Date for Jon Stewart’s Final Daily Show Revealed
Award-winning satirist Jon Stewart has announced that he will host his last Daily Show on August 6.
Stewart, who took over as The Daily Show host from Craig Kilborn in 1999, announced his departure date on the April 20 recording of the Comedy Central series. The actor, director and writer revealed that he would be leaving The Daily Show in February, after a 16-year stint as host.
Taking over in Stewart's place as host is Trevor Noah. The South African comedian made his American TV debut in 2012 on The Late Show as well as The Tonight Show and has since served as a contributor for The Daily Show.
Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese to Lose its Neon Orange Glow
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese's comforting neon orange glow will soon be calmed down to a more natural color.
In response to a Change.org petition calling for the food manufacturer to make its iconic dish healthier without changing the taste, Kraft Foods Group has announced plans to begin removing artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from Macaroni and Cheese (also known as Kraft Dinner in Canada).
Specifically the colors Yellow No. 5 and 6, the shades responsible for Macaroni and Cheese's easily recognizable, near-luminescent orange tint. Instead, Kraft plans to use paprika, tumeric, and annatto to try and restore the taste.
VoidExpanse Review
My faction's commander gave me a special weapon for destroying alien hives in a single shot, but it wouldn't fit in my ship. I left it in my inventory for later use, but at some point in my travels, it disappeared (perhaps I sold it by mistake?), and I could not find a way to retrieve a new one. The contact that had given it to me had nothing more to say, and none of the stations I visited sold such a weapon. So I was left to my own devices, slowly whittling down hives while accompanied by a useless companion that could fend off attacking aliens and space pirates, but could do no damage to the hive itself. I spent a half-dozen hours hammering away at these things, laboriously zooming back and forth between alien systems and bases where I could refuel and refill ammunition. After a while, I could finally afford a better hull, and I presumed my path to victory--a path without the disappearing superweapon--would be clearer.
Instead, my new fighter made things worse by allowing me to only equip weapon types with limited ammo reserves. I wasted precious minutes flying to a base seven systems away so that I could reload, only to return to the alien system and find the hive had gained back all of its health. It was here that VoidExpanse and I parted ways after 25 hours of spacefaring tedium and shallow questing, and I can't say I'll miss repeating the same four side missions over and over again.
It didn't have to be this way; it never does. VoidExpanse is built from a proven foundation, recalling every space sim in which you crisscross the galaxy, buying low and selling high. In VoidExpanse's case, this all occurs on a 2D plane upon which you zoom from one space station to another, mining minerals from asteroids and shooting down space pirates along the way. With each accomplishment, you earn not only money but experience, which you then apply to skills that improve your flight agility, open access to new weapons, and enhance your financial standing.
2D plane aside, this is Freelancer, or DarkStar One, or X3: Reunion, a game that encourages you to find your inner Han Solo, gaining funds by performing odd jobs, aligning yourself with a faction, and destroying whatever enemies stand in your way. Those games built adventures around these basic systems; VoidExpanse, on the other hand, rarely expounds upon the fundamentals. You do odd jobs for your chosen faction so that you can join its ranks, and at least those tasks mix things up a little. You even get choices to make, potentially befriending or alienating a contact depending on how successful you are at hacking a terminal, or convincing a pesky pirate to leave his enemy alone instead of firing on him at first glance.
The rare story-based diversion is not enough to brighten up the dreary pace that soon develops, however. VoidExpanse recycles the same few missions over and over again: Mine some minerals, deliver this package, kill this pirate, rescue these survivors. This is the steady diet of quests you feast upon if you have any hope for forward progress, unless you prefer to ferry supplies and the spoils of random enemy encounters from one system to another, seeking the highest possible prices. Trading is a common activity in space exploration games, but the lack of visual variety squashes exploration flat. Backdrops are generically pretty displays of green and purple nebulae stretching across starfields, and space vessels lack the drama of pop culture's most iconic craft; They are built for function, apparently, and not for form. But it is form that such a repetitive game needs to thrive, and what starts as a fun but formulaic adventure grows tiresome.
Combat is functional, at least, and supports two different control schemes, one of which allows you to drive the ship with the mouse, and the other of which separates aiming and movement. It is the latter scheme that affords finer control, and there is inherent appeal at hovering your targeting reticule over a pirate or an alien pod, launching missiles at it, and watching it explode. Alien ships are particularly mobile, so while most encounters aren't demanding unless you wander into systems you shouldn't be exploring yet, some battles keep you circling and reward precise aiming.
The main reason to press forward is to earn more currency and more experience, leaving behind your paltry vessel and starter gadgets for a more powerful and roomy ship. There are slots for weapons, shields, engines, and so forth, along with places to equip consumables (good for a resupply of hull strength, for instance) and boosters (good for, say, improving your defenses or supporting your energy supply). But all the incremental improvements represented by ship advancement and skill choices are at the service of repetitive sights, repetitive travel, and repetitive actions. In time, the few spots of joy are overwhelmed by the annoyances, such as the suicidal way the companion you later earn keeps ramming into alien hives until he explodes, and an autopilot that sometimes steers around obstacles, and other times bounces your ship against asteroids and space stations.
Galaxies are procedurally generated--and you can join other players' galaxies in online play--but those options bring little diversity to VoidExpanse. In the case of galaxies, the variables have too little effect on the pace of exploration to be meaningful; In the case of online play, the community is too small to make multiplayer worth investigating. Going online means following the same path you would if you played on your own, except you might encounter another player to shoot or ignore. In fact, VoidExpanse is toothless in general, lacking the mystery and suspense that could have propelled it through the universe.
Daily Deals: Big Xbox One Bundles, EA PC Games Sale, Chromebook Sale
Xbox One With Two Controllers and Charging Dock
Dell has the latest good deal on an Xbox One. Add the Halo bundle to your cart to see the bonus charger and controller. A free controller is always nice, and that charging station comes with two battery backs, so you can say goodbye to buying AAs and expensive Play and Charge kits.
Alan Wake for Xbox One Is Being ‘Discussed’ at Microsoft
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has provided IGN with the following statement:
"‘Alan Wake’ was one of the most engrossing and cinematic games of the Xbox 360 generation and it would be interesting to see what Remedy Entertainment would do if they decided to revisit the IP again. However, right now our focus is on working with them to deliver the best possible experience with ‘Quantum Break’ when it launches exclusively on Xbox One in 2016."
Original story follows.
Alan Wake developer Remedy and Microsoft are discussing the "possibility" of bringing the original Alan Wake to the Xbox One.
"I would love that to happen," said Remedy's chief creative officer, Sam Lake, in an interview with Polygon. "Nothing has happened yet, but we are discussing this possibility with Microsoft. I hope it happens, we'll see."
iHeartRadio Offers Free Music Streaming on Xbox One
iHeartMedia's free music streaming application iHeartRadio is now available to download on Xbox One.
Using the Kinect peripheral, the application will have built-in voice controls through which users can interact without using a controller. This makes it possible for users to select music, navigate menus, and adjust volume with vocal commands.
The iHeartRadio app gives users access to live radio stations from around the US, separate songs and artists that can be put into a custom playlist, podcasts, and recommended lists.
Xbox One owners can also keep up-to-date with the latest video game content via IGN's newly-launched official app.
Arnold Dresses as Terminator to Promote Genisys
The T-800 himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was on hand at Tuesday's Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, during which time the studio showcased their upcoming reboot Terminator Genisys.
CinemaCon, formerly known as ShoWest, is an annual film industry convention where the Hollywood studios tout their upcoming slate for assembled theater owners, exhibitors, and press.
Paramount's presentation began with first look footage at Terminator Genisys, their forthcoming sequel/reboot that seeks to turn the long-running sci-fi franchise's chronology of on its head. And it started with Arnold striding out onstage in full Terminator gear.
Schwarzenegger introduced a sequence showing John Connor (Jason Clarke), Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) and their fellow resistance fighters coming across a Skynet time machine. John realizes Skynet has sent back a Terminator to kill his mother Sarah and prevent his birth. When it's suggested they send someone back in time to stop the Terminator and save Sarah, Kyle volunteers to save her.
Call of Duty Headlines This Week’s Deals with Gold
Three Call of Duty games across Xbox One and Xbox 360 are discounted this week as part of Microsoft's Deals with Gold.
According to Major Nelson, Xbox Live Gold and Silver members on Xbox One can download Call of Duty: Ghosts for $24 USD (60% off), while Gold members can purchase the Digital Hardened Edition for $60 USD (40% off).
Additionally, Never Alone and twin-stick shooter We Are Doomed are both discounted to $9 USD on Xbox One; however, the latter is only on sale until April 23.
Call of Duty: Ghosts is also $24 USD on Xbox 360 this week, while Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Call of Duty 3 are discounted to just over $20 USD and $10 USD, respectively.
App Store Update: April 21
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Marvel Pinball – ($0.99)
In advance of the film's theatrical debut next Friday, Zen Studios is today launching a new Avengers: Age of Ultron pinball table as a new IAP for Marvel Pinball. Best of all, there are no story spoilers revealed through playing this table! So you can confidently start playing right away without worry of ruining any of the film experience that awaits you next week.
Warner Bros Releases 12 New Images from the Mad Max Game
Warner Brothers has shared 12 new images from the upcoming Mad Max game, including screenshots and concept art.
The full gallery is below. The images aren't 4K, but they're still pretty big. Enlarge the browser window and the image tool to see them in the best quality.
Earlier this month we learned a ton of new details about Mad Max, including some of the disturbing meals Max may need to eat.
The game will feature "soft" borders, but travel beyond the limits of the in-game map (into The Big Nothing), is very dangerous. Food and water are scarce, and you may even have to follow circling birds to find decomposing bodies riddled with protein-filled maggots.