Instant Games on Messenger go global

Facebook wants to keep users on their services for as long as possible, and now has another powerful tool that will help in that goal: instant gaming on Messenger.

Hackchi2 adds new games to the Nintendo Classic Mini

A few weeks ago we found out that it was possible to add extra games to the Nintendo Classic Mini, but the process was a bit too complicated for most users. With Hackchi2 it's now much easier and accessible to all.

The most awaited games for 2017

Nothing better than start a new year looking ahead to all the good games that are coming, and there are excellent ones for everyone no matter if you play on the PC, PS4, Xbox One or even the upcoming Nintendo Switch.

Facebook Messenger gets Instant Games

All's fair to keep users for as long as possible inside Messenger and, after the bots, Facebook is deploying something that may do the trick: games... instant games

EA silently removes over a dozen classic games from the App Store

EA isn't particularly looked upon by gamers as being a gamer-friendly company, and it seems determined to keep it that way. Now, they thought it would be a great idea to remove dozens of games from the App Store... as if no one would notice.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [E3]

E3 has filled this week with great and amazing videogames we can't wait to try out, but to sum it up, I've decided to bring you one that might make you want to buy a PS4 next year (if not sooner). It's the latest of a series of games that has been fascinating PlayStation gamers for year, and it's called Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

Get Tomb Raider 1+2+3 for less than €2

The end of the year is always a season when we're prone to dust off some memories, and with it the time we've spent playing some games we've never really forgot. Well, GOG has a special year's end promotion with 75% discount on classic Square Enix games.

Ubisoft offers free game to appease AC Unity buyers (with a big "catch")

To try and appease customers that had to endure lousy performance and numerous bug in the latest Assassin's Creed Unity game, Ubisoft has decided to offer them a free game. A nice gesture... or so it would be if it wasn't being done as a surreptitious way to cover their own ass.

ADR1FT will leave you lost in space as in Gravity

If you loved Gravity (the movie) and wished you could try out your own luck in a similar situation, you'll soon be able to do it - without actually put your life at risk. The ADR1FT videogame is sure to leave you gasping for air.

PC Games are still very much alive

With the introduction of so many different games consoles and newer versions of the Xbox and PlayStation coming out nearly each year, the choice of which one to choose and why becomes ever more difficult. The price tag on each games device is hefty and the updates for the new systems come so quickly it’s easy to feel behind the times.

The supressor/silencer myth in movies and videogames

Movies and videogames are responsible for "teaching" us lots of things. We all know that a car going down a ravine will explode in a giant fireball; agents can pick a lock in just a few seconds with any wire they can find (except when there's a small child inside a locked burning building); and... silencers make weapons... silent. Well... you'd be surprised.

The Sims 4 pixelates pirated game copies

I may not be very fond of EA's draconian DRM measures and excessive money-making techniques (Dungeon Keeper mobile being the prime example of that), but sometimes they actually hit the mark, like the anti-piracy method used on The Sims 4.

Gamers playing a pirate copy will soon find out that their screen is becoming a blurry mess of pixels, like the ones used to censor nude Sims, and (at least this time) that's no bug at all; it's just a funny way to mess with gamers playing pirate copies of the game.

Though this isn't the first nor only case of original piracy annoying methods in games, it certainly is a nice one. (The best ever was a game that put's in place of a software developing firm, and that makes you facing a rampant increase in piracy that bankrupts you and prevents you from progressing in the game - that was just perfect! :)

So, before you head to the forums complaining your Sims 4 has a bug that pixelates your screen... you better think twice about getting a legitimate copy of the game.

Godus available for free on iOS

You don't need to have a "God-complex" to enjoy God-games, where you rule over the small people of a virtual world. And if you enjoyed games like Populous, you're probably aware that Peter Molyneux is working in a new God-game called Godus that he successfully took to Kickstarter.

No Man's Sky - the "next-gen" Elite

There's no shortage of nice computer and console games to play, but on the E3 there was one in particular that made me think just how much we've evolved in the past decades. If you spend countless hours playing Elite back in the 80's, you'll definitely want to check this upcoming No Man's Sky.

Ubisoft turns Watch Dogs into real-life prank

If you ever watched the TV series "Person of Interest" you'll be right at home if you ever come to play Ubisoft's upcoming Watch Dogs (available just a few days from now) - and where our character has the ability to tap into all the electronic devices and control them at will. Sure, it's only a game.... but what if you were placed in a situation where such things became real?

That's precisely what Ubisoft did, creating one of the most amazing hidden camera pranks you'll ever see. Everything starts with unsuspecting customers visiting a cell phone store to fix some small issues with their smartphones. But the guy in charge offers them a new app for free... A app that, to their surprise, allows them to control their store lights. But things become to get really weird when he says it also works for light on the outside; as well as cars; ATM machines; and even traffic lights. Before they know it, things begin happening too fast for them to realize what they're getting into.


I must admit, with such a hollywood-style production, I guess everyone would fall for it (though they also didn't give us enough time to really grasp what was going on.) Be sure to give it a look and see for yourself.

ETs unearthed in New Mexico

Do not check your broswer URL bar to see if your favorite site has been hijacked and turned into a conspiracy theory site. Though it may not seem like it, this actually puts an end to one of the biggest urban legends in gaming history: that Atari had buried millions of ET games for the Atari 2600 in New Mexico.

As part of a "treasure hunt" for a  Xbox Entertainment Studios documentary that will be distributed exclusively on the Xbox One, a crew was sent to the alleged dump site and began to dig, hoping to find out the truth. And the truth is that New Mexico's ET's are actually real - though not of the kind you'd expect to find "next-door", in Roswell.

It's a bit weird imagining that, with games becoming digital downloads only, one may save on "dump space" and no longer require a landfill to get rid of one of the biggest flops (and worst game) in the history of videogames... but that means there won't actually be any physical trace of such history. Sure, we still have physical game discs, but those are bound to become the exception to the rule of digital downloads - and when that happens, we'll have to face the fact that there will be no tangible evidence for future generations to dig for (though they'll certainly have no shortage of other kinds of garbage to sift through...)

The Card Table turns your iPad into a virtual card table and deck

Card games are still one of the most popular and fun way to spend some time with friends. Now that smartphones and tablets have become common, there are countless card game apps you can use: poker, hearts, etc... but sometimes you want to play a card game that has no app. Well, you're in luck; The Card Table is an app that doesn't enforce any kind of rules. It simply provides a card deck that players can use to play whatever they want, just like they would do with a physical deck.

Your iPad becomes the card table, and you can have up to four iPhones acting as the "hands". The app allows you to easily transfer cards back and forth, and there is no limit to what kind of card games you'll be able to play. Something that reminds us just how much there's still to be done when it comes to multi-device game interaction.

Sure, it would be best if this Card Table allowed for Android and iOS interaction (right now, it's iOS only), but it's a start. Let's hope that in the future we'll see many more apps taking advantage of this type of multiplayer/multidevice interaction. For now, you can find The Card Table in the app store (for free).

Buy Titanfall for nearly half the official price

Well, I usually don't talk much about games here, but ever since I played the beta version of Titanfall that I've been "hooked" on it and eagerly awaiting its release. Xbox gamers have been playing for the last couple of days (and enduring the usual initial server issues), but for PC gamers... today's the day. We're just a few hours from launch - and this post is for all those that have yet to press the "buy" button for this game.

You see... on Origin (EA's online game store/platform) Titanfall costs about €60. That's the "usual" price for launch titles, but why pay more than you have to? With just a few clicks you can save nearly 50%!

The first place I checked was Amazon UK, where Titanfall is available for £33.85. That's about €40.59 and is already a nice price for a launch title. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't allow international customers to buy the digital version activation code for Origin - and I'm not to keen on waiting for a physical disc to arrive.

So, I checked Kinguin - a place I've already used in the past to buy several games for incredible cheap games, and I found Titanfall for just 32€ a few days ago (update: at the moment it's 35€... you'll have to check the current price for yourself). That's roughly half the price you're asked to pay on Origin itself!

If you find it suspicious for these stores to offer such great bargains on launch titles, I can simply say that my activation key was sent without delays, and that Titanfall is already preloaded on my computer (all 50GB of it!) Now the hard part begins... waiting till midnight, to be able to once again jump from wall to wall and summon those giant Titans to obliterate our enemies. :)

Bluetooth DICE+ bridges the gap between board games and tablets

Tablets may have always been promising playgrounds for digital board games, but true board game enthusiasts may find the lack of physical interaction somewhat distasteful to their original counterparts. Well, things are about to change thank to this amazingly simple bluetooth digital DICE+.

You can use this digital dice with both iOS and Android games, and although it includes several games, the really nice part is that any developer may choose to support it in their own games. In fact, this cute little dice can even act as a 3D controller thanks to its embedded motion sensors - just one of many sensor it carries: temperature, proximity, etc.

Another nice touch, each face has a RGB LED that can be controlled independently, allowing for countless ways for added interactions, and you don't even have to worry about its ability to still act as a dice: it's internal mass and structure has been carefully studied to ensure it still is as random as any other regular dice.

At launch you can play games likeBackgammon; Chuchumba; DICE+ Heroes; Rainbow Jack; Rumble Stumble; This Way Up; Bella & Max; and Pirates.

And the best part of it all... DICE+ costs only €39,99 (less than most board games). Now... if only we could get a table sized tablet to place in the living room... :)

[via Aberto até de Madrugada]

Google shows mini-games for Glass

Next time you see someone tilting their heads on the street, they might not be trying to shake some water off their ears, but simply playing the latest batch of Google's mini-games for Google Glass. These may not be the kind of games that will stop you from playing Crysis on your PC or game console - or even the ever growing number of games for your smartphone - but are simply a humble first step to promote future "wearable" games.

• Tennis - Your head’s your racket in this rally. The gyroscope and accelerometer team up to precisely gauge the player’s head tilts to move left and right.
  
• Balance - Finally, a way to find out how well you’d do at Swiss finishing school. Shift your head to keep a precarious pile of shapes from toppling over.
  
• Clay Shooter - A classic shooting game with a new point of view. Say "Pull!" and a pigeon is launched in the direction you're looking. The accelerometer and some Newtonian physics help determine the pigeon's path.
  
• Matcher - Put your memory and concentration to the test on a twist of a classic card-matching game. The gyroscope and accelerometer team up to precisely follow the position of the player’s head.
  
• Shape Splitter - Have fun slicing and dicing shapes into oblivion. We detect "slices" when players move their hands in front of the Glass camera.

I don't quite expect someone to fork $1500 for a Google Glass due to these games - and that also makes me think why Google doesn't seem to be in a hurry to bring their Glass(es) to market. Until they're able to sell them for under $500, I wouldn't expect any Google Glass launch to have any kind of real success.

So... we'll have to keep waiting and see them play around with this sort of mini-games and apps until, some day, all the required elements will align, and a viable and affordable Google Glass can make it to the market and forever change the way we "look" at technology.