Okay, so movies based on video games are a thing now. We’ve already had the successful adaptations of Tomb Raider or Resident Evil to the big screen, for example, and we have more incoming, with Assassin’s Creed getting a high profile movie adaptation some time in 2016. So that’s well and good, right?

Sort of? It’s also been confirmed that one of the highest selling games of all time will be made into a movie. To which you say, well, duh. The catch? Said highest selling game is- Tetris. Yes, that Tetris. The one with the falling blocks and the iconic tune. It’s being made into a movie.

To make matters even more hilarious, said movie will be an epic science fiction movie. I don’t know how any of that will work, since Tetris is as pure a game as they come, with no storyline, no mythos, just pure gameplay, but, I mean… I guess… no, there’s no way I can see the other side of the coin on this one, guys.

The Tetris Company seems to be pretty darn confident, though.

“What started as a simple, computer puzzle game 30 years ago, today is part of our global consciousness, connecting people of all ages and backgrounds and feeding our innate desire to create order out of chaos. We look forward to partnering with Threshold Entertainment to re-imagine that common experience and bring a spectacular new Tetris universe to the big screen for the first time. In this new universe, as you’ll soon find out, there’s much more to Tetris than simply clearing lines.”

No, dudes. There isn’t.

If you haven’t heard of Goat Simulator, then you’ve just been missing out. It’s (apparently) Coffee Stain Studios’ take on the life of a goat and allows players to see the world through a goat’s eyes. We’ll just let you try and get over the initial shock of the developer of Sanctum 1 & 2 working on a goat simulating game.

That being said, the developer has announced that the game will be releasing on April 1st via Steam. An obvious attempt for April Fool’s, right? But the studio is serious. When asked “bro are u srs”, Coffee Stain simply replied “Yes”. We remain skeptical.

Amazingly enough, there will apparently be Linux and Mac ports when the game “launches” but there won’t be any multiplayer mode. Its physics are apparently too resource-hungry to handle more than one goat on screen. Again, we’re not saying Goat Simulator won’t definitely release but heck, we’d be even more surprised if it did. Stay tuned for more details.

Yesterday, Candy Crush Saga developer King filed a trademark for the word “Candy” with the idea of protecting its IP? And remember how it would judge who was imposing on its signature gameplay on a case by case basis? Recently it seems that King filed a trademark claim against The Banner Saga. What was their reasoning, considering it doesn’t feature puzzle gameplay or candy? The use of the word “Saga”.

Speaking to Games Industry International, a King rep stated that, “King has not and is not trying to stop Banner Saga from using its name. We do not have any concerns that Banner Saga is trying build on our brand or our content. However, like any prudent company, we need to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP, both now and in the future.

“In this case, that means preserving our ability to enforce our rights in cases where other developers may try to use the Saga mark in a way which infringes our IP rights and causes player confusion. If we had not opposed Banner Saga’s trade mark application, it would be much easier for real copy cats to argue that their use of ‘Saga’ was legitimate.

“This is an important issue for King because we already have a series of games where ‘Saga’ is key to the brand which our players associate with a King game; Candy Crush Saga, Bubble Witch Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, Farm Heroes Saga and so on. All of these titles have already faced substantive trademark and copyright issues with clones.”

Horrible reasoning or a logical conclusion? Let us know what you think.

Referred to as the Lunar Roving Vehicle LEV-001 ’71, it’s not quite clear to the extent of how the Lunar Lander will play into the game. We doubt it’ll be fast enough for races on Earth, and frankly, we’re kind of skeptical whether Polyphony Digital would skirt realism and allow you to race normal cars on the moon. It’s most likely just meant as a side-show attraction. Does that interest you enough?

Gran Turismo 6 is currently scheduled to release on December 6th for the PlayStation 3.

But there is always a fear of the unknown, even the slight anxiety of travelling to a new place that affects everyone in all walks of life. Magnify this journey into the ever-incomprehensible unknown to include the depths of an insane asylum, which is actually just the beginning, and you’ll have Outlast, a first person horror game from indie developer Red Barrels where you can run or hide but for which escape from the unknown holds unsurprisingly little possibility.

In Outlast, you play as journalist Miles Upshur, who receives a tip about a rather unscrupulous asylum, Mount Massive that is apparently conducting experiments in secret via a multi-national corporation. As Miles arrives at the front gates, it becomes obvious that nothing is what it seems. Abandoned military trucks dot the entrance. Blood is seen splattered all throughout the hallways. As you traverse deeper into the asylum, you’ll come to face to face with various monstrosities and in-mates. What is going on exactly? Hints throughout in the form of research papers indicate that something came back with the patients, and as disturbing as the imagery can get, nothing carries as strong an intonation of evil as the Walrider.

"While Amnesia: The Dark Descent linearly paced the discovery of its mysterious setting and encounters with its monster, increasing the tempo as you went further into the game, Outlast goes balls to the wall fairly early and only ever lets up for small intervals."

While Amnesia: The Dark Descent linearly paced the discovery of its mysterious setting and encounters with its monster, increasing the tempo as you went further into the game, Outlast goes balls to the wall fairly early and only ever lets up for small intervals. Not that you’ll find much reason to relax – even the most slightly deviant individuals in Outlast have the ability to make your skin crawl. Even if this is a video game and you don’t die instantly, it instills a fear unlike any felt before that your next unlucky trifle could be your last.

Outlast mixes in several mechanics from games past, including the aforementioned Amnesia, and even Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth which pioneered the idea of closing doors and locking them to evade foes. You’ll be hiding as well, throwing off erstwhile pursuers, sometimes in obvious places and other times behind what looks safe for the moment.

The tension is palpable but dulled somewhat when you have a running start and reach a hiding place well before your pursuer does. He’ll check the locker next to you and even snoop around a bit but you’ll be safe (but not all the time). Of course, considering the number of occasions where you need to run and never stop, shutting doors behind you and just narrowly finding a place to hide before you’re beaten to death, you’ll never forget the fear of being caught and pummelled to death.

"The video camera is what differentiates the Outlast from other first person horror romps. The camera can be used to glean different observations when you record specific events, which Miles will note down. It even helps to keep track of the story thus far."

The video camera is what differentiates the Outlast from other first person horror romps. The camera can be used to glean different observations when you record specific events, which Miles will note down. It even helps to keep track of the story thus far. But as you’ll encounter plenty of dark areas in Outlast, the camera’s night vision is what gives you an edge. You can see most threats coming from a ways off, aided by the zoom function.

There are genuine moments that will depend on your successfully hitting the night vision on and off in order to escape from a band of raving in-mates. You’ll need to refill the camera with batteries in order to use it though, which leads to some genuinely heart-pounding moments when you’ll be stuck in pitch-black surroundings, each second lasts forever, as you wait to see what’s ahead of you.

It’s to the credit of Red Barrels that it finds a way to continuously keep the action frenetic. Whether you’re wading through sewers, avoiding a big mean monstrosity named Chris Walker, or playing cat and mouse with a scissor-wielding doctor in order to find an elevator key, or feverishly pushing objects in front of doors to slow your attackers down, or shimmying across ledges and fighting off in-mates in the process, Outlast is forever finding new ways to mess with you.

Even the small discoveries – a particularly disturbing one which will make your skin crawl as you enter Block B or a ghostly presence becoming stronger and stronger as the game progresses – are enough to set you on edge. The only criticism is that for all the intensity it brings forth, Outlast does tend to go to the well too many times with objectives such as “find two valves” and whatnot but it doesn’t dull the fear one bit.

The aesthetic of the game brings its dingy, crumbling, blood-adorned surroundings to life. The subtle, film-grainish haze gives everything an ethereal feel, dispensed only in stark white light, itself sticking out among the dank corridors. Macabre is one way to describe it; disturbing is another. But all throughout, there’s an almost  twisted beauty to it all that has you staring at in-mates bashing their heads in for longer than you should. Of course, all the little touches such Miles’ hand touching the wall as he peeks around a corner, or his shifting vision and reactions to violence, also help drive the point home that you’re inhabiting a character and not just spectating.

"Outlast is one of those games you don’t see coming: Something truly phenomenal that immediately grips you, without any concern for the state of your heart. The atmosphere, visual style, gameplay, sound, story and presentation all combine together for an emotionally exhausting experience that could give any big budget title a run for its money."

What would a horror game be without the sound? Outlast is made all the more frightening with the chains rattling and scraping footsteps that accompany carnage, not to mention the sound of your heart beat and quick breathing as scary stuff goes down. But the music is also deftly executed.

Pick up a new document and a sudden swell will erupt, and you’ll unconsciously expect something to attack you. The music and sound effects are truly amazing – they become more pronounced and diabolic as the action ramps up, with slow and sudden swells occurring in isolated exploration broken up by thumping orchestrals during attacks. It’s a frightening rush.

It could be argued that some of the set-ups are a tad contrived, and there is only one right way to do everything, thus lessening the replay value. Honestly, once you’ve seen all the scares that are to be seen, it won’t take long to just rush through the game and see how quickly you can complete it.

It could be argued that some functions such as the camera’s zoom are useless more often than not. Also, for all the insanity inherent, the ending feels more like an ellipses rather than an exclamation point. If it signals more such games in the series, then we won’t complain. Nonetheless, it does feel a little disheartening, given all the effort made to survive – poetic, yes, but still disheartening.

Outlast is one of those games you don’t see coming: Something truly phenomenal that immediately grips you, without any concern for the state of your heart. The atmosphere, visual style, gameplay, sound, story and presentation all combine together for an emotionally exhausting experience that could give any big budget title a run for its money. It’s a game you can pop in and enjoy in ten minute bursts – and depending on your endurance, even ten minutes will feel too long – or an experience you can dive into, swallowed whole, with no possible escape.

Outlast may not be the longest or most feature-rich game out there, but it provides a hereto unknown experience in the realm of horror games: A thrilling, psychologically-amped rollercoaster ride of wretched images and disturbing frights that you can run from, hide from, and maybe even escape from but never truly forget.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

“In the game there’s these rival gangs. There’s Black gangs, Latino gangs. We recruited a guy who gets gang members, actual real gang members, like El Salvadoran gang dudes with amazing tattoos, one of which had literally gotten out of prison the day before.

“We get these guys in to record the gang characters because we don’t want a goofy LA actor who went to a fancy school trying to be a hard gang member. There’s nothing worse than that, so just go find the terrifying people and say ‘can you come in here please?’

Of course, for those times when the talent is being difficult to work with, Lazlow was perfectly fine with having them ad-lib their lines, stating that his own script was “irrelevant” when it came to capturing the real deal.

Grand Theft Auto V releases on September 17th for Xbox 360 and PS3.

This means that the PlayStation 4 release date was planned as far back as E3, which is around the time The Last of Us released. Reason dictates that it must have been known even while The Last of Us was still in development.

To be honest there’s absolutely no way anyone could have seen those numbers and guessed they had to do with the PlayStation 4. If anything, the banner behind this that reads “The Flammable Hill” stands out as being far more conspicuous. As we head into the November 15th release date for the console in the United States (November 29th in Europe), just bear in mind: Sony got us. And they got us good.

Source: Reddit

Canadian police have arrested co-founder Ken McCulloch on charges relating to child pornography. A press release by the Niagra police stated that, “On Thursday, June 27th, 2013, Detectives from the Internet Child Exploitation Unit/Child Abuse Unit, Technological Crimes Unit and Uniform Officers executed a search warrant at a St. Catharines residence. Subsequently, a significant number of computer systems and peripheral devices were seized as evidence.

“Kenneth McCulloch, 42 years old, of St. Catharines, Ontario, was arrested and is charged with one count each of Possession of Child Pornography, Making Child Pornography Available, and Accessing Child Pornography, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. This investigation is ongoing. McCulloch is being held in custody, pending a bail hearing scheduled for June 28th, 2013 at the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse, located at 59 Church Street, in the City of St. Catharines.”

In an official company post, CEO Paul Caporicci stated that, “Having just learned of these disturbing charges today and based on the serious nature of them, Ken McCulloch is no longer affiliated in any way with Precursor Games.” The former Silicon Knights director’s name has been removed from the site and staff listings.

Then, Spielberg and Lucas decided to get their respective opinions on the medium in. Spielberg criticized gaming for not being able to evoke the same kind of “empathy” as other mediums. “The second you get the controller something turns off in the heart, and it becomes a sport.”

Lucas, for his part, talked about how, “The big game of the next five years will be a game where you empathize very strongly with the characters and it’s aimed at women and girls. They like empathetic games.

“That will be a huge hit and as a result that will be the ‘Titanic’ of the game industry, where suddenly you’ve done an actual love story or something and everybody will be like ‘where did that come from?’ Because you’ve got actual relationships instead of shooting people.”

Hilariously enough, this is already seen in games like The Last of Us, Portal 2 and even Bioshock Infinite which emphasize strong inter-personal relationships and well-developed characters. Let’s not even bring up Shadow of the Colossus for the sake of fairness.

However, why didn’t Mattrick leap in and try to contradict the two? This is where we get to the crux of the argument: that gaming is still yet to be improved because it’s missing something – and that something is very Kinect-like in nature.

“I believe we need to get rid of the proscenium. We’re never going to be totally immersive as long as we’re looking at a square, whether it’s a movie screen or whether it’s a computer screen. We’ve got to get rid of that and we’ve got to put the player inside the experience, where no matter where you look you’re surrounded by a three-dimensional experience. That’s the future,” stated Spielberg.

Hilariously enough, Spielberg is the executive producer for the upcoming Halo The Television Series, which would not exist had it not been for gamers taking the original game and making a “sport” out of it. Likewise, George Lucas will best be remembered for his appalling Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, which placed far more emphasis on “shooting people” rather than trying to be the next “Titanic”.

Oh wait, it did with Padme and Anakin’s romance. Guess how that panned out? (Hint: Not so great)

We’re not sure what to make of all this, save for the fact that gaming itself is imperfect, according to Lucas and Spielberg, and needs to be fixed.

Source: Variety

If you look closely, you’ll see that the link has the words “PS4” in the end.

Now, we know this isn’t a death knell for the console. But honestly, it doesn’t help. Do you really want to mention your rival at all in anything remotely having to do with your console? Especially in the so-called “highlights” video of your console’s big reveal?

And it’s not like you can just randomly edit that link either. The video would need to be deleted and re-uploaded.

As it stands, the Xbox One has been universally panned since its reveal on May 21st, with several polls rooting for the PS4. Let’s not forget scorned indie developers and the controversy regarding fees for playing used games. Stay tuned to see just how much worse it can get for the Xbox One.

Source: Reddit