Polyphony Digital CEO and Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has conceded the PlayStation 3-era was a “nightmare” for the Polyphony team. Yamauchi has also noted the conditions for Gran Turismo 6 – which was released after the arrival of the PS4 and sold considerably fewer copies than Gran Turismo 5 – were particularly tricky.
“We always have the pressure that we have to sell numbers,” Yamauchi told IGN when asked whether the dip in sales from GT5 to GT6 adds extra pressure or scrutiny to the upcoming Gran Turismo Sport.
“At the same time, the conditions for GT6 were really against us, mainly because the PlayStation 3 hardware was a very difficult piece of hardware to develop for, and it caused our development team a lot of stress.
“So [GT]5 and [GT]6 was really a nightmare for us.”
However Yamauchi expressed his total confidence in the PS4, which has apparently been a lot kinder to the development of the upcoming Gran Turismo Sport.
“Compared to that the PS4 is a piece of hardware that really has the ability to answer to our expectations,” said Yamauchi. “I’ve said this over and over again but this, Gran Turismo Sport, it really has the level of innovation you haven’t seen since Gran Turismo 1 and we’re having a lot of fun developing it, and we’re discovering a lot of things as we develop it.”
“So it was actually good for us that we started developing for PS4 later on because we then really had the time to do [research and development] on the performance of the hardware which enables us to do things like the physics-based rendering, so it was really good for us that we weren’t in a rush to get something out.”
Head here for a full overview of GT Sport’s new eSport focus, and check out IGN’s hands-on impressions with the game here.
Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.
Netflix has released a new trailer for Stranger Things, the upcoming sci-fi series that is not only set in the 1980s, but evokes the sci-fi and horror films of that era.
As the trailer shows, the series tells the story of what happens when a little boy vanishes without a trace in a small town - just as a young girl with some notably superhuman abilities shows up. While the boy's friends and mother (Winona Ryder) desperately try and find him, some very unusual, dangerous and, yes, strange things begin to occur.
Netflix has also released a new poster for the series, which you can check out in our Stranger Things gallery below.
For more on Stranger Things, check out our video focused on "Eleven," the mysterious and very powerful girl you see unleashed in the trailer.
The eight-episode Strange Things debuts July 14th on Netflix.
Xbox co-creator and former Microsoft Game Studios boss Ed Fries discusses growing up with video games, his early days at Microsoft on the Excel team, buying Bungie for the nascent Xbox, his respect for Phil Spencer, and much more.
Sources at Nintendo have told IGN that executive VP of sales and marketing Scott Mofitt will leave the company later this summer.
The split between Moffitt and Nintendo was described by sources as "amicable." Moffit will remain with company until an unspecified date later this summer. Nintendo has decided to permanently dissolve the position of executive VP of sales and marketing. The responsibilities of this role will be split among members of the company's existing staff.
Moffitt joined Nintendo in 2011 after a five year run at Henkel Consumer Goods, where he served as a senior vice-president and oversaw personal care brands like Dial, Right Guard, and Tone. Moffitt's extensive experience in marketing includes a seven year stint at PepsiCo.
Nintendo’s executive VP of sales and marketing position was previously held Peter Main, who retired in 2001, and later by current NoA president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime in 2003. Cammie Dunway filled the role until she left the company in 2010.
Warning: Full spoilers for Game of Thrones: Season 6 below.
In its first season not tethered to George R. R. Martin's books -- save for some leftover Iron Islands shenanigans -- Game of Thrones moved faster than fans have come to anticipate with regards to story, payoffs, and even the literal movement of characters from one realm to another.
At times, there were so many "happy" moments that the series began to feel rather un-Game of Thrones like, though the show certainly had an excuse for rocketing us toward the end and giving the heroes more wins than usual - we're near the end! This is when things are supposed to start falling into place, if we're to follow traditional fantasy storytelling rules. None of this necessarily means we'll wind up with a feel-good ending by the time the curtain actually falls on this saga, but for now, with Season 6 acting as the gateway to the actual series endgame (expected to take place over two shortened final seasons), it was time for many of our heroes to triumph and ascend in ways that Martin never quite allowed in his pages. To date, of course...
Looking back at the huge number of big payoffs and give-backs this year: Jon Snow was resurrected, The Hound turned out to have survived his wounds (and abandonment), Benjen Stark also returned alive (...sort of), Jon and Sansa were emotionally reunited, two incredibly evil characters met gruesome ends at Stark hands, we discovered the time-bending origin (tragic though it was) behind Hodor's name, Jon's real parents were revealed, Winterfell was reclaimed, Daenerys left Meereen with a massive army and fleet, and someone other than a child of an incestuous union ascended to the Iron Throne.
It was a big year, to say the least, and Season 6 was notably light on audience contempt and tragedy, which had been the show's bread and butter up until this point. It was also the year that fans -- especially longtime fans who'd read the books -- found themselves getting ahead of the tale a bit, as their long-held theories about Jon Snow's parents, Jon Snow's short-lived death, Coldhands, and more were revealed to be pretty much exactly what had been guessed by many.
Does that mean these reveals fell flat? Well, it depends. I can see how they might feel less impressive when you're used to a show that constantly subverts expectations - in very brutal, unkind ways, in fact. But the fact remains that I was excited to see Jon gasp that breath of sorcery-induced air and loved seeing Benjen Stark come back to us, after so long, and have his presence also answer a question that the books hadn't gotten around to answering yet (assuming they eventually will, that is). And, of course, the deaths of Walder Frey and Ramsay Bolton were both immensely satisfying. I learned to embrace the joy this season and not shun it too much.
Because there were definitely times, given how the series had been running so far, where it almost felt like the audience didn't deserve so many big crowd-pleasing moments. Also, since executive producers Benioff and Weiss were creating a bulk of the content themselves -- with only the larger plot points having been revealed to them by GRRM ahead of this season -- the show began to have a slight "fan service" vibe. Sansa's storyline, in particular, had moments of empowerment that felt like a direct response to how poorly her Season 5 victimization was received. That being said, regardless of the reasoning, watching a stronger, emboldened Sansa this year was a straight-up treat - particularly how she somewhat began to lean toward a devious side right at the end, even in regard to her own family.
Speaking of female empowerment, Daenerys had herself a banner year, turning the tables on her initial seasonal plight rather quickly and (re)claiming herself a Dothraki army. Tyrion's time in Meereen, with Missandei and Grey Worm, may have dragged, but when Dany finally returned to the pyramid, the fiery clash at the end was spectacular. And speaking of storylines that lagged for a while and then ended with a flame-filled massacre, Cersei's decision to wipe out just about every namable character in King's Landing was an immensely satisfying purge, and a great ending to an arc that had meandered for far too long. And the Hitchcockian sequence that opened the season finale, leading up to the massive wildfire blast, was expertly executed.
The saddest death this year goes to Hodor, but with his sacrifice came the first-time inclusion of time-travel elements on the show and it was magnificent. Hodor's condition was a loop caused by Bran, during his Three-Eyed Raven tutelage, that directly affected the past and the moment marked one of the show's most tragic, and meaningful, exits while also opening up the supernatural rules of the series as well. And since I'm touching on standout sequences, the battle for Winterfell was a phenomenal spectacle filled with a ton of stakes, emotion, and soulful satisfaction. It should be said that I watched Ramsay get mauled by dogs multiple times, and the same goes for Arya's epic takedown of Walder Frey.
By the time The Hound returned to us, he was almost overshadowed by the likes of Jon's resurrection, Hodor's death, Coldhands, and the first Tower of Joy flashback. And then his return arc, featuring Ian McShane as a reformed killer leading a communal support group for pacifists, felt a little cliched and too traversed a territory for a show like Game of Thrones to tackle. Meanwhile, The Hound's former companion, Arya, flailed a bit during her second year in Braavos. Arya works best when she has someone to banter with and Jaqen, simply put, is not that guy. By the end, I was just glad to see her ditch that whole scene. Even better though was the fact that it seemed like she left the Faceless Men with his blessings (and faces), so her time there doesn't feel totally wasted, even if it didn't need so much screen time.
Two arcs this year felt like they took too long to play out, added to because it was the second year we were following both of them - King's Landing (specifically the rise of the High Sparrow), and Arya's aforementioned time in Braavos. Still, on the upside, they both had satisfying endings, especially Cersei's big play to wipe the entire slate clean, since that's pretty much what that storyline needed. And the end result of both tales seems to be a collision course now - Cersei on the Iron Throne and Arya with one hell of a target in her sites, as she resumes checking names off her list.
I'm not going to be too harsh on the Riverrun arc, except to say that I wasn't a fan of Blackfish dying off-screen (which just makes me suspect he's not really dead, though who knows after Stannis). I hope the dividends for this will pay off next season. As for right now, it really only served to take Jaime out of King's Landing so that Cersei was free to become the Mad Queen on her own. Though it should be said that the possibility of having a bitter, angrier Edmure in charge now at Riverrun -- and no more Walder Frey (or his sons) -- could make for an interesting future scenario.
The Verdict
Game of Thrones' sixth season wasn't without its hiccups, and a few lesser episodes, but as usual there were tremendous jaw-dropping moments and some spectacular sequences that stand as some of the show's best. Hodor's death broke our hearts while sending our imaginations soaring and seeing the Stark sigil back at Winterfell was a blessing to behold.
Do you have a Nintendo 3DS? Do you like IGN’s Nintendo Voice Chat podcast? Well, do I have some great news for you! We're inviting you to come hang out with us for a special StreetPass event and join us for a live recording of Nintendo Voice Chat.
Come hang out with us! There will also be snacks and *gasp* Capcom has provided some prizes you can win.
Attendees at the event will earn a chance to win one of two Monster Hunter statues provided by Capcom.
What If I Can't Go?
Don't fret! There will be multiple opportunities to win awesome prizes simply by listening to the podcast. Pay attention to this special episode of NVC and stay on your toes, because you won't want to miss out.
Marvel TV has confirmed they're bringing the new Luke Cage Netflix series and Agents of SHIELD to San Diego Comic-Con next month.
Luke Cage will kick things off on Thursday, July 21 with a panel moderated by executive producer and head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb. Including "exclusive updates" on the upcoming series, the panel will feature cast members Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, Theo Rossi, Simone Missick, Frank Whaley, and showrunner/EP Cheo Hodari Coker.
Footage from the series, which premieres September 30, will reportedly be previewed during the panel.
The following day, July 22, Loeb will head the Agents of SHIELD panel alongside the cast and producers. The panel promises to give attendees a taste of what's to come in the show's fourth season, including a "few surprises."
SHIELD's latest season wrapped up last month. IGN's review said Season 3 "ended with some intriguing threads on where things will go in Season 4."
In addition, Marvel TV will have a panel for their animated series.
Below are all the details on the Marvel TV Comic-Con appearances.
MARVEL TELEVISION SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, JULY 21:
Marvel’s Luke Cage – Signing Event
3:15 PM at the Marvel Booth (#2329)
Cast attending: Mike Colter, Alfre Woodward, Mahershala Ali, Theo Rossi, Frank Whaley, Simone Missick, Cheo Hodari Coker (EP), Jeph Loeb (EP).
The Netflix Original Series, Marvel’s Luke Cage -- Panel Session
5:45 – 6:45 PM -Ballroom 20
The first-ever appearance of the Marvel’s Luke Cage cast!
FRIDAY, JULY 22
Marvel Television Presents: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- Panel Session
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM -Ballroom 20
Join the cast and producers of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Signing Event
4:30 PM at the Marvel Booth (#2329)
Cast Attending: Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet, Ming-Na Wen, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain de Caestecker, Henry Simmons, Jed Whedon (EP), Maurissa Tancharoen (EP), Jeff Bell (EP), Jeph Loeb (EP).
SATURDAY, JULY 23
Marvel Animation Presents – Panel Session
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM -Room 6A
Go behind-the-scenes into the world of Marvel Animation!
Please note that both signings are ticketed events and passes will be available on a first-come, first-served lottery basis beginning at 9:30 AM on Thursday, July 21 at and Friday, July 22 at Marvel Booth (#2329).
Stay tuned to IGN for all the latest on Comic-Con 2016.
Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @jdsirani.
AMC has announced its lineup for San Diego Comic-Con 2016. The network is hosting several panels and other opportunities for Walking Dead and Preacher fans during the convention.
The Walking Dead panel will be held on July 22 at 1 p.m. PT in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center. Moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick, the panel will include cast members Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Michael Cudlitz, Sonequa Martin-Green, Christian Serratos, Ross Marquand, and Josh McDermitt.
Executive producer and showrunner Scott M. Gimple will also appear alongside executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, and Greg Nicotero.
Fans of The Walking Dead will also be able to check out the show's Comic-Con booth (#4237) and take photos with Negan's season six finale lineup.
AMC's Fear the Walking Dead panel — which is also moderated by Chris Hardwick — will feature cast members Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frank Dillane, Lorenzo James Henrie, Mercedes Mason, Colman Domingo and Danay Garcia, in addition to executive producer and showrunner David Erickson and executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Nicotero, and Dave Alpert. The panel begins at 12 p.m. PT on July 22 in Hall H.
An autograph session with the Fear the Walking Dead cast will take place on July 23 at 12 p.m. PT on the Fifth Avenue Pier, which will also house the show's Fear the Walking Dead Abigail yacht experience.
Preacher will get its own panel on July 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. PT in Hall H. The cast will be reading from the penultimate season 1 episode from the show, though AMC did not announce which members of the cast will be on hand.
Finally, AMC will host Kevin Smith's Comic-Con panel at 7 p.m. on July 23 in Hall H.
Nicole is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.
Pokemon Go, the augmented reality game that’s coming to smartphones, sets up some awesome possibilities if you’ve ever been a fan of the series: Imagine walking home and discovering a Pikachu or a Snorlax hiding right in your neighborhood. Prior to this, each chapter of the series focused on catching Pokemon in a specific region. This mobile game lets you catch them all over the real world.
This massive project combines the talent of Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and Ingress-developer Niantic, and changes the rules of Game Freak’s mainline RPGs series for a smartphone audience. We gave you our brief impressions based on 30 minutes with the game. IGN got access to the closed beta, so we assembled an awesome elite foursome to spend a week catching and collecting Pokemon. Read on as Andrew Goldfarb, Kallie Plagge, Miranda Sanchez, and Jose Otero share their experiences in the Pokemon Go Field Test.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All
Jose Otero, Editor:From the moment I started Pokemon Blue roughly 18 years ago on the Game Boy, I was hooked by the collection aspect of this series. I guess it’s no surprise then that I invested most of my time capturing pocket monsters to fill out my Pokedex. Surprisingly, I finished the Pokemon Go beta with roughly 60 unique Pokemon in my collection.
The process of capturing and collecting Pokemon is just as addicting as ever, but I need to stress how the rules have changed in comparison to the core Pokemon RPGs. First, you don’t have to battle wild Pokemon with your party of six in order to capture them. In Pokemon Go, you capture Pokemon by simply tossing Pokeballs (from regular ones to Ultra Balls) at the creatures you find. Special Razz Berries will increase your chances to nab them before they escape. It’s a cool minigame that requires a surprising amount of skill (since each bad toss will subtract from your inventory of Pokeballs) despite its simple swipe mechanics.
Pokemon Go’s graphics don’t look bad either, even when I took pictures of these animated augmented reality creatures hanging out in real-world locations. The simple 3D models have just the right amount of detail and lighting. I don’t play a lot of AR games because of the creaky technology typically involved, but my solid experience with Pokemon Go sold me enough that I’d be willing to try more of them.
I woke up and left the house early on a Saturday morning just so I search for Pokemon and I spent the entire day outside. I never a game would get me to do that. And that tells me that Pokemon Go’s collection mechanics are on the right track.
Kallie Plagge, Editor: I remember playing Pokemon Crystal on my Game Boy Color in a park as a kid because my mom made me go outside. This time, I made myself go outside! I wasn't as focused on catching lots of different Pokemon so much as catching as many Pidgeys as humanly possible. Catching a Pokemon gets you a “candy” for their species, and having a lot of candies for that species allows you to power up a single Pokemon or evolve it. So, naturally, I wanted to get a Pidgeot and decided to just farm Pidgeys.
I wasn't able to get a Pidgeot in the short amount of time we had, but I can imagine I’d have been really proud of myself. This method of evolution is a little irritating at first, but it does take the sting out of seeing the same few Pokemon around my apartment all the time.
Andrew Goldfarb, Executive Editor: It’s crazy how tempting this makes it to venture just a little bit out of the way to get that extra Pokemon. My apartment is infested with nothing but Pidgeys, but the first day I started playing, I found some more interesting Pokemon a block or two away. By the second day, I went a few blocks out of my way on the way home from work to find a few more. By a few days later, I was doing a 15 minute lap in the wrong direction just to see what I could find and check out some gyms.
My apartment is infested with nothing but Pidgeys
I agree with Jose that the AR is really charming. Even while catching Pokemon, I had a lot of fun waiting a few extra seconds to get the perfect screenshot in front of a funny background before I ultimately put that pocket monster in its tiny ball-shaped prison. It’s really fun seeing Pokemon in real-life environments.
Miranda Sanchez, Editor: I didn't spend much too much time outside for this, but I did leave the house just as I walked in so that I could get a Jolteon. Playing your own games of "Who's That Pokemon?" is exciting, especially when you see the silhouette of your favorite Pokemon show up in the bottom right corner. I never really went out of my way to farm for Pokemon, but I caught repeats as I found them at home or at work.
Exploring a World with Pokemon
Kallie:In addition to walking around trying to find new Pokemon, I also think walking in general is rewarding in Pokemon GO. I’ve been living in the same neighborhood for over three years, and the short blurbs about some of the PokeStops near my apartment taught me things about the area I wouldn’t have known.
PokeStops are real-world locations based on data from Ingress, Niantic’s previous GPS-based game, and they're usually (but not always) interesting or important locations in your city. You get items like Poke Balls and Potions from them, and I also feel more like a local! I now know more about a mural I pass by every single day, and I went out of my way to walk by a gorgeous church near me. I’ve always thought it was beautiful but never really took the time to walk on that quieter street before; I was always in a hurry. This time, I literally stopped to smell a rose. It made me appreciate my neighborhood more, when in the past, I didn’t care for it at all and actively avoided exploring.
Andrew: I definitely agree that this game promotes exploration, but I’m curious to see what that means for a game that’s primarily aimed at kids. And don’t get me wrong; I don’t mean that in a pejorative way. I’m an adult (kind of) and will pour dozens of hours into this game. But for kids, it’s a very different proposition to wander into new areas to try to take down a Gym or catch a Pokemon that popped up at the edge of the map a few streets over. For that matter, even for adults, wandering around with your phone out and exploring streets you’ve never been on can lead to all sorts of problems.
It’ll be interesting seeing how Niantic addresses this stuff. There’s a splash screen when the app first loads that reminds you to be aware of your surroundings, and you have to enter your age to use the thing in the first place, but it’s a fascinating new frontier to have to consider so many real-life situations.
Miranda: You can definitely put yourself in weird places while playing Pokemon Go. The gym I took over was by a highway entrance. I ended up standing by a nearby crosswalk for about 20 minutes, and that was a little awkward, but not entirely unsafe.
Some of the PokeStops are in odd places too. I found two in a barbecue restaurant, but in order to get the stops I had to walk along the back of the building. I felt a little strange doing that, but those were the closest PokeStops to me at the time and I really needed a revive. Exploring with Pokemon Go does make for a great opportunity to drag significant others, roommates, and family out of the house and out for a walk. Find items, be safe, and bond with a friend or family member while doing it!
Jose: My neighborhood in the East Bay didn’t have nearly as many PokeStops as San Francisco, but I still found them fairly regularly. I was able to stock up on items.
It’s Time to Battle
Andrew: With such a focus on collecting, gym battles offer a much-needed break. Battling has always been my favorite element of Pokemon, and Niantic has added their own unique twist to make it unique to mobile. Rather than the turn-based battles you’d expect in core Pokemon games, GO battles take place in real-time and offer a limited moveset: a simple, weak move by tapping the screen, and a more powerful, limited move by holding down on the screen. Using your simple move will charge the more powerful one, and you can avoid enemy attacks by swiping in either direction to dodge.
On paper, this system makes a lot of sense and is well-suited to the platform. In practice, I had a lot of trouble understanding exactly what I was doing. There’s no tutorial, and real-time battles move FAST, so, especially after I made the mistake of challenging a particularly strong gym, my Pokemon were generally knocked out before I even had my bearings.
The dodging system could use a little bit of work, but overall the battling is fun...
Miranda: The dodging system could use a little bit of work, but overall the battling system is fun. It feels even better when you take down a gym. I found a gym around my level, defeated all three trainers, and set my prized Jolteon there as its new guardian. I’m a little sad that I left my best Pokemon there, but it’s gratifying to see my Pokemon standing on top of the gym pillar.
Jose: Gym battling in feels a lot like King of the Hill to me. I took down a gym in the East Bay (for the Blue Team!) which was fun, but I had a hard time choosing which Pokemon to leave behind to defend the gym. I didn’t want to give up anything too powerful behind, but leaving a weakling meant we could lose the gym. When you drop off a Pokemon to guard a gym, it’s still technically yours. But i wanted to keep my stronger Pokemon so I could take down the powerful gyms by the office.
Kallie: Like Andrew, I had a lot of trouble with the battle system. I’m very entrenched in competitive battling in the main RPGs, and this is just so different — not that that’s a bad thing, but I felt like I had very little control over how well my Pokemon did in battle regardless of how well I tapped and dodged. I probably got a bit too ambitious and challenged too hard a gym, and I think it probably would have been more fun to grab a few friends and challenge a gym together than standing on a street corner doing it alone.
What We Want to See in Pokemon Go
Miranda:Pokemon Go is by no means a replacement for the core Pokemon games, but it could still learn more from them. In the main games, your Pokemon team come to feel like a family, but the Pokemon in Pokemon Go feel a little too distant. There's not a good way to interact with Pokemon outside of catching them and training at gyms. Seeing a random Pokemon in my living room or around the corner from my office was cool, but it would be even cooler to see Pokemon I've caught projected into my world using the camera. Miitomo has a fun photo mode, and I hope Niantic sees the success people had sharing those photos and lets Pokemon Go utilize it's AR capabilities for more than catching Pokemon.
And what about player customization? The initial clothing items aren't very diverse, and it'd be nice to be able to unlock special items at PokeStops and gyms. Becoming a gym leader is rather difficult, and I think it’d make sense for your trainer to receive some sort of item that shows off your victory.
There are also many different kinds of PokeStops; parks, pieces of art, trails, and sometimes weird items in restaurants or apartment complexes. It'd be fun if different types of PokeStops had a chance to drop special customization items. That would make me want to explore for collectibles more than I already do.
Jose: I want to see player vs. player battles in Pokemon Go. The Pokemon RPGs present a world where people from all walks of life collect, trade, and battle each other. I mean, how fun would it be to ‘lock eyes’ with a trainer in real life and drop a challenge.
Kallie: I love the idea of PvP, and I also want to see a robust trading system. Pokemon show up based on the relative ecology of your area, so it would make sense not to encounter all kinds of Pokemon without leaving your city. I want to trade Horsea and Slowpoke for Doduo and Kangaskhan with my friend in a landlocked town. And I think trading really enforces the social, interpersonal aspect that Niantic seems to be going for with Pokemon GO. Go outside, trade those Pokemon, make friends.
Andrew: Trading will definitely help the social elements here, which I think is an important missing piece. I’d also love to see a way to practice battles, either against friends or even bots. I haven’t visited many Gyms, and when I do I get destroyed pretty quickly, but I think that’s as much about familiarity with the battle system as it is about the strength of my Pokemon. I’d love to have a venue to practice my technique, even if it’s just a simple tutorial mode.
Andrew is IGN’s executive editor of news and wrote the rest of these signatures. You can find him rambling about Persona and cute animals on Twitter.
Jose Otero is an editor at IGN and can often be heard remarking how handsome Andrew is. You can find him bragging about his Rhythm Heaven Megamix ratings on Twitter.
Miranda Sanchez is an editor at IGN and is jealous of Andrew’s Persona collection. You can find pictures of her cute kittens and Dota 2 couriers by following her on Twitter.
Kallie Plagge is IGN’s resident Pokekid and really needs to play Persona 3. You can find her killing everything that moves in Doom by following her on Twitter.
Co-directors Rich Moore, who co-directed Zootopia and helmed the original Wreck-It Ralph, and Phil Johnston, who co-wrote the first film, made the announcement alongside John C. Reilly, who is returning to voice Ralph in the sequel, on Facebook.
"Ralph leaves the arcade and wrecks the internet," Reilly says of the film's plot. While few other details are known, Disney also released concept art showing Ralph entering the online world with his friend Vanellope von Schweetz, voiced by Sarah Silverman in the first film. The art features parodies of major online brands like Google, Amazon, and more.
The livestream pokes fun at Reilly, who has previously discussed the sequel's existence despite it not being officially announced.
Director Rich Moore has discussed the possible existence of the sequel before with IGN, who also said he'd like to have Mario in the sequel. Over the years since Wreck-It Ralph released in 2012, Moore has spoken about his desire to have the sequel explore online gaming and that he would love to find a way for Tron to cameo in the film.
The original Wreck-It Ralph told the story of arcade game villain Ralph learning he wants to stop being a bad guy and going on an adventure to prove he can be a hero. For more on what we would like to see in the sequel, read IGN's wish list of worlds for Wreck-It Ralph 2.
Image Comics is adding another title to its growing Skybound imprint, and the new book features quite the superstar creative team. Max Landis (Superman: American Alien) and Giuseppe Camuncoli (The Amazing Spider-Man) are teaming up for a new fantasy comic called Green Valley.
Image's official synopsis for the series reads, "A disgraced group of four knights, once close friends, are given one last shot at redemption: kill a wizard, and slay his dragons. But there’s no such thing as wizards, dragons don’t exist, and nothing is as it seems in the town of Green Valley." If that sounds intriguing, check out a preview of the first issue below:
“Green Valley was an idea I had when I was a very little kid." Landis said in Image's press release. "As I got older, most of my ideas from when I was small sounded stupider and stupider. But Green Valley persisted in my mind, and grew. I'm glad to see it finally come to life so beautifully.”
Green Valley will be a nine-issue limited series, with the first chapter hitting stores on October 5.
Note: This review covers all 13 episodes of My Hero Academia: Season 1; however, spoilers will be kept to a minimum.
Having not read the My Hero Academia manga, I had the luxury of going into the anime unaware of the twists and turns that awaited the aspiring young hero Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. After taking a ride on the action-packed emotional rollercoaster that is Season 1 of studio Bones' expertly animated adaptation, My Hero Academia has solidified its place as my favorite show of the year thus far, and has me eagerly awaiting Season 2.
The story centers around the aforementioned Deku, a teenage boy who dreams of becoming a superhero but finds himself among the 20 percent of people without a special power (aka Quirk). After a chance encounter with his heroic idol All Might, Deku finds a way to rise above his circumstances and attends the prestigious U.A. High School in the hopes of making his dreams a reality.
As the clear underdog amongst his peers, I found Deku to be immediately both likable and relatable, especially in contrast to his childhood rival Katsuki Bakugou. Despite being an egocentric bully hell-bent on tearing others down in favor of building himself up, Bakugou grew on me as the series progressed. It's clear he has some pride and anger management issues, but his drive to be a hero and protect society from the villains that threaten the peace is an admirable quality that makes him far more than a one-dimensional hothead.
Likewise, the rest of My Hero Academia's cast of heroes in training are multilayered and each interesting in their own right. From the studious and tightly-wound class president Tenya Iida, who's equipped with engine-powered legs, to the sweet and innocent Ochako Uraraka, who can make things levitate by simply touching them, U.A. High School boasts a colorful cast of diverse and wonderfully realized characters.
The same can be said for the world's "No. 1 Hero" All Might, who is far more than just a big muscle-bound dude sporting a pearly white smile. Yes, even the most powerful of heroes have their weaknesses and need the help of others from time to time, and All Might’s crippling secret does an excellent job of demonstrating that fact. Plus, the bond he forms with Deku that spirals into a mentorship role for a hero whose best days are clearly behind him creates a heartwarming dynamic that had me smiling every time the two of them were together on screen.
The strength of such a well-developed cast makes for a story that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The hints at a budding romance between Uraraka and Deku is adorable, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Additionally, Deku’s struggle to prove himself and gain the respect of Bakugou, despite his peer’s unrelenting hatred towards Deku, makes for some really great moments of tension-filled drama, fueled by a rivalry that extends back to when they were children.
Left to right: Ochako Uraraka, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou and Tenya Iida
Most impactful of all, however, is the bond between Deku and his mother. Watching their relationship evolve, as Deku’s mother realizes she should have supported her Quirkless son more in his quest to become a hero, had my eyes welling up with tears. Not only does this relationship provide a window into Deku’s family life and his insecurities, it drives home the importance of family and supporting one another, no matter how farfetched dreams may appear to be.
My Hero Academia's excellent character design only elevates the memorable cast even further. From Deku's kind and innocent smile to the intimidating stare that emanates from Bakugou's angry eyes, each character has their own distinct look that reflects their personality. I also have to applaud the casting choices and overall voice work, as Yowamushi Pedal's Daiki Yamashita is a perfect fit for Deku in the Japanese version, and Justin Briner does an excellent job as the character in the English dub.
Considering Bones' pedigree, it should come as no surprise that the studio behind Wolf's Rain and Fullmetal Alchemist has once again knocked it out of the park. My Hero Academia is loaded with incredible action scenes that are an absolute joy to watch, thanks to the fluid animation and dynamic angles at which they're presented. From little touches like the glistening eyes of an emotionally wrecked young Deku to the explosive set pieces brought on by Bakugou, each and every episode was a visual treat. There's also plenty of expertly delivered comedic bits strewn throughout the season, many of which can be attributed to the laughably inappropriate antics of Deku's tiny purple-haired classmate Minoru Mineta.
Minoru Mineta, whose Quirk allows him to make sticky spheres from his head
Unlike its well-realized cast of heroes, My Hero Academia's villains left me wanting more. The League of Villains' leader Tomura Shigaraki has the potential to be a fascinating character with a deep and twisted backstory, but unfortunately very little of that was fleshed out in this season. Based on a few teases that pop up during the finale, it's clear we're going to learn a whole lot more about the antagonists of this series in Season 2, but a bit more backstory earlier on would have made Season 1's concluding showdown all the more impactful.
That said, given the limited time in which this first season had to flesh out its cast, I'm glad the bulk of the thirteen episodes focused on making Deku a relatable character and fleshing out his backstory. The series is centered on Deku's journey to become a hero, so having a strong foundational understanding of his character this early on will only serve to strengthen the overall story as My Hero Academia enters its second season.
The Verdict
The first season of My Hero Academia delivers thirteen episodes of fantastic action, elevated by a heartfelt story that's wrapped around a core cast of memorable and relatable characters. While its villains could use some work, the stage has been set for a second season that poses some exciting new challenges for the students of U.A. High School.
Blizzard has announced that Overwatch's Competitive Play, its ranked competitive mode, is coming via a new patch to PC players today.
A post on the Battle.net forums outline the plans for Competitive Play's release. Console players can expect the mode sometime next week, though Blizzard does not have an exact date to announce at this point.
"We know this isn’t an ideal way to deliver new content, so we’re going to continue to refine our patching processes over the next few months in an effort to sync up our release dates across platforms as closely possible," the post reads, acknowledging the split release plan.
The post also outlines that the first season of Competitive Play will be shorter than others, lasting about 1.5 months rather than the expected 2.5 months or so for future seasons. Blizzard cites the reasons for starting with a shorter season as a means of letting players work toward rewards as quickly as possible and so Blizzard can learn from the experience for future improvements.
Debuting in July on NBC's comedy streaming platform Seeso, HarmonQuest is the newest series from Dan Harmon, the creator of Community and co-creator of Rick and Morty.
In HarmonQuest, we watch as Harmon and his friends Jeff Davis (Whose Line Is It Anyway), Erin McGathy (Harmontown, This Feels Terrible), and Game Master Spencer Crittenden (Harmontown) play the roleplaying game, Pathfinder - and then see their game adventures brought to life via animation. The series also includes guests playing with Harmon and company, including Aubrey Plaza, Chelsea Peretti, Ron Funches, John Hodgman, Steve Agee, Thomas Middleditch and Paul F. Tompkins.
Check out the exclusive trailer below to get a look at what happens when the HarmonQuest begins.
Secrecy is a top-most priority on The Walking Dead: Season 7.
Spoilers for the Season 6 finale continue below.
With the cliffhanger ending at the end of Season 6 begging the question of which main cast member Negan is about to kill, The Walking Dead production has been taking the utmost precautions in making sure that answer doesn't leak -- even going as far as to reportedly shoot 11 different various of the death scene with all the characters involved.
Actor Ross Marquand, who plays Aaron, took a break from production to fly to The Walking Dead Attraction's premiere at Universal Studios. With all those precautions being taken, I asked him if the cast at least knows the biggest secret on the show to date.
"I do personally know, but we're obviously not at liberty to talk about that," he said, hesitant even to say that much. So there you have it. At least one person knows!
Of the top-secret nature of Season 7, Marquand said, "They do take it seriously, and I think it's a good reason. We want to protect it for the fans who don't want it spoiled. I think the majority of fans don't want to know. They want it to be an unspoiled thing. I started as a fan of the show. I would hate it if someone actually revealed to me what happened. That's like skipping to the last page of the book."
Marquand didn't get into spoilers, but he did offer some teases of what's in store when The Walking Dead returns in the fall.
"First and foremost, Negan's back, and he's exciting. Secondly, we're going to see what the group can do with this new threat," he said. "It's just an entirely new world, and I think it's going to bring a lot of interesting characters to the forefront. We're also going to see a whole new world develop with Jesus and the Hilltop crew. It's a lot of good stuff coming."
Any time for spaghetti dinners this season? "I hope so," Marquand said with a laugh. "I don't know, at this point. I hope there are more spaghetti dinners in Season 7."
Terri Schwartz is Entertainment Editor at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.
Resident Evil 7: The Beginning Hour, a demo for the upcoming Resident Evil 7 Biohazard that was revealed at E3, has offered players plenty of questions and mysteries, leaving the community around it wondering if it's actually possible to solve the demo's main goal of escaping the house alive.
"We hope fans are enjoying the demo and discovering all it has to offer. While we can’t confirm any specifics about the demo, the team is definitely keeping an eye on all the feedback," a representative for Capcom said in response to whether it is possible to leave the house alive and, essentially, find the demo's "real" ending.
While the statement does not give a direct answer either way as to whether plays can make it out alive, Capcom is acknowledging and aware of the thorough investigation players have been doing in The Beginning Hour.
Spoilers for the Resident Evil 7: The Beginning Hour demo follow.
IGN explored the player community investigating the demo, including the work being done to see whether a third ending is possible outside of the main two known conclusions. Both, including one in which players can open the house's backdoor, end with the player being killed by an angry farmer.
Players have been working through the items and surfaces of the house, attempting to solve the lingering questions of objects like the axe and the dummy finger and whether they have any impact on finding this "real" ending.
The Beginning Hour is said to be a "tonal preview" of the final game, which director Kōshi Nakanishi says won't be the ghost story some may be expecting.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor at IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
Use code CruiseN2Summer to save $15 on any eBay purchase of $75. That code is good for just about anything on eBay, including electronics and, my favorite, gift cards. If you like digital games, or want to save on movie tickets, etc, this discount is like free money. Are you a member of Best Buy's Gamer's Club Unlocked? Score some discounted Best Buy credit and save even more. And considering that both the Steam Summer Sale and a PSN flash sale are going on, it's a good time to score some Steam or PlayStation credit. And if you plan to play Inside, you'd might as well score some discounted Xbox credit for your purchase.
Use code CruiseN2Summer to get a PS Vita for the lowest price I've seen yet. This is the original PS Vita, refurbished by Sony, with the awesome OLED screen, which I actually prefer to the redesigned version. The heyday of the PS Vita may (arguably) be over, but I love grabbing ultra cheap games off of PSN flash sales to play on mine, plus there's always remote play with your PS4. If you've always wanted Sony's handheld, this is the best deal I've see on one.
You've heard of Loot Crate but do you know Nerd Block? It's not a subscription, just $100 worth of gear for just $39.99. This Limited Edition IGN Block contains 9 amazing collectibles across several fan-favorite gaming and entertainment brands, including 6 EXCLUSIVES specially made just for this block PLUS an officially-licensed Marvel T-shirt designed by ShirtPunch! That's over $100 of value, for only $39.99! This is our biggest and heaviest block yet!
Use code DELLDT579 to get this Dell Inspiron desktop with a 4Ghz i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 2 TB 7200RPM hard drive. That AMD Radeon HD R9 360 2GB could use an upgrade to achieve true gaming greatness, but otherwise this is well outfitted PC for the money.
Chromebooks make excellent work laptops and shared family computers, plus this one will be able to run Android apps quite soon. This Asus Chromebook is generally $200, but it's currently just $170 on Amazon, the lowest price I've seen.
Dell is selling this sizable Samsung HDTV for the same price as Amazon, and it's tossing in $125 in credit you can use on games, a console, a PC, anything Dell sells. Add the TV to your cart to see the credit!
The Xbox One S is official, so retailers are practically giving away the original model. You can get either the 1TB Name Your Game Bundle (choose from Forza Motorsport 6, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, or Rare Replay) with second controller and Forza Horizon 2 for $280 - that's a $20 discount on the bundle itself plus you're getting a free game and second controller. You can also get the 1TB Xbox One Elite Console, with its speedier SSHD and awesome Elite Controller right in the box (seriously, the Elite Controller is excellent, it's the best controller you can buy) with the same free Forza and second controller.
If you're interested in trying Valve's unique PC controller, or want to start streaming games from your PC to your TV, both the Steam Link and the Steam Controller are just $35 each, matching the lowest prices I've seen.
If you're in the market for a high quality, multiplatform gaming headset, the official Astro store has some of its most popular models marked well below MSRP. Use code IGNDEAL to save $50 on any of the headsets below. Also, you should know that each of the A50s will work on all gaming consoles as well as PC and Mac. The Xbox One version just includes a headset adapter for the old Xbox One controller with the proprietary headphone port.
Use code JEHN6K75 to score this Omaker M4 bluetooth speaker for just $18. Not only can is it waterproof, and capable of drowning out your own shower singing, it has a 12-hour playtime, which means you bring it with you for a day in the park without worrying about needing a charge.
