[SUNDAY READ + WATCH] Sci-Fi in the Valley Con Brings Jedi, Vulcans to Ebensburg

Mike Mirobelli of Pittsburgh's Snake Eyes Gaming surveys the field during Sci-Fi in the Valley Con's "Warhammer 40,000" tournament play.

On Friday and Saturday, the North Central Recreation Center in Ebensburg was the epicenter of a splash of sci-fi, fantasy and horror subculture previously unseen in this area.

The first "Sci-Fi in the Valley Con" packed the rec center for two days of geeky communion.

The event wraps up today, yet many starships have landed, lightsabers have “vwoomed” and undead have shuffled alongside pirates and robots on the show floor - luckily, author Kirk Allmond put together a "Zombie Preparedness" panel.

[WATCH] The Visceral, New "The Last of Us" Trailer

OMNIpixel hasn't given Naughty Dog's hot new IP "The Last of Us" as much exposure as it probably deserves. 

Sure, post-apocalyptic settings are a dime a dozen nowadays. And make no mistake, TLoU is one of them. But it's less Fallout and more Cormac McCarthy's The Road. 

And that's a damn good thing. 

According to Kotaku's Stephen Totilo, TLoU makes much finer use of the human element in the "end of the world" scenario; just like McCarthy's beleaguered yet devoted father and innocent, defenseless son, making their way across a scorched America, in search of somewhere - anywhere - to call home.

Bruce Straley, the game's director, said that Naughty Dog wants players to feel the same emotions that Ellie and Joel feel as they try to survive in this strange post-apocalypse in the game. He talked about the game as a quest for survival, one that is inflected by a balance of power that causes enemies to adapt to Ellie and Joel's choices of weapons and tactics. Everyone is trying to live, he said.

The trailer above shows just how brutal and visceral that fight for life can get.

So, scope that fresh cinematic, then make sure you suck every ounce of marrow from Kotaku's preview at the link below.


SOURCE: Destructoid | Kotaku

[OMG] Tetsuya Nomura Talks FFVII Remake

Ok, I'll let you down slow, first. That headline is... rather misleading, yes.

When the premier Square Enix art director spoke to Japanese gaming pub Famitsu recently, he wasn't confirming that they were considering remaking one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time, he instead gave some insight into why it'll never happen. :[

Read on to see what the zipper-happy character designer had to say - there's also a previously unheard behind-the-scenes tidbit about FFVII that may interest you... :]

[OMG] Diablo 3's Dark, Disturbed Secret

See that image above? Fill your eyes. Cherish it.

Where we're going, the most depraved and desensitized are given cause to shudder.

User "Zerofire" on the European Battle.net brought this evil upon us. His mortal meddling in the demonic world of Diablo 3 has caused a rift, through which unspeakable horror creeps and threatens all.

Read on to see harrowing, unedited footage of Zerofire's discovery...

[FREE] One Weekend In The Old Republic

On tap for free MMO play this weekend: Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Starting Thursday, May 17 at 1:01 a.m. EST and ending Monday, May 21 at 3 a.m. EST, the Weekend Pass Free Trial allows previously unsubscribed players can play for free up to level 15.

From the SW:ToR website:

• No credit card is required to take part in the Weekend Pass Free Trial.
• You can play for up to four full days free.
• Characters you create during the trial will be saved to your account, so allowing you to continue on your journeys once you've purchased the game and redeemed the Game Product Registration Code at the Code Redemption Center.
• You'll be able to experience the first fifteen (15) levels of the game, allowing you to explore the Origin Worlds for each character class, as well as possibly seeing your faction’s Capital World.
• You will also be able to join other players take part in Player-vs-Player Warzones, or group with friends to take on one of the numerous Flashpoints in the game.

Perfect for the padawan on your Nubian cruiser!

SOURCE: Rock, Paper Shotgun via Bioware

[UPDATE] 38 Studios Pleads with R.I. Gov't for More Assistance

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, center, is followed by members of the media as he departs the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation headquarters, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling asked Rhode Island for additional help to save his video game company Wednesday, prompting state leaders to consider whether the firm is viable enough to justify further investment.

[OMG] Johnstown's Inclined Plane: Ancient Anime Hero

Videographer Kenji Wakabayashi shoots one of the cars on Johnstown's Inclined Plane - photo by John Rucosky

[Editor's note: This story comes from OMNIpixel's parent publication, The Tribune-Democrat. More specifically, it was written by the lovely Kelly Urban. That being said, it was too geeky to pass up for our purposes. Certainly, one of the weirdest things I've seen happen in Johnstown...]

The world’s steepest vehicular incline plane is going anime.

A Japanese film crew from Total Planning Office Co. based in Toyko was in Johnstown Tuesday shooting footage of the Inclined Plane that will be used in a children’s animated series that is to air on TV Tokyo next year in April.

[BEHOLD] Halo 4's Box Art Revealed

There she is. The Halo 4 box art. Mmmm.

Snippets of this overall image were sent to Xbox Live users earlier today, requiring them to put their pieces together to make the magic you see above (ew, that sounded dirty.) 

Wait - how, exactly, does Master Chief's armor keep getting upgraded? As I understood it, he was on the other end of the galaxy - faaaar, far from any humans that could provide him with a shiny, new set.

This reeks of retcon... 

To quote NeoGAFfer "monsterfracas": "Got to say, that is some fine boxart."

Yes, yes it is.

SOURCE: NeoGAF

[OH, INTERNET] The Diablo 3 Experience Thus Far

"Diablo 3's first level is a tough one" - Reddit user Flash_09

Reddit is aflame today, specifically /r/gaming, who had their sick days called and their Doritos in-hand in preparation for the Diablo 3 launch. Except, few have actually been able to play it, what with constant connection to the Battle.net servers a requisite for even single-player mode.

And with the hundreds of thousands frothing - no doubt, frothing - to get back to Sanctuary, it seems the Battle.net servers can't handle hundreds of thousands of near-simultaneous logins.

But seriously, how long have we been doing this first-day-of-an-online-game thing? How long, folks? And you didn't expect the developer of the most high-profile launch of 2012 to come out of this with egg on their face (or title screen, which is about as far as most got in the early hours of the morning.)

The good thing - at least for those who haven't gotten around to D3 yet - is that the outcry is hilarious.

[UPDATE] R.I. Gov't: Kingdoms of Amalur's 38 Studios in trouble

Screenshot from 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Associated Press) — Rhode Island leaders are working to help former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's video game company remain viable after it failed to make a scheduled $1.125 million payment to the state's economic development agency.

[WATCH] Leaked Beyond Good & Evil 2 Footage

Take a spinning tour around this back-alley market from Beyond Good & Evil 2 - the exorbitant amount of detail and rich texturing was rendered using the in-game engine

What a rollercoaster ride this one's been - Beyond Good & Evil made a quiet splash when it dropped for all the last-gen platforms in 2003. 

A messianic sequel has long been rumored, but official announcements and concrete details are scant and fleeting, leading many to wonder where the projects stands today.

Currently, EGMNow's getting riled again over footage that surfaced on Unseen64. Ubisoft lead Michel Ancel claims the clip is from 2009 (above). Read more to see more video of BG&E2 that has trickled in over the last few years.

Valve Settles With Blizzard, Retains DOTA Trademark

The legal kerfuffle over Valve's revived version of Defense of the Ancients ended today, with Blizzard surrendering commercial use of the "DOTA" trademark.

Blizzard released a short and somewhat cryptic press release that states they'll be allowed to use the name to refer to their version of the RTS on message boards, fan sites and the like, but the title will be officially called, "Blizzard All-Stars"henceforth.

... What's in a name?

[UGC] TES Online: Could It De-throne the MMO King?

[Editor's note: OMNIpixel has a new staffer... He's 21-year-old Michael Metroka IV - a.k.a. "MosquitoLemon" and he hails from sunny Florida. Currently kicking up his heels and racking up his headshots in sometimes-sunny Johnstown, Pa., he will be contributing to OMNIpixel as part of a regular pool of users, contributors and discerning fans of the vidya, like you, fair reader. Metroka enjoys writing - "and especially about video games." (So I put him to work - HA!) 

But srsly guyz, if writing about the industry we love sounds cool, send an email to omnipixel9000@gmail.com, subject header: "Contributor" and find out how you can help! We accept all kinds of submissions based on OMNIpixel's namesake: "OMNI" for "everything" and "pixel,"  so, "everything to do with pixels." 

You can send in a cool video, a review of whatever you're playing, a pensive reflection on the merits and woes between all your smartdevices - all sorts of things, really. Enjoy Mr. Lemon's inaugural post - a preview of Bethesda's recently announced MMO. I think you know which one...]

Whether you're a console gamer or a PC fanatic, you have probably played - if not then at least heard of - The Elder Scrolls series (TES), created by Bethesda Softworks and published by ZeniMax Media Inc.

Thanks to these two organizations, the average RPG genre has been moving in a new direction. A true role-player will always be satisfied with the standard features of the series. How many games can you switch from first to third-person in the middle of combat and truly become engaged in a lifelike world?

Anyone who has played the earlier TES titles - such as Arena or Redguard - were just scraping the tip of the iceberg, unconsciously part of a revolutionary movement. To back up the aformentioned information, I will provide a firsthand account I witnessed and was a part of in OMNIpixel's hometown of Johnstown, Pa...

[WHOA] XBLA Minecraft Breaks Day One Digital Sales Records

One hour - that's all it took before Minecraft started officially filling Notch's wallet. No more than 60 minutes after the block-stacking smash hit made its XBLA debut, profit had surpassed the budget of even the PC version, which was millions.

[WATCH] Game of Thrones' Westeros Being Built in Minecraft

A speedy tour of Westeros in all its pixellated finery

I know, I know - another Game of Thrones post.

Oh, the horror.

But here, I get to combine my A Song of Ice and Fire passion with my vidya passion and give you this: Fanatic fools that are re-creating George R. R. Martin's world of Westeros - all on a lone Minecraft server (dubbed "A Server of Ice and Fire" - tee hee.)

Click through for more video and to watch a live map of the blocky Westerosi construction...

"Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!" Is a Thing

In a wholly unsurprising development, D3 Publisher announced Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!, coming to the DS and 3DS this Fall.

[WATCH] Diablo 3's Animated Short, "Wrath", from Titmouse

Diablo is coming...

... In about a week. BUT - here's something that might tide you over: a six-minute animated short from Titmouse Inc., of Metalocalypse fame. 

Borrowing heavily from Eastern stylings - who doesn't nowadays - the plot follows Tyrael, Archangel of Justice and a recurring character in the Diablo series, and his angelic comrades. 

The production quality is reminiscent of Avatar - which stands high above material from other Western studios.

Diablo 3 will descend from a swirling, fiery rift in the sky on May 15. Enjoy!

SOURCE: Joystiq

"ClassRealm" Levels Up Students' Educational Enthusiasm

Meet Ben Bertoli. He's a teacher, but his passion for vidya games is about to make him a very rich man. That's because Bertoli's pet project could revolutionize classrooms everywhere. 

Bertoli's sixth-grade students in Indiana - they're zombies and wizards and mermaids, you see. And each Friday, they do battle for Bertoli's favor - and some XP.

It's called ClassRealm - a "gamification" system that turns learning  and classroom participation into a gaming experience. Since Bertoli implemented it, his "players" can't get enough.

[WATCH] Animated Game of Thrones Shorts Before They're Pulled

History & Lore | The History of House Targaryen

Here - here's your Saturday afternoon. You're welcome.

Kickstarter Endures Crowdfunding Scam

Well, the Internet consensus seems to be: it was only a matter of time. Someone had to go and be that guy - the guy that attempts to swindle online investors via a video game pitch.

Mythic: The Story of Gods and Men (not italicizing it because it's not a real work) has been outed by the Kickstarter community for flagrant plagiarism of artistic assets. Read on for the Mythic "trailer" and comments from Scammy McScammerton himself.

Skyrim "Dawnguard" DLC Coming This Summer

Recently, Bethesda Marketing VP Pete Hines tweeted that Skyrim fans could expect Skyrim DLC details on May 1st - and so, here we are, with this zombie-Dovahkiin photo.

It's called Dawnguard and even though this photo may be enough to drop you to the floor in a frothing, Elder Scrolls fugue, you'll have to wait until E3 to catch any more tasty infobits.

Dawnguard is set for release on this summer exclusively on Xbox 360, but today, Skyrimmers can get the free Kinect update that adds over 200 voice commands.

Bethesda released this handy-dandy PDF of all the words your spouse is going to get sick of in the coming months.

VIA: Joystiq 1 | 2

SOURCE: Bethesda