2020 is barely three months in, and it has hit the world with a nonstop stream of surprises, both good and bad. In this perilous time of unpredictability, Atari delivers another haymaker with Pong Quest.
Pong Quest puts the player in the role of what could be the first-ever video game hero, the paddle from Pong, in an epic quest through themed worlds based on classic Atari titles. Players will be able to customize their paddle as they take on the main adventure, multiplayer modes, and a treasure trove of game modes.
Scheduled to drop this Spring on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Steam. Atari promises Pong Quest to be a hilarious take on the arcade classic, and at this point, anything is possible.
Master Chief voice actor, Steve Downes, has pledged to donate all proceeds from any paid message recordings he receives this month to Project C.U.R.E. For those who may be unaware, Master Chief is the main character of the Halo franchise, and is known for having a deep and gruff voice.
Downes can be commissioned on Cameo to record a personalized audio track or video. He uses the platform to make videos celebrating or just providing fans with some cool voice lines. This has been a stream of revenue for the voice actor, but now he intends on donating all his proceeds for the month of April.
Project C.U.R.E focuses on strengthening health systems in under-resourced countries and is currently working on obtaining safety equipment like masks and gloves to health workers across America.
Downes isn’t the only one contributing to COVID-19 relief. Famous Mixer streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins donated over $150,000 to Feeding America. This is a non-profit organization that provides food to food banks and children who depend on school lunches to eat.
Microsoft and 343 Industries have also begun raising money for charity through Halo 5: Guardians, with a “Relief and Recovery” cosmetics pack available in game to purchase, with all proceeds donated to the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
There are 14 tracks to the soundtrack, with the first 12 being based on Claude Debussy’s Préludes. The final two are original pieces, created by the game’s composer, Dan Golding.
According to GameSpot’s contact at Decca Classics, there is a possibility of the soundtrack receiving a vinyl release, although it has not been confirmed yet.
As of the episode 3 of Westworld season 3, the show still seems to be struggling to gain a live audience (that is, viewers who watch it when it airs on HBO Sunday nights), but the numbers were up slightly on last week. This episode has the second lowest ratings of the show yet, following last week’s lower-rated episode–which is, ultimately, good news.
Typically a season premiere will have a higher view count than subsequent episodes in a season, so these are not unusual figures, although there was some hope that Westworld’s viewership would rise, especially with so many people staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s also worth noting that these figures do not reflect the show’s full viewership, as many viewers may catch up with the show on HBO Go, or even with its eventual DVD and digital release. Live viewership has, historically, made up just a portion of the show’s audience.
Westworld season 3’s third episode had a lot of interesting stuff going on in it, and viewers who tuned in were given plenty to speculate on. The show has not yet been renewed for a fourth season.
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In a tweet made by the Office of the Governor of California, Larry David–the co-creator of Seinfeld, and creator and star of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm–encourages people to stay indoors and to not give into their worst instincts if they’re idiots.
“I basically want to address the idiots out there, you know who you are,” David opens. “You’re going out–I don’t know what you’re doing, you’re socializing too close, it’s not good, you’re hurting old people like me…well, not like me, I have nothing to do with you. I’ll never see you.”
David goes on to encourage people to stay home and catch up on television. “The problem is you’re passing up a fantastic opportunity–a once in a lifetime opportunity–to stay in the house, sit on the couch, and watch TV,” he explains. “I don’t know how you’re passing that up!”
Of course, his message assumes a certain level of financial stability, as not everyone can afford to take the break and watch television all day–it’s not hard to imagine his Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Susie Essman chewing him out for this the moment the cameras stop rolling.
Curb Your Enthusiasm recently wrapped up its tenth season on HBO.
On PC, the MCC is an ever-evolving platform, with titles in the franchise being released over time and updates constantly being reworked in conjunction to community feedback.
The Halo 2: Anniversary beta/flight content is going to be packed with an all-new challenge system, customization options, theater mode, and campaign missions all being revamped for the eventual PC release. Those who have opted in for the early access play sessions, and are selected, will be able to play the beta or “flight” editions of the title releases before the full edition release dates. For more on how to opt in to this program check out the community website.
Halo 2 Challenges
The challenge system will include a series of tasks for players to complete throughout the beta. There is no word yet on if this challenge system will be included in the full release, or if any completed challenges will carry over for accounts.
All-new Spartan and Elite customization options have been added as well, with these new additions available for both Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary.
Theater mode has been updated for use with keyboard and mouse on Halo 2: Anniversary for all your video, screenshot, and machinima needs.
Certain campaign missions in Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary will now support options for all difficulty levels, as well as single player and co-operative online play. These missions are: Cairo Station, Metropolis, The Oracle, Delta Halo, Quarantine Zone, and Gravemind.
Multiplayer for Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary will support a range of maps and playlists. This includes Custom Games, Social Games, and Competitive Games. Here is the full list of playlists and maps that will be available for each title in multiplayer:
Social Games: 2v2, 4v4, and 8v8.
Competitive: H2C Team Hardcore.
Halo 2 Multiplayer: Lockout, Midship, Beaver Creek, Burial Mounds, Coagulation, Headlong, Waterworks, Containment, Sanctuary, and Turf.
Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer: Lockdown, Zenith, Stonetown, Bloodline, and Shrine.
The developers also mentioned the “Relief and Recovery” cosmetic pack for Halo 5: Guardians. The proceeds of the in-game purchase is going directly to the GlobalGiving organization’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. This is a great opportunity to get some in-game cosmetics and donate to a good cause.
Death Stranding developer Kojima Productions has sent its developers home to work remotely after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. A March 30 memo from the Japanese developer confirms that the affected staffer was at home since March 20 and had not been in the Kojima Productions office since then.
The developer said it has been working closely with public health officials who informed the studio that because this person did not display symptoms until they were at home, away from the office, the rest of the developers are not labeled as “close contacts.” Therefore, officially, Kojima Productions could stay open. However, the studio has itself decided to close down and shift to a work-from-home setup in the interest of keeping its developers and the community safe.
As such, the Kojima Productions office is now closed. Additionally, the company is sanitizing its office. “Kojima Productions will continue working closely with our public health authorities and enact additional precautions as necessary to prevent further spread in any way possible,” the developer said.
Kojima Productions joins a long list of other developers who have shifted to a work-from-home environment. The teams at EA, Rockstar, Bungie, and 343 Industries are all working from home for the foreseeable future as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
In March, Halo developer 343 Industries released a gigantic update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The update was 60 GB, which makes it much bigger than some brand-new games. Some people expressed frustration over this. After all, even a blazing-fast internet connection would require quite a while to download such a large update.
The studio has now shared more insight on why that update was so large and what fans can expect in terms of file sizes going forward. Design director Max Szlagor said said in a blog post that the studio is always trying to make file sizes smaller, but it’s not always possible.
“With such a large surface area of game, and the scope of changes that need to be made this can make them rather large,” Szlagor said. “Whenever core game data files are updated, this usually means a larger update. We manage this process very carefully to minimize the amount of times this happens. But it is one of those things that can come up.”
Thankfully, Halo: MCC has a system called “Intelligent Install” that allows players to choose which parts of the game they want to download. MCC comprises six different games: Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, and Halo 4. This latest 60 GB update was mandatory for everyone, but new players–or those who uninstall MCC to free up space–can use the Intelligent Install system to only install what they want to play.
Szlagor said Microsoft will try to be “as mindful as we can” about the size of MCC updates, but at the end of the day, the company cannot guarantee there won’t be other massive file sizes in the future.”
Marvel’s next film, Black Widow, was originally due to be released on May 1, 2020. The film’s release has been delayed, however, due to COVID-19, and a new date has not been set. Now that the film is further away, Disney is taking the opportunity to make some changes to it, and the film’s composer has been changed, according to Film Music Reporter.
Originally, Alexandre Desplat had been announced as the film’s composer. Desplat, whose previous credits include Little Women, Isle of Dogs, and Argo, has been taken off the project. Replacing him is Lorne Balfe, who worked on on Bad Boys For Life, The Florida Project, and The Lego Batman Movie.
It’s unclear why this change has taken place, but it’s not the only major 2020 film to make a composer change at the last moment–No Time To Die, originally due to release in April, also changed its composer late in production, replacing Dan Romer with Hans Zimmer.
Looking over the credits of the two composers, it seems that Balfe perhaps has more experience working on action movies. He’s also worked on several video games, including Beyond: Two Souls, Assassin’s Creed III, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It’s possible that Desplat’s composition will now never be released.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for many movie production delays, including the upcoming Uncharted movie.
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