As first revealed at The Washington Post, Valiant is proud to present the first lettered look inside QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of the ALL-NEW and UNTRUSTWORTHY ONGOING SERIES from rising star Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and explosive artist Kano (Daredevil)!

Consider yourself warned…This winter, the world’s worst superhero team is careening back into action! On December 20th, on the heels of X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1, SECRET WEAPONS #1, BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1, and NINJA-K #1, Valiant’s “ICONS” initiative throws the comic book industry’s sense of propriety straight into the wood chipper for the most heartfelt, most eye-popping, and most punching-est superhero-action-family-drama-buddy-comedy throwdown of the year!

Sometimes…you embrace your destiny. And sometimes…you and your trouble-making adopted brother find yourselves trapped in a scientific lab explosion that grants you $@&%ing awesome super-powers. As a result of their accident, Eric and Woody Henderson – aka Quantum and Woody – must “klang” their wristbands together every 24 hours or both dissipate into nothingness. Which makes superhero-ing pretty awkward when you’re not on speaking terms at the moment. See, Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret: He knows who Woody’s birth father really is…and where he’s been hiding all these years.

“They can’t really break up. They’re joined at the hip. Almost literally,” writer Daniel Kibblesmith told The Washington Post. “Part of that tension is, how long can you really keep up the silent treatment when you have to see this person every day?… You have this extremely practical reason that they’re fighting and it’s sort of two stubborn people playing the role of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.”

PLUS: In honor of Quantum and Woody’s upcoming overthrow of comic shops everywhere, Valiant can now “proudly” reveal that each of the new series’ first 12 issues will also feature EXTREME ULTRA-FOIL VARIANTS — a dynamic, new(ish) cover treatment featuring artwork by superstar artist Geoff Shaw (God Country) EMBOSSED and ENHANCED with AUTHENTIC COMICS FOIL FROM THE ‘90s! 

Available at the standard cover price with no minimum order qualifications for retailers, relive the face-melting radditude of the era that gloriously birthed Beavis and Butthead Ren and Stimpy Quantum and Woody into comics history with the best foil covers ever produced by a major comics publisher* as Valiant’s EXTREME ULTRA-FOIL VARIANTS kick nostalgia in the nards!

THEN: Don’t relax, we’re not through here yet… Fans and collectors can get their chase on with Valiant’s EXTREME ULTRA-FOIL CHASE VARIANT subset! Each month, in the tradition of comics’ most highly sought-after oddities and error editions, Valiant will produce a single, STRICTLY LIMITED-RUN VARIANT of Geoff Shaw’s EXTREME ULTRA-FOIL artwork with A RARE, SPECIALIZED and SUPREMELY WACKY ‘90s FOIL!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1 is also saying something it can’t take back with THE MOST VARIANT COVER OF ALL TIME! – an unholy and experimental combination of comic book history’s most noted, notorious, and obnoxious cover gimmicks – chromium, lenticular, embossing, die-cutting, iridescent ink, and more – on one highly limited, meticulously crafted variant cover! In honor the latest ongoing series from Valiant “ICONS”, Valiant is COMBINING AT LEAST EIGHT OF THE MOST POPULAR COVER ENHANCEMENTS EVER PRODUCED ONTO ONE COVER to create a singular piece de resistance that will forever enshrine the world’s worst superhero team in the record books for now and all time!

(Makes Italian kissing sound with fingers)

Featuring all-new cover artwork by Valiant superstar Clayton Henry (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG) and a cabal of top-secret special guests, THE MOST VARIANT COVER OF ALL TIME! will be the first-ever embossed, lenticular, die-cut, individually hand-numbered, and chromium-enhanced comic book cover – all before being hand-stickered with a randomized fourth Valiant hero, and printed with two unique foils and iridescent fifth ink!

On December 20th, the Valiant Universe gets the adjective-worthy superheroes it deserves, only in QUANTUM AND WOODY (2017) #1 – featuring covers by Julian Totino Tedesco (Hawkeye), Geoff Shaw (God Country), Nick Pitarra (The Manhattan Projects), comics legend Neal Adams (Green Lantern/Green Arrow), and Clayton Henry (HARBINGER WARS) alongside every single gimmick known to man!

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantEntertainment.com.

For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.

QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1
Written by DANIEL KIBBLESMITH
Art by KANO
Cover A (Standard) by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO (OCT171904)
Cover B (Extreme Ultra-Foil) by GEOFF SHAW (OCT171905)
Pre-Order Edition by NICK PITARRA (OCT171909)
Extreme Ultra-Foil Chase Variant by GEOFF SHAW (OCT171906)
Q&W Icon Variant by NEAL ADAMS (OCT171907)
The Most Variant Cover of All Time! by CLAYTON HENRY, SPECIAL GUESTS & EVERY GIMMICK KNOWN TO MAN! (OCT171908)
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale DECEMBER 20th (FOC–11/27/17)

QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1-4 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE
Written by DANIEL KIBBLESMITH
Art by KANO
Covers by NICK PITARRA (OCT171909)
$15.96 US [4 issues] | 40 pgs. each | T+ | Issue #1 On Sale DECEMBER 20th

First Look: Valiant ICONS “Proudly” Presents QUANTUM AND WOODY! #1 in December!

Up until now, if you wanted to play your current save file on Minecraft for Wii U, you were basically stuck playing it on the Wii U. Today, Nintendo fixed all that by announcing that you can officially transfer your data from the Wii U version over to the Nintendo Switch version. The update has actually made the transfer a pretty simple process. First, you must own the game on the Switch. Next, connect both devices to the internet and that they are both properly updated and have the correct account info on both. Next, go into the Wii U version, select your save file, and click “Transfer to Switch” followed by the prompts to get it transferred. That’s it.

This is just another step of Minecraft and Nintendo to incorporate the game better with cross-play, as they already are making headway on their “Better Together” system that will allow you to use the same version of your game on other consoles and systems, with the exception of anything owned by Sony. Whenever that launches, it will be a big step forward in making it so every system can start experiencing cross-play, with the exception of some people still having their heads in the sand.

Your Minecraft Wii U Data Can Now Be Loaded To The Switch

A recent “Minecraft” sculpture contest showcased an intricate creation, which also held a profound interpretation.

Called “The Perfect Marionette”, the sculpture was created by Minecraft player Dr. Bond. According to his post on Planet Minecraft, his creation took four days to build. He created the sculpture to portray the theme of “human achievement.”

“I turned the theme into a question and I asked myself over and over, ‘What is it that humans desire to achieve?’ The answer that came to me was ‘perfection,’” wrote Dr. Bond. 

At the center of Dr. Bond’s creation sits a girl holding a crystal ball. The glass ball represents whatever a person desires or considers an achievement. Above the girl hovers the puppeteer which represents all the “many conditions and emotions one is controlled by as they embark on their own odyssey.”

“The Perfect Marionette” ended up winning first place on the Apex Events 2017 Invitational builder contest.

Image: Builder’s Refuge/Apex Events Invitational build contest web site

Second and third place were no slouches either. “AWAKENING Null Bomb” by UDVIO depicted the duality of progress as a symbol of achievement and source of destruction.

Image: Builder’s Refuge/ Apex Events Invitational build contest web site

On the other hand, “A Dream of Future” by THOMASESC focused on the ancient past of humanity.

Image: Builder’s Refuge/Apex Events Invitational build contest web site

“Minecraft” debuted in 2011 as a sandbox video game for the PC, Mac OS X and Linux platforms. It featured a retro, blocky look but allowed players to build various 3D constructs using cubes. The game was like a big digital Lego set. Since then various creations have been uploaded to the internet. Other projects even involved creating a game within the “Minecraft” sandbox. JB

Minecraft’ sculpture shows games can be spaces for creating art

Everyone loves playing Minecraft. But what about a play in Minecraft?

In a mash-up of the mining game and the theatre, a new play will take to the stage this weekend in both the real world and within Minecraft itself.

With more than 120 million copies sold, Minecraft is the second-best-selling videogame of all time, behind Tetris. Fans love digging up the resources to create their own elaborate buildings and worlds, as well as following the game’s story. “Playcraft Live”, a multimedia theatre experience, combines this intricate world-building with a new story of its own.

It’s an original play written by Alex Scarrow, author of the popular “Time Riders” teen novels. The timey-wimey story slips between real and virtual worlds as the Time Riders skip from modern-day New York to Neolithic times, with the story unfolding both in the theatre and online as a single livestream. In the real world, actors take the stage at the Playhouse Theatre in Derry, Ireland. And online, puppeteers control the actors within Minecraft.

The in-game environments have been built by fans in live “buildathons” over recent weeks, with Minecraft-mad YouTubers including AmyLee33, SeaPeeKay, NettyPlays and Bigbst4tz also involved. The project was commissioned by the Space, a digital arts body funded by the BBC and Arts Council England.

“Playcraft Live” premieres on Saturday, 14 October at the Playhouse and online at www.playcraft.live. If you like Minecraft, you might just dig it.

Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here’s your place for the lighter side of tech.

Batteries Not Included: The CNET team shares experiences that remind us why tech stuff is cool.

Forget playing Minecraft, now there’s a play in Minecraft

Three days a week, you can find children at Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta playing Minecraft as part of the library’s efforts to develop so-called STEAM programming.

Educational focus on STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — has recently begun to include an A for art into the acronym as educators recognize the importance of developing creativity alongside STEM.

“We really wanted to start bringing the library into the STEAM education age,” Huntington children’s coordinator Anne Van Deusen said Thursday. “Minecraft was incredibly popular and we decided to have a Minecraft club.”

It ended up being so popular that the club is always waitlisted, and during the summer the demand was so great the library held two separate club sessions.

Microsoft introduced Minecraft: Education Edition, which touts the educational benefits of its creative and collaborative potential. Many classrooms in the country incorporate it into the curriculum. This year, Minecraft released a revamped Oregon Trail.

Two of the three days the library offers free play, where the computers are open on a first-come, first-serve basis. A more structured club happens Friday, where Van Deusen said kids are given challenges.

On Friday, the third floor of the library was filled with kids ages seven to 12, clicking at keyboards with their left hands as they maneuvered a mouse with their right. Bridget Stith, who oversees the club, said the children were building mini-games in their shared world.

“In the past we had them recreate a library, a house, a maze or incorporate pieces of art or classic architecture into what they were constructing,” Van Deusen said.

Mal Seimeca, 9, who was protecting her character from a monster, said she loved the creative aspect of the game, which she has been playing for two years.

“I’ve always loved building things and playing online makes it easy,” Seimeca said. The best thing she’s built, she said, was a roller coaster and mansion with her friend.

Minecraft is a multi-platform game that offers up an endlessly customizable world. Its pixelated graphics make it look like a game from 20 years ago, but it is one of the most popular games available. Microsoft bought it in 2014 for $2.5 billion. Players postings videos of renderings on YouTube garner millions of views.

It’s blend of creative engineering in implicit in the name: mine and craft. It begins with an empty world that a player fills or destroys with different tools, using only blocks to build with. This improvisational style of play is what attracts kids and educators alike to the game.

Van Deusen said there is a code of conduct for using the game in the library, and she finds that kids are very helpful each another, collaborating and problem-solving to create in the game.

Amelie Cej, 7, and her brother Rowan Parish, 9, were sitting next to one another, Rowan offering help when Amelie asked.

“I love making stuff,” said Cej.

Parish said his favorite part of Minecraft was the TnT.

Whitney Bashaw, staff writer, can be reached at (607) 441-7218 or wbashaw@thedailystar.com

Library, Minecraft hone young minds

There’s now a special block you can lay down to start the export process, which involves setting the X and Y boundaries of your creation along with deciding a few other options, like whether players will appear there. Then give it a name, tag it, and upload. Voila! Your beautiful Minecraft castle – or some random tree you liked – is now on Remix 3D for all to see.

The fancy part is that these models can be interacted with directly in Paint 3D, letting you spray graffiti all over other people’s creations. (You monster.) Or add some storm clouds for a dapper dinosaur to run through, as the Mojang team have done here.

Exporting has been in beta for a bit, so the official board already has some neat stuff. Personally, I’m a fan of this treehouse, which has been helpfully edited to remind you of the name of the game it was built in.

Of course, Minecraft has unofficially supported these kinds of exports for ages, with third-party tools allowing pretty much the same sorts of things as we’ve got in this update. But in-game integration, easy sharing, and the weird shenanigans of Paint 3D still make this a neat addition. Sadly, exporting creations as models means you won’t see anything quite so wild as, say, a playable Pokémon Red on the board, but we’ll take what we can get.

Minecraft now lets you export in-game models, but only in the Windows 10 version

A startup came out of three years in stealth Thursday with a simple goal: Make documents better.

Called Coda, the startup has the ambitious goal of making a “doc as powerful as an app,” reads the company’s Medium post on the launch.

Coda starts with a blank canvas like a document from Google or Microsoft, but then allows users to build on top of it. One of the platform’s beta testers described Coda as a “Minecraft for docs,” referring to the video game where people can build their own virtual worlds block by block.

Like many startups, Coda is entering a crowded market and taking on tech giants. Google and Microsoft both focus on document sharing and storage. Atlassian and Asana also offer enterprise software. Salesforce bought word processor Quip last year. There’s also the tech darling turned billion-dollar goliath Slack.

But Coda does have quite the credible team. The company is led by Shishir Mehrotra, formerly VP of product at Google’s YouTube. Previous reports said Mehrotra’s project called “Krypton” was valued at $400 million.

So far, Coda has raised $60 million from some of Silicon Valley’s most notable investors such as Greylock, General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, NEA, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers. LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman is on the board, according to a report from The Verge.

A product team at ride-hailing giant Uber has been one of the beta testers, The Verge reported.

Mehrotra is dead set on creating the most supportive ecosystem for how we now use documents—collaboratively.

“We aren’t trying to digitize physical analogs any more; we’re using documents as tools to run our teams,” he wrote in the blog post.

“Why are we still clinging to metaphors long-forgotten?”

“Why are we still clinging to metaphors long-forgotten: the accountant’s grid, the typist’s paper, the professor’s slides? Why do these tools insist on creating boundaries where we don’t need them — forcing us to choose between a document or a spreadsheet?” he continued.

Some of the features of Coda include integrated commands. For example, type “GoogleDirections” and a Google Map with directions from an origin location to a destination will appear, according to The Verge.

Coda is not completely intuitive, however. As Casey Newton of The Verge wrote, “In Asana I click buttons and they do basically what I expect; in Coda I type an equal sign and cross my fingers.”

The project still has a long way to go. The complete tool is only available in desktop.

As of Thursday, anyone can request to join the beta at coda.io.

A startup is taking on Google and Microsoft with a ‘Minecraft for docs’

When Microsoft announced Minecraft’s Better Together update, fans cheered. Minecraft feels built for cross-network play. It’s the world’s biggest family game, an experience designed with collaborative play in mind, and now truly open to everyone regardless of device (except PlayStation).

At least, that’s how it seemed. Sadly, the edition which has arrived on console is not quite what fans had envisioned.

Microsoft never did a great job of communicating the fact its Better Together Update is not actually an update for console owners. It’s a completely different game – one which is almost identical to Minecraft’s previous Pocket Edition for mobiles.

This change has already occurred on Xbox One, with the old Minecraft: Xbox One Edition replaced in the console’s store with a separate game client, just named “Minecraft”. Likewise, in the near future, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition will also be left behind. Upgrading is free, but far from painless.

Minecraft’s crafting and inventory interface, designed for touchscreen or mouse control, has not been well received by console players.

Minecraft is Minecraft, right? Well, not really. Minecraft console developer 4J Studios has, for more than half a decade, built a version of Minecraft which feels great when played with a console controller. (Microsoft’s new version of Minecraft no longer lists 4J in the game’s opening splash screens.)

The new version of Minecraft has ditched the console version’s user interface completely. Your inventory and crafting are now organised using a different UI – shown above – from the mobile version of the game designed for a touchscreen, or for a mouse and keyboard.

Here’s a thing

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Microsoft has a Minecraft feedback site set up to track user-requested fixes. Reinstating a console-style UI, at least as an option for Minecraft on console, is one of the highest requests out of more than 5800 ideas.

“This is the major reason that keeps me from moving away from Xbox One Edition,” one fan wrote. “I cannot stand the current BTU UI using a controller.”

“When playing on the Xbox, the Play Together UI is a large step backwards from what we have in the console edition, both in terms of layout and responsiveness,” another added.

“I’m honestly just gonna play regular Xbox One edition until they fix this, the new UI on Xbox is far, far worse and alienating to Xbox players,” a third fan agreed.

Other top requests include fixes for other casualties of Microsoft’s decision to base the new Minecraft on the game’s Pocket Edition: redstone and coordinates.

Minecraft’s various console editions showed your coordinates on a map. The new Minecraft does not.

Redstone (Minecraft’s equivalent of electrical wiring) has different systems on different platforms. The old console version was different to the Pocket Edition version – so imported worlds from Minecraft: Xbox One Edition now need redstone to be rewired to work.

Coordinates – being able to see your exact position on the game’s map – also worked differently, depending on platform. Knowing your position is a vital part of meeting up with other players, and correctly constructing large building projects.

On console, players have always been able to see their position on an X/Y/Z axis by holding any map item. On Pocket Edition, you could not do this. So, since this new version of Minecraft is based on the Pocket Edition, console players have been left without this option. (Microsoft has recently relented to allow coordinate viewing as a cheat – but enabling cheats will disable achievements and other stat tracking).

And then there’s the in-game store. Minecraft’s store is front and center when you load the game, the option to buy a world the first you need to scroll past before being able to dismiss the game’s latest patch notes.

The store already feels cluttered… and that’s if it even loads.

It is intrusive – and for the first time, console players are being offered packs from third-party sources. This new version of Minecraft has only been available for a couple of weeks, and the shop already feels bloated.

I don’t own these packs, but hitting the option to simply create a new world brings me a list full of them. The store feels like it has encroached way beyond the actual shop’s limits.

Finally, there are the bugs. I’ve found it incredibly difficult to transfer my world over from the previous Xbox One version of the game. I’ve tried this a couple of times, with mixed success. It’s a slow process, but that’s fine – give your world 15 minutes or so and it should be downloaded and converted to play instantly from now on.

“Should be” is the key here, however. I had to try three times on my home console before it actually worked and didn’t time out. I tried twice here in the office and both times failed, the last time hard crashing the whole console. Each time, I was waiting to play for more than half an hour in total. Not a great start. When my world did finally load, I couldn’t eat.

This happened a lot.

To put it bluntly, this new version of Minecraft is not the one I’m used to playing. I asked Microsoft about the issues raised here and from the thousands of fans on the Minecraft feedback website, but have not yet received a response.

Microsoft ran a beta for the Better Together Update before it rolled the game to everyone. I played it during this time and quickly went back to the previous Xbox One Edition – which I’m still playing on now, even though I know it will no longer be updated. I assumed Microsoft wouldn’t launch the Better Together Update until it had thought through Minecraft’s issues and made it friendlier for console owners. Sadly, perhaps due to the headline-grabbing nature of its truly remarkable cross-network play, it has launched with these issues intact.

Playing with fans across platforms undoubtedly still feels like the future for Minecraft – but right now on console, the option feels like it does not outweigh the Better Together version’s other issues.

Minecraft’s Better Together Update is a mess on console

More than 55 million men, women, and children play Minecraft in an average month. Many of those players enjoy using “mods,” third party tools that further customize the game, to tweak things to their liking.

Children play the Minecraft video game at a Microsoft Store. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg

Different mods can change Minecraft in all kinds of ways. Often it’s as simple as altering a player’s in-game appearance (a process known as “skinning”). When you’ve got 55 million people playing a game where they can build a unique digital world, it’s to be expected that they’ll want to put a personal stamp on their avatars.

It’s an opportunity that cybercriminals seized upon recently, according to security researchers with Symantec. Software quality assurance engineer Shaun Aimoto reported on the company blog that a handful of mods for Minecraft: Pocket Edition were hijacking player’s smartphones and tablets and using them to power a ad fraud botnet.

According to Aimoto, the malicious apps were distributed via the Google Play store and advertised as character “skins.” Based on the numbers shown in the apps’ descriptions, Symantec believes that somewhere between 600,000 and 2.5 million (primarily U.S.-based) Minecraft players installed the shady apps.

While the primary purpose of the mobile malware is to generate fraudulent ad revenue for its criminal creator, it could evolve into something even more dangerous. Because it’s now running on a large number of devices and has access to network connections, the malware could potentially be used to launch crippling DDoS attacks.

Gamers are often targeted by cybercriminals because some of them engage in incredibly risky online behaviors. Some seek out tools for removing copy protection from games or generating free in-game currency. Hackers respond by leaving booby-trapped versions of games on filesharing sites and torrent trackers.

Other gamers — like the ones victimized by the malware Symantec found — find themselves in the crosshairs simply because cybercriminals know just how popular mods and skins are. And they also know that many of the gamers looking for such tools are young enough to not understand that someone lurking in the shadowy corners of the internet wants to prey on their fondness for a popular video game.

The answer, Symantec says: keep a good malware scanner installed on your devices, make sure it’s up to date, and always check the permissions a new app requests before you install it. A simple Minecraft skinning app, for example, should never need to access your location data like this one did.

Millions Of Mobile Minecraft Players Tricked Into Installing Malware

Keyboard Geniuses is our weekly glance at a few intriguing, witty, or otherwise notable posts from the Gameological discussion threads. Comments have been excerpted and edited here for grammar, length, and/or clarity. You can follow the links to see the full threads.

Terror From The Deep

Over in this week’s What Are You Playing This Weekend? thread, The Demons discussed why they’re still drawn to Minecraft and what makes it a surprisingly scary game:

Fear of the unknown is a powerful thing, and I’m surprised at the amount of anxiety this game’s sound design is able to conjure up when I’m venturing below ground. Hearing the growls in my headphones without being able to see where they’re coming from puts me on edge, and being surprised by a monster I didn’t know was there consistently makes me panic and fight sub-optimally. There’s a sense of dread from getting lost in the winding passageways of a cave while running low on rations, or climbing up from the underground only to realize that you were down there too long, and now you’ll have to sprint for shelter in the middle of the night. I find it remarkable how the emergent play provides such a vivid horror experience, especially with Minecraft’s complete lack of violence and how lo-fi and abstracted the designs for the monsters are.

Speaking of abstraction, the environments of the game strike me as having a natural beauty despite the deliberate unreality of it all. I try to alter the landscape as little as possible, feeling that the results of the world-generating algorithm have an aesthetic that would be difficult to reproduce if I were to reshape the terrain myself. I’m hesitant to flatten areas and construct cobblestone roads; content to place a trail of torches to mark my path through a forest instead of simply chopping it down. Even my structures, the safehouses whose beacons dot the horizon, are based around this aesthetic: My castles are always built atop a stone surface whenever I find one poking up through the dirt and the foundation sets the shape for the whole building. By making each project unique—as I assess the site and figure out what it wants to be—making progress never feels like work.

Punch-Out Love

This week, I celebrated the 30^th anniversary of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! by talking about why I think the game holds up better than pretty much any of its contemporaries. It comes down to the simplicity and purity of its puzzle-like boxing matches, something Unexpected Dave broke down in the comments:

It’s often been said that Punch Out!! looks like a fighting game but is actually a rhythm or puzzle game in disguise. If you approach the game like a straight-up arcade brawler, you can probably get through Piston Honda, but you’ll get slaughtered in the second tier. That’s when you really have to learn how to respond to your opponents’ tells and know exactly when and how to counterattack.

But the brilliance of the game is that it never loses the “illusion” of being a fighting game. It seldom feels like a purely mechanical exercise, like a game of Simon, and that’s all down to the character and personality of the opponents. It’s a shame that Nintendo relied on racial stereotypes to imbue that personality, though. (And the Wii version really doubles down on them.)

Elsewhere, M_squared remembered how the game turned into a playground sensation:

I love this game. As a kid, it was always one that we talked about on the playground, sharing methods and things that worked on the opponents. This was a game that really brought people together. You could sit with people watching you and yelling “He’s charging! Punch now! Now! You did it too late!” or you could talk about it away from the game, “How do you beat King Hippo??” and things like that. It always brought out the liars, though. “I beat Mike Tyson with one punch!”, “I swear King Hippo got up, and I had to knock him down again!”

But overall it’s timeless because of the precise controls and the easy beginning. If it was really tough at the outset, it wouldn’t have caught on as much. But getting past Glass Joe is simple enough for just about anyone to do it but also gets you just hooked that you want to continue. Then as the difficulty ramps up, it doesn’t feel like cheating but like you’re earning your victories (and defeats).

“Maddeness Indeed”

Also this week, William Hughes wrapped up his four-part attempt to learn a thing or two about Madden and football. Unfortunately, he ultimately fell into despair and sought to destroy the game from the inside. Thundawg did some commiserating down in the comments and poetically summed up the whole endeavor:

This is a perfect encapsulation of Madden. Few games come close to the all-consuming rage that burns deep within after a loss. Madden might be the worst, as William noted, since you can do everything right and still ultimately lose. This game is not a quest for the virtual Super Bowl to win an oddly polygonal Lombardi Trophy. No, that is merely a byproduct. Madden is a journey into one’s own mind. It is the video game equivalent of Heart Of Darkness masquerading behind Tom Brady’s steely stare. The game will test the limits of your mental fortitude, push you to the edge of sanity. It will, inevitably, break you, leaving you to pick up the pieces of your shattered mind and shattered controller.

But through that, I believe William got closer to sports fan nirvana than he thinks. Will Madden teach you to be a ra-ra sports fan? No. But the discipline, patience, and resolve that playing sports requires and teaches? Certainly. The utter destruction you wreaked upon the Seahawks organization is a manifestation of what every fan felt when Pete Carroll opted to pass, not run, the ball in Super Bowl XLIX. It is not just the helpless roller coaster but viscerally feeling the depths of defeat and the supreme elation of victory. That collective emotion lies at the core of fandom.

That’ll do it for this week, Gameologerinos. As always, thank you for reading and commenting. We’ll see you all next week!

Minecraft can be a surprisingly effective horror game

Of all the current generation consoles on the market right now, Microsoft’s Xbox One is by far the most impressive when it comes to its commitment to backwards compatibility.

At the moment there’s an extensive list of Xbox 360 games that can be played on the Xbox One and while that’s continuing to grow, Microsoft announced plans to add original Xbox games into the mix at E3 earlier this year.

Microsoft hasn’t been forthcoming with details on exactly which original Xbox titles will be coming to Xbox One – at the moment we only know about Crimson Skies and Fuzion Frenzy. However, in a recent interview with GameSpot, Xbox head Phil Spencer did say we’d see the first of the batch released before the end of the year.

Throwback

When asked about the status of the backwards compatibility project by GameSpot, Spencer stated “We’re close, we’re really close.”

“I have a little dashboard I go to and I can see all the games [and] where they are in getting approvals in the pipeline,” he continued.

“I know the games that are coming for the original Xbox but I don’t think we’ve announced them all. We have to do this in partnership with partners, but we’re still on track. I feel really good. The games look great.”

Backwards compatibility on the Xbox One X will, apparently, work slightly differently to the Xbox One S. According to Spencer, Xbox has still to reveal some “interesting” details on how the feature will work on the upcoming 4K console but seems fairly certain that people will find it “interesting.”

There’s plenty of interest in original Xbox games coming to the latest consoles and although Spencer says that some of the games hold up better than others, we imagine the memories and nostalgia will more than make up for anything lacking in the visuals.

Though we still don’t have an exact date for when this backwards compatibility extension will go live, we imagine Microsoft will wait until after the launch of the Xbox One X on November 7. Some time between this new console launch and Christmas would, arguably, make the most sense for the company.

We imagine original Xbox games coming to the Xbox One would tie in very neatly with the release of the revamped Duke controller which was also announced at E3 this year. Though this controller doesn’t have an exact release date, either, it’s also scheduled for before the end of 2017.

• Black Friday is a good time to be on the lookout for discounted Xbox One bundles

Original Xbox games are still coming to Xbox One this year

This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) had a lot of surprises for the fans. From Nintendo’s spectacular comeback to Microsoft’s Xbox One X, the gaming community was left reeling from the events.

One of the treats were given to Microsoft’s fans was Xbox One’s backward compatibility, which will equip the latest console with support for the original games that were previously released. With the anticipation at an all-time high, rumors have begun circulating that it might never come. However, recent reports have revealed that it is actually on the way.

“We’re close, we’re really close,” Xbox’s chief Phil Spencer told GameSpot when he was asked about the status of the development. “I have a little dashboard I go to and I can see all the games [and] where they are in getting approvals in the pipeline. I know the games that are coming for the original Xbox but I don’t think we’ve announced them all. We have to do this in partnership with partners, but we’re still on track. I feel really good. The games look great.”

Considering the nearing release of the Xbox One X, many were also curious as to whether or not the feature will be available to the world’s most powerful console. Spencer was determined to remain tight-lipped, but he did tease that there were features that will need to be discussed before the console arrives in stores.

Furthermore, Spencer also gave some form of relief to the fans. He said that they will not have long to wait to enjoy the features that the backwards compatibility will offer. For those who have been waiting to play the original games that they got to know in the previous consoles, they will be able to play it again before the year ends. No specific launch date was given but fans are expecting to hear more details in the coming months.

Xbox One News: Backwards Compatibility Coming Sooner Than Fans Think

Microsoft is set to launch the Xbox One X on November 7. This $500 system promises to be “the most powerful console ever.” There is certainly a great deal of excitement for the device among the hardcore Xbox community. However, the console isn’t going to replace the Xbox One S. It exists for the enthusiast gamer who wants a beefier system. While Microsoft expects the Xbox One X to sell well, it recognizes the system doesn’t have universal appeal.

“Xbox One S will be the market leader for us. It’s the more affordable console. It plays all the same games,” said Xbox’s Phil Spencer to GameSpot at the Brazil Game Show. “It will be the console that sells.”

“Whether you’re on a 1080p TV or a 4K TV, you’re going to have a great experience. But it’s not for everybody. It’s like when we built the Xbox One Elite controller, we didn’t try to say to everybody, ‘If you need an extra controller, go buy the Elite controller.’ We sold a ton of those controllers. We know in the gaming segment, there are a lot of people who play games casually and there are also people where gaming is their number one hobby.

“Their number one form of entertainment, and we want to give them the very best experience. I’ve played games in true 4K with HDR, and they look fantastic. But it doesn’t mean everybody has to do that. So we’re giving gamers a choice. Whether we’ve pushed the innovation too far? It’s hard to do that with gamers. I guess we’ll see; I feel very confident in the product we have coming to market.”

Phil Spencer spoke about how the Xbox One S would be the this year’s best selling Xbox back in June. Both the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X play the same games. Given a choice, most customers will purchase the $250 system over the $500 variant. Sure, games on Xbox One X will look and run better, but gaming on Xbox One S provides the same experience. System-wise, the Xbox is on solid footing. Now Xbox just needs a few more exclusives to make it even more enticing to consumers.

Microsoft Says Xbox One X “Not for Everyone”

Microsoft has announced three new Xbox One S bundles priced at just £229. Launching in the coming weeks, the UK will receive an Xbox One S Rocket League Blast-Off Bundle, an Xbox One S Starter Bundle and – for those that didn’t manage to get their hands on the limited edition Minecraft version of the console, an Xbox One S Minecraft Complete Adventure Bundle.

The latter comes with a 500GB Xbox One S, a wireless controller and full download codes for Minecraft and Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode Season One – The Complete Adventure. Users also get a full add-on download code of the Minecraft Explorer’s pack, three months of Xbox Live Gold, and a one month trial of the Xbox Game Pass.

The Rocket League Blast Off Bundle, meanwhile, comes with a 500GB Xbox One S, a wireless controller, a full download code for Rocket League, three months of Xbox Live Gold and the same one month Xbox Game Pass trial.

The Starter Bundle, on the other hand, doesn’t actually come with a specific game, which might make it a hard sell to the general public. Instead, the main benefit is that users get three months of Xbox Game Pass rather than one – although whether the general public will appreciate the value of two extra months is debatable, especially when it’s not quite as tangible as an actual game. Of course, that’s in addition to three months of Xbox Live Gold plus the 500GB Xbox One S and wireless controller.

Meanwhile, the US will also receive an Xbox One S Ultimate Halo Bundle for $279, which comes with download codes for Halo 5 Guardians and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, plus one month of Xbox Game Pass, a 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold, and a 500GB console and wireless controller.

New Xbox One S bundles feature Rocket League and Minecraft

Try the Xbox One X before it launches at select Microsoft Stores

Microsoft has flaunted its upcoming Xbox One X as the ‘most powerful console ever created’, touting its ability to natively play games at 4K, with HDR as a big differentiator against not only its direct competitor, the PS4 Pro, but also the current generation of consoles as a whole.

If you’re not convinced by Microsoft’s words or the inclusion of insanely powerful hardware – an octa core processor and 12 GB of DDR5 RAM – alone, you can soon test the console out for yourself, before its eventual release on November 7. As the company announced yesterday, “Participating locations include flagship Microsoft Stores in New York and Sydney as well as Microsoft Store at Bellevue Square Mall and Microsoft Store at University Village.”

Those fortunate enough to get their hands on an Xbox One X at one of the participating locations will also be able to try out the recently released Forza Motorsport 7, which is designed to show off the new console’s graphical prowess. Our Usama Jawad reviewed the game and came away impressed, describing the game as ‘amazing’.

If you’re not near one of the locations mentioned above, don’t fret. The company has also promised that more locations will be revealed soon and that as we near the launch of the console, all Microsoft Stores will start stocking Xbox One Xs for you to try out.

In addition, the company is celebrating the launch of the console with giveaways, special events, and more at Microsoft Stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Select Microsoft Stores will let you go hands-on with the Xbox One X

It has been a while since we’ve last heard about Microsoft and Nintendo’s relationship with Minecraft cross-play between platforms. That has changed, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer has commented about the matter. He wasn’t as positive about Sony, but he had nice things to say about Nintendo. Spencer says their relationship with Nintendo on Minecraft has been “strong” and they have been “great supporters”. Here’s what Phil Spencer had to say:

“We talk to Sony all the time. With Minecraft on PlayStation, we have to be one of the biggest games on their platform in terms of sales and gameplay. Same with Nintendo. The relationship with Nintendo on this front has been strong. They’ve been great supporters and we continue to collaborate with them. But I think Sony’s view is different. They should talk about what their view is…”

Microsoft Says Their Relationship With Nintendo On Minecraft Has Been “Strong”

As the Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer played a key role in bringing the critically acclaimed platformer Cuphead to Xbox One and PC as an exclusive for Microsoft. One of the perks of his position is getting to play games ahead of release. He told us at the Brazil Game Show today that while he beat all the bosses ahead of launch, he hasn’t completed the retail version of the game–and he has a good reason.

“I think I finished all of the bosses at one point before it launched. But no. I’ve been traveling for four weeks in a row so I haven’t had much chance to play,” Spencer said. “It is [an excuse].”

Spencer also told us that Cuphead is selling “very well,” though he didn’t get into specifics about sales numbers. “I am so happy for the studio; they worked a long time on the game. And to have the success they’re having–it’s selling very well,” he said. “The reaction has been great. It’s just fantastic when those kind of things come together.”

As part of Microsoft’s exclusivity deal for Cuphead, the game is staying exclusive to Xbox One and PC forever. It is never coming to PlayStation 4. Spencer said the version of Cuphead that exists today might never have happened were it not for Microsoft’s investment.

“The team had certain ambition about what they wanted to go do. And together with them we wanted to invest more,” he said. “We saw more opportunity. And what that turned into was us having an exclusive game on our platform. That’s a game that probably wouldn’t have happened the way it did if we didn’t invest the way we did.”

Developer StudioMDHR has announced that Cuphead has gone platinum, having sold more than 1 million copies since launch. It did not provide any kind of breakdown between Xbox One and PC, which are the only two platforms Cuphead is available on currently.

Xbox’s Phil Spencer Hasn’t Beaten Cuphead, Has A Good Excuse Though

Back at E3 2017, Microsoft made headlines when they announced that Minecraft’s Better Together update would enable cross-play multiplayer between Xbox One, Windows 10, Nintendo Switch as well as mobile platforms. But unfortunately for PlayStation gamers, Sony declined to play ball, defending their refusal to open up cross-network play by the necessity to protect younger gamers.

In the following months, Microsoft said that it has been in discussions with Sony to enable cross-play on the Playstation 4 version of Minecraft, but things aren’t looking good so far. In a recent interview with GameSpot, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer shared that he’s unsure if Sony will ever have a change of mind about it. He explained:

“I have a real struggle making comments about their motivation or timelines. I know there is a certain view that says if my friends have this console, they can’t play with people who buy another console. That’s a reason they go buy my console,” he said. “That reason is not going to go away. So we’re putting Minecraft out there as one of the biggest games on any platform and allowing people to play together regardless of what device they bought. I don’t think everybody is taking that same approach to the ecosystem. So I’m never going to call anything a lost cause but I think some of the fundamental reasons and certain scenarios, they’re not really going away. So I don’t know what would change.”

For Spencer, crossplay multiplayer is positive for gamers, game developers as well as the video games industry as a whole. “If it’s better for gamers, I have a hard time thinking why we shouldn’t go do this, especially when you’re trying to make the gaming business a bigger business; grow it, get more games, create more opportunity,” he explained. But Sony, which has the best-selling console of this generation may have no interest to play nice with other platforms, for now at least.

In the meantime, if cross-platform multiplayer does matter to you, then the Xbox One remains the better choice. In addition to Minecraft, several Microsoft Studios titles such as Gears of War 4 or Forza Horizon 3 already support cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10, and the fighting game Killer Instinct even supports it between Steam, Windows 10 and Xbox One. Do you think Sony will have to change its stance at some point, or do you think the company is more interested in keeping PS4 players in a walled garden? Let us know below.

Sony’s reluctance to bring Minecraft cross-play to Playstation “not going away,” says Xbox chief