‘GTA V’ Jacks The Internet

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When the trailer for Rockstar Games’ highly-anticipated GTA V hit the interwebs in July, users went berserk across social media. Now that the game has arrived, the Twitter sphere has gone into a full-scale meltdown, exploding with weird, almost awkward admiration and obsession for the game.

Since the game launched at midnight on Tuesday, what seems like countless GTA V photos and videos have been posted on social media, and especially Twitter. Some of the more memorable ones involved heaping doting affection on the game box. There are photos of people placing their newly acquired game on a car seat, with the seat belt on, before driving home to play it for the first time. Others gave it personality, like donning sunglasses on it or even deeming the inanimate object of affection as their “new girlfriends.”

Fans had time on their hands to tweet despite the many hours of game play ahead of them in what Rockstar is calling the most massive open sandbox of any GTA game. A poll by IGN.com asked gamers whether they would be taking a day off from work to play the game. Forty-six percent said they had booked Tuesday as holiday. Shockingly, nearly one in five said they would be calling into work sick.

Not everyone was impressed, however. There were many naysayer tweets and sarcastic reactions from PC gamers, who are waiting to hear when Rockstar is giving them a PC version. Some dwelled on the franchise’s reputation for controversial content, with one person tweeting, “I support the few game reviewers with the guts to discuss the rampant misogyny that permeates Grand Theft Auto V.”

Below are some of the best reactions – both positive and negative:

 

 

 

Los Santos Now, Chicago In November

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Ubisoft jumped on the chance to remind everyone caught up in the Grand Theft Auto V frenzy that its next gen open world game Watch Dogs is just on the horizon. The publisher put out an image imploring people to remember to visit the Chicago setting in Watch Dogs when it releases in November, saying “two months are enough to visit Los Santos.” Los Santos is the setting in GTA V.

Ubisoft’s move is one of at least two high-profile nods to how GTA was dominating the gamer zeitgeist as it launched on Tuesday. Saints Row IV publisher Deep Silver drew attention from GTA V on Twitter with a seemingly twisted-around hashtag. It put out promoted posts tagged #GATV, using the Twitter version of a play on letters to mix it up with #GTAV.

Ubisoft distributed the Watch Dogs image across social media. Its timing on mega-popular online community Reddit was impeccable. Reddit’s gaming section was seeing a steady crawl of GTA content to the front page as the launch neared. The Watch Dogs image began trending on the front in the hours before GTA V’s midnight launch.

Ubisoft wasn’t going to burn rubber and kick off the marketing campaign for Watch Dogs anywhere near the release of GTA V, that much is clear. This small but smart effort on social media got traction and likely paid off for them, and it paves the way for the marketing blitz that’s surely coming.

Source: Examiner

Help The Kiddos Breathe Easier

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Childhood asthma is a serious subject, but that doesn’t mean that ads informing the general population should be dull. Check out these catchy jingles set to images evocative of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse or Sesame Street.

Source: AdWeek

 

Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin’, Again

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It’s that time of year again, when Wonderful Pistachios rolls out a new set of ads drawing on celebrities, reality-TV, and pop-culture of various decades. We just wish that really was Kim Jong-un next to Dennis Rodman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W89rPKHYApM&nbsp

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EOyMrUiN1gA

Source: AdWeek

 

3D Printing Finds A Place In Animation

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Creating geared automata figures has always been a complex process, mainly because you need to assemble them just the right way in order to get them to work properly – and even then, it’s not guaranteed.

That said, a team of Disney researchers may have found a system where the computational design of mechanical characters can actually be an effective process, using 3D printings and metal rods to make them come to life.

The designers behind the project played around with multiple configurations with gears of different sizes, setting up motions for particular objects, including parabolas, ellipses, and others. They stated, “A designer can then input an articulated character into the software system, select a set of actuation points on the character and sketch a set of curves to indicate the motion desired at each point. The system then draws upon the motion library to identify the mechanical assembly and its related set-up that best matches the desired motions. Simulation software then optimizes the assembly to achieve the animation envisioned by the designer.”

From there, once it’s assured that the gears won’t run into one another, the object can then be printed out with a 3D printer, and then set up with the rods.

The project is collaboration between Disney Research’s teams in Zurich and Boston, as well as ETH Zurich and MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. From what we’ve seen in the video below, it’s quite a successful one . . . though still in the works.

Source: TechCrunch

 

‘Diablo’ Bids Adieu To Auction House

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Blizzard stated that the auction house feature, where users can buy items using either gold or real money, would be a fundamental one for Diablo III before the game’s release. Now, it’s not so keen on the idea.

In a blog post on its official game page, Blizzard stated it’s doing away with the feature by March of next year. The entry states the following reason.

“When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades. But as we’ve mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo’s core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot. With that in mind, we want to let everyone know that we’ve decided to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III.

“We feel that this move along with the Loot 2.0 system being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls will result in a much more rewarding game experience for our players.”

The exact date for removal for the auction house is March 18, 2014. That gives gamers plenty of time to make purchases in the meantime.

Diablo III is available now for PC, as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Source: Blizzard

Sega Scoops Up Atlus

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For the longest time, Index Corporation has been struggling financially, despite the fact that its subsidiary Atlus has published some top-notch games lately including Shin Megami Tensei IV for Nintendo 3DS and Dragon’s Crown for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.

A new business move could lead to a new direction for the publisher. Sega has managed to purchase Atlus from Index for a deal worth a reported $140 million, giving the publisher availability of a number of key franchises, including Persona, Shin Megami Tensei and Etrian Odyssey, among others. Sega ended up being the top bidder for the company out of 20 bidders, acquiring the company following its bankruptcy filing in June.

Atlus is the latest acquisition for the publisher, who also picked up Relic Entertainment when THQ was in the midst of its bankruptcy last year. Sega made a good move with Relic, as its  Company of Heroes 2 has performed rather well on the PC market since its release in March. Hopefully, this deal will see some great new products from Atlus which will benefit Sega in the long run.

Source: GamesIndustry International

 

Get ‘Fit’ For Free On Wii U

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Nintendo made some major moves today that should ensure a casual audience for its Wii U console this holiday season.

The first is the release of Wii Fit U, a workout program that utilizes the system’s GamePad, as well as the Wii Fit Balance Board and MotionPlus controller from the original Wii, to let users interact through a number of exercises. The game will release initially on November 1st as a digital download through the Wii U’s eShop, with a full month’s access at no charge.

Following this period, users can continue to use the program by purchasing a secondary Fit Meter, which acts as a pedometer that keeps track of your physical workouts and the calories you burn. Available in black and silver, this device will sell for $19.99, and give you access to Wii Fit U free of charge.

Nintendo will release the full Wii Fit U game separately as a retail release on December 13 – with a package that includes the Balance Board for those who don’t own it – and as a digital download on February 1, when the trial for the game ends.

In addition, the company is also bringing back its Wii Sports games for a new generation. The hit Wii game will be reconfigured for the Wii U and separated into five activities – golf, baseball, tennis, bowling and boxing. The first of these activities, tennis and bowling, will release first, with the others to follow in a few months’ time.

Upon release, the activities will be free of charge for 24 hours. After that, users can pay $1.99 for a day’s access to each one, or plunk down $9.99 for each activity permanently.

On top of the great controls from the original Wii Sports games, these activities will also feature high-definition graphics, full Mii character support and, best of all, online play against other people through the Nintendo Network.

Source: Gamespot