Free Games

• Twitch

  • The Inner World

    • 2013
    • 2D point and click adventure that has you exploring the inside-out land of Asposia to discover why the wind is gone and how you can get it back

• Epic Games

  • Enter the Gungeon

    • 2016
    • Roguelike bullet hell with procedurally generated levels, following four adventurers with different special abilities as they descend into the Gungeon to find a gun to kill their past

  • God’s Trigger

    • 2019
    • Top-down twinstick roguelike that has an angel and a demon teaming up to kill their way into Heaven and stop the apocalypse

Updates

• Things are continuing to escalate on the Epic Games vs mobile gaming front, with Epic saying that Apple will be terminating its iOS and macOS developer accounts on August 28
  • Epic says that this could directly affect other game developers that use Epic’s Unreal Engine, though that argument seems like a bit of a stretch unless Epic themselves continue the tit-for-tat slapfight. This all came about because of publicity stunt, and the only reason it would affect other developers is if Epic makes that happen
  • For a refresher, Epic updated Fortnite to provide a direct payment option for in-game currency, bypassing the App Store payment system and breaking Apple’s rules. Apple then removed the app. Then Epic sued Apple. Now Apple has made it clear that developers who break App Store guidelines like this get banned from the platform. Which doesn’t seem like the “retaliation” that Epic is crying about but more like enforcing a very clear set of rules.
    • And something I’ve learned in researching this story- 30% is the standard cut for all console makers too, like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. So the fact that Fortnite is still running without weird direct-payment shenanigans on the Xbone, PS4, and Switch shows just how targeted this action is
      • Epic is still offering their 20% discount for VBucks on those platforms, too
  • When asked for comment Apple said that they “very much want” Epic to remain an Apple developer, but that they won’t make an exception for the company. They went on to say that Epic can fix the problem and get everything back to normal by just rolling back the change that broke App Store guidelines by providing a direct payment option
  • In the meantime the eBay scalpers are out in full force, listing iPhones with Fortnite installed for up to $20,000

The United States have come up with yet another assault on digital privacy, this time with the “Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act”

• Senators are calling it a bill to bolster national security interests and end the use of “warrant-proof” encrypted tech by terrorists or other bad actors, and go on to outright fearmongering by saying that criminals from child predators to terrorists are taking full advantage
  • They’re calling our current state the “Wild West of crime on the internet”
• The problem is, they’re just sad that their Wild West of law enforcement and surveillance is coming to an end
  • As we’ve reported previously, as technology has move forward faster than our ability to keep our communications private, law enforcement and other organizations have had unprecedented access to everything we do or say online
  • Now that encryption is catching up and that access is ending they’re trying to call foul on the fact that basic tools to keep our private information private are so readily accessible
  • Imagine if lawmakers were trying to enact legislation so that your local police had a copy of every key to every building in the city. Now take that a step further and imagine the law said that every house needs a dedicated police-door that they have keys to, but that key is the same for every house in your area and there’s no way for you to block it
    • Even if we ignore possible police corruption and officers not necessarily having our best interests in mind, as soon as you introduce any kind of back door or workaround there will always be people trying to open and use it without authorization
• The backbone of the internet relies on unbreakable encryption, for everything from banking to private communication, and if this law is allowed to exist it will put the tools to decrypt your personal information in the hands of the same kind of people that sold access to dozens of Twitter accounts in the BitCoin scam we reported a few episodes ago. And that’s not even taking in to account breaches like BlueLeaks, that had files from hundreds of US police departments exposed including many people’s personal information

Facebook, in classic fashion is directly going against what they promised when they bought Oculus and forcing new users to have Facebook accounts

• When Palmer Luckey, Oculus’s founder, first sold the company everyone was solid on the fact that you wouldn’t need a Facebook account. Then things slowly changed with Oculus moving from being an owned company to being just a division of Facebook. And then you needed a Facebook account for social features.
• Well now starting in October everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account
• Existing users have the option to merge their Oculus account with Facebook, or continue using just an Oculus account for the next two years
  • January 1, 2023, they’re pulling the plug on Oculus accounts and though you can keep using your device you’ll be missing some features like the ability to buy new software or even play some games
• They’re trying to push this as a convenience for users, but at the end of the day they’re forcing more and more of the Facebook platform and philosophy into what should be one of the best VR headsets on the market
• And of course, Facebook has confirmed that they’ll track how users use their headsets and use that information with no opt-out capability
• So while I love the idea behind Oculus, especially the Quest, I really can’t recommend it any more. Facebook is running the business into the ground with its invasive changes, and when my Quest inevitably gets locked down by my lack of a Facebook account it’ll be time to look elsewhere

More pandemic misinformation is making the rounds, with people now claiming that phones have been updated with a COVID-19 sensor

• In reality what they’re referring to is the exposure notification framework we’ve talked about previously
• For anyone’s who’s missed it, when you have a contact tracing app like Canada’s COVID Alert installed and set up on your phone the exposure notification features will share completely anonymous and randomized identifiers with other devices that are near you for about 15 minutes or more.
• That information is stored securely on your device and doesn’t include any location info for you or anyone else
• Then if someone tests positive for COVID-19, instead of trying to wrack their brains for everywhere they’ve gone for the last two weeks they get a code they punch in to the contact tracing app and it uploads the list of identifiers, notifying anyone that had been in contact to self-isolate and potentially get tested
• It’s not a perfect system, but I think it’s a great solution balancing safety and privacy
• Along with social distancing, masks, and hand hygiene, it’s another useful tool that we can use to keep ourselves and our loved ones safer. But it’s not a COVID-19 sensor

Pie Episode!

Discord

• Darren – Tourtierre
  • Tourtière is a Canadian meat pie dish originating from the province of Quebec, usually made with minced pork, veal or beef and potatoes. Wild game is sometimes used.
• Dalton – Pecan
  • In Canada, we have a treat called a Butter Tart. Which is basically a mini pecan pie with just the filling without pecans to fill it out.
  • Sometimes the butter tart can have some pieces of pecan, or be a trap and have raisins.
  • They are popular enough to have a home in the baked good sections of any good gas station with the muffins and Twinkies.

Twitter

• Karen – Saskatoon Berry
  • Sakatoon berries are also known as Juneberries in the United States

Instagram

• Darcy (Josh’s Mom) – Raisin pie
  • I can’t honestly say I’ve had this, but it’s my Mom’s favourite, so I may try to make it. May be like the pecan pie but raisin.

Facebook

• Tamara – Pumpkin Pie
• Emily from Emily Missed Out – Strawberry Rhubarb
  • Also Josh’s brother-in-law’s favourite.
• Travis Dart – Flapper Pie
  • Flapper pie is a vanilla custard pie topped with meringue. The Graham cracker cream pie dates back to the 19th century but entered Western Canadian pop culture in the 20th century as flapper pie.
• Derek Boxdorfer – Apple Pie

This Week In Gaming History

August 15 – 1987 – Metroid – NES North America

• A pillar franchise for Nintendo, we recently talked about how Animal Crossing has now sold more copies than the Metroid franchise.
• Fans of the franchise have been eagerly awaiting an announced Metroid 4, as we have not had a main title release for ten years.
  • The previous longest stretch between main titles have been between Super Metroid in 1994, and Metroid Fusion in 2002.
  • The latest release was Metroid Samus Returns, for the 3DS, from September 2017. The game is a reimagining of the 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. It was also accompanied by an excellent couched Samus amiibo as well as a Metroid amiibo with a soft body.

August 16 – 1993 – Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! – SNES North America

• You play Buster Bunny, in a series of levels, featuring characters from the Tiny Toon Adventures cartoon.
• Most of the six levels are platform levels, the fourth level is an exception, and consists of a game of (American) football, played with a simplified version of the rules.
• This stood out to me as I have always loved classic Looney Tunes, but I have never enjoyed the Tiny Toons, and it is almost always brought up when I talk Looney Tunes.

August 17 – 2009 – Toss The Turtle – Browser

• Toss the Turtle is a Flash-based game, in which the player has to launch a turtle from a canon and make it travel as much distance as possible. While airborne, the turtle can be controlled with the WASD keys, either to be relaunched by letting it hit explosives or creatures, or to avoid obstacles like a spiked wall. The player also has a projectile weapon with limited ammunition, with which he can shoot the turtle up in the sky and a one-use jet pack.
• After the flight, the player receives money, the amount being dependent on the distance travelled, objects hit, and money bags collected. This money can be used in the shop to upgrade the cannon, weapon or jet pack, or buy a chest bomb or nuclear thingy.
• I love these kinds of games, and this was one of the best in its heyday

August 18 – 2007 – xWUNG – Browser

• Described by the author as a shmup without the shooting, xWUNG presents a retro playfield straight from the days of early arcades with vector graphics and chippy tweets and bleeps.
  • The easiest comparison is to Asteroids, since they are both primarily concerned with dismantling large targets and avoiding being caught in the debris.
  • Here, however, once the target has been struck and the pieces fly, you have no need to further diminish them.
• A profounder difference lies in the tools in your toolbox; rather than a gun, your weapon is a weighted wire, swung and twirled around your vessel at varying lengths, depending on the vigorousness of the swirl.
  • If either the weight or the wire touches an enemy, they discombobulate in a shower of rectangular parts, deadly to the touch.
  • Your ship also has no acceleration or deceleration — both the movement of the ship and the trajectory of the weapon are directed by precise mouse movements.

August 19 – 2008 – Star Wars: Galaxies – Trading Card Game – Windows

• Created following the success of Sony Online Entertainment’s Legends of Norrath digital card game, Star Wars Galaxies: TCG is both a stand-alone, online-only strategy game, and a tie-in with the Star Wars Galaxies MMO.
  • Players can download a free trial of the card game with limited content, but must be a Galaxies subscriber to participate in the majority of game modes.
  • The card game can be played within the MMO, or through a separate downloadable client.
• Star Wars got me excited, then I was shocked it was a card game.
• The game is based on a system similar to Magic the Gathering.
  • There was an alternate way to win where they added the option to complete a quest before the other player.
  • You could buy 15 card booster packs or new starter decks.

August 20 – 2002 – The Thing – PS2, Xbox, Windows

• Set after the events of the 1982 John Carpenter movie, The Thing is a squad based 3rd person shooter, where each member of your team is equipped with a range of weapons and items to help you in your quest to destroy The Thing.
• You must use every player in the squad if you wish to proceed through each level, and once you find one of the thousands of alien creatures through-out the complex, weapons such as flame throwers, pistols and more come into play.
• 20 levels are on offer, with humans scattered around the area. But are they friend or an infected foe? Trust is the key to success.

August 21 – 1991 – 3D Maze – Windows 3.X

• 3D Maze is a simple graphical maze game.
• You begin in a blue square. The object of the game is to reach the red square hidden somewhere in the maze, then go back to the blue square. Once you do that, you win the game! You only have the help of an Elf which tells you if you’re close to the red square or not. If you’re getting close, it’ll say “Warmer”; if not, it’ll say “Colder”.
• The game also offers four maze sizes: Playable (12×12), Taxing (20×20), Unhealthy (30×30) and Suicidal (50×50).
• The 3D Maze Screensaver, was present from Windows 95 to 2000.

Tidbits

• There’s an interesting new app called Native Land, made by a Canadian nonprofit of the same name, that has mapped Indigenous territories across much of the world and lets you view not only what territory you’re in, but also other resources like languages and treaties that you can use to research the land you’re living on or start using land acknowledgements
• Crows Crows Crows announced that The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe has been delayed in their usual strange, meta fashion- by photoshopping Halo Infinite’s and Deathloop’s delay announcement tweets to refer to their game instead
  • For bonus points, they also put together an announcement that looks at first glance to reference a delay of the upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but that games hasn’t actually been delayed

Mini review: Truth or Dare on Netflix

• Went in expecting generic horror, got a surprisingly smart script

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Thank you Renée, and check out her podcast that Josh works on, Ravage Love.