Iron Man 3: Downey Chat, Super Bowl Spot and New Merchandise

Shellhead's reportedly coming to the Super Bowl.

Variety reporter Marc Graser tweets that Disney has bought air time during this Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII to run spots for not only Iron Man 3, but also The Lone Ranger and Oz the Great and Powerful.

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr., is out promoting Iron Man 3 this week. In the first part of an extended interview with Entertainment Weekly, Downey raved about an action set-piece for the film they've dubbed the Boot/Glove Sequence. "It’s where Tony only has one gauntlet and one boot and he has to escape multiple captors. It’s really fun, dude," said Downey. "We’re taking everything from his first gauntlet test in the first movie up through the most extreme stuff we thought up for Iron Man 2 and The Avengers and pulling on all of it and making this one big, extended challenge of physics."

Downey also spoke about Tony's relationship with James "Rhodey" Rhodes, aka War Machine, in the Shane Black-directed sequel: "Rhodey is much more in the dead center of things. He’s much more dynamic. We’ve made this decision that while Tony is a technical guy, he’s not really a trained guy. There’s a lot of fun to be had with Don [Cheadle] because he’s really good with hardware and he’s a martial artist, so it’s been really fun exploiting this possibility of Tony having moments like the one in Avengers, like the one with Cap where he decides, “Oh screw it, he probably knows what he’s doing.” So there’s a lot of that and a lot more fun and a lot more depth to Rhodey this time around."

Finally, ComicBookMovie.com points out that a bunch of new Iron Man 3 merchandise has appeared at Disney.com, including bags, clothing and towels.

Source : ign[dot]com

Four Reasons Why Pixel People Could Be Your Next iOS Addiction

I fired up Pixel Planet last week intending just to just check it out for a few minutes. I’ve been obsessively checking in on my growing pixel town ever since. Gamers will be able to check the title out for themselves when it launches this Thursday. To help you Get Hype, here are four reasons this is more than just your typical freemium town builder:

1) It combines town building with Doodle God-style Puzzling.

With humanity wiped out it’s up to you to rebuild society one cloned profession at a time. Players start with just two unlocked professions: Mayor and Mechanic. At the Arrival Center players can splice together two professions in the hope of unlocking a new one. Mayor +  Mechanic unlocks Engineer. Engineer + Mayor unlocks Architect, and so-on.

Some of the combinations make more sense than others (Plumber +  Construction Worker unlocks Janitor, I guess?) – but it’s a great feeling when you have a flash of insight and just know that a job combination will work. Vet + Coroner = Taxidermist? Of course it does.

Newly unlocked professions open up more town buildings, making the entire process of profession mixing and town building an addictive journey of discovery and rebuilding.

2) It continues to evolve and surprise you.

Early on I thought Pixel People was a polished and cute town builder that didn’t have much to it. But the longer I played I learned that many of the unlockable businesses serve dual purposes. As your town grows, more gameplay and decoration options are steadily introduced as well.

The Police Station unlocks access to an achievements menu, giving gamers new goals to track down. The Astro Church and Law Firm give gamers alternative ways to expand their city. The Fortune Teller provides one free profession combination per day. Tech Support, not unlocked until more than halfway through the game, opens up the ability to upgrade businesses.

Growing your town in Pixel People feels like peeling back layers of an onion.

3) It’s got a great style.

Many gamers have compared Pixel People’s squat, minimalistic inhabitants with Nimblebit’s pixel art style, popularized by Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes. It’s a fair comparison. It’s a good look, regardless of originality. As a child of the 80s, the more games that bring back high quality pixel art the happier I am.

Besides, Pixel People’s style extends beyond its pixelated aesthetics. The game is well-written, with each new profession accompanied by a witty one-liner. Each building is also accompanied by a clever description. Pixel People is always good for a smile. The art, catchy music and great writing combine to create a friendly and inviting atmosphere, right from the start.

2) It continues to evolve and surprise you.

Pixel People is free to download and play. Players can purchase Utopium with real-world dough and spend it on fancier decorations, skipping construction wait times and other conveniences. In freemium titles like this, the devil is often in the details. Is it a shameless cash-grab? Or is it truly easy to play without ponying up dough on a regular basis?

I’m happy to report that after many hours of play, with more than 100 of the 150 jobs unlocked, I’ve yet to feel the need to pay to speed up my Pixel People progress. Players are given numerous in-game opportunities to get Utopium for free. Planted trees will occasionally award Utopium. The occasional heart reward can contain up to 5 Utopium. Your starter Utopium Mine also awards a free daily bonus.

I’ve purchased nearly 10 premium decorations and 10 more premium houses, all without spending a cent.

IGN will have a full review of Pixel People when it launcher this Thursday, January 31. In the meantime, I've got more gene splicing to do. Hmm... I wonder what happens if you cross a Mechanical Engineer with a Pilot...

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

Source : ign[dot]com

Epic Mickey Studio Junction Point Reportedly Closed

Epic Mickey developer Junction Point has reportedly closed. The news comes via the Twitter account of Robert Space Industries (the crowdfunding platform behind Chris Roberts’ upcoming Star Citizen), which wrote “Fare-the-well Junction Point! We hope that you all find new studios soon!”

Reports circulating earlier this month suggested that sales of Epic Mickey 2 were significantly lower than the original, prompting speculation about the future of the studio. 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard tweeted “the Junction Point rumors have been circulating a while. Warning signs when you give employees 2 months off after shipping.”

We’ve reached out to Disney for official confirmation and will update this story with any additional info we receive. IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected by the news.

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

Evil Dead Racks Up an NC-17 Rating

Not surprisingly, director Fede Alvarez revealed today that his Evil Dead remake earned an NC-17 from the MPAA. Of course, seeing as how it's a studio project, the horror pic will eventually be watered down for the theatrical release.

The filmmaker tweeted, "Was proud of scoring a NC17 when submitted! But we had to cut stuff out to get an R and get the film into theaters."

Although Evil Dead will be making its silver screen debut with an R rating, expect news on the inevitable "Unrated Director's Cut" Blu-ray/DVD shortly.

Via Shock Till You Drop

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

Bryan Singer Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past

Recently, Bryan Singer shared a few more nuggets of info on the ever abuzz X-Men: Days of Future Past. To start, the director assured his fans that no stone was left unturned when it came to the highly anticipated time-travel crossover element.

"We've cracked it in a way that it makes sense," Singer explained to Empire. "I had a two-hour conversation with James Cameron about time travel, string theory, multiverses and all that. You have to create your rules and stick wtih them. That's why Terminator and Back To The Future work so well. And there are certain mechanisms in X-Men, certain powers, perceptions and characters, that make this possible."

Additionally, Singer noted that Days will take a good amount from the original comic book arc, story-wise. "It has a lot of aspects of the comic. The actual comic of Days Of Future Past had a whole ton of stuff going on, so it's like any of these things; you have to distill it. But I think the fans will be pleased that some of the most exciting parts of Days Of Future Past are going to be connected to this movie."

Although Singer is known for his work on X-Men and X2, some have wondered how closely he'll stick with the tangled web of X-movie chronology that's been established by other directors. "I'm taking into account every movie," he said. "I'm not just grabbing my first two movies and First Class and smashing them together. I'm taking into account the entire universe as it’s been laid out so far on the screen, and really respecting it and trying to work with that. People took things in various directions, so there’s some clean-up. But ultimately I’m not just ignoring them either."

Singer also revealed that the movie will feature yet another PG-13 F-bomb, following up on Hugh Jackman's memorable cameo line from First Class. "We're going to have another one in this one. We have another one coming up!"

X-Men: Days of Future Past opens July 18, 2014.

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

CW Greenlights The Originals and Tomorrow People, a Sci-Fi Series From Arrow & The Vampire Diaries Creators

We recently brought you the news that the CW has passed on the pilot for Amazon, the Wonder Woman origin story that had been in development, for now. The network has completed their pilot orders for the season, and Amazon was not among them. The planned The Vampire Diaries spin-off, The Originals, was, however.

Joseph Morgan in The Vampire Diaries.

The network has also picked-up a reboot of the cult British 1970s sci-fi series Tomorrow People from Arrow co-creator/executive producer Greg Berlanti and The Vampire Diaries co-creator/executive producer Julie Plec, bringing their total order to 8 pilots, according to Deadline.

Phil Klemmer (Chuck) is set to write and executive produce the pilot for Tomorrow People. The outlet describes the show as follows:

“In the vein of X-Men and Heroes, Tomorrow People is the story of several young people from around the world who represent the next stage in human evolution, possessing special powers, including the ability to teleport and communicate with each other telepathically. Together they work to defeat the forces of evil. Created by Roger Price, The Tomorrow People, ITV’s answer to BBC’s Dr. Who, ran on the commercial broadcaster for eight seasons from 1973-1979. It developed a strong cult following and was a favorite of Berlanti and Plec, who are good friends from college.”

The pair had been attempting to acquire the rights to the series for about a decade.

Source : ign[dot]com

Mac Gaming's Biggest Challenges

If you want to look at the history of the aging debate between the PC and Mac as gaming platforms, a good place to start is 1994. id Software had just released the immensely popular Doom for PC, but Macintosh users would have to wait nearly two years before the title arrived on their platform. Meanwhile, in 1995, a then little-known developer called Bungie released Marathon, a groundbreaking first-person shooter developed solely for the Mac OS. Marathon set new standards for the genre, incorporating a rich narrative and free-look with the mouse.

Almost 20 years later, the story of Doom and Marathon remains relevant. While the Apple brand continues to grow in popularity, thanks to the iPhone and iPad, Mac gamers are still frequently forced to wait upwards of two years for major games to arrive on their machines. And despite increasing similarities in regards to hardware, one has to wonder if the Mac will ever stand shoulder to shoulder with its Windows-based counterpart. What's holding these otherwise lauded machines behind?

Where are the Games?

While the sheer number of triple-A videogame titles available for Mac OS X is historically dwarfed by the library afforded to PC gamers, the issue is quickly becoming less relevant. Most gamers are no longer purchasing physical copies of software, breaking down the overall cost for a publisher to release a game on both PC and Mac. Almost three years ago, Valve introduced Mac compatibility within its popular Steam client, a move which served as a tipping point for a number of developers to consider the Mac as a viable option.

But despite the expanding library of major game releases, launch dates for Mac titles are consistently well-behind Windows. Let's take the Call of Duty series, easily among the most popular game franchises today. Call of Duty: Black Ops wasn't released for Mac OS X until late 2012; nearly two years after Windows. While the gap is getting smaller, including some major releases hitting both platforms on the same day, the launch-day woes of Mac users still linger from 1994.

Apple could counteract this issue with incentives for game developers and publishers to get games launched on the same day as PC. No one wants to play a new game months late, let alone years. The birth of the Mac App Store offers advantages Apple is rarely exploiting, including pushing competitive pricing and even getting some titles on its own storefront before PC.

The Perceived Silence of Apple

Apple appears to do very little in the way of presenting its machines as competent gaming rigs. There is a perception within the gaming community – no matter how accurate – that Macs are vastly inferior in regards to playing games. While there's certainly an argument to be made touting the performance of Apple's hardware, Cupertino has done little to sway opinion. Mac desktops and laptops are rarely marketed as gaming powerhouses, as Apple continues to focus on productivity applications, pushing the game debate to its line of iOS devices.

Does Apple support developers in bringing games to Mac? According to Aspyr, a company porting a number of major titles over to the Mac platform, backing from Apple is at an “all-time high.”

“As a company who's only goal is to service the Mac customer, we've always wished for two things from Apple: to sell more hardware and to increase hardware capabilities,” said Elizabeth Howard, Aspyr vice president of publishing. “In recent years we're getting both. In addition to this, Apple has introduced the Mac App Store which has given more exposure to triple-A games, and Apple has been supportive of our releases from a marketing and awareness perspective.”

While it's encouraging for a developer like Aspyr to state Apple is showing support to their endeavors, there's still the matter of marketing. Apple is no slouch in the realm of advertisements, but the company still doesn't portray the Mac as a gaming device with the same vigor as its iOS platform. The perception of the Mac as lesser-than the PC in regards to gaming won't change without an outward strategy by Cupertino.

A Lack of Upgrades and Costly Hardware

Clearly, from a software and development perspective, the Mac platform has made significant advances in recent years. But like any piece of consumer hardware, price and longevity play a major factor. A new, high-end iMac is more than capable of running (compatible) performance-heavy games with high settings. A Mac Pro offers an increased life-span, thanks to upgradeable components, including the ever-important option to throw in a beefier graphics card.

But there's a problem: the performance of the iMac is always fleeting, since it's impossible to upgrade its internals beyond memory. And in the case of both of Apple's desktops, the price is exorbitantly high when compared to similar PC gaming rigs. As it stands, there's little reason to pay upwards of $2500 for a Mac to play games, when a PC setup could run even more titles at almost half the price.

If Apple wants to compete with PC in terms of gaming, the company has to change its approach to desktop configurations. The Mac Pro, Apple's most upgradeable machine, hasn't received a thorough makeover since 2008. A redesign could bring in some more affordable, gaming-centric options. Someone buying a Mac Pro for gaming simply wants a fast CPU and competent GPU, and Apple could make both of those happen with a streamlined rig for a comparable price.

A Lack of Upgrades and Costly Hardware

Granted, it's not all gloom and doom for Mac gamers. We're still living in one of the best times for the platform, and with each passing year, the differences to PC grow slimmer. There are still advantages to owning a Mac, including a lower probability of catching a virus, and developers are starting to take advantage of the prevalence of iOS devices to offer cross-platform play.

Ultimately, games still remain a bit of an after-thought for the high-end Mac platform; an icing-on-the-cake option for those utilizing high-performance productivity and creative suites. But as broadband speeds continue to rise and the promise of cloud-based gaming becomes ever-more a reality, the platform may one day not matter. One day, the ghost of Doom and Marathon may seem like strange history.

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