Mayhem
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AI hackers will make the world a safer place -- hopefully
The spotlights whirl in circles and transition from blue to purple to red and back to blue again. Basking in the glow is a stage constructed to resemble something out of a prime-time singing competition. But instead of showcasing would-be pop stars, the backdrop is built to push 21kW of power while simultaneously piping 3,500 gallons of water to cool its contestants. Those seven competitors were actually server boxes autonomously scanning and patching vulnerabilities.
Choose stealth or mayhem in latest Wolfenstein trailer
This trailer for Wolfenstein: The New Order depicts two schools of thought players can embrace when mercilessly killing Nazi soldiers in the game: Stealth and Mayhem. The MachineGames-developed FPS is slated to launch May 20 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Blow up all the things in the new Marvel Heroes trailer
Have you ever found yourself playing a game and thought that while it's fun, it would be much better if you could just destroy everything around you with controlled explosions? If so, you may be Michael Bay, but regardless of your secret identity, you can enjoy the latest Marvel Heroes trailer, in which that is exactly what happens. This trailer is not about fine details of gameplay; it's about superhuman beings wreaking destruction all over the place. While the trailer clocks in at only about a minute, it certainly finds many things to make explode, including cars, streets, and in one particularly baffling instance, a portable toilet. (The Thing has powers that we weren't aware of, such as turning a toilet into an explosive device.) But don't take our distinctly non-poetic word for it; jump on past the break to watch the trailer and revel in the destruction yourself. Complete with classic and appropriate music.
Carmageddon for iOS out now, free for a day
Carmageddon is an old PC title from the company now called Stainless Games, and earlier this year, they held a Kickstarter to update the game and release it out on iOS. The Kickstarter got funded, and Stainless has now delivered on its promise, and released the title on Apple's App Store. The new version works pretty much the same way the old version worked: It's a racing game where your goal is often to simply cause as much carnage as possible, hitting opponent cars and drilling pedestrians for more points and time on the clock. The graphics haven't been completely updated (the cars are basically still just standard polygons), but the UI is cleaner, a physics engine has been added in with power-ups and other goodies, and there is a really robust replay system, which lets players save their best shots and stunts on video, and edit and upload those to YouTube and other video sharing services. And here's the best part: As a reward to the game's Kickstarter backers, Carmageddon is completely free to download today. Definitely go pick it up right now, whether you're interested or not, because there's no reason not to. After today, it'll go back up to the standard price of US$1.99 -- still cheap, but not quite as cheap as free. It's good to see a promised Kickstarter project come all the way out to fruition, and good on Stainless for keeping all of their promises. No doubt we'll see them back on Kickstarter with another project soon.
TERA goes on special sale on Amazon, comes with shiny mask
We've told you previously about Amazon's special limited-time MAYhem sales, but the news just keeps getting better. Today TERA is on sale at 50% off (and it will be again on May 26th), bringing it down to a delectable $24.99 for the standard edition and $29.99 for the collector's. What's more, folks who purchase between now and May 28th will get treated to an "Olive Bandit Mask," an exclusive new facial customization feature. The olive bandit mask is a subtle bit of headwear for essential outlaw occasions. This mask disguises your identity while enhancing your reputation as a figure of mystery. Don't get caught without your exclusive olive bandit mask while out adventuring in the world of TERA. Better yet, don't get caught at all. If you're kicking yourself for missing out on a free goodie because you purchased the game already, fear not! Any Amazon customers who've previously bought the Digital Download of TERA will have the item code automagically placed into their Games and Software Library. Amazon's aiming to reward its loyal users by making sure that all such unique content is offered to all customers. That means that anyone who purchases now will also be eligible to receive any future unique promotional items. If you've been waiting for a price-drop to take a running jump into the world of TERA, it just may be that now's your time, especially since there's nothing cuter than a Popori in a bandit mask. [Source: Amazon press release]
Test Drive a Ferrari in March 2012
The Test Drive series will continue next year with a Ferrari-centric driving game. publisher Bigben Interactive announced the acquisition of distribution rights for Test Drive: Ferrari, which it will release in Europe on March 20, for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Eurogamer speculated that this game is a project by Need for Speed: Shift developer Slightly Mad Studios, long in development. NeoGAF user BADNED seems to have some inside info, but didn't comment on that info; however, he did share the above image, and what appear to be animated GIFs from a trailer, which you can see throughout the thread. Bigben also announced Mayhem, a demolition derby game for Xbox 360 and PS3; a game with Sin City-style graphics "using all the clichés of the stock cars race very popular in many countries."
Mayhem begins this March on Xbox 360 and PS3
Mayhem, an arcade racer we caught on radar recklessly announcing itself last October, is now officially set for March. The Xbox 360 and PS3 game will get you behind the wheel at a budget price of $40 and plans to get in-your-face with 3D gameplay. You won't even need a fancy TV for the popping visuals, the game is rockin' it old schoool, Rad Racer-style with glasses in the box. The game will feature a "noir comic book aesthetic" (i.e. Sin City-style, MadWorld), four car-crunching game modes and 120 vehicles. It'll also have players accumulating "Mayhem Points" for their disorderly driving on the track, which can be used to unlock new levels. Mayhem is being developed by Left Field Studios, the developer behind Excitebick 64 and SCORE International: Baja 1000 -- the latter of which we only remember because of that fun box art lawsuit. %Gallery-117563%
'Mayhem' rated for multiple platforms by ESRB
Have things been too sane for you lately? Perhaps a touch of mayhem would spice things up? It appears that Evolved Games, developers of Raven Squad, has you covered, with the ESRB revealing an unannounced game from the development house, titled -- yep, you guessed it -- "Mayhem." The listing pegs Mayhem as heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, and describes it as a "racing game in which players compete in various demolition derby-style events to earn 'mayhem' points and unlock new levels." Outside of the destruction derby action, the listing hints at the game's visual style, saying "comic book-style captions" appear to highlight dramatic crashes. It also appears that this game could be digital, as Evolved Games is listed as both the developer and publisher by the Australian Ratings Board -- unless, of course, the studio has suddenly found itself flush with extra cash to publish a console game. Yeah, we're betting on the former too.
Payback brings a GTA clone to the iPhone
Grand Theft Auto isn't out for the iPhone, but Payback is --it's basically a 3D version of the old top-down GTA gameplay, improved with better rendering and lighting. You control the game by pressing "buttons" on the screen, and tilting the iPhone around, and Touch Arcade says it works well. Some missions are apparently tough, but in terms of what GTA is really about -- driving around and generally causing mayhem -- Payback will deliver.Unfortunately, textures (both visual and audio) are rough, as are the actual physics, so it seems Payback is more of a "GTA could work on the iPhone" demo rather than an actual game (though of course you can play it, it probably just won't be as fun). Still, we're in favor of any game reaching high on the iPhone, and this one definitely does.Payback is out in the App Store now, for a substantial $6.99. But it's worth it, especially if you're a big GTA fan, just to see such a complex game on Apple's little handheld. Video on the next page.
London's crime-free PS3 launch results in free HDTVs / cab rides
If you weren't already aware, there actually is a bright side to Sony jacking up the price of its PlayStation 3 for European gamers, and while folks were still forced to camp out to snag a (somewhat) coveted unit, things went over drastically better during London's launch compared to similar ones here in the US. While we knew the Brits and Aussies were fully prepared to blow a good chunk of savings on the pricey machine, Americans should seriously scrutinize just how easily these other nations pulled off the high-profile launch, reportedly happening sans any reckless drive-bys or random acts of violence. More interesting, however, is the tidbit where "everyone who purchased a PS3 at the London launch event received a free 46-inch HD television and a taxi home." You read right -- over £250,000 ($490,450) worth of HDTVs were handed carted out to over 100 presumably elated gamers, and London officials made sure that cabs were readily available to rush buyers home after completing their transactions. Notably, a 17-year old fan snagged the pole position in line after waiting just 36 paltry hours, which still suggests that we Americans are more devoted (or delusional, depending on perspective) when it comes to camping out, but we don't even want to imagine the mayhem that would've ensued here if the first hundred buyers were eligible for a free display. Good show, England, good show.[Thanks, Karim M.]
Study: Evidence low that video games cause violence
A Texas A&M researcher sent GamePolitics a study he recently completed showing little evidence linking violent video games and violent behavior. Christopher Ferguson, a Ph.D faculty member at the university's department of behavioral, applied sciences and criminal justice, conducted a "meta-analysis" of studies associating violent video game exposure with aggressive behaviors. A look at the overall result of studies in the field showed violent video games increase people's aggressive thoughts, not necessarily action.That's like if you watch a comedy it increases funny thoughts, or after watching a melodrama it increases Japanese RPG thoughts. For the violent game studies to have some validity, the key is for a study to prove that violent video games don't just cause thoughts of violence, but violence itself.
Boston's mayor to bill Sony for mayhem at Copley Plaza
As if Sony wasn't losing enough coin on each PlayStation 3 sold fought over, now it'll probably be invoiced for the police services that were required to maintain peace at Copley Plaza. While criminal activities weren't hard to come by on the PS3's launch night, there was apparently a smart way to handle the mobs of unruly potential customers, and then there was Sony's way. Rather than planning for an organized flow of individuals, or better yet, turning away those who would end up empty handed anyway, nearly 500 eager (and likely delusional) individuals rushed the doors of Boston's Sony Style, creating chaos that required "12 police cruisers" in order to halt the riot. None too pleased, the mayor (Thomas Menino) plans on "billing the company for crowd control," although he failed to mention exactly how much those boys in blue charge per hour to fend off fanatical hopefuls.[Via Joystiq]
Join the PlayStation Mayhem
Sony has an RSS feed called the "PlayStation Mayhem." You can check it out by typing http://psp.us.playstation.com/rss into your PSP browser, or check it out on your PC by clicking here.What Sony says:"PlayStation Mayhem is your source on the streets for all that's poppin' in games, gadgets, style, new music, celebs, insider PlayStation dish and more. Join the Mayhem each week for exclusive and original interviews, crazy stunts and cool new stuff you won't get anywhere else."What the Mayhem says:"Yo yo yo dude... we be the PlayStation MAYhem. Mah man, PlayStation is THE SHIZNITZ. We ain't playin' cuz we too busy playin' our PSP."What PSP Fanboy says:"It's somewhat sad to see corporate white guys pretending to be 'cool' and 'hip'. I'm glad Sony's trying to use all the features of the system, but this is a bit too forced for my tastes. It's like Dell using FTW."[Comic via Penny Arcade]
