Monthly Archives: October 2016
Sparcade: Win Real Money Playing Pac-Man, Tetris, and More
Sparcade attempts to bring a clever twist to standard mobile gaming. Its included versions of Pac-Man, Tetris, Wheel of Fortune, Scrabble, and Solitaire are hardly original, but what separates their Sparcade versions from a million other mobile games is that Sparcade is built as an Xbox Live Arcade-like platform from which you can bet real-world money against other players.
You create a profile in Sparcade and, when you play, you have the option to wager in-app tokens (earned for simply playing the games) or actual money. The amounts range from $1 on up. Players – matched anonymously by a behind-the-scenes algorithm that attempts to pair up equally skilled users – then play the same exact round of each game asynchronously. For instance, the same puzzles in Wheel of Fortune, the same blocks in the same order in Tetris, etc. On a $1 bet, the winner takes the $2, minus a small cut for Sparcade.
Clash of Clans Figures Look Like They Walked out of the Game
Kotobukiya’s forthcoming Clash of Clans statues have been revealed.
We’ve known about the partnership between Kotobukiya and developer Supercell since July of 2015. Now, at this year’s Comic-con, Kotobukiya is finally showing off the new series in all its glory.
Kotobukiya is perhaps best-known for its line of statues, which spans Star Wars, Street Fighter, YU-GI-OH!, Marvel, and DC to name a few. They also make light-up Star Wars chopsticks(!).
IGN’s been busy having a look at all the latest toys coming out of this year’s NYCC. One of the highlights so far includes a super-creepy Joker figure with seven different heads. But in other exciting news, we just learned Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be teaming up with the WWE for a wave of crossover macho-madness. What a time to be alive.
Destiny: Rise of Iron Raid Gets Heroic Mode Release Date
Heroic Mode - Destiny's term for hard mode - will be unlocked for Destiny: Rise of Iron's Wrath of the Machine raid on October 18.
Completing the extra-tough battle against Aksis and his various minions will reward players with loot with up to a 400 light level - making it the only means so far of reaching the game's new (and possibly final) level cap.
Announcing the date on the Bungie Blog, community manager DeeJ wrote, "Have you ventured deep below the Plaguelands to destroy Aksis? If you have not, there is still time to increase your Light, form up a dream team, and embark on the mission. If you have completed that mission, the truest test of teamwork and cunning is yet to come. The next leg of the race begins in a few weeks. Mark your calendars. Rally your allies."
Power Rangers – NYCC 2016 Character Posters
IGN and Lionsgate have teamed up to debut five new character posters from the new Power Rangers film. Lionsgate is also bringing the Power Rangers to New York Comic-Con on Saturday, October 8. There will be a Q&A with the cast and producers as well as a first look at footage from the film.
Each of the five character posters show off the Red, Pink, Black, Blue and Yellow Rangers in solo poses, which you can see below.
WWE and TMNT Team Up for New Action Figures
COWABUNGA!
OOH YEAAAH, DIG IT!
IGN can exclusively reveal that Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and WWE have joined forces for a one-of-a-kind collaboration called Ninja Superstars.
These co-branded action figures from Playmates Toys will feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles suited up as iconic WWE Superstars.
There are four turtles so, naturally, we're also dealing with four famous wrestlers. Let's dive into the Ninja Superstars, which will be available exclusively at Walmart in early November.
There's leader Leonardo as WWE Superstar John Cena, hot-headed Raphael as WWE Hall of Famer Sting, brains-of-the-operation Donatello as WWE Superstar The Undertaker, and party dude Michelangelo as WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Check out all the figures in the gallery below!
Creepy Joker Figure Comes With 7 Interchangeable Heads
Coming out of this year’s New York Comic-con is a PlayArts Kai Joker variant with seven interchangeable heads.
There’s no release date or pricing info as of yet as this is the first time PlayArts has shown the figure off. It’s worth noting, the images below – while totally badass – are of the prototype figure. So expect pricing and release info to come when the finished - and coloured - version is fully revealed.
The figure itself has been designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and the heads that come in the set appear to be a play on The Joker character over the years: A Red Hood version, a traditional Joker, an anime Joker, and a literal Clown Prince of Crime Joker.
PlayArts Kai has been very busy of late. At 2016’s Tokyo Game Show, the figure-maker showed off some of its upcoming lines, which includes Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Gears of War, and Marvel.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders Getting a Sequel Starring William Shatner as Two-Face
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders will be getting a sequel, and better yet, William Shatner will be voicing Two-Face.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders is due for release in a few days, and reunites the cast of the original of Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar from the 1960s Batman TV show.
The film also stars Jeff Bergman as the Joker, William Salyers as The Penguin, Wally Wingert as The Riddler, Lynne Marie Stewart as Aunt Harriett, Sirena Irwin as Miranda Moore, and Jim Ward as the trusted Commissioner Gordon.
Oculus Innovation Could Halve the Price of a VR-ready PC
New Oculus technology means a VR-ready PC could cost as little as $500.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, innovations called "Timewarp" and "Spacewarp" are part of the Oculus firmware, and they work together to lower PC requirements for virtual reality.
VR games need to run at 90 frames per second to eliminate nausea, and these two parts of the firmware work together to make 45 FPS feel like 90 FPS by creating synthetic frames.
Oculus claims the minimum specs will be an Nvidia GTX 960, an Intel Core i3-6100 / AMD FX4350, and 8GB RAM. You can fit these in a PC which costs around $500, while current "VR-ready" PCs currently cost nearer $1,000 and beyond. It also potentially brings the specs down to laptop level.
The Simpsons’ 600th Episode Will Feature VR Couch Gag
Fox and Google are teaming up to create a Simpsons couch gag VR experience to celebrate the 600th episode of the show.
According to Deadline, the episode titled Planet of the Couches will open the Treehouse of Horror XXVII on October 16. The couch gag will be available via Google Spotlight Stories and the Google Cardboard app.
Since the gag will be extended to the full 360 degrees, additional viewings may reveal new results from different angles.
“It’s a thrill to be associated with Google — and not only because they have perfected the quality of their cafeteria food, especially those little sausages,” said producer James L. Brooks.
Power Rangers: Mega Battle Announced for PS4 and Xbox One
Bandai Namco has announced Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
There are currently conflicting reports over whether the game is also coming to PC. We've reached out to Bandai Namco, and will update you when we have a response.
The digital game will feature "classic beat-em-up gameplay" across levels reminiscent of locations from the first two seasons of the TV show. You'll be able to choose your favorite Ranger and level up their abilities.
You'll be using martial arts and weapons to fight enemies, and don't worry, there will also be Megazord battles. Plus, there's a co-op mode where you'll be able to combine your skills to perform special attacks.