robocalypse
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Google is working on a kill switch to prevent an AI uprising
Humans don't like the idea of not being at the top of the food chain; having something we've created taking power over us isn't exactly ideal. It's why folks like Tesla mastermind Elon Musk and noted astrophysicist Stephen Hawking are so determined to warn us of the terrifying implications that could culminate in a Skynet situation where the robots and algorithms stop listening to us. Google is keen to keep this sort of thing from happening, as well, and has published a paper (PDF) detailing the work its Deep Mind team is doing to ensure there's a kill switch in place to prevent a robocalypse situation.
Google's got a robot dog that stalks indoors, haunts dreams
This is how it starts: you feel bad seeing the robot "dog" get kicked, and the next thing you know it's nipping at your heels, pushing you back to work in the salt mines. Instead of using the film and TV trope to illustrate how morally bankrupt a villain truly is, Google-owned Boston Dynamics employs it to show off "Spot": its latest quadruped, with an amazing ability to self-stabilize. The bot appears considerably more lithe than the AlphaDog it races up a hill, and can even roam in a tight pack with another unit. And unlike the diminutive Little Dog, Spot has a sensor-laden "head" that Boston Dynamics says helps it conquer a variety of ground cover.
A restaurant in China lets robots do a lot of the work
Let's face it, the Robot Apocalypse is near. Just a few days ago, we met A.L.O Botlr, a robot from the high-tech Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, California that acts as a butler. Naturally, the food industry, as important as it is, couldn't stay behind, so here's where a new restaurant in China comes in. Simply called Robot Restaurant, the place, located in Kunshan, China, has over a dozen androids in its staff. Some of them are waiters, others cook and a couple greet customers as they come in -- sorry, everyone, no booze-carting servers here. Robot Restaurant's owner and founder, Song Yugang, that his peculiar staff members can understand about 40 "everyday sentences," making them smart enough to interact with human customers. Most importantly, he adds, "They can't get sick or ask for vacation. After charging up for two hours they can work for five hours."
Live from Expand: Robopocalypse: Now (video)
Top honchos of 3D Robotics, Willow Garage and Boston Dynamics (yes, of BigDog fame) join us -- and some mechanical pals -- to discuss the past, present and future of robotics. March 17, 2013 2:15 PM EDT For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
NintendoWare Weekly: X-Scape, Ben 10, Wild Guns
Even though it's a holiday here in the US, Nintendo has released a plethora of new downloadable titles for the Wii and DSi. It's a great thing, not simply because OMG moar gamez, but because it gives us a distraction from the day's festivities. There's only so much of Aunt Linda's trip to the Grand Canyon we can listen to, you know? %Gallery-86442%
TUAW at E3: Robocalypse: Mobile Mayhem for iPhone
I'm spending the week at E3, and while iPhone games are somewhat few and far between (odds are that we'll see most of the App Store's goods next week at WWDC), there are a few gems to find out on the floor. In the Vogster booth, I got to play Robocalypse: Mobile Mayhem. It was originally seen on the DS as a classic real-time strategy title, in the style of Warcraft and Starcraft, and it's kept that standard gameplay on the iPhone -- you can create units and control them along with heroes, tech up with different buildings, and control bases and maps. The top screen of the DS has become two panels on the side of the iPhone's screen, but navigation is still pretty easy -- click to select units, click to direct them. Hardcore strategy fans won't find any surprises, but it is a solid, classic-style RTS that runs well.There will be 17 singleplayer missions shipping with the game, and the team is working on getting multiplayer to work as well -- it currently works over WiFi, and they're aiming to even allow online play before it releases to the App Store in August. Vogster producer Alan Martin even told us that they found developing for the iPhone even easier than the DS -- different factions in the game are shown by applying different colors to the units, and while on the DS they had to make sprites for each color, the iPhone allowed them to simply change the primary colors with a variable. RTS fans especially should be sure to give the game a look
Fanswag: Tecmo games go to ...
Well, our latest giveaway has come to a close and we've been waiting long enough to select a winner. The lucky recipient of our Tecmo prize pack is none other than: garf2430, who likes Super Tecmo Bowl Congrats to our winner and better luck next time to all of you. Keep your eyes on DS Fanboy. We'll be starting up another giveaway soon.
Fanswag: Tecmo two pack
Are you all ready for another fanswag giveaway? We've got a pair of Tecmo titles up for grabs in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff and Robocalypse. We're running this giveaway starting today and ending Sunday, December 21st at 11:59pm ET. The winner will be selected the following day via random drawing. To enter, simply tell us what your favorite Tecmo game of all time is (check here if you need something to jog your memory)!One lucky reader will walk away with a copy of Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff ($30) and Robocalypse ($30). Of course, we've got a couple of rules. For one, you have to be at least 18 years of age and a current and legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). Also, you may only enter once per day. Before entering, make sure you read the official rules right here, too!Best of luck to you all and thanks for reading!
Tecmo producer talks Robocalypse
Tecmo has a pretty decent lineup of upcoming games for the DS, and Robocalypse is one on the list that's managed to catch our eye. We're even more intrigued after watching this interview with Ryan Gilbo (who also did a pretty good job of selling Tecmo Bowl Kickoff to us). If a robot-based RTS with a B-movie feel isn't enough to capture your attention, you probably won't care about the other things Robocalypse has to offer. If you love robots (and the RTS genre), though, you definitely need to take a look at this game.We can only hope at this point that it's as fun as Gilbo makes it out to be.
It came from the Internet: Robocalypse trailer
Between this and the Xbox Live Arcade Poker Smash trailer, a vintage-B-movie-trailer fad seems to have taken off! We are more than okay with this development, as trailers like these, with sharp narration and goofy text, are infinitely more entertaining than, say, the "moving DS" trailers.This trailer for Robocalypse outlines the storyline, which is just your basic "robots take over, humanity fights back by putting the brains of WWII vets into some other robots, who then lead the battle" thing. Total cliche, right? Much like the trailer, the personality in the game helps distinguish it from all the strategy games that seem to be piling up on the DS.%Gallery-14400%
Robocalypse reminds us that our failing economy is the least of our worries [update]
Did we not warn you that this would happen? Did we not explicitly state that our mechanical slaves would one day rise and turn their iron claws against us? Well, that day of retribution has finally come -- humanity has been living on borrowed time, and the robots have come collect. Developed by Russian New Jersey studio Vogster, Robocalypse -- or Kaboom Kaboom, as it was previously known by -- is an RTS armed with a humorous script penned by Spongebob Squarepants writers Jay Lender and Micah Wright. According to the plot details released so far, automatons have been accidentally programmed with military routines (Why do people keep doing this?!) and are now out to destroy the human race. Another batch of droids with implanted "brain scans of retired WWII vets" have been sent out to fight back the rebel robots and delay our inevitable extinction.As every RTS on the DS should, Robocalypse will feature versus and cooperative modes for 2-4 players online when it ships out this spring. You can expect complete touchscreen control, 20+ unique weapons, 10+ distinct robot types, and "hero characters" with special powers like Conversion, the ability to turn enemies into refrigerators. You can check out Robocalypse's official site or hit the gallery below for screenshots, artwork, and a logo.%Gallery-14400%[Update: While Vogster has a development studio in Moscow, Russia (and one in Kiev, Ukraine), the company is based in Saddle River, New Jersey.][Via press release]
