Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Jurassic Park: Survival is an adventure game set one day after the original film

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Sorry Evolution fans, there’s a new Jurassic Park game in town. Saber Interactive and Universal just dropped a trailer for Jurassic Park: Survival at The Game Awards. This is an adventure game set on Isla Nublar just one day after the events of the original film. You play as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who missed the last plane out of dodge. In other words, she’s stuck on an island full of hungry dinosaurs.

The single-player action-adventure has you hiding from all kinds of menacing species, and the publisher boasts that each dinosaur boasts its own set of “distinct and adaptive behaviors.” Obviously, with a name like Jurassic Park: Survival, staying alive will be the name of the game. There’s not much, after all, one person can do to hurt a rampaging T-rex. This looks to be a stealth-heavy nailbiter, but one with all of the familiar landmarks from the film. It even features that iconic John Williams theme.

There’s no release date yet, so we likely have a bit of time before we get our hands on this one. Jurassic Park: Survival launches on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. There’s just one final question on my mind. Will the player find the body of recently-deceased Dennis Nedry? The dude sucked, but he didn’t deserve that.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/jurassic-park-survival-is-an-adventure-game-set-one-day-after-the-original-film-023630203.html?src=rss

Supermassive’s Dead by Daylight spin-off is The Casting of Frank Stone

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Supermassive Games just dropped a trailer for its forthcoming single-player interactive story game set in the Dead by Daylight universe. The Casting of Frank Stone is a character-driven narrative adventure that features all of the character choice and tension of Supermassive-developed titles like Until Dawn and The Quarry.

The developer promises “powerful life or death choices” and an entirely new cast of characters. Supermassive says this is a “whole new way for horror fans” to experience the franchise, and that’s something of an understatement. Dead by Deadlight is an asymmetrical multiplayer title in which one player is the killer and the others are trying to survive. It’s like a really intense version of hide and seek. Obviously, a single player adventure would have to be completely different, which the trailer certainly leans into. 

As you can see, the game looks slow, moody and cinematic, which is a stark departure from the source material. The trailer's short of actual gameplay details, but there are some first person shots of a flashlight in the woods, so that's something. 

We already knew this crossover was in the works, but the trailer debut at The Game Awards is our first real look at the game. Supermassive is known for putting its own B-horror spin on things, so The Casting of Frank Stone should be a good time when it launches in 2024 for Xbox X/S and PC via Steam and Windows. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supermassives-dead-by-daylight-spin-off-is-the-casting-of-frank-stone-020153336.html?src=rss

Supermassive’s Dead by Daylight spin-off is ‘The Casting of Frank Stone’

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Supermassive Games just dropped a trailer for its forthcoming single-player interactive story game set in the Dead by Daylight universe. The Casting of Frank Stone is a character-driven narrative adventure that features all of the character choice and tension of Supermassive-developed titles like Until Dawn and The Quarry.

The developer promises “powerful life or death choices” and an entirely new cast of characters. Supermassive says this is a “whole new way for horror fans” to experience the franchise, and that’s something of an understatement. Dead by Deadlight is an asymmetrical multiplayer title in which one player is the killer and the others are trying to survive. It’s like a really intense version of hide and seek. Obviously, a single player adventure would have to be completely different, which the trailer certainly leans into. 

As you can see, the game looks slow, moody and cinematic, which is a stark departure from the source material. The trailer's short of actual gameplay details, but there are some first person shots of a flashlight in the woods, so that's something. 

We already knew this crossover was in the works, but the trailer debut at The Game Awards is our first real look at the game. Supermassive is known for putting its own B-horror spin on things, so The Casting of Frank Stone should be a good time when it launches in 2024 for Xbox X/S and PC via Steam and Windows. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supermassives-dead-by-daylight-spin-off-is-the-casting-of-frank-stone-020153336.html?src=rss

Here’s a new trailer for that cool-looking fantasy RPG from the Persona 5 team

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Atlus and its subsidiary Studio Zero have finally released a new trailer for the forthcoming RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio at The Game Awards. The title’s being helmed by many of the talented folks behind Persona 5, including director Katsura Hashino and composer Shoji Meguro. The primary difference? This game takes place in a fantasy setting, with nary a high school or talking cat in sight.

The game was originally teased earlier this year, but all we had was a title and a small announcement trailer. Now this trailer is the real deal, with full voice acting, cinematics and plenty of actual gameplay. A video game trailer with actual gameplay, what a novel concept.

As for that gameplay, the combat looks similar to Persona, though without the use of the titular beasties. The game is populated by a diverse cast of characters and if you stare at the menus you can see some tell-tale signs of a robust social element at play, another similarity to the Persona series.

There’s also something of a steampunk vibe running throughout, which is always a nifty choice for a video game. Who knows, maybe there’s a sinister blue door somewhere in the world populated by a creepy old man. Metaphor: ReFantazio — The Royal Tournament, a name Square Enix would love, launches in fall of next year on Xbox X/S and PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/heres-a-new-trailer-for-that-cool-looking-fantasy-rpg-from-the-persona-5-team-012127188.html?src=rss

Here’s a new trailer for that cool-looking fantasy RPG from the Persona 5 team

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Atlus and its subsidiary Studio Zero have finally released a new trailer for the forthcoming RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio at The Game Awards. The title’s being helmed by many of the talented folks behind Persona 5, including director Katsura Hashino and composer Shoji Meguro. The primary difference? This game takes place in a fantasy setting, with nary a high school or talking cat in sight.

The game was originally teased earlier this year, but all we had was a title and a small announcement trailer. Now this trailer is the real deal, with full voice acting, cinematics and plenty of actual gameplay. A video game trailer with actual gameplay, what a novel concept.

As for that gameplay, the combat looks similar to Persona, though without the use of the titular beasties. The game is populated by a diverse cast of characters and if you stare at the menus you can see some tell-tale signs of a robust social element at play, another similarity to the Persona series.

There’s also something of a steampunk vibe running throughout, which is always a nifty choice for a video game. Who knows, maybe there’s a sinister blue door somewhere in the world populated by a creepy old man. Metaphor: ReFantazio — The Royal Tournament, a name Square Enix would love, launches in fall of next year on Xbox X/S and PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/heres-a-new-trailer-for-that-cool-looking-fantasy-rpg-from-the-persona-5-team-012127188.html?src=rss

Streamlabs is bringing livestreaming tools to X

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Content creation experts Streamlabs has partnered with beleaguered social media platform X to offer a “seamless go-live experience”. This is part of X’s long-promised integration of game streaming to the site. To that end, it’ll allow X users to initiate streams without having to manually input stream keys and it’ll let those same users sign into the Streamlabs desktop app or the mobile app using social media credentials.

The system also integrates with X’s new live broadcast chat functionality, so you can monitor chat messages in the Streamlabs desktop add as you stream. The desktop app also lets you adjust monetization options on the fly, including custom alerts for tipping and overlays for branded content. Additionally, content creators have access to the Streamlabs merch store so they can hawk branded products while they stream. Creators using X will also have access to the company's line of widgets for increased engagement.

For regular users, this partnership will allow people to chat with their favorite streamers in real-time straight from X, though this feature looks to be paywalled behind one of those Blue subscriptions, or Premium or whatever it’s called these days. The one that gets you the universally-beloved blue check mark.

Of course, there’s the massive antisemitic elephant in the room. This is a strange time to announce a partnership with X, given Musk’s recent behavior and the ongoing exodus of advertisers from the social media platform. So far this exodus has included Apple, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Brothers Discovery and others. It looks like Streamlabs, and by extension Logitech, has decided to buck trends and tie its horse to the X wagon. Still, new livestreaming tools are never a bad thing. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/streamlabs-is-bringing-livestreaming-tools-to-x-175752692.html?src=rss

Streamlabs is bringing livestreaming tools to X

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Content creation experts Streamlabs has partnered with beleaguered social media platform X to offer a “seamless go-live experience”. This is part of X’s long-promised integration of game streaming to the site. To that end, it’ll allow X users to initiate streams without having to manually input stream keys and it’ll let those same users sign into the Streamlabs desktop app or the mobile app using social media credentials.

The system also integrates with X’s new live broadcast chat functionality, so you can monitor chat messages in the Streamlabs desktop add as you stream. The desktop app also lets you adjust monetization options on the fly, including custom alerts for tipping and overlays for branded content. Additionally, content creators have access to the Streamlabs merch store so they can hawk branded products while they stream. Creators using X will also have access to the company's line of widgets for increased engagement.

For regular users, this partnership will allow people to chat with their favorite streamers in real-time straight from X, though this feature looks to be paywalled behind one of those Blue subscriptions, or Premium or whatever it’s called these days. The one that gets you the universally-beloved blue check mark.

Of course, there’s the massive antisemitic elephant in the room. This is a strange time to announce a partnership with X, given Musk’s recent behavior and the ongoing exodus of advertisers from the social media platform. So far this exodus has included Apple, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Brothers Discovery and others. It looks like Streamlabs, and by extension Logitech, has decided to buck trends and tie its horse to the X wagon. Still, new livestreaming tools are never a bad thing. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/streamlabs-is-bringing-livestreaming-tools-to-x-175752692.html?src=rss

Whatsapp adds disappearing voice messages to its roster of privacy features

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When Snapchat introduced the notion of “ephemeral data” to the masses a decade ago, self-destructive messaging really took off. There were tons of companies trying to cash in, from Meta-created Poke to Wickr, Confide, Hash and others. For the most part, all of those companies failed, but the idea has thrived. To that end, WhatsApp just introduced voice messages that automatically delete after being played.

The messaging app’s View Once feature already exists for photos and messages, but this is the first time it has been applied to voice messages. The interface is simple. Just select View Once and make a voice message. It’ll self-destruct after the recipient hears it. This is not only fun in a Mission Impossible sort of way, but actively enhances privacy in the case of audio recordings that mention sensitive topics. Hey, once in a while you have to give someone credit card details and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are some caveats, as no technology is foolproof. WhatsApp encourages users to only send View Once voice messages to people they trust, as there are ways to get around the ephemeral nature of the data. For instance, Android users can use the screen record function as they listen and anyone can use another camera or external microphone to capture the message.

The tool’s rolling out globally over the next few days, so it might be a bit before the update hits your box. WhatsApp has been making all sorts of improvements throughout the past year. Just last week, the platform introduced the ability to share photos in their original format, without compression. The app also recently added a tool that masks your IP address when making calls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-adds-disappearing-voice-messages-to-its-roster-of-privacy-features-172813331.html?src=rss

Whatsapp adds disappearing voice messages to its roster of privacy features

Posted on by

When Snapchat introduced the notion of “ephemeral data” to the masses a decade ago, self-destructive messaging really took off. There were tons of companies trying to cash in, from Meta-created Poke to Wickr, Confide, Hash and others. For the most part, all of those companies failed, but the idea has thrived. To that end, WhatsApp just introduced voice messages that automatically delete after being played.

The messaging app’s View Once feature already exists for photos and messages, but this is the first time it has been applied to voice messages. The interface is simple. Just select View Once and make a voice message. It’ll self-destruct after the recipient hears it. This is not only fun in a Mission Impossible sort of way, but actively enhances privacy in the case of audio recordings that mention sensitive topics. Hey, once in a while you have to give someone credit card details and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are some caveats, as no technology is foolproof. WhatsApp encourages users to only send View Once voice messages to people they trust, as there are ways to get around the ephemeral nature of the data. For instance, Android users can use the screen record function as they listen and anyone can use another camera or external microphone to capture the message.

The tool’s rolling out globally over the next few days, so it might be a bit before the update hits your box. WhatsApp has been making all sorts of improvements throughout the past year. Just last week, the platform introduced the ability to share photos in their original format, without compression. The app also recently added a tool that masks your IP address when making calls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-adds-disappearing-voice-messages-to-its-roster-of-privacy-features-172813331.html?src=rss

Proton Drive for Android can back up your photos to a private cloud server (edited)

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Cloud storage app Proton Drive is rolling out a new tool that automatically sends photos to a private cloud server, bringing the feature set closer to something like Google Drive. Not only does the software automatically sync and upload photos to its servers, but there’s a management tool that categorizes images based on when the photos were taken, which Proton calls “snapshots of your life.” All of these features are reserved for Android users.

All you have to do is download the update and enable photo uploads in the settings. Like all aspects of Proton Drive, the transfer will be end-to-end encrypted so you don’t have to worry about prying digital eyes. The encryption applies to the photo itself and any associated metadata.

As for revisiting the photos, the app lays them all out in a grid view, with preview options in a variety of file types, including panoramas, portraits, and even timelapse videos. It’s worth noting that Proton Drive already offered cloud storage for photos, but there wasn’t an automatic sync. Now there is. Android users rejoice, though the company has yet to announce an iOS version.

The update begins showing up today, but it’ll be a few days before everyone gets it. You know the drill. A 200GB Proton Drive subscription costs $5 per month, while a 500GB plan costs $13 each month. There’s a free tier, but it's only 1GB.

Proton has been busy this year. The company released a native Windows file-syncing app back in July and its very own password manager in April. It's well-regarded in the worlds of online encryption and security. There’s a reason, after all, why Proton VPN is our top choice virtual private network.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/proton-drive-for-android-can-back-up-your-photos-to-a-private-cloud-server-edited-163116819.html?src=rss