Supernatural: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on Season 8, Including Sam's New Outlook and Dean's Hurt Locker

With Supernatural: Season 8 kicking off this Wednesday night at 9pm, we recently caught up with stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on the Vancouver set of the series, find out where Sam and Dean are headed this year.

Both Winchester brothers have been trapped in far off hell-mensions before, but in the Season 7 finale we saw Dean actually land down in an unfamiliar place to the show - Purgatory.  So how will this season be different, as far as the "separated brothers" storyline goes?  Well, for one thing, the year down in Purgatory has turned Dean into a "hardened warrior."  Because in Purgatory, it's all monsters.  And the hunter became the hunted.

Top 10 Supernatural Episodes

"We find that Dean has gotten out, and the time that he spent there [Purgatory] and what happened there has changed his outlook, and his perspective on things," Ackles revealed.  "These guys [the brothers] are always kind of at war, with the evils of the world, but he got a heavy, heavy dose of it down there, because he's surrounded by the things that he kills when he's topside. It was almost a concentrated version of what he's used to. He's come back a hardened warrior, and ready to use those sharpened skills in the real world. So he's a solider that just got back from war. It's going to take him a little while to adjust to the lack of threat, and the lack of combat."

Sam and Dean, from the Season 8 premiere.

"It's almost like The Hurt Locker, when Jeremy Renner's character comes back from war and he's sitting there looking at a cereal box aisle, and it's just so foreign to him," Ackles continued. "But what isn't foreign is being on the ground, fighting. I think Dean is feeling a sense of that. It's a year that he spent down in Purgatory, so he was down there for a whole year doing this. Fighting and battling non-stop, covered in blood, covered in mud, covered in dirt for twelve months."

Meanwhile, Sam, with no idea where Dean or Castiel went, and without Bobby or any contacts to the Hunter world, has been living a very different life.  "[Sam's] going to take off the hunter garb and just live a normal life, because I have nothing to tie me back," Padalecki remarked.  "There’s no Jo, there’s no Harvelle’s Roadhouse, there’s nothing. There’s absolutely nothing holding Sam back from a normal life so he really commits to it and so when it all comes crashing back down, it’s like a brutal reminder yet again of who he kind of has been and is possibly meant to be."

"I think Sam in this season is different than Sam in other seasons where Dean was either in hell or where Sam was in hell," Padalecki added. "Usually when they’ve been split up, there’s been sort of the impetus of like, 'My brother’s in trouble, I’ve got to save him. I’ve got to help him. He’s going to help me and he’s going to save me.'" Part of the normal life that Sam pursues in Dean's absence is a relationship - his first meaningful one since Jessica back in the pilot episode - with a girl named Amelia. And even though the relationship is apparently over and done with by the time the Season 8 premiere takes place, Sam is still left hesitant to return to his old life with Dean. "Sam is kind of the adult in this reconciliation," Padalecki said. "He’s like, 'Look I found my own thing. I love you. You’re my brother and I’m so happy you’re back and I’m going to help you now but I want out. I want out. I love you. It’s great. I’m grateful that you’ve saved my life many times and vice versa. No hard feelings.'"

Padalecki then added, "And so Sam is kind of at a place where he wants to move onto something different, and I think Dean resents Sam more because Sam was living a good Christian life down in Kermit, Texas with a girl that he fell in love with and Dean was fighting for his life." Jensen Ackles also expanded on this notion, stating that the brothers have been worlds apart, in many ways. "It's going to take a little bit of time to warm up to the relationship that [Dean] has with Sam," Ackles said. "There's also what Sam did for the past year, which compacts the odd element that these two brothers have not only spent time apart — it's what they were doing. Dean was in this concentrated war zone, and Sam was literally just the opposite. So really, these two brothers have really been living two different lives this past year, and now they're having to come back together and pick up where they left up. It poses a bit of a problem."

More from the Season 8 premiere.

Added into the mix, causing more problems, is a new, mysterious character named Benny (played by Ty Olsson), who Dean bonds with down in Purgatory. "I'm really excited about that relationship, just on a personal level," Ackles smiled. "It's not only introducing a new character who I think is really cool, and I don't know if you guys have had a chance to talk to or see any of Ty Olsson's stuff, but he's a really fantastic actor. He and I clicked right off the bat, and the character is I think a really great kind of contemporary for Dean. It's a foxhole relationship in a sense. He's been at war with this guy. Benny really earned his stripes with Dean. He earned his trust, which is really difficult not only for Dean to understand, but even more difficult for Sam to understand when Dean comes back."

So with the Winchester brothers now more estranged than ever, what does that mean for the further adventures of Sam and Dean? "I think the way [Sam's] going to specifically react to Dean is just try to help him out in the task at hand and hopefully then do his own thing again," Padalecki stated. "He’s not going to leave him hanging and say 'Nope, I’m not having this. Have fun.' He’s going to say 'Okay, I get it. I do owe you this as you certainly have done for me a lot more than anybody else has. You’ve earned this and so I’ll help.' And we also both believe that we’re onto something that will end our hunting careers forever, so Sam’s like 'You know what? Perfect. Because I know what it’s like to not have an anchor into the hunting aspect of life - so I would love to actually not have a need for that hunting aspect of life and if this can solve that, then I’m in.'"

Supernatural's Season 8 kicks things off with "We Need to Talk About Kevin," on Wednesday, October 3rd, at 9pm.

Travel accommodations to Vancouver provided by Warner Bros.

Source : ign[dot]com

Supernatural: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on Season 8, Including Sam's New Outlook and Dean's Hurt Locker

With Supernatural: Season 8 kicking off this Wednesday night at 9pm, we recently caught up with stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on the Vancouver set of the series, find out where Sam and Dean are headed this year.

Both Winchester brothers have been trapped in far off hell-mensions before, but in the Season 7 finale we saw Dean actually land down in an unfamiliar place to the show - Purgatory.  So how will this season be different, as far as the "separated brothers" storyline goes?  Well, for one thing, the year down in Purgatory has turned Dean into a "hardened warrior."  Because in Purgatory, it's all monsters.  And the hunter became the hunted.

Top 10 Supernatural Episodes

"We find that Dean has gotten out, and the time that he spent there [Purgatory] and what happened there has changed his outlook, and his perspective on things," Ackles revealed.  "These guys [the brothers] are always kind of at war, with the evils of the world, but he got a heavy, heavy dose of it down there, because he's surrounded by the things that he kills when he's topside. It was almost a concentrated version of what he's used to. He's come back a hardened warrior, and ready to use those sharpened skills in the real world. So he's a solider that just got back from war. It's going to take him a little while to adjust to the lack of threat, and the lack of combat."

Sam and Dean, from the Season 8 premiere.

"It's almost like The Hurt Locker, when Jeremy Renner's character comes back from war and he's sitting there looking at a cereal box aisle, and it's just so foreign to him," Ackles continued. "But what isn't foreign is being on the ground, fighting. I think Dean is feeling a sense of that. It's a year that he spent down in Purgatory, so he was down there for a whole year doing this. Fighting and battling non-stop, covered in blood, covered in mud, covered in dirt for twelve months."

Meanwhile, Sam, with no idea where Dean or Castiel went, and without Bobby or any contacts to the Hunter world, has been living a very different life.  "[Sam's] going to take off the hunter garb and just live a normal life, because I have nothing to tie me back," Padalecki remarked.  "There’s no Jo, there’s no Harvelle’s Roadhouse, there’s nothing. There’s absolutely nothing holding Sam back from a normal life so he really commits to it and so when it all comes crashing back down, it’s like a brutal reminder yet again of who he kind of has been and is possibly meant to be."

"I think Sam in this season is different than Sam in other seasons where Dean was either in hell or where Sam was in hell," Padalecki added. "Usually when they’ve been split up, there’s been sort of the impetus of like, 'My brother’s in trouble, I’ve got to save him. I’ve got to help him. He’s going to help me and he’s going to save me.'" Part of the normal life that Sam pursues in Dean's absence is a relationship - his first meaningful one since Jessica back in the pilot episode - with a girl named Amelia. And even though the relationship is apparently over and done with by the time the Season 8 premiere takes place, Sam is still left hesitant to return to his old life with Dean. "Sam is kind of the adult in this reconciliation," Padalecki said. "He’s like, 'Look I found my own thing. I love you. You’re my brother and I’m so happy you’re back and I’m going to help you now but I want out. I want out. I love you. It’s great. I’m grateful that you’ve saved my life many times and vice versa. No hard feelings.'"

Padalecki then added, "And so Sam is kind of at a place where he wants to move onto something different, and I think Dean resents Sam more because Sam was living a good Christian life down in Kermit, Texas with a girl that he fell in love with and Dean was fighting for his life." Jensen Ackles also expanded on this notion, stating that the brothers have been worlds apart, in many ways. "It's going to take a little bit of time to warm up to the relationship that [Dean] has with Sam," Ackles said. "There's also what Sam did for the past year, which compacts the odd element that these two brothers have not only spent time apart — it's what they were doing. Dean was in this concentrated war zone, and Sam was literally just the opposite. So really, these two brothers have really been living two different lives this past year, and now they're having to come back together and pick up where they left up. It poses a bit of a problem."

More from the Season 8 premiere.

Added into the mix, causing more problems, is a new, mysterious character named Benny (played by Ty Olsson), who Dean bonds with down in Purgatory. "I'm really excited about that relationship, just on a personal level," Ackles smiled. "It's not only introducing a new character who I think is really cool, and I don't know if you guys have had a chance to talk to or see any of Ty Olsson's stuff, but he's a really fantastic actor. He and I clicked right off the bat, and the character is I think a really great kind of contemporary for Dean. It's a foxhole relationship in a sense. He's been at war with this guy. Benny really earned his stripes with Dean. He earned his trust, which is really difficult not only for Dean to understand, but even more difficult for Sam to understand when Dean comes back."

So with the Winchester brothers now more estranged than ever, what does that mean for the further adventures of Sam and Dean? "I think the way [Sam's] going to specifically react to Dean is just try to help him out in the task at hand and hopefully then do his own thing again," Padalecki stated. "He’s not going to leave him hanging and say 'Nope, I’m not having this. Have fun.' He’s going to say 'Okay, I get it. I do owe you this as you certainly have done for me a lot more than anybody else has. You’ve earned this and so I’ll help.' And we also both believe that we’re onto something that will end our hunting careers forever, so Sam’s like 'You know what? Perfect. Because I know what it’s like to not have an anchor into the hunting aspect of life - so I would love to actually not have a need for that hunting aspect of life and if this can solve that, then I’m in.'"

Supernatural's Season 8 kicks things off with "We Need to Talk About Kevin," on Wednesday, October 3rd, at 9pm.

Travel accommodations to Vancouver provided by Warner Bros.

Source : ign[dot]com

Supernatural: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on Season 8, Including Sam's New Outlook and Dean's Hurt Locker

With Supernatural: Season 8 kicking off this Wednesday night at 9pm, we recently caught up with stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on the Vancouver set of the series, find out where Sam and Dean are headed this year. 

Both Winchester brothers have been trapped in far off hell-mensions before, but in the Season 7 finale we saw Dean actually land down in an unfamiliar place to the show - Purgatory.  So how will this season be different, as far as the "separated brothers" storyline goes?  Well, for one thing, the year down in Purgatory has turned Dean into a "hardened warrior."  Because in Purgatory, it's all monsters.  And the hunter became the hunted.

"We find that Dean has gotten out, and the time that he spent there [Purgatory] and what happened there has changed his outlook, and his perspective on things," Ackles revealed.  "These guys [the brothers] are always kind of at war, with the evils of the world, but he got a heavy, heavy dose of it down there, because he's surrounded by the things that he kills when he's topside. It was almost a concentrated version of what he's used to. He's come back a hardened warrior, and ready to use those sharpened skills in the real world. So he's a solider that just got back from war. It's going to take him a little while to adjust to the lack of threat, and the lack of combat."

Sam and Dean, from the Season 8 premiere.

"It's almost like The Hurt Locker, when Jeremy Renner's character comes back from war and he's sitting there looking at a cereal box aisle, and it's just so foreign to him," Ackles continued. "But what isn't foreign is being on the ground, fighting. I think Dean is feeling a sense of that. It's a year that he spent down in Purgatory, so he was down there for a whole year doing this. Fighting and battling non-stop, covered in blood, covered in mud, covered in dirt for twelve months." 

Meanwhile, Sam, with no idea where Dean or Castiel went, and without Bobby or any contacts to the Hunter world, has been living a very different life.  "[Sam's] going to take off the hunter garb and just live a normal life, because I have nothing to tie me back," Padalecki remarked.  "There’s no Jo, there’s no Harvelle’s Roadhouse, there’s nothing. There’s absolutely nothing holding Sam back from a normal life so he really commits to it and so when it all comes crashing back down, it’s like a brutal reminder yet again of who he kind of has been and is possibly meant to be."

"I think Sam in this season is different than Sam in other seasons where Dean was either in hell or where Sam was in hell," Padalecki added. "Usually when they’ve been split up, there’s been sort of the impetus of like, 'My brother’s in trouble, I’ve got to save him. I’ve got to help him. He’s going to help me and he’s going to save me.'" Part of the normal life that Sam pursues in Dean's absence is a relationship - his first meaningful one since Jessica back in the pilot episode - with a girl named Amelia. And even though the relationship is apparently over and done with by the time the Season 8 premiere takes place, Sam is still left hesitant to return to his old life with Dean. "Sam is kind of the adult in this reconciliation," Padalecki said. "He’s like, 'Look I found my own thing. I love you. You’re my brother and I’m so happy you’re back and I’m going to help you now but I want out. I want out. I love you. It’s great. I’m grateful that you’ve saved my life many times and vice versa. No hard feelings.'"

Padalecki then added, "And so Sam is kind of at a place where he wants to move onto something different, and I think Dean resents Sam more because Sam was living a good Christian life down in Kermit, Texas with a girl that he fell in love with and Dean was fighting for his life." Jensen Ackles also expanded on this notion, stating that the brothers have been worlds apart, in many ways. "It's going to take a little bit of time to warm up to the relationship that [Dean] has with Sam," Ackles said. "There's also what Sam did for the past year, which compacts the odd element that these two brothers have not only spent time apart — it's what they were doing. Dean was in this concentrated war zone, and Sam was literally just the opposite. So really, these two brothers have really been living two different lives this past year, and now they're having to come back together and pick up where they left up. It poses a bit of a problem."

More from the Season 8 premiere.

Added into the mix, causing more problems, is a new, mysterious character named Benny (played by Ty Olsson), who Dean bonds with down in Purgatory. "I'm really excited about that relationship, just on a personal level," Ackles smiled. "It's not only introducing a new character who I think is really cool, and I don't know if you guys have had a chance to talk to or see any of Ty Olsson's stuff, but he's a really fantastic actor. He and I clicked right off the bat, and the character is I think a really great kind of contemporary for Dean. It's a foxhole relationship in a sense. He's been at war with this guy. Benny really earned his stripes with Dean. He earned his trust, which is really difficult not only for Dean to understand, but even more difficult for Sam to understand when Dean comes back."

So with the Winchester brothers now more estranged than ever, what does that mean for the further adventures of Sam and Dean? "I think the way [Sam's] going to specifically react to Dean is just try to help him out in the task at hand and hopefully then do his own thing again," Padalecki stated. "He’s not going to leave him hanging and say 'Nope, I’m not having this. Have fun.' He’s going to say 'Okay, I get it. I do owe you this as you certainly have done for me a lot more than anybody else has. You’ve earned this and so I’ll help.' And we also both believe that we’re onto something that will end our hunting careers forever, so Sam’s like 'You know what? Perfect. Because I know what it’s like to not have an anchor into the hunting aspect of life - so I would love to actually not have a need for that hunting aspect of life and if this can solve that, then I’m in.'"

Supernatural's Season 8 kicks things off with "We Need to Talk About Kevin," on Wednesday, October 3rd, at 9pm.

Travel accommodations to Vancouver provided by Warner Bros.

Source : ign[dot]com

Microsoft Flight and Project Columbia Cancelled

Microsoft has ceased development of its free-to-play flight simulator Microsoft Flight. It has also scrapped Project Columbia, an unannounced Kinect game.

Both games were being developed at Microsoft's Vancouver studio. Last night, as noticed by Kotaku, employees took to social media to report on the cancellation of both games and highlight the redundancies facing its staff.

Despite initial reports that Microsoft had closed the entire studio, Microsoft has confirmed that the studio will remain open but will operate at a reduced capacity.

Speaking to Gamespot, a Microsoft spokesperson said, Microsoft Studios has decided to end development on Microsoft Flight and Project Columbia. As a result of this action, some positions within the development teams have been eliminated. Microsoft human resources is working with the affected individuals to find new roles within the company."

"Microsoft Studios is invested in British Columbia and still has several teams, both in Vancouver and Victoria, which will continue to produce the best entertainment and gaming experiences possible."

This is the latest setback for the games industry in Vancouver, with Capcom making redundancies at its studio in recent weeks and Rockstar relocating to Toronto.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

FIFA 13 Proves the Series is Still on the Ball

Sat inside a Vancouver, a studio so swanky that it might put even Facebook’s offices to shame, there is just one thing on IGN’s mind as FIFA 13 gets its official red-carpet roll out: why is it that EA employees are allowed to take their dogs to work and we’re not?

Seriously though, the one word on everyone’s lips – as well as plastered across a floor-to-ceiling cinema screen – is: ‘Unpredictable’. Borrowed from a Jose Mourinho interview (“One of the great things about football is that it’s unpredictable,” said the Special One), it’s a buzzword for the beautiful game in modern times and also the mantra for FIFA 13.

Along with the unenviable task of bettering the best football game known to man in FIFA 12, EA Sports’ goal for this season is: “Capturing the unpredictability of real-world football”. And after previewing the ‘Big Five’ new gameplay features at E3 in June (Attacking Intelligence, Complete Dribbling, First Touch Control, Tactical Free Kicks and an updated Player Impact Engine) prepare to bid farewell to your social life once more, with a host of new features to electrify both casual and ardent gamers alike within the new game.

Firstly, one of the few shortcomings of FIFA in the past has been that many of the game's silky-yet-subtle skills go unused by even the most proficient gamers. FIFA 13 squashes this notion with the addition of Skill Games. Combining training ground capers from football tennis to crossbar challenge via several dinks into rubbish bins and dribbling round poles, Skill Games present a surprisingly addictive new game mode, for that rare occasion when thumping your mates 6-0 starts to get tedious.

“

One of FIFA’s sole pitfalls within its domination of poor Pro Evo in the past has been that many of the games silky-yet-subtle skills go unused by even the most proficient gamers.

“The design idea behind it was to create little scenarios that really focus in on one skill, whether it be passing or ground pass, lob pass, shooting, free kicks or penalty shots,” says FIFA Gameplay Producer, Aaron McHardy. “At the end of the skill challenge, [we] put you in a bit of a match-type scenario and see how well you can execute it in a game. We really think that in doing that we’re going to be able to transfer the skills you learn in the Skill Games and ultimately make everybody a better FIFA player.” But with the addition of leaderboards and with achievements, XP and trophies all on offer within the 32 bite-sized challenges, Skill Games go far beyond a FIFA refresher course for the uneducated, and will swiftly establish itself as yet another way to embarrass your pals online.

Meanwhile, Career Mode’s also gone to the next level, with the chance to manage and play for club and country. Play as Robin van Persie and you too can give Arsenal the finger before netting silverware and a multi-million pound contract elsewhere, before firing the Netherlands to World Cup glory… maybe. Fancy something a little less predictable? Why not start life as a fresh-faced starlet of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, before being shipped out on loan to the altogether unglamorous Accrington Stanley, in the hope you can dispose Lionel Messi upon your return.

Transfer dealings have also been tweaked to mimic the market more closely, with form, contract length and morale all representing a player’s true market value. You can now also meet each bid for one of your players with a counter offer, naming the exact amount it’d cost for someone to snare your prized asset. Similarly, you can now add players into any deal, so be sure to keep a keen eye on the Manchester City reserve squad as they soon could be slotting straight into your starting XI.

Elsewhere, after giving itself a cool two years breathing space to decipher just how to incorporate Microsoft’s little black box, FIFA is finally embracing Kinect's capabilities for 13. That means, in the interests of realism of course, you can now drop all manner of ‘F’ and ‘C’ bombs in the direction of the referee, just because. But despite a flurry of recent rumours that turning the air blue will see your on screen counterparts punished on the pitch, FIFA’s Line Producer Nick Channon is quick to rectify the gossip.

“

This is our first year with Kinect and we’re very happy with this year’s feature set, we think it’s game enhancing. We want to see the reaction to it and then we’ll go from there.

“I don’t know exactly where that came from, obviously it’s a slight misunderstanding,” laughs Channon. “Ultimately we do listen to what people are saying within the game, especially around decisions, but it’s more an influence within career mode, where it’ll develop storylines and we’ll actually get feedback within the game.”

In other words, swear like a sailor and you’re likely to endure the condemnation of Martin Tyler through the game’s commentary, but also get yourself a reputation of being a touchline hot-head in career mode. “We feel it’s just a little bit more immersion,” continues Channon. “A lot of things we’re doing in career mode this year is a lot more depth, and we think this is one extra thing that brings a bit more life [to it].”

Aside from flagrantly disregarding the referee Respect campaign, the in-game voice-activated controls also make use of menu options. Substitutions, camera angles and even fully customisable tactics are but one breath away. No longer will you have to commit the cardinal sin of tweaking your entire line-up midway through a crunch game on Xbox Live, you can now simply yell, ‘Park the bus’ and grind out that vital (if thoroughly boring) 0-0 draw.

What’s more, in Be A Pro, you can actually request your AI team-mates' pass, cross and shoot via the mic, with the AI players harbouring enough intelligence to ignore dodgy calls. So bark for them to whip it in when you’re 10-yards offside and they might just think better of it.

“

The emphasis is to make FIFA purely a “really realistic but ultimately fun experience.”

Notable in its absence though is the lack of any motion controls for the Kinect, with the FIFA team clearly cautious to jump in headfirst, at the risk of turning FIFA into a poor man’s Wii Sports.

“I think we’ll have to wait and see,” admits Producer Channon. “This is our first year with Kinect and we’re very happy with this year’s feature set, we think it’s game enhancing. We want to see the reaction to it and then we’ll go from there.”

On a crusade to get flabby gamers thin they ain’t, with Channon affirming the emphasis is to make FIFA purely a “really realistic but ultimately fun experience.” So should FIFA 14 come complete with its own set of weighing scales, ushering in Career Mode’s pre-season with a stern telling off by the gaffer, then you know it’s time to start panicking. But then again we’ve been surprised before, football is “unpredictable” after all…

Source : ign[dot]com