harmonix has further detailed its upcoming virtual reality game, Harmonix Music VR.
The music game will launch with four game modes, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. The Beach allows players to visit "a relaxing, surreal landscape" with hidden secrets, while The Easel lets players create 3D art that reacts to music.
The third mode, titled The Dance, will let players choreograph dance routines for zany looking characters to start a party before "wreaking havoc" in Giant Mode.
Finally, the fourth mode is called The Trip and allows players to cue up their favorite song and surround themselves in bizarre environments, according to Polygon.
Person of Interest Creators on the Show’s Passionate Fans
With Person of Interest heading into its final two episodes, including the finale on June 21st, IGN has an exclusive preview clip from the upcoming Season 5 Blu-ray and DVD release, as the show's creators and a key cast member look back on the series.
"Finale for the Fans", which will also be available to those with a digital season pass to Season 5, is a round table discussion between creator/executive producer Jonathan Nolan, executive producer Greg Plageman, executive producer Denise Thé and Michael Emerson ("Harold Finch"), in which the POI team discuss the series, how it evolved and how they came to decide how it would end.
I had the pleasure of moderating this conversation, and in the clip below, the POI EPs talk about the show's fanbase and what it was like shooting in New York.
Director Bringing Mystery Back to Predator Franchise
Fresh from co-writing and directing The Nice Guys – which is in cinemas right now – Shane Black is plunging head-first into Predator territory.
The Predator is set to shoot later this year for a 2018 release date, so when Black stopped by the IGN office, we asked how the project was progressing, where it sits in the Predator time-line, and whether or not there will a role for the man who will soon be collaborating with Black on Doc Savage…
IGN: Where are you at with The Predator?
Shane Black: The train is rolling I should say. I think it's pretty clear now that this is the next thing I'm gonna do, is work on that. We're having a lot of fun. The idea is to take what has been a series of kind of modest knock-off type movies which all made a guaranteed return. Not bad movies but certainly not on the level of what Ridley
Stranger Things: Poster and Trailer for Netflix’s Spooky New Series
Netflix’s impressive, ever-growing run of original series continues on Friday, July 15th, with the debut of Stranger Things.
Stranger Things takes a nostalgic voyage back in time to 1983, “where technology was just starting to connect people, kids stopped riding their bikes to school, people were going to space, and government conspiracies loomed.”
Described as a paranormal thriller, Stranger Things marks Winona Ryder’s first starring role for a television series, and IGN has the exclusive debut of the key art for the series.
Warcraft Has Bigger Opening Than The Force Awakens in China
Estimates suggest the Warcraft movie has made $45.7 million on its opening day in China.
According to Forbes, this is a near record breaking number, and has beaten out the likes of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
It did not manage to top the record $63 million made by Furious 7 on its opening day - although it did top it in earnings from midnight screenings along, garnering $8.4m to F7's $8.1m.
Warcraft is not projected to perform well at the US box office when it opens tomorrow. It was predicted Warcraft would perform better internationally, and it needs to in order to make up its $160 million budget.
Comic Book Reviews for June 8, 2016
As June continued, we got another week dominated by DC Rebirth and Civil War II. DC launched another wave of new series that included Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman, while Marvel debuted Civil War II: Amazing Spider-Man and Civil War II: Gods of War. Elsewhere, Legendary Comics released a graphic novel prequel to the Warcraft movie and Boom Studios kicked off the eagerly anticipated Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy crossover.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
DC COMICS
The Goonies, Sonic, E.T. & More Coming to LEGO Dimensions
16 new entertainment properties are coming to LEGO Dimensions in its next expansion, including The Goonies, E.T., Sonic the Hedgehog, Gremlins and Beetlejuice.
The Ghostbusters Story Pack, Adventure Time and Mission: Impossible Level Packs, Harry Potter and Adventure Time Team Packs, and The A-Team Fun Pack will be available from September 27, 2016, while additional packs based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The LEGO Batman Movie, The Goonies, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teen Titans Go!, LEGO City Undercover, Knight Rider, The Powerpuff Girls, Gremlins, Beetlejuice and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial will be released "in product waves stretching into summer of next year."
All the new packs will work with the existing LEGO Dimensions toy pad.