Monthly Archives: August 2016
Is Pokemon Go Even Legal?
Pokemon Go has taken over the world, raking in tons of money for both The Pokemon Company and local businesses. But its location-based play has raised many questions about the safety and legality of a game that asks large groups to perform specific actions in public spaces.
What happens when a Gym is placed on top of someone’s front yard? When a lure is dropped in the center of a quiet neighborhood? When someone unwittingly injures themselves on private property? One lawsuit has already been filed against Niantic after a New Jersey man accused Pokemon Go of encouraging strangers to trespass outside his home — will more follow?
No Man’s Sky: Everything You Need to Know
No Man’s Sky has been shrouded in mystery from the beginning. With the much-anticipated survival adventure almost here — August 9 on PlayStation 4 and August 12 on PC — we thought it was the perfect time to look back on the history of this captivating interstellar exploration game, from its worldwide reveal announcement to its imminent release.
Below is a compilation of all the No Man's Sky news, IGN First coverage, trailers, and gameplay that has been released over the last three years, minus any of the leaked content sneaking online this week.
Here’s everything you need to know about No Man’s Sky.
Fly With Elliot in Pete’s Dragon 360 Video Experience
Now Pete isn't the only person who's going to experience flying on his pet dragon Elliot.
In anticipation of the upcoming release of Pete's Dragon, Walt Disney Studios partnered with WETA Digital, Nokia, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand to create a unique VR/360 video experience, which IGN is exclusively debuting. Pete's Dragon: Elliot's Flyover allows the viewer to experience what Pete felt when he soared through the sky on Elliot's back.
Check out the experience below:
WETA Digital created the experience by using live action footage, shot on location in New Zealand, and adding in CGI effects, including a fully customized version of Elliot. This 360 video evokes a similar scene early in the film that's teased in the trailers, in which Pete and Elliot fly through canyons and across rivers around the film's Pacific northwest setting.
Hot Rod to Appear in Transformers: The Last Knight
Transformers: The Last Knight has gained yet another Autobot, as director Michael Bay has confirmed Hot Rod will appear in his upcoming film.
Bay shared the news in a post on Twitter, providing a first look at the classic Autobot and saying, "Time to turn up the heat. Meet Hot Rod."
Hot Rod in Transformers: The Last Knight, via Michael Bay's Twitter
Xbox-Exclusive Action-Platformer, Unit 4 Announced
Brand new studio, Gamera Interactive has announced its debut project - a 16-bit style action-platformer called Unit 4 - exclusively for Xbox One.
Including both single-player and 4-player local co-operative campaign modes, the game sees members of the titular Unit (each with unique abilities) attempting to chase down the alien force that's stolen sacred artifacts from their world.
Here's a suitably bleep-bloopy reveal trailer:
The game's seemingly aiming for a distinctly old-school vibe, featuring ability-specific logic puzzles and inflicting one-hit kills on players from any source of damage - but matches that with space exploration and minigame elements to go along with the core platforming.
How Much Does Suicide Squad Need to Make to Succeed?
To say there's a lot riding on Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and the DC Extended Universe is an overwhelming understatement.
According to an industry insider cited by The Hollywood Reporter, Suicide Squad has "got to do $750 million, $800 million to break even. If they get anywhere close to that, they'll consider it a win."
The David Ayer-directed film reportedly cost $175 million to produce (including roughly $10 million on reshoots) and over $100 million more to market. It's currently tracking to open this weekend between $125 million and $140 million, the latter of which would make it an even bigger North American debut than Deadpool ($132.4 million).
Peter Capaldi Likely to Continue on in Doctor Who
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat is handing in his writer's badge after the popular BBC show's next season, but he doesn't think actor Peter Capaldi will leave with him.
"I have no reason to suppose that I'm writing out a Doctor," Moffat told Doctor Who Magazine, according to Entertainment Weekly. "Peter is loving the role, and long may he do so." Some had speculated that Capaldi would exit with Moffat, so that a new Doctor could regenerate alongside incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall.
The Wrong Characters Keep Appearing in Overwatch’s One-Character Mode
Overwatch dropped Lucioball - a Rocket League-indebted new game mode - as part of its Summer Games seasonal event on Tuesday. Because this is the internet, people have already worked out how to use characters other than Lucio in Lucioball.
Numerous videos have popped up since release, showing practically every other character in the game taking part in the new sport, most of whom go onto break the rules by straight up murdering their opponents. Lucio might have had his offensive moves turned off for the mode, but that doesn't mean damage can't be done.
Full No Man’s Sky Soundtrack Now Streaming
The first part of 65daysofstatic's soundtrack album of music from and inspired by No Man's Sky, Music for an Infinite Universe is available to stream now.
The ten tracks available to stream are more traditional 65DOS tracks, inspired by writing for the game. Missing from the stream are the album's six soundscapes, drawn directly from the procedural soundtrack the game creates as you play.
Here's the stream, released alongside The Independent:
Comic Book Reviews for August 3, 2016
With a new superhero movie hitting theaters, this week's comic book lineup was all about Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad. DC relaunched both Harley's solo series and the main Suicide Squad book to solid results, though their real winners this week were Superman #4 and Sheriff of Babylon #9. Over at Marvel, Invincible Iron Man began tying into Civil War II and Doctor Strange wrapped up the "Last Days of Magic" storyline. Elsewhere, writer Chip Zdarsky said farewell to Jughead and The Walking Dead kicked off a major new story arc called "The Whisperer War."
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.