News::'Oddworld' goes dark with sequel 'Soulstorm'

The Oddworld games have always had something to say about the world we live in, but despite tackling themes like environmental destruction at the hands of ruthless corporations. But despite the heavy material, the games themselves were pretty bright and colorful. Oddworld: Soulstorm could change that. Soulstorm picks up immediately following the events of last year's New and Tasty remaster of the first game and sees returning protagonist Abe leading some 300 liberated Mudokon brethren through the desert.

Source: Oddworld

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News::What's on your HDTV: 'Daredevil,' 'Pee-Wee' and March Madness

This week the annual NCAA men's basketball tournament begins, so it's time to prepare your bracket. Still, before the games get fully under way this weekend, Netflix has a loaded lineup with season two of its Daredevil Marvel series, Pee-Wee's Big Holiday and even season two of Happy Valley. Game of Thrones fans can pick up season five or Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine on Blu-ray, while gamers can look forward to UFC 2 or Pokken Tournament. I tried the former over the last week and still couldn't quite grasp the controls, but maybe you'll have an easier time. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

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News::We're live at GDC 2016!

SXSW Interactive isn't the only tech event happening this week. Over the next few days, we'll also be in San Francisco, bringing you the latest news from the Game Developers Conference 2016. The 30th edition of the show will feature more virtual reality than your brain can handle, as well as plenty of other stuff from the traditional gaming world. While the official GDC Expo doesn't start until March 16th, there are already panel discussions happening today, and Sony's big exhibition is tomorrow. PSVR launch date and pricing, anyone?

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News::The LucidSound LS-30 is a gaming headset for the style conscious

Last month when I was putting together a list of gaming headsets worth buying, I spent a lot of time reading about audio quality. Which headsets delivered the best highs and lows for music, how clear were the sound effects and how immersive was the surround sound? There was also plenty of talk of how each headset looked and, though plenty were deemed passable, "beautiful" and "gorgeous" are words I didn't hear often. Though there's a plethora of attractive high-end headphones on the market, the same can't really be said for gaming headsets. LucidSound, the new company from the founders of headset maker Tritton, is aiming to change that. Its $150 LS-30 headset packs clear, balanced sound into a pair of gorgeous cans that don't scream "LAN party at my house!"

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News::'Fallout 4's' first DLC trailer is big on killer robots

If you've already explored every nook and cranny of Fallout 4, you'll soon have some new territory to cover. Bethesda announced today that its first piece of DLC, Automatron, will launch on on PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 on March 22. And if you couldn't tell by the title or trailer below, it's all about robots. It centers on a new villain, the Mechanist, who unleashes killer machines across the Commonwealth. Luckily, you'll also be able to build your own bots to fight back. The DLC will run you $10, or you can snag the Fallout 4 season pass for $50 (early buyers got that for $30).

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News::Google wants you to livestream Android games

Google is about to introduce some behind-the-scenes frameworks that should make playing and sharing Android games considerably easier. On top of expanding Android game recording to let developers add the feature themselves (due in the "coming months"), it's adding a live streaming feature. If you want to share your Alto's Adventure exploits on YouTube as they happen, it'll be an option. Details aren't available as I write this, but it could do a lot to expand the live game streaming community beyond console and PC players.

Source: Android Developers Blog

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News::Microsoft will let Xbox, PC gamers play online with other platforms

It finally happened. Microsoft is officially opening up its network gaming capabilities, allowing developers to have Xbox One and Windows 10 games play online with other console and PC platforms. Yes, we could soon live in a world where Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players could fight each other to the death outside of comment sections (if Sony actually agrees to cooperate). It's entirely up to developers to implement this cross-platform capability, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up getting widely adopted. Psyonix's Rocket League will be the first game to take advantage of the feature, starting with Xbox One/PC network play later this spring.

Source: Psyonix

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News::Google AI finally loses to Go world champion

At last, humanity is on the scoreboard. After three consecutive losses, Go world champion Lee Sedol has beaten Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, in the fourth game of their five-game series. DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis notes that the AI lost thanks to its delayed reaction to a slip-up: it slipped on the 79th turn, but didn't realize the extent of its mistake (and thus adapt its playing style) until the 87th move. The human win won't change the results of the challenge -- Google is donating the $1 million prize to charity rather than handing it to Lee. Still, it's a symbolic victory in a competition that some had expected AlphaGo to completely dominate.

Source: Reuters

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News::'TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan' kicks some shell on May 24th

If you're a fan of Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo and Michelangelo -- the heroic green Turtles that is, not the artists -- we've got some good news for you. The upcoming Mutants in Manhattan game from Bayonetta developer Platinum has a release date now and a fresh trailer showing off some of the gang's high-octane battles. The action brawler will be available digitally and physically on May 24th -- just before TMNT 2 hits theaters -- and promises a stylised blend of cel-shaded graphics and lightning fast combat.

Source: IGN

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News::Microsoft wants you to train AI with 'Minecraft'

AI has mastered the complex game Go, and if you're willing to teach the machines to beat you at Minecraft, too, Microsoft wants your help. Researchers from Project AIX want to use the open-world game to improve its artificial intelligence systems. Unlike Go, which is very rule-specific, Minecraft requires what researchers call "general intelligence," a formidable challenge for deep learning systems. "Minecraft is the perfect platform for this kind of research because it's this very open world," says Katja Hofmann from Microsoft's Cambridge labs.

Via: BBC

Source: Microsoft

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