Month: April 2021

Oscars viewership through the years

2014: 43.7 million
2015: 37.3 million
2016: 34.4 million
2017: 32.9 million
2018: 26.5 million
2019: 29.6 million
2020: 23.6 million
2021: 9.8 million

— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) April 26, 2021

1/ RE: Oscars’ ratings.
I tweet this every few months, but that’s why it’s critical.
It is NO surprise ratings drop each year. Trad TV is collapsing. The problem is that the award shows don’t innovate. They don’t think about what could be better, or new, or is newly possible

— Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew) March 6, 2018

The first Dying Light 2 AMA from developer Techland has led to answers to some big questions about the upcoming zombie-parkour hybrid. The AMA, led by Dying Light 2 lead game designer Tymon Smektała, touched on multiple subjects including handmade weapons, the game’s new volatiles, and the importance of different decisions players would make.

Unlike the first entry in the franchise, Dying Light 2 will largely exclude firearms from player’s arsenals. Late in Dying Light 1, players could find guns like pistols and rifles across the game’s city. However, the sequel will change that radically. “So… There are no firearms in the world of Dying Light 2,” Smektała said. “Why? Because it’s a world war, the civilization is destroyed. It’s gone, so actually no one is able to create like… professional firearms.”

Even though players won’t have access to M16s or Colt 45s, guns will still be present in the game. Players will be able to make their own eventually, with Smektała offering the example of a handmade shotgun. This weapon would be crafted with scavenged parts and go into the player’s left hand, allowing them to use a melee weapon at the same time. However, since it’s a handmade weapon, these shotguns would break very easily. Players will have other ranged weapon options, like “bows and something extra which fit [sic] more the modern type ages idea, the modern type ages concept.”

Responding to a question about how many story-changing decisions players could make, Smektała instead answered by detailing the varying levels of choices present in Dying Light 2. The first, or top-level as Smektała describes it, belongs to the game’s main story choices. These are the decisions players will make that affect the game’s ending and how players get to that point. On the second level are a mix of main story and side quest decisions. These choices don’t affect the game’s ending, and instead usually “influence the world” according to Smektała. Finally, third-tier choices encompass the city alignment system, in which players make decisions that grant territory in the city to the game’s various factions.

As it turns out, some of those decisions will also release new types of infected into the game world. Smektała revealed that Dying Light 2’s new volatile shown during last month’s developer update is a new type of infected being added to the game. It will only show up if players make the right (or wrong) decisions.

Today’s AMA was the first of many according to last month’s developer update, which also announced that the game is still planned for release this year. In February, Techland faced multiple accusations of being a toxic workplace environment due to its leadership. The game will be coming to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. So far, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game have not been announced.

The retro collection Capcom Arcade Stadium for Nintendo Switch will get more packs of games after the collection comes to more platforms later in May, Capcom has revealed. Currently, the game offers three different retro packs grouped according to different eras of Capcom’s arcade output. While we don’t know what the new games are, or when they’ll be coming, more features are coming to the game to celebrate its multiplatform launch.

Those features include an invincibility mode that allows players to triumph over the games without having to dump virtual quarter after quarter in, as well as a set of display frames for your digital arcade. The invincibility mode and the frames cost $1 each, while each pack of games within Capcom Arcade Stadium cost $15 each, or all three currently available for $40. Capcom Arcade Stadium will come to PS4, Xbox One, and Steam on May 25, along with the two new paid features.

In addition to Capcom Arcade Stadium, Capcom revealed that Ghost ‘n Goblins Resurrection–a modern reboot of the infamously-difficult arcade game–will come to PS4, Xbox One, and Steam on June 1. It’s been available on Switch for a while now, and unlike its forebears, it features adjustable difficulty settings. It also has limited co-op which allows another player to control three supporting characters to help Arthur save the day.

Capcom’s most high-profile release of the coming months is definitely Resident Evil Village, also known as Resident Evil 8. If you’re curious about the upcoming horror game, its limited-time demo for May has been extended from one day to one week.

The new Mortal Kombat movie is in theaters and on HBO Max right now. If you haven’t watched it, check out GameSpot’s Mortal Kombat review for an idea of what you’re missing out on. Given everything that happens at the end of the movie–including a tease of what’s to come–it’s clear that the film’s creative team has some big ideas for a sequel. What, exactly, do they want to do, though?

Speaking to Syfy Wire, the movie’s writer Greg Russo revealed a new location he would like the next movie in the franchise to visit, should it get made. “One of the realms that I felt like it didn’t make sense to introduce in this story because we were so focused on Earthrealm and Outworld, was Edenia, which is another big realm in the Mortal Kombat universe,” he teased.

If you’re going to Edenia, naturally you’d expect to see the realm’s royalty–which is exactly what Russo has in mind. “My favorite character, Kitana, is a princess in Edenia and it just didn’t feel right to bring her in,” he said. “There’s other characters too that people love there, like Sindel and Jade and all those characters. So that’s a whole realm that I think is worth exploring, and I have some really cool ideas of what I would do with storylines there.”

Of course, given the tease at the end of Mortal Kombat, you should also expect the arrival of Johnny Cage in the next film. However, while a poster of the character is seen in the first film, nobody has been chosen to actually portray Johnny yet.

“I haven’t actually done enough of a character exploration,” director Simon McQuoid previously told GameSpot. “I know who Johnny Cage [the character] is, I understand. But I haven’t really put a lot of thought to [who could play him], because it’s not something at the time [that] we needed to… [I] had enough characters to think about.”

Hopefully, now McQuoid, Russo, and the rest of the Mortal Kombat team will get the chance to flesh out their ideas. With an impressive box office haul for pandemic era movie-going, plus a launch on HBO Max, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we’ll see another Mortal Kombat movie.

SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers for the conclusion of Falcon and the Winter Soldier below.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

The official Captain America Twitter account changed its banner image and bio section Monday, simply reading “on your left” alongside a new image of Sam Wilson in his Captain America outfit. The change came in the wake of Friday’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale, which saw Sam take up the shield at last.

The changes are part of a broader reaction on Twitter, which has seen #CaptainAmerica trending alongside special hashtag emojis. Fans have also resurfaced a heartwarming clip from a 2020 Vanity Fair interview, in which Anthony Mackie describes how his son was initially mesmerized by the idea of his father becoming Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

“I’m at the theater with my son, and the movie ends,” Mackie remembered in the interview. “My son goes…’dad? Are you…are you Captain America?’ And I said ‘I think so!’”

Mackie said that after looking a little stunned, all his son said was “cool.”

“I’m like…that’s it? That’s all I get?” Mackie exclaims, imitating his son’s nonchalant attitude. “Cool, cool. ‘You don’t cry, I’m not going to cry.’ So all night we’re hanging out, they get tired, we put them to bed. A week later he calls me bawling. And he’s like ‘dad, you’re Captain America!’ Yeah, dude.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/25/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-6-how-the-finale-sets-up-captain-america-4-mcu-canon-fodder”]

Mackie imitated his son’s flustered call. “‘That’s so amazing! I’m so proud of you!’ So then I start crying, and I’m like ‘you’re proud of me?’”

After chuckling a bit, Mackie reflected on the real weight of the moment for him as an actor and a dad.

“It’s funny. As a parent, you do so much, and all you want is the approval of your kids,” Mackie said. “Nobody else matters. I don’t care what anybody else on the internet says. My son said it was cool, so it’s cool. That’s been the biggest thing with Marvel and all these movies. You realize it’s an opportunity for you to spend time with your kids. Every Marvel premiere, I get to take my son and we sit and we eat popcorn and we watch the movie. We talk about it afterwards. He says his favorite part, I say my favorite part. That’s what this character has become. A way for my son and I to bond over movies.”

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true”]

Mackie’s son won’t have to wait much longer to see his dad as Captain America again. After the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America 4 is reportedly being written by the same showrunner Malcom Spellman and staff writer Dalan Musson. There’s still a few questions left lingering from the Disney Plus series, like what will happen to John Walker’s U.S. Agent. Judging from how things wrapped up, it may all be leading to the Secret Invasion event in the next phase of the MCU.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Stan stan for IGN.

Pizza buyers beware: The Noid has returned. Yes, the pie-swiping villain from the famous ’80s ad campaign has come back for a series of new advertisements from Domino’s Pizza, but that’s not the only place you’ll find him. For a limited time, The Noid will serve as a mini-boss in the mobile runner Crash Bandicoot: On The Run.

While this might seem like a bizarre example of brand synergy, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the Noid ads and the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Crash Bandicoot, so we suppose it makes some sense. (Maybe?) Well, regardless, fans of The Noid can pick up limited-edition Noid-themed merch on Amazon. All proceeds from the sales will go to Domino’s independent nonprofit Domino’s Partners Foundation, which provides financial assistance to employees of the company experiencing hardship such as the loss of a loved one.

As Noid fans well know, this isn’t the first time that the pizza villain has appeared in a game. Capcom’s Yo! Noid is a fairly well-known NES platformer that features the character, who was added to the English localization by translators. He also appeared in the lesser-known Commodore 64 game Avoid the Noid. As for Crash Bandicoot: On The Run, it’s a celebration of the iconic platformer that includes many of the franchise’s best-known levels and characters. Like most of developer King’s games, it’s free to play, but includes microtransactions.

Epic has revealed that Fortnite update 16.30 will arrive tomorrow, April 27, and will bring with it a variety of changes, including quality-of-life fixes to weapon crafting, clearer weapon stats, and a new exotic bow. Here’s everything to look forward to in tomorrow’s Fortnite patch 16.30.

Downtime for the update will begin tomorrow around 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET. Once it’s over, players will be greeted with a new exotic bow which Epic is teasing, calling it “unpredictable.” That’s probably a reference to the leaked Unstable Bow, which hits players with a “glitch” effect on contact, according to dataminers. Think of it as a bit like a bow that fires flashbangs at players. If it is that one, we anticipate Raven will be selling it in her house on the western beach between Coral Castle and Sweaty Sands.

Also coming is an overhaul to the crafting menu that will allow players to smoothly transition to the crafting menu when holding a craftable item in their hands by holding down the inventory button. This should keep players out of the menus when they need to be focused on the enemies ahead. For players seeking to compare all these weapons, their stats on screen will now be represented with numbers rather than the more abstract bars.

We know another Spire Quest is due to arrive as well, and it may be the last of them. This season’s storyline has been leading to a fight between Jonesy and Raz, and tomorrow’s Spire Quest promises to deliver that showdown. Completing all Spire Quests not only unlocks hundreds of thousands of seasonal XP, but also grants players the Raz alternate Style, Glyph Master.

A new LTM called The Floor Restores arrives tomorrow as well, as an apparent reference to the game’s Floor Is Lava modes that have populated the LTM space lately. For players in Creative mode, the remaining weapons not previously seen in the suite will make their way to it as well.

Of course, all of this is perhaps secondary at best to the addition of Neymar Jr. The soccer susperstar and his many related challenges arrive with tomorrow’s update as the midseason (not-so-)secret character for all Season 6 Battle Pass owners.

The next big patch for Watch Dogs: Legion has been pushed back a week, as the team at Ubisoft says it discovered some issues in the late stages of development. As a result, title update 4.0, which had been scheduled for late April, will instead release on May 4.

Ubisoft shared a brief statement on Twitter, but did not go into details about the issues it encountered. It did say that these are problems that need to be addressed before deployment, to launch the update “in the best shape it can be.” It also said that the extra time will allow it to continue to work on bugs that players have reported recently, since the update will also include more fixes.

“We are really excited about you playing our upcoming content on Watch Dogs: Legion, and seeing your reactions to our roadmap has been fantastic,” the team stated. “Thanks for your ongoing support and passion.”

According to Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion roadmap, the next update will feature a new hero character who wields mind control powers and a new mission as paid content in the season pass. Alongside that, the update will include free content composed of new co-op missions, new assignments, more character customization, and two new regular characters.

Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy will see the return of one of the game’s most powerful weapons, the Peacekeeper shotgun, to ground loot. Like the Triple Take, the Peacekeeper comes with the Precision Choke hop-up naturally equipped.

The Peacekeeper was pulled from ground loot in Season 5: Fortune’s Favor, replacing the Mastiff shotgun in care packages. It has remained in care packages for the past four seasons. With the Peacekeeper’s return to ground loot, the Triple Take is being put into care packages, where it will automatically come equipped with the 2x-4x Variable AOG Scope.

The Peacekeeper returning to ground loot isn’t the only major weapon change coming in Season 9. A new weapon type is being added. Called Marksman Weapons, this classification includes the G7 Scout, Triple Take, 30-30 Repeater, and brand-new Bocek Compound Bow.

The Bocek will take a new ammo type called Arrows, which silently travel through the air and don’t break on impact–missed shots can be looted from wherever they land, while shots that hit their mark can be looted from the target once they’re dead.

Weapon hop-ups are changing too. Both Skullpiercer Rifling and Hammerpoint Rounds are being pulled from ground loot. To make up for this, the weapons that use these hop-ups (Wingman, Longbow DMR, P2020, and Mozambique) are being buffed. The Wingman and Longbow will naturally deal more damage on headshots, while the P2020 will do more damage on both body and head shots. The Mozambique’s clip size is increasing from four shells to six.

To replace these hop-ups, two brand-new ones are being added: Shatter Caps and Deadeye’s Tempo. Shatter Caps can be attached to the 30-30 Repeater and Bocek Bow, allowing you to change their shots so that they split into a blast pattern like a shotgun. Deadeye’s Tempo can be attached to the Sentinel and Bocek Bow, increasing their fire rate if you shoot at the perfect moment. In the Sentinel’s case, that’s when a new round has been chambered; for the Bocek, it’s the moment you fully pull back the bowstring.

The Bocek Bow is unique among Apex Legends’ weapons in that you don’t have to decide between which of its hop-ups to equip. You can equip both Shatter Caps and Deadeye’s Tempo to the Bocek at the same time, allowing you to transform the precision mid-range weapon into a semi-automatic short-range weapon.

Apex Legends Legacy begins May 4. Alongside all these weapon changes, the new season will introduce playable character Valkyrie and a permanent team deathmatch mode called Arenas.