This week’s additions include a new Free Roam activity, a new weapon and instructions on how to get a free Special Spinner lure.
Why IDW Is Rebooting the Transformers Franchise
The Transformers comic book universe as you know it is gone. Last year’s Transformers: Unicron didn’t just bring an end to a 13-year saga of Transformers comics at IDW Publishing, it also marked the end of the entire Hasbro Comic Book Universe. But that doesn’t mean IDW is finished with this license.
Instead, the company is using 2019 to reboot Transformers and start fresh. Their newest series, simply titled Transformers, reboots continuity from square one and travels back all the way to the beginning of the rivalry between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
We had an opportunity to interview both IDW Editor-in-Chief John Barber and Hasbro’s VP of Global Publishing Michael Kelly to learn more about the new series and why starting from scratch was the right move for this long-running franchise. They also shed light on a brand new character that is a franchise-first and some unexpected ways in which the new series is exploring the humanity behind the Robots in Disguise.
The Weirdest Disney Movie Sequels You Probably Forgot Existed
No one wished upon a star for these Disney sequels.
There’s a dark period in Disney animated history, near the end of Michael Eisner’s tenure as Chairman and CEO and after the company had run out of animated classics to release on VHS, that the studio began to cannibalize itself by making direct-to-video sequels to its films.
The first movie to take this approach was The Return of Jafar, a sequel to Aladdin. And it was financially successful enough that Disney did the same to their other contemporary movies. We got The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, starring Simba’s daughter Kiara. We got The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, starring Ariel’s daughter Melody. And eventually, Disney started going even back further into the archives. They made Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. They made Bambi II, and they were even in the process of making a Pinocchio II before upper management put a stop to it.
John Lasseter (formerly of Pixar) became the chief creative officer of Disney Animation in 2006, and he saw the sequels as detrimental to the company’s brand. And Steve Jobs, who founded Pixar and at one point was Disney’s biggest shareholder, said in a 2003 conference call, “We feel sick about Disney doing sequels. If you look at the quality of their sequels…it’s pretty embarrassing.”
Today, we’re looking at these oddities in Disney’s animated canon. To clarify: Movies like The Little Mermaid II and Mulan II are not that weird; it makes perfect sense that Disney would attempt them. The movies on this list are more in the “WTF” category; they’re bizarre for even existing in the first place.
Here are the 7 weirdest Disney animated sequels. And if you liked this gallery, check out the weirdest live-action Disney movies too.
10 Best Legendary Pokemon
The world of Pokemon features a class of Pokemon so rare and powerful they’re in a category all their own called Legendary Pokemon. Dozens have debuted over the many generations of the franchise, but IGN’s biggest Pokemon fans got in a room and battled it out to decide which were the best of the best.
Now, this is not a list of Legendary Pokemon ranked by power alone, although being a strong battler in the game and how they made a mark on the competitive scene was a key factor in our criteria. We also analyzed each Pokemon based on how well they were designed — how cool they look and how their appearance reflects their powers and personality. And we took into account the Pokemon’s lore and how it affects the greater world of Pokemon. We vetted these Pokemon not only based on their appearances in the core games but various spin-offs, the Trading Card Game, and the anime and movies to decide the best Legendaries overall.
Game of Thrones Trailer Confirms 3 Missing Characters’ Fates
The fates of three MIA Game of Thrones characters were confirmed in the new trailer for Season 8.
This article contains spoilers only of what was released in the new trailer for Season 8, but those who want to enter the final season with no knowledge of what’s ahead should read on at their own risk.
After Tormund Giantsbane, Beric Dondarrion and Edd Tollett were left missing in action when the Night King and his ice dragon attacked Eastwatch-by-the-Sea at the end of Game of Thrones: Season 7, fans were left speculating whether the three characters survived to make it into Season 8. Fortunately the trailer for the final season answered the question pretty decisively.
Deal Alert: PlayStation Classic Is Back On Sale for $39.99
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
The PlayStation Classic started dropping in price not long after it came out. The mini console hit the market with a $99 price tag, and didn’t exactly fly off store shelves. Its $99 list price soon gave way to a $59 semi-permanent sale price, and once again, Walmart is clearing them out at $39.99.
The initial PS Classic announcement was met with a lot of excitement, but that excitement began to fade as more details on the PlayStation mini console began to trickle out. Sony held off releasing the full list of games, which seemed suspect in the eyes of many. But the 20 included games run the gamut from must-have classics to sort-of-overlooked to “why would I want to play that?”
MLB The Show 19: Check Out 47 Minutes of New Gameplay Footage
If you’re a baseball fan, you no doubt know and (probably) love MLB The Show. The annual hardball sim has been the hardcore baseball fan’s only hope for a realistic video game take on America’s pastime for years now. For MLB The Show 19, developer Sony San Diego has added a couple of new modes, including March to October, shown in the unedited 47-minute gameplay video above.
In it, I play while game designer Ramone Russell walks me through the ins and outs of the mode, which utilizes the concept of momentum combined with respect for a busy gamer’s time to have you playing key games at key moments (read: you might jump into the game in the sixth inning) throughout the season in an effort to push to the playoffs. Die-hard baseball fans, this video is for you!
Nintendo Switch’s Daemon X Machina Demo Is Leaving The Eshop This Week
Nintendo Switch’s upcoming mech action game, Dameon X Machina, received a free demo last month following February’s big Nintendo Direct presentation, but you won’t be able to download it for much longer. Nintendo has confirmed the demo is leaving the Eshop on March 10.
The Protoype Missions demo, as it’s dubbed, gives players a chance to test out the game’s controls and mech customization options. It features four separate missions followed by a boss battle. Afterward, select players will receive a survey to provide their feedback directly to the development team.
If you’ve yet to, you can grab the Daemon X Machina: Prototype Missions demo either from the Switch Eshop or Nintendo’s website. The full game is still slated to release this summer and is directed by Kenichiro Tsukuda, who previously worked on the Armored Core series.
In Daemon X Machina, players pilot high-powered mech suits called Arsenals, which can be outfitted with a variety of different weapons. Players will need to use their Arsenals to take on missions and defend humanity against armies of rouge AI-controlled robots. Nintendo says the game will also support local and online multiplayer.
Daemon X Machina wasn’t the only Switch game to receive a free demo following last month’s Nintendo Direct; a demo of Yoshi’s Crafted World is also available to download from the Eshop. The full game is scheduled to launch on March 29.
Huge Xbox One Sale Is Live Now: Titanfall 2, Fallout 4 and More
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
It’s a new week, which means a new batch of discounts is available on digital Xbox One games on the Microsoft Store. As usual, you’ll find the Spotlight Sale and Deals with Gold (which require an Xbox Live Gold subscription), but there’s also an ID@Xbox RPG sale and an EA publisher sale. In short, tons of Xbox One games are on sale this week, so grab anything that looks good before the discounts vanish on March 11.
We’ve also highlighted the best deals around on hardware like Xbox One X and S below. And if you’re ready to upgrade your TV, check out these great TV deals we found this week.
THQ Nordic Issues Further Apology For 8Chan Controversy
THQ Nordic’s parent company has issued another apology for the publisher’s decision to hold an ‘ask me anything’ session on infamous message board 8chan last week. The website is known for hosting threads relating to subjects such as child pornography and white supremacy, so THQ Nordic’s AMA there drew criticism from across the industry.
“This letter is to offer my sincerest apologies and regret for THQ Nordic GmbH Vienna’s interaction with the controversial website 8chan last Tuesday, February 26,” said the company’s group CEO, Lars Wingefors. “I condemn all unethical content this website stands for. Even if no one within the THQ Nordic Group would ever endorse such content, I realize simply appearing there gave an implicit impression that we did.
“As co-founder and group CEO of [parent company] THQ Nordic AB, I take full responsibility for all of THQ Nordic GmbH’s actions and communications. I have spent the past several days conducting an internal investigation into this matter. I assure you that every member of the organization has learned from this past week’s events. I take this matter very seriously and we will take appropriate action to make sure we have the right policies and systems in place to avoid similar mistakes in the future.”
The statement follows an earlier apology from the company’s PR and marketing director, Philipp Brock, during which he was forced to say he “does not condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism in any shape or form.”
THQ Nordic first announced the AMA in a tweet, saying “we’re doing an 8chan AMA and we have no idea why. Come join us!” After industry figures criticized the company for this move, it then replied to its initial tweet and stated “the opportunity was here and we took it, we got apporached [sic] in a very friendly and polite manner and were assured, said person (shoutout to Mark) will take care of the nasty stuff. So, here we are.” The tweets have since been deleted.
8chan content was blocked from appearing in Google searches in 2015. Google also warned 8chan contains “suspected child abuse content.” Since then, 8chan has become embroiled in various controversies surrounding gamergate, swatting, racism, and white supremacism.
THQ Nordic was formed in 2011 after Nordic Games acquired much of the intellectual property of the now-defunct publisher THQ. More recently it has acquired Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain, the TimeSplitters series, and the Alone in the Dark and Act of War franchises.