FREE LOOK

Uncanny Valley is coming to PS4 and Vita on February 7th

Huh.  That looks kinda neat.  But whats the hook, man?

"Now to go into a little more detail about Uncanny Valley. We�ve always loved open sandbox games with a lot of possibilities. Playing only one way can be a chore though, so we want to present choices not only in the story but also the gameplay. 

To that end we decided to invest time into making the game feel more natural. Let�s say you�re locked in a room. You see a sturdy cart there, which you can push and break down the door with. There�s also a vent, so you can climb through it and you�re free. Maybe you found an axe earlier and you can destroy the doors, meaning you don�t have to find a key. This was our first concern �making the game logical. 

As much as we love Silent Hill games, we don�t want to create key hunting fetch quests if you can simply destroy the door. For the most part there still needs to be some sort of logical progression through the game. That�s our advantage over 3D games � we can make things like that happen more easily. 

What you do also has an impact on the story. Let�s go back to the previously mentioned situation where you break down the doors with a cart. When you do that, it�s going to be loud and that might attract hostile attention. If you go through a vent they might also hear you, or it could be a trap � you don�t want to be in a tight space with no escape when they find you. 

So the gameplay creates dilemmas. When we back that with the consequence system, you will actually have to think things through before you do something you�ll regret. There will be only one save game file per playthrough, meaning you can�t go back and change what happened to your character to achieve the best result. 

As for the consequence system, we are keeping it balanced. There will never be a situation where you will be too damaged to escape or progress through the story � you won�t be put in a wheelchair for the rest of the game! It�s a thin line between creating something that will be punishing and still fun, but through testing we will manage to find that perfect middle. And, as we offer a lot of options through playing, you will still be able to advance. Some consequences might affect the world, side characters, and how the story progresses, so it�s not always your personal health on the line."
-source-

Well... well holy shit.  But this looks like the sort of thing that came out on PC last year so lets give it a quick Googly-moogly...



Oh, okay.  Well...  I dunno man, this still sounds pretty cool.  Worth keepin an eye on.

download file now

TV Reviews The End is Coming

In case theres anyone following my blog for my TV reviews, Im going to be heavily scaling down my reviews from henceforth.

Ill be concentrating on just one TV programme at any one time so that I can start to dedicate my time to my other writing related passion of creative writing.

I cant do both writing and blogging, so TV reviews gets the chop Im afraid.

Ill continue to review Occupied and Star Wars: Rebels (which both finish their seasons soon) but The Walking Dead, Flash, Vikings and X-Files will not continue to get any reviews from now on, except perhaps, their finales.

Ill be doing Game of Thrones though when it starts up soon-ish.

Technology blogging will continue at more of less its same level .

download file now

Ubuntu Snap now universal coming to Linux distros like Fedora Arch OpenSUSE and more!

My biggest complaint about Linux based desktop operating systems is fragmentation. There are too many desktop environments, too many package managers, heck, too many distros! Not only can end-users be negatively impacted by too many choices, but more importantly, developers can be spread too thin. Ultimately, the Linux community ends up being unfocused and unable to move the desktop dial.
 
Today, something miraculous happens. Believe it or not, the Linux Community largely bands together to embrace Ubuntus "Snap" packages. Yes, you are reading that correctly -- competing Linux-based operating systems like Fedora, Gentoo, Arch, and more, will utilize the now-universal "Snap," meaning Linux software can be made to install regardless of distro. This should be particularly brilliant for operating systems optimized for mobile and IoT.
 
"Snaps sit alongside the native packages of the base Linux operating system. Each distribution has its own mechanisms to provide the base OS and its updates. Snaps complement the base OS with universal apps that cannot interfere with the base OS or one another", says Canonical.
 
The company further says, "the snap format is simpler than the native internal package formats of individual Linux distributions, because it is focused purely on applications rather than the core system itself. Snaps are essentially self-contained zip files that can be executed very fast in place, making them easy to create".
 
Canonical shares the following Linux-based operating systems which can now natively work with Snaps.

• Arch
• Debian
• Fedora
• Kubuntu
• Lubuntu
• Ubuntu GNOME
• Ubuntu Kylin
• Ubuntu MATE
• Ubuntu Unity
• Xubuntu

Snaps are being validated to work in the future on the following distros.

• CentOS
• Elementary
• Gentoo
• Mint
• OpenSUSE
• OpenWrt
• RHEL

Mark this date on your calendar, Linux fans. By simply porting snapd to the distro, the Snaps can be installed without worry. This is revolutionary, and will change the way both developers and end-users deal with packages. The container-like design should prove more secure too.
 
 
Jason Shepherd, Director, IoT Strategy and Partnerships, Dell says, "we believe snaps address the security risks and manageability challenges associated with deploying and running multiple third party applications on a single IoT Gateway. This trusted and universal app format is essential for Dell, our IoT Solutions Partners and commercial customers to build a scalable, IT-ready, and vibrant ecosystem of IoT applications".
 
If you are a developer and you want to create a Snap, you can do so here. If you need some assistance, you can reach out on IRC here.
 
Do you think the universal acceptance of Snaps is a game-changer? Tell me in the comments.
 
Photo credit: vladsilver / Shutterstock
 
~ Brian Fagioli

download file now

Two Nintendo Switch Video Events Coming Next Week

Next week Nintendo will finally be showing off more information about the Nintendo Switch. With its release getting closer and closer, two events are scheduled, along with a country wide tour to let gamers demo the console for themselves.

First up is the Nintendo Switch Presentation. This event will be live streamed from Tokyo on the 12th at 8 PM PT/11 PM ET. This is the main show where we expect to learn nearly everything about this console, from the release date and price, to the upcoming games. If youre interested in the console, this is the live stream you wont want to miss.

After the main Switch Presentation, Nintendo Treehouse will be having a follow up show on the 13th at 6:30 AM PT/9:30 AM ET. This event will focus on the games shown during the Switch Presentation, but will give us a more in depth look at whats to come.

Finally, once everything is said and done, the Nintendo Switch Preview Tour will begin starting on the 15th. Nintendo will be demoing the Switch in multiple cities across the United States over the course of the next few months. If youre lucky enough to live close to one of the locations listed on Nintendos website (See Below), then this may be your chance to play it before its official release.

For more information, preview tour schedules,  and links to the Live Streams, check out the Official Nintendo Switch page.

download file now

Two Major Reviews Coming Soon

Sorry about not updating the blog in awhile, but weve all been pretty busy over the past few weeks. Life gets in the way of games (its all a part of growing up guys), and there really hasnt been much going on in the gaming world outside of Super Smash Bros being released, Destinys Loot Caves being patched, and server issues in DRIVECLUB. So, instead of talking about one of them things, I wanted to take the time to announce two reviews which will be going live very soon.

If youre one of those who have yet to pick up the new Smash Bros, or even check out Bungies Destiny, then dont worry because weve got you covered. A review for both games will be live here on the blog within the next few days (or possibly today if time allows it). As always, well cover just about every aspect of each game, and hopefully help you decide if either one is worth picking up or not. When it comes to Destiny we ask that you keep in mind that the game is still receiving updates so our review may change over time, but Smash Bros is a full release with not much more to look for (with the exception of possible DLC characters or stages).

Anyway with that being said, I hope you guys look forward to reading them when the time comes. Once again Im sorry about the slow updates, but it happens from time to time. In other news, why not head on over to our Tumblr page? Any minute now youll have a chance at snagging a free game! Enjoy!

download file now