Tag Archives: Arts & Entertainment

Get a good gawp at Ghostface’s fatality and some new animalities for MK1

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A new update for Mortal Kombat I (MK1) is less than a week away from release that will add new character skins, new finishing moves and (eventually) new fighters to its “kombatant” selection screen. NetherRealm Studios released a preview of the “karnage” that’s “koming” around the “korner” (OK, we’ll stop with the unnecessary K’s).

The new trailer released on Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon’s X page shows some of the new stuff MK1 players can expect from the Khaos Reigns pack scheduled for release on September 24 and future updates. The base game costs $49.99 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on Steam and $39.99 on the Nintendo Switch. The Khaos Reigns DLC costs (gasp!) $49.99 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on Steam and $39.99 for the Nintendo Switch The Khaos Reigns Kollection bundle that includes the Khaos pack and base game will set you back $89.99 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S or $69.99 for the Nintendo Switch.

The MK1 add-on adds a brand new story mode to the game in which the newly apotheosized Liu Kang battles the evil Titan Havik with his band of fighters and EarthRealm defenders. The new pack also comes with the “Kombat Pack 2” of new fighters available on the release day including the cyborgs Cyrax and Sektor and the shadow assassin Noob Saibot.

The pack will also provide access to Ghostface from the Scream movies, the T-1000 voiced by Robert Patrick and Conan the Barbarian once they are released. If you can’t wait for a release date or you just don’t like watching whole trailers for one moment, footage of one of Ghostface’s fatalities found its way to X. The video shows the infamous Scream villain eviscerating an opponent with the help of another Ghostface killer, a loving nod to Scream VI starring Jenna Ortega and Hayden Panettiere.

MK1 is also bringing back an old favorite finisher known as “animalities” that first appeared in the Mortal Kombat 3 arcade game. Every fighter in the game has a finishing move where they turn into an animal and vivisect their opponent in a number of creative ways. Boon shared a clip of Kitana’s animality in which she transforms into a giant, bloodthirsty hummingbird and turns her opponent into a bloody flesh flower.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/get-a-good-gawp-at-ghostfaces-fatality-and-some-new-animalities-for-mk1-233038696.html?src=rss

Battletoads/Double Dragon headbutts its way onto Nintendo’s Switch Online library

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If you grew up in the age of the NES and SNES consoles, you might be positively giddy to learn that one of the greatest video game crossovers since Marvel vs Capcom is available on the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo announced the addition of four new SNES titles to its Switch Online service including the 1993 beat ‘em up Battletoads/Double Dragon. This rare meeting of mayhem between the fly-gulping trio and the martial arts duo Billy and Jimmy Lee takes players through both games’ universes as they plow through unique waves of fist-flinging enemies.

The crossover begins when the Evil Queen from the Battletoads’ universe cuts a deal with the Shadow Boss from the Double Dragon universe on Earth. She sends a massive ship called the Colossus to take over our planet so Zitz, Rash and Pimple pick up the Double Dragons with the Battlecopter and intercept the ship to stop it from reaching Earth. The game features seven levels that take place on the Colossus and on Earth as the Battletoads and Double Dragons smash, kick and ram enemies and bosses from both video game franchises.

The latest Switch Online game update also brings three more SNES games to the Nintendo Switch. The update includes the Tetris-inspired Cosmo Gang The Puzzle, the Jaleco rally racer Big Run and the Super Famicon port of Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen'in Shūgō! (It's Kunio's Dodgeball, Assemble Everyone!).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/battletoadsdouble-dragon-headbutts-its-way-onto-nintendos-switch-online-library-193034766.html?src=rss

Five features that caught our eye from today’s YouTube livestream

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YouTube’s creator-focused broadcast, Made On YouTube, is here again, and there's plenty to talk about. From more AI integration to Communities, YouTube seems to be gearing up to compete against rivals like TikTok and Netflix. Here are five things that genuinely interested us among the deluge of updates and new features.

YouTube is introducing the Hype system, which lets viewers “go beyond” liking and sharing a video. The idea is to allow fans to give more visibility to smaller creators — so hyping is only allowed for videos from creators under 500,000 subscribers, and only on videos under a week old. Content with the most hype will end up on a new leaderboard of the 100 most hyped videos in their country. Fans can only hype three times in a week for now, though additional uses will eventually be purchasable in the future.

YouTube Shorts creators will be able to employ Google DeepMind’s Veo video generator model later this year. Veo can generate six-second clips after reading a prompt, and all creations will have a label showing that generative AI was used, along with SynthID watermarking. Veo integration will exist parallel to (but doesn't replace) YouTube’s Dream Screen — another AI video generation tool — which was introduced last year.

The Community tab is getting a revamp, slated to come out in early 2025. Currently, only the channel owner can post in the Community tab, but the new experience will allow subscribers to create posts, with a tab to view only creator posts if necessary. Of course, subscribers can post images to prompt conversation. Some creators interact with their viewers currently through other platforms (like Discord) and this seems to be an attempt to create an in-house alternative.

Some of us lament being unable to understand creators using languages we don’t speak, but YouTube intends to fix that by implementing auto-dubbing. With the help of AI, viewers can now listen to machine-translated audio in their preferred language. YouTube promises that the audio will sound natural, taking intonation into account along with the creator’s surroundings.

Finally, the YouTube TV app will have an update mirroring Netflix’s current layout. Creators will be able to organize their content in seasons and episodes, and there will be previews before users play any content. According to The Hollywood Reporter, we can expect to see these new features starting next year, though no concrete date was announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/five-features-that-caught-our-eye-from-todays-youtube-livestream-171537530.html?src=rss

Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey17 trailer is even crazier than the book

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The film adaptation of the immensely popular sci-fi novel Mickey7 has been in the works for years, but now we finally have a trailer and it’s filled with surprises. For one thing, it’s now called Mickey17 and, well, fans of the book know exactly what that implies. It means they’re in for an even crazier experience than what’s written on the page.

The movie is written and directed by one of the modern masters, Bong Joon Ho, who seems to have taken some liberties with the source material. Light spoilers, but the book follows a series of clones of the titular Mickey as they perform the grunt work of colonizing an exoplanet. The book chronicles seven (ish) Mickey variants, but the movie is amping this up to at least 17. This will give us plenty more darkly hilarious clone deaths, which the trailer shows quite a lot of.

The novel is right up Bong Joon Ho’s alley. Clones are basically second-class citizens who exist to die for their corporate overlords. This leaves plenty of room for social satire in the vein of both Snowpiercer and Parasite. The trailer leans into this stuff and the results look truly entertaining and, believe it or not, really funny. We love to see unique IPs in the cinema, don’t we folks?

The various Mickeys are played by Robert Pattinson, so that’ll get some butts in the seats. The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. As a book reader, I know who everyone is playing except for Ruffalo. That looks like a brand-new character, though he could be an amalgamation of a couple of minor players. Adaptations require some dark alchemy at times.

This could be the first big hit of 2025. It arrives in theaters on January 31. There’s also some franchise potential here, as the book already has one sequel and author Edward Ashton has been toying with ideas for a third entry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bong-joon-hos-mickey17-trailer-is-even-crazier-than-the-book-170004844.html?src=rss

Lionsgate signs a deal with the devil (an AI startup)

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Remember when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA went on strike for months, in great part to get protections against AI? Well, while they did get some stipulations in there, it's not stopping AI from coming to Hollywood anyways. Lionsgate, the studio behind the John Wick and Hunger Games franchises, has struck a deal with AI startup Runway, the Wall Street Journal first reported and Runway confirmed in a press release. The arrangement will allow Runway access to Lionsgate's content library in exchange for a fresh, custom AI model that the studio can use in production and editing.

The deal is similar to recent (and equally icky feeling) ones with publishing houses such as TIME and Dotdash Meredith, but it is the first of its kind for the film and TV industry. Vice chairman of Lionsgate Studio, Michael Burns, said that in recent months, he feared falling behind competitors without a step like this. "Runway is a visionary, best-in-class partner who will help us utilize AI to develop cutting edge, capital efficient content creation opportunities," Burns stated. He then claimed, "Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process."

There's also the small matter that he expects the company will save "millions and millions of dollars" through this agreement. Whether that money will come out of creatives' paychecks is something we can only speculate about now, but it wouldn't be surprising.

As for Lionsgate's new bedfellow, like many AI companies, Runway has faced accusations of pilfering content to train its system. A former employee came forward in July with alleged internal spreadsheets demonstrating that Runway used YouTube videos from the likes of Disney, Netflix and popular media outlets to train its Gen-3 model. A group of artists are also suing Runway and other players like Stability AI for copyright infringement, reports Artnet. The plaintiffs garnered a win in August, with California District Judge William Orrick finding they had reasonably argued these companies had violated the artists' rights.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lionsgate-signs-a-deal-with-the-devil-an-ai-startup-151046341.html?src=rss

Substack, a newsletter service, is now also a live video company

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Substack is adding a live video component to its newsletter service. In its announcement post, the company positioned this feature as providing real-time audience engagement for creators. At launch, the feature will only be available to people with Substack's Bestsellers badges, but the company said it plans to roll it out to all users in the coming months.

Creators can begin live videos within the Substack app. As with written material on the platform, a creator can set whether the audience for a live video is everyone, all subscribers or paid subscribers. Any channel subscribers will be notified when a live video begins. There's also an option for collaboration, inviting other Substack members into the live broadcast. For now, only iOS users can issue invitations; Android users can accept an invite for now, and are slated to receive access to the full feature "soon." After a live broadcast finishes, a recording will be saved in post drafts so the video can be used in a future newsletter. There's also a clipping tool for light video editing tasks.

Substack has been making a push to bring video content creators to its platform from TikTok, which doesn't seem like an obvious competitor to the company's existing offerings or an obvious match for the community it has cultivated. Emails are asynchronous communication that can be read whenever it's convenient, the polar opposite of must-watch-now live videos. The option to include recordings in newsletters is useful, but adopting the live viewing as a regular part of their Substack routine may be a big ask for current users. In short: there's no guarantee that the new feature will function well, or that most newsletter creators and readers are interested in engaging with video content.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/substack-a-newsletter-service-is-now-also-a-live-video-company-150004585.html?src=rss

Geralt broods by the campfire in the first clip from Netflix’s The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep

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On Tuesday, Netflix dropped a clip from The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep at the company’s Geeked Week 2024 event. The clip for the upcoming animated film leans on the familiar dulcet growls of Doug Cockle, who voiced Geralt of Rivia in the games.

Cockle introduces the clip with an enthusiastic tease of the merpeople Geralt will battle in the film. “That’s right — he’s gonna cross swords with merpeople of all things!” Cockle exclaims in the clip. “Amazing stuff, it’s gonna be so cool.” Hey, can’t blame a voice actor for hyping their project.

The scene shows Geralt and Jaskier (voiced by Joey Batey, who also plays him in the live-action series) sitting by a campfire. Jaskier, after complaining about the town’s “small-minded fools,” picks up on Geralt’s apparent interest in Essi and tries to play Cupid for the brooding white-haired monster slayer.

Animated Geralt of Rivia sitting in front of a campfire, holding meat on a stick.
Netflix

The clip also reveals The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’s official release date. The film will begin streaming on Netflix on February 11, 2025, after initially being announced for late 2024.

The film is based on A Little Sacrifice, a short story written by Witcher universe creator Andrzej Sapkowski. Set between episodes five and six of the Netflix series’ first season, the film has Geralt “hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople.” It’s from the South Korean animation studio Studio MIR, which also animated the 2021 prequel film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

Below, you can watch the Geeked Week clip, including the delightfully growly-voiced Cockle’s introduction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/geralt-broods-by-the-campfire-in-the-first-clip-from-netflixs-the-witcher-sirens-of-the-deep-203810425.html?src=rss

After a 15-year hiatus, a new Skate game is coming in 2025

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Skateboarding games have been going through another golden age the past couple of years with contributions like Devolver’s surrealist skater Skate Story and Phantom Coast Games’ roguelite shredder Helskate. And now a new entry in one of the most beloved skateboarding franchises just moved one step closer to getting a release date.

EA announced plans for an early access release for a new Skate — simply titled skate. (lower case, with a period) —game next year on the game’s official X account. The update also includes some pre-alpha footage of the new game that’s currently being playtested for consoles and the franchise’s first PC release through Steam.

Fans of the long-running Skate franchise have been receiving a stream of teases and updates since EA first announced the new entry four years ago. Notably, last June EA informed fans this new title would be a free-to-play live service game with microtransactions (allegedly without any “play-to-win” elements though). The game’s publisher also released new details on its official game dev diary about how it's rebuilding the “Flick-It” trick control system, expanding the game’s character customizations and implementing playtests with feedback from the franchise’s fans.

The devs also revealed some interesting details about the game’s core narrative. The new Skate game takes place in the fictional city of San Vansterdam, which has been taken over by a corporate overlord named M-Corp. It seems that M-Corp’s misdeeds are finally catching up to it, meaning that the shreddable city of San Van is open to skaters once again. A teaser video shared an update on M-Corp’s crumbling empire starring I Think You Should Leave star and comedian Tim Robinson as corporate lackey Richard "Richie" Dandle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/after-a-15-year-hiatus-a-new-skate-game-is-coming-in-2025-182125136.html?src=rss

California passes landmark law requiring actors’ permission for AI likenesses

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California has given the go-ahead to a landmark AI bill to protect performers' digital likenesses. On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2602, which will go into effect on January 1, 2025. The bill requires studios and other employers to get consent before using “digital replicas” of performers. Newsom also signed AB 1836, which grants similar rights to deceased performers, requiring their estate’s permission before using their AI likenesses.

AB 2602, introduced in April, covers film, TV, video games, commercials, audiobooks and non-union performing jobs. Deadline notes its terms are similar to those in the contract that ended the 2023 actors’ strike against Hollywood studios. SAG-AFTRA, the film and TV actors’ union that held out for last year’s deal, strongly supported the bill. The Motion Picture Association first opposed the legislation but later switched to a neutral stance after revisions.

The bill mandates that employers can’t use an AI recreation of an actor’s voice or likeness if it replaces work the performer could have done in person. It also prevents digital replicas if the actor’s contract doesn’t explicitly state how the deepfake will be used. It also voids any such deals signed when the performer didn’t have legal or union representation.

The bill defines a digital replica as a “computer-generated, highly realistic electronic representation that is readily identifiable as the voice or visual likeness of an individual that is embodied in a sound recording, image, audiovisual work, or transmission in which the actual individual either did not actually perform or appear, or the actual individual did perform or appear, but the fundamental character of the performance or appearance has been materially altered.”

Meanwhile, AB 1836 expands California’s postmortem right of publicity. Hollywood must now get permission from a decedent's estate before using their digital replicas. Deadline notes that exceptions were included for “satire, comment, criticism and parody, and for certain documentary, biographical or historical projects.”

“The bill, which protects not only SAG-AFTRA performers but all performers, is a huge step forward,” SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told the The LA Times in late August. “Voice and likeness rights, in an age of digital replication, must have strong guardrails around licensing to protect from abuse, this bill provides those guardrails.”

AB2602 passed the California State Senate on August 27 with a 37-1 tally. (The lone holdout was from State Senator Brian Dahle, a Republican.) The bill then returned to the Assembly (which passed an earlier version in May) to formalize revisions made during Senate negotiations.

On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher celebrated the passage, which the union fought for. “It is a momentous day for SAG-AFTRA members and everyone else, because the A.I. protections we fought so hard for last year are now expanded upon by California law thanks to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom,” Drescher said. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/california-passes-landmark-regulation-to-require-permission-from-actors-for-ai-deepfakes-174234452.html?src=rss

A Sims movie from Amazon MGM Studios is on the way

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The Sims has been one of the biggest success stories in gaming over the last quarter century, with more than 500 million players trying to understand Simish, learning what WooHoo-ing is and using the classic Rosebud cheat to gain more money. All of that could be coming to a big screen near you, as Electronic Arts has revealed that Amazon MGM Studios is working on a movie adaptation of the games.

Kate Herron (Loki, The Last of Us) will direct the film and co-write the screenplay with Briony Redman (Doctor Who). One of the production companies that's on board is Margot Robbie's LuckyChap, which seems appropriate given that EA is looking "to make an impact the size of something like a Barbie movie," EA vice president and Sims general manager Kate Gorman said. (For the tape, Barbie is the 14th-highest-grossing film of all time.)

EA wants the movie to be an authentic experience for fans, particularly given that many people have "love and nostalgia" for the series. To that end, you can expect a lot of Sims lore and Easter eggs in the film.

“There will be Freezer Bunnies,” Gorman told Variety. “I’m sure a pool without a ladder is somewhere in there, but we haven’t finalized any of those details. But that’s the idea, is to say that it lives within this space. It’s a nod to all of the amazing play and creation and fun that people have had over the last 25 years within The Sims.”

Meanwhile, EA provided updates on The Sims franchise as a whole. The company doesn't currently plan to release The Sims 5, instead opting to focus on updating The Sims 4 and releasing paid expansions for the 10-year-old game. The publisher is also spinning up a creator program and some players who create custom in-game items will be able to sell them as Creator Kits.

While The Sims 4 will remain the core of the series, EA is looking at expanding the franchise in other ways, including with Project Rene, a cross-platform multiplayer experience that the publisher has been talking up for a couple of years. An invite-only playtest is scheduled for this fall.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-sims-movie-from-amazon-mgm-studios-is-on-the-way-161159048.html?src=rss