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Researchers will attempt to ‘reanimate’ a corpse with stem cells
Brain death may no longer be a life sentence if one Philadelphia-based biomedical startup has its way. The company, Bioquark, plans to initiate a study later this year to see if a combination of stem cell and protein blend injections, electrical nerve stimulation, and laser therapy can reverse the effects of recent brain death. They're literally trying to bring people back from the dead.
Classic Zombies maps are coming to 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3'
I'm not a big Call of Duty fan, admittedly, but I have fond memories of Black Ops 2's Zombies mode. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. The shambling undead have been a popular part of the franchise for many years. Now, Treyarch is tapping into that nostalgia with its next DLC for Black Ops 3. Zombies Chronicles will feature eight remastered versions of classic Zombies mode maps, co-studio head Jason Blundell announced today in an interview with YouTuber JCbackfire.
ICYMI: Surviving an island disaster and self-bagging stores
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo created a game called Everscape to both study and teach people in a gamified world who are trying to escape a tsunami following an earthquake. The goal is to use the gamers' playing style to figure out how people will try to survive similar events in real life. Meanwhile, the Panasonic and Lawson store team up in Japan should roll out machines that can determine what products are in a shopping basket, then automatically bag them for an easy check-out experience. If you're looking for the propane soap bubbles video, that's here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
'The Walking Dead' season three lands on December 20th
Telltale's The Walking Dead is back. Season three, A New Frontier, is set to premiere worldwide on December 20th across PC, PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, iOS and Android. Keep in mind that this is the first of five total episodes, the rest of which are set to hit throughout 2017. For Xbox One and PS4, the complete game, including access to all episodes as they come out, will be available as a boxed product starting on February 7th.
Original 'Dead Rising' will shamble on to PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Dead Rising 4 isn't the only place folks with current-gen consoles will see photojournalist-turned-mall-savior Frank West (he's covered wars, you know) this fall. A Eurogamer report notes that developer/publisher Capcom will be bringing revamped versions of its other zombie-slaying franchise to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Capcom confirmed the write-up -- previously based on a leaked set of PS4 trophies -- but didn't have much to offer by way of details.
ICYMI: AI in a USB stick, electric bike wheel and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-784522{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-784522, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-784522{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-784522").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Chip maker Movidius created an advanced neural networks USB stick to put AI into any device; the GeoOrbital wheel turns any dumb bike into a 20 miles per hour powerhouse; and Samsung has a pilot program to put a mother's heartbeat into her premature baby's incubator. An open source robot used for research is also really good at yoga. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
'The Walking Dead' studio will publish '7 Days to Die' on consoles
Telltale Games is best known for its emotional point-and-click adventure games The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and Game of Thrones, but the studio's publishing division is just getting started. Telltale Publishing will bring The Fun Pimps' first-person zombie survival game 7 Days to Die to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June for $30. This is the second game from Telltale Publishing, following its work on the retail edition of the Jackbox Party Pack.
ICYMI: 3D-printed ears, autonomous DARPA drones and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-214941{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-214941, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-214941{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-214941").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine scientists have 3D-printed living tissue that can be transplanted into living animals, most notably an ear that grew new cartilage and blood vessels once under the skin of a mouse for a few months.
'Plants Vs. Zombies' is becoming a theme park attraction
If it's not Mario or Shepherd and the Mass Effect crew, it's... plants and zombies. Cedar Fair Entertainment, which runs 14 park attractions across the US, is working with EA on two attractions for Great America in California, and Carowinds in North Carolina. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will be adapted into what the theme park is terming a "digital attraction". This means that it'll be able to substitute in and reprogram the ride later for sequel content -- which sounds a whole lot like its namesake. Carowinds will get the PvZ attraction, which will open next year.
Final zombies pack for 'CoD: Advanced Warfare' hits tomorrow
The latest trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's "Exo Zombies" mode might not feature a megalodon-esque sea-borne monstrosity, but it does have John Malkovich doing his best Werner Herzog impression for the voice over. So there's that. This final episode takes place fathoms below the ocean surface with Rose McGowan, Bill Paxton (game over, man!), Joe Bernthal and the inimitable Bruce Campbell coming back to tie up the story. "Descent" hits Xbox Live tomorrow with other platforms to come in the future. If you're a PlayStation fan that's green with envy, just remember that your early exclusivity period starts with a Black Ops 3 beta and add-ons this fall -- there's even a mode where you murder the undead and chew gumballs in Rapture-esque, art-deco city streets as Jeff Goldblum.
'ZombiU' reborn for PS4, Xbox One and PC as 'Zombi'
Ubisoft's undead-infested, survival-horror game ZombiU was exclusive to Wii U when it launched in 2012, and back then we called it a "wonderfully frightening experience" thick with tension, death and a brilliantly unforgiving atmosphere. Now, the game is dropping the "U" and heading to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC as Zombi on August 18th, complete with a few upgrades and changes. Since Zombi can't take advantage of the Wii U's second screen -- which displayed the mini-map, radar and gear -- these aspects have been moved to the main screen. "We maintain a minimal HUD as much as possible," Zombi producer Hélène Henry says. "It disappears when not required, giving the game a very lonely feeling."
Former 'Dead Island 2' developer can't pay its bills
The situation with Dead Island 2 and developer Yager took another turn today as the company announced it's filing for insolvency. Yager Productions, the team formed to work on the zombie sequel, can't pay the money it owes to debtors. "At the moment, there are different options to be assessed while wages for employees have been secured for the upcoming months," a company statement reads. The filing is a direct result of being removed from Dead Island 2's development, managing director Timo Ullmann writes. Insolvency helps protect the company's staff and will allow "time to sort out the best options for reogranizing this entity," he says. The rest of Yager, including the team working on the sci-fi, ship-to-ship combat game Dreadnought are in the clear however and are "independent and remain unaffected" by today's news.
'Dead Island 2' needs a new developer
Dead Island 2 is dead. For now at least. Publisher Deep Silver sent out an update today announcing that it's no longer working with the open-world zombie-massacre/absurd-weapon-crafting simulator sequel's developer, Yager, on the title. "With Dead Island 2, Deep Silver has always been dedicated to delivering the sequel that Dead Island fans deserve," the statement reads. "After careful consideration, today we announce the decision to part ways with development partner Yager." The email goes on to say that the publisher will "continue working towards bringing" its vision of the game to life and will have more info in the future. Deep Silver and Yager showed a very early version of the game off at E3 in 2014, but it wasn't all that impressive and the game didn't look anywhere close to the intentionally cheesy cinematic trailer that premiered during Sony's media briefing, either.
This is the new Zombies mode in 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3'
It was known Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 would have a Zombies mode, but Treyarch hadn't revealed any more details beyond that -- up until now, at least. Today, as part of the San Diego Comic-Con festivities, the game developer introduced Shadows of Evil, a survival co-op experience that will be in Black Ops 3. What's more, Treyarch managed to cast some celebrities for the project, such as Jeff Goldblum (Independence Day, Jurassic Park), Heather Graham, Neal McDonough, Ron Perlman and Robert Picardo. The latest edition of the Call of Duty franchise is set to be released on November 6th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. But while you wait for it to come out, here's the Zombies Shadows of Evil trailer for your viewing pleasure.
Smedley announces SOE is no more, becomes Daybreak Game Company
In a surprising move, CEO John Smedley just announced on Reddit that Sony Online Entertainment is leaving behind its Sony roots and becoming Daybreak Game Company after being acquired by the investment firm Columbus Nova. This change allows the company to publish online games on multiple gaming platforms, including the XBox. Smedley also assured players via Twitter that all of the games in the company's portfolio are staying and will continue to be a part of the new company. Here's the full announcement plastered on the official forums of each of the company's games: Dear Players, Partners and Friends, Today, we are pleased to announce that we have been acquired by Columbus Nova, an investment management firm well known for its success with its existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more! As part of this transition, SOE will now become Daybreak Game Company. This name embodies who we are as an organization, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward. So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation. In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in. Our games and players are the heart and soul of our organization, and we are committed to maintaining our portfolio of online games and pushing the limits of where we can take online gaming together. Thank you for your continued support. See you in game! The Team at Daybreak
Exo Zombies invade Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer
The latest trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare shows off the game's upcoming downloadable content, Exo Zombies. Arriving as part of the first content pack, Havoc, Exo Zombies features the voice acting talents of John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Rose McGowan and Jon Bernthal. The Havoc DLC pack will launch on January 27 for Xbox One and Xbox 360. Havoc also includes four multiplayer maps, the AE4 assault rifle and Widowmaker custom variant. While the Havoc DLC can be purchased separately for $15, season pass holders will receive the pack at no additional charge. Advanced Warfare's $50 season pass grants access to three other pieces of downloadable content: Ascendance, Supremacy and Reckoning. Activision struck a deal with Microsoft to bring Advanced Warfare DLC to the Xbox platforms before it arrives on other systems, so the publisher has yet to offer a release date for Havoc on PS4, PS3 or PC. [Image: Activision]
H1Z1 suffers overnight downtime, whispers of server wipes [Updated]
It's not an easy time to be playing H1Z1 right now, especially since you sort of can't. The game's servers went down last night for a quick fix, according to Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley; they've been down since, with players getting increasingly vocal and anxious about what comes next. No further updates have come from the company after Smedley's assurance that there are issues to be fixed that cannot be solved simply by rolling back to the previous patch. Once players can get back in to the game, there may very well be a server wipe greeting them (a possibility suggested by the technical director), although perks like tickets, crates, and cosmetic recipes will not be lost in the event of a server wipe. SOE has promised to give plenty of notice before taking such drastic measures. Players are divided on whether this is a good thing or not, although widespread reports of item duping sit at the root of the issue. There's still no ETA on when the servers will be back online or what will be fixed when they come back up, but players could be looking at a very different environment. [Update: Servers appear to be up again now. SOE has said that the promised European servers are still incoming: "getting MORE servers, still calculating what we can fit."]
First Impressions: H1Z1 is more boredom than terror
What would video game purgatory look like? After spending an afternoon wandering aimlessly across a mostly-deserted countryside, I'd have to say that H1Z1's early access build fits the description of limbo perfectly. I even smacked into a wall of grey nothing that bordered the eight square kilometers of play space and wondered whether it might be more interesting in that haze than back among the living dead. H1Z1, as SOE will emphatically tell you, is not anywhere near to being done. Features are missing, placeholder art is everywhere, and there isn't a female character to be seen. It's only just playable on a larger scale, and yet the studio felt fit to open hundreds of servers (and take in thousands of dollars) so that the early crowd could sate its curiosity. There's no NDA, either, which means that the studio definitely wants people to chat the game up, whether good or bad. I'm happy to oblige.
H1Z1 is going 'nuclear' on hackers
From the sound of it, the H1Z1 crew put in some serious overtime during this past weekend. SOE President John Smedley has been posting updates across Reddit, especially in reference to hackers and important patch fixes. Smedley said that the team is "extremely on top of" any hacking going on in the game and will only get better as time goes by. "What we have is extremely robust in terms of detection and prevention," he posted. "Now that we started with detection, you'll be seeing the prevention go nuclear." Patches that are coming soon to the game will cover many vital issues, according to Smedley. These fixes include more loot, frame rate fixes, the infamous G29 problem, the floating arrow bug, and a slower drain rate for hunger and thirst.
SOE's Adam Clegg apologizes for H1Z1 airdrop snafu
In the wake of this week's H1Z1 early access launch issues and "pay-to-win" airdrop controversy, SOE's Adam "Arclegger" Clegg offered a lengthy apology and explanation to the unruly mob on Reddit. I wanted to address what I said in an earlier stream with NGTZombies prior to our release. I said you cannot buy a gun or ammo and it had to be found in the world. When you are on a stream, and you are talking about your game, you tend to talk a million miles an hour both to keep the information flowing and to keep it entertaining. But sometimes things get said without completely thinking about what you are saying 100% through. H1Z1 is a massive game with a lot of systems, some of which we were tuning every day and finishing last minute. When I said you can't buy any guns or ammo, I completely disregarded the possibility of airdrops and meant that you can't buy a gun or ammo and have it go into your starting loadout, or your loadout immediately like you were buying a gun from the gun store. All that being said, I totally understand how what I said was at the time lying to you guys and I apologize. But please understand that's not what I was trying to do. For those of you that don't know me or understand me, know that I'm not trying to be this monster that is conniving and lying in hopes that you get tricked into buying the game. I am very passionate about making video games and I want more than anything in the world for people to love the games that I am a part of making. Clegg explained that during testing, the loot-heavy airdrops resulted in a "gladiator style brawl" that epitomized the conflict SOE wanted to generate in the game. "Whether you agree with us or not," he wrote, "that is how we want airdrops to work." The second half of his post covers the details of the changes incoming to the system as noted yesterday. SOE President John Smedley announced last night that the studio will grant refunds to those early access purchasers who request them by Sunday. Self-initiated refunds through Steam are also now possible.
