Defender
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Jaguar Land Rover to test a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Defender this year
Jaguar is currently developing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Defender.
Microsoft Defender now directly warns IT admins about nation-state attacks
Microsoft will soon warn Office 365 admins more directly about possible nation-state hacking activity.
Microsoft’s Defender security software is coming to iOS and Android
Despite Apple and Google's best efforts, malware and malicious apps are still a big concern on iOS and Android. So today, Microsoft announced that it's bringing its Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to the mobile operating systems. In other words, Microsoft is stepping in to fix a problem that Apple and Google can't seem to resolve.
Land Rover's rock-climbing Defender will come in a PHEV version
After shelving the model in the US, Land Rover has brought back the rugged Defender and will soon launch a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the vehicle. The all-new model is far from the capable, but spartan 4x4 that last appeared in the US in 1997. It can still tackle any terrain, including 42-degree hills, but drivers will be able to go off-road with the kind of comfort and tech you'd expect from the luxury UK brand.
Microsoft is making Windows 10 security easier
It's easy to mock bad passwords and phishing scam victims, but PC security is hard to grok for the average user. That's why Microsoft is introducing the Windows Defender Security Center as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update coming in April. Within a central hub, you'll be able to see settings for threat protection, performance and more at a glance. The other aim with the new hub, says Microsoft, is to ensure that "you are protected by default and continuously protected."
Now you can play 'Defender' and 900 other arcade classics in your browser
It seems like the Internet Archive was just getting started when it resurrected WordStar and The Hobbit from floppy-disk purgatory. Now, the latest additions to the Javascript MESS emulator are of the arcade variety. Specifically, games including Defender, Mr. Do!, Zaxxon and Joust are now playable in your browser. The IA's website says that most of the Internet Arcade's games should work, although some better act as a "verification of behavior programming" than anything else. Jason Scott, who runs the collection, has a blog post detailing what browsers perform best (a 64-bit version of Firefox is tops, apparently) and how to setup a gamepad for the whole shebang. You know, if digging through gaming's origins is your thing. Be careful, though. Playing Millipede as a kid may have cost you a few quarters, but if you get caught playing it at work it could be a whole lot more expensive now. [Image credit: Rob Boudon/Flickr]
Perfect Ten: My favorite classes
Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; a few of my favorite classes have nothing to do with such musical nonsense. Of course, now that I've started thinking about that song, my brain has to finish it before I can do anything else. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, yup. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, uh huh. These are a few of my favorite things. OK, can I move on now? Seriously, how boring was life in the 1940s that tied-up brown packages were worth singing about? I've played a lot of MMOs over the past decade or so, and in each of them I've agonized about which class I would make my main. Sometimes this resulted in me creating a wide selection of possible candidates, each vying for my affection while I cruelly sentenced the losers to permanent deletion. But in the end, here are 10 classes from 10 separate MMOs that tickled my fancy and totally kicked woolen mittens in the interest department.
Otterbox unveils iON Intelligence iPhone case with automatic power management and Defender protection (hands-on)
Otterbox has teased its new Defender case here at CES but there's an important new addition inside the iON Intelligence case -- this one is a bit more considerate how it charges your iPhone 4 (or 4S). There's a strip of LED lights along the bottom edge which indicate how charged the case is, and it will only ever start topping up your phone when it dips below 100 percent, all without the need to flip a switch. An installable app will monitor how power is transferred between the iPhone and the 1,450mAh pack housed inside that Defender casing. This is still an experimental sample, but Otterbox tells us that the case will arrive before the summer. Until then, we've got a teaser video after the break to tide you over.
ASUS enlists BlueStacks to run Android apps on Windows PCs, skips all the OS juggling
Turns out that you won't have to buy a Transformer AiO and use two whole operating systems to run Android apps on that ASUS Windows PC -- the Taiwan PC builder has struck a deal to run Bluestacks' App Player for key software on the ASUS@Vibe side of its new Open Cloud Computing service. The code layer will give free rein to play games like Fruit Ninja or Defender as well as run more sober titles like Evernote and Pulse. Apps will be available across every type of PC ASUS makes, including Eee PC netbooks and other models without touchscreens, but they won't always be gratis. ASUS is providing free Android apps for just the first six months of service and will be charging an unspecified rate for unlimited access afterwards, so you may want to opt for that Transformer AiO or a PadFone to run mobile apps the old-fashioned way.
Midway Arcade launches on iOS with Joust, Spy Hunter, more
Midway -- well, Warner Bros. since there's no Midway anymore -- joins the group of publishers releasing iOS compilations of classic games. The 99-cent Midway Arcade app includes emulated versions of Spy Hunter, Rampage, Joust, Root Beer Tapper, Defender, and Arch Rivals, along with "Air Hockey, Arcade Basketball, Pool, and Roll Ball" -- 3D recreations of arcade attractions.You know more games are available as in-app purchases. Currently, two "Game Packs" are available, one including NARC, Total Carnage, and APB, and another containing, Wizard of Wor and the two Gauntlets. We're looking very critically at these to see which of them are likely to be tolerable with touch controls. We're probably going to find out for ourselves.%Gallery-148283%
MechWarrior Online previews BattleMech upgrades and pilot skill trees
A couple of days ago, Piranha Games -- the studio behind the upcoming MechWarrior Online -- gave us a look at the role-based warfare and character progression we can expect from the robot-fighting title. As we reported last week, players in MWO will fall into of four roles: scout, assault, defense, or command. Today's update on the game's official site gives us a closer look at the various ways that players can earn XP and on what they can spend it. For instance, every 'Mech will have an upgrade tree, which is divided into tiers. Players must spend experience in order to purchase all of the upgrades on a given tier before they are able to access the subsequent tier. To get a look at the various abilities and skill trees through which players will be progressing when they finally find themselves in the cockpit, just click on through the link below to the official MechWarrior Online site.
Leaderboard: Champions Online's Defender vs. City of Heroes' Statesman
Both superheroes were forged in the depths of Cryptic's MMO factory and both are the "Superman" of their games, but that's where the similarities end. One is the child of an established IP, brought in to anchor the product and establish credible connections to the pen-and-paper version. The other is the ego of Jack Emmert made manifest, an indomitable presence watching over Paragon City. But what if these two heroes did an epic crossover and engaged in one massive PvP session? Let's go to the board. Champions Online's Defender is the Iron Man of his franchise, a gifted man who built a powerful suit of armor and gadgets to fight crime. With it, Defender has the powers of flight, super strength, energy blasts, and portable artillery -- not to mention being incredibly tough to take out. City of Heroes' Statesman, on the other hand, possesses innate powers of strength, invulnerability, flight, super-speed, and the ability to shoot a lightning bolt up a criminal's bum if the whim strikes him. Who would win in this theoretical battle? Hit the jump to vote, and head down to the comments to back your vote up with crazy superhero logic!
Heroes to test Champions Online free-to-play
Defender, the greatest hero of all time in Champions Online, has begun choosing a select group of players to test out the new free-to-play version of Cryptic's superhero MMO. Would you like to get in on the action saving Millennium City from Doctor Destroyer while helping the developers mold the F2P experience? Well, don't worry: If you are already a subscriber to CO, then you are in the pool of potential participants. Be sure to periodically peruse your inbox for an invite. Beta testing is set to begin tomorrow, November 9th. For those who have not heard the news from last week, Champions Online has joined the growing number of MMOs that are going free-to-play. Cryptic has announced a new payment model as well as a new structure for skill building. The developers assure us you will be able to play the game to max-level as well as encounter your nemesis without paying a dime. For full details about what the "Play Your Way" model has to offer, be sure to check out the Champions official site. F2P Champions is set to launch at the beginning of next year. The next free champion is you!
Midway's XBLA classics removed from Marketplace
Several classic Midway games have been removed from Xbox Live Arcade, including Cyberball 2072, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust, Paperboy, Robotron 2084, Rootbeer Tapper, Smash TV and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The titles have been pulled due to "publisher evolving rights and permissions," according to a Major Nelson tweet, but will remain playable and can be re-downloaded by users that previously purchased any of the games. While Major Nelson didn't expressly say so, it would appear that the disappearing titles are the result of Warner Bros.' acquisition of Midway last year. Warner Bros. now owns at least some of the trademarks involved in the removal from XBLA. You're not alone in suspecting that some of the affected titles were pulled in anticipation of Microsoft's upcoming Game Room (where different versions of the same games could presumably be made available for purchase). After all, the simply emulated Game Room games don't stack up well against their more fully-featured XBLA counterparts. However, Major Nelson has quashed that theory, tweeting, "No, it's not Game room related." This is not the first time that XBLA content has been pulled because of changing publisher relationships. Lost Cities was removed from XBLA last year after licensing rights were lost in the Activision-Vivendi merger.
Check out the Champions Online Anthem trailer
Champions Online has been out for almost a month now, but there's always a group of people who have yet to learn what the game is all about. That's where this Anthem trailer comes in, full of action and dramatic flair of the slightly cheesy variety. It does a great job at conveying the feel and nature of the game, and we really can't get enough of Defender tossing ultimatums at Dr. Destroyer.It even concludes with a big huge brawl, well sort of... There is a little tease at the end, but we won't spoil it. You'll just have to watch it yourselves to find out! Check out the video after the break and bask in all its superhero glory.
Warner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins
According to recently filed trademarks, the transfer of Midway's various game licenses to Warner Bros. Interactive has begun. Supererogatory spotted the first group of games that have been approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office -- including Robotron 2084, Defender, Joust and Wheelman, among others -- and asserted that the rest have yet to go through. With the possible re-branding of the ex-Midway Mortal Kombat team to WB Games Chicago and dissolution of Midway's executive ranks a few weeks ago, it appears as though the dismantling of Midway Games as it once was is nearly complete. We'll always have NBA Jam, right Midway?
Massively Hands-on: Champions Online Desert Crisis zone
We've given you a look at Champions Online's character creation, combat and first five levels -- plus we just began our Create My Champion feature yesterday. Today, we're here to tell you about one of the two zones you'll encounter after completing the tutorial zone: Desert Crisis.For this play-through we created a Force character with Jet Boots, who's a bit of Defender and The Comedian all rolled into one baddie-knocking hero. The force explosion power was especially fun and we discovered that taking the passive personal force field ability -- which reduces all incoming damage -- was a smart choice. Never underestimate a well-rounded character, especially when soloing.%Gallery-68570%
This Champions Online trailer is your nemesis
The latest Champions Online trailer is up on Gamespot and delivers quite a bit of action with plenty of focus on the game's Nemesis system. We also get a look at various powers and the in-game visage of Defender and Doctor Destoryer complete with heroic and villainous voice work. It's all very dramatic and exciting.Moreover, this newest video also shows of the recently seen-in-screens only Ice Slide travel power. We're really starting to have a tough time deciding which powers will fill our repertoire and none of them have even been -- officially, at least -- revealed yet!Oh well, it's not like we know a release date to start counting down to yet- oh that's right we do have that. Hmm, seems like everything is in place for our (ahem) hero worship phase to begin. You can find the entire video after the break.
Jack Emmert discusses the Champions IP in fresh new video
During a recent media event at Cryptic Studios, Jack Emmert gave a presentation on what the Champions IP was all about, including the history of the Champions universe and its super-powered beings. He also took some time to answer a few questions, and delineated how the Champions Online MMO will distinguish itself from City of Heroes.Although the video misses a few minutes of the beginning of the presentation, it does cover the major figures such as Defender, Doctor Destroyer, and Foxbat (pictured above); the various organizations the world harbors; and the Nemesis system. There's a lot of great content in Emmert's words, and if you're like us, it all just makes you hungry for more. The full 14:50 video is all yours after the break!
New artwork from Champions Online reveals character origins
Cryptic Studios continues to reveal more of the world of Champions Online and tease us all with intriguing story elements for its more prominent superbeings. Included in this new series of images are comic book-style, wordless origin stories of Defender, Doctor Destroyer, Ironclad, Justiciar, and Menton. The sheer amount of information Cryptic is willing to share with its fans is heartening, especially since it's likely that we won't even see the launch until next year. Expect more content to come, including video of Jack Emmert discussing the Champions IP and how it differs from City of Heroes.%Gallery-17946%
