Author: Trafficblast

Resident Evil 3 Remake is out this week, offering another dose of zombie survival-horror in the style of last year’s Resident Evil 2 Remake. This time the focus turns to Nemesis, the ever-present danger who defined the original. But how long can you expect to be on the run from this looming threat?

A standard critical path run through RE3 will take you about six hours, while taking your time to gather all the collectibles will last roughly 11-plus hours. That means getting all of the weapon upgrades and secrets, opening all of the locks, and finding all of the bobbleheads.

Resident Evil 3 is coming alongside Resident Evil Resistance, a standalone multiplayer mode that pits four survivors against one mastermind controlling the output of zombie hordes. A final open beta for Resistance was planned recently, but the PC and PS4 versions ran into technical problems and had to be postponed.

If you’re planning to check out Resident Evil 3, read our story recap for everything you might need to remember before venturing into the world of survival-horror. Plus make sure your rig is up to the task by checking out the PC system requirements.

If you love gaming and you love books, there are some excellent deals happening at Amazon today to help you combine two excellent passions into one. Not only are there some great books on sale, but you can get a $5 credit when you spend $20 on eBooks at Amazon.

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All of Boss Fight Games’ Kindle books are just $4.99 right now, making them a great value as far as a productive way to pass the time. Being on sale is great in and of itself, but the chance to read some incredible insight into the best video games of all time, written by people whose works you might already be familiar with, is even better.

Way back in the 1950s, reading was the exclusive domain of nerds. If you read a lot of books, people would hurl old-timey insults at you, like “bookworm.” There’s a famous episode of The Twilight Zone where a man’s bookishness is both his salvation and his ironic downfall. Thankfully we’ve come a long way since then, and reading is not only encouraged, but it’s widely considered a admirable way to spend your free time.

If you’d rather listen to books than read them, Amazon has a 30-day free trial for Audible. If you prefer comics, the ComiXology free trial has been extended to 60-days, with over 25,000 books to choose from.

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Nvidia’s solution for ray-tracing has been implemented only in parts in most big-budget releases. Battlefield 5 utilizes it for reflections, while Metro: Exodus uses it instead more realistic shadows and ambient occlusion. Very few games use ray-tracing throughout their rendering, which is why Minecraft with RTX is such a big step forward for the technology.

Coming soon to Windows versions of the game (and later this year to the Xbox Series X), Minecraft with RTX is one of the first big tests for full ray-traced rendering, following the likes of Quake II RTX from last year. Its worlds are fully path-traced, meaning every shadow, reflection, illumination and effect is bounced off of physically based textures that are applied to every one of Minecraft’s many blocks.

It’s impressive technology that truly has to be seen to be believed, which is why Nvidia drafted three Minecraft creators to show off the benefits of RTX in three differently lit scenes. Below you can see screenshots from creators Razzleberries, BlockWorks and GeminiTay respectively, showing how the enhanced lighting note only illuminates structures in new ways, but adds a sense of vibrancy to them thanks to the per-pixel ambient light calculations from reflections.

There’s no confirmed date for Minecraft with RTX yet, but it will require a copy of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Windows 10 to function. If you’re still creating worlds in Minecraft’s Java versions, there is an unofficial way to migrate your worlds into the Windows version, with Bedrock already providing some nice visual updates of its own.

Reports claim that a remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will launch tomorrow, March 31.

Eurogamer reports that a PlayStation Store listing for the game, which has since been removed, is accurate and that Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered will launch March 31.

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The rumours of a remastered MW2 campaign have been long standing and come from several sources. Initially, at least in recent history, it began on Reddit, where a datamine into Modern Warfare Season 3 found details of the then unreleased Call of Duty Warzone, as well as details on a MW2 remaster.

Subsequently, Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered was rated by a South Korean games rating board, and a Twitter account called Okami – which previously accurately dated Call of Duty Warzone ahead of launch – suggested Modern Warfare was releasing March 30.

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While there is no sign of the game so far today, Eurogamer reports that it will be the following day. That report suggests that the remaster has actually been finished for a long period of time, with Activision awaiting the right time to release. If reports are true, then it would appear that Activision considers this time as good as any.

The Modern Warfare 2 remaster allegedly only remasters the campaign of the original game. Multiplayer maps from the 2009 favorite are reportedly set to be added to Modern Warfare (2019).

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

John Krasinski reunited with his former The Office co-star Steve Carell on the first episode of his new YouTube series, Some Good News.

Krasinski launched a new YouTube channel “dedicated entirely to good news” over the weekend, in which he aims to highlight some positive stories from around the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The first newscast featured coverage of global celebrations for health workers and an interview with a young girl who recently finished chemotherapy, alongside a host of other heartwarming stories sent in from the audience.

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In a later segment, Krasinski introduced Carell as his “entertainment correspondent” via video link. The pair reminisced about their favourite moments from NBC’s The Office, which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. Carell fondly recalled some of the exchanges that took place around the micro flatscreen TV on-set while Krasinski reflected on the day that they filmed their emotional final scene together.

“Some of the most fun memories, personally or professionally, are intertwined and connected with that show,” said Carell, who played office manager Michael Scott in the long-running sitcom. “Without a doubt. Listen I know everyone’s talking about a reunion, hopefully one day, we just get to reunite as people. And just all get to say hi,” added Krasinski, who starred as the affable paper pusher Jim Halpert.

The Office aired on NBC from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013, lasting a total of nine seasons. In the years since, there have been rumours of the show being given the revival treatment, with NBC President Bob Greenblatt saying it could be possible, though it might not include the complete original cast. Krasinski, however, previously said he would be open to the idea of reprising his role in the future.

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John Krasinski joins a host of other celebrities offering lighter entertainment options while in isolation. Seth MacFarlane recently launched a podcast hosted by Family Guy’s Stewie and Brian, Jodie Whittaker transformed into Doctor Who for an “emergency transmission”, and Sir Patrick Stewart has been reading daily sonnets for his fans.

For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A remaster of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is indeed real, according to a PSN listing in Germany (now removed). It’s also set to launch far sooner than you might expect, with the revitalized campaign scheduled for tomorrow, March 31. It will retail for 25€ (or an expected $30).

The remaster was leaked previously thanks to a ratings listing on a South Korean Ratings board, after having been rumored to be in development since the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018. Files pertaining to the remaster were then datamined out of the latest patch for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare over the weekend, before the trailer and release date leaked on PSN in Germany before any official announcement.

The remaster includes only the campaign of Modern Warfare 2, which continues the story of Soap MacTavish and Captain Price, and features the infamous “No Russian” mission. Although the remaster won’t include multiplayer like the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare remaster in 2016, some Modern Warfare 2 maps have already been added to 2019’s Modern Warfare.

The listing on PSN states that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Campaign Remastered (its official title) features “completely remastered with improved textures, animations, physical rendering, HDR lighting, and more.”

Back in 2008, our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 review scored the shooter a 9/10, with critic Chris Watters describing it as a, “thoroughly excellent package that is sure to thrill shooter fans and deprive them of sleep for months to come.”

Halo: The Master Chief Collection‘s release on PC continues, with developer 343 Industries expanding the testing phase for Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary. The developer announced on Twitter that “Ring 1” testing has begun, meaning even more people are now being allowed in to the test, but it’s unlikely you’ll get in right away.

Ring 1 includes “external partners” that work with 343 Industries. This ring comprises people from across the world who give feedback to the studio, but it’s not exactly clear who these people might be. If there are any major issues reported, the developer may decide to bring the game back to Ring 0 (which is for internal studio developers). If it all goes well, the beta–or “flight” in the Halo vernacular–will move on to Ring 2, which includes even more external partners. Ring 3, meanwhile, includes members of the public who have joined the free Halo Insider program. A full explanation of the Ring system is available on the Halo website.

This timing is right on schedule, as 343 previously said it was hoping to launch this Halo 2 flighting phase at the end of March.

This isn’t Halo 2’s first release on PC, as the original game came to PC in 2007 as a Windows Vista exclusive from Bungie and Pi Studios. This is the very first time that Halo 2: Anniversary is coming to PC, however.

After Halo 2 Anniversary, the PC version of The Master Chief Collection is set to receive the other games available in the Xbox One version–Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. Halo: Reach and Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary are already available within MCC for PC.

The next brand-new Halo game is Halo Infinite, which is a launch title for Xbox Series X. The game is still planned as a launch title for the next-gen console, but Microsoft has warned that developers are facing new challenges and restraints due to COVID-19. Halo Infinite will also be available for the regular Xbox One, as well as PC.