Free Games

• Twitch

  • The Occupation

    • 2019
    • Stealth game that takes place in a government building in real time over the course of four hours, advancing with or without player input, where you play a journalist researching a controversial government act threatening civil liberties in the wake of a terrorist attack

• Epic Games

  • Blair Witch

    • 2019
    • Psychological survival horror game set two years after the events of The Blair Witch Project, following a former police officer searching Black Hills Forest for a missing child

  • Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered

    • 2019 remaster of the 2009 release
    • Third-person action adventure game where you play a new recruit to the team of parapsychologist ghost hunters two years after Ghostbusters II, that has you working with the original cast to investigate paranormal activities in New York City
    • The developers worked in many details from the Ghostbusters III script that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis had been working on, leading Aykroyd to consider this as “essentially the third movie”

Facebook is jumping on the cloud gaming bandwagon, aiming at AAA free-to-play on browsers and mobile

• The idea is that anybody can play for free, as long as they have a Facebook account (so much like Needful Things, you don’t pay with money)
• Facebook’s vice president of play, Jason Rubin, says their initial focus will be games picked to be “latency tolerant”, so they don’t need rock-solid infrastructure or connections to be playable
• Much like the days of Farmville, people can start playing games by clicking an ad in their Facebook timeline
• And Rubin was quick to point out this isn’t a game streaming service, and they won’t be releasing a first-party controller. Everything will be played with mouse and keyboard, or with your device’s touchscreen
• They also won’t be bringing in big name console titles from publishers like Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, or Ubisoft
• And, ominously, Rubin said “No investment, no promises”, presumably meaning that there’s no monthly fee or contracts, but also seeming to imply that they’ll do whatever they want with this platform as they’ve done with all of their other products
• And theoretically the games won’t be locked to the Facebook platform- every game at launch will allow users to take in-app purchases with them to other platforms to play elsewhere. They don’t care if you stay on their platform, because you’ve already clicked the ad to launch the game
  • Rubin said “…ultimately, we ran the ads, the ads are more effective. And we’re an advertising business. That’s how free-to-play games find people.”
  • Facebook makes money by keeping you on their platform, so if they can get you playing games there too they win regardless of if you’re paying
• Interestingly enough, in this era of pushback on app store fees, Facebook is reportedly taking a 30% cut of purchases on the web, though purchases through the Google Play store will see that 30% going to Google instead
• They’ll apparently be skipping over iOS this time around though, due to the rules we’ve reported on regarding cloud gaming on Apple devices
• The Android Beta of Facebook Gaming launches this Monday

Heads up for anyone planning on taking their Control save file from the current generation of consoles to the new ones in November, you need to buy and play the current Ultimate Edition first

• According to 505 Games support, you can’t just import your base PS4 or Xbox One save into the new Ultimate version on the PS5 or Xbox Series
• Using the Playstation as an example, you need to buy the Ultimate Edition for PS4 and then play it at least once to upgrade your save files. At that point they’ll be compatible with the PS5 Ultimate Edition
• So if you just own the base game on PS4 and the Ultimate Edition on PS5, you’re stuck losing progress. You need to buy the Ultimate Edition on PS4 instead so that you can update your save.
• At least the Ultimate Edition includes a free PS5 upgrade?

CD Project Red is under fire for once again delaying Cyberpunk 2077, this time to December 10th

• Even though the game has gone gold and has all its content, this new delay is related to day 0 patches to try and improve the quality and gameplay
• Day 0 patches can lead to some sizeable changes and improvements, as we saw with No Man’s Sky, but can also cause issues for those without great internet that are hoping to just buy a disc and play it
• On one hand I, like many others, want them to take the time to release a great game that they can be proud of, but on the other they probably shouldn’t keep announcing new release dates and crunch times over and over again
  • This is an especially bad look when not even a full 24 hours before the latest announcement they were on Twitter telling people that the November 19th date was fully confirmed and 100% on track
• The game was initially announced over 8 years ago
  • A trailer at E3 2019 gave a release date of April 26 2020
  • Then it was delayed to September 17
  • Then November 19
  • Now December 10
  • And this is all even with the crunch development that they promised they wouldn’t do and are doing anyway. Developers are working upwards of 100 hour weeks, and things are still slipping
• At this point it feels like they’ve prioritized the release date over actually finishing the game, but keep letting it slip regardless
• That said, there have been reports of people sending death threats to the developers over these delays and that is NOT okay

Alex Hutchinson, a Google Stadia Creative Director, had a spicy take this week saying that streamers should pay developers and publishers extra licensing for the games they stream

• Funnily enough this is a man using uncredited fanart of JackSepticEye’s Savage Planet playthrough (a game Hutchinson worked on) for his Twitter banner
  • He even cropped out the signature
• And many were quick to point out the positive impacts that streaming and let’s play videos can have on game sales, as well as the fact that in a world where publishing executives make millions a year developers wouldn’t even see any of that money anyway
• Plus it’s literally fair use- these people are adding commentary and personality to the gameplay, not just silently playing a movie

SpaceX is sending out the first invites for its public beta of Starlink, the low earth orbit satellite internet network

• Currently limited to some areas of the US and Canada, it will be offering 50-150Mbps with an estimated latency of 20-40ms by summer 2021
• It also comes with an iOS app that can help you install the antenna, check for obstructions, and help troubleshoot and test your connection if you need support
• Initial buy-in is $500USD for the antenna and router, with a subscription price of $100/month, which honestly isn’t that bad if you don’t have cable, DSL, or fibre internet in your area- services like Xplornet offer slower speeds with much higher latency for about the same price

Following up on their huge Origins update, Hello Games has announced their next update for No Man’s Sky: Next Generation

• Update 3.1 will being a graphically enhanced and smoother experience to the next generation of consoles and PC, with bigger bases, lusher planets, more players, faster warp speeds, cross-generation crossplay, and more
• Xbox One saves are automatically compatible, and PS4 players can upload their save data in-game for download on the PS5
• Best part is, it’s another completely free update!
• I’m looking forward to loading up my original save from 2016 and trying out all this new stuff

This Week In Gaming History

October 24 – 1995 – Marvel Super Heroes – Arcade

• Marvel Super Heroes is a 2D fighting game and the second Capcom title to feature characters from the Marvel comic universe.
  • The gameplay is very similar to X-Men: Children of the Atom, but with a simplified Super Combo gauge and the addition of infinity gems.
  • Each character starts with a set of gems.
  • These can be activated during a fight to improve speed, power and defense, or provide special abilities to create crushing stone walls, open up a rift in space, or reverse the opponent’s controls.
  • The use of the gems is inspired by the The Infinity Gauntlet comic book series.
• There are ten playable characters.
  • Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Psylocke, Spider-Man and Wolverine.
  • The villains are Blackheart, Juggernaut, Magneto and Shuma-Gorath.
  • Anita from the Darkstalkers series is a hidden character in the Japanese version.
  • The bosses are Doctor Doom and Thanos. During the boss fight Thanos steals all the player’s gems (except for mind) and uses them with new effects.m

October 25 – 2005 – Soul Caliber III – PS2

• In ancient times, a powerful weapon known as the Soul Edge existed, and tales of it’s power lured many.
  • But Soul Edge was an evil weapon, and when Siegfried claimed it, he was turned into a creature named Nightmare.
  • As time passed, Nightmare rampaged across Europe leaving a path of destruction, despite the efforts of other fighters.
  • One day, a mysterious man carrying a scythe confronts Nightmare and splits Siegfried from his cursed form.
  • He then resurrects the Azure Armor to carry on as the “Nightmare” creature.
  • At the same time, a young girl Tira pledges herself to Soul Edge’s dark power, and a woman named Setsuka swears to avenge her master.
  • All the while new rumors of the Soul Edge spread across the world, causing many who had searched for it before to once more venture out…
• Soulcalibur III is a 3D fighting game featuring a variety of characters, each carrying a distinctive weapon and unique fighting style.
  • The basics of the combat is a derived, in different stances, from a combination of Horizontal Attacks, Vertical Attacks, Throws, Kicks and a Soul Charge.
  • Characters engage one another in 1vs1 fights that end when the energy of one side is lost, removed from the ring or run out of time.
• This game added the Character Creation Mode
  • This allows the player to choose from several classes, clothing and armor, and physical features.
  • Most of the classes can use up to five disciplines, three of which are unique, and two of which are “Soul of …” disciplines: an exact replica of a main story character’s moves.
  • The created fighter’s personality can be altered, which influences their quotes and their actions during battle.
  • Unfortunately, the personality is chosen by the equipment the character wears, and not directly by the player.
• In the first ever Spike Video Game Awards in 2003, SoulCalibur II won in the category Most Addictive Game. The original releases on MetaCritic, are 93% on GameCube, 92% on PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
• I got some of these notes from PS2J 233, when I did the history of Soulcaliber.m

October 26 – 2000 – PlayStation 2 – North America

• A sixth-generation console, it competed with Sega’s Dreamcast, Nintendo’s GameCube, and Microsoft’s original Xbox.
• Announced in 1999, the PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor’s DualShock controller, as well as its games.
  • The PS2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, having sold over 155 million units worldwide.
  • Over 3,800 game titles have been released for the PS2, with over 1.5 billion copies sold.
• The PlayStation 2 offered some particularly high-profile exclusive games.
  • Most main entries in the Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid series were released exclusively for the console.
  • Several prolific series got their start on the PlayStation 2, including God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, Devil May Cry, Kingdom Hearts, and Sly Cooper.
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game on the console.
• Random PS2 Fact:
  • People in Brazil could actually boot up Netflix on their PS2 consoles.
  • This service also required a disc plus a memory card.
  • Netflix support for the PS2 was officially ended in 2012, which angered a user on the Gamespot forums.
    • However, Googling the subject, it seems some folks were able to circumvent this and keep watching House Of Cards and BoJack Horseman long after official support was pulled.
    • Reference for this: https://kotaku.com/until-2012-you-could-watch-netflix-on-a-ps2-in-brazil-1837331353

October 27 – 2017 – Super Mario Odyssey – Switch

• Explore incredible places far from the Mushroom Kingdom as you join Mario and his new ally Cappy on a massive, globe-trotting 3D adventure.
• Use amazing new abilities—like the power to capture and control objects, animals, and enemies—to collect Power Moons so you can power up the Odyssey airship and save Princess Peach from Bowser’s wedding plans!
• Thanks to heroic, hat-shaped Cappy, Mario’s got new moves that’ll make you rethink his traditional run-and-jump gameplay—like cap jump, cap throw, and capture.
  • Use captured cohorts such as enemies, objects, and animals to progress through the game and uncover loads of hidden collectibles.
  • And if you feel like playing with a friend, just pass them a Joy-Con™ controller!
  • Player 1 controls Mario while Player 2 controls Cappy.
  • This sandbox-style 3D Mario adventure—the first since 1996’s beloved Super Mario 64™ and 2002’s Nintendo GameCube™ classic Super Mario Sunshine™—is packed with secrets and surprises, plus exciting new kingdoms to explore.
    • Explore astonishing new locales like skyscraper-packed New Donk City to your heart’s content, and run into familiar friends and foes as you try to save Princess Peach from Bowser’s dastardly wedding plans.
    • Find something interesting? Toss your cap at it and see what happens! There are lots of fun and surprising ways to interact with your surroundings.
    • Be sure to bring any coins you find to a Crazy Cap store, where you can exchange them for decorative souvenirs for the Odyssey and new outfits for Mario! Some destinations have very exclusive dress codes, after all…
    • Hand a Joy-Con™ controller to a friend to enjoy simultaneous multiplayer: Player 1 controls Mario while Player 2 controls Mario’s new ally Cappy.
    • Use Snapshot Mode to freeze time while playing the game and take screenshots that you can customize using various options and filters. Screenshots can be shared via social media or uploaded to PCs and smart devices* using all of the Nintendo Switch™ system’s built-in screenshot tools.
    • A special edition Nintendo Switch™ hardware bundle will launch alongside the game. This special edition includes a download code for the full game, red left and right Joy-Con™ controllers, and a Super Mario Odyssey™ themed Nintendo Switch carrying case.
• Controls are the best in the series. Ratings are generally perfect across the board.
• First Mario game with a pop song as the main title.
  • Jump Up, Super Star was released worldwide on October 20, 2017, on the iTunes Store, while the short version was downloadable for free until January 31, 2018.

October 28 – 2008 – Fallout 3 – PS3, Windows, XBox 360

• The game that made Fallout the way everyone knows it now
• Bethesda Softworks started working on Fallout 3 in July 2004, but principal development did not begin until after The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and its related extras and plug-ins were completed.
  • Bethesda made Fallout 3 similar to the previous two games, focusing upon non-linear gameplay, story, and black comedy.
  • Bethesda pursued an ESRB rating of M (for “mature”) by including the adult themes, violence, and depravity characteristic of the Fallout series.
  • They shied away from the self-referential gags of the game’s predecessors that broke the illusion that the world of Fallout is real.
  • Fallout 3 uses a version of the same Gamebryo engine as Oblivion, and was developed by the team responsible for that game. Liam Neeson was cast as the voice of the player’s father.
• Neat Fallout 3 things I have from PS2J 216, the History of Fallout
  • There were originally at least 12 versions of the final cutscene, but, with further development, this expanded to over 200 possible permutations in the final release, all of which are determined by the actions taken by the player.
  • Game director Todd Howard confirmed that, in addition to thematics about slavery and cannibalism, there would be the presence of splatter scenes and exposition of evident mutilations on enemies with release of gibs.
  • The inspiration to include scenes with such explicit violence came from the “crash mode” of the driving simulator series Burnout.
    • Instead of cars that disintegrated because of the damage, the idea of applying kinematics on bodies who suffered wounds and mutilations due to ballistic trauma or beatings.
  • The game fell into some controversies with a world wide release.
    • Fallout 3 was refused classification by the Australian Classification Board, thus making it illegal to distribute or purchase the game in Australia.
    • According to the board report, the game was refused classification due to the “realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method [bringing] the ‘science-fiction’ drugs in line with ‘real-world’ drugs”.
    • A revised version of the game had to be released without the animations of administering the drugs.
  • In light of cultural sensitivities, the game was not released in India.
    • Although the specific reason was not revealed in public, it is possible that it is because the game contains two-headed mutated cows called Brahmin, or that Brahmin is also the name of an ancient, powerful hereditary caste of Hindu priests and religious scholars in India, or its similarity to the spelling of brahman, a type of cow that originated in India.
  • The side quest “The Power of the Atom” in the Japanese version of Fallout 3 was changed to relieve concerns about depictions of atomic detonation in inhabited areas, as the memory of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains strong in the country.
    • In non-Japanese versions, players are given the option of either defusing, ignoring, or detonating the dormant atomic bomb in the town of Megaton; in the Japanese version, the character of Mr. Burke is absent, making it impossible to choose the detonation option.
    • Also in the Japanese release, the “Fat Man” nuclear catapult weapon was renamed “Nuka Launcher”, as the original name was a reference to Fat Man, the bomb used on Nagasaki.
    • According to Tetsu Takahashi, responsible for localizing Fallout 3 to Japan under his company Zenimax Asia, the available actions prior to localizing “The Power of the Atom” and the ability to kill civilians almost got the game banned by CERO before it received an Adult Only Rating.

October 29 – 2002 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – PlayStation 2

• The follow-up to the game that changed gaming
• Tommy Vercetti is a gangster who just got off a fifteen year prison sentence for not squealing on his friends.
  • Because he didn’t rat out his “family”, Tommy’s sent to work with Sonny Forelli, his old boss.
  • Sonny gives him an easy drug job, but everything goes wrong, and Tommy loses everything.
  • Upon returning to Sonny, he gets mad and wants his money back.
  • Unfortunately, everybody in Vice City, from gangsters and Cubans to bikers and politicians are in his way, and it’s up to Tommy to clear a path.
• The 80’s aesthetic makes this game so special to me
  • I love the era, but love the internet so wouldn’t want to live in that time. Just visit, which this game lets me.
  • My favorite part of the description is about the soundtrack.
    • To effectively capture the mood of the 1980s, the soundtrack has been altered to fit the time period.
    • Players will listen to an estimated nine hours of music (nearly three times the amount featured in the previous game) across ten radio stations.
    • The eclectic mix features such noteworthy titles as I Ran by Flock of Seagulls, The Message by Grandmaster Flash, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming by Judas Priest, and Out of Touch by Hall & Oates.

October 30 – 2007 – The Simpsons Game – PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, XBox 360

• This at a glance, would the game for The Simpsons Movie that came out the same year
  • I remember playing all of it up the end, and enjoying it.
  • I do not remember finishing it or not
• Bart Simpson goes to a video game store and buys a new ultra-violent Grand Theft Scratchy game, which is promptly confiscated by his mother Marge.
  • Suddenly, a video game manual lands right in front of him.
  • Miraculously, after having read the manual, the members of the Simpsons family discover that each of them possesses a unique superpower.
  • Toying with these, however, attracts the attention of the aliens Kang and Kodos, who decide to invade the Earth.
  • Now the unlikely superheroes must not only protect the town of Springfield from an alien assault, but also find the true reason behind their newly acquired powers, and perhaps their very existence.
• The Simpsons Game is a 3D action game with platforming and light puzzle-solving elements, based on the long-running cartoon.
  • The game is divided into sixteen episodes, each containing cutscenes reminiscent of the original Simpsons TV series.
  • Every episode is set in a different environment; some of the scenarios are based in Springfield, while others take the player into meta-virtual worlds.
  • Some of the episodes parody a popular game or genre, having names like Medal of Homer or Neverquest. Each stage features two members of the Simpson clan working together to achieve the goal.
  • Players must switch back and forth using each family members’ unique powers to complete the level.
  • Most of the game’s versions allow two-player cooperative play.
• The four controllable characters have their own unique abilities, which are used for combat, puzzle-solving, or exploration-related purposes.
  • Homer can expand into a rolling blob or inflate himself with helium and float for a while; later, he learns a few other transformation abilities.
  • Bart can become Bartman, using a grappling hook to access certain areas, as well as move upwards in air streams with his cape.
  • Lisa’s main ability is called “Hand of Buddha”, which is used mainly for moving around large objects; she can also play her saxophone to stun or confuse enemies.
  • Finally, Marge can gather people with her megaphone and control their actions, as well as send the little Maggie into crawlspaces only she can access.
  • Some of these abilities have limited uses and must be either recharged or replenished with special items, while others are available only at specific trigger points.
• The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions also contain free-roaming gameplay – exclusively in those versions player characters can leave the Simpsons’ house between missions and freely wander through virtual Springfield.
  • Familiar landmarks (such as Moe’s Tavern, etc.) are present and can be explored as well.
  • These locations may contain additional dialogue and events. It is possible to use the bus to travel quickly to various destinations.

Tidbits

• After openly mocking Apple for removing charging bricks from new iPhones being sold, Samsung is reportedly considering the exact same move
  • This isn’t really anything new, after they pulled advertising focused on Apple removing the headphone port when they did the exact same thing in the Galaxy Note 10 series
  • It kind of makes sense though- it leads to less packaging and e-waste, while also driving people toward reliable and cheaper companies like Anker for their power adaptors
• With reports of broken Quest 2 Elite straps continuing to mount on Reddit, users are saying that Oculus Support is being overwhelmed and pushing response times further and further back
• In a case related to the FIFA games, a judge in the Netherlands has officially ruled that loot boxes are a form of gambling, and since online gambling is strictly regulated there they have given EA three weeks to remove them or be subject to up to €5M in fines
• Ubisoft’s UPLAY+ has morphed into Ubisoft+, launching a multi-platform subscription model with a beta on Amazon Luna and later on Google Stadia
  • PC subscribers get unlimited access to 100+ games for $15/month, including premium editions and upcoming titles like Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
  • Once Luna and Stadia support are brought in you’ll be able to play all of the included games on one of those streaming services at no additional cost, so you won’t need a powerful gaming PC to play brand new AAA titles
• As part of the antitrust lawsuit against Google that we talked about last week, it’s being reported that Google currently pays Apple an estimated $8-12B per year to be the default search engine
  • This is believed to be the single biggest payment Google makes to anyone, and accounts for 14-21% of Apple’s annual profits

Would you like to know more?

• Gizmodo’s breakdown of the US senate’s proposed changes to the laws that protect online platforms against liability for content uploaded by their users and how the platforms moderate it

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Thank you for your continued support Karen, we may not be podcasting today without your drive to make a podcasting community in Alberta. Listen to her and her daughter on Thats A Thing?!