Microsoft opens Xbox-to-Windows game streaming up to everyone
Microsoft’s removed the Xbox-to-PC game-streaming restrictions and now anyone with Redmond’s latest console and Windows 10 can play Sunset Overdrive or attempt to jump into a few online Halo: The Master Chief Collection matches on their device. More than that, some pretty big new features are hitting the Windows 10 Xbox app including party chat and tweaks to how screenshots and video clips are shared via the Game DVR.
Perhaps most impressive is how the My Games functionality within the application works now. Sure, your games purchased from the Windows Store automatically populate under the banner as you’d expect, but that’s extending to “a large number” of older games you might’ve bought from other sources too. You can manually add titles if they don’t appear as well, and Microsoft says it’ll keep track of what you’re adding so the automation improves with time. Of course there are plenty more new additions to the service, so be sure to check out the Xbox Wire post to read all about ’em.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
Trade the limited edition ‘Halo 5’ code for a disc, if you want
The Halo 5: Guardians Collector’s Edition costs $250 and comes with a fair amount of stuff for die-hard fans, including this pretty little statue, a special box, a metal Guardian model and a download code for the full game. That last part was a disappointment to some potential players who were looking forward to a physical game disc in such a pricey package. Now, developer 343 Industries says that fans will be able to exchange the digital code for a physical copy of the game at no additional cost. As 343i writes on Halo Waypoint: “When we last left off, we let you know that we had heard the feedback that some of you prefer a physical disc instead of a digital copy…. We’ll get into details as we get closer to launch, and we’d like to once again thank you for the feedback.”
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Halo Waypoint
Play horror game ‘The Flock’ before it shuts down forever
The Flock is a competitive horror game attached to a ticking clock. Every player is a monster collectively called the Flock, and they’re all after the Artifact, a light-filled item that transforms whomever holds it into a new creature. The goal is to hold the Artifact for the longest stretch of time, fighting off Flock monsters with the object’s light. Here’s the tick-tock twist: For every player that dies, the Flock’s population number drops by one. When the population hits zero, no new players will be able to purchase the game. Only people who already own The Flock will be able to participate in the “climactic finale,” and once that’s done, the game will go offline permanently. No one will be able to play it again.
“A multiplayer game can take players to incredible heights, but at some point gamers will start to play less, get disinterested and stop playing altogether,” Creative Director Jeroen Van Hasselt says. “In opposition to other multiplayer games, we want The Flock‘s experience to inspire a sense of awe, to keep players eagerly anticipating what is coming next and to end with a memorable climax.”
The Flock is due to hit Steam for PC later this year. It comes from independent Dutch studio Vogelsap (which apparently translates to “bird juice”), a small group of HKU and Utrecht University game program students. It’s already secured a few awards and was featured in the Indie Megabooth at GDC 2015 in San Francisco. The Flock will be playable at the Indie Arena booth at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from August 6th to 9th. Anyone in the area, play it while you still can.
Watch the world’s biggest fighting game tournament right here
This weekend over 6,000 folks from 47 countries will descend into Las Vegas to kick the (virtual) snot out of each other. That’s because the 13th annual Evolution fighting game tournament, otherwise known as Evo 2015, starts today with world warriors competing across nine games including Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Ultra Street Fighter IV. They’re battling for over $300,000 in prize money and in case you couldn’t make it to Sin City for the show, we’ve got you covered. The competition starts at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific today and goes until the final street fighting man or woman is defeated Sunday night. As you might expect, the entire event’s being broadcast via Twitch and you can park it right here on Engadget to watch the whole thing!
What’s more, if you’re feeling generous you can make a donation to the Evo Scholarship Fund. A $12 pledge gets you access to subscriber-only chat on the official broadcast channels and “unique” Evo Twitch emoticons that’re usable forever. And in case you were wondering, all of the proceeds from those dozen-dollar donations go to sending a competitor or fighting-game fan to college.
http://www.twitch.tv/widgets/live_embed_player.swfWatch live video from srkevo1 on www.twitch.tv
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Twitch (1), (2)
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes reveals potential for virtual reality games
The Samsung Gear VR has a new game available that shows how virtual reality devices can be used in new, creative ways for game play. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a cooperative video game that requires at least two players – one wearing a Gear VR headset and one manning a bomb defusing manual. As a demo video for the title shows, getting a group together for some gameplay will work as well and may even add to the experience.
The premise is simple. The game generates a random bomb comprised of puzzles that is presented in the Gear VR device. The person wearing the device has to describe what they see to their fellow players who have the bomb defusing instructions. To help spice things up, the manual is intentionally convoluted forcing players to really pay attention to what is being described to them. Those players then have to relay instructions back to the person viewing the bomb on how to stop it. In the true tradition of classic bomb squad work, there is a time element that the players are up against as they try to defuse the bomb and stop a virtual explosion.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is scheduled to hit the Gear VR story today for $9.99. You can check out a video showing some gameplay below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Steel Crate Games
via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes reveals potential for virtual reality games
Nintendo was right about the Wii U. We were wrong.
With the announcement of the Wii U, everyone thought Nintendo was wrong. Hell, we thought Nintendo was out of touch, foolish and doomed for producing a gaming-focused, two-screen console that wouldn’t be able to compete technologically with whatever Sony and Microsoft offered in the new generation. The most vocal players wanted better graphics, bigger games and more online experiences. The Wii U offered sub-standard graphics, convoluted online policies and a lineup of classic franchises that, in theory, could eventually show up on the console. By its launch in November 2012, the Wii U was a joke and its sales suffered.
But then: Sony launched the PlayStation 4; Microsoft launched the Xbox One; and as hype for each rose and fizzled out, the Wii U began to look more promising. It had been out for a year longer, meaning it had more games. It offered local cooperative and competitive experiences, something in short supply from the online-focused PS4 and Xbox One. Most importantly, it offered fun — and today, with a lineup of revamped classics and fresh competitive experiences, the Wii U is the most consistently joyful console of the current generation. As it turns out, Nintendo wasn’t wrong. We were.
Nintendo’s Wii U GamePad
Jessica Conditt, Senior Gaming Reporter
Let’s be clear here: The Wii U isn’t a current-generation powerhouse like the Xbox One or PS4. Its sales record remains poor and Nintendo is already preparing to divert attention (and consumer cash) to a mysterious new console code-named “NX.” Details about that system won’t emerge until 2016, but it says a lot that Nintendo, a traditionally secretive company, is already talking about a new console. This could be a move to sweep the Wii U under the rug alongside the Virtual Boy, Power Glove and GameCube.
But, just like the GameCube, the Wii U has wiggled its way into the hearts of many players, including myself. A lot of people have that one, Wii U-owning friend who will extol the virtues of Nintendo’s latest console for hours on end (and if you don’t have that friend, you might be it). The conversation usually goes something like this:
“There’s no point in getting a Wii U with the Xbox One and PS4 out now.”
“Wrong. The Wii U is amazing.”
“But it’s so weird. What’s with that big controller with the screen in it?”
“It’s so fun. And that controller is magical as a hand-held device with all the power of a living room console. Plus, the Wii U has Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Bayonetta 2 and Super Smash Bros. and — why don’t you just come over and play with me?”
“No, thanks. I have to finish milking this cow before dinner.”
OK, so the conversation probably doesn’t end like that, but most people with a Wii U have most likely enacted variants of this dialogue. I certainly have. Sometimes it ends well: It’s wonderful when a group of friends gather at my place for a night of Wii U madness — usually Mario Kart 8 or Smash Bros. — and everyone is down for another round. And another. And another.
“Just like the GameCube, the Wii U has wiggled its way into the hearts of many players, including myself.”
— Jessica Conditt
Nintendo excels at capturing the strange magic of video games, and the Wii U is no different. Nintendo’s franchises are joyful and bright, and its hardware choices often appear to make zero sense until you actually get your hands on them. The industry needs a company like Nintendo — it isn’t heavily invested in military-style first-person shooters and it oftentimes seems to completely disregard what its competitors are up to. When Nintendo announced the Wii U, it was as if the company hadn’t ever heard of 60fps or 1080p, and Microsoft and Sony were just two organizations barely on the periphery of Nintendo’s marketing plan. Such an approach turned out to be a detriment to Nintendo’s bottom line this time around, but sometimes it clicks and alters the industry for decades to come. Does anyone remember the Wii, the silly little console that relied on motion controls? Your little sister, older brother, mother, father and grandparents sure do. Sony, Microsoft, Oculus VR, Valve and a dozen other hardware companies do. Nintendo’s weirdness is often a boon to the creativity of the industry.
In the wake of Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata’s death, I carry one hope for the company going forward: that it stays weird. I hope it never loses its sense of fun and its emphasis on childlike joy in video games. I hope it keeps creating odd, risky consoles like the Wii U — but that it also has some industry-defining Wiis and DSes in the mix.
Nintendo’s former CEO Satoru Iwata
Sean Buckley, Associate Editor
I knew I was going to be wrong about the Wii U the first time I saw it. It’s almost a tradition: Nintendo announces a new product; I denounce it as an awful idea; and it turns out to be great. It happened to me when Nintendo created the DS (two screens? Absurd.), and again when it went all-in on motion controls (where’s my dual-stick gamepad?). I even dismissed the 3DS as a gimmick until I looked through it with my own eyes. Year after year, Nintendo proved to me that my instincts were wrong. So, when the Wii U launched, I threw those instincts out. I indoctrinated myself as one of the Nintendo faithful, come hell or high water. And so far, I have no regrets.
That isn’t to say my faith is blind. I’ve written at length about Nintendo’s struggles, both as a hardware and software company. I’m a Nintendo apologist, but I’m not a moron. Nintendo messed up a lot of things with the Wii U’s launch, but I can’t agree with the folks who argue that the company’s path to success lies on the road more traveled. I’m speaking of arguments that Nintendo needs to ditch its strange controllers, low-cost hardware and bizarre, dual-screen devices for more traditional game consoles. Making the next Nintendo console a Mario-powered Xbox won’t save the company; it’ll strip it of everything that makes it unique, fun and worthwhile. The Wii U has problems, but I love it because it’s weird, insane and non-conventional, not in spite of those things.
Splatoon
Take Nintendo’s latest sleeper hit, Splatoon. It’s everything a team shooter isn’t supposed to be: colorful, bright, quirky, childish and completely devoid of voice chat and matchmaking. It’s also the most fun I’ve ever had with an online multiplayer shooter. I adore it — from the motion-based control scheme (a far better replacement for PC-gaming mouse-look than the traditional dual-analog setup), to how the multiplayer’s main game mode emphasizes teamwork over individual player scores. It’s a Nintendo-exclusive experience — not because it’s a Nintendo exclusive game, but because it’s more focused on being a fun game than a competitive by-the-numbers shooter.
“Making the next Nintendo console a Mario-powered Xbox won’t save the company; it’ll strip it of everything that makes it unique, fun and worthwhile.”
— Sean Buckley
It’s not just the attitude, either. Nintendo’s unique hardware has enabled experiences I simply can’t get elsewhere. Recently, my Wii U has become my teacher, gently guiding me through the technical aspects of illustration and painting with Art Academy: Home Studio. I remember mocking the Wii U Gamepad for having an outdated resistive touchscreen, but now that I’m using it to learn to paint, its limitations are enlightening. I used to think you needed expensive tools to make art, but Nintendo’s outdated technology reminded me that it’s not the tool that matters; it’s talent. Somehow, I don’t think I would have learned the same thing from an Xbox One.
Nintendo’s Iwata said it best. “Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone.” This simple phrase has become one of the most widely shared quotes since the CEO passed away earlier this month, and I can’t think of a better way to describe what makes Nintendo and the Wii U unique. Nintendo’s brand of fun is founded in a simple joy that applies to everyone. As much as I love my PlayStation 4 and my custom gaming PC, I just can’t say that for the rest of the market.
That said, I had my early doubts about the Wii U. Nintendo was using a hardware architecture completely out of step with the rest of the industry, a move that would make it hard to stay competitive. It looked grim then, but the fanboy in me argued otherwise. The Wii U’s processor was also a half-step forward, living somewhere between the old console generation and the new one. Was Iwata trying to carve out a half-generation console cycle? I certainly thought so.
At the time, it made sense: The Wii U was launching a year before the rest of the next-gen consoles while being less powerful than them, but still being more so than the current generation. I was convinced Nintendo was trying to beat the Xbox 360 and PS3 at the Wii U’s launch, optimize its games to keep pace with the PS4 and Xbox One later on and quietly introduce hardware that beat both of them halfway through the next generation — when it could no longer compensate for its lower specs with optimized software. For a while I abandoned this theory, but with the NX on the horizon, I’m starting to wonder if it’s still possible.
Whatever Nintendo’s next console is, I know it’ll be radical and unconventional. My first instinct will be to reject it, but I’ve learned my lesson. I already know I’m wrong and I can’t wait to admit it.
Joseph Volpe, Features Editor
I get Nintendo. Whether that’s because I’ve been there with the company since its NES beginnings (I received the console in the winter of 1985 during the New York soft launch) or the years I spent studying Japanese language and culture, Nintendo’s always made sense to me. But, make no mistake, I am far from a Nintendo apologist. I’ve shaken my fists in frustration and cursed the company’s bizarre choices (Metroid Prime: Federation Force, anyone?) and tone-deaf marketing as much as the rest of the internet haterade parade. But mine is a tough love for a gaming outfit so married to its entrenched philosophy of games as “fun,” whereas the collective sentiment of the online mob seems to be: Kill! Kill! Kill! Because, well, that’s what they like to do in HD.
But has anyone ever stopped to wonder why the loudest voices in gaming are lusting over Nintendo’s supposed death rattle? Why are we so angrily shouting for the end days of a company that’s staunchly refused to abandon its pursuit of innovation and experiences that provoke childlike wonderment? Is it because we’re actively trying to murder our childhoods? Has Nintendo become the blankie we’re all afraid to admit we hugged tightly before going off to sleep at night?
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
This is a company that saved gaming from Atari’s notorious blunders, kicked off a home entertainment revolution, cemented a multibillion-dollar industry and carved out a reputation for itself as gaming’s preeminent content maker. This is a company we all invariably have some fond memory of — be it your first experience with whatever reinvention of Mario or Zelda or Pikmin or Metroid or Kirby or Donkey Kong or Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. This is a company that bucked the trend of high-octane, “It only does everything” silicon horsepower for decidedly underpowered, meek and quirky hardware at a lower cost (and kicked off yet another gameplay revolution). This is the company that got your grandparents to “bowl” in their living rooms. This is a company that used Muppets in its recent E3 digital presentation. MUPPETS.
If that’s a long list of sins against gaming, then I guess we have different interpretations of wrongdoing. Locking down a console that’s not connected to the internet or telling prospective gamers to pick up a second job to finance a console seem like more egregious corporate infractions. But, hey, that’s just me. You vote with your dollars and the message has been made abundantly clear: Nintendo must die.
“Has anyone ever stopped to wonder why the loudest voices in gaming are lusting over Nintendo’s supposed death rattle?”
— Joseph Volpe
In a sense, that mission’s been nearly accomplished. Nintendo is now reluctantly embracing mobile; a new console is on its way; and the Wii U, by all accounts, is dead. It’s not dead in my living room, but in the narrative that’s been concretely spun in the press and on countless internet forums and social channels. I don’t think anyone would argue that Nintendo didn’t massively bungle the Wii U’s launch — that’s a fairy tale for the most extreme of fanboys. But if there’s ever been a more compelling case for a second act, it’s the massive turnaround Nintendo’s pulled off in the Wii U’s stellar lineup of first-party games. I own all three current-generation consoles, but the Wii U is the only one I actually use to play games. Shocking, I know. And to think, back when it launched, we mocked Nintendo for creating a console so laser-focused on the gaming experience. What fools, right?
The Wonderful 101
I won’t list out all of the must-buy AAA games I’ve amassed for the sure-to-be-collectible console, but I will share this quick anecdote. Back in the fall of 2013, Nintendo published The Wonderful 101, a tremendously overlooked exclusive from Platinum Games that suffered from one dire fault: Its control scheme wasn’t well-explained. I’d picked up the game at release and then promptly abandoned it after 30 minutes of playtime. It wasn’t until one weekend night months later — around February or so — that I’d read up on forum posts and watched some YouTube tutorials that laid out the combat mechanics, which involved using the stylus, or a thumb to squiggle sigils on the GamePad’s screen. Eight hours later, and I was still balancing on the exercise ball in front of my TV, furiously scrawling sigil after sigil on the GamePad’s screen, mashing out combos and happily playing through each of the game’s missions. I can’t remember ever having that much nonstop fun on any other company’s system. It made me look upon the DualShock 4 and Xbox One controller with pity. With the GamePad, Nintendo had done something different and it was joyous.
And that’s because the company’s never been afraid to take risks. Sure, we can all bleat on about wanting a Nintendo console “that’s as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One,” but have you seen the art direction in any of Nintendo’s Wii U games?! For a console that’s essentially three GameCubes stacked together (or so they say on GAF), it does a fine job at delivering HD eye candy (see: the very “fresh” Splatoon) that rivals its more able console brethren. Besides, Nintendo answered that community cry for a powerhouse console once before. It was called the GameCube and it didn’t sell. I think the commonly held explanation for that commercial disappointment was that it failed to let us kill things in HD. And, oh how we love to snipe in high resolutions.
Super Mario Maker
Alas, no matter how many times Nintendo’s products fly in the face of criticism and contradict the assault of naysayers (e.g., Nintendo Wii; online multiplayer in Splatoon), it’s doomed to live in a Groundhog’s Day of its own devising. See, Nintendo has a brilliant message, but for whatever reason, the company can’t seem to translate it properly. Iwata, Nintendo’s beloved and recently deceased CEO, knew this and was trying to overcome it. I just hope the rest of Nintendo can continue to ignore the haters and carry on his legacy.
[Images: Bloomberg via Getty Images (top image; Satoru Iwata); Nintendo (Wii U; Splatoon; Art Academy: Home Studio; Kirby and the Rainbow Curse; The Wonderful 101; Super Mario Maker)]
Rovio announces Angry Birds 2 coming July 30th
Back in 2009, Angry Birds took the world by storm, and introduced a really fun, and addicting game. This was before the days of Flappy Bird or Timberman and pretty much paved the way for these types of games to enter the Play Store. Since the initial release, Rovio has released a variety of Angry Bird spin offs, but never released a true sequel to the original game.
Yesterday, Rovio changed things up a bit, and announced that Angry Birds 2 would be coming out on July 30th of this month. While they haven’t exactly announced or shown off what the game play will look like, Rovio gave everyone a teaser trailer to look at. Rovio also detailed that there will be a press event in New York on July 28th to go more in depth about the latest Angry Birds game.
Angry Birds was one of my first purchases on the Play Store, and the iOS App Store. While I’ve played a few of the spin-offs, like the 2 Star Wars versions, I’m actually pretty excited for Angry Birds 2 to come out.
Let us know what you think about the release of Angry Birds 2 in the comment section below, and what you think Rovio may have up their sleeve for the sequel. Or do you think this is just a marketing ploy to gain Rovio some extra income.
Source: Rovio
Via: Android Central
The post Rovio announces Angry Birds 2 coming July 30th appeared first on AndroidGuys.
This is Minecon: the biggest ‘Minecraft’ fan convention
Inside the main convention hall, children scurry left and right with foam diamond swords raised high above their heads. Eyes wide and mouths agape, some of them rush toward a blocky reimagining of Big Ben, where Minecraft‘s formidable Ender Dragon can be found wrapped around the clock face. Below, parents wander between life-size character statues and trees with cube-cut canopies, a mixture of fascination and bemusement etched onto their faces. For one weekend in July, 10,000 of the most dedicated Minecraft players have descended upon London’s Excel Exhibition Centre for Minecon, a fan convention celebrating the blockbuster sandbox building game. With panels, signings, tournaments and merchandise, it’s the Minecraft equivalent of Disney World and Comic-Con.
Minecraft is an anomaly in the video game industry. The first version was released by Markus “Notch” Persson in 2009 and was quickly championed by the press and indie game community. With no marketing, the desktop version surged in popularity as players embraced the primitive, colorful aesthetic and non-linear gameplay: Build a home, survive the night and then do whatever you like. Even now, it takes time for beginners to learn how to craft different items, and the randomly generated worlds always provide a fresh challenge. The game is unique and, surprisingly, no developer to date has managed to copy the experience and its commercial success.
More than six years after its debut, the game continues to sell. Persson is no longer attached to the project and the studio he founded, Mojang, was bought by Microsoft for $2.5 billion. Most developers would have released a sequel by now, but instead the team has busied itself with console ports and updates for the “vanilla” game. Minecraft has many older fans — the average player is 29 — but in the last few years, the game has clearly benefited from an influx of younger players. They’ve helped Minecraft form a diverse gaming community spanning different ages, genders and geographies.
That expansive player base was clearly reflected at Minecon. Not just in the attendees, but also in what was offered to keep them entertained. Many of the younger Minecraft fans wanted to see famous YouTubers like Joseph Garrett, otherwise known as Stampy. Videos of his daily adventures have attracted more than 6 million subscribers and led to an online animated series called Wonder Quest. On the first day of the convention, he held an hour-long show on the main stage that featured a slew of Minecraft-themed games and activities. One, for instance, saw him teaming up with a fellow YouTuber who was trying to play the game blindfolded — a second pair picked from the crowd then raced the duo to complete challenges in the world. At the same time, the crowd was encouraged to cheer and shout out their suggestions. “Go to the meadows,” one boy screamed from the top of his lungs. “No, not there; right a bit; right a bit,” a girl farther back muttered dejectedly.
It wasn’t just Stampy whipping the crowd into a frenzy though. Some fans raced to see members of Mindcrack, a community of YouTubers and Twitch streamers that play Minecraft online. “Just meeting a couple of them was really amazing,” Nelson Jansen, a Minecraft buff who’s been playing since the very first version said. “So far, that’s easily the best thing that’s happened.” Internet personalities are an obvious draw, but for some, the event was just a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet fellow fans.
More than 70 million copies of the game have been sold, so you would be forgiven for thinking that every schoolyard is filled with Minecraft addicts. But in reality, that’s not always the case. “At my school there’s only a few people that play it,” said Lewis Walmsley, a student from Manchester. “So it’s nice to meet other people that play — obviously they have different ideas that you can share.” Jurrien Brondijk, a fellow Minecraft player felt the same way: “It’s a big event with a lot of people that enjoy Minecraft and those sorts of things. So that’s very appealing, just to meet all those people and talk about the game.”
Internet personalities are an obvious draw, but for some, the event was a once in a lifetime chance to meet fellow fans.
Fancy dress has become a massive part of convention culture, and Minecon was no exception. At every panel, booth and queue, players would feverishly compare polystyrene pickaxes and swords covered in signatures from their favorite developers, modders and YouTubers. Some of the attendees went even further, making outfits that resemble classic monsters from the game. Unlike most video game conventions, however, the enthusiast “cosplay” scene wasn’t really apparent. Almost all of the fans in dress-up were young children and there was a rough, heartwarming feel to everything they had made. One little girl had decorated a dress to make it look like her personal Minecraft world, topped with glitter and stars for some personal flair. None of them were professional cosplayers, or hobbyists that relish the challenge of perfectly recreating their favorite character’s outfit. Instead, these were fans that just wanted to show their appreciation.
“You know you can come here and walk around with your diamond sword and no one will have a problem with it,” Sam Walker, a Minecraft player hooked on community mods, said. “While if you take it on the London Underground, you might get a few shifty looks!”
Even after hours, Minecon was an impressive sight. Huge fortresses were erected in the corners of the main convention hall, lovingly painted to look like stone, ice and sand. Statues of blocky builders guarded their entrance, while a pair of Iron Golems stood watch in the building’s central hallway. Near the back of the convention, you could wander through a series of farmyard pens filled with sheep, pigs and other Minecraft animals. During the day, there was even an opportunity to have your picture taken atop one of the horses, if you didn’t fancy leaning over the fence for a quick selfie.
“Our one and only priority is just that everyone that comes here has a good time and gets to celebrate Minecraft,” said Matt Booty.
The amazing decorations didn’t stop there. To match its London setting, Minecon offered a “Minepark,” which resembled London’s eight Royal Parks. The leafy escape had artificial grass, park benches and a bridge overlooking a river and swan. Families could gather at the tables and log stools for lunch, before wandering down the strip to take in some carnival attractions. These were, of course, all Minecraft-themed, with names such as Tic-Tack-Inventory, Creeper Catch and Mine Racer. Some were devilishly tricky, but others were simple enough so that everyone walked away with a prize.
“Our one and only priority is just that everyone that comes here has a good time and gets to celebrate Minecraft,” said Matt Booty, Microsoft’s general manager for the Minecraft team in Redmond. “I think that’s different for everybody. For some people, that means getting to meet their favorite YouTubers; for others, that’s going to be getting to meet Jens (Bergensten), the creative director from Mojang. For others, it’s going to be coming and getting to go to the panels. So I think it’s just that everybody comes away feeling that they got to somehow participate in their favorite game and got to be a part of the community.”
For Minecraft maniacs, Minecon is a special event. But the game’s popularity does beg the question: Why hold a convention at all? Minecraft is selling well and the community will grow regardless of whether Minecon is a success. Well, according to Booty, none of that really matters. Minecon is about thanking the fans and proving that Microsoft isn’t about to meddle with a winning formula. “Our approach is very much a partnership, so we’re just working together with Mojang and not looking to come in and radically change things, or try to turn them into something more Microsoft-like,” Booty said. “We mostly want to make sure that we’re a great resource and they continue to succeed.”
Microsoft and Mojang have a surplus of player feedback from social media, Reddit and the Minecraft forums. But sometimes, it’s easier to record and act upon this information by meeting people in person. Over the weekend, Microsoft hosted competitions to win one of 25 golden tickets and a rare HoloLens briefing. With this augmented reality headset, you can project and manipulate digital images in the real world, similar to Minority Report and Iron Man. Microsoft has only shown it on a few occasions and one of its most impressive demos to date incorporated Minecraft. At E3 in Los Angeles, the player was seen projecting a virtual TV screen onto a blank wall and later pulling the entire Minecraft world onto a table. In the latter mode, he could view the landscape from an aerial perspective, follow other players and interact using various voice commands. Few people outside of the press have tried it, but Minecon was the perfect place to put it in the hands of the public. “Giving players the opportunity to see something like HoloLens — I don’t know where else we could do this,” Booty said.
Minecon wasn’t just for the fans — delighting them re-energized Mojang and Microsoft employees too. The positivity inside the Excel Exhibition Centre was infectious; every panel ended with rapturous applause and during the closing ceremony, some children said they were the best days of their lives. “We all come away from this excited about working on Minecraft,” Booty said. “It’s hard to sit in the big room for the main stage or be on the show floor and see how excited everybody gets, and not come away excited yourself.”
Minecon is unusual. It’s now the largest convention dedicated to a single video game, beating events like EVE Fanfest and Summer of Sonic. But this year’s event was still small and surprisingly peaceful. Ten thousand tickets might sound like a lot, but it’s a slither of the attendees now turning up for MCM London Comic Con. Not that it really matters. Unlike most conventions, Minecon has never been about making money. It’s a celebration of Minecraft, and a way for both the fans and its creators to say thank you. A humble event for what started as a humble game.
Top ‘Counter-Strike’ player admits eSports has a doping problem
Performance-enhancing drugs are nothing new to sports. When your physical abilities are the difference between victory and defeat, many athletes turn to banned substances to gain a crucial advantage. Now, it seems, the same practice is bleeding into eSports too. A top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has admitted that everyone in his former team, Cloud 9, were taking the psychostimulant Adderall during a professional tournament. In a video interview, Kory “Semphis” Friesen said: “The ESL (Electronic Sports League) comms were kinda funny in my opinion — I don’t even care, we were all on Adderall.”
The interviewer, Mohan Govindasamy, then suggested that “everyone” at ESEA (E-Sports Entertainment Association) tournaments takes the drug. “Yeah,” Friesen replied.
Adderall is a “smart drug” that’s normally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It helps the user concentrate, reduces fatigue and can also boost reaction times. Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular choice for students cramming for exams. It’s also been used by traditional athletes, and is mostly banned by the NFL, MLB and NHL. But Adderall abuse in eSports isn’t new either. An anonymous player interviewed by Eurogamer said Adderall use was “very widespread” in the US eSports scene. In the same piece, Michal Blicharz, managing director of ESL, said drug abuse “did not seem commonplace” and that he doesn’t believe players are using them to improve their performances.
Well, the recent interview with Friesen seems to suggest otherwise. It’s hard to tell just how commonplace Adderall usage is right now, but if the eSports industry wants to be taken seriously, it needs to stamp out these performance-enhancing drugs quickly — or risk a tarnished reputation similar to other popular sports such as road cycling.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Wired
Source: YouTube
‘Mortal Kombat’ and ‘NBA Jam’ documentary needs your help
In the 1990s, one name ruled the arcade scene: Midway Games. From Mortal Kombat to NBA Jam, Revolution X, NARC and San Francisco Rush, you knew what you were going to get when you popped a few quarters into a cabinet: fast, loud, aggressive games. But what’s the story behind those titles? How did the studio come to practically dominate an entire sector of gaming? That’s what Josh Tsui, co-founder of Chicago-based game developer Robomodo, wants to tell you with his new documentary, Insert Coin: Inside Midway’s 90s Revolution.
“I always half-joked that Midway Games was the most-funded group of indie developers ever,” Tsui says. “They just did whatever they wanted and as long as it was done on time. That’s pretty much all that mattered.” And he should know: He worked there from 1993 to 1999 on games including Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game and Mortal Kombat 3. “There are all these crazy stories that I was just in the middle of witnessing, and I thought it would be really great to try to get all these different stories into one place and see how they interacted with each other,” he says.
So far, those stories come from Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias, NBA Jam co-creator Sal Divita and Smash TV co-creator Mark Turmell. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, the man who’s widely considered the godfather of the arcade scene: Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Defender and Midway Games’ creative director. Tsui says that the reason for his timing with Insert Coin is that a lot of the Midway games from the ’90s are hitting their 20th anniversaries around now and that at the moment, there seems to be some nostalgia for that era. Also, after scrolling through the documentary section on Netflix, he realized that he had tales of his own to tell. Like when director Steven Spielberg apparently tried stealing Midway employees for his own project, or what happened when NBA Jam brought in over $1 billion in quarters in its first year. He needs your help to do it, though.
The documentary’s Kickstarter campaign launches today, and the $75,000 funding goal will go toward hiring an editor and production crew. The money will also ease travel expenses — a necessary expenditure for getting more interviews (including with former Midway audio specialist Matt Booty, who now leads Microsoft’s Minecraft division in the Pacific Northwest). The reward tiers are pretty straightforward, too. “I’m not going to make plush dolls of John Tobias or anything like that,” he says, laughing. Instead, $15 gets you a digital version of Insert Coin, while a $50 pledge translates to a special edition Blu-ray with bonus footage and $5,000 get you in the movie, talking about your memories of Midway games from that era. Interested? Hit the source link below.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Kickstarter
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