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NASA's latest Pluto discoveries include hazy skies and flowing ice
Ready for another dose of Pluto news? Of course you are! During an event today, NASA shared its latest discoveries in regards to the icy dwarf planet. First, detailed imagery from New Horizon's Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) shows "geologic activity" on the surface that includes flowing ice on a plain known as Sputnik Planum. That area lies in the western part of that massive heart-shaped region you've likely noticed in photos. NASA says the ice there flowed, and may still be flowing now, in a way that resembles the movement of glaciers on Earth. In the southern portion of Sputnik Planum, researchers discovered a range of icy mountains that rise about a mile and can be compared to the Appalachian Mountains here in the States. In fact, the peaks have been informally named Hillary Montes and are located near another range named Norgay Montes. The names are in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay -- explorers who first reached the summit of Mount Everest in the 1950s.
Joystiq Weekly: Free Radical's Haze, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Tony Hawk and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Yes okay, BlizzCon 2014 was full of announcements. A new team-based shooter called Overwatch, a Hearthstone expansion, Warcraft movie details, the next StarCraft 2 expansion ... Blizzard fans have plenty to look forward to. Thanks to an unexpected announcement however, Tony Hawk fans also have something to look forward to (or dread, depending on cynicism) in the form of a 2015 console game. Sure, the Skate series was a cool take on realistic tricks, but we wouldn't mind getting back to the outlandish challenges, yellow-text specials and SKATE letters of the original killer skateboarding series. If you've never enjoyed injury-supplementing planks of wood with wheels, there's still plenty of good stuff from this week. News of Grand Theft Auto 5's first person mode, reviews for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Lords of the Fallen, a feature exploring the development of the unfortunate PS3-exclusive Haze, and more is all waiting for you after the break!
The game that killed Free Radical
Following the PlayStation 2 era, the transition to a new generation of hardware proved to be extraordinarily difficult for some development houses. In Britain, dozens of mid-range studios were shuttered once the PS3 became a market leader: Midway Newcastle, Pivotal, THQ Warrington, Rebellion Derby and others, all ceased operations. Unlike so many others in the region, developer Free Radical was able to survive and launched a seventh generation game – a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Founded in the PS2 era by the creative forces behind Perfect Dark and GoldenEye, developer Free Radical thrived, piecing together the superlative TimeSplitters series and beloved sleeper hit Second Sight. Despite its success, transition to a new generation was difficult, but Free Radical endured. Beyond survival, its next game had already become a hotly contested icon in a growing forum war, as the developer of a hyped shooter, exclusive to Sony's new hardware. Free Radical's next venture was dubbed, by press and fans alike, as game worthy of the moniker "Halo killer." That game was Haze.
Daily iPhone App: Haze weather app shows that minimalist doesn't have to be minimal
Haze is a new weather app that hit the App Store today. It's a fantastic example of how developers can incorporate a minimalist experience without sacrificing the depth of an app. On the surface, Haze appears to package only a few details about your weather into a colorful, animated screen. If you opened Haze and merely looked at it for a few minutes, you would likely delete it from your phone. Spend a few minutes tapping around, though, and I guarantee you will be impressed. Haze launches with a simple UI that displays either your daylight hours, your current temp or chance of precipitation. You can swipe or tap at icons at the bottom to move from screen to screen. A background animation shows you the weather trend for tomorrow. This barely scratches the surface of Haze -- a few gestures applied to the right part of the screen will unveil a wealth of weather data. For example, tapping on any of the weather parameters pops open the details for each one. With one tap, you can see the current temperature, as well as the high and low for the day, the wind details and the wind chill. Tap the temperature again and you are back to the basic temperature information. Knowing the weather for today is useful, but being able to see an overview for next few days is crucial. Thankfully, Haze has cleverly hidden that information in the UI as well. Pull down at the top of the screen and you will see a five-day forecast. You can swipe left or right to change the forecast to show the upcoming daylight hours, future temperatures and the projected chance of precipitation. Pull down a little further and you can access the settings which will let you toggle sound, change the temperature units, pick a new theme and more. Haze is an informative weather app that won't overload you with icons, tabs and slow-loading graphics. It's a fluid, fast and fun way to get a glimpse at your weather. The app is available for US$0.99 in the iOS App Store.
Haze for iOS launches, clears the visual clutter of weather apps (hands-on)
RoboCat and Taptanium aren't fans of the typical weather app, which tends to bombard the user with numbers when they just need a heads-up as to whether it's warm or likely to rain. Its newly launched Haze, then, is the potential antidote. The iOS app initially shows just the core temperature, humidity and hours of sunlight in different sections, with its namesake haze effect giving a clue as to whether conditions are trending up or down. If you need to know more, a tap expands the details, and a swipe down shows a 5-day forecast. There's also a handful of elements that we seldom see in these apps, such as a direction-relative wind indicator, optional motion-driven navigation and visual themes. RoboCat hints to us that an iPad version might be on the way, although ports to Android and other platforms are more likely to depend on the early response. We had the chance to give Haze a spin ahead of launch. It's at least a refreshing take: there's an appeal to exposing only the weather we want to see, and in a colorful way that never needs more than one hand to navigate. Compared to Apple's default app, though, it's at once providing more information and less. Haze is much better at supplying the current day's conditions, but its forecasts don't always reveal what's happening -- you'll know the humidity is shifting on Tuesday, but not the likelihood of snow. Consider the app more of a single-day weather specialist in its current form and the 99-cent price ($3 after a promo period ends) is easy to justify.
Free Radical founder forms Facebook studio
We promise this isn't one of our bizarre and contrived theme days, we just happen to have two stories about now-defunct Free Radical, the founder of which has gone on to form his own Facebook game design studio. It's called (tragically) Zinkyzonk.Before he created the House That TimeSplitters Built, David Doak was one of the designers on GoldenEye, so he's definitely got the experience and chops. But if he's looking to unseat Dolphin Olympics 2 as Facebook game king, he'd better get that nose to the grindstone yesterday.
PS3 struggles hurt Haze development
It's no secret that some developers have a tough time with the PS3. In fact, Gabe Newell hates the thing so much he once forced an elephant to eat a crushed up 20GB model, jammed a cardboard cutout of Jack Tretton into the resulting dung pile and burned the whole thing in effigy. Karl Hilton of Crytek UK (formerly Free Radical) brings a more restrained (though ultimately more hygienic) protest today, telling Develop that the developer's technical learning curve hurt the development of critically maligned PS3 exclusive, Haze. "We spent more time trying get the game running properly and less time to design the game properly," he said. "The PS3 is a powerful machine but a difficult one to get the best out of." And no, before you ask, Hilton doesn't expect to have similar PS3 problems with Crytek's CryEngine 3. Shockingly.
Free Radical's fate to be decided this week
If you're like us, then you remember the amazing GoldenEye 007 and those fun TimeSplitters games (and are trying to forget that Haze one). That's why the ongoing story of UK-based Free Radical touches us so deeply. We were hoping to get a new TimeSplitters game some day!Now, it looks like we'll know on Wednesday if that's to be, as ReSolve Partners, the restructuring administrator handling this dark time for Free Radical, has revealed that the fate of the company will be announced to one and all on February 4th. Hopefully, somebody ends up rescuing the company, because we'd hate to see Free Radical become permanently affixed to our layoffs tag. ReSolve has said that it's prepared to split up technology, IPs, and other assets if it cannot sell the company as a whole, or if the prospect of a more lucrative sale arises.
Chopped up or whole: Free Radical for sale
ReSolve Partners, which is handling the administration of Free Radical's dire situation, continues its mantra that there's "stong interest" in the company from buyers. A ReSolve spokesperson told GI.biz that the chop shop company is trying to sell Free Radical whole, but will cut the piggy up if it'll bring in more cash. ReSolve expects to know in the next ten days what pieces potential suitors are interested in picking off from the studio's still-twitching remains. If ReSolve gets lucky, a company will buy the whole hog.Free Radical currently holds several IPs, including TimeSplitters, Second Sight and Haze. We're going to go out on a limb and say that corporate bargain bin shoppers are probably interested in only two of those IPs (Hint: It's not Haze).
Confirmed: Free Radical lays off 140, 'For Sale' sign posted
It's now official: As of December 31, Free Radical will be 140 employees smaller, which is just over 75% of its workforce. The company and its remaining 40 or so members are now on sale with several companies showing "strong interest," according to the firm brought in to help with downsizing (who in our minds look a lot like the Bobs from Office Space). With the industry death toll rising, our hearts go out to all the developers (and everyone else, for that matter) who faced the tragic, proverbial / literal pink slip this year.
Report: Free Radical fails to find buyer, staff laid off
Further details surrounding Free Radical's financial woes have arisen, with Edge sources revealing that employees would no longer receive compensation after December, as there would be "nothing left to give." Free Radical's co-founder, Steve Ellis, reportedly delivered the bad news in a nearby hotel after employees found their office doors locked. According to Edge's latest update, said bad news entailed failed attempts by the Haze developer to find a publisher or buyer, both locally and abroad. The source claims that twenty former employees were offered different positions -- possibly at Ellis' new venture, Pumpkin Beach -- whilst others were laid off and redirected to reps from Codemasters and Monumental Games. A separate report from GamesIndustry.biz, however, notes that "40 people are still working in the Free Radical offices, mainly on game concepts, and should be there into the New Year." It's still unclear what exactly transpired, but one thing's for certain: We feel kinda bad about this mean post now.Source -- Source: Free Radical Locked UpSource -- Administrator Confirms Free Radical Demise
'Significant interest' shown in purchasing Free Radical
Though we heard a number of reports on Thursday stating otherwise, it seems that TimeSplitters and Haze developer Free Radical has yet to shuffle off this mortal coil. Things are apparently not as grim as the initial reports suggested -- well, okay, they were recently refused entry into their office, and have officially gone into "administration", which many would consider quite grim indeed. However, if the most recent report on the matter is to be believed, all hope is not lost for the once-Rad developer.According to an employee at ReSolve, the administrator for Free Radical, there's already been a great deal of interest shown from publishers who want to purchase the developer, acquiring their assets and (remaining) employees. This interest largely stems from two undisclosed projects the developer had under their wing during their collapse, which many believe to be new entries into the Timesplitters and Star Wars Battlefront franchises. The rumored involvement of Battlefront is enough for us to hold out hope for an old-fashioned Christmas miracle.
Rumor: Free Radical Design closes shop
It's being reported by various UK based news sites that Free Radical, developer of the TimeSplitters series and Haze, has closed its doors for good. No one has received confirmation from the developer either way, as they don't seem to be answering their phones, but judging from anecdotal evidence, it's not looking good. Forum-goers over at Eurogamer are saying that the locks on the doors have been changed and Develop's sources are saying "something" happened at the developer this morning.Develop is posturing that the closure, if true, is probably a result of Haze being a commercial and critical flop. Not only that, but the word is that their Lucasarts collaberation (Star Wars BattleFront 3) is reported to have been cancelled and they were having trouble finding a publisher for TimeSplitters 4. Sadly, it seems that game will now never see the light of day. We'll update this story as soon as we get confirmation either way but, as we say, it's not looking good. It's a sad day and we feel for anyone who has lost their job -- especially this close to Christmas.[UPDATE] We've received confirmation that Free Radical has, indeed, closed its doors. This is no longer a rumor. GameIndustry.biz is reporting that Star Wars Battlefront 3 has been passed on to PSP Battlefront developer Rebellion.
Free Radical closes shop [update]
The haze is lifting and numerous UK gaming outlets are reporting that Free Radical, based in Nottingham, England, has shut down. The studio has yet to confirm, but according to sources: the doors are locked, phones aren't being answered, and the staff met at a nearby hotel today for a "final company meeting."Free Radical's last project was the critical and commercial failure, Haze. TimeSplitters 4 and an unannounced project (believed to be Star Wars: Battlefront III) were currently in development at the studio. We'll update as soon as the studio makes a statement.Update: Confirmed. [Via videogaming247]
Timesplitters 4 teaser: Revenge of the Simian
"Every game has a sequel." Oh, if only that were true. In the case of Timesplitters: Future Perfect, however, it is. Timesplitters 4 is well and truly in production. We're happy about it, but not as optimistic as we might have been before a certain narcotic-and-war-condemning title was released over Summer. Still, our hopes are high that Free Radical's next project will be a little less pretentious and a little more fun, like other Timesplitters games were. A new video has appeared on the Free Radical website. It doesn't show a lot but, like the first teaser, it shows of more what we can expect from the game; monkeys and pop-culture parody. While the video is cute (particularly the very end), we desperately want to see some actual game footage. Still, a monkey in a suit is better than nothing. Right?
Zero Punctuation makes war, not love with Haze
OK, we have a situation. Yahtzee's latest Zero Punctuation piece couldn't knock one out of the park with such a simple target like Haze. Even standard reviews did a good job roasting it. The curmudgeon expat still trashes the game, but it's like he received a Nectar injection and was fighting the effects as he put together the review ... seriously, we're talking about the game that can already be found for $40. We're hoping this week's review is merely a hiccup and that Haze will finally sink in on Yahtzee, making him go ballistic next week.Due to technical difficulties we are unable to post ZP after the break. Please click the image above to see this week's episode.
Haze + Zero Punctuation = ?
Well, what do you think is going to happen? The ever-popular Yahtzee gets his hands on the PS3 FPS Haze. Guess what happens next. Tons of comparisons to Halo (and Turok) will be made ... and no one will be left standing.Watch it here.
Haze patch fixes online co-op
One of our biggest qualms about Haze , apart from the wasted potential of the story, was that its biggest selling point (four player online co-op) didn't work properly. Bizarre error messages asking people to install a non-existent patch would pop up and prevent friends from playing with each other. Incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, the patch seems to have been released yesterday. A 51MB download updates the game to version 1.04 and removes the nasty co-op glitches. The patch plays around with your save file, so that you have to start from the beginning of the last level you got to, but that's a negligible annoyance to suffer in return for finally being able to play with all your buddies. It's just a shame about the timing. With Metal Gear Solid 4 now out in all territories, we don't suspect Haze is going to get much of a look in for a while.
Haze already dropping to $40 [Update]
Well, that didn't take too long, did it? Just a few weeks after the critics tore Haze apart, it's getting a discount at GameStop retailers. Originally $60, the Free Radical FPS is dropping down to $40, with the guide dropping down to just $10. Sale prices don't go into effect until next week, so we're certain you can restrain yourselves just a few days before rushing to GameStop in total excitement.Update: Haze is already $40 at amazon.com[Thanks, Mike!]
