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Unlock VR mode in 'Alien: Isolation,' if you dare
Alien: Isolation is a terrifying game, even before you add VR to the mix. But, for those of you dying to experience the survival horror in all its immersive (underwear-spoiling) glory, you can now play it on the current-gen Oculus Rift. An alpha version of the "MotherVR" mod that works with the original game is available to download right now. Installation is straightforward too: simply copy a DLL from the archive into the game folder and you're good to go. Just be sure you have the nerve to take it on first.
Recommended Reading: The Jeep hack that led to a massive recall
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway -- With Me in It by Andy Greenberg Wired This piece from Wired actually sparked a recall that affects 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles. During the test, hackers were able to use an exploit to "kill" the engine, disable the brakes and track location. Pretty scary stuff.
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'Alien: Isolation' on Xbox One! (update: it's over!)
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They're fun!
Tube TVs, VCRs and magnets give 'Alien: Isolation' its signature look
From Halo to Dead Space and countless titles in between, the influence of the Alien franchise can be felt just about just about everywhere in video games. But hardly any of the releases starring the titular onyx xenomorphs actually capture aspects of what made Ridley Scott's beloved 1979 sci-fi flick so special -- a feeling that somewhere in space this could all actually happen. To do that, the team behind Alien: Isolation (out today for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One) had an altogether different plan of attack: a retro lo-fi aesthetic that limited them to not having any technology in the game couldn't have existed on-set in 1979. Achieving that took some creativity on the part of developer Creative Assembly, though. "Lo-fi didn't necessarily mean crappy," creative lead Alistair Hope tells us. "It's just that it's more of a stamp in time and an approach. We're doing sci-fi set in the future, but there's no sense that the crew on the Nostromo should be looking for a massive sci-fi gun... It's a disillusioned view of the future."
Recommended Reading: Apple's Jony Ive talks design and the timepiece
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. A Rare Look at Design Genius Jony Ive: The Man Behind the Apple Watch by Robert Sullivan, Vogue The man behind much of Apple's design doesn't often open up for interviews, but following Cupertino's Watch reveal, much of the focus has been on the fashion-minded. That said, Jony Ive offered Vogue a bit more on the upcoming wrist-worn device and his aesthetic mindset as a whole -- right down to things like the sound a watch band makes as it closes.
Sigourney Weaver joins original cast for 'Alien: Isolation' DLC
It's been quite a while since we've seen Sigourney Weaver play the role of Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's Alien. Weaver takes the role once more alongside several other original cast members for two pre-order DLCs for the upcoming Alien: Isolation title. Ripley is joined by Dallas (Tom Skerritt), Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), Brett (Harry Dean Stanton), Parker (Yaphet Kott) and Ash (Ian Holm, likeness only), allowing you to play through two iconic scenes from the film. With the Nostromo Edition pre-order, the "Crew Expendnable" bonus content allows gamers to play as one of the surviving crew members just after Brett's demise to entice the Alien to the ship's airlock. Those who purchase early from GameStop are privy to "Last Survivor," where Ripley initiates the self-destruct sequence before escaping on the Narcissus. "For some of the original cast, this is their first appearance in an Alien video game. Seeing them reprise those roles after 35 years was an unforgettable experience," says the game's creative lead Alistair Hope. When it arrives in October, Alien: Isolation is due for Xbox (One and 360), PlayStation (3 and 4) and PC.
How I got stabbed in the chest at E3 2014 (an Oculus Rift tale)
There I was, impaled by an alien. I was carefully walking around a space station, with nothing more than my (admittedly dim) wits and a motion tracker, watching a large, terrifying alien stamp about. My only direction was to survive. "You had one job!" I failed at it. The tech demos are over: Oculus Rift's second development kit at E3 2014 isn't running any dalliances aimed at proving the tech. It's running real-ass games. Alien: Isolation was the third game I played, and it was by far the most terrifying. You're not a space marine, and you're not named Ellen Ripley. You're just some unwitting sheep running from assured death at the hands/tentacles/teeth of an H.R. Giger-designed alien. Delightful.
