By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 10:35 pm
Earlier this week, Apple started removing games from the iTunes App Store "because [they] include images of the Confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways." Yesterday, the developer of the critically acclaimed Civil War game Ultimate General: Gettysburg announced that it was allowed back in the the App Store. "Ultimate General is back! Unchanged," developer Games-Lab said on its official website. "After several late night phone calls with Apple yesterday and today the game has returned to AppStore the way it was... in 1863."  Though Apple originally said it would only remove apps from the store that used the Confederate flag in an offensive ways, even games about the Civil War that included it to be historically accurate were removed. "We accept Apple's decision and understand that this is a sensitive issue for the American Nation," Games-Lab said after its game was removed. "We wanted our game to be the most accurate, historical, playable reference of the Battle of Gettysburg." An Apple spokesperson later said that the company would reinstate some games that were wrongly removed, and given the news about Ultimate General: Gettysburg, it seems like it is.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 09:53 pm
3D Realms and developer Interceptor have released the E3 2015 trailer for Bombshell, an upcoming top-down action role-playing game. Bombshell was originally conceived as Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, and would have starred the titular, cigar chomping protagonist. However, a lawsuit from Gearbox Software, the current holder of the Duke Nukem IP, made Intercept put that game on hold and eventually reintroduce it as Bombshell. This is the first look we've had at Bombshell gameplay since March, and in this video the game's Duke Nukem roots are pretty obvious. Last month, a court document from the Gearbox lawsuit showed us some early images of Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, including one of Duke standing next to a black Global Defense Forces truck. You can see the same truck at the 0:09 mark in the video above.  Bombshell will be released in 2015 on PC, PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One. 3D Realms that it will let people play the game for the first time at QuakeCon, which takes place in Dallas, Texas in July.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 08:30 pm
 Microsoft announced backward compatibility for Xbox One at E3 2015. See for yourself what the Xbox One and Xbox 360 look like in this gameplay comparison using Xbox One's Preview Program.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 08:30 pm
Welcome back to GameSpot Q&A a weekly section where we ask our staff and readers an interesting discussion question about video games. Look at this as a forum where you and others can discuss and compare your opinions of this beloved hobby of ours. Let us know what your answer is to this week's question in the comments below! This week's question is:  What's the first game you bought with your own money?Money wasn't an easy thing to come by when you were younger. If you had any, you most likely didn't have much. This didn't bode well for us being young gamers at the time. That's why buying a videogame, which seemed to cost a fortune back then, was a pretty big deal. So what was the first game you ever bought with your own money? Whether it was bought with a Toys "R" Us giftcard or the hard earned cash from a first part-time job, here are all the first game purchases we've ever made! Pokemon Yellow | Eddie MakuchI think the first game I bought with my own money was Pokemon Yellow. My mom took me to KB Toys (RIP KB Toys) on Black Friday and it was a madhouse. I think I also bought a skateboard that day for some reason. As for the game, I definitely got my money's worth, as I certainly sank over 100 hours into the now-classic RPG. Crash Bandicoot | Mary KishI received most of my games as gifts when I was a kid, but I do remember getting a gift card to Best Buy and making a decision to buy Crash Bandicoot on PlayStation. I was drawn to the colorful box art and I always liked playing as an animal. I will always remember the xylophone intro music with the Naughty Dog doghouse logo. Good purchase decision, little Mary. Crash Bandicoot (1996)...A bunch of PC Games | Daniel HindesIt wasn't a single game, but rather a whole bunch of games all at once. I remember receiving about $100 for a birthday (I don't think any 12-year-old kid had ever seen so much money at once) so I went to the local games store and bought, all at in one purchase: Blade Runner, FreeSpace, FreeSpace 2, Wing Commander: Prophecy, and Dune 2000. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? | Kevin VanOrdI am so old that it's hard to remember! My mother bought most of the Commodore 64 games I pleaded for, even though we scraped by through most of my childhood and teenage years. If my declining mind is to be trusted, however, it was Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, which I would have bought with money earned from my high-school job. I worked as a dietary assistant in a nursing home! Body Harvest | Rob CrossleyIf we're talking about money I earned from my first ever job (making sandwiches all day long), as opposed to pocket money, then I think the first game I actually bought for myself was a second-hand copy of Body Harvest on the N64. It was actually the very same cartridge that I had traded in a few weeks prior. There was something about this game--which was technically Rockstar North's first GTA-style 3D action title--that lured me back. Body Harvest (1998)Comanche: Maximum Overkill | Ty RootMost of the games I purchased were through gift cards for Christmas and my birthday, for Toys "R" Us for my NES back in late 80s. However, I do remember that the first game I ever bought with my allowance was Comanche: Maximum Overkill. (1992) I believe the game was published or developed by NovaLogic. It was a military helicopter simulator. I even bought a flight stick for it. It was one of my first PC games. I played the crap out of it. The Sims | Lucy JamesThe first game I bought with my own money was The Sims: Collector's Edition, which included the base game and the first expansion pack Livin' It Up (Livin' Large in the US). I became utterly besotted with The Sims after playing it at a friend's house, so I saved up my birthday and pocket money to buy it myself. Quest for Glory IV: Shadow of Darkness | Edmond TranQuest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness. As a kid, I spent lots of time at my friend's place continually marathoning this life-defining Sierra RPG/adventure game series over and over. When I started getting an allowance, the first thing I saved for was the CD-ROM version of QFG4. It was my favorite installment, and it was enhanced with some great voice acting which wasn't in the floppy disk version I was used to. The John Rhys-Davies narration was the bomb. Quest for Glory IV: Shadow of Darkness (1993)Jurassic Park | Chris WattersJurassic Park for the Sega Genesis is the first one I really remember. My friends and I were SUPER into Jurassic Park, so when I brought the game home and invited them over, it was a big event. I put the game in the system and draped a tissue over it, and when we were all assembled, I whisked the tissue off dramatically. Obviously, that move wasn't as cool as I thought it would be, but we had fun with the game! Star Control | Peter BrownThe first game I ever purchased with my own "money" was Star Control on the Sega Genesis. With a Toys "R" Us gift certificate that I got for Christmas in hand, I perused the aisles looking for anything that jumped out at me. Being six or seven at the time, I didn't know better than to judge a game by its cover. Looking back, I have no idea why I chose Star Control. The cover features a clawed hand clutching a galaxy, which means as little to me today as it did back then. So, I bought Star Control and tried to play it, but being too young to understand what a sim was, I played it like a shooter. I can appreciate the game now, but at the time, I thought it was a complete waste of an opportunity to get a new game. Star Control (1991)SimCity 3000 | Zorine TeI'm actually having trouble remembering this. I think it was SimCity 3000, which I purchased from my local EB Games at a discounted sale price of $50. It was a lot of money to spend, particularly because my parents didn't believe in giving out pocket money. I feel like I got every cent's worth out of that game! Prior to that, I practically lived off the demo discs that came with the PC PowerPlay and PC User game magazines. When a full game was included, it was like Christmas.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 07:19 pm
The Fallout 4 special edition includes a replica Pip-Boy that can hold your phone, allowing you to run the Fallout 4 companion app as you play. But if you're going to spend $120 on the special edition, you better make sure you have a phone that can fit inside the Pip-Boy first. A post to the Bethesda Blog confirmed that the replica Pip-Boy will have foam inserts that fit iPhone 6, iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 4/4S, Samsung Galaxy 5, Samsung Galaxy 4, and most smartphones of a similar size. Larger smartphones like the iPhone 6+ will still let you run the companion app, but won't fit inside the Pip-Boy. 
"As we wanted to stay faithful to the dimensions of the in-game model, any smartphones larger than the models listed will not fit inside the wearable device," Bethesda said. "For these larger devices, our Pip-Boy companion app will still be available." Fallout 4 launches November 10 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. It'll be 1080p and 30 frames per second on consoles, but unrestricted on PC. While you wait for its release, check out our interview with game director Todd Howard.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 06:30 pm
 Watch extended gameplay footage from Arcade Archives: Round 05 featuring the Giant Bomb crew.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 06:09 am
If you've been trying without luck to sign in to PlayStation Network this evening, you're not alone. Large portions of Sony's online system seem to be currently offline.  While at the GameSpot offices we're currently able to access the PlayStation Store from a web browser, the system's storefront is inaccessible by console. And multiplayer games such as Destiny are currently unplayable. The official PlayStation Twitter account says, "We are aware that you may be experiencing issues with PSN. Thanks for your patience as we investigate." The PlayStation Service Status page lists affected areas as including account management, gaming and social, and the PlayStation Store. We'll update this story with further details as they're made available.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 05:33 am
 We got our hands on the Destiny Red Bull can, packaged with an exclusive mission and a one-time use XP boost.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:55 am
Video Games: Hollywood
With the release of the Adam Sandler movie Pixels, video games will once again come to life on the big screen. Games haven't always had the easiest transition to cinema, but there's plenty of good stuff for fans of the medium to watch. (Photo credit: Sony Pictures)
Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters (Average Critic Score: 85.5)
Ecstasy of Order follows Tetris lover Robin Mihara as he tries to find the top players of the game. With incredible storytelling and a phenomenal soundtrack, the 2011 documentary won the Audience Award for Documentary Feature at the Austin Film Festival. (Photo credit: Reclusion Films)
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Metacritic Score: 83)
The documentary tracks Steve Wiebe's quest to beat Billy Mitchell's 25-year high-score record in Donkey Kong. Chock-full of classic games, plus a few real-life heroes and villains, King of Kong is a must-see for fans. (Photo credit: Picturehouse)
The Lego Movie (Metacritic Score: 83)
Lego's, of course, started as a toy, but it's evolved into a booming video game franchise. The 2014 Lego Movie brings some of your favorite block-sized characters to life. From Batman to Gandalf to Superman, everything is fun, imaginative and awesome! (Photo credit: Warner Bros.)
Free to Play: The Movie (Average Critic Score: 82)
The 2014 documentary chronicles three Dota 2 gamers as they play The International 2011 tournament. Love eSports or hate them, you'll love the trials gamers go through to be professionals. Spoiler alert: Don't miss out on a great NBA cameo in the film too!
WarGames (Average Critic Score: 81.5)
Starring as a high school slacker, Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) hacks into a computer called Joshua and, by accident, almost starts World War III. Broderick's David Lightman must outsmart the supercomputer before it's too late. (Photo credit: MGM)
Minecraft: The Story of Mojang (Average Critic Score: 81.5)
Funded through Kickstarter, the documentary illustrates the creation and success of the incredibly popular open-world game. Whether you're a fan of the game or a future indie developer, The Story of Mojang will inspire your creative juices. Distributor 2 Player Productions released the documentary via XBox Live and the torrent site Pirate Bay. (Photo credit: 2 Player Productions)
Tron (Average Critic Score: 75.3)
The original Tron saw Jeff Bridges in the role of Kevin Flynn, a man forced to enter a virtual gaming platform by an AI named Master Control. In 1982, Disney released a companion arcade game with the original movie release. (Photo credit: Comic Vine)
Wreck-It Ralph (Metacritic Score: 72)
Wreck-It Ralph yearns to evolve from villain to hero, and he enters a new video game to make that happen. The only problem: Ralph accidentally unleashes a super bad guy that endangers everything. Incredibly fun set pieces along with a retro-gaming look makes this an entertaining watch for all ages. (Photo credit: Comic Vine)
The Last Starfighter (Average Critic Score: 71.5)
Outshone by films like Star Wars, The Last Starfighter brings to life two things we all love: video games and space. After attaining the high score in Starfighter, Alex Rogan is recruited by the game's creator to pilot a ship in an intergalactic war. (Photo credit: Comic Vine)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Metacritic Score: 69)
Michael Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development) stars as Scott Pilgrim, a nerdy drummer in the garage band Sex Bob-omb. Pilgrim falls for Ramona Flowers, but he must defeat her seven evil exes to win her heart. Directed by Edgar Wright, the film uses classic game tropes along with an engaging visual style to tell the story. (Photo credit: Comic Vine)
Tron: Legacy (Metacritic Score: 49)
The long-gestating sequel to Tron finally arrived in 2011. Jeff Bridges reprised his role as Kevin Flynn, whose son, Sam, must now enter the Grid. Tron's visuals and the incredible Daft Punk soundtrack made the sequel fun for fans old and new. (Photo credit: Disney)
Grandma's Boy (Metacritic Score: 33)
Allen Covert (any Adam Sandler movie) plays Alex, a video game programmer in this stoner-movie classic. The cast is filled with hilarious folks like Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill and, of course, Linda Cardellini doing her best rendition of Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It." (Photo credit: 20th Century Fox).
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:30 am
This weekend's PlayStation Network Flash Sale just went live, and it slashes the prices of a lot of different fantasy games. From now until Sunday at 11 AM PDT, you can grab several games on sale. Some of the highlights include Telltale's Game of Thrones, which is reduced by 50% to $12.50 on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3; Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen which will cost you only $13.20 on the PS3, a discount of 67%; and Tales of Xillia 2, which is down to $14 on the PS3.  Several PS4, PS3, and Vita games are included in the flash sale. You can see the full list below. PS4:| Game | Sale Price | Original Price |
|---|
| Bound by Flame | $14.00 | $39.99 | | CastleStorm Definitive Edition | $5.25 | $14.99 | | Game of Thrones | $12.50 | $24.99 | | Hand of Fate | $8.00 | $19.99 | | How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition | $3.80 | $19.99 | | Lego The Hobbit | $10.00 | $19.99 | | Never Alone | $6.00 | $14.99 | | Omega Quintet | $24.00 | $59.99 | | Rack N Ruin | $4.50 | $14.99 | | Road Not Taken | $5.25 | $14.99 | | Shadow Warrior | $7.50 | $29.99 | | Ziggurat | $6.00 | $14.99 |
PS3:| Game | Sale Price | Original Price |
|---|
| Blood Knights | $4.50 | $14.99 | | Bonk's Adventure | $1.20 | $5.99 | | Bound by Flame | $10.50 | $29.99 | | Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | $3.75 | $14.99 | | Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen | $13.20 | $39.99 | | Dungeon Explorer | $1.20 | $5.99 | | Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara | $4.50 | $14.99 | | Elminage Original | $3.75 | $14.99 | | Game of Thrones | $12.50 | $24.99 | | Lego The Lord of the Rings | $5.00 | $19.99 | | Might and Magic: Duel of Champions Forgotten Wars | $3.50 | $9.99 | | Myst | $2.40 | $11.99 | | New Adventure Island | $1.20 | $5.99 | | Of Orcs and Men | $5.00 | $19.99 | | Risen 3: Titan Lords | $12.00 | $29.99 | | Sacred 3 | $12.00 | $29.99 | | Tales of Graces f: Knight Edition | $16.50 | $54.99 | | Tales of Xillia | $9.00 | $29.99 | | Tales of Xillia 2 | $14.00 | $39.99 | | Vandal Hears: Flames of Judgment | $3.00 | $14.99 |
Vita| Games | Sale Price | Original Price |
|---|
| Sword Art Online Hollow Fragment | $14.00 | $39.99 | | Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth1 | $6.00 | $29.99 | | Tales of Hearts R | $14.00 | $39.99 | | Mind Zero | $10.00 | $24.99 | | Fate/EXTRA | $6.99 | $9.99 | | Monster Monpiece | $4.00 | $19.99 | | New Little King's Story | $5.00 | $19.99 | | Soul Sacrifice | $4.50 | $14.99 | | Valkyria Chronicles 2 | $5.00 | $9.99 | | Pocket RPG | $5.25 | $14.99 | | Dungeon Hunter Alliance PS Vita | $6.75 | $26.99 | | Warriors of the Lost Empire | $1.20 | $5.99 |
Which games interest you? Let us know in the comments.
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:22 am
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
A copy of this game should come in any collector's starter kit. The US box art is certainly iconic, with Mario flying against a plain yellow backdrop, but this Famicom release seems to truly capture the game's ebullient creativity. For a title bursting at the seams with new ideas, this busy cartridge art serves it well.
2. Mega Man
Choosing a single Mega Man cart (known as Rockman in Japan) may be too hard. You can take your pick from any of the original six games with their vibrant color schemes and you'll undoubtedly be satisfied with your score.
3. Demon Castle Special: I'm Kid Dracula
Kid Dracula is a fun parody spinoff of the Castlevania series, filled with adorable demons and somewhat controversial bosses. In an alternate history where it got released in the rest of the world it would have been a surefire hit.
4. Punch-Out!!
Sure, we've got a gold Zelda cartridge on this side of the world, but that doesn't make this gold Punch-Out!! from Japan any less desirable. It was given out as a prize in a Famicom Golf competition, so only 10,000 copies exist. But with some careful hunting, you can snatch one up for under $300.
5. Splatterhouse Wanpaku Graffiti
Another cute horror game that never made its way across the sea, Splatterhouse Wanpaku Graffiti is an 8-bit tour de force through American horror tropes–including a nod to The Fly, and a vampire obsessed with Michael Jackson. It's also secretly the best Splatterhouse game. (Image via West Mansion)
6. Salamander
Salamander always got short shrift as the lesser-known sister to Konami's arcade shooter Gradius. But Vic Viper still delivers with style, and its translucent Japanese cartridge definitely glows with the life force of the series.
7. Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario is a perfect example of how bland gray cartridges in the U.S. and PAL regions are a giant missed opportunity. The pristine white plastic of this cart matches Mario's white coat, emphasizing the clean, virus-busting theme of the gameplay.
8. Dragon Quest II
Dragon Quest has always featured the instantly recognizable art of Akira Toriyama in its Japanese releases, but it took several games before the West ditched its generic medieval fantasy covers. Dragon Quest II may not be the best game in the series, but its cartridge art perfectly captures its adventurous spirit.
9. King's Valley II: The Seal of El Giza
King's Valley is a pretty nondescript puzzler in the vein of Spelunky: An archaeologist explores pyramids for treasure. But the package artwork is evocative and downright spooky. Twenty gold versions of the cartridge were also produced. If you can obtain one of them, you'll have a real treasure on your hands.
10. JESUS: Dreadful Bio Monster
Worth it just for the bizarre name alone, JESUS: Dreadful Bio Monster turns out to be a great survival horror adventure with gorgeous art and a fascinating story. A hobbyist translation team has made an English patch, so you can finally experience an oddity that had no chance of ever seeing an official release.
11. The Guardian Legend
Here's a cover so amazing it needs no extra justification to buy, beyond owning the gorgeous art. But if you haven't played the game, it's a passable genre mash-up with a unique spin on the Metroid and Blaster Master model. Surprisingly, despite how cool it looks, it will only set you back $20. (Image via Retro Gamer Japan)
12. Metroid
This one's a bit of a cheat, because it technically came out on the Famicom Disk System, so it includes a floppy disk instead of a cart. But this is by far the best box art the Metroid series has ever seen, and there's something magical about holding a copy of the pivotal game that started such a huge genre.
13. Uchuusen Cosmo Carrier
This is an oddball first-person space shooter in the mold of Top Gun, but it's definitely a cart you'll want to own just for the amazing art. This picture was provided by Heidi stopXwhispering at Retro Video Gaming, where she showcases an astoundingly well curated gallery of her personal Japanese game collection. Prepare to be amazed.
14. Duck Hunt
With a recent re-release on the Wii U and an inclusion in the new Smash Bros, the Duck Hunt spirit is surprisingly alive and well. If you haven't had your nostalgia itch scratched enough, there's an illustrious purple Famicom cart with your name on it.
15. Yamamura Misa Suspense
This murder mystery adventure game will probably be impenetrable if you can't read Japanese, but the cartridge looks like a cool poster for a Dario Argento film set in a murderous geisha house. Crank out a Goblin record while you admire it on your fireplace mantle on a cold, candlelit night.
16. Argus
Sometimes striking cartridge art doesn't always contain a game worthy of its cover, and Argus, a perfunctory shooter, is a perfect example. But that light blue plastic and sleek spaceship conjure up the best feelings of a bygone era of arcade gaming. (Image via Heidi stopXwhispering)
17. Kamen no Ninja Akakage
This is a decent platform brawler based on the anime of the same name. It can't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the stronger ninja games on the NES, but that Toei artwork makes becoming a Zorro-masked ninja seem so damn cool.
18. Devilman
Nintendo, perhaps wisely, steered clear of religious iconography in their Western releases to skirt controversy. But it's a shame we missed out on this adaptation of the classic anime Devilman. It's another Toei hit you need to own. (Image via Heidi stopXwhispering)
19. The Legend of Zelda
This is one of the rare examples where the import cartridge looks slightly less cool than the American version. Still, there's no reason you can't own both copies when it's a game as important as the original Zelda. The light blue gives off a more humble impression than the glittering gold cart we grew up with. It's as if the game is unaware it has already become a classic.
20. Gargoyle's Quest II
Firebrand is such an indomitable foe in the first Ghosts 'n Goblins game that it's a miracle he was even relatable when he branched to his own series. This cart sees him in fine form, with a cool Faustian arm spread of a logo that went missing in the American version. Murnau would have been proud.
21. God Slayer: Sonata of the Far Away Sky
God Slayer, released in the West as Crystalis, has become a cult classic known for excellent RPG action reminiscent of the Zelda and Ys series. It also features a complex post-apocalyptic plot and a terrific soundtrack. You'll definitely want to own it in its purest form. (Image via Heidi stopXwhispering)
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:21 am
Step 1: Purchase (Or Make) a Version of Google Cardboard
Valve, Sony and Oculus have been making big waves with their high-end VR kits, but you can take virtual reality for a test run in your home. All you need is an Android or iPhone. Simply purchase a version of Google Cardboard (or make your own from a free template). We ordered the DODOcase VR Pop-Up Viewer for $24.95. (Photo by: Dodocase)
Step 2: Assemble the Device
Putting together the makeshift VR kit was ridiculously simple, so don't be intimidated. You simply lock a few cardboard tabs in place, and you're up and running in under 10 minutes. If you've operated a children's pop-up book or closed a box of cereal before, then you can certainly handle this.
Step 3: Download Some Apps and Insert Your Phone
You'd be surprised how many free VR apps are currently available for Android and iPhone users. Just search in an app store for terms like "VR," "Google Cardboard," or "Dive VR," and a host of developers experimenting with virtual reality games will pop up. Once you've got an app loaded, insert your phone into the case, and you're ready to dive in.
Step 4: Put on Some Headphones and Enjoy
You'll want to find a large, quiet space to try this out. If you hook up a decent set of headphones, the sense of complete immersion is actually kind of impressive. Next up: Which particular apps show off your DIY VR kit the best? (Photo by: Jessica Schilling Photography)
VR iPhone App: Stereopsis
One of the coolest projects we discovered is Stereopsis, a gallery of 3D, retro-surrealist art reminiscent of a Guy Maddin film. It's a nice, clean way to test your kit and make sure everything's working correctly. If both images combine into a single three-dimensional picture, you're ready for something more intense. (Photo by: Domonkose)
VR iPhone App: Kris Menace Virtual Edition
This one's a psychedelic, geometric music video that resembles Tron or Mizuguchi's Rez. Even though it's completely composed of abstract shapes, it does a great job at creating a seamless, consistent world. (Matrix Technologies)
VR iPhone App: Evolution of Verse (included in VRSE)
Evolution of Verse is a 360-degree video that tracks your head as you examine your surroundings. It's got limited interactivity, but when you find yourself standing on a lake and swarmed by a flock of birds, you'll get a small but incredible tease at what the future of VR has to offer. (Photo by: Vrse)
VR iPhone App: Clouds Over Sidra (included in VRSE)
This is probably the most remarkable activity you can enjoy with your new VR kit. Clouds Over Sidra was created by the UN, and places you alongside a young girl living in a Syrian refugee camp. Whether you're eating dinner with her family or playing soccer in mud puddles with her friends, your empathy inputs will get flooded. It's a moving experience that shows that virtual reality may actually bring mankind closer together. (Photo by: Vrse)
VR iPhone App: Casa Maracana
This isn't really a game so much as an environment explorer. You'll find yourself in a multi-story, modernist hipster pad decked out with art and expensive furnishings. It's simple to navigate, and you can experience everything in about five minutes. But the sense of being transported to a virtual location is striking. (Photo by: Coelho)
VR iPhone App: Dive City Coaster
Riding a roller coaster seems like a requisite VR experience, and Dive City Coaster is the best roller coaster sim currently available for your phone. It's got a collection of cool high-rise buildings to gawk at and a few huge loops to run as well. (Photo by: Durovis)
VR iPhone App: Moorente
There isn't anything particularly stunning about this simple duck hunting app, except for the enormous pile of dead virtual ducks that pile up at your feet. If you grew up on Nintendo's Duck Hunt, however, it offers a nice benchmark of just how far technology has come since you were a kid. (Photo by: Die Etagan GmbH)
VR iPhone App: Cardboard VR Shooter
It may have a bland name, but Cardboard VR Shooter is actually the closest you'll get to a fleshed-out VR game on your phone. It plays like Disneyland's Toy Story Midway Mania, except with a spooky-themed shooting gallery. (Fun Media Factory)
VR iPhone App: Sharks VR
If you're jealous over all the virtual shark games making the rounds in press events, here's your chance to get in on the action at home. You explore an undersea world teeming with predators. It's a little difficult to navigate, but the setting is super cool. (Photo by: Lakento)
VR iPhone App: Froggy VR
This is one of the rare apps that offers a more robust game, rather than just a bare-bones tech demo. You play a frog navigating lily pads across a cartoonish pond. Along the way you'll get to swallow bugs in first person–an activity that probably wasn't on your bucket list, but that definitely shows the imaginative possibilities for VR. (Photo by: FIBRUM)
VR iPhone App: Crazy Swing VR
Strap yourself in for a thrilling fair ride that'll spin you for loops over a busy cityscape. This may be the only time you don't mind feeling dizzy in a VR app. The sense of vertigo and the fear of heights translate well to the virtual world. If you turn your head to the left, you'll notice you have a companion who's along for the ride too. (Photo by: FIBRUM)
Final Verdict? Go For It!
This list contains just a fraction of VR software available for iPhones, but if you've got an Android, it opens up even more possibilities. The one downside: You'll inevitably wade through a lot of nausea-inducing failed projects. That's okay though; as an early VR adopter, you can consider yourself a cartographer, mapping out uncharted territories. Don't expect fully polished games yet, but do expect to get excited by your very own glimpse into the VR revolution. (Photo by: Corbis)
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:20 am
1. Dr. Wily in Mega Man 7
Dr. Wily zooms in on a robot-crushing spacecraft shaped like a skull. It's the ending to nearly every Mega Man game, no matter how many disguises the mischievous villain tries on first. But he's never been tougher than his appearance in Mega Man 7, which requires pixel-perfect jumps and slides to avoid the ungodly amount of firepower raining down. If you've destroy him, you've got an abundance of talent. (Photo: Capcom)
2. Wizpig in Diddy Kong Racing
Before Angry Birds had its own magical porker, the almighty Wizpig reigned supreme in Diddy Kong Racing for the N64. If your monkey paws slip on the steering wheel for a fraction of a second in the race against Wizpig, you may as well start over. Wizpig turns even the most hardcore drivers into slops for the trough. (Photo: Nintendo)
3. Father Gascoigne in Bloodborne
In every Souls game, there's a boss that tests your commitment to the game's marathon of endurance. Father G in Bloodborne fills that role. With a killer beast lunge that pounds your hunter into gravestones, Father G is bootcamp for Bloodborne babies. If you emerge from the fight alive, the paleblood sky belongs to you. (Photo: Sony)
4. Mr. Sandman in Punch-Out!!
Mike Tyson gets all the infamy for frustrating end-game fisticuffs. But the newest Wii Punch-Out!! game has a seriously brutal challenger guarding the credits scene: Mr. Sandman. This heavyweight champ pulls no punches in a devastating fight that's nearly equal to the 8-bit Iron Mike. (Photo: Nintendo)
5. Inbachi in Dodonpachi Saidaioujou
If you've ever wandered down the dark alley of bullet-hell shoot 'em ups, you know this one has to be on the list. Inbachi from Dodonpachi Saidaioujou is so tough, very few fighter pilots survive the battle to tell the tale. One look at that screen filled with beautiful bullets is enough to give the boldest of navigators second thoughts. (Photo: Cave)
6. Jasper Batt Jr. in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
There's a reason this game is called Desperate Struggle, and that reason is Jasper Batt Jr. This final boss has got a range of phases and attacks, including a charged-up triple punch and an overhead strike so severe it'll give you migraines just witnessing it. If you manage to get him to his massive ultimate form, featured above, you're only a few belly combos away from victory, along with another proud notch on your boss-beating belt. (Photo: Ubisoft)
7. Bowser in Kaizo Mario World 2
Bowser might be the most frequent boss you'll encounter in your career as a video game hero, but he's a quantity-over-quality kinda fella. He's rarely more than a push over ... until you face him in the devilish fan remix Kaizo Mario World 2. Mario has to swim upstream against invisible water and a barrage of bad guys before he can even begin to attempt a fight against the Koopa King. (Photo: T. Takemoto)
8. Agni and Rudra in Devil May Cry 3
If you haven't mastered the Revolver combo by the time you meet this duo, Dante's as good as toast. An excellent defense is important too. Don't worry about looking like a rolling maniac trying to dodge their attacks. If you can bring them down in Dante Must Die mode, you deserve a Triple S for Stylish. (Photo: Capcom)
9. Fire Leo in Viewtiful Joe
Before director Hideki Kamiya beat us into submission with the menacing bosses of Bayonetta, he was walloping GameCube and PS2 owners with the super villains of Viewtiful Joe. The meanest of them all was the Inferno Lord, Fire Leo. If you survive the majority of the battle with him, he punishes you by ramping up his speed and unleashing a frenzy of fireballs. (Photo: Capcom)
10. Luca Blight in Suikoden II
It doesn't matter how strong of a party you assemble by the time you meet this murderous psychopath; Luca Blight will take them all down. You're in a race against time, so get your strongest magicians to rain down lightning from heaven as quickly as you can. This guy deserves your rage. (Photo: Konami)
11. Rajang in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
If you're a Monster Hunter neophyte, then all of the beasts in the game can seem intimidating. But Apex Rajang stonewalls even the most talented of warriors. You'll want to collect a group of three pals to take him down, and just prepare to get a faceful of laser. (Photo: Capcom)
12. Old King Allant in Demon's Souls
By now, the Souls series is synonymous with difficulty, but because Demon's Souls was the first game in the franchise, no one quite knew how vicious these games could get. All it takes is a permanent drain of your soul level to figure out Old King Allant means business. He's not the hardest Souls boss of all time, but he may be the most famous wake-up call. (Photo: Sony)
13. Penance in Final Fantasy X
There's standard grinding for experience in RPGs, and then there's the NEXT-LEVEL hellish quest of grinding required to take on the ultra-powerful optional boss Penance. His ultimate attack is appropriately named Judgment Day, dealing 99,999 HP of damage instantly against all of your party members. You've gotta fight for your right just to confront him. (Photo: Square Enix)
14. Boost Guardian in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
The sequel to Metroid Prime never got quite the same love as the original, and we're pretty sure the Boost Guardian boss has something to do with that. This nasty piece of work has an invulnerable morph ball and a devastating damage-dealing boost ball attack. (Photo: Nintendo)
15. Dark Demon from Demon's Crest
Dark Demon is a bit of a deep cut for masochistic Ghosts 'n Goblins fans who somehow didn't think that game was tough enough. This monstrosity isn't impossible to beat; he's just completely infuriating. It takes the patience of a saint to destroy this skeletal wraith from hell. (Photo: Capcom)
16. Culex in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG feels like a role-playing game with training wheels on, unless you accidentally stumble upon the optional boss Culex, who will wreck your party with the furious flair of a grown-up Square boss. It all comes down to those deceptively bright crystals. Mario and company could use some help from the four heroes of light. (Photo: Nintendo)
17. Hiruko Ubusuna in Shinobi
The classic Shinobi franchise makes a grand return on the PlayStation 2, reviving the hardcore ninja arts after generations of slumber. The game pack a brutal experience, culminating in Hiruko Ubusuna, a boss so hard it often takes players months of practice to beat him. If you manage to restore peace to the Golden Palace, come collect your gold star. (Photo: Sega)
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 04:19 am
Killer AIs Mean Business
The Terminator franchise is overflowing with fun science fiction ideas. But that nasty, red-tinted cyborg-ocracy may be closer to reality than you think. How close? Hey, glad you asked. (Photo by: Paramount Pictures)
Bipedal Humanoid Robots Walk The Earth
Real-world engineering Company Boston Dynamics currently has the lead in scaring the world with ambulatory robots, including the bipedal machine featured here. The bot can perform natural movements including calisthenics and dynamic walking. The increased prevalence of robot workers even prompted the New York Times to publish an article entitled, "As Robotics Advances, Worries of Killer Robots Rise." (Photo by: Corbis)
Stephen Hawking Warns Humanity
Killer robots seemed like a cinematic fantasy in 1984 when The Terminator premiered, but now prominent scientists, including Stephen Hawking, warn of a grim future for humanity if safeguards against strong AI aren't taken now. He told the BBC recently, "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." Thanks for the pep talk, professor. (Photo by: Corbis)
Human Flesh and Machine Can Become One
When Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator first sliced into his arm to reveal a cybernetic skeleton, he not only proved he was a robot from the future, but also pointed a way forward for human advancement. How close are we to blending synthetic human parts with mechanical enhancements? (Photo by: TriStar Pictures)
A Physics Lab Revolutionizes Prosthetics
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has made radical advancements in prosthetics technology, including a surgery that reassigns nerves that used to control arms and hands. Literally, we now have people who can control prosthetic limbs by simply thinking about actions they want to perform. An innovation that carried a lot of doom and portent in the Terminator films actually has delivered tremendous benefit for real-life people. (Photo by: Corbis)
Scientists Create Lab-Grown Flesh
Dutch scientist Mark Post displays samples of his lab grown flesh at the University of Maastricht. In-vitro meat has become a popular venture as scientists seek solutions to world hunger. Human organs also have been grown independently for transplant patients. A terminator's synthetic fleshy exterior is much closer to reality than ever before. (Photo by: Corbis)
There's No Stopping Shape-Shifting Metal
Watching T-1000 effortlessly glide through a row of steel bars evoked a feeling of sublime horror. A technology that advanced seemed alien when Terminator 2 came out. It isn't quite 2029, when the fictional machines developed the tech, but how far along are we toward building our own liquid metal in the real world? (Photo by: TriStar Pictures)
Gallium Might Hold the Key to Liquid Metal
The chemical element gallium, found in trace amounts in zinc oxide, has shown promising leads. Researchers in Beijing recently created an aluminum-fueled, liquid-metal motor made largely out of gallium. Its inherent properties allow the metal alloy to shift to fit whatever space it occupies, particularly when electricity is applied. (Photo by: Corbis)
Time Travel Requires A Lot of Energy
When a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled back in time, arriving in a blinding flash of light at a truck stop, he sliced off the edges of a few big rigs in the process. The Terminator films seem to understand that the energy created during time travel would constitute a massive force. But is time travel even theoretically possible? (Photo by: TriStar Pictures)
Atomic Clocks Helps Demonstrate Relativity
It's hard to believe, but time travel actually happens every day. Beginning in the mid-50s, scientists have used precise atomic clocks on airplanes and satellites to demonstrate an aspect of Einstein's relativity theory: Two matching clocks can report different times, depending on the impact of velocity or gravity. The "time travel," or dilation that occurs, usually accounts for fractions of seconds, but it proves that time is truly relative. Even your phone's GPS contains equations that factor in the bending of spacetime! (Photo by: Corbis)
Small Comfort: We're Nowhere Near the Genisys of Time Travel
The Terminator films don't just include a few seconds of time travel, though. Their characters travel decades into into the past, a feat that would, scientists believe, require the energy equivalent of the sun's nuclear power. As of now, NASA scientists think we're centuries away from even being able to explore the idea. (Photo by: Paramount Pictures)
Judgment Day is a Real Threat
In the Terminator franchise, the artificial intelligence system Skynet becomes self-aware and instigates nuclear strikes across the world: an event known as Judgment Day. One of the most striking images from the films includes a fiery ruin of Los Angeles. Do these nightmare scenarios hold any weight? (Photo by: TriStar Pictures)
Nuclear Threat Motivates Scientists to Update "Doomsday Clock"
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists runs a real-world doomsday clock: a symbolic countdown to the "midnight" of global catastrophe. Currently, nine countries have a total stockpile of 16,300 nuclear weapons, enough to blow up the world several times over. In early 2015, the nuclear arms race prompted scientists to move the clock to three minutes until midnight. While we don't have a menacing artificial intelligence threatening nuclear war, the danger of computer-controlled systems sparking an apocalypse is considered very real. (Photo by: Corbis)
Bullets Cannot Make Bodies Fly Through The Air
For all the cool ideas the Terminator movies bring to the table, there's one important area they get comedically wrong. When the T-800 walks into a room and sprays a round of bullets, you'll notice bodies flying backwards, as if the victims have been shot out of a cannon. Unless the robots have circumvented physical laws we've known about since Newton, this simply isn't possible. (Photo by: Orion Pictures)
The Conservation of Momentum Ruins The Terminator Movies
If you've ever seen one of these cool Newton's cradle toys, you'll understand the basic principle of momentum conservation: momentum is neither created nor destroyed. It remains constant. Momentum is literally the mass of an object multiplied by its velocity. Bullets are very, very tiny, so even when traveling at a high speed, they'll never get a ton of shoving power. A human (or robot) will get pushed back a fraction of an inch when shot, but causing them to fly through an office is highly unlikely. When it comes to the shootouts in Terminator movies, you'll just have to turn off your brain and enjoy. (Photo by: Corbis)
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2015 03:37 am
The end is nigh. Well, the end of the story that began with the original StarCraft, anyway. When StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void is released later this year, we will know the fates of Jim Raynor and Kerrigan, along with Artanis, the Protoss leader desperately trying to unite his race in the face of Amon's threat. Before then, however, we will also get a taste of what's to come: Blizzard will be releasing a free standalone trio of missions called Whispers of Oblivion, which will focus on Zeratul, the Dark Templar who was last seen giving a piece of The Prophecy to Kerrigan. Expect to hear more about Whispers of Oblivion sometime in July. At E3 2015, I sat down with a quartet of Blizzard talent: Matt Morris, Lead Story Designer; Jason Huck, Lead Designer; Tim Ismay, Design Producer; and Tim Morten, Lead Producer. It takes a village to birth a story as big as StarCraft II's, of course, and I asked the team a number of questions about Blizzard's storytelling approach.   GAMESPOT: What's the story development process like for this? How much does mission design lead where the story goes, and how much does story lead what kind of mission you create? ISMAY: I would say there's a lot of back and forth on that. You know, when we announced that we're going to take StarCraft II and make two or three games out of it, we still had a concept or an idea as to how the whole story would end. Even across all the games, we've always had, "Here's the big moments that we want to show, here's the big moments." Working with Jason [Huck], working with Chris Metzen and the lead writer, James Waugh, we sat in the room and just kind of hashed out the big story. And then we take those story points and we come back to the design team. Jason and I work with all the designers, and we sit in a room and say, "Hey, here's some big pieces. How do we want to create that journey?" And sometimes along the journey we'll come up to a point where we're like, "This really is not going to work for the game change," and we'll go back to the writer and say, "Hey, can we get some changes here," and sometimes they'll look at the story and say, "Hey, I need to make a change." So it's very collaborative in that sense. One of my favorite missions in Wings of Liberty is the one where the supernova is coming across the planet and you have to work really hard to finish fast. How does something like that come about? MORTEN: Lucky for you, the designer that built that map is right here! HUCK: That's a good case of us saying we really want this awesome mechanic, and so in regards to the story with that then, it wasn't really a critical story moment in there. I mean, you were getting a piece of the artifact. It's kind of critical, but how you got it was left up to the designers to come up with the game plan. The most important story point there was that Claire must get another piece of the artifact, so we're like, "Cool. What are we naming this mission?" And so this falls right in there. Get the piece of the artifact before we are destroyed by the wall of fire. With the prologue and with Legacy of the Void in general, how do you match the excitement levels of the story with the excitement levels of the mission? What have you done on Legacy of the Void to make these pieces more or less match as they move along? MORRIS: The team that built Wings of Liberty is for the most part still the team that's building Legacy of the Void, so we've got a lot of practice. We've been doing this for a while now, and so when we came across these story points, we were able to look at a lot of mistakes that we might have done in the past. We're able to refine this moment and say, "Hey, here's a good mechanic that really matches those story points. Why don't we give this a try?" We're very aware of making sure that the story is on point with the game designers, but we're always wanting to make sure that the gameplay is something that drives the story. So I would just say at this point, because we've been doing this for so long, we've got a really good knack, and so a lot of the missions you'll see in Legacy and in Whispers of Oblivion are going to show good story and good gameplay, merging them together.   MORTEN: And I'll say because I observed this from the production side: There's a feedback loop that happens, so Jason described how to add those story objectives that get set up around a mission. The mission will get implemented and the writers will go back and look at it and think about, "What's the dialog that should happen around this," and that might have some influence on the finer points of how this story plays out. After that, they keep going back and forth until it all gels. ISMAY: Like Matt was talking about, they kind of lay out these tempos of what we want to hit. We want the player to be feeling like, "I'm really winning right now," or losing, or things are really desperate right here. Sometimes even people that have never played the campaign before will grab someone else and ask them, "How is this vision to you? How do you feel from the audience?" We actually get feedback that says, "I feel like I'm just getting destroyed right now. You know, I won, but I feel like it's really desperate and I didn't actually accomplish that much." Then we'll talk to the writers and we'll actually ask, "Is that where we should be in the story, should we be winning right now? Should things be a little dark right now?" I typically don't like the opening missions of RTSs. Like, "Here's one unit, lead it around, like you've never played an RTS before." But with StarCraft II, I love those missions, because they engage in world-building. Can you give me any examples in Legacy of the Void where you teach the player something, but you're actually doing more than just teaching? MORRIS: [The opening mission of Wings of Liberty] went through a lot of different iterations. This has been a long time since people have been introduced to StarCraft. The fantasy that we were selling from the very first opening cinematic scene, Jim Raynor sitting there at the bar and he's seeing Arcturus Mengsk up on the screen saying, "Jim Raynor, you're a rebel. You're an outcast." And it put him in a place of motion as to what is this character all about. He's got a small group of guys. He's just Jim Raynor. So most of those missions are always developed from the idea that he couldn't go head to head against Arcturus. So that first mission set up that vibe as you went through the whole campaign. He's very strategic in the way he was attacking those missions. The propaganda was another point in selling the fantasy that, "Oh, the big, bad emperor is brainwashing the backwater civilization here," and saying, "Jim Raynor's bad," and [Raynor] is saying, "No, I'm not bad. Look: I'm helping you out."   Do you use that same kind of thought process for Legacy of the Void in terms of establishing Protoss characters? There's something more mystical about the Protoss than "space cowboy" or "evil hive mind." MORRIS: We're definitely in a different spot now, because in Heart of the Swarm, you had to have Wings of Liberty, so we could start missions differently. But we still had to teach you how to play Zerg. We wanted to make sure that was successful. Now that Legacy of the Void is going to be standalone, we now have to think about how there might be a huge audience coming in that haven't played StarCraft. So there is this thought process of distilling it down to something that's manageable, and it doesn't overwhelm the player, so they can understand what it's like to play Protoss, and what the Protoss want to do. We are taking that path to make sure that it's successful in that sense, and it's a very easy transition to a new race that you might not be familiar with. MORTEN: There is a story mechanic that may be worth touching on in relation to this. There's one character who's the engineer on the ship, like the "Scottie." He's a mechanic through which new technologies and advancements can be spoon-fed to the player in a way that's digestible but hopefully still interesting, because as you're suggesting, it's story relevant. It's not just, "Here, learn this mechanic." ISMAY: I think it's something the writers have struggled with as well. We want the characters and the story as a whole to be very relatable, something that you can understand, that you can empathize with these characters. But we actually want it to feel alien, to feel kind of weird. So you don't want to push it too weird because then it becomes unrelatable, but you make it too human and now it doesn't feel cool and alien anymore. So that is actually a line that we ride, and I think we ease you into it pretty well. Is there a danger in losing the player when you write something in which the stakes are so big? I think of something like, when I watch Star Wars, I don't really feel anything when Alderaan is destroyed, but I do feel something when Luke Skywalker and Vader meet. Is there a danger in losing a personal element?  MORRIS: I think you absolutely said it right, which is that these big moments can be kind of cool, but how's that impact you as a player being invested in these characters? James Waugh, the writer on this, has done a fantastic job of getting this information to the players pretty quickly without making it too sophisticated. You will be invested in these characters, so when these big galactic moments happen, you're like, "How did this impact this character?" MORTEN: This is still Raynor and Kerrigan's story, so ultimately that does factor into this. Legacy of the Void focuses on the conflict against Amon and the Protoss as a race, but there is still as a backdrop, Rainer and Kerrigan's story left to resolve. You're not saying this is the end to StarCraft forever or anything like that, but obviously you're bringing this particular story to a close. I'm curious about the mood of the team in general now that this story is reaching its finale.           MORRIS: It's a good thing for me. I'm actually super excited. Reading reactions to fans as they played Wings of Liberty, and reading the reactions to Hearts of Swarm, there's a lot of questions that the forums and the general fans have been asking that I wish I could just go in there and answer for them, but I can't because we haven't finished the story yet. So I'm really excited to see the story finally come out and people go, "Oh my gosh, that is the story." MORTEN: Yeah, I guess it's kind of a bittersweet ending for me. Like working on a game that I've played as a child and now working on it, and being part of the ending, being part of the people to come up with the ending for everything, it's really awesome at the same time. It's like, "Wow," but sad at the same time. We want to give you a really great final ending to the story, to these characters, because we we're done with StarCraft II. The game's going to go on, but bringing that closure for everyone is a really good ending.
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