New Photos from White House Down

Here's our first look at the upcoming thriller White House Down, starring Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent who must protect the President (Jamie Foxx) from terrorists. The film opens June 28, 2013.

Source : ign[dot]com

League of Legends - Azubu Frost Edges Out Najin Sword in IPL5 Korean Qualifiers

After a handing MVP White a loss in Group B, Azubu Frost looked forward to their next, and more formidable opponents, Najin Sword. Najin Sword also won their first game against LG Incredible Miracle in convincing fashion so it was easy to assume this match would be exciting to see.

Azubu Frost and Najin Sword were two of the great teams to make it out of the group stages and deep into the Season 2 playoffs, with AZF of course going much farther. They were also two of the teams that never got face each other in the playoffs, so that made this match much more interesting. Heres how picks and bans went:

Azubu Frost

Bans: Evelynn, Orianna, Jayce

Picks:

• Sona (MadLife)
• Irelia (Shy)
• Maokai (CloudTemplar)
• Anivia (RapidStar)
• Kog'Maw (Woong)

Najin Sword

Bans: Jax, Skarner, Shen

Picks:

• Ezreal (Pray)
• Lee Sin (Watch)
• Katarina (Ssong)
• Malphite (Maknoon)
• Zyra (Cain)

There were pretty standard bans, especially the ones directed at the top lane. AZF didn't want to deal with Maknoon's Jayce and NS did their homework, knowing that Shy's Jax and Shen were top notch. When it comes to team composition NS definitely seemed to get the better end of the deal, but Maknoon's Malphite pick was interesting. Malphite is a great top champion but we haven't seen Maknoon play him much in the past, and it seems like the team needed an initiation other than Zyra's ult and Unstoppable Force fit the bill. Regardless, NS's team was all about a fast pace and high impact style.

AZF had a more standard lineup, with champions that could both protect Kog'Maw as well as initiate and create chaos. RapidStar on Anivia and Woong on Kog'Maw would become terrifying in the late game if NS didn't do their best to shut them down. In my opinion, AZF had a better initiation comp and the super late game advantage.

In the early game it was clear that NS wanted to disrupt Shy and make sure he doesn't become strong enough to dive Ezreal in the late game. Both RapidStar and Ssong roamed up there to see if they can help get first blood and Katarina succeeds, putting Shy behind. Meanwhile in the bottom, it was apparent that NS's Ezreal/Zyra combo was going to have issues with AZF's Kog/Sona as Zyra went down early, nearly giving Kog a double kill. The score was even at 1-1 eight minutes into the game.

NS took advantage of the early game by contesting RapidStar's blue buff with Malphite and Katarina, prompting Irelia and Maokai to come help. AZF would pay for that decision by getting decimated by a perfect Malphite ult from Maknoon and the follow up ult from Katarina, killing Anivia and Irelia. A blue pilling Maokai tried to escape but was caught by Lee Sin's Q and destroyed, making the score 2-4 at the 11-minute mark.

NS would only enjoy that lead for a few minutes though, as AZF gathered to kill the dragon, not knowing that Lee Sin solo'd it earlier. Three members of the dragon squad descended to the bottom lane and started a 3v3 fight. Zyra went down early but helped taked out Maokai. Kog'Maw was let loose and dismantled both Ezreal and Lee Sin, making Woong 4-0.

NS took the majority of the dragons through out the game to keep their gold advantage but a fed Woong was beginning to worry them. NS decided to bait Baron to see if they could catch a straggler and Shy bit. Despite Woong doing well, Shy was 0-4 at 25 minutes.

A few minutes later it was AZF who decided to bait Baron, but NS doesn't bite, instead they decide to push AZF's mid tier 2 tower, forcing AZF to close in on them. NS tries to run into the bottom jungle but is separated by great wall placement from Anivia, forcing a fight to break out. The ensuing fight leads to a 4 for 4 exchange that fed kills to RapidStar's Anivia.

After they rezzed, AZF booked it to Baron and were able to take it, but NS followed through and made sure most of them didn't survive the aftermath, taking the Baron buff away from Irelia, Maokai and Kog'Maw. With only 2 members with Baron AZF decided they couldn't do an massive pushes, but decide to finally contest the dragon. Anivia gets a terrific wall off separating Maknoon from the team, feeding the kill to Malphite. However, the follow up came from Katarina who went on a rampage and earned herself a quadra kill before falling to Anivia. The score as 16-20 in favor of NS at the 34-minute mark.

Late Game This is where it got extremely exciting. Zyra got caught and was killing, prompting AZF to head straight for Baron. NS tried to contest it and Katarina got a kill off on Maokai leaving them smiteless. NS successfully disengaged but AZF stayed at Baron with Anivia hiding in NS's red brush waiting for the remaining members of NS to contest. They come and Anivia completes an ace but sacrifices himself in the process.

With 4-members with Baron, AZF pushes straight up NS's mid tower, but underestimated their burst damage, especially Katarinas, allowing NS to ace AZF in return. That fight let NS take AZF's mid inhibitor.

The Key Fight: Malphite gets walled off by Anivia and CC'd into oblivion. He couldn't get his initiation off and it led to a 4 for 1 exchange in favor of AZF, prompting them to push for the 28-30 win. AZF won regardless of having less kills.

The MVP: MVP for this game has to go to RapidStar, although Woong did a tremendous job as Kog'Maw. RapidStar's walls were game breaking for AZF and his sacrifice at Baron was amazing.

Source : ign[dot]com

Pokémon News: Catch Genesect!

We're only a few weeks out from the stateside release of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the next set of games in the core Pokémon series. To celebrate the October 7 launch of these new games, Nintendo is finally giving players outside Japan the chance to catch the elusive legendary monster Genesect.

I choose you, Genesect!

Anyone who purchases either Pokémon Black 2 or Pokémon White 2 between October 7 and November 12 can receive Genesect simply by connecting to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It has a signature move called Techno Blast, and is a Bug- and Steel-type Pokémon with the ability to adjust its power levels based on the foe it's battling.

For all things Pokémon, keep it here on IGN - and don't forget to check out our latest Pokémon Profile - this week it's Bulbasaur!

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Snow White and the Huntsman Blu-ray Review

Sometimes it's hard to move past a plot conceit, especially when it's one borrowed from SyFy movies of the week. Such is Snow White and the Huntsman, a fantasy action extravaganza that weirdly married the basic fairy tale narrative of Snow White to films like Lord of the Rings, blending romance with action and magic. While the results are often visually stunning, the narrative leaves much to be desired.

For those living under a rock, the film revolves around an always heaving-breathing Snow White (Twilight-alum Kristen Stewart) who's living under the hilariously overwrought villainous eye of Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron, doing her best to camp-up the film). Snow White makes a dashing escape and finds herself in a forest filled with trolls, dwarves and other woodland creatures. Ravenna then hires Thor, err, an eternally moist and dirty huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to catch her. Meanwhile, the dashing William (Sam Claflin) infiltrates Ravenna's army in an attempt to locate and protect Snow White. But it's not long before the trio teams up and attempts to take the evil Queen down.

Following along the path of movies and books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and SyFy movies like Neverland, Tin Man, and also Alice, Snow White and the Huntsman is a not-so-prestigious member of a new genre of film – the mashup. And while there's certain to be a few solid films in this genre over the next decade or so, the idea of blending old brands with hot trends is already starting to grow a bit thin and overplayed.

Admittedly, though, Snow White and the Huntsman is one of the better mashup films to come around, and thanks to some great visual effects and slick action, the film is likely to find an audience of those who absolutely adore it. But there's just something off about the whole experience.

For example, Snow White is seen communicating with trolls and other woodland creatures, just as she always does in the Snow White fairy tale. But in the climatic siege of Queen Ravenna's castle, it's a battle of man vs. man, with Snow White dressed in armor ready for battle. Why not also have her storm Ravenna's castle using those trolls she talks to? Sounds far more visually epic than just men battling other men. We've seen that before. In fact, the whole final act plays a lot like one of Universal's Mummy films.

Now, I don't mean to deter audiences from seeing Snow White and the Huntsman. It's got some interesting ideas, and it does, on occasion, dare to be a little different than most summer flicks. But its insistence to conform to molds it simply shouldn't fit is sometimes irritating, leading to an uneven experience that's sure to please some, but leave others less than satisfied. As a Saturday afternoon distraction, though, Snow White and the Huntsman is a lively good time.

Snow White and the Huntsman receives a lavish two-disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy/UltraViolet combo pack, stocked with a terrific presentation and loads of extras. The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, encoded in 1080p/AVC and mixed in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.

The transfer is positively striking, even if the film has the nasty habit of wallowing in a lifeless, and frankly, morose palette. The encode is reference grade, with not a single blemish in sight. The print is spotless, too. And no major distortions were noted.

The film's immersive 7.1 audio track is equally reference quality, with aggressive, atmospheric surrounds adding texture to nearly every single scene. Dialogue is clean and crackle-free, and bass is moody and room-shaking without overbearing the mix. As with most Universal new releases, this is a stunning, reference presentation.

Extras include a wealth of behind-the-scenes material as well as several innovative, interactive BD-exclusive goodies. For starters, there are two cuts of the film on the disc – the original 128-minute theatrical cut, and the all-new 132-minute extended cut. Fans will definitely want to check out the longer version of the film. While nothing completely earth-shattering is added, the extended cut does give a little more weight to the characters and story. There's also a thoughtful commentary featuring director Rupert Sanders, effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and co-editor Neil Smith. It's a bit on the technical side, but fascinating and engaging nonetheless.

Up next are a trio of interactive goodies, including Universal's standard U-Control picture-in-picture feature, a Second Screen App and an interactive set tour panoramic feature. All three extras vary in quality. The U-Control feature is pretty informative, but I prefer the more integrated Maximum Movie Mode-type experience found on Universal's recent new release, Battleship (review here).

Other extras include seven featurettes which, when combined, form a pretty decent hour-long documentary. You'll get a look at visual effects, characters and the reimagined story. While certainly not as thorough as some documentaries out there, the featurettes deliver a solid overview of the whole production, and perfectly complement the other interactive goodies, not to mention the commentary.

Snow White and the Huntsman might not be a masterpiece, but it's an enjoyable film at times. The Blu-ray is simply outstanding, with a great presentation and hours of extras well worth perusing. If you loved the film, by all means, buy this disc. Even for newcomers, Snow White and the Huntsman comes highly recommended.

"Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places!" Follow R.L. Shaffer on Twitter, Facebook and MyIGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!

Source : ign[dot]com

White House Down Pushed Forward

Sony Pictures has apparently decided to move the release date of White House Down from November 2013 to June.

According to Deadline, the Roland Emmerich-directed film will now release on June 28, 2013. It was originally slated to hit cinemas from November 1, 2013.

Exactly why the studio decided to move the date hasn't been stated, but speculation is rife that it's in order to compete with Millennium Films upcoming thriller, Olympus Has Fallen. The Antoine Fuqua-directed film doesn't have a release date yet, but as both movies have been described as "Die Hard in the White House", the assumption seems to be whichever film releases first will do better.

Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx are set to star in Emmerich's film, while Fuqua has enlisted Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart to try and ensure that his movie comes out on top.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Harry Potter's Yates Nearing a Deal for Tarzan?

Back in June, it was reported that Harry Potter helmer David Yates and Nanny McPhee Returns' Susanna White were both in consideration to direct Warner Bros.' live-action Tarzan movie.

Now, according to Deadline, Yates has been chosen by the studio as their primary get. The filmmaker is said to be in serious negotiations for the jungle-dwelling epic. At this time, however, Warner Bros. has denied that Yates is set for the job. Meanwhile, Constantin Films is still moving forward with its own adaptation of the tree-swinging ape man -- a motion capture flick starring Kellen Lutz and Spencer Locke.

Earlier this year, Yates was rumored to also be attached to a Doctor Who feature film, but producer Steven Moffat, head writer on the BBC television series, recently put that notion to rest. This would open up the Potter director's schedule for Warners' Tarzan, should a deal go through.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2: Something Old, Something New

We're about two months away from the October 7 launch of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the first numbered sequels in Pokémon history. While I’ve been messing around with the Japanese version of Black 2 since late June, I recently had the opportunity to see the North American version in action. From what I’ve seen, PokéFans should be excited.

Here’s what I found out… but beware, minor spoilers follow. If you want to go into the game knowing absolutely nothing about what’s new or what to expect, your ride ends here - and you’d do well to avoid the Internet for the next two months.

Picking Up Where Black/White Left Off

As we already knew, Black 2 and White 2 takes place two years after the events in Black and White. You begin your journey in Aspertia City, on the opposite side of the Unova region - and quite a bit has changed. The part I went hands-on with at the demo was from the beginning of the game, right after running into a couple of familiar faces from Black and White - Bianca and Cheren. Bianca, who gives you your starting monster, is now Professor Juniper’s assistant, and Cheren is the first gym leader you must conquer.

Leave that low level Purrloin alone, you big jerks!

Without giving away anything past the game’s outset, it looks like Team Plasma is back to its old tricks, but this time without N’s leadership to guide them. Reassembled as a band of pirates rather than knights, their ultimate goal is to fulfill a Unova prophecy by finding Kyurem and joining it with Reshiram and Zekrom. As you’d expect from direct sequels, Black 2 and White 2 feel very much like a continuation of the same thought process as Black and White, but with a brand new adventure to battle your way through and some well-done adjustments and additions (which I’ll get to in a bit).

A Link to the Past

Like all Pokémon games, Black 2 and White 2 are designed with accessibility in mind, so even people who’ve never thrown a Poké Ball in their life can jump right in. Even so, BW2 include some incredible nods to the past, most notably the Pokémon World Tournament. Here, trainers will have the chance to go up against every single gym leader, Elite 4 member and Pokémon Champion from all the core games. From Brock and Misty to Cynthia and beyond, they’re all here and ready to put your monsters to the test once more. While I didn’t get the chance to try the tournament for myself, as someone who’s played all of the games since the beginning, I’m terribly excited to finally have a quick, easy way to battle all my favorite gym leaders and so on from games past.

What happened to N?! Only one way to find out...

It was also revealed during my demo that those who played through the  original Black and White will be amply rewarded via Memory Link. This new system allows you to transfer over your save data from the original games for the purpose of unlocking special vignettes that tell the story of what happened between these two sets of games. Want to know what befell N and other juicy character details? If you played Black or White, the answers await you in this new adventure. The further you made it in the game (for instance, whether you just completed a few gyms, beat the Elite 4, or went the whole nine yards and tracked down all Seven Sages), the more vignettes you’ll unlock - a great incentive to finish Black or White before the October release date.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

A few other new additions that were on display include an area called Join Avenue. The person who runs the place is apparently in over his head, and has asked you to take over as manager and help bring the building to life by populating it with merchants and customers. You do this by inviting people you’ve battled against, traded with or met via Tag Mode to join in on your little social experiment. The more people you meet the livelier the place will become, and the more you’ll be able to upgrade the variety of shops that pop up, which sell all manner of cool items you can’t get anywhere else in the game.

That better be one tasty dinner for that price.

The game has also added a new feature to the Pokédex called Habitat mode. This addition allows you to see which Pokémon you can catch in each section of the map, designating which ones you’ve caught and giving you a stamp for nabbing all the monsters in a given area. This should prove a useful tool for those on the prowl to catch all 649 monsters - as well as those who are just to eager to finally catch an Eevee in the wild for the first time. In-game achievements in the form of medals will also be rewarded to Poké Masters who reach certain goals, from catching a certain number of monsters to saving often to beating the Elite Four.

While I only went hands-on with a very early segment of this new adventure, which I'd actually already played through on the Japanese version, what I was shown from later in the game has me pretty jazzed to get my hands on the English version. If it is indeed an improvement over the exceptionally well-made Black and White, it's safe to say we can expect great things from this Poké sequel.

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Snow White and the Huntsman Coming to BD, DVD

As if September wasn't crowded enough, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will bring Snow White and the Huntsman to Blu-ray and DVD September 11, 2012. Both releases will include the original 128-minute theatrical edition as well as an all-new 132-minute extended version of the film.

Here's a synopsis of Snow White and the Huntsman direct from Universal, "Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga) is Snow White, the only woman in the land fairer than the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron, Young Adult). Ravenna wants nothing more than to destroy her young rival, but she doesn't know that Show White has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor, The Avengers) the queen dispatched to kill her. Together with a handsome prince (Sam Claflin) enchanted by Snow White's beauty and power, they assemble an armed force to recapture the kingdom."

Snow White and the Huntsman will be presented on Blu-ray in 1080p (2.39:1 aspect ratio), mixed in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The DVD will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital audio.

DVD and Blu-ray Extras:

• Theatrical and Extended Versions


• A New Legend Is Born


• Feature Commentary with director Rupert Sanders, visual effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and co-editor Neil Smith

Blu-ray Exclusives:

• Reinventing the Fairy Tale


• Citizens of the Kingdom


• The Magic Of “Snow White and the Huntsman”


• Around the Kingdom: 360° Set Tour


• Universal’s Second Screen including Flick View, Behind the Scenes (Picture in Picture), Around the Kingdom: 360° Set Tour, Virtual Flip books, and Cast of Characters


• DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet

Suggested retail for the Blu-ray is $34.98. Amazon's current pre-order price for the Blu-ray is $31.48. Suggested retail for the DVD is $29.98. Amazon's pre-order price for the DVD is $26.98.

Be on the lookout for a review of the Blu-ray in September. While you wait, be sure to read our theatrical review of the film.

Source : ign[dot]com