‘Desert Bus’ video game charity kicks off its 10th year
It’s a big moment for video game charities: Desert Bus for Hope has launched its 10th annual campaign. As is their custom, the volunteer team will play the Desert Bus mini game from Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors for as long as they can in the name of the Child’s Play hospital charity. This year, they’re aiming for at least 111 hours — the more money you donate, the longer they drive on that incredibly boring virtual road between Tucson and Las Vegas. And this year, there are quite a few reasons to check in beyond the usual on-camera antics.
To start, there are numerous guests, including musicians like the Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, Paul & Storm and Seth Boyer. Actress Ashly Burch, Penny Arcade’s Jerry Holkins and others will also make appearances. And of course, there’s the obligatory mix of auctions and giveaways, including the all-important 10th anniversary Jenga set.
The charity isn’t the biggest (Extra Life raises millions each year), but its unique non-stop, single-game hook has its allure. The charity managed to raise almost $684,000 in 2015, and each year has represented a big jump in donations. In short: the odds are good that kids in hospitals will have something to celebrate when Desert Bus 10 finally wraps up.
Source: Desert Bus for Hope
WHSmith will sell video games again with GAME’s help
Magazine and stationary retailer WHSmith is to start selling video games in-store again, thanks to a partnership with GAME to trial concessions in a small number of locations. WHSmith pulled games from shelves six years ago due to competitive pressure from more specialist retailers like GAME and HMV. Once adversaries, the two now appear to have found common ground. For WHSmith, it’ll mean being able to offer games to its customers again — new and high-profile console releases, we imagine — and for GAME, increased exposure on the high street, however small that increase might be.
“GAME Retail is rolling out a small number of concessions as part of an ongoing trial across WHSmith stores in 2016. Alongside our 300 high street stores it means easier access to top video games, accessories and merchandise for our community of gamers nationwide,” so reads the official line from GAME.
GAME is still struggling to find its feet after going into administration back in 2012. Since being rescued from high-street heaven, the company has tried all manner of things to stay relevant. In recent history, GAME has focused on eSports in particular, acquiring Multiplay — the firm behind the UK’s Insomnia events — as well as running tournaments and setting up dedicated competitive zones in stores. Finances are continuing to be a problem, though, and GAME’s latest yearly numbers noted an 81 percent decline in profits year-on-year.
The partnership with WHSmith may only be a limited trial in a small number of stores, but in such a competitive product category, anything that gets the GAME brand out there will no doubt be welcomed. If things get any worse, we could find ourselves in a dystopian future where GAME starts charging for PSVR demos. Oh… wait.
Via: gamesindustry.biz
Xbox Insider Program opens its previews to everyone
The Xbox Preview Program has been helpful for gamers who want to see the future of Microsoft’s console software before it’s finished, but Microsoft thinks it can do better. It’s renaming the offering to the Xbox Insider Program, and instituting key changes both to the software as well as availability. For most people, the biggest change is simply who can access the program — it’ll “soon” be open to anyone with an Xbox. Access to system updates is still limited to those already participating, but that won’t preclude you from getting sneak peeks for apps and games so long as you meet qualifications (such as your region or tenure in the program).
You should notice more than a few changes in the Preview Dashboard, too. There’s a new user interface (based on the current Xbox One UI) that helps you find info and provide more detailed feedback. Also, it’s much more personalized: you should see more relevant news and chances at early access. There’s an Insider profile card that highlights your efforts, and multiple users can finally offer feedback from one console. Finally, your roommate won’t be left out of the loop.
The Insider Program software changes start arriving today, although you’ll have to be one of the most active contributors to be part of the first wave. Everyone enrolled in the program should see the updates within the next few weeks.
Source: Xbox Wire
Steam’s updated front page shows real screenshots from games
Valve has made it much easier to see what you’re actually buying on Steam before paying up. The company has unleashed the Steam front page refresh it promised, which gives the store an upgraded facade that focuses on surfacing titles and updates relevant to your interests. Discovery Update 2.0, as the distributor calls it, adds screenshots to game listings. Since Valve now requires developers to post real screenshots instead of augmented images, you’ll get a good idea of what a game actually looks like.
Steam’s overhauled front page also gives you a quick way to edit your preferences, adds direct links to common destinations in the store, lists your friends’ activities and includes a highlights section that shows titles based on the kinds of games you play and ones your friends recommend. It has a section for featured special offers, as well as a clickable preview of curators’ recommendations and big blue buttons to help you get around easily.
Valve has provided a preview of Steam’s new and upgraded features if you want to see what’s changed before you click around the actual store. As for how effective the redesign actually is in helping you discover games, we’ll let your wallet be the judge of that.
Source: Steam
Nintendo will sell the New 3DS for $100 on Black Friday
You no longer have to pick a 2DS if you want a Nintendo handheld for $100 or less. The company is releasing special black and white Mushroom Kingdom editions of the New 3DS for $100 starting on Black Friday, November 25th. You won’t get any games out of the box, alas, but you might be willing to forgive that when you’ll have extra money to spend. Assuming you’re interested in the first place, there’s just one main dilemma: do you go for the low price, portability and large game library of the New 3DS right now, or save up for the larger, pricier but more powerful Switch when it arrives next year?
[Thanks, Kristy]
Source: BusinessWire
‘Left 4 Dead’ creator releases an unfinished campaign
Now that Turtle Rock Studios is no longer working on Evolve, it has some time on its hands… and it’s giving veteran gamers a treat. If you have a PC copy of the original Left 4 Dead (one of Turtle Rock’s best-known games), you can now install Dam It, an unfinished but playable free campaign that was meant to connect two of the shipping game’s stories (Dead Air and Blood Harvest). You start at an airfield and have to make your way through an apple orchard, a ravine, a covered bridge and a campground before a climactic fight at the campaign’s namesake hydroelectric dam. Unlike most other L4D tales, you’re actually encouraged to split up — you just need to stay close enough to offer support in a pinch.
When Turtle Rock says “unfinished,” it means just that. A panic event doesn’t work as intended, zombies don’t always behave as they should and graphics are rough around the edges. You do get two stand-alone survival maps on top of Dam It, though, and the core experience will no doubt be familiar. It’s not the Left 4 Dead 3 you might be hoping for (seriously, Valve, make it happen), but it’s definitely a taste of what the first title could have been like.
Via: Polygon
Source: Auger Resources
Election take on ‘The Oregon Trail’ is almost too realistic
You may have no problem voting in the US election, but others won’t have it so easy… and a web game is making that point all too clear. GOP Arcade and the New York Times’ opinion section have posted The Voter Suppression Trail, a spin on the classic The Oregon Trail that draws attention to Republican-backed tactics making it difficult for minorities to vote, such as fewer polling places and intimidation. As you might guess, where you live and who you are makes the game either trivially easy or a serious challenge.
Are you a white Californian programmer? You’ll waltz right into the voting booth. If you’re a Latina nurse in Texas or a black salesman in Wisconsin, however, it gets much harder. You’ll have to choose whether to stay in line or give up your vote to take care of more urgent matters, such a family illness (dysentery, since this is an Oregon Trail spoof) or an angry boss who wants you back at work. And even if you get inside the polling place on time, there’s no guarantee that you’ll cast a ballot. You may have to dodge “observers” bent on keeping you away.
This is far from a neutral take on the election that explores potential problems on all sides. The game is marked as an opinion documentary for good reason. It’s grounded in reality, however, and may serve as a reminder that voting opportunities aren’t the same for every American — and that’s a problem no matter who you’re voting for.
Via: Mashable
Source: New York Times
Nintendo is reviving the NES’ hint line for one weekend
When Nintendo releases the NES Classic Edition on November 11th, it won’t limit the nostalgia to the hardware you take home. The company is marking the launch by resurrecting its classic Power Line for that weekend. Call 425-885-7529 between 9AM and 10PM Eastern each day (until the night of the 13th) and you can get both hints for “several” games as well as stories from people who manned the phones on the original line back in the 1980s. The tips are pre-recorded, alas, but this could easily rekindle memories of a pre-web era when your best bets at help usually involved calling the Power Line or asking a friend. Our main question: will the phone line stick to the same tips you got as a kid, or offer a few juicy secrets?
Via: Kotaku
Source: Nintendo
Nintendo reveals ‘Miitopia’ and ‘Animal Crossing’ expansion
Animal Crossing fans starting to get burnt out by the repetitive tasks in New Leaf — hey, it’s been years since it came out — would love Nintendo’s announcement. At the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, the gaming giant has announced a free software update for the old favorite that adds amiibo support and expands its world. If you have any of the 16 previously released Animal Crossing amiibos, scanning them invites the characters into your village, but not in the way you’re familiar with. They come with their own RVs and stay in the brand new RV Campground overseen by a new character named Harvey.
The amiibos will also give you access to a new game within the game: you get Desert Island Escape if you’re playing on the Wii U or Animal Crossing Puzzle League if you’re playing on the 3DS. If you never bought New Leaf and want to try it out, though, you may want to wait for a bit. Nintendo is releasing the Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo pack on December 2nd for the 3DS. It comes with 50 amiibo cards featuring villagers from old games that you can scan and invite to your RV Campground. Besides these amiibo-related features, the update also gives you a camera mode for in-game selfies, a new storage room and other goodies.
Nintendo has also finally revealed what Miitopia is all about after mentioning it during another Direct presentation a couple of months ago. Turns out it’s a cross between an RPG and Tomodachi Life, where you can choose your class/job and fight enemies. You can be a knight, a mage or what seems to be a cat, and in your downtime, your characters can train together and exchange gifts. Miitopia will be available in Japan on December 8th. Since you might have to wait for quite some time to be able to get it outside the company’s home country, check out the trailer below to get a glimpse of the game.
Source: Nintendo
Voice actors will picket WB Games on November 3rd
Striking video game voice actors are determined to keep up the pressure on developers. In the wake of a picketing campaign against Electronic Arts last week, the SAG-AFTRA union is calling on actors and supporters to picket WB Games on November 3rd. This action by itself probably won’t get WB and other targeted studios to change their ways, but it stresses that actors aren’t backing down on calls for better pay, particularly for strenuous voice recordings or popular titles.
The game studios themselves aren’t shying away from their own publicity tactics. They recently launched a website insisting that SAG-AFTRA didn’t tell actors about the negotiating terms before it broke off talks and called for a strike. The page also contends that its terms are “so close” to what actors want that actors likely wouldn’t have wanted to strike themselves. We suspect the union would beg to differ, though — it even says the studios’ website is using the SAG-AFTRA name without permission. The odds are that this war of words won’t end until one side or the other is willing to make concessions and break the deadlock.
Via: Polygon
Source: SAG-AFTRA
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