Sunday, May 27, 2018

News:: Three charged in deadly Call of Duty swatting case

(Photo credit: John B. Snyder)

Three people are looking at federal charges in the US in connection with the death of Andrew Finch, 28, outside of his property after a SWAT team was called to his house. Tyler Barriss, who went under the handle of "SWAuTistic", has already been charged with making the hoax call that led to Finch's house being "swatted". He already has a history of calling in hoax bomb threats to schools and a local TV station, which saw him spend two years in a county jail.

The co-accused, Shane Gaskill and Casey Viner, had an argument over a mere $1.50 bet on a Call of Duty game. Viner decided to enlist Barriss' services to get back at Gaskill, given that Barriss was, at the time, allegedly operating as a swatter for hire. This would be bad enough, but Gaskill apparently tricked the pair by giving out his old address, a house which his family had since rented out to another family.

Cue a SWAT team arriving on scene at the Finch household, believing that the occupant had murdered their father, had the rest of their family at gunpoint and was threatening to douse the entire property in petrol. Andrew Finch was understandably unaware of what was going on and reached for his belt when he was stopped by the police, resulting in an officer shooting him. Andrew Finch was unarmed, and died from his gunshot wound. 

Barriss has now been charged with involuntary manslaughter, a charge the prosecution goes for when there is sufficient evidence of causing death by way of reckless or grossly negligent behaviour. Presumably, Barriss is not facing a murder charge because it is unclear that he intended the death of Finch or whoever he swatted. He is still looking at up to eleven years in prison under Kansas sentencing laws.

Viner and Gaskill are looking at similar charges and sentences, given that they facilitated the shooting of Finch but presumably did not intend to kill or severely injure him, or there is probably not enough evidence of such intent. The police officer in question may also be facing charges for shooting too rashly, but this has not yet been decided.

The case is being looked at by tech journalists around the world as an example of how criminal law is responding to new and unusual behaviour involving gaming and streaming: not just because it is a clear-cut case of the worst possible outcome from swatting, but because of the utterly senseless and horrifying nature of the circumstances surrounding the death.

Three charged in deadly Call of Duty swatting case screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/three-charged-in-deadly-call-of-duty-swatting-case-504688.phtml

News:: Giant PC game sale: Square Enix, Ubisoft and Deep Silver titles up to 80% off

Digital retailer GMG has been running a giant "Birthday Sale" since the middle of the month to celebrate their corporate birthday. Because corporations are people too, dammit. If you're new to PC gaming (there's more than Fortnite, really) - this is a great time to beef up the gaming library. As the sale comes to an end, you can still grab cheap PC games from publishers such as Square Enix, Ubisoft, Deep Silver, NIS America, and many more. Plus, GMG is also discounting all recent releases by 25% off.

While hundreds of games are on sale, we'll list some of the top picks per publishers to make your browsing life easier.

From Ubisoft, we think you should check out Assassin's Creed Origins Gold Edition for $46 - this gets you all content available for less than the previous Standard Edition list price; Rainbow Six Siege for $17, because seriously why grind it out with the Starter Edition; and Call of Juarez Bound in Blood for $2, because it's pretty damn good game.

For Square Enix titles, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration for $14.85 is a no-brainer; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deluxe Edition is an excellent game for only $6.75; and everyone should have Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition in their Steam library for $3.37.

In Deep Silver titles, Metro Redux Bundle is a must-have, and if you're into zombie bashing, Dead Island Definitive Edition or Dead Island Riptide Definitive Edition are both good pick-ups.

For new games that are 25% off, Frostpunk, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and Battletech are all worth checking out. Finally, they have a "Best of the Rest" section and we've rounded up some of the top picks below such as $7.50 Tabletop Simulator, A Hat in Time for under $17, PC Building Simulator for $13.49, and tons of 

The sale runs through May 31st so you'll have about 5 days remaining to snag up the savings. Note that you'll need to use specific coupons depending on the publishers and sale category, see below for details or check the full list of the sale with price history here.

New Releases

Use coupon: OUTNOW25

"Best of the Rest" Games

Use coupon: BOTR25

Square Enix Games

Use coupon: SE25

Ubisoft Games

Use coupon: UBI15

Assassin's Creed

Far Cry

For Honor

Might & Magic

Prince of Persia

Steep + The Crew

Tom Clancy

Watch Dogs

Other Ubisoft Titltes

Deep Silver Games

Use coupon: DS25

NIS America Games

Use coupon: NIS27

IdeaFactory Games

Use coupon: BOTR25

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Giant PC game sale: Square Enix, Ubisoft and Deep Silver titles up to 80% off screenshot



via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/giant-pc-game-sale-square-enix-ubisoft-and-deep-silver-titles-up-to-80-off-504021.phtml

News:: PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List

[With the release of Dark Souls: Remastered, we've finally come full circle: the dumb joke I put in the title and the references to Jolly Cooperation are once again timely and hip. I'm not old and out of touch, I was merely biding my time!

-but seriously, are you all having fun with Remastered? The PC version is having some issues with hackers, but it's great to have people playing it again.

The List will continue being updated as long as there is a use and demand for it.  -Panda]

Good morning/afteroon/tomorrow, my Friends/Robots/Gardevoir/-Current Dtoid Meme Here-

It has been made aware to me that, just perhaps, you all enjoy video games. It might even be said that you... like to game with others? Now now, don't be that way, I don't mean to lump you into some sort of box. You're all just such lovely folks, it pains me to watch you, struggling in vain to connect with each other, striving to engage in...

PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/prepare-to-friendship-dtoid-s-master-gaming-contact-list-376128.phtml

News:: What do you want revealed at E3 2018?

E3 is roughly two weeks away and it’s promising to be one hell of a show. We already know a bit about what’s being shown, and there will no doubt be 500 more “leaks” between now and when the show officially opens, but part of the joy in the lead up to the show are the “what ifs.” Those games that remain a glimmer in your eye, your secret want that you know might not happen but you can’t help but holding onto hope that you and whoever makes the decisions about what games are made are operating at the same wavelength.

Last year I asked for WarioWare Switch, saying I’d even be happy for a game that was like Rhythm Heaven Megamix that brought the greatest micro-games from the franchise into one package. Turns out I got my wish with WarioWare Gold, just not on the console I was expecting. I can’t wait for that to be on my 3DS, which brings me to my big wish for the show: I want one final, big game for the 3DS. Not a port, not a remake -- though the rumored one to be announced during the Treehouse broadcast sounds juicy -- but an honest-to-God, big, new game for the handheld.

I know that’s probably a lot to ask for as all of the Nintendo games in the works for it are ports and remakes. And there is nothing wrong with a really good remake. Metroid: Samus Returns is a great game, but I maxed out Ever Oasis. It’s honestly one of my favorite games for the system and I’d simply be amazed if there is one final game in the works for it that can strike gold the same way it did. Nintendo said it has stuff in the pipeline for the 3DS, though who knows what that will be after Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey. As someone who is going to play their 3DS until it absolutely dies, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for one last hurrah.

What do you want revealed at E3 2018? screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/what-do-you-want-revealed-at-e3-2018--503968.phtml

News:: Views from the East: Free-to-play and Microtransactions

Fifteen years ago I fell in love with a frog. And no, it's not a tale of myself being an Asian prince, and a warts-covered green amphibian turning into a princess. It was, literally, a frog -- a J. Frog if you will.

This frog was from a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game known as Gunbound, a Worms clone for the most part if Worms had entertained me at all and if every selected character was unique. It was a turn-based game where players' avatars rode on mobile vehicles and attempted to shoot each other down with an assortment of attacks. The J. Frog that was my go-to mobile -- a green frog which spat out globules of green or pink goo which rolled a certain direction while damaging your opponent. It was neither the strongest nor the best, but to me, it was the quirkiest and the most fun to use.

Views from the East: Free-to-play and Microtransactions screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/views-from-the-east-free-to-play-and-microtransactions-504280.phtml

News:: Cinema's greatest tandem is coming back for another film

It's been 17 years since Jay and Silent Bob had their feature film in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and now they'll be back for round two. During a Q&A, Kevin Smith announced the return of the dynamic duo in a film to be titled Jay & Silent Reboot, a movie that pokes fun at sequels and reboots altogether. This is some good news for Smith fans, as his recent endeavors into sequels for Mallrats (first as a movie, then a TV show) and Clerks 3 have come to a dead-end. 

Cinema's greatest tandem is coming back for another film screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/cinema-s-greatest-tandem-is-coming-back-for-another-film-504766.phtml

News:: SNK's Metal Slug XX blowing up on PS4 this week

SNK have announced that their classic ballistic shooter, Metal Slug XX, will arrive on PS4 this week, a new trailer was also released to celebrate the return of the Sony PSP hit.

The PS4 release will feature two player co-op via SharePlay, a list of 30 trophies, and a selection of visual filters in order to recreate the effect of an arcade cab or even an old-school CRT television sets. For those who prefer their action unfiltered, this new release has been remastered to glorious 4K, a first for the series.

Best of all, King of Fighters veteran and Greatest Video Game Girl of All Time, Leona Heidern, is unlocked and ready to select from the off, teamed with fellow Ikari Warriors Ralf and Clark, this gives you a total of seven fun characters to choose from. The PS4 release retains the Mission Mode from the original, where players can take on over 70 challenges.

Metal Slug XX will be available to download on PS4 on May 29, priced around $20.

SNK's Metal Slug XX blowing up on PS4 this week screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/snk-s-metal-slug-xx-blowing-up-on-ps4-this-week-504869.phtml

News:: GDPR Sonic the Hedgehog tweet references 'new game announcement'

Hi, The Industry's Chris Moyse has updated his privacy policy, to continue reading my articles you must... Haha, not really! Like those emails! amirite? Anyway, the official Sonic the Hedgehog twitter account made its own GDPR pun this weekend, while teasing an upcoming announcement at the same time.

The four-panel cartoon sees the spiky one receive a message on his Robotnik-themed communicator, which simply turns out to be another message referencing the new European laws that passed last week. Accompanying the image is a message stating that "We’ve updated our Privacy Policy. As part of our ongoing efforts to prepare for our new game announcement, as well as release Sonic Mania Adventures Part 3 this month."

It looks like Sega are holding on until the approach of E3 to drop the big news. It is, of course, extremely likely that said new game will be the new Sonic racing title, that was teased back in March and rumoured even longer before then. As Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing Transformed was a really solid game, I'm looking forward to seeing what the new title has in store.

Sonic Mania Adventures is currently available to watch on YouTube.

GDPR Sonic the Hedgehog tweet references 'new game announcement' screenshot



via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/gdpr-sonic-the-hedgehog-tweet-references-new-game-announcement--504867.phtml

News:: Ben Heck's 'Oregon Trail' portable game teardown

It's not a Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft console for a change. It's a dedicated portable game console: one that only plays Oregon Trail. First, Ben takes apart a store-bought game to find out how it runs. Then, Felix the sudo Sergeant steps in with his Linux knowledge to communicate with the hardware using the i2c protocol so that they can hack away at the eeprom. What hardware do you want to see the team teardown? Have you modified anything yourself? Let the team know over on the element14 Community.



via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/05/27/ben-hecks-oregon-trail-portable-game-teardown/