PS2J 339 News – Karts Over Boards

March 19, 2021
Tagged as: 2021, 2d, 4:3, abzu, action, adaptive trigger, Adventure, advertising, AI, Alan, aloy, analog sticks, ancient, app tracking transparency, Apple, arid, art book, astro bot, backup, beetle, Bethesda, Boba Fett, bow, Braid, bullet hell, buy-out, bytedance, cable, caid, caravan of courage, cellular, charm, China, china advertising id, Clone Wars, co-op, Comics, complete edition, computer, controller, couch party edition, crew, database, DC, developer, dexter’s lab, digital, Disney Plus, DLC, Dreamcast, enter the gungeon, Epic Games, ewoks, exception, exploration, Facebook, fallout 76, financial times, First Person, flower, Free Games, friends, frozen wilds, Gamestop, genndy tartakovsky, Government, gradius, grip, hacker, haptic feedback, hbo max, holiday special, horizon zero dawn, idfa, illusion, imax, information, Instagram, Internet, invasive, iOS, Josh, Journey, Justice League, knuckle, LAN, Legend Of Zelda, logic, machine, moss, mouse, Multiplayer, music, myst, Netflix, oculus touch, official, open-world, optica, paper beast, PC, pcloud, Phone, photo, pilot, platform, platformer, play at home, Playstation, pounding, Privacy, procedural, ps+, PS2, PS4, ps5, PSVR, puzzle, quill, rail, redwall, rescue mission, rez, rez infinite, rhythm, rogers, roguelike, role-playing, RPG, Samurai Jack, secret, sharing, Shaw, shoot ’em up, Shooter, side scrolling, sneaky, snyder cut, social, Sony, Space, spatial, spear, Star Wars, subnautica, survival, swimsanity, synesthesia, table, techno, the battle for endor, the fall, the new responders, the story of the faithful wookie, the witness, third person, thumper, tiktok, tracking, trippy, Twitch, two of them, underwater, verify, versus, warning, YouTube, zack snyder

Free Games

Twitch
- Swimsanity – Couch Party Edition
  - 2020
  - Multiplayer 2D underwater shoot-em-up with co-op and versus game modes, and both online and local play. It’s like Gradius in the ocean with your friends
- Optica
  - 2018
  - Puzzle game of logic and illusion with a basic geometric design, that has you putting your spatial thinking to the test with everything from curious shapes to optical illusions
Epic Games
- The Fall
  - 2014
  - Action-adventure side-scrolling platform game where you play Arid, an artificial intelligence installed in an advanced combat space suit, as you explore a decaying industrial facility in search of medical attention for the suit’s injured pilot
Sony Play at Home 2021
- Free for everyone who owns a PS4 or PS5, not just PS+ subscribers
- March 25
  - ABZU
    - 2016
    - From the art director of Journey and Flower, ABZÛ is a wordless underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving, taking you on a journey through the ruins of an ancient civilization.
  - 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
  - Rez Infinite
    - 2016
    - An expanded release of the musical rail shooter originally released on the Dreamcast and PS2, it has you following a hacker’s journey into a malfunctioning AI system in a way that tries to create a sense of synesthesia
  - Subnautica
    - 2018
    - Open world survival action-adventure game that drops you on an alien planet covered with water where you have to build, survive, and uncover the secrets buried under the waves
  - The Witness
    - 2016
    - First person puzzle exploration game, a la Myst, developed by the creator of Braid
  - PSVR
    - Astro Bot Rescue Mission
      - 2018
      - Third person platformer with a ton of charm that has you exploring 5 different worlds to rescue your lost crew
    - Moss
      - 2018
      - Adventure game that feels like a mix between Redwall and The Legend of Zelda, that transports you to a fantasy land to help a young mouse named Quill defeat a fire-breathing snake and save her uncle
    - Thumper
      - 2016
      - Rhythm game that has you guiding a beetle-like creature along a set of rails and through different obstacles, all to trippy visuals and the beat of pounding techno
    - Paper Beast
      - 2020
      - First person adventure game where you explore a large ecosystem made up of various digital life forms originating from lost internet code
- April 19
  - Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
    - 2017
    - Open world action RPG that follows Aloy, a young hunter in a world overrun by machines, who sets out with her bow and spear to uncover her past
    - The Complete Edition comes with the full game, the Frozen Wilds expansion, a digital art book, a PS4 dynamic theme, and bonus weapons, outfits, and resources

A state-backed group in China wants to get around App Tracking Transparency and track app users with a controversial new “China Advertising ID”, or CAID

There’s currently a feature on iPhones that’s a little sneaky where developers can store text information in your keychain and access it across any of your devices
- The really sneaky piece that’s just ripe for abuse comes in where these objects are not only accessible from any of the developer’s apps (not just the one that stored it), but they’re also not cleaned up when you delete an app
  - So for example if you installed Instagram and deleted it, then installed Facebook, Facebook would be able to identify that you’re the same person
  - And the worst part about this is it applies to things like advertising or authentication code, so if you have an app that uses Google for ads or Facebook for logins then it can read and write that same information shared by all apps by those specific developers
Well in response to Apple giving users control over who can track them by official means, it sounds like Chinese companies may be working with the China Advertising Association to use this information to build a database of users for tracking purposes
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, released an 11-page guide to app developers that was obtained by the Financial Times, suggesting that advertisers “can use the CAID as a substitute if the user’s IDFA is unavailable”
Apple has denied that they would be granting any exceptions to the new tracking rules, saying that apps found to disregard a user’s choice would be rejected, and one person familiar with the situation said that Apple would be able to detect which apps use the CAID and potentially block them.
- Unfortunately if this takes off it could be Apple vs the Chinese government, and if the majority of apps in China start using the CAID it could lead to some serious repercussions
Yang Congan, the chief executive of a Beijing-based data privacy company, suggested that CAID had been designed to get around Apple’s rules because it might not “uniquely” identify users, but that’s sophistry at best and an outright lie at worst
I think the best way forward to be to rethink how exactly apps from the same developer can access data on your account, and give users more control over that piece as well. The feature may have been designed with the intention of streamlining the user experience and letting developers recover sessions or logins, but using it to smuggle data across apps should be a clear violation of developer agreements

Sony’s unveiled the planned controller for their next generation of PSVR, and it looks pretty slick

The controller looks like an evolution of the latest Oculus Touch, but they’ve put the tracking ring a little further back around your hand and wrist
- It looks like it’ll be pretty well balanced, though after having third-party knuckle grips for my Oculus I can definitely see wanting them here, too
They’ll also have adaptive triggers on both sides, haptic feedback, finger detection, and analog sticks on both controllers
- With modern VR those analog sticks wouldn’t be worth mentioning, but coming from the previous PSVR they’re a big improvement

This Week In Gaming History

March 13 – 2012 – Yakuza: Dead Souls – PlayStation 3 (United States)

The district of Kamurocho has survived gang violence, terrorist bombings, and open mafia war, but the latest threat may be the one that finally destroys the district for good: a zombie apocalypse.
- As the city burns four men search for answers: Shun Akiyama, the enigmatic moneylender from Yakuza 4; Goro Majima, Leader of the Tojo clan’s Majima family; Ryuji Gouda, exiled former-chairman of the Omi Alliance and antagonist of Yakuza 2; and the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu.
Yakuza: Dead Souls is the sequel to Yakuza 4, taking place one year afterwards but with a decidedly more fantastic premise.
- The game also has a radically new combat engine, as the living dead can easily shrug off kicks and punches.
- Each character can equip up to four weapons at a time, from pistols with unlimited ammunition to wide-spread shotguns, powerful anti-armor rifles, and incendiary grenades.
- While inside the quarantined areas of Kamurocho the player can be swarmed by zombies at any time, with more than twenty attacking at once.
- In addition to zombies they will also face mutants, such as the quick and agile Monkeyboy or the zombie-summoning Cry Baby, who are stronger and will require different tactics.
- Even more dangerous Prototypes will appear as bosses during the storyline.
Like previous Yakuza games sidestories are often available between story missions.
- The quarantine has disrupted many people’s lives, and they need help getting back into the infected areas to save someone or finish some business.
- A new feature to Dead Souls are Perfect Partners, as some of these people in need will permanently join the protagonists, entering the quarantine when called and leveling up and gaining new abilities alongside them.
- Most of the minigames of previous Yakuza games, such as dining, hostess bars, batting cages, crane machines, and more are all present.
- The coliseum does not return, but in its place is the Subterreania, a randomly generated dungeon filled with enemies that rewards the player the deeper they go.

March 14 – 1986 – Night Fire – DOS

As artillery games are wont to do, Night Fire sticks each player into the stuffy interior of a tank, placed somewhere on a randomly generated terrain, and pits the participants (2 to 8 of them) against one another in a merry free-for-all of ballistic abandon.
- The objective? stay alive, and prevent your opponents from doing the same by feeding them carefully-measured portions of flaming death.
Each player in turn can either move or shoot – moving is useful for improving tactical positions (and avoiding an untimely demise when enemy shells start getting too close).
- For shooting, the barrel angle and shell velocity can be modified as needed.
- Presiding over the battle is the full moon, which provides more than ambiance: it helpfully displays on its disc two gauges, indicating air friction and the wind’s speed and direction, which also have to be taken into account.
Josh played this, if not a very faithful recreation of it.

March 15 – 1997 – Snowboard Kids – Nintendo 64 (North America)

A racing game where you control one of five cutesy snowboarders competing against each other.
- Being a snowboarding game, each track is a downhill slalom with a ski lift at the bottom which takes you back to the start for however many laps a track has.
The tracks are varied, the first few taking place on snowy mountainsides, while the latter taking you to wackier locales such as grassy countryside, a desert and a theme park.
- The money collected on the course or won at the end of the race can be spent to buy better boards, which differ in stats, or to collect items/weapons while racing.
- There are also stunts that can be performed while racing which earn money as well, and certain parts of each course encourage the player to do so.
Other modes include stunt mode, shoot mode and speed mode, all focusing on a particular part of the gameplay from the main game, and a multiplayer mode where up to 4 players can race each other.
- There are also unlockables for dedicated players.

March 16 – 2010 – Metro 2033 – Windows, Xbox 360

Plot:
- In the year 2013 almost all of humanity was wiped out as a result of a devastating war, and Earth’s surface became a nuclear wasteland.
  - The few survivors in Moscow retreated to the city’s subway tunnels.
  - But even underground, human society continued to develop in predictable ways.
  - Factions were formed, and stations and entire lines were occupied by ideologically opposed groups of people.
  - War continued on a much smaller scale, adding to the difficulty of living under nearly impossible conditions, fearing the dark subway tunnels which harbored terrifying creatures.
- Artyom was born a few days before the apocalypse, but raised in the underground.
  - Up until now he had never left the relative safety of the Exhibition, the northernmost station in the Moscow metro, where he lived together with his stepfather.
  - However, everything changes when a soldier called Hunter arrives at the station, warning its inhabitants about a group of mysterious creatures known as the Dark Ones.
  - When Artyom realizes that Hunter will never return from his mission, he decides to travel through the tunnels to the central Polis station and get help there.
Metro 2033 is a first-person shooter with survival horror elements, based on the Russian book of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky.
- Most of the game takes place underground, but several times Artyom will have to venture outside, into the perpetual nuclear winter.
- Game progression is fairly linear, though areas may be explored more thoroughly for items and ammunition.
- Setpieces include a few on-rails sequences, missions that involve defending a location from an onslaught of monsters, and others.
- A few stages can be completed in a stealthy fashion.
Mutants and hostile humans are the enemies of the game; Artyom can use a variety of weapons to deal with them, including AK-47, sniper rifle, automatic shotgun, and others.
- The player can only carry a sidearm and two primary weapons at the same time.
- Dynamite sticks and knives complete the set.
- All weapons come in different variations with scopes, silencer and other upgrades attached.
- While the upgrades cannot be bought individually, already upgraded weapons can be purchased at shops in the stations in exchange for the old weapon and powerful military-grade ammunition, the only currency in the game.
- If Artyom is hit, he slowly regenerates his health automatically; however, medikits are available to instantly heal him and increase the regeneration rate for a few seconds.
When traveling on the surface or through poisoned areas, Artyom needs to equip his gas mask in order to survive.
- The filter of the gas mask wears down as it is being used (indicated by Artyom’s special watch and his heavier breathing) and can even be damaged in melee fights, straining the filter even more.
- Other tools available to Artyom are a pair of night vision goggles, a flashlight, a light-meter, a lighter, his journal with a compass, and a charging device.
- The latter is required to manually recharge the flashlight and the night vision goggles once their energy gets low.
- The light-meter, on the other hand, helps Artyom to determine if he is hidden in the shadows, helping him to avoid some dangers.
Other environmental hazards include seeking anomalies and strange, sometimes deadly visions.
- These visions play a role in the game’s plot, and also serve as moral judgment of Artyom’s behavior, along with his actions during certain situations involving hostile human organizations.
- Depending on these choices, the game will reach one of the two available endings.

March 17 – 1995 – Descent – DOS

Plot:
- The Post-Terran Minerals Corporation (PTMC) digs up minerals on all nine planets of the solar system, employing humans and robots to do its job.
  - Unfortunately, the mining robots are now being controlled by a hacker, and have taken the human workers hostage.
  - The PTMC has tried to get the robots back under their control, but communication with the mining stations has been lost.
  - In desperation, the PTMC modifies a Pyro-GX ship for combat and hires a mercenary, codenamed “Material Defender”, to fly it.
  - The mission is to destroy the infected mines and rescue human hostages, destroying any hostile robot that gets in the way.
Descent is a 3D first-person game that puts the player at the controls of the Pyro-GX spaceship.
- Descent is notable in that the player travels through various interior locations (mines) but can do so in 720 degrees of movement.
  - The ship however only moves forward and backward in any of the directions it is facing.
  - The ship is able to use a variety of weapons scattered as power-ups throughout each level.
  - They include: standard lasers, the Vulcan Cannon (a chaingun-like weapon), the Spreadfire Cannon (a rapidly firing, shotgun-like energy weapon), the Plasma Cannon (a rapidly firing energy weapon more suited for medium-range combat), and the Fusion Cannon (fires a ball of energy that’s more powerful the longer it is charged it up, but could destroy the ship).
  - All of these weapons, except for the Vulcan Cannon, use the ship’s energy supply.
  - The Pyro-PX is also capable of firing regular concussion missiles, homing missiles, proximity bombs (sits in the sky, then explodes when something gets close to it), smart missiles (more powerful homing missiles that fire out homing energy balls upon impact with their target), and Mega Missiles (the ultimate weapons of mass destruction).
The goal of each level is to locate and destroy the mine’s reactor.
- Once completed, there are only 45 seconds to find the escape hatch to get out of the mine before it explodes.
- As progress is made through the game, the AI will adapt to player’s strategies and attempt to prevent the player from reaching the goals.
This was the first 3D game Josh can remember playing.

March 18 – 1992 – Minesweeper – Windows 3.x

Minesweeper is a puzzle game in which the player is presented with a board filled with mines, without knowing what fields they occupy.
- When the player clicks on a field a number appears on it, indicating how many mines are located in the fields nearest to it.
- The player then clicks on other fields, trying to avoid mines.
- If the player makes a mistake, the mine will explode and the game is over.
- The game features three difficulty levels, distinguished by the size of the board – the bigger the board, the higher the difficulty level.

March 19 – 2007 – Tetris Evolution – Xbox 360

Tetris Evolution is one of the many officially-licensed Tetris games. The game features seven game modes, several of which return from Tetris Worlds.
- Marathon – Standard, timeless Tetris, where the goal is to clear as many lines as possible.
- Ultra – Try to earn as many points as possible in a timed game.
- Cascade – Clearing lines can cause placed pieces to fall, potentially clearing more lines for big points.
- Race – Clear a set number of lines as quickly as possible.
- Score – Reach a designated score as quickly as possible.
- Hotline – Clearing specific highlighted lines will earn bonus points.
- Go Low – The lower the stack is, the more points are gained from clearing a line.
Also included are both local multiplayer and online play over Xbox Live for up to four players.
- There are also a variety backgrounds and BGM to choose from.

Tidbits

Fallout 76 role-playing group The New Responders is making an in-game procedural drama, bringing in other members of the community to join the story and solve the mystery
- Episodes are broadcast weekly live on Twitch and then archived afterwards on YouTube
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars cartoon is finally coming to Disney Plus on April 2nd, along with other Star Wars side-projects like Caravan of Courage and The Story of the Faithful Wookie
- Though it’s no longer canon to the Star Wars universe, the series of shorts from the mind that brought us Dexter’s Lab and Samurai Jack is just fantastic and very much worth watching
The Snyder Cut of the Justice League movie is out today on HBO Max, so we’ll have to see if doubling the length of movie can make it into a better one
- Don’t adjust your TV when you’re watching though- the whole film is shown in a 4:3 display ratio, because Snyder wanted it fully IMAX-ready
Part of the ongoing GameStop stock saga has seen the leak of new GameStop Social spaces, including mini LAN centres and tables for card and board games (presumably once it’s safe to do so)
- If these kinds of things come to EB Games north of the border as well, along with the new push to digital and same-day delivery, this could be a renaissance for the video game retailer
Photo backup service and self-professed online privacy experts pCloud have apparently run an analysis of Apple’s app privacy labels and determined that Instagram and Facebook are “the most invasive apps” when it comes to third party data
- Surprising no-one
Rogers Communications is apparently looking to buy out Shaw, becoming Canada’s second-largest cellular and cable provider
- Canada already has some of the world’s highest costs for cell phone and internet plans, and the $26B plan probably wouldn’t improve the situation
Netflix is reportedly testing a new feature that will show warnings to anyone allegedly sharing their login with someone outside of their home
- The warning pops up asking you to verify their access through a code texted to their phone, but so far there haven’t been any repercussions to just clicking “Verify later”

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PS2J 337 News – Before Dark Souls

March 5, 2021
Tagged as: 120fps, 2k, 4K, 60fps, action, adaptive triggers, Adventure, airplane, Alan, Amazon, anthem, app store, Apple, apple card, apple music, appleid, avalanche, avro lancaster, bad press, balance, bbs, BioWare, blasphemous, bomber crew, bomberman, boomerang fu, brazil amazon, breakout, bullet hell, bye forever, Castlevania, co-op, combat, Comedy, communist, couch, counterstrike, crash, credit card, cvstodia, damnation, deluze, Destiny, Diddy Kong Racing, diesel punk, DLC, dogfight, Dragon Age, dualsense, dustin curtis, ea games, eco-terrorist, Epic Games, ex, facebook marketplace, farpoint, fast laughs, faster, Final Fantasy, final fantasy vii, final fantasy vii remake, First Person, forgot, frames per second, Free Games, From Software, from the aches, haptic feedback, hollow knight, illegal, indigenous, intergrade, Japan, jedi fallen order, Josh, jupiter, Justice League, katana, lifestream, llamanati, lock, m1, Macbook, MacOS, mail, mailtrackerblocker, maquette, marketing, mech, medieval, mercenary, metal slug, metal slug 3, metroidvania, Microsoft, mind control delete, mini review, miscommunication, mistake, narrative, national forest, Netflix, nightmare, One, Online, outstanding, party, photo mode, physics, play at home, Playstation, plugin, pop-up, prime, PS4, ps5, PSVR, puzzle, racing, rainforest, ratchet & clank, Real Time Strategy, red dragon, remnant, reserve, resolution, roguelike-lite-ish, RPG, RTS, s, scroll, sekiro, series, service game, shadows die twice, shinobi, shinra, shmup, shoot ’em up, Shooter, sidescrolling, simulation, sine mora, single-player, skill, skydrift, snyder cut, Sony, Souls, souls-like, soulsborne, Space, strategy, SUPERHOT, superliminal, support, tactical, tengami, third person, tiktok, top-down, tracker, tracking, trade-in, twin stick, Twitch, vanity fair, vicious attack llama apocalypse, VR, warface, wargame, wolf, world war ii, would you like to know more, X, XBox, yuffie

Free Games

Twitch
- Blasphemous
  - 2019
  - A dark medieval Souls-like Metroidvania, Hollow Knight by way of Castlevania, that has you exploring the nightmare world of Cvstodia to break out of eternal damnation
- Bomber Crew Deluxe
  - 2017
  - Strategic simulation game that has you picking the right crew to keep your Avro Lancaster bomber in tip top shape and complete your World War II era missions
- Sine Mora EX
  - 2012
  - 2.5D bullet hell shoot ’em up in a diesel punk inspired world, now with improved visuals and new game modes
- Tengami
  - 2015
  - Adventure puzzle game that takes place in ancient Japan, with an artstyle similar to traditional Japanese painting with a 3D pop-up book look
- SkyDrift
  - 2011
  - Airplane combat racing game similar to the flight mode on Diddy Kong Racing with the addition of dogfights, where you get speed boosts for acrobatic maneuvers or for taking down opponents
- Boomerang Fu
  - 2020
  - Billed as a frantic physics party game, you play as different foods trying to chop eachother up with boomerangs from a top-down Bomberman-style view in a variety of crazy levels
Xbox
- Warface: Breakout
  - 2020
  - Tactical online first person objective shooter along the same lines as Counterstrike, launched as a spin-off from the popular free-to-play Warface
- Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse
  - 2018
  - Tagline: “The world’s best mass llama-slaughter roguelike-lite-ish couch co-op top-down twin-stick shooter.”
  - You remotely pilot an endless supply of mechs from your ocean carrier offshore of the apocalypse, fighting through the llama hordes to take down The Llamanati
- Metal Slug 3
  - 2000
  - Run and gun sidescrolling shooter that added more weapons and vehicles to the Metal Slug series, as well as introducing branching paths
Playstation
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
  - 2020
  - Action RPG remake of the 1997 Final Fantasy VII, where you play as a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist group trying to stop the Shinra corporation from using the planet’s essence as a power source
  - This is just the first part of a planned series, where they’ve taken the original game and reworked so much that each part is a full length title on its own
  - One thing to note is that people who get the game for free aren’t eligible for the free PS5 upgrade that we’ll be talking about a little later
- Remnant: From the Ashes
  - 2019
  - Third person action RPG shooter that borrows mechanics from the Soulsborne games with the addition of more gunplay on top of melee combat, where the earth has been decimated and overrun by an interdimensional evil called the Root
- Maquette
  - 2021
  - A first-person recursive puzzle game that takes you into a world where every building, plant, and object are simultaneously tiny and staggeringly huge. It plays a lot like Superliminal but with less challenge, more to serve a narrative experience
- Farpoint
  - 2017
  - VR space adventure set on a hostile alien planet, where you’ve crash-landed after being sent to pick up scientists studying an anomaly near Jupiter
- And don’t forget to grab Ratchet & Clank, free this month for everyone from the Play At Home program
Epic Games
- Wargame: Red Dragon
  - 2014
  - Real-time strategy game that has you engage in a large-scale conflict between Western forces and the Communist bloc

Apple had to deal with some undeserved bad press this week as a story broke accusing them of locking a user’s AppleID due to missed Apple Card payments

In the original story you may have heard, Dustin Curtis started losing access to different areas of his AppleID, first the App Store, then Apple Music, and progressively more and more services, after purchasing a new Mac through the trade-in program and forgetting to send in his old one in exchange. This caused an additional charge to his Apple Card
- Apparently Apple did send a reminder, but when he replied saying he’d never received the trade-in kit he did not get a response
- Then through some detective work and miscommunications he determined that, because his bank account number had changed, the extra charge couldn’t be covered by his normal automatic payments leading to his account being locked
- If this was actually the case it would be a pretty big story, with Apple holding your digital life hostage after one missed credit card payment and treating their charges differently from others on their credit card
The actual story is less sinister, but still one to be aware of
- Apple released a statement first clarifying that the Apple Card and AppleID systems aren’t linked in that way- if you miss payments your AppleID will not be disabled
- What actually happened was, because the trade-in process was left unresolved after the time period expired (around 14 days), and they had provided an instant credit on his purchase for the trade-in, they attempted to charge his account for the balance. Because the bank account number had changed this charge failed and his account was left in bad standing
  - This would have happened with any credit card used, not just Apple’s
- So it’s much more straightforward- if your Apple account is left in bad standing with a balance owing, Apple starts disabling paid services until you cover the charge. Similar to any other bill payment. They don’t block your iCloud though, so messaging and whatnot will still work
In the end the original story has a couple of holes
- Banks generally don’t just change your account number without telling you
- If you do a trade-in, how do you forget you still have the old computer

There’s a fancy new version of Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to the PS5, with bonus DLC featuring Yuffie

June 10th will see a free PS5 upgrade for everyone who paid for the remake, titled Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, though for some reason anyone getting the game for free from PS+ this month will be stuck with the PS4 version instead
- It’s still playable on the PS5 through backwards compatibility, but you won’t see the improved visuals or extra DLC content
- The new features include a graphics mode with 4k resolutions, a performance mode running 60fps, a customizable photo mode (because that’s becoming standard nowadays), faster load times, and extra features using the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the Dualsense controller

This Week In Gaming History

February 27 – 2002 – Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure – GameBoy Advance

Crash Bandicoot makes his first appearance on the Game Boy Advance, in this, his 5th adventure against arch nemesis, Dr. Neo Cortex.
- This time Cortex has shrunk the world down to a tiny size and it is up to Crash to explore the 20 levels full of dangerous creatures and terrain to collect crystals that will (hopefully) change the world back to its normal size.
Crash explores 4 worlds, each with 5 levels.
- Levels range from side-scrolling action to underwater swimming and 3D chase sequences (similar to those in the original Playstation series) designed using the GBA’s unique FX features to create a 3D illusion.
- You will also play flying shoot ’em up levels, a boss levels at the end of each world, and the usual extra bonus levels and secret items.

February 28 – 1997 – Turok: Dinosaur Hunter – Nintendo 64

The Earth is separated by an invisible barrier from the Lost Land, a realm in which time has no meaning, and which is inhabited by ferocious dinosaurs and aliens.
- For many generations, the mantle of Turok has been bestowed upon those who saw the protection of the barrier as their sacred duty.
- But an evil lord named Campaigner is seeking for an artifact that is capable of destroying the barrier, striving to dominate the entire universe.
- This artifact, known as the Chronoscepter, was broken into pieces which were then hidden away.
- Tal’Set, a Native American and the last Turok, must find the scattered pieces of the Chronoscepter, and stop the Campaigner from obtaining them.
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter with platforming and light puzzle-solving elements.
- Much of the game is set in outdoor environments, and requires the player to explore them by finding various paths, jumping, swimming, and climbing.
- The game’s most notable enemies are dinosaurs of various sizes, though the levels also include human and demonic enemies, as well as wildlife.
- The player gradually gains access to thirteen weapons (plus the Chronoscepter, assembling which is the game’s main objective); these include a knife, a bow, as well as high-tech firearms such as a rocket launcher and an atomic fusion cannon.
A first for the N64!
- Was the first 1st-person shooter on the console.
- It was also the first third-party release for the Nintendo 64.
German Censorship
- The German version of the game was censored.
- All human opponents were replaced by robots – some of them were exclusively modeled for this release, others were just taken from the last level of the game and used throughout all the other levels as well.
Japanese Title
- The Japanese title translates to Space-time Soldier Turok in English.
Memory Card Goof
- In the United Kingdom, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the first N64 game released there to require an expansion memory-card in order to save your in-game progress.
- The only problem was, Nintendo had not yet made their official memory-cards available for retail sale in the UK.
- Scrambling to meet market immediate market demand, third-party accessory manufacturers were able to swoop in and fill the gap.
- A notable misstep by Nintendo which could have tanked the release of Turok for the UK.

March 1 – 2001 – Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider – PlayStation, Windows

Sheep Raider is a 3D puzzle game, with gameplay mimicking the wacky contraptions and situations from the original cartoons.
- Players need to catapult themselves across a canyon, camouflage themselves as a bush to sneak past Ralph, lure sheep with sheep perfume etc.
The player takes on the role as starving Ralph Wolf and must help him steal one sheep from Sam Sheep Dog and get it to a certain goal location.
- With a wide arsenal of Acme gadgets at his disposal, Ralph is sure to concoct the perfect plan for keeping his stomach filled, or not!
- The game takes place across 15 various stages as well as 2 hidden stages, each with their own requirements and challenges, so the longevity of the game is notable.
The puzzles consist of finding items and using them at certain location or on certain characters.
- Items include lettuce to lure sheep and mines which can be defused.
- There also are mailboxes with which the player can order a wide arsenal of helpful Acme gadgets.
- Directly after ordering the product is air shipped instantaneously, with a crate falling from the sky.
- Gadgets include a rocket, dynamite, elastic band, a fan, a metal detector and many more.
- Some gadgets are level specific, like for example a time travel gadget with which Ralph can traveling back and forth in time to manipulate placement of rocks and trees.
There are checkpoints throughout each of the levels, although there are no visual clues as to where they are.
- For example, if the player reaches a certain area carrying the sheep and then falls off a cliff, the player plus sheep will be respawned near that area.
- Each level also has a punch clocks, usually in a hidden area, they acts just as an extra collectible.

March 2 – 2004 – Ninja Gaiden – Xbox

When the Vigoor Empire attacks Ryu Hayabusa’s village and steals the Dark Dragon Blade, the ninja vows to seek revenge with his Dragon Sword.
- Gifted with an impressive sets of moves, combining both melee and projectile weapons, you will need to defeat hordes of ninjas and monsters.
- During your journey, you acquire new moves and abilities such as the Art of the Inferno (fire), Ice Storm and Inazuma (thunder-like).
- Other moves include running over water, wall-based combos and ultimate techniques.
- You have to search or shop for special items, armlets, weapons and scrolls that enhance your abilities.
This fast-paced game is known for its hard difficulty (true to the series) and smart enemy AI that hardly relies on patterns.
- The Live! features allow for participating in the Master Ninja Tournament, a nationwide competition with prizes.

March 3 – 2017 -The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Ad Blurb:
- Step into a world of adventure
- Forget everything you know about The Legend of Zelda games.
  - Step into a world of discovery, exploration, and adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a boundary-breaking new game in the acclaimed series.
  - Travel across vast fields, through forests, and to mountain peaks as you discover what has become of the kingdom of Hyrule In this stunning Open-Air Adventure.
  - Now on Nintendo Switch, your journey is freer and more open than ever.
  - Take your system anywhere, and adventure as Link any way you like.
- Features:
  - Explore the wilds of Hyrule any way you like—anytime, anywhere!
    - Climb up towers and mountain peaks in search of new destinations, then set your own path to get there and plunge into the wilderness.
    - Along the way, you’ll battle towering enemies, hunt wild beasts and gather ingredients for the food and elixirs you’ll make to sustain you on your journey.
    - With Nintendo Switch, you can literally take your journey anywhere.
  - More than 100 Shrines of Trials to discover and explore
    - Shrines dot the landscape, waiting to be discovered in any order you want.
    - Search for them in various ways, and solve a variety of puzzles inside.
    - The tasks you must perform in each Shrine varies, and you’ll never expect the challenges you’ll face until you enter.
    - Some will involve realistic physics, and some will require you to harness the power of nature, including electricity, wind, fire, and more.
    - Work your way through the traps and devices inside, utilizing your runes and think outside the box to earn special items and other rewards that will help you on your adventure.
  - Be prepared and properly equipped
    - With an entire world waiting to be explored, you’ll need a variety of outfits and gear to reach every corner.
    - You may need to bundle up with warmer clothes or change into something better suited to the desert heat.
    - Some clothing even has special effects that, for example, can make you faster or stealthier.
  - Battling enemies requires strategy
    - The world is inhabited with enemies of all shapes and sizes.
    - Each one has its own attack method and weaponry, so you must think quickly and develop the right strategies to defeat them.
  - amiibo compatibility
    - The Wolf Link amiibo from Twilight Princess HD, the Zelda 30th Anniversary series amiibo, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild series amiibo are all compatible with this game.
    - Tap the Wolf Link amiibo (sold separately) to make Wolf Link appear in the game.
    - Wolf Link will attack enemies on his own and help you find items you’re searching for.
    - Tap a Zelda 30th Anniversary series amiibo to receive helpful in-game items or even a treasure chest!
Tribute to Iwata
- The game pays tribute to late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata through the character Botrick, who bears a striking resemblance to Iwata. Botrick tells Link about the Satori Mountain, with “Satori” being derived from Iwata’s first name Satoru. At top of the mountain is a mystical horse called the Lord of the Mountain, whose Hyrule Compendium entry reads:
- “This noble creature watches over all animals that make their homes in the forest. Legends say this holy creature is a reincarnation of a sage that died on the land it now protects. It has an acute awareness of its surroundings, so it seldom appears before people. It’s also known by its other name, Satori.”

March 4 – 2014 – South Park: The Stick of Truth – PS3, Windows, Xbox 360

South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG based off the South Park franchise.
- You play as a new kid (Douchebag as known to by Cartman) who just arrived in the town of South Park, Colorado.
- You immediately become thrust into a battle of epic proportions as you join together with many characters such as Kenny and Butters in order to procure the magical Stick of Truth from the evil Elves.
Starting off the adventure you get to choose between four different classes: Warrior, Mage, Thief, and Jew.
- Your appearance is completely customizable at all times with new outfits and accessories able to be found around the town.
- Social networking is an important feature in the game.
- When you meet new characters they become friends with you on the Facebook social network.
- Things like quests, your inventory, the town map, and more are also all displayed on your profile page.
- Your friends will post messages from time to time on your wall and give tips on how to beat quests and on where to find certain characters.
The game is visually made to look just like an episode from the television show.
- Written by South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the story takes place after the season 17 Black Friday episode trilogy. Combat is turn-based and relies on the HP/PP system found in many other games.
- Taking damage reduces your HP and using your abilities/magic to dish out damage consumes your PP.
- HP/PP is completely restores after every battle.
- The character is able to become stronger by changing their equipment and gaining experience in battle.
- After obtaining a certain amount of XP the character levels up and is given upgrade points.
- These points are then used to strengthen your abilities.
- Meeting set amount of characters unlocks different perks to help in battle.

March 5 – 2020 – Walking Simulator – Windows

The year is 2020, world war III and the coronavirus destroyed the civilized world.
- You are the last post carrier, tasked to get parcels from point A to B in the most barren and desolate places on earth.
- Get ready to combat the weather, terrain and gravity itself.
- Can you help humanity rebuild or will this task be too much.
Beta of ACT 1 – Antarctica is now available

Tidbits

Following the success of Jedi Fallen Order and the abject failure of Anthem, EA has allowed BioWare to make the next Dragon Age a single-player RPG
- Knowing the history of the franchise it was a bit of a shock to hear that it had previously been planned as an online multiplayer service game, a la Destiny
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE has been updated on Xbox to support 4k at 120fps on the Series X, and 2k/120fps on the S
- If you haven’t played it already, it’s absolutely worth your time and I’m envious of all those extra frames you’ll see
According to the BBC, parts of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold through Facebook’s classified ads service, with some plots as large as 1,000 soccer fields and located in national forests and indigenous peoples reserves
- Facebook said it was ready to work with local authorities, but would not take any action on its own
Netflix has launched a new Fast Laughs feature on their app, showcasing scrollable little clips from different shows and comedy specials all formatted vertically to remind you what they have to offer in the age of TikTok
Anyone using the Mail app on macOS should check out MailTrackerBlocker, a plugin that strips out a good majority of spy pixels in marketing emails that feed information about your email interaction back to marketers like if/when you open an email, as well as your location and what device you’re using
- https://apparition47.github.io/MailTrackerBlocker/

Mini Review- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Just getting in to it and it’s fantastic
Feels very challenging, but once the combat starts to click it’s so satisfying
Feels much more directly skill-based than other Souls games where you might just come back later with better equipment
Had a moment where I was stalking the rooftops jumpkilling people when someone actually noticed my shadow and alerted everyone

Would you like to know more?

The full story behind the Justice League Snyder Cut, warts and all
- https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/02/the-true-story-of-justice-league-snyder-cut

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PS2J News 329 – 2020 New Game Plus

January 8, 2021
Tagged as: 17th century, action, ad, adapter, adaptor, adobe flash, Adventure, advertising, air dodge, AirPods, Alan, along the edge, alt frequencies, antitrust, apocalypse, apology, Apple, Arcade, audio, backdoor, Batman, Bayonetta, bioshock, bird buddy, bird feeder, Blackthorne, bleed 2, Blizzard, Born Into Darkness, Bose, breakdown, bridge constructor, Brood War, browser, Bustin Out, capitol, case, CD Projekt Red, childhood, China, co-op, Coffee Forever, combat, Command and Conquer, commander, conspiracy, construction, corrupted souls, crying suns, cyberattack, Cyberpunk 2077, dark, data collection, Dead Or Alive 4, death to 2020, Diablo, Digimon, Diplomacy, disinformation, DOS, drive cancel, ecosystem, email, empire, emulator, Encryption, end of life, epic, Epic Games, european, ex mode, excalibur, expensive, Facebook, Fantasy, fears, federal, FFX, fighting, Final Fantasy 10, fire, First Person, fleet, Free Games, free internet, Galaxy, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Government, greedfall, hilarious, hyper drive mode, Indian in the Cupboard, information, Instagram, Internet Archive, island, jetbrains, Josh, key, king arthur, King of Fighters, kitchen, knight, lara croft, launch, Law Enforcement, lift, linux, Little Nightmares, Macintosh, maneater, marketing, max, maya, mi10, mi11, Microsoft, misfit, mockumentary, monopoly, mystery, N64, nebula, Netflix, newspaper, Newton Adventure, next-gen, nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, noise-cancelling, nutrition label, obstacle, One, open-world, over ear, overcooked, party, password, Paws and Claws, permission, physics, platformer, playground, Playstation, Pong, power, Privacy, PS4, ps5, Punch Club, puzzle, refund, riot, rise of the tomb raider, rogue-lite, roguelike, RPG, s21, Samsung, sargasso, science fiction, security, senate, Sentry, series, Shadow Hearts, shadow of the tomb raider, shark, Shooter, side scrolling, ski, slope, small business, snowmobile, solarwinds, Sole Survivor, Sonic Battle, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sony, South Park, Space, Star Craft, state, stealth, Steam, steel, strawman, Super Bubble Pop, suppressing, suspend, sword legacy: omen, system shock 2, tactical, Thandor, The Broken Land, the maw, The Sims, tiananmen square, Tides of Darkness, time loop, Tomb Raider, transparency, TRIHAYWBFRFYH, Trump, Tuper Tario Tros, Turn Based, Twitch, Twitter, united states, Update, USB, Vet, video chat, visual novel, void ark, void bastards, wall, Warcraft 2, WhatsApp, When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, whimsical, Whos Your Daddy, Windows, wire, XBox, xiaomi, xiii, zoom

Free Games

Epic Games
- Crying Suns
  - 2019
  - Story-rich tactical rogue-lite that puts you in the role of a space fleet commander as you explore a mysteriously fallen empire, uncovering the truth about it and yourself
Twitch
- Overcooked
  - 2016
  - A co-op party game where you and up to three friends work together in a kitchen to prepare meals, working around fires, shifting floors, and other obstacles
- Sword Legacy Omen
  - 2018
  - Turn-based tactical RPG in a re-imagined King Arthur mythos where you play a vengeful knight in search of the long-lost Excalibur
- Bridge Constructor Playground
  - 2014
  - Classic physics-based bridge building puzzle gameplay, but now with no fixed budget and next to no limitations on building materials
- Alt Frequencies
  - 2019
  - An audio mystery set in a time loop. Record, rewind time and broadcast snippets of radio shows to expose radio hosts, conspiracy theorists, and politicians.
- Along the Edge
  - 2016
  - Interactive visual novel set in the European countryside, where your choices impact the main character’s personality and appearance.
- When Ski Lifts Go Wrong
  - 2019
  - Physics-based construction puzzler similar to Bridge Constructor, but this time you’re building different contraptions to carry skiers up the slopes with added control over the riders
- Void Bastards
  - 2019
  - Science-fiction roguelike first person shooter inspired by BioShock and System Shock 2. Can you lead the misfit prisoners of the Void Ark through the derelict spaceships and myriad dangers of the Sargasso Nebula?
Playstation
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  - 2018
  - Action adventure game continuing the narrative from Rise of the Tomb Raider, following Lara Croft as she races to stop a Mayan apocalypse that she has unleashed
- GreedFall
  - 2018
  - Action RPG set in a 17th-century style fantasy world where you explore a remote island alongside other settlers, mercenaries, treasure hunters, and invaders, with combat, diplomacy, and stealth
- Maneater (PS5)
  - 2020
  - Open world action RPG where you start as a shark pup tasked with surviving the harsh world while eating your way up the ecosystem
  - People who recently purchased Maneater on either PS4 or PS5 have reportedly gotten automatic refunds from Sony, giving them free access to the PS4 version, but otherwise it’s only free on the PS5
Xbox
- Little Nightmares
  - 2017
  - A dark, whimsical side-scrolling platformer that will confront you with childhood fears as you escape The Maw- a vast, mysterious vessel inhabited by corrupted souls looking for their next meal.
- Bleed 2
  - 2017
  - Side-scrolling arcade action platformer featuring air-dodging, bullet-reflecting, and tons of bosses, like a 2D Bayonetta bullet-hell
- The King of Fighters XIII
  - 2010
  - A significantly modified entry in the King of Fighters fighting game series that removed the guard attack, critical counter, and clash systems, as well as the dynamic zooming camera, in favour of new enhancements to super moves, Hyper Drive mode, and Drive Cancel.

Facebook and Twitter finally locked Trump’s accounts this week after his disinformation and incitement led to a riot that breached the US capitol building

After years of being complicit with Trump’s hate speech under the guise of public interest, all it took was armed police having to retake the US Senate, killing four and arresting 52, for these platforms to recognize that freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences, nor does it mean you are entitled to a platform or an audience
This is what you get when you have websites dedicated to driving engagement with extreme, polarizing content under the guise of news or social interaction

A couple of sizeable cyberattacks came to light involving software development and network management tools, impacting everyone using tools from Jetbrains and SolarWinds (including the US government)

Security researchers apparently told SolarWinds that anyone could access their update server using the password ‘solarwinds123’, but since no action was taken hackers used that to push malicious updates to their software
Among the targets were dozens of email accounts and government encryption keys, showing pretty definitively that we can’t trust them with the encryption backdoors that they’ve been demanding for years

Apple stealth-dropped the new AirPods Max, wireless over-ear headphones with all the bells and whistles including a premium price tag

The stainless steel headphones bring the AirPods Pro featureset to over-ear sound quality, and apparently they sound great, but they also cost $780 CAD
- They make premium noise-cancelling headphones from Bose and Sony look downright affordable at half the price
They also come with a bizarre headphone-cozy to cover up the earcups and put them into sleep mode, but it’s a soft case that only covers the earcups with minimal protection
Also, if you want to use them wired instead of wireless you need to buy a separate lightning to 3.5mm cable specifically from Apple, and unlike competitors like Bose they won’t work wired if the battery is dead

US state and federal governments are suing Facebook in twin antitrust suits, looking to split up their monopoly over our digital lives including separating out Instagram and WhatsApp

Considering in the 6 years since purchasing WhatsApp the messaging went from “privacy is coded into our DNA” to “you can get some neat features if you let us connect your data” to now “if you want to use WhatsApp your data will be used for advertising and Facebook products”, I think they’ve got a pretty good shot
It would be great if they would pry Oculus out of there as well, but I haven’t seen mention of that anywhere

Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch, leading to refunds and even being pulled from digital stores after running abysmally on previous-generation consoles

And I do have to take back some of what I’ve said about the game- directors and marketing claimed the game was done months ago and the delays were caused by polish, but it just straight up wasn’t done. They needed more time, not more deadlines
- Apparently even though the next-gen version won’t be released till later this year they never showed it running on the Xbox One or PS4 before launch (you know, the consoles that it was released for), leading to a lot of disappointment when people received the game and saw that it looked so much worse than they expected
- CD Projekt Red released a statement apologizing for that, saying they should have spent more time making it run better
Hopefully they can continue to develop it into the game it should have been released as, leading up to its actual PS5/Xbox Series launch

Facebook’s begun using full-page newspaper ads to slam Apple’s upcoming privacy measures, claiming they’re standing up for small businesses, titled “Apple vs the free internet”

Taking the Epic Games approach, Facebook’s defending their practices by holding up a small-business strawman and saying that they just want to protect the little guy by getting to do whatever they want
The ads say that Apple’s changes will limit small and medium sized businesses ability to run personalized ads, leading to less bang for their buck, and that’s really all Facebook’s worried about. Not the fact that Facebook won’t have as much access to data they harvest on everyone to sell those very same ads.
This is very much the same problem that law enforcement is having with encryption and privacy- they’ve had free access to look through peoples’ windows for so long, they can’t stand the idea of people installing blinds and being allowed to close them if they want to
The privacy measure that has them up in arms, by the way, is just a popup asking if you want to allow an app to track your activity across other apps and websites. There’s a spot where they can explain why they need it, and buttons to either “Ask App not to Track” or “Allow”. That’s it.
- Maybe instead of wailing and tearing their shirts over this, crying to businesses that they have no choice but to comply with the tracking transparency features, Facebook should be convincing users why they should click Allow

These Weeks in Gaming History

December 8 – 1997 – Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor – Windows

This game is strictly multiplayer game.
- It broke records with the fact that there can be 51 players playing it at the same time.
- Every player has only one unit, and only one is to be the sole survivor.
- Otherwise, the graphic is same as in original Command & Conquer DOS and GOLD version, with some extra units as a difference.

December 9 – 1995 – WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness – DOS

WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy themed real-time strategy game and sequel to WarCraft: Orcs & Humansset on the world of Azeroth.
- With the conquest of the kingdom of Azeroth in the first war, the orcs are now preparing for an invasion of Lordaeron and conquer the remaining human, dwarven and elvisch realms.
- In an effort to counter this invasion the humans, elves and dwarves formed an alliance in the hope to avert the same fate the kingdom of Azeroth met.
The game comes with many new features such as fighting not only over land but also over sea and air, SVGA 640×480 resolution graphics with many newly-rendered buildings and units, multiplayer-support with up to eight players, as well as a Red Book audio soundtrack, and a scenario editor that allows players to design and create their own scenarios.
- The editor requires Windows 3.1 or greater, even though WarCraft II is a DOS-based game.

December 10 – 2020 – Cyberpunk 2077 – PS4, Xbox One, Windows

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification.
- You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.
- You can customize your character’s cyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you.
Become a cyberpunk, an urban mercenary equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City.
Enter the massive open world of Night City, a place that sets new standards in terms of visuals, complexity and depth.
Take the riskiest job of your life and go after a prototype implant that is the key to immortality.

December 11 – 2001 – Shadow Hearts – Playstation 2 North America

Yuri Hyuga is a young harmonixer: a man who possesses the power of transforming into demons.
- He meets Alice Elliot, a young British girl whose father was brutally murdered, and who is chased by a mysterious warlock who calls himself Roger Bacon.
- Yuri and Alice travel through the pre-war China, dealing with demons, evil magicians, and Japanese occupation army.
- The journey eventually takes them and their friends to Europe, where they have to confront their ultimate enemy, but also uncover the truth about their own pasts.
Shadow Hearts is a Japanese-style role-playing game set in a historical period (China and Europe of 1913, one year before the World War I) with plenty of supernatural elements mixed in.
- The game shares plot-related and stylistic traits with Koudelka, to which it can be considered a sequel.
- The player navigates a party of characters (up to three active combatants) over pre-rendered backgrounds.
- Combat with regular enemies occurs randomly. During battles, characters use regular attacks or cast spells.
- In addition to the regular health (HP) and magic points (MP), each character also has a special SP (“sanity points”) bar.
  - Sanity bar is gradually depleted in combat; when characters run out of SP, they become insane and hence uncontrollable, until their sanity is restored with items.
The game implements traditional turn-based combat style for the battles, adding to it a feature called Judgment Ring.
- Every time a character performs an attack, a ring with a spinning arrow appears on the top of the screen.
- If the player stops the arrow when it is over a critical area on the ring, the attack will be more powerful.
- However, missing the larger hit area will cancel the attack completely.
- Various types of attacks have rings of various difficulty; usually, the more powerful a spell is, the smaller the hit area is on the ring.
- The Judgment Ring is also used for other purposes; it can help the player reduce prices in stores, and is needed to solve several puzzles.
All characters except Yuri learn new abilities automatically when leveling up.
- Due to his demon-fusion abilities, Yuri can collect soul energy and use it to acquire various fusion forms.
- When Yuri transforms into a demon he gains unique abilities, and continues fighting with the party as a controllable character.
- He also has to travel to a graveyard in his own mental realm from time to time, in order to face his own inner demons and clear Malice, negative vengeful energy the party accumulates by killing enemies.

December 12 – 2000- Star Wars: Episode I – Obi-Wan’s Adventures – Game Boy Color

Play as Obi-Wan through many levels of battle droids, similar in style to Jedi Power Battles.
- You can use your lightsaber, blaster or the force to defeat the enemy and advance to the final showdown with Darth Maul.

December 13 – 1996 – Sonic Blast – Game Gear (Japan)

Sonic Blast was released for Game Gear in conjunction with Sonic 3D Blast (aka Sonic 3D: Flickies’ Island) for Genesis/MD and Saturn.
- It boasted similarly rendered character sprites and colorful backgrounds.
- The game was yet another addition to the series, plus Sega had hoped it would be a boost to the dying Game Gear’s title selection at the time.
- Brazilian based TecToy re-released the game for Sega Master System in 1997, a year after the initial release (while many may think this is a pirated title, TecToy is indeed licensed to produce and release games under the Sega name).

December 14 – 2017 – Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory – PS4, PS Vita (Japan)

Brand new title from the “Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth”.
- Set in the near future, the line between the real and digital worlds is blurred, become a hacker and utilize computer viruses called Digimon to tackle the incidents caused by hostile hackers other Digimons.
Scan, raise, train and battle Digimon in classic turn-based gameplay!
- 「Adventure」…Take on the role of a hacker within the cyber space and resolve the digital woes! Command Digimons and utilize your hacking skills!
- 「Training」…Seek out Digimons and put them through intensive training before evolving into stronger breeds!
- 「Battle」…Form your very own Digimon team for battle! Take on fights effortless with mastery of Digimon skills and elements at your disposal!
  - A total of 320 Digimon variants available and a wide range of brand new support skills effectively expands your battle arsenal.
Team battle simulation & quests such as the ”Domination Battle”, ”Territory Contest” etc. along with enhanced online gameplay elements are added as well.
With just this title, you would have access to all the gameplay elements ”Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth“ world could ever offer!
Main story from the previous title ”Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth“ included with cross-save features and special bring-over bonus available as well!
New players could fully enjoy the ”Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth“ series like any existing players too!

December 15 – 1992 – Batman Returns – DOS

Frigid winter winds swept over an already chilled Gotham City.
- Random street crimes were running at an all-time high, despite the holidays.
- Down below, in the city’s frozen sewers, Oswald Cobblepot, known as The Penguin, planned more mayhem and schemed the take over of the frightened metropolis.
- His loyal army of missile-packing Penguin Commandos and the bizarre Red Triangle Circus Gang are energized by the evil genius of the web-footed orphan.
- A desperate call to Batman goes up.
Batman Returns is an adventure game with fighting sequences, based on the movie of the same name.
- Control Batman’s combat style, and help conduct relentless interrogations of The Penguins many allies.
- Use the Batcave computer to input clues, analyze evidence, and review enemy bios.
- You’re in charge of weapons, too.
- Stock Batman’s Utility belt with enough heat to match the diverse fighting styles of The Penguin and cold-blooded, sewer-dwelling minions.

December 16 – 2003 – The Sims: Bustin’ Out – GameCube, PS2, XBox

The Sims: Bustin’ Out is the console sequel to The Sims and the second Sims game to appear on the major consoles.
- Sims can now leave their house and visit all different kinds of locations.
In the mission-based Bust Out mode, the player starts at Mom’s house learning that evil Malcolm Langrabb is repossessing items from all the Sims homes.
- Your job is to make enough money to buy back all the goods and eventually evict him from his own mansion.
- The game also features an open-ended Freeplay mode.
Bustin’ Out’s big new features are the ability to visit and move between houses through the single player progression as well as an online multi-player mode for 2 people on the PS2.
- The servers for the online mode have since been shut down.

December 17 – 2002 – Super Bubble Pop – GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox

A combination of Tetris and Bust-A-Move, Super Bubble Pop has you controlling a character along the bottom of the playfield, who you use to throw bubbles of different colours towards the other side of the playfield.
- As you throw them down the line, they will stack up in piles of six.
- Linking three bubbles together will pop them (remove them from the field), and if there is a stack of six, the bubbles on the way will form a new stack in front of it.
The aim of the game is to remove all bubbles from the field, but there is another way of completing a game.
- Tokens will appear during play, and by collecting enough, you can move on to the next round regardless of what you have on the playfield.

December 18 – 1998 – Star Craft: Brood War – Windows

StarCraft: Brood War is an add-on for StarCraft (requiring the full version of StarCraft) and a direct continuation of its story.
Plot:
- With the demise of the Overmind on the Protoss home world at the end of the original game, the Zerg are left leaderless.
  - In an attempt to regain control, a number of cerebrates merge to form a new Overmind. Kerrigan, a human/Zerg hybrid however wants to take control of the Zerg herself.
  - The Protoss are evacuating what is left of their people from their ruined home world.
  - Meanwhile the United Earth Directorate (UED) have learned of the recent developments in the sector.
  - Fearing for the safety of Earth they sent an expeditionary fleet there to secure it.
Brood War brings several changes to the game, altering some gameplay aspects of the game, the most important change being the addition of new units.
- The Terrans receive the Valkyrie, a craft with air-to-air fighting capabilities.
  - They also obtain the Medic, which can heal all non-mechanic units and, through upgrades, can use the Restore (remove all ailments on a unit) and Optical Flare (reduce the sight range of an enemy unit to 1) powers.
- The Zergs receive the Lurker, obtained after mutating an Hydralisk, which can, and actually must, burrow to attack.
  - They also gain the Devourer, after mutation of a Mutalisk, an air-to-air unit, whose acid shots have notably the specificity of temporarily lowering the enemy defense, allowing other units to do increased damage.
- The Protoss receive the Corsair, an air-to-air unit, which has access to the Disruption Web power (which, once cast, prevents targeted enemy units from firing outside of the web).
  - The Dark Templars, already seen in the original StarCraft are now a producable unit.
  - Their main strength lies in their permanent cloaking, allowing them to deliver their strong close combat attacks unharmed.
  - Additionally, in the same manner as two Templars can be merged as an Archon in StarCraft, two Dark Templars can now be merged to obtain a Dark Archon.
    - A Dark Archon has access to several powerful powers: Mind Control (giving permanent control of the targeted unit), Maelstrom (temporarily rendering all non-mechanical units within the target area unable to do anything) and Feedback (removes from a target unit the amount of energy it has available for special powers and inflicts it this amount as physical damage).
Besides the new units, some units already featured in StarCraft can now be upgraded in certain areas.
- For instance, the Terran Goliath can have the range of its ground-to-air missiles be tremendously increased. Similarly, the Zerg Ultralisk can now receive speed and armor upgrades.
Other changes include a better AI and some alterations of the cost of certain units.
Three new campaigns are available.
- In order, a Protoss campaign featuring 8 missions, a Terran campaign also featuring 8 missions and a Zerg campaign comprising 10 missions (plus a bonus mission if some requirements are met in mission 9).
The add-on also comes with about 100 multiplayer maps.

December 19 – 1994 – Blackthorne – DOS

The planet Tuul was a peaceful place, until the evil warrior Sarlac used the power of the Darkstone to take control.
- Blackthorne’s father, the good King Vlaros, sent him to Earth just as his kingdom crumbled around him.
- Now, twenty years later, Blackthorne is grown and must return to Tuul to free it from the clutches of Sarlac.
Blackthorne is a platform action game played from a side-view with non-scrolling backgrounds.
- It has certain similarities to Prince of Persia, being set in maze-like environments and focusing on exploration and occasional puzzle-solving.
- Blackthorne fights enemies by shooting at them.
- His default weapon, a pump action shotgun, can be upgraded throughout the course of the game.
- Various types of bombs can be used to damage enemies, blow open doors, or destroy generations.
- Keys must be often found to gain access to new areas.

December 20 – 2013 – TRIHAYWBFRFYH (The Rapture Is Here And You Will Be Forcibly Removed From Your Home) – Browser, Mac, Windows

TRIHAYWBFRFYH is a short experimental game based on the theme of loneliness in the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
- Set in a misty setting with fields, hills and forests, the protagonist experiences the last 20 minutes before rapture, the end of the world.
- A large alien or celestial shape looms above while time counts down.
- The player is free to explore the environment in any direction.
- Four type of trails, marked by large vertical columns in a different colour, can be tracked.
- When the character gets near one of them, part of a Lovecraft story is narrated and the coloured sphere appears somewhere else.
There are no clear goals in the game except to explore, listen to the stories and hear the electronic music drone on as the inevitable rapture gets near.
- At regular intervals lightning may strike or an earthquake may occur.
- Movement is done with four keys along with the mouse to look.
- The secondary mouse button provides a zoomed-in view.

December 21 – 2000 – The Broken Land – Windows

An RPG game in the dungeon crawl style of Diablo.
- The basic story involves you saving Heaven (not Earth) by re-combining the 5 pieces Heaven was split into by a battle with the gods and the forces of evil.
- Game play is hack-and-slash with limited interaction with NPCs and merchants.
- Characters have limited upgrades available to them as do the weapons and armor.
- The game was released with no printed manual (it was included on the disk, but was inaccurate to the actual game play).

December 22 – 1998 – South Park – N64

A comet is heading toward South Park, causing many of the enemies from early seasons of the shows (including cows, aliens, and clones) to rise up and attack.
- The player takes control of Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Stan to fight through the town in a first-person perspective.
- Features new dialogue from the original voice actors on the show.
Single player takes the form of a “Story” mode divided into five episodes and fifteen linear levels.
- The player will face weak minions (which change based on the episode), plus occasional sub-bosses which will try to escape into town.
- The final level is devoted to a unique boss fight.
- Players use quirky weapons ranging from infinite yellow snowballs to cow launchers and toxic Terrance and Phillip dolls.
- Every weapon has a secondary fire, and players switch between the four main characters when they switch weapons – each of the four kids shares a single life bar because of this.
- The kids will comment on game actions as they occur, with heavier profanity censored with bleeps.
- The kids will get angrier (and fouler) as their health depletes, until they finally give up on saving the town and go home.
A multiplayer mode lets players take characters and weapons they unlock in Story mode into small deathmatch arenas.
- The PlayStation version supports 2 players, the N64 does 4, and the PC version allows players to go online to search for opponents through GameSpy.
- Players can set standard victory options like knockouts or time limits.
- Voice samples for multiplayer are also included, so the characters will make comments and taunts when hit.
Graphics are rendered in 3D, in a style approximating that of the show.
- Draw distance is limited by a heavy fog, with varying severity based on the platform.
- None of the environments are interactive, and only enemies respond to weapon hits.
- The N64 version supports the Expansion Pak.

December 23 – 2015 – Who’s Your Daddy – Linux, Mac, PC

Who’s Your Daddy is a two-player versus game in which one player controls a bumbling father, while the other takes the role of his infant son.
- The father is responsible for the baby’s well-being, and as such needs to work to baby-proof the house.
- He can also perform chores that will grant special abilities that help him keep an eye on the child and any hazards.
- However, the player controlling the baby is given the goal of taking his own life through whatever means are available, such as drowning himself or ingesting poisonous chemicals.
- The baby wins if he is able to commit suicide, while the father wins if he is able to keep his son alive until time runs out.

December 24 – 2009 – Tuper Tario Tros. – Browser

Tuper Tario Tros. is a mash-up of two classic games: Super Mario Bros. and Tetris.
- Inspired by the puzzle platforming in Lucidity, this is the first in a series of deep water experiments by the developers to test experimental game prototypes.
- The game starts like a traditional Super Mario Bros. platformer clone with the classic elements, enemies and power-ups, until Mario encounters a wall that cannot be passed.
- From that point on, it is possible to switch to Tetris-style gameplay with the press of a key to move around and rotate falling blocks to redesign the level, creating lines to make blocks disappear or building bridges to cross gaps.
While in Tetris mode, Mario cannot be moved, but the gameplay is not paused.
- Enemies continue to move around and the screen also moves forward at a steady pace.
- Blocks can also be used to crush enemies.
- At the end of the level, there is an additional section where both modes need to be used quickly in succession to complete a time-limited end sequence.

December 25 – 2010 – Coffee Forever – Mac, Windows

In Coffee Forever, you must find coffee!
- You begin on a screen that is mostly hidden.
- You must move about the screen, revealing more of the screen and finding and gathering cups of coffee.
- Once the minimum number of them are found, the level is complete.
- You must find the minimum number of cups before your coffee meter, a.k.a. the timer, runs out.
- Also, be careful as there are spikes on the playing field. If the time runs out or you hit a spike, you lose a life.
- Lose all your lives and the game is over.

December 26 – 2001 – Final Fantasy X – PS2

Tidus is a young athlete who lives in a futuristic city of Zanarkand – “the city that never sleeps”.
- He plays blitzball, a ball game where players throw the ball while flying around.
- Suddenly, a terrible disaster happens.
- A huge dark wave engulfs the city, spawning monsters.
- Tidus comes in contact with the mysterious creature, and as a result finds himself in a different world, a thousand years into the future.
- The civilization he is used to doesn’t exist any more.
- He learns that the world he knew was destroyed by Sin, a terrible being that is believed to be indestructible.
- Tidus meets a young summoner named Yuna, and joins her as a guardian on her quest to put an end to Sin.
Final Fantasy X is Japanese-style role-playing game set in a world somewhat similar to South Asia.
- Only individual locations can be physically explored; there is no “world map” in the game, and exploration is fairly linear.
- Enemy encounters are random; the game abandons the series’ traditional ATB (active-time battle) combat in favor of a Conditional Turn-Based Battle system, in which the turns of the participants are determined by characters’ stats and actions, with turn order displayed in the upper corner of the screen.
The game also departs from the usual leveling up system.
- There are no character levels in the game: instead, experience points received after battles can be allocated by the player directly to upgrade the characters’ parameters.
- Each character has his or her special “sphere map”, with straight or branching paths containing spots that increase the character’s personal statistics, or teach him or her active and passive abilities.
- The characters are given distinct class attributes, and it is possible top switch between all the party members during the same battle. Monster summons (called aeons in the game) now behave like playable characters, have their own hit points (HP), and can fight for the party until defeated.
Conversations that occur during cutscenes have voice overs, for the first time in the series.
- The game features various mini-games, the most prominent of which are blitzball tournaments.

December 27 – 1995 – The Indian In The Cupboard – Mac, Windows

Inside of a young boy’s cupboard, the tiny toy figurine native american named Little Bear has come to life.
- Letting the tiny man guide you through several activities will allow you to bring more toys to life and show your accomplishments on your wampum belt.
- Some of the available activities include the bead pictures game, where you practice your artistry with carved Iroquois templates and colored beads.
- There’s also the Music Mimicry game and the Symbols game and several more.
- Completing all the activities successfully opens up a new area, the Bedroom 3-D environment and makes available six different quests.

December 28 – 2004 – MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf – Xbox

MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf takes place roughly one year after the original MechAssault game.
- This is not a simple extension of the first game.
- There are a lot of new missions, vehicles (mechs, tanks, and whatever else the player can find), and worlds to explore.
- Jump in and let’s go for a ride.
The game adds new gameplay elements to the system used in MechAssault.
- In the original game, the player was a Mech pilot and nothing else.
- Here, the player is the only pilot in the game world.
- This means that the player can now get out of a Mech and drive someone else’s Mech.
- Want to drive a tank or some of the other vehicles?
- Well, now it is possible.
- Jump in many of the vehicles and take one for a ride
- Of course, the Battlemech still rules the field.
Like the original game, Xbox Live is fully supported for multiplayer gaming.

December 29 – 2005 – Dead or Alive 4 – Xbox 360

The fourth installment in the Dead or Alive series (excluding Beach Volleyball) continues in a similar vein of fighting game.
- Delivering another dose of combo heavy action set in a variety of highly interactive locations.
With Helena assuming control over DOATEC an eclectic cast of fighters from all corners of the world all battle each other for some personal goal. Each character has vastly different, and often unusual, motives.
In the main game’s story mode each character fights through a series of encounters, often with a bizarre context eg. taking exception to cruelty to a T-Rex and a fight over a fresh lettuce are both examples of the rather odd but still hilarious Japanese humour.
XBOX Live support allows players to watch fights while waiting for their turn in the arena.
- VOIP is also supported, as with many Live games.
Featuring a graphical upgrade and an improved fighting system (tested by some top DOA players before release) Dead or Alive 4 is aimed not only at the older DOA players, but enticing new gamers due to the less intimidating control system, and giving slightly less advantage to the experienced.

December 30 – 2010 – Pong Solitare – Browser

Pong Solitaire is a joke game from the web comic artist Steve Napierski.
- It is a mix between Pong and Solitaire.
- The gameplay is similar to the classic Pong game, except that the opponent’s paddle occupies the entire height of the screen.
- That way you can only lose, as you grow tired of bouncing it back to yourself all the time.

December 31 – 1996 – Diablo – Windows

Story:
- Long ago a secret war raged between Heaven and Hell, each using humanity as its pawns.
  - While the Prime Evils of Hell were engaged in war their lesser lieutenants conspired to overthrow them.
  - They mutinied suddenly with the combined forces of Hell, overwhelming the three Primes.
  - Stripped of their power, they were banished to the mortal realm.
  - Human agents of Heaven, upon discovering this, found the three Primes and sealed them within gemstone prisons, each of them sent to a different corner of the earth and kept under guard to prevent them from escaping.
- As years turns to centuries, however, the power of Heaven’s agents waned, until eventually not even the people of the town of Tristram knew that buried deep under their chapel was the soul of the Lord of Terror, Diablo.
  - As the strength of his prison waned Diablo reached out into the world, corrupting the dreams of the land’s good king, driving him to attack his neighbors.
  - The nation of Khanduras fought wars with no intention of winning, desiring only slaughter and suffering.
  - Now the lands lay scorched, home only to monsters and the dead.
  - Rumors spread of a way to stop the demons, as well as rumors of great wealth, and both draw adventurers from far to the small town of Tristram.
Players start by choosing their avatar’s class: either Warrior, Rogue, or Sorcerer.
- Warriors have the highest maximum strength and can repair weapons and armor inside the dungeon, but this will lower the item’s maximum durability.
- The Rogue has the highest maximum dexterity and can both see and disarm traps on treasure chests.
- The Sorcerer has the highest maximum magic attribute and can recharge the charges on a spellcasting staff at the cost of his own mana.
Characters can equip armor, weapons, and accessories found in the chapel’s shifting dungeons, but strong equipment will have minimum attribute requirements to be worn.
- Most equipment will have randomized stats, but some strong monsters will drop Unique weapons with set stats.
- Magic can be learned by finding magic tomes, and leveled up by finding multiples of the same spell tome, but advanced spell levels can not be learned if the character’s magic stat is too low.
- Upon destroying enough monsters to level up the player is rewarded with additional attribute points to distribute to whichever attributes they wish.
- Occasionally the few people left in town will inform the player of a job they would like done, either an exceptionally strong monster that must be slain or a unique item found deep in the dungeon, and will reward the player in kind upon completion of the quest.
Diablo can be played cooperatively with 1 to 3 other players over LAN or BattleNet with the PC versions, or with 1 player locally on the PlayStation.
- Players can team up to survive the depths of the dungeons, or turn on each other to steal one another’s items from their corpse.
- The quest unique zones are removed from the online version of a dungeon, and instead quest monsters will be found wandering the level that would normally lead to their unique area.

January 1 – 1990 – Hugo’s House of Horrors – DOS

Hugo’s sweetheart Penelope has vanished after visiting a haunted house on a babysitting job.
- In order to save her, Hugo must explore the area around, within, and beneath the house and solve its mysteries, while surviving its many perils.
Hugo’s House of Horrors is a graphic adventure game, controlled with a combination of the arrow keys for movement, and typed commands such as eat steak to interact with the environment.
- Some challenges are puzzles which must be solved by clever use of items found in the house, while others require quick and careful movement, or test the player’s knowledge.
This game is the first game in the Hugo’s House of Horrors shareware trilogy.
- This full game was released as a taster for the full trilogy which includes this game plus the titles Hugo’s Mystery Adventure, Hugo’s Amazon Adventure, a hint book and an automatic solver which plays the game like a movie.

January 2 – 2010 – Newton Adventure – Linux, Mac, Windows

Newton Adventure is a 2D platform game with a unique feature: in order to get through the 21 levels, the player has to rotate them and change gravity at 360°.
By using this special rotating power, the hero can jump to distant platforms, make enemies fall or move objects.
Divided in four themed worlds (arctic, jungle, Vatican and Egypt), the 20 levels have the same goals: find the door to exit and the key that open it.
- The key is an object to be brought by pushing it or by making it fall using gravity change.
Aside from completing the levels, the goals is to make highest scores possible, by killing enemies, collecting items or accessing to special bonus zones.

January 3 – 2007 – Paws & Claws: Pet Vet – Nintendo DS

You Love Animals and They Love You!
Now you can pamper and rescue all of your favorite creatures at your own Paws & Claws Pet Vet.
- Nurture and love the animals to grow your business and become every animal’s best friend!
Features:
- Nurse all of your injured patients back to health through 20+ cases
- Choose from 10+ different kinds of animals, from cockatoos and guinea pigs to dogs and horses
- Visit the 3D clothing shop and choose from 9 cute outfits
- Become the best vet and you’ll grow your business into the biggest pet clinic in town!

January 4 – 2001 – Thandor: The Invasion – Windows

After the defeat of the Golraths, the Alliance of Averes have collapsed and the allies have turned enemies.
- But in the times of turmoil and despair, some faithful Alliance soldiers are planning for a return to the glorious Alliance…
Thandor is a 3D RTS game where you build units and battle other factions for control of resources (to build more units).

January 5 – 2004 – Sonic Battle – Game Boy Advance (North America)

Sonic Battle is a fast paced pseudo-fighting game, akin to Super Smash Brothers from Nintendo.
- Rather than being 3D side-scrolling, this game employs a 3D isometric view- not a static, sprite-based field though, it is comprised of actual texture-mapped polygons.
- The character sprites are 2D though, and while you think it wouldn’t work- it does 😛
You can have 9 characters to choose from, 5 modes of play; Story, Battle, Challenge, Training, and Mini Games; you can link up 4 GBA’s to fight your friends, each character has a bunch of moves you can use to beat the you-know-what out of whoever you’re fighting.
- It has a system of selecting Aerial, Ground, and Guard based attacks, and depending on what type of attack you set for which area (aerial/ground/guard), you have a possibility of 9 total different special attacks to choose from (only 3 at a time in a match though) which you can change each time you lose 1 stock point.
Among the other many features, Sonic Team has also made the game more dynamic with the addition of a trainable character whose abilities and techniques you can raise and add to.
- You get to pick and choose every aspect of the robot’s style (running, attacking, jumping, dashing, etc etc etc etc etc).
The game takes a moderate amount of time to play through as all the characters, and adds a longer lifespan to itself if you wish to play through and beat it completely (all characters, get all moves for the trainable robot, etc).

January 6 – 2010 – Born Into Darkness – Mac, Windows

Nathaniel Black joins the vampire Amber Blythe on a treasure hunt around the world, where they must follow the clues left on artifacts and ancient tombs to retrieve the lost Shroud of Lazarus.
Born Into Darkness is a hidden object game with adventure elements, where the main objective is to find all pieces of inventory items, to assemble and use them later.
- The interface tray at the bottom shows the silhouettes of the required objects whose parts are scattered around the location.
- As in most point-and-click titles, the player moves between scenes by clicking on obvious exit hotspots like doors and other openings.
- The silhouettes can be selected to show the all the parts necessary to complete the object.
- Once assembled, the item can be dragged and dropped from the inventory to a logical portion of the scenery to solve puzzles or perform certain actions.
The inventory is framed by blue and red hint jewels and medallions for each main character.
- There are slots for six jewels that highlight the position of one of the required parts when activated, showing only pieces for silhouettes that match their colors.
- Extra hints can be earned by selecting one of the medallions to play a mini-game.
- On Nathaniel’s mini-game, the goal is to find and click on the words listed at the top of the medallion on a pile of juxtaposed text at the center.
- On Amber’s mini-game, the player has to click on the flying ghost whose portrait appears on slots at the side of the medallion.

January 7 – 1998 – Sentry – Windows

Sentry is a freeware remake of Geoff Crammond’s all-time classic, The Sentinel.
- Gameplay remains true to the original, in this battle for dominance via height.
- Climb higher by building towers of boulders, gain energy by absorbing natural resources and teleport around the strange checkered landscape via robot shells.
- Meanwhile, you must avoid the deadly gaze of The Sentinel, who looks out from the highest peak.
- Get higher than him, then absorb him and take his place as ruler.
This Windows version includes texture mapping, dynamic lighting, music, an infinite supply of levels and a host of options.
- There are even two different stereoscopic modes.

January 8 – 2016 – Punch Club – Linux, Mac, Windows

Punch Club is a sporting management simulation in which the player manages an upcoming boxer in training and preparation for a series of boxing matches at a local club, while searching for clues of who killed their father.
- The game was developed as a humorous take on action films of the 1980s and 1990s.
The player controls an unnamed boxer whose father, who helped to train him, was murdered.
- The boxer aims to continue his training and become the best boxer at a local league, while following clues to lead him to who killed his father.
- The player manages the boxer around the clock through various locations in a city, including his home, the boxing gym, stores, and his work place.
- Time progresses when the player is involved in any activity, including moving between these locations.

Tidbits

Apple launched their “Privacy Nutrition Labels” on the App Store, giving you a full breakdown of what information they’re collecting when you use the app
- If you want a wake-up call just head over to Facebook’s or Instagram’s listing and scroll through the plethora of info they’re harvesting
It begins again- Samsung is deleting posts mocking Apple about not including USB wall adaptors with new iPhones amid plans to do the very same with their Galaxy S21
- Xiaomi is in the exact same situation too, releasing ads for their Mi10 phone highlighting the included power adaptor and now removing it from the Mi11 citing the environment
Adobe Flash is officially dead, with support having ended on December 31st
- But that which is dead may never die, and you can still see Peanut Butter Jelly Time over at the Internet Archive thanks to emulators
Watch Death to 2020 on Netflix
- Hilarious mockumentary about the year we all just got through, with some great actors and excellent writing

A Smart Bird Feeder

Link

Bird Buddy is a Wifi enabled bird feeder
- Notifies you on bird visitors
- Takes their photo
- And organizes it into a collection which is easy to share
- It will also track the species and catalog it in a collection for you
What features make it a Smart Feeder
- There is a front facing camera, that is equipped with AI that can recognize over a 1000 bird species
- The built in microphone will also identify birds by song as they approach or pass by.
- The mobile app lets you access these features as well, wherever you are
The module is detachable and upgrade-able from the bird feeder itself.
Very much funded
- A goal of 50,000 euro
- At time of note taking, over 3 million euro
Add on’s:
- Solar Roof
- Wall Mount
- Fence mount
- Suet Ball holder
You are also helping bird conservation
- Tracking info on bird species will help with migratory patterns and data will be accessible by experts
- Every feeder also includes a guide to bird feeding

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PS2J Show

PS2J 326 News – Pulling the Pin on Fake Ads

November 20, 2020
Tagged as: 11, 12, 15gb, 15”, 2021, 30%, 4K, 6k, account, ad, air, Alan, Alberta Podcast Network, Alien, Amazon, among us, android, Andromeda, app, app store, Apple, apple silicon, Assassins Creed, backlight, benchmark, big sur, BioWare, Black, bluepoint games, bonus, bridge, bridge constructor, build, clone, compile, construction, cut, DBZ, deal, december, Demons Souls, discount, DLC, dna, documents, Dreamcast, easy, egg, Elder Scrolls, Encryption, end-to-end, epic, Epic Games, epite dangerous, escape, features, federal trade commission, feed drop, fireqwall, First Person, fishdom, flight, forgot, framerate, free end, Free Games, ftc, Galaxy, Gamecube, gaming, garbage, gardenscapes, genesis alpha one deluxe edition, gmail, Google, gpu, Green, grey, gun, Halo 2, Harmonix, hearing aid, high quality, hipaa, homescapes, hotas, immersion, inactive, Indie, infestation, information, intel, ipad, iPhone, john hodgman, Josh, legendary edition, liar, lifehacker, lock screen, lying, m1, Mac, Macbook, machine learning, MacOS, madrid, maintain, Mass Effect, match-3, medieval, Metal Gear Solid, MGS, Microsoft, milky way, mini, misleading, MMO, mms, Mobile, narrative, national security, navigate, Neopets, neural engine, new ip, nintendo, one more thing, open ended, open-world, oracle, original quality, parallel universe, pay, payment, PC, peer-to-peer, performance, persistent, photos, physics, pin, playrix, Privacy, Pro, Pro Display, PS4, puzzle, Reddit, remaster, revenue, Rock Band, rocket star, roguelike, rosetta 2, rug, rumour, sale, security, shade, Shadow of the Colossus, Shenmue, Shooter, simluation, Skyrim, slapple, smart, soc, software, Sons of Liberty, Sony, soul reaver, Space, space epic, spain, speed, Spotify, spring, stalled, Star Citizen, Star Wars, Steam, sweep, Switch, system on a chip, takeout, the world next door, theft, thunderbolt, tiktok, trilogy, Trump, Twitch, UK, under, united kingdom, universal, universal apps, Update, upgrade, usb4, Vacation, valhalla, venmo, Viking, virtual machine, visual, visual novel, VPN, VR, weight, who lies, Xbox One, xcode, xdr, zoom

Quick programming update, this is our second last episode of the year before we take our traditional December vacation, but we’ll be running feed drops through to the end of the year of some other great episodes from the Alberta Podcast Network. Hope you enjoy them, and we’ll see you in January!

Free games

Twitch
- Bridge Constructor: Medieval
  - 2014
  - Classic physics-based construction puzzle game where you use a variety of materials to span different gaps and carry loads without breaking, but with a medieval twist that has you carrying provisions and trying to dump enemy troops
- Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
  - 2020 bundle of the 2019 title with an art book, soundtrack, and Rocket Star DLC
  - Roguelike first person shooter where you have to build, maintain, and navigate your ship through a galaxy filled with hostile alien and human threats. Clone and splice your crew with alien DNA, fight off infestations, and explore the vastness of space
Epic Games
- Elite Dangerous
  - 2015
  - Space flight simulation game that has you exploring a 1:1 scale open-world representation of the Milky Way galaxy with open-ended gameplay, where everything you do can affect the narrative of the persistent universe
  - It has full VR and flight stick support for added immersion, and has become the definitive MMO space epic
  - And it’s official- this game has now been kickstarted, developed, released, given DLC, and given away free all after Star Citizen was funded but before it was released
- The World Next Door
  - 2019
  - Indie visual novel and match-3 puzzle game where you play a human teenager who was trapped in a parallel universe and much escape before she perishes

Continuing the Epic slApple fight

Apple will now be reducing its App Store cut to 15% for most developers starting on January 1st
- The best part of this is that it applies to anyone earning less than $1M in revenue per year, meaning that the small developers that need it will see a boost
- As an added, and I’m sure calculated, bonus, companies making more than $1M a year like Epic and Spotify that were trying to use “fighting for the little guy” as ammunition in their case against Apple’s App Store guidelines will no longer have that arrow in their quiver
- And with this gesture Apple isn’t even losing much- analytics estimate that 98% of developers would be eligible for the price cut, but they’re responsible for just 5% of the App Store’s total revenue

macOS 11 Big Sur is out now

On first blush you can expect to see a bunch of visual changes, but if you use any firewall, VPN, or virtual machine software it’ll need an update before it will run on the new OS

One More Thing

Third Apple event in three months
Apple Silicon is here, and it’s pretty slick
- The fancy new M1 chip combines CPU, security, memory, etc for maximum performance
  - Now instead of computers allocating x amount of memory to graphics, and y amount to general use, everything is fluid depending on demand
  - I’m guessing the days of RAM upgrades are gone
- Uses a mix of 4 high-performance and 4 high-efficiency cores
- It can offer up to 2x the performance of the latest PC laptop chip, or equivalent performance for 1/4 the power
- It has an integrated GPU with up to 8 cores, and can run almost twice as fast the hardware in the Xbox One or Nintendo Switch, and faster than the PS4
- It’s also got all kinds of neural engine and machine learning goodness built right in
- And supports Thunderbolt / USB 4 (an improvement over USB3 that still uses USBC connectors
Big Sur
- Shiny new design with a bunch more privacy features, all built to maximize performance from the M1
- Every app from Apple is optimized for the M1 as well, with things like Final Cut Pro rendering up to 6x faster
- Universal apps can be built to run on both Intel and Apple Silicon, while Rosetta 2 gives you backwards compatibility with older Intel apps
  - Thanks to the improvements some programs are actually performing better on the new Macs under Rosetta than they did natively on Intel hardware
- And now iPhone and iPad apps can be run natively on the Mac, if developers opt in
  - One example shown was Among Us, which could get interesting because it’s free on iOS but $5 on Steam
First Mac hardware with the new M1 will be the MacBook Air, 13” MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini
- MacBook Air will be 3.5x faster than the previous gen, and up to 5x faster GPU
  - Faster than 98% of PC laptops sold in the last year
  - Battery lasts up to 2x as long for video conferencing, offers 18 hours of video playback
  - And even with all that, they remove the fan making it completely silent
  - Starts at $999 USD, $1299 CAD
- Mac Mini is up to 3x faster CPU, 6x faster GPU
  - It can even run the Pro Display XDR at 6k resolutions, so you can drive your $5,000 monitor with a $700 computer
  - And the price dropped $100 from the last gen, to $699 USD, $899 CAD
- 13” MacBook Pro
  - All the same kinds of speed improvements, with up to 3x faster performance than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class
  - Up to 20 hours of video playback, doubling previous specs
  - Starts at $1299 USD, $1699 CAD
- And all of these have education pricing as well, so if you’re in school as either staff or a student you can save about $100 USD
Finally, in a cute little throwback, we saw the return of John Hodgman as a PC, talking about how fast he is and how you don’t need all that battery life anyway
Updates:
- We’re already seeing benchmarks of identically-priced macs pop up, one running Intel and the other an M1 chip, and the M1 just blows the Intel mac out of the water
  - Even in gaming, on apps not built for the M1, Rosetta 2 translates things fast enough that everything will run faster on the M1
- Even with all that, the battery life is ridiculous- I’ve seen reports online from people that are using it for video rendering and YouTube streaming for hours while still staying above 75%
- And developers are saying that creating native apps has been as easy as loading their project into the latest Xcode and compiling. No code changes needed.

Apple Is reportedly investigating issues with some iPhone 12 models, including flickering backlights and greenish or grayish blacks

Internal documents say that technicians should avoid servicing affected phones for now and instead tell customers to keep their devices updated, suggesting a software update is on its way to fix the issue
This is happening even after this week’s iOS 14.2.1 update, which addressed issues with some MMS messages not being received from group chats with Android users, some hearing aids having sound quality issues when linked to an iPhone, and lock screen problems on the 12 mini

After five years, Google Photos is ending its offer of unlimited free high quality photo backups

Starting June 1st, 2021, they’ll begin charging for storage after you hit 15GB of use
They’re also implementing a new policy of deleting data from accounts that haven’t been used in the last two years
Apparently all of your photos and documents uploaded before the deadline will not count against that 15GB cap, so you’ll have time to decide if you want to migrate or pay up, but if you frequently upload large photos you might be hitting that limit sooner than you think
And everyone’s moving down a peg- Pixel users used to get unlimited storage for their original quality photos (as opposed to the high quality photos everyone else got), but now they’ll only get unlimited on high quality instead
- “High quality” is Google’s terminology for photos that they’ve been allowed to compress for more efficient storage
If you’re looking to migrate you’ll want to head to takeout.google.com, where you can do a dump of your Google account’s data selecting by product, or even in some cases drilling down to things like specific photo albums

Google is entering the Venmo arena with a revamped Google Pay app highlighting peer-to-peer payments

The app can also highlight local deals and discounts nearby and give you a high-level look at your finances, if you feed it all your information
Google has said that when you pay friends it stays private, but for the app’s advanced features you’ll need to let it scan your Gmail inbox and Photos account for things like receipts
If you’re not a fan of Google tracking your every move, but you’re a Gmail user, you’ll also want to check out Lifehacker’s guide to the new smart feature privacy settings that Google has recently released, giving you more control over the data that Google is allowed to scrape from your inbox
- https://lifehacker.com/turn-off-gmails-smart-features-to-avoid-tracking-1845691806

A group of Amazon employees was recently arrested for stealing over half a million dollars worth of iPhones

An internal investigation was made after finding that some packages had different weights than expected, and found that some workers at a logistics center in Madrid were slipping new iPhones (like the 12 and 12 Pro) into orders secretly at the last moment
- Reports are saying that the orders were placed by an accomplice, so unfortunately it doesn’t look like random Amazon customers were getting free iPhones
Four of the five people implicated were arrested, being found with 10 iPhones in their possession, and the fifth turned himself in to police voluntarily

The UK has now proved that they are ahead of modern society as we know it, officially banning those misleading puzzle ads you see all over the place in mobile games

Playrix, the developer of titles like Homescapes and Fishdom, has been pulled up by the Advertising Standard Authority in the UK and told that ads like those with the moveable pins puzzles between a man, water, lava, and a shark are not okay when those kind of puzzles are very infrequent in actual gameplay
All Playrix games that I’m aware of are just match-3 tile swapping games, but they almost seem to go out of their way to hide that fact
- The App Store page for Homescapes has seven different images, and only one of them even references the actual gameplay. The first one shown is one of those very same pin removal minigames

These Past 2 Weeks In Gaming History

November 7 – 2000 – Shenmue – Dreamcast

On a November day when the snow turned to rain, Ryu Hazuki arrives home just in time to see his father killed by Lan Di, a man Ryu’s father obviously knew very well.
- Ryu attempts to stop Lan Di, but is effortlessly beaten to within an inch of his life. After recovering from his injuries Ryu sets out to track down his father’s murderer, as well as uncover his family’s secrets and the mystery of the Phoenix and Dragon mirrors that Lan Di seeks.

Shenmue is a hybrid game that incorporates elements of life simulation, adventure and fighting with light role-playing.
- The game is set in a 3D environment that can be freely explored by the player.
- Much of the gameplay involves talking to Ryu’s friends and the various people around town, hoping to find hints or clues that lead to the next step in the story.
- Any details Ryu learns are written down in his notebook for future review.
- Ryu can buy items from stores or try his luck with capsule toy machines, but most items that can be bought have no purpose outside of filling his inventory.
- Ryu can also visit an arcade and play accurate versions of Hang-On and Space Harrier, as well as games like darts and pool.
Ryu is a trained martial artist, and while a true martial artist knows it is better to avoid a fight, sometimes it is still necessary.
- Ryu can train his moves, either by repeatedly doing them while training, or by sparring with his friend Fuku-san, which constitutes the role-playing element of the game.
- Fighting system is similar to that of Virtua Fighter, although with toned-down air juggling.
- Ryu’s training also gives him heightened reflexes, and sometimes during a cutscene the player will have only a moment to press a button (displayed onscreen) to get Ryu out of danger.
- Failing an input prompt is not always fatal, but whether Ryu survives or not depends on the danger he was in.
Included with the game is the Shenmue Passport disc.
- On this disc players can receive tutorials about various aspects of the game like mini-games or the battle system, watch cutscenes they’ve already seen in the game, and listen to music from the game.
- This disc also includes the option to go online to a special site where players can review world-wide mini-game rankings, get hints for the game from Nozomi, review game maps of Yokosuka, trade uncommon items found in the game for even rarer items only available on the passport, and visit the official homepage.
- This service went offline along with the rest of SegaNet, and all online features are currently impossible to access.
Neat Facts:
- Shemue appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
- In the 2008 Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition, the Dreamcast version of Shenmue is listed as the most expensive game ever to develop at $70 million.
- Shenmue features the ability to play Space Harrier and Hang-On, the original 80’s arcade games made by Sega.
  - Both games were also created and designed by Yu Suzuki, the story writer of Shenmue

November 8 – 2005 – Gun – GameCube, PS2, Windows, Xbox

I remember loving my experience with this game.
- Everyone called it Grand Theft Auto in the Wild Wild West, even though it is made by Neversoft, famous for the Tony Hawk games.
- This released 5 years before Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar.
Set in 1870, you are Colton White, a young gunslinger whose father is killed by an Indian tribe led by Reverend Reed.
- Just before passing away, your father hands you a token and reveals you are not his son.
- Sworn to avenge his death, you pursue the killers and unravel the secrets surrounding the item.
- Although you are on your own, temporary alliances can be formed with townspeople, Apaches, and posse members, but watch your back as they can turn against you

November 9 – 2004 – Halo 2 – Xbox

In the sequel to Halo, Spartan-117, better known as the Master Chief, has returned to Earth, where he is promptly needed: despite all precautions taken, the Covenant have discovered the location of humanity’s homeworld and are launching their attack.
- For some reason, however, their fleet is much smaller than expected.
- To solve this mystery, the Chief must return to the stars, learning more about the mysterious Halo rings and their constructors.
- Meanwhile, the Covenant Elite who commanded the fleet at the Halo construct is blamed for the destruction of the ring and branded a heretic.
- The High Prophets grant him another chance, however: he is made the Arbiter, a special operative for the Prophets, ordered to carry out impossible missions.
- He will be dealing with dissent and rebellion among the Covenant – a conflict where he might find himself to be on the wrong side.
The multiplayer component of the game has been greatly expanded.
- On the Xbox, Xbox Live is now supported in addition to split screen and system link.
- The campaign can be played by two players in split screen.
- Competitive game types include Slayer and Team Slayer (standard free-for-all deathmatch), Capture the Flag, Assault (planting a bomb in the enemy base), Territories (controlling sections of a map for a certain amount of time), Oddball (finding a skull on the map and then holding on to it as long as possible) and more.
- All types have several built-in variants and can also be customized further.
- Players can choose from Spartan and Covenant Elite skins.
Neat Facts:
- Halo 2 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
- In the US and Canada alone, 2.4 million copies of the game were sold in the first 24 hours of its release.
  - That averages out to roughly 27 copies a second.
- The game had 1.5 Million preorders before its release, making it an XBox “Platinum Hit” months before it was even released
Personally: This is the first game Josh preordered the collectors edition and strategy guide.
- He remembers leaving high school at lunch to pick it up.

November 10 – 2020 – Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla – PS4, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla leverages the Smart Delivery technology – buy the game once and play it on either Xbox One or Xbox Series X when both the console and that version of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are available
In Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla, become Eivor, a legendary Viking raider on a quest for glory. Explore England’s Dark Ages as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power.
- Lead epic Viking raids against Saxon troops and fortresses.
- Dual-wield powerful weapons and relive the visceral fighting style of the Vikings.
- Challenge yourself with the most varied collection of enemies ever in Assassin’s Creed.
- Shape the growth of your character with each choice and carve a path to glory.
- Explore a Dark Age open world, from the shores of Norway to the kingdoms of England.
- Personalize your experience by growing your clan’s settlement.

November 11 – 2011 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – PS3, Xbox 360

I remember waiting in line for the midnight release for this game
- One of the few Collectors Edition statues I have proudly displayed.
Two hundred years after the events described in Oblivion, the continent of Tamriel is in turmoil.
- The Emperor’s throne remained without heir; the Blades, Empire’s elite guards, have been disassembled; elven nations began capturing territory from the Empire.
- The assassination of the King of Skyrim, Tamriel’s Northern-most province and home of the Nord race, led to a civil war between those who wish independence for Skyrim and those who wanted it to remain under the Empire’s control.
The game contains some features that were introduced in Fallout 3.
- Enemy level-scaling is done in a similar way, as opposed to the more intrusive system of Oblivion.
- The player may hire other fighters to follow the hero around and lend a helping hand in combat.
- Also, the lockpicking system of the previous installment has been replaced by the lockpicking methods of the recent Fallout games.
- Conversations with NPCs now occur in real time rather than “freezing” time as in Oblivion.
This games impact is no joke as it is nearly ten years old, and still referenced and refereed to as a great example of adventure games.

November 12 – 2001 – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – PS2

In 2007, two years after the Shadow Moses incident, Solid Snake – now working for a freelance organization known as Philanthropy – infiltrates the oil tanker U.S.S. Discovery, investigating the development of a new Metal Gear-type weapon.
- A confrontation with a Russian military group as well as an old acquaintance from Snake’s past adventure leads to a massive detonation, after which Snake is presumed dead.
Fast-forward to the year 2009: the player takes control of Raiden, a rookie agent operating under the order of the Colonel, apparently member of a reformed Foxhound unit.
- His initial assignment is to infiltrate the offshore clean-up facility Big Shell and rescue the President of the United States of America, who was kidnapped by members of a terrorist organization known as Sons of Liberty.
- However, the matters become increasingly complicated as almost everyone Raiden communicates with appears to have a hidden agenda, and it is hard to tell a friend from foe…
The Snake swap to Raiden is a bait and switch that gamers still reference to today.
Neat Facts:
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
- In order to cover up the character Raiden, the promotional trailers for the game showed several scenes with Solid Snake in different scenes.
  - In the final game, Raiden is involved in the same scenes, but in Snake’s place. Hideo Kojima used computer tricks to cover up Raiden and no one knew of his existence until the game was released.
  - However, the manual spoils the surprise on its very first pages.

November 13 – 2011 – Super Mario 3D Land – 3DS

Super Mario 3D Land is a three-dimensional platformer which takes cues from the series’ side-scrolling instalments.
- Mario starts a point in each level which he must traverse to reach a flagpole at the end.
Josh loved this game
- Josh “This games is what I wanted Mario 64 to be. It felt like the classic Mario but instead of just side-scrolling, it was 3D. And the 3D feature really popped with the bold color palette. I 100% this with joy and might dig it up and play it over the holidays.”

November 14 – 2000 – Star Wars: Demolition – PlayStation

Star Wars: Demolition is a vehicular combat game set in the Star Wars universe created by both Luxoflux and LucasArts using the Vigilante 8 game engine.
- Luxoflux also made True Crime: Streets of LA and New York
- Its premise is that the Galactic Empire declares they’ve officially banned Jabba the Hutt’s podraces. Jabba creates a more life-threatening vehicular combat contest to replace the sport of podracing.
- Several combatants enter the competition.
  - Boba Fett enters, opting to use only his jetpack.
  - Fellow bounty hunter and occasional partner Aurra Sing also enters, a swoop bike her vehicle of choice.
  - Other opponents mount various forms of tanks, landspeeders, and even a rancor to compete in this battle to the death.
The reviews are not amazing
- Aggregate score for the PlayStation version is 57%
- While the Dreamcast version, which was released later, climbed up to 65%

November 15 – 1999 – Neopets – Browser

Neopets is a pet simulation set in the fantasy world of Neopia.
- The game’s core revolves around adopting and caring for up to six of the eponymous creatures.
- Pets can be fed, played with, given medicine when ill, and trained for battle, just to name a few basic activities.
- In order to customize a pet and make it truly unique, its owner may use special items to change its species and color, give it a Petpet, and equip it with various clothing items.
- None of these activities are mandatory, though some site features may be closed off until the player has done them.
- If a user decides they no longer want one of their pets, they can either leave it in a special adoption area for others to claim, or send it to a specific user.

November 16 – 2004 – Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 – PlayStation 2

All the power of DBZ is yours.
- A Hall of Fame cast of the greatest DBZ, DBGT and DBZ movie characters meet for first time for some of the fastest paced, highest intensity battles ever seen.
- New abilities include, for the first time on PlayStation 2, the ability to fly at will in a DBZ fighting game.
- Pummel your foes on the ground and in the air.
It was a fast paced 2D fighter with awesome DBZ flair
- You can teleport behind knocked backed characters to counter
- Power up while your opponent is stunned
- Have epic button mashing when your beam attacks clash
- Go into Hyper Mode to rush down your opponent
  - You can go into Dragon Rush which is a chance game, the attacker secretly presses one of four buttons and if the defender can guess it, they end the onslaught
With 44 characters!
- 1. Goku
- 2. Kid Goku
- 3. Kid Gohan
- 4. Teen Gohan
- 5. Gohan
- 6. Great Saiyaman
- 7. Goten
- 8. Vegeta
- 9. Trunks
- 10. Kid Trunks
- 11. Krillin
- 12. Piccolo
- 13. Tien
- 14. Yamcha
- 15. Hercule
- 16. Videl
- 17. Supreme Kai
- 18. Uub
- 19. Raditz
- 20. Nappa
- 21. Captain Ginyu
- 23. Recoome
- 24. Frieza
- 25. Andriod 16
- 26. Andriod 17
- 27. Andriod 18
- 28. Dr. Gero
- 29. Majin Buu
- 30. Super Buu
- 31. Kid Buu
- 32. Dabura
- 33. Cooler
- 34. Bardcok/Turles
- 35. Broly
- 36. Omega
- 37. Saibamen
- 38. Cell Jr.
- 39. SSJ4 Goku
- 40. SSJ4 Vegeta
- 41. Gogeta
- 42. SSJ4 Gogeta
- 43. Vegito
- 44. Gotenks

November 17 – 1998 – Eggs Of Steel – PlayStation

In Eggs of Steel, the player takes control of Charlie the Egg, a night watchman at the MOM Steel Factory.
- However while on break, the machines start up and it is up to Charlie to stop it by hitting the reset button hidden on the other end of the factory, but to do this Charlies must face hazardous obstacles and bad guys trying to stop him.
Eggs of Steel is a flip-screen platformer, using prerendered 3D backgrounds, a technique similar to Resident Evil.
- The gameplay involves jumping onto ledges, climbing pipes and avoid flying obstacles such as girders.
- Also Charlie will encounter bad guys along the way that he can take out with his “Egg Roll” and use his trusty wrench to trap and take out the baddies.
There are 43 levels and 12 different bosses along with power-ups such as donuts that will increase Charlie’s health.
- The story is told through thirty minutes of full screen animation and music composing of jazz, salsa and even Polynesian.

November 18 – 2001 – Nintendo GameCube

The GameCube is the first Nintendo console to use optical discs as its primary storage medium.
- The discs are in a miniDVD-based format but the system was not designed to play full-sized DVDs or audio CDs unlike its competitors, and mainly focused on gaming instead.
- The console supports limited online gaming for a small number of games via a GameCube broadband or modem adapter and can connect to a Game Boy Advance with a link cable, which allows players to access exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller like a Wii U.
Josh says “Still the best controller Nintendo designed”

November 19 – 2019 – Shenmue III – PlayStation 4, Windows

Shenmue III is an action-adventure game developed by Ys Net, published by Deep Silver for Windows and PlayStation 4 and produced by Shibuya Productions.
- Like the previous Shenmue games, it consists of open-world environments interspersed with brawler battles and quick time events.
- It features a day-and-night system, variable weather effects, non-player characters with daily schedules, and various minigames.
- The story continues teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki’s quest to find his father’s killer in the mountains of 1980s Guilin, China.
At E3 2015, following years of speculation, Suzuki launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund Shenmue III, with Sega having licensed Shenmue to Suzuki’s company Ys Net.
- It became the fastest campaign to raise $2 million, in under seven hours, and ended the following month having raised over $6 million, making it the highest-funded video game in Kickstarter history at the time.
- Further funding came from Sony and Deep Silver and crowdfunding on other platforms.
Shenmue III was released on November 19, 2019, 18 years after Shenmue II. It received mixed reviews, with critics divided over its similarity to its predecessors; some described it as outdated, while others praised its faithfulness to the franchise.
- Retail sales were low, but exclude digital sales and copies sent to Kickstarter backers.

November 20 – 2007 – Rock Band – PS3, Xbox 360

Rock Band, by the original developers behind the Guitar Hero games, takes the concept a step further.
- Instead of solely playing the guitar along with songs, this game allows players to start a full virtual band with up to four players, with different sequences for each of the three supported peripherals: guitar (electric and bass), drum and microphone.
- Gameplay is based on hitting scrolling notes on the screen in time (scrolling vertically for drum and guitar), and getting the right pitch for the vocals (scrolling horizontally at the top of the screen, along with the lyrics).
Josh says “This game is nothing but good memories. I recently hauled the old hardware from my parents place to play this again. However the guitars are worn out, and the drums are missing a few pieces. Love the memories of playing this with friends.”

Tidbits

There’s a rumour going around right now that Sony is looking to acquire Bluepoint Games, the team behind remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls, which would be amazing
- People are saying that they would likely be set to work on a new IP, but the reddit rumourmill is speculating on a modern Soul Reaver release (which would be amazing)
TikTok is saying that the Trump administration seems to have forgotten about its planned ban of the service, with approval of the sale to Oracle seemingly stalled waiting at the government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
- The deal has since been granted an extension, but this app that Trump was claiming was a clear and present national security issue seems to have fallen off of his radar completely
Just a reminder for everyone, Zoom is still a lying, garbage company even during the pandemic
- The FTC is saying that Zoom has lied to users for years about end-to-end encryption, maintaining the ability to access the content of its customer’s meetings and violating health information privacy laws, but instead of any kind of punishment Zoom is just saying that they’ll upgrade their security practices
BioWare has announced Mass Effect Legendary Edition, featuring a remastered trilogy (not you, Andromeda) with all its DLC
- Players can expect updated visuals and technical features with higher resolutions and faster framerates coming to consoles and PC in spring 2021

PS5 mini review

Damn it’s big
The setup process was slick
If you have your PS4 games on an external drive you can just plug it in and any PS5 versions will be automatically downloaded
Astro’s Playroom is a fair bit of fun
Demon’s Souls is gorgeous and feels great
Load times are almost nonexistent
The controller is pretty amazing, the speaker is surprising, and the haptic triggers are ridiculous

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PS2J 319 News – Shigeru Eats Crow

September 25, 2020
Tagged as: abtracetogether, account, ads, advertising, aesthetic, Alan, alarm, Alberta, Amazon, among us, antitrust, Apple, archive building, arkane studios, assassin’s creed valhalla, atmosphere, automation, ban, bastion, Battlefront, bedtime, bethesda softworks, binary, block, bytedance, cheap, Chrome, clock, Cloud, clouds, cnbc, colourblind, complete edition, contact tracing, control, coupon, covid, data breach, Diablo, dishonored, Doom, early access, Epic Games, eternal, exclusive, exploration, exposure notification, Facebook, Fallout, fauna, firestorm, flag, flora, Free, Free Games, free to play, friends, fun, game, game development, game pass, Gamepass, god’s, Google, Greece, greek, grid, hades, Halo, hard drive, haveibeenpwned, hdd, Health, hello games, id software, innersloth, intelligent tracking prevention, interesting, invite only, ios 14, iPhone, Japanese, Josh, katamari damacy, lightning, lock, luna, Mac, machine games, MacOS, marsh, memory card, meteors, Microsoft, Mixer, myst, mythology, NES, New Vegas, nintendo switch, No Mans Sky, obsidian entertainment, Oculus, oh my, oracle, Origins, PC, Phil Spencer, planets, Playstation, Prey, Privacy, ps1, quake, quest, rage, Reddit, release, resident evil 7, Rocket League, rogue legacy, rollercoaster tycoon 3, routine, safari, sandworms, satisfying, security recommendations, series, sky, sleep, soaked, Sonic, Space, ssd, Star Wars, Steam, storage, story, Streaming<, supergiant games, swamp, tango gameworks, ternary, the elder scrolls, tiktok, tiktok global, tornadoes, tracker, tracking, transistor, Trump, Twitch, Ubisoft, united states, Update, usa, variety, verify, volcano, walmart, wash your hands, we love you, wear your masks, web app, wild, wild robots, Wolfenstein, XBox, Xbox 360, Yooka Laylee, zagreus, zenimax

Free games

Epic Games
- RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition
  - 2020 updated bundle of the 2004 title, including the Soaked and Wild expansion packs
  - Construction and management sim game that has you managing amusement parks and either completing objectives in career mode or creating the park of your dreams in sandbox mode
- Rocket League
  - Now officially free to play, and if you download it from the Epic Games Store before October 23rd you’ll get a free coupon for the store as well

PSA: the iOS 14 update disables your alarm if you use the Bedtime feature

Although each day’s alarm can still be viewed in the Clock app, they’ve moved the Bedtime suite of features into a new Sleep section in the Health app
This wouldn’t be a big deal, but unfortunately as part of the move you’re expected to go in and set up your sleep preferences again before the alarm is active
The new Sleep features include wind-down routines and automations, which are pretty slick, but you’ll have to go set all of that up or you might accidentally sleep in after you upgrade

ABTraceTogether has finally been updated to run in the background on iOS!

The update was just released today so there aren’t any reports on how it may be affecting battery life, but I’ve set it up and I’ll be reporting back next week.
So far it’s promising at least, in that it only asked for Bluetooth permissions and my phone number, so even though I don’t think it’s using the Exposure Notification framework I’m willing to give it a shot
In the meantime though I strongly recommend that everyone who can run it does so.
Stay safe out there, everyone

Amazon’s announced a bunch of stuff this week including updates to its Echo and Ring hardware, but the most surprising entry is a new cloud-gaming service called Luna

For $6/month in early access you’ll be able to play games with either their fancy proprietary $50 controller, an Xbox One or PS4 controller, or a mouse and keyboard
At launch titles will be streaming up to 1080p/60fps, with 4k support teased as “coming soon”
During the early access period they’ll be offering games like
- Control
- Resident Evil 7
- GRID
- Yooka-Laylee
They also talked about bringing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to Luna, but with no solid timelines
Amazon has a nice leg up for this with their ownership of Twitch, too
- Some of the integration sounds a lot like what Microsoft promised with Mixer, where streamers can broadcast from Luna direct to Twitch and viewers will be able to go right from watching the footage to playing on the service themselves
Luna will reportedly run on Fire TV, Mac, and PC, along with having “web apps” for iPhone and iPad to get around the App Store restrictions hampering Game Pass
- Android is listed as “coming soon”
There aren’t any solid dates, at the moment though, and early access is invite-only and United States exclusive

No Man’s Sky 3.0 has hit with their new Origins update, and it’s an amazing amount of content to provide completely free for all players

New planets have been added to existing solar systems, increasing exploration and adding millions of fresh worlds to explore
- The new worlds have terrain generated on an entirely new scale, with even better looking vistas than the original trailer
Some rare solar systems now have multiple stars
Flora, fauna, and atmospheric conditions have changed throughout the universe, with a massive increase to variety and possible combinations
- There are even some entirely new categories of alien species like beetles, butterflies, wild robots, and massive sandworms
Better cloud and weather variety, with coverage and colour varying over time and matching what you see from space
New environments like swamps, marshes, volcanoes, firestorms
New hubs called Archive Buildings on planets serving as vaults for data, treasure, and ruins
Dangerous new infestations infecting planets with anomalous lifeforms and vegetative growths
Abandoned and ancient settlements to discover
NPCs can now land on planets and offer contraband tech for sale
Greatly enhanced terrain detail
Improved teleporters
Overhauled interface and menus
Meteors
Gravitational anomalies
Tornadoes
Lightning
It’s kind of absurd how much they’re adding to their game at no additional cost to the players

In one of the largest purchases in gaming history, Microsoft has acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5B

ZeniMax owns a bunch of game studios like Tango Gameworks, Machine Games, id Software, Arkane Studios… and Bethesda Softworks
This one move singlehandedly puts a lot of amazing games under the Microsoft umbrella, and hopefully right on to GamePass
- Doom, Quake, Rage, Dishonored, Prey, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout
  - Doom Eternal has already been confirmed for the service starting on October 1st
- Not to mention that with Microsoft having bought out Obsidian Entertainment a couple years back, the team behind Fallout New Vegas could have access to the franchise again
I can see this sparking all kinds of antitrust hearings though, since this will give Microsoft a huge grip on the game development industry
- They’ve announced they’ll be honouring all existing agreements for cross-console titles, but time will tell what kind of exclusives the Xbox Series 2 X Elite One will have

Though Apple’s delayed iOS 14’s app privacy changes, publishers are still angry about other privacy-improving measures like their new Intelligent Tracking Prevention

When active it blocks cross-site tracking, and it’s on by default for all users and all browsers (not just Safari), so it’s put a huge damper on ad tracking online, both on iOS and Mac
- My favourite part is how Safari shows a privacy report every time they open a new tab, detailing all the trackers that have been blocked and where they came from
- Since I installed the update it’s blocked 95 separate trackers, with the most heinous being Google trying to track me across 45 different websites
One big thing to note here is this doesn’t block any ads. Ads are displayed regardless of these new options, unless you have a separate blocker in place
- All this is doing is stopping the trackers that companies use to gather information about you and which sites you visit, that they can then either use to try and target the advertising or sell to other companies
With this in place, websites are going to have to start asking for your information instead of just harvesting it silently without consent

TikTok isn’t going to be banned in the United States after all, after Trump gave the green light to a new deal between Oracle, Walmart, and TikTok owner ByteDance

Oracle and Walmart will reportedly take a 20% stake in the new company, TikTok Global, which combined with American companies owning 40% of ByteDance technically gives the US majority ownership
But the original demand for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations over national security concerns isn’t happening, so it’s not quite clear what was actually accomplished here
A related ban on the WeChat app was also shelved after a judge halted Trump’s order to drop it from app stores in the US

Reddit users are already reporting issues with the combined Facebook Oculus login, with many accounts being disabled with no apparent recourse

The largest issue that I’ve seen is for people that previously had a Facebook account but then deleted it at some point. After creating a new one with the same or similar information it gets flagged, and often times even after providing the requested information the accounts are still blocked
Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when it stops you from playing games you’ve purchased on the headset you own, it gets a lot messier
- These bans don’t just affect online play, like most console bans would, but actually remove your ability to access your single player games locally
Time will tell how many users are leaving the Oculus ecosystem, but this is a prime time for other headsets to soak up all those potential new customers

This Week In Gaming History

September 19 – 2019 – Sonic Racing – iPhone

The world’s fastest hedgehog is back in SONIC RACING!
- Take control of one of 15 playable characters from the Sonic universe and compete in the ultimate multiplayer racing experience.
- COLLECT power-ups, SET traps and ATTACK competitors all while driving at high speed. Ready, Set, RACE!
Couldn’t find reviews for it

September 20 – 2005 – We Love Katamari – PS2 -North America

After the success of Katamari Damacy, the King of all Cosmos and his son, the Prince, have gained quite a bit of fame.
- To keep all of the fans happy, the Prince is once again sent to Earth to roll stuff up with a katamari (a clump of stuff); this time he’s taking requests from the fans as to what should be rolled up!
This was my (Josh’s) first Katamari experience.
- The game was raved about on G4/Tech TV, which I (Josh) lived on having satellite TV, but not high speed internet.
- The original was hard to get and this game was more distributed in North America, from what I experienced

September 21 – 2004 – Star Wars: Battlefront – PS2/Xbox

For the first time in gaming history, after countless games depicting various aspects of the rich Star Wars universe (including some we never wanted to see), players have the chance to step into the boots of the average soldier in the wars that raged across the galaxy.
- Gameplay is based on the successful standards set by Battlefield 1942, but combat in Battlefront is even more massive and heated, vehicles are more predominant and the familiar starships are also included.
This game sold approx 3.61 million copies on PS2 and 1.75 million on Xbox, having the sequel earn the badge “Sequel to the Best Selling Stars Wars Game Ever”. However, the release of Star Wars Battlefront in 2015 did sell more, the sequel dis not do as well. I feel it was because this remake list the essence of what made the first one great.

September 22 – 2004 – Katamari Damacy – PS2 – North America

Thought it was interesting the sequel came out less than a year after the orginal
The King of All Cosmos accidentally destroyed the stars and—having recovered—wants the prince to rebuild them.
- Unfortunately the prince stands a little less than half a foot tall, so recreating the stars will require some effort.
- Enter the Katamari, a sphere the prince can push around our world to “roll up” items increasing the Katamari’s size until it’s suitable for the King.
This game had amazing reviews when it released. 90% and higher
- Its strange and cute as hell with a soundtrack that will infect you mind, highly recommend any version if you can try it out or get a copy.

September 23 – 1989 – American Dream – NES Japan only

In this casino game, there is a choice of two game modes: “game” and simulation.
- In the simulation mode, the player controls a pachinko ball named Pachio-kun, who walks directly into a casino where he can exchange money for tokens and try his luck at the slot machines. In the “game mode”, he is brought in a helicopter onto a top-down “world map” area.
- He is told that this is Brooklyn, New York, and begins to roam the area, gradually gaining access to different casino houses. There are also random encounters, during which he is able to bet some money and directly operate a slot machine from the world map.

September 24 – 1993 – Myst – Windows 3.x, Macintosh

Myst is a first-person point-and-click adventure where the player controls a character known as The Stranger.
- Magically transported into the world described in the book, he needs to explore Myst Island and solve its mysteries.
- The game is presented as a series of static scenes where the player acts with the environment by clicking and manipulating objects. There are no enemies and it is not possible to die.
- Through Myst Island, the game is further divided into mini-worlds set in different ages accessed through different books.
That is all I (Josh) know as I would play this game for about 5 – 10 minutes at school, and never knew what I was doing.

September 25 – 2007 – Halo 3 – Xbox 360

Finish the fight
If GoldenEye for N64 is the first successful FPS on console, Halo is the franchise that made FPS on console actual competition for PC.
Halo 3 added equipment such as a gravity lift, a shield drain field, a shield recharge field, land mines and a bubble shield which can be penetrated by players, but not gunfire. One piece of equipment can be carried at a time and it can be deployed anywhere.
This game definitely sold 360 consoles. And the demo for this game sold copies of Crackdown. Which was my first experience spending a weekend not sleeping to play countless matches on High Ground

Tidbits

Microsoft has unveiled the storage expansion options for the Xbox Series consoles, and 1TB will set you back $220USD
- Standard external drives will work for backward-compatible games, and games for the new gen can be stored on them, but they will only actually run on the fancy Playstation memory card style game drives or internal storage
iOS 14 has yet another great privacy feature that flew under the radar, with the addition of data breach notifications for any account credentials you have saved
- Going in to Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations will flag any passwords that are known to be compromised and also highlight reused or easily guess passwords
Microsoft’s Xbox lead Phil Spencer took to CNBC this week to assure everyone that they’re committed to bringing Game Pass to iPhone, so they may be willing to jump through the new hoops that Apple has put in place for the cloud gaming service
Innersloth, the makers of the recently popular hidden role game Among Us, have announced that instead of making Among Us 2 they’ll be reworking and updating the current game
- Among the planned improvements are better servers, colourblind support, a friends/account system, and a brand new stage

Hades mini-review

Supgergiant Games, the team behind Transistor and Bastion, basically combined Diablo and Rogue Legacy into a great new roguelite
You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, fighting his way out of the underworld
Left early access this week and hit Steam, Epic Games, and the Nintendo Switch
It’s a ton of fun on the Switch and works really well with the console
Gameplay feels deep and responsive, with good power boosts both per-run and permanent that keep the game moving and help with incremental improvements
And the story is good too, with new voice lines and information coming up through each run keeping things fresh and interesting
All that along with an excellent aesthetic and solid voice acting makes it a delight to play
It never feels like a repeated slog, with something new shown every time you start another run
For <$30 it’s an easily justified buy

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

Thank you Zane, a powerful man and a super hero dad. He’s one of the best #BeLikeZane

And thanks to the rest of our ‘fanily’ that support us.

And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!

We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network. Locally grown. Community supported.

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PS2J 316 News – Super Money Printing Bros

September 4, 2020
Tagged as: 13.7, 19:17, 20, 30%, 360, 3D land, 7:17 pm, action, action adventure, Activision, agent, aimbot, Alan, alex winter, algorithm, Alien, all stars, alphabet, app store, Apple, Arcade, arkham, arma 2, Art, Artificial Intelligence, autonauts, battle royale, battlegrounds, bill and ted, blackmilk, brainiac, brawler, Call Of Duty, captain boomerang, cheat, China, colonize, colours, combat, come together, contact tracing, content bundles, court, crash bandicoot, crusader kings 3, cryptic studios, de blob 2, deadshot, Destiny 2, effie, epic, Epic Games, export, exposure notification, face the music, Facebook, fee, fight, First Person, for you, forced, forcefields, forsaken, Fortnite, Free Games, FTL, Gamepass, games with gold, gddr6x, goofball, Government, hack, Harley Quinn, home, Home Tour, impulsion, into the breach, iOS, ipad, iPhone, island, Isometric, John Wick, joint ops, Josh, keanu reeves, keys, kill the justice league, king shark, lady astronaut of mars, Lawsuit, Logan, lootboxes, magic, Mario Kart, mary robinette kowal, mech, mech city brawl, metropolis, Microsoft, mis-advertising, MMO, mod, modules, mp46, multicultural, Multiplayer, music, navy, neverwinter, nintendo, nintendo switch online, nvidia, Online, open-world, oracle, outcast, overreach, Override, people, physics, platform, playerunknown, Playstation, preston, ps+, PS4, PUBG, pubg mobile, puma, pumped bmx pro, puzzle, random, Ratchet and Clank, Reality, Red Dead Redemption, relentless moon, resident evil 7, retcon, Rocket League, rocksteady, RPG, RTX, sale, seal, second contact, shadowkeep, ships, Shooter, softbank, Sony, Space, speed, star trek online, stealth update, sticks, stones, story, street fighter v, stunt, Suicide Squad, Super Mario, Super Mario 3D All Stars, Super Mario Bros 35, Super Mario Galaxy, tears, tech company, the calculating stars, the division, the fated sky, The Gathering, the matrix, third person, tiktok, tiny troopers, tom clancy, tournament, trick, Turn Based, twin stick, Twitch, united states, universe, Unreal Engine, Update, us, voltron, wallhack, walmart, warzone, wayback machine, Xbox Live, xbox live gold, Xbox One

Free Games

Xbox One
- Override: Mech City Brawl
  - 2018
  - Gigantic robot mech brawler with single player and Voltron-style 2-4 player co-op, where every mech has special moves and skills, and you can fight in arenas around the world
- Tom Clancy’s The Division
  - 2016
  - Online-only action RPG / third person shooter where you play a special agent tasked with helping rebuild Manhattan and combat criminal activity after a viral outbreak. It has a combination of shared and instanced areas that have co-op and pvp multiplayer, in addition to missions and a story that you can run on your own
- de Blob 2
  - 2014
  - Platform puzzle game originally for the Xbox 360 that has you jumping around, mixing colours and bringing life to the cityscape. There’s also a basic two-player mode similar to Super Mario Galaxy
- Gamepass
  - We don’t normally mention new games on Gamepass, but this month some new highlights include Resident Evil 7, Crusader Kings 3, and Destiny 2 with the Shadowkeep and Forsaken expansions
  - Unfortunately Red Dead Redemption 2 is leaving on September 7th
PS4
- Street Fighter V
  - 2016
  - Fighting game similar to the other 2D style Street Fighter titles, it initially released without a story mode and only had a basic roster meant for tournament style gameplay until updates in 2018 and 2020 added in single-player modes and additional fighters
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
  - 2017
  - One of the original battle royale titles, it started life as a mod for ARMA 2 but evolved into a standalone title where you and 99 other players are dropped on to an island with the clothes on your back, and need to gather resources and take down the other players on a shrinking map
Epic Games
- Into the Breach
  - 2018
  - Control powerful mechs from the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly generated challenge in this isometric turn-based strategy game from the makers of FTL.
Twitch
- Pumped BMX Pro
  - 2019
  - Promoted as a BMX trickathon, it has you mastering 60 different levels and over 200 challenges while pulling off as many stunts as possible
- Effie
  - 2020
  - 3D action adventure game that combines combat, platforming, and puzzles with the exploration of a large, expanded world where you live a unique fantasy adventure in the style of Crash Bandicoot or Ratchet and Clank
- Impulsion
  - 2018
  - First person platformer designed to play with your nerves and reflexes, that has you making your way through 25 levels by manipulating physics and shooting forcefields to speed up or slow down
- Outcast – Second Contact
  - 2017 remake of the 1999 adventure game of the year and cult classic, Outcast
  - Third or first person open world shooter where you play an ex Navy SEAL stranded on an alien world trying to get home
- Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops
  - 2014
  - Arcade-style twin stick shooter that has your tiny troopers battling evil adversaries from around the world with a multitude of weapons and specialties
- Autonauts
  - 2019
    - Travel the universe and colonize uninhabited planets, starting with sticks and stones and going all the way up to art, space travel, and intergalactic export

Updates

Apple has officially terminated Epic Games’ account on its App Store, a move that won’t affect Unreal Engine but it does mean that users can no longer download Fortnite or other Epic titles for their iDevices
- Anyone that’s already downloaded the app can still play, but can no longer make ingame purchases
- This comes down as, despite the court’s recommendation that Epic comply with App Store guidelines while the case moves forward, they’ve instead repeatedly submitted Fortnite updates with the direct payment option in question intact
While Epic continues to cry foul to its users about updates now being blocked, Apple has been promoting another big battle royale title PUBG Mobile for iOS users, which is great timing as the game is also free this month on PS+
It seems like Facebook is trying to get their foot in the door when it comes to the Epic vs Apple payment fees conversation
- Facebook has a new feature that lets users buy tickets for online events. Unfortunately since online events count as digital content, they’re subject to the standard 30% fee
- Facebook tried to include wording on these purchases to say “Apple takes 30% of this purchase”, but according to Apple that’s irrelevant information and they blocked the update that would have added that wording
  - It probably falls under the usual terms and conditions that prevent developers from talking about other payment options from within iOS apps
- Google devices were reportedly supposed to get a message saying “Facebook doesn’t take a fee from this purchase”, which makes the warning on iPhones seem really targeted, but that message doesn’t show up on the Android version either
- Between showing the planned screens then publicizing the difference, it seems like Facebook is playing the same blame game as Epic in trying to get attention by breaking the rules and crying foul when they’re enforced

Cryptic Studios is under fire this week for “mis-advertising” content packs for Star Trek Online, something that Reddit users are saying is a common trend for the publisher

Apparently on multiple occasions they’ve announced content bundles that include ships, modules, and keys for lootchests, but then when the actual pack is released people purchase it to find things like the keys completely missing
The worst part of that is all of the blogs and advertising material have been stealth-updated to remove any mention of the missing rewards, leaving only services like the Internet Wayback Machine with proof of the change
- Once they were called out loudly enough they honoured the missing content for people that had purchased prior to the revision, but anyone working off of old information is left out in the cold
According to some users, they’ve historically done the very same thing in free to play titles like Neverwinter, and each time they just apologized and moved on
This is apparently the same studio working on the Magic: The Gathering MMO slated for a 2021 release, but with this kind of track record it’s hard not to be worried

The US government is getting even more involved with the forced sale of TikTok, now forcing some companies to back down in their offers

Apparently Walmart was set to make an offer to be the majority owner, teamed with with Alphabet and Softbank to invest in minority stakes, but the United States government apparently said they wanted a tech company to buy it instead
- Why they get a say is beyond me, but I guess they could move forward with the ban anyway if people don’t listen?
From the sounds of it Walmart is interested in getting into TikTok’s e-commerce and payments business, so since they were blocked they instead are teaming up as a minority shareholder with Microsoft taking the lead
- Alphabet couldn’t take the lead of Walmart’s original plans because of a potential antitrust investigation due to its ownership of YouTube
It looks like now the two options for TikTok are Microsoft/Walmart or Oracle, but though a deal was set to be made already China has now made a change to its export controls list to cover TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which means that thanks to TikTok’s “For You” page the Chinese government will now get a say in whether the sale goes through

Apple’s release the new iOS 13.7, and once you’ve got that installed you’ll be able to easily see if your area supports COVID-19 exposure notifications

The update has new options under Settings > Exposure Notifications (just below Emergency SOS), which include showing you if your area has an official contact tracing app and, if not, gives you a switch to be alerted once one is available
Just a reminder that these apps are secure, battery-friendly, and become a lot more effective in keeping people safe if everyone’s using them

Mario 35th Anniversary Direct

Game and Watch: Super Mario Bros.

A throwback to the old Game and Watch handhelds that Nintendo used to make
- This version has a bright colour screen
- You can play the entirety of Super Mario Bros
- There are also mini games that put Mario in the place of Mr. Game And Watch
- The clock function is very animated, more than just a static clock to watch
- Limited Production, Available November 13th

Super Mario World + Bowser’s Fury

Super Mario 3D World and all the fun and frustration it included is coming to Switch
As well as new content titled Bowser’s Fury
- Only shown in a brief teaser with a dark giant spiky cat bell powerup, on a rainy beach in a storm with purple lightning
Slated to release February 12th, 2021

Super Mario Bros. 35

In the vein of Tetris 99, this is Super Mario Battle Royal!
- Exclusive and free for Switch Online Members
You play original Super Mario Bros in the center of the screen
- In the UI around you, are 34 other people, racing to play Mario Bros faster than you
To attack other players, you defeat enemies as normal, and it sends them off to another player’s queue
- In your queue, you see that as you progress in the level, desaturated enemies are waiting to spawn in your path
- Everyone is racing against the clock, which you get more time by defeating enemies
- And like Tetris 99, you can target opponents by Lowest time, Most Coins, people attacking you and random
- And it seems like coins, not sure if they are acquired the same as in game, or some sort of bonus
  - And it appears you can buy a power-up for 20 of these coins.
Available October 1st
- Will be playable until March 31st, 2021

Mario Kart Live: Home Tour

OMG Mario Kart in real life!
This is an augmented reality game
- You purchase a Mario Kart RC Kart
  - Mario and Luigi seem available first
  - Looks like a traditional Kart, but if it had a large scoop for the engine, behind the racer, that has a camera
- These karts must come with a kit to make 4 arches
  - You start by driving your kart through the arches, painting the track behind you
  - When you connect to the track, it paints the width of the arches to make a race track
The commercial shows 2 kids playing on the same track
- On the Switch, an augmented reality race shows other digital characters racing with the 2 RC karts
October 16th, 2020

Nintendo Rewards for limited pins!

Everyone with a My Nintendo Account can complete Super Mario related missions
You may recieve cool rewards
- Including a Pin set of 10 Mario’s from games ranging from 1985 to 2020
- Will release in 2 waves, US and Canada Only
- September 3rd to March 31st 2021

Mario Kart Tour Event!

Special appearances of Mario and Donkey Kong Junior from the original Super Mario Kart for SNES
- September 8th, 2020, 11PM PST

Limited merchandise

Historical Super Mario items and special 35th Anniversary items
- Only at the Nintendo New York store
- And store.nintendo.com
- Starting in October

Mario Maker 2 Course

A special 35th Anniversary Ninji’s Speed Run course
- November 2020

Super Smash Bros Online Tournament

Limited to Super Mario franchise characters
- Stages and Items
Later this year

Splatoon Splat Fest

Which Power-up would you prefer?
- Super Size from a Mushroom
- Invincibility from a Super Star
- A My Nintendo reward item of a Mushroom and Super Star that got inked
  - To release closer to the SplatFest
  - Physical SplatFest shirts available online, now
January 2021

Animal Crossing

Super Mario themed furniture
- March 2021

And Licensed Super Mario products!

Puma Sneakers
- September 4th
BlackMilk Clothing
- October 5th
Mario Monopoly and Jenga
- Now
Mario Doll
- Now
Lego
- Lego Mario course
- Lego NES with Retro TV

Super Mario All Stars

Coming to the Super NES collection on Switch
- Updated to fit Widescreen tvs!

Super Mario 3D All Stars

Super Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy in one game
- Also has a music player, like Smash Ultimate
Limited physical release
- September 18th

This Day in Gaming History

August 29 – 2013 – Game Dev Tycoon – Windows

”Game Dev Tycoon” is a business simulator game where you control a game company.
- The game starts in the garage as many single video games developer did in the 80s.
- As you release successful games, more genres, employees and options are unlocked.
- As time progresses consoles and home computers are unlocked, but often using silly fictional names like PlaySystem and grPhone.
- The game is inspired by Game Dev Story in both name and gameplay.
This is a game I really enjoy and like to go back to from time to time
- Some of the achievements are for naming your Studio or Games based on real companies or releases.
- And some powerful characters you can hire are references to big game developers

August 30 – 2002 – Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure On Soccer Island – Game Boy Advance – United Kingdom Only

It’s football with a unique twist.
- David Beckham is called on to save Soccer Island from the evil Mister Woe, who has taken over the island by turning all of the animals into monsters.
- Not only that, he’s stealing all of the important items for himself.
Using David Beckham’s football skills, you must guide your hero through each level, kicking enemies and doors down with your football to the end of each level.
- Knock down the locks during the game to unlock the exit door and kick your ball through to complete it.
- Boss characters then require special attacks with your football to defeat them.

August 31 – 1997 – Final Fantasy 7 – Playstation

The seventh installment of the Final Fantasy series takes place in a post-modern, steampunk, sci-fi world where high technology reigns and where robots and bio-engineered mutants co-exist with humans and dragons.
To my surprise, the site I source for a lot of these games, Moby Games, had Final Fantasy 7’s North American release as the only game for August 31st, 1997

September 1 – 1984 – Klondike Solitare – DOS

A mouse-only game for DOS, Klondike Solitaire is a simulation of its namesake.
- Using the mouse to click cards, you move cards of alternate suits onto each other in an effort to move them off the tableau.
- Cheating is technically allowed, but doing so will get you “yelled at” by the program.
Felt this would be appropriate, as basically anyone to be stuck on a computer without an internet connection, has played solitaire
- And this may the first Klondike Solitare

September 2 – 2014 – The Sims 4 – Origin Windows

The Sims 4 is the fourth main game in the real-time life simulation / management series. Just like the previous games one or more custom characters are created through Create-a-Sim to live in a house designed by the player.
- As their lives unfold based on the environment, relationships and specific traits, the player gets to manage the life, needs to organize activities, attend to needs, and react to moods, with non-linear gameplay and no direct control.
I’ve been way into it again, as I bought Get Famous on a sale, before the latest expansion Eco Lifestyle came out.
- I reviewed that I really like the social media, and fame meter. As well as the Acting career
- And Eco Lifestyle added Ladders, as well as ways to produce your own water and power.
  - Which you can sell back to the grid for a profit.
If the fanily found it interesting, I was considering making Alan and I, and doing a Twitch stream.

September 3 – 1998 – Hong Pong – DOS

Hong Pong is a Pong variant set in five different war zones (including one hidden) and with tanks instead of paddles.
- Played with two tanks, one on each side of the screen, players need to prevent a spinning nuke from touching their side of the screen, while shooting missiles at the opponent or forcing the nuke to hit his side.
- In the middle of the screen different kinds of vehicles pass and these hurt the player when touched. It is also possible to activate a shield to block the incoming missiles, but while it is up firing is disabled.

September 4 – 1998 – Dune 2000 – Windows

Dune 2000 is a remake of the classic Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, updated for Windows.
- In this real-time strategy game, you can play one of the three houses: the noble Atreides, the insidious Ordos, or the evil Harkonnen.
- Each has different sets of units and tactics while maintaining an overall balance.
- The Atreides have air superiority and rely on their honor and alliance with planet natives, the Fremen.
- The Ordos rely on guerrilla tactics and superior technology, as well as mercenaries.
- The Harkonnen just go brutal, with no care for lives of their own troops or destruction, as long as they are victorious.
This game made me fall in love with the Dune franchise
- If you are interested in playing it again, I recommend OpenRA
- OpenRA is a project that recreates and modernizes the classic Command & Conquer real time strategy games.
- Relive the original Command and Conquer, C&C: Red Alert, and Dune 2000
- https://www.openra.net

Tidbits

Shout out to Bullfrog, thanks for saying you’ll give us a shot after our ad on Remember the Game.
- We really like Adams podcast, and we are blown away by his glowing review of us!
- Thanks to all our fanily, and welcome to anyone joining us from Remember the Game!

Good news for Rocket League players, once the game hits their free to play launch (we covered all the details in episode 310) you’ll no longer need PS+ or Nintendo Switch Online to play multiplayer
- Unfortunately it looks like Xbox Live Gold is still needed if you want to play on Xbox One
If you’re about to buy a new graphics card you’ll want to press pause until you check out nVidia’s new RTX 30 series
- The new hardware includes all sorts of fanciness like a brand new faster kind of memory (GDDR6X), low latency and high framerates even at 4k and 8k resolutions, and all kinds of ray-tracing beauty
- According to the specs released so far, even the entry level model 3070 beats the two year old 2080ti at less than half its current price
Rocksteady’s upcoming Suicide Squad game, subtitled Kill The Justice League, looks like it could be pretty good
- Featuring Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark in a Metropolis being menaced by Brainiac and a presumably mind-controlled Justice League, set in the Arkham game universe
Call of Duty Warzone players will be happy to hear that Activision is suing one of the top websites where players can purchase cheats and hacks for the game, like aimbots and wallhacks (xray vision)
- The lawsuit has forced the site in question to remove all Call of Duty content, leaving people that have previously paid for the cheats with nothing to show for it
  - Some are hoping for refunds, but the fact that people actively cheating at games are now out actual money is kind of delicious

Mini-reviews

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
- Perspective change threw me at first, but I was glad I recently re-read the other books because this takes place at the same time as The Fated Sky
- Another great addition to the Lady Astronaut of Mars series, and as well written as it was well studied
Bill and Ted Face the Music
- It felt like a lot of what we need right now in the world- a story about people coming together and celebrating eachother, with great acting from a lot of fantastic people, and a subtle reminder about how multicultural music has always been with so many roots in black culture, along with an ending that had me in tears
- After serious movies from The Matrix to John Wick, it’s always good to see what a goofball Keanu Reeves can be

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

Thank you Zane, a powerful man and a super hero dad. He’s one of the best #BeLikeZane

And thanks to the rest of our ‘fanily’ that support us.

And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!

We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network. Locally grown. Community supported.

And talk to us in the comments!

PS2J 308 News – Renegade Scientists

July 10, 2020
Tagged as: 343, 3D, 4chan, 99 pi, Adventure, advertising, Alan, Alien, ally, ancestry, Animation, Apple, assault, asymmetrical, augmented reality, battery, beta, Black Lives Matter, bug, Bungie, Call Of Duty, choose your own, clipboard, clone, co-op, competitive, conference, consent, contact tracing, control, copy, covid-19, culture, d&d, delete, diversity, Epic Games, escapists 2, eugene marshall, europe, exposure notification, Facebook, First Person, forward, Free, Free Games, Freedom House Ambulance, game designer, gamer, Google, halo 3, harassment, hate, homework, infinity ward, information, inmate, ios 14, iPhone, ireland, Josh, killing floor 2, lgbtwiq+, lifeless planet, linkedin, live link face, master chief collection, mercenary, Microsoft, mind, minor, minorities, misconduct, modern warfare, motion capture, Multiplayer, music, nintendo, ok, outpost, PC, permissions, platformer, Polygon, Predator, premier edition, prison, Privacy, puzzle, pvp, race, racism, randonautica, Reddit, RPG, science, Shooter, Smash Bros, Solo, soviet union, Space, starbucks, strategy, SUPERHOT, terrorism, tiktok, top-down, tournament, tracking, truedepth, Twitch, Twitter, Ubisoft, Unreal Engine, users, warzone, watch dogs 2, wave based, weather network, White, zed

Free Games

Epic Games
- Killing Floor 2
  - 2016
  - First person wave-based shooter than can be played solo or with up to 6 players cooperatively, it has you descending into continental Europe after it’s been overrun by murderous clones called Zeds
  - They also added an asymmetrical PVP mode that has one or more players taking on the role of the Zeds to kill the mercenaries
- Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition
  - 2014
  - Adventure puzzle platformer that has you exploring an alien planet where you stumble upon a derelict Soviet Union science outpost and try to piece together how they got there and where they’ve gone now
  - The Premier Edition brings new content, improved graphics, new original music, and additional voice-acting
- The Escapists 2
  - 2017
  - Top-down strategy RPG that has you playing an inmate in a prison, following daily routines, completing quests for fellow inmates, and seeking opportunities to escape
  - It also includes local and online multiplayer, either cooperative where two players help eachother break out or competitive where two teams see who can break out the fastest
Ubisoft is hosting their first all-digital conference streaming live on July 12, and if you log on to ubisoft.com/forward during the event you can get a free copy of Watch Dogs 2

Surprising completely no one, Google-backed groups are criticizing Apple’s warnings about user tracking

The next batch of updates coming to Apple software this fall have a lot to do with user tracking- specifically, giving you prompts when websites or apps are trying to track you across multiple services
Well a group of 16 marketing associations, many backed by Facebook and Google, are getting mad at Apple for not sticking to the existing ad-industry standard for getting user consent under European privacy rules, complaining that between the current adding a second layer of permissions increases the risk that users will refuse
Apple defended the move, and I believe rightfully so, by saying that the new feature is aimed at giving users greater transparency over how their info is being used and monetized
And really, if the best argument against giving users more opportunities to say no is that they might take them, you might have some predatory practices that need to be looked at

After allegations have been made about wildly inappropriate, unethical, and immoral behaviour in competitive Smash Bros communities, Nintendo has made a statement saying that they “condemn all acts of violence, harassment, and exploitation against anyone and that we stand with the victims.”

Apparently dozens of high-profile figures in the community have been accused of sexual misconduct, like harassment, assault, and grooming minors

In the latest of what I’m sure will be a long line of ass-coverings, LinkedIn says that their app reading iPhone clipboards after every keystroke is a bug and will be fixed soon

They’re blaming it on code that compares your clipboard contents with what has been typed in a textbox, which seems weird even on its own
iOS 14, now in beta, alerts users every time data they’ve copied is read by an app, and we’ve seen this catch out apps like TikTok, Twitter, Starbucks, and many more reading this information for no good reason
The Weather Network, also caught out by this, says that they only used the info if a user wished to share diagnostic information for troubleshooting and that they’ve reached out to Apple for guidance

Infinity Ward has quietly removed the OK gesture from Modern Warfare and Warzone

There hasn’t been any official statement about why, but this was likely in continuing support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A while back 4Chan decided to help white supremacists appropriate the symbol (some claimed as a joke), saying that the three upraised fingers made a W and the circle made a P when you take the forearm into account
Regardless of their possible intentions, they have actually succeeded to the point that racists and terrorists have been sincerely using the symbol in dog-whistling photos and acts of terror against minorities and people of colour
The Anti-Defamation League even had to add it to their list of hate symbols in September of last year

SUPERHOT – MIND, CONTROL, DELETE is leaving Early access on July 16th after four years of development, and being given away free to anyone that purchased the original beforehand (free giveaways don’t count, though Kickstarter does)

The third game in the franchise, it’s bringing more immersion, more story, more characters, and more gameplay to the original SUPERHOT ‘first person shooter where time only moves when you do’ formula
The original is currently 60% off at get.superhotgame.com, so it’s a great time to get into it

Randonautica

https://www.randonautica.com/

Choose Your Own Adventure
Creepy findings
Randonaut Responsibly!
- #1 Never, ever trespass onto private property.
  - We. Are. SERIOUS. Get as close to the point as you are comfortable without trespassing onto private property. Never enter someone’s backyard without permission. Never enter privately marked wooded or commercial areas. Trespassing onto private property is a direct violation of the user agreement for Randonautica. Owners and law enforcement will see the user as liable for trespassing or damages, not Randonautica. DO NOT TRESPASS.
- #2 Stay totally clear of dangerous areas.
  - Never go near train tracks, railways or restricted electrical/power zones. Additionally, old structures, houses and buildings should be avoided entirely. The structural integrity could be jeopardized due to deterioration.
- #3 Only adventure during the day.
  - The human mind is not trained for uncertainty and traveling to a totally randomized set of coordinates requires you to over-observe your surroundings and practice situational awareness. This is much easier to do while it is light outside. Randonauting at night is highly discouraged.
- #4 Leave the environment better off than when you arrived.
  - Since the very beginning of the Randonaut community we’ve always said, Bring A Trashbag! Not only will you help mother nature by picking up litter, sometimes the trash can have unique and meaningful information to you!
- #5 Always Randonaut with a charged phone.
  - Be smart and charge your phone or bring a car charger. GPS can drain your battery and you are very likely to be in an unfamiliar area.
- #6 Keep a positive mindset!
  - What you think, you observe! Negative intentions are HIGHLY discouraged. The Randonautica app was created to bring joy, peace and love to curious explorers all over the world.
- #7 Go on the journey with a friend or small group.
  - While Randonauting alone is entirely acceptable, beginners should start in a small group or with a friend. Uncertainty of where you are going (the randomness!) can cause a fear factor response and having a buddy helps!
- #8 Do not venture into areas outside your comfort zone.
  - Only make the trip to areas and places you are comfortable exploring. If you feel unsafe, do not leave your vehicle or retreat from the point. Randonautica does not know anything about the area you live in. Use common sense.
- #9 Always use common sense when it comes to your personal physical limitations.
  - Sometimes a point might be in an area that is inaccessible without climbing, hiking, etc. Know your limits. Always hydrate and do not overextend yourself.
- #10 Enjoy the whole journey, not just the point!
  - Get as close to the point as you are comfortable with but know the journey is sometimes the more meaningful experience!

99% Invisible

Freedom House Ambulance Service

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/freedom-house-ambulance-service/

Tidbits

Twitch has managed to put their collective foot in their mouth twice, first with a video that included the line “The G in LGBTQIA+ also stands for gamer”, and then with a Black Lives Matter video that barely featured any non-white creators
- Both videos have since been pulled down and Twitch has stated that though their goal was to demonstrate the importance of allyship, they didn’t make it clear.
Ireland has launched their contact tracing app this week, taking advantage of the Apple/Google exposure notification API
- The app downloads a list of anonymous IDs every two hours from those who have tested positive for COVID, letting users get alerts a lot faster than with a manual phone interview system
- It also have features for those that have tested positive to track their symptoms and how they’re feeling, and for those that aren’t it shows facts and figures for the virus inside Ireland
iPhone users have taken to support forums and reddit to report battery drain issues related to the Music app, citing large amounts of background activity even on new devices that haven’t launched the Music app before
- People have reported things like the app using 95% of their device’s battery across 18 hours of background activity when they weren’t even listening to music
- The only consistent fix has been to remove the Music app, but for many that’s not really an option
Epic Games has launched their new Live Link Face app that lets game developers using the Unreal Engine use their iPhones’ TrueDepth camera for facial motion capture
- I’ve tried it out and it’s pretty slick from a recording and facial mesh perspective, but to actually see it in action and applying the movements to a 3D model you need to connect it to a computer or full motion capture rig
- It will definitely open up motion capture prospects to many who wouldn’t otherwise have the tech for it
Halo 3 is finally coming to the Master Chief Collection for PC on July 14th, and with it many redditors are excited for all the custom game types they know and love from the Xbox

Homework

Polygon talking about race in D&D and Eugene Marshall, a game designer that’s already addressed it by using ancestry, culture, and diversity
- https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/7/9/21317614/dungeons-dragons-dnd-race-ancestry-and-culture-book

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PS2J 287 News – Who Knows What We’ll Name It

February 7, 2020
Tagged as: 0.2, 1.5, 2 final mix, 2.5, 2.8, 358/2 days, 99, a fragmentary passage, action, adam blank, Alan, all-in-one package, Amazon, american fugitive, analytics, Apple, Apps, arstechnica, automatic, banking, Battle Net, Bethesda, birth by sleep, birth by sleep final mix, Black, Blizzard, board, bounty, Brave, camera, campaigns, Carcassonne, chat, China, chromebook, Cloud, competitive, connectivity, control center, custom, cutscenes, data, desert child, DLC, download, dream drop distance hd, driver, earth, eff, epic, european, explode, Facebook, final chapter prologue, final mix, fines, founders, framed, Free, Free Games, frozen throne, galaxy flip, galaxy z flip, game, gameboy advance sp, gaming, geforce now, geographic, glass, Google, google analytics, google maps, grand prix, Graphics, grey, hoverbike, Indie, instant, iOS, Josh, kingdom hearts, LAN, landscape, large, latency, Law, Law Enforcement, light, location, loot, lore, luft balons, Mac, Magic The Gathering, map, market, marketing, mars, meeple, Microsoft, Mobile, monitoring, murder, narcos, navigation, Netflix, nintendo, no save, nvidia, offline, Origin, PC, Pixel, placement, Police, prime, Privacy, Pro, ps5, puzzle, racing, railroad, ranked, re:chain of memories, re:code, re:mind, reforged, refund, reign of chaos, remaster, remember the game, remix, replaced, required, ring, rise of the cartels, robert heaton, rogue-like, RPG, Russia, Samsung, sandbox, security, shadow, shmup, shoot ’em up, simon weckert, single-player, smartphones, social media, Sony, Space, Square Enix, stadia, Steam, steredenn, strategy, Streaming<, survival horror, Switch, taxes, the story so far, ticket, Ticket To Ride, tile, traffic jam, train, Turn Based, TV, Twitch, two-factor, ui, uplay, Virtual, wacom, warcraft 3, White, white night, Windows, workaround, World of Warcraft, x back cover, xbox xeries x, xcom

Free games

Twitch
- Desert Child
  - 2018
  - An indie racing RPG that throws you into the role of a hungry, young hoverbike racer who needs to get off Earth before it explodes- hunt bounties, throw races, get to Mars, and win the Grand Prix
- American Fugitive
  - 2019
  - Top-down open world sandbox that has you framed for your father’s murder, you’ll need to do whatever it takes to unveil the real culprit while evading the police at every turn
- Steredenn
  - 2015
  - Side-scrolling rogue-like shoot-em-up in space, with sharp pixel graphics and chaotic boss battles in a never-ending combat for survival
- Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
  - 2019
  - Turn-based action strategy based on the Netflix TV series, it has you exploring the first season from two sides with two unique stories
  - Unfortunately it seems to take the XCOM formula and water it way down, so while it seems tactical you can only move one person on each turn
- White Night
  - 2015
  - Survival horror puzzle game where you explore the past of an old mansion in the 1930’s and solve puzzles of light and shadows in an entirely black and white setting.
Epic
- Carcassonne
  - 2017
  - A competitive tile placement game of creating landscapes, claiming areas, and gaining points, with online play and a ton of replayability
- Ticket to Ride
  - 2008
  - Another classic European-style board game that has you racing other players to build up your rail routes and reach your destinations
- Pandemic was initially supposed to be included as well, but has actually been completely pulled from the Epic Games store. A statement from Epic said only that they’re shifting it to be free at a later date

Russia’s law against Apple devices seems to be proceeding according to plan, with the July 2020 deadline looming ever-closer

Back in episode 283 we talked about the new legislation passed in Russia by Vladimir Putin that would ban the sale of devices that don’t have a specific list of Russian apps pre-installed
This soon became known online as Russia’s law against Apple, as Apple has historically never allowed carrier bloatware or other apps to be bundled onto their devices- you get the same iOS experience regardless of where you buy your device
Well the list of required apps has finally been released and among them are government-produced apps for paying taxes and fines, as well as some banking, navigation, and social medial platforms with links to official government bodies
- All of these apps have the potential to collect and send data related to finances, location, communications, and more, all without direct user permission
All in, it seems like a terrible idea for the privacy of any citizen of the world, and especially when Russia is behind it. If we see tech companies allowing this to go through I’m sure China won’t be too far behind
- While Apple could leave the $3B market in Russia, and I’m sure a healthy grey or black market would crop up in the meantime, the $13B China would be a tougher proposition. We’ll just have to hope that companies don’t put a price tag on our privacy

Blizzard’s new Warcraft 3 remaster is so unpopular that they’re now offering instant refunds, but that’s still not enough for many players

The remastered Warcraft 3: Reforged launched late last week, meant to be a remake of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne expansion, introducing a revamped user interface and enhanced cutscenes, along with more dialogue and tweaks to the campaign to align it with the lore of WoW
Unfortunately the plans seem to have changed, with the UI almost identical to the old version, and though some voice lines have been tweaked there aren’t any massive changes. Even the cutscene updates are lackluster
Basically the only real update are the graphics- the visuals are sharper, more detailed, and more fluidly animated, but most of the improvements don’t make much difference unless you zoom too far in to be useful in an RTS setting
The biggest problem is that they didn’t introduce the game as a new version, but rather replaced the old version with a new client and game whether you own Reforged or not, just presenting a toggle in the settings to switch between the two
- This wouldn’t be a big deal were it not for all the issues that come with the new client- connectivity problems, trouble getting into custom games, and a complete lack of competitive ranked game modes
- Not to mention that the download now includes a ton of extra resources, totalling 27GB compared to the original sitting at just over 1GB, even if you don’t own Reforged
- They even implemented a live public chat room that you get dumped in to at launch, similar to Overwatch, but with no option to report or mute users
  - Loading up custom maps just merges its chat in with the main open channel, so good luck coordinating with anyone
  - There’s also no native LAN support, so you’re stuck online even if you’re in the same room
- Speaking of custom, custom campaigns are entirely gone
- Oh, and if the game can’t get an online connection to Blizzard you can play single player, but it won’t save your progress even though the save files are all local anyway
The backlash has gotten to the point where, instead of the normal process of Blizzard looking in to what was wrong with your purchase and denying the refund if you’ve had the game for a while and been playing it, refunds are now being automatically and immediately approved
This doesn’t help users unable to get back to the old client through official means, but it at least offers players dissatisfied with Reforged a way to get their money back
- For really dedicated players that want their old client back there are a bunch of guides and videos details steps online, and they even support internet connectivity, but in the meantime they’ve actively removed features and made unwanted changes to an 18 year old game with no way to officially opt out

Amazon’s Ring home surveillance equipment is getting an update this week to address some, but not all, privacy concerns

The update creates a new control center in the app, adding options for two-factor authentication (which it now prompts for by default) and letting you see a list of all devices connected to your account
It also lets you opt out of receiving any requests from police for camera footage as a blanket setting, instead of having to refuse each request individually
- This is a solid win for privacy with 897 police and sheriff departments listed as Ring partners with the ability to request those files
Unfortunately this still doesn’t fix everything, as footage uploaded to the Neighbors app has geographic info that lets you pinpoint a camera to the square inch, and they haven’t addressed the EFF report we talked about two weeks ago wherein they share a ton of information with marketing and analytics companies

Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service has left beta this week, and seems to actually fulfill many of the promises Google’s Stadia didn’t

All you have to do is download the app on a supported device, hook up your preferred controls, and connect to the servers. Then you can connect to a PC on the cloud and play one of hundreds of supported games from Steam, Epic Games, Battle.net, uPlay, Bethesda, and Origin (including many free to play titles)
- The best part? They actually have a free tier right at launch!
Reporters at arsTechnica saw solid performance with minimal latency, to the point where they could play Sonic Mania without missing a jump or dash.
Whats more, because they basically just give you a virtual gaming PC you can go into a game’s full settings and tweak whatever settings you want to optimize the look and performance to wherever you want them
It’s never going to beat owning a gaming PC, but the ability to play these high-end PC games on a low-end Mac laptop is kind of bananas
- It also supports Windows, mobile, and some smart TV’s, with eventual support for Chromebook coming later this year
Right now they’re offering two tiers:
- Free, which gives you standard access and maximum one hour sessions (though you can immediately reconnect, you just might hit a queue depending on activity)
- Founders, which is $5/month ($6.50 CAD) for priority access, extended sessions, ray-tracing gorgeousness, and a free three-month intro period
- General streaming performance and game selection are the same between the two tiers, but the priority access will skip you to the head of the queue if the servers fill up
One big note on the game selection though is you don’t just load your existing game libraries to the service and to go town- you need to connect your other game store account, manually search for the game you want to play in GeoForce Now’s library tab, and add it to your account. Then you can launch those supported games through the GeForce Now app
- There are also some loopholes where you can launch their Steam app and try starting games they don’t officially support, but for many games will hit errors when trying to run
- There are even a bunch of supported games available through both Steam and Epic that can’t run from your Epic license, only Steam
All in all this is a pretty exciting time in gaming, with unparalleled access to this sort of thing as long as you have the internet connection to support it
- Nvidia says that playing games will use about 15GB/hour, so be wary of your data caps!

Square Enix is releasing a brand new bundle-game this March called Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package to bring together every game in the series up to KH3

The release history of this series is bonkers though. The All-in-One Package is pretty much just KH3 bundled with Kingdom Hearts: The Story So far
- Which was Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix
- Which is made up of Final Mix, Re: Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, 2 FInal Mix, Birth By Sleep Final Mix, and Re:code
It also includes 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, which itself is
- Dream Drop Distance HD
- 0.2 Birth by Sleep – a fragmentary passage
- X Back Cover
But even with all that it’s still not a complete version, with the DLC for the third game, Re:Mind, still being sold separately

Here is a response to our call out for peoples Top 10 Games
I am going to try for the rest of the year to get everyone’s list!

Adam Blank (Remember the Game and Wrestling with Wrestling podcasts)

Super Mario World
Link to the Past
Mario Kart 8
Shovel Knight
Tetris
Donkey Kong County
Earthbound
Final Fantasy IV
Last of Us
Super Punch Out

Fake Magic card

Posted by Owner of Stony Plain Games & Collectibles, Lance
Lesson of the day!
- You got to get up pretty early to fool this gaming shop owner!
Guy called me last night, want’s to know if I’ll trade in some expensive Magic the Gathering cards?
- I ask him to come see me about it.
So today, said dude and his friend came in, looking to trade two MtG revised edition duel lands for shop credit?
- (red flag-cash is king)
Right the way I could tell the cards looked ‘wrong’ in some way? I thought “these are proxies!” in my head.
- (‘homemade’ copy of original version of an actual Magic card, used for gaming when one can’t afford the real thing. The guys that do proxies are getting VERY GOOD at it!)
They were pretty well done as the ‘rosette’ effect on the cards print when looked at under a x20 magnifier wasn’t far off an original, though of course there were differences enough even then to indicate it was a proxie.
- (red flag 2)
  - A rosette effect is when in print, an image magnified looks like coloured dots in a flower pattern, and when observed nomally, look like a normal image. Its so the print colours of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, are printed in grids at different screen angles.
The print was too dark and that was the first thing to alert me as I first checked them out but one has to be sure!
- (red flag 3)
Some incredible proxy cards come in from China that are quite hard to tell the difference unless, you know what you’re looking for! If you have old MtG cards you need verifying, bring them into me!
- Nothing worse having a fraud version of an expensive card. In this instance the real version of this card was $375! Each! Did the dude know they were fake? IMO I’d say so.
- He listed off the good stores in the city to buy singles, with their owners names, as well as the formats he played of the game, some of which are very expensive to play! (unless you use proxies lol!) So he had some pretty good knowledge of the game and community around Edmonton and surrounding area. When I eventually said these are proxies pal, he was ready with a slack apology but really didn’t seem surprised at all?
Which if you just lost $750 bucks worth of cards, you’d be a little more pissed than anything else. Wouldn’t you? Just be aware that there is an industry for printing proxy cards that are very close to the real thing except,….they are not! Fraud is fraud so don’t get ripped off if you happen to be in the market for some high end MtG cards!

Surveillance of UK citizens by private companies embedded on UK council websites

https://brave.com/ukcouncilsreport/

Article by Brave
A new report from Brave reveals that people seeking help for addiction, disability, and poverty on council websites are profiled by private companies in the UK
- What is a council?
- Councils provide a wide variety of services to their municipalities and enforce various federal, state and local laws for their communities. These services include public health, traffic, parking and animal management
Brave has uncovered widespread surveillance of UK citizens by private companies embedded on UK council websites.
- None of the data collecting companies recorded in this study had received consent from the website visitor to lawfully process data.
These are the Quick Facts, that Brave provides:
- Nearly all councils in the UK permit at least one company to learn about the behaviour of people visiting their websites.
- People seeking information about disability, poverty, drugs and alcoholism services are profiled by data brokers on some council websites.
- 198 council websites in the UK use the “real-time bidding” (RTB) form of advertising. Real-time bidding is the biggest data breach ever recorded in the UK. Though illegality is not in dispute, the UK Information Commissioner (ICO) has failed to act.
- Google owns all five of the top embedded elements loaded by UK council websites, giving it the power to know what virtually anyone in the UK views on council sites.
- Over of a quarter of the UK population is served by councils that embed Twitter, Facebook, and others on their websites, leaking data about what sensitive issues people read about to these companies.
- 6.9 million people are served by councils that allow data broker LiveRamp to track people on their sites. Until recently, LiveRamp was part of the Acxiom Group, which sold data to Cambridge Analytica.
- None of the data collecting companies recorded in this study had received consent from the website visitor to lawfully process data.
- This report should spur Elizabeth Denham, the UK Information Commissioner, to finally enforce the GDPR. It is 17 months since formal evidence from Brave and complaints about breaches of data protection laws were filed before the ICO.

About Brave:
- Brave is a new, private web browser. It has unmatched speed and battery life. And it also blocks data-grabbing ads and trackers.
- 10 million people use Brave to make the web quicker and safer. You can download it for your phone or computer and browse the web with confidence.
- Brave’s CEO is Brendan Eich, inventor of JavaScript, and co-founder of Mozilla/Firefox.

Google Maps Fooled by Man Who Used 99 Smartphones to Create a Fake Traffic Jam: Video

Article on Gadgets 360
Simon Weckert, a Berlin-based artist, used 99 smartphones and a hand cart to create ‘fake’ traffic jams in the German capital.
The slow pace of the hand cart and the fact that 99 phones were used caused Google Maps to believe that there were a lot of vehicles using a street that was actually empty.
- Google uses this method to crowdsource traffic data the world over; smartphones in cars provide information to Google, including the speed at which they are moving, and how many smartphones are on that particular street.
If the pace is low and number is high, Google would show that segment of the street as red or maroon, suggesting that there is a traffic jam.
- The video, that will be in the show notes on our website, shows the streets on Google Maps gradually turning from green to maroon, suggesting that there was a traffic pileup on those streets.
- Google’s navigation suggestions would then recommend that users avoid those streets, even though they were actually clear to drive on, apart from having to watch out for Weckert and his handcart.
Weckert hasn’t shared any further details, so it’s possible that this could have been faked entirely.
- If it is authentic, Google should ideally be looking at ways to prevent such an exploit from being used, since this could have very real and physical implications on traffic movement.
- In any case, don’t stop trusting Google Maps entirely; it’s not often that you have artists with 99 smartphones on a hand cart wandering around.

Tidbits

In an interesting prank / hack of Google Maps and their traffic data, Simon Weckert carted a wagon filled with 99 phones around simulating a traffic jam in the navigation app
- One neat thing to note is the filtering Google uses for the data- if the phones all stopped moving entirely the traffic jam wouldn’t appear, and once a car using Google Maps drove past Google would see there was no jam and set it back to normal
Software engineer and blogger Robert Heaton took a trip down the rabbit hole recently and discovered that Wacom tablet drivers send a ton of identifying data when you use them, including details about every application you use and when you use them
- Apparently the data is gathered for development purposes, but if you’re concerned about privacy and want to disable that you’ll need to open up the Wacom Desktop Center and disable the Wacom Experience Program
Allegedly leaked footage of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Flip hit Twitter this week, showing the clamshell device in action for the first time
- Size-wise it reminds me of the Gameboy Advance SP, though flatter and wider, and fits better with what we’re expecting a folding screen on a smart phone to do- close and protect the screen
- It also is rumoured to use special ultra-thin glass instead of the plastic used by the Galaxy Fold, which could prevent some of the display issues the Fold saw
Nintendo has announced that there won’t be any new Switch systems coming this year, quashing some rumours of the hoped for Switch Pro with increased power and improved performance
- This is just going to widen the power gap already existing between Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, and perhaps prevent ports of newer titles to the Switch, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X due out later this year

We want to know

What video game soundtrack would you like to soundtrack your life?

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PS2J 279 News – Edited as Desired

November 8, 2019
Tagged as: 2, 90’s, action, active noise cancelling, AI, AirPods, Alan, alphastar, amazing, anc, announce messages, apocalypse, apology, Apple, apple store, apple tv+, attack of the clones, audio, battery, battle of geonosis, best selling console, blitzchung, Blizzard, Canada, canon, capitalism, carrier, carry over, cast, China, co-op, commentator, costmetics, crime, cult, cyberpunk, cybersecurity, darksiders ii, deathinitive, deepmind, devil’s daughter, donald trump, doublecross, echo, edge of sleep, end times, Epic Games, excalibur, explore, First Person, flight, Free Games, game mode, ghostwriter, gold pass, gothenburg, grapple, grovel, Hack and Slash, Hearthstone, heroes, hey siri, hong kong, Horror, iCloud, irish, j allen brack, Japan, Jedi, Josh, joy ride turbo, kart race, king arthur, knight, lockout, maps, Mario Kart, markiplier, Mega Man, Microsoft, mind palace, mission, monte carlo, Multiplayer, mystery deduction, nintendo, nintendo switch online, nioh, nuclear throne, oil, omnic, outlast ii, Overwatch, passenger, planet alpha, platformer, Playstation, podcast, president, Privacy, Pro, procedural, production, progress, PS4, pseudo-sequel, push, pvr, qcode, qi, Reboot, relentless, review, rio de janerio, rogue-like, RPG, rudy giuliani, ruiner, sailor, sengoku, sensitive, sherlock holmes, Shooter, simulator, skins, sojourn, Solo, Sony, sound effects, Space, Star Wars, starcraft ii, starfighter, story, stream, struggle, subscription, survival, swing, sword legacy: omen, tactical, talents, team ninja, the final station, toothless, top-down, toronto, tour, train, transparency, turmoil, Turn Based, Twitch, tycoon, walljump, Wii, wipe, wireless charging, Xbox One

Free games

Epic Games
- Nuclear Throne
  - 2015
  - Top-down roguelike shooter that has you going through procedurally generated levels either solo or in co-op, working your way ever closer to the Nuclear Throne
- RUINER
  - 2017
  - Top-down cyberpunk shooter where you play a silent, masked protagonist attempting to rescue your kidnapped brother from the failing conglomerate that controls the entire metropolis
Twitch
- Double Cross
  - 2019
  - A Mega Man style action platformer that has you controling Zahra Sinclair, an agent of RIFT who can jump, walljump, and use her proton slinger to grab objects or swing herself around
- Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
  - 2015 remaster of the 2012 title
  - Action hack and slash RPG that has you exploring open-world regions, solving interactive puzzles, and kicking butt in a kind of God Of War / Ocarina Of Time hybrid
- Planet Alpha
  - 2018
  - A side-scrolling adventure platformer where you’re pursued by relentless enemies and must harness the power of night and day as you struggle to survive
- Sword Legacy: Omen
  - 2018
  - Turn-based tactical RPG in a re-imagined King Arthur mythos where you play a vengeful knight in search of the long-lost Excalibur
- Turmoil
  - 2016
  - Simulation game inspired by the 19th century oil rush in North America, where you start from scratch to become a successful oil entrepreneur
Xbox One
- Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
  - 2016
  - Adventure mystery game in the same series as Crimes & Punishments, that has you exploring crime scenes and examining clues to link deductions and attempt to find the culprit
- The Final Station
  - 2016
  - A side-scrolling shooter with a train simulator and exploration elements, where you have to balance taking care of the train and its passengers with exploring the apocalyptic world at each train station in order to keep moving
- Star Wars Jedi Starfighter
  - 2002
  - A single-player or co-op spaceflight combat game set just prior to Attack of the Clones and during the Battle of Geonosis
- Joy Ride Turbo
  - 2012
  - Combat kart racing game similar to the Mario Kart series
PS4
- Nioh
  - 2017
  - Action RPG developed by Team Ninja where you play an Irish sailor pursuing a sorceror into the final battles of the Sengoku period in Japan
- Outlast II
  - 2017
  - First person survival horror game that has you trying to find your wife while beset by a village of deranged end-times cultists with no way to fight back

AirPods Pro review

Very comfortable, though with the in-ear design it’s slightly harder to get them seated right (but I had pretty much perfect ears for the old style, so others may see it as an improvement), and the noise cancelling is solid
Transparency mode is ridiculously good, and it automatically switches to that when you’re just using one so you don’t have one blocked up ear
Announce messages seemed like a gimmick until I was busy on my computer and Siri read my incoming texts unobtrusively
The case looks bigger, but the just turned it on its side and stretched it a little, so it totally still fits in that 5th pocked on jeans
Also enjoying improvements from Gen 2, since I’m coming from G1- Hey Siri and wireless charging are handy to have
If you’re in the market for some new ANC headphones these are solid, but if you’ve got a good pair or are already using AirPods 2 then they’re a little harder to justify

Blizzard president J Allen Brack took a moment before the Blizzcon opening ceremonies to apologize for their punishment of professional Hearthstone player Blitzchung’s public support of Hong Kong’s protests

In the toothless statement he went on to say though that “Blizzard had the opportunity to bring the world together in a tough Hearthstone esports moment”
A few problems here:
- It wasn’t a “tough Hearthstone esports moment”
- He passed up another opportunity to “bring the world together” by saying anything at all in support of Hong Kong
- He said nothing about the groveling they did to China on social media after the fact
- And they still punished not only Blitzchung but also the commentators that were interviewing him

Overwatch 2 was announced, as expected, and we’ve got all the details

So it looks like this is kind of a pseudo-sequel; they’re releasing an updated game UI with revamped/remastered graphics and gameplay, along with multiple new heroes, maps, and a game mode, all for free for existing Overwatch players.
- The new Push game mode, coming to quick play and competitive, has the two teams competing over a neutral payload that gets pushed in either direction based on who controls it
- There will be four new maps: Toronto, Gothenburg, Monte Carlo, and Rio De Janerio
- We also got a sneak peak at a couple of the upcoming heroes- Sojourn, the first Canadian OW hero that uses a cool gun that looks like a covenant sniper rifle, and Echo, an omnic that’s been teased in the base game for a while now
- All skins, cosmetics, and other progress will carry over seamlessly
Where Overwatch 2 itself comes in to play is a new look for all heroes, a new co-op story mode and hero missions, and new hero talents for the PVE modes
- The new modes seem to be permanent co-op modes like Halloween Terror or the Archives missions
- Hero talents will have you levelling up and customizing hero abilities and ultimates to suit your playstyle
One nice thing with the new stuff coming is they can grow the canon inside of the game itself- right now we get lore dumps online but it has no real impact in-game
- Overwatch re-forming and characters meeting or reuniting will have actual impact, instead of the current PVP grab-bag of characters having amusing interactions inside the dropship
If you want all of that stuff, you’ll have to buy the new… expansion, I guess? Plug-in? when it comes out at some point in the future for some currently undisclosed price
All in all it looks like they’re doing a fair amount to breath new life into the 3.5 year old shooter, though you’ll end up buying it again to see everything they have to offer

Tidbits

Real-time multiplayer is coming to Mario Kart Tour, but for now it will be limited to a beta offering only for Gold Pass subscribers
- There aren’t any details on if it will require a subscription once it’s fully released, but if it does I can see it being a pretty sparse game with the subscription price costing more than their main console offering, Nintendo Switch Online
Sony’s PS4 is officially the second best selling console of all time, with about 2/3rds of the sales of the PS2
- It’s doubtful that it’ll ever be number 1 though, as even though Sony says they’ll support it until at least 2021 the PS5 is expected to hit in 2020’s holiday season
DeepMind’s AlphaStar AI has officially hit Grandmaster status in Starcraft II, beating 99.8% of ranked human players with all three races, and I for one welcome our new robot overlords
Rudy Giuliani, one month after being named Trump’s cybersecurity advisor, apparently had to go to an Apple Store to wipe and restore his iPhone after getting it locked down from 10 unsuccessful passcode attempts
- Many experts criticized the move, saying that there’s too much risk of employees gaining access to sensitive government information on the phone or in his iCloud backups
I don’t know how I missed this, but ghostwriter is getting rebooted on Apple TV+!
- 90’s kids might remember the series running from 92 to 95 on PBS

Alan recommends QCode podcasts (Carrier, Edge of Sleep)

Literally Misleading

Last Week:

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PS2J 262 News – Minty Fresh

July 20, 2019
Tagged as: 2016, allegations, Amazon, Ants, Apple, apple id, arkham city, Arkham Knight, Art, attacker, batman beyond, battery, best selling, billions, black and white, blu ray, board game, cambridge analytica, camera, children, China, class-action, computer, defence, dongle, drift, election, epic, exclusive, extra-large, Facebook, fine, firmware, Free Games, ftc, fun, game testing, hd, Hidden Figures, iCloud, immense, iPhone, joy-con, kowal, lady astronaut, laptop, large, Lawsuit, lifehacker, Limbo, lock, logitech, lost mode, magnets, Marvel, mary robinette, medium, microphone, NASA, nintendo, patch, platformer, Police, protest too much, PS4, puzzle, Ragnarok, remaster, return of the joker, revenue, ringcentral, scam, security, sheath, silent, singapore, small, Space, spider, Spider-Man, spinderella, superhero, support, survey, Switch, switch lite, taika waititi, Thor, unbelievable, Update, upgrade, urine, video conferencing, Video Game, vulnerability, zhumu, zoom

Free games

Epic
- Limbo
- - 2010
  - Black and white stylized puzzle platformer with a wonderful dark, eerie atmosphere, praised as an excellent example of video games as an art form

Update to last week’s story about the Zoom video conferencing vulnerability

It looks like many of Zoom’s partner apps, like RingCentral and Zhumu, have similar problems that allow attackers easy access to laptop cameras and microphones, so this week Apple released another silent security patch to block the vulnerability
Also, I’ve done a bit of research and if you’re concerned about Apple’s ability to run these kind of security updates you can block them in System Preferences > Software Update > Advanced by unchecking “Install system data files and security updates”
Right now I’m happy that Apple notifies the press when they release these patches, but in a perfect world they’d be visibly included in your updates list

Lifehacker is urging users to update their Logitech wireless dongles immediately

A few years ago, hackers discovered they could take control of computers by exploiting a vulnerability in Logitech wireless dongles- the piece you plug in to your computer to connect to wireless mice and keyboards
Patches were released to fix this all the way back in 2016, but there was no recall and even new devices rolling out of the factory today may be at risk
If you use any wireless Logitech devices, make sure you visit the Logitech support website and download/run the latest firmware update files as soon as possible to fix the loopholes
- You’ll need to re-sync your devices to the dongle afterward, but the added (or, you know, extant) security is well worth the time

Facebook is apparently being fined $5B by the FTC for their role in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal

The original scandal is related to the 2016 US election, where Cambridge Analytica collected info on tens of millions of Facebook users without consent to create targeted political ads
The data collection came from an app that claimed to be a survey for academic use, but in reality it gathered information on not just the people taking the survey but also their friends
The problem here is that the fine is laughable when it comes to Facebook’s revenue
- It’s the largest fine in FTC history, but they had $15B in revenue in the last 3 months, and $22B in profit last year
- Facebook’s stock price actually went up after this fine was announced
End of the day it’s a start, but slap a zero on the end of it and then we’ll talk

In somewhat related news, Facebook is vigorously over-defending itself against a lawsuit brought by the attorney general of the District of Colombia

The lawsuit is related to the same Cambridge Analytica scandal and says that is was a violation of DC consumer protection law
Facebook’s response to it denies “each and every allegation” in the lawsuit, including pieces that aren’t so much allegations as they are just basic statements of fact.
For example, paragraph 11 says “To begin using the Facebook website, a consumer first creates a Facebook account. The consumer can then add other Facebook consumers as “friends” and by accumulating Facebook friends, the consumer builds a social network on the Facebook website.”
- Facebook’s response was that they deny the allegations in paragraph 11
They’ve also denied pieces that they’ve publicly admitted to in the past, leaving many people wondering just what’s going on with this defense strategy

Police are warning the public about a new scam targeting iPhone users

Scammers are using social media to recruit victims by promising payments in exchange for becoming a game tester
Users are asked to log in to a particular Apple ID on their iPhone, then the scammers will activate Lost Mode on the device, locking the victim’s phone and extorting payments before promising to unlock it afterward
The worst part is that you need the Apple ID’s password to remove it from your device, so if they changed it after locking your phone then you remain at their mercy
Anyone that’s been hit by this scam should get help from Apple at getsupport.apple.com

Space fact of the day, featuring the male ego, bought to you by Mary Robinette Kowal

Author of the Lady Astronaut books Alan, recommended back in 242
To facilitate going to the bathroom, NASA developed a sheath kind of like a condom that came in small, medium, and large.
Every man said they needed a large, even when they didn’t which led to some messy situations
So they re-branded the sheaths to Extra-large, Immense, and Unbelievable

Tidbits

A US law firm is looking at opening a class action lawsuit regarding the Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con controller drift
Marvel’s Spider-Man is officially now the best-selling superhero video game of all time, beating both Arkham Knight and Arkham City
- It’s doubly impressive considering the Batman games were on multiple platforms, whereas Spider-Man was a PS4 exclusive
Nintendo’s announced an invisible upgrade to the Switch coming this August, offering up to 2.5 hours longer battery life
- The gains are likely achieved using a similar processing upgrade that is included in the Switch Lite
There was a cool announcement made at the Comic-Con 20th anniversary Batman Beyond panel
- They’re releasing a blu ray HD remaster of the full series, including the Return of the Joker movie, coming this October
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has officially been signed for a fourth Thor movie
- No details yet, but I’m excited

Alan recommends Spinderella

A solid board game for ages 6+ that I’ve only ever played with a group of 20 or 30-somethings
You try to get your three ants to the end of the board, but depending on dice rolls other players can move the hanging spiders around to try and grab your pieces and send them back to the start

Literally Misleading

Game – Small business owner deals with the sins of his father while his life is becoming a living hell!

If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami

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And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.

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We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB

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Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow

A Facebook Page exists as well.

1 2 »

Tag: Space

Free Games

Twitch

Swimsanity – Couch Party Edition

Optica

Epic Games

The Fall

Sony Play at Home 2021

March 25

ABZU

Enter the Gungeon

Rez Infinite

Subnautica

The Witness

PSVR

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Moss

Thumper

Paper Beast

April 19

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition

A state-backed group in China wants to get around App Tracking Transparency and track app users with a controversial new “China Advertising ID”, or CAID

Sony’s unveiled the planned controller for their next generation of PSVR, and it looks pretty slick

This Week In Gaming History

March 13 – 2012 – Yakuza: Dead Souls – PlayStation 3 (United States)

March 14 – 1986 – Night Fire – DOS

March 15 – 1997 – Snowboard Kids – Nintendo 64 (North America)

March 16 – 2010 – Metro 2033 – Windows, Xbox 360

March 17 – 1995 – Descent – DOS

March 18 – 1992 – Minesweeper – Windows 3.x

March 19 – 2007 – Tetris Evolution – Xbox 360

Tidbits

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

Free Games

Twitch

Blasphemous

Bomber Crew Deluxe

Sine Mora EX

Tengami

SkyDrift

Boomerang Fu

Xbox

Warface: Breakout

Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse

Metal Slug 3

Playstation

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Remnant: From the Ashes

Maquette

Farpoint

Epic Games

Wargame: Red Dragon

Apple had to deal with some undeserved bad press this week as a story broke accusing them of locking a user’s AppleID due to missed Apple Card payments

There’s a fancy new version of Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to the PS5, with bonus DLC featuring Yuffie

This Week In Gaming History

February 27 – 2002 – Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure – GameBoy Advance

February 28 – 1997 – Turok: Dinosaur Hunter – Nintendo 64

March 1 – 2001 – Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider – PlayStation, Windows

March 2 – 2004 – Ninja Gaiden – Xbox

March 3 – 2017 -The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch, Wii U

March 4 – 2014 – South Park: The Stick of Truth – PS3, Windows, Xbox 360

March 5 – 2020 – Walking Simulator – Windows

Tidbits

Mini Review- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Would you like to know more?

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

Free Games

The King of Fighters XIII

Facebook and Twitter finally locked Trump’s accounts this week after his disinformation and incitement led to a riot that breached the US capitol building

A couple of sizeable cyberattacks came to light involving software development and network management tools, impacting everyone using tools from Jetbrains and SolarWinds (including the US government)

Apple stealth-dropped the new AirPods Max, wireless over-ear headphones with all the bells and whistles including a premium price tag

US state and federal governments are suing Facebook in twin antitrust suits, looking to split up their monopoly over our digital lives including separating out Instagram and WhatsApp

Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch, leading to refunds and even being pulled from digital stores after running abysmally on previous-generation consoles

Facebook’s begun using full-page newspaper ads to slam Apple’s upcoming privacy measures, claiming they’re standing up for small businesses, titled “Apple vs the free internet”

Popular video conferencing app Zoom continues to be awful, now accused by the US Justice Department of suppressing calls about Tiananmen Square at China’s behest

These Weeks in Gaming History

December 8 – 1997 – Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor – Windows

December 9 – 1995 – WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness – DOS

December 10 – 2020 – Cyberpunk 2077 – PS4, Xbox One, Windows

December 11 – 2001 – Shadow Hearts – Playstation 2 North America