austra
Latest
Austria orders Facebook to delete hate postings
Facebook is having a hard time lately amid claims of fake news, political bias and sexism. The European Union considered legislation to encourage a more unified response to such postings and Germany supports fines for social networks that ignore hate speech. Similarly, today an Austrian appeals court ruled that Facebook must delete hate postings written about the leader of the country's Green party -- and not just in Austria.
Fight off aliens with the power of indie music in April
Loud on Planet X uses songs from Tegan and Sara, Lights, Metric, Purity Ring, METZ, Fucked Up, July Talk, Austra, Cadence Weapon and other high-profile independent bands to defeat hordes of invading (yet adorable) aliens. It debuts on the digital stage on April 19th for PlayStation 4 and Steam, and gets an encore launch on iOS and Android on April 21st. Players embody the bands themselves and play music to keep aliens from overtaking their stage. Loud on Planet X is a mash-up of Plants vs. Zombies tower-defense mechanics and Patapon-style rhythm gameplay. The game will be $7 ($9 CAD) on PlayStation 4 and Steam for PC and Mac, and $4 ($5.50 CAD) on mobile devices.
If 'Rock Band' is Coachella, 'Loud on Planet X' is CBGB
Loud on Planet X is the ultimate independent artist's dream: It's an indie game all about indie bands. The actual gameplay is a blend of two familiar mechanics, a Plants vs. Zombies-style tower-defense system and a rhythm game reminiscent of Patapon that has players making sweet, sweet music while they fend off streams of hostile, blobby aliens. The coolest part for music fans is that Loud lets you play as the indie bands that it features, including Tegan and Sara, Metric, Lights, METZ, Fucked Up, July Talk, Austra and Cadence Weapon. Loud is still a work in progress, but all of the bands have been great to work with so far, Pop Sandbox studio head Alex Jansen says: "The musicians we're working with have been really incredible and genuinely excited to be involved. A lot of them are big gamers too, especially someone like Lights."