Pew! Pew! Preview!: The Witcher

14 comments by Reverend Anthony on 10.17.2007

 

I’ll admit, it’s been a heck of a long time since I’ve played and enjoyed a true action RPG. The last one I actually played to completion was Fable; the last one I really enjoyed was Diablo II.

It was with a great deal of hesistant interest, then, that I sank my teeth into the preview build for The Witcher — a game which, according to its press release, “return[s] to the roots of the role-playing genre with a fresh and modern approach” and seeks to implement real moral dilemmas into the story, rather than the shallow, black-and-white, good-or-evil choices available in every nonlinear RPG.

So, how does The Witcher deal with the conventions of the RPG genre? How ambiguous are your moral choices? What the hell is a “Witcher?” Hit the jump for answers.

14 comments

 

US retailer Target has 40GB PS3 information in its system

16 comments by Dale North on 10.16.2007

 

You know that 40GB PS3 that we all love/hate? Yeah, the one that the whole world has except for the Americans. Well, now some information leaked from US retailer Target shows an October 28th “in-stock date” for the $400 system.

Engadget has linked to some pictures from Target’s internal systems, showing that the 40GB PS3 system is indeed coming to America. One picture shows a bit of text that says:

DESC: PS3 40GB SPIDER…

This could have something to do with the rumored Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray disc pack-in that we’ve heard rumors about. Yeah, I know — big deal. But, it’s better than our last pack-in! If this is true, it would put one of Destructoid’s best running jokes to bed. What a shame.

As you may already know, the system will come with only two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and Wi-fi, no memory card ports, and no PS2 backwards compatibility, but should serve the American electronics-addicted holiday consumer well with its new lower price point.

Hit the jump for more pictures.

16 comments

Researchers help users control Second Life avatars via brain activity

By Jacqui Cheng | Published: October 15, 2007 – 10:45PM CT

Have you ever wished that you could live a life inside The Matrix, with your brain directly wired into a computer system that lets you go about life however you please in an imaginary world? Well, we’re not quite there yet, but some researchers at the Keio University Biomedical Engineering Laboratory are getting close. Led by professor Jun’ichi Ushiba, the researchers have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that works directly with Second Life. Users can walk or fly their avatars throughout the virtual world, as well as move their limbs, change directions, and perform a variety of other tasks by merely thinking about it.

The technology is possible through the use of a headpiece equipped with electrodes attached to an electroencephalograph (EEG). The EEG then monitors for brain activity, particularly in the “cortical motor area” of the brain that controls bodily movement. It passes the signals through to the computer, which are then translated into commands within the game. Thus, thinking about walking forward, hopping on your giant, pink flamingo with your virtual girlfriend, and riding off into the sunset can all be possible within Second Life without having to lift a finger.

This is, of course, useful to people beyond those who would like to trade their office chairs for La-Z-Boys. The research team believes that its interface with Second Life could be used in the medical field as part of a rehabilitation program for people who have limited motor functions in their limbs.

The technology reflects some of the major advances being made in the field of BCI for the disabled; previously, BCI research has focused mostly on performing more traditional computer tasks, which scientists hope could eventually translate to controlling prosthetic limbs with nothing more than brain activity. In fact, Keio’s Biomedical Engineering Lab has partnered with the Keio University School of Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine to continue research on the Second Life BCI in the hope of improving brain-limb coordination in disabled patients.

The university has provided a video (.wmv or .mov) of the BCI in action. We must warn you, however, that since the user is merely thinking about his actions on screen, there is not much to see aside from someone playing Second Life without moving (it’s not as exciting to watch as it sounds, really). The researchers say that they hope to further the technology to include more complex movements within the virtual world, and eventually allow people to communicate and conduct business in Second Life. How cool would it be to merely think about what you want to say and have it appear on screen? Now, all they need to do is develop some way for us to see the virtual world without opening our eyes and develop some sort of liquid-filled preservation pod that we could live in…

 

Jericho Halloween Contest! Win the game, soundtrack, and more (9 winners)

62 comments by Niero on 10.15.2007

I’m proud to announce this week’s sponsor is the fruit of Codemasters and Clive Barker’s labor, the new horror game Jericho arriving next week on the 23rd. Since Halloween is around the corner, we thought we thought we’d put something in your goodie bag a little early: We’re giving away three copies of the game on each platform as well as the soundtrack and other swag to the top three winners — a total of nine winners! Here’s how to steal your free copy:

Contest rules:

(1) Post a photo of you in your costume holding up a sign that says “Citizen of Jericho” (preferably something scary, but any silly costume is fine). If you can pull off a Jericho cosplay, your odds of winning obviously go up. Some screen shots of the various characters are attached in the gallery below. Who needs working eyeballs, anyway? Go all out!

(2) Please specify your platform of choice and a backup choice (Choose from: PS3, Xbox 360, or Games for Windows) . The contest ends on October 31, so be sure to post your entry before you go out trick or treating.

Prizes:

My favorite three entries will win a copy of the game and the soundtrack. Six winners will be selected at random.

Other ways to win:

Not planning on dressing up this year? You can also participate as a “standby entry” by posting a found photo of a carved video-game related pumpkin. If we can’t contact the winners of the costume contest, one of the pumpkin comments will be selected at random instead. You can post as many costume entries and pumpkins as you’d like but you can only win once.

Good luck!