Free Games

• Twitch

  • Escape Machine City: Airborne

    • 2021
    • Point-and-click adventure puzzle game that has you exploring the once-vibrant Air City that has gone completely silent and now seems to be flying on its own

• Epic Games

  • Creature in the Well

    • 2019
    • Pinball-inspired top-down hack-and-slash dungeon crawler where you need to venture deep into a desert mountain to restore power to an ancient facility

Apple has officially bent its rules for Russia, which could lead to a slippery slope as other countries take note

• Way back in episode 283 we talked about legislation passed by Vladimir Putin that will ban the sale of devices that don’t have a list of Russian apps pre-installed
• We didn’t hear much about it after the deadline passed in 2020, but starting in April iOS devices sold in Russia will include an extra setup step
  • While you set up your language preferences and enable Siri, you’ll also see a prompt to install a list of apps from Russian developers
    • The apps include browsers, messenger platforms, and even antivirus (which is kind of absurd when it comes to iPhones)
• On the plus side the apps aren’t pre-installed, and users can choose not to install them, but this has opened the doors for preinstalls that Apple has until now kept closed since the iPhone was first introduced
  • Sure, it’s good to promote developers within your own country, but the apps on offer could also be compromised in specific ways to further the agenda of the Kremlin and the government
  • With this in place we’ll be relying more and more on the privacy and security protections and prompts built in to iOS, and hoping that the apps in question haven’t been compromised
• Overall the situation is better than it could have been, since Apple could have completely folded and allowed Russia to preinstall whatever they wanted, but their middle-ground stance is disappointing and potentially dangerous when it comes to the free internet

Proton was making headlines this week as they accused Apple of blocking an important update to ProtonVPN, citing the internet crackdown in Myanmar

• On March 17th the UN advised people to document the ongoing situation and protests in Myanmar as evidence for “crimes against humanity”, recommending services like ProtonMail and Signal
• A few days later Proton released a blog post saying Apple was blocking updates for another of their privacy products, ProtonVPN
  • Apparently Apple took exception with part of ProtonVPN’s description, which included language about challenging governments, and said that apps can’t be promoted as workaround or violations of local laws
  • Proton claims that the description in question had been in place for months though, and continued to claim that this was directly related to the ongoing military coup
• Odds are, though, that the cause is likely a lot less nefarious- App Store reviewers are human, and each apply policy according to their own judgement
• Apple’s released a timeline of the update in question, saying that they requested the change in wording on March 18th (the day after the UN’s recommendation) and then approved it on the 19th. Proton then released the update on March 21st, and published the accusatory blog post on the 23rd
• Unless there’s more information here yet to come out, it looks like Proton took a non-issue that could have delayed their oh-so-important update by two days and made it into a week-long debacle to hit the headlines and rack up the clickbait
• Granted the App Store reviewer in question may have gotten overzealous, but to directly link that action with these kind of world events is a bit of a leap

Microsoft has decided to rebrand Xbox Live to the “Xbox network”

• First seen in beta software updates, the change has been confirmed by a Microsoft spokesperson saying it’s “intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships”
• Part of this includes plans to drop the subscription requirement from free-to-play games, so that games like Fortnite will no longer require a Gold membership to play online

This Week In Gaming History

March 20 – 2006 – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Windows, Xbox 360

• Plot:
  • A lowly prisoner has been cast into the depths of the dungeon in the Imperial capital of the province Cyrodiil.
    • The fate of this prisoner suddenly changed when the Emperor Uriel Septim descended into the prison with his guards, fleeing from unknown assassins who have already slaughtered his children.
    • But even an emperor cannot escape his destiny.
    • Before the last assassin delivered the lethal strike, the old emperor entrusted the prisoner with the Amulet of Kings and asked him to find his illegitimate son, the last of the Septim bloodline.
    • The Septims and the Amulet are the last barrier between the continent Tamriel and the dark dimension of Oblivion, and the delicate balance is threatened by the Daedra Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, the prisoner being Tamriel’s only hope.
• Oblivion is the fourth title in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series.
  • The game sticks to the style of its predecessors featuring action-based combat, first-person and third-person views, and vast free-roaming environments.
  • The player’s chosen race and class determine the abilities the protagonist has in the beginning.
  • The game allows the player to develop multiple types of characters without being limited to a specific role.
• The advancement system, as was the case in previous games, is based on skill usage.
  • When the player repeatedly use one of the skills, it improves.
  • NPCs offer training (for a price) to help in advancing to the next stage.
  • In time the protagonist can become an Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert and Master and gain certain bonuses for the skill.
  • The skills of the foes are “leveled” to be approximately equal to or slightly above those of the main character.
• There are numerous side quests which help the hero advance thier abilities as well as gain fame.
  • The player is free to roam the world without a particular goal, exploring towns, forts, caves, mines, and old temple ruins.
  • Visiting shrines scattered around Tamriel grants the protagonist specialized skills, some permanent and some temporary.
• Weapons and armor wear out with use and need to be repaired either with the help of special non-playable characters or by using an appropriately trained Armorer skill.
  • Enhanced items (weapons, armor, clothing, rings, amulets) abound in the game for protection, resistance, reflection and special activities like walking on water, exploring underwater, becoming invisible or lightening the load.
  • It is possible to open the gates to the Oblivion realm to grab their sigil stones, which can be used to make enhanced items.
  • Higher-level mages can create their own spells, and enchant weapons, armor and clothing using filled soul gems in addition to sigil stones.
• As opposed to Morrowind, mana points gradually regenerate over time, without the need to rest to replenish them.
  • Active blocking has been added to melee combat.
  • The game features full voice acting for all the NPCs.
  • Dialogues typically contain less topics than in Morrowind, but more responses unique to different characters.
  • In addition, the so-called “radiant AI” system makes characters follow their own schedules, engage in various activities or talk to each other regardless of the player’s input.
  • The game features fast traveling, allowing the player to instantly visit Cyrodiil’s major cities or previously explored areas.
• Extras:
  • A PSP version was in development and planned for release in the Spring of 2007, but it was eventually cancelled with no official word.
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

March 21 – 2005 – TimeSplitters: Future Perfect – GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox

• Plot:
  • In the year 2401 the space marine Sergeant Cortez is leaving the space station that he visited in the end of his previous journey.
  • He soon discovers that the crystals he has found can power up a time machine.
  • After having located traces of TimeSplitter activities in various time periods on the Earth, Cortez boards the time machine and travels to these periods, hoping to aid various characters in their battles against evil.
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a first-person shooter in which players battle their way through thirteen story missions spread across six time periods, either alone or cooperatively.
  • The protagonist’s arsenal varies depending on the time period he travels to: for example, traveling to 1924 will allow Cortez to wield World War I weapons; a Soviet setting in the 1960’s contains various local firearms of that time period; stages that take place in the future feature corresponding futuristic weaponry, etc.
  • In addition to fast-paced shooting gameplay there are also some stealth and vehicle-driving segments.
• Like in the previous installments of the series, various multiplayer modes are included.
  • Players can take on computer-controlled opponents on any of the fifteen arcade maps, or make their own ones.
  • Players can also compete for awards in dozens of arcade league matches and challenges.
  • It is possible to choose from between 150 characters and challenge other players to a head-to-head battle, either with up to four-player split screen or online and LAN play.
• Extras:
  • TimeSplitters: Future Perfect appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
  • In Shaun of the Dead, the character Ed, is playing Time Splitters 2, which featured a zombie mode.

March 22 – 1996 – 3D Tetris – Virtual Boy

• A 3D Tetris game with a supply of three modes:
  • A. A three dimensional well appears, large enough to hold five layers of Tetris blocks.
    • Every time you complete a layer with you falling blocks it will vanish and you will be rewarded by a hefty dose of points.
    • If you ever stack over the five layers you will lose one of your layers, once all five are lost your game is over.
  • B. In this mode you place blocks around the center of the well, any blocks placed in the center will vanish, unless the block completes a layer in which case it will vanish.
  • C. In this mode a shape will be shown before the game begins.
    • You will have to replicate this shape perfectly, even one block out of place and your game is over.
    • Succeed and after a short animation a new shape will be given.
• 3-D Tetris was the last officially licensed game released on the Virtual Boy.

March 23 – 2010 – Just Cause 2 – PS3, Windows, Xbox 360

• Plot:
  • Rico Rodriguez is back!
    • After liberating the small Island of San Esperito, the CIA-agent is on his way to the island paradise Panau to find a former colleague: Agent Tom Sheldon.
    • During an undercover-investigation, he vanishes and with him two million dollars.
    • Money, the Agency desperately wants back, especially as they believe that Tom changed sides.
    • So Rico has to infiltrate the criminal organisations of Panau as Scorpio to flush out Tom Sheldon and bring him to justice while plunging the country into chaos – but that’s more of a bonus than a real objective…
• Like its predecessor Just Cause, the game drops the player on a huge island.
  • From the start, the whole island is open to be explored by the player in a third-person-shooter-fashion either on foot, by using several dozen different cars or even by using heavily armed helicopters and fast planes.
  • The player is totally free to do what he wants, although that mostly breaks down to wreaking havoc and causing chaos by destroying statues, fuel tanks and other military-owned stuff.
  • This way the player earns points which in turn progresses the story, unlocks missions and gives him access to additional stuff from the black market.
  • In addition all over the island crates are hidden containing both money and upgrade parts.
  • Once the black market helicopter has been called via a beacon, the player can order weapons, vehicles and even request a transfer to another location on the island for free.
  • Weapons and vehicles on the other hand cost money and are dropped right on the spot where Rico called.
  • They can also be improved using the upgrade parts the player collected.
• In addition to his weapons, Rico’s two most useful tools are his parachute and his grappling hook.
  • The parachute can be activated at almost anytime, even if the player is driving at high speed along the road, and is very useful to make combo-stunts.
  • And this is where the grappling hook comes in: with it, the player can either pull enemies towards him, or pull himself towards a target – which can either be a house two streets away, or a moving car.
  • The latter allows for example high-speed carjacks which in some cases result in one of the two types of simple Quick-Time-Events in the game.
  • The other type pops up when Rico tries to unlock a gate or disarm a bomb or such.
  • Although the grappling hock was already featured in the first game, this time around it’s a dual-hook.
  • If the player has hit something with his hook, he can put the other end on another object – again no matter if it’s a solid or moving object or a random human who had the bad luck of being nearby.
  • This allows the player for example to hook a car to a helicopter, fly over an enemy base and drop the car onto the poor soldiers.
• To keep the action focused even outside the main storyline, challenges like checkpoint-races and optional missions are scattered around the map and each settlement on the island can be cleared 100% by destroying all worthy targets and collecting all crates in the vicinity.

March 24 – 1998 – Die By The Sword – Windows

• Die by the Sword is a third-person action game set a medieval fantasy world.
  • The player controls Enric, a knight whose sweetheart Maya was kidnapped by kobolds and who swears to bring her back.
  • The game’s distinguishing feature is its sword-fighting system, which allows detailed and precise control of the player character’s moves, giving it a fighting game flavor.
  • The game features a fairly complex and elaborate control system, with separate keys and button combinations assigned to moves such as running, jumping, slashing, stabbing, parrying, etc., which allows the player to execute these moves simultaneously in a variety of combinations.
• A somewhat simpler control system, dubbed “arcade mode”, is also available.
  • This system limits the amount of combinations to three kinds of slashes and blocks – low, medium, and high.
  • The game also incorporates local damage system, in which wounding specific body parts will inflict different conditions on the enemies, including severing their limbs and even decapitation.
  • The game’s levels include, beside enemies, many hazardous traps that Enric will have to avoid.
• In addition to the story mode, the game also features arena and tournament modes, which allow up to four players participate in free-for-all battles using the game’s sword-fighting system.
  • The player is also given the opportunity to create his own custom moves with a built-in editor.

March 25 – 2014 – Smite: Battleground of the Gods – Windows

• SMITE is a free-to-play MOBA with gameplay very similar to games like Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends and Dota 2.
  • In Smite, players control gods from all kinds of religions: Greek, Roman, Chinese, Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, Mayan, Japanese and Celtic gods.
• SMITE is a typical MOBA where in the main mode Conquest, there are two teams of five players, both having a base on the corners of the map.
  • Each base has three paths leading to it, which must all be defended in order to halt the approaching enemies.
  • After a very short time, AI-controlled minions start spawning and following all three paths.
  • These minions serve as support for the players, mainly used as cannon fodder for pushing the enemy towers.
• All three paths are defended by two towers and a phoenix, which must be destroyed in order to advance to the enemy base and let ally minions through.
  • After a team has pushed through one of more lanes, the enemy titan has to be killed in order to win the game.
  • Between these set paths is a so called jungle, where visibility is a lot lower and several buff camps are located.
  • These jungles can be used to quickly switch lanes and flank enemies.
  • Or help out teammates where needed.
• Aside from Conquest, SMITE also has the modes: Arena, which features no lanes; Siege, which features two lanes; Clash, which features two lanes but with a much smaller jungle than Siege; Assault, which features one lane with randomly selected gods; Joust, with one lane but being able to choose a god yourself; and a Match of the Day which switches game type, gods and conditions daily.
  • Aside from this multiplayer modes, there’s also the tutorials, a practice mode with other players against bots, and the ability to start custom games.
  • In-game events called adventures mostly feature a new temporary mode.
  • In the past these were Mario-style racing with carts, Capture the Flag, an RPG like PVE mode, and a Corrupted Arena, the Arena game mode but with the map gradually changing during the game.
• All players start with a base pool of gold, of which the amount varies per game mode.
  • This gold can be used for buying items for the current battle.
  • More gold is earned over time, and by killing enemies and enemy minions.
  • Players also gain exp with kills and destroying towers and phoenixes.
  • This exp is used to upgrade the four skills of the god.
  • As with all other MOBA’s, skill progression and bought items reset upon the end of the game.
  • So every new game you’d have to start from scratch.
• Unlike most MOBA’s with their isometric views, this game uses a third-person view.
  • Also, instead of using the mouse to move the character, this game features the WASD keys for moving the character.
• Extra:
  • Since Apple released their Catalina update on 7 October 2019 and dropped 32-bit support, Smite has been unplayable on Macintosh for Mac users that had updated their system.
    • In January 2020 (before Season 7) Hi-Rez decided to completely drop support for Smite on Macintosh and remove the platform from Steam.
    • Refunds for in-game purchases (not on Steam) were given, with restrictions, up until 18 February 2020.

March 26 – 1996 – Jumpstart 2nd Grade – Macintosh, Windows…

Or…

March 26 – 2013 – BioShock: Infinite – PS3, Windows, Xbox 360

• In BioShock Infinite the player becomes detective Booker DeWitt who is forced to find a young woman Elizabeth to pay off his debts.
  • She is held captive in the floating city of Columbia in alternate version of 1912.
  • During his travels Booker encounters different factions within the city who are battling one another.
  • The Founders want Columbia to remain a city only for pure Americans while the Vox Populi think the city should be available to anyone.
  • The setting is built around the idea of exceptionalism with a strong religious doctrine and open racism.
  • Elizabeth is a key piece within this conflict and has a mysterious origin including her powers to cause tears in the fabric of space-time, exposing parallel universes. Booker and Elizabeth remain together most of the game and she acts on her own.
  • She does not need to be defended, tosses ammo and silver eagle coins to Booker and can be asked to pick locks.
  • They are hunted down by the spiritual leader Comstock and his troops, along with the giant mechanical Songbird.
• The game uses similar gameplay styles and mechanics found in previous BioShock games.
  • Vigors give the player super powers to do a variety of things such as sending a murder of crows to peck away enemies or charming enemies to defend you.
  • Another one is possession used to take over humans or machines to temporarily turn them into allies.
    • Once the effect wears off, the possessed humans will commit suicide.
  • Most vigors have multiple uses either as a direct attack or as a much stronger trap awaiting to be triggered.
  • Booker can also be upgraded through four types of gear with permanent bonuses similar to the gene tonics in the previous games.
  • Different types can be equipped according to the situation.
  • The typical FPS array of weapons can be found throughout the game like pistols, shotguns, and rifles.
  • One of the more notable weapons is the Sky Hook which can be used as a melee weapon to take down an enemy.
  • Money can be exchanged at vending machines for upgrades and consumables.
  • Items are found by looting barrels, desks and enemies.
  • Vigors can only be executed when a sufficient amount of salt has been collected.
  • The three main bars visible on the screen (health, salt and shield) can be extended by locating and using infusions.
  • The story is also furthered through optional voxophones (audio logs) and kinetoscopes (film projectors).
• Skylines provide a unique way to move throughout the world.
  • Using the Sky Hook, the player can attached to these lines and quickly slide in one direction or another.
  • These can be used to escape overwhelming situations or used to reach higher ground to gain a combat edge.

Tidbits

• After campaigning heavily against Apple’s new tracking transparency rules, Mark Zuckerberg is now saying that Facebook could actually benefit from the change
  • He claims that it could drive more commerce to the Facebook platform by making it harder to track users without those tools, which honestly just makes me suspicious that they’ve got some kind of loophole in the works
• Facebook is reportedly working on an Instagram for kids under 13
  • It’s a whole new demographic for them to monetize, but it sounds like a terrible idea for your children’s privacy and sanity, not to mention it could expose them to a ton of predators and danger
• Apple’s already pushing back against the “China Advertising ID” we talked about in the last episode, sending warnings to at least two Chinese app developers using methods to track app usage without permissions
  • Many developers from independents to large companies, were experimenting with the tracking workaround but it sounds like Apple’s threats of removal from the App Store may stop this additional fingerprinting in its tracks (or at least begin a cat-and-mouse game of hacks and patches)
• Niantic is apparently working with Nintendo on a new AR Pikmin game for mobile
• The lead gameplay designer of Cyberpunk 2077 has left CD Projekt Red after nearly 8 years with the studio
  • Time will tell how this affects the game going forward, but considering the state the game is in currently I feel like it may not necessarily be a bad thing

Doug Hallett Graduate Scholarship in Medicine

• Goes to a Masters or PHD student working with transplants or the ex vivo “lungs in a box”
• Donate at https://ualberta.alumniq.com/giving/to/medicinefunds

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