Monthly Archives: September 2020
Batman/Catwoman Finally Has a Release Date
After being pushed back nearly a year, DC's Batman/Catwoman series finally has a release date. Fans can look forward to the first chapter of Tom King and Clay Mann's latest collaboration on December 1, 2020.
Alongside this news, DC has revealed a trio of covers for Batwoman/Catwoman #1, including a new version of Mann's previous teaser art recolored by Tomeu Morey and variant covers by Travis Charest and Jim Lee. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the art revealed so far:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batmancatwoman-preview-art-teases-a-steamy-superhero-romance&captions=true"]
Batman/Catwoman is meant to be the final act in King's long Batman saga, building on the fallout of 2019's Batman #85 and the renewed romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The series will explore several major twists in Batman's life, including Catwoman's pregnancy and the return of his former lover, Andrea Beaumont. That's right, the Phantasm is finally making her DC Comics debut.
DC has shed more light on the plot of the series, revealing that it takes place across three time periods. A flashback storyline will shed more light on the early days of the Bat/Cat relationship and that eternal question - was it the street or the boat? The present-day storyline will explore the challenges facing the couple as they try to balance their costumed and personal lives and deal with the rise of the Phantasm. And finally, a flash-forward storyline will focus on an aging Selina as she mourns her late husband and hatches a revenge plot.
DC also teases Joker has a big part to play in the series. Bat-fans may remember that both Joker and Catwoman debuted in the pages of 1940's Batman #1, making the Clown Prince of Crime the one villain whose relationship with Batman is as old as Catwoman's. And just as Joker played a key role in convincing Selina to leave Bruce at the altar in Batman #50, he's returning to sabotage his foe's latest attempt at happiness.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/12/the-flash-movie-features-lots-of-superheroes-and-will-restart-the-dceu-dc-fandome"]
Batman/Catwoman is written by Tom King, drawn by Clay Mann, colored by Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles and edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittany Holzherr. Both Mann and Charest will provide covers for each issues. This 12-issue limited series will be published under DC's mature readers Black Label imprint. The series is expected to ship monthly beginning in December (a benefit of the long delay), though it'll skip June 2021 in favor of a standalone issue dubbed Batman/Catwoman Special #1.
Batman/Catwoman was one of IGN's picks for our most anticipated comics of 2020, and it's good to know the series will just barely make it in that window. Unfortunately, things aren't looking good on the Saga front...
Are you still excited for the final chapter of King's epic Batman saga? Let us know in the comments below.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Batman/Catwoman Finally Has a Release Date
After being pushed back nearly a year, DC's Batman/Catwoman series finally has a release date. Fans can look forward to the first chapter of Tom King and Clay Mann's latest collaboration on December 1, 2020.
Alongside this news, DC has revealed a trio of covers for Batwoman/Catwoman #1, including a new version of Mann's previous teaser art recolored by Tomeu Morey and variant covers by Travis Charest and Jim Lee. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see all the art revealed so far:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batmancatwoman-preview-art-teases-a-steamy-superhero-romance&captions=true"]
Batman/Catwoman is meant to be the final act in King's long Batman saga, building on the fallout of 2019's Batman #85 and the renewed romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The series will explore several major twists in Batman's life, including Catwoman's pregnancy and the return of his former lover, Andrea Beaumont. That's right, the Phantasm is finally making her DC Comics debut.
DC has shed more light on the plot of the series, revealing that it takes place across three time periods. A flashback storyline will shed more light on the early days of the Bat/Cat relationship and that eternal question - was it the street or the boat? The present-day storyline will explore the challenges facing the couple as they try to balance their costumed and personal lives and deal with the rise of the Phantasm. And finally, a flash-forward storyline will focus on an aging Selina as she mourns her late husband and hatches a revenge plot.
DC also teases Joker has a big part to play in the series. Bat-fans may remember that both Joker and Catwoman debuted in the pages of 1940's Batman #1, making the Clown Prince of Crime the one villain whose relationship with Batman is as old as Catwoman's. And just as Joker played a key role in convincing Selina to leave Bruce at the altar in Batman #50, he's returning to sabotage his foe's latest attempt at happiness.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/12/the-flash-movie-features-lots-of-superheroes-and-will-restart-the-dceu-dc-fandome"]
Batman/Catwoman is written by Tom King, drawn by Clay Mann, colored by Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles and edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittany Holzherr. Both Mann and Charest will provide covers for each issues. This 12-issue limited series will be published under DC's mature readers Black Label imprint. The series is expected to ship monthly beginning in December (a benefit of the long delay), though it'll skip June 2021 in favor of a standalone issue dubbed Batman/Catwoman Special #1.
Batman/Catwoman was one of IGN's picks for our most anticipated comics of 2020, and it's good to know the series will just barely make it in that window. Unfortunately, things aren't looking good on the Saga front...
Are you still excited for the final chapter of King's epic Batman saga? Let us know in the comments below.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Bungie CEO Refutes Microsoft Acquisition Rumors
Update: Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has weighed in, simply saying that the reports are "false".
Bungie Director of Global Public Relations Vanessa Vanasin went into more detail on Twitter, saying, "All of the info and speculation out there is not true. We are lucky to have a great relationship with our many friends [at Microsoft] who play Destiny, and Halo will always have a special place in our hearts.” We've contacted Microsoft for its own statement. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to reacquire Destiny developer Bungie, which recently negotiated independence from franchise publisher Activision. The news is sourced from the GamesBeat podcast, where the hosts discuss the potential acquisition or a special partnership between Microsoft and Bungie. "I have heard they've had those talks, but like, the price is very high!" says Kinda Funny's Imran Khan. "I've heard that they've fallen through repeatedly," notes GamesBeat's Jeffrey Grubb. Eurogamer has also corroborated the story, citing its own sources and adding that they have been "driven on Bungie's side by a desire to raise new funds for the studio, its projects and staff", and that the two parties are yet to agree on a price. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/09/destiny-2-beyond-light-reveal-trailer"] It's unclear whether those talks are still open, or if the difference in pricing has led to the matter being closed. It's an interesting proposition given Bungie's relationship with Microsoft, who purchased the studio back in 2000, spawning many successful Halo games. Bungie later split from the Xbox crowd in 2007 before returning with Destiny in 2014 as part of a ten-year partnership with series publisher Activision. However, Activision and Bungie mutually parted ways early in 2019, with the developer maintaining the rights to Destiny. It's clear that Bungie is apparently prepared to drive a hard bargain if they were to get back into bed with Microsoft. Back in July, ex-Bungie board member Marty O'Donnell noted that Bungie almost went back to Microsoft after the separation, but the publisher would not let the studio retain the Destiny IP, so Bungie dealt with Activision instead. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.This is false.
— pete parsons (@pparsons) September 14, 2020
Bungie CEO Refutes Microsoft Acquisition Rumors
Update: Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has weighed in, simply saying that the reports are "false".
Bungie Director of Global Public Relations Vanessa Vanasin went into more detail on Twitter, saying, "All of the info and speculation out there is not true. We are lucky to have a great relationship with our many friends [at Microsoft] who play Destiny, and Halo will always have a special place in our hearts.” We've contacted Microsoft for its own statement. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to reacquire Destiny developer Bungie, which recently negotiated independence from franchise publisher Activision. The news is sourced from the GamesBeat podcast, where the hosts discuss the potential acquisition or a special partnership between Microsoft and Bungie. "I have heard they've had those talks, but like, the price is very high!" says Kinda Funny's Imran Khan. "I've heard that they've fallen through repeatedly," notes GamesBeat's Jeffrey Grubb. Eurogamer has also corroborated the story, citing its own sources and adding that they have been "driven on Bungie's side by a desire to raise new funds for the studio, its projects and staff", and that the two parties are yet to agree on a price. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/09/destiny-2-beyond-light-reveal-trailer"] It's unclear whether those talks are still open, or if the difference in pricing has led to the matter being closed. It's an interesting proposition given Bungie's relationship with Microsoft, who purchased the studio back in 2000, spawning many successful Halo games. Bungie later split from the Xbox crowd in 2007 before returning with Destiny in 2014 as part of a ten-year partnership with series publisher Activision. However, Activision and Bungie mutually parted ways early in 2019, with the developer maintaining the rights to Destiny. It's clear that Bungie is apparently prepared to drive a hard bargain if they were to get back into bed with Microsoft. Back in July, ex-Bungie board member Marty O'Donnell noted that Bungie almost went back to Microsoft after the separation, but the publisher would not let the studio retain the Destiny IP, so Bungie dealt with Activision instead. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.This is false.
— pete parsons (@pparsons) September 14, 2020
Nintendo Switch Bested Wii’s 2008 US August Hardware Sales Record
The Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling system in August 2020, and it also set the record for the Highest August dollar sales for a hardware platform in US history, surpassing the August 2008 dollar sales of the Nintendo Wii.
As revealed by The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, the Switch also more than doubled its unit sales total from August 2019.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/madden-21-review"]
As for games, Madden NFL 2021 was the best-selling title of August 2020, achieving a "double-digit percentage dollar sales growth compared to the release month of Madden NFL 20." It debuted at the 6th best-selling game of 2020, and this marks the 21st consecutive year a Madden NFL franchise game has been the best-selling title in its release month.
UFC 4 claimed the second spot, setting a new franchise record, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took third place. Final Fantasy VII Remake returned to the top 20 best-selling list at #19 after finishing #41 in July 2020, following a discount in the month of August.
In addition to the Switch selling incredibly well, Nintendo games accounted for 10 of the top 20 games this month. The full list of August 2020's top 20 best-selling games is as follows;
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/super-mario-3d-all-stars-official-trailer"]
August 2020's Best-Selling Games
- Madden NFL 21
- UFC 4
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Mortal Kombat 11
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- The Last of Us Part 2
- Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
- PGA Tour 2K21
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Super Mario Party
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Luigi's Mansion 3
Nintendo Switch Bested Wii’s 2008 US August Hardware Sales Record
The Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling system in August 2020, and it also set the record for the Highest August dollar sales for a hardware platform in US history, surpassing the August 2008 dollar sales of the Nintendo Wii.
As revealed by The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, the Switch also more than doubled its unit sales total from August 2019.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/20/madden-21-review"]
As for games, Madden NFL 2021 was the best-selling title of August 2020, achieving a "double-digit percentage dollar sales growth compared to the release month of Madden NFL 20." It debuted at the 6th best-selling game of 2020, and this marks the 21st consecutive year a Madden NFL franchise game has been the best-selling title in its release month.
UFC 4 claimed the second spot, setting a new franchise record, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took third place. Final Fantasy VII Remake returned to the top 20 best-selling list at #19 after finishing #41 in July 2020, following a discount in the month of August.
In addition to the Switch selling incredibly well, Nintendo games accounted for 10 of the top 20 games this month. The full list of August 2020's top 20 best-selling games is as follows;
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/super-mario-3d-all-stars-official-trailer"]
August 2020's Best-Selling Games
- Madden NFL 21
- UFC 4
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Mortal Kombat 11
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- The Last of Us Part 2
- Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
- PGA Tour 2K21
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Super Mario Party
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Luigi's Mansion 3
Star Citizen Creator Says Promised Gameplay Is ‘Not a Pipe Dream’
Star Citizen creator Christopher Roberts has said that gameplay features promised several years ago are "not a pipe dream."
In a thread on the Roberts Space Industries forum, the game's creator discussed the lack of "atmospheric room systems" in Star Citizen with user Camural, who had raised the point that it had been four years since the feature was shown without certain aspects being implemented in the game.
Roberts replied directly to Camural noting the difficulties of adding these systems, and the time it was taking to get them into the game. "We are just going for a higher level of systemic gameplay (versus scripted) than most if not all games, and to architect all of this so it works in multiplayer at scale is no small feat." Roberts also talked about his ambition for the atmospheric room systems, and how Star Citizen will eventually allow for intricate oxygen, fire, room, pipe and player status systems that react to damage and force ship crews to work together and react in real-time or face explosions and fires.
Camural replied to Roberts calling his response "the same old same old," and suggesting that Roberts' ideas will take "another 10-20 years" to bring to fruition. This prompted a more detailed response from the game's creator about the general state of Star Citizen, and what players can expect from the current content roadmap.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/12/star-citizen-cast-includes-gillian-anderson-mark-hamill-gary-oldman-more-ign-news"]
"I sense from your reply to me that it's the time taken and priorities that you're frustrated with, as you feel like we're focusing on the wrong things. I can see that point of view, but you're looking at it from the outside without the full knowledge of exactly what it will take, and the order it needs to be done in to deliver the gameplay that will set Star Citizen apart from everything else," Roberts explains.
"This is the game I've dreamed of my whole life. Now I am in a position to realize it, I am not willing to compromise it's potential because it is taking longer than I originally envisioned. What I will commit to, and what is an internal priority is to improve the current gameplay and quality of life as we go, as Star Citizen is already fun in many ways, even if more buggy and not as stable as I would like, and just finishing off and polishing the basics will make it play as well or better than most other games," he continues.
"I can promise you the gameplay I described is not a pipe dream, nor will it take 10 to 20 years to deliver. I described systems we either have working or are working on."
In other Star Citizen news, you can check out our video detailing an escape from Klescher Prison utilising the Jail features added in the 3.9 Alpha Update. The game raised $34.91 million during 2017, which was more than twice the takings of all games funding drives on Kickstarter in that year.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Star Citizen Creator Says Promised Gameplay Is ‘Not a Pipe Dream’
Star Citizen creator Christopher Roberts has said that gameplay features promised several years ago are "not a pipe dream."
In a thread on the Roberts Space Industries forum, the game's creator discussed the lack of "atmospheric room systems" in Star Citizen with user Camural, who had raised the point that it had been four years since the feature was shown without certain aspects being implemented in the game.
Roberts replied directly to Camural noting the difficulties of adding these systems, and the time it was taking to get them into the game. "We are just going for a higher level of systemic gameplay (versus scripted) than most if not all games, and to architect all of this so it works in multiplayer at scale is no small feat." Roberts also talked about his ambition for the atmospheric room systems, and how Star Citizen will eventually allow for intricate oxygen, fire, room, pipe and player status systems that react to damage and force ship crews to work together and react in real-time or face explosions and fires.
Camural replied to Roberts calling his response "the same old same old," and suggesting that Roberts' ideas will take "another 10-20 years" to bring to fruition. This prompted a more detailed response from the game's creator about the general state of Star Citizen, and what players can expect from the current content roadmap.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/12/star-citizen-cast-includes-gillian-anderson-mark-hamill-gary-oldman-more-ign-news"]
"I sense from your reply to me that it's the time taken and priorities that you're frustrated with, as you feel like we're focusing on the wrong things. I can see that point of view, but you're looking at it from the outside without the full knowledge of exactly what it will take, and the order it needs to be done in to deliver the gameplay that will set Star Citizen apart from everything else," Roberts explains.
"This is the game I've dreamed of my whole life. Now I am in a position to realize it, I am not willing to compromise it's potential because it is taking longer than I originally envisioned. What I will commit to, and what is an internal priority is to improve the current gameplay and quality of life as we go, as Star Citizen is already fun in many ways, even if more buggy and not as stable as I would like, and just finishing off and polishing the basics will make it play as well or better than most other games," he continues.
"I can promise you the gameplay I described is not a pipe dream, nor will it take 10 to 20 years to deliver. I described systems we either have working or are working on."
In other Star Citizen news, you can check out our video detailing an escape from Klescher Prison utilising the Jail features added in the 3.9 Alpha Update. The game raised $34.91 million during 2017, which was more than twice the takings of all games funding drives on Kickstarter in that year.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Oculus Quest 2 Leaks
Oculus Quest 2 has leaked, revealing a new look, higher-quality display, 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and more.
The Facebook Blueprint website currently lists the Quest 2 alongside a 3-minute introductory video. Another trailer has been removed, but has been rehosted on YouTube.
Those videos reveal a number of features of the upgraded all-in-one VR headset. Coming in a white colour scheme, the headset features a new display with over 50% higher pixel density than Quest and almost 2K resolution per eye. It's smaller and lighter than the original, and the controllers have been given a tweak to improve ergonomics.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oculus-quest-2-images&captions=true"]
As for the internals, the Quest 2 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Processor, 6GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage, potentially making for a far smoother experience than the original headset. It can still be connected to a PC using Oculus Link in order to play higher-powered games.
No price or release date has been listed at time of writing.
We awarded the original Oculus Quest a 9.5/10 review, calling it "the true future of virtual reality" - here's hoping that future's even brighter in the next iteration.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Oculus Quest 2 Leaks
Oculus Quest 2 has leaked, revealing a new look, higher-quality display, 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and more.
The Facebook Blueprint website currently lists the Quest 2 alongside a 3-minute introductory video. Another trailer has been removed, but has been rehosted on YouTube.
Those videos reveal a number of features of the upgraded all-in-one VR headset. Coming in a white colour scheme, the headset features a new display with over 50% higher pixel density than Quest and almost 2K resolution per eye. It's smaller and lighter than the original, and the controllers have been given a tweak to improve ergonomics.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oculus-quest-2-images&captions=true"]
As for the internals, the Quest 2 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Processor, 6GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage, potentially making for a far smoother experience than the original headset. It can still be connected to a PC using Oculus Link in order to play higher-powered games.
No price or release date has been listed at time of writing.
We awarded the original Oculus Quest a 9.5/10 review, calling it "the true future of virtual reality" - here's hoping that future's even brighter in the next iteration.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.