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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Grand Theft Auto V Making 'Substantial Progress'

Rockstar parent company Take-Two has provided a brief status update about Grand Theft Auto V. During the company’s first quarter fiscal 2013 earnings call today, CEO Strauss Zelnick commented that Grand Theft Auto V is in “full development” and that Rockstar has made “substantial progress” on the game’s “vast, detailed open world setting.”

Beyond that, Zelnick was coy about Grand Theft Auto V’s release date, commenting “we can't talk about the credibility of a release date that we haven't announced” when asked about various reports about the game’s timing. When asked how often Take-Two communicates with Rockstar regarding the game’s status, Zelnick simply said he “wouldn't talk publicly about the way we communicate with our teams internally” and noted that Take-Two is “blessed” to be in business with Rockstar. “We have the best creative teams in the business across our company,” he added.

Grand Theft Auto V seemed to be the focus of many shareholders during the call’s Q&A session, but one investor also inquired about Agent, which, aside from aside from a few screenshots, hasn’t been heard from since it was originally announced in 2009. “We haven’t announced anything about the title yet” was Zelnick’s only comment.

Overall, Take-Two referred to the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year as below expectations, largely pointing to lower than expected sales of Max Payne 3 (which has shipped three million units worldwide) and Spec Ops: The Line. The company earned $226.1 million for the quarter -- down $108.3 million compared to the same quarter last year -- and reported a $110.8 million loss, more than $100 million over last year’s first quarter loss of $8.6 million. “Consumers at this stage in the hardware cycle are more selective than ever,” Zelnick said. “Our teams are already trying to do groundbreaking work. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we succeed mightily. Occasionally we are disappointed. We’d like that to be even less occasionally.”

Take-Two is investing heavily in digitally-delivered content, including mobile games and downloads. 14% of Take-Two revenue this quarter came from downloaded content, including Civilization V’s recent Gods and Kings expansion and Max Payne Mobile. A free multiplayer add-on for Max Payne 3 was announced, as well as online launches including an open beta for NBA 2K13 in China, Comedy Central’s Indecision Game for mobile and NBA 2K All Stars for the GREE platform. Catalog sales were up 50% compared to last year, including successes like Grand Theft Auto III 10th Anniversary Edition and Red Dead Redemption.

Take-Two expects this fiscal year “to be one of the best years in Take-Two's history,” projecting between $1.7 and $1.8 billion. 55% of that total is expected to come from Rockstar, with the remaining 45% coming from 2K titles. 2K’s upcoming release slate includes Borderlands 2 in September, followed by NBA 2K13 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown in October. First-person shooter XCOM is scheduled for fiscal 2014 (meaning it will arrive between April 2013 and March 2014) and BioShock Infinite is scheduled for February 2013. Take-Two also hinted at additional titles that have yet to be announced.

Take-Two noted that Borderlands 2 has some of the highest pre-order numbers in the company’s history, behind only Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. "Consumer anticipation is phenomenal," chief operating officer Karl Slatoff commented.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

You Decide: Batman vs The Avengers

Off-Site: Cast Your Vote on IGN's YouTube Network

*Update* Voting will close Wednesday, August 1st at Midnight PST.*

Welcome to Versus, a video series where we'll be pitting two movies against each other and let you decide who the winner is.

We know you've spent countless hours trolling comments sections, defending the honor of your favorite franchise. Flamewar face-offs are the ultimate indulgence for passionate movie goers, so don't by shy. This episode features DC's The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel's The Avengers. We'll be looking at four categories in this episode -- Story, Action Sequences, Sex Appeal and the Villains. The overall winner is decided based on the total cumulative votes across all the categories.

This is a fun feature for IGN, but if you think we can improve it please send us your comments and tell us what you think of the show. You can help IGN shape future face-offs and tell us what movies you want us to choose next.

How It Works

  • Watch the Video
  • Vote: Click on Your Favorite (Annotated)
  • Each View is a Vote

Remember, you MUST have annotations turned on. The category winners and overall champion will be announced late next week right here on IGN.

Who Are You Rooting For? Share Your Votes on Twitter!

The Dark Knight Rises, click here Tweet

Marvel's The Avengers, click here Tweet

Destin is an editor at IGN, and can usually be heard helping you through our many video guides. Follow IGN on Twitter, and yell at Destin on IGN and Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

Check Out These Award-Winning 8-Bit T-Shirts

The winners of WeLoveFine’s 8-bit design contest have been chosen. A panel of judges including Harmonix art director Ryan Lesser and IGN’s own beard-in-chief Casey Lynch picked ten of the best designs, and WeLoveFine has announced that all of the shirts are available for purchase!

Check out the winning designs below, and head over to WeLoveFine’s site to see all the honorable mentions. Click any shirt to head to WeLoveFine’s store. Links lead to men’s sizes, but click to the right of any shirt to purchase the women’s size.

Grand Prize: “Time Lines” by Drew Wise ($1,000 winner)

Casey’s Pick: "Aliens & Ladders" by Julien Bazinet ($400 winner)

Ryan’s Pick: "Ash Housewares" by Andrew Helms ($400 winner)

Runner-Up: "Select Your Avenger" by Julien Bazinet ($150 winner)

Runner-Up: "JRPG Battle" by Massimo Marsan ($150 winner)

Again, head over to WeLoveFine’s site to see all the honorable mentions as well as the other entries, and if you’re interested in awesome gaming shirts, be sure to check out the IGN Store as well!

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Wrestling Wrap Up: AJ's First Night as RAW GM!

WWE: Then. Now. Forever...

Wow, forever? That’s probably a tiny bit presumptuous. I mean, we’d first have to mutually agree that the human race itself is sticking around for all eternity, right? Whatever. It’s fine. The WWE can have its crazy new tagline as long as it means nixing the Nickelback. Because they are forever, as it turns out. You know, in an “ancient evil that surrounds us, living within our greatest fears” type of way.

And speaking of primal forces...FIRE!! There was a freakin’ fire in the arena before RAW went on the air; set off by the preliminary pyro tests. That’s right, the Olympics opening ceremony can ignite the entire Thames River and blow up the sky and not a nose hair gets singed, but the WWE almost brings down their own stage. Actually, with the WWE’s schedule, I’m surprised little mishaps like this don’t happen more often. But what surprised me even more was...how much they embraced their f*** up.

The business of "business picking up."

Sure, I suppose they needed to address it at the top of the show, to explain why people were still filing in. And because, you know, it’s news and they’d look like total ass-covering chumps if they didn’t. But then, along with all the avalanche of recapping that was done over the 3-hours, they kept on bringing it up. They kept reminding us about the fire. They were recapping it as if it was something they did on purpose! Like it was a segment. And they kept acting like the fire just added to the crazy, exciting atmosphere of RAW. “And speaking of volatile situations, we completely turned the Titan-tron into a lethal curtain of flames earlier tonight! Anything can happen!”

You’d just think that, given how much the WWE likes to contain their own news, they wouldn’t have tried to turn the fire into such a happening. Especially since there’s a possibility that someone might have effed up and made a mistake. If someone’s job was on the line, that poor bastard was probably like “Stop cutting to footage of the fire! This is my life!” And speaking of guys who might be looking for work after last night... Mr. AW, sir.

Mr. AW. Yeah, forget the fire, it’s AW’s comments that landed the WWE on the cover of TMZ this morning. I’m literally checking over to other sites while I write this Wrap Up, expecting to see a headline along the lines of “WWE Releases Abraham Washington” or “AW Suspended.” Or “Giant Meteor On Collision Course with Earth; Stop Writing Your Column, Idiot!"

LOUD NOISES!

I mean, if a top-of-the-line star like Jericho gets 30 days for flag-smashing, I’d be shocked if AW got off with less. Especially since it happened A: in America and B: on live TV. Now I’ve been meaning to write about AW’s “live mic’d” manager gimmick for a few weeks now. That’s been his thing. He wears a mic while at ringside so the whole crowd can hear the brilliance of his managerial stylings. And so last night he said, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado... he's unstoppable.”

And here’s where the WWE’s desire to be the most “socially media’d up the ass” program on TV comes back to haunt them. Kobe Bryant trended worldwide. And the web ‘sploded. And Cole had to issue a vague apology for “AW’s words” when they came back from commercial. And now the WWE has told TMZ that they’ve taken appropriate action. And yet, I see no “future endeavor” headline yet. Look, I don’t want to see people lose their jobs, but we have to admit that it’s fun to see the giant WWE mechanism sputter and smoke. And to check and see if there’s any sort of uniformity in their decision making. Reports say that, understandably, AW was totally apologetic and made the rounds backstage, saying he was sorry and that he just got caught up in the moment. But... it was a whole joke. It’s not like he accidentally said f*** on the air. Or something else more impulsive. It was a joke he’d thought up ahead of time. It had a set up and a punchline. It didn’t just manifest itself in his brain.

More from RAW, including Punk, AJ and Daniel Bryan, on page 2...


Source : ign[dot]com

Dead Space 3, Crysis 3, Madden 13 Pre-Orders Surge

EA has announced big pre-order numbers for Dead Space 3, Crysis 3 and Madden NFL 13. According to a first quarter earnings call today, pre-orders of Dead Space 3 “are tracking almost five-times higher than Dead Space 2 in the same timeframe in 2010.” Crysis 3 pre-orders, meanwhile, “are roughly three-times what they were for Crysis 2 at this time in 2010” and Madden NFL 13 pre-orders “are up 25% versus last year.”

Elsewhere in the call, EA reported continued success for Battlefield 3 Premium, which has boosted its financials in the wake of disappointing subscriber numbers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Looking ahead, the publisher also commented that it’s keeping a close eye on Wii U.

Overall, EA lost $130 million this quarter, with revenue of $491 million that fell just short of its $500 million forecast. EA announced this morning that it will hire former Yahoo! exec Blake Jorgensen as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer. The publisher called the quarter “solid” overall and CEO John Riccitiello referred to the company’s plans as “a strategic balance that none of our peers can duplicate.”

EA also commented on the results of a recent lawsuit over sports exclusivity, noting that it’s “not out of the NCAA football business” but that it won’t hold the exclusive rights moving forward. “We’re very bullish on our NCAA product going forward and we welcome the competition,” Riccitiello said, in addition to discussing Star Wars: The Old Republic's recently-announced transition to free-to-play.

EA’s upcoming release slate includes NHL 13 in September in addition to Madden NFL 13 in August and both Medal of Honor Warfighter and  Need for Speed Most Wanted in October. Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3 will hit stores in early 2013, along with Sim City in February.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Warehouse 13: "An Evil Within" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Last week's premiere restored order to the series after the chaotic events of last season's finale. We see more of the same trend here, as the show continues to gradually make the wrong things right; this time by bringing Jinks back to life. I'm happy to see Aaron Ashmore still has a job, but I'm hoping all this re-writing of history has some serious consequences that raise the stakes for the series.

This episode started off well. The team is in good spirits, except for Artie who seems to still carry stress/guilt/fear from all of last week's events. Pete's innocuous “turn back time” comment has an obviously jarring effect on Artie and precludes the reappearance of Brother Adrian, who of course doesn't know that he and Artie met in an alternate timeline. Brent Spiner gets a much better opportunity to explore the role and it's good to see him back on TV. On a separate note, here's a little bit of TV history trivia for you: Saul Rubinek (Artie) and Brent Spiner once worked very closely on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “The Most Toys” (quite a good episode if you haven't seen it).

Anyways, back to the Warehouse. This episode takes a three-part format, with Pete and Myka investigating an odd case while Artie deals with Brother Adrian and Claudia is doing her best bad girl impression. If you didn't have a ton of reasons to love Allison Scagliotti before, well you should now.

The story really takes an odd turn when Kate Mulgrew once again shows up as regent Jane Lattimer to tell Claudia that it's okay for Claudia to bring Jinks back. It's a thrilling development, made even more surprising by the late revelation that the regents actually did not approve it and Jane was going rogue. We've got all sorts of morality issues here, but Artie's time turning is the biggest of them all. There's a nice bit of thematic storytelling as Artie tries to prevent Claudia from doing something similar (but different) to what he did. It's quite a moral quandary that will surely be part of the series going forward.

Once Claudia gets the questionable go-ahead to revive Jinksy, she and Jane bring Steve back in an emotional scene where Kate Mulgrew really shows she still has the acting chops. I've really enjoyed Mulgrew in this role, and it looks like her character is joining Artie and Claudia in moral limbo. For the most part our heroes have been able to resist the temptation of artifact power, but now things are changing fast.

I also liked the little characterization moments in the script. We learn that Myka has a fear of tentacles (maybe she had an unpleasant experience with some hentai anime). And I really enjoyed Artie's desperate attempts to figure out how to get around this “evil” without unfixing the warehouse's destruction. There's plenty to like here, but there are unfortunately a number of flaws too.

H.P. Lovecraft finally gets some love in Warehouse 13. This is a deserved acknowledgment which comic and horror geeks should surely enjoy, and it's a wonder that it took this long for this series to fit him into one of the stories. Unfortunately, this artifact hunt is one of the weakest the series has ever produced. The plot with the tentacled monsters just doesn't hit any highs, and it culminates in a final scene that his horribly cheesy, partially because our antagonist barely says anything, and when he does he's not particularly interesting. Then we have the extras at the gym, who are all horrendous actors. But to be fair, the whole concept of the scene leaves a lot to be desired. And the special effects – which were gradually getting better for this series – take a little step backwards here.

But if you take out the shaky Lovecraft plot, this is a good episode that sets up a lot of pieces for the developing story that is going to carry us through the season. Still, all these new developments have been at the expense of undoing all the shocking surprises of last season. Normally I wouldn't be a big fan of this approach because it keeps us from believing that any of the major events of the series will ever stick. But at the same time, I understand the producers don't want to take too many risks with a formula that's working. The showrunners have proven themselves capable caretakers of this series, so for now I'll be cautiously optimistic that this direction will pay off very soon.


Source : ign[dot]com

Kotobukiya Explores the DC Universe

Though DC Comics still has its DC Collectibles branch, we're seeing a number of other collectibles companies increase their focus on characters like Batman and Superman. Kotobukiya is one such company to increase their DC output in recent months, particularly through their Bishoujo line of PVC statues. The company provided us with new pics and details about some of their upcoming DC products.

Justice League ArtFX Statues

Koto first introduced the ArtFX+ format as part of their Star Wars line, and the heroes of the Justice league are the next to make the jump. Compared to the regular ArtFX format, ArtFX+ statues are smaller (1:10 scale or about 7.5 inches tall) and more affordably priced. Koto will focus on the New 52 Justice League first, with statues based on Jim Lee's artwork and character designs.

Superman and Green lantern will be the first two characters out of the gate. Both statues were sculpted by artist Atelier Bamboo. Both will cost $39.99 and are expected to hit stores in January 2013. Koto also had an unpainted Wonder Woman prototype on display at SDCC, so we expect to at least see the core seven League members included in this line.

Huntress Bishoujo Statue

The Bishoujo line continues to be one of Koto's more popular series, expanding to include everything from Tekken to Mass Effect to Star Wars. The next DC-themed Bishoujo statue after Harley Quinn (which we previewed here) will be Huntress. Like the other DC Bishoujos, Huntress is based on her classic appearance rather than the New 52 look. This statue was sculpted by Masahiro Takashi and measures about 9.5 inches tall. She'll retail for $64.99 and is expected to ship in December 2012.

Justice League X Korejanai Mini Figures

Koto's newest DC line is a bit more unusual. The Justice league X Korejanai figures are inspired by the "Korejanai Robot" illustration style. These heavily stylized figurines have limited articulation but can actually transform into cars by adjusting the limbs.

Each figure is about 2.5 inches tall and will retail for $5.99. The first series includes both regular and metallic variants of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash. Series 1 is expected to hit stores in November 2012.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

The Pros and Cons of a Hobbit Trilogy

Lord of the Rings fans have plenty of reason for excitement these days as this December will see the release of the first part of director Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit. However, in recent weeks rumors have been building that Jackson's duology had quietly expanded into a trilogy. Those rumors were confirmed yesterday when Jackson announced that he'll be adding one more Hobbit movie onto his already busy slate.

The big question now is whether this announcement is cause for further excitement or concern. Does one novel really need three movies to be properly adapted? Will audiences tolerate having to wait an extra year for the saga of Bilbo Baggins to wrap up? In this feature, we explore some of the pros and cons to lending the trilogy treatment to The Hobbit, as well as the storytelling choices Jackson will have to contend with as he prepares to commence shooting additional footage next year.

How to Break Up the Trilogy

One of the first questions to arise after yesterday's announcement was “How are they going to divide the three movies?” The adaptation process was much more straightforward with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each book became the source for one movie. With The Hobbit, however, one single book is being split into three discrete chunks. And given that The Hobbit is significantly shorter than any of the three LotR novels, many are worried that this story will be stretched too thin.

Obviously, plenty of material will need to be added, which will be discussed at greater length in the other sections. But simply in terms of dividing the book as neatly and elegantly as possible into three parts, Jackson may be in a better position than he was with a duology. Much like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, there isn't an ideal halfway mark in the book. A duology is stuck either ending the first half on a weak note without a major conflict to usher the movie to its climax, or cramming a disproportionate amount of material into one film or the other. In the case of Deathly Hallows, the writers took the latter approach. The majority of the book was adapted in Part 1, while the final battle between Harry and Voldemort was greatly expanded to fill out Part 2.

But again, a three movie format puts The Hobbit in a better position. We picture the first movie hitting its climax with the battle in the Misty Mountains and Bilbo's fateful meeting with Gollum. As far as we can tell, none of the material seen in the first trailer is set beyond this point anyway. The second movie can explore the company's continued journey through the wilderness, their meeting with Beorn, and their hard trek through Mirkwood Forest. The climax of Part 2 would simultaneously center around Bilbo and the dwarves' escape from the Wood Elves and Gandalf's battle with the Necromancer in Dol Goldur. From there, the third and final chapter could focus on the arrival at the Lonely Mountain, the Battle of the Five Armies, and Bilbo's journey home.

Another option would be to retain the duology format and tackle a completely separate slate of material in the third movie. Part 3 could take place in between the Hobbit movies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bridging the gap between the two and exploring the events of that 50-year period. However, this option doesn't seem likely. Jackson has noted that an additional two months of filming will be required next year to complete the trilogy. While that's no small amount of extra footage, it doesn't seem adequate to craft an entirely new movie.

More Gandalf

Though set many decades before the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit includes a number of familiar faces for fans to latch onto. Aside from Martin Freeman's younger, less worldly Bilbo Baggins, the most significant returning character is Gandalf. Once again, this elderly wizard arrives at Bag End to usher its owner on a long, strange, and life-altering journey.

Gandalf serves as a guide and protector for Bilbo and the dwarves in the early leg of their journey. However, he practically drops out of the story after a certain point, not returning until the climax of the book to lend his trademark timely assistance in battle.

One possible benefit to expanding the adaptation into a trilogy is that it allows Jackson to focus much more attention on Gandalf's exploits. The book is fairly cryptic about what those exploits involve, only revealing that Gandalf had concerns of his own and that he was locked in a battle with the Necromancer of Dol Goldur even as Bilbo and friends were escaping captivity in another part of Mirkwood Forest. With the movie, we'd like to see a more parallel storytelling approach taken. Rather than frame the entire story from Bilbo's point of view, Gandalf's adventures can serve as a counterpoint.

Luckily, we're not too worried about a lack of source material to inspire Gandalf's scenes. While The Hobbit itself might not have spent much time on Gandalf's side adventures, Tolkien's appendices and unfinished stories shed much more light on this material. In particular, the story “The Quest of Erebor” from Tolkien's Unfinished Tales casts the events of The Hobbit in a new light. There, Gandalf recounts his desire to eliminate Smaug the dragon as a potential ally to Sauron and his true reasons for wanting to include Bilbo in Thorin's traveling party. This tale acts as a more serious counterpoint to Bilbo's own recollections.

What does concern us is that the movie might take too many liberties with Gandalf in order to make him a more identifiable character. For instance, some of the footage in the first trailer seems to suggest that Gandalf and Galadriel have some sort of deeper bond, which is certainly not corroborated by anything Tolkien ever wrote. Bilbo should be the everyman hero of the movies, while Gandalf is Middle-earth's larger-than-life defender.

Revealing the Necromancer

As mentioned, Gandalf's conflict with the Necromancer of Dol Goldur forms a significant part of the conflict in The Hobbit, even though readers never experience the battle firsthand. But who is the Necromancer, and why is Gandalf so concerned with him?

As it turns out, the Necromancer is none other than Sauron, the shadowy villain who threatened Middle Earth throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy. At this stage in Tolkien's timeline, Sauron is still physically weak and working to consolidate the power he lost in his war with the Last Alliance. Centuries before the events of The Hobbit, Sauron arrived in Mirkwood as “a shadow of fear” and established his fortress at Dol Goldur. It took many years for Gandalf to discover with certainty that the Necromancer and Sauron were one and the same, and more still for him to marshal allies such as Saruman, Elrond, and Galadriel to help him drive Sauron out of the region. As the Lord of the Rings movies showed us, those efforts proved to be too little, too late.

If the movies are to show an increased focus on Gandalf relative to the book, then it stands to reason we'll see more of the Necromancer as well. This creates an interesting challenge for Jackson. Sauron is a very vaguely defined villain throughout Tolkien's writing. In his finished works, Sauron is never more than a looming, faceless threat. Even the LotR movies broke with tradition by actually showing viewers what Sauron looked like. How much further should Jackson break with tradition? Will we see what the Necromancer looks like before his full power has returned? Will he actually speak to Gandalf and the members of the White Council? Will he have a distinct personality?

The possibilities are intriguing, but there's plenty of room for error in shining too much of a spotlight on the villain. Sauron is a villain who is defined by his mystique. The fact that he's such a vague, unseen presence in Tolkien's stories is part of his charm. By molding Sauron into more of a distinct character, Jackson runs the risk of destroying that charm. Like the Joker's origin in The Dark Knight, some things are better left unknown.

Tying the Franchise Together

The residents of Middle-earth tend to live longer than your average, contemporary human. The benefit there is that, even though these movies take place decades before the Lord of the Rings trilogy, many of our old favorites are perfectly capable of stopping by to make cameo appearances. Besides Gandalf, we know that characters like Galadriel, Elrond, and Legolas will be appearing in The Hobbit. Meanwhile, Elijah Wood and Ian Holm will be reprising their roles as Frodo Baggins and an elderly Bilbo, respectvely, in a series of framing sequences set in the period of the LotR movies.

More Hobbit movies means more room for these sorts of cameos and nods to the previous films. And naturally, this can be a good or bad thing depending on how Jackson chooses to handle the material. Our inner continuity nerd loves the idea of additional nods to these ancillary characters. And with the need to expand the plot of the Hobbit to legitimately fill three movies, this sort of material may be the best option. Rather than invent new obstacles for Bilbo and the dwarves to overcome, new scenes exploring the role of characters such as Galadriel may make for more elegant additions.

But again, we worry about the direction some of these scenes might take. There's always room for missteps when you veer too far from the source material. On the other hand, we'd rather see Jackson err on the side of experimentation than deliver three movies of painstaking, rigid adherence to the source material. The same people who made fun of the LotR movies for featuring nothing but people walking would have an absolute field day.

Jackson has specifically noted a desire to explore some of the material laid out in the appendices to The Return of the King. This material explores various tidbits of Middle-earth history in the years leading up to and following the LotR novels, including Aragorn's hunt for Gollum. Jackson actually mentioned said hunt as one piece of material he'd like to explore in the movies. However, that hunt occurs during the early chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring. Aragorn himself is a mere boy during the events of The Hobbit. Does this mean that the Bilbo/Frodo framing segments are just the tip of the iceberg as far as Jackson's approach to shifting chronology?

We hope not. At the end of the day, there needs to be a distinction between The Hobbit trilogy and the LotR trilogy. These three new movies have to be able to stand on their own in addition to serving as worthy prequels. Too much emphasis on bridging the gap is only going to drag down the story. The worst case scenario is that the third Hobbit film wraps up the conflict with Smaug midway through and devotes the remainder to building the groundwork for Fellowship. We don't want a Return of the King-style, rapid-fire series of endings. We want a rousing climax followed by a brief, purposeful wrap-up.

The Future of the Franchise

Reactions to the news about The Hobbit becoming a trilogy have been mixed. Many fans have taken heart that Jackson seems motivated by his love for the franchise and his desire to tell the best story possible, rather than studio pressure. Other cynics remain convinced that Warner Bros. arranged the move in order to fill the void left by now completed, lucrative franchises like Harry Potter and Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

In the end, the motivations behind the decision matter less than the execution. For better or worse, Jackson's handling of the Hobbit trilogy will determine the ongoing future of Middle-earth in Hollywood. Will casual audiences maintain an interest in this story all the way through Christmas 2014? Is a year too long to wait in between each installment?

Jackson's relative success in handling the ancillary characters and adding story material not found within The Hobbit itself will determine how well suited Tolkien's stories are for further exploration. Can the movies still succeed when they explore less well-defined characters and conflicts? Jackson' success with adding to and filling out the story of The Hobbit could pave the way for even more movies devoted to further expanding Middle-earth. We'd love to see movies devoted to the first war against Sauron, key events from The Silmarillion, or even an actual sequel to Lord of the Rings. But first fans need proof that it's possible for a movie to do justice to the franchise by venturing into more unfamiliar territory.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

EA ‘Keeping a Very Close Eye’ on Wii U

During its first quarter earnings call today, EA commented on its plans to support Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U. According to EA chief operating officer Peter Moore, the publisher is interested in the console and has plans to make announcements in the future.

“We’re keeping a very close eye on the platform,” Moore said before acknowledging the “lackluster response” Nintendo received coming out of E3. He added that EA has learned to “never underestimate Nintendo, as proven by the last generation.”

Moore noted that EA has “great franchises poised to be on that platform,” but that no announcements are ready to be made at this time. “We’ll probably announce more in the future,” he said.

During E3, EA announced that Mass Effect 3 is headed to Wii U. Since then, BioWare confirmed that the Wii U version will integrate Mass Effect 3’s extended cut endings.

The publisher is expected to make additional announcements leading up to Nintendo’s launch of Wii U later this year.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Nexus Q Gets More Features, Major Delay

Google's first manufactured hardware won't be on sale this July, as previously advertised. Instead, the Nexus Q will be headed back to the drawing board - or at least halfway there - where it will be receiving additional features and functionality.

The Nexus Q, which was revealed at Google I/O 2012, features media streaming, NFC capabilities, and tight integration with the Nexus 7. But when put in direct comparison to other media streaming boxes, the Nexus Q was different in two ways: 1) It wasn't a box. 2) It was about $200 more than comparable setups.

Ultimately, reviewers lamented the lack of features and the price.

But what about those that pre-ordered the device at the mind-bogglingly expensive price tag of $300? Well, those pre-orders aren't disappearing - Google loyalists will be getting the Nexus Q for free. Google shot the following email to pre-orderers:

We have an important update about your Nexus Q pre-order.

When we announced Nexus Q at Google I/O, we gave away devices to attendees for an early preview. The industrial design and hardware were met with great enthusiasm. We also heard initial feedback from users that they want Nexus Q to do even more than it does today. In response, we have decided to postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q while we work on making it even better.

To thank you for your early interest, we’d like to extend the Nexus Q preview to our pre-order customers and send you a free device. If you had other items in your order, your credit card will be charged for those items only.

Your Nexus Q will be on its way soon and you will receive a notification and tracking number from Google Play when it ships.

The Nexus Q Team

While we saw no real reason to buy the device at $300 with its current slate of features, with more on the way we're excited to see what the next Nexus Q will be capable of.

We'll let you know as soon as we learn any new information about the Nexus Q 2.0.

Nic is the Editor of IGN Tech. He loves technology almost as much as Starbursts, Boyz II Men, and Halo: Reach. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Free Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Add-On Arriving in August

Max Payne 3's next multiplayer expansion, Disorganized Crime, will be free. Rockstar Games says it will have players fighting "above the streets surrounding Max’s old apartment in the new Hoboken Rooftops multiplayer map." In addition, Disorganized Crime adds more aggressive AI, explosive rounds, and headshot-only kills for Score Attack.

Following up in September is the Hostage Negotiation map pack, which will cost $10 on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network on PC. Rockstar has yet to provide details about the new multiplayer levels included here.

The following month adds two more $10 downloadable add-ons for Max Payne 3 multiplayer. Both the Painful Memories Map Pack and Deathmatch Made in Heaven Mode Pack (which includes the content from the previously revealed New York Minute co-op pack) will arrive at an unspecified date in October.

The Local Justice add-on, which includes three new maps and some new weapons, recently released on consoles, and will hit PC on August 9 at a discounted price of $5.99 for the first week.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

FCC Forces Verizon to Allow Tethering Apps

A recent FCC investigation of Verizon's use of the "C Block" frequency spectrum it uses to operate its LTE network found the carrier's policy of banning 3rd-party tethering apps to be in violation of open-access provisions of its license. No more "This item is not available on your carrier" messages.

Given crystal-clear language like "[Licensees] shall not deny, limit, or restrict the ability of their customers to use the devices and applications of their choice on the licensee's C Block network," it's actually sort of amazing the investigation lasted almost a year, but the settlement is a step in the right direction.

Verizon must pay $1.25 million to cover FCC costs.

In addition to re-enabling the 11 tethering apps they'd been blocking, Verizon must pay $1.25 million to cover FCC costs.

Verizon has "revised its service offerings such that consumers on usage-based pricing plans may tether, using any application," the FCC report states. No definite word yet on how the carrier will handle grandfathered unlimited data plans, but at least the apps are back.

Source: Engadget

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN


Source : ign[dot]com

Kairosoft: Much More than Just Game Dev Story

Japanese mobile game developer Kairosoft burst onto the U.S. scene in late 2010 with the smash-hit sim Game Dev Story. The title allows gamers to grow their own game development studio from a tiny indie making puzzle and trivia games for PCs into a massive operation capable of releasing its own game console.

The game’s not-so-subtle jabs at the real-world game industry made it an instant cult-classic with core gamers. To succeed players have to choose the right company to make consoles for – “Senga” and “Intendro” are two early-game choices. Players also must smartly match their game’s theme with the proper genre. I personally had a string of smash-hit motion-controlled romance games called “Love Touch” towards the end of my Game Dev Story career.

Game Dev Story was the company’s first U.S. title and remains its biggest success. Kairosoft’s story extends back far further, however.

Nearly 20 Years of Sims

The truth is that Kairosoft is a much older company than most people think it is. The studio was formed in 1996 and its small team of nine has been making simple simulation games, first for PC and later for mobile phones, ever since.

Kairosoft has released a steady string of sim titles onto the iOS App Store and Google Play Store since Game Dev Story became such a smash hit – 14 titles in just 22 months.  But the truth is that many of these titles, while new to English-speaking audiences, aren’t new at all.

In the late 90s and early 2000s Japanese mobile phones were significantly more powerful than the brick-like Nokia handsets that were popular in the United States and Europe. Apple’s iPhone and high-end Android handsets have since closed the gap, but Japanese consumers enjoyed full-color, game-capable phones far earlier than the Western world.

Can your team make the next big hit?

Most Kairosoft’s sims that hit the App Store are ports of these original mobile games. Anyone that owns Game Dev Story can dive into the options menu to turn “pad on.” This will activate a round virtual game pad that hints at how Kairosoft’s games are played on lower-end phones that don’t feature a touch screen.

New games or old, many English-speaking gamers can’t get enough of Kairosoft’s breezy blend of simple strategy & simulation. The company is often criticized for its titles being too similar to one another. It’s not an unfair complaint – many Kairosoft games feel very homogeneous. Still, after spending enough time away many gamers find themselves developing the well-known “Kairosoft itch” and want to come back for more.

When the mood strikes, which items in the studio's ever-growing library of titles are worth your dough? IGN has your back. We’ve broken down and ranked all of Kairosoft’s English-language iOS releases below. Now you can buy the best and skip the rest.

Kairosoft iPhone Power-Rankings

Mega Mall Story (IGN Review)  (Buy

Game Dev Story may be Kairosoft’s most-popular game, but it isn’t the company’s best. That honor goes to Mega Mall Story. The game features a huge volume of stores to unlock, keeping your mall varied and fresh all the way to the game’s conclusion. The endgame, traditionally the weak spot in Kairosoft games, is strengthened thanks to a few very expensive late-game investments and hard-to-achieve secret goals.

Game Dev Story (IGN Review)  (Buy

Kairosoft’s original hit remains one of the company’s best titles. There is less pure gameplay and decision-making in Game Dev than most Kairosoft titles – you won’t be hunting for combos or worrying about building placement. But the game makes up for these deficiencies with a much faster pace (there is always something to do) and a great sense of video game humor. It’s too much fun attending Game Dev’s version of E3 and hiring a celebrity to hang out in your booth attracting fans, or creating a hit franchise of Pirate Adventure games.

Dungeon Village (IGN Review)  (Buy)  

Like Game Dev Story, Dungeon Village is more fun than it probably should be thanks to its great theme. The game gives players the opportunity to build up their own RPG town. The more inns and shops you construct, the better equipped traveling adventurers will be. This allows them to defeat more monsters and bring back more loot to spend in town. It’s a great cycle. Plenty of RPG-style loot to collect is just the icing on the cake.

Pocket Academy (IGN Info)  (Buy

Pocket Academy is often overlooked due to its theme. How much fun could it be building and running a private school? Crazy-fun, it turns out. Most Kairosoft games seem complex at first glance but are actually fairly simple beneath the surface. Pocket Academy is one of the few Kairosoft games with true depth. Hiring the right teachers, giving students the right career advice and building just the right mix of facilities gives gamers more decisions to make than most of Kairosoft’s sims.

Epic Astro Story (IGN Info)  (Buy

Epic Astro Story is a great concept for the Kairosoft “simple sim” treatment: pioneer an untamed planet in the distant future, clean out its hostile citizens and build up thriving trade with neighboring aliens to bring in the dough. For the most part the concept works brilliantly. There’s even light RPG combat mechanics. A few balance issues are the only issue holding Epic Astro back from brilliance and top-tier placement. It’s simply too easy to achieve every goal once a gamer figures out the title's ins and outs.

Pocket League Story (IGN Review)  (Buy

Pocket League Story is similar to Game Dev, in that players manage the progress of a small group of people (this time a soccer team), instead of developing an empty space with stores and decorations like most Kairosoft titles. These stat-management titles are usually simpler and more passive, with less choices for gamers to make. Game Dev succeeds thanks to its clever nods to video game history – something that Pocket League lacks. Passively watching dozens of soccer matches unfold also grows tiresome. Still, it’s very compelling to nurture a team of scrubs into World Cup champs, and Pocket League is very well-balanced, ensuring only very careful players will reach the Gold on their first loop through.

Hot Springs Story (IGN Review)  (Buy

Hot Springs Story is the first Kairosoft game on this chart that’s hard to recommend wholeheartedly. Taking a tiny spa and growing it into a massive, award-winning business (complete with restaurants, message chairs and of course male and female hot springs) is fun, but it doesn’t feel as epic or clever as most Kairosoft titles. It’s also more repetitive than Kairosoft’s greats. To succeed you’ll have to place the same few decorations and stores over and over – there is less variety than a title like Mega Mall.

Venture Towns (IGN Review)  (Buy

Venture Towns was supposed to be a match made in heaven: take Kairosoft’s tried and true breezy sim/strategy and marry it with the most classic of sim genres: the city builder! The results aren’t bad – just disappointing. Venture Towns has some good ideas but never quite recovers from its slow pace. Players spend more time waiting around for money to accumulate than actually playing. The generic theme also works against Venture Towns in some ways. Running a hot springs or private school might feel strange, but they’re also more memorable than developing a generic town.

Grand Prix Story (IGN Review)  (Buy

In Grand Prix Story players must create the best racing team possible by managing staff, carefully upgrading cars and spending research points to unlock new parts. Like Pocket League Story, Grand Prix is a bit on the basic side. There are no buildings to construct or stores to arrange. But Pocket League has the advantage of a universally-loved and understood goal: reach the World Cup. Only major gear-heads will be as excited about competing in an ever-escalating set of races.

Oh! Edo Towns (IGN Review)  (Buy

Oh! Edo Towns tasks players with building up a town in Japan’s Edo Period (1603 – 1868). It suffers from the same pacing problems found in Venture Towns, with the added disadvantage of a significant cultural gap to overcome. Like other Kairosoft titles, the basic strategy is to construct complimentary shops next to one another. But what is the logical thing to build next to a Straw Hat Shop, or a Public Bath?

Even with these problems and its placement at the bottom of the list, Oh! Edo Towns is still a lot of fun. It’s easy to get caught up in that all-too-familiar “Just one more month”  cycle that all Kairosoft games feature so strongly. Your next building or expansion is always just around the corner, making the game very hard to put down. Oh! Edo Towns isn’t bad. It’s just the most skippable title among a library of very strong releases.

Bonus #1: Android Hits

Kairosoft often alternates iOS and Android releases, showing each platform an equal amount of love. All Kairosoft titles eventually hit both platforms but some games can remain exclusive to either Google or Apple’s platforms for many months. So iOS gamers looking for a sneak peek of what’s to come should look at what’s already available on Android:

Pocket Clothier - (Buy)

Run your own clothing shop! Coordinate fashions, position mannequins and do everything else in your power to grow from a tiny corner shop into a world-class boutique.

The Sushi Spinnery - (Buy)

Manage and grow a revolving sushi restaurant! Set the menu, pick your amenities and pick the perfect décor.

World Cruise Story - (Buy)

Captain a luxury cruise liner! Develop entertainment options including casinos and restaurants, deck-out your ship, create lavish suites and travel to all the right ports to succeed.

Cafeteria Nipponica - (Buy)

Run your own restaurant! Find ingredients, discover recipes, hire your crew and set the correct ambiance.

Bonus #2: Untranslated Games

Kairosoft’s Japanese website gives us a hint of what we can expect from the company in the coming months. Titles that have not yet been translated into English include games that allow players to run an arcade, run a video game retail store, become a manga artist, and plenty more.

Only Kairosoft knows for certain what is in store for U.S. audiences - the company is notoriously hard for the English-speaking games press to get in touch with. But it's a sure bet that the small studio has plenty more pixel-filled simulation goodness on the way.

Which Kairosoft games are your favorites? What idea would you like to see Kairosoft tackle next? Leave a note in the comments below and let us know.

Justin is Editor of IGN Wireless. He has been reviewing cell phone games since the dark days of Java flip phones. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Microsoft Gives Hotmail its Biggest Makeover Yet

Hotmail, the email service no one but your technophobic aunts and uncles wants to admit to using, has long been due for a serious overhaul. As of today, Microsoft has finally cleaned up the interface with a Metro UI overlay, leaving messages even more screen real estate than Gmail. And Hotmail's much-hated banner ads are gone for good, replaced with less intrusive text ads that look (you guessed it) about like Gmail's.

"People weren't satisfied, and with good reason," Microsoft's Brian Hall told AllThingsD. Not content just to fix problems, Microsoft is introducing a slew of new features. Most notably, social network integration will pull contact info directly from Facebook and Twitter, and a forthcoming update will allow direct-from-inbox Skype calls.

The goal, Hall explained, is to attract "tens of millions" of new users, essentially by making Hotmail cool. Sound impossible? Microsoft isn't blind to the Hotmail-is-for-luddites stigma. So Hotmail is now called Outlook.

Longtime hotmail users can transfer their account to a new (less dorky) @http://ign.com/outlook.com address, and newcomers can sign up for one. The new usernames are first-come-first-serve, and as the gold rush only started this morning there's still a chance you could get your actual name, without any numbers or anime references. You can sign up or make the switch here.

On the off-chance that you're attached to that old Hotmail address, no need to worry: Microsoft won't disable it; they'll preserve it as an alias in the new Outlook system. Hotmail holdouts will, however, be prompted to switch over to the new interface over the coming year.

"We will move all Hotmail users," Hall explained, "just because it is a hell of a lot better."

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN


Source : ign[dot]com

Battlefield 3 Premium Passes 1.3 Million Members

EA has announced that more than 1.3 million people have signed up for Battlefield 3 Premium. The news comes as part of EA’s first quarter earnings report for its 2013 fiscal year, and represents an increase of half a million members since EA announced that 800,000 people had signed up during the service’s first two weeks.

Battlefield 3 Premium was announced during E3 and offers all five of Battlefield 3’s expansions for a one-time purchase of $49.99. Premium players also receive unique in-game weapons, priority servers, double XP weekends and new dog tags.

Add-ons featured as part of Premium include December 2011’s Back to Karkand, June’s Close Quarters, Armored Kill in September, Aftermath in December and March 2013’s End Game. All content is available one week early on PlayStation 3.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Wrestling Wrap Up: AJ's First Night as RAW GM!

WWE: Then Now, Forever...

Wow, forever? That’s probably a tiny bit presumptuous. I mean, we’d first have to mutually agree that the human race itself is sticking around for all eternity, right? Whatever. It’s fine. The WWE can have its crazy new tagline as long as it means nixing the Nickelback. Because they are forever, as it turns out. You know, in an “ancient evil that surrounds us, living within our greatest fears” type of way.

And speaking of primal forces...FIRE!! There was a freakin’ fire in the arena before RAW went on the air; set off by the preliminary pyro tests. That’s right, the Olympics opening ceremony can ignite the entire Thames River and blow up the sky and not a nose hair gets singed, but the WWE almost brings down their own stage. Actually, with the WWE’s schedule, I’m surprised little mishaps like this don’t happen more often. But what surprised me even more was...how much they embraced their f*** up.

The business of "business picking up."

Sure, I suppose they needed to address it at the top of the show, to explain why people were still filing in. And because, you know, it’s news and they’d look like total ass-covering chumps if they didn’t. But then, along with all the avalanche of recapping that was done over the 3-hours, they kept on bringing it up. They kept reminding us about the fire. They were recapping it as if it was something they did on purpose! Like it was a segment. And they kept acting like the fire just added to the crazy, exciting atmosphere of RAW. “And speaking of volatile situations, we completely turned the Titan-tron into a lethal curtain of flames earlier tonight! Anything can happen!”

You’d just think that, given how much the WWE likes to contain their own news, they wouldn’t have tried to turn the fire into such a happening. Especially since there’s a possibility that someone might have effed up and made a mistake. If someone’s job was on the line, that poor bastard was probably like “Stop cutting to footage of the fire! This is my life!” And speaking of guys who might be looking for work after last night... Mr. AW, sir.

Mr. AW. Yeah, forget the fire, it’s AW’s comments that landed the WWE on the cover of TMZ this morning. I’m literally checking over to other sites while I write this Wrap Up, expecting to see a headline along the lines of “WWE Releases Abraham Washington” or “AW Suspended.” Or “Giant Meteor On Collision Course with Earth; Stop Writing Your Column, Idiot!"

LOUD NOISES!

I mean, if a top-of-the-line star like Jericho gets 30 days for flag-smashing, I’d be shocked if AW got off with less. Especially since it happened A: in America and B: on live TV. Now I’ve been meaning to write about AW’s “live mic’d” manager gimmick for a few weeks now. That’s been his thing. He wears a mic while at ringside so the whole crowd can hear the brilliance of his managerial stylings. And so last night he said, “Titus O’Neil is like Kobe Bryant at a hotel in Colorado... he's unstoppable.”

And here’s where the WWE’s desire to be the most “socially media’d up the ass” program on TV comes back to haunt them. Kobe Bryant trended worldwide. And the web ‘sploded. And Cole had to issue a vague apology for “AW’s words” when they came back from commercial. And now the WWE has told TMZ that they’ve taken appropriate action. And yet, I see no “future endeavor” headline yet. Look, I don’t want to see people lose their jobs, but we have to admit that it’s fun to see the giant WWE mechanism sputter and smoke. And to check and see if there’s any sort of uniformity in their decision making. Reports say that, understandably, AW was totally apologetic and made the rounds backstage, saying he was sorry and that he just got caught up in the moment. But... it was a whole joke. It’s not like he accidentally said f*** on the air. Or something else more impulsive. It was a joke he’d thought up ahead of time. It had a set up and a punchline. It didn’t just manifest itself in his brain.

More from RAW, including Punk, AJ and Daniel Bryan, on page 2...


Source : ign[dot]com