140°

ex-Halo dev talks governments using gamers' data

From the site - "Former Metal Gear Solid producer Ryan Payton quit the dream role of creative director on Halo 4 to invest his life’s savings in the risky prospect of making a console-like stealth game on a touchscreen. The resulting game, République, from his new studio Camouflaj is one of the most exciting new IPs in the market that delivers on its promise of a “triple-A” iOS game.

In a wide-ranging interview in Issue 0 of Grab It Magazine about his decision to risk it all on République, the talented developer reveals just how big studio culture doesn’t allow innovative titles to come to the surface. In doing so, he also makes some telling comments about the currently burning topic of customer data being leaked to government agencies:"

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grabitmagazine.com
GentlemenRUs3783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

Can someone go slap that US government in the face please... Why is the government over there so corrupt?

Sure, The one over here is the UK is crap but comparing it to the US... Well, You know what I mean...

N7KIRK3783d ago

Sure. Go take a look at Russia's government. Then compare the two.

ninjahunter3783d ago

Putin does what he wants, but hes honest about doing what he wants.

N7KIRK3782d ago

@ninjahunter

If you think the U.S. government is anywhere near as corrupt as Russia's, I'd be a fool to offer you a rebuttal.

Irishguy953783d ago

Welcome to the human race. The ones who are in power are always rife with corruption.

KakashiHotake3783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

For me, Microsoft choosing to bundle that camera with the Xbox One was a deal breaker. I love PlayStation and always have but if they would have made that PS Eye madatory I would have turned my back on them as well. I dont see how anyone could be attracted to those creepy cameras. You literally have a survellance camera in your living room monitoring your every move and bringing that data back to these companies. It amazes me that there are still people lining up for the crap, like a bunch of lab rats. When confronted they always say they have nothing to hide, but what they fail to understand is that the problem isnt about whats hidden but its whats not hidden. You may not be aware of it but there are thousands of agencies fighting and paying lots of money for your data, from simple browsing on the internet to mobile usage. Your data may not be valuable to you but it is to someone. With the data they get from those cameras if in the wrong hands could harm you in long run in ways that would never cross your mind.

JodyCones3783d ago

Some people are just naive and stubborn and don't want to believe such things that are very true in the world we live in today. It's also the technology they pack in the kinect with their policies they had backing it up in the first place. All those things (DRM) can be implemented again. I've always played PlayStation too, and glad I have my PS4.

Irishguy953783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

What 'data' are they going to get that they couldn't get some other way? Having a camera in a room is less data than simply signing up for Xbox live.

Just mad to me. You think a camera in a living room is the line that is too far. Why is it? Please tell me. Are the US government going to observe families sitting there half naked eating cornflakes? What would be the point in that? They already have the information they want. Address, details, photos(any online) etc. A camera is not worse than anything else right now. As far as i'm concerned this is just another phase PS fanboys are gonna go through just like Xbox live was pay 2 play and that was such an act of horrid proportions. Yet suddenly nobody gives a **** when Sony are doing it too.

Edit -

What the **** are you talking about? Watching every move? What do you have kinect on all day every day and keep it mounted to your head, Get a grip. I guess you never use camera's right? Don't have a smartphone or any digital technology? It's just a big joke that Kinect is treated this way when you have no problem with the rest of the devices. I'll make this simple. If NSA wanted information they wouldn't use a shitty gaming camera to get it. Especially when there is literally no important information to gain from viewing someone while they're gaming. At the very worst it can record the habits of a person who is playing a game. Which is, to be straight, ****ing useless information.

Again, address, email, phone number, phone calls <-all more important information and extremely likely that you've already used them for something. You just look at the idea of a 'camera watching you' and come to your own conclusion that a murdering rapist must be spying on you on the line. Seriously, get a grip.

Itachi ~ It's not that I feel strongly about it and I don't disagree that **** happens. But actually think about what kinect is. When it's on. What information anyone could get off it etc. It's just not a big deal. Here are some tips.

*Don't fap while your kinect is on.
*Don't show your credit card to Kinect(not that the NSA would have a problem getting Credit card information)
*If you plan to murder someone, don't do it in front of a turned on kinect.

XabiDaChosenOne3783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

So having someone's address is just as good as potentially watching their everyday moves and their daily habits? Seems legit. It must suck having to come up with the most ridiculous excuses to protect the name of a company you don't work for.

KakashiHotake3783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

Obviously there's nothing I can say that would change your mind as you feel strongly about your argument and I do respect that. At times I can be a PS fanboy and I won't deny that, but when it comes to the Kinect I'm dead serious. I know some of the things may sound absurd and ridiculous but never underestimate the evil in this world. It never sleeps and even preys on the things you take for granted. Yes, even sitting down with your family half naked eating cornflakes can be useful data.

MegaRay3783d ago

But what would you do if somebody beat you in brawler game and Kinect is watching? Youcant even hit him let alone murder him.

NSA im joking no need for the track devices

XabiDaChosenOne3782d ago (Edited 3782d ago )

"What do you have kinect on all day every day"
So there aren't people who keep their consoles on all day?
"Get a grip. I guess you never use camera's right? Don't have a smartphone or any digital technology?" Here is the difference you ****ing moron, I NEED a phone to keep up with potential clients/customers, I NEED a laptop for my files etc. Just because I use these devices with cameras on them does not mean I approve of them being used as potential spy equipment you ****face. It means I put up with them because features like making phone calls and managing files are a necessity to me. Nobody needs a gaming console.
"If NSA wanted information they wouldn't use a shitty gaming camera to get it." So the Kinect camrera is shitty now? I bet I can go through your comment history and find you saying otherwise, real convenient you hypocritical weasel. Fact is Kinects features are perfect for the NSA.
"At the very worst it can record the habits of a person who is playing a game." But I thought the Xbox one was this ultimate media machine that all the casuals will be eating up? LMAO! You have no clue what the NSA considers valuable information and you have no clue on what they use that information for. You assume that as long as your are not doing anything illegal in front of the Kinect you will be just fine? You fool!! They are going to watch you no matter what!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3782d ago
TheLostCause3783d ago

You're spot on really, I'm glad to see someone is thinking for themselves for once, I remember years ago when I was telling friends about government surveillance and to watch what they put online and to be careful with their smart phones because they could be monitered, just laughed and said I was paranoid, then recently whistleblowers came out about the PRISM act and NSA spying, It's better to be "paranoid" and aware rather than blind tbh :p I also skipped on Xbox One due to the Kinect, just can't bring myself to trust a big American corporation with history of dealing with the NSA.

CynicalKelly3783d ago

I think it's dumb they bundled Kinect too but simply because I am not a motion gamer. I don't care about all this tin foil hat conspiracy crap and not because I have nothing to hide but because I have had cameras connected to my computers for years and NSA is said to be able to access every telephone call you make, every internet search you make, every youtube video you watch, every email you send.

So for me? It's funny to see people only draw at Microsoft when it comes to privacy concerns. It's obvious they don't really care.

This past month, I believe we have seen countless people streaming the bedrooms/living rooms and even falling asleep in front of the camera. I just can't believe that this is more about Xbox than Privacy concerns.

Salooh3783d ago (Edited 3783d ago )

Well said, It's not about ps4 vs X1. I would never buy X1 because of kinect even if they release 3 unbelievable exclusives every month. I am a gamer but i have standard . It's forbidden to put a camera like that in my house even if i want it. The camera's i have can be shut down , it doesn't collect data by it self , it's not always on and it's not connected to the internet so don't start that excuse because it's dumb..

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3782d ago
phantomexe3782d ago

All governments spy on there own people and on each other. Its alwasy been that way and it alwasy will be. I'm surprised that people are are so mad now about it. Ofcourse don't believe what Alex jones says hes a few frys short of a happy meal.

CaptainN3782d ago

This would make a good Wii-U game since its touchscreen focused!

Many-hat53782d ago

It really doesn't matter how you try to protect your privacy, it simply isn't possible.If you use modern technology at all, then you're already monitored, period.
So, what can you do? Have you ever lied? Have you ever twisted the facts to your advantage? Data can be collected, but it can't easily be verified if you are smart in what you do. As for the American government being worse than UK,it's not. Try a little research - look at the number of surveillance cameras in the UK or Walk down any city street in the UK and you will be monitored from one end to the next. You simply can't avoid being monitored, but you can avoid being targeted. Think smart, use your data collection wisely! :)

350°

PlayStation 3 Games That Desperately Need a PS5 Remaster

The PlayStation 3 may not have been the strongest generation for Sony, but there were still some diamonds in the rough that deserve a revisit as PS5 remasters.

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wealthofgeeks.com
OtterX59d ago (Edited 59d ago )

Even if they could just remaster and put on PSVR2, some would still look great as VR titles and could do a whole lot to bolster the headset w these exclusives! I'd imagine the investment of reworking these titles into VR would be way less than building new games from the ground up, and they could be amazing experiences, and VR often makes flat games feel fresh again. The Resistance and Killzone games are particularly what I want to see!!

Rude-ro58d ago

I played killzone 3 in 3d and it really changed the game per being immersive.
In vr, that would be even more awesome.

darthv7258d ago

Funny you mention that... my son wanted to play some PS3 games in 3d on my PS tv and he was blown away by how good KZ3 was. It really was a great addition to the game. Im surprised there have not been more 3d games from that era being ported to the PSVR/VR2.

_SilverHawk_58d ago

resistance 1-3, killzone 1-3, uncharted 1-3, uncharted golden abyss, folklore, socom 4 , motorstorm, twisted metal, MAG, heavenly sword

Cacabunga58d ago

Killzone 2+3
Sly Thieves in Time
Crack in Time
God of War Ascension
Motorstorm
Modnation racer
Infamous 1+2

Profchaos58d ago (Edited 58d ago )

Killzone trilogy in VR would be amazing bonus points if they offer shadow fall.

There was a psvr1 Killzone project that supermassive was working on at one stage which wasn't up to scratch and Sony brand it back in house I was hoping we would see that on psvr2 eventually.

Personally I'd love to see some more love or acknowledgement of psvr2 from Sony in general it was a expensive headset and Sony barely acknowledge it's existence

seanpitt2358d ago

The amount of work needed to remaster these games wouldn't be beneficial on a financial and business sense.. MGS4 would probably be the best bet as it would need the least amount of work!

Iceball200059d ago

YEAAASSSSS! I miss this franchise and wanna play it so bad again.

Father__Merrin59d ago

The time is perfect for a resistance fall of man game campaign coop multiplayer

InUrFoxHole59d ago

The resistance series is str8 trash to me. Socom 3 I would welcome. Or killzone MP.

Marcus Fenix59d ago

A Resistance reboot will be awesome

Michiel198958d ago

That's what Bungie should make, Ill keep saying it until it happens

1Victor59d ago (Edited 59d ago )

Resistance was ok but Warhawk and Starhawk was better and kept me coming back for almost a decade of fun and petty revenge on the loud mouth unskilled players 🤣
Edit I loved capture the flag dropping the pot on the flag carrier was extremely satisfying as well as transforming your plane in bot form and stumping them to death 😱

59d ago
Michiel198958d ago

Resistance was the best co-op fps I ever played after L4D2

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40°

One Last Smoke - The significance of Snake's cigarettes in Metal Gear Solid 4

An article looking at the symbolic meaning behind the cigarettes in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

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metalgearinformer.com
530°

Hideo Kojima laments that Metal Gear Solid 4's digital battlefield 'is no longer science fiction'

Game creator Hideo Kojima is and probably will always be best-known for his creation and stewardship of the Metal Gear series at Konami, which since his departure has been more-or-less on permanent hiatus (don't mention Survive). In his almost three decades these games evolved to the point where they predicted certain problems of the information age (MGS 2), took aim at contemporary topics like Guantanamo Bay (MGS: Ground Zeroes), and ended on a profound sense of sadness about our species' inability to break the cycles of global conflict (MGS V).

It's not clear what sparked this reflection, but Kojima's been thinking about Metal Gear Solid 4, an entry that was (and unfortunately still remains) a PlayStation 3 exclusive. In that entry the player controls an aged Solid Snake in the year 2014, caught up in a civil war being fought between Private Military Companies (PMCs).

Dirty_Lemons369d ago

That was a great fucking game/ movie.

DarXyde369d ago

To this day, it's one of those games where I refuse to skip the cutscenes, no matter how many playthroughs I've done.

But if you ask me...MGS2 was bloody prophetic and has aged like fine wine. That game was blasted as the weakest entry, and yet it's so enduring. I replayed it some time last year and it was remarkable.

sadraiden369d ago

Heed not the lamentations of people that say that MGS2 is bad because of the Snake/Raiden bait and switch. Every MGS game has its own merits, and while most people consider 3 to be the best, they all shine equally in my opinion.

porkChop369d ago

@sad

I would generally agree but with the exception of MGSV. It had truly excellent gameplay/combat, but dull and largely empty open world(s), and a narrative that is literally only half finished.

I really wish Kojima hadn't tried to go open world with MGS. It just wasn't right for the series. But I get it. He didn't want to make MG anymore but he wasn't allowed to make anything else. So he had to experiment within that franchise. Still, it was the wrong direction.

Santouryuu369d ago

I have been thinking about this a lot, MGS2 being the weakest and getting blasted.
My conclusion, for some years now, it's my favorite game of the series.
Going from MGS1 to MGS2 was such a big leap, in graphics, mechanics, etc.
And now it's even more relevant for being 'bloody prophetic' as you stated.

Maybe dust of my vita and play it again...

porkChop369d ago

It's a shame we never got a remaster of MGS4. The original game only rendered at 1024x768, and it ran anywhere from like 20fps to 60fps depending on the area. A remaster could have very easily cleaned up the visuals and performance. It's such a great game. I just want to play it again but in its best possible state.

MIDGETonSTILTS17369d ago

I agree, but they did all sorts of tricks to make use of the ps3’s cell processor….they’d probably have to rebuild the game in order to make it run on another machine. And, if that involves remaking those cutscenes somehow, then itll never happen, unfortunately.

porkChop368d ago

Nah. There have been plenty of remasters of PS3 games and they've turned out fine. It can be done.

ANIALATOR136368d ago (Edited 368d ago )

You can get near enough 4k 60 with it on RPCS3 these days

FallenAngel1984368d ago

War... war never changes. Or does it? The war has changed ...did it? The answer is no! Unless it is yes! No, of course it is! Is war! Yes! No! Yes?

PitbullMonster368d ago

Ah a man of culture. Duty calls

cell989369d ago

He was always ahead with this series. MSG1 taught me about the importance of passing on our genes into future generations but in a responsible way, for they are bound to what we experienced in our lifetime. Sons of liberty taught me about global control and simulation runs to test society in a grand scale, the importance and dangers of control of information. MGS3 taught me about patriotism and how that can blind you into doing things you never would have otherwise, all for the sake of politicians who only see you as another pawn in their grand scheme of things. MSG4 taught me war is inevitable and always orchestrated because it's great for the economy. Soon simulation systems will start dictating who goes to war and why, all run through proxies. Privatization of military company are already here. We already started to see how a small group of elites dictates everything that happens. Nothing is done, nothing happens without strings being pulled.

Eidolon369d ago

You learned all this from MGS?

Tody_ZA369d ago

All that was literally the themes and core story of each game, so not surprising he learned that from MGS. Metal Gear Solid 2 in particular is so relevant today, it was more than a decade ahead of its time and a work of genius. Kojima saw what the digital future was going to become when it was in its infancy. Even MGS 5 despite being unfinished and less of a traditional Metal Gear Solid game with regards to story, had a fair bit to say about language and control over it that is relevant today.

It's a highly acclaimed series for a reason, and one of my favourite.

Eidolon369d ago

I've watched my brother play the MGS games, but I only beat MGS1 myself on the PSP in 2014, and MGSV in 2016. I took the themes and plots as lore, tbh.. trying to piece together the story of MGS rather than relating them to our current times.

Tody_ZA369d ago

It's definitely social commentary, Eidolon. You should read the "themes and analysis" section of the Wikipedia page for MGS2: Sons of Liberty for a start! Game was heavy on this.

Eidolon369d ago

I'll take a look, thanks. Actually might pick up MGS2 again (PS Vita), It's been years since I last played. Might start a new game tbh.

sadraiden369d ago

MGS2 literally predicted digital manipulation of information that we see today all the way back in 2001. MGS2 became Zucc's playbook.

Knushwood Butt369d ago

MGS taught me not to pee my pants.

cell989368d ago

Yes back in 1998 when I was 13. Throughout the years more information has been shown on this subject matters, but go back to early 2000s and information wasn't as prominent. Kojima was ahead of the game

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MaxiPower90369d ago

He was on the ball about many things. A true visionary.

sadraiden369d ago

If it wasn't for the retconning of how FOXDIE works, including clunky scenes with Naomi and Liquid, MGS4 would be a perfect game. There are so many gameplay options. It felt like us PS3 owners got something truly unique and special.

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