League of Legends Finalists Disqualified in Pro Circuit Conspiracy

The first and second place teams in MLG's Summer Championship League of Legends Event have been disqualified. A "collusion" between Team Dignitas and Curse NA has been led to a violation of the Major League Gaming Pro Conduct rules. As such, neither team will be awarded Circuit points, and the third and fourth place teams will earn the first and second place points and prize money, respectively.

Neither team denies the allegations or is fighting against the ruling. In fact, according to MLG's website, "Both teams have agreed that the disqualification was warranted," although the specifics of the pro gaming conspiracy remain unknown.

Developer Riot Games recently created its own league for professional League of Legends play, and is in agreement regarding the collusion decision.

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.

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Top 10 Nintendo 3DS Games

After a slow launch, a dismal first summer and a drastic, course-correcting price cut, Nintendo's newest handheld, the 3DS, began to recover and finally prove its potential. The drama of those events is now more than a year behind us, and since the system found its footing we've been treated to more and more quality pieces of software. Now, as the system steps into its next chapter with the release of the 3DS XL, we've decided it's time for our first list of the handheld's best titles. So read on, and see if you agree with our picks for the Top 10 Nintendo 3DS games.

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Nintendo Release Date: August 19, 2012 | Read the Review

The release of this latest New Super Mario Bros. sequel may have kicked off a wave of complaints about how Nintendo's not innovating enough with 2D Mario any more, but when you set all the talk aside and actually play the game you can't help but have fun. The mustached man's running and jumping adventures are still home to the best, most precisely designed levels in the platformer genre – and the search for deviously hidden secret levels and new emphasis on collecting thousands upon thousands of golden coins make New Super Mario Bros. 2 an essential play on 3DS.

~ Lucas M. Thomas

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Project Sora Release Date: March 23, 2012 | Read the Review               

Taking a break from his usual Super Smash Bros. development, Masahiro Sakurai resurrected one of Nintendo's oldest icons for a starring role on the 3DS. Part on-rails shooter, part third-person action game, Kid Icarus Uprising might very well pack some of the best replay value on Nintendo's young portable, from its fully-featured multi-player component to its insane weapons customization and unique, puzzle-based achievement system. The controls are tough to handle for any length of time, and its humor might not appeal to everyone, but the action is hard to beat. Definitely worth an investment if you're looking for something a little different.

~ Richard George

Publisher: Square Enix | Developer: Indies Zero Release Date: July 3, 2012 | Read the Review

Nintendo's original DS system hosted an incredible variety of great first-party music and rhythm games over its life span, from Elite Beat Agents to Rhythm Heaven to Electroplankton. On the 3DS, though, it's third-party Square Enix that has carried that momentum forward with the brilliant Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, a game that pays homage to both those DS predecessors and the entire history of the Final Fantasy franchise while also presenting new, innovative ways to translate songs into engaging gameplay. We never thought we'd be slashing with swords and casting spells while paying attention to tempo, but now that we have, we can't get enough.

~ Lucas M. Thomas

Publisher: Square Enix | Developer: Square Enix Release Date: July 31, 2012 | Read the Review

Kingdom Hearts 3D is probably the best portable game in the franchise - and considering it’s a series that has largely only appeared on portable devices, that’s no small feat. KH3D used the system to its fullest, with gorgeous graphics that did a fine job of capturing the various Disney-themed worlds. Excellent cameos from The World Ends With You characters only further sweeten the experience. With fun combat, amazing music, and that certain, unmistakable Kingdom Hearts charm, this game is a fine addition to any 3DS library, and easily earns a place on our list.

~ Audrey Drake

Publisher: Capcom | Developer: Capcom Release Date: March 27, 2011 | Read the Review

The fact that Nintendo dropped the ball with the 3DS launch has been well documented. The company just didn't provide a killer app – Pilotwings Resort wasn't it, Steel Diver wasn't it, and the latest version of Nintendogs wasn't it either. Luckily, Day 1 adopters weren't left entirely without winning options thanks to Capcom and the unexpected best game to ship alongside the new system, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. This deep, focused and totally polished version of Capcom's legendary fighting series saved the 3DS launch for many, and has continued to prove its worth by even now still ranking as the best fighter available on the handheld.

~ Lucas M. Thomas

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Who Should Voice Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy?

Ever since Marvel Studios confirmed that they were making a Guardians of the Galaxy movie for a summer 2014 release, fans have naturally been speculating who should play the characters on the big screen. But no member of the sci-fi team's been more talked about than Rocket Raccoon, the Guardians' walking, talking and ass-kicking alien animal.

The character's been brought to life recently in both an episode of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! animated series as well as in the video game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (voiced in both versions of British actor Greg Ellis). While it's certainly possible that Ellis could also be hired to voice Rocket Raccoon for the live-action feature film, it's probably more likely that Marvel will hire a more recognizable actor to voice the role.

Will the movie retain the recent Cockney-accented version of Rocket Raccoon or will he talk like an American tough guy instead? We've assembled a list of candidates we think would be good for the role. Have a listen to their voice samples below and then cast your vote in our poll!

Ray Winstone

This stocky, razor-voiced character actor is known to you for his roles in The Departed, Sexy Beast, Beowulf, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Proposition, and Hugo.

Jason Statham

Just imagine Rocket Raccoon kicking ass as he speaks with the voice of the star of The Transporter and The Expendables.

Bob Hoskins

This is certainly a long shot seeing as how Hoskins recently retired from acting due to ill health, but if Marvel could lure him back for just a voice-over role that would be great. Hoskins was one of the screen's first and foremost Cockney blokes to breakthrough in leading roles.

Tom Hardy

Before you go off on a Bane-sized rant about this idea, may we remind you that Hardy's raspy British accent is one of his most distinguishing characteristics? We imagine his Rocket Raccoon sounding less like Bane and more like Bronson:

Ian McShane

Imagine ... just imagine ... Rocket Raccoon voiced by Al Swearengen. Check out this more work-safe sample of McShane's pipes

Robert De Niro

De Niro's been lampooning his tough guy image for awhile now, and is no stranger to genre fare (Rocky & Bullwinkle, Stardust) or voiceover work (Shark Tale), so why not let him go from Raging Bull to Rocket Raccoon?

James Gandolfini

Tony Soprano ... in space. You're welcome.

Ron Perlman

Who the hell doesn't love Ron Perlman? This baritone-voiced badass from Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy would be a great pick to voice Rocket.

Willem Dafoe

This Spider-Man and John Carter actor's gravelly voice is one of his trademarks, and he could bring a real personality to Rocket Raccoon.

Vin Diesel

He's the voice of The Iron Giant. He's Riddick. He's fast and furious, just like Rocket Raccoon. So why not?

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Dream Teams Collide in NBA 2K13

L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant made waves before the 2012 Summer Olympics began when he said that the 2012 edition of Team USA could beat the fabled 1992 Dream Team that featured no fewer than 11 Hall of Famers. “It’d be a tough one,” Kobe predicted. “But I think we could pull it out.”

Unsurprisingly, the 1992 legends literally chuckled at the notion. “I absolutely laughed,” Michael Jordan said in response. “For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done.” Original Dream Team forward Charles Barkley also got a kick out of Bryant’s prediction, retorting, “Other than Kobe, LeBron, and Kevin Durant, I don’t think anybody else on that team makes our team.”

Dream Weavers

So many Hall of Famers, so few roster spaces.

Since time machines haven’t been invented yet, how can we possibly settle this eternal debate? Enter NBA 2K13, which will feature a Dream Team mode that lets you pit the 1992 team against the 2012 squad. Perhaps the bigger news is the long-awaited video game return of Barkley, who lends his name and likeness to a hoops game for the first time since the Sega Genesis cult classic Barkley Shut Up and Jam! 2 in 1995. Why now, Sir Charles?

“[NBA 2K13 executive producer] Jay-Z put in a call to Charles himself and helped us forge an agreement,” said 2K Sports marketing VP Jason Argent.

Ultimately, only Scottie Pippen, whom 2K could not reach a licensing agreement with, is excluded from the roster. Still, Jordan commented to IGN about the Dream Team face-off, “I think it’s going to start debates. I don’t think it’s going to end any.”

And so the gang is finally all back together. Why did it take so long for His Airness to sign on the dotted line with a video game company? “I just didn’t have a passion to do that, initially,” Jordan said. “[But now] I felt the need to connect to this different era, this different generation,” because “now, these kids don’t have an opportunity to see me play” on TV or in-person.

Hands-On Impressions

But what of the game itself? We finally got to play it, and a few significant changes should keep hoops fans happy for another year. First is the Control Stick. Think of it as a merging of NBA 2K’s long-running Isomotion controls with NBA Live’s old Freestyle controls. Basically, you now hold the left trigger in order to go into the Shot Stick you already know. The default actions on the right thumbstick are now ball and body controls, allowing you to do a ridiculous array of moves. Even bounce passes are now at your control by holding LT and pressing A.

“There were things in basketball we just couldn’t do with Isomotion as it was before,” said gameplay director Rob Jones.

Second are Signature Skills, a new way of differentiating the unique talents of the league’s best players. Expect upwards of 30 of them total, with each player having up to five of the passive abilities. Clutch, Deadeye, Lockdown Defender, and others will make the stars just a little more accurate to their real-life counterparts, and in My Player you’ll be able to develop them with your custom avatar.

The third is for Xbox fans, and it’s Kinect voice support. Don’t panic, though: there’s nary a gesture control to be found. Instead, you can simply call out plays with your voice rather than digging through the D-pad menu during possessions. For instance, you can say, “Run a screen for me,” or “Call a post play for Bosh.”

Tip-Off

I always loved NBA Live’s Freestyle controls, so mixing them with NBA 2K13’s more simulation-style gameplay is a huge win for me. Combine that with the return of my all-time favorite player Charles Barkley and (most of) the rest of the original Dream Team and NBA 2K13 might have somehow found a way to up its game yet again. Now if we could just get Jay-Z to give Scottie Pippen a call…

Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Editor at IGN Xbox. He is a lifelong Phoenix Suns fan, so you should feel sorry for him. Follow him on Twitter, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

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Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC Announced, Wii U Launch Title

During its summer showcase today, EA officially announced Mass Effect 3’s Leviathan downloadable content. According to EA, the content allows players to “discover more about the origins of the Reapers as they race across the galaxy to unravel the mystery that surrounds the fabled Leviathan.” It'll pack new planets and characters, but you'll still play as Commander Shepard.

Leviathan was originally revealed by leaked files extracted from the Extended Cut endings. Later, the content was confirmed by voice actor Anthony Skordi (who plays Leviathan). BioWare also hinted at new Mass Effect 3 content during Comic-Con, showing a teaser that included a red Atlas Mech underwater.

Specific details about Leviathan haven’t been announced, but we know it follows the search for Leviathan, a rogue reaper who has indoctrinated a mining colony. Look for it this summer on 360, PS3 and PC.

It was also revealed that Mass Effect 3 will be a launch title for the Wii U and pack a digital motion comic (similar to the Mass Effect 2 one for PS3) that allows Wii U players to make choices and build their Shepard's history.

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.

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