"Facebook creeps me out" - Notch Cancels Minecraft For Oculus Rift After Purchase

Following the news that Facebook picked up Oculus Rift VR for $2 billion bones, Notch (a.k.a. Markus Persson), creator of the ever-popular Minecraft, cancelled the version Mojang was working on for the virtual reality device. In a tweet, Persson said -

We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out.
— Markus Persson (@notch) March 25, 2014

There you have it, and a big name at that. Would love to hear what other developers have to say about the purchase.

-- Notch Twitter

I'm Not Kidding: Facebook Buys Oculus Rift for $2 Billion

Facebook has announced today that they've bought virtual reality company Oculus Rift for $2 billion.

Yeap.

The money has been spread around: $400 million in cash, 2.31 million in Facebook common stock, $300 million earn-out in cash and stock going elsewhere. The deal is going to be finalized in Q2 of 2014.

In a statement, Brendon Irbe, co-founder and CEO of Oculus VR, said that, "We are excited to work with Mark [Zuckerberg] and the Facebook team to deliver the very best virtual reality platform in the world...We believe virtual reality will be heavily defined by social experiences that connect people in magical, new ways. It is a transformative and disruptive technology, that enables the world to experience the impossible, and it's only just the beginning."

Here's Zuckerberg's full take:

I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.

This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives.

Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.

Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won't be changing and we hope to accelerate. The Rift is highly anticipated by the gaming community, and there's a lot of interest from developers in building for this platform. We're going to focus on helping Oculus build out their product and develop partnerships to support more games. Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook to achieve this.

But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home.

This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.

These are just some of the potential uses. By working with developers and partners across the industry, together we can build many more. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people.

Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together. I can't wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us.

I'm sincerely hoping that the purchase doesn't leave in the dust the developers that have been working on the Rift all this time, but this is going to make a lot of waves. It doesn't help that my co-editor jokingly mentions Farmville VR as a title for the technology (foreshadowing).

Jokes aside, the last two major purchases FB made didn't change squat, so strong chance that the same applies here, and that the money is being used to fast track the process in time for the release later this year. This is big, and considering that Sony is closing the gap with their own VR tech, it's going to be an interesting time for the both of them.

-- Facebook, Kotaku, Destructoid

InFamous: Second Son Gets 19 New Missions, Graphics and Performance Tweaks in Day-One Update

InFamous: Second Son is here, and though it's third in the series, it seems to eschew the "tortured protagonist" role that Cole played in the first two in favor of someone who enjoys running around with powers, Delsin. That's what the critics have been saying, at least. The Sucker Punch title has just been updated with some new content that's supposed to add five hours to the game's play time.

Chief among this are the 19 new story missions added to the Paper Trail game and Web storyline. In it, players look to find out the reason behind the D.U.P's occupation of Seattle through the game and investigations on the Web. The story was co-created with ARG company 42 Entertainment, and will trickle down via updates over a six week period. Pre-order folks will get the Cole's Legacy DLC in this update as well, rounding it out to 300 MB.

Here are the full update notes from VideoGamer.com:

Cole's Legacy Content Pack
FREE with pre-order
Explore the events immediately following inFAMOUS 2
Work with an investigative reporter to understand the source of conduit powers
4 story missions, approximately 1 hour of gameplay

inFAMOUS Paper Trail Storyline
FREE bonus missions and exclusive web content
Innovative online and in-game story arc co-developed by Sucker Punch and 42 Entertainment
Manga and murder, follow the trail of origami doves to discover the full story behind the D.U.P.'s occupation of Seattle.
19 story missions and corresponding web-based investigations, approximately 5 hours of unique gameplay.

Difficulty Balance
Normal difficulty has been slightly increased to challenge the player’s mastery of their powers
Expert difficulty has been fine-tuned to ensure it is the best experience for skilled gamers
Karma progression extended to support longer playtime

Boss Fights
The boss fights have been re-tuned for difficulty and fun
More dynamic boss behaviors and attacks

Pedestrians and DUPs
Engine performance tweaks to allow for more life and activity in the city
Increased pedestrian and traffic density and variety
Increased pedestrian-related karmic opportunities
Post-story enemy activity and D.U.P. raids

Technical Improvements
Graphics and performance improvements
Fixes for a small number of infrequent blocking bugs
PSN integration to support Paper Trail DLC

-- VideoGamer via VG247

Mighty No. 9 Alpha Footage is Superb

While I'm in the camp that feels that somehow, someway, MegaMan can make a comeback (if not him then MegaMan Zero or ZX [which is an even smaller chance]), I'm more than ready for Mighty No. 9. The Kickstarter darling has had impressive showings so far, and this latest alpha footage from GDC is no different. In it, Mighty shows off his abilities while we get some info about his numbered brethren. Take a look above.

Hoo Boy - Titanfall on Xbox 360 Delayed, Out in April

While Titans are dropping like giant, steel-laden raindrops (if raindrops carried gigantic guns [I know this joke is stupid]) on Xbox Ones and home computers, those that have been hanging on for the the  Xbox 360 version of Titanfall are gonna have to hang on for a bit longer.

EA has announced today that the 360 version, being ported by Bluepoint Games, is taking an extra two weeks for some polish. The game is now set for April 8th in North America, and the 11th in Europe. EA Studios executive vice president Patrick Soderlund brought the news to EA.com, saying that they, "want to get the last details right."

"Now, I want to update everyone on Titanfall for Xbox 360 in development with Bluepoint Games.  I’ve been playing the game a lot, and it is fantastic.  But we see a few things that can be made even better, so we’re giving Bluepoint a little more time to do just that and deliver an epic Titanfall experience for Xbox 360 players. Titanfall for Xbox 360 will now be releasing on April 8 in North America, and beginning on April 11 in Europe.  The game will feature the same 6v6 gameplay, maps, modes, weapons and Burn Cards as the Xbox One and PC versions of the game."

While we appreciate delays for the sake of polish in order to avoid something terrible hitting the market, we've nearly nothing about the 360. Maybe a few screenshots here and there, but no gameplay or any information outside of the fact that it's a thing that exists. No beta test either, which raises even more questions about how well this thing is going to perform when it's finally out. Let's hope that EA doesn't disappoint.

- Kotaku, EA.com

Side Note - Is it just me, or is it a little cheeky of Soderlund to talk about how his experience playing the game in a post about a delay for another version?

A Steeper Slope: Back Upon the Golden Crested Plains.

Well faithful listeners, I'm sorry it took me so long but I swore to not write again until I reached Gold League again. And so I have!

GOLD LEAGUE ACHIEVED

After some heart breaking losses and amazing win streak I eventually was able to earn my way back onto the Golden landscape of mid tier skill play for League of Legends. Talon's Outlaws is the name of my league and from what it seems, it's a freshly created league and everyone in it is moving upwards at an incredible pace! In fact the day after I got into Gold Five, I nearly promoted to Gold Four. But I did indeed fail the promotion series then I rages, and dropped all the way to zero points before realizing my mistake.

I felt entitled to Gold Four, in my mind I deserved it and I couldn't get passed the idea that I had been screwed by the system AGAIN!

And that's when I realized just how bad I had screwed up. In my fit of "entitlement" I had looked past how bad I had played, how bad the calls that I mad were, and just how bad I had treated my teammates. As someone who has a friend who does this exact thing all the time on a popular stream, I felt ashamed. At one point I even began chewing out my friend for a mistake we had both made as if it was just his fault.

After my revelation I readjusted my disposition and began to have fun with the game and only focus on my mistakes and what I could do to make it better. Now you may be thinking that I've learned this lesson already and I need to move on but see here's the thing. League is ever evolving and the players are constantly changing. and so the lessons I learn and have learned need to be learned again and again.

And so I must return to the fields of justice, until next time; There will always be slopes, but will you always climb them?

Miss Flappy Birds on the App Store? There are 300 Clones Just Like It

I don't even...

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen pulled his game off of digital shelves because he felt that it was becoming an "addictive product", a statement that fired off quite a bit of debate on blogosphere comment sections.

If you're one of the many that need your "Flappy" fix though, fret not! With clones hitting flash game sites on the net, Pocket Gamer reports that as many as 60 Flappy Bird clones are hitting the App Store each day, with a grand total of 300 available right now. 

The report says that 69 hit the store on February 28, 48 on the 1st of March, 75 on the 2nd, and 49 the following day. This brings it to around one new clone made every 24 minutes. Egads, man. If you want an example of what's out there, PG has a got a gallery with their findings in the link above.

Look, we've heard and seen people attempt to capitalize on another's success. It's unfortunately nothing new, nor is trying to capitalize on what's popular. However, this is nothing more than flooding the market. What's the use of making a clone if it's going to get swept away in a sea of other clones? Original ideas are always welcome.

Pocket Gamer via VG247

Titanfall is...yep. Season Pass.

Three map packs for $25.99 instead of buying them separately for $29.99. PC owners can also grab the Digital Deluxe Edition for $79.99, which comes with the game and the season pass all in one. Xbox One owners won't have access to this bundle. You'll want to contact EA if you want to upgrade from the standard to the digital.

Oh, and the Pass is for whatever system you grab it for, so no free upgrade from 360 to One, you silly goose! The Pass will be available on the 11th for the One, and 25th for the 360. It's up now for the PC.

I'll say that what little I've played of Titanfall was pretty awesome. I'd love to get it sometime down the road if it goes on sale for my PC, just not now.

...Seriously EA, at the very least have 360 folks pony up five bones if they want to upgrade! They'll be buying the game again if they're that dedicated, make it easy on them. Yeesh.

Naughty Dog Writer Amy Hennig Leaves Studio

The scribe behind the Uncharted series and The Last of Us has left Naughty Dog, according to a statement released by parent company Sony.

Posted on IGN, the statement reads:

“We can confirm that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog. Amy has made significant contributions to the game industry and we appreciate all she has done for Naughty Dog. The development timeline of Uncharted will not be impacted.” Hennig had been with the studio for ten years.

There are rumors from sources close to Naughty Dog that say Hennig was "forced out" by The Last of Us creative leads Neil Druckmann and Bruce Staley, as they are said to be taking the reins of the Uncharted series. Hennig was the creative lead on those games, and was believed to have been heading up the new title for the PlayStation 4.

Considering how well-known Ms. Henning is in the industry, here's hoping she'll find work elsewhere. Never pleasant to lose a job, no matter how it happened.We'll keep you posted on any new developments.

Here's a tweet from Ms. Henning, thanking her fans:

Well, now I know how to get my follower count to shoot up! Thanks, everyone, for the kind words - it's very appreciated. More than you know.
— Amy Hennig (@amy_hennig) March 5, 2014

-- IGN, VG247