Ryan “icculus” Gordon has released Wolfenstein 3-D: Alt-Right Edition, it’s a in-browser version of Wolfenstein 3D where you can punch nazis like modern-day heroes punching real-life Nazi, Richard Spencer. Click here to go play. Ryan warns that it probably won’t work on phones, and points out the itch.io hosted Nazi Punching game jam for anyone who wants to make their own Nazi punching extravaganza.
Danny O’Dwyer‘s noclip has a 2nd documentary series out, this time it’s going to hell with id Software’s DOOM.
After leaving Gamespot, Danny O’Dwyer started a crowdfunded campaign to make video game documentaries. This is Noclip’s first documentary series and it’s about Psyonix’s Rocket League.
In the past Valve has had a policy of not allowing software onto Steam for violating some unwritten policy about nudity. The only examples I know of are for games containing drawn nudity. Developers who want to work around this policy offer a different version of the game on Steam and a patch on the side to re-enable the content. It’s a bad solution because it means that Steam users could be missing out on the full experience. One recently released game seems to have changed this policy for Valve, or at least they didn’t apply it to that game.
Two days ago another product was released on Steam, for VR headsets, called Dating Lessons.
Let’s break down the description from the developer:
!Dating Lessons developed by Cerevrum Inc. is the very first VR course on dating which will give a man the skillset to build a dating life he wishes for.
Not sure why they put that exclamation mark in there. Everyone could use some help feeling confident and understanding relationships. That isn’t terrible.
Men are expected to be always strong, confident and charming. But it is not easy at all!
Ok, they have defined a huge problem with being a man in our culture and finding confidence in oneself. Maybe this software could help people better themselves. Let’s keep reading!
How to approach a woman? What to say to be interesting and charming? With the help of Magic Leone, a professional coach with 10+ years of experience teaching dating skills, every man will overcome his low-esteem and shyness.
11 lectures and 7 practical interactive sessions will give men tools to enhance their power of attraction and develop behavior patterns to handle stress and excessive worrying.
Don’t miss a chance to have an unforgettable VR experience. Following these simple hacks and cheat codes can change your dating life forever.your dating life forever.
Uh. What?
Magic Leone?
Hacks and cheat codes?
The typo at the end of repeating themselves I can forgive, but relationships aren’t a game and there aren’t “hacks” and “cheat codes” for life.
Maybe English isn’t the first language of the developer, let’s look at the screenshots.
Well, the screenshots didn’t help things. Let’s look at one of Magic Leone’s websites:
Well, I think we know what kind of guy Magic Leone is now. We also find out on this page that he can teach men to become a “SEX GOD.” That was his emphasis that made it uppercase. Lets check out one of his testimonial videos:
I only made it 25 seconds in, when the blurred gentlemen – most of the testimonial videos feature men who are blurred out, presumably because they refused to be depicted – told us he won’t accept “no” for an answer from women. Here’s a cheat code, that makes him a rapist and a terrible person.
Other stores, like Walmart, have a long history of only stocking their shelves with music that is edited to remove language that Walmart doesn’t like. Apple rejected The Binding of Isaac from their iOS App Store only to let it through about a year later without any alteration. There’s a whole page up on Wikipedia about other media that Apple has rejected, and in some cases later allowed through. It’s up to each business to decide what they want to sell, set their policies appropriately, and hopefully enforce those policies fairly.
I hope a wide range of software and games are available on Steam in the future from many different kinds of people and with different viewpoints. As far as I know, this software does not contain nudity, which is something I believe Valve should handle on a case-by-case basis along with explicit polices and filtering for parents and guardians.
Dating Lessons exploits a user’s lack of confidence in relationships and teaches them how to be terrible people and rapists.
This is not what Valve should host and sell, this is where Valve should draw the line.
Nintendo Japan had a live-streamed presentation revealing new details about their upcoming console, the Nintendo Switch. Here are my notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuC4YLLkqME">
It’ll be available March 3rd 2017 in Japan, US, Canada, “major Euro nations.”
29,980 JPY
$299.99 USD
It’ll be up for pre-order in Japan on the 21st. No word on the US.
The system will include the tablet console, the dock, Joy-con controllers, wrist straps, the grip that can hold both Joycons into a Voltron-like regular gamepad, an AC adapter using a USB-C cable and an HDMI cable. There are two different versions of the console bundle, one with the regular Joy-cons and one with differently-colored Joy-cons as depicted below.
Switch online services will have a free trial at launch, and then cost money this Fall, like Xbox Live and Playstation Plus.
“In general we will not apply region locking to Nintendo Switch software”
Nintendo highlighted three modes, TV Mode for typical console gameplay with the Switch docked, Tabletop mode where you can play with friends using the Joy-con controllers disconnected from the tablet for multiplayer or single player, and handheld mode where it’s just a tablet with two controllers attached. The switch is supposed to have 2.5 to 6 hours of playtime when it’s not connected to power.
For the first time, Nintendo highlighted that there is an NFC reader in the Joy-con controllers for Amiibo support.
You can get the Joy-cons in multiple colors. The Switch will include a wrist strap that slides on the rails that connect the controllers to the tablet. The Joycon controllers also have an IR sensor on one end to detect distance from objects and hand motions, similar to my old employer Leap Motion’s technology. The Joycons also have “HD Rumble” to convey different sensations. Nintendo oddly chose to highlight this through the idea of holding a glass and feeling ice cubes and then water being poured into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7p47TOmicQ
This was taken to a gaming context through a new multiplayer minigame collection called 1-2-Switch that started out with wild west gunslingers drawing the Joycon controllers. 1-2-Switch, will let you play these minigames without looking at a screen, and instead follow the action by observing your opponent, the rumble feedback, and occasionally the screen of the tablet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7s3UB_8dFM
Nintendo also introduced Arms, a fighting game that resembles punch-out at first but looks closer to a more traditional fighting game except with a third-person behind-the-back camera and fighting by swinging the Joycons.
Nintendo also introduced Splatoon 2, with 4 on 4 multiplayer, and a new akimbo weapon. You can play with gyro features or traditionally via the pro-controller. It’ll be out this summer.
A new 3D platforming Mario game in the style of 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy, is coming out, featuring Mario in a bizarrely alternate version of our world, Super Mario Odyssey. It’s very weird seeing Mario interacting with a realistic-ish urban environment and humanoid people. It is supposed to have the excitement of visiting new places. Weird. It’ll be out at the end of the year.
Monolithsoft is putting out Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POsTR5iy_TI
Team Ninja is working on Fire Emblem Warriors.
Nintendo assures us that 50 companies are working on software and 80 games are in development.
Square-Enix is working on Dragon Quest 10 and 11 along with Dragon Quest 1 and 2 for Nintendo Switch, remakes.
Atlus is working on a Shin Megami Tensei game in the Unreal Engine.
Square-Enix also has a new game called Project Octopath Traveler.
Sega appeared on stage to show us their logo and say how interested they are in developing for the Switch without any commitment.
Skyrim was finally officially announced for the Switch after being in previous videos without a commitment.
Suda51 from Grasshopper made a very awkward entrance to let us know that Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes will return. He basically broke the translator who was so bored he sounded like he was about to commit suicide.
nintendo switch translator right now pic.twitter.com/jDigWr62qT
— ? •?•? (@Rokashi) January 13, 2017
EA showed up to get translated into Japanese live, doubling their on-screen time, and announce EA Sports FIFA for the Switch.
Nintendo closed with a video highlighting the software available, including quick hints of Street Fighter 2 and other games that haven’t been announced.
Was that the end? I mean for the presentation or Nintendo?
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) January 13, 2017
Nintendo then actually closed with an announcement that Zelda will be available March 3rd, launch day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-2MrYlm-io
In a quick follow-up press release Nintendo also announced Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has all the DLC from the regular Wii-U version and a few new characters and courses.
