Nikita: The 10 Coolest Moments

Warning: Spoilers for the first two seasons of Nikita follow.

With Nikita back this Friday, October 19th, for Season 3, we thought it would be a good time to relive some of the show’s coolest moments. Nikita is one cool show, so narrowing it down wasn’t easy, but here’s what we came up with…

10

Michael Eats Explosions for Breakfast ("Knightfall")

Read the Review

Knowing that a missile is headed toward the house where Michael is trapped, Nikita has raced into harm’s way in a desperate attempt to rescue him. The house explodes just as she gets there, and she stumbles around the debris, her grief growing with every second. Suddenly, Michael strides out of the smoke like something out of an 80’s music video and Nikita leaps into his arms. On this show, even the mushy stuff is really cool.

9

Killing Spree = Promotion ("The Recruit")

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Robbie (played by Bug Hall - Alfalfa from The Little Rascals movie!) was a recruit who dreamed of seeing the world once he became a field agent. Those dreams were squashed when he was made a Division security guard instead and that disappointment eventually led to him snapping and going on a shooting spree inside Division. Alex and the rest of the recruits are told that Robbie has been terminated, but in the episode’s last scene, Amanda tells a bound and beaten Robbie that she underestimated him, and that he is a prime candidate for the group’s super creepy “cleaner” program--a chilling reminder of just how twisted Division is.

8

Nerd Kisses Niki ("Crossbow")

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The deepening of the friendship between Nikita and hacker extraordinaire Birkhoff was a pleasantly surprising subplot during Season 2. Nevertheless, they had their share of conflict as well, not the least of which was Birkhoff’s vehement opposition to Nikita’s Hail Mary plan to infiltrate Division. After challenging her sanity, Birkhoff made nice in a most unexpected way: he gave her a big kiss (right in front of her studly boyfriend), then added sincerely, “May the Force be with you.” Way to go, Nerd!

7

The Truth About Alex's Father ("Betrayals")

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Nikita had told Alex the truth about who killed her parents... From a certain point of view. Yes, it was a Division strike team sent by Percy but she left out one critical bit of information. And in a moment as shocking for fans as it was for Alex, Percy reveals to her that Nikita was not only a member of that strike team, she was the one who murdered her father.

6

Nikita Embraces Her Dark Side ("Wrath")

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Nikita has been captured and tortured by a man she maimed back when she worked for Division. He thinks he’s broken her when she says she’s sorry—but wait! That’s not what she’s apologizing for. With a downright evil smile on her face, Nikita regrets not gouging out his other eye, nor cutting out his tongue. Then she laughs in his face. And it isn’t an act. In this incredible moment, we see the part of Nikita that she fears the most. The woman that did evil things once upon a time—and liked it.

Source : ign[dot]com

Max Payne 3 Hostage Negotiation DLC Release Date

Rockstar has revealed that Max Payne 3’s Hostage Negotiation downloadable content will be released for all platforms on October 30th. The pack will be available for $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points), or free to players who purchased the Rockstar Pass.

As Rockstar detailed earlier this month, Hostage Negotiation includes four new maps: Club Moderno, Estádio Do Galatians, O Palácio Strip Club and Favela Heights. The pack also includes new items, new weapons and a new avatar faction.

In a blog post on its official site, Rockstar showed off arm bandages and tattoos as accessories that can be equipped on the Filhos De Ogum avatar and revealed that “each faction's customized Heavy Helmet will reduce all damage taken to the head by 75%.”

Rockstar says that more details on the pack will be revealed next week, so keep checking back for new information on all four new maps. Until then, check out our Max Payne 3 wiki guide for all the details about the game.

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

Sony Reveals the Newest Perks for PlayStation Plus

Beginning today, October 16th, North American PlayStation Plus subscribers are going to get a host of new perks, in addition to some perks already in existence that will stick around past that date. New PlayStation Plus perks have yet to be announced in other territories.

For starters, PayDay: The Heist, the cooperative robbery/crime shooter, will be completely free to download. We liked PayDay when it was released on PS3 a year ago. Additionally, The Unfinished Swan, which we gave a 9.0, will be available early to PS+ users for $15. It’s available to everyone else next week.

But wait, there’s more! A new beta for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale becomes available today for PlayStation Plus users. Players can use either PS3 or Vita, and play in 2-on-2 and free-for-all matches over PSN. The same six characters from the previous beta – Colonel Radec, Fat Princess, Sweet Tooth, Sly Cooper, Parappa the Rapper and Kratos – are the six characters included in the beta.

Finally, the following games and DLC will receive discounts for all users, while Monster World IV and SEGA Rally Arcade will receive steep discounts only for PS+ members.

PS3 Games: Amy, Costume Quest, Dead Nation, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Dead Space 2, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, Infamous: Festival of Blood and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

Vita Games: Plants vs. Zombies and Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.

DLC: Call of Duty: Black Ops (Rezurrection), Costume Quest (Complete) and Zen Pinball 2 (The Paranormal, Sorcerer’s Lair and Plants vs. Zombies tables).

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

Source : ign[dot]com

iPad Mini Event Slated for October 23rd

Apple's next event is slated for October 23rd and all signs point to a 7.85" iPad Mini.

The chronically leaked iPad is said to have a Lighting dock connector, come in black and white, and have a very similar design to that found in the stylish new iPod Touch.

Still uncertain, however, is whether the iPad Mini will contain a Retina-Display pixel density, if it might come in additional colors, what exactly the price will be, or if it will even contain the iPad Mini moniker (some have speculated it could be called the iPad Air, or iPad Nano).

We may see more than just the iPad Mini at the event, as well. Recent rumors suggest we could also see a 13" Macbook Pro with Retina Display, additional iTunes news (subscription-based streaming, anyone?), and possibly updates to iBooks, iWork, and iLife.

Either way, all your questions will be answered October 23rd, at 10:00 a.m. PST, where the event will be covered live, right here on IGN.

Nic is the Editor of IGN Tech. He loves technology almost as Wes Anderson, The Tech Fetish Podcast, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. You can follow him on Twitter @nicvargus and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jet Set Radio Delayed on PlayStation Vita

It was supposed to be out today – October 16th – but this morning SEGA confirmed that Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio would be coming to PlayStation Vita at a later date.

The delay is said to be "‘due to necessary development optimisations", reports VG247.

The new release date has yet to be confirmed, but hopefully we won't have to wait. The game was re-released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in wonderful HD just last month – read IGN’s review to see if it's worth picking up.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Jet Set Radio Delayed on PlayStation Vita

It was supposed to be out today – October 16th – but this morning SEGA confirmed that Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio would be coming to PlayStation Vita at a later date.

When exactly has yet to be confirmed, but hopefully we won't have to wait. The game was re-released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in wonderful HD just last month – read IGN’s review to see if it's worth picking up.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Xbox Music Is Useless on Xbox

When Xbox Music -- goodbye, Zune Marketplace -- launches on your 360 on October 16, the ad-supported streaming service will debut globally with a song library of 30 million, 18 million of which will be available instantly for United States users on a free or subscription-based basis. The catch (of course there’s a catch!) is that Xbox Music is a fantastic application for a very specific kind of person.

Beyond the broad scope of “the music lover,” Xbox Music is built with the Microsoft fanatic in mind, someone committed to the idea of owning Windows 8, a Surface slate, and a Windows Phone. Ironically, no matter what the name implies, the person Xbox Music is engineered against is the Xbox 360 owner.

So, it’s October 16, you’re an Xbox owner, and you want Xbox Music’s free tunes. You love the idea of streaming Pixies, Black Keys, Boston, Bruce Springsteen, and obscure Canadian artists like Plumtree, Imaginary Cities, and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald. You happen to have impeccable taste, as it turns out. Here’s how it goes down:

You must be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber. From there, you can build playlists and stream all the Weezer and Lana Del Rey you please for 30 days, after which you’ll start paying the $9.95 fee to become a Pass member. To become a full-fledged Xbox Music user, you’ll need to pay $60 for Xbox Live Gold and another $120 for Music per year.

If you’re keeping score, that’s nearly $200 per year simply to have access to Xbox Music on your Xbox.

Ouch.

Windows 8 is the only platform on which you’ll be able to stream unlimited music for free – and for the time being, Microsoft says there’s no ceiling on the number of tracks you can listen to. Better still, you can skip as many junk tunes as you want. Take that, Spotify.

Microsoft isn’t buying much more goodwill with the majority of its audience, though, especially those who’d likely want to use Xbox Music most. Want to use SmartGlass? It won’t be available just yet. Surface? Also unavailable at launch. Oh, you’re an Android or iOS user? Sorry, support for those devices is coming “within a year.”

Even PC users need to wait for Windows 8’s launch on October 26 to take full advantage of the program. The only user who can use Xbox Music out of the gate is the one who gets the raw deal.

Of course, this is a short term problem. Look ahead six months or so. Assume Xbox Music is on your iPad and iPhone and Windows 8 has any launch kinks straightened out. You've adopted a new operating system or tablet and they can all talk to each other. The cloud is great for shooting tracks between devices. In the near future, Xbox Music will be excellent -- possibly outdoing its competition at every corner. It has the edge over competitors like Grooveshark, Pandora, and Spotify because it shares similar features (Smart DJ is your radio), plus it adds Vevo-powered music videos and Pass members can download albums for free. And if you’re streaming on your phone you shouldn't have any interruptions – progressive downloading stores the song without saving it to your device, allowing you to listen to tracks on your tunnel-filled commute even if you lose signal.

But will this be enough to create an audience out of built-in Xbox users as well as tear the Spotify- and Pandora-obsessed away from what’s working already? At launch, probably not. Looking ahead a year, though, and this could be the one and only music service we need.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. As a Canadian, he appreciates Microsoft launching Xbox Music in the motherland. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

PlayStation Network Maintenance Monday

Sony's going to be tightening some bolts and dusting some servers Monday, October 15th, so aspects of the PlayStation Network will be down. From 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern), the PSN will be under construction.

Sony says: "If you’ve signed onto PSN over the past few days, you’ll still be able to play online and access apps during this period, but you may receive a maintenance notification when attempting to access the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home, and Account Management as these services will be unavailable. Be sure to sign in now if you wish to access the Network during this maintenance window."

Could this maintenance be prepping for the new PlayStation Store?

So, although you'll miss dancing with your bubble machine in Home, a simple sign-in now should keep you gaming during the work.

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN at Greggy-IGN and Twitter at @GameOverGreggy. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

Watch a Music Video for Adele's Skyfall

Check out this new music video featuring the full theme song for Skyfall, co-written and performed by Grammy winner Adele:

Skyfall opens October 26 in the UK and stateside on Nov. 9.

Source : ign[dot]com

Watch The New Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer

Check out the brand new second trailer for Paranormal Activity 4, opening in theaters October 19:

Via Apple iTunes.

Source : ign[dot]com

Watch The New Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer

Check out the brand new second trailer for Paranormal Activity 4, opening in theaters October 19:

Via Apple iTunes.

Source : ign[dot]com

Steam for Linux Beta Announced

Valve has announced that a beta for Steam on Linux will begin in October. According to a blog post on Valve’s site, internal beta testing will begin next week, followed by a private external beta for 1,000 users later in October.

The private beta will include Steam and one Valve game and will support Ubuntu 12.04 and above. It will not yet include Big Picture Mode or additional Valve games. “For existing Linux users, the external private beta is a good release for seeing where we are in running our games on Linux,” the post notes. “We will be using a sign up page for the external beta. Information about the sign up will be announced in a future post.”

For users that aren’t familiar with Linux, Valve recommends not signing up for the external beta, but instead waiting for a later release “where more features are implemented along with improvements to the user install experience.”

Valve’s Linux team formed last year and is currently made up of 11 people. “Our mission is to investigate open source development with a specific focus on supporting Steam and other Valve products on the Linux platform,” the blog notes. “This includes Linux ports of Steam and Valve games, as well as partner games. We are also investigating open source initiatives that could benefit the community and game developers.” The team is currently hiring additional developers.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Sony Announces PSN Day 1 Digital Program

Sony has announced PSN Day 1 Digital, a program that offers titles for download on PlayStation Network the same day they’re available at retail. The program will launch on October 2nd, but players can pre-order games before they become available and PlayStation Plus members will get a 10% discount.

The following games have been announced for the program so far:

• Resident Evil 6 (October 2 - $59.99)
• NBA 2K13 (October 2 - $59.99/$53.99 for Plus members, with pre-order)*
• Dishonored (October 9 - $59.99/$53.99 for Plus members, with pre-order)*
• Doom 3: BFG Edition (October 16 - $39.99/$35.99 for Plus members, with pre-order)*
• 007 Legends (October 16 - $59.99, 10% off week one for Plus members)
• Medal Of Honor Warfighter (October 23 - $59.99)
• Need For Speed: Most Wanted (October 30 - $59.99/$53.99 for Plus members, with pre-order)*
• Assassin’s Creed III (October 30 - $59.99)*

* = Available for pre-order

“Our upcoming PSN Day 1 Digital lineup in October is exceptional and demonstrates our commitment to delivering the best games to the devoted PlayStation community as soon as they’re available,” said SCEA digital platforms senior director Jack Buser. “Additionally, with our new PlayStation 3 models on the horizon offering up to 500GB of storage, there’s never been a better time to experience PS3 games digitally through PSN.”

This strategy has been in place since day one on Vita, and Sony just recently made Borderlands 2 available on PSN day 1. In that case, the game wasn’t available at midnight, launching later in the day instead when the PlayStation Store was updated.

There’s no word on if midnight releases will be a part of PlayStation’s digital pre-order future, but read what we want in a PlayStation Store redesign for that feature and more that we’d like to see Sony add.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

30 Days Until Medal of Honor Warfighter

Listen, we all know we’re going to grab Medal of Honor Warfighter for the Battlefield 4 beta access when it launches on October 23, so we might as well learn all we can about it. Besides, Warfighter looks awesome so far.

We’re a month away from EA’s next major military shooter, and authenticity is what developer Danger Close is striving for above all else. IGN isn’t exactly experienced in the day-to-day happenings of elite Tier-1 operatives, but we know our shooters. If you’re wondering what Medal of Honor Warfighter is all about, this run-down should be all the primer you need.

For its campaign, Warfighter aims to hit some emotionally resonant high points, both with regard to how the story unfolds around the protagonist, and in the hitting-close-to-home missions based on real-world events. We’ve mostly seen things exploding and dudes dying so far, but hey, it’s important that we actually want to be a part of this action and invest in it emotionally.

On the multiplayer side of things, Danger Close is doing some interesting stuff. The team is flying solo, leaving DICE (who developed the adversarial side of the original) to its own devices. This allows the Warfighter team to showcase some of its creativity.

In multiplayer, you’ll pair up with a buddy to form a two-man Fireteam, enabling you to detect each other through walls and spawn on each others’ locations. Authentic? Not really, but it’s practical and effective during tense control-point-capturing competitive matches.

The Home Run mode stands out most. It employs scare tactics to force strategy upon players -- the CTF mode is fast and doesn’t let you respawn until the next round, so play carefully. It also makes you feel incredibly intelligent when you win. What other recent FPSs make you feel like a smart badass?

Warfighter's also adding some special missions, including one based on a film about assassinating Osama Bin Laden. It's just one way Medal of Honor is looking for authenticity: moving away from crazy, futuristic warfare like other games and instead focusing on real life.

Want to play early? EA will release an exclusive beta for Xbox 360 players. Oh, and in case you forgot, buying Medal of Honor Warfighter on any platform secures you access to the eventual Battlefield 4 beta next year.

Medal of Honor could be a surprise hit in October -- shooters are growing a little stale, and Warfighter seems ready to combat that with some new ideas.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Nikita: Season 3 Trailer

Nikita, so underrated and so awesome, returns for its third season on October 19th. The Huffington Post has debuted the exciting new trailer for Season 3, which you can check out below.

As you can see, Nikita, Michael, Alex and the gang being back in Division isn't making their lives any easier or less dangerous...

Source : ign[dot]com

Medal of Honor Warfighter Beta Announced, Exclusive to 360

EA has announced a multiplayer beta for Medal of Honor Warfighter. In early October, Xbox 360 players will be able to try a new multiplayer mode called HotSpot, which lets players attack and defend randomly-selected areas of Sarajevo Stadium, a map set in Bosnia. Players will team up using the game’s co-op Fireteam system, playing in pairs to win.

Anyone who downloads the beta will also get one hour of double XP when the full version of Warfighter launches. EA also announced that if three million players download the beta, Linkin Park’s “Castle of Glass” music video will be unlocked early.

Medal of Honor Warfighter launches on October 23rd. The first print run of the game is the Medal of Honor Warfighter Limited Edition, which includes a free map pack based on Bin Laden assassination film Zero Dark Thirty. For more on Warfighter’s multiplayer, read our hands-on impressions, plus more details in our Medal of Honor Warfighter wiki guide.

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Sleeping Dogs October DLC Revealed

The first batch of DLC packs for Sleeping Dogs will be released in October.

The five packs, which range from offering new races and vehicles to adding new missions to the game, will be released periodically throughout the month.

First up, the Street Racer Pack will add a new car, bike and boat race, as well as a new Sting superbike, a Dragon Helmet and a Racing Jacket with extra protection against gun fire. This will be followed by the SWAT Pack, which will add 20 new, replayable cop missions, alongside a unique SWAT outfit and van. Then the new Tactical Soldier Pack will offer players the most powerful weapons and armour in the game, while the Community Gift Pack will be completely free and contain a surprise for players.

The October DLC will culminate with the first story-driven game extension, which will be detailed at this year's New York Comic Con on October 14. This marks the start of the proper DLC content for the game, which we previously heard would last for at least six months.

To see all the new content in all its glory, check out the October DLC trailer for the game below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Dokuro Coming to PlayStation Vita in October

If you’re looking for something to play on your PlayStation Vita, you may be pleased to learn that Dokuro has been slated for an October release in North America. Its release window in other territories is still unknown.

According to the PlayStation Blog -- and more notably a post from developer Antonio Cara – “With a captivating chalk-drawn setting and adorable fairytale themes, Dokuro provides a unique platform-puzzle experience that will flex your mind and heart!” The game revolves around a character named Dokuro who’s on a quest to save a “beautiful princess” from a foe known only as Dark Lord.

The thing is, this gorgeous princess isn’t too sharp, and “pays no mind to imminent danger… automatically [moving] forward until she reaches an obstacle she cannot cross.” As such, “Dokuro’s main goal is to get the Princess from point A to point B. Naturally, the path is always complicated by traps, pitfalls, and the occasional flying demon. These puzzles will take all the moxie and gumption you can muster as you travel through floors of ever-increasing complexity.”

Keep an eye out on IGN this October for a full review.

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

IPTL Premier - MVP look to be favorites, but will they meet their potential?

MVP Clan came to life in October 2010, but December 2010 was the month when Korea StarCraft 2 Association finally recognized them as a professional team; however, it was May 2011 that put them on the Korean map for good when they took second place during GSTL 2011 May finals losing to SlayerS after very close games and five months later when they won GSTL Season 1 defeating Prime.

Yet, it is 2012 that brought them vast number of titles both for the players and the team as a whole; more GSTL medals,  third place at IPL Team Arena Challenge 1, KSL Opening Ceremonies and Asia StarCraft II Invitational Tournament. Now it’s time for the IPTL Season 1 and they are more than ready to become the ultimate champions of another team league again.

Normally this paragraph would be the beginning of “bad picks” chapter, but in case of MVP it cannot be done, since there is no bad player on the team at the moment. Even if some of them haven’t qualified for the GSL Season 4 they still have a strong or at least decent presence on the international or Korean scene. Great examples are Noblesse and finale; they haven’t won anything big in 2012 yet, but are consistently on top and in a tournament full of foreigners like IPTL Season 1 we might see them crushing bones and eating flesh of their enemies. You cannot underestimate Korean players.

Team captain and one of the best Starcraft 2 zergs in the world is DongRaeGu. Despite being a part of the scene since 2010, he made a name for himself in the second half of 2011 after winning LG Cinema 3D Special League over sC, 2011 DreamHack Valencia Invitational over ThorZaIN and taking second place during Arena of Legends 1 after losing to MarineKingPrime.

Just like any other player DRG had his slump during spring 2012 when he stopped performing as well as he used to, but currently he’s back on track. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that out of every GSTL player it is Park Soo Ho who constantly outperforms his colleagues. He almost single-handedly carried MVP in the 2011 GSTL May event and even outperformed his own track record during 2011 GSTL Season 1 with a 13-2 record. There is no other player who came close to DRG’s score.

Besides GSL and IEM championship titles there is also MLG, which was the curse of MVP’s captain until June 2012 when he finally won his first Major League Gaming title during 2012 MLG Spring Championship after crushing Alicia 3:1. Back in 2011 he won MLG Spring Arena 1, but it was a much smaller event, hence we count his latest gold medal as the first big one. Still, many other players have won MLG events before him, but it is DRG who currently has 2 of each medals in MLG events.

Another huge name for MVP is KeeN who just recently placed third in TeamLiquid StarLeague 4 taking out Sting in a very one-sided match. At the moment, together with Vampire and finale KeeN represents MVP in GSL Code A.

Sniper as a Code S player cannot be overlooked. He always gives his best and is visible on the international scene participating in number of online qualifiers.There is also Monster who proved his worth all-killing Evil Geniuses during IPL Team Arena Challenge 3 three months ago and winning GIGABYTE ESPORTS LAN Invitational.

MVP doesn't have an all-star line-up, but every single one of their players is more than capable of taking down the best in the world. Their strength lies in cooperation during team events and steadily growing skill of every member on the current roster. In IPTL Season 1 they should advance to the playoffs.

Source : ign[dot]com

John Carpenter's Halloween Will Return to Theaters

In anticipation of the slasher classic's 35th anniversary next year, director John Carpenter's Halloween will be re-released into theaters this October. The announcement was made at Halloween's official Facebook page.

In addition, Justin Beahm's new mini-documentary You Can't Kill the Bogeyman: 35 Years of Halloween will screen before the film. More details on the re-release will be posted down the line at Michel Myers' official site.

Thanks to Shock Till You Drop for the heads-up!

Source : ign[dot]com