Civil War
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IMAX's laser projectors are worth the pricier ticket
I'm no fan of movie theater gimmicks. 3D glasses, giant screens, 4D "sensory experiences," food and drink service have simply never been worth the added ticket prices for me. That was, at least, until I sat down to watch Captain America: Civil War on IMAX's newest 3D laser projector system.
Barely Related: Marvel's Civil War, DC movies galore
Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Nokia establishes stance on conflict minerals in formal policy
Recent weeks have seen a swell of interest in corporate responsibility, particularly with regard to technology manufacturing and supply chains. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook affirmed his company's commitment to ethically and environmentally sound practices, evoking sentiments that were echoed today in a similar announcement from Nokia. Seizing the opportunity to establish some goodwill among socially conscious consumers, the Finnish manufacturer has just released a policy outlining its philosophy on conflict minerals -- metals like gold, tungsten and tin that have played a direct role in fueling civil violence and unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the document (linked below), Nokia acknowledged that it doesn't play a direct role in obtaining these materials, but emphasized its strict traceability requirements. All suppliers, Nokia says, must provide detailed information on the sourcing of its metals, going back to the smelter phase, at a minimum, and even to the mine itself, if necessary. The company also highlighted its adherence to guidelines established by the EICC-GeSI Extractives Work Group, which both Apple and Intel have already joined. Granted, it's impossible for a single company to wipe out civil strife and human rights abuses in one fell swoop, but with this codified approach, Nokia hopes to at least "increase transparency, ensure responsible procurement by our suppliers and sub-suppliers, and drive positive change."
Star Wars Galaxies puts the end of the saga in the hands of the players
This is how the galaxy ends: not with a wimper, but with a mighty bang. At least, that's what SOE hopes as Star Wars Galaxies' devs map out the final few months for this sunsetting MMO. Instead of weeping into a glass of strange blue milk, the team is issuing a challenge to the Imperials or Rebels. The stakes? The fate of the galaxy, once and for all. SOE is ramping up the Galactic Civil War in the game, by adding new events and opportunities to win points for your respective side. The Civil War got a little bigger with the recent GU20 update that put the war footing on an interplanetary scale. At some point before the December 15th shutdown, the game will tally up the score and determine who won -- for all time. Depending on which side comes out victorious, the ending of the game itself will change. If you're a neutral party, don't worry; SOE is making sure that you can participate in shutdown events as well. Take note, as only players that subscribe or have an account in good standing prior to September 15th can participate in this final battle, since registration -- and game charges -- will cease after that date.
Microsoft trademarks 'Iron Brigade' for video game use
Either Microsoft is planning on releasing a new military shooter, or it's really getting into organizing its heavy metals into tightly regimented platoons. The company recently filed a trademark with the USPTO for computer game software titled "Iron Brigade," a possible reference to a Union army unit which served during the American Civil War. As tech news site Fusible points out, though more modern units share the name, the trademark lines up nicely with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Then again, logic can't always be applied to the naming of games; we could just as easily be talking about a future robot dating simulator or something.
The Civil War Today app brings four years of daily history updates to your iPad
History and A&E Television Networks Mobile have teamed up to bring an excellent history app to iPad owners. The Civil War Today application chronicles the events of the Civil War over the next four years. Each day, iPad users will be greeted with an update detailing the battles and historic information from that date 150 years earlier. These details are presented interactively using photos, maps, newspaper clippings, diary entries and more. Socially aware, the iPad app also includes a Twitter feature that lets you send telegrams via Morse code and a tie-in with GameCenter to earn Civil War achievements. The Civil War Today application launched on April 12, 2011, the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Daily application updates also began on April 12 and will continue until April 26, 2015. The Civil War Today app is available now in the App Store and will set you back US$7.99. All things considered, this is a reasonable price for four years of fresh content straight from the annals of history. [Via ZDNet]
History 3D brings the Civil War to life
Just in time for the anniversary of the Civil War, History 3D for iPad brings the past to life. If you have a pair of anaglyph 3D glasses (the red and blue kind) handy, it gets even better. There are two dozen pictures to view in black and white and anaglyph 3D. The 3D images were taken using cameras with two or four lenses for a stereoscopic effect. These 3D photos amazed me, and I consider US$0.99 for the app well worth it for this bit of history. The interface is great; it's basically a storybook you can page through. Flip through the photos and tap to bring up the story behind the photos. The 3D images created in the making of this app are being donated copyright-free to the Library of Congress. You have to find your own 3D glasses at this point, but there will be links to stores that carry them on the support website soon. I definitely recommend commemorating this period in our history with a fresh look at the actual events of the Civil War. Check out a YouTube trailer and pop over to the App Store to get your copy of History 3D.
Civil War to stream for free on iOS and iTunes
History buffs may want to check out the free PBS video app this week. The first episode of the award-winning Civil war documentary, The Civil War by Ken Burns, is available for free for the next 10 days. The documentary can be streamed through the PBS app or downloaded for free from iTunes. Besides The Civil War, the PBS video application includes 250 hours of free videos, PBS TV schedules and an episode reminder that syncs with iCal. Originally aired in 1990, the entire Civil War series will be rebroadcast from April 3 through the 17 on PBS to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War on April 12. All episodes of the series will be available for purchase from iTunes -- if you want to see how the "Ken Burns effect" got its name, be sure to at least watch the first episode.
Civil War: America's Epic Struggle comes to the iPad and iPhone
Civil War: America's Epic Struggle (US$4.99) from MultiEducator Inc. is a full history course in an iPad and iPhone app. It contains at least as much information as most textbooks on the Civil War at a fraction of the cost, while adding elements that no textbook can. There are 24 multimedia presentations, some as long as nine minutes, a nice selection of music popular during the Civil War, and a wonderful navigation system that just makes sense. When starting the app, information can be sorted 18 ways, from a changing Categories bar including Battles (sorted either chronologically or alphabetically), Multimedia Presentations, Statistics and topics like Navy, Economics, Railroads, Music, etc. Depending upon where you are in the app, tapping on Categories brings up a contextual listing of what you can see. For example, tapping on Major Battles Chronologically changes the bar to a listing of battles grouped by year. Tapping on a battle such as Bull Run, brings choices of a text summary of the battle, a five minute multimedia summary, seven text articles on aspects of the battle, 20 photos or drawings, most of them taken from the Matthew Brady Archives, and full color maps. Depending upon the battle there is more or less information available, but this is done for 26 battles in total; clearly, there's a phenomenal amount of information in the app, plenty for even a Civil War buff to peruse. %Gallery-98490%
Rumor: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 wages 'Civil War'
One more revelation from yesterday's massive exodus of games out from under the corporate shroud: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will be based on Marvel's "Civil War" miniseries, which introduces the Superhuman Registration Act. The act requires anyone in the United States with superpowers to register with the government and thereby reveal one's civilian identity. In the comics, the act creates a rift between those heroes who advocate (and, with the help of sanctioned villains, enforce) registration and those who forcefully oppose it. A supposed marketing survey suggests that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will follow a similar storyline: "Select your side in the conflict and assemble your team from a roster of 20 Marvel Legends, including Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Venom, and the Human Torch."The game will apparently feature a "fusion" system, whereby superpowers from one character can be combined with another, "such as fusing Spider-Man's powers with Storm's to give Spider-Man lightning webs." How about combining Superman's heat vision with Green Lantern's power beam to grant Superman green rays of burning light that shoot from his eyes and can take the shape of ... anything! (Take that Scorpion!) Er, oops ... wrong universe.[Via NeoGAF]
Virtually Overlooked: North and South
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.After exploring the offensive Spanish for Everyone over at DS Fanboy, we wracked our brains trying to think of another game that failed to adhere to the politically correct school of thought. The first title that came to mind was North and South, and if you've ever played this game, you'll probably understand why.This 1989 NES (among others) game is a bit of an oddity. Not only was it one of the first real-time strategy titles in the industry, but it also included two platformer minigames that were all kinds of excellent.Aside from its genre mixing, though, you're probably wondering what was so controversial about this title. To explain that, we might have to give you a brief history lesson first.
Civil War, not so civil screenshots
War may be hell, but apparently it makes for damned fine videogames. Releasing next week, The History Channel Civil War looks to be a Ken Burns documentary brought to life. Maybe they can get Morgan Freeman to do some narrating. Honestly, we don't know much about this Activision title -- they didn't give us any details. The old PC game was an RTS, but these screens make the 360 title look like a shooter. The screens look decent, so whatever it is, let's hope History Channel Civil War plays at least as good as it looks. See more screens after the break.
