Alan Partridge Wanted For Top Gear
A petition calling for Alan Partridge to replace Jeremy Clarkson as the presenter of Top Gear has received more than 15,000 signatures in the last 24hrs.
Clarkson was recently suspended from the hugely successful TV show following an alleged 'fracas' with a producer, and the fall-out from said altercation could pave the way for the fictional presenter to join the team.
Partridge is a well-known car-lover, long-time reader of Top Gear Magazine, and even once fronted a show entitled Crash! Bang! Whallop! What a Video!.
The campaign itself is using the hashtag #HirePartridge, while the statement on the petition's website reads as follows:
Google’s Eric Schmidt Says Future AI Has Huge Potential for Humanity
Reassuring that humans don’t need to be so fretful about the advancement of artificial intelligence, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt believes the technology has immense potential to help humanity's future for the better.
“I think that this technology will ultimately be one of the greatest forces for good in mankind’s history simply because it makes people smarter,” The Washington Post reports Schmidt as saying during a keynote address at SXSW,
“I’m certainly not worried in the next 10 to 20 years about that. We’re still in the baby step of understanding things,” he said. “We’ve made tremendous progress in respect to
Battlefield Hardline Launch Suffers DDoS Attacks on Xbox One
Battlefield Hardline has enjoyed a mercifully smooth launch on most platforms, though issues experienced by Xbox One owners are being attributed to DDoS attacks.
According to the game's official Twitter, the issue has been identified and should hopefully be resolved before too much longer.
"We are aware of #BFHardline connectivity issues on Xbox One. We've got our best on it and hope to resolve soon. Thanks for your patience," developer Visceral tweeted. "We’ve identified the connectivity issues on Xbox One are due to DDoS attack and working to resolve. Apologies for the inconvenience."
EA Files Trademark For Something Called ‘Unravel’
Electronic Arts has filed a trademark application for something called "Unravel".
The trademark filing was spotted by NeoGAF and pertains to video game software and entertainment services. At the time of writing only a European trademark has been visibly filed, but it's pretty rare for companies to file trademarks across the world simultaneously.
Quite what this could be is anyone's guess, though it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this could be a new title set for reveal at E3. As for what type of game it could be, the name conjures up a fair few ideas, but the recent cancellation of Shadow Realms does make you wonder if any assets may be reused.
League of Legends Is Coming to Windows 10
Microsoft has just announced a partnership with Tencent, in which the companies will work together to bring Riot Games' popular MOBA to Windows 10.
In addition to League of Legends, Tencent will be bringing other titles, including Cross Fire and Dungeon & Fighter, to the Windows 10 marketplace.
On top of that, the China-based games company will be offering a free upgrade to Microsoft's new operating system in order to reach "as many Chinese consumers as possible, as soon as possible."
This is a huge win for Microsoft and the future of Windows 10, as League of Legends is undoubtedly one of the most popular competitive games currently on the market, thanks in large part to its thriving eSports community.
Fox Fans League is Looking For Its First FIFA 15 Champion
FIFA 15 Ultimate Team and Hyundai A-League fans have the chance to become champion of the inaugural Australian-wide Fox Fans League, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia announced.
Beginning in April, the qualifying heats will be held select Westfield Centres across the country on PlayStation 4. The winner of each heat secures a position in the top 16 finalists where they will go on to compete in the Grand Final at Federation Square in Melbourne on April 29. The Grand Final will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and commentated by Simon Hill and Andy Harper.
You can register you interest to compete in a qualifying heat via the tournament’s official website. To be selected as one of each location’s 32 participants you must answer in 25 words or less, "What makes you Australia's best EA Sports FIFA 15 gamer?," when registering.
Star Wars’ Greedo is Now a Fish
Star Wars' Greedo has been immortalized...as a fish.
"I think it was the whole package that evoked Greedo, but particularly the eyes and the underslung mouth," Jonathan Armbruster, biological sciences professor and curator of fishes for the Auburn University Museum of Natural History told CNN.
via CNN
Discovered in 1998 in Brazil, Armbruster obtained the Peckoltia greedoi in 2005. He initially thought they were an existing species - Peckoltia vittata - but the designation didn't sit well with him. After a re-examination last September, he realized they were a different species - one that reminded him of a certain bounty hunter.
Nintendo Aims to Release Its First Smartphone Game Within This Year
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata hopes that the company and Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA will launch the first Nintendo IP smartphone game sometime in 2015.
Nintendo announced in a press briefing yesterday that it’s teaming up with DeNA to develop and operate new games specifically for smartphones starring Nintendo IP. In the following Q&A session, Iwata was asked when will the games be developed and who will be leading the development. http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/17/nintendo-to-develop-smartphone-games-featuring-nintendo-characters
Fantastic Four May Actually Dress Like The Fantastic Four
Not a fan of the 'practical' Fantastic Four reboot costumes that debuted last month? Good news - Mr. Fantastic himself has revealed the final costumes will be more "traditional".
Speaking to Screencrush, actor Miles Teller, who will play Reed Richards in Josh Trank's film, explained the costumes we've seen in publicity photos are the "beta versions".
"These are the beta versions of the costumes, which is great
But, yeah it would be very odd if the Fantastic Four didn't don the traditional costumes. You've got to. There is some servicing there. You've got to give that to the fans. That's what it's all about."
Pokemon Rumble World Shows Up On Australian Classification Site
'Pokemon Rumble World' has popped up on the ever-reliable Australian Classification Board website.
While the listing offers little to no info (bar a PG rating in Oz), this is obviously the next installment of Pokemon Rumble, a battle royale-style series that tasks players to fight Pokemon in various arenas. The last Rumble game was 2013's Pokemon Rumble U, which utilized the Wii U's NFC support via Pokemon figurines.
Whether or not this could tie into Nintendo's recent announcement that the company will collaborate with mobile game company DeNA is anyone's guess, although a Rumble game would certainly suit a mobile format.