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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Netflix's Original Series House of Cards -- From David Fincher and Kevin Spacey -- May be the New Face of Television

Beginning at midnight February 1, all 13 episodes of House of Cards, the political-drama from executive producers David Fincher and Kevin Spacey, will be available to stream on Netflix. The outlet is pushing hard into original content creation with a fourth season of Arrested Development arriving in May, just after Eli Roth’s horror-series Hemlock Grove in April.

Netflix released Lillyhammer last year in the same manner, but the high-profile nature of the talent attached to House of Cards marks a significant moment in the grand online content experiment. Indeed, these next few months may be the beginning of a new phase in the ever-evolving way that we perceive, consume and produce “television.” (We’ll have to come up with a new way to say “serialized long-form scripted-programming.”)

House of Cards follows ruthless Congressman Francis Underwood (Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) who will stop at nothing to conquer everything. Kate Mara (American Horror Story) and Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris) costar in the first original series from Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network), Beau Willimon (The Ides of March) and Eric Roth (Forest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), with Fincher directing the first two episodes.

An adaptation of Michael Dobbs' novel, which was already a British mini-series, about politics and blackmail, the series takes an at-once artful and scathing look at the unsavory underbelly of Washington, capitalism, politics, and perhaps most-fascinatingly, a non-profit/charitable organization.

Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey in House of Cards.

In a recent interview with GQ, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos threw down the metaphorical gauntlet to both cable and network television when he said that the outlet’s goal was, "to become HBO faster than HBO can become us."

I’ve seen the first two episodes in the adapted series, and can report that House of Cards goes a long way to achieving that goal aesthetically speaking. How audiences ultimately respond to the material, though, is part of what makes the show’s release so fascinating to watch unfold.

I spoke with writer/showrrunner  Beau Willimon earlier today in fact, and he said that one of the things that made this project so attractive was that the creative team was liberated from the need to “play the ratings game.” They were instead able to look at the series as if it were a 13-hour film they were producing, one which they had a remarkable amount of creative freedom on. “It’s good to shake up the paradigm every once in awhile," he said. "Because when you start having 'tried and true' measures of success and you start quantifying art in that way you start to get into a mode of stagnation."

[Stay tuned for more from that interview next week.]

The original BBC series was very much a reflection of and response to Margaret Thatcher’s time as prime minister and a pervading feeling of cynicism that was present in Brittan at the time. This version of the tale is less interested in making direct correlations to specific political figures (though parallels can be found if one is looking for them). The show takes a more archetypal approach to the story’s exploration of the many faces of power, ambition and greed.

There is an inherently Shakespearean feel to the material, as the British adaptation of Dobb’s novel drew on the Bard’s Royal/political dramas. In fact, Spacey toured the world as Richard the III in the seven months prior to shooting the series and Willimon, Fincher and the actor spoke quite openly about that role leading directly into his portrayal of ruthless majority whip Francis Underwood. As in the BBC version, Spacey will often break the fourth wall and speak directly to camera, as if he is delivering a soliloquy.

It’s a device that may take viewers a moment or two to get accustomed to, but it lends itself beautifully to the tone of the show. It invites the viewer to go on this journey with a man who is unquestionably morally compromised, but ultimately able to move through the sludge of political gridlock and get things done. The complex nature of our experience of this character, and the humor that Spacey brings to it, is what engages us in this series as something delicious and fun to watch, rather than a depressing indictment of the American powers that be.

David Fincher directs Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara in House of Cards.

Spacey’s Francis Underwood ultimately feels universal. We can imagine him thriving in Westeros as easily as Washington. There is a distinctly Lady MacBeth quality to his wife, Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood. For her part, Wright gives as nuanced and compelling a performance in just these first two episodes as I have ever seen from her (this from a great fan of her work).

There is a contemporary feel to the material, as there always is with a Fincher offering. The show brings a particularly modern element to the show with Mara’s character, a young, highly ambitious journalist who represents the failure of the fourth estate (the media).

The bottom line: This series is well worth watching, and will likely reveal a great deal about how television is done in the years to come.

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

How Nvidia's Project Shield went from Prototype to Announcement

According to Nvidia, its streaming all-in-one game device Project Shield started its life less than a year ago as "little more than a game controller fastened to a smartphone with wood." The company has written a detailed blog, outlining how Project Shield made its way to a CES announcement this year. Apparently, the controller and screen combo was considered for quite some time.

"We’ve been talking on and off about building something for more than five years, maybe 10," said Nvidia senior vice president of content and strategy Tony Tamasi. "We wrote all the core software to hook Android games to controllers. Then we thought, ‘Why don’t we just build a device with a great controller built in?'"

A mere ten days before its CES reveal, Project Shield was still in the Nvidia labs, being assembled and tweaked by engineers wearing blue lab coats. Fueled by "greasy" fried chicken, the team spent 14-hour days for months on end building the device. The announcement of the Tegra 4 kept Nvidia motivated.

Be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of Project Shield at IGN Tech.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.


Source : ign[dot]com

IPL6 International Regional #2

The second International Regional qualifier will stream its final four players and their matches on IPL. From the stacked 172 participant bracket, we’re down to the best of the best (or lucky) last four remaining combatants. Once again, this qualifier has the same qualifications as the previous ones: first and second get a seed into IPL6 with first-place receiving the free ride and hotel.

Semi-final #1

IM.Seed v. AZUBU.San

The first semi-final will be a mirror Protoss match between two of South Korea’s top players. From Incredible Miracle, Seed, will be the player to watch. He’s intelligent and employs unorthodox and creative strategies to win matches, especially in a PvP. San has shown some impressive team and qualifier success, but still suffers from lackadaisical play at times. He will need to tighten up to beat Seed. He did, however, brave a strong field to get to the semi-finals with wins over Son, Ryze, and MarineKing.

Semi-final #2

ST.Hack v. MVP.DRG

DongRaeGu has too many names with his achievements: successful, carrier, or one of the best. He’s achieved a lot for team MVP and his prize money is an indicator of that. Team StarTale’s Hack has started to receive some shine from the World Championship League and the ESV, but his resume lacks a bit compared to his opponent. This Zerg v. Terran matchup will be one of the highlights for the entire qualifier. It could be a bloodbath or an even chess match.

Timothy Lee is known more for his writing than his playing. He specializes in analysis, profiles, and news reporting. You can find his work on IGN.com, RotoAnalysis.com, 1UP.com, and the Daily Breeze. He is currently a free-lance video game and sports writer.


Source : ign[dot]com

FIFA 13 Has Sold 12 Million Units

EA has revealed that more than 12 million copies of FIFA Soccer 13 have been sold to date. According to EA’s third quarter 2013 earnings report today, FIFA 13 sales are 23% above FIFA 12 sales the year before.

Digital revenue from FIFA 13 was more than $100 million (98% above FIFA 12’s) and total digital revenue from the FIFA franchise was $230 million for the first three quarters of this fiscal year. FIFA titles contributing to the figure include FIFA Online 2 and FIFA World Class Soccer, which brought in over $60 million combined.

Early on, FIFA sold 7.4 million copies during its first four weeks on sale, making it the biggest sports game launch of all-time. It went on to be the 10th best-selling game in the United States for 2012.

For more on FIFA 13’s success, see our interview with EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson from last year.

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


Source : ign[dot]com

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Karai is Here and She's Ready to Fight!

A big part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lore will be introduced on the Nickelodeon series this weekend, as Karai makes her debut.

In the episode, “New Girl In Town,” Leonardo, tired of Raphael’s constant criticism, lets his brother try his hand at leadership for a while. Meanwhile, Leonardo meets a beautiful and dangerous Kunoichi who tries to lure Leonardo to the dark side.

Karai has appeared in many incarnations of TMNT, almost always as a member of the Foot Clan with strong ties to Shredder; sometimes actually related to him. We'll see how that plays out here, as this version of Karai is a 16-year old who who has trouble following orders – even Shredder’s. She's described as "an expert martial artist who never met a weapon she didn’t like," and someone the Turtles discover "might be the one thing more dangerous than the Kraang and Shredder combined."

Kelly Hu (X2: X-Men United, Arrow) voices Karai on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and we have an exclusive clip of her in action below. Check out what happens when Karai and Leonardo (voiced by Jason Biggs) go blade to blade.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: "New Girl in Town" airs Saturday, February 2nd on Nickelodeon.


Source : ign[dot]com

Tennessee Senator Calls Games a ‘Bigger Problem than Guns’

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander has called video games “a bigger problem than guns.” Speaking on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown, Alexander condemned games but said he doesn’t expect anti-gun or game bills to catch on due to the First and Second Amendments.

"I'm going to wait and see on all of these bills," Alexander said. "I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people. But the First Amendment limits what we can do about video games and the Second Amendment to the Constitution limits what we can do about guns. So the details matter to me. I'm going to be skeptical of any of these proposals and examine them in light of the Second Amendment to the Constitution."

Alexander’s appearance coincides with a Senate hearing today discussing gun violence in the United States. This is one of many instances of video games entering into the debate in recent weeks, following President Obama asking congress to commission a study on violent games and a proposed bill from West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller.

Alexander’s comments follow video game condemnations from other politicians recently, including Senators Leland Yee and Chris Murphy last week and Missouri representative Diane Franklin earlier this month.

Source: GI.biz

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


Source : ign[dot]com

The Big Ideas of BioShock Infinite

Irrational Games has always layered its adventures with big ideas, thought-provoking complex themes that challenge our intellects. BioShock Infinite is no exception.

It’s set in a ruptured world where icons of American history have been elevated to quasi-religious status, where working people struggle to find acceptance among established elites and where time itself is an amorphous property, incongruously warping previous predictabilities.

Newly released concept art.

If you care to look, there are plenty of parallels with our own world. This is what made the original BioShock such an interesting experience back in 2007, and what makes BioShock Infinite so hotly anticipated in 2013.

Of course, it’s also a very pretty exploration game with striking characters, interesting weapons and all that. But I wanted to find out about the social, scientific and political ideas that the Irrational team had decided to play with, the underlying thematic complexities of this story.

I spoke with Irrational president Ken Levine and animation director Shawn Robertson to talk about BioShock Infinite’s story, its setting, the game’s underlying messages and its inspirations.

So here are just a few of BioShock Infinite’s Big Ideas....

The Love and Dread of Machines

Irrational's previous work has often explored the complex relationships we have with those useful contraptions around us, but BioShock Infinite seeks to unravel both our own perspectives on the machines of the early 20th Century, romantic progenitors of things we use every day, and the implausibly optimistic visions that people of the time had of those same machines. To some extent, the dream of machinery has become a disappointment to us. Air travel promised to free us, and yet is there any experience that makes a person feel more like a machine, than commercial flight?

Colin Campbell: "Tell me about the period that you’ve chosen. 1912, the late-Victorian era. Is the attraction the opulence of that time and place?"

Shawn Robertson

Shawn Robertson: “It’s funny. The way we started down this path, we didn’t land smack dab in the middle of American Exceptionalism, in the look that we have now. We started off exploring with Art Nouveau, dark-and-stormy, really organic, swirly types of shapes. After a few art tests, we realized that we were basically creating Rapture again, except in the sky. It was a dark and moody space. It wasn’t as interesting as we could possibly make it.

“It may have been the wrong aesthetic to start out with, but it certainly got us reading up on that time period, the late 1800s and early 1900s. We started to realize how important and exciting this part of history was worldwide. How much new technology was coming on board. The hopes and dreams of the population in general. Even the political atmosphere. There are so many stories to tell there. It’s such a rich background to draw on. That kept us in the era.”

Ken Levine

Ken Levine: “It’s the dawn of the modern era, right? It’s where all the technologies, essentially, except for the internet and computers, came on board. You have airplanes and cars and electricity and movies and radio and phonograph records. All this stuff. It was a really exciting time. Everything was in these very early stages. Airplanes were made out of wood and canvas.  All the technology of the time had this very home-brewed, vulnerable look to it and yet they were all portrayed at the time very differently.”

Colin Campbell: "The striking thing about this point in history for us is that things we are familiar with that are sleek and efficient were were all messy angles and oil. Today we live in this world of iPads and smooth cars. So we yearn romantically for clanky old machines."

Shawn Robertson: “But if you look at the marketing machine back then, if you look at the posters of the time, it was all about this idealized romantic notion of machines. It wasn’t about strapping yourself to this highly dangerous machine that could burst into flames or break your neck. It was about the romance of flight. The artistic interpretations of these technologies offers a nice contrast between that and the actual reality.”

Colin Campbell: "That’s interesting, the split between the reality of what people are living with and the illusion of what they want to live with."

Ken Levine: “I think that’s what it’s about. There’s that moment in the game where you really see the city for the first time. On the street, it’s this incredibly idealized scene. You see this vision of America that I think a lot of politicians think existed. This perfectly idealized summer day. There’s this feeling of amity and this feeling of peace and this feeling of a simpler time, when everything was better.

“Then you look up in the sky and you see all this technology flying around. Buildings coming in to land. These skylines and so on. I love the contrast of what we think the past was like and what they thought the future would be like at the time. We’re dealing with our collective memories, a mix of our fictional, fantastical memories of the past and people back then, their fantastical view of the future.”


Source : ign[dot]com

Pyangyong and Mind MGMT to Hit the Big Screen

Coming off his upcoming western adventure film The Lone Ranger, director Gore Verbinski is now set to helm and produce a feature adaptation of the North Korea-based graphic novel Pyongyang by Guy Delisle.

EW.com reports that Verbinki's Blind Wink shingle will be teaming up with New Regency for the picture, which is described as "outsourcing run amok when a young animator sent to North Korea is accused of espionage."

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox has landed the movie rights to Mind MGMT, a Dark Horse publication by Matt Kindt, which has Ridley Scott producing.

The story centers on Henry Lime, a powerful psychic and former government agent who, with the help of an author named Meru, investigates the agency from whence he came.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the search for a writer to adapt that project is underway.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

The Development Secrets of Far Cry 3

The Far Cry 3 we know is not the Far Cry 3 that could have been. The setting of the open-world shooter was different when it entered pre-production in 2008. So was the creative staff. This sort of thing happens in game development, and it happens often at developer Ubisoft Montreal. Some things don’t work. People leave. Goals change. Ubisoft adapts.

Toward the end of Far Cry 2’s development cycle, narrative game designer Patrick Redding praised the promise of its African setting. “I think it’s safe to say we’ll continue to explore it,” he said. “That said, we might find something new and compelling about the Antarctic setting that wants us to make the next game there.” Either way, Ubisoft Montreal seemed to further distance itself from Far Cry’s traditional tropical locales. “Let’s face it,” Redding said, “jungle islands are probably less exciting than they were four years ago.”

Somewhere along the way, of course, this changed. WestStudio, an external concept art house, helped Ubisoft Montreal realize a visual direction for the return to Far Cry’s seaside origins. A ravaged resort, golf course, and theme park appeared amid scenic beaches and a dense jungle populated by masked pirates. The thematic essence of this first-draft Far Cry 3 remained in the eventual release, but a few important things happened during its development cycle.

Far Cry 2 creative director Clint Hocking never appeared to be involved in the sequel; he eventually departed Ubisoft Montreal for LucasArts. Patrick Redding moved over to Ubisoft’s new Toronto studio to start work on the next Splinter Cell. Far Cry 3’s narrative director, Raphael van Lierop, left Ubisoft for Relic Entertainment. Josh Mosqueira, Far Cry 3’s creative director, took a position at Blizzard. By 2010, the Far Cry creative team was effectively gutted.

WestStudio and Ubisoft's original vision for Far Cry 3 was almost post-apocalyptic.

By hiring new blood and shifting talent within its Montreal studio, Ubisoft filled those holes. This new team, with inspiration from the pre-production leftovers, moved forward with its own island, story, cast of characters, and game design ideas.

The Far Cry 3 we know is not the Far Cry 3 that could have been – but those responsible for what it became are justifiably proud of their vision and execution, even in the face of controversy and criticism.

Paradise by Design

Before a game world becomes a believable place, the pieces need to facilitate interesting gameplay. One bearer of that burden is Mark Thompson, level design director on Far Cry 3. “We don't have the concept of discrete levels like you'd imagine in a linear game, where you have these 10 sections of game broken up into 10 separate worlds or whatever,” he tells IGN. Despite Far Cry 3’s segregated mission spaces, “there isn't really a concept of any one level” because of the diverse systems that bring the world to life. No space can exist for one specific idea. Dynamic animal spawns and enemy encounters need room to breathe at every inch of Rook Island. A space you might think of as a level “can't have cover set out in an excruciatingly perfect setup for one mission,” Thompson explains, “because you have to be able to come back and explore it and still have a dynamic firefight that a level designer has never seen before.”

The Far Cry 3 team wants you to surprise them here.

The trouble with all of this is, as Thompson puts it, that gameplay systems “aren’t very organic.” Traditionally, a game space is built on grids. Objects within it rely on specific metrics, so they need to be exactly X size and exactly Y distance apart. Cover systems are built for perfect square blocks, so when “you throw all of that into a jungle it’s like, ‘Holy s--t, this is never going to work.’"

Thompson and his team experimented to make a natural world work within these unnatural limitations. It got as specific as generating different rocks to see which types would produce dynamic cover, “because we can't hand-draw cover points.” Part of Ubisoft Montreal’s solution was in Far Cry 2’s Dunia Engine. They had a “recipe,” so an artist dictated the vegetation or geometry needed in a space, “then an algorithm takes our recipe and quickly generates large areas.” As a result, the Far Cry team could “turn and burn on this stuff super-fast. If we wanted to, we could build an outpost in like 20 minutes, and then we could test it” and make quick changes on the fly. “In a day we can iterate on the same outpost like three times, just moving around the pieces or putting a different animal in the cage or just removing the cage altogether, change the different units, put a sniper on top or replace [it] with a heavy on the ground.”

In a simplified sense, the development process behind Far Cry 3 reflects the procedural scenarios players come across. Deliberation definitely exists, and it’s an important factor, but it’s the unpredictability that makes the world, and reacting to it, such an engaging experience. The variation that comes with this kind of craft lends a layer of realism to Rook Island – it is extremely difficult to recognize repeat formations, if they exist anywhere at all.

Forget the action and appreciate this crane for a minute.

That is among the most important things for Thompson, who wants you to feel like “you’re in a space that exists for a reason” rather than in an area that was constructed. The level of detail in certain spots borders on mundane, but it helps sell the certainty of Far Cry 3’s universe. An enemy-occupied lumber mill serves as one of numerous pirate outposts players can reclaim. For Thompson’s team, the thought process was, "Okay, so they take in the raw timber here, it gets processed here, it gets cut and treated here, and then it gets shipped out,” he explains. “We make sure that the level designers and the artists understand that workflow so that when they build that space, they build it in a logical way.”

The features of this island are curated in such a way that they reflect the history accurately. “Maybe 10 percent of players pick up on that stuff,” Thompson speculates. The lumberjack and millwright contingent of his audience must be larger than most of us might have suspected.

“For me,” Thompson says, “it’s important that the spaces are credible and believable. The things that happen in them are obviously…they’re a stretch.”

The Lives We Lead

For the Far Cry faithful, an island is equal to the savanna; it’s just a place that enables your chaos. More likely, Far Cry 3’s small but significant changes to Far Cry 2’s formula – whether you loved or loathed it – made a significant impression on players. Far Cry 3 producer Dan Hay told IGN that the story enabled the return of the Buddy System, and that there were “opportunities when we started talking about doing co-op,” but the narrative drive demanded a sense of isolation. “We want you to remember what it was like to be that kid,” Hay says. “You were in that tent, it got dark, you heard the sound of a twig snapping, and your imagination did more damage than we could do. That was the goal.”

You're very aligned with Jason's story, even if you think his friends are douchebags.

Thompson says Ubisoft Montreal experimented with numerous ideas “just to see if they were worth fixing or worth just forgetting about altogether.” Weapon degradation – which caused guns to jam or even explode in Far Cry 2 – was an interesting variable that ultimately “hindered the fun a little bit too much.” Thompson continues, “The open world in Far Cry 2 was missing the most meat…it was really just the bones. That was where we wanted to expand as much as possible, so that there was more than just respawning checkpoints and one kind of collectible. We wanted to have the idea of an actual civilization.”

Hay cites this as Far Cry 3’s most important accomplishment. “The greatest success is probably the living world…. You always wonder, when you’re making a game this big and this deep and this rich, ‘have you got the right recipe? Do you have the right pieces?’ It’s like alchemy. It isn’t all going to come together in just the right way.” The marriage of linear campaign missions and open-ended exploration, Hay explains, was a tricky hurdle he’s “immensely proud” of overcoming. “The thing that we got right was the open world and your ability to just go out and play” at your own pace without punishment.”

For lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem, that freedom needed to have a meaningful effect on the story of Jason Brody, Far Cry 3’s protagonist. If a young man setting out to rescue his kidnapped friends ignores them for the fun of exploring an open-ended island, how does a team of writers and designers reconcile the player’s urge ignore the threat? Yohalem says that “everything you do in this game world is curated and intentional.” He wants players to examine what their in-game actions say about themselves. If you’re ignoring the goal of rescuing those close to you for the sake of finding treasure, hunting animals, or killing pirates, what does that say about you?

Many might argue that the charisma of Brody’s friends negated any concern for their well-being. Liza, Jason’s girlfriend, is often condescending of a man she allegedly loves. The bleached-blonde stoner friend Oliver is a frat-boy stereotype who can’t be bothered to remove the sticker from his flat-brimmed ball cap. Keith (and his mullet) spends so little time talking to anyone that he’s defined only by his drunken idiocy in flashbacks. Why should you care to rescue these people? At what point do you give up on them and leave them to die?

“At the start of the game you're very aligned with Jason, even if you think his friends are douchebags,” Thompson says. “You still want to

Jason Brody: immature idiot turned killer.

rescue them because you understand the connection with friends and family.” Dan Hay continues down a similar path, explaining that Brody’s friends are meant to reflect a self-centered slice of youth. Eventually, you mature, grow up, and “realize that some of [your friends] were just using you, or some of these folks didn’t have a clue what the hell they were doing, or they were just scared.”

Referring to one of Far Cry 3’s endings, in which players can choose to kill Jason’s friends and live among the island natives, Yohalem asks, “You might still not like [them] at all, but at the same time, can you kill that person? I think that if you can't, I feel like that should say something really beautiful about you, and about all of us. If you can, then it's also interesting to examine why you can. Is it because it's in a game context? Is it because of something inside of you? Games allow us to have that kind of examination.”

Deep Cuts

Discomfort plays into Far Cry 3’s examination of its players as well. Much of it caused controversial ripples throughout its audience. Over the course of Jason’s story, he sees and takes part in vivid acts of obscene violence, including torturing his own brother during an undercover ruse. The intent is to disgust the player while showing that Jason’s increasing obsession with violence has crossed a line. However, this scene, among others, could be interpreted as exploitative – in a game where violence is fun, certain moments of harm don’t necessarily change the tone. In a similar potential disregard for sensitivity, when Brody rescues his friend Keith from a sexually abusive captor the story moves on and forgets about the character and the consequences. Maybe a rape victim becoming a silent recluse should tell the audience something about abuse. Perhaps Far Cry 3 didn’t have the time to care about the aftermath.

Far Cry 3 positions a Caucasian male as triumphant amid a group of floundering minorities. What that means is on you.

“We didn't do any of it lightly,” Thompson reassures IGN. “We didn't do any of it just for titillation, just for the sake of it. However it's received, everything we did was with good intentions.” He explains that the potentially controversial subjects were thought about carefully, and included only if they were “an important part of the story and needed to be there.”

Other controversy surrounding Far Cry 3 centers on race – Jason Brody, a young, white male, reclaims the island for a group of dark-skinned natives who couldn’t do it without him. Their leader, Citra, falls in love with him rather than any other tribal warrior; in one of Far Cry 3’s two endings, he is the only man worthy of impregnating her. Hay refers me to Yohalem and “the idea of being self-aware” when I ask him about what, if any racial implication exist within Far Cry 3.

Nothing concerning race occurred to me while reviewing Far Cry 3. When I tell this to Jeffrey Yohalem, his immediate response is, “That says something about you, doesn’t it?” He elaborates, “When you approach a work you approach it with an angle. All of us do. It's human,” and Far Cry 3 aims to “show your angle. On some level you can look at it and yourself and go, ‘huh, that’s interesting that I felt this way.’” In his eyes, those who perceive elements of racism, or even race, are “interested in these issues,” and project their concerns onto the material they’re consuming.

Deliberate or not, Far Cry 3 positions a Caucasian male as triumphant amid a group of floundering minorities. The weight of what that means, apparently, is on you.

Villainous Deeds

At a more basic narrative level, one of Far Cry 3’s greatest points of contention is the death of Vaas, the pirate warlord who’s positioned as the primary antagonist from the first frame of gameplay. He was equal parts charismatic and crazy. Actor Michael Mando’s expressive performance instilled such a potent whimsy to a frightening and wholly likable villain that Ubisoft Montreal changed Vaas' character concept to match the performance. Consequently, when Jason kills Vaas, the lunatic’s limited on-screen presence felt like a disservice to his enormous potential. When lamenting the limited screen time of Far Cry 3’s cast, Hay wishes for more Willis, more Buck, more Hoyt, more Daisy. He never says Vaas.

Vaas Montenegro, AKA Far Cry's Darth Vader.

When I mention Vaas, Hay launches into a speech about, of all things, the emotional resonance of Darth Vader:

“You think about that opening scene in Star Wars. What you think is a huge ship is going by overhead, and then it is absolutely dwarfed by a massive ship. Then everything inside it is white and the Rebels are holding against the door. It blows up. They just had a firefight going on, and when it’s all over, in walks this guy who’s head-to-toe in shiny black. That moment is galvanized in your memory as a kid forever. For us, giving that taste of Vaas and making sure that it’s short and that it’s sweet and that it is about craving more of it…that was a focus for us.”

Yohalem, meanwhile, calls upon 20th century literature to explain Vaas’ early exit. In Virginia Woolf’s novel, To the Lighthouse, “the main character dies in the middle, kind of parenthetically. The whole book is going and you get to these parentheses in this middle portion, and she's dead.” From there, “the rest of the book is about the absence of her. That is so daring. And we did it. I think that it's hard for some people, but at the same time, you also want that kind of a character to take a bow when everyone wants him the most.” The absence applies not only to Jason’s story, but Far Cry 3 as a whole. It leaves the player in a space where there’s no immediate goal, no problem to solve. It leaves you wondering what to do. “You never feel that in a game,” says Yohalem.

Resurrection

After the credits roll on Far Cry 3, you’re thrown back into the island with the freedom to explore, collect, and kill what’s left. This defies both endings: the one in which Jason leaves the island, and the other where he dies on it. What’s more jarring than the fictional contradictions is that Brody’s back without motivation.

If you forget that you're going to die for a second, because you're examining what being alive is about, then art has done its job.

“Well, now you have this whole island, and you have this thing without any of the human side,” Yohalem explains. “The play is gone, but you have the empty stage, and you have all these things to experiment with. But the question is, are you missing [something]? What do you feel like with that missing? Do you miss it?”

I did.

“But that's fascinating, right? Because you want to go have fun,” he says. “When you're in the story, you go off wanting to do all the cool stuff on the island, instead of helping your friends. It's like you're avoiding work, because you don't like them.” When the motive vanishes, avoiding it becomes less appealing – suddenly the absence of a directive is what compels you. This falls in line with the parallel Yohalem and the rest of the Far Cry 3 team fought for: the unity between gameplay and story. Like the death of Vaas, the departure (and return) of Jason gives you something to work toward because there’s little else. How players react to that, Yohalem admits, is once again on the player; they may miss that altogether.

“As long as you're open to looking at it, then it's fascinating,” says Yohalem, “because then it's like a massage where someone touches your back in a way you've never felt before…it's a sensation, which is what being alive is about. If you forget that you're going to die for a second, because you're examining what being alive is about, then art has done its job.”

At that point, it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the jungle, the arctic, or Africa. What matters is how you react to what that place and its people make you feel. Whether you celebrate its disgusting tone or feel sick to your stomach because of it, Far Cry 3 made its mark precisely as intended.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He loves Far Cry and his only niece almost the same amount. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Defiance Release Date, Collector’s Editions Revealed

Trion Worlds has announced that Defiance will hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC globally on April 2nd. The game will launch two weeks ahead of the Defiance TV show on SyFy Network, which premieres on April 15th.

Customers who pre-order will be able to choose between two physical Collector’s Editions for consoles or a Digital Deluxe version for PC.

Collector’s Edition (Consoles) - $99.99

  • Collector's Box
  • Game Client
  • 2 postcards
  • DEFI Stickers
  • Ark Infiltrator Outfit
  • The Art of Defiance Art Book
  • Limited Edition Hellbug Figurine
  • VBI Ark Hunter Contract
  • Bonus DVD
  • Defiance Digital Soundtrack
  • Rare VBI Sentinel Shield
  • 'Hydra' rocket launcher
  • 7-Day XP Boost
  • 7-Day Scrip Boost
  • "+5" Inventory Space
  • In-game title: Badlands Drifter
  • No subscription required
  • Lock Box

Ultimate Edition (Consoles / GameStop Exclusive) - $149.99

  • Exclusive Messenger Bag
  • Collector's Box
  • Game Client
  • 2 postcards
  • DEFI Stickers
  • Ark Infiltrator Outfit
  • The Art of Defiance Art Book
  • Limited Edition Hellbug Figurine
  • VBI Ark Hunter Contract
  • Bonus DVD
  • Defiance Digital Soundtrack
  • Rare VBI Sentinel Shield
  • 'Hydra' rocket launcher
  • 7-Day XP Boost
  • 7-Day Scrip Boost
  • "+5" Inventory Space
  • Exclusive in-game title: Pale Wars Ronin
  • Lock Box
  • DLC Season Pass
  • 1200 Bits
  • No subscription required

Digital Deluxe Edition (PC) - $99.99

  • Game Client
  • Collector's Outfit - Ark Infiltrator
  • 'Hydra' rocket launcher
  • Rare VBI Sentinel Shield
  • "+5" Inventory Space
  • 30-Day XP Boost
  • 30-Day Scrip Boost
  • Lock Box
  • Unique Vehicle Color
  • No subscription required

Players who pre-order any version (including the standard $59.99 edition) will receive a guaranteed beta invite, an Outlander outfit, a bonus weapon, a three-day XP boost and the in-game title “Iron Demon.”

“In terms of ambition and scope, Defiance’s transmedia features make it unlike any other entertainment experience,” said Nathan Richardsson, Trion’s VP of Development and Defiance Executive Producer. “After five years of development, it brings great pride to the Trion and Syfy teams seeing Defiance come to fruition.”

For more on Defiance, read our impressions from last year.

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


Source : ign[dot]com

BlackBerry Names Alicia Keys as Creative Director

At today’s BlackBerry 10 launch in New York, CEO Thorsten Heins announced that Alicia Keys would be joining the company’s ranks as their new Global Creative Director. The recently rebranded BlackBerry – fare thee well, RIM – has been desperate to shore up interest in its products and services to slow the downward spiral of its own stock, and it’s hoping that a famous face might inspire an uptick in sales. Celebrity executives are evidently all the rage, with Intel and Polaroid teaming up with will.i.am and Lady Gaga respectively and now Keys is the latest addition to the exclusive club of pop stars with impressive corporate titles.

In an occasionally awkward exchange, Keys and Heins discussed how BlackBerry lured the Grammy Award winning singer back into the fold after Keys, a longtime BlackBerry user, abandoned the company in favor of trendier options. Keys said that she had noticed "newer, hotter, sexier phones at the gym . . . but I always missed how you organized my life . . . so I started to have two phones, I was kind of playing the field . . now we're exclusively dating again!"

Keys’ Set the World on Fire Tour - sponsored by BlackBerry – is set to kick off in March and one of her first acts as Creative Director will be to produce videos to promote the brand with the help of her new BlackBerry Z10. Additionally, Keys will be spearheading the Keep Moving project, which aims to encourage productivity, social engagement, and creative enterprises through BlackBerry’s platforms. Writer Neil Gaiman and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez have also signed on board to produce content as a part of the project, though the nature of their endeavors remains to be seen.

Keys said she would be working closely with developers – a pronouncement that met with a few skeptical titters in the audience – and her own contacts in the music industry to promote the BlackBerry 10 platform. With a peck on the cheek that left Heins blushing, Keys exited the stage, jokingly telling Heins “I’ll see you at the office.” The laughter that met Heins’ response –“Yeah, Monday morning, 8 o’clock” – was a nod to the largely symbolic function of Keys' news position. Though Heins was clearly smitten, the 10% drop in BlackBerry’s stock this morning might mean that investors are somewhat less charmed.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and tech nerditry. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.


Source : ign[dot]com

An Early Look at the Art of Dead Space

The Art of Dead Space releases next week, coinciding with Dead Space 3's February 5 release date. The collection chronicles the series as a whole, giving fans a look at various concepts, such as environments and characters, from all the Dead Space games.

This comes from Titan Books, the publisher responsible for the excellent Awakening: The Art of Halo 4 and The Art of Assassin's Creed III. As usual, this looks like 192 pages of awesome work. Take a look at some samples below:

From an early Dead Space 2 area, if you recall.

College dorm room or Titan Station disaster?

Isaac, all alone on Tau Volantis. Poor guy.

Isaac and his new pal, John Carver, in what appears to be, yes, a tunnel.

What a view...of a freaky frozen planet.

The Art of Dead Space releases February 5, and includes art from Extraction, Ignition, and the core trilogy. If you've ever been curious about the Unitologist's nutty designs, this is up your alley.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Daniel Day-Lewis Was Almost in Pulp Fiction

Just imagine for a moment Daniel Day-Lewis as Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega rather than John Travolta because it almost happened.

Vanity Fair's retrospective on the making of Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning film includes this revelation:

Casting proved to be one of the biggest challenges in making the movie. Harvey Weinstein was dead-set against giving the role of Vincent Vega to John Travolta. “John Travolta was at that time as cold as they get,” says Mike Simpson, Tarantino’s agent at William Morris Endeavor. “He was less than zero.” Simpson had given Weinstein a “term sheet” of Taran­tino’s demands, which included final cut, a two-and-a-half-hour running time, and final choice of actors. “One of the actors I had on the list was John Travolta,” says Tarantino. “And it came back: ‘The entire list is approved . . . except for John Travolta.’ So I got together with Harvey, and he’s like, ‘I can get Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn, William Hurt.’” By then, according to Simpson, “Daniel Day-Lewis and Bruce Willis, who was the biggest star in Hollywood, had both gotten their hands on the script and wanted to play Vincent Vega.”

Obviously, anyone who's seen the film knows how this situation panned out, but just imagine Lincoln -- er, Day-Lewis -- doing this scene:


Source : ign[dot]com

First Stills from The Muppets... Again!

You probably already know by now but after their critically and commercially successful return to the big screen, The Muppets will be returning to cinemas again in, well, The Muppets... Again!

Here are the first two publicity still released for the movie, showing Ricky Gervais alongside Kermit and Miss Piggy:

Gervais plays criminal Dominic, aka Number Two.

And this one, showing the entire gang descending on a London station:

So why London? Following on from the events of the first movie, The Muppets are a big deal again, and have gone on a world tour, taking in some of Europe's biggest cities. But trouble isn't far behind, with Constantine – the World's Number One Criminal and Kermit's doppelgänger – and his accomplice – played by Ricky Gervais – pursuing them.

The film will also feature Tina Fey and Modern Family's Ty Burrell, with James Bobin returning to the director's chair. Fans of that movie will also be please to hear that Bret McKenzie will be returning to write some of the movie's tunes (McKenzie, of Flight of the Conchords fame, won an Academy Award for his ditty Man or Muppet featured in the last movie).

The Muppets... Again! will be released in cinemas on March 21, 2014.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

Entourage Movie Gets the Green-Light

Seems like it’s full-steam ahead on the Entourage movie, with Warner Bros. finally giving the film the green-light.

The hugely popular series – which revolved around movie star Vincent Chase and his Hollywood exploits with brother Johnny Drama and friends Turtle and E – ran on HBO from 2004 to 2011.

Ever since then a movie has been rumoured, with everyone involved intimating they’d be keen to return.

And according to Deadline, rumour became reality last night when the studio finally said yes to Doug Ellin’s screenplay. Ellin – who executive produced the show with Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson – will also direct, although there’s no word yet on a plot.

Warner now just needs to make deals with stars Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven, though at this stage that should just be a formality.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and was once called the British Johnny Drama. He rambles on both Twitter and MyIGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Superman #17 Preview

Even though Superman #16 is only hitting comic shops today, DC Comics is so confident that you'll be begging for more information about the events in that issue that they've decided to show off some early artwork from next month's Superman #17. Written by Scott Lobdell with art by Kenneth Rocafort, issue #17 serves as the concluding chapter to the Super-book crossover, H'El on Earth.

Superman #17 hits on February 27. Coincidentally, that's my birthday. Presents are encouraged.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He will love Star Wars until he becomes one with the Force, and then he will continue loving it as a blue ghost.


Source : ign[dot]com

Harry Potter Star Cast in Doctor Who Drama

One of the stars of the Harry Potter films is set to play the first ever Doctor in forthcoming BBC Two Doctor Who drama An Adventure in Space and Time.

David Bradley – who played Argus Filch in the Potter flicks – has been cast as William Hartnell, the first actor to play the iconic Time Lord.

William Hartnell (on the left) will be played by David Bradley (on the right).

The one-off 90-minute drama will be written and executive produced by Mark Gatiss, and tell the story of the genesis of the long-running sci-fi series, which first aired on the BBC on November 23, 1963.

BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman – credited with creating the show – will be played by Bourne Identity star Brian Cox, while producer Verity Lambert will be portrayed by Call the Midwife actress Jessica Raine.

Speaking to the BBC, Bradley - who also played the villain in recent Who episode 'Dinosaurs On A Spaceship' - said “I’m absolutely thrilled. I first heard about this role from Mark while watching the Diamond Jubilee flotilla from the roof of the National Theatre. When he asked if I would be interested, I almost bit his hand off!

“Mark has written such a wonderful script not only about the birth of a cultural phenomenon, but a moment in television history. William Hartnell was one of the finest character actors of our time and as a fan I want to make sure that I do him justice.”

Gatiss added, “what a cast! I’m utterly delighted that everyone’s favourite Time Lors will be in such brilliant and stellar company. We have a terrific team who can’t wait to tell the fascinating and surprising story of how the Doctor began his journey through space and time.”

CLICK HERE FOR IGN'S A-Z OF DOCTOR WHO

The ‘Adventure’ will start shooting this February and be broadcast later in the year as part of The Doctor’s 50th anniversary celebrations on the BBC.

And with speculation rife that all the living Doctors will pop up in the forthcoming series of Who, Bradley could also potentially be in line to reprise the role on show. Obviously that's just conjecture at this point, but stranger things have happened.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and can't wait to see this drama. He rambles on both Twitter and MyIGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

Aliens vs. Predator Developer Teases New Project

Rebellion Developments, the studio responsible for Aliens vs. Predator and Sniper Elite V2, has released a teaser trailer for a new title releasing next month.

The trailer, which you can check out below, is accompanied by the caption: "One man is utterly alone amidst the chaos of war. But there are worse things to fear than bombs and bullets here..."

The only concrete info we have about the game is that it'll be released on February 14 for PC users, but if we dig a little bit deeper we can get some clues about what to expect.

It seems a fairly safe bet that we're dealing with another zombie-focused title for PC, which is good, because there's been a real shortage of them lately. From the lumbering shapes seen briefly in the video to the familiar moans, everything seems to point this way, especially when taken with the text from the accompanying press release:

"Footsteps quicken in the fog. Although the lone gunman’s pace is swift the growing echoes of shuffling never slacken. They come."

The QR code at the end of the video doesn't really reveal much, taking you to a site inviting you to sign up for more news as it's released. So, for now at least, our money's on some form of zombie/Sniper Elite crossover game or zombie-themed DLC for Sniper Elite V2, though we're going to have to wait a couple of weeks to find out for sure. What do you guys think?

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and would like us all to move on from Zombies now. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

Aliens vs. Predator Developer Teases New Project

Rebellion Developments, the studio responsible for Aliens vs. Predator and Sniper Elite V2, has released a teaser trailer for a new title releasing next month.

The trailer, which you can check out below, is accompanied by the caption: "One man is utterly alone amidst the chaos of war. But there are worse things to fear than bombs and bullets here..."

The only concrete info we have about the game is that it'll be released on February 14 for PC users, but if we dig a little bit deeper we can get some clues about what to expect.

It seems a fairly safe bet that we're dealing with another zombie-focused title for PC, which is good, because there's been a real shortage of them lately. From the lumbering shapes seen briefly in the video to the familiar moans, everything seems to point this way, especially when taken with the text from the accompanying press release:

"Footsteps quicken in the fog. Although the lone gunman’s pace is swift the growing echoes of shuffling never slacken. They come."

The QR code at the end of the video doesn't really reveal much, taking you to a site inviting you to sign up for more news as it's released. So, for now at least, our money's on some form of Zombie/Sniper Elite crossover game, though we're going to have to wait a couple of weeks to find out for sure. What do you guys think?

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and would like us all to move on from Zombies now. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

World of Tanks Developer Buys Console-Focused Studio

Wargaming.net has purchased the console-focused Day 1 Studios, leading to speculation it could bring some of its titles to platforms other than the PC.

The company, best known for its runaway hit World of Tanks, bought the F.E.A.R. 3 developer for $20 million to work "exclusively on the development of an unannounced console title".

"The move into console game development is a huge step for Wargaming, as we begin to expand our presence into new platforms," Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi said. "We are looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labour soon."

Given that the title recently reported over 45 million players had registered and one server in Russia had 500,000 concurrent players last October, we're sure there are some people out there excited by the news, but are you one of them? Let us know in the comments below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and is trying to wean himself off games with the "World of" prefix. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

World of Tanks Developer Buys Console-Focused Studio

Wargaming.net has purchased the console-focused Day 1 Studios, leading to speculation it could bring some of its titles to platforms other than the PC.

The company, best known for its runaway hit World of Tanks, bought the F.E.A.R. 3 developer for $20 million to work "exclusively on the development of an unannounced console title".

"The move into console game development is a huge step for Wargaming, as we begin to expand our presence into new platforms," Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi said. "We are looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labour soon."

Given that the title recently reported over 45 million players had registered and one server in Russia had 500,000 concurrent players last October, we're sure there are some people out there excited by the news, but are you one of them? Let us know in the comments below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and is trying to wean himself off games with the "World of" prefix. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

World of Tanks Developer Buys Console-Focused Studio

Wargaming.net has purchased the console-focused Day 1 Studios, leading to speculation it could bring some of its titles to platforms other than the PC.

The company, best known for its runaway hit World of Tanks, bought the F.E.A.R. 3 developer for $20 million to work "exclusively on the development of an unannounced console title".

"The move into console game development is a huge step for Wargaming, as we begin to expand our presence into new platforms," Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi said. "We are looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labour soon."

Given that the title recently reported over 45 million players had registered and one server in Russia had 500,000 concurrent players last October, we're sure there are some people out there excited by the news, but are you one of them? Let us know in the comments below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and is trying to wean himself off games with the "World of" prefix. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.


Source : ign[dot]com

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Evil Dead Remake Will Debut a Week Early

Groovy! Former Evil Dead star and producer Bruce Campbell has just tweeted that the Evil Dead remake will release a week earlier than planned in the United States.

"The world cannot wait. The Evil Dead remake launches one week earlier! 4/5/13. You demanded it - you got it!"

The tweet was accompanied by a blood-soaked character wielding a chainsaw - the favourite weapon of Ash, Evil Dead's original protagonist, played by Campbell.

The Evil Dead remake was originally planned for release on 4/12/13. There's no word yet on whether this will affect international release dates.


Source : ign[dot]com

Ubisoft Montreal's 'Osiris' Uncovered in Leaked Video

NeoGAF users have discovered video evidence of an unannounced Ubisoft title called Osiris.

The work-in-progress trailer features unfinished motion capture spliced with various pieces of concept art. The trailer notes this mysterious game is “from the studio that brought you Assassin’s Creed”.

The “rough-cut demo” for “Ubisoft’s Osiris” was posted to the Vimeo account of composer Mark Kilian (Rendition, Traitor) five months ago, along with samples from films he’s also worked on, as part of what appears to be a portfolio. It is described as “commissioned by Ubisoft Studios (Montreal)”. It has gone unnoticed until now.

The video likely explains speculation stemming from leaked images last year that Ubisoft was working on a new Prince of Persia title. In particular, one of the three trailer screencaps we saw last year appears to match the mock-up trailer posted on Kilian’s Vimeo account.

Earlier today Ubisoft confirmed to us that the publisher had “paused” the Prince of Persia franchise while it considers new ideas. Is Osiris something entirely new? It seems increasingly possible.

Osiris was an ancient Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead.


Source : ign[dot]com

Ubisoft Montreal's 'Osiris' Uncovered in Leaked Video

NeoGAF users have discovered video evidence of an unannounced Ubisoft title called Osiris.

The work-in-progress trailer features unfinished motion capture spliced with various pieces of concept art. The trailer notes this mysterious game is “from the studio that brought you Assassin’s Creed”.

The “rough-cut demo” for “Ubisoft’s Osiris” was posted to the Vimeo account of composer Mark Kilian (Rendition, Traitor) five months ago, along with samples from films he’s also worked on, as part of what appears to be a portfolio. It is described as “commissioned by Ubisoft Studios (Montreal)”.

The video likely explains speculation stemming from leaked images last year that Ubisoft was working on a new Prince of Persia title. The three trailer screencaps we saw last year appear to match the mock-up posted on Kilian’s Vimeo account.

Earlier today Ubisoft confirmed to us that the publisher had “paused” the Prince of Persia franchise while it considers new ideas.

Osiris was an ancient Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead.


Source : ign[dot]com

Zynga Chief Game Designer Departs Company

Chief game designer Brian Reynolds has left Zynga. In an email to employees today, Zynga said Reynolds "has decided to move on and pursue other opportunities.”

Zynga president of games Steve Chiang confirmed the news this afternoon, issuing the following statement to Joystiq:

"Brian has a long history in the game industry and has been a great partner to the creative leaders at Zynga. I want to thank him for his leadership of the Zynga Baltimore studio in the design and development of FrontierVille, which brought many innovations to social gaming. We appreciate Brian's contribution and we're proud of the deep bench of creative leaders who are leading the next wave of game innovation at Zynga. We wish Brian the best in his next chapter."

Reynolds joined Zynga in 2009 and served as chief game designer on Frontierville. Prior to Zynga, Reynolds was lead designer on Civilization II and Rise of Nations.

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


Source : ign[dot]com

Monday, January 28, 2013

A New PlayStation Ad: What’s It Teasing?

The PlayStation YouTube account has silently posted a new video, seen below, that seems to tease something God of War-related. Check it out.

The short, 16 second ad shows a woman in a white dress, walking on a hill. What seems like ash quickly flows in, with the camera quickly cutting to a close-up of an eye. The date “February 1, 2013” shows up, and the ad ends. The video itself is titled Game Day 2013 Teaser.

This almost certainly seems like a God of War ad, likely having to do with God of War: Ascension, which is due out in March on PlayStation 3. However, it’s also possible that the ad is teasing something else, including a different God of War game, or perhaps -- one can speculatively hope -- something next-generation related. However, the safe bet certainly rests with Ascension.

What do you think Sony’s teasing?

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.


Source : ign[dot]com

Cory and Topanga's Daughter Cast for Girl Meets World

World, meet Girl. 11-year-old Rowan Blanchard has officially been cast to play Cory and Topanga's daughter on the Disney Channel's Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World.

"As soon as Rowan walked into the room, I was reminded of why Ben Savage was loved as Cory Matthews," said producer and Boy Meets World creator Michael Jacobs. "Rowan is real and accessible and I am hopeful this girl is about to meet a world that will love growing up with her as well."

The young actress, whose credits include Spy Kids: All the Time in World in 4D and The Back-up Plan, was informed earlier tonight that she had landed the starring role as Riley Matthews in the upcoming family sitcom.

The pilot for Girl Meets World is scheduled to begin next month, according to EW.com. If (probably when) it gets a greenlight to series, the show will likely appear in the network's 2013-14 schedule.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.


Source : ign[dot]com

No Justice League Movie Until Man of Steel Proves Itself?

The fate of Warner Bros.' planned live-action Justice League of America movie might be riding on how Man of Steel does at the box office.

Variety claims (via Bleeding Cool) that "Warner’s top brass has indicated that they are awaiting the results of Man of Steel, which opens June 14, before moving further ahead."

This makes sense considering the so-so commercial performance of the character's last big screen outing, Superman Returns. Also, with Man of Steel being tonally more in line with the Nolan Batman films and JLA expected to be more "comic book-y," it would seem like the studio would want to gauge audience reaction to this new take on Superman before making this incarnation the centerpiece of JLA.

The JLA movie is reportedly slated for a 2015 release. We'll see if that remains the case after Man of Steel opens.


Source : ign[dot]com