Doom

The 404 1,123: Where a storm is coming (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- McDonalds to open first vegetarian restaurant.

- Hoax alert: Bruce Willis fights for the right to bequeath his iTunes library.

- How classic games got their names (hat tip to Corey).

- Is this new Prince Harry game using Jeff's likeness?

Episode 1,123 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  

Doom 4 not cancelled, supposed game art surfaces

id Software's Doom 4 has not been canceled, according to a statement from parent company Bethesda. "Doom 4 is not cancelled. When we are ready to talk about the game, we'll let folks know," reads a statement provided to GameSpot.

Doom 4 is on the way, promises Bethesda.

The update came in response to an AllGamesBeta (via Joystiq) report from earlier this week that suggested the shooter had been shelved.

The report also included supposed leaked Doom 4 screenshots. The Web site got its hands on 21 shots rumored to be taken from id Software's new shooter, and have since received additional images, totaling 170.

Read more of "Doom 4 not cancelled, supposed game art surfaces" at GameSpot. … Read more

Engaged with Rage

If there's anyone who should know how to make legendary video games, it's got to be Id Software co-founder John Carmack. Largely responsible for classics such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake (basically the games that invented the first-person action shooter), there's no game maker, save for Nintendo's Miyamoto, who comes close in terms of influence or reputation. (See our E3 2011 interview with Carmack here.)

It's no surprise that Rage has received its fair share of hype. Now that we've had our hands on the final product, here's what we think:

Jeff:It's impossible to play Rage and not immediately think of games like Borderlands and Fallout 3. The game draws so many similarities to the former that veteran players may find things a bit redundant in not just atmosphere but gameplay as well. Both games are a looter's dream, but Rage succeeds at delivering a much more polished and complete package.

Rage places the player in the role of Ark member, a project designed to continue the human race in anticipation of a meteorite impact that will destroy most of if not all life on Earth. The game begins with the Ark member awakening some time after the collision. Of course the world is now a shell of its former self and, surprise, surprise, you're not exactly welcome in it.

Narratively speaking, Rage starts off with an impressive sequence, but never really is able to achieve the same sort of cinematic awe. Voice performances are strong and likable, highlighted by the instantly recognizable John Goodman.… Read more

The 404 896: Where 'tis a far far better thing doing stuff for other people (podcast)

We have big announcement to make today! At the end of this month, CNET will begin a daily block of live podcasts, starting with The 404! You asked for longer episodes, so we're extending the show to fit in all the news headlines of the day, plus Calls From The Public, more weekly segments, including the return of Tang that Tune, and more!

On today's extracasual episode, we jump into a few stories we weren't able to discuss yesterday, like Apple losing yet another unreleased iPhone prototype, Germany lifting a 17-year ban on Doom 1 and 2, and a Tang That Tune with a surprise ending!

The 404 Digest for Episode 896

Apple loses another unreleased iPhone (exclusive). Doom finally unbanned in Germany. Apple customer accidentally given store hard drive.

Episode 896 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 644: Where we play Angry Birds while waiting for BioShock Infinite (podcast )

Brace yourself for a lot of video game news on today's episode of The 404 Podcast as we discuss Wilson's obsession with throwing pigs at cats, Street Fighter experts offering lessons for $50 an hour, Rage running on an Apple iPhone, and BioShock Infinite!

Fresh off the success of this year's BioShock 2, the creators of the original game just announced a complete reimagining of the franchise in the form of BioShock Infinite. The original BioShock enjoyed countless game of the year awards, thanks to its creative storytelling. Ken Levine, creative director at Irrational Games, tells us … Read more

Will Apple's 'Spinning Wheel of Doom' become chic?

Can a symbol of frustration be turned into a signal of style? Can a visual aid that suggests something might be seriously amiss turn into a chic magnet?

I ask this important question because one enterprising marketer believes that if you are geek chic-forward, you ought to be wearing Apple's Spinning Wheel of Doom.

Should you not be familiar with this wheel, it is sometimes referred to as "the beach ball of hell" or, by the extremely naive, the "swirling rainbow circle thingy." Apple itself refers to it as the "spinning wait cursor." … Read more

Man controls cybernetic hand with thoughts

European scientists have successfully built a brain-controlled bionic hand that could be used to kill or maim hundreds of humans in the coming robot versus humans' civil war. Or, far more admirably, allow amputees to feel hand sensations and manipulate their limb--via the brain--as if it were still there.

Pierpaolo Petruzziello--who lost his arm under the elbow in a car crash several years ago--has done just that, Italy's University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome announced Wednesday.

The biometric hand was developed at Pisa's Valdera Polo Sant'Anna School and surgically attached to Petruzziello's nervous system via electrodes implanted … Read more

Botnet worm in DOS attacks could wipe data out on infected PCs

The denial-of-service attacks against Web sites in the U.S. and South Korea that started last weekend may have stopped for now, but code on the infected bots was set to wipe data on Friday, security experts said.

There were no immediate reports of any of the compromised PCs in the botnet having files deleted, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening or won't in the future, said Gerry Egan, a product manager in Symantec's Security Technology Response group. (Click here for Larry Magid's related podcast with Symantec expert.)

There are only about 50,000 … Read more

Doom Resurrection on iPhone--screenshots

You might be expecting Doom on the iPhone to be the latest in an increasingly tedious string of ports of the original game. But it ain't no such thing. Doom Resurrection on the iPhone is a completely new game developed exclusively for iPhone and iPod Touch by iD software. We've been smearing brain against wall all afternoon.

Remember the House of the Dead games? Y'know, the first-person shooters where your dude walks a preset path? Yeah, it's like that. Only to aim, you tilt the iPhone, and all other controls are displayed as virtual buttons on … Read more