PSA: Going to see Deadpool on Friday? Stay for the post-credits scene

Jeff Williams | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 8, 2016 10:02 AM CST

It seems that it's almost tradition for Marvel movies to include a post-credits reveal or sneak-peak into the next installment that they're working on. And Deadpool is definitely no exception in this regard. The co-creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld, wants everyone to know to stay until after the credits to enjoy something special.

To add a little excitement, the co-writer of the movie, Rhett Reese confirmed that this new after-credits bonanza was something that's been added just before it hits theaters, so not even the reviewers have seen what this is. Could this be a tie-in preview to a new Deadpool movie? Perhaps a jumping off point for the character Cable as well.

The mystery is intriguing and we're almost certain that staying for the teaser should be worth it, especially for fans of all things Marvel.

Continue reading: PSA: Going to see Deadpool on Friday? Stay for the post-credits scene (full post)

Red Dead Redemption backwards compatibility done in error, removed

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 9:02 AM CST

It seems that the excitement was a bit preemptive. Microsoft has removed the ability to download and play Red Dead Redemption from the Xbox store, saying that they were made available by some sort of error.

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb did take to Reddit to explain that RDR is currently in a testing phase, though that along with a few other games, they were accidentally made public. "Due to an error, some of the games currently in test were accidentally made available. We have since removed access to those games, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We will have more information on upcoming releases soon."

The good news is that we'll eventually be seeing it be available, though it's not quite clear when. The original story is still posted below for your convenience.

Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption backwards compatibility done in error, removed (full post)

New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 8:34 AM CST

As an avid Fallout 4 PC player, my appetite for mods is quite voracious; I'm always eager to try on the newest arsenal of weapons and armor, and revel in new content. So naturally when I saw ex-Vault Dwellers can now dress up as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3, I instantly smashed the download link.

New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 crossover Fallout 4 mod adds two different outfits from Geralt's sleek witcher wardrobe: the infamous battle dress seen in the game's promos, and his casual garb. Ren, the mod's creator, actually uses CD Projekt RED's own authentic models and textures from The Witcher 3.

Sadly, Geralt's infamous monster-slaying twin-blades aren't included in the mod, but we do get to use his crossbow. Before you get too excited, the crossbow doesn't shoot bolts, and instead acts like a pipe pistol when fired.

Continue reading: New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3 (full post)

Titanfall 2 getting a grounded, dirty and human single-player campaign

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 7:31 AM CST

The lead writer for Titanfall 2, Jesse Stern, revealed quite a few telling and potentially positive details about the upcoming game in an interview he recently had with Forbes.

One of the positives, Stern explained, is the inclusion of a single-player campaign, an often criticized element that was missing in the first game. Furthermore, Stern wants it to be a more realistic story, something that builds upon the already good mythos that was little used in the first. He says it'll be "grounded, dirty, human and real."

Stern explained what's influencing their narrative direction. "What inspires us is the junction of technological advancement with the inevitability of conflict and war and what the next war might look like. In Titanfall 2 there will be a lot of [scenes] where science meets magic, but keeping it grounded and dirty and human and real."

Continue reading: Titanfall 2 getting a grounded, dirty and human single-player campaign (full post)

The Division on PC is held back, as it would be 'unfair' to consoles

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 4:09 AM CST

Back in 2013, we wrote a story about The Division developer Massive Entertainment saying that their Snowdrop Engine-powered game would stand out on the PC, and "won't be a port". Yeah, well, how times have changed.

Now we have a story with an unnamed developer saying that the cross-platform development on the game did have an effect on the PC version of The Division. The developer said that the Snowdrop Engine has "a lot of potential", to which he was asked if they were ever restricted with how far they could push the game because of the differing platforms between consoles and the PC.

The unnamed Ubisoft developer said: "It is definitely a [factor]. But one good thing about The Division is that we've always considered PC as a separate platform. I've worked on projects before where the PC version's a port from a console, so it carries those limitations over, but we've always been in the mind that we'll have a dedicated PC build, so it hasn't really held it back too much".

Continue reading: The Division on PC is held back, as it would be 'unfair' to consoles (full post)

Take to the campaign trail with The Political Machine 2016

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 6, 2016 7:03 AM CST

The Political Machine 2016, from Stardock, gives you the chance to play as nearly a dozen different candidates, including such favorites as Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and of course quite a few others. If that doesn't quite float your boat, then you can also choose to create your own custom candidate, with all your own custom avatar and background information.

"The game deals with topics like the Keystone XL Pipeline, human trafficking, and other issues that are current and relevant to this year's election," said producer Patrick Shaw. "We've added a poll tracking feature so that you can see how your own political races are matching up to what's going on in the United States right now."

You'll also get the opportunity to be interviewed on various talk shows to raise their ratings in the polls. Torrid affairs, natural disasters, email scandals, and other random events will keep you guessing, and you better be ready to deal with all those unexpected problems. So do you think you're ready to try to become the President of the US? What a fantastic time to release a game that lets you explore the depths of the political system.

Continue reading: Take to the campaign trail with The Political Machine 2016 (full post)

Rise of the Tomb Raider's latest patch improves HBAO+, and more

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 6, 2016 2:08 AM CST

Now that Rise of the Tomb Raider has reached the PC, the latest patch for the game has dropped and includes some fixes for critical issues like startup problems, and more.

The patch improves support for SLI users with NVIDIA GeForce video cards, with the SLI glitches with water/snow effects fixed. There's improved HBAO+ quality, and a "variety of fixes and improvements to UI including map, basecamps, and Remnant Resistance mode". The full list, we have below:

Startup issues (Steam Only):

Continue reading: Rise of the Tomb Raider's latest patch improves HBAO+, and more (full post)

Twitter has shut down over 125,000 accounts for promoting terrorism

Sean Ridgeley | Internet & Websites | Feb 5, 2016 11:57 PM CST

In a new blog post, Twitter has revealed that it has shut down over 125,000 user accounts since mid-2015 for promoting terrorism, particularly terrorism related to ISIS. The company reminds that while it values free speech, terrorist threats and any violent threats for that matter are forbidden on its service.

"Like most people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups," it writes. "We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on our service."

"As an open platform for expression, we have always sought to strike a balance between the enforcement of our own Twitter Rules covering prohibited behaviors. The legitimate needs of law enforcement, and the ability of users to share their views freely - including views that some people may disagree with or find offensive."

Continue reading: Twitter has shut down over 125,000 accounts for promoting terrorism (full post)

Google AI, Go champ match will be broadcast live on YouTube in March

Last week, Google's DeepMind AI beat the European champion of the board game Go. Following that, it promptly set its sights on world champion Lee Sedol. Happily, you'll be able to watch the upcoming match on YouTube, where it will be broadcast live.

A date has been set, too: March 9 through March 15 is when the $1 million match will go down.

Of the match, Sedol says, "I have heard that Google DeepMind's AI is surprisingly strong and getting stronger, but I am confident that I can win, at least this time," indicating he's taken note of the rapid progress Google has made and expects it will continue to make.

Continue reading: Google AI, Go champ match will be broadcast live on YouTube in March (full post)

Fable Legends will use foliage physics to increase visual fidelity

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 5, 2016 10:58 PM CST

There is considerable hype surround Fable Legends, thanks to its use of DirectX 12 - being up to 40% faster under DX12 - but now we're hearing that the team at Lionhead Studios will feature some trickery to get the visual fidelity of the game improved.

Lionhead is making good use of foliage physics to "increase the richness of ground surface cover", which is something Lionhead Studios' Senior Programmer, Sam Swain, will be discussing at GDC 2016 next month. During a session called "Creating Lush Dynamic Procedural Foliage for Fable Legends", the description for the session teased "To continue to push the boundaries of visual fidelity for Fable Legends, we have worked to increase the richness of ground surface cover and accelerate artist authoring workflow".

The description continues: "The talk will describe the various procedural tools and techniques, in-editor and at run-time, that have been employed to provide a fully dynamic mesh instancing system, non-destructive surface editing capabilities, and the power that such tools bring. There will be many examples of what has been achieved and learned from adopting these approaches and how they have behaved alongside the more traditional approaches also used".

Continue reading: Fable Legends will use foliage physics to increase visual fidelity (full post)