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Rock Band VR Coming to Oculus Rift

Videogames
Jason Tate

Rock Band will be coming to the Oculus Rift on March 23rd. The reports I’ve seen have been pretty lukewarm about the devices:

The scaling back of Facebook’s first big retail push for VR comes after workers from multiple Best Buy pop-ups told BI that it was common for them to go days without giving a single demonstration. An internal memo seen by BI and sent to affected employees by a third-party contractor said the closings were because of “store performance.”

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‘Firewatch’ Comes to the Mac

Video Games
Jason Tate

One of my favorite games from the past year, Firewatch, has come to the Mac App Store.

The year is 1989. You are a man named Henry who has retreated from his messy life to work as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Perched high atop a mountain, it’s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. An especially hot, dry summer has everyone on edge. Your supervisor Delilah is available to you at all times over a small, handheld radio—your only contact with the world you’ve left behind. But when something strange draws you out of your lookout tower and into the forest, you’ll explore a wild and unknown environment, facing questions and making choices that can build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have.

‘Myst’ Creator Interviewed by The A.V. Club

Videogames
Jason Tate

The A.V. Club interviewed the creator of one of my favorite computer games growing up, Myst, and the entire thing is good, but I loved this quote:

AVC: If you could go back 23, 24 years, and tell yourself one thing while you were making Myst, what would it be?

RM: Oh my gosh. Okay, honestly—this is some deep stuff—but I’m older now, and a lot of what happened with Myst, I now realize a lot of it, a majority of it, had to do with luck. And I think that’s how the world works. I think a lot of people work very hard, and they don’t get lucky. I think I would have told myself, “Don’t confuse luck with any sort of elevated view of yourself. You were in the right place at the right time and did a lot of hard work, but a lot of people do hard work. It worked for you, be grateful, and don’t think too much of yourself.”

Nintendo to Release Mini Version of NES Console

Nintendo
Jason Tate

Nintendo has announced that they will release a “mini” version of their classic NES system on November 11th. The mini console will be only $60 and come with 30 games built in.

“We wanted to give fans of all ages the opportunity to revisit Nintendo’s original system and rediscover why they fell in love with Nintendo in the first place,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition is ideal for anyone who remembers playing the NES, or who wants to pass on those nostalgic memories to the next generation of gamers.”

I think this is pretty great. Even if it’s just parents picking one up to play some old retro games with their kids. I’ve still got my old system and a bunch of games around here somewhere, some day I’ll figure out what to do with those.

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Pokémon Go May Be a Security Risk

Pokemon
Jason Tate

Pokémon Go, which I think is fair to call a phenomenon now, can also be a security risk since it asks for full access to your Google account when you sign in. Adam Reeve writes:

Now, I obviously don’t think Niantic are planning some global personal information heist. This is probably just the result of epic carelessness. But I don’t know anything about Niantic’s security policies. I don’t know how well they will guard this awesome new power they’ve granted themselves, and frankly I don’t trust them at all. I’ve revoked their access to my account, and deleted the app. I really wish I could play, it looks like great fun, but there’s no way it’s worth the risk.

It’s always a good idea to review what apps you’ve given access to on your security permissions page from Google. Rene Ritchie, writing at iMore, breaks down how you can still play the game securely by creating a “burner” account.

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Donkey King Score Achieved

Nintendo
Jason Tate

Wes Copeland has broken the all-time record high score for Donkey Kong.

It’s how he took the title, though that’s so staggering. Copeland did not lose a single Mario in the game. He took his first life all the way from the first level all the way to the end, cashing in the extra lives to obliterate all comers.

“This will be my last record score,” Copeland wrote on Facebook. “I don’t believe I can put up a game any higher than this.” Copeland had set 1.2 million as his ultimate goal in Donkey Kong, and said he’d retire from competition if he could reach that.

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Crossy Road: The Disney Version

Disney
Jason Tate

Crossy Road has released a Disney version of their iOS game. The launch trailer can be found on YouTube or by hitting read more. The Verge, with more:

Disney Crossy Road goes in a different direction. While the first area is exactly the same as the world from the original game, the rest are all based on different Disney properties and feature new gameplay characteristics to suit them. Some of the changes are just visual — in the Lion King world you’re avoiding charging animals instead of cars — while others are twists on the Crossy Road formula. In the Tangled world you have to avoid barrels falling down a hill, while Inside Out tasks you with collecting colorful memory orbs.

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