Awesome Traceur Brings Assassin’s Creed to Life with Parkour

Traceur. Defined as a male practitioner of the sport and art that is known as parkour.
Parkour. Defined as a physical discipline of movement that’s focused on overcoming obstacles.

Let’s get on with it now that we’ve got the definitions out of the way.

Assassins Creed Parkour

The world witnessed the sheer awesomeness of the videogame/parkour mashup when a video showcasing the Tempest Freerunning Academy went viral last year. In case you missed it, the academy was actually a gym that was designed to look like Mario Land.

This time around, we’ve got some awesome parkour action in the style of Assassin’s Creed featuring the awesome traceur Ronnie Shalvis and directed by the prolific and talented Devin Graham (aka Devin Supertramp). I’ll probably just ruin it if I try to describe it using mere words, so watch the awesomeness for yourself by checking out video below.

If you want to see how they shot it and pulled off all the stunts, check out the behind-the-scenes footage here:

[via Mashable]


Queen frontman turns Freddie Birdcury for hit app promo

Queen is certainly one of the best-selling and most famous rock bands of all time. Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is making the jump to a digital Angry Bird as part of the Freddie for a Day promotion. The promotion is in celebration of Freddie Mercury’s birthday, September 5. The promotion will start Monday, September 3 with an all-new animation for the hit game Angry Birds.

The new animation will have Freddie the Angry Bird riding a bicycle to the Queen track “Bicycle Race.” The special video of the Freddie Birdcury will go live as of 5 AM Pacific time today. The animation video is linked below. However, the video shows private until the official unveiled at 5 AM Pacific, 8 AM Eastern.

There will also be a special Freddie For A Day fundraising evening hosted by Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The special event is in its second year and will see friends of Freddie, and celebrities gather in London at the Savoy to raise money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust to fight AIDS globally.

To help raise funds and awareness for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, Angry Birds has been partnership in place with Bravado to sell a limited-edition Freddie Mercury Angry Bird shirt. The special shirt will be available from the Angry Birds and Bravado web store. The T-shirt is limited edition, and all proceeds go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.


Queen frontman turns Freddie Birdcury for hit app promo is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video)

University of Michigan's Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video)

Systems such as the ColecoVision, TurboGrafx-16 and 3DO may have been ousted from most home entertainment centers long ago, but they still have shelf space at the University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive. Slashdot caught up with Engineering Librarian and Video Game Archivist Dave Carter and took a look inside the repository, which has curated around 35 classic and current-gen platforms and more than 3,000 different games. Having “one of everything” is the project’s ultimate goal, but the logistics of acquiring every new game make achieving that feat a stretch. “Our realistic goal is to be sort of representative of the history of video games, what was important — what was interesting,” Carter said. “And then, not only to preserve the games, but also to preserve the game playing experience.” As a “useable archive,” patrons of UM’s library can dig in and play at different stations with era-appropriate monitors and displays. While many visit for leisure, students have used the resource to research topics ranging from music composition to the effects of texting while driving (using an Xbox 360 racing title and steering wheel peripheral, of course). You can catch a glimpse of the collection in the video below or visit the archive’s blog at the more coverage link.

Continue reading University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video)

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University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive houses over 3,000 different games, roughly 35 unique consoles (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woven’s wearable platform for gaming, cool points and a whole lot more (video)

Woven's wearable platform for gaming, cool points and a whole lot more (video)

TshirtOS showed us one take on wearable gadgetry earlier this month, and now it’s Woven’s turn. This particular e-garment packs quite the selection of hardware, as you can see above — a trio of LilyPad Arduino boards (and some custom ones), a Bluetooth module, 12 x 12 RGB LED “screen”, speakers, bend sensors, a heart rate monitor, shake motors and a power pack. You’ll need to accessorize, of course, with a smartphone for hardware harmony and to run companion apps. So what’s it for, you ask? Well, the creators are touting it primarily as a “pervasive” gaming platform, and even seem to have a working first title in the form of SPOOKY (think gesture-based ghost-fighting). Other uses (which appear a little more conceptual) see Woven as a workout companion, TV remote, Wii controller, social network alerter or simply a fashion accessory. Check out the videos below to see it in action and imagine all the fun you could have in the five minutes before you’re ushered into that padded room.

Continue reading Woven’s wearable platform for gaming, cool points and a whole lot more (video)

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Woven’s wearable platform for gaming, cool points and a whole lot more (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gametel Bluetooth mobile controller lands stateside for $49.99

Gametel Bluetooth mobile controller lands stateside for $4999

We were awash in skepticism when we first heard of Gametel’s Bluetooth controller for Android and iOS, but then we laid our hands on one at CES 2012. At the time, it’d been available in Europe for awhile, and we were told to expect it on the shores of America by Q1. Gametel missed that mark, but the gamepad’s finally for sale in the US and can be had for $50. That half a hundred gets you nine hours of battery life along with a d-pad, four standard buttons and two shoulder triggers for your tactile gaming pleasure. Sound good? You can pick one up at the source below.

Continue reading Gametel Bluetooth mobile controller lands stateside for $49.99

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Gametel Bluetooth mobile controller lands stateside for $49.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did

Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did

We all know what the Nintendo Entertainment System looks like, right? Well, if a butterfly had flapped its wings in a slightly different manner, things could have apparently been quite different. Former Director of Game Creative at Nintendo America, Howard Phillips, has recently uploaded some images taken from a 1985 brochure for a precursor to the NES called the AVS (Advanced Video System). While a glance at some vintage-looking hardware that never came to be — such as the wireless controller — is a retrospective tease, it was the marketing material from a couple of years later that really snags the attention: an advert for a knitting machine peripheral. The image shows the NES we know and love, with a controller in a dock, attached to a knitting device turning-out what we can only assume are some leg-warmers. Not wanting to alienate its largely male audience, however, the tagline reads “Now you’re knitting with power.” Given that it never came to market, though, we guess that not quite everything was acceptable in the eighties.

Continue reading Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did

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Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceGamemaster Howard (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter

Hitman Blood Money

It’s not hard to see that offering high-quality games through the cloud has its pitfalls, not the least of which is getting customers to pay. Square Enix may have licked that last problem through its new Coreonline web gaming service. Players can still pony up for the full-priced games or even single levels if they want unfettered access, but the cleverness comes through Coreonline’s parking meter approach to ad-supported free play: the more ads you watch and the longer they run, the longer you’ll get to play without spending a single coin. As our colleagues at Joystiq found out, however, the current level of OS support is inconsistent. Windows gamers can use Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to start playing, but their Mac-owning friends have to lean on Chrome for some games and can’t even consider running the marquee title, Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix’s library of eligible games will start expanding in October; while there’s no guarantee the Final Fantasy series or many other dream games will make it to the roster, Coreonline’s approach might just be viable enough to spare us a few raids on the bargain bins.

Continue reading Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter

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Square Enix Coreonline offers top-tier games on the web for free — if you feed the ad meter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More OnLive management moves: Perlman out, as investor Lauder settles for Chairman

More OnLive management moves, Perlman out as investor Lauder settles for Chairman

As the OnLive storm continues to ride itself out, details of who the winners and losers are (mainly losers) keep washing up on the shore. Today’s casualty seems to be CEO Steve Perlman himself, who — just days after the firm reinventing itself — is “departing to work on his myriad of other projects.” In his place the former COO, Charlie Jablonski, is temporarily taking the reins, as well as continuing his role as head of operations in the new organization. Finally, completing this wave of announcements, is the news that chief investor, Gary lauder, will officially take the title of Chairman. So, as the new incarnation settles into its new structure, we’ll just have to sit tight, waiting to see what the next chapter in the OnLive story is.

Continue reading More OnLive management moves: Perlman out, as investor Lauder settles for Chairman

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More OnLive management moves: Perlman out, as investor Lauder settles for Chairman originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS Vita v1.80 update now available, PSOne titles for download revealed (video)

PS Vita v1.80 update now available, PSOne titles for download revealed

Of all the new features in firmware version 1.80 we’re pretty sure that the ability to play PSOne classics was fairly high on people’s want-list. Well, the update is live, and with it a list of the titles available. There are nine on offer today for US Vita owners, which are: Arc the Lad, Cool Boarders 2, Final Fantasy VII, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto, Syphon Filter, Tomb Raider, Twisted Metal 2 and Wild Arms, with hopefully more to follow. This is in stark contrast to what’s available over the pond, as Kotaku points out, with over 100 titles hitting European shores from tomorrow — somewhat of an imbalance. But, with Sony said to be targeting a younger crowd, maybe it’s banking on some of them not remembering the PlayStation’s golden age. Feature tour video after the break.

Continue reading PS Vita v1.80 update now available, PSOne titles for download revealed (video)

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PS Vita v1.80 update now available, PSOne titles for download revealed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq (1), (2)  |  sourcePlayStation Blog (EU), PlayStation Blog (US)  | Email this | Comments

Sony patent wants to make advertising more interactive

Sony patents want to make advertising more interactive

We all know adverts are a necessary evil, which is why different companies are trying to make them more personalized, more engaging or just plain get rid of them. In a recently granted patent, Sony outlines its ideas for next-gen advertising on network-connected devices — essentially to make it more interactive. Many of the instructional diagrams involve PS3 accessories in the home setting, but the focus isn’t just on adverts as mini-games, which itself is nothing new. Other suggestions for keeping your interest include in-ad purchasing, casting votes or selecting the genre of commercials. To speed up, or get ads off your screen, Sony would have you performing small tasks or — more sinisterly — shouting brand names when prompted. Whether such immersive advertising will ever be employed is anyone’s guess, but we’re sure you’re smart enough to know they’re just tricks. So who’s up for a McDonald’s then?

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Sony patent wants to make advertising more interactive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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