News:: Comments of the Week 14: From this time, unchained

Hello my little sheep, FakePlasticTree here yet again to bring you this week's edition of Comments of the Week. I know this is sudden/random but here's some alcohol trivia to compliment the new theme:

Beer is a beverage that is made by fertilizing  malt with animal manure, as well as factory-made nutrients. Although, some breweries have found a way to produce beer by malting barley with human urine into a perfectly-consumable beverage. The beers themselves don't contain any actual human waste, only the necessary nutrients to make the malt grow like a normal beer. The manufacturers have dubbed it "beercycling" as it functions as a way of preventing attendees of various European Festivals from leaking into the wild, which harms the environment in the long term, but instead have them turn it into a valid resource for making more beer. Think about that next time you consume an eco-beer.

And that was the alcohol trivia of this week. Let's get to the comments!

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News:: Paranormal thriller 'Oxenfree' teased for Nintendo Switch

We love Oxenfree around these parts. The paranormal thriller captures the awkwardness of being a teenager incredibly well, tasking players to uncover the mystery of an abandoned military base while managing relationships with friends along for the ride. It's already available on mobile, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the developers at Night School Studio have started teasing that it'll appear on Nintendo Switch as well.

Source: Night School Studio

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News:: War for the Planet of the Apes is getting a big Oscar push

When the first Planet of the Apes prequels (they're prequels to the Heston originals, not remakes) landed there was a lot of buzz about Andy Serkis getting a Best Actor nomination for his motion capture role as Caesar. That didn't happen. Then the second, and even better, movie came out with an even stronger performance from Serkis. Still nothing. And now the third movie,War for the Planet of the Apes, has come with probably his best performance yet, and is the best film of a fantastic trilogy, and 20th Century Fox wants to make sure the academy is paying attention, damn it. 

According to Deadline the studio is making a massive push (of which the Deadline story is no doubt a part) to get the film nominated for a Best Picture, Best Director, and a Best Screenplay nomination while also desperately trying to find some way to get Serkis some sort of award since the Oscars simply won't allow a motion capture performance to be nominated. They want to get the ball rolling with an award for Serkis at SAG or from a critics group, and hopefully parlay that into a special award for Serkis' performance, like the one the original Planet of the Apes won for best makeup. Why the hell the Academy won't get the stick out of its butt and just let a motion capture performance be nominated is beyond me, but here we are.

Of course the Academy is also bemoan to award any big budget genre movies that don't have to do with WWII, even if they are as spectacularly grounded and well made as War. It'll be an uphill battle for Fox then, who thinks that once members see the film it will speak for itself. But that's part of the problem. In relation to other summer blockbuster, War didn't really draw in the crowds. It is true, however, that it's easily one of the most thought-provoking films to come out these year, dramatic or not, and that critics, and those that saw it, absolutely loved it. 

It will be interesting to see if Fox can pull this off, and if they do do you think it even deserves it?

Oscars: Fox Plans Big Best Picture Push For ‘War For The Planet Of The Apes’; Peter Chernin Says The Time Has Come [Deadline]

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News:: Review: Distrust

If science-fiction, good or bad, has taught me anything, it's that you should never work on an Arctic research base. It's too cold, you hate everybody, and there's usually an alien hanging outside with a penchant for human skin.

Luckily for us, Distrust changes that perception. It's a game where you spend your days researching snowflakes and nothing ever goes wrong. Ha ha ha, I lie. But it's still a great game, where sleep is most definitely for the weak.

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News:: Nintendo ordered to pay $10 million in Wii patent lawsuit

Today, a Dallas jury awarded iLife Technologies $10 million in its patent infringement lawsuit against Nintendo of America. The suit, which was brought forth in 2013, alleged that Nintendo used iLife's technology when creating its motion-sensing Wii Remote.

Via: Gamasutra

Source: Rolling Stone, Scribd

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News:: River City: Rival Showdown will be releasing on 3DS this fall

River City just won't die! The game that has had us barfing for the last two decades is getting another new installment this year, though this time it will be on the 3DS...it's also not Knights of Justice that I reported on in May. This new game, called River City: Rival Showdown, is more like the original title in that it is an RPG styled beat em up with a slightly open-ended design structure.

In a lot of ways, Rival Showdown is actually a remake of the NES classic. It features the same storyline, but includes new paths and endings for players to discover. Along with that, there is co-op support, a Double Dragon styled fighting game and multiple difficulty levels! Sadly, online support is out, but that isn't the worst thing in the world (River City Ransom: Underground has some shoddy netcode).

The game will be releasing at some point in November for $29.99. Thankfully, Natsume has wised up and is making a physical edition for the game. If you opt to go that route, you'll also get a keychain when you grab the title. Hopefully its just the word "BARF!" or a character getting his ass kicked, because I would totally be down for that.

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News:: Watch a British reporter completely lose his shit in The Slide

The whole thing is funny, but you've gotta skip to 1:07 to get to the good stuff.

The Slide uses a simple wooden platform that tilts and shakes to make you feel like you're actually flying down a gigantic transparent slide in the sky. Coupled with a VR headset the effect is downright horrifying! This video aired on Good Morning Britain this morning ... and in zero seconds flat were Youtube comments disabled. Poor fella.

Lucky folks in London can go check this out at The Shard right now, which is already a tall real-world structure to get you in the mood. They have two games: A title ripoff inspired by Namco-Bandai's Fear of Heights: The Show, and The Slide. Both seem to run on Oculus Rift and some custom jiggering. Like with all VR arcades, you're probably going to want to book your reservation in advance or it's going to be a savage queue.

It's morbidly satisfying to watch a full grown man get this worked up over a videogame, isn't it? Richard's a champ in my book for sticking with it all the way through. I'm dying to try this!

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News:: Summer Lesson is getting an all new waifu

If you played Summer Lesson: Allison Snow, you may have heard from Ms. Ukai of a "lady living in large mansion." Turns out that lady is your newest student waifu, Chisato Shinjo. Bandai Namco is being a tease however, only showing a silhouette for now. They also teased that for Chisato's game, there will be "several, unpredictable inventions of new virtual reality experiences."

Just what kind of unpredictable inventions and new VR experiences can there be? Keep your thoughts clear and pure, boys.

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News:: Nintendo reveals Star Fox 2 manual and design documents

Manuals may be fading away, but maybe they'll get one last hurrah as Nintendo has uploaded a full manual to Star Fox 2; the same kind of manual we used to expect to come with each new game. It details the story, characters, controls, features, and mechanics with brand new images (some animated).

Also uploaded are design documents for the overall game design as well as ship designs from June 19, 1995. They're all in Japanese, but you can get a gist of what they're showing and describing.

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News:: Second ‘Battlefield 1’ DLC deploys on September 19th

At Gamescom last week, EA showed off a timeline of future expansions headed to Battlefield 1, including the next to come, In The Name of the Tsar. The game's second DLC just got a global release date on September 19th, but players who bought the Premium Pass can load it up two weeks early on September 5th. Even if you don't care about the extra content, tech heads might want to buy it for another added feature: HDR10 support.

Source: 'Battlefield 1' website (news)

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News:: Review: Windjammers

The Neo Geo was a seriously underrated piece of hardware. It may not have been popular in its heyday, but the machine has earned a well-deserved cult following over the years from its extremely tight and eclectic collection of games. Things like Metal Slug and King of Fighters are synonymous with the device, but there are a bunch of oft-kilter classics that most people have never heard of.

Windjammers is one such game. Basically mixing air hockey with Street Fighter, I’m truly surprised I had never even heard of the game until earlier this year. Originally released in 1994 from Data East, the game is so fast-paced and intense that multiplayer brawls feel like all-out duels to the death.

Sadly, this new port’s updated online features really hurt the overall appeal of buying the game on non-native hardware.

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News:: We wish 'Destiny 2' looked as good as this live action trailer

Are you getting excited about the upcoming launch of space-shooter Destiny 2? If the impactful shared-world experience doesn't grab you and the themed PS4 Pro bundle is out of your reach, this new trailer might help ratchet up your anticipation. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts of Kong: Skull Island fame, the Destiny 2 live-action trailer has robot Nathan Fillion exhorting three new recruits to find the big guns and take back the Earth from "a psycho rhino named Ghaul."

Source: Bungie/YouTube

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News:: Katamari creator's new game Wattam is set for 2018

Wattam, the whimsical new game from Katamari Damacy's Keita Takahashi, is still happening. Phew. I was getting worried there! The last time I played the hard-to-pin-down game was back in 2015.

Funomena has partnered with publisher Annapurna Interactive for a 2018 release on "console and PC."

What is Wattam, exactly? You take control of different almost toy-liked characters -- say, a doughnut and a coffee cup, or a toilet and a turd -- and you work to get them to hold hands and be friends. Or, something like that. This is a Takahashi joint through and through. It's much better seen than described.

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News:: Review: Madden 18

As the start of the football season looms, the annual Madden arrives on store shelves. This year's edition is a bit different though. Of course most of what's here is the same Madden fans are used to with roster updates, and even the newer Ultimate Team mode. The big addition, however, is a story mode following QB Devin Wade as he tries to make an NFL roster.

The story mode, titled Longshot, is much more than just some cutscenes shoved between regular games. It's similar to the story mode in NBA 2K14 (and I assume newer entries) in that there are adventure game-like choices to make, but it's far more in-depth than some dialogue choices between full games, and thus is much better.

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News:: Microsoft unlocked 1080p Mixer game streaming on Xbox One

Testers have had their hands on the customizable Xbox One interface for a bit, and Microsoft has listened to their suggestions. Specifically, the home screen now supports up to 40 pinned items and your background image will be easier to see, according to a post on the Xbox forums. More than that, you can broadcast your gameplay via Mixer at 1080p. There are a handful of other tweaks (like support for Arabic and Hebrew languages), so be sure to check the links below. Or, if you're a member of the Alpha Ring preview, the patch might already be on your console.

Via: Windows Central

Source: Xbox forums

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News:: Puzzle Fighter is back...in mobile form

Capcom announced they're bringing back Puzzle Fighter for iOS and Android. The sequel title will feature the classic puzzle gameplay we remember, but with some new twists like two assist characters. You'll be able to use chibi versions of Street Fighter's Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li, Darkstalkers' Morrigan, Resident Evil's Jill, Mega Man X, Devil May Cry's Dante, and Dead Rising's Frank West and Chuck Greene. 

There's not much footage beyond this very brief cinematic, but I'm very excited about this. It's one step away from the truly special series, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix (Pocket Fighter in Japan)  and I can't wait to use chibis again. I'm normally not someone who clamors for specific consoles, but I'd definitely see this going over successfully on Nintendo Switch. 

Regardless, Puzzle Fighter will launch on mobile devices sometime later this year. 

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News:: Zen Pinball's upcoming Jaws table gets trailer

Despite the enormous range of movies that have received pinball machine adaptations, Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic Jaws was not one of them, even though it's a snug theme for it.

Zen Pinball is fixing to rectify this situation, as Jaws will be coming to the updated Pinball FX3, when it launches later this year. Jaws will be the first of three Universal Studios-themed tables planned for the acclaimed simulator, to be followed by E.T. and Back to the Future at a later date.

The new table features buoy pop-bumpers, a ship's wheel housed in the left outlane and a shark cage scoop. A 3D model of Robert Shaw's grizzled shark hunter, Quint, leaps to and fro about the top of the playfield, awaiting the titular great white shark's appearance. As with all Pinball FX licensed tables, there's some questionable impersonations going on for the callouts, but that's all part of the fun.

No signs of Roy Scheider's Chief Brody or Richard Dreyfuss' biologist Hooper unfortunately. We also seem to be getting a pretty-close-but-not-quite rendition of the iconic John Williams theme. We can expect a selection of modes based on scenes from the movie, as well as several multi-balls and a "Raging Sea" feature, which rocks the table.

Jaws will be released for Pinball FX3 when it launches later this year on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The majority of tables purchased for previous Pinball FX games will carry over, although several as yet unnamed tables will not, due to licensing reasons.

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News:: Go grab a free weapon from Zelda: Breath of the Wild's news channel promotion

Nintendo is still rolling out their SpotPass-esque "news" service on Switch, starting with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with a few minor gifts in tow. Earlier this month you could tap on a news article within the Switch's UI and get some free in-game food, and now, you can snag a free weapon.

To take part in the promotion all you need to do is hit the "tips from the wild" icon and bam, you'll get a free boomerang. Oddly enough this weapon type kind of needs a tip section, as a lot of people I've met are confused as to how they work (you press R to throw, then catch them as they return with A).

As a reminder, this gift is only valid on the Switch platform as the Wii U doesn't have the same news functionality. The release of Breath of the Wild 1.0 truly was its swan song!

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News:: '80s Tomy toy turned into mini OutRun arcade cab

A British electronics wiz, Matt Brailsford, also known as "CircuitBeard" has created a fully working mini-arcade of Sega's 1986 legendary racer, OutRun, out of a classic children's toy.

Beginning with the vintage "Tomy Turnin' Turbo Dash", originally manufactured in 1983, CircuitBeard created the mini-masterpiece by installing a Raspberry Pi feature the game's ROM, as well as entirely overhauling the cute dashboard to feature real-time indicators, headlights and a speedometer. A speaker was installed so you could hear the dulcet tones of Magical Sound Shower, as well as a 3.5 inch HDMI screen to replace the original unit's LCD display.

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