Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Overwatch Reviews and Analysis: Blizzard Entertainment"s Upcoming Multiplayer Video Game OVERWATCH Knows ...


Overwatch - Review in Progress

Blizzard Entertainment"s upcoming multiplayer, first-person shooter Overwatch brings one of a kind video game adventure that"ll surely make every gamers test and possibly hooked once started playing. With their upcoming beta version soon to be release, many have high expectations as to what kind of adventure and fun it will bring to players.

We recently reviewed some of the characters of Overwatch, particularly the TANKand DEFENSErole-players. Below, we"ll find more about another set of role: SUPPORT.

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Overwatch Game and Character Settings: SUPPORT

In multiplayer video games, we normally assign roles to each of the members to ensure the team"s victory. Overwatch already took care of that scenario for us as they created characters based on the team"s needs and assignments, giving them the weapons and abilities needed to sustain offense as well as defense in the game.

And in every clash, one always serves as the team support, and these are the characters we can choose from the list of SUPPORT characters in Overwatch.

Overwatch SUPPORT: Zenyatta

Years after the Omnic Crisis, an unbelievable thing happen - robots came to realization of spiritual enlightenment, believing that like humans, robots were also created with a soul. Led by spiritual leader Tekhartha Mondatta, they began a dogmatic style of teaching about societal harmony between humans and robots. But one of them disagrees with the way they implement things - Tekhartha Zenyatta.

Zenyatta believes in the idea of interpersonal connection between humans and robots to learn to forgive and leave the wounds of Omnic Crisis behind. For this reason, he decided to leave his group and find inner peace but if needed, Zenyatta swore to protect the innocent whether they are humans or omnic.

Zenyatta possesses a destructive energy orb which can also be used either to amplify damage to enemies when attached to them or restore allies" health. Entering his Ultimate Ability Transcedence, he can easily restore his life and nearby allies; however, this renders him unable to use other abilities though he cannot also be damaged by enemies.

Overwatch SUPPORT: Symmetra

Satya Vaswani came from a poor community but following the Omnic Crisis, she was discovered by the Vishkar Corp. that has the abilities of what they are looking for - becoming a light-bending architech. And she seems to be a natural-born talent, earning for herself the moniker "Symmetra".

With her newfound powers, she was sent around the world to expand the Corp."s mission and influence; however, she doubts whether her actions serves the greater good of humanity.

Symmetra hones a short-range Photon Projector beam that can target an enemy continuously, increasing its damage the longer she emits this beam. She can also create a medium-range Sentry Turret that can slow down enemies within range.

Symmetra"s hard-light shield is considered the best defensive ability in the game as it can absorb portion of the enemy"s damage until the shielded ally is alive. Her Ultimate Ability, Teleportation, lets her create an exit pad where she and her allies can use to move to and from the team"s starting point.

Overwatch SUPPORT: Lucio

Lucio Correia Dos Santos is a legendary underground performer who came from a poor village in Rio de Janeiro. But when Vishkar Corp. entered the scene giving promises after promises of good life amongst their community but never came to reality, he decided to steal Vishkar"s sonic technology and rallies his people to suppress the oppressor.

With this success, he became an instant celebrity. And in this fame, he saw an opportunity to make a difference and make the world a better place to live in.

Lucio"s main weapon is a Sonic Amplifier that can knockback enemies. He can also make his teammates move faster or regenerate life points faster depending on the song he plays, even boosting the effects when he increases the volume of his speakers.

His Ultimate Ability enables him to create personal barrier on nearby allies.

Overwatch SUPPORT: Mercy

Dr. Angela Ziegler heads the Surgery Department of a prominent Swiss hospital and also a brilliant scientist. Discovering a breakthrough in the field of nanobiology, Overwatch decided to offer her a job that makes her save more lives. During her stay with Overwatch, she created the Valkyrie swift-response suit - a helping hand both for the sick and needy, as well as a force to protect the innocents.

Mercy"s Caduceus Staff allows affected ally to either increase health or damage. She also carries a Caduceus Blaster sidearm for defensive purpose. When an ally is in danger, she can use her Valkyrie suit to fly reach them faster for assistance. Watching her land from the sky makes her really, really angelic.

Using her Ultimate Ability called Resurrect; Mercy can bring nearby dead allies back to life with full health.

Overwatch will be available for closed beta version release this coming fall so for those who wants to register earlier, visit the Overwatch official website or you can click on this link.

Source: http://www.crossmap.com/news/overwatch-reviews-and-analysis-blizzard-entertainments-upcoming-multiplayer-video-game-overwatch-knows-how-to-support-zenyatta-symmetra-lucio-and-mercy-20775

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X-Men Apocalypse: Why THAT Star Wars Easter-Egg Is More Important Than You Realised


X-Men: Apocalypse | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Spoiler Alert: Needless to say, this article contains mild spoilers. So if you haven"t watched X-Men: Apocalypse yet or if it hasn"t released in your country yet, go back now. Watch the movie first and then come back to my article. You have been WARNED!

For the last few weeks, Marvel has been leaving quite a few Star Wars Easter-Eggs from the Original Trilogy for us. It started off with the Captain America: Civil War, when Spider-Man mentioned Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as a plan for taking down Giant-Man in that airport fight scene. While Team Iron Man were trying to take down Giant-Man, Spider-Man asked the rest of his team, "Hey guys, you ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?" and immediately, we knew what was going to happen next.

A couple of weeks later, the season finale of Marvel"s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gaves us a big Easter-Egg for another movie from the Original Trilogy of Star Wars. In a scene between Agent Coulson and Hive we got an Easter-Egg from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. In the confrontation between Coulson and Hive, Hive finds out that the Coulson he"s talking to is nothing but a hologram. And then Coulson bends forward and says, "Plus, I have always wanted to do this. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You"re my only hope." In doing so, Coulson recreated Princess Leia"s iconic hologram scene in Episode IV.

Marvel and Star Wars are both owned by Disney and it was obvious that even X-Men: Apocalypse would have a Star Wars reference or an Easter-Egg, in spite of the fact that it"s not a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And X-Men: Apocalypse did have a Star Wars Easter-Egg.

X-Men: Apocalypse left an Easter-Egg for the remaining movie of the Original Trilogy. Just before the Xavier"s School went to ashes, we saw Jean, Scott, Kurt and Jubilee sneak out of the X-Mansion and go to a mall. We saw them coming out of a movie theatre and the Now Showing sign had "The Return of the Jedi" written on it, thus leaving an Easter-Egg for Star Wars: Episode Vi - The Return of the Jedi.But this Easter-Egg was more important than most realised.

How can a Star Wars Easter-Egg be important?

Well, we all knew that the events of X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in the "80"s. But we had no idea about the exact year in which the events take place. The Return of The Jedi hit theatres in May, 1983. So the events of X-Men: Apocalypse also take place in 1983. Now, some of you might argue that it has been mentioned on a number of occassions in the movie that the events of X-Men: Apocalypse take place ten years after the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past. But not many know or remember that those Days of Future Past events took place in 1973. Seeing that "Now Showing: The Return of the Jedi" would make everyone think, "Oh! So the events take place in 1983?"

Did you notice that Star Wars Easter-Egg in X-Men: Apocalypse? Let us know in the comments section down below.

You can follow me on Twitter and on Instagram.

Source: http://moviepilot.com/posts/3930814

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Missed Slooh"s Mars opposition show? Rewatch it here


25 Unique Facts About Mars: Earth’s Mysterious Cousin

Last night, Mars put on a spectacular show in the sky, coming as close as it will until 2018. There"s still plenty of time to see a crisp, bright Mars in the night sky (it"ll be the second or third brightest object, depending on the night) but if you missed out on Slooh"s spectacular coverage with our own Bob Berman, they"ve been gracious enough to upload it to YouTube.

You can watch it at the video below. The hour long presentation brings views from the Canary Islands in Spain, one of Slooh"s outpost observatories. The conversation between Berman and Slooh astronomer Paul c*x is fascinating, and Mars appears as a bright dusty-red disc in it. Mars isn"t the only planetary opposition this year, either. Later this summer, Saturn will be in opposition, and Slooh will be there for that too.

Source: http://www.astronomy.com/news/2016/05/you-can-rewatch-sloohs-mars-opposition-coverage-here

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In Which Hodor"s Emotional "Game Of Thrones" Scene Gets The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Treatment


After the Thrones 05: Hodor

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Okay, cool, heres what happened: I took that emotional, heart-wrenching ending of last nights episode of Game of Thrones which finally explained why Hodor could only say Hodor (short version: Brans fault) and also showed him dying a heroic death (spoiler alert: also Brans fault) and I stripped all the audio and replaced it with the song Tha Crossroads, by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Thats what this is. Thats what going on here. Its silly and dumb but I feel kind of okay about it, all things considered.

The truth is that I spent a solid 20 to 30 minutes trying to settle on a song to use. Other contenders included Hero by Mariah Carey, Its So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Boyz II Men, and One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, but I settled on Tha Crossroads because it felt right, even if I already used Tha Crossroads for at least one other very notable television death. I just really like using Tha Crossroads in these situations, okay? Also, I stopped listening to music in like 1999 apparently, so I had a limited set of options to choose from.

So, to recap: Heres a thing I did. Try replacing various words of the song with Hodor when you sing along. Or all of them, if you want. We all grieve in our own way.

Source: http://uproxx.com/tv/game-of-thrones-hodor-tha-crossroads/

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Sanders wins greater say in Democratic platform; names pro-Palestinian activist


Never Have I Ever with One Direction

Sen. Bernie Sanders was given unprecedented say over the Democratic Party platform Monday in a move party leaders hope will soothe a bitter split with backers of the longshot challenger to Hillary Clinton and Sanders immediately used his new power to name a well-known advocate for Palestinian rights to help draft Democratic policy.

The senator from Vermont was allowed to choose nearly as many members of the Democratic Party platform-writing body as Clinton, who is expected to clinch the nomination next month. That influence resulted from an agreement worked out this month between the two candidates and party officials, the party announced Monday.

Clinton has picked six members of the 15-member committee that writes the platform, and Sanders has named five, the Democrats said Monday ahead of an expected announcement by the Democratic National Committee.

The math is based on the number of popular votes each has received to date, one official said. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the DNC, will name four. The candidates choices were selected in consultation with the campaigns and the DNC from larger slates of 12 and 10 suggested by the campaigns.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders signaled he is not backing down telling supporters in New Mexico, "We are going to fight for every last vote." (Reuters)

Sanderss slate includes James Zogby, a longtime activist for Palestinian rights as well as a DNC member and official. Zogby currently co-chairs the partys resolutions committee. His inclusion is a sign of Sanderss plans to push the partys policy on Israel toward what he has called a more even-handed approach to the Palestinian cause.

With reporters in California after a rally Monday, Sanders celebrated the arrangement.

With five good members on the platform-drafting committee, Sanders said, we will be in a very strong position to fight for an economy that works for all of our people, not just the one percent; to fight to break up the large banks on Wall Street, who in my view now have much too much economic and political power. We will be in a position to fight for a carbon tax, so that this nation can begin to lead the world in aggressively addressing climate change. We will be in a position to fight to have the United States join the rest of the industrialized world in guaranteed health care as a right.

This is unique in terms of the makeup of the platform drafting committee, said James Roosevelt, co-chairman of the DNCs rules and bylaws committee. What it acknowledges is that the Democratic Party is committed to encompassing the broad range of views that Democrats have surfaced in this very substantive campaign between Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders. And I think that is unusual but it is also very necessary because a unified Democratic Party will be strengthened by a full hearing for all views.

DNC rules allow the chairman to pick the entire slate of 15 people who govern the platform that will be presented at the party convention in July. Past chairmen have done just that, in consultation with the White House or the winning Democratic candidate.

The change was made to be inclusive of Sanders supporters after the strong liberal challenge he mounted during a long and sometimes bitter primary. A main complaint of Sanderss supporters is that party rules and procedures disproportionately benefit Clinton. Some Sanders backers claim the system was rigged from the start to exclude a challenger.

The procedural concession represents an outreach from party elders aware that Sanders has tapped into a powerful anti-establishment current and concerned that it will be difficult to unite Democrats behind Clinton.

The platform committee is among the most important party bodies, since it writes the policy on which the presidential candidate runs and around which Democrats are supposed to rally. The platform is nonbinding, however, and presidents have ignored parts of it in the past.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, who will chair the committee, was named by Wasserman Schultz. Most others named by Wasserman Schultz and Clinton are party stalwarts or Clinton supporters the establishment Sanders has railed against to great effect. Sanderss picks include people from outside the usual sphere of party influence, including a Native American activist and author and racial justice activist Cornel West.

Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington and a frequent commentator on Arab-Israeli issues, previously served on the larger platform committee that will approve the document, but this is the first time he has served on the drafting committee, he said.

Sanderss approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues is in line with most Democrats views, Zogby said in an interview. Sanders wants American policy to respect both Israels security concerns and Palestinian rights, he said.

You need to find a way to meet the needs of both. To say we will satisfy one without the other is a recipe for failure as peacemakers, Zogby said.

Writing on the institutes web site Saturday, he noted recent shifts in the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that consolidated Netanyahus right-wing power base.

His behavior has been shameful, but so too is the extent to which Israelis, Americans and others continue to enable his malevolent rule, Zogby wrote.

Sanders also named Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, among his most prominent elected backers, author and environmental activist Bill McKibben and Native American activist Deborah Parker.

The Clinton campaigns choices are Wendy Sherman, a former top State Department official and Clinton surrogate; Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a longtime Clinton confidante; Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez of Illinois; Carol Browner, a former director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy and former head of the Environmental Protection Agency; Ohio state Rep. Alicia Reece; and Paul Booth of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.

Wasserman Schultz also named former congressman Howard Berman of California; Rep. Barbara Lee of California; and executive Bonnie Schaefer.

Each campaign also has a non-voting representative at committee meetings.

Were pleased that the upcoming Democratic convention will ensure supporters of Senator Sanders are well represented in the drafting of the partys platform, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said. The Democratic Party historically has been a big tent, representing a diverse coalition, and Hillary Clinton is committed to continue welcoming different perspectives and ideas.

David Weigel in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGRnZoZQG3Aets9vfm7SKiupxw1iw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779112697681&ei=9jlEV8DSI8G93gHMoJHACA&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-scores-platform-concessions-from-democratic-national-committee/2016/05/23/e9ee8330-20fc-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html

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Freddie Gray: Prosecutor Criticized After Officer Acquittal


Police Officer Edward Nero Found Not Guilty in Freddie Gray Case, "View" Reacts | The View

After two trials and no convictions, Baltimore"s top prosecutor is facing criticism that she moved too quickly to file charges against six officers in the death of Freddie Gray without first ensuring there was enough evidence to bring them to bear.

Even the judge overseeing the cases in his verdict Monday acquitting the latest officer to stand trial in the death of the African-American man said the state failed to prove its case on any of the charges.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams acquitted Officer Edward Nero of the assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges in connection with Gray"s arrest last year outside a West Baltimore housing complex.

Gray died on April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken while handcuffed, shackled, but left unrestrained by a seat belt in the back of a police van. The circumstances of his arrest and his subsequent death triggered protests demanding justice for Gray. On the day of his funeral, rioting and looting broke out. The National Guard responded, and a curfew was imposed.

Williams delivered his verdict in the racially charged case before a packed courtroom Monday. Nero"s parents and his brother sat in the front row; a few rows away, Gray"s stepfather. Noticeably absent, however, was State"s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who was present when Williams declared a mistrial in the trial for Officer William Porter in December.

After announcing charges against the officers last May one day after receiving the police department"s investigation while a tense city was still under curfew Mosby did not shy from the spotlight. She posed for magazine photos, sat for TV interviews and even appeared onstage at a Prince concert in Gray"s honor.

After the acquittal, Nero"s lawyers sought to send a strong message to her.

"Officer Edward Nero, his wife and family are elated that this nightmare is finally over," wrote Marc Zayon and Allison Levine in a statement. "The state"s attorney for Baltimore city rushed to charge him, as well as the other five officers, completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law. His hope is that the state"s attorney will reevaluate the remaining five officers" cases and dismiss their charges."

Mosby spokeswoman Rochelle Ritchie, citing a gag order in the case, declined comment Monday.

David Weinstein, a Florida attorney and former federal civil rights prosecutor, said the verdict will probably serve as a "wake-up call" for prosecutors.

"This speaks to the notion a lot of people had when this first happened, which is that it was a rush to judgment," Weinstein said. "The state"s attorney was trying to balance what she had with the public outcry and call to action given the climate in Baltimore and across the U.S. concerning policing, and I think she was overreaching."

Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz said he believed the judge"s verdict was an example of the legal system looking at the facts of the case without being influenced by race or community pressure. He said he "absolutely" believed Mosby overreached in bringing charges against the six officers.

"There"s no question she acted irresponsibly," Dershowitz said in a telephone interview. "She acted politically. She acted too quickly, and the public ought to make her pay a price for seeking to distort justice."

Although the judge"s ruling referred specifically to Nero"s case the other officers will be tried separately for their alleged roles he rejected nearly every claim the state made at trial, repeatedly telling prosecutors they"d failed to prove any of the counts beyond a reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors had argued that Nero and colleague Garrett Miller illegally detained and arrested Gray without probable cause, and that Nero was reckless when he failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt during the van"s second stop blocks from the arrest. Zayon argued Nero wasn"t involved in Gray"s arrest, having only arrived after the 25-year-old man black man was in handcuffs. As for the seat belt, Zayon said not only was Nero unaware of a newly revised policy requiring officers to buckle in prisoners the previous policy gave officers discretion based on circumstances but that it was the van driver"s responsibility to make sure Gray was safe.

In his verdict, Williams said he believed Miller, who took the stand as the state"s principal witness and testified that he alone detained and handcuffed Gray. The judge told prosecutors they failed to prove Nero did anything wrong. In terms of the arrest that the state alleged was an assault, Williams ruled Nero wasn"t involved. As for his failure the buckle Gray in, Williams said there was no proof Nero knew he had a duty to belt the prisoner in, or that he failed to do so on purpose.

"The state"s theory from the beginning has been one of negligence, recklessness, and disregard for duty and orders by this defendant," Williams said. "There has been no information presented at this trial that the defendant intended for any crime to happen."

Nero, who is white, was the second of six officers charged to stand trial. The manslaughter case against Porter ended in a mistrial in December when the jury deadlocked. Prosecutors plan to retry him in September.

Warren Brown, a Baltimore attorney who observed much of Nero"s trial, said the verdict proved how thin the state"s cases are against the officers.

"It was clearly a case where the state decided that come h**l or high water they were going to prosecute Nero and Miller, and I think that the ridiculous prosecution was borne out," Brown said. "This thing may extend on and on, quite frankly. It"s the prosecution that keeps on giving."

Trial No. 3 that of van driver Caesar Goodson, who prosecutors believe is most culpable in Gray"s death is set to begin in two weeks. He is charged with second-degree murder.

Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Baltimore and David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Maryland, contributed to this report.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/freddie-gray-prosecutor-criticized-officer-acquittal-39326591

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Watch: Pittsburgh Pirates" Ryan Vogelsong hit in face by pitch


Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong

Lyles just KO"d Vogelsong #rockies #pirates pic.twitter.com/ZumWsyfzk8

Glock Lesnar (@40acresmafia) May 23, 2016

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field during the second inning Monday"s game against the Colorado Rockies after being hit in the face by a pitch while batting against Jordan Lyles.

Vogelsong was hit by an 0-2 fastball just in front of the ear flap near his cheek. He immediately went down in pain before holding a towel on his face on the cart.

Prior to being hit, Vogelsong had completed two scoreless innings on the mound.

Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field after taking a pitch to the face. Could have concussion or facial fractures. pic.twitter.com/N28MnwzhQN

Inside Injuries (@InsideInjuries) May 23, 2016

Source: http://247sports.com/Bolt/Watch-Pittsburgh-Pirates-Ryan-Vogelsong-hit-in-face-by-pitch-45453956

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