Month: January 2024

The Last of Us II: Remastered – The Softonic Review

It’s a classic. Since I played it back then, that’s how I define the second installment of a game that marked a before and after in the video game industry. Because of its rawness, its storyline and well-developed characters, as well as graphics that pushed the limits of the PS4.

The Last of Us 2 Access

Its second part did not disappoint anyone, despite the review bombing from some players who did not understand that the story had to move forward. Its visual section and its plot left us breathless, although not so much its mechanics

With this background, what I thought when the remaster was announced -while we wait for a new game from Naughty Dog- was: what could this remaster offer us? Now we have the answer: a new game mode, the ability to see -and play- discarded scenes, and some improvements in the visual and gameplay mechanics. But it still retains the best part, which is reliving a tough and relentless adventure.

The Last of Us II better than ever on Ps5

If you have played The Last of Us on the PS4 or PS4, you will remember that its technical aspect was incredible, pushing the previous generation to its limits. The question that arises is, what does the PS5 add? The creators have said that it is the best version of the game, especially if you haven’t played it before, and I couldn’t agree more thanks to two fundamental additions: the sound treatment thanks to the new 3D technologies and the ability to feel certain aspects of the game thanks to the Dual Sense.

The 3D Sound technology on the PS5 primarily offers immersion, and in a game like The Last of Us II, it creates tension in certain moments that leaves you breathless. In the early stages of the game, you can perfectly hear the icy wind and the rumble of the windows. Of course, nothing compares to the infected or the sound occlusion when using the listening mechanic, which allows us to focus our attention on the threats like never before.

On the other hand, we have the Dual Sense, which, like in other Sony PS5 games, allows you to feel many aspects of the game: how the horses ride, the violence of the fights, or the reloading of the weapons. A special mention goes to the bow, which, together with the Dual Sense, offers a very realistic sensation of how it feels to draw a bow when using the adaptive triggers.

And although what I’m telling you are the technical novelties, there is an aspect that still doesn’t go unnoticed in this game: the journey of the protagonists. It is a harsh journey, merciless and wrapped in a spiral of violence where you want to look away, but you can’t stop doing it, thinking that there may be some hope for them.

It is obvious that the argument has not changed, but after playing it for the second time, I have to say that even knowing the journey, it is no less demanding for the player emotionally due to its rawness and harshness, confirming once again – if it hadn’t already – that Naughty Dog wanted to tell a very different story from what we are used to in video games. In The Last of Us II there are no heroes or villains, only victims of their past and their own actions.

Enriching the experience

Two novelties await us in The Last of Us Part II: The Lost Levels and the new roguelike mode called No Return. Both have impressed me, but for different reasons.

Firstly, there are The Lost Levels. Several additional levels that, for different reasons, didn’t end up in the game. These levels are small fragments that help to better understand the motivations of the main characters and what Naughty Dog intended with this game.

And why didn’t they include it, if we mentioned that it helps us understand the protagonists better? The creators give several reasons and I won’t reveal them to you, but it stands out that Naughty Dog with these Lost Levels has inaugurated the feature of “deleted scenes” from Blu-ray movies, but in video games. And it’s not just that we can play, but we also have an intro from the creator explaining what the scene is, what they intended with it, and why it didn’t end up in the game.

And there is even a bigger detail, and that is that we can play the level, yes, but from time to time we will see a “conversation bubble” which is nothing more than the level designer’s comment, explaining all the intricacies of that scene. A real delight for the game fan.

No Return: a mode you can’t miss

As the latest addition to this remastered version, we have the new “No Return” mode. A roguelike mode that adapts the mechanics of this peculiar gameplay system to The Last of Us universe. It’s impossible not to think of God of War: Ragnarok and its Valhalla roguelike mode, but there are several differences that make this No Return Mode a perfect addition to The Last of Us II.

If Valhalla from God of War Ragnarok was pure adrenaline, in The Last of Us it’s basically pure tension. That is to say, what has always characterized each of the levels of The Last of Us.

The mechanics are not very different from any other Rogue Like in terms of the level we face: a series of waves from different factions. We will have to defeat them to pass the level, but unlike other games of the same style, here it is not pure action, but we can choose stealth or shoot them or run away and hide.

What sets it apart from other Roguelikes is that after finishing each stage (with multiple waves) we will have the opportunity to buy and upgrade weapons or increase some of the stats that appeared in the game.

But there is more news and this is one of the most important of this game. While from the beginning you will have the opportunity to play with the two main protagonists in this mode, you can also unlock more characters, more abilities, weapons and yes, also outfits.

Obviously, the game recommends that you have finished the story mode, as there are obvious character spoilers.

The best edition without a doubt is this one of PS5

We discover the tremendous story that lies in The Last of Us Part 2. A game that was already rated as a true masterpiece both in terms of graphics and story, although with evident continuity in gameplay. The PS5 version enhances that aspect even more, adding some innovative features – who would have thought we would see deleted scenes commented on in a video game – and adapting popular game modes like the roguelike with No Return

Whether you have already played the game on PS4 or want to experience it for the first time, now is the perfect time to revisit a game that will put you in emotionally challenging situations and where you will witness once again the descent into hell of its protagonists and how there are no heroes or villains, but rather people with difficult scars to heal.

The tribute to Lance Reddick at the end of Percy Jackson that you can’t miss

Percy Jackson and the Olympians has proven to be one of the biggest successes of Disney Plus since the streaming platform emerged in late 2019. Since then, the VOD service has continued to make its mark with franchises like Marvel or Star Wars, but few original series have been as successful as this one.

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However, the series has a “handicap” since its inception, and that is that actor Lance Reddick, also known for John Wick and The Wire, passed away before it was released. This is not a trivial matter, as Reddick plays Zeus, the quintessential god of Greek mythology, in Percy Jackson. His involvement, as the producer said at the time, was significant to the project, and that is why they wanted to pay tribute to him properly.

In loving memory of Lance Reddick

In the last chapter of the series, after waiting for so long, we finally see Zeus in action. The character played by Reddick appears as a suited man and has a sublime dialectical confrontation with Percy (Walker Scobell), in one of the scenes that will be remembered throughout the season.

Finally, we see that the season concludes at the highest possible point, paying homage to its title “The prophecy comes true“, and we see how the first part of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover’s adventure to prevent the war between the gods of Olympus ends.

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When this finally happens, and before the end credits, the series pays tribute to the actor’s memory. A sign appears that reads “In loving memory of Lance Reddick”, a beautiful tribute that makes it clear how beloved the actor was by the show and how much his loss is mourned by Disney Plus.

This Succession actor was going to appear in Game of Thrones and Pirates of the Caribbean, but he rejected both franchises

It is clear that Succession is one of the series of the moment. The fiction that ended in 2023 said goodbye in a big way, winning dozens of awards along the way and with an ending that left fans stunned. And, among other farewells, we had the farewell of Logan Roy, the character played by Brian Cox throughout the series.

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In the series, Cox made it very clear why he is one of the most highly regarded actors in the industry, and not only that, but he has also turned down major roles along the way until he came across the good old Roy. In his recently released memoir Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, he has made some interesting statements about it.

Money rules

“It was going to be King Robert Baratheon, who apparently dies when he is gored by a boar in the first season“, explains Brian Cox about his possible participation in Game of Thrones. “Game of Thrones ended up being a great success and everyone involved made a fortune, of course. But when they offered it to me, let’s just say it wasn’t much money. Besides, I was going to be killed relatively soon, so I wouldn’t have had any of the long-term benefits of the series’ success, where your salary would increase with each new season. So I passed, and the boar gored Mark Addy instead of me”.

But not only that. He was also going to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean, where he was going to play the Governor that Jonathan Pryce eventually brought to life: “It would have been a money-making machine, but out of all the characters in the movie, it was the most ungrateful, and I would have ended up doing one movie after another and losing all the good things I’ve done.”

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Although, in reality, the rejection of their offer was more due to Johnny Depp’s involvement in the project: “Another thing about Pirates of the Caribbean is that it’s basically the Johnny Depp show as Jack Sparrow, and personally I’m sure he’s very exaggerated, he’s very overrated. Think about Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come with hands like that, pale, face makeup with scars… you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently he did even less. But people love it. Or loved it. Now they don’t like it as much, of course.”

Will Microsoft Teams spy on you? That suggests a Microsoft patent

If you use Microsoft Teams and value your privacy, pay attention to this. The well-known Microsoft app for online meetings and teamwork could soon integrate a technology capable of detecting if someone is not paying attention in meetings, according to a recently published Microsoft patent.

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The patent describes an AI-based system to determine if someone is not paying attention during a meeting. The system gathers information from the meeting, such as what is being said and shown, who is in the meeting, and how they are using their devices. It then checks if someone is not paying attention by looking at their camera or what they are doing on their device. If the system detects that someone is not paying attention, it will send them a message to regain their attention.

The system also receives a signal that the person has returned to the meeting and displays a summary of what has been missed, similar to the Intelligent Recap feature of Microsoft Teams, which shows a meeting summary and a series of task suggestions. Currently, Microsoft Teams does not have any technology on the platform capable of detecting if users are paying attention in meetings, although administrators can monitor user activity in Teams through other means.

However, the document argues that technology should not be used to demonstrate employees’ lack of activity, but to provide essential highlights for those participants who attend multiple meetings in the same day: “It is necessary to improve systems and methods for managing meetings intelligently, monitoring their content and providing highlighted information that allows retaining context when necessary”.

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For now, it is only a patent, so this new technology for Microsoft Teams does not necessarily have to be materialized in the future. Even with Microsoft’s alleged good intentions, this new technology could pose various moral and ethical problems in an already difficult work context for many, especially for those who work in the technology industry.

A dystopia that has captivated science fiction fans and has taken 10 years to become a reality arrives on Netflix

Netflix is competing head to head against Apple TV+ to become the new home of science fiction. Ted Sarandos’ streaming platform is clear that this is the way to go, and its flagship is The Three-Body Problem, a new series from the creators of Game of Thrones with which they want to dethrone the rest.

However, it is not their only stylish bet in 2024. In fact, a dystopian film that has taken a whopping 10 years to become a reality has just been integrated into the platform: The Kitchen. Its trailer already makes it clear that we are facing a great bet by Netflix.

Discover the dystopian The Kitchen

Produced by Michael Fassbender and co-directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), La cocina is a film that takes us to a dystopian London where social inequality has reached its peak and those who are not born with privileges have to make a living as best they can.

This is a story of overcoming, brotherhood, and action in abundance. Motorcycle and even bicycle races can be seen in the trailer, and it is clear that the choice of its protagonists is not random. The film’s script has been written by Rob Hayes, Joe Murtagh, and Kaluuya himself, but it is a project that producer Daniel Emmerson has been trying to lift since 2014.

Months after its release, what has happened to ‘Silent Hill: Ascension’?

Since the first episode of ‘Ascension’ was released, Konami has found itself entangled in something much worse than fan hatred: absolute indifference.

It was launched as the next vital chapter of the ‘Silent Hill’ saga, but since the first episode of ‘Ascension’ came out, Konami has been involved in something much worse than fan hatred: absolute indifference. The web series in which we can make decisions that change the course of the game has not regained the popularity it had at its launch, back on October 31st of last year… And many believe that it has quietly died.

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Silence, hills

Everything points to the fact that the number of views (or games, as you want to call them) of this project has gone in the opposite direction of “ascension”. And, in fact, after episode 8, which was released on December 21st, the developers asked Konami to slow down and release the new episodes more calmly in order to have weekends off. The classic “If no one cares, at least leave us alone”.

And although initially the game was supposed to last six months (each quarter a “game” with different decisions), it is most likely going to be extended to ten so that the creatives can sleep peacefully. But it will not be removed from the Internet even if there are only 5000 people interested around the world for a simple reason: it is already done, and it only needs to be implemented according to the users’ decisions. It will go down in history as one of the most cursed projects in the franchise. And with Kojima’s Silent Hills out there, frankly, it’s commendable.

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‘Fortnite’ is the paradise of racists who use AI while the lack of moderation becomes evident

Being racist in 2024 (and this includes clichéd phrases like “I’m not racist, but”) means being far behind in history. Nevertheless, even if they are just a few, they shout a lot and make us believe they are a legion.

Being racist in 2024 (and here come worn-out formulas like “I’m not racist but”) is being very behind in history. And yet, even if they are just a few, they shout a lot and make us believe they are legion. Now they have dedicated themselves to filling ‘Fortnite’ with their nonsense, with a double twist that makes it even more painful: using artificial intelligence… and making money from it.

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Opening watermelons in Fortnite

As soon as you start taking a look at the content created by users, you will realize not only that there is an insane amount of AI-generated content, but also that it is represented by the most offensive images possible of fat men in three dimensions created by MidJourney and so racialized that they resemble those 60s playing cards of ‘Families of 7 countries’. Stereotypes that have become as worn out as the cards themselves but that some are not willing to let die.

And of course, what happens happens: thousands of people play every day in maps where there are Arab sheiks about to blow themselves up with a bomb belt, Mexican men with a mariachi hat eating a giant taco, African Americans eating chicken or particularly thin African children. Surprisingly, no one in ‘Fortnite’, a game for the whole family that is especially played by children, has done anything to moderate this content.

As the game has grown (and become much more than just ‘Battle Royale’), so has its player base: it is undoubtedly one of the titles that have marked the modern history of video games. And to reward its community, Epic has decided to pay everyone who creates their own successful creations. And this has led, of course, to the proliferation of artificial intelligence, cyber trash, and zero moderation in this regard (at least until they have been called out on it). At Epic, they are focused on something else and the content is so massive that without large-scale hiring, they can’t do anything.

The worst part is not that, but that this racism created by AI has become a trend. For example, the map that started it all, Jamaica Zonewars, had 35,000 active users almost a month ago, and, of course, everyone has tried to copy it with all kinds of racist and terrible content. On the other hand, at Epic, after the controversy broke out, they have already deleted a good number of these islands created by AI, and they claim that they will continue to do so in order to prevent ‘Fortnite’ from being the last stronghold of a handful of people who still believe that memes from 2005 are still funny now.

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This is what it seems to have cost to develop Skull And Bones: a lot or a little?

Skull and Bones has been delayed six times since it was first announced at E3 2017. This February 2024 is supposed to be the one.

The long development of Skull And Bones, which started in 2013, when it was originally a multiplayer expansion of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, has caused production costs to skyrocket. And to avoid that, no one can withstand over 10 years of development.

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A couple of years ago, Kotaku reported that development costs had reached the staggering amount of 120 million dollars. Now, and according to Insider Gaming, in just three years, Ubisoft has spent another 80 million dollars on development.

According to sources consulted by Insider Gaming, Ubisoft does not expect to make a profit with Skull and Bones, and blames its troubled development on “power-hungry executives” and constant direction changes. The reason it is still ongoing is supposedly an agreement with the Singaporean government.

Story of a game that should have been released 5 years ago

Skull and Bones has been delayed six times since it was first announced at E3 2017. Supposedly, the game that was shown back then barely existed (despite being scheduled for release in 2018) and was subsequently reworked, becoming an online survival pirate game.

It was inevitably delayed to the fiscal year 2019/2020, and it was showcased more at E3 2018. However, Kotaku reported that the versions we saw at both E3 events were scrapped, leading to further delays.

It skipped E3 2019 and was delayed to 2022, preparing for release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. But as we know, that didn’t happen. It was delayed again, this time to March 9, 2023, after a technical test in September went wrong. But that date passed and it was delayed again.

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If everything goes according to plan this time, Skull and Bones should be here next month, after more than a decade of development and a total cost of about 200 million dollars.

Meet Tomo: the new AI from Replika that will help you achieve spiritual peace

Replika, one of the first generative AI companies, is back with the launch of Tomo, an artificial intelligence that will accompany you on your path to Zen. The AI has been created in collaboration with the development team of Blush, a AI dating simulator, and its ultimate goal is for you to be well. As simple as that.

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Tomo is an immersive experience of spiritual and mental guidance with AI that uses the latest technology to help users find peace and tranquility in the midst of digital chaos. The app will take you to a virtual retreat island where Tomo will welcome you and offer various programs to help you explore your growth, well-being, and personal fulfillment.

“We work with trainers and psychologists to design Tomo’s programs. We focus on the most common issues, but we also think about what would work best with conversational AI,” says Eugenia Kuyda, founder and CEO of Replika. “We had a lot of experience building coaching programs for Replika with clinical psychologists from UC Berkeley; for Tomo, we expanded that to mindfulness teachers to combine Eastern and Western practices.”

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Tomo, which is now available for iOS and is being developed for Apple Vision Pro, can be tested completely free for 3 days. Those who want to continue using its features will have to pay a subscription of $7.99 per week or $49.99 per year.

Destiny 2 joins forces with Mass Effect: this is how their collaboration will be

Starting from February 13th, Destiny 2 players will be able to showcase the iconic outfits of Commander Shepard, Liara, and Garrus.

Mass Effect fans, wake up from your slumber: Bungie and BioWare have announced an unexpected collaboration between Destiny 2 and Mass Effect. Starting from February 13th, Destiny 2 players will be able to wear the iconic outfits of Commander Shepard, Liara, and Garrus.

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Specifically, titans will be able to wear the N7 Armor set that Shepard wears, warlocks will have the Shadow Runner set, based on the outfit worn by Liara, and hunters will receive the Vakarian set, inspired by Garrus.

In addition to these skins, which will be paid, players will be able to obtain for free the Alliance Requirements Package. The latter includes the Alliance Exploration Frigate ship, the enhanced defense ghost shell, and the Alliance Sparrow ship. As if that weren’t enough, we will also receive the Omni Strike finisher and the Flux Dance emote. All of these items will still be available when the Season of Desire ends and the Final Form expansion is released.

Destiny 2 has had numerous collaborations throughout its history. Last December, the community was able to enjoy a crossover with The Witcher, which included armor inspired by Geralt of Rivia and other items.

Source: Polygon

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