COUNCIL CHRONICLE – Still waiting for CD Projekt Red to announce Cyberpunk 2077’s launch date? Well, in the meantime, have a go at The Witcher Enhanced Edition, the game that marked Geralt of Rivia’s long-lived saga. And to sweeten the pot, Red’s game can be downloaded for free from Good Old Games’ official website. Here’s what you need to do to get your hands on the game.

The Witcher Enhanced Edition Considered a Milestone in Open-World RPG Genre

After all the positive reviews, not much could be said about the first installment in The Witcher series – immersive, epic, brooding, The Witcher Enhanced Edition continues to fascinate even after a decade.

And now, the game that paved the way for the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Wild Hunt can be played or replayed for free on GOG.

As part of their summer sale, GOG has announced tons of giveaways; The Witcher Enhanced Edition is one of the many.

To get your hands on a digital copy of the game, start by creating a GOG account. If you already have a GOG account, you’ll need to download GWENT The Witcher Card Game. The good news is that GWENT is also free to download. After adding the game to your library, you will receive a redeeming code which you can use to add The Witcher 1 to your game library.

Conclusion

A word of warning before you proceed – Witcher 1 is not Witcher 3! What you see in the third game of the series is the results of many years of work and study. The first game could be seen as unpolished or even crude, but the immersion factor is way beyond anything you could get from a 2007 game.

Regarding game mechanics, combat, in particular, Witcher 1 is closer to Knights of the Old Republic duology than to the Wild Hunt. Have fun, folks!

Image source: Flickr

COUNCIL CHRONICLE – Remember Bethesda’s E3 Skyrim prank? You know, the commercial featuring comedian Keegan-Michael Key voice-battling dragons and mud crabs while sitting on his couch. Well, as it turns out, those interested in the playing the vocal Dungeons and Dragons type came can actually download it from Alexa’s store.

Skyrim Very Special Edition Puts Your TES Expertise to the Test

You’re probably wondering right now about how the Hell can someone play Skyrim without using a controller? Well, you can, and you’ll be able to once you download Skyrim Very Special Edition.

What’s even more interesting is that the game started from ad prank which aired this Sunday at E3.

Since the game was released in 2011, it received its fair share of DLCs, remasterizations, and none to mention its very own VR version.

Now, the purpose of the commercial was to make fun of Bethesda’s obsession with modding, remodding, and re- remodding Skyrim.

The ad, which features Keegan-Michael Key, showcases a perfectly playable Amazon Echo Skyrim version. While sitting on the couch, Key uses his voice to fight mud crabs, explore Skyrim, and to run away from dragons. The moment when Key was voice-battling a dragon and tells Alexa to consume all the cheese in the inventory is priceless, to say the least.

However unlikely this might sound; Skyrim’s Amazon Echo version is really out there, and you can play it using your voice. Gameplay-wise, it kind of reminds us of a simplistic tabletop Dungeons and Dragons game, where you had to tell the dungeon master how your character is likely to react given a life-and-death situation.

Conclusion

It’s pretty cool to have a voice-based RPG for Alexa. To get Skyrim Very Special Edition, you’ll need to go to Alexa’s store and download the appropriate application.

Image source: Flickr

Fortnite is perhaps one of the most popular Battle Royal titles to hit gaming platforms since PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds. And it would seem that, lately, it has become another source of worry for parents who just can’t pry their children off consoles. In the United Kingdom, a 9-year-old’s passion for Fortnite made her punch her father and wet the couch.

UK Child Spent Up to 10 Hours per Day Playing Fortnite with Friends

Carol, a 9-year-old girl from the United Kingdom, was recently sent to a rehabilitation clinic due to her Fortnite addition.

The girl’s mother recently told a news reporter that the family’s nightmare began in early January. To celebrate the girl’s birthday, Carol’s mother and her husband bought her an Xbox console. As is turns out, the first and last game Carol downloaded was Epic Games’ Fortnite, a popular Battle Royal Title.

Carol’s mother said that by March, her daughter showed signs of addiction. Before she and her husband intervened, they were summoned to the school by Carol’s teacher. Apparently, ever since she got the Xbox, Carol’s grades began to drop and had trouble staying awake during classes.

The girl’s father told the reporter that when he first confronted her about her Fortnite addition, Carol was very aggressive. However, the couple decided to leave her alone, blaming her attitude on hormones.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Carol’s mom declared that ever since she got the console, the 9-year-old’s been using her husband’s debit card to make various purchases. Apparently, she used to spend at least $50 per month of Fortnite stuff without asking for permission.

Conclusion

The woman said that she and her husband decided to seek help when they’ve discovered Carol sitting on a urine-soaked cushion. It would seem that the child was so taken aback by the game, that she refused to take bathroom breaks. Carol’s mom said that the child even punched her husband in the face when the tried to take away her console.

Image source: Flickr

COUNCIL CHRONICLE- A Detroit woman claims that she nearly lost her life after one of her Samsung phones caught fire while she was driving. She said that her Nissan Maxima went up in flame minutes after the phone blew up.

Detroit Woman Did Not File a Lawsuit Against Samsung

According to the Detroit woman, the alleged incident occurred on the 21^st of May while she was driving down Evergreen. The victim, who preferred to maintain her anonymity, told a local news outlet that during her road trip she saw a spark coming from one of her phones. She mentioned that, at the time of the accident, there were two Samsung phones inside her Nissan Maxima.

The Detroit woman said that in just a matter of seconds the car’s interior was ablaze. Luckily, she was able to stop the vehicle and get out of the car before it exploded.

She was helped out of the car by some of the passersby who witnessed the incident. The Detroit Fire Department later confirmed that the fire broke out after a smartphone’s battery exploded.

The Detroit woman considers herself lucky to be alive. More than that, she told a reported that driving in the city probably saved her life, because she was able to stop the car fast.

Gerald Thurnswell, the woman’s attorney, declared his client has problems sleeping at night after her ordeal.  He also mentioned something about talking to a Samsung representative about the incident.

According to Thurnswell, the company was more than willing to help with the investigation. The woman’s attorney said that the company has already dispatched a crew to investigate the wreckage and the phone’s remains.

Conclusion

So far, the investigation revealed that neither of one the Samsung phones was on the recall list. The Detroit woman said that she had a Galaxy S8 and a Galaxy S4.

Image source: PxHere

COUNCIL CHRONICLE – On the 25^th of May, Daniel Beckwitt, a 27-year-old stockbroker from Washington DC, appeared before a Montgomery County court. Beckwitt, described by many as an eccentric millionaire, has to answer for the death of Askia Khafra, a 21-year-old construction worker, who died in 2017 while working on Beckwitt’s fallout shelter.

Stockbroker Built Fallout Shelter in Fear of North Korea Nuclear Missile Retaliation

According to the documents filed in court on the 25^th of May, Daniel Beckwitt approached Khafra last year with a job offer.

Interestingly enough, as the prosecution revealed during Beckwitt’s hearing, the stockbroker used to communicate with his employee on a need-to-know basis.

Although Khafra knew that Beckwitt hired him to construct an underground network of tunnels and a fallout shelter, he had been in the dark about many aspects of the project.

For instance, as part of the deal, he was to be picked up and driven to work by Beckwitt. In addition, for the duration of the trip, Khafra was required to wear tinted glass, since Beckwitt did not want anyone to know the location of his shelter.

The Washington DC stockbroker has been on edge for the past couple of year due to tense ties between the US and North Korea.

Fearing a nuclear missile retaliation, Beckwitt ordered Khafra to help him construct the emergency bunker and escape tunnels.

Authorities declared that the underground tunnels stretch over 200 feet. The fallout shelter was roughly 200 feet beneath Beckwitt’s residence.

Conclusion

On the 10^th of September 2017, a fire broke out in one of the underground tunnels. Beckwitt managed to escape in the nick of time but left Khafra to his fate.

The prosecution declared that Beckwitt was well aware of the fact that the tunnel maze could potentially turn into a death trap if a fire erupted.

Image source: Wikipedia

COUNCIL CHRONICLE – Good news for all Witcher’s fans – the first game of the series (The Witcher Enhanced Edition) along with a GWENT card keg can now be downloaded for free from GOG’s website. Bear in mind that the offer is limited, so come and get it while it’s still hot.

Witcher Enhanced Edition for Free on GOG

If you’re still longing to discover new stuff about Geralt of Rivia or maybe break a few more curses, then you’ll definitely be interested in GOG’s latest announcement.

As part of their recent giveaway campaign, the website is offering The Witcher Enhanced Edition along with a surprise GWENT bonus.

All you have to do is log into your GOG account or sign up for one and subscribe to their newsletter. Sounds way too easy, doesn’t it?

There’s just one caveat – you’ll need to add GWENT to your game library before being able to claim GOG’s offer. Luckily for you, the Witcher-inspired card game is also free to download.

Albeit not the most successful game in the series, The Witcher Enhanced Edition paved the way for one of the greatest games in RPG history. We are of course talking about The Witcher III Wild Hunt, a universe so cleverly designed that it’s nearly impossible to not fall in love with it from the first glance.

Still, we have to remember that before Witcher III came the less polished Witcher 1. If you’ve never tried out the first game of the series or even watched gameplay, it’s only fair to give you a little bit of warning – don’t expect it to be as visually appealing as its distant relative.

The controls alone can send even a seasoned Witcher III gamer into a rage-quit, not to mention the fact that most battles are repetitive and monotonous. Still, the first game of the series does have its qualities, not to mention the fact that it explains some of the things you’ve already in Witcher III.

Image source: Flickr

Are you ready for old school shoot ‘em up experience? Then hold on tight folks because 3D Realms, the gaming studio that produced masterpieces such as Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior has just announced a cyberpunk-inspired shooter. Called Ion Maiden, the game will deliver the same fast-paced action, deadly weapons, and tons of way to slaughter your enemies.

3D Realms Going Old School with Ion Maiden?

You’re probably wondering what the heck is wrong with 3D Realms and why in the world would anyone want to release a faux 3D Nukem-inspired game when everything revolves around 4K? Well, it’s true that the company’s move took us by surprise but considering that the indie/old school gender is winning ground fast in front of triple A’s, something as simple and nostalgic as Ion Maiden is more than welcome.

Now, Ion Maiden is far from being a Duke Nukem 3D clone, the game having a life of its own. Set is a dystopic future, where cybernetics produced hellish creatures, you’ll take the role of the Ion Maiden, the chick who knows how to handle her guns and quickly dispose of man, machine, and everything in between.

To make the game even more authentic, the gaming company has decided to stick with the graphical engine used to design Duke Nukem 3D and the first Shadow Warrior. As the Ion Maiden, you will have access to an insanely variated arsenal, from guns, Uzis, and grenade launchers, all the way to cyberpunk-inspired melee weapons such as shock batons.

Conclusion

The good news is that the game is now available on Steam and can be bought for a meager 22 bucks, which is a pretty good price for those who want to take a brisk walk down nostalgia lane. Here’s also the game’s launch trailer so you would know what to expect.

 

Ready for epic sea battles, rowdy and lewd swashbucklers and plundering that sunken sea booty? Then brace yourselves, because we have a great piece of news coming all the way from Ted Timmins, the PC design lead of Sea of Thieves game. According to Timmins, the game is optimized as to accommodate both high-end rigs and potato PCs.

What the Heck Is Sea of Thieves?

As you might have guessed it, Sea of Thieves is something involving pirates and sea battles. The game is described as being an open-world, first-person, massive multiplayer online RPG, where players are free to explore, find treasure, amass huge battlefleets, and, of course, conduct raids.

Don’t let the cartoonish looks fool you because the game is anything but family friendly. Probably one of the most anticipated pirate titles since Man O’ War: Corsair – Warhammer Naval Battles, Sea of Thieves is a naval buff’s wet dream, so to speak, allowing the players to wage wars between them and plunder settlements.

For those of you who have incessantly accessed the ‘Can I Run It?’, Ted Timmins commented that the PC team was burning the midnight oil wondering how low the game can be rendered. The answer is that the game can be played without any issues at a 540p quality.

This means that it doesn’t matter if you have a high-end PC or low-specs (potato) one, you’ll still be able to enjoy those ravaging sea battles or explore the game’s immense map. As far as the specs are concerned, to be able to run the game in 540p, 30 FPS, your PC will need to meet the following specs:

• CPU: Intel Iris 540/Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200.
• RAM: at least 4GB.
• VRAM: 1GB.
• OS: Windows 10, build 1607 (Anniversary Edition).
• DirectX: v.11.
• GPU: integrated.
• HDD: at least 60GB of free space.

Image source: Flickr

Great news for all them folks out there who enjoyed breaking a sweat while trying to run away from the ravaging xenomorph. FoxNext Games, Fox studio’s gaming division, has recently announced that it has started working on a new Alien game. Specs and possible launch date to be announced later this year.

New Alien Game – Has the Well Run Dry Yet?

Well, it would seem that we are going to be regaled with yet another account of a lone space survivor who desperately wants to get off a ship infected by xenomorphs. This time, the baton belongs to FoxNext Games, Fox’s gaming division.

According to the developers, the latest Alien game will take running and stealth out of the equation and, instead, deliver an action-packed game. As you know, the latest game to feature the fearsome xenomorph, the 70’s-inspired cyberpunk space environment, and the half-crazed marine with an indomitable will to survive was Creative Assembly’s Alien Isolation game.

Acclaimed as one of the most intense and well-designed horror survival game of 2014, Alien Isolation really managed to capture the fear of walking right straight into a xenomorph’s jaws. According to FoxNext Games, the Cold Iron gaming studio has been commissioned to carry out the work and that we’ll be hearing from them probably sometime this year.

Unfortunately, apart from knowing that the new Alien game will be an action-packed shooter and feature some online elements, that’s all we could squeeze out of the developers.

Conclusion

Remember that the last Alien game which features tons of cool weapons and Xenos hitting the dirt was 2013’s Colonial Marines, developed by Gearbox Software. Well, with all the techie lying around, be sure to expect something as dazzling and mouth-watering as Isolation. The game might also be optimized to run on VR-friendly devices.

Image source: Flickr

Google is now a part of our lives we can’t really live without. Since people use Google Search for anything they need, exploring every year’s search trends offers us a comprehensive view of the top subjects of the year, and of people’s common preoccupations. 2017 gathered everything, starting with iPhones, Bitcoin, hurricanes, and celebrity scandals.

Google publishes every year’s search trends

Every year, Google makes its search trends public. The statistics for 2017 have already been published on the webpage of the Year in Search compilation, and the results are more than interesting. Hurricane Irma earned the title of the most searched term from a global point of view. When it comes to trending people, Matt Lauer, the ex-host of the Today Show, beat the celebrities involved in sex scandals.

To offer a complete view of all search trends of each year, Google displays 15 lists showing the top searches from more categories. Among these categories, there are global news, trending searches, trending people, or “how to” questions.

Hurricane Irma was the most searched term of the year

In terms of global news, the search trends showed how people got more interested in political issues. Hurricane Irma leads this list but, among other top searches, there was North Korea or the Las Vegas shooting. On the other hand, the champion of the “how to” searches was “how to make slime”. The general list of the most searched terms was a little less serious, showing the high interest of people in iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

Bitcoin was among the search trends as well, appearing both in the global top, as well in the “how to” one, where people wanted to know how to buy cryptocurrency. The protagonists of the most popular sex scandals of the year couldn’t miss from the people top, but they were defeated by Matt Lauer, who made it to the first position, and Meghan Markle to the second.
Image Source: Pixabay