Monthly Archives: January 2020

Google on Friday announced a multi-year strategic relationship with Gaming major Activision Blizzard.

According to an official release by the companies, the partnership will lead to a tie-up between the two to power new player experiences.

Google Cloud will now be the preferred platform for Activision Blizzard's game hosting infrastructure.

Activision joined with the tech giant to make use of the latters advanced artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities along with its commitment to open source. Googles technology can help boost Activisions gaming infrastructure allowing the company to further optimize player experiences for its mobile titles.

This would strengthen Activisions hold in the fast-growing mobile gaming market. A recent report by App Annie predicted the total global consumer spend on mobile gaming is all set to cross the $100 billion mark by 2020.

Apart from Google cloud being the official service provider for the companys gaming infrastructure, Google-owned YouTube will be the companys exclusive streaming partner worldwide except China, for live broadcasts of its popular e-sports leagues and events such as the Overwatch League, Call of Duty League and Hearthstone Esports.

Two of Activisions biggest e-sports leagues, the Overwatch League and the CoD league were previously streamed live by the streaming platform Twitch. Twitch had paid Activision Blizzard approximately $90 million in a two-year deal to become its official streaming partner for the Overwatch league, Engadget reported.

The inaugural season of the Call of Duty league kicked off on Friday, while Overwatch league is all set to begin on February 8.

Esports live on @YouTubeGaming. Welcome to the family, Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, and Hearthstone Esports. Lets get this thing going with the inaugural season of the Call of Duty league kicking off today! Youtubes Global Head of Gaming & Virtual Reality tweeted on Friday.

Activision Blizzard is the publisher behind some of the biggest games including Overwatch, Call of Duty and Candy Crush.

The gaming giant earned net income of over $204 million and had generated over $1.2 billion in sales during Q3 ended September 2019, according to the official filings by the company.

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Google partners with gaming firm Activision Blizzard - BusinessLine

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria Onore, known as GiGi, were killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., TMZ reported.

Bryant and his daughter were flying to the Mamba Academy, near Thousand Oaks, for a basketball practice when the crash occurred, TMZ said.

ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that two other victims were a parent and a player.

Authorities originally said that five people had died in the crash, but that number was later updated to nine.

According to the original TMZ report:

Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. Were told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.

The NBA has eight games scheduled for Sunday, including a contest between the Nets and Knicks at Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m. Eastern. Two earlier games have started: Rockets vs. Nuggets and Raptors vs. Spurs.

In a tribute to Bryant, who wore No. 24, the Raptors and Spurs allowed the 24-second shot clock to expire intentionally after the opening tap.

The Lakers next play Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bryant, 41, played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers after entering the NBA directly from high school. An 18-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, he won five NBA championships.

Bryant retired as the NBAs third all-time leading scorer with 33,643 points, and he was expected to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on the first ballot this summer as part of a class that also includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

Originally posted here:

Kobe Bryant and daughter killed: Will NBA postpone Sundays games? - NJ.com

After years of speculation, months of teases and tantalising rumors, the PlayStation 5 launch is nearly upon us. But, now expected to be just weeks away from launch, theres still much we dont know.

Sure, theres SSD tech in there. And AMD will be behind the processing and graphics units.

But what about the design? What about the launch games? What about the features to make the PS5 not just a games console, but a hub for all your entertainment needs?

Throwing caution to the wind, the TechRadar team has put together its most-wanted features for the PS5 however realistic or, in some cases, outlandish they may be.

More ports, more varied portsBill Thomas: Computing Editor

One of my biggest bugbears with the PS4 and the PS4 Pro is the lack of ports on offer. Admittedly this is probably a niche case, but I like to be able to charge multiple controllers without having to buy an awkward dock or dongle, along with connecting an external hard drive. One of my favorite things about PC gaming is the ability to have something like 10 USB ports on a single device.

I also want more kinds of ports. When the console hits the streets its going to be 2020, nearly 2021, so it absolutely needs USB-C. External SSDs are more common than ever, and having that fast data throughput is going to be absolutely essential for anyone that wants to store their games remotely. Also, DisplayPort: I want to connect my PS5 into a fancy gaming monitor and have it be able to take full advantage of it.

A controller with decent battery life and chargingTom Bedford: Staff writer - phones

Im sick of how slow the PS4 controller charges, and how quickly it runs out of power sometimes it feels like I spend more time powering the controller up than I do actually using it wirelessly.

The PS5 controller absolutely needs a USB-C connection and bigger battery capacity if it doesnt want to be hopelessly behind the times, but itd do well to include wireless charging (preferably with a charging pad built into the console itself) so that powering up the piece of tech is easy and simple.

Dolby Atmos and Vision for home cinema superiorityGerald Lynch: Senior Editor - Home and Lifestyle

The PlayStation 4 Pro was a step in the right direction, bringing 4K visuals and HDR support to Sonys gaming and streaming line-up. But its not quite the full cinematic picture we desire just yet.

With the PS5 now known to be capable of playing back 4K Blu-ray media like the Xbox One X before it, Id like to see Sony double down on the premium cinema technologies that are now available to people. Namely, wider HDR support and better surround sound options.

Im mostly talking about Dolby technologies here. If youve yet to see a film on a Dolby Vision screen, using the dynamic metadata to tweak contrast, black levels and peak brightness on the fly, you havent lived. And the same goes for Dolby Atmos audio, which uses discrete overhead speakers or smart upfiring speakers to bounce audio from above you, leading to a more immersive and emotive viewing experience. Theyd be great technologies and features to include not just for film viewings, but for real next-generation gaming experiences, too.

Lots and lots and lots of storageJames Peckham: Phones Editor

As I write this, I have a maximum of 10 games downloaded to my PlayStation 4. Its a day one console so theres only 500GB of storage inside and as I now have some games that have tipped over the 100GB mark its getting unbearable.

With one version of the PS4 Pro sporting 1TB of storage, Im hoping for that and more on the PlayStation 5. One rumor suggested the console would come with 2TB, but Im hoping for even more than that when the console lands under my TV.

I want to be able to have all of my games installed at one time without having to uninstall a behemoth such as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Hitman 2 to make enough space for the latest PS Plus addition to my catalogue. Sure, I could just buy an external harddrive but I think Im going to just wait until the end of the year and get a whole new console.

Native backwards compatibility...with everythingSamuel Roberts: Senior Entertainment Editor

Sony's attitude towards backwards compatibility has been pretty poor compared to Microsoft. It's like the manufacturer forgot it made two of the biggest-selling consoles of all time, each of which had a vast library of software (the PS3 was also pretty good). I'm sure there are both technical and cost-based reasons why it's not easy to do backwards compatibility with games from past PlayStation consoles, and clearly for Microsoft, emulating all these games on Xbox has been a vast undertaking.

But what a way to celebrate your legacy as a platform. It's not enough to be able to stream (and download, in some cases) those games on PS Now, if you ask me. Sony should make the effort to get more of its various software libraries onto PS5 than it did on PS4. It just makes an all-in-one subscription option far more compelling, as Xbox Game Pass illustrates.

If I could insert the discs for 7/10 PS2 classics like The Matrix: Path of Neo and True Crime: Streets of LA into my PS5 and play them in 4K, I'd be a happy man. But it makes no sense that I can play PSone games on my PS2 and PS3, but not my PS4.

We need more PlayStation Now downloadsHenry St Leger: Home Technology Writer

Despite a drip-feed of specs (and that pitiful logo) for the PS5, weve still heard little-to-nothing about how Sonys game streaming service, PS Now, will evolve on the next-gen console. More power should certainly help stream those games more capably, but the real triumph would be in giving a download option to its whole 800-game streaming library as well.

The PS Now platform already does this for some titles, but not enough of them given offline play neatly gets around issues of lag or dropout during online streaming. (Bloodborne is punishing as it is!)

We know game streaming is going to be big, with Google Stadia growing its offering and Xboxs Project xCloud set to take on PS Now too. But as long as internet speeds vary as much as they do between households, cities, and countries, Sony needs to take care it doesnt leave a generation of gamers behind.

A strong roster of exclusivesVic Hood: Gaming Writer

A big part of why the PlayStation 4 was so successful is down to the high quality of PlayStation exclusives on offer. The likes of Spider-Man, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn can be considered some of the best games of this console generation - and they were only available on PS4. This was a key factor in which console I, and many others, chose when it came to PS4 vs Xbox One and its something I really hope Sony continues to build on.

We may not know much about what PS5 exclusives are in the pipeline, although we do expect upcoming games like The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima to be cross-generation. But Im hoping we see a Horizon Zero Dawn 2 revealed, an eventual God of War sequel and at least one fantastic new IP to sink hours into. Hopefully we dont have to wait too long and well see at least one of these games as a PS5 launch title.

PlayStation Remote Play that actually works and GTA 6John McCann, Deputy Editor

The idea of being able to stream and play your PlayStation on another device in your home is a fantastic one. Whether thats streaming it to a tablet, or a TV in another room, I was all in on Remote Play until I actually tried it.

Its bad. Like, really, really bad. Slow, lagging, low quality. You cant comfortably play any game which requires quick reactions - especially if youre playing online against others.

The PS5 has the chance to fix this. Reduce lag and latency, improve the efficiency of streaming and provide 4K resolution, so you can get the same experience remotely as you do sitting on the couch in front of the console.

One more thing...

Yes, this one is a stretch. But if theres anything that will guarantee that I buy the PS5 on launch day, it would be this. If Rockstar and Sony can team up to align the launch of the PS5 with the launch of GTA 6 I will be sold.

Its also the sort of big name title that will get people excited, and encourage sales. If GTA 6 offers a much improved experience over the PS4 build (like GTA 5 did between PS3 and PS4) then there will be even more reason for consumers to bag themselves the next-gen machine. Plus, Ill be delighted - and thats really whats important here.

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PS5 wishlist: the most wanted specs, features and games - TechRadar

OKOBOJI, Iowa (KTIV) - It's a busy weekend up at the Iowa Great Lakes as the Okoboji Winter Games are in full swing.

Crowds packed into the city of Okoboji this Saturday night as people came from all over to celebrate and take part in the various events.

The Winter Games started on Thursday but most of the festivities took place on Saturday.

According to the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, the winter games brings in thousands of people to the area.

"Rough estimate is, it brings 30-40,000 people to town," said Blain Andera, CEO of the Iowa Great Lakes Area and Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce. "This is an opportunity for businesses that aren't even open in the winter, they come back and open up just for this weekend for all the people that come here to celebrate the winter games."

Events that are part of the Okoboji Winter Games include a giant kite festival, ice sculpting, human foosball, and even a belching contest.

For some of these events, Andera says it takes a lot of people to set up.

"You know, putting on the Winter Games, there are so many events, it takes hundreds and hundreds of volunteers to pull that off, not to mention the law enforcement and the EMS and the other Search and Rescue and all of the people that have to coordinate together just to keep everybody safe."

The events on Saturday culminated with a huge fireworks display at Arnold's Park.

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Okoboji Winter Games brings tens of thousands to the Iowa Great Lakes - KTIV

Virtual reality gaming is getting more accessible as PC requirements become more affordable and more titles with solid VR support become available. If you're looking to hop on board the still-new and exciting VR train, you'll want to check out our list of all the must-have titles, no matter what VR platform you've chosen.

TheOculus Rift,PlayStation VRorHTC Vivecontinue to offer enthralling AAA experiences like Doom, Skyrim and Tetris Effect, while the affordableOculus GoandSamsung Gear VRhave fun titles that you can play anywhere. And with new headsets like theOculus Quest,HTC Vive Cosmosand nowNintendo's Labo VRandOculus Rift S, you can expect even more great VR games in 2020.

Hopefully we'll have plenty of new additions to put on this list this year, perhaps including the upcomingHalf Life: Alyx, which looks like it will finally continue the well-loved Valve series in a whole new immersive style. But in the meantime, here's what we recommend from the currently available VR titles.

The famous (and infamous) space exploration game can be enjoyed on the PlayStation 4s VR headset. Youre taken right into the heart of the new worlds you discover, or can sit and truly appreciate the massiveness of space from your ships cockpit. And since the galaxy is so enormous, youll never run out of new things to see and find as you hunt for resources to improve your ship and travel even greater distances.

Beat Saber is a fast, kinetic rhythm game in which the player slashes color-coded blocks to the beat of music playing in the background. Using two motion controllers, you'll swipe in the air vertically or horizontally and occasionally hold your controller in a position to rack up points. Beat Saber features a similar "note highway" as you'll find on games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band; you'll see the blocks you need to swipe as they draw closer to you, and it'll be up to you to keep yourself in time with the beat.

Designed for a seated experience, Beat Saber comes with 10 songs. However, PC players can use a track editor to create their own custom tracks from within the game; with some light modding, they can allow download other users' tracks.

A full VR translation of 2011's single-player, open-world epic, Skyrim VR gives players a much closer look at the world of Tamriel. The game features fully tracked motion controls for your left- and right-hand equipment, so you'll be able to swing your sword and block incoming attacks using realistic gestures. You move through the game world via teleportation, direct input on a controller or walking around using a room-scale setup if you have a room big enough to spare.

All previously released DLC expansions, like Dawnguard and Hearthfire, come with this version of Skyrim. The graphical upgrade seen in Special Edition is unfortunately missing from the VR version of Skyrim, so some visuals may look a bit dated.

Doom VFR is best described as a VR adaptation of 2016's popular release of Doom, rather than a full port of that game into VR. This means Doom VFR features a different story and campaign, with heavily tweaked combat dynamics designed with VR in mind. This title is suited to a standing or room-scale setup, as the game will frequently require you to raise and lower your profile and turn around quickly to deal with enemies coming from all directions. This title adds free movement using a controller, but the game was originally designed to use a teleportation system when covering large distances.

If you just took the plunge on a new headset or if you want to show off VR to someone for the first time, Rec Room provides a low-impact and free social sandbox of places to go, things to pick up and toss, objects to interact with, and some minigames to play solo or with others online. You can play this title suitably from either a seated or standing position, and it works well with room scale.

Rec Room is designed primarily as a social experience, so expect a lot of people to be on mic, and consider taking part in the chatter yourself. You won't find an infinitely replayable game world to explore here, but Rec room should help people who need to get their VR sea legs before they tackle more in-depth experiences.

In Star Trek: Bridge Crew, you can fulfill your dream of joining Starfleet, with a choice of four different key roles onboard the USS Aegis: Captain, Tactical, Helm or Engineer. This game will require constant communication with your crewmates as you explore space, defend yourself from enemies and avoid natural hazards. Bridge Crew is designed as a seated experience, so players won't be moving around or exploring the bridge itself. Instead, you'll handle one of the four workstations and use your motion controllers to interact with the ship's controls.

The game works best in online multiplayer, but you can also issue specific voice commands to three AI crewmembers in single-player mode if you're playing offline.

Archangel is a mech shooter that includes a single-player story campaign for the PS4 and PC versions of the game. This campaign places you in the cockpit of a building-size mech in an on-rails experience best played while seated. You'll control the mech's two arms and an array of weapons for dispatching waves of incoming enemies. When things get a little close quarters, you can swing your mech mitts around and swat the bad guys away.

The PC version offers a free stand-alone competitive multiplayer mode. This also gives you full control over your mech, so you can move in all directions; a robust upgrade path; and unlockable mech chassis and skins. If you buy the campaign DLC on Steam, it'll also unlock some goodies in the multiplayer mode.

Batman: Arkham VR puts you right in the bat suit so you can take to the streets of Arkham City and get busy fighting crime. This game is from the earlier days of VR, so much of it feels like an extended, albeit very polished tech demo for a full Batman VR game. You'll teleport only to designated positions in the Wayne manor, the bat cave and out in the city, with most direct action consisting of throwing a bat-arang or calling in for support from your ship, the Nightwing.

The game emphasizes the detective side of Batman, so if you're looking for something slower paced and cinematic, this one might be worth your time. You'll have plenty of opportunities to examine your environment, pick things up, study crime scenes and otherwise immerse yourself in the world of Bruce Wayne, mostly at your leisure.

Like with Skyrim and its VR edition, Fallout 4 has gotten the full VR treatment, bringing over the full single-player campaign of Fallout 4 exclusively to HTC Vive headsets on PC. The VR adaptation works just like it does in Skyrim VR, where you're free to walk about the world of Fallout at a room-scale level, use direct-control stick movement on the Vive's controllers, travel via teleportation from point to point or any combination of the above. This doesn't inherently rule out seated gameplay, but it's geared toward standing and at least some degree of turning and walking around.

The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game, easily adapted fully into VR and suitable for any play-space configuration. In this game, you'll have to line up light beams to turn on and off force fields that block your path, manipulate blocks using motion controls, and solve other mind-bending puzzles. Where many VR games focus on action, The Talos Principle offers something a little more chill and cerebral.

The single-player campaign features a mysterious story to unravel. You play as an android being guided by a mysterious voice while you learn about the last days of humanity on Earth.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files brings a portion of the very impressive PS3 and 360 game to Vive headsets. You'll have seven cases to solve in this VR version of the game, which famously uses facial motion capturing to make the characters look exceedingly realistic, even seven years after release. The game recommends a minimum of 2 by 2 meters of room space to move around in, so you can lean in and inspect items in people's homes, pick things up off of the ground and maneuver around the game's open-world comfortably.

Just as with the original game, you'll need to gather clues and question suspects, taking into account if you think they're telling the truth or lying to your face.

Like the original Superhot, Superhot VR is a combat puzzle game in which you must clear a room full of enemy AI humans using a limited arsenal and one key mechanic: Time moves only when you do. Large deliberate movements of your arms or legs will trigger time to progress forward, but making smaller movements with only your head or hands will allow you to assess the next move and even give you enough time to move out of the way of enemy bullets.

The VR version of the game is primarily a standing experience; you won't be walking around your environment, but you'll need to be able to turn around and duck behind cover in the space you have. You can take weapons directly out of enemies' hands, and you can fire bullets at incoming bullets to deflect them; in general, Superhot VR is a very over-the-top experience.

Polybius is probably the strangest game on our list and also the one most likely to make you motion sick. It's a high-score, arcade-style shoot'em-up that relies on psychedelic "trancetastic" visual design and a truly awesome sense of speed even outside of VR. It's a little difficult to explain exactly what you need to do in Polybius, aside from shoot as many things ahead of you as possible while avoiding collisions with the solid objects that come hurtling toward you during the game's 50 linear levels. This game's filled with old-school arcade and early gaming references, so you may pick up on some aural references here and there. You may also get a little motion sick.

Best to play this one seated, and if you have a weak stomach, try playing it on a normal TV first.

Eve: Valkyrie is set in the world of Eve Online, but has only competitive multiplayer spaceship combat. There is no single-player mode that's offline or features a traditional campaign; instead, you're placed in large battle arenas and must shoot down the opposing team's spaceships. You have a selection of ship classes, each with its own specialties and roles to play during a match. You have five different multiplayer modes to choose from.

This game is designed for a seated experience and for play using either a traditional controller or a keyboard and mouse. Eve: Valkyrie tracks your head movements to help give you visibility around your ship from inside the cockpit, but the game otherwise does not rely on motion-controller input.

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission is a PS VR exclusive and might be one of the most creative platformers in VR yet. You control a small robot who must rescue his robot friends who are scattered about each level. Your perspective as the player is a third-person camera, and you'll need to bend down, turn around and look closely at the environment to spot the trapped robots as well as other hidden collectibles.

The game is a cheery example of the platforming and creative camera control that is truly possible only inside of VR.

Resident Evil 7's VR supportis exclusive to PS VR, and the terror this game delivers really ramps up when you're placed directly in the shoes of Ethan Winters in the Louisiana swamp. As Winters searches for his missing wife, Mia, this first-person horror game returns to Resident Evil's survival roots and requires you to carefully manage your inventory and resources in order to survive.

There's also a fair bit of puzzle-solving to do, in between running for your life from the creepy mold monsters that have infested the Baker family's derelict home.

Tetris Effecttakes what you already know about Tetris and layers on several visual and musical effects designed to change the way it feels to play this classic game. There are also some new mechanics, like the ability to clear whole zones of Tetris blocks at once, potentially up to 20 lines at a time. The music and visuals pulse and change to the pace of your performance in-game, and the PS VR support means you'll be that much closer to the experience, able to lean in as much as you like while using a traditional controller.

Moss is a cute action/puzzle platformer that has you pilot a small mouse, named Quill, through a fantasy world. She must save her uncle from an evil snake that has taken over the kingdom. Moss plays best while you're standing, as you control Quill from a distance and will need to lean in to better view her surroundings, fight enemies and jump across gaps.

The game's environments are set up like dioramas for the player to peer into, adding to the game's storybook atmosphere. You control Quill directly using the controller's direction buttons, but you also need motion controls to manipulate the environment and help Quill get past obstacles.

If your idea of a good time is exploring a haunted restaurant with killer animatronic robots on the loose, then have I got a game for you. Five Nights at Freddy's has finally made the jump to VR so you can get your jump scares in terrifying VR. In Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted, you have several mini games to play, but no matter what you play, the goal remains the same - survive.

This is a party game that involves one person in VR and as many people as you like outside of VR assisting the VR player in defusing a bomb. In VR, you can see and manipulate a complex explosive device using all kinds of buttons and wires. Your friends outside of VR, who can't see the bomb, need to use an instruction manual that they can pull up on their phones or a computer screen to walk you through the defusal process. Outside players won't even know what kind of bomb you're looking at, so you all have to communicate as accurately as possible. And, of course, there's a time limit.

Minecraft's VR transition has been a little rockier than one might expect, but we did eventually get a VR version for Gear VR headsets. The VR mode does about what you'd expect, putting you right in at ground level in the world of Minecraft as based off of the latest mobile edition of the game.

For owners of powerful Android smartphones, Gear VR can be a good alternative to traditional VR setups. However, you'll, of course, need an external controller since your phone will be strapped into the Gear VR headset during use.

Catan VR takes the real-world experience of playing the tabletop board game Settlers of Catan and adapts it lovingly for the VR space. You'll sit at a table with up to three other players online and use motion controllers to select and place your pieces in an otherwise-quite-traditional game of Catan. The charm of the VR version is that, even though you're playing online, you can still see and gesture at your opponents or teammates as if you were in the same room.

Catan VR is one of the standout games for Oculus Go, the all-in-one VR solution that doesn't rely on a smartphone, game console or beefy PC and is available for under $200.

This interactive story puts you in the shoes of a high school senior and budding photographer. While looking for your next photography subject and meet a beautiful girl. From here, you begin to build your relationship with the Han Yua, engaging in conversations and cataloging your dates via photo, its a story of young love and nostalgia thats sweet and intimate.

Youve seen entertainers Penn & Teller wow audiences with magic and take cleavers to some of our most sacred cows. Now the duo is taking on VR in Penn & Tell VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary, & Underhanded is at its heart a bunch of pranks you can unleash on your friends and loved ones. Half face your fears half magic tricks, you also have the opportunity to step into the shoes of some of the worlds most renowned magicians including Houdini. Its a wickedly fun time.

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The best VR games of 2020 - Tom's Guide

2010 was a great year for peripheral-based rhythm games. It was also effectively the last year for peripheral-based rhythm games. Rock Band, the multiplayer co-op band game that Harmonix created after separating from Guitar Hero and leaving it to its publisher Activision, was always considered by genre connoisseurs (i.e. me) to be the better, more refined game. The game whose presentation and mechanics worked in harmony to actually make you feel like you were truly in a band with your friends, and that you were actually playing the song. Rock Band defined almost a decade of my life, and Rock Band 3 represented the series at its biggest, best, and most ambitious.

If you remember the era you'll be familiar with the Rock Band concept--two guitar controllers, one drumset, and a microphone to belt out timeless rock and pop songs in time to a steady flow of colour-coded gems. While Rock Band 2 introduced dramatically improved controllers, a more robust campaign, and comprehensive online multiplayer modes, Rock Band 3 introduced an incredible amount of quality-of-life fixes, like being able to change instruments, difficulties, options, and band members anytime on the fly, as well as a robust character customisation creator that fed into the more intricate career and challenge modes.

But the biggest new additions? Three-part vocal harmonies. Keyboards. And real guitars. Rock Band 3 was the series' big push into teaching players to transfer their skills over to playing real instruments with a new "Pro" difficulty modifier. Drums were already there, with the inclusion of discrete cymbal inputs in Rock Band 2, and the new two-octave keyboard controller allowed for some pretty accurate note charts that used 26 black-and-white piano keys in addition to the standard five-button ones. But Harmonix (in partnership with Mad Catz) also released a 102-button guitar controller with strings to pick and strum at, while also partnering with Fender to release an actual electric guitar with controller inputs integrated into it. It was bonkers, and it all worked really well even if all of that stuff did cost me an arm and a leg.

And of course, the most important thing is that all of these new features ended up being backwards compatible with Rock Band's rolling library consisting of literally thousands of songs, a feat that no other rhythm game from this era managed to do. That library has continued to grow to a number that's closing in on 3000 with the release of the more focussed Rock Band 4 in 2015, and DLC songs continue to release even as I write this in 2020.

For me, nothing will ever beat the hundreds and hundreds of hours I spent playing Rock Band 3 with eager friends at parties, with colleagues in the office until the late hours at night, and by myself, all day every day, climbing the instrument leaderboards. | Edmond Tran

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Remembering 2010: The Biggest Games Turning 10 This Year - GameSpot

Zion Williamson has had quite a start to his NBA career.

The New Orleans Pelicans rookie followed up his electric, 22-point performance in his debut game on Wednesday by recording 15 points and six rebounds in a 113-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

After Williamson shot 8-of-11 from the field on Wednesday, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range, the No. 1 overall pick finished by shooting 7-of-9 from the field against the Nuggets.

As a result of his efficiency, Williamson is the first and only player in NBA history to record at least 15 points and shoot over 70% from the field in each of his first two career games, via Tommy Beer of Rotoworld.

Williamson also became the first player in NBA history to score at least 22 points while playing fewer than 20 minutes in a debut game. He is also the only player to shoot 4-of-4 or better from 3-point range in a debut game.

In his second game on Friday, Williamson logged 21 minutes as the Pelicans once again monitored his workload. He used his elite athleticism to his advantage, often bullying defenders in the post. For his first points of the game, Williamson even connected with Jrue Holiday for his first dunk.

After playing the Nuggets, Williamson and the Pelicans wrap up a three-game homestand on Sunday against the Boston Celtics with tip-off set for 6 p.m. ET.

Originally posted here:

Zion Williamson has made NBA history in his first two career games - The Rookie Wire

RYAN VANDERSLOOT, 717-505-5403/@yascores Published 1:33 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2020

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Former York High star Kelvin Parker, seen here in a file photo, had 29 points on Saturday for the York Buccaneers in a win vs. Hub City.(Photo: The York Dispatch)

The York Buccaneers are certainly a lot of things.

Talented? No doubt.

Exciting? You bet.

Successful? Absolutely.

Midway through their fifth season in the American Basketball Association, the Bucs and owner Tyrell Bowie believe they have things headed in the right direction.

Saturday night at Voni B. Grimes Gym, the Bucs cruised to their sixth victory of the season over the Hub City (Hagerstown) Hogs, 123-109. That triumph could be crucial in York'sdrive towarda possibleABA playoff berth this spring. The Bucs now stand at 6-3.

Weve made the playoffs every year except one, Bowie said. And thats what were fighting for now. We want to be in playoff contention.

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While the playoffs are every teams goal in the ABA, Bowie has bigger goals in mind with organization. As the only semi-pro hoops team in York, Bowie is hoping to create and grow a community following that fills the gym on game nights.

The Bucs certainly have a lot to offer local fans.The ABA game is typically fast-paced, so fan boredom is seldom a worry.

Former York College standout Jason Bady, seen here in file photo, is one of the many recognizable local faces on the York Buccaneers roster.(Photo: The York Dispatch)

Lots of local faces: Recognizable localfaces are also a hallmark of both the team and league. The Bucs feature plentyof York-area talent, including former York High starKelvin Parker, who scored a team-high 29 points on Saturday, to go with four assists and eight rebounds.

Former York College standout Jason Bady, former York Suburban playerDarian Doleman, Penn State York grad Anthony Bennett and others also fill out the roster.

Bennett, who is a first-year player in the league as well as a current assistant coach for the Penn State York mens basketball team, had nothing but good things to say about his experience so far.

The leagues been great, Bennett said. Theres a lot of good talent that were playing against in this league. A lot of pros in this league. And its way faster than the college game.

That statement was echoed by another first-year player in Tyler Martin. A high school grad of (Lancaster) McCaskey, Martin earned some local stripes when he played four years at Penn State York while winning three Penn State University Athletic Conference titles with the local Lions.

This is a bunch of strong, athletic, fast and quick guys, Martin said. These are guys that can get up and down the court. Most of us are in our mid-20s but there are some older guys here too. We played a team in Philly and they were older, probably in their 30s, but they were all real strong, physical guys.

Trying to build a fan base: Bowieis hoping his team catches on locally to build a sizable fan base. Right now the team plays at Grimes, where the seating capacity is about 300. Saturdays contest was near capacity, which is a good sign for Bowie and the team.

This is a fun league to watch, Bowie said. Its a fun league and I really appreciate everyone that came out. Were looking forward to keep building.

Notes: The regular-season schedule for the Bucs features 15 league games. Of the first nine played so far, however, only two of those contests were home games.

Bowie expects at least two more home tilts with a possible third one added after a scheduling discrepancy.

The weather kind of got us one week, Bowie said. And then we had a team that canceled on us, but were hoping to reschedulethat one soon.

The next officially scheduled home game for the Bucs is Saturday, Feb. 29, against the Lehigh Valley Hunters. Bowie is hoping to have one of those other games rescheduled for early to mid-February.

Reach Ryan Vandersloot at sports@yorkdispatch.com.

Originally posted here:

York Buccaneers focus on winning basketball games and a community following - York Dispatch

Doom Eternal Game Director Hugo Martin has outlined a load of new and returning demons in a NoClip documentary, highlighting his new chess pieces with which to threaten the players. A lot of the new enemies look particularly devious, forcing players to adopt new playstyles to defeat them. Like the Carcass, for example, which throws up an anti-rocket shield to confound one of Dooms best weapons. Were cool with frustrating you as long as were teaching, says Martin. The old Doom 2 creatures outlined are the Pain Elemental, Arachnotron, Archvile, and Hellified Soldiers. New to Doom Eternal are the Whiplash, Tentacles, Marauder, Doom Hunter, and Carcass.

Doom Eternal continues to have a surprisingly nuanced set of game design principles behind it for a game about chainsawing demons, but 2016s Doom is going to be hard act to follow. We recently got a few hours hands-on with Doom Eternal, and outlined what we did and didnt like about the game. The relentless pace and non-stop chaos will appeal to a lot of people, but I prefer a little more space in my games, said our Andy Kelly. If youre not all caught up on it, heres everything we know about Doom Eternal.

View original post here:

Heres a breakdown of the new demons in Doom Eternal - PC Gamer

Mark Wilson of Steamboat Springs competes Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in the snowbike cross qualifier. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Jesse Kirchmeyer competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

Canadian Cody Matechuk of Cochrane, Alberta, competes Saturday in the snowbike cross. He won golf for the third consecutive year. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Harris Huizenga competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

Mark Wilson of Steamboat Springs gets ready for the snowbike cross heat on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Cody Matechuk competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Seth Fischer competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times)Dale Pistole/Special to The Aspen Times

Mick Olson competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

Colton Davis competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

Yanick Boucher competes in the snow bikecross finals at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo. (Liz Copan/Summit Daily News via AP)AP | Summit Daily News

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Doug Henry is basically the Lebron James of snow biking. Hes been around a long time, and doesnt seem to know how to lose.

The Connecticut native, who just turned 50, won his third consecutive gold medal at the X Games as he crossed the line Saturday with a massive lead in the para snowbike cross finals.

With decades in the sport and a heavy haul of hardware, Henry has considered retiring a few times. Still, he cant seem to stay away from the sport. Right now, his goal is to keep competing until hes 55.

Its been a thought probably five times, said Henry, who is the oldest athlete in this years X Games. Ive tried, but as long as Im having fun and still competitive, Im gonna do it.

Henry won gold in the para snow bikecross in 2019, and finished first in the adaptive version of the event the year before.

Henrys only competition was eliminated early as Will Posey took a jump too aggressively and wiped out just as he started lap two. From there, Henry cruised to a 15-second margin of victory. Henry nearly committed a crucial mistake when he didnt take enough horsepower into a jump, but managed to keep his track on the ground and his bike moving forward.

The first lap or two, youre just trying to keep it up and start improving, getting a little bit faster here and there, he said. I just looked behind me, I had a little bit of a gap.

Brandon Dudley finished second, while Leighton Lillie picked up a bronze medal.

The snow bike veteran Henry has been attending X Games since 1999, but says the thrill of attending and performing well hasnt faded.

You have no idea how early this is in my head and in my mind. In November, Im training pretty hard, Henry said. Its pretty much a year-round thing. X Games is top of my list of events I want to win.

Cody Matechuk ran away with his third straight gold medal in snowbike cross, finishing a whopping 16 seconds ahead of Yanick Boucher.

The whole race, one of his crew members stood near the lap line, gesturing with his arms how great a lead he had. With each lap, his hands got farther and farther apart, to the point he could no longer accurately express how large Matechuks advantage was.

I really dont like racing and looking backwards, so I rely on my mechanic to give me gap, Matechuk said. I could see the gap growing. I just felt like I was in a good rhythm. I was hitting all my marks, I wasnt pushing.

He was so far removed from the rest of the race, as the cameras swarmed him at the finish Matechuk asked his crew, Who got second and third?

Boucher took second, and Jesse Kirchmeyer picked up bronze. Kirchmeyer finished second last year. Boucher made it to the finals in 2019, but didnt finish the race.

Matechuk couldnt avoid drama in his semifinal. At the start of the first semifinal, Hoyer and Josh Hill jumped the gun, having to be moved behind the line and work their way back to the front throughout the race.

That put Matechuk at an advantage, which he held for most of the race, but with a few laps to go, he bailed off his bike when it malfunctioned. He got back on and crossed the line in second to make the finals.

Sometimes that stuff just finds you, but it wouldnt be a good story without a little bit of adversity, Matechuk said. We broke a ski on that first race, still ended up getting second place. We went back and changed it for the main. Its X Games. You got to leave it all on the table.

See the article here:

Henry, Matechuk earn third consecutive X Games golds in snowbike disciplines - Aspen Times