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Rockstar Games has launched much awaited game Red Dead Redemption 2, which is now available worldwide for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems.

An epic tale of honour and loyalty set in the dying days of the outlaw age, Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive.

Following a botched robbery in the western town of Blackwater, the gang are forced to flee with federal agents. The best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, leaves Arthur to make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty towards the gang who raised him.

The game will also include access to Red Dead Online. The Red Dead Online beta which is planned to launch this November, is an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways.

One can download the free Red Dead Redemption 2 Companion App for iOS or Android and connect directly to the game accordingly, and get the Red Dead Redemption 2 complete official guide published by Piggyback – available in both standard and collector’s edition at the Rockstar warehouse.

Community-powered entertainment platform Imgur and Rockstar Games will present an Imgur Ad Buyout designed to drastically limit the number of ads shown to Imgur’s community of 250 million monthly users. The first Imgur Ad Buyout has been planned to be implemented with the launch of the game Red Dead Redemption 2.

As part of the Imgur Ad Buyout, Rockstar will run a very limited number of ads for Red Dead Redemption 2 in the platform’s top placement spots, minimizing advertiser content for the day and creating a better content viewing and sharing experience for the Imgur community, which skews largely millennial male – a demographic that over-indexes on its use of ad-blocking technology.

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Over the years with the advancement of technology the gaming industry has evolved extensively.  Combination of blockchain technology and gaming has become quite popular among gamers over the past few years.

On the other hand, many gamers are yet to explore blockchain gaming. So here is the easy understanding of what is blockchain gaming? Blockchain gaming is a kind of video game that relies on blockchain technology for a decentralised experience. But many of you must be wondering what exactly is blockchain technology?   Blockchain technology is the growing list of records popularly known as blocks, which are connected using cryptography. It was initially introduced as the Bitcoin crypto-currency, these revolutionary decentralized records with multiple nodes encrypted information are uploaded in each block which only allows secret data sharing among the authorized individuals.

Breaking the myth of cryptocurrency and blockchain gaming, many consider that the blockchain gaming dealt with online rummy, poker or kind of casino gambling game but the truth is that blockchain game can be of any sort. It can be in the form of poker even or it can be in the form of Farmville or most popular game like Candycrush where you play games and may earn bitcoins.

Today, blockchain is most overhyped technology which is being handled by the Internet of Things (IoT) vendors to not only secure data but also to increase the speed of data processing to make the internet of everything. This is where the blockchain technology entered into the gaming industry.

Many blockchain enthusiasts and gaming developers are collaborating and trying to improve their business processes, businesses need, blockchain advancement in gaming to get into the bigger picture of blockchain and crypto-currencies. This is where the hustle of the blockchain technology in the online gaming or gaming industry has been exhibiting a steady interest in utilising the technology.

Benefits of combining gaming and blockchain

Considering the popularity of blockchain technology and both government, as well as the independent gaming companies, are attempting to attain customers’ trust in their own ways. Blockchain technology has become the medium which helps to improves transparency between the participants and the gaming companies with the support of high-end encryption of data. Not only that it enables direct connectivity between the player and the gaming brand, which helps to develop trust,  which again falls as a challenge to maintain it. On the other hand, this trust can be instilled across multiple systems in order to reap the most benefits which include earning of cryptocurrency or bitcoins.

Considering the improvised process, security, transparency, more gamers are getting attracted to blockchain games. And therefore more game developer is coming in front to develop blockchain gaming.

 Recently at the Block Chain Game Summit Lyon France, leading brands in the gaming and blockchain space have come together to form the Blockchain Game Alliance, a coalition that will promote blockchain development within the gaming industry. The Blockchain Game Alliance is made up of influential companies such as Alto, Gimli, Fig, Ubisoft, Ultra, B2Expand, ConsenSys, EverdreamSoft and Enjin.

The public attention into blockchain gaming came close to crashing the Ethereum network in December 2017 with the launch of blockchain game Crypto Kitties. It was a platform to breed your own unique virtual cat. It’s the blockchain equivalent of the old-school Tamagochi or Beanie Baby crazes. And it drew the ire of the ethereum community. So thinking of the demand in the blockchain game we are listing down some of the new blockchain games of 2018 which are transforming traditional gaming and revolutionizing blockchain gaming.

Glitch Goons : It is the new mobile fighting game by a well-known blockchain game developer Ether Dale. The main feature of the game is the fights between cybernetic animal-humanoid characters in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world. Glitch Goons is one of the very few games on the market, supporting a whole range of cryptocurrencies, which makes it multi-blockchain. Its pre-sales has started on 22 October and will run for 3 weeks. It is a free-to-play game with premium tournaments and a substantial prize pool. The core mechanics are automatic player vs. player combat system with no manual control over the fight, and an advanced character management system to modify fighter’s stats and abilities.
There are 5 unique sets (out of 30) distributed between the chests – cosmic, fusion, crimson, shining, and ancient. Having only two items of the set already gives the player a generous bonus to his fighting skills so we can only imagine what gives the full set if obtained. The cost for the item chests varies from 0,5 ETH to 10 ETH. These items will not be duplicated or sold in the in-game shop ever again.

Eth Town : Eth Town is the first ever crypto game where you can get your very own custom-designed character. You can amend the appearance of your characters to look like yourself, your family, or your friends. Considering that a lot of Eth.Town is based on your heroes, it’s your minions who trade for you, fight for you, and merge for you! The heroes are an ERC-721 ethereum token (this code stays for non-fungible tokens, that is each hero is unique, your ownership and the properties of the hero are recorded on the blockchain, and you can transfer and trade it on platforms that support the standard). Just like in real life, the heroes merge and create offsprings, which are better than the originals. It takes a boy-hero and a girl-hero hero to make a new baby-hero, and the new one will have a mix of the parents’ genes, stats, and looks. The parents retire right after merging and leave the town. You start with level-0 heroes and can reach levels up to level-15 (you get a Super Hero).

Spells of Genesis : Spells of Genesis is a mobile game that is a mix of a trading card game (TCG) like monopoly, bringing in deck collection and strategy, along with arcade-style gaming aspects. The game is based on blockchain technology, which is also the main source of inspiration for the storyline. The game revolves around in collection, trading and combining orbs to build the strongest decks, and put them to the test against various opponents while exploring the fantasy realm of Askian. This game can be played with multiple players where you can collect cards, trade or exchange them with other players and collectors. Combine them to build your team then test their abilities and your strategic skills in battles.

0x Universe and 0x battleship:
0x Universe is the game which is powered by the ethereum blockchain. In its first part, released at the end of June 2018, players are encouraged to be a space explorer, colonizing planets in a 3D-rendered galaxy. They can explore planets or buy them using blockchain technology. In the second half, OxGames launched the second part as 0xBattleships which comes with a new challenge. This time, players have to protect inhabitants of the virtual galaxy from a new threat — a mysterious cult of the Void God, famous for its villainy. The resistance to the enemy requires the players to construct their own powerful battleship with various modules that are stored on the blockchain. The modules, which are non-fungible tokens, are the most important part of the game. Players can own lasers, force shields, physical armour, energy generators, engines, and so on — selling them or buying from other players in an auction. The discoverers will extract resources and carry out research that allows them to conquer the remotest corners of the galaxy. In addition, players can jointly contribute to the story and unravel the mystery of the universe. Each planet has a digital collectable with a unique design and resources. Discover the four kinds: common, rare, epic and legendary planets. The latter will amaze you with their fantastic presentation and special stories.

World of Blockchain: World of Blockchain is a web-based business simulation game, which mirrors the blockchain industry in the real world and helps you to know more about the blockchain startups. Different from other crypto games, it adds new features and is expected to take the lead. Previously, it was released in the version of the closed beta test. Except for the market, other gameplay in the official release is similar to the closed beta test. Through this game, the outsiders see the truth behind the stories that blockchain startups try to sell, and the insiders take inspiration from playing. The game’s philosophy is to let people make their own decisions and having fun out of craving out business opportunities.

Considering the indulgence of the gamers in blockchain gaming, the variation of block chain games so far and the Block Chain Alliance it is expected that more game developers will come up with more unique blockchain games in near future

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Academy-award winning director and producer, Guillermo Del Toro is all set to plunge into feature-length animation with Pinocchio on Netflix.

Pinocchio will be Del Toro’s first feature film after The Shape of Water, which won him four Oscars, including best director and best picture. Del Toro will take care of the screenplay and production of the stop-motion musical.

Del Toro has chosen 1930s’ Italy to retell the classic tale of Pinocchio and the project will also be a new phase in the ongoing collaboration between Netflix and Del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro

He commented, “There is no other form of art that has affected me and my works as much as animations. There has been no other character that I have set up a bond with as much as Pinocchio in my life. In our story, Pinocchio is an innocent soul and his father is a sloppy father, lost in a world he cannot comprehend. In his extraordinary journey, Pinocchio’s perspective on his father and the real world changes and his perceptions unfold. I have wanted to make this movie as long as I can remember. After the great experience, we had with Trollhunters, I’m glad the Netflix team gave me this opportunity to present my version of this classic puppet-human story to audiences around the world.”

The Jim Henson Company and ShadowMachine will work on the stop-motion animation. Apart from Del Toro, other producers of the film are-Lisa Henson, Alex Bulkley from ShadowMachine, Corey Campodonico and Gary Ungar of Exile Entertainment.

The animation will be co-produced by Blanca Lista and Patrick McHale will be part of the crew with Mark Gustafson as the assistant director. Guy Davis, who was inspired by Gris Grimly’s original in designing Pinocchio, will be the production designer. The puppets in the movie will be made by Mackinnon and Saunders. The production is expected to begin this fall.

Del Toro is one of Hollywood’s most successful directors who was the main producer of feature-length DreamWorks animations such as Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Rise of the Guardians, for seven years. He is also the creator of Guillermo Del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight, which will air soon on Netflix. He had previously directed the Emmy award-winning series Trollhunters, the first of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy by Dreamworks for Netflix. 3Below, the second movie of the trilogy will air on 21 December and the final movie Wizards will be released in 2019. 

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There is a fount of vintage content that 90’s kids just can’t resist the lure of bringing back. Whilst afternoons in those days used to be pash-filled with the emblematic theme song of Justice league rocking the television sets, buildings reverberated in unison with manga cartoons like Dragon Ball Z and Beyblade at soirées. Cartoon Network offered a broad range of gripping and regaling content that graced the 90’s as it was replete with caped crusaders and lunatic villains.

John R Dilworth

One cartoon that no millennial can easily erase from the dark chambers of their mind has to be Courage the Cowardly Dog. The cartoon series hasn’t had his own animated television series since it ended in 2002, but there is a good news.

John R Dilworth has recently shared on his social media account that he and his company were “expecting to begin development” of a prequel to the classic cartoon and that it’s currently called Before Courage. Dilworth also mentioned that the show would be specifically for Boomerang rather than Cartoon Network.

There is something about being scared that is oddly appealing. Courage was always a beguilingly ghoulish show that despite inducing the horrors, offered substance in the varied animation styles, creepy music, and surreal in-depth characters that haunted us and had us glued to our seats at the same time.

The paradox is not just in the title but also the nature of the show. People perhaps have spent nights lying awake recapitulating the stories they had consumed, feeling the shadows creeping, imagining their closet doors creaking holding their breath and waiting. 

The reason why 90’s are often branded as the golden age of animated content is because of sheer flexibility and lack of censorship in those times. A horror-comedy show with an absurdist story-line like Courage wouldn’t see the light of day in the current times. But twenty years ago, the level of reception was strikingly different in comparison.

Courage the Cowardly Dog was a show about a pink canine named Courage who lives in a farmhouse near the fictional town of Nowhere, Kansas. His parents were sent into space by an evil veterinarian. As a puppy, Courage was adopted by a good-natured Scottish woman named Muriel (Thea White). She’s married to a grumpy, greedy farmer named Eustace Bagge (Lionel G. Wilson, then Arthur Anderson) who enjoys mistreating and scaring the pooch with a bright green bug-eyed mask.

Out in the middle of nowhere, the three frequently run into all manner of monsters, aliens, demons, mad scientists, and zombies. Courage must fend off these threats to save his owners, often with them unaware of what’s really going on. Most of the creatures are scary or creepy but can also be sweet or in distress themselves.

Whenever one turns the TV over to Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, one finds it fraught with turgid, glittery, bubblegum world of bug-eyed smiles, sanitised and politically correct dialogue. It’s a far cry from the dark, absurd, oft-nightmarish content of just 20 years ago.

Back in those times, Courage enjoyed a sizeable air-time on Cartoon Network as it snuck up on people ever so suddenly. One moment we would be enjoying the mindless buffoonery of Ed, Edd n Eddy and the next we would hear the familiar refrain: “We interrupt this program to bring you… Courage the Cowardly Dog Show, starring Courage, the Cowardly Dog!” While even the intro sequence stirred feelings of dread, one could never bring themselves to change the channel. Morbid curiosities of the viewers fueled the ratings abundantly.

Episode stories ranged from showing a tribe of bullfrogs invading Courage’s home and forcing his adopted family to dig ponds and croak to featuring a psychopathic snowman, a robotic doppelganger, a duck masquerading as a doctor that tries to swindle people out of their life savings to a friendly pig running a restaurant, who Courage learns secretly kills humans and serves their flesh.  

What made the horror of Courage the Cowardly Dog so petrifying was the sense of open-ended possibility which accompanied each misadventure. The show’s villains concocted elaborate plots and driven by compelling motives. Courage was just a scared dog, the exact opposite personality-wise of most typical children’s TV heroes, who inspire confidence and remain calm while facing danger. In most kids’ entertainment, you know that the hero will overcome all obstacles, evil will be vanquished and things will return to how they should be.

When watching Courage, on the other hand, one would get an overwhelming premonition that untoward things might actually happen. Facing impending doom against blood-curdling villains, Courage had no choice but to find a way to solve his own issues.

He thwarted his enemies, all while anxious and trembling. In retrospect, that’s what made Courage so relatable. He understood that it’s okay to be afraid and that just because you stand up against something you’re scared of, doesn’t mean it will suddenly become less terrifying. Most stories often promote this romantic idea that confronting fears allows people to automatically overcome them. Courage the Cowardly Dog asserted that fear is okay and that it is how we deal with inescapable situations that define us.

The deadliest episodes that have scared viewers out of their wits are:-

King Ramses’ Curse

Eustace Bagge being the most callous and problematic characters on the show always ends up provoking the ghosts. It’s Eustace’s greed to keep a stolen slab worth one million dollars that forces the entire family to be haunted by the ghost of King Ramses, who refuses to leave until the slab is returned to his tomb. The spooky part is the visual itself; The inventiveness of creator John R. Dilworth who has smartly used paper-style turn-over-flat animation a monotone voice eerily demanding that you “return the slab.”

The Mask

A rather light and poignant episode compared to the others on this list. The Mask about a feline looking to help a bunny escape the clutches of her overprotective, biker boyfriend. But, the fact that Kitty wore a haunting, porcelain mask during the majority of the episode.

The Black Puddle Queen

A strange yet pretty queen with huge razor-sharp grills lives inside the puddle alone. She wants to seduce Eustace and take him to her underwater kingdom so she could eat him. Eustace eventually falls prey to her ploy as the queen starts appearing in his tea, his bathtub and whispering his name repeatedly.

In a Reddit Ask-me-anything session, Dilworth revealed that the show was inspired by Charlie Chaplin, sci-fi novels, Terror Comix, and Salvador Dali.

Commenting about the revolutionary techniques and experiments used in Courage, Dilworth once said that they would let their creative juices flow and their inventive animation styles would include stop-motion, paper cuts outs, mix media puppets and live media footage.

Seems like our excitements are soaring high!

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