Action icon Chuck Norris says he has no intention on returning for The Expendables 3.
Norris made the declaration during a red carpet interview with Access Hollywood at the premiere of The Expendables 2. Scrub forward to about 1:15 in the video below for Chuck's full response (thanks to Latino-Review for the head's-up):
Now check out the video below for our Expendables 3 dream cast!
Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will apparently launch without a single-player campaign, according to developer Bioware Victory.
In an interview with PC Gamer, the company's general manager John Van Caneghem explained that “co-operative and competitive” skirmishes would be the main focus of the title initially, with other modes being added later based on community feedback.
We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well.
Speaking about the potential of a story campaign being one such mode, Van Caneghem said, "It is something we haven’t announced yet how we’re going to do it." He explained that one of the main benefits of the game being online was that it facilitated the easy testing of new play styles, claiming, "As a live service I think the exciting part is you can try things. You can see what the community wants, you can give it a shot, you can put it up for a weekend and see how it goes, develop towards what the fans like."
While he didn't comment on EA's decision to make the game free-to-play, he did reveal that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will be the first in a new series of online C&C games that explore the series' history.
"We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well," he said. "Generals 2 was the first one, and it was one of the biggest sellers, as well as the fanbase has been asking for it for some time."
He rounded up the interview by explaining that Bioware Victory is keen for the upcoming RTS game to break onto the e-sports scene. To this end, alongside multiplayer deathmatch and co-operative modes, Van Caneghem claimed that, "We’re really going to run the gambit of what people enjoy in a multiplayer environment.
"I don’t think we’re making a list of the features yet, but I think you can basically make a list of the assumed ones that you’d need to be an e-sports game, and it’s definitely part of the plan," he added.
Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will release as a free-to-play title on PC sometime in 2013, but you can register your interest for the beta now.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and once almost died trying to build a home-made Tesla Coil. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.
While EA and DICE remain coy about Mirror's Edge 2, a sequel seems all but inevitable.
In an interview with IGN, DICE executive producer Patrick Bach continued EA's (as well as DICE's) pro-Mirror's Edge 2 messaging, staring that Mirror's Edge is a property "we love, and of course we haven't killed it, because it's too good to kill." This also applies to Battlefield: Bad Company 3.
“The Bad Company IP is still something we love," Bach continued, "and it’s very dear to me because I worked on both titles. We have no information with where we are to a sequel to Bad Company, so I can’t tell you anything about that IP." When asked about the uncertain future of the Bad Company franchise, particularly with Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 taking center stage for the developer's foreseeable future, Bach emphasized that DICE will "never kill something that's great."
This reinforces an earlier DICE statement: "We haven't killed Bad Company 3." We may not see it now, but it sounds like its return is also inevitable.
"And then of course," Bach continued, "we have other projects in store for you." Is DICE working on an original new game? Another sequel? "You’ll just have to wait and see."
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.
CD Projekt RED’s Konrad Tomaszkiewicz believes that DLC should be given to gamers for free as thanks for legitimately purchasing a title.
In an interview with VG247, the Witcher developer shared his view that downloadable content should be viewed as a post sale service for consumers.
Back when retail games were dominant, we had expansion packs. These were really large chunks of content, which were worth their price.
"We’ve always believed in free DLCs. The thing is that we consider DLCs as a normal post sale service, which shouldn’t be priced," he said.
"Back when retail games were dominant, we had expansion packs. These were really large chunks of content, which were worth their price.
"If today’s DLCs offered the same amount of content, they would be worth paying for, but in most cases players think they are overcharged for what they receive. That’s why we offer expansions to our game for free. This is also a way of saying “thank you” to the people who decided to buy our game instead of copying it from an unauthorised source."
It's the latest in a series of comments from within the industry that suggests big companies are starting to reassess the role of downloadable content in games. In May, Capcom revealed it was re-evaluating its attitudesto on-disc DLC following fan backlash. Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi also recently labelled DLC characters in fighting games as "unfair", and announced none would be present in Dead or Alive 5.
There's still no concrete word on whether CD Projekt RED is planning to make a third instalment in the Witcher franchise, though a recent batch of job postings suggests it could be on the cards.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and has never bought DLC in his life. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.
Continuing the trend of revealing more information about the Marvel NOW! books teased last week, Newsarama posted the first interview with writer Jason Aaron about his new Thor series, officially dubbed Thor: God of Thunder. Along with artist Esad Ribic, it's clear that Aaron has some truly huge plans for the Mighty Avenger.
"This first story is an epic tale that plays out over the course of thousands of years. So we spend time with young Thor in the Viking age — the young, hotheaded god of the Vikings, who loves to come down to Midgard and get into trouble," explained Aaron. "In the present, we see Thor the Avenger on a journey that takes him to the far corners of space, interacting with all sorts of new space gods and wondrous new locations. And then we also see old King Thor, who's the last king of Asgard, thousands of years in the future, where something has gone horribly, horribly wrong."
Tying these different eras of Thor together is a brand new villain named Gorr the God Butcher. Aaron went on to describe Gorr as "a serial killer of gods. He's a guy with a serious axe to grind against all immortal beings in the cosmos, and he's going around doing his best to kill them all off, one at a time, as brutally as possible."
The writer also confirmed that he's scaling Thor's often sizable cast down quite a bit. "One of the things I'm trying to do initially is kind of strip away Thor's existing supporting cast and really focus in on Thor himself. We don't initially see The Warriors Three or Sif, or even much of Asgard itself, not in the present day at least. But certainly the culture of Asgard and the mythology of Thor's life there will always be a strong presence in the book, no matter where in the universe Thor happens to be. Basically, I don't want this book to ever have one specific setting."
To that end, Aaron explained his influences. "I've been reading a whole bunch of old Thor stories since I got this gig, and I like how in the old Lee/Kirby issues, Thor would go on an adventure on Earth for four issues and then he'd go off and be on an adventure on Asgard for the next five. They mixed things up a lot like that. And I think for as long as I'm on the book, I'll be looking to do the same," he said. "I think Thor is too big a character to be confined to just one setting. His adventures should span every nook and cranny of the Marvel U, giving him as grand a stage as possible."
Epic certainly seems to be the name of the game in the case of Thor: God of Thunder, but Aaron is excited to continue his work on the well-received Wolverine and the X-Men as well. "What's nice is between Wolverine and the X-Men and Thor I get to write two very different kinds of stories. Both of them really seem to scratch some itches for me." However, the writer also confirmed that these are his only two Marvel titles at the moment, and that he's using the rest of his time to work on a new unannounced creator-owned project.
For more with Jason Aaron on Thor: God of Thunder, head over to Newsarama for the full interview.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.
In a recent interview, Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman discussed his upcoming role as Plutarch Heavensbee in Francis Lawrence's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
"It's a great group of actors," Hoffman told EW.com. "It's a great environment. And the character was something I was attracted to. It was just an interesting role. [WARNING: Book Spoilers] He's somebody who's part of the revolution, but you don't know it. The idea that somebody would be risking themselves in such an extreme way to join something that's that dangerous because he thinks it's the future... That's interesting stuff, you know?" [End Spoilers]
Hoffman admittedly didn't read any of the books by Suzanne Collins before accepting the part, but he did watch the first movie. He's now reportedly halfway through the second book. "It's good," he says. "I've read the script, which is true to the book -- I kinda ruined it for myself. [Laughs] But I'm reading it anyway, because I really want to find out everything I need to know about this guy."
When asked if he was worried about joining one of Hollywood's most closely scrutinized franchises, the actor noted, "Things always pass over, you know? I don't know what it will be like. But, you know, I'm not playing Katniss. [Laughs] I'm not in high-profile movies in that way too often, so it usually passes. I'm 45. I think it will be all right."
Production begins later this year, with Catching Fire set to hit theaters November 22, 2013.
Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.
Act of Valor helmer Scott Waugh has not one but two video game movies on the table: Need for Speed and Hawken. And in a new interview, he's revealed some of his plans for the adaptations, including the notion of using the Unreal game engine to help make the latter film.
"One of the things I’ve been talking to the game developers about that I think is going to be so unique to [Hawken] is that I really want to use the [Unreal Engine 3] game engine in the movie," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I want the film to feel exactly like the game. So we’re going to definitely really cross-pollinate what they’re doing in the game for the film. For me, I’m pretty excited about that, because that world we’re creating in Hawken is going to be exactly like the game."
Waugh also thinks that the future of game-to-film adaptations can be found in that word that makes media conglomerates so happy: synergy. In the case of Hawken, for example, game publisher Meteor Entertainment and developer Adhesive Games have the movie, game, comics and a live-action web series in the works.
"Now it’s not, 'Here’s the movie. Here’s the game,'" says the director. "It’s almost become one. That’s the experience we want to create in the film, for people to really feel like, 'Holy smokes!' … that you’re in the game."
As for Need for Speed, Waugh says the film will be a "mesh" of all the games in that series, while focusing on a specific title (which he's not revealing yet).
"I personally have always wanted to do a car racing movie," he says. "I’m a motocross racer, myself. We still quote Bullitt and French Connection. Those movies were made in the '70s. We should be able to outdo that nowadays, and I just feel like, 'I want to be the guy that makes the next authentic racing film,' and that’s my goal. It’s so great to be part of that Need for Speed franchise, because I think they do a great job on authentic racing."
Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN and on Facebook.
Over 100,000 people have signed up for the upcoming beta for the zombie survival game The War Z. Announced less than two weeks ago in an exclusive interview with IGN, The War Z has proven to surprise even the team. "The response in the first week since we announced the game has been incredible and it’s totally inspired the team,” said senior game designer Eric Nordin.
The War Z is currently in an alpha state,with no firm date given for the start of the beta. While gameplay-wise the team admits that The War Z has more than a little in common with the incredibly popular mod DayZ, The War Z is not a mod, but a full retail product that will cost $30. You can sign up for a chance to be in the closed beta on the official website. For a ton of information and images of the game, check out our lengthy and detail-rich interview.
