We've got a little bit longer to wait until Secret Level, the gaming-inspired animated anthology series from the Love, Death and Robots team, debuts on Prime Video. But Amazon is ramping up to the launch by offering some solid freebies for Prime members on many of the games that inspired episodes in Secret Level. Roguelike masterpiece Spelunky and story-laden space adventure The Outer Worlds are must-haves if they aren't already in your library. And if that wasn't enough free stuff, a code for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II in the Amazon Games App will also drop on December 12. Those Prime Gaming members using the Amazon Luna streaming service will also see the addition of Mega Man 11.

The work demonstrates that brain might reflect the external world causal relationships in the form of a logically consistent and prognostic model of reality, which shows up as consciousness. The paper analyses and solves the problem of statistical ambiguity and provides a formal model of causal relationships as probabilistic maximally specific rules. We suppose that brain makes all possible inferences from causal relationships. We prove that the suggested formal model has a property of an unambiguous inference: from consistent premises we infer a consistent conclusion. It enables a set of all inferences to form a consistent model of the perceived world. Causal relationships may create fixed points of cyclic inter-predictable properties. We consider the "natural" classification introduced by John St. Mill and demonstrate that a variety of fixed points of the objects' attributes forms a "natural" classification of the external world. Then we consider notions of "natural" categories and causal models of categories, introduced by Eleanor Rosch and Bob Rehder and demonstrate that fixed points of causal relationships between objects attributes, which we perceive, formalize these notions. If the "natural" classification describes the objects of the external world, and "natural" concepts the perception of these objects, then the theory of integrated information, introduced by G. Tononi, describes the information processes of the brain for "natural" concepts formation that reflects the "natural" classification. We argue that integrated information provides high accuracy of the objects identification. A computer-based experiment is provided that illustrates fixed points formation for coded digits.

We leverage research in natural language processing (NLP), information retrieval, data mining, and human-computer interaction (HCI) and draw concepts from multiple disciplines. For example, efforts in metascience focus on sociological factors that influence the evolution of science,17 such as analyses of information silos that impede mutual understanding and interaction,38 of macro-scale ramifications of the rapid growth in scholarly publications,4 and of current metrics for measuring impact5--work enabled by digitization of scholarly corpora. Metascience research makes important observations about human biases (desideratum 2) but generally does not engage in building computational interventions to augment researchers (desideratum 1). Conversely, work in literature-based discovery33 mines information from literature to generate new predictions (for example, functions of materials or drug targets) but is typically done in isolation from cognitive considerations; however, these techniques have great promise in being used as part of human-augmentation systems. Other work uses machines to automate aspects of science.

I have always loved the idea of choosing my own path in a game. Moral dilemmas make virtual worlds more interesting. Sometimes they change the outcome and give you a reason to play the game all over again. But as much as I like the idea, I often struggle to take the evil route. I'll replay a game with the intention of being bad, yet I find myself being a Good Samaritan again.

Downloadable content is such a common part of modern gaming life it's rote. A few levels here, a few skins or characters there--DLC is pretty much a given, especially on AAA titles, which these days you can almost bet will have at least two paid bits of bonus content that encompass entirely new missions. And, hey, for a long time they made sense. Video game companies like them because they're sure-fire revenue generators; players (learned to) like them because they can extend time in a beloved game, a digital amuse-bouche of their favorite dish. But just because something makes sense, doesn't mean I have to play it.

Despite centering around a murder, this DLC is ceaselessly funny, from the strange characters you meet (i.e. a dealer selling "alternative drugs" that are really just vitamin C or homeopathic remedies, in a world brainwashed by pharmaceutical corporations) to the bizarre enemies you encounter. It's clear that something strange is afoot on Eridanos. Certain Rizzo employees, for example, have a purple parasite growing out of their necks and just can't stop devilishly smiling.

Food has always played a vital role in video games. From Pac-Man's bonus fruits to Mario's magical mushrooms, it has provided everything from sustenance to supernatural abilities – and in games such as Cooking Mama and Overcooked, food preparation became a genre in its own right. Game developers, like the creators of cooking programmes and recipe books, have discovered that well-presented food is irresistible – even when we can't eat it. In the modern games industry, where detail and authenticity are paramount, the depiction of food has become an art form. Kaname Fujioka, executive director on Capcom's fantasy adventure, Monster Hunter: World, says: "We design the ingredients and recipes based around the grade of the food, as well as any seasonal events it may be tied to. Since we're unable to showcase the most important elements of food (taste and smell), we have to alter, exaggerate or potentially deform the visuals in a way that conveys that as best as possible. In order for players to believe that the visuals look'delicious', a lot of fine-tuning is done on details like the colour, lighting and softness."

"The Outer Worlds," Obsidian's sharp and zany role-playing adventure in space, is receiving its first DLC September 9. Releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, "Peril on Gorgon" will have players journeying to the Gorgon asteroid after finding a severed arm and a mysterious message. There, they explore an abandoned Spacer's Choice (one of the game's factions) facility where a science project went horribly wrong.

"Death Stranding" earned the most nominations in the Game Awards, which will be given out Dec. 12 in Los Angeles. The new game from famed designer Hideo Kojima ("Metal Gear Solid") collected nine nominations, including Game of the Year, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction and Best Score. Actors Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen, who portray Sam Porter Bridges and Cliff, respectively, in the PlayStation 4 game, earned nominations for Best Performance. They were joined by Ashly Burch as Parvati Holcomb in "The Outer Worlds," Courtney Hope as Jesse Faden in "Control," Laura Bailey as Kait Diaz in "Gears 5" and Matthew Porretta as Dr. Casper Darling in "Control." Considered the Oscars of the video game industry, the Game Awards began in 2014, established by longtime video game journalist Geoff Keighley.

At first glance you could be forgiven for seeing The Outer Worlds as another wacky space opera, complete with eccentric characters and off-beat humor. But to leave it there would be to belie a game with over 20 years of history behind it. The team behind The Outer Worlds has worked on some of the most popular RPGs in the world. Producers Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky are credited with the creation of the prestigious Fallout franchise, with Cain working as creator, producer, and lead programmer, and Boyarsky serving as the lead artist responsible for Fallout's signature 1950's style, in addition to helping oversee the game's overall direction. Yet despite being billed by Boyarsky himself as the spiritual successor to Fallout, specifically Obsidian Entertainment's last entry in the series, the much-loved Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is most definitely its own mad-cap experience.