Noobink: November 2014

Resogun Gets Thanksgiving Content

It's Thanksgiving in the United States today and gamers who were still able to move after gorging themselves on festive feasts were treated to a Thanksgiving-themed session of Resogun.

Today, without much hullabaloo or circumstance, the humans in Resogun, Sony's Defender-esque twin-stick shooter for PS4 and coming to PS Vita, were replaced by tiny, voxel wild turkeys. The gameplay remains the same, where the objective is to survive long enough to rescue the innocent humans from phase after phase of enemies, but the humans are now turkeys.

If a turkey is lost the game still says "human lost," but when a turkey is first dropped from its holding pen it makes a distinct, almost cartoonish gobble sound, and does the same when picked up for transport.

Watch our Xbox One platformer Twitch stream tonight and win Kalimba codes!

We've got a busy week of Xbox One Twitch streaming lined up for you guys, and plenty of great prizes to sweeten the deal! Tonight at 8pm Central (9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific) we'll give you a chance to see two new and upcoming 2D platformers.

First we'll stream our first look at Kalimba, the latest game from Press Play, makers of Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Tentacles. Kalimba won't launch until December 17, so tune in to see it early! After that, we'll stream Thomas Was Alone, the clever and artistic ID@Xbox platformer from Mike Bithell and Curve Digital.

We want you guys there for our stream, chatting along. So we're giving out 20 Kalimba Preview codes for Xbox One! Play the first half of the game three weeks early; it's on us! Just follow me on Twitch.tv/Eastxtwitch, watch along, and participate in chat for your chance to win.

Walking Dead Creator Reveals His Biggest Regret About Series

Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has one regret about AMC's television adaptation of his comics series—the finale of the show's first season. Spoilers ahead... but you've seen the Season 1 finale, right?

"If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have done the CDC episode," Kirkman revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. The CDC episode sees Dr. Edwin Jenner (The Americans' Noah Emmerich) tells Rick that everyone is already infected. In the comics, Rick's group figures that fact out quite awhile later after a character is killed and she comes back, despite not having a zombie bite.

RiffTrax's 12 Days of Riffmas Sweepstakes

Don't ho-ho-hold back your excitement, kids -- our friends at RiffTrax are back with their festive holiday giveaway, the 12 Days of Riffmass Sweepstakes!

RiffTrax (the former Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys) and Fathom Events bring you the return of 12 Days of Riffmas, their celebrated contest that could win you any one of several prize packs. Some prizes to be won include RiffTrax Live: Sharknado, Anaconda and Starship Troopers posters, pint glasses, and the grand prize: a $200 gift card (JUST in time for holiday shopping) that comes with a matching donation to one of five "Rifftastic" charities.

Halo: Nightfall - "Lifeboat Rules" Review

Warning: full episode spoilers follow.

At this point it's probably safe to say Nightfall isn't the live-action Halo project we wanted it to be. This series has built up all the elements needed for a good, simple survival thriller. But without halfway decent characters anchoring the plot, the survival element doesn't really play. Equally damning is the fact that the survival element is drowning out the original conflict involving Covenant terrorists and a human-killing mystery element. Nightfall isn't doing enough to take advantage of its premise or its ties to the larger Halo universe.

Little changed this week in terms of direction or quality. Now that our ragtag band of ONI soldiers, Sedran militia, and Alerian smugglers have become stranded on the ruins of Halo Installation 04, everything hinges on their ability to make it to the Alerian's ship and send a distress signal. But between the harsh terrain, barely breathable atmosphere, interpersonal conflicts, and the presence of a technology-hating swarm of Hunter Worms, that task is far easier said than done.

Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1: Zer0 Sum Review

You don’t need to be a hardcore Borderlands fan to love Tales From the Borderlands. By exploring the world of the loot-driven shooter trilogy through the lens of a dialogue-heavy adventure game, Telltale has created a fantastic opening to a story rife with humor, interesting characters, powerful decisions, and effective mysteries. In the span of Episode 1: Zer0 Sum’s two and a half hours, Rhys and Fiona became some of the best lead characters Telltale has ever created, and I’m entirely on board for their journey.

Traditional Borderlands games have you interacting with the world mostly through emptying the chambers of your various guns, but Telltale pretty much strips you of power save for you wit. Talking my way out of a deal gone bad, watching the face of my adversary to see whether or not they believe me, and choosing how far to take a lie was as tense as any shootout I’ve ever experienced on Pandora. The entire thing is enhanced by a fantastic score that draws from classic westerns, Cowboy Bebop-esque jazz, and some great nods to various Borderlands themes.

Windows 10 to support FLAC audio format

It looks like there's some good news for audiophiles in Microsoft's next Windows iteration. Teased via a tweet, it appears that Windows 10 will officially come with FLAC support for all of your lossless audio needs.

Wrestling Wrap Up: Sting! Sting! Sting!

Instead of focusing on last night's hard comedown turd of a RAW, let's just bask in the glory that was the final 10 minutes of the Survivor Series main event.

BECAUSE STTTIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!

tumblr_nfk0r69Pni1sbzhteo1_400

AND ALSO ZIGGGGGLLLLEEEEERRRRRR!!!

Ubisoft Releasing Patch 3 for Assassin's Creed Unity This Week

Ubisoft will release Patch 3 for Assassin's Creed Unity starting tomorrow, according to a post on the Live Updates blog.

Patch 3 includes over 300 fixes for Unity. Ubisoft previewed the patch earlier this month, but now we have the final list of updates, which consists of solutions for crashes in Campaign and Co-op modes, various gameplay issues, and matchmaking problems. A brief overview of what to expect with Patch 3 can be found below.

Tobias on Jurassic World.

TIL that when the CEO of the Sesame Street Workshop was asked if Bert and Ernie are gay, he replied, "They are not gay, they are not straight, they are puppets. They don’t exist below the waist."

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/11/07/bert-ernie-are-they-or-arent-they-kurt-andersen-expounds/

Google and Stanford Built Similar Neural Networks Without Knowing It

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/google-and-stanford-just-released-the-same-research-on-neural-networks

This Week on the PSN (November 25, 2014)

Every Tuesday, Sony drops a bunch of new stuff onto the PlayStation Network. Those with a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, or PlayStation Vita can download these goodies, which include PSN games, movies, themes and more. While the Official PlayStation Blog outlines these updates in full each week, we thought we'd help truncate the good news into something more digestible.

Here are this week’s new PS4 games. You can begin pre-ordering Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris this week, as well.

Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed ($49.99)

Continue reading…

We chat with the co-founder of Lucid Games about Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions

It started out as a mini-game inside Project Gotham Racing 2 for the original Xbox but Geometry Wars has grown since then to become a well known stand alone game franchise on its own. This week, the arcade shooter series gets a new installment, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, from UK-based Lucid Games. It's being published by Activision as the first game under their revitalized Sierra brand, which will be dedicated to launching smaller, downloadable titles.

Geometry Wars 3's biggest feature is that it uses 3D grids for the first time, as players control their ship and combat a variety of enemies with different power ups in its unique retro art style. The game is out this week for the PC, Xbox One and Xbox 360 platforms, among others. We got a chance to ask some questions, via email, to Lucid Games co-founder Craig Howard about their work on Geometry Wars 3.

SNOOZE

from Vimeo Staff Picks https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks

More Details on Blade Runner 2

The idea of a sequel to the classic Blade Runner has always seemed a bit of a stretch, and now it seems even stretchier with the news that the original film’s director Ridley Scott won’t helm the follow-up.

In an interview with Variety, Scott reveals that the sequel should begin production within the next year, but someone else will direct it. He will produce and has been developing the film with Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original tale of Replicants, Runners, and Rachaels.

“We talked at length about what it could be, and came up with a pretty strong three-act storyline, and it all makes sense in terms of how it relates to the first one,” Scott says. “Harrison

Big telecom is really grasping at straws. Instead of improving their infrastructure, they'd rather place blame elsewhere. "Netflix and YouTube Now Consume 50% Of The Internet As The Argument For Net Neutrality Weakens"

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2014/11/24/netflix-and-youtube-now-consume-50-of-the-internet-as-the-argument-for-net-neutrality-weakens/

China levies $140 million fine against Microsoft for tax evasion

China has levied a fine of $140 million, or 840 million yuan, against Microsoft for tax evasion. The fee would cover back taxes and interest owed. Additionally, the agreement reportedly stipulates that Microsoft would pay more than 100 million yuan in additional taxes a year in the future.

Thanks for the help camera guy!

Scar and Mufasa at it again.

TIL a young Neil deGrasse Tyson's neighbors would call the cops on him 1 out of every 3 times he'd go up on his roof to stargaze with his telescope.

http://books.google.com/books?id=aOwWoZyvUV8C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=%22In+my+midteen+innocence,+I+was+simply+reaching+out+to+the+universe.+As+for+nosy+neighbors+my+rooftop+activities+looked+to+them+as+though+I+were+a+heavily+armed+burglar,+ready+to+rappel+down+the+side+of+the+apartment+building+in+the+dark,+with+my+portable+assault+weapons+strapped+to+my+side.+One+out+of+tree+times+I+was+on+the+roof,+some+one+would+call+the+police&source=bl&ots=7qLGTS5uo9&sig=gi066NenDOscPfYRyimEboaovWw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cb10VLKTAYXmoAT_jYCoDA&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22In%20my%20midteen%20innocence%2C%20I%20was%20simply%20reaching%20out%20to%20the%20universe.%20As%20for%20nosy%20neighbors%20my%20rooftop%20activities%20looked%20to%20them%20as%20though%20I%20were%20a%20heavily%20armed%20burglar%2C%20ready%20to%20rappel%20down%20the%20side%20of%20the%20apartment%20building%20in%20the%20dark%2C%20with%20my%20portable%20assault%20weapons%20strapped%20to%20my%20side.%20One%20out%20of%20tree%20times%20I%20was%20on%20the%20roof%2C%20some%20one%20would%20call%20the%20police&f=false

TIL in 1964, riots broke out in North Philadelphia over a false rumor that police beat a pregnant black woman to death. Over 200 businesses were looted or destroyed. Most of those businesses never returned, which lead to much of North Philadelphia turning into the crime-ridden slum we see today.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/TODAY-IN-PHILADELPHIA-HISTORY/The-Philadelphia-race-riot-of-August-1964.html

Riot Reveals New League of Legends Champion

Riot Games announced Rek'Sai, a new champion for its MOBA League of Legends today.

Rek'Sai –– otherwise known as the Void Burrower –– is a mobile, evasive and quick jungler that can jump from camp to camp, according to the champion's League of Legends page. She has the ability to tunnel underground, which helps her escape difficult situations, but also gives her Tremor Sense. This mechanic shows the enemy activity in a wide field around the burrower.

rek

Eligible Vita Users Refunded Over False Sony Ads

If you purchased a PlayStation Vita before June 1, 2012, you're eligible to receive a partial refund from Sony in the form of $25 cash or credit, or a $50 voucher for select video game merchandise or services.

This refund comes as part of Sony's settlement over a Federal Trade Commission charge regarding "misleading" advertisements.

According to the FTC complaint, Sony made several false claims about its handheld Vita console during its 2011 to 2012 launch campaign in the U.S. The particular claims the FTC outlined include the Vita's cross-save and remote play functionality, which the FTC points out were only available for certain titles -- a detail they say Sony did not mention.

Check Out the First Image From the New Sherlock Special

BBC has unveiled the first photo (seen below) from the upcoming Sherlock special, which is set between the third and fourth seasons of the modern-day mystery series.

The BBC One Twitter account revealed the photo of Sherlock and Watson, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively. Interestingly, the two characters are donning period attire, which is somewhat of a mystery considering the show's contemporary setting. In addition, Watson is sporting a mustache once more, giving Sherlock more chances to mock his partner-in-crime.

Blizzard Unveils WoW's New Blood Elf Models

World of Warcraft's newly released expansion World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor saw model upgrades to the majority of the MMO's original races, and now Blizzard Entertainment has revealed its work in progress on one of the remaining races - the blood elf.

bfm

The latest Battle.net blog post reveals what we can expect the new models for both male and female blood elves to look like; the differences are subtle, but both appear to be slightly more muscular.

Learning a new language is like playing a game with Duolingo for Windows Phone

Duolingo, the popular and free language-learning app launched on Windows Phone last week, and I've been playing with it to refresh my Spanish lessons from high school. I like it because it feels like a game I have to beat. If you haven't tried it out yet, we've installed Duolingo on the Lumia 930 and placed it in front of the camera. Go watch the hands-on video.

Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl

from Vimeo Staff Picks https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks

The Penguins of Madagascar Review

Dreamworks' The Penguins of Madagascar is quick, colorful, kinetic, and will only cost you a bit of your sanity. And on a tolerability scale, for those older audience members dragged to see it by younger members of your clan, it's peppered with enough grown up-oriented humor to actually make it enjoyable in parts.

Those who've never watched the Penguins of Madagascar animated series on Nick and only know Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private as Madagascar scene-stealers may wonder if these spry spy-crafters are capable of holding their own as leads. And they are. Though expect a story light on heart and full of noise, which may just what your looking for if you're tired of having your heartstrings plucked at.

Windows App Studio developers can now add Twitter feeds to their apps

Microsoft's easy-to-use Windows App Studio development tools now include Twitter Data Source features via OAuth integration, allowing people who want to make apps for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1 to add Twitter features inside.

Pages