halloween
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'Pokémon Go' offering spooky bonuses for Halloween
If there's one thing our (fictional) mom always told us, it's that we shouldn't go out walking at night with our smartphone on show. The folks at Niantic Labs feel differently, and think that poorly lit Fall nights around Halloween are the perfect time for everyone to catch some pocket monsters. The company is launching its first "global in-game event" to encourage Pokémon Go players to go out and catch some spooky 'mons.
'Overwatch' celebrates Halloween with ghoulish Loot Boxes
If the buzz around the Olympics wasn't enough to get you spending cold hard cash on a bunch of Summer Games Loot Boxes, Blizzard hopes its Halloween-themed Overwatch event might do the trick. After weeks of small leaks raised the possibility of a second themed event, today the company revealed Overwatch Halloween Terror, which is live now through November 1st across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The event features maps decked out with spooky accessories, plus it introduces the game's first-ever PvE mode, Junkenstein's Revenge.
'Resident Evil' the play is better than I expected
The first Resident Evil games were my favorites. With comically bad dialogue like the now infamous "Jill sandwich" meme, tension built on scare tactics, gore and the thrill of a shotgun blast, simpler was better, or at least more fun. As soon as the franchise started to take itself too seriously, I stopped paying attention. So when Capcom decided to make the video game horror franchise into a stage play, I feared it'd either steer straight into closed-space melodrama (i.e., actors trapped in a room; one has a dark secret) or that it'd simply have little to no relevance to Resident Evil. So, with trepidation, I went to see Biohazard: The Stage (the series' title here in Japan) when it opened for a limited one-week run right before Halloween. Was I going to be bored to tears? Despite an unnecessarily fashionable Tyrant and a severe lack of blood, I was hooked for all two-and-a-half hours of it. And that even included a pop-dance interlude.
Instagram used Halloween to test a new, curated video channel
Snapchat has its Stories, Twitter has moments and, as of Halloween, Instagram has 'Best Videos.' It's not the catchiest name in the world, but it delivers. The feature launched with a curated collection of holiday-themed Instagram videos all bundled under a simple headline: "Watch Halloween's best videos." Clicking it presents you with a continuous stream of trick-or-treating, singing, scaring and, of course, Thriller dance-offs.
Google's self-driving cars are more cautious around kids
If you've got spawn traipsing through the streets of Mountain View in search of sweets tonight, you needn't fear Google's self-driving cars... much. While there's something a little unsettling about an autonomous car -- even a cute one -- coming at you on Halloween, Google says they're at least programmed to act differently around children. In the days leading up to this most creepy of holidays, the company's self-driving car team had parents trot their tots in front of parked vehicles to give their sensors and software more experience detecting "children in all their unique shapes and sizes, even when they're in odd costumes". Good idea -- your author used to dart in the street for really no reason at all, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Google's cars are already "jittery" in their cautiousness, but a little extra practice couldn't hurt, especially when they're still not great with people on bikes.
Recommended Reading: Who are the best horror movie monsters?
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. Happy 'Halloween': The Best Horror-Movie Monsters by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion, Grantland To get you in the proper mindset for tonight's ghoulish activities, Grantland offers a look at the best horror movie monsters of all time. Jason, Michael, Freddy and Leatherface are all considered for categories like best costume, most creative kill and more. Take a look... if you dare.
ICYMI: Halloween Spooktacular and some tech news too
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-772085{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-772085, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-772085{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-772085").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Chinese state-run media announced the country will begin building the world's largest super-collider, with an ETA of 2020. Realm Pictures just pulled off another live action shooter game, this time with an alien version and we are all tempted to get Chatroulette accounts. And Tokyo's auto show just wrapped this week and beside the totally Jetsons cars, we were struck by the cool factor of many of the cars' head and tail lights, which are made of lasers.
Playdate: A (probably terrifying) chat with 'SOMA' dev Ian Thomas
Well, the chat may not be terrifying, but the game certainly will be. Today on Playdate, we're diving into two horrifying, Halloween-worthy games, SOMA and PT. SOMA is the creepy underwater game from Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games, and PT is Konami's once-promising haunted-house exploration teaser for a game that's sadly not going to be made. While we're playing SOMA, we'll conduct a live interview with Ian Thomas, Frictional's level scripter and gameplay programmer. Let's find out what makes a master of digital horror tick. Playdate kicks off at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific and you can watch live right in this post, on the Engadget Gaming homepage or on Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
Steam Halloween sale slashes prices on 'GTA V' and more
You know Steam loves to celebrate most holidays in a big way -- with notable discounts on ton of different games. And since Halloween is almost here, the service is now letting you save cash on spooky titles such as BioShock, Left 4 Dead 2, Alien: Isolation, Outlast, ARK: Survival Evolved, Dead Realm and SOMA, to mention a few. There's also Grand Theft Auto V, which is priced at about $40 right now, compared to the usual $60 -- while we wouldn't exactly call Rockstar's title "spooky," it's great to have it as part of the promotion. Speaking of, the Steam Halloween sale will be live until November 2nd at 1AM ET, so you have some time to look over the games list and determine whether you want to pull the trigger on any of them.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: superdogs and a cave museum
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. So far Elon Musk has created next-gen spacecraft and some of the world's best electric cars -- could a futuristic airplane be next? This past week, Musk announced that he'd like to build a "pretty cool supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing electric jet." In other transportation news, automakers had a Back to the Future field day last week. Stanford rolled out a self-driving DeLorean; Toyota showcased a special Mirai with gull-wing doors and a flux capacitor; and students built an all-electric version of Doc Brown's time-traveling car. A sleek solar-powered car won the World Solar Challenge by rocketing across the Australian Outback in four days. And we took a test-drive of the all-new, completely rebuilt 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which just hit the market in California.
Google 'Frightgeist' might help you avoid Halloween costume clashes
Google Trends has tapped into its daily search data to unearth the top 500 costume searches across the US. National and more local trends are listed (a whole lot of Star Wars characters and pirates out there), and if you're thinking about going as the Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn, expect a few awkward confrontations.
Asteroid making surprise flyby at an 'unusually high' velocity
A newly discovered asteroid (not pictured) will make Halloween more thrilling by passing within 1.3 lunar distances (310,000 miles) of Earth. The object, which measures between 300 and 600 meters (1,000 and 2,000 feet) across, was discovered last week by the asteroid-hunting Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii, according to NASA. It'll streak by on October 31st at an "unusually" high encounter velocity of 35 km/s, or around 78,000 mph. By contrast, the Russian meteorite caught by vehicle cameras in 2013 was 17 meters (55 feet) across and traveled at a top speed of 19 km/s, while the one that flattened a Russian forest in 1908 measured 40 meters (130 feet).
RIFT adds extra days to its Autumn Harvest
Grumpy that Christmas music is already blaring in the stores? Then take solace in the fact that at least one MMO isn't prepared to let go of Halloween just yet. RIFT announced yesterday that it will be adding a few extra days to the ongoing Autumn Harvest event. Previously, it was scheduled to end on November 13th, but after "listening to feedback from [its] players," Trion Worlds said that the event will now go on through the end of Wednesday, November 19th.
Global Chat: Why we blog
Why an MMO player decides that he or she needs to take up an additional hobby of writing about these games isn't much of a mystery. We may all blog about a huge variety of topics, but the impetus behind it tends to be very common: We have so many thoughts about and so much love for these games that we can't hold it in. To blog is to open up and share experiences, observations, and hopes. It's to connect with others and to perhaps give another layer of meaning to the time that we spend in-game. We don't blog because we have to; we blog because we simply could not not blog. So let's see a few examples of what MMO bloggers couldn't keep inside of them! From spooky stories to rapturous tales of exploration, it's a testament to the power of words and goofy rejoinders.
The Secret World's Issue 10 characters, locations, and shield upgrades
First things first: Funcom's Joel Bylos is still not revealing the release date of The Secret World's Issue 10, so don't get your hopes up when you read through today's October game director letter. However, if you can get past that disappointment, you'll find a treasure trove of information about Issue 10 details, such as the descriptions of four key NPCs that players will meet and four fascinating locations that players will explore (love palace, anyone?). Bylos also discusses how players will be able to wield AEGIS technology to create protective shields of their own. The Secret World's Halloween event will continue through November 13th and be followed by a scenario bonus weekend.
Destiny to dole out some new content for non-DLC purchasers
As we reported last week, Destiny has revealed its first DLC pack, The Dark Below, and set a date of December 9th for its release. But what if players don't want to buy into this update? Will they be left out completely? Nope, says Bungie in its weekly update. While the offerings won't be as robust for those who opt not to buy The Dark Below, there are a few content scraps that will be free for all. These include new daily bounties, five more bounty slots, and "some" new weapons and armor. The weekly newsletter also revealed a little of the story of the upcoming DLC, wrapped up Halloween activities, and mentioned how the team is combating various bugs that have been plaguing Destiny as of late.
One Shots: Jolly pumpkins
Halloween may be over, but its spirit remains alive in MMOs! Alive, that is, as long as there are spooky locales to explore and a population that's more than willing to dress up in costume and face down the terrors that slip between the shadows. Our friend David here may be taking Halloween at face value in World of Warcraft, but can you really blame him? He and his demonic minion look to be having a heck of a time. Plus, there's a whole-hearted embrace of a pumpkin motif that will be all but extict come December. Enjoy it while it lasts! The rest of this week's player-submitted screenshots may not be creepy in the least, but they do all share the same jolly attitude that exists in this moment. In a world that brought back One Shots, really anything is possible!
A Halloween party where the costumes are 3D-printed (and a little hot)
Tokyo's FabCafe is a creator space dedicated to laser-cutting, 3D-printing and other things that give off the faint smell of burnt plastic and hardboard. It also just held its annual Halloween Party, but this year decided to add a new element: 3D-printed costumes. The "GRUE" projected accepted costume and headwear designs over the last month and a half (see some entries here), and then proceeded to print them out over the last few days. The results are pretty broad, but most of them share a common theme, aside from them all being spun out of a machine -- they're all white. Most were also pretty heavy -- and they're not really the kind of costumes you can wear a long time. Things get warm inside. We took a peek behind the preparation, and then got dressed up to attend.
Scare yourself silly with these horror games discounted for Halloween
It's Halloween here in the United States, which means it time to get dressed up in your best costume and head out for some fright-filled fun. Save some money while you get spooky and scary with these popular horror apps, which have been discounted just in time for the October holiday. In Fear I Trust [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] In Fear I Trust brings a new kind of nightmare to mobile with stunning visuals, brain-teasing puzzles, and terrifying revelations. Organ Trail: Director's Cut [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] In Fear I Trust brings a new kind of nightmare to mobile with stunning visuals, brain-teasing puzzles, and terrifying revelations. LIMBO [iOS Universal; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] Uncertain of his sister's fate, a boy enters LIMBO. Hellraid: The Escape [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Hellraid: The Escape is a visually stunning action-adventure game with free updates, no in-app purchases or pay-to-win elements! Haunted Manor - The Secret of the Lost Soul FULL [iPhone; Now free, down from $3.99] Legends of ghosts, blood and murders spread suspicion and fear around town. Haunted Manor - The Secret of the Lost Soul FULL HD [iPad; Now free, down from $3.99] Legends of ghosts, blood and murders spread suspicion and fear around town. Dark Meadow [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $5.99] A dark fairytale of intrigue and mystery, where the sins of the past must be paid for... So sets the stage for The Dark Meadow -- a visually stunning world of deep exploration, gripping story, and heart racing combat, created with the unrivaled power of the Unreal Engine 3. Walking Dead: The Game - Season 2 [iOS Universal; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] The sequel to 2012's Game of the Year continues the story of Clementine, a young girl orphaned by the undead apocalypse. The Room Two [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Welcome to The Room Two, a physical puzzler, wrapped in a mystery game, inside a beautifully tactile 3D world. Slender Man Origins [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $4.99] Slender Man Origins - Immerse yourself into the thick atmosphere of mystery and horror! Slender Man Origins 2 [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $2.99] A new game from the authors of the award-winning Slender Man Origins. Meet Slender Man Origins 2! Skullduggery! [iOS Universal; On sale for $1.99, down from $4.99] "Skullduggery!" features the endearingly grotesque art stylings of game artist extraordinaire Bill Mudron, inspired by the Max Fleischer animations of the 1930's, and a quirky, doom-jazzy, bureau-noir soundtrack from industrial musician Michael Arthur Holloway. Dark Meadow [iOS Universal; On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] A dark fairytale of intrigue and mystery, where the sins of the past must be paid for. Arcane Ghosts [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Welcome to The Room Two, a physical puzzler, wrapped in a mystery game, inside a beautifully tactile 3D world. Shelter [iOS Universal; Now free, down from $1.99] Shelter is an exciting new zombie card game.
NBA 2K15 face scan nightmares are now Halloween masks
In the market for a last-minute Halloween mask that's both cheap and terrifying? 2K Sports has released a series of print-out masks inspired by NBA 2K15's infamous face-scanning feature -- an ideal finishing touch for that Texas Chainsaw Massacre costume you've been working on. Ostensibly designed to allow players to map their own faces onto NBA 2K15 players, the face scan feature instead generated sheer horror in the wake of the game's launch earlier this month. The mechanic left many custom-created players with misshapen facial features, multiple sets of eyes, and other uncanny disfigurements. Instead of locking its unholy creations in the basement, 2K wisely decided to repurpose its barely-human menagerie for Halloween fun. It all makes sense now. See, that character you generated with a tongue sticking out of his neck wasn't a glitch -- he just showed up to the costume party a few weeks early! [Image: 2K]
