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Jesus is coming... to virtual reality
Producers have been fretting about how to do feature films in VR, because the format doesn't lend itself to traditional Hollywood techniques. However, it's about to be used on one of the best-known tales of all time for Jesus VR -- the Story of Christ, slated to arrive in Christmas, 2016, according to Variety. The 360-degree, 4K film will work on all major VR platforms, including the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear and PlayStation VR. Produced by Autumn Products and VRWERX, it'll tell the story of Christ's life from baptism to crucifixion.
SPB TV brings streaming TV to the iPhone and iPad, if you aren't too picky
SPB TV Free is a little app that gives you more than 100 free TV channels for your iOS device. You get channels from 17 countries, including a few in the US. The only problem? You may not be interested in the television shows the app makes available. There are English language broadcasts from NHK in Japan, and other channels from Italy and Germany. I tried a local Florida station, and instead of the station I got a traffic camera feed. There are some Public Access stations, but I saw mostly city council meetings and water rate hearings. NASA channels are there, but NASA provides an app to see them anyway. There is a old Western channel and one with sci-fi, along with two US Christian-oriented feeds. While the app is free, it won't work unless you provide an email address. The developers promise they won't sell or use your info improperly. A static ad also plays before you start every video feed. The app works in landscape and portrait mode, and while picture quality is variable, it's certainly watchable. Playback does not require WiFi -- it worked just fine for me on a 3G connection. SPB TV is not a substitute for Hulu, but if you want to see a smattering of international news, and some rather mundane local broadcasts, this is the free app for you. It's just been updated to support the iPad, so give it a go if the channels available interest you.
Left Behind Games expands Walmart distribution to 'broad area of states'
[dennissylvesterhurd] In an SEC filing of a letter to investors yesterday, Left Behind Games (the publisher of, um, Left Behind games) detailed plans to expand its Walmart distribution model from an initial 100-store testing ground in Texas to the somewhat amorphous "limited number of Walmart stores covering a broad area of states." CEO Troy Lyndon added, "The original test proved that when Christians are aware of the existence of Left Behind Games, they will respond and purchase them." In a follow-up conversation, Lyndon told Joystiq that the company's games are no longer available in the original 100 stores, and that the new initiative actually puts LBG's games in fewer stores than before (though this time across multiple states). It's Lyndon's belief, however, that a repackaging of the publisher's games -- all 3 Charlie Church Mouse games in a single $20-priced box and the Left Behind titles released with updates applied -- combined with reaching new markets, "will provide us with ongoing market insight and a chance to enhance sales." Lyndon also told us that the test in Texas was "a huge success; we performed at about the top 10-percent level last Christmas." Oddly, in neither the letter to investors nor in his conversation with us did Lyndon mention his company's upcoming expansion into console game publishing, Bible Adventures. It's like it just got ... left behind. Update: Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon has told us "Bible Adventures (Charlie Church Mouse 3D) is still on schedule for a 2011 Wii release," so there you have it!
Bible Adventures coming to Wii, Xbox 360 from Left Behind
Bible Adventures, the first console title from Left Behind Games, will "educate young children by teaching them academic lessons vital to early childhood development through Bible stories." Based on the Charlie Church Mouse series, the game will not only span both the Old and New Testament, but should also teach mathematics, spelling and "reasoning skills." Left Behind CEO Troy Lyndon noted (via GamePolitics) that expanding their offerings to home consoles should expand not only their reach, but their wallets. "We expect our financial projections to grow exponentially as we transition from a PC game developer to a Wii & Xbox developer." But what about PS3 owners? Well ... they can go to hell.
Religious group sending Left Behind game to troops in Iraq
The Nation has a report this week on Operation Stand Up, an evangelical military entertainment group that is planning to send care packages including Left Behind: Eternal Forces to American troops fighting in Iraq.The game, which raised the ire of many activist groups for its promotion of killing and converting non-Christians, will come packaged in "freedom packets" that also include a pocket-size Gideon bible, a Christian extreme sports DVD and the proselytizing book More Than a Carpenter. The OSU web site describes the game's inclusion as "just one more way OSU Tour can be a conduit in changing a soul forever."While the group is affiliated with the Pentagon's America Supports You program, it's unclear just how much official support they have has from the military. The group does have the backing of "celebrities" including Stephen Baldwin, Evander Holyfield and, according to sources close to the group, God.
Virtually Overlooked: Spiritual Warfare
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. Saying that Spiritual Warfare is the best game Wisdom Tree ever made doesn't really encourage anyone to give it a look. Wisdom Tree doesn't exactly have a reputation for excellence, and most unlicensed NES games in general were spectacularly bad. So, to put a finer point on our meaning, here's a controversial statement: Spiritual Warfare is mostly not terrible.
Religious broadcaster takes balanced look at games
The stereotypical image of a fiery preacher warning about the moral dangers of video games took a hit today with the relatively balanced look at games on Christian lifestyle program Living the Life.The CBN program talked to Richard Abanes, author of What Every Parent Needs to Know about Video Games, who started by noting the positive effects game playing can have on logical thinking, social interaction and teamwork skills. Later, he said that media talk about games creating violent killers is overblown. "Whenever you see those stories in the news, it's just for the sake of getting some news," Abanes said.Living the Life fixture Dr. Linda Mintle was up next, talking about the potential addictiveness of video games. Her professional opinion? "Is it really physically addicting. Probably not. Do the chemicals rise and you get into it? Yes." Still, Mintle warned parents to watch out for children using games excessively as an escape from social problems. Both guests recommended parents play games with their children and warned of potential desensitizing effects of prolonged play -- good advice that thankfully avoids the sensationalist fearmongering of some other media outlets. Of course, the program did touch on some explicitly Christian issues. Abanes said that Christian games are not yet "hip enough" for kids, but that Christian games could eventually serve as "ministry points" to connect with hard-to-reach children. Mintle warned that parents should consider whether they want their kids "dabbling in the occult" through games. So, in summary, keep your kids away from The Witcher and you should be OK.Watch - Living the Life 4/18/07 (WMV Link)
Tribulation Knights, a Christian stealth game
A new Christian-themed game is set to fill the void left behind by, well, Left Behind. Since that game ended up being a disappointment in the gameplay department, the upcoming Tribulation Knights might stand as a fun game that manages to tackle a serious topic. Tribulation Knights is a a free-roaming, stealth-based title set in a post-Rapture world with flying cars. Your goal is to save rebel Christian citizens and lead them away from the clutches of an evil cult -- do we have to escort them, though? The game boasts nonviolence, as you are armed only with an all-in-one slingshot that can disable security systems. According to the official website, the game will sport the "largest environments ever seen in the Christian gaming world."Sounds like Tribulation Knights, by merit of its focus, might fall into a rut with one of the most notorious design dilemmas: how do you make an escort mission fun?[Via GameSpot]
Islamic group wants Left Behind off Wal-Mart shelves [update 1]
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking Wal-Mart to take the controversial religious game Left Behind off the shelves and out of its stores. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, in a letter to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr., asserted that the game promotes "religious intolerance ... i[its] enemy team includes people with Muslim-sounding names." Cited in the letter is a quote from Left Behind Games President Jeffrey Frichner, who told the San Francisco Chronicle last week that "'Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ' -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game ... That is so obvious." Awad reminds in his letter that "Muslims do in fact revere Jesus as one of God's prophets."Left Behind: Eternal Forces has come under fire from a large assortment of groups from all parts of society, including the Christian Alliance for Progress and the Campaign to Defend the Constitution (not to mention the Alliance for Gamers Against Rotten Gameplay, AGARD). In fact, nothing in recent memory has brought so many disparate groups together like this game. In an odd sense, might this controversy spawn unity in some fashion?[Via Game Politics][Update 1: Judging by the first 20 comments we've received on this post, there's a good chance that half of the comments left will be off topic, in the sense that their sole purpose is express intolerance towards a religion or defending a religion against someone else's intolerance. In lieu of staying up late and constantly monitoring the post, we're going to keep comments closed for now and get some sleep.]
