One important lesson we all learn in life is that happiness is an endless pursuit. There’s no such thing as a permanent state of happiness. But this is a hard lesson to learn, and something that takes years to discover, through trial & error, experience, and understanding. On Happiness Road is a lovely little animated film that addresses this very idea, taking us on a journey through past and present in the life of one woman from Taiwan. On Happiness Road is an autobiographical film made by Taiwanese animator/filmmaker Hsin-Yin Sung that is about her pursuit of happiness, and learning what exactly that means, how to get there, and that happiness is not forever, and is not something you can just obtain. It’s a very deeply personal film, but also a very meaningful and enjoyable, with a light touch that makes it that much more captivating to watch. ›››
“You’re a clever girl – that’s the most wonderful thing in all creation.” Sony Australia has debuted the first official trailer for an ensemble comedy titled Ladies in Black, adapted from the popular book The Women in Black by Madeleine St John. The film is the latest directed by award-winning Aussie filmmaker Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Double Jeopardy, Mao’s Last Dancer), and it’s an “alluring and tender-hearted comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney.” The film’s cast includes Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Vincent Perez, Alison McGirr, Susie Porter, Shane Jacobson, and Noni Hazlehurst. This looks like a spunky, entertaining film about Australian women learning to stand up for themselves and be strong & independent. Watch out. ›››
Dying Light 2 really ups the stakes when it comes to traversing a lawless open world where danger lurks around every corner. With the original Dying Light offering a clever blend of parkour exploration and brutal combat of a zombie-survival game, the follow up to Techland’s stellar open-world game plans to focus on offering its players more freedom in movement, while letting them decide the fate of one of humanity’s last stable cities. Revealed at the Microsoft Press Conference, the sequel plans to maintain the momentum gained by the original’s post-launch success, while offering a more reactive and living world to explore.
During E3 2018, we had the chance to see an extended demo presentation of Dying Light 2 in action, showcasing its broader scope and focus on a more ambitious, adaptive narrative. Sticking with many of the core features of the original game, such as freeform parkour traversal, melee combat, and gradual character growth, the sequel goes a bit further by making some tough choices in a far more dire and bleak circumstance.
Taking place 15 years after the events of the original game, the viral outbreak has spread across the world, causing mass societal collapse. Set in one of Europe’s last remaining cities, you’ll take on the role of an urban explorer who will traverse the expansive city while butting heads with the many factions vying for control. While the main character can go it alone and play each side against one another, there will come a time where you’ll have to choose a side to better your situation. But as one faction gains control of areas of the city, you’ll gradually see the impact of your previous decision, for better or worse.
Referred to as a “modern dark age” by the developers, the last vestiges of humanity stay within the walls of the city with sparse resources and poor infrastructure. To make matters worse, several dens of infected remain, and zombies walk the streets in long abandoned districts of town. With electrical technology being a luxury, and firearms being few and far between, you’ll have to rely on jerry-rigged close-range weapons and quick feet to stay on top of things. While the original game featured a largely standard storyline, the sequel offers a more interactive approach to storytelling. With Chris Avellone serving as narrative director, who’s past works including CRPG classics like Baldur’s Gate and the Fallout series, the player has a say regarding the direction of the story, and the impact it has on the world.
During the demo, we saw the player come into conflict with a group of bandits who have managed to take control of one of the town’s few water towers. Tasked by the neutral good faction known as the Peacekeepers, the main character had to make their way to deal with the situation. In this section, which was a pivotal moment for this particular district in town, we got to see more of the expanded melee and parkour gameplay. The new setting of the European metropolis is much larger than than the original game’s multiple areas, which required the devs to come up with a more expanded traversal system. In Dying Light 2, you’ll be able to slide under fences, use ropes swings, and round corners much easier while jumping over the rooftops of the city. There looks to be a far more freeform style of locomotion and platforming, which is impressive as the original game had some solid traversal mechanics. There are also a set of new platforming puzzle sequences that put you in more precarious situations.
Eventually, the player confronts the gang leader who controls the water tower. During important character interactions, you’ll be presented with several dialog options that can decide where you want things to go. In this case, the developers chose the more noble option and fought the gang leader and his henchmen. Melee combat has also seen an overhaul, with enemy AI and their tactics proving to be more cunning and resilient–using several parries and dodges to gang up on the protagonist. Action looks just as brutal as the original game, and there’s a focus on mixing up your parkour and combat skills to chain together attacks–such as using a hanging pipe to swing off and land a kick on an enemy.
After this sequence, the Peacekeepers gain control of the district and its water tower, turning the district into a safer place for citizens. While this seems like the “good” choice for a better community–and in some ways it is as there’s running water for all citizens–the Peacekeepers also keep their territories under an iron fist. Any form of dissent or pushback from the populace will result in public punishment, or even execution. The developers also took the time show a different path for players in this situation. Choosing to side with the gang leader instead, the player becomes to the silent partner for the gang, collecting tribute as the bandits charge money for clean water from the depressed citizens.
Dying Light 2 looks to advance upon many of the core pillars of the original, while also adding in a surprisingly dense, and varied approach to its core story. While you can expect to find many of the pulse-pounding action sequences, and fast-paced traversal mechanics, there’s definitely a more thoughtful approach to how it asks players to tackle the story. With the game being four-times larger than the original, Dying Light 2 could be a major upgrade from the original, and that in itself is a major accomplishment.
For more info on Dying Light 2, and all other games we had the chance to see during E3 2018, be sure to visit GameSpot’s E3 Hub page.
After all the big announcements from the last few days, Nintendo wrapped up the E3 2018‘s string of press conferences with a bevy of new details about its latest games. The company went into great detail about the new Super Smash Bros. game. Titled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game is shaping up to be one of the most exciting this year. There’s also a plethora of new games that got announced.
To ensure you stay on top of everything, we’ve rounded up all of the announcements from the Direct Presentation. And if you’d like to re-experience the excitement of the reveals, be sure to jump into our Nintendo Direct liveblog.
To ensure you’re up to date on everything you need to know, we’ve gathered all of Sony’s major E3 2018 announcements. But if you’d like to re-experience the excitement of the event, check out our Sony press conference liveblog.
Kicking off the second day of E3 2018 is Microsoft. The company had a phenomenal lineup of big announcements. It announced some of the latest entries in its most iconic franchises, like Halo Infinite and Gears 5. In addition, big-name sequels and new IPs were debuted, which included Cyberpunk 2077, Devil May Cry 5, and Dying Light.
But don’t let this opening tell you everything there is to know about the press conference. We’ve rounded up all of the announcements from the briefing, and below you’ll find all of our coverage of Microsoft’s event. In the meantime, you can check out our Microsoft press conference liveblog if you want to re-experience the show.
Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Shows A Stunning Futuristic City–CD Projekt Red has lifted the veil on Cyberpunk 2077 at Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Here’s everything we’ve learned about the upcoming Xbox One, PS4, and PC game.
Fallout 4 Available On Xbox Game Pass Today–Todd Howard took the stage during the Microsoft conference to show off Fallout 76, but he dropped a little treat you can access today as well.
Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4 Announced, Coming This Year–During the Microsoft press conference, the next Forza Horizon game was revealed. It’s set in Great Britain and set to launch in October.
Gears Tactics Announced At Microsoft E3 2018 Showcase–The Coalition showed up at Microsoft’s E3 2018 presentation to announce a trio of Gears games, among them a new tactical game appropriately called Gears Tactics.
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite Announced For Xbox One–The time was right for the Master Chief’s return, and Microsoft made time on its stage to tease the return of the iconic character.
Ubisoft continues to deliver on the E3 2018 surprises. As one of the major third publishers, the company had no shortage of announcements concerning its latest games. Aside from exciting new details about Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Division 2, the company also showcased new trailers for Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2.
To help you keep up to date with everything going on, we’ve rounded up all of the announcements from the briefing. But if you’d like to live through the excitement of the event again with us, be sure to jump into our Ubisoft press conference liveblog.
Hot on the heels of (6 episodes later than) our Commodore 64 Listener Top 10, we bring you another episode in the same format. Once again we bravely outsourced the responsibility for the games we played to you. Listeners were invited via social media to share their five favourite Dreamcast games with us, which we then combined to create a Top 10 of the most popular ones.
“Today’s my birthday, and I’m treating myself to a trip to the seaside, as I do every year.” In honor of the Annecy Film Festival for animation this week, I’m featuring a few good animated short films that are worth watching. This one actually won Best Short Film at Annecy back in 2016, and it’s finally available online for viewing. The Head Vanishes is the latest short made by award-winning animation filmmaker Franck Dion, inspired by his great-grandmother, and the challenges of dementia. “The Head Vanishes is about the imagination of someone who is interpreting the world around her. It’s an evanescent vision of things, just like Jacqueline’s memory.” The animation style is a bit clunky, but it’s a heartfelt story. Watch in full below. ›››
“I never should’ve stayed in that house.” Vertical Entertainment has debuted a new official US trailer for the supernatural horror thriller Incident in a Ghostland, the latest from French director Pascal Laugier (Martyrs, The Tall Man). We posted an international trailer for this earlier in the year. The story is about a house where a woman had to fend off intruders to save her daughters. Years later, the two of them grow up with completely different personalities, still traumatized by the events. When they all reunite at the house once again, strange events began to occur. The horror film stars Crystal Reed, Taylor Hickson, Rob Archer, Emilia Jones, Adam Hurtig, Anastasia Phillips, Mylène Farmer, and Alicia Johnston. Unfortunately this still looks as mediocre as it did in the first trailer, only for the most diehard horror fans. ›››
