Back in July, comic publisher Dark Horse leaked plans for a remaster of the two Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games at San Diego Comic-Con. Now, the games' original developer Crystal Dynamics, along with Aspyr, have revealed that the remastered versions of the games are real and that the collection will be available on December 10. Further, while they announced the remastered bundle at a PlayStation State of Play event, it won't be coming out just for the PS4 and the PS5, but also for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via Steam and Epic Games.
The Soul Reaver titles are single-player action-adventure games, wherein the players control an "ex-vampire" named Raziel in the fictional land of Nosgoth. They were remastered by Aspyr, which recently released Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and which players may know as the developer behind the remastered versions of Tomb Raider I-III. The new remastered visuals feature enhanced textures, new models and visual effects, but players can switch to the original graphics if they want to play the games in the state that they were originally released in back in 1999 and 2001. They can also play with classic controls or switch to a new control scheme that suits modern controllers more.
In addition to the improved graphics and controls, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered comes with a brand new map and compass, as well as a photo mode that will let players easily take screencaps. It's now available for pre-order on PC and PlayStation with a 10 percent discount until launch day. Xbox players can now also pre-order the collection, but Switch owners will have to wait a bit more before they can purchase it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-games-have-been-remastered-and-will-arrive-on-december-10-133039552.html?src=rss
I grew up on two of the most classic games in the Legend of Zelda series: A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. And while there have been a handful of Zelda games with the classic overhead view, those have been mostly relegated to systems like the Game Boy Advance and the 3DS. Mainline Zelda games that are a big event in the gaming world are in the 3D style so successfully introduced to the series way back in 1998 with Ocarina of Time.
All this is to say that it’s been years since I’ve played an entirely new Legend of Zelda game in the style of those classics I love so much. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (out tomorrow) has brought me right back. The game takes great advantage of the art style that Nintendo brought to the series with the Link’s Awakening remake, but don’t let the cute look fool you — this game is much tougher than Link’s Awakening. And while it could serve as a good entry point for younger players, the challenge level and puzzle-solving skills needed means adults will have their work cut out for them as well.
Nintendo
Part of that challenge is because Echoes of Wisdom has a wildly different set of mechanics compared to any other Zelda game, 3D or not. That’s because you’re not controlling Link, the protagonist of literally every game in the series. Instead, you are finally in control of Princess Zelda herself as she tries to rescue Link (!) and bring peace to Hyrule.
The big plot device this time out is a series of otherworldly rifts that have opened up throughout Hyrule, swallowing up huge parts of the land and the people who reside there. Zelda soon meets an adorable but ghostly creature named Tri who can heal the rifts. Tri gifts Zelda the Tri Rod, the single piece of equipment that makes this game so different from the rest. With the Tri Rod, Zelda can create echoes of dozens of objects and creatures she encounters throughout the game and use them to solve puzzles and battle monsters.
Nintendo
It’s hard to overstate how much this fundamentally separates this game from all the rest in its series. Instead of gearing up with a sword and shield and augmenting them with a variety of other weapons and tools, Zelda is unable to directly fight at first. She can, at least, throw a rock or two at the first enemies she meets to defeat them. But once you defeat an enemy, you can clone it to your heart's content with the Tri Rod — and unleash those creatures on other monsters.
Before long, I was in control of a gang of sword-wielding Moblins, or I could summon spiders to climb the walls to attack out-of-reach enemies. In underwater segments, I could deploy anglerfish to light the way forward. Above ground, I could summon birds to take on other aerial enemies. And while some monsters are more vulnerable to certain kinds of attacks than others, I’m pretty sure that everyone will end up with different strategies that work for their own playing style.
Another power that Tri grants you is the ability to grab and move many objects around the world, letting you get around physical obstacles like giant rocks with ease. You can also grab monsters and echoes you create, an ability that isn’t required but can make dealing with certain baddies easier (grabbing a Deku plant by the head and giving it a tug is a satisfying way to take them out).
Nintendo
Nintendo clearly put a ton of thought into designing how players could use echoes to both battle monsters as well as traverse the terrain of Hyrule. But there are also a host of frustrations that come along with this completely new system, making me more divided about this game than almost any Zelda game I’ve played. First off, relying on echoes of various monsters to do your battling for you can be incredibly frustrating. Put simply… they’re just kind of stupid. They’re often slow to attack and very hard to control. You can target enemies with the ZL trigger, and I’ve found that if you target and then summon an echo, it’ll do a better job of honing in on that target, but it’s a very imprecise system. I often found myself running around trying to dodge attacks while waiting for my monsters to do their dirty work.
It’s entirely possible that I wasn’t picking the right monsters for the particular job, but that gets to a second problem. There are just entirely too many echoes in this game. I currently have more than 75 echoes in my notebook, and it’s just very hard to remember them all or know what the right situation to use them is. For example, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to make a mini-boss vulnerable to my attacks. I ended up feeding it an explosive bombfish (yup, it’s a fish with a bomb in its mouth!), and it felt like an obvious solution in retrospect. But there are so many echoes that it’s just hard to remember what’s at your disposal at any given time.
Nintendo
You can pull up your list of echoes by holding right on the d-pad and scrolling through them; it’s similar to how you can quickly pull up all your items in Tears of the Kingdom if you want to bind something to your arrows. As in that game, though, this menu contains so many items that it’s a little cumbersome to dig through. You can sort by most-used, most recently used and a few other options, but those two are probably the most helpful. And you can always hit the plus button to jump into the game’s menus to find exactly the right echo you’re looking for. But the tyranny of choice here is real.
Despite times where the game felt more like a frustration than a challenge, Echoes of Wisdom is also packed with tons of great “a-ha!” moments when you naturally figure out exactly where the game is nudging you. But because of the completely different mechanics this game uses, it feels like a nice evolution of the standard Zelda format — even if it did give me moments of agita.
Nintendo
I should note that Zelda does get to wield a sword and shield, but it’s different than in previous games. In the first dungeon, Zelda gains the ability to switch to “swordfighter” mode, and she plays essentially like Link would in a similar game. However, Zelda has an energy meter that keeps her from staying in that form indefinitely. I definitely loved using that when I was overrun with enemies, and it’s essential for slaying some of the bigger monsters you’ll find in the game. But the energy meter keeps you from relying on it constantly, a limitation that I appreciated (even though I really wanted to just slash my way through baddies as much as possible).
My main quibble with this mode is that the energy meter only refills when you pick up little light crystals dropped by defeated enemies — but as far as I can tell, these only appear when you’re exploring the rifts around Hyrule or inside of a dungeon. And even then, it’s easy to run out and find yourself unable to switch modes. There are potions you can purchase to refill your energy meter, but I wish it was a little easier to find those crystals in the Hyrule overworld. The game really doesn’t want you spamming the sword, basically.
Nintendo
There’s a lot more to Echoes of Wisdom than these new mechanics, though they’re the most significant change here from the standard Zelda formula. By and large, the game feels like a solid remix of some of the Zelda series’ greatest hits. The Hyrule overworld will feel familiar to anyone who played A Link to the Past, though it’s hardly a one-to-one recreation. There’s an extensive beach that isn’t found in the older game, and there are new settlements for creatures like the Deku Scrubs and two varieties of Zora, just to name a few changes.
As in many previous games, the main play pattern of “explore area, find dungeon, clear dungeon” is intact, but the game also takes a nod from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The quests usually prod you to investigate a few different areas, which you can do in whatever order you prefer. After clearing a set, the story advances and you get a new group to discover.
There’s a formula leading up to each dungeon, though. You generally visit a settlement around Hyrule where a rift has opened and swallowed up residents and buildings — and the dungeon you need to explore to close the rift is hidden away inside. So there’s a bit of pre-dungeon rift exploration to do, after which grateful citizens will generally give you what you need to progress to the dungeon proper.
These rifts remind me most of the Dark World first introduced in A Link to the Past. They’re shadowy worlds where pieces of the land are strewn about willy-nilly. There are some fun physics puzzles thrown in, as sometimes parts of the world that would usually be horizontal instead ascend vertically. So you’re jumping up the sides of trees or swimming “up” through water. It’s a little hard to put into words, but the game does a good job of introducing these areas without making them immediately too confusing to know which direction to go.
I’ve glossed over the visual design of this game, partially because it’s a continuation of what Nintendo did in the Link’s Awakening remake a few years ago. But as the first entirely new game to use this adorable style, it’s worth digging into. It’s a top-down Zelda game for sure, with a similar view, albeit one that isn’t quite as bird’s-eye as the older games. This gives the world more depth for its design to shine. It’s colorful and detailed, with houses, characters, enemies and environments that feel like tiny toys; the tilt-shift style blurring at the top and bottom of the display adds to that effect.
I feel like Nintendo’s developers drew inspiration from The Wind Waker, not so much in the cel-shaded graphics of that title but in the whimsy found in the world. Both games could easily be described as “cute, but not childish.” Echoes of Wisdom definitely skews “younger” in its presentation than any other Zelda short of Link’s Awakening, but the level of detail and polish is something adults will appreciate.
The music, as usual, is also outstanding throughout. Unlike the fairly minimal scoring that accompanies most of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, there’s a rousing overworld composition that cleverly highlights the Princess Zelda-specific motif that has often accompanied the character for years now. It’s a worthy entry into the long list of excellent overworld tunes, and each dungeon has its own score that fits its particular brand of creepiness well.
It’s not a surprise to say that this adds up to yet another delightful Zelda game that breaks the mold in a number of ways, despite the occasional frustrations. Echoes of Wisdom has far more of a classic linear structure than Tears of the Kingdom, but that’s not a bad thing. Nintendo has changed up enough other parts of the formula for the game to feel both familiar and fresh.
Being able to actually play as Zelda is long overdue, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see her appear as a playable character in more games in the future (perhaps even in a massive, open-world style adventure). But a future title in the vein of Echoes of Wisdom would be welcome, too. I imagine Nintendo will learn a lot from Zelda’s first proper adventure and use that to smooth out the rough parts in the echo system. But fans of the series shouldn’t hesitate to check out Echoes of Wisdom — it’s not perfect, but it’s still a fresh and enjoyable remix of a classic Zelda game.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-is-as-familiar-as-it-is-fresh-120025682.html?src=rss
I grew up on two of the most classic games in the Legend of Zelda series: A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. And while there have been a handful of Zelda games with the classic overhead view, those have been mostly relegated to systems like the Game Boy Advance and the 3DS. Mainline Zelda games that are a big event in the gaming world are in the 3D style so successfully introduced to the series way back in 1998 with Ocarina of Time.
All this is to say that it’s been years since I’ve played an entirely new Legend of Zelda game in the style of those classics I love so much. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (out tomorrow) has brought me right back. The game takes great advantage of the art style that Nintendo brought to the series with the Link’s Awakening remake, but don’t let the cute look fool you — this game is much tougher than Link’s Awakening. And while it could serve as a good entry point for younger players, the challenge level and puzzle-solving skills needed means adults will have their work cut out for them as well.
Nintendo
Part of that challenge is because Echoes of Wisdom has a wildly different set of mechanics compared to any other Zelda game, 3D or not. That’s because you’re not controlling Link, the protagonist of literally every game in the series. Instead, you are finally in control of Princess Zelda herself as she tries to rescue Link (!) and bring peace to Hyrule.
The big plot device this time out is a series of otherworldly rifts that have opened up throughout Hyrule, swallowing up huge parts of the land and the people who reside there. Zelda soon meets an adorable but ghostly creature named Tri who can heal the rifts. Tri gifts Zelda the Tri Rod, the single piece of equipment that makes this game so different from the rest. With the Tri Rod, Zelda can create echoes of dozens of objects and creatures she encounters throughout the game and use them to solve puzzles and battle monsters.
Nintendo
It’s hard to overstate how much this fundamentally separates this game from all the rest in its series. Instead of gearing up with a sword and shield and augmenting them with a variety of other weapons and tools, Zelda is unable to directly fight at first. She can, at least, throw a rock or two at the first enemies she meets to defeat them. But once you defeat an enemy, you can clone it to your heart's content with the Tri Rod — and unleash those creatures on other monsters.
Before long, I was in control of a gang of sword-wielding Moblins, or I could summon spiders to climb the walls to attack out-of-reach enemies. In underwater segments, I could deploy anglerfish to light the way forward. Above ground, I could summon birds to take on other aerial enemies. And while some monsters are more vulnerable to certain kinds of attacks than others, I’m pretty sure that everyone will end up with different strategies that work for their own playing style.
Another power that Tri grants you is the ability to grab and move many objects around the world, letting you get around physical obstacles like giant rocks with ease. You can also grab monsters and echoes you create, an ability that isn’t required but can make dealing with certain baddies easier (grabbing a Deku plant by the head and giving it a tug is a satisfying way to take them out).
Nintendo
Nintendo clearly put a ton of thought into designing how players could use echoes to both battle monsters as well as traverse the terrain of Hyrule. But there are also a host of frustrations that come along with this completely new system, making me more divided about this game than almost any Zelda game I’ve played. First off, relying on echoes of various monsters to do your battling for you can be incredibly frustrating. Put simply… they’re just kind of stupid. They’re often slow to attack and very hard to control. You can target enemies with the ZL trigger, and I’ve found that if you target and then summon an echo, it’ll do a better job of honing in on that target, but it’s a very imprecise system. I often found myself running around trying to dodge attacks while waiting for my monsters to do their dirty work.
It’s entirely possible that I wasn’t picking the right monsters for the particular job, but that gets to a second problem. There are just entirely too many echoes in this game. I currently have more than 75 echoes in my notebook, and it’s just very hard to remember them all or know what the right situation to use them is. For example, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to make a mini-boss vulnerable to my attacks. I ended up feeding it an explosive bombfish (yup, it’s a fish with a bomb in its mouth!), and it felt like an obvious solution in retrospect. But there are so many echoes that it’s just hard to remember what’s at your disposal at any given time.
Nintendo
You can pull up your list of echoes by holding right on the d-pad and scrolling through them; it’s similar to how you can quickly pull up all your items in Tears of the Kingdom if you want to bind something to your arrows. As in that game, though, this menu contains so many items that it’s a little cumbersome to dig through. You can sort by most-used, most recently used and a few other options, but those two are probably the most helpful. And you can always hit the plus button to jump into the game’s menus to find exactly the right echo you’re looking for. But the tyranny of choice here is real.
Despite times where the game felt more like a frustration than a challenge, Echoes of Wisdom is also packed with tons of great “a-ha!” moments when you naturally figure out exactly where the game is nudging you. But because of the completely different mechanics this game uses, it feels like a nice evolution of the standard Zelda format — even if it did give me moments of agita.
Nintendo
I should note that Zelda does get to wield a sword and shield, but it’s different than in previous games. In the first dungeon, Zelda gains the ability to switch to “swordfighter” mode, and she plays essentially like Link would in a similar game. However, Zelda has an energy meter that keeps her from staying in that form indefinitely. I definitely loved using that when I was overrun with enemies, and it’s essential for slaying some of the bigger monsters you’ll find in the game. But the energy meter keeps you from relying on it constantly, a limitation that I appreciated (even though I really wanted to just slash my way through baddies as much as possible).
My main quibble with this mode is that the energy meter only refills when you pick up little light crystals dropped by defeated enemies — but as far as I can tell, these only appear when you’re exploring the rifts around Hyrule or inside of a dungeon. And even then, it’s easy to run out and find yourself unable to switch modes. There are potions you can purchase to refill your energy meter, but I wish it was a little easier to find those crystals in the Hyrule overworld. The game really doesn’t want you spamming the sword, basically.
Nintendo
There’s a lot more to Echoes of Wisdom than these new mechanics, though they’re the most significant change here from the standard Zelda formula. By and large, the game feels like a solid remix of some of the Zelda series’ greatest hits. The Hyrule overworld will feel familiar to anyone who played A Link to the Past, though it’s hardly a one-to-one recreation. There’s an extensive beach that isn’t found in the older game, and there are new settlements for creatures like the Deku Scrubs and two varieties of Zora, just to name a few changes.
As in many previous games, the main play pattern of “explore area, find dungeon, clear dungeon” is intact, but the game also takes a nod from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The quests usually prod you to investigate a few different areas, which you can do in whatever order you prefer. After clearing a set, the story advances and you get a new group to discover.
There’s a formula leading up to each dungeon, though. You generally visit a settlement around Hyrule where a rift has opened and swallowed up residents and buildings — and the dungeon you need to explore to close the rift is hidden away inside. So there’s a bit of pre-dungeon rift exploration to do, after which grateful citizens will generally give you what you need to progress to the dungeon proper.
These rifts remind me most of the Dark World first introduced in A Link to the Past. They’re shadowy worlds where pieces of the land are strewn about willy-nilly. There are some fun physics puzzles thrown in, as sometimes parts of the world that would usually be horizontal instead ascend vertically. So you’re jumping up the sides of trees or swimming “up” through water. It’s a little hard to put into words, but the game does a good job of introducing these areas without making them immediately too confusing to know which direction to go.
I’ve glossed over the visual design of this game, partially because it’s a continuation of what Nintendo did in the Link’s Awakening remake a few years ago. But as the first entirely new game to use this adorable style, it’s worth digging into. It’s a top-down Zelda game for sure, with a similar view, albeit one that isn’t quite as bird’s-eye as the older games. This gives the world more depth for its design to shine. It’s colorful and detailed, with houses, characters, enemies and environments that feel like tiny toys; the tilt-shift style blurring at the top and bottom of the display adds to that effect.
I feel like Nintendo’s developers drew inspiration from The Wind Waker, not so much in the cel-shaded graphics of that title but in the whimsy found in the world. Both games could easily be described as “cute, but not childish.” Echoes of Wisdom definitely skews “younger” in its presentation than any other Zelda short of Link’s Awakening, but the level of detail and polish is something adults will appreciate.
The music, as usual, is also outstanding throughout. Unlike the fairly minimal scoring that accompanies most of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, there’s a rousing overworld composition that cleverly highlights the Princess Zelda-specific motif that has often accompanied the character for years now. It’s a worthy entry into the long list of excellent overworld tunes, and each dungeon has its own score that fits its particular brand of creepiness well.
It’s not a surprise to say that this adds up to yet another delightful Zelda game that breaks the mold in a number of ways, despite the occasional frustrations. Echoes of Wisdom has far more of a classic linear structure than Tears of the Kingdom, but that’s not a bad thing. Nintendo has changed up enough other parts of the formula for the game to feel both familiar and fresh.
Being able to actually play as Zelda is long overdue, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see her appear as a playable character in more games in the future (perhaps even in a massive, open-world style adventure). But a future title in the vein of Echoes of Wisdom would be welcome, too. I imagine Nintendo will learn a lot from Zelda’s first proper adventure and use that to smooth out the rough parts in the echo system. But fans of the series shouldn’t hesitate to check out Echoes of Wisdom — it’s not perfect, but it’s still a fresh and enjoyable remix of a classic Zelda game.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-is-as-familiar-as-it-is-fresh-120025682.html?src=rss
Lego Horizon Adventures is one of a very few first-party games that Sony is releasing this year, and now we have a release date, thanks to the State of Play the company aired on Tuesday. The kid-friendly spin on the Horizon series is coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Switch on November 14.
The soonish release date isn’t a huge shock, since the game was already lined up for a holiday 2024 slot. However, Sony jumped the gun by accidentally revealing the arrival date on the PlayStation website’s a few weeks back. Whoops!
We had the chance to try out Lego Horizon Adventures at Summer Game Fest in June and came away with positive impressions. It's generally faithful to the combat of the mainline Horizon games, with Aloy sneaking around for optimal angles from which to attack enemies and using her Focus to find weak spots on giant dinosaur-like machines. However, that's aligned with the kind of offbeat humor you'll find in many other Lego games rather than the broadly stoic seriousness of Horizon Forbidden West. Local and online co-op will also be available for the first time in a Horizon game.
This is a chance for Sony to bring the series to a whole new audience. Until now, the Horizon series has only been available on PlayStation consoles and PC (and PS VR2 in the case of Horizon Call of the Mountain). This could also be a bit of a test run for Sony to see if some of its older games might find new digs, and many more players, on Nintendo systems.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lego-horizon-adventures-hits-ps5-pc-and-switch-on-november-14-223756234.html?src=rss
Lego Horizon Adventures is one of a very few first-party games that Sony is releasing this year, and now we have a release date, thanks to the State of Play the company aired on Tuesday. The kid-friendly spin on the Horizon series is coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Switch on November 14.
The soonish release date isn’t a huge shock, since the game was already lined up for a holiday 2024 slot. However, Sony jumped the gun by accidentally revealing the arrival date on the PlayStation website’s a few weeks back. Whoops!
We had the chance to try out Lego Horizon Adventures at Summer Game Fest in June and came away with positive impressions. It's generally faithful to the combat of the mainline Horizon games, with Aloy sneaking around for optimal angles from which to attack enemies and using her Focus to find weak spots on giant dinosaur-like machines. However, that's aligned with the kind of offbeat humor you'll find in many other Lego games rather than the broadly stoic seriousness of Horizon Forbidden West. Local and online co-op will also be available for the first time in a Horizon game.
This is a chance for Sony to bring the series to a whole new audience. Until now, the Horizon series has only been available on PlayStation consoles and PC (and PS VR2 in the case of Horizon Call of the Mountain). This could also be a bit of a test run for Sony to see if some of its older games might find new digs, and many more players, on Nintendo systems.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lego-horizon-adventures-hits-ps5-pc-and-switch-on-november-14-223756234.html?src=rss
SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.
Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to “cancel” a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for “non-union” talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."
League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA’s press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."
Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss
SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.
Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to “cancel” a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for “non-union” talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."
League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA’s press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."
Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss
Monitor makers today compete with each other to create the best esports-worthy displays that are fit for competition use. Sony is no exception, as it introduced its Inzone headsets and displays in 2022, beginning with the M3 and M9. Today, the company is introducing the new Inzone M9 II and M10S gaming monitors to solidify its place in the competitive display space.
The Inzone M9 II (pictured above) is an upgraded version of its predecessor, the M9. It shares many features but improves upon some weaknesses the older model had. This 27-inch 4K IPS display has a 160Hz refresh rate compared to the M9’s 144Hz. The response time remains the same at 1ms GtG, but the maximum brightness is now 750 nits (up from 600 nits). In addition, the monitor has VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, which means it can play HDR content at 600 nits of brightness. It also has full-array local dimming and backlight scanning technology for better motion clarity.
The M9 gaming monitor suffered from having a tripod that didn’t allow for much adjustment. For the M9 II, Sony has replaced the tripod with a small disc stand with 180 degrees of rotation. This new stand doesn’t require much desk room and allows for height, tilt and swivel changes.
PS5 consoles can automatically recognize Inzone gaming monitors, which swap from Game Mode to Cinema Mode if users halt their gaming sessions and pop a movie in. Those who enjoyed the M9 will hopefully find the M9 II a significant improvement, something that could be especially true for PS5 owners.
But the star of Sony's show is the Inzone M10S. This new powerhouse of a gaming monitor features a 27-inch 1440p OLED panel. The refresh rate of 480Hz is impressive (though there aren’t exactly a ton of games that support it), and the 0.03ms GtG response time is nothing to scoff at. Moreover, the HDR peak brightness of 1,300 nits and DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification are two cherries on top of this monitor cake.
Sony brought Fnatic’s Valorant esports team in as consultants on the Inzone M10S (pictured below), asking them to provide feedback. Their expertise contributed to the creation of the FPS Pro+ and FPS Pro picture modes. The former mode highlights enemies with an outline color, while the latter simulates LCD monitors for those who are more used to older esports LCD monitors. In other words, FPS Pro mode is a solution for esports athletes who want to use new gear but are too accustomed to older equipment characteristics.
Sony
Another feature the M10S has is a new heat sink design. It’s made up of a multilayer passive cooling system consisting of multiple aluminum plates and thermal pads. This heat removal system is designed to reduce burn-in.
Both 27-inch monitors feature a 24.5-inch display mode that slightly reduces the resolution, though the refresh rates and response times remain the same. The mode is intended to replicate the feel of using a TN 24.5-inch 1080p monitor and enjoy fast speeds and improved picture quality.
The M9 II is available now on the official Sony website and from authorized dealers for $800, which is $100 cheaper than the M9’s launch price. As for the M10S, you can get it for $1,100.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/sonys-latest-inzone-monitors-are-made-for-fps-and-ps5-gamers-160045831.html?src=rss
With Apple’s popular personal music player, the company shipped its first set of earbuds. Sure, they were wired and very basic, but the accessory laid the groundwork for what would eventually become AirPods. Along the way, the EarPods would be bundled with the iPhone in 2007, and a 2012 redesign produced something more akin to what would eventually become the first-gen AirPods in 2016. The work the company did to improve the fit of EarPods continues to pay off as Apple prepares to ship the noise-canceling AirPods 4.
“We had started trying to learn a bit about human physiology and what shapes would fit better in people's ears,” Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering Kate Bergeron told me about those early days. “We started doing some MRI scans and trying to figure out how to gather data, but we didn't have a sense of how many scans we'd be looking for, or how many different kinds of ears we needed.”
Over the years, Apple has developed more efficient methods for gathering data, so it was able to build out its database of ear shapes quicker than in the early days of EarPods. Bergeron explained that she expects the company to be “continuing that journey” forever when it comes to developing new versions of AirPods.
Billy Steele for Engadget
During what Bergeron described as “the dark days of COVID,” a small group from the AirPods team was trying to solve a dilemma. They wanted to bring effective active noise cancellation (ANC) to the open design of the “regular” AirPods. The crew had already successfully done so on two models of the AirPods Pro and on the AirPods Max headphones. But this time around, it was essential that the open nature of the AirPods remain while also providing the technology to block out distractions.
So in 2021, over the course of several days, Bergeron and AirPods marketing director Eric Treski met up at one of Apple’s acoustic labs for a demo. At that point, the team was unsure if they had anything viable, but they wanted the executive’s feedback on it nonetheless.
“We were just blown away,” Bergeron recalled. “We said ‘we absolutely have something here, we need to go after this and we’ve got to make it happen.’” Acoustic and computational work that was required for an effective ANC algorithm was happening simultaneously with iterations on improving the fit and overall comfort for the AirPods 4.
After testing the AirPods 4, I can say that the fit and comfort have improved since the third-gen model. But Apple also expanded the earbuds’ capabilities with the H2 chip and microphones from the AirPods Pro 2. This combination of advanced tech enables Apple to continuously monitor fit in a user’s ear, updating the ANC algorithm in real time so that the noise blocking is still effective even as the AirPods move around.
“It’s even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro,” Bergeron said. “The ear tip gives you a fit that’s pretty consistent.”
Apple’s journey with ANC began with the development of the first-generation AirPods Pro that debuted in 2019. Effective active noise cancellation was usually more common on over-ear headphones, with a few exceptions, but Apple realized that making a distraction-free listening experience “pocketable” was attractive to its users. Of course, the company would follow up with its own headphones, the AirPods Max, before the powerful second-gen AirPods Pro.
Treski explained that the ANC setup, or the third generation of Adaptive EQ as he described it, is constantly managing and adjusting any equalizers for both active noise cancellation and audio quality at the same time – and in real time. So in addition to the revised shape, the acoustic architecture of the AirPods 4 is also instrumental in providing effective ANC on the open earbuds.
“It’s really, really hard to create this great ANC quality in a non-ear-tip product,” he said. “The power of the H2 allows that, so we’re actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we’re canceling as much as possible.”
Billy Steele for Engadget
The lack of an ear tip on the AirPods 4 also creates a challenge for transparency mode. Treski noted that it’s “arguably even harder” than mastering ANC on open earbuds since you’re having to blend ambient sound from the microphones with what you’re hearing naturally through your unplugged ears. There’s a perfect mix that will seem real to your brain, but also it has to all be done with extremely low latency so the automatic adjustments don’t lead to any delays in what comes through the AirPods.
The new shape for the AirPods 4 also provided an opportunity to improve overall sound quality on the earbuds. The front end of the buds, which Bergeron revealed the team calls the “snorkel,” is very different from the AirPods 3. Since the previous model was more open, she said, the engineers had more freedom to operate. With the new version, the driver had to be adjusted so that it didn’t reflect sound to the internal microphone that monitors noise inside your ear. That’s why the drivers are now pointed down your ear canal, and why they’re slightly recessed.
“In order to get the improved fit, that necessitated adjusting the driver and the front of the product,” she said. “The mechanical engineers are doing the packaging of the entire product, trying to fit everything in. Acoustic engineers are saying, ‘okay, based on those constraints, this is the best place that we can put the driver.’”
The design overhaul on the AirPods 4 extends to the case as well. Apple was able to slim down the accessory while also simplifying how you interact with it. The end result is “the same magic experience,” Bergeron noted, but the lack of a button allowed engineers to eliminate overall thickness and rely on an accelerometer. Removing the button also gets rid of one place where liquid could potentially get in, so the case has the same IP54 rating as the new AirPods.
“We get a double win there for sure,” Bergeron said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/weve-got-to-make-it-happen-how-apple-designed-airpods-4-for-effective-anc-130008844.html?src=rss
During Netflix's Geeked Week event, some more details about Monument Valley 3 emerged. Developer Ustwo Games says the long-awaited sequel builds on its predecessors in several ways, especially in terms of the gameplay, art style and story.
Perhaps the biggest change in Monument Valley 3 is the introduction of sailing. You'll be able to move the boat in almost any direction and, as such, "the game is no longer restricted to geometric spaces," game director Jennifer Estaris said during a call with reporters. Along with unfolding cubes that shift new protagonist Noor onto different planes, Monument Valley 3 is in large part about "deconstructing what we know," Estaris said.
Naturally, those changes allow for fresh puzzles and visuals as players navigate impossible-looking, MC Escher-style architectural spaces. Aligned with that, Ustwo has evolved the art style with softer and more abstract shapes (you are going to be navigating rivers after all). The result is something that looks very familiar, but like a hazy memory. Meanwhile, the soundtrack from an 18-piece orchestra might just stir up some emotions.
While the original game was about forgiveness and its sequel was a coming-of-age tale, Monument Valley 3 focuses on the themes of hope, togetherness and resilience. Noor is a lighthouse keeper's apprentice who is tasked with searching for a new source of power before light fades away from the world forever. It's the "most ambitious story" to date for a Monument Valley game, according to Ustwo marketing manager Jamie Wotton.
All three Monument Valley games are standalone titles with their own stories. That means you'll be able to glide right into Monument Valley 3 without playing the previous two entries. But there's plenty of time to check those out first (or revisit them). You won't have to pay extra for those mobile gaming classics if you have a Netflix subscription. There are no ads or in-app purchases in the company's games.
Monument Valley is available to Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android starting today, and its sequel will arrive on the service on October 29. Monument Valley 3 will then debut as a Netflix mobile exclusive on December 10.
Netflix revealed some other mobile gaming news during Geeked Week. Its multiplayer take on Battleship(which includes special weapons and ranked modes) will drop on September 24. Subscribers will soon be able to play Civilization IV and Street Fighter IV CE on their mobile devices at no extra cost — the Netflix version of the latter will offer cross-play between iOS and Android.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/monument-valley-3-breaks-the-series-old-boundaries-by-adding-a-sailboat-013638578.html?src=rss