Monthly Archives: October 2020

PS5 UI Tease Comes From an Unexpected Place: Burger King

An unlikely source - Burger King - is teasing an announcement with PlayStation for October 15 with what very well may be the start-up sound for the PS5. Burger King took to Twitter and shared a video featuring The Burger King opening up a big bag that shines a blue light in his mascoty face. In addition to the light, we hear a sound that was also featured in the PlayStation 5 reveal event with a UI tease and may be the sound we will hear as we turn on Sony's next-gen console. While this could be a tease for Sneak King 2 for a PS5 and The Burger King revealing the PS5's UI to the world (listen, it's 2020, anything can happen), this is most likely some sort of contest where patrons of Burger King will be able to win a brand new PlayStation 5 by purchasing a Whopper or something similar. Taco Bell is currently running a promotion that gives fans a chance to win an Xbox Series X by simply purchasing a medium or large drink. The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition will be released on November 12, 2020, for $499 and $399, respectively, and we still haven't seen an in-depth look its UI and menus in action. Sony did promise that the PS5's UI would be a "complete overhaul" from the PS4, and it can't be much longer before it's fully revealed. We recently learned more about its backward compatibility with PS4, how saves will transfer between the new systems, and what PS4 games will not be playable on PS5. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/09/biggest-ps5-teardown-takeaways-next-gen-console-watch"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Star Wars: Squadrons Review – Catch Me If You Can

For all the ups and downs I've had with various Star Wars media products over the past few decades, the formative space combat simulations of X-Wing and TIE Fighter on MS-DOS (or at least, my memory of them) have always been a fixed highlight. It's hard to go astray when you're focused on the minutiae of inherently cool sci-fi fantasy planes, as opposed to whatever's going on with Jedi lineages or space politics now.

There have been a few arcade-style Star Wars space combat games that filled the 20-year period since the last flight simulator, and some of them were even good. But Star Wars: Squadrons is now making a welcome return to some of the simulator intricacies, while still retaining a large degree of the approachable spectacle of the arcade-style flight games. And the balance Squadrons has settled on works very well in creating an experience that makes you feel as if you're really an active participant in a Star War.

The basic mechanics will be familiar if you've ever played any kind of flight game. You pitch your fighter up and down, you bank it left and right. You fly forward, not backward, and you can twirl until you feel sick. You maneuver your crosshairs onto an enemy and then fire lasers or missiles at them. You're locked to a first-person cockpit view of the action, but all of Squadron's missions are in space, which means maintaining altitude isn't something you have to worry about, and instead, you get the wonderful freedom of being able to fly along any axis--rolling your ship and flying upside down is a hoot. It feels like you could feasibly finish the Squadrons campaign relying mostly on those principles if you wanted to, especially on lower difficulty levels, and that's great. But Squadrons digs a little deeper with the ability to reroute power on your ship, a system that brings a nice layer of complexity in the advantages that it can open up for you and the considerations that come with that.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Star Wars: Squadrons Review – Catch Me If You Can

For all the ups and downs I've had with various Star Wars media products over the past few decades, the formative space combat simulations of X-Wing and TIE Fighter on MS-DOS (or at least, my memory of them) have always been a fixed highlight. It's hard to go astray when you're focused on the minutiae of inherently cool sci-fi fantasy planes, as opposed to whatever's going on with Jedi lineages or space politics now.

There have been a few arcade-style Star Wars space combat games that filled the 20-year period since the last flight simulator, and some of them were even good. But Star Wars: Squadrons is now making a welcome return to some of the simulator intricacies, while still retaining a large degree of the approachable spectacle of the arcade-style flight games. And the balance Squadrons has settled on works very well in creating an experience that makes you feel as if you're really an active participant in a Star War.

The basic mechanics will be familiar if you've ever played any kind of flight game. You pitch your fighter up and down, you bank it left and right. You fly forward, not backward, and you can twirl until you feel sick. You maneuver your crosshairs onto an enemy and then fire lasers or missiles at them. You're locked to a first-person cockpit view of the action, but all of Squadron's missions are in space, which means maintaining altitude isn't something you have to worry about, and instead, you get the wonderful freedom of being able to fly along any axis--rolling your ship and flying upside down is a hoot. It feels like you could feasibly finish the Squadrons campaign relying mostly on those principles if you wanted to, especially on lower difficulty levels, and that's great. But Squadrons digs a little deeper with the ability to reroute power on your ship, a system that brings a nice layer of complexity in the advantages that it can open up for you and the considerations that come with that.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Researchers Found Humans Have Been Evolving Without Wisdom Teeth

Most people learn about the phenomena of evolution in their middle school and high school science classes, but researchers have recently discovered evidence of “microevolution” with noticeable differences between generations of human beings.

According to September’s Journal of Anatomy, via Sky News, more babies are being born without wisdom teeth, with an extra artery in their arm, or with smaller jaws and shorter faces as a result of microevolution.

"A lot of people thought humans have stopped evolving. But our study shows we are still evolving - faster than at any point in the past 250 years," Dr. Teghan Lucas of Flinders University said.

The reasoning behind fewer teeth in human mouths can be attributed to human faces getting shorter and mouths getting smaller, leaving less room for teeth to develop. Natural selection and humans' increased ability to chew food has resulted in fewer humans developing wisdom teeth.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

An additional artery in the human arm goes as far back as the 19th century. The “median artery” previously used to form in babies during pregnancy, and would normally disappear after birth while radial and ulna arteries had grown.

One in three people now keep their median artery for their entire life. Thankfully, this poses no known health issues and actually increases blood flow to the hands.

"The median artery is a perfect example of how we are still evolving because people born more recently have a higher prevalence of this artery when compared to humans from previous generations,” author Professor Maciej Henneberg said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/12/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-dubbed-reaper-of-death"]

Researchers determined their findings by both tracking how many subjects retained different body parts throughout the generations, as well as dissecting preserved corpses of people born throughout the 20th century.

The study also predicts that people born 80 years from now (so 2100) will all possess a median artery if the trend continues. For more historical discoveries, check out the theory on why Megalodons were so massive (hint: it's because of cannibalism in the womb).

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and his jaw is clenched.

Researchers Found Humans Have Been Evolving Without Wisdom Teeth

Most people learn about the phenomena of evolution in their middle school and high school science classes, but researchers have recently discovered evidence of “microevolution” with noticeable differences between generations of human beings.

According to September’s Journal of Anatomy, via Sky News, more babies are being born without wisdom teeth, with an extra artery in their arm, or with smaller jaws and shorter faces as a result of microevolution.

"A lot of people thought humans have stopped evolving. But our study shows we are still evolving - faster than at any point in the past 250 years," Dr. Teghan Lucas of Flinders University said.

The reasoning behind fewer teeth in human mouths can be attributed to human faces getting shorter and mouths getting smaller, leaving less room for teeth to develop. Natural selection and humans' increased ability to chew food has resulted in fewer humans developing wisdom teeth.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

An additional artery in the human arm goes as far back as the 19th century. The “median artery” previously used to form in babies during pregnancy, and would normally disappear after birth while radial and ulna arteries had grown.

One in three people now keep their median artery for their entire life. Thankfully, this poses no known health issues and actually increases blood flow to the hands.

"The median artery is a perfect example of how we are still evolving because people born more recently have a higher prevalence of this artery when compared to humans from previous generations,” author Professor Maciej Henneberg said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/12/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-dubbed-reaper-of-death"]

Researchers determined their findings by both tracking how many subjects retained different body parts throughout the generations, as well as dissecting preserved corpses of people born throughout the 20th century.

The study also predicts that people born 80 years from now (so 2100) will all possess a median artery if the trend continues. For more historical discoveries, check out the theory on why Megalodons were so massive (hint: it's because of cannibalism in the womb).

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and his jaw is clenched.

Tiger King’s Doc Antle Charged With Wildlife Trafficking

Doc Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari animal park featured in Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, has been charged with wildlife trafficking, prosecutors announced on Friday, according to the New York Times.

Bhagavan Antle, otherwise known as Doc, has been charged with animal trafficking in a case connected to lion cubs being moved between Virginia and South Carolina.

Antle was charged with two felony counts as well as 13 misdemeanors, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/lets-cast-the-tiger-king-movie"]

Antle’s two daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, are also facing several misdemeanor charges connected to animal cruelty and alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act.

Antle issued a statement strongly denying the charges.

“I categorically deny any act or conduct that could ever be considered as ‘animal cruelty,’” Antle said. “I have spent my entire professional life promoting the welfare and conservation of big cats and other species.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/01/tiger-king-whos-the-worst"]

Antle’s public profile skyrocketed as a result of Netflix’s Tiger King documentary series, but it was Joseph Maldonado-Passage (AKA Joe Exotic) who was featured as the documentary’s true star. Maldonado-Passage is now serving a 22-year sentence for attempting to hire a hitman to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who was also featured in the series.

Netflix has declined to comment to the Times on the charges brought up against Antle.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-true-crime-shows-and-movies-to-watch-online&captions=true"]

The charges are one part of a lengthy investigation by the Virginia attorney general’s law unit. The investigation focused on the relationship between Antle and one Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Virginia. Wilson faces two felony charges in connection to wildlife trafficking and 17 misdemeanors. Wilson was also previously indicted in November with 46 counts of animal cruelty by a grand jury in November and is awaiting trial in June 2021.

“I have deep regard and feelings for the animals in my care and would never hurt or abuse them in any way,” Antle said in his statement. “I look forward to being able to answer these charges and be able to clear my good name.”

The craze over Netflix’s Tiger King docu-series proved so vast that multiple offshoots are now in various stages of production. Kate McKinnon and NBCUniversal have teamed up to produce a new series focused on Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Nicolas Cage has also been cast as Joe Exotic in a different series from CBS, which will be Cage’s first TV role. Investigation Discovery has greenlit a series focused on investigating Carole Baskin.

IGN gave Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness an eight out of 10, calling it a “fascinating and depressing look inside the world of big cat fanatics.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's emphatically a dog person.

Tiger King’s Doc Antle Charged With Wildlife Trafficking

Doc Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari animal park featured in Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, has been charged with wildlife trafficking, prosecutors announced on Friday, according to the New York Times.

Bhagavan Antle, otherwise known as Doc, has been charged with animal trafficking in a case connected to lion cubs being moved between Virginia and South Carolina.

Antle was charged with two felony counts as well as 13 misdemeanors, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/lets-cast-the-tiger-king-movie"]

Antle’s two daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, are also facing several misdemeanor charges connected to animal cruelty and alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act.

Antle issued a statement strongly denying the charges.

“I categorically deny any act or conduct that could ever be considered as ‘animal cruelty,’” Antle said. “I have spent my entire professional life promoting the welfare and conservation of big cats and other species.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/01/tiger-king-whos-the-worst"]

Antle’s public profile skyrocketed as a result of Netflix’s Tiger King documentary series, but it was Joseph Maldonado-Passage (AKA Joe Exotic) who was featured as the documentary’s true star. Maldonado-Passage is now serving a 22-year sentence for attempting to hire a hitman to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who was also featured in the series.

Netflix has declined to comment to the Times on the charges brought up against Antle.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-true-crime-shows-and-movies-to-watch-online&captions=true"]

The charges are one part of a lengthy investigation by the Virginia attorney general’s law unit. The investigation focused on the relationship between Antle and one Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Virginia. Wilson faces two felony charges in connection to wildlife trafficking and 17 misdemeanors. Wilson was also previously indicted in November with 46 counts of animal cruelty by a grand jury in November and is awaiting trial in June 2021.

“I have deep regard and feelings for the animals in my care and would never hurt or abuse them in any way,” Antle said in his statement. “I look forward to being able to answer these charges and be able to clear my good name.”

The craze over Netflix’s Tiger King docu-series proved so vast that multiple offshoots are now in various stages of production. Kate McKinnon and NBCUniversal have teamed up to produce a new series focused on Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Nicolas Cage has also been cast as Joe Exotic in a different series from CBS, which will be Cage’s first TV role. Investigation Discovery has greenlit a series focused on investigating Carole Baskin.

IGN gave Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness an eight out of 10, calling it a “fascinating and depressing look inside the world of big cat fanatics.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's emphatically a dog person.

Level-5 Reportedly Ends North American Operations

Publisher and developer Level-5 appear to be ending operations in North America. There are currently no concrete plans to release any more games outside of Japan. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Level-5 International America and smaller spin-off studio Level-5 Abby began laying off the majority of its of employees sometime in the middle of 2019, although the exact number of employees is unknown. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-screenshots&captions=true"] There is no indication as to why Level-5 is shutting down outside Japan, but employees from the Abby location were "given every indication" that the studio would be ceasing operations. Only a couple employees remained to maintain day-to-day operations while Level-5 focused its attention on the Japan office. Level-5 is known primarily for the Ni no Kuni series of games as well as the popular Yo-Kai Watch titles, both of which feature games as well as anime adaptations. Earlier this year Level-5 confirmed the third mainline installment of the Ni no Kuni series is currently in development with a tentative 2020 release date in Japan, although no updates have been given as to the status of development. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-15-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020] Additionally, a mobile spin-off of the Ni no Kuni series, titled Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, was revealed recently during Tokyo Games Show. Gameplay shown during the presentation was later uploaded to YouTube along with English subtitles. No official announcement was made indicating it would be coming stateside, however. Netflix recently added a Ni no Kuni feature-length film to its catalog (stylized as NiNoKuni) featuring a new cast of characters and an original story. Yo-Kai Watch 4 was announced for Nintendo Switch in 2018 with a launch in Japan in late 2019. There are currently no plans to release the sequel outside of Japan at this time, although it's unlikely we'll see any of the recent on in-development titles localized now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Review writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.