Monthly Archives: May 2015
How Much Would You Pay for a Tron Lightcycle?
That fully-functioning replica model Tron: Legacy Lightcycle has finally found a home.
Purchased for $77,000 through an auction by RM Sotheby's by an anonymous buyer, it was originally part of the Andrews family collection of cars and vehicles.
The good-as-new bike was expected to sell for $25,000 - $40,000 during the auction but surpassed its goal by over $30,000. Gizmodo reports it wasn't the most expensive item sold at the auction, however, as a 1962 Ferrari 400 sold for over $7 million.
Kevin Smith Reveals Mallrats 2 Name
Filmmaker Kevin Smith has announced that the Mallrats sequel is titled MallBrats.
The director and Silent Bob actor revealed the movie title and a glimpse at the first draft of the film's script on Facebook. "IT'S MALL OR NOTHING! 20 years in the making," Smith wrote. "113 pages fulla old friends, new jokes and a bloody battle with Stan Lee! This is for you, Jim. Wish you were here... #MallBrats"
The Jim Smith he's referring to is James Jacks, one of the original film's producers who always wanted a sequel. He passed away about a year ago, which is what finally spurred Smith on to make MallBrats -- as a tribute to his old friend.
NASA Funds Research for a Robotic Explorer Squid
NASA recently awarded funding to a high-concept device that might one day allow humans to explore one of Jupiter's moons.
The image below is an artist's renditioning of NASA fellow Mason Peck's proposal. The robotic, eel-like robot would use tentacular devices to generate power from nearby changing magnetic fields, allowing amphibious exploration on icy moons like Jupiter's Europa, the sixth-largest moon in the solar system. NASA said inventive concepts such as this could allow future exploration past low-Earth orbit.
Image Credit: NASA/Cornell University/NSF
App Store Update: May 11
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Tallowmere – ($3.99)
Let's kick off a new week of apps with a 2D indie platforming roguelike!
Heroes Reborn: We’ve Seen a Lot of Footage
At their upfront presentation today, NBC presented the first footage from Heroes Reborn, via a jam-packed new trailer for the series. As I type this, NBC have not released the trailer publicly, though that obviously may change soon.
In the meantime, for those who want to know what the trailer contains, read on. Note that it includes some big reveals/spoilers for the series!
Overall, the main takeaway from the trailer is how dark it is. We quickly get the idea that after the reveal of super powered people at the end of the fourth and final season of the original series, things went sour very quickly for them. Referred to several times as “EVOs”, it seems they were met with fear and hostility, and one character declares, “They’re all gone. They're hiding or dead.”
Black Mesa’s Free Version Won’t Get Xen Levels
Black Mesa fans won't be seeing any Xen levels unless they pay up for the mod's standalone version on Steam Early Access.
According to a Reddit Q&A with Black Mesa's developers, Crowbar Collective, it's "impossible" to bring these concluding levels to the free version of Black Mesa because of its inferior engine.
"In order to make Xen look the best it possibly can look, we need to upgrade the engine with new features," said Black Mesa level designer, Joe R. "These new features will make it incompatible with the mod version."
Here’s How to Get a White Raiden Statue
A special-edition statue of White Armor Raiden from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be available as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive.
The statue features a unique armor design with white-tinged metal featured in the extra ops mission Jamais Vu. His usual blades have been swapped out for a rocket launcher and assault rifle, and an LED makes one of his eyes glow red.
The statue comes pre-painted at a 1/6 scale and can be purchased at SDCC for $195.00. For those who are unable to attend the con, This special version of Raiden will be available from select retailers for a short time, with pre-orders starting on May 11. Visit Gecco's official website to learn more.
Xbox One May System Update Rolling Out Today
Xbox One owners can now send voice messages, thanks to this month's system update, which is rolling out today.
Previously only available to preview members, voice messaging works across console generations, allowing Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners to exchange messages. To send a voice message, simply launch the messages app and select the microphone icon. You can then record your message using either a headset or Kinect.
The May system update also introduces the ability to power your console on or off using the SmartGlass app, as long as both devices are connected to the same network. Additionally, Xbox One owners will now be given the chance to activate the system's energy-saving mode during its initial set-up.
Castlevania Producer Condemns Konami Over Kojima Debacle
Castlevania series producer Iga has spoken out to lament the way in which Konami has handled its ongoing controversy with Hideo Kojima.
We recently got to chat with Iga through his agent at DDM, Ben Judd, about newly-announced Bloodstained Ritual of the Night and took the opportunity to ask the former Konami employee whether he could have foreseen such a situation coming.
"He’s heard what’s happening, but mostly it’s been through the news and not people directly at Konami, because that company has a way of bullying their employees not to give out too much information – to say the least," he said. "But as a top-level creator who also was put in difficult situations in which he had to make difficult choices, it’s always sad when really interesting franchises or really talented creators end up not being able to make the thing they’ve made in the past that has made the fans so happy, speaking brutally honest, that has generated revenue in the first place. So for him, it’s kind of a sad day to see that’s happening.
Join IGN Live for The Witcher 3
Be sure to join IGN live all week long as we dig into the epic, brutal new open-world RPG sequel, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We'll be streaming the game throughout the week:
- Wednesday, May 13 at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm GMT (7am Thursday AET) with Max Scoville
- Friday, May 15 at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm GMT (7am Saturday AET) with Naomi Kyle
- Tuesday, May 19 at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm GMT (7am Wednesday AET) with Max Scoville
Stay tuned for our review of The Witcher 3, and in the meantime, don't miss everything you need to know about this huge new RPG.