Monthly Archives: May 2021

Gabe Newell Hints at Steam Games Coming to Consoles

Valve president Gabe Newell has hinted at the idea of PC-only Steam games coming to consoles, and said we should know more "by the end of this year." In a talk at Sancta Maria College in Auckland, New Zealand this week, Newell was asked by a student if Steam would be porting games to consoles, to which the legendary developer hesistated, before saying, "You will have a better idea of that by the end of this year." The exact meaning of that is a matter of speculation right now. Some have taken Newell's comment to mean we could see Steam itself, as a storefront, brought to consoles. Others have taken it to mean that Valve's own games, currently available only on Steam, will be ported to consoles. With each console currently only featuring its own closed store, the former seems unlikely – but we've seen Xbox in particular striving to see its services on other consoles, so it's not outside the realms of possibility. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/23/half-life-alyx-review"] Valve has of course launched its own games on console before, most notably with the likes of Portal and The Orange Box. With Valve now actively working on its own games in a way it hasn't for some years, it may be that we'll see the company return to the console space. As you might expect, Newell's comments have led to many hoping that VR exclusive Half-Life: Alyx will be released for PSVR, or its upcoming next-gen follow-up. As for why Newell was giving a group of New Zealand schoolchildren this news, the Valve co-founder has been living in the country since March 2020, and has clearly been enjoying himself so much that he's done everything from give unexpected interviews to putting on a free festival to say thank you to the country. [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.

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Fast and Furious 9’s Magnet Plane Stunt Was Dreamed Up By a 9 Year-Old

Fast and the Furious 9 director Justin Lin has revealed that his young son came up with the idea for the upcoming movie's hilariously outlandish magnet plane stunt. Seen in the first F9 trailer, the magnet plane scene is clearly being billed as one of the movie's showpiece stunts, with a car flying off a cliff being picked up in mid-air by a plane equipped with a gigantic magnet. In an interview with Empire, Lin says the stunt came into being when he brought his 'eight or nine year old' son Oqwe to a meeting in London. During a discussion about the movie's set-pieces, one stunt involving a ravine became a sticking point. Thankfully, Oqwe had been playing with toy cars and listening in: “We were talking about the ravine [set-piece] and I said, ‘Alright, so here’s Roman and Tej. Jakob needs to get to the other side – how does he get there?’ And Oqwe just picked it up and pitched the idea of the plane and everything. After us spending hundreds of hours on planning, I guess he was paying attention, and he understood the characters.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/14/fast-furious-9-michelle-rodriguez-and-john-cena-on-giant-magnets-and-flying-cars"] And there you have it. Given that the Fast and the Furious franchise has always been about ridiculous action power fantasies and over the top set-piece moments, it’s not surprising that kids would be a great at coming up with ideas. Maybe the next time you’re struggling for ideas at work, think about bringing your kids along. F9 will be including magnets in more than just planes, and we spoke to John Cena about his feelings on the new movie's obsession with magnetism: "It makes for a fun effect, because it is something commonplace, something we see all the time – but make a really effing huge [magnet] and some chaos can ensue. I think it's a really creative, inspirational thing, and Fast always seems to find a way to do those things." After multiple delays, F9 should finally be coming to theaters on June 29, and it's aiming to bring the franchise's past and future together. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

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Fast and Furious 9’s Magnet Plane Stunt Was Dreamed Up By a 9 Year-Old

Fast and the Furious 9 director Justin Lin has revealed that his young son came up with the idea for the upcoming movie's hilariously outlandish magnet plane stunt. Seen in the first F9 trailer, the magnet plane scene is clearly being billed as one of the movie's showpiece stunts, with a car flying off a cliff being picked up in mid-air by a plane equipped with a gigantic magnet. In an interview with Empire, Lin says the stunt came into being when he brought his 'eight or nine year old' son Oqwe to a meeting in London. During a discussion about the movie's set-pieces, one stunt involving a ravine became a sticking point. Thankfully, Oqwe had been playing with toy cars and listening in: “We were talking about the ravine [set-piece] and I said, ‘Alright, so here’s Roman and Tej. Jakob needs to get to the other side – how does he get there?’ And Oqwe just picked it up and pitched the idea of the plane and everything. After us spending hundreds of hours on planning, I guess he was paying attention, and he understood the characters.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/14/fast-furious-9-michelle-rodriguez-and-john-cena-on-giant-magnets-and-flying-cars"] And there you have it. Given that the Fast and the Furious franchise has always been about ridiculous action power fantasies and over the top set-piece moments, it’s not surprising that kids would be a great at coming up with ideas. Maybe the next time you’re struggling for ideas at work, think about bringing your kids along. F9 will be including magnets in more than just planes, and we spoke to John Cena about his feelings on the new movie's obsession with magnetism: "It makes for a fun effect, because it is something commonplace, something we see all the time – but make a really effing huge [magnet] and some chaos can ensue. I think it's a really creative, inspirational thing, and Fast always seems to find a way to do those things." After multiple delays, F9 should finally be coming to theaters on June 29, and it's aiming to bring the franchise's past and future together. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Wrath Of The Druids DLC Review

The Assassin's Creed franchise has typically relied on its story-based DLC to enhance the narrative of its games. This is usually done in one of two ways: As a means of filling in obvious holes within a game's plot (like Assassin's Creed II's Bonfire of the Vanities), or as a method of continuing a protagonist's story to further explain how they connect to other games in the series (like Odyssey's Legacy of the First Blade). The first of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's two post-launch story-driven DLCs, Wrath of the Druids, doesn't fit into either camp. Without much tying it back to the main story of Valhalla or the franchise as a whole, the DLC doesn't quite serve a distinct purpose and it's worse off for it.

In Wrath of the Druids, Eivor receives a letter from her cousin Barid saying that he wishes to see her again--as it happens, he's become king of Dublin, a major port town in Ireland. Upon arrival in Ireland, Eivor learns that Barid seeks to protect his crown by securing the trust of soon-to-be High-King of Ireland Flann Sinna, a man who desires to unite all of the country--whether they be Catholic or druid--under his rule. Eivor agrees to aid her cousin, also teaming up with shrewd economic chief Azar to increase Dublin's financial standing and by working with the mysterious bard and poetess Ciara to stop the Children of Danu, a cult hellbent on preserving the druid people by destroying the increasingly Catholic leaders of Ireland.

Tonally, this story feels odd. Though Wrath of the Druids releases months after Valhalla, its story is clearly meant to fit somewhere within the main game's campaign, not take place afterwards. The ideal power level for the DLC is 55, making it a great story to play mid-way through Valhalla in order to strengthen Eivor if you ever need to. But Valhalla doesn't have any obvious holes in its campaign, so Wrath of the Druids' story is structured to fit into it anywhere. Thus, there's very little momentum or character growth in this particular story arc. As I played the DLC after having completed Valhalla's campaign, it actually felt like Eivor had regressed in her development, saying and agreeing to things that didn't track with the Eivor I had come to create over the course of the main campaign--she didn't feel like my Eivor.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Wrath Of The Druids DLC Review

The Assassin's Creed franchise has typically relied on its story-based DLC to enhance the narrative of its games. This is usually done in one of two ways: As a means of filling in obvious holes within a game's plot (like Assassin's Creed II's Bonfire of the Vanities), or as a method of continuing a protagonist's story to further explain how they connect to other games in the series (like Odyssey's Legacy of the First Blade). The first of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's two post-launch story-driven DLCs, Wrath of the Druids, doesn't fit into either camp. Without much tying it back to the main story of Valhalla or the franchise as a whole, the DLC doesn't quite serve a distinct purpose and it's worse off for it.

In Wrath of the Druids, Eivor receives a letter from her cousin Barid saying that he wishes to see her again--as it happens, he's become king of Dublin, a major port town in Ireland. Upon arrival in Ireland, Eivor learns that Barid seeks to protect his crown by securing the trust of soon-to-be High-King of Ireland Flann Sinna, a man who desires to unite all of the country--whether they be Catholic or druid--under his rule. Eivor agrees to aid her cousin, also teaming up with shrewd economic chief Azar to increase Dublin's financial standing and by working with the mysterious bard and poetess Ciara to stop the Children of Danu, a cult hellbent on preserving the druid people by destroying the increasingly Catholic leaders of Ireland.

Tonally, this story feels odd. Though Wrath of the Druids releases months after Valhalla, its story is clearly meant to fit somewhere within the main game's campaign, not take place afterwards. The ideal power level for the DLC is 55, making it a great story to play mid-way through Valhalla in order to strengthen Eivor if you ever need to. But Valhalla doesn't have any obvious holes in its campaign, so Wrath of the Druids' story is structured to fit into it anywhere. Thus, there's very little momentum or character growth in this particular story arc. As I played the DLC after having completed Valhalla's campaign, it actually felt like Eivor had regressed in her development, saying and agreeing to things that didn't track with the Eivor I had come to create over the course of the main campaign--she didn't feel like my Eivor.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Original Xbox Dashboard Now Available on Xbox Series X|S

Microsoft is rolling out the May update for the Xbox Series X|S and users can now select the original Xbox dashboard animation as a dynamic background. As reported by Tom Warren of The Verge, Microsoft rolled out new dynamic backgrounds today for the Xbox Series X and Series S. One of them is called "The Original" and it is the glowy green orb made famous by the original Xbox back in 2001. You can check out Warren's preview of the dynamic background below.

Xbox insiders can now access the original Xbox dashboard animation as a dynamic background called "The Original" pic.twitter.com/Nvh6D8iw2X
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) May 11, 2021

When the Xbox was first released in 2001, there has been a growing nostalgia for Microsoft's first game console. The original "Duke" controller, for example, was comically large when it first came out but now is a cherished bit of gaming memorabilia. Hyperkin recently re-released the Duke controller and IGN spoke with Seamus Blackley, who was one of the original members of the Xbox team, to talk about it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Something else about the original Xbox that you might not know is that the boot screen, the one where a neon green blob is generated by some machines, has been lost forever. But that's because there is no original "video," the boot screen and logo are all generated algorithmically in real-time. Other improvements to the Xbox Series X|S coming in May's update include even faster Quick Resume times, passthrough audio options, and even stronger family controls for gamers with kids. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. Blogroll image: Xbox.

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Regina King Will Direct Bitter Root, a Comic Book Movie Set in the Harlem Renaissance

After following up her Emmy-winning performance on HBO's Watchmen by directing the historical drama One Night in Miami, Regina King is setting a return to comic book adaptations. King has been tapped to direct Bitter Root, an adaptation of the Images Comics series of the same name. Bitter Root is set during the Harlem Renaissance of 1924 and follows a family of monster hunters who must defend New York City from an evil force that threatens to transform humans into creatures. As the last of their kind, the Sangeryes family must decide between saving or killing the invading monsters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/18/one-night-in-miami-official-teaser-trailer"] The comic series was created by David F. Walker, Sanford Greene, and Chuck Brown. All three will executive produce on the project, along with Drapetomedia's Sean Owolo. King is producing the project alongside Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian of Proximity Media. Bitter Root will mark King's follow-up to her directorial debut feature film One Night in Miami. The dramatization of a meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke garnered critical acclaim when it released last fall and wound up with three Oscar nominations in Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, and Best Supporting Actor for Leslie Odom Jr. King is also an acclaimed actress who has worked in the industry for over three decades. She recently won an Emmy for her lead performance as Sister Night in Watchmen and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=watchmen-all-the-comic-book-references-in-the-hbo-series&captions=true"] In our review of One Night in Miami, IGN gave the movie a 10, saying the "cast delivers some of the best performances of the year" and praising King's direction for its "keen focus and confident flow." [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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QuakeCon 2021 Returns As a Digital-Only Event This Summer

QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event in 2021. This is the second year in a row QuakeCon will be digital after Bethesda canceled the live convention in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. QuakeCon 2021 will take from August 19 to August 21 online. In a statement published on the official QuakeCon site Bethesda writes, "We can't wait to get back to Dallas with our QuakeCon family, but for the continued safety of our staff, the volunteers, and the community, this year's QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event." "We'll have all the Peace, Love, and Rockets -- remotely -- August 19-21."

We can’t wait to get back to Dallas with our QuakeCon family, but for the continued safety of our staff, the volunteers, and the community, this year’s QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event. We’ll have all the Peace, Love, and Rockets – remotely – August 19-21. pic.twitter.com/8EaM7EY5Sv
— QuakeCon (@QuakeCon) May 11, 2021

Bethesda's decision to keep QuakeCon digital this year out of safety concerns is admirable. Especially since Texas currently has fairly lax COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and loosened mask mandates (wearing a mask in gatherings is still strongly encouraged). Full details, streaming lineups, charity opportunities, and more will be announced at a later date, according to Bethesda. In 2020, QuakeCon was one of the many convention casualties of the pandemic. After announcing there would be no physical event in Texas that year, Bethesda pivoted to a digital-only event where the company announced updates for Doom Eternal, Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 76. Who knows what's in store for this year's digital event, especially after Microsoft acquired Bethesda and parent company ZeniMax for $7.5 billion. Since then Microsoft and ZeniMax's many studios, which include id Software, have kept quiet on their next plans. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] All we know is that Bethesda is still hard at work on Starfield, while Arkane and Tango Gameworks are working on Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, respectively. Other digital-only conferences this year include PAX, Comic-Con, E3, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

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Sega Is Mostly Okay With Sonic Fan Games

Fan remakes and other community passion projects can be a wonderful expression of communal fandom. Unfortunately, they tend to be shut down with depressing regularity. So it's refreshing to see Sega go to bat for fan games, even if that support comes with some caveats. In response to questions regarding fan games from the community, Sega social media manager Kate Chrzanowski wrote that "there is usually* no issue" with fan games as long as profit isn't involved. Chrzanowski added the asterisk with the caveat that for legal reasons she couldn't promise that all content was okay. "We can handle outliers case-by-case as we notice them, but our goal isn't to stifle everything," Chrzanowski wrote.

Hey Sonic fans - I appreciate you all reaching out with concerns over fan games and monetization!
So long as no profit is involved, there is usually* no issue with y'all using our blue boy to hone your art and dev skills. *((for legal reasons I can't promise all content is ok)) — Katie - MiniKitty (@KatieChrz) May 10, 2021

Asked if it was okay to accept fan donations, she admitted that it was a tricky grey areas, and suggested that it was "normally best to avoid if possible." Fan response was very positive overall, with many of them praising Sega for its stance. Sega has benefitted from working with fan artists in the past. Christian Whitehead, an artist and programmer who played a large part in the development of Sonic Mania, produced a proof-of-concept port of Sonic CD for iPhone. Sega responded by partnering with Whitehead to create an official version that was eventually released on iPhone, Android, and Xbox 360. Its stance comes in marked contrast to other companies. Nintendo is well-known for issuing cease-and-desist orders to popular fan projects. Other companies will also commonly shut down major projects, usually ports or fan tributes. They include Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes, a nifty piece of interactive fan-fiction that was shutdown just weeks before release. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sonic-the-hedgehog-a-visual-history-of-segas-mascot&captions=true"] It's nice that Sega is taking a soft stance toward fan games, since there haven't been many new Sonic games to fill the gap recently. More Sonic games are expected this year, with a Sonic Colors Remaster being leaked last month, but otherwise most of the Sonic news has surrounded the upcoming movie sequel. It is Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th anniversary, though, so expect more news soon.

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Legends of the Hidden Temple Reboot Moves From Quibi to CW

The CW has announced it has ordered a Legends of the Hidden Temple reboot after it was originally announced to premiere on Quibi. The reboot of the Nickelodeon game show will keep the original ancient ruins theme including the Mayan Olmec head, Moat Crossings, Steps of Knowledge, and Temple Run but will star adult contestants rather than children. The reboot will also keep all the classic team names like Purple Parrots, Blue Barracudas, Orange Iguanas, Red Jaguars, Silver Snakes, and Green Monkeys. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/08/quibi-review-2020] The revival will scale up the sets with tougher challenges and bigger prizes given the new adult contestants. Five teams will compete with one another through challenges of strength and wits to enter the Olmec's temple. Legends of the Hidden Temple was originally a kid's game show hosted on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1995. In 2019 Quibi announced an adult-led reboot would premiere on its streaming platform. However, Quibi failed to establish a foothold in the crowded streaming market and shut down after six months. Quibi boasted several original programs with big-name stars attached like Liam Hemsworth, and Chance the Rapper. But the 15-minute format of its shows and a mobile-focused streaming strategy could not compete with services like Netflix or Disney Plus. It was later announced that Roku acquired Quibi's produced shows, more than 75 programs in total. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-and-movie-coming-to-quibi&captions=true"] Since Legends of the Hidden Temple wasn't produced, The CW appears to have taken it instead. This also brings the series back to its ViacomCBS roots which partly owns both The CW and Nickelodeon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

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