Monthly Archives: February 2015
Guild Wars 2 DLC Getting New Profession
A new soldier profession called Revenants are coming to the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns DLC, the ninth added to Guild Wars 2.
Revenants are heavy armor-wearing Mists channelers with a medium health pool and a new energy bar for using skills.
They’re able to harness the power of legends which they select from a pool, slotting one active legend and one inactive legend.
A blog post on the Guild Wars 2 website details several new weapons-based skills, including the hammer’s Coalescence of Ruin, the mace’s Manifest Toxin, and the axe’s Temporal Rift.
Don’t miss our feature on the newly introduced Mastery system, also coming to Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.
The Oscars: Best Picture Movie Review Roundup
With the Oscars ready to be handed out this weekend, let's take a look back at our reviews of the eight 2014 movies nominated for the Academy Award as Best Picture.
Bear in mind that these reviews were written by several different critics throughout the year ... and that just because a movie is nominated for an Oscar doesn't mean everyone liked it or that it deserved it.
Review score: 5.7 out of 10.
"Whatever people believed, Kyle forged his own myth around a core of truth. He survived war. He saw it all. Somehow, none of that valor, dramatic intrigue, or moral complication seeps into Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, a stale adaptation with a lead performer struggling to dig deep." Read the review.
Iwata: New 3DS XL and Amiibo Shortages Caused by Strikes
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has explained the shortages of New Nintendo 3DS XL units and the erratic shipments of Amiibo.
Nintendo Everything reports that during a recent investor Q&A, Iwata confirmed that the port strike on the western coast of the United States have largely been to blame for the issues regarding the availability of Nintendo's newest handheld iteration and NFC figurines.
According to Iwata, it's only the heavier objects like the New 3DS XL and Amiibo that have been impacted by the strike. Copies of games are lighter and can be shipped via air, so no shortages of game copies are to be expected. IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment.
Lenovo Laptops Came Intentionally Pre-Loaded With Spyware
Certain Lenovo laptops were shipped with adware intentionally pre-installed by the company.
In a statement from Lenovo, it said the purpose of the adware was "to help customers potentially discover interesting products while shopping." However, security experts have said the software, known as "Superfish," could fail to flag counterfeit sites as forgeries, according to a report by Ars Technica.
What does that mean for those Lenovo owners whose computers came factory-installed with the software? In a nutshell, it provides fertile ground for a man-in-the-middle attack. "Attackers may be able to use the key to certify imposter HTTPS websites," pretending to be any number of sites that use the HTTPS protocol, according to the report.
Why a 500 GB Hard Drive Is a Big Problem for Xbox and PlayStation
PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s first full year on the market saw blockbuster games, indie titles, lifestyle apps and more, all of which rapidly filled up hard drive space.
With new-generation games occupying increasingly larger amounts of storage than we’ve been used to, the stock 500 GB hard drive inside the new consoles diminishes in space rather sneakily after installing a few full release games, downloadable content packs, and patches. The accessible tools given to players to easily record and share their own gameplay also contributes to the storage issue, especially if it’s something a player revels in.
The small hard drive is a short-sighted restriction, as it isn’t even enough to cope with the content appetite of the average gamer across one year. Although there are a few solutions to mitigate the problem, such as storing save files on the cloud and taking advantage of external drives, micromanagement shouldn't be part of the Xbox One and PS4 experience that both companies spent so much energy on marketing. We need to start seeing more console options with larger capacities to support the average gamer’s content consumption.
Report: Harmonix Developing New Rock Band for Xbox One and PS4
Harmonix is developing a new Rock Band game for Xbox One and PS4, according to a report from Bloomberg Business.
Bloomberg says its information comes from "a person familiar with the plan." If the report is correct, this new game is the first in the Rock Band series since Rock Band Blitz was released in 2012.
We reached out to Harmonix for clarification. They didn't outright confirm or deny the report in their response below:
“We’re excited by how enthusiastic our fans have been in regards to our most recent DLC releases, and we think it’s awesome that people are speculating about the future of the franchise!
Are You Ready for Archie vs. Predator?
As far as comic book crossovers go, we're hard-pressed to think of a pairing more strange than Archie vs. Predator. This new mini-series may look like any old bright and cheery Archie comic, but expect a violent, blood-soaked romp as Archie and his friends run afoul of the greatest hunter in all the galaxy.
Archie vs. Predator is written by by Alex De Campi and drawn by Fernando Ruiz. We have an exclusive preview of four interior pages from the first issue below:
Here's Archie Comics' full description for Archie vs. Predator #1:
America’s favorite teen meets the galaxy’s fiercest hunter! Archie and friends hit Costa Rica for Spring Break, where party games and beach games are soon replaced by the Most Dangerous Game! What mysterious attraction does the gang hold for the trophy-collecting Predator, and will the kids even realize they’re in danger before it claims them all?
Mark Millar Joins the IGN UK Podcast
Duckhunters of Glasgow, we’re coming for you.
The IGN UK podcast is finally hitting the road, teaming up with the Glasgow Film Festival for a live show slap bang in the middle of town.
We're recording the show next Thursday (February 26), with Chris, Krupa and Gav discussing the usual nonsense live alongside special guest Mark Millar, the mastermind behind Kick-Ass, Wanted and The Secret Service, which has just been turned into a rather brilliant movie...
The show will be part of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, which is running until March 1, and features screenings of the likes of Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young, Jon Stewart’s Rosewater, Carol Morley’s The Falling, brilliant documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, and star-studded horror film Eliza Graves, which will be shown as a part of Glasgow FrightFest.
Deep Down has Undergone Some Changes, Apparently
Capcom’s missing-in-action RPG Deep Down has resurfaced thanks to some comments made by producer Yoshinori Ono.
Speaking during an interview with Japanese website 4Gamer (translated via Siliconera), Ono says Deep Down is indeed still in development, but the next time we see it, it could look very different.
"It looks like Deep Down will take just a little longer," says Ono. "It also looks like some people are starting to ask 'Did the development come to a halt?' but it's nothing like that. We're thinking about showing something that looks completely different from what previously shown, although it might be a while from now."
ABC News App Arrives on Xbox One
ABC News has announced the launch of its app for Xbox One, which is the first news app on the console.
According to the press release, "the ABC News app will offer immediate access to multiple simultaneous streams of live video as well as on-demand content, entertainment news, original programming and highlights from ABC News programs".
It will debut on Oscars weekend, with clips, interviews, fashion segments, and live video from the ABC News coverage.
The app will take full advantage of the Xbox One snap feature. Additionally, users will also have access to added content such as behind the scenes footage and interviews from ABC-Disney partners.
Finally, there will be "Morning, Evening, and Weekend Editions", which will be a curated playlist of videos, with "quick digests in the morning, more immersive content in the evenings and topic-themed packages to catch up on the weekends".