Earlier this week, publishing rights for Shenmue 3 were transferred to Inin Games.Both Inin and Ys Net confirmed the news on November 19, saying this "deepened the relationship" between the two companies. Deep Silver first committed to publishing the crowdfunded action-adventure game in 2017, and it launched two years later on PlayStation 4 and PC.Ys and Inin previously teamed on 2023's Air Twister, and the collaboration marks the "next phase" of Shenmue 3's lifecycle. In the statement, they said the partnership "marks the beginning of a new chapter. Inin will be working closely alongside Ys Net to honor the series' legacy while ensuring its accessibility to even more fans around the world."The original Shenmue games released respectively in 1999 and 2001 for the Sega Dreamcast, and were acclaimed for their soundtracks and the ambition of Sega AM2 and director (and producer and writer) Yu Suzuki. In many ways, they were the blueprint for what Ryu Ga Gatoku would do with its own Like a Dragon (ne Yakuza) series: players get embroiled in the criminal underworld, freely explore recreations of real-world cities from Japan and China, and fight enemies using brawler mechanics.Oh, and minigames. Many minigames.Shenmue 3's long journeyIn 2015, Suzuki formally announced Shenmue 3 was in development, and called on the series' fanbase to put their money toward its development. By the end of its Kickstarter period in September 2018, it made $7.18 million, breaking several records on the website in the process.In 2020, Lars Wingefors, CEO of Deep Silver's parent company Embracer, remarked that Shenmue 3 ultimately did "fine" commercially, but was not expected to be a "mass market game." Both Shenmue 3 and Air Twister are Ys Net's only games. At time of writing, we don't know if this will lead to wholly new Shenmue or a port for current-gen platforms. Shenmue 3 was an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC, and at time of writing, has yet to release on Steam.However, Inin teased more information would be revealed "soon enough. So if you're interested, watch this space!"

Howdy! My name is Connor Roberts, the programmer for Project: Haste, an online first-person arena shooter made in Unity. Today I would like to run you through how I implemented the high-speed movement for our project.Project: Haste is an arena shooter game where players chain together movement techniques to outmaneuver their opponents. Our main goal with this game was to give players ultimate control over their positioning and maneuverability. The movement system is the basis for the game, especially as the game expands from a student project at Vancouver Film School to a Unity Awards 2024 Nominee, and finally into a full-scale live-ops release where this movement will be the bread and butter of the player experience.It starts with the designAs a team, we knew immediately when starting pre-production for Project: Haste that we wanted the basis of our game to be a satisfying movement system. I began prototyping based solely on intuition because I wanted to test movement out before we had a concrete design - this let us understand what we wanted before we sat down at the whiteboard.This ended up being one of our greatest strengths, as I had unknowingly created the foundational system for the game; it was complete with wall-running, slides, double jumps, and a dash.For some time we considered basing the game around grappling hooks or rocket jumping, but came to the conclusion that the dash ability solved those problems for us.I developed this movement to have a lot of tunability so the rest of the team could easily work with it. I also made sure to use scriptable objects and remote config to allow for the teams designers Trex Hossain and Sergio Lisuardi to tune our movement while they ran hundreds of playtests for our movement as the project matured.InspirationProject: Haste had many core inspirations, such as Quake and Titanfall 2, but before we had fully studied these titles or even had the full concept for the game, the movement was largely complete - at least technically.Its hard for me to personally say where I drew inspiration during the early movement prototyping, even to the end of production. Not to say I didnt study similar games, but the movement system became so core to our project that there wasnt much time to study movement in other games.With this in mind, I think it would be a good idea to move on to how the movement actually works, which is made up of our:Custom PhysicsCamera and Screen Space EffectsAnimation FeedbackAs Project: Haste evolved, these layers made our movement go from good to addicting.Custom physicsAt the core of our movement is my disdain for using built-in physics in game engines. I dont know what it is, but Id rather program it all so I can provide maximum tunability for the design team, or just for myself.To make the physics easier on myself, I used a state machine to divide every movement states physics into individual closed systems with input and output parameters. With each closed system created, the state machine allowed for the inputs and outputs of these systems to feed into each other to create a predictable, tuneable, and fluid movement system.For example, our wall run has an input of the players current speed and a gravity input. This speed is simply the value in meters per second, and the gravity is fed in as a tuned gravity specific to wall running. These are then used in conjunction with some collision-vector shenanigans to let you run along curved surfaces in Project: Haste.This then outputs a velocity value to the player, which can later be used as an input for any other movement state.Even though the main movement mechanics are our Wall Run, Slide, and Double Jump, we also had movement mechanics that were hidden from the player such as our slide jumping, our double jumps forward boost, or our mental ability used for affordance at ledges. Each of these had its own closed physics systems which fed together to allow the player to traverse our levels with additive speed.Camera and screen space effectsNow with all of our movement pieces connected together, we needed to make the player feel fast. We used a bunch of tricks here to make the player feel in tune with the movement of the player, such as FOV changes mapped to the change in velocity of the player, dash lines that scale based on player speed, and changing color depending on the current movement ability. We basically wanted to make the game feel satisfying in every movement that you do, really scratching the fast-paced itch all of our brains were craving.In addition to these tricks, we also rotate the camera depending on the players turn speed, which made us feel really in tune with the way we were moving. We also do this with the wall run -and all of our jumps for that matter- to tilt the player away from the surface they are on, which really sold those movement abilities for us and made it feel like you were impacting the surfaces of the game world.Finally, we had some other screen space effects. Project: Haste is very stylized, so we wanted to add some feedback to our movement in a more stylized fashion. I created a halftone shader that we used around our project with various masks to create effects like screen transitions, and we realized we could use custom-designed masks to make different halftone shapes. We ended up using this on the edges of our screen to create feedback directly for wall running, sliding, double jumping, and even when you are using boost pads and jump pads. Matching the colors with the dash lines made everything feel very cohesive and fast.Animation feedbackI cant write this section without mentioning our teams artists Chevi Hernandez and Jose Andres Lopez. Chevi really worked wonders on all of our character animations, along with weapon models and animations done by Jose, which became a key indicator for our players in order to maintain understanding during the high-octane gameplay found while players duke it out in the Haste League.We ultimately had many layers of animation present, including a unique animation for each directional input for each movement ability- this was used to ensure players fully understand their movements as they make them, and gives a point of reference for what a movement action is going to do to your direction in gameplay.Mixing these animations with SFX and music from our composer and SFX designer Declan Johnston means that players have all the tools in their tool belt in order to fully understand what is happening with their own character, as well as their surroundings in a match.Final takeawayId like to highlight how making a game within a short time frame really does take a village. Project: Haste was only in development for four months, which looking back is incredibly short. It is thanks to my amazing team that I am fortunate enough to even be writing about our project, let alone programming away and getting it prepared for a full scale release. I feel truly lucky. Our process was very interesting; by the book in some ways, and very much not for others. The communication and cohesive vision of this team allowed for something pivotal to our gameplay, our movement, to be proved out and iterated on from week one of pre-production, needing few revisions as the game matured. Being the programmer for the team allowed me to focus in and get a mind map of how the game was going to function in its entirety, and that really started with that one clear goal of having precise and responsive fast-paced movement. I have loved watching that mind map transform into a game that I can see with the help of my team, it truly has been the most rewarding experience.The Project: Haste team and myself really hope you have enjoyed reading this! If you would like more information about our upcoming release of Haste or the development of Project: Haste, feel free to contact us at [emailprotected]Or if you are interested in Vancouver Film Schools Game Design program where this all started, click here.

Elon Musk is, in addition to many other things, now the co-lead of the currently nonexistent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group. Now, before it even gets rolling, he has begun singling out individual government employees he says are emblematic of the governments bloat and posting about them to his hundreds of millions of followers on X.Earlier this week, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the X user datahazard shared a screenshot on X highlighting the role of Ashley Thomas, the Director of Climate Diversification at the US International Development Finance Corporation, saying, I dont think the US Taxpayer should pay for the employment of that role. Musk reposted it, adding the comment so many fake jobs in a post with more than 33 million views. As the WSJ notes, Musks followers have responded in exactly the way youd expect: with a flood of memes and harassment targeting Thomas, whose LinkedIn and Facebook pages are now private. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, told the WSJ that the posts are aimed at sowing terror and fear at federal employees.RelatedFlooding targets with harassment is a tactic Musk has done in the past, including calling caver Vernon Unsworth a pedo guy, criticizing a former Twitter exec following his offer to buy the company, and suggesting that head of trust and safety Yoel Roth was sympathetic to pedophilia. All, of course, under the guise of free speech.The ensuing harassment, of course, is precisely the point: Musk has systematically turned X into a megaphone for his views and has wielded that megaphone to whatever end he finds funny or useful. Musk and DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy have promised to do much of their work in public (and sometimes by X poll), too, which means this kind of pointed attention is likely headed toward many other civil servants in the near future.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on a case involving funding for a major broadband subsidy program, the Universal Service Fund (USF). SCOTUS granted cert in a pair of cases called Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers Research, and Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition v. Consumers Research, which were consolidated for oral arguments. They center around whether Congress inappropriately delegated lawmaking function to the FCC by letting it set contribution rates for telecommunications companies to pay into the nonprofit Universal Service Administration Company, which manages the USF. It also asks whether the FCC delegated too much authority to a private entity by letting USAC manage the subsidy program.The case could deal another blow to the regulators authority, after SCOTUS dismantled the Chevron doctrine earlier this year, which diminishes courts reliance on agency expertise. It could also jeopardize the USF, which helps provide funding for people who are low-income or in rural areas access telecommunications and broadband services, and also helps school get internet access and equipment. The case reaches the Supreme Court after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the funding arrangement around the USF violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court asked the parties to also file briefs about whether the case is moot since the challengers didnt seek preliminary relief before the appeals court.Three industry groups NTCA, Competitive Carriers Association, and USTelecom applauded the courts decision to hear the case, and said the Fifth Circuits ruling in the case defies Supreme Court precedent and other circuit court decisions. The Fifth Circuit decision threatens to undermine universal service programs that, for many decades, have served to promote the availability and affordability of critical communications services for millions of rural and low-income consumers, rural health care facilities, and schools and libraries across the nation, they said in a joint statement.

Exactly one month ago to this day Epic Games official launched Fab its new universal game asset marketplace merging the Unreal Engine marketplace, Sketchfab Store and Quixel Megascans. At the same time, they turned off the Quixel website and Quixel Bridge applications. The big problem here is, a number of the features that Quixel and Quixel Bridge provided were not and are not available on Fab.Thankfully today Epic Games and the Quixel team admitted the error of their ways and sent out the following email:Hi,Many of our community members were justifiably frustrated that Bridge was replaced by an alternative that did not meet their needs. We heard your feedback and decided to bring back the option to get Megascans content via Bridge and Quixel.com. This should allow you to build up your own library of Megascans in Bridge and on Quixel.com, so you can later on enjoy it via the Bridge workflows you know and love.Starting today, legacy Megascans library acquisitions are again available through Bridge and Quixel.com until December 31, 2024. Anything that you claim until the end of the year you can use immediately and continue to use after January 1, 2025. You can now claim the legacy Megascans library for free under the Epic Content License and we will offer a one-click solution to claim all the assets at once next week.Check out this forum post to get all the details. All the best,The Quixel TeamThis means that Quixel website and the Quixel Bridge application are now working again and will act as an archive of sorts for existing Quixel content. They will be releasing an updated way to acquire all legacy Quixel assets in a one click process next week. You can learn more about the details of Quixel Megascans and Quixel Bridge returning in the video below.

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, with competition among large language models (LLMs) remaining intense. Despite recent advances pushing the boundaries of what these models can achieve, challenges persist. One of the main difficulties for existing LLMs, such as GPT-4, is finding the right balance between general-purpose reasoning, coding abilities, and visual understanding. Many models excel in one domain while underperforming in others, making it challenging for developers and researchers to find a single model that can effectively address diverse needs. This creates inefficiencies and highlights the need for more versatile solutions.Gemini-exp-1121: A Notable UpgradeGoogle has upgraded Gemini-exp-1121, which outperforms GPT-4o in coding, math, and vision by 20%. Gemini-exp-1121 is the latest experimental addition to Googles Gemini series of AI models, designed to meet the growing demand for a comprehensive AI system. Compared to OpenAIs GPT-4o, Gemini-exp-1121 has shown notable improvements, particularly in coding, mathematical reasoning, and visual understanding. This upgrade represents a substantial advancement, enhancing Googles standing in the AI ecosystem alongside OpenAI. Gemini-exp-1121 aims to address gaps in previous LLM capabilities by improving coding fluency, enhancing complex problem-solving abilities, and refining perceptual skills.Image taken on Nov 22 2024: Source https://lmarena.ai/Technical Improvements and BenefitsTechnically, Gemini-exp-1121 includes several significant improvements. These enhancements involve optimized transformer architecture and advanced retrieval mechanisms to augment its learning with real-time data, helping the model remain current and accurate. The improvement in coding performance is attributed to extensive fine-tuning using real-world programming data from various languages and frameworks. Additionally, the model benefits from enhanced algorithms for reasoning capabilities, using deeper context analysis to solve complex math problems more effectively. Its improved visual understanding is facilitated by a multimodal architecture capable of processing both text and image inputs seamlessly, making it suitable for tasks like visual storytelling and generating code based on design sketches.The impact of Gemini-exp-1121 goes beyond technical improvements; it influences how developers and data scientists approach problem-solving. Googles experiments indicate that Gemini-exp-1121 performs coding tasks with a higher success rate compared to GPT-4o, achieving around a 20% increase in correct outputs on benchmark problems. Its visual understanding capabilities also enable it to generate descriptions and contextual inferences with greater precision than its predecessors. These advances make it a useful tool for enterprises looking to automate workflows involving both code and visual components, such as app development and product design. The focus on enhanced reasoning capabilities also makes Gemini-exp-1121 promising for educational and research settings where sophisticated problem-solving skills are essential.ConclusionGoogles Gemini-exp-1121 represents an important step forward in the LLM space by addressing performance gaps in multiple domains that have traditionally been challenging for AI models. Its 20% improvement in key areas such as coding, math, and vision offers practical benefits in various applications, making it a strong competitor to GPT-4o. By integrating enhanced reasoning, improved coding performance, and advanced visual processing, Google has positioned Gemini-exp-1121 as a versatile solution for many of the challenges faced by AI practitioners today. This progress highlights the ongoing development in AI capabilities, promising more efficient and versatile tools for professionals across industries.Check out the Details here. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Aswin Ak+ postsAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges. Read this AI Research Report from Kili Technology on 'Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities: A Comparative Analysis of Red Teaming Techniques'

Giving gifts to tech enthusiasts can be a real pain. How can you make sure you're giving someone who enthusiastically buys all the gadgets they can afford something they don't already have, or that would make their life just a little easier? To help out, the IGN staff is pitching in: We asked everyone for some of their favorite techy items that would make great gifts this holiday season and firmly stand behind these picks, from more high-end pieces of gear down to super-practical everyday things.Backbone One Controller for iPhoneBackbone One Controller for iPhoneSee it at AmazonPerfect for someone who recently got addicted to Balatro on their phone, or otherwise plays tons of games on their mobile device instead of a console or another handheld, the Backbone One is one of our favorite phone controllers. It was one of the first expandable controllers for phones and remains one of the best to ever do it. It's compatible with iOS and Android devices.Apple Gift CardGive the gift of a digital or physical gift card to shop the Apple Store, apple.com, the Apple Store app, Apple TV+, App Store, Apple Music, iTunes, and Apple Arcade.See it at AppleFujifilm Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printer Pikachu BundlePikachu Instax Printer Bundle. (Image: amazon.com via Fujifilm)Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printer Pikachu BundleSee it at AmazonThis Fujifilm printer spits out Instax photos straight from your phone's camera roll via Bluetooth, which is ideal if someone is into the vibe of instant cameras but isn't great about remembering to bring theirs when they go out. This Pikachu bundle that prints mini film is very cute, but if that sells out, there are plenty of other sizes (I'm especially partial to the wide film).Hori Nintendo Switch Split PadHori Nintendo Switch Split PadSee it at AmazonGive the gift of ending the Switch scourge that is stick drift by investing in a Hori Split Pad. It's great for those with bigger hands or simply want something with more real estate to grab onto when playing Switch as a handheld. (You can also find the Hori Split Pad Pro on our list of the best gifts under $50).RayCue 128K SE Docking StationRayCue 128K SE Docking StationSee it at AmazonThis RayCue docking station is both extremely practical with 13 different ports and far nicer to look at than your typical USB/HDMI/etc. hub. The screen is actually functional and can display preset visualizations, the time, or a slideshow of photos that you've uploaded.Shokz OpenRun ProShokz OpenRun ProSee it at AmazonFor the runners and cyclists in your life who are constantly on the hunt for the best workout headphones, the Shokz OpenRun Pro are the ones that will put their search to an end. They might look goofy but their functionality is legit: Even though these are open-ear headphones, Shokz' bone-conduction technology means that it still delivers clear audio while letting you stay aware of your surroundings.Analogue Pocket Console Analogue Pocket Console See it at AmazonIf someone on your list is adamant that handhelds peaked with the Game Boy Color and who can blame them? then the Analogue Pocket Console is a no-brainer. It's compatible with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges (though it can handle more niche handhelds of the era with an adapter), and as a fun little bonus, it's also a tiny synthesizer to make chiptune dreams come true.Twelve South HoverBar Duo for iPadTwelve South HoverBar Duo for iPadSee it at AmazonTrifold iPad cases don't hold a candle to this stand. This Twelve South stand might seem like overkill at first brush, but IGN staff swears this is game-changing for iPad havers.Kobo Libra Color eReader Kobo Libra Color eReader See it at AmazonThe Kobo Libra is as close as you can get to the experience of marking up an actual book outside of the Kindle Scribe (which is double the price). Philips Hue String LightsPhilips Hue String LightsSee it at PhilipsDon't let anyone tell you otherwise: String lights are great any time of the year, not just the holidays, and if someone on your list is already a Philips Hue user, these are a great fun addition to that suite.Asus ROG Ally XAsus ROG Ally XSee it at Best BuyFor those who have been on the hunt for a new handheld, the ROG Ally X is your best bet. It's our top pick for portable gaming PC, and for good reason. In IGN's 9/10 review, Jacqueline Thomas said that "compared to other handheld gaming PCs out there, the Asus ROG Ally is the best positioned to play the latest AAA games at high settings," and praised the longevity of its battery life.JBL Go 4 Portable SpeakerJBL Go 4 Portable SpeakerSee it at AmazonPortable speakers are a great little investment, and JBL's Go 4 is extra-portable (and comes in fun colorways) while still maintaining robust sound quality. Meta Quest 3SMeta Quest 3SSee it at AmazonThere's never been a better time to give the gift of mixed reality now that the Meta Quest 3S has released a cost-effective headset. In our 9/10 review, Gabriel Moss wrote "the Meta Quest 3S is the perfect entry-level VR headset, finally bridging the price gap between the relatively shiny new Meta Quest 3 and the now four-year-old Meta Quest 2."iFixIt Essential Electronics ToolkitiFixIt Essential Electronics ToolkitSee it at Best BuyA truly essential gift for any tech tinkerer that includes 16 4mm screwdriver bits, angled tweezers, and other specialized tools. As an upgrade, throw in an electric screwdriver, especially if they're obsessed with keyboard modding.Apple Airpods ProApple Airpods ProSee it at AmazonAirpods are insanely popular for good reasons, including active noise cancellation plus other adaptive audio hearthrough modes. Convert a holdout today by gifting them a pair of the Pros, which we still think still stand as the best model of Airpods to-date (and will definitely go on sale for Black Friday).Apple MagSafe ChargerApple MagSafe ChargerSee it at AmazonWireless charging is a beautiful convenience to add to a friend or family member's life. Just be sure they have an iPhone 12 or newer for this MagSafe charger to work.Genki Global Dock & ChargerGenki Global Dock & ChargerSee it at AmazonThis Genki dock doesn't seem like much, but that would be like judging an incredible book by its lackluster cover. It's super useful for owners of gaming handhelds like the Switch Lite, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck who would like it very much if they could play those games on a TV or monitor.Anker Prime Power Bank (9,600mAh Battery)Anker Prime Power Bank (9,600mAh Battery)See it at Amazon"Thanks for the power bank........." is how an uninitated giftee might react. Everyone else in the know about how reliable and good these Anker plug-in/portable chargers are for pretty much any device that needs power will be delighted.USB Type-C Flash Drive 512GBUSB Type-C Flash Drive 512GBSee it at AmazonUSB drives are certainly not glamorous gifts, but man, if they aren't extremely handy to have around when you desperately need one. This Samsung 512GB one is especially great and compatible with loads of devices since it's USB-C. It's time to upgrade from the old 8GB USB thumb drive you got as a random freebie 10 years ago.Insta360 X4 CameraInsta360 X4 CameraSee it at AmazonOne of the best consumer portable cameras on the market right now. The Insta360 X4 can take 8K video in 360 and has helpful settings to stabilize movement and reframe shots that came out a little off-kilter.Clicks Keyboard for Apple iPhone 16 Pro MaxClicks - Keyboard for Apple iPhone 16 Pro MaxSee it at Best BuyFor the nostalgia hounds in your life who wish that the tactile clickity-clack of Blackberry keyboards never gave way to touch screens. The Clicks case adds a bit more length to iPhones, but that also saves a good amount of precious screen real estate from the Apple keyboard.Hottest Tech Deals Right NowIf you are seeking even more inspiration and want to find a good deal on gift ideas, be sure to check out the Black Friday deals we have spotted so far. It's only going to continue ramping up as we approach Nov 29th. Here are some highights so far to narrow down your search:Slim ModelPlayStation PS5 Digital Edition NBA 2K25 BundlePS5, XboxElden RingPS5PlayStation VR 2 - Horizon: Call of the Mountain BundlePS5DualSense Controller (Standard Color Variants)PS5DualSense Controller (Special Color Variants)PS5/XboxMetaphor: ReFantazioSlim ModelPlayStation PS5 Disc Edition Fortnite Cobalt Star BundleFor more shopping tips, see our holiday gift guides for the gamers and geeks in your life:Leanne Butkovic (she/they) is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN, where they've also written about movies, TV, and games. They have nearly a decade of experience in digital media.

In a year already chock-full of excellent remakes like Persona 3 Reload and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, its impressive that I can still call Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake one of the best Ive ever played. Thats not because it sets out to redefine the 1988 NES original like Square Enix did with Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, but because of how it strikes a nearly perfect balance between faithfully sticking to the bones of Dragon Quest III while adding modern quality-of-life improvements and a beautiful new coat of paint that make it more fun than ever to explore and battle across its surprisingly dense overworld. Dragon Quest III is a true godfather of the RPG genre, and this immensely satisfying retelling so clearly spells out why its one of gamings essential works. HD-2D Remake is fundamentally the same adventure Dragon Quest III has always been, and its hard not to marvel at how well its original blueprint still holds up in 2024. This is as classic as JRPGs get the genre boiled down to its absolute essentials of rock-solid turn-based combat, atmospheric caves and dungeons filled with monsters and treasure, and a straightforward story about good versus evil that asks you to fill in a lot of the gaps with your imagination. It evokes nostalgia for a bygone era of video games in the best ways while proving it still has the stuff to hang with the fancy, modern RPGs.PlayDespite the unabashedly old-school design, it does manage to feel new thanks to its overhauled graphics, and Dragon Quest and the HD-2D style pioneered by Octopath Traveler are an absolute perfect combination. The enemy design is amazing, with highly-detailed sprites and animations that are a joy to look at. The late Akira Toriyamas signature style is wonderfully realized here, and battles feel more dynamic with each enemys lively animations for attacking and defending. Towns are delightful to explore, with stunning castles, houses, and shops that are breathtaking to look at from the outside and adorable to poke around on the inside thanks to sharp attention to detail. The dungeons all look great, too, especially with the moody lighting emitting from your heros lantern. Finally, the overworld feels grand to march across, and its all backed up with an orchestral soundtrack that fits Dragon Quests lighthearted, adventurous mood to a tee.HD-2D Remake doesnt just look gorgeous, as it has great battle and class systems to match. Apart from the Hero, whose class and spot in your party is locked in from the start, the composition of the other three spots is completely up to you, including their classes, names, and appearances. I outfitted my party with a Thief, a Priest, and my personal favorite: the all-new Monster Wrangler, who became stronger as I found and recruited friendly monsters across the world, which further incentivized exploration. Its a ton of fun constructing your band of heroes, and Im honestly considering a full replay where I try something entirely different given how many classes I didnt take advantage of. There are also opportunities to reclass later in the story while retaining all the abilities your characters have learned thus far, adding even more important decisions to consider.HD-2D Remake doesnt just look good, it has great battles to match.Its just a shame that the personalities of your party members are all silent, blank slates as a result of that mechanical flexibility. Thats the same as it was in the original, but it makes for an RPG journey thats much more about character builds, combat, and exploration rather than relationships, camaraderie, and story. Its completely understandable that Square Enix would stick with the old style in this instance, as it did with almost everything else, but its hard not to miss the wonderful personalities of my party in Dragon Quest XI or the Party Chat feature seen in most modern entries of the series by comparison. But as someone who vastly prefers a barebones story compared to an overbearing one, I still thoroughly enjoyed Dragon Quest IIIs focus on engaging directly with its RPG systems.To that end, the battles themselves are fast-paced, fun, and occasionally quite difficult. Make no mistake this is still very much a hardcore NES-era RPG, and you need to use a balanced mix of strong attacks, healing spells, and buffing/debuffing abilities to beat some of Dragon Quest IIIs toughest bosses. There are some real nail-biting moments, especially later on in the campaign, and I loved using unorthodox strategies to barely squeak by fights I probably wasnt ready for yet. Random encounters in both the overworld and dungeons are a constant factor, but theyre always enjoyable and drop essential experience points and gold, which youll need as much of as you can get to reach the end credits. But if nervewracking turn-based battles arent your thing, theres no need to worry. Im incredibly impressed by how flexible HD-2D Remake is as a whole. Apart from three difficulty options you can switch between at any time (Including the Dracky Quest option, where your characters essentially cant die), there are a ton of ways to tailor the adventure to your specific playstyle. In combat, you can speed up battle animations to get through encounters faster or watch them at normal speed to really enjoy the detailed enemy animations. Youre also given complete control over how your party behaves: In classic Dragon Quest fashion, you can give individual orders to all four party members, or choose strategies for them to execute on their own, like focusing on healing, conserving magic, or going all-out against a tough foe. Its honestly relaxing to set the whole party to autobattle when grinding for experience points before taking control back for yourself ahead of an important boss fight. Options like these ensure the great combat remains fresh across the roughly 30-hour adventure, even with multiple sessions of grinding. Thats partially because the Dragon Quest series is pretty good at making grinding for experience points entertaining, and this remake is no exception. If youre a fan of the series, you know that Metal Slimes are the key to leveling up fast: Enemies with low spawn rates that drop way more experience points than the average bad guy. Discovering areas of the map where Metal Slimes are more likely to appear is exciting, and the rush of adrenaline that kicks in when you see one show up in a random encounter never gets old like pulling a rare card from a Pokmon booster pack.Logan's Favorite RemakesI just reviewed Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and it's one of the best remakes I've ever played. Here are some of my favorites, unranked.See AllPlus, apart from the occasional level grind session, Dragon Quest IIIs pacing is impeccable. Youre always being ushered from one new location to the next, constantly exploring new towns and dungeons while encountering fresh foes from the huge set of over 150 enemy types. It rarely retraces any of its steps except for one specific recurring boss I wont spoil that admittedly rears its ugly head a few too many times.This remake also goes to great lengths to ensure youll never get lost or stuck. The Zoom spell lets you escape a tough situation to rest at an inn pretty much whenever you want, while objective markers clearly label what you need to do next to progress through the occasionally unclear and outdated main quests. However, if you want the classic Dragon Quest III experience, you can turn these quest markers off and discover everything for yourself by exploring and talking to townsfolk. Its a great system that makes this aged RPG more approachable and playable than ever, while also preserving that original style for those who want it. Its an ideal way to revisit a beloved adventure, and I love the pace at which this vast world slowly reveals its secrets to you piece by piece.I love the pace this vast world slowly reveals its secrets to you.While I was generally a big fan of Dragon Quest IIIs old-school nature mixed with the HD-2D Remakes modern improvements, there are a couple of places it could have gone a few extra steps. Inventory management is clunky, as each of your four party members only has access to their individual item bags in combat, meaning I spent a ton of time in menus transferring items from the partys overall inventory to their individual pockets. Managing equipment comes with similar annoyances, where its just a bit harder than it should be to see how equipping something will impact each characters stats. I eventually got into a rhythm of how to fiddle with these outdated menus, but its one place I wish had gotten more updating. (There are also just a few enemy designs that havent aged especially well, and probably would have been better left in the past.)

This article contains Silo season 2 spoilers through episode 2.Adapting a story from one medium to another is never an easy task. There are usually some things glossed over, some things changed, and some things left out entirely. But as long as the heart of the narrative is still there, theres a lot that an audience is willing to forgive in most cases. Based on the Silo book series beginning with Wool by Hugh Howey, season 2 of Silo is not a perfect adaptation by any means. It differs from the books more than the previous season did, though not in a bad way at all. However, even though this season may not be an exact replica of the story told in the novels, it still manages to give an unexpected nod to the book series that inspired it.Season 2 continues where season 1 left off and adapts the latter half of the book Wool. This section of the book differs from the others in that once Juliette leaves the silo, the chapters go back and forth between her silo (Silo 18) and the nearly-abandoned one she discovers (Silo 17). Each chapter focuses on a silo at a time, often forcing the reader to wait a couple of chapters to find out what happens next to Juliette in Silo 17 or to the growing rebellion in Silo 18.Similarly, season 2 of Silo begins the same way. Episode 1 focuses solely on Juliette fighting for her survival as she finds her way into Silo 17. The second episode then takes us back to Silo 18 for the entirety of the episode.During a press day for season 2, Den of Geek asked Silo showrunner Graham Yost whether or not this was an intentional homage to the books, or just a happy accident that came along as they were developing the story this season. It was a happy accident in that we decided to start the season that way, Yost says. We do get into things toward the end and youll eventually see the final episode where we are going, bang, bang, bang. But the big thing was, we quickly decided in the writers room that we wanted to start with Juliette.Read more According to Yost, the writers had a crazy idea about following the structure of the book and alternating episodes for four or five episodes, but ultimately realized that it could become annoying to have a television show formatted that way. But even if they couldnt do it for all of the episodes, they could do it for the first two, and then settle into just a regular story where were going back and forth between these two [silos].Its often challenging to adapt formatting elements across mediums, like gameplay from video games, or in this case the chapter structure from a book, without it feeling odd or out of place in the new medium. By using the first two episodes as chapters, however, Yost and the season 2 writers came up with a fun and unexpected way to pay homage to the books without making it feel forced or unnatural to watch as a TV show.Yost says that author Hugh Howey and his wife Shea love the season, and thats the best review we can get. Just because a story might change slightly as its adapted, doesnt mean that the heart of the original isnt still there, and this nod to Wool in Silo is further proof of that.New episodes of Silo season 2 premiere Fridays on Apple TV+, culminating with the final on January 17, 2025.

Banijay is partnering with Twisted Comics to create a series of comic books inspired by hit dystopian anthology series Black Mirror.David Christopher, Director of Licensing & Merchandising for Banijay Rights, whose team brokered the deal, said: Black Mirror needs no introduction as one of televisions uniquely engrossing brands. The shows unpredictable and unexpected episodes will be a perfect fit for this visionary comic book series, which were in no doubt will appeal to a whole new dimension of fans. Id encourage fans to get registering now to keep updated on the comics developments and release.Read more at Banijay.comRene Zellweger is excited to be doing another Bridget Jones movie, but shes sad her character is moving beyond a key relationship.The fourth Bridget Jones film will be the first without a significant role for [Colin] Firth though, as the trailer indicates, his spirit may pop up on occasion. It was a big change for the series leading star. Its so peculiar because of the connection to this character Ive come to love, Zellweger tells Empire in the 2025 Preview issue. I love him. I love this person that Colin plays when we get together again. And I was heartbroken.Read more at EmpireStar Trek captains get plenty of attention and a fair amount of scrutiny from fans, but one unsung hero in the lineup is Captain Freeman of Lower Decks.Since the debut of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Lewis has played Captain Carol Freeman with a mixture of heroism and exasperation in equal measure. In other words, Freeman might be the most realistic of the canonical Trek captains to date. But shes also quietly the most historic.Wicked gives us the secret origin of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Our friends at the Does it Fly? podcast from Roddenberry Entertainment dive a little deeper into what makes her so unique.Read more at InverseAlien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez is eyeing a sequel, and is ready to helm for the franchise again once the right story comes along.[Says Alvarez:] We definitely want to do it. The studio wants to do it. I want to do it. I think with sequels, its always about finding the right story. Me and Rodo [Sayagues], my co-writer, we have some ideas, but its not until we find something that we go Ok, that is a movie worth making that we really embark on it. So thats the process we are in right now, trying to find a story that is worthy of everyones time and is worthy of the title.Read more at GizmodoWicked isnt the only musical coming out this weekend, but Netflixs Spellbound doesnt quite have the same magic.It is without any wonder or whimsy, the animation all looking rather flat to the eye rather than bursting with depth that takes the breath away. Instead, it is capped off by a derivative dad joke only one of the many ways Spellbound is unable to emerge free from the shadow cast by several other superior works, though it best betrays the films ultimate lack of imagination it never overcomes.Read more at The Wrap