biteho.com

Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition was announced in March for PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, and now we’ve got a look at how the game will improve the original’s cutscenes. The game, from port and update specialists Nightdive Studios, will arrive with sharper resolutions than what was possible in the original.

The cutscenes, seen in the trailer below, have been cleaned up–they now run at resolutions up to 4K, and at 60FPS (compared to 15FPS in the original). Character models have been cleaned up, but the game looks like it’ll essentially be the same as the beloved original, if these scenes are anything to go by.

You could argue that a certain something is lost in the cleaned-up scenes, as the grain in the original allows your imagination to fill in some details–but it’s clear that work has gone in to bring this release up to modern standards. You can watch the new and old cinematics side-by-side in the video below.

The Enhanced Edition is still in development, and a release date has not been announced. If you want to experience the original Blade Runner experience, which was, for a long time, essentially impossible, you can check it out on GOG.

Nightdive Studios is also currently working on System Shock and Shadow Man: Remastered.

This review contains spoilers for Lovecraft Country episode 4, “A History of Violence.” To see where we left off, read our Lovecraft Country episode 3 review.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

There’s a precipitous balancing act at the heart of Lovecraft Country’s fourth episode. And no, I’m not just talking about the literal pit of death in the catacombs beneath the Boston Museum of Science. Up until now, Lovecraft Country has trod a shaky line between two narrative modes: one, an escapist horror-fantasy melodrama riffing off cosmic horror tropes, and the other an allegorical family drama exploring the subject of intergenerational Black pain and institutional prejudice in twentieth-century America.

There’s perhaps no clearer example of this uneasy divide in priorities than in the series’ overt juxtaposition of historically accurate diegetic performances of songs like Roy Brown’s “Boogie at Midnight” and Louis Jordan’s “Is You is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” and jarringly anachronistic needle drops like the appearance of Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” and Jade Josephine’s “Get ‘Em” in this week’s episode.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=lovecraft-country-season-1-photos&captions=true”]

It’s been a recurring trend so far, and it’s difficult to discern what, if any, thematic purpose or aesthetic function the latter choices serve in relation to the former. It’s a creative decision that winks incessantly at the audience, as if to elicit admiration by dint of sheer recognition. If anything, the tracks themselves feel like the show signaling a subliminal message that we, the audience, should be taking what happens to these characters seriously, but not too seriously, which in essence feels like Lovecraft Country fundamentally undercutting its own emphatic aspirations to treat the real-life horror of Jim Crow-era America with as much gravitas and attention as it does its outlandish plotline of magic-wielding grand wizards and man-eating shoggoths. Of course, this isn’t all that far afield from what Misha Green has done in the past, particularly in her 2016 period drama Underground, though the assorted song choices in Lovecraft Country and the intended effect in how they are used often feel either frustratingly obtuse or entirely too on-the-nose.

Be that as it may, “A History of Violence” itself is an entertaining episode, picking up the serialized plot format last seen in “Whitey’s on the Moon,” albeit now with a far more satisfying spread of moment-to-moment plot and character beats throughout. This week’s episode features its own abbreviated take of “Abdullah’s Book,” one of the early chapters of Matt Ruff’s original novel. With George’s death, the challenge of uncovering the arcane vault of Titus Braithwhite falls to the series’ core trio of Atticus, Leti, and Montrose, who journey to Boston with Hippolyta and Dee in tow under the pretense of a family day trip.

The episode juggles this storyline alongside Christina’s quest to challenge the Chicago branch of the Order of the Ancient Dawn, and Ruby’s seduction at the hands of Christina’s henchman William, who apparently survived the destruction of the Braithwhite lodge in Ardham. This equation of parts ultimately squares to the sum of a subterranean pulp adventure that nods to films like National Treasure or Raiders of the Lost Ark, complete with its own riff on the latter’s iconic Staff of Ra scene. The score for the episode is just as evocative as the visuals, with an ensemble of trumpeting brass horns, fanciful flutes, and lush violin swells unmistakable in their likeness to John Williams’ signature style.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/25/hbos-lovecraft-country-official-panel-comic-con-2020″]

“This is some Journey to the Center of the Earth-type shit,” Atticus utters in sheer astonishment at the scale of the underground maze of tunnels beneath Titus’ museum wing. In contrast to the series’ baffling music choices, the self-aware dialogue and jokes here are definitely one of the episode’s strong points, doubling as not only another example of Lovecraft Country playing with the affordances of pulp and genre fiction, but circling back to Atticus’ abiding love for that type of literature. “If we follow the logic of adventure novels,” Atticus announces at one point, acclimating with more visible confidence to the extraordinary circumstances of his and his family’s predicament.

The relationship between Atticus and his father Montrose, which could generously be described as “embattled” up to until now, is another prime point of focus for the episode. When we last saw Montrose, before his confrontation with Hippolyta, he was stewing in his heartache at the loss of his brother. “A History of Violence” picks right back up on that thread, opening with Montrose lying on his back in a stupor of grief-ridden inebriation. Everyone’s got their own way of dealing with grief— some healthier than others. Montrose’s just happens to be getting piss drunk and lighting things on fire, namely the Order of the Ancient Dawn bylaws George gave him before he died in order to protect Atticus and the rest of their family.

“Smells like Tulsa,” he mutters over a flaming trash can, presumably in reference to the infamous Tulsa Massacre of 1921 which played a prominent role in HBO’s Watchmen series last year. Whether Lovecraft Country will attempt its own exploration of that same sordid event is anyone’s guess, but what’s unmistakable is that Montrose is haunted by several traumas of his own: whether it be his emotional shortcomings as a father, his own tumultuous upbringing, or the terrible forbidden knowledge of…something that he desperately wants to withhold from his son in an effort to protect him. At any cost. The place this episode leaves his and Atticus’ relationship may not be perfect, but it’s a long-overdue step on the road to reconciliation. At least for now.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=fall-tv-preview-2020-new-and-returning-shows-to-watch&captions=true”]

Touching back for a moment on last week’s episode, there’s something I overlooked in my review of “Holy Ghost” that feels especially pertinent in light of the events of this week’s episode. As cited by critic Joelle Monique in her review for The A.V. Club, the words spoken at the beginning of “Holy Ghost” were not originally those of Leti’s mother’s, but rather a spoken-word poem delivered by Precious Angel Ramirez in a 2017 Nike commercial dedicated to the life of trans Afro-Puerto Rican vogue dancer Leiomy Maldonado, cleverly interpolated to take on a new meaning within the context of the episode, not unlike how the late J-Dilla flipped an innocuous sample of The Singers Unlimited song “Clair” into one of the most iconic rap beats of his career. All of which is to say that the appearance of a mummified two-spirit Guyanese spiritualist in the bowels of Titus’ vault is not as far out of left field as viewers might assume at first blush. They’re a fascinating character, unprecedented in Ruff’s own novel, and one whose very existence offers a new dimension to the series — their untimely death notwithstanding. Though admittedly the chances of them coming back, in some form or another, are about as good as George’s – or perhaps even better given the state in which they were found.

And then there’s the story of Leti’s sister Ruby, which we’ll probably see more of in next week’s episode. While peripheral to the episode’s A-plot of finding Titus’ vault, Ruby’s seduction at the hands of Christina Braithwhite’s henchman William sets the stage for the series’ own rendition of “Jekyll in Hyde Park,” one of the stranger chapters of Lovecraft Country’s source material. It’s been interesting to watch the series remix the elements of Ruff’s writing into a story that pays respect to the original without deferring to it verbatim. If Hippolyta’s revelation and reaction at the end of this episode is any indication, things are clearly about to reach a head for the Freeman family.

Doom and Doom II have continued to improve since their disappointing launch on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, but have received numerous updates since that have turned them into fantastic ports. The latest series of changes for the PC, console, and mobile versions have improved these classics further, adding several new features and a new level set for some players.

These updates launched September 3, so you should update your versions of Doom and Doom II to reap the benefits.

If you own Doom and Doom II on Steam, you’ll now have access to these versions automatically. The original DOS versions of the games will still be available, however, so don’t worry if you want a classic experience. All versions now have widescreen rendering support, so the game can now be rendered at 16:9 without letterboxing if you so choose. This is applicable across the entirety of both games.

The game’s split-screen deathmatch has changed to “Deathmatch 3.0,” which changes some respawns and makes all guns perpetually available–just because someone has already picked up a chaingun doesn’t mean that you can’t also grab it. Items and ammo respawn on 30 second timers now, while invulnerability and invisibility do not respawn after being picked up. This should better balance the experience of the classic multiplayer. An option crosshair is now available across the game, too, letting you aim with improved accuracy.

The PC, Switch, and PS4 versions now support gyro aim, too, letting you aim by moving your controller. The PC version will only let you do this if you connect a DualShock 4, however. These controls were a lot of fun in the Switch version of Doom 2016, so it’ll be interesting to see how they translate to these classic versions. The touch screen controls of the iOS version have also been changed for improved precision.

A new skill level, Ultra-Violence+, has been added, which adds a heap of weapons and makes enemies much faster. You’ll get a BFG and Rocket Launcher straight away in Doom II, but you’ll absolutely need them. Finally, the Back to Saturn X campaign–previously only available to Doom II players–is now available in the original Doom, too.

The most recent Doom game, Doom Eternal, is due to expand in October with the Ancient Gods DLC campaign.

EA Sports has released an “emergency patch” for UFC 4 to address a major bug and other parts of the gameplay in the MMA game.

The big bug is the “purple screen bug.” For weeks prior to the patch–which is called 2.03– players reported that their screens turned purple and the game essentially became unplayable without rebooting their console.

The new patch addresses the bug, but some players might still encounter it.

“It has been challenging to pinpoint the exact cause,” EA said in a blog post. “The fix we implemented in this patch should eliminate or greatly reduce the frequency of occurrence for the bug, but we will continue to monitor its status and make changes if necessary.”

In terms of the gameplay fixes, this new update clears out issues related to blocking and striking, while some tuning changes have been made to stamina. In short, stamina recovery rate for ground and pound moves has been nerfed. Additionally, balancing changes for choking submissions have been made. You can see the full patch notes below.

EA also responded to the fan feedback around adding more fighters to the game. The developer said this is “one of the more time-intensive processes,” and EA is trying to prioritize this now. The first new post-release fighters for the game will be released “in the coming weeks,” but that’s all the studio had to share on the matter.

In other news about UFC 4, the developer recently added in-game ads for Amazon’s The Boys, but they quickly removed them due to backlash.

UFC 4 Patch 2.03 Notes:

• Fixed stability issues related to the purple screen bug.
• Removed haptic feedback from online modes.
• Fixed a bug where headlock stamina drain was excessive:
  • For these special clinch positions, there is an intended stamina drain that was unnecessarily continuing during the animation of their follow-up move. In the case of the headlock, the stamina drain incorrectly continued during any guillotine entry animation. For backpack, the drain continued during the rear naked choke, back sitting takedown, and back drop animations. The stamina drain during these animations will no longer occur and this should make the headlock and backpack much more balanced.
• Fixed various issues with ground and pound defense against flurries:
  • Fixed an issue where defenders were unable to block immediately after posting in ground and pound.
  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to successfully post strikes after successful blocks in ground and pound.
• Fixed an issue with blocking after being hit during ground and pound:
  • Fixed a bug where after a clean hit, follow-up punches that varied by type, side, or target would bypass the block and deal full damage despite the blocking animation looking successful.
• Fixed an issue with damage received after posting strikes in ground and pound
  • This fix might not yet cover all instances of attacks bypassing posting. We are continuing to monitor and investigate such issues.
• Reduced rate of stamina recovery during ground and pound
  • Stamina recovery during ground and pound used to be much faster than in the ground game (tight positions). This made it harder for the defender to capitalize on a stamina advantage they gained during ground and pound because the attacker could easily recover stamina by idling for just a short time. We’ve tuned the ground and pound stamina recovery rate so that is similar to that of the ground game. This mostly benefits the defender by making ground and pound reversals and the special transitions out of ground and pound more viable.
• Tuned stamina and damage on the back drop takedown:
  • The stamina drain from the backpack no longer applies during the back drop animation.
  • Reduced the stamina cost of performing the back drop.
  • Opponents will now take body damage and incur some stamina drain from the slam.
• Fixed an issue where escaping choke submissions drained too much stamina:
  • Escaping a deep choke – when the attacker has a lot of progress it is supposed to drain a considerable amount of temporary stamina and only a small amount of permanent stamina. A bug has been fixed where some choke escapes could result in a large amount of permanent stamina being drained from the defender.
• Added ability for the sub fighter to trigger an immediate escape after denying the backpack transition:
  • Prior to this fix, the backpack could be attempted several times in a row, despite being denied and while the opponent would be trying to escape. This was unfair, as each of these denials would provide the dominant fighter one more chance to perform a mix-up. This situation also encouraged the submissive fighters to attempt to cease this relentless attack by trying to transition to cage single under, which is not the proper counter to the backpack – as the backpack tends to win the race if the moves are attempted at the same time. After the fix, one denial of the backpack is enough to grant the submissive fighter an immediate escape from the cage back clinch.
• Fixed an issue with the stamina drain on headlock denials:
  • Previously, headlock attempts drained the defender more than the attacker, even when denied early. This issue allowed headlock to be an overpowered tactic. Now, an early denial will significantly drain the attacker and will not drain the defender at all.
• Added stamina tax to the attacker for low single takedown denial:
  • This takedown was missing the stamina drain to the attacker when a denial happens. It had the drain from attempting but not from being denied. Now it has the correct stamina drain from the denial.
• Fixed an issue causing takedown feints to count in stats:
  • Takedown feints were counting towards total takedown attempts in post-fight stats causing confusion, especially for AI matches.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been an extraordinary success on Switch, selling 22.4 million copies since its release in March, and the game’s broad appeal was not by accident. During a presentation at Japan’s Computer Entertainment Developers Conference, which was viewed by Japanese site 4Gamer and translated by Video Games Chronicle, the game’s director Aya Kyogoku went deep on the series’ success, and who New Horizons has appealed to so far.

Kyogoku said that a series like Animal Crossing “cannot be sustained without change”–while the Animal Crossing games maintain similar gameplay between releases, there are a lot of changes that long-time fans will recognize. “Games are entertainment, so you will definitely get tired of making the same things,” Kyogoku said. “In order for the series to continue to exist as an IP and for many people to enjoy it for a long time, it is important to continue to challenge and change with the times.”

For New Horizons, she says, the main change was that players can get goals and achievements that change across their playtime, with the Nook Miles system giving more clear goals early on.

Hisashi Nogami, the series’ head producer, was also involved in the presentation. He said that the New Horizons player base doesn’t have a clear split between male and female players, and that many players are in their 20s and 30s. “What would the public imagine if they were asked what kind of game Animal Crossing is,” he asked. “I think there is probably an image of ‘a game where you can live leisurely with cute animals’ and ‘a game for young girls…However, looking at the gender and age data of Animal Crossing users, it is clear that the ratio of males and females is half and there are many users in their 20s and 30s.”

This will likely not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the hype around the game–even Danny Trejo loves it. Nogami says that many younger players have likely not gotten the game yet because it has not been available over a holiday period yet, when children are more likely to receive the game as a present.

A second presentation, focused on New Horizons’ art, also happened. Art director Kouji Takahashi discussed the game’s art, saying that fish and buys were rendered realistically so that players could inspect them closely and enjoy them. Certain other elements, like trees and plants, are rendered in a more cartoony way, because going too realistic would make the picture on the screen too busy, and when that happens “the player becomes passive.”

Takahashi talks about the importances of the “imaginary gap,” whereby the image sparks player’s imaginations. “If artists are able to symbolize memories and images, each interpretation will be applied to the ‘imaginary gap’ and infinite value will be created,” he says.

If you’re on the hunt for new bugs and fish in September across New Horizons, here’s what to look for.

The ESRB has published its rating and description for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and there are few surprises to be found.

Like every previous mainline Call of Duty game, Black Ops Cold War is rated M for Mature in the United States. The game will have blood and gore, drug references, intense violence, strong language, and suggestive themes. There will also be in-game purchases.

The ratings summary, meanwhile, sheds a little more light on the violence and themes of Black Ops Cold War. “Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, blood-splatter effects, and cries of pain. In addition to ranged combat, players have the ability to stab or pistol-whip enemies close-up, or use them as human shields,” the description says. “Some weapons cause characters to explode into bloody chunks of flesh.”

In the Zombies mode, which has not yet been formally announced, players will decapitate and dismember the undead–this is all par for the course in Zombies. You can see the full ratings summary for Black Ops Cold War below.

Intriguingly, the ESRB rating for Black Ops Cold War lists the “Xbox Series” as a platform for the game as opposed to the Xbox Series X. This could be even further evidence pointing to the long-rumored and basically open secret Xbox Series S console.

Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer will be revealed on September 9 at 10 AM PT. The surprise was spoiled early, however, as footage from the multiplayer recently leaked.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ratings Summary

“This is a first-person shooter, set during the Cold War, in which players explore locations in Europe and Asia while engaging in combat/infiltration missions. Players use pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill hostile forces in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, blood-splatter effects, and cries of pain. In addition to ranged combat, players have the ability to stab or pistol-whip enemies close-up, or use them as human shields. Some weapons cause characters to explode into bloody chunks of flesh. A zombie mode also depicts decapitation and dismemberment, as players use bladed weapons and guns to kill hordes of undead soldiers/creatures. In one setting, flyers with the words “peep show” and “XXX” can be seen alongside pictures of women in lingerie; a red-light-district storefront is depicted with a neon sign that reads “XXX.” During one mission, players infiltrate a drug cartel—drug packages and piles of white powder can be seen in a warehouse. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” appear in the dialogue.”

𝙹𝙾𝙴 (𝚅.𝙾.)
𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘’𝚜 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝙱𝚘𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚎-𝚝𝚘-𝚝𝚘𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗. pic.twitter.com/EOvUon3bUJ

— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) September 5, 2020

For a brief time recently, EA put advertisements into UFC 4 but they have since been removed following outcry from the playerbase.

One of the ads was for Amazon’s show, The Boys, which recently returned for a second season. The ads played during replays and as part of an overlay, but they are now gone. You can see one of the ads in the video below. As you can see, the logo for The Boys was also displayed on the center of the Octagon.

In a statement sent to Eurogamer, EA said the feedback was loud and clear.

“It is abundantly clear from your feedback that integrating ads into the replay and overlay experience is not welcome,” EA said. “The advertisements have been disabled by the team and we apologize for any disruption to gameplay that players may have experienced.”

“We realize that this should have been communicated with players ahead of time and that’s on us. We want to make sure our players have the best possible experience playing EA Sports UFC 4, so ad integration in the Replay and overlay experience will not not be reappearing in the future. Thank you for your continued feedback on EA Sports UFC 4.”

In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that marketing departments at giant companies were turning their attention to ads in console games. AT&T’s WarnerMedia division ran a series of ads in UFC 3 to promote their TV shows including Snowpiercer and Rick & Morty. The idea of these tests was to determine how players might react to in-game ads in a console game as opposed to a free-to-play title for mobile where this is common practice.