Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-02-2019, 08:48 AM - Forum: Lounge
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BioWare co-founders inducted into the Order of Canada
Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka, two of the original co-founders of BioWare, have been named members of the Order of Canada, an honor reserved for those deemed to have enriched the lives of others and made a difference to Canada through their actions and achievements.
The duo is among 103 Canadians receiving the honor this year, alongside an author, playwright, Olympian, and broadcaster, among others.
Zeschuk and Muzyka, alongside several others, founded BioWare in Edmonton, Alberta in 1995 following their graduation from medical school. In an interview with CBC, the pair say that BioWare’s early roots in Alberta helped the current industry establish its roots in the region.
“We did it here in Edmonton,” Zeschuk told CBC. “We didn’t start it and go off somewhere else.”
The pair left BioWare and retired from the game industry as a whole in 2012, but remained in Canada and continue to work toward bettering their communities.
“It’s not just what we did at BioWare, it’s what we continue to do to try to make everything around us better,” Zeschuk told CBC. “I think that’s a key part of it, how we do it and how our philosophy around making a business and building businesses and working with people, building people up.”
Welcome to another Games with Gold reveal for Xbox One and Xbox 360! In January on Xbox One, play the highly acclaimed platformer Celeste, then show off your mud-driving skills in WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship. On Xbox 360 and Xbox One via Backward Compatibility, get set to raid more tombs in Lara Croft: Guardian of Light, and then fight your way across deserts, jungles, and savannas in Far Cry 2.
All games will be available exclusively for Xbox Live Gold members for a limited time as part of Games with Gold. With Xbox Live Gold, you get the most advanced multiplayer service, free games, and exclusive member discounts on games in the Microsoft Store — get Xbox Live Gold today to get in on the action!
Celeste ($19.99 ERP): Available January 1 to 31 on Xbox One
WRC 6 ($49.99 ERP): Available January 16 to February 15 on Xbox One
Far Cry 2 ($19.99 ERP): Available January 16 to 31 on Xbox One and Xbox 360
Celeste
Recent winner of The Game Awards 2018 Best Independent Game category. Help Madeline survive her inner demons and scale to the top of Celeste mountain in this tight, narrative-driven platformer. You’ll uncover a multitude of devious secrets and side chapters in 700+ screens of hardcore challenges, built into a touching story of self-discovery. Don’t miss out on this highly acclaimed title.
WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship
On a race track, the car makes all the difference. In a rally, it’s all on you. Take your driving skills to the limit in World Rally Championship 6. Whether fog, mud, or punctured tires, you’ll deal with it all, in 11 Super Special Stages including local split-screen multiplayer. Experience rally racing like never before.
Lara Croft: Guardian of Light
Team up with a friend or go it alone in Lara Croft: Guardian of Light. In this co-op action-adventure title, traverse and solve deadly traps, fight hordes of the undead and collect over 60 artifacts and relics with the help a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior. Retrieve the ancient Mirror of Smoke and stop the forces of evil.
Far Cry 2
Survive war-torn Africa and eliminate the mysterious Jackal in Far Cry 2. The first sequel in the award-winning franchise features real-time storytelling, where every decision you make will affect the final outcome of the game. Use cunning, subversion and brute force to exploit your enemies and fulfill your deadly mission.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-02-2019, 03:54 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Daredevil, Luke Cage, And More May Migrate To Disney Streaming Service
Netflix has been slowly killing off its slate of Marvel shows, in a move that seemed apparently linked to the impending launch of Disney's proprietary streaming service, Disney+. Now Disney's Kevin Mayer, the chairman in charge of direct-to-consumer offers, has left the door open to reviving those shows on its own channel once it launches sometime in 2019.
"They are very high-quality shows," Mayer told The Hollywood Reporter. "We haven't yet discussed that, but I would say that's a possibility."
It's far from a commitment, but it certainly gives more hope to further episodes than previously thought. Netflix has been cancelling the shows one by one, usually shortly after releasing their last season. It impacted Iron Fist, then Luke Cage, and most recently, Daredevil. Only Jessica Jones and The Punisher remain standing, but with Punisher's next season set for January and JJ's coming at some point soon too, both appear likely for the chopping block.
Disney has already announced a number of series for its own streaming service, including original Marvel series. Those plans include a series revolving around the fan-favorite character Loki. It joins some high-profile Star Wars projects like a series starring Rogue One character Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and another called The Mandalorian. Those are already some big plans, which may make Disney hesitant to bring on even more shows.
On the other hand, the Netflix series are already critically well-regarded. In particular Daredevil was acclaimed for its first and third seasons, the latter of which left off with a cliffhanger. If Disney does revive it, fans will be able to see how that storyline pays off after all.
Get Ready For Far Cry New Dawn With Far Cry 5 For Just $20 (PS4, Xbox One)
Far Cry 5 came out in March as a full $60 game, but this week the PS4 and Xbox One versions are on sale for $20 at Best Buy. That's the lowest price we've seen yet--which is good news for anyone who likes shooters, especially considering Far Cry New Dawn is set to launch on February 15. In a first for the series, New Dawn is a direct sequel to Far Cry 5, making now the perfect time to get caught up on the story. Just make sure you grab the game before it goes back to regular price on December 30.
Far Cry 5 is an open-world shooter that's set in Hope County, Montana, a rural area that's been overrun by an apocalyptic cult led by a man named Joseph Seed. You play as a federal deputy sent in to arrest Seed, but there wouldn't be much of a game if things went as planned. You quickly find yourself alone in a massive, hostile region, with an enormous amount of freedom over where to go and how to upgrade your abilities.
In GameSpot's 9/10 Far Cry 5 review, Edmond Tran wrote, "Despite some brief irritations and missed opportunities with its narrative, spending time in the world of Hope County remains absolutely delightful. Far Cry 5 boasts a wonderfully harmonious flow to its adventure, with its smart changes to exploration, discovery, and progression distinctly bolstering the enjoyment of creatively engaging and experimenting with its spectacular open world."
The canonical ending of Far Cry 5 packs a punch, and Far Cry New Dawn takes place in the same geographic area 17 years later. According to the trailer, it will feature at least one character from the previous game, and likely more than that. So pick up Far Cry 5 and give it a go before the modestly priced sequel launches in February.
Review: Donut County – A Sweet Little Puzzler In Need Of Extra Filling
The modern game industry seems to be obsessed with the idea of constantly pushing the higher limits of how much content can be packed into a game, with both AAA and indie developers constantly finding new ways of making games that are exhaustingly long. Often, this leads to inevitable repetitiveness – do we really need sixty variants of essentially the same mission? – which makes shorter, but tighter games feel more satisfying. However, there’s another side of this spectrum in which a game is too short, leaving the player feeling like it was over much too soon, and this is unfortunately where we would class Donut County. If you can get past the short runtime, though, you’ll find a delightfully funny and inventive experience that’s sure to be memorable.
Donut County opens with a simple premise following the texting conversation between Mira, a young girl, and BK, a talking raccoon, as they discuss work life at a local donut shop. The girl complains about a loud neighbor during this conversation, and hardly a moment later, a mysterious hole appears in the ground that takes the loud neighbor and everything surrounding him. Moments later, we learn that the hole is being controlled via BK’s phone app, and the narrative quickly jumps forward to the near future in which the entire town – including Mira and BK – are trapped at the bottom of that omnipresent hole. From here, each town member recounts where they were and what they were doing when BK’s hole came for them, and the perspective then shifts to a level that depicts that fateful encounter.
As far as plot is concerned, Donut County doesn’t swing for the fences – this is a fairly standard Saturday morning cartoon-ish narrative – but a big part of the charm can be found in the humorous nature of the writing. As a raccoon with a natural penchant for thieving, BK simply can’t understand how it’s his fault that the entire town is now in a sinkhole, and there’s a very quirky sense of humor displayed as everyone airs their complaints. In addition to this, a “Trashopedia” logs entries for all the items taken by the hole, and the items’ descriptions are clearly written by an inquisitive raccoon; tires being referred to as “gloves for your car” is a highlight.
Gameplay is exceptionally relaxing and simple, calling to mind the puzzle-solving mechanics of a point-and-click adventure game. Each level begins with you controlling a small hole, which you simply move beneath items that can comfortably fall in such as rocks, dogs, books, and donuts. With each item that falls in, the hole slightly widens, allowing you to take progressively larger things. A level is typically comprised of about four screens of things to collect; once you’ve cleansed a screen of everything, the camera usually zooms out as it shifts to a new scene to account for the larger hole you’ve made.
Though this is a remarkably easy game to play, a mild challenge is introduced in the form of environmental puzzles that necessitate a bit of deeper thinking. For example, one level sees you taking the hole around a fireworks shop, and you need to figure out how to cause something in the environment to light a nearby rocket so you can knock some birds off of a power line. Given that there’s only one screen to search at a time and that each screen isn’t too complex in its layout, it rarely takes more than a minute or two to figure out what needs to be done to progress to the next screen. Even so, these light puzzles introduce some much-needed variety on the core gameplay; it can get a bit dull just moving the hole around and taking things, but new puzzle concepts are introduced with each level to keep things fresh.
This is all well and good, but perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Donut County is its incredibly short length; we cleared the entire game in about an hour and a half and there isn’t a whole (heh) lot more to see after you’ve seen the credits. Make no mistake, Donut County is an enjoyable and charming experience while it lasts, but just when things feel like they’re starting to pick up, the game ends and you’re left wanting more. Furthermore, the absence of any hidden collectibles, score system, or any other form of incentive to get you to come back means that there’s next to no replay value; you can play levels over again if you feel like it, but there’s no reason to do so other than for the raw sake of it.
It’s hard to see how a game such as Donut County could realistically introduce more content to keep players engaged, but there’s still a sense of disappointment once you get to the end credits, especially considering the price. Donut County is certainly a unique and charming game, but there’s only about as much content here as you’d find in a typical flash or smartphone game, which can usually be played for free. Given that you’re paying over ten bucks for Donut County, it’s difficult to recommend this over other games on the eShop that are certain to give you vastly more entertainment value for the same or a slightly higher price.
If you can stomach the paltry content, Donut County certainly is an enrapturing game that owns the goofy aesthetic of its premise. Environments are full of color and diverse decorations, featuring a low-poly art style that highlights the sharp geometry of objects in a way that pleasingly calls back to the N64 days. This cool visual style is then accompanied by a similarly quirky soundtrack with a mildly ’80s-style vibe that feels perfect for the oddness of the experience. Donut County is very much a game that seems to champion the idea of video games being a form of interactive art and the immaculate design of each level’s visuals and sound reflect that well.
Conclusion
Donut County will no doubt prove to be a divisive experience, but those that are looking for a relaxing and often funny puzzle game will find an enjoyable experience that has just enough charm to justify its existence. With that being said, this is hardly a game that feels like it justifies the relatively high price tag; three hours max of content is a tough pill to swallow regardless of how enamored you are with the concept at its core. We’d recommend you wait for a sale or put some gold points towards this one; it’s a cool experience that you’ll definitely want to check out, but know that you’re not missing much if you choose to skip it.
Ryan Reynolds Shares Behind-The-Scenes Image Of Detective Pikachu Movie
We may well have just received the very first trailer for the upcoming film Pokémon The Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, but there’s another 2019 Poké-movie also getting a little bit of love as we approach the new year.
Remember Detective Pikachu? Of course you do. The film is set to arrive in cinemas on 10th May 2019, bringing Pikachu and the gang to life in a way we’ve never seen before. Ryan Reynolds, who plays the comical and adorable Pikachu in the film, has shared this image of himself covered in little dots – the dots are used alongside motion capture technology to place any expressions and gestures he makes onto the animated Pikachu’s face.
If you want to see how this turns out for the final product – and also because we can’t help wanting to watch it all over again – we’ve included the official trailer for you below. If you’re interested, you can also check out a collection of character models and props which were used in the film, spotted at Legendary Entertainment’s headquarters.
Two very different Pokémon films arriving in the same year. 2019’s going to be a good one, huh?
Posted by: xSicKx - 01-01-2019, 09:22 PM - Forum: Windows
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Hello guys, having multiple monitors can lead to a pain if applications and programs aren't wanting to work right.
Sometimes i have troubles with 1 of my displays being off and everything i open wants to show on that display making it look like the program is broken or just not responding when in reality, it's just on the other screen perfectly fine and running. Took me awhile to find a way to bring whatever i opened up, back to my main display I'm currently working on.
Well, really, i found a few ways that helps. Whichever works the best, i hope you use graciously, because this annoying matter shouldn't even happen on a smart computer! LOL
So here's the first method:
Try Windows+P a few times, this selects Single-Monitor or Duplicate Monitor mode.
Just select duplicate and it will bring all items to one sceen on your main display. Which is usually the easiest until i found this method that is a little quicker.
2nd Method: AND QUICKEST
Click the icon in the taskbar to ensure that the program has focus.
Then hold down the Windows key and press the right-arrow a few times.
When you have the app in focus that you want to move (if you just opened it and haven't clicked other places, it's in focus). Hold down the windows key and use the cursors to move the window around where you want it.
More descriptive explanation on how to use it:
If it's on the left monitor and you want it on the right, hold down windows key + press right arrow key and it'll shift across the screen. Depending on what state the window is in (fullscreen/windowed) may depend on how many key presses it takes to move it but you can play around with it to get a feel for what the key presses do.
Windows key + up arrow : maximizes the window or undoes minimizing.
Windows key + down arrow : minimizes the window and makes windows focus be on whatever application was opened right before, or undoes maximizing.
Windows key + left/right : will move the window from snapped left to unsnapped to snapped right to snapped left on the next screen, etc.
Windows key + shift + left/right : will move the window to another screen in the same relative position.
Windows key + shift + up: Will maximize the window vertically only.
Windows key + left/right followed by Windows key + up/down: Will snap/unsnap the window in a corner.
PlayStation Classic Is Already On Sale For Almost Half Price
Sony released the PlayStation Classic on December 3, confirming rumors that it was working on a competitor to Nintendo's line of miniature consoles. One of the surprises was the system's $100 price tag, which is higher than Nintendo's NES and SNES Classics, which cost $60 and $80 respectively. The price isn't such a big problem this week, because many retailers currently have the PlayStation Classic marked down to $60. That's 40% off a product that released less than a month ago.
PlayStation Classic is a miniature version of the original PlayStation console from 1995. It comes with 20 PS1 games loaded onto it and two full-sized controllers so you and a partner can play the games that support couch co-op. You can find the full list of the games included on the system below.
Deals this good don't tend to last long, so if you've had your eye on a PlayStation Classic, now is a good time to grab one. Fair warning, though: in GameSpot's PlayStation Classic review, critic Peter Brown wasn't thrilled with the retro console. "The PS Classic doesn't feel like a celebration of PlayStation's formative years the way Nintendo's systems do," he wrote.
Speaking of Nintendo's mini console series, if you want an NES or SNES Classic, you might want to pick it up soon, because Nintendo is about to cease production of the miniature consoles. In the meantime, you can still find them in stock at several retailers.
We recently interviewed Carlos Castro León on how he uses Fedora. This is part of a series on the Fedora Magazine. The series profiles Fedora users and how they use Fedora to get things done. Contact us on the feedback form to express your interest in becoming a interviewee.
Who is Carlos Castro León?
Carlos Castro León is a computer engineer in northern Peru. He started using Linux in 2006 when another Linux user helped him install Ubuntu Edgy Eft. When Carlos attended college he decided to use a more stable distribution: “I already knew about Fedora 16 and decided to use it.” Castro León currently works as a computer engineer in Peru. His main task is to coordinate the activities of a team of individuals who manage the servers and networking at his company.
He loves food. He says his favorites are El Cabrito and La Caigua Rellena: “They are delicious and if you come to Peru I can give you very good recommendations.”
Carlos finds the most difficult thing is to get people interested in open source. He overcame resistance from his colleagues by building on the success of the first project. “My first project was implementing OpenVPN,” he says. After this he implemented the following servers: Zimbra, GLPI, DHCP, Rsync, Bacula, Owncloud, and Alfresco.
The Fedora Community
Castro León has some fantastic things to say about the Fedora Community: “They are always attentive to solve problems.” He added, “the community documentation is available to everyone.” He would like to encourage the spread of open source. Carlos would like to create workshops, events and give presentations at universities. Castro León would like to see more people understand the full potential of having a computer engineering career within an open source project.
What Hardware?
Carlos owns a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 laptop with Fedora installed. He also uses a Brother DCP-T500W printer connected via wireless. “I have not had any issues with hardware or software compatibility,” he reports. For design work he uses a 20 inch monitor and extends the screen. At work he has a Lenovo M700 tiny. This computer has both Windows 10 and most importantly a Fedora install. Carlos says, “I prefer to use Fedora because it has better performance and I have not had problems connecting to shared resources within the office.”
What Software?
Castro León is currently running Fedora 29. For personal projects he uses GIMP, Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity, VLC and Simple Screen Recorder. At work he makes use of Shutter, Libre Office, GEdit, and Terminal.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-01-2019, 09:14 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Free PC Game Codes From GOG Giveaway
In honor of the end of GOG.com's Big Winter Sale, we're giving away 500 PCgame codesfree from their catalog. The PC game codes will be a mysterycode, redeemable on GOG's platform, and are DRM-free. (Scroll down to enter below.)
