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Russia threatens to block Wikipedia over Ukraine invasion article
Its communications regulator cited 'illegally distributed information' about casualty figures.
Why 'teleportation' makes sense in virtual reality
Getting around in virtual reality is a bit tricky right now. Even in room-scale VR, players are restricted by the physical size of their play space. Trying to walk to a point on a digital horizon might cause you to crash into a very real wall -- which is why VR games like Robo Recall and Budget Cuts allows players to teleport through the experience, rather than walk. This works surprisingly well, but I could never put my finger on why it worked. At Oculus Connect 3 this week, VR filmmaker Eric Darnell gave me an answer: teleportation in VR works because I grew up watching television.
The director of 'Madagascar' takes on the Wild West of VR
As the writer/director of DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar, a blockbuster that spawned five sequels and one TV show, Eric Darnell could've easily hung up his hat and basked in his Hollywood legacy. But, instead, Darnell departed the studio he made famous last year to explore the "Wild West" of virtual reality with Baobab, an animation studio he co-founded alongside Maureen Fan, the former VP of games at Zynga. At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the two debuted their first effort, Invasion!, a VR short featuring a lovable, alien-thwarting bunny rabbit and a prologue narrated by Ethan Hawke. "He's a big fan of VR, it turns out," says Darnell of Hawke's involvement.
WCW stars invade WWE 2K15 in wrestling game's first DLC
In this corner, from Atlanta, Georgia, weighing in at over 400 megabytes, is the first post-launch DLC for WWE 2K15: a pack featuring five stars of the squared circle who made their names in World Championship Wrestling. Included in the DLC are Fit Finlay (complete with classic, long-haired brawler outfit), Lex Luger, Bam Bam Bigelow, Lord Steven Regal (before he left for WWE and changed his name to William), and, of course, the latter-day face of WCW, Diamond Dallas Page. Each boasts a full complement of personalized wrestling moves, customized entrance animations and a rough approximation of their real-life abilities. The WCW character pack is priced at $8. Today also marks the debut of the Sting and Hulk Hogan DLC characters for those players who didn't receive the duo by pre-ordering WWE 2K15. Each wrestler is priced at $3 and includes two variants, one from the day-glo early-90s and one from the more "edgy" NWO era. Additionally, DLC featuring WWE Diva Paige is now available to those who purchased the WWE 2K15 season pass, though there's no word on when this DLC will reach the public. [Image: 2K Games]
Aion: Invasion launches today with new zones, dungeons, and server vs. server PvP
The battle for Atreia expands today as Aion's latest free content update launches. Invasion introduces two all new zones, two new dungeons, a daily log in reward system, new world bosses, and a new gear enhancement system. On top of that, Daevas will be able to participate in the open beta of server vs. server PvP! The two new zones include Kaldor, the burnt-out remnant of what was once the ancient Danuar land, and Levinshor, the colorful territory of Tiamat's origin. Kaldor is home to Wealhtheow's Keep, a place featuring new fortress siege elements. Levinshor is home to new species that will associate with the Elyos and the Asmodians. Of the two new instances, The Linkgate Foundry is for level 65 players and is solo, whereas Igdel Dome is a six-man PvPvE instance. This server vs. server PvPvE will happen in a zone called Panesterra, which was thrown into another dimension by a massive Ide explosion. There, 100 players from each server and faction will battle against one another as well as baddy Beritra's forces in a massive seige to control the zone. The first live siege begins on November 9th. For a look into the new content, check out the trailer below and dive into even more details in the patch notes. Then log in daily for your special gifts!
Call of Duty: Ghosts 'Invasion' DLC drops on PSN, PC July 3
The "Invasion" DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts will hit PS4, PS3 and PC on July 3, Activision announced. Invasion includes four new multiplayer maps and the third installment of Call of Duty's Extinction storyline, "Awakening." The four new maps are Departed (a Mexican town during a Day of the Dead celebration), Pharaoh (an Egyptian archaeological dig site), Mutiny (a Caribbean pirate hideout) and Favela (a re-done version of the Brazilian shantytown). The pack is $15 standalone, or as part of the game's $50 Season Pass. Invasion landed on Xbox 360 and Xbox One on June 3.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.7 invading on April 8th
The invasion is coming! The invasion is coming! Break out your lightsabers and rev up your starfighter because Star Wars: The Old Republic is releasing Update 2.7: Invasion on Tuesday, April 8th. The title of Update 2.7 comes from two "invasion" flashpoints on Tython and Korriban, as well as the events in a new level 55 story arc. Players will be invading the Jedi and Sith home worlds while investigating mysteries in enemy territory. The update also contains some PvP action, including a new Quesh Huttball experience and the Denon Exosphere space battle. The excitement for 2.7 now comes in video form, so check it out.
Rayman Legends on Vita adds missing Invasion levels Nov. 26
Ubisoft has announced Rayman Legends on PS Vita will receive an update on November 26 that adds the Invasion levels, which are more difficult remixes of established levels that were missing from the launch of the PS Vita port. Leaderboards will also be turned on with this update. In our review, we recommended Rayman Legends to anyone who even remotely enjoys platformers because "the game will make you smile no matter what system you call home." Rayman Legends, the follow-up to Rayman Origins, was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and launched on September 3 for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita and PC. Rayman Legends is also coming to Xbox One and PS4 in February.
Champions Online suffers from an invasion... again
Attention players of Champions Online: Millennium City is being invaded! Wait, what do you mean by "again"? Yes, the city does get invaded on a fairly regular basis as this is a superhero game, but this time it's serious! It's robots! Specifically, robots that appear to be controlled by Dr. Destroyer, also known as the guy who ruined Detroit (like, more than now) and who has long been presumed dead. We know, normally an invasion of the city by any sort of robot elicits little more than a yawn and an inquiry about what to do for lunch, but there are rewards to be had too. The Drifter is collecting the cores of these Destroids in an effort to learn whether or not these are a knockoff of Dr. Destroyer or the genuine article. So log in and start defending Renaissance Center, and get ready for the Mega-Destroids slated to attack Champions HQ later in the month. Because of course they are.
Rayman Legends on Vita getting missing Invasion levels via patch
Ubisoft will patch in missing levels of Rayman Legends on Vita for free, Communications Manager Gary Steinman writes in the comments of the Ubisoft blog. The Vita version is missing Invasion Mode, 28 stages that turn levels into timed challenges. Players noticed the missing content yesterday, when the game launched on Vita and PS3. "Due to a longer development time than expected, we couldn't initially include the Invasion Mode – essentially, a second take on existing Rayman Legends maps – in the Vita version of the game," Steinman says. "However, we can confirm that the Invasion Mode will be added via a free patch, at a later date." Rayman Legends Vita players, set your stopwatches to "a later date" now.
Guild Wars 2's Clockwork Chaos, end to PvE culling, Zodiac weapons, and the possible return of Super Adventure Box [Updated]
The usual ending of the Queen's Jubilee is not a horde of clockwork monsters attacking all over Tyria. Guild Wars 2 players will need to deal with these party crashers the only way they know how: calm and reasoned discourse. Or egregious violence; that works out pretty good too. Scarlet Briar has revealed both herself and her minions with the latest patch for the game, and that means more things for players to do across the game. Content-wise, activities center around the invasions popping up all over the game world, including enemies from previous Living World updates arriving in droves. New meta-achievements are available along with a new instance to tie up the story and give players the opportunity to push back the invaders for good. If that's not enough for you, you can also pick up new items in the game's cash shop or enjoy the usual array of bugfixes and tweaks. So what are you waiting for? Log in and start smashing some clocks. [Update: ArenaNet's PR has further contacted us to promise an end to culling in PvE. Culling is GW2's system for hiding players and mobs from view to help FPS. Optimizations made since the removal of WvWvW culling enabled the team to turn it off in PvE as well. We've posted behind the break two images provided by Anet intended to show the difference in Lion's Arch.] [Update 2: We've also embedded Richie's awesome preview of the new Zodiac weapons after the cut.] [Update 3: Based on a preview image found on the official GW2 site, clever Redditors have postulated that Super Adventure Box will be returning on September 8th!]
The Summoner's Guidebook: Team leaders roam League of Legends' jungle
Leader. Shot caller. Playmaker. The jungler is the heart of a League of Legends team. On both Summoner's Rift and Twisted Treeline, the jungler is the leader of the pack. More than any other role, the jungler is called upon and expected to swing the game in his favor. He's expected to be everywhere at once. If a laning player dies to an enemy jungle gank, it is her jungler's fault for not being there. If a laning player fails to make a kill happen, it's also her jungler's fault. It is any jungler's personal experience that if lost game is not lost in the laning phase or blame cannot be pinned on a specific person, the jungler is always to blame. With this responsibility comes great power, however. The jungler has the ability to influence a match in numerous covert and overt ways. He can steal enemy creeps to disrupt the opposing jungler or even influence lanes by stealing the enemy blue buff. He can make his presence known via ganks and directly impact the outcome of lane confrontations. Perhaps most notably, the jungler can place wards to warn his teammates of enemy incursions and/or allow them to make better strategic decisions. While the support can be a team leader as well, the role defaults to the man in the jungle. When he comes from the cover of the trees to strike at his foes, they quake in terror.
Humble Bundle goes literary, offers octuplet of books at a humble price
The Humble Bundle tends to be associated with not just low prices, but also indie video games (and occasionally music). Today's bundle, however, centers on the literary-minded among us, offering a set of eight e-Books for just under $10. Of course, a main staple of the bundle is its pay what you want price model, which applies here as well -- should you only want six of the books, you can pay any price (one penny for six books! hot dog!). If you want access to John Scalzi's Old Man's War and Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, you've gotta shell out over the average payment price (currently sitting at $9.84). If you want that sub-$10 price, we'd suggest heading over sooner than later. Another good reason? You've only got two weeks before this humble e-Book bundle disappears forever.
Join the fight to reclaim Atlantica Online
Atlantica Online has become a much more dangerous place to visit as of late, ever since a horde of monsters led by the evil Riederan invaded the place. But you won't let a little thing such as XP-filled loot piñatas keep you from fighting back, right? We didn't think so. Starting tomorrow and continuing through January 8th, Atlantica Online players will rise to meet the challenge of these invaders during a massive in-game event. When Riederan's Invasion is triggered, players have a scant half-hour to slaughter 10,000 monsters per town before the town's defenses fail. The event is programmed to scale so that mobs will match the players' levels. Participate in the event and precious rewards and buffs will drop into your lap. Bet that's the best news your lap's heard all day! To help players out with the invasion, Atlantica Online has introduced a new hero, the sorceress Mwindo. Mwindo can use her primal monsoon magic and staff to bring the pain to the baddies. [Source: Nexon press release]
Choose My Adventure: Invasion
My time was short this week in the world of Telara because of work and other obligations. However, I did several hours of RIFT-streaming this week; I hope you check out the stream at the end of this article. Although the video is kind of laggy, the inspiration for this article was captured in one of the streams. I die a lot, but thankfully, I'm an Ascended, right? So death means very little to me. I can be brought back many times over. I have a tendency, as you may see in that video, to get in over my head -- a lot. This being my second week in the game, I'm getting used to what it's all about. I've been able to close multiple rifts, and I've leveled up to 13. (I told you I didn't get to play as much as I wanted.) There is much I love about the game, and there are many things that turn me off. Most importantly, however, this week I encountered my first invasion of Freemarch. It took a bit for me to catch on to what was happening. I had thought it was just another rift opening up, but with a glance at my map, I quickly realized that this wasn't your everyday planar tear. %Gallery-131417%
Captain's Log: Resistance might actually be futile
Captain's Log, Stardate 65112.3... Hello, computer (and players)! They're mean, they're green(ish), and they are of a collective mind... they are the Borg, and resistance is futile. As most of you know, the Federation's most feared enemy plays a major part in Star Trek Online, and while the Borg are the current endgame "baddie," players find themselves on a daily basis in situations that force them to avoid assimilation. Be they in Deep Space Encounters (DSEs), Special Task Forces (STFs), or random explore missions, the Borg are out there and planning an invasion into the Alpha Quadrant. Bad news, Captains -- their plans are about to come to realization. Later this month, the Borg Fleet Intercepts are scheduled to commence, and as the Borg take up their offensive stance, players of all ranks are going to be called to the front lines. Since this is the first "global combat event" the game has ever had (not including one during beta), players are excited to see what is in store and what they're up against. Luckily, being a member of Section 31, I was able to gain access to some secret intelligence that contains the Borg's plans, and Captain's Log is about to let you in on them so you know how to organize your counterattack. Ensign, warp 10! Let's prepare our readers for the impending invasion...
Enter at Your Own Rift: Are rifts in danger of collapsing?
Like many of you, I've been exploring RIFT's Waves of Madness event over the past couple of weeks -- and enjoying it, too. You can really see how Trion Worlds has taken some of the lessons learned from River of Souls and improved its second world event. There just seems like more to do, much more in terms of atmosphere (I love the dripping ceilings in Sanctum), I'm not feeling as rushed, and the event story is coming through loud and clear. One of the interesting things I've noticed is that the event's daily quests have subtly shifted our focus from single-player activities to group ones. In phase one, it was all about boring solo quests: find hidden invaders, collect eggs, defeat a few underwater baddies. But just when we started to get used to (and bored from) the routine, the successive phases have moved us toward the game's dynamic content. Namely, rifts, rifts and more rifts. I think this is brilliant, because we're now given a solid reason why we should participate in rifts above the mere rewards. I've been worried that Trion's letting its focus on dynamic content slip as it's been rushing to get other game features and endgame raids out the door, and RIFT without people playing rifts would be sadly ironic. Today we're going to look at just how much RIFT depends on its titular feature, and what Trion should be doing to ensure that it doesn't become another nice yet abandoned idea.
Praetorian invasions hitting City of Heroes
It sure seemed as if the heroes and villains of City of Heroes had repelled the invasion of Praetorian forces. Certainly there had been an incursion, but it looked for a time as if the worst were over. But that's not the case, not even close to the case. Primal Earth's heroes might be striking against Emperor Cole's soldiers in their homes, but the dimensional assaults have only just begun. Starting on May 11th, Praetoria will besiege Primal Earth with intensity, and it's going to be up to players to try to prevent an all-out slaughter. Servers will be assaulted in a steady pattern, with a new pair hit every day during the event's duration. Players who take part in the final event on May 27th will be awarded a special account-wide badge to commemorate the heroes and villains who stood against truly overwhelming odds. If you don't want to be left on the sidelines, take a look at the full list of times and servers and get ready to fight against a bigger invasion than City of Heroes has seen since the game launched.
Skinny-dipping in RIFT's River of Souls
"All will fall! All will serve!" With these chilling words, RIFT will launch its first major post-release event: the River of Souls. With cultists stomping all across Telara, bad things were bound to happen sooner or later. Alsbeth the Discordant, Queen of the Endless Court, is making a play for world domination. Starting March 30th and going for about a week, Alsbeth will launch massive Death invasions across every zone in RIFT. If players decide to push back, they may be rewarded with unique goodies such as a Spectral Horse mount and a disguise that turns you into an undead. The event also includes a new 20-man raid called (appropriately) the River of Souls. The soulstream is the final resting place of all of Telara's deceased -- however, Alsbeth and her cronies are plucking souls out of it and forcing them back into service. This raid becomes accessible if the players are victorious enough in their efforts to fight Alsbeth, and it's only here that she can be fought face-to-face. There are plenty of new details on this event today. The RIFT Podcast team sat down with RIFT team member Adam Hetenyi to talk about River of Souls. We have several new pictures of the event in the gallery below and a trailer with Alsbeth's pep talk after the jump, so check it out! %Gallery-119939%
RIFT beta 5 introduces public grouping, will be "twice as big" as beta 4
Ready for their fifth taste of RIFT this week, beta testers will find a host of changes and improvements waiting their assessment. Chief among these is a much-requested feature: public grouping. Because so much of RIFT's dynamic content revolves around spontaneous zone events, players have clamored for a way to quickly group up instead of spending precious time spamming the chat channels. Two UI additions now allow players to connect with public groups as efficiently and quickly as possible. This news comes from Scott Hartsman, who posted a lengthy preview of RIFT's beta 5 event on the official forums today. Announcing that beta 5 will be "twice as big" as the previous beta event, Hartsman revealed that the team is increasing the number of servers from 18 to 32, which should allow for up to double the amount of players. Other changes in store for players this week include a better organization of planar currencies, Rogue energy fixes, ranged sound improvements and "significant love" for invasion mechanics. Hartsman also revealed a few items that the team is working on for future updates, such as better racial abilities and master looting. You can read his full announcement here. %Gallery-111840%
