Month: June 2020

The Super Nintendo World theme park’s opening has been indefinitely delayed in Japan.

Universal Studios Japan is planning to postpone the opening of its upcoming Nintendo-theme land in Osaka as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to NHK World-Japan. The theme park, which is heavily based on Nintendo’s Mario franchise, is nearly complete. This includes not just construction of the land, but themed rides and restaurants as well.

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The park was originally set to open in July but because of COVID-19, the park’s opening has been delayed indefinitely, likely to give Universal Studios time to review the pandemic landscape and determine a safer opening date. Because construction on the land is near complete, it’s unlikely this delay was made in order to give the company more time to work on the park itself.

Because of the popularity of Nintendo, Mario, and the idea of a new land opening within Universal Studios Japan, the company is expecting an increased number of visitors to the park. This poses an even larger threat to the safety of guests in the midst of a pandemic. As such, Universal Studios Japan said it is unsure of when the new Nintendo-themed land will open.

The rest of Universal Studios Japan opened on June 8 to guests from the local Kansai area. It also limited guest numbers by half of its standard capacity.

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It may not be open, but there are still plenty of ways to get a glimpse of the park. Check out this new image that shows multiple areas of the land. After looking at that, read about how the Super Nintendo World theme park might expand beyond Mario in the future. The eastern US version of this Nintendo-themed land is coming to the new Epic Universe theme park planned for Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Here are some ways to help and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Ubisoft is reportedly raring up to tease a new FPS Battle Royale game called Hyper Scape.

The information arrives thanks to a thread from esports insider, Slasher, who has learned from sources that Ubisoft is reportedly prepared to tease the game later on Monday.

According to Slasher’s sources, the game was code-named Prisma Dimensions but will run with the title Hyper Scape, and is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal.

Sources: today Ubisoft will tease a new game code-named “Prisma Dimensions”, which is actually a new AAA multiplayer fast-paced FPS Battle Royale from Ubisoft Montreal (R6, AC) named Hyper Scape pic.twitter.com/2hza3P7rz1

— Rod “4475 SR & Immortal peak” Breslau (@Slasher) June 29, 2020

An image shown in the thread appears to offer our first glimpse of the game and its apparent “futuristic virtual world.” The game will apparently be free to play for both PC and consoles, with crossplay functionality. The thread also notes that the game is set to enter a closed beta period next week, with a full launch planned on July 12.

As detailed in the thread, Hyper Scape has reportedly been built in partnership with Twitch and one of the game’s features allows Twitch chat to, “directly impact the game live with game-changing events.”

Ubisoft’s digital summer showcase, Ubisoft Forward, is set to air next Sunday, July 12.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is coming in just over a month, and a new poster is offering us a few hints at what’s to come.

The poster (below), shows the seven members of the Academy, each sporting a pair of sunglasses, with each reflection offering a clue at Season 2’s contents. From the looks of it, we’ll be getting more looks back at the Academy’s childhoods, as well as protests, a declaration of war, and more.

The show will return to Netflix on July 31, and we’ve already seen a set of character posters and first-look images. Here’s everything we know about Season 2 ahead of its release.

An adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s comic book series ofthe same name, The Umbrella Academy follows the lives of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. It proved a huge hit for Netflix, which reported that 45 million households had watched the show, and quickly ordered a second season.

We awarded the first season an 8.5 review, calling it “hilariously twisted, subversively stylish, and surprisingly poignant”. We named it as one of the best new TV series of 2019, and one of the best comic book series – it was named the IGN’s People’s Choice in both categories.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Edgar Wright has spoken about the possibility of revisiting Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World as an anime project, saying there are “plans” to expand the franchise, though nothing is official yet.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wright revealed that he had been involved in ongoing talks with Scott Pilgrim comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley and the film’s executive producer Jared LeBoff about revisiting the material in “an animation way,” as opposed to following up with a direct sequel to the 2010 film.

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“There’s some plans — and there’s nothing official yet — but there are some plans to revisit the material in an animation way,” Wright admitted in the retrospective piece. “We’ve been talking with Bryan and with Jared for a while [about]: What if we did something with the books in anime form? It’s being discussed as we speak.”

In the same interview, O’Malley expressed his interest in returning to the world of Scott Pilgrim, saying that he would “like to revisit the characters [in comic form] and see what they’re up to.” In fact, he said that he had already sketched an alternate version of Scott with “a huge beard” early in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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Whichever format this new project could potentially take, it is highly unlikely to be developed as a direct big-screen follow-up to the Michael Cera-starring film adaptation, as Cera himself admitted that “when a movie doesn’t really explode at the box office, it’s hard for anybody to get behind a sequel.”

Critics and fans of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series raved about the film adaptation after its release, but that adulation didn’t translate to high box office returns. On an estimated budget of $60 million, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World took in a paltry $47.7 million worldwide.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Iron Man VR is due to release on July 3, following a brief delay, and as that date approaches we’ve learned more about what to expect. Director Ryan Payton, who led work on the game at Camouflaj, has delved into the game on the PlayStation Blog, revealing some new details.

Payton shows off some of the game’s locations, which are a mix of real-world locales and Marvel hotspots. The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, for instance, can be explored at length, as well as a decommissioned Stark Facility. You can also fly around Shanghai, dodging between buildings. You can also visit Tony’s armory in VR, investigating the Iron Man suit from outside of it.

Various combat and movement abilities are outlined, including the speed boost for faster movement, the rocket punch for melee damage, and the Unibeam, which charges up and can do huge damage. Iron Man can also do a ground pound, which is always a fun video game mechanic.

Payton says that Iron Man VR is a “deeply meaningful Tony Stark story,” and that the game is longer than they initially planned for. “We initially thought the campaign would span 4-5 hours, but based on recent playtest data, we’re pleasantly surprised that average playtimes are now roughly double that,” he says.

Several other Marvel characters will appear, including Nick Fury, Pepper Potts, Friday, and “a host of other characters we have yet to reveal,” Payton writes.

Iron Man is not the only major Marvel hero with a PlayStation game to look forward to in 2020–Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also coming to PS5.

A new trailer for Pixar’s next movie, Soul, has arrived–and it’s wonderful. For those just catching up, Soul follows the middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who lives in New York City. Something happens, and Joe–the first Black protagonist in Pixar’s history–is transported to “The Great Before,” a fantastical world where people are created before traveling to Earth. The first trailer for Soul focused on this other place, while this one shows us Joe in his human life.

We also hear a particularly poignant line from Joe. He says, “Spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you; the brilliant, passionate you, that’s ready to contribute something meanginful into this world. Get ready, your life is about to start.”

The trailer features the original song “Parting Ways,” which was written by Cody Chesnutt.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The World Ends With You is getting an anime adaptation, which will bring the game’s style to animation. Not much has been unveiled about the anime yet, but that’s set to change very soon.

A website for The World Ends With You anime is currently counting down to a reveal, which will take place as part of Anime Expo Lite. The event will run as a free livestream across July 3 and 4. The reveal will happen on July 3 at 6 PM PT.

The game’s official Twitter account is currently counting down, too. Further details have not been revealed, though, so we’re going to have to wait to find out anything about this anime, including whether it will be a series or a movie.

The game, which was beloved on DS and fairly well-received on Switch, is an RPG with fantasy elements set in Shibuya with touch screen combat elements. It’s unclear as of yet what the anime will entail, or whether it will adapt the same story as the game.

Check back with GameSpot next week for more details on The World Ends With You anime.

Microsoft has downplayed the significance of two social media accounts that reference Microsoft properties Fable and Perfect Dark, but fans aren’t convinced.

Last week, fans picked up on @fable and @PerfectDarkGame accounts, both of which were registered in early 2020. Verge journalist Tom Warren noticed that the Perfect Dark account was followed by a Microsoft employee, which turned out to be Ken Lobb, Creative Director at Microsoft Studios and former Perfect Dark developer. Warren also noted that the Fable account is registered to a Microsoft email address.

I’m not sure who discovered the @fable and @PerfectDarkGame placeholders, but a Microsoft Xbox employee is following one, and the other is registered to a Microsoft email address  pic.twitter.com/MagqUbPiZf

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 27, 2020

Xbox Games Marketing’s Aaron Greenberg was quick to quash rumours about the accounts, replying to Warren’s tweet and stating that “it’s standard practice to secure social handles for our IP,” noting that the accounts “have been inactive for years.” However, it clearly says on the placeholder pages that both accounts joined Twitter in March and June of 2020, so what’s really going on?

The @PerfectDarkGame account subsequently tweeted to say that it had been acquired by a fan of the series, but was surprised to see Ken Lobb request to follow the page. Adding to the strangeness of the situation is the fact that both accounts were originally spotted with the display name “Placeholder” (which the Fable account still shows).

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Rumours around a potential revival for the Fable and Perfect Dark franchise have been swirling for some time. In the case of Fable 4, we’ve been reporting on that potential project for a few years now – here’s what we’d like to see from a new game in the series.

Many are hoping to see a reveal for one or both projects at July’s showcase of first-party Xbox Series X games.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.