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What we're watching: 'Dispatches from Elsewhere'
A new AMC series exposes the reason people play games, and a BBC show spices up the "home remodeling show" formula by adding VR to the mix.
'Frog Fractions 2' found buried inside a game about fairies
Frog Fractions 2 is out now, but be warned that it's not a typical game. This is largely because its predecessor, Frog Fractions, was not a typical game, and series creator Jim Crawford is not a typical developer. When Frog Fractions came out in 2013, it appeared to be a cute Flash title that taught kids math tricks through the guise of bug-snatching frogs. However, play past the first few levels and things get strange: After a trip to Bug Mars on the back of a dragon and a series of random adventures, the game ends with players managing a company that produces bug pornography. The whole thing takes about half an hour to complete and it definitely doesn't teach kids any useful math skills.
Paranormal thriller 'Oxenfree' hits PS4 in May
Oxenfree is an acid trip wrapped in an enigma and smothered in nacho cheese -- and on May 31st, it's coming to PlayStation 4. Oxenfree hit Steam and Xbox One in January, and both of these versions get upgrades on May 31st, too. Developer Night School Studio created a New Game+ mode for the Steam, Xbox One and PS4 editions, allowing those who have already finished Oxenfree to dive back in and experience a new, yet familiar, adventure. New Game+ includes fresh dialogue choices, new locations and alternate endings (on top of the game's multiple existing conclusions). "We've heard emphatic, wildly differing opinions on how the game ended, both giddy and rage-filled," Night School co-founder Sean Krankel says. "So, without getting too spoilery, we wanted to make something that let those players push on the surreal rules that govern the island even more by holding up a proverbial mirror to the creatures they've been dealing with. This mode is definitely for the true fans."
'Halo 5: Guardians' hype train starts with a whisper
Halo fans aren't strangers to alternate reality games, and it looks like Halo 5: Guardians could get something similar to Halo 2's I Love Bees treatment. The just released teaser trailer (embedded below) doesn't give much by way of clues, but ends with a #HUNTtheTRUTH hashtag. The video also links to a Tumblr bearing that name with a countdown clock that stops Sunday night at 9 PM Eastern. Perhaps a new commercial will debut during The Walking Dead? Maybe, but at least it won't be long before we find out, regardless. If you're looking for folks to speculate with head over to NeoGAF or the Halo Waypoint forums -- the topic's thread has already hit 24 pages.
Xbox is teasing a Sunset Overdrive-related mystery
A tweet from the official Xbox account made earlier today seems to be hinting at something bigger than a television advertisement for the upcoming Sunset Overdrive. "On behalf of Fizz͊c͕o̳ ͐w̼e᷾'̪dͮ ̗ļi᷄k̚e̿ ̄t̐oͯ ͉a̮p᷁o͂logise for the █████ in our #SunsetOverdrive TV adver..." the tweet reads, linking to a TV spot for the game which is interrupted by a flashing screen showing Morse code. Translated, the Morse code reads "OVERCHARGEDRINK.COM404PAGE." Typing in the URL to a browser takes you to what at first appears to be a standard 404 page, but soon is distorted with a message from someone calling themselves "Floyd." His warning reads, "Hey! Quit staring at your damn screen and help us! Stuff's going down at Fizzco. I'm talking 'capital F Freaky'. When I started asking questions, the answers were less than friendly. I can't get any more dirt, but they've never seen your pretty face. So join me and together we can uncover the ugly, ugly truth. Floyd." A string of numbers at the top of the 404 page reads "9:20, 4:45, 5:76, 8:32, 1:73, 5:32, 8:80, 9:20, 1:31, 9:1, 6:60, 8:85, 4:100, 2:21, 6:79, 2:46, 9:31, 6:43." Aaaaaand that's as far as we've been able to figure out so far. Hopefully it doesn't end up being a mandate to "be sure to drink your Ovaltine Overcharge." Last time Microsoft pulled such a stunt, it ended with UK resident Brad Butcher winning an Xbox One, a copy of Titanfall and a swag bag of other goodies. We'll keep an eye out to see if this develops into something similar. In the meantime, happy hunting, conspiracy theorists. [Image: Insomniac Games]
AC Unity's 'Project Window' ensures you and Andy Serkis will never forget Paris
How are you going to keep the assassin down on the secluded training compound after they've seen Paree? Ubisoft's hope with Project Window, a Google Maps-fueled tie-in to Assassin's Creed Unity played in your web browser, is that would-be assassins will just want to stick around in Paris. Especially when they're hanging out with Andy Serkis. As if Wii U's Google Maps Street View were hacked up and reassembled by Desmond Miles, Project Window drops you into still photos of modern day Paris and lets you explore them as though you were really there, albeit living in extreme slow motion. The hook here is the familiar Animus display from past Assassin's Creed games covering everything, with photo, video, and information points of interest peppered throughout the streets. The bulk of these info spots are historical vignettes. Narrated by ubiquitous motion-capture master Andy Serkis, each one fills you in on facts and events surrounding the French Revolution, from Louis the XIV's excesses to the Terror. Serkis naturally narrates the proceeding in character, as though he were there for all the guillotining, with acerbic, weary flair. Exploring the whole thing gives access to contests and other Creed-themed content, but beware: for every historical hotspot, there's another that's just screenshots for Unity. Or Assassin's Creed rap videos. The rap videos do not star Andy Serkis. [Images: Ubisoft]
The Goog wants to reintroduce you to its MMOARG Ingress
Remember Ingress, the Google/Niantic Labs augmented reality pseudo-MMO that ensured my husband's old commute home took twice as long every day because he really had to swing over to the park to take it from the smurfs? OK, maybe that's just my house. Google has put Ingress in headlines again this week with a brand-new tutorial video meant to introduce newcomers to the strangely addicting game. "Ingress is a giant game of capture the flag where you play a video game but in real life," declares a montage of whom we are left to assume are players. "Ingress is like FourSquare meets Geocaching meets giant game of Risk, where the board is like the surface of the earth." We've included the intro video below; the game is as always available for free on both the Apple and Android mobile stores. Go green team.
BioWare's teaser linked to 'Seeking Henna' ARG mystery
Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare teased fans with a brief trailer that may or may not be a new project named "Shadow Realms." The developer sent emails with the teaser video and a link to a "You've Been Chosen" website owned by EA that featured the phrasing "The time is near. They are watching. Your power is rising. Cologne, Germany. You've Been Chosen." That website isn't the only one registered to EA, however, as BioWare's teaser has been linked to a "Seeking Henna" alternate-reality game of sorts. As detailed by Dulfy.net, the Seeking Henna website includes a police report and a blog with some letters being underlined, indicating a code of some sort for fans to crack. The other site in question is for the "Woods-Watson Institute of Higher Learning."
Make My MMO: April 13 - April 19, 2014
MMO crowdfunding news this week centered on industry titans Richard Garriott and Chris Roberts, as well as The Secret World's new ARG companion game called The Black Watchmen. The title kicks off in September and is currently being funded through a Crowdtilt campaign that still has 49 days left to run. For more info on the title, click past the cut or check out Massively's Black Watchmen interview.
The Secret World's new ARG opens signups for loyalists [Updated]
A newsletter sent yesterday to current and former players of The Secret World invites them to sign up for the game's upcoming Black Watchmen alternate reality game, which is due to officially kick off in September. Here's the hard pill to swallow for those of you used to the B2P nature of TSW: The ARG isn't free. Players who sign up will be funding the game's previously announced Crowdtilt crowdfunding campaign and will receive a year's worth of ARG gameplay and missions and a special in-game outfit for $20 ($10 off the normal fee). Massively's MJ explored the ARG in detail just a few weeks ago. Enjoy the trailer below! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip.] [Update: It turns out that if you're a lifetime member of TSW, this deal is even sweeter: Not only do you pick up the in-game goodies, but you get a free sub to the ARG for a year.]
Chaos Theory: Grand plans for The Secret World's Black Watchmen ARG
Last week we revealed that a new persistent alternate reality game is in the works from Human Equation, the studio that brought us the pre-launch and End of Days ARGs for The Secret World. But that little introduction is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the company has planned for the community. Human Equation has bought the license to operate the Black Watchmen IP from Funcom, and that means TSW players, fans, and puzzle-enthusiasts have much more in store for them than they realize. Although a major premise behind an ARG is figuring out clues and discovering information over time, I sat down and chatted with Andrea Doyon, the chief innovation officer (aka puppet master) for the ARG to bring you the scoop on those very plans. Check out all the details in this exclusive interview, including future job possibilities, and get a peek at two never-before-seen pieces of concept art.
The Secret World fans get a persistent ARG
If you've wanted to get in on the ground floor of an Alternate Reality Game tied to The Secret World, the time is now! A brand-new ARG developed by Human Equation has just entered the scene. Focusing on the Black Watchmen, this ARG differs in that it will be a persistent, complete game with features (such as a class system and NPCs) designed in partnership with Funcom. However, players will have plenty of real-world and online puzzles to work through as well. Check out the official site now to start on the first mission; the second mission unlocks tomorrow, March 20th. Then stay tuned to Chaos Theory for an upcoming interview with the creators for even more details about this new game and what they have in store for this IP. [Source: Human Equation press release]
Xbox One UK ad hid augmented reality game, Titanfall-themed prizes
Remember that Xbox One ad full of mechs, soccer players, and Zachary Quinto? If you're a resident of the UK, you may also remember it for its strange, half-second image of a skull, a X-shaped symbol and a seemingly random string of letters. Xbox's UK division has unveiled just what was behind the mysterious imagery: an augmented reality game. You can take the red pill watch the reveal above. The augmented reality game (ARG for short) put forward a number of clues to be decoded, including a string of binary code, websites in Latin, images that needed to be rearranged and sound-based puzzles. The treasure hunt culminated in a grab-bag of Xbox One prizes, including the console itself, a Collector's Edition of Titanfall, and a VIP trip to the US. Said prizes were placed in an unmarked, white van in a secluded area, because nothing screams "come get your special prize" quite like an unmarked, white van in a secluded area. (We're relatively sure that part was staged considering winner Brad Butcher looks straight at a camera focusing on him, but still.) Congrats Brad! [Image: Microsoft]
The Secret World mysterious box stumps community [updated]
A series of mysterious forum posts might be a new alternate reality game for The Secret World. The posts show a honeycomb cylinder with a note and SD cards inside that was sent by a fan to Funcom. The note reads, "To unlock the truths of the void, one must offset themselfs [sic] from the tenements [sic] of known reality." On the SD cards were very small files with a few letters and numbers in each. The studio made the files public, and the players have responded by investigating what appears to be a community-led ARG. If a Massively reader can crack the code, make sure to share with the entire class! [Update: This was sent in by a fan, not the developers. Made changes to the story accordingly.] [Thanks to Ehra for the tip!]
Google's Ingress adopts achievement system, awards badges
It's been a while since we have heard any news about Google's mobile alternate-reality MMO Ingress. But that silence has broken: A new update is rolling out and should be available to all players in the course of a few days. This update includes scanner performance updates as well as a new system of badges that players can earn to show off their achievements. This new achievement system -- not unlike the famous merit badges earned by scouts -- awards players for such things as exploring, building, and hacking. Ingress also recognizes players for more unique achievements with such badges as Mind Controller and Seer. [Thanks to SpaceCobra for the tip!]
Chaos Theory: Player projects enhance The Secret World experience
One of The Secret World's most unique elements makes it ripe for producing immersive experiences, even outside of the game. Set in the modern real world (as opposed to the fantasy or even sci-fi themes prevalent in our MMOverse), a game can more easily blur the line between logged in and logged out. Players can, and do, generate ways to be a part of the game while still out and about in the real world. Today, I'm going to shine a spotlight on two of these projects that use very different methods to continue immersion beyond actual gameplay. In January, one TSW fan ran an Alternate-Reality Game (ARG) for fellow players. Using Twitter, the forums, email, and even in-game characters, this player orchestrated a full-on investigation for participants to work through. And just recently, a new site offering to immerse players more deeply into the game through imagery was beta-launched. Both projects further player involvement in the world of the game -- the stories, the conspiracies, the histories, and the surroundings -- beyond the actual game. Both received support from Funcom in their efforts to expand the fans' experiences. And both are definitely worth checking out, so I sat down with the creators to get the scoop on the why, the how, and the what's next.
MMObility: Google's Ingress shines light on the good and bad of ARGs
If you're turned on by augmented reality gaming or games that occur at least in some part within the real world, then you have probably heard about Google's latest experiment, Ingress. Google has been in the MMO game before. Years ago the company created a sort of social sandbox called Google Lively. It was a very interesting project, but its disappearance did not exactly fill me with confidence that Google could pull off another one. Still, this is one of the country's largest experimentation-driven companies with some of the smartest people and greatest access to information, so an ARG might just be the perfect fit. I was just given access to the current stage of the game; be aware that everything I talk about or show you is most likely going to change over time.
Murdered: Soul Suspect ARG yields teaser video
NeoGAF user hanmik solved the Square Enix "Murdered" ARG, revealing this teaser trailer for Murdered: Soul Suspect – which was then released officially in multiple languages. The brief video cuts between slow-motion footage of a man falling out of a window while drawing his gun, and of a ghost passing through a person."The hardest murder to solve is your own," the tagline reads. In other words, it looks like a more dour version of Ghost Trick.
Destiny ARG begins: 'Distributed, synchronous effort required'
A Bungie release wouldn't really be the same without an alternate reality game to get pattern-obsessed conspiracy nerds/internet detectives (read: us) all worked up and obsessive, and thus Destiny's own ARG has officially sprung into life. Destiny, in case you're just joining the party, is Bungie's new original IP of which we know very little, beyond the fact that some leaked concept art places the game on a ruined future-Earth orbited by a massive, spherical alien ship.Perhaps more obvious in its implementation than some of Bungie's previous ARG efforts, the new jam requires the user to "begin by aligning the day's pattern to the light," which is to say, arrange a pattern of eight diamonds into the correct configuration, thus granting access to the site in full.Once inside, the user is presented with some delightfully cryptic information: A small section of a larger geometric pattern/glyph on the left, an abstract matrix of dots on the right, and at the bottom of the page, a message. "Your node will remain active for 5 minutes, but may be reactivated as necessary. Distributed, synchronous effort required."Depending on the number of active users viewing the site at any given time, the image on the left will either be more or less obscured/legible. Likewise, the dot matrix on the right will be populated with more or fewer dots, based on current traffic. Once a sufficient number of users are online, a screenshot the dot matrix can be analyzed for information in Photoshop or similar. Yesterday's matrix, for instance, revealed a file extension that, once placed onto the end of the site's URL, rewarded studious sleuths with a large image and passage.Games such as this typically evolve as time goes on, so the complexity of the puzzles and the amount of technical skill required to solve them is likely to increase on a daily basis. There's also no indication of what happens after the seventh day, but we're eager to help find out. And, by "help," we mean "read forum threads and get excited when smart people solve things for us."
Join Bungie's ARG and work toward possible Destiny reveal
Not a lot of concrete information is floating around about Destiny, an upcoming game by Bungie. We do know more will be revealed at GDC next month, but a new ARG on the Halo creator's website hints that more may be revealed even sooner. How soon? Possibly next Monday: A row of numbers splayed across the top counts down from seven, and clicking on the next descending number each day changes the displayed weekday. After the first task, the ARG appears to require the efforts of multiple players to solve; the second puzzle spells out "alone will not be enough." So if you want to get in on unlocking the mysteries of the ARG, study the second puzzle's clue after the break and head over to Bungie to add your contributions to the mix.
