The Ukrainian team is continuing development as the invasion continues

Today's Xbox Games Extended Showcase closed out with a sobering reminder of the current realities for GSC Game World. The Ukrainian studio has been public about the effect the Russian invasion has had on development. Today the team opened up about it, sharing an emotional update as it confirmed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is moving to 2023.

While the studio shared a new video about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 itself, which you can find here, GSC Game World ??also shared a dev diary about its current status. The three-minute video is powerful ?and a heavy watch, just so you know.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxcfxdG22pg

The video shows t?he toll that the invasion has taken on its developers and where they live. While some have been able to get out, others have not been able to, or opted to volunteer or even serve in th??e armed forces. The video shows developers living in small hallways, rushing for bomb shelters, and walking around in destroyed city blocks. One describes how he's unsure whether some of his loved ones are safe or not. It is a heavy reminder of the real toll the Russian invasion has taken on average people in Ukraine.

During the update, GSC Game World confirms that it has pushed the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl into 2023.

Development during wartime

The Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022 and has continued for 111 days. It's taken its toll on many Ukrainian citizens including those at GSC Game World and more, as detailed in a report from IGN in May. Many other developers and publishers have called for aid and action in response to the invasion, including withholding their games and services from Russia and Belarus.

Our hearts go out to the GSC Game World team. The studio has shared a link at which you can help provide aid.

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Alternate skins have repurposed monogram removed

Blizzard Entertainment has made alterations to several alternate skins belonging to Overwatch's Russian powerhouse, Aleksandra Zaryanova, b??etter known to players by her call-sign, Zarya. The changes were quietly made in a stealth update to remove ?a monogram that has, unfortunately, taken on new meaning in the current climate.

First spotted by PC Gamer, Zarya's "Arctic" and "Siberian Front" skins both feature a simple character "Z" emblazoned on the hero's breast. Z for Zarya, obviously. However, as part of the horrifying Russian invasion of Ukraine, the letter "Z" has been repurposed by some in both Russian military and Russian society as a symbol of ?support for the invasion, painting the symbol on tanks and other military ar??senals.

The letter "Z" does not exist as a character within the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, and it is speculated that it is being used by supporters of the Ukraine invasion as a symbol for victory, much like western countries have used "V" in past wars. Of course, Overwatch's Zarya simply sports the initial as a monogram to their name but, given its curre??nt context, it is ?a pertinent move by Blizzard to remove the letter from the Russian soldier's clothing.

Zarya is not the first Overwatch character to be altered due to real-life controversy. In 2021, cowboy hero McCree had his name changed to Cassidy after his namesake left the company in the wake of the Californian Activision Blizzard lawsuit, filed after an investigation uncovered evidence of sexual abuse, harassment, and a ge??nerally toxi?c working environment at the studio. The aftermath of this initial controversy is still ongoing, almost 10 months from the filing of the initial suit.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. To date, tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel on both sides of the conflict are believed to have been injured or killed?, while m?illions of Ukrainian civilians have been displaced from their homes.

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The proceeds will go to several humanitarian aid organizations

Epic has revealed the total amount raised from its two-week charity efforts. Fortnite procee??ds have raised $144 million USD in total for humanitarian relief efforts for people affected by war in Ukraine.

For two weeks, Epic and Xbox committed all Fortnite proceeds towards relief efforts. It started on March 20 and within a single day had already raised $36 million. This morning, the day after the charity efforts concluded, Epic confirmed the total amount at $144 million.

The contributions will go towards Direct Relief, UNICEF, UN World Food Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Central Kitc??hen.

//twitter.com/For?tnit?eGame/status/1510981457195454474

Fortnite has been a hot topic too, thanks to the temporary removal of building. Alongside a host of new cosmetics, including Marvel's Dr. Strange, Fortnite removed the ability to build for a short time during this season. It's back now, though those that enjoyed the new way to play can still ditch the blueprints in Zero Build mode.

The $144 million raised in Fortnite for Ukraine came from all real-mo?ney purchases, including V-Buck packs, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetics. Funds were set to be logged and sent to relief organizations as they came in as well.

Other companies have also been supporting efforts in Ukraine. Both Humble Bundle and a large number of indie developers on Itch put together charity bundles to raise funds for aid in the ?region.

Publishers like Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and CD Projekt have halted sales of their products in Russia and Belarus as well. And this morning, World of Tanks studio Wargaming announced it is leaving both Russia and Belarus, handing operatio?ns of its very popular live service games over to a local studio.

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Wargaming has transferred operations in those areas to another studio

Major war sim developer Wargaming has announced it's backing out of two major areas. Wargaming says it will not own or operate any businesses in Russia or Belarus?, and is leaving both countries.

In a statement posted on Wargaming's site, the studio says?? it's been conducting a "strategic review of business operations worldwide," and decided to leave both Russia and Belarus. As of March 31, the company has handed management of its live games for those regions over to local management in Lest??a Studio—a studio no longer affiliated with Wargaming. During the transition period, the live games will remain available in those regions, operated by their new owner.

The studio behind World of Tanks and World of Warships says it will not profit from this process. According to the statement, Wargaming expects to "suffer substantial losses" as a resu?lt of this decision.

Wargaming will also be closing its studio in Minsk, Belarus. The developer says it will be providing "as much severance and support as possible" to employees affected by the ch??ange.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y50zJpzP0I

Support for Ukraine

Though the statement doesn't specify a reason, Wargaming has supported humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and its employees affected by the invasion. The World of Tanks studio recently fired creative director Sergey Burkatovskiy over posts he made, supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The studio told PC Gamer that his personal opinions categorically did not reflect the position of the company. Additionally, Wargaming made a sig?nificant donation to the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Many game development publishers and studios have spoken up about the invasion, as it has affected international colleagues and friends alike. Developers have assembled charity bundles. And big names, like CD Projekt, Electronic Arts, and Microsoft, have halted sales in the region.

Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov had previously called on studios like Wargaming to close its offices in Russia. Leaving the region behind is huge for Wargaming, as games like World of Tanks have been incredibly popular in?? R??ussia. It's certainly a statement for the studio to leave it.

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More companies are halting sales over the invasion of Ukraine

Sev??eral more companies have joined the growing list of those halting sales in Russia and Belarus??. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Microsoft and Electronic Arts have officially halted sales in the region.

In a statement from Microsoft president Brad Smith, the tech com??pany confirmed it ??is suspending all new sales of products and services in Russia. The company is also working with the U.S. and other governments to stop business in compliance with governmental sanctions.

??"We believe we are most effective in aiding U?kraine when we take concrete steps in coordination with the decisions being made by these governments and we will take additional steps as this situation continues to evolve," wrote Smith.

Electronic Arts had already confirmed it's removing the Russian national teams and clubs from its EA Sports games. The publisher put out a statement today, affir??ming that its games will no longer be available for purchase in Russia through its own digital storefronts, and it's working with platforms to rem??ove its games from their stores.

Other reports have surfaced of storefronts removing items or currency from sale. Eurogamer reports that the recently launched Gran Turismo 7 is unavailable on the PlayStation Store in Russia. And some report that the Nintendo eShop has suspended payments. Neither Sony or Nintendo h?as put out an official statement as of this writing.

CD Projekt announced yesterday that it was halting sales ?in Russia, which includes ??its GOG distribution platform. Bloober Team has also been removing its games from sale in the region.

Game developers have also been raising support for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Just recently, Doom 2 co-creator John Romero released a new level for ??the classic FPS, with all proce??eds going towards aid for Ukraine.

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All of the new level's proceeds will go towards humanitarian aid for Ukraine

Doom co-creator John Romero is raising support for Ukraine on a brand-new level. Romero has a new level for Doom 2, a??nd all proceeds from it will go towards aiding humanitarian ef?forts in Ukraine.

Called "One Humanity," this is Romero's first Doom 2 level since the original came out in 1994. The level, also known as the .WAD, requires an original copy of Doom 2 and a modern source port to play.

All the proceeds from the � Doom 2 level will go towards the people of Ukraine, aiding the efforts of the?? Red Cross and UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

//twitter.com/romero/status/1499172470330437633

It's pretty easy and cheap to get a copy of Doom 2, alongside its predecessor, these days. And now you can play new content for it while h??elping humanitarian aid where it's needed.

Many game developers and publishers have been calling for support and releasing statements on the Russian inva?sion of Ukraine. From donating game sales to making donations, many been putting their?? support behind the citizens of Ukraine.

Others, meanwhile, have been pulling their content away from Russia. EA Sports has removed the Russian national teams and clubs from two of its games, echoing decisions made by their real-life counterparts. And CD Projekt, the group that publishes CD Projekt Red games like Cyberpunk 2077 and also owns digital gaming platform GOG, announced that it will be halting digital and physical sales in Russia and Bel?arus to call attention to the invasion of Ukraine.

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This includes the GOG distribution platform as well

Over the last week, game developers and publishers ha??ve been putting support behind Ukraine amid its invasion by Russia. Today, publisher CD Projekt took a significant step. CD Pro?jekt will suspend digital sales and physical stock deliveries of its products to Russia and Belarus.

This includes distribution of games on the GOG platform, which GOG owns and operates. In a statement, CD Projekt put its support behind Ukraine.

"While we are not a political entity capable of directly influenci?ng of state matters, and don't aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people," reads the statement. "We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who hav??e nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe."

The publisher recently launched the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077, and also runs the online store GOG.

Bloober Team, creators of The Medium and other horror games, have also pulled all their games f??rom digital stores in Russia and Belarus, starti?ng with Steam.

//twitter.com/BlooberTeam/status/1499353??861??047341059

Game developers have been ??showing ??their support for Ukraine from around the world. Statements backing the people of Ukraine and donations to humanitarian aid have been ste??adily flowing in. Now, it s??eems like publishers are taking even firmer stances on the matter.

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The squads are leaving the sports games in response to the invasion of Ukraine

Electronic Arts says it will remove Russian teams from several FIFA games, as well as its NHL series. The national team and all Russian clubs will be removed from FIFA 22, Mobile, and Online, and NHL 22.

This lines up its partners FIFA and UEFA's recent decision to suspend all Russian clubs and national teams from competition. EA says it is also "actively evaluating" other related changes to other areas of its games. The IIHF also announced a similar ruling over Russian and Belarusian teams.

These moves are in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia. "EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine," reads today's statement.

//tw?itter.com/EASPORTSFIFA/status/1499057030857777154

EA is now one of several tech companies ??who have altered thei?r services in response to the invasion.

The games industry has been issuing responses on the matter throughout the week as well. Several game studios in Ukraine have spoken on the matter, and many studios and publishers are calling for humanitarian support and offering dona??tions, through game sales and their own contributions.

This isn't the first time EA Sports games have had to respond to real-world issues. In 2020, the Washington NFL team name was updated to a generic one in Madden NFL 21. And last year, Madden replaced Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden with a generic likeness over reports on remarks he'd made.

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Industry figures are supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia's actions

This week, the Russian military invaded Ukraine, as part of what Russian president Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation." The invasion and missile strikes have resulted in the displacement and death of Ukrainian troops and c???itizens.

Over the last couple of days, games industry figures, studios, ?and publishers have been putting their support out for Ukraine. This has included both Ukrainian developers like Frogwares and GSC Game World issuing statements on the invasion, and companies across the world calling for supp?ort.

GSC Game World, the studio behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, shared a special aid account and called on "all of our colleagues in the gaming industry" to share their post. 4A Games, makers of the Metro series of games shared a statement and call for support as well.

"We can't just stand by," Frogwares said on its Twitter account. "Russia attacks our homeland and denies the sovereignty of Ukr??aine. We are trying to stay safe, but this is war, there are no two ways about it. We call on everyone to force Putin to withdraw from our lands."

//twitter.com/nat?usvincere/status/14968088179795??35361

Esports organization Natus Vincere, a.k.a. Navi, is based out of Ukraine and also put out a statement and shared a donation link. Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, a Ukrainian player for Natus Vincere's CS:GO team, gave a speech at IEM Katowice calling for peace and solidarity.

Publishers like Crytivo and tinyBuild are also offering help for their Ukrainian employees and partners to get to safety themselves. Esports organization Team Liquid has also opened up housing support for friends and colleagues who ??are stuck and unable to get home.

Developers and publishers have amped up calls for support as well. Polish dev 11 bit studios announced that all profits over the coming week from This War of Mine, on all stores and platforms, will go to a special fund for t?he Ukrainian Red Cross to directly support victims of war.

Amanita Design is donating its next weeks' earnings from Machinarium, CHUCHEL, and Creaks to a nonprofit organization aiding those affected by the invasion. And State of Play will be donating its next weeks' earnings from its games to the Ukrainia??n Red Cross.

//twitter.com/11bitstud?ios/status/1496904408344449027

After Bungie CEO Pete Parsons tweeted in support of Ukraine, Bungie announced it is donating 100% of the first 48 hours of its Game2Give drive to aid humanitarian efforts. Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red announced it is donating 1 million PLN to humanitarian aid efforts. Publisher Raw Fury is donating to the Ukrainian Red Cross. And a bundle is currently being put together by developer Brandon Sheffield, with a 50/50 split for Ukrainian support and ??s??upport for trans youth in Texas.

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Block-Buster

Following on from video game adaptations such as Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Bloodrayne, Alone in the Dark - and more recently Monster Hunter and Uncharted - Apple has officially confirmed pre-production has started on a film retelling the incredible story of one of the most iconic video games of all-time: Tetris.

As reported by Deadline, Tetris: The Movie (surely they can't be ru??nning with that title) will tell the incredible story of the classic puzzle games conception, as well as the flammable legal battles fought ?by Russian creator Alexey Pajitnov, and Dutch designer Henk Rogers, who ultimately secured the console rights to the multi-million dollar franchise.

Directed by Stan & Ollie's Jon S. Baird, Tetris will star Taron Egerton as Rogers, with several other roles yet to be cast, including the all-important role of Pajitnov himself. Egerton, of course, won worldwide acclaim for his portrayal of musician Elton John in 2019 biopic Rocketman. A joint collaboration between Apple and production studios Marv Films and AI Film, Tetris is expected to begin shooting in December.

Apple boards Taron Egerton-starr??ing "Tetris" movie [Deadline]

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Sony chooses not to release on Russian PSN

Yesterday, publisher Activision did a (sort of) surprise drop for Call of Duty fans, releasing a remastered edition of its infamous Modern Warfare 2 single-player campaign. However, the new release did not show up on the Russian PlayStation Store, and ?is apparently unlikely to do so anytime soon.

A translated tweet taken from the Russian Call of Duty Twitter account reads thus: "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is a completely fictional 2009 campaign, recreated in HD quality. SIE decided not to sell the game in the Russian PS Store. We look forward to th??e release of the game in digital form for the PC on Battle.net and on Xbox console."

For those who haven't experienced the grim events of Modern Warfare 2's campaign, the plot is not exactly kind to Russia, its citizens, or its military. The opening act features a horrifying civilian massacre at a Russian airport - committed by a Russian terrorist cell - which precedes a Russian-led attack against North America, involving the bombing, invasion, and occupation of the East Coast. When Modern Warfare 2 first launched in back 2009, Activision only released the title on PC, with an alternate edition that omitted the aforementioned airport sequence in its entirety.

Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered retains all of the content from the original campaign, and so it appears Sony has made the call not to release the title in Russia. The tweet does imply that the PC and Xbox One editions - expected April 30 - will be made available.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is available now on PS4.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered – полноÑтью Ð²Ñ‹Ð¼Ñ‹ÑˆÐ»ÐµÐ½Ð½Ð°Ñ ÐºÐ°Ð¼Ð¿Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ 2009 года, воÑÑÐ¾Ð·Ð´Ð°Ð½Ð½Ð°Ñ Ð² HD качеÑтве. SIE решили не продавать игру в роÑÑийÑком PS Store. Мы Ñ Ð½ÐµÑ‚ÐµÑ€Ð¿ÐµÐ½Ð¸ÐµÐ¼ ждем выхода игры в цифровом варианте Ð´Ð»Ñ ÐŸÐš в //t.co/44Pv8h7lHL и на конÑолÑÑ… Xbox

— Call of Duty Russia (@CallofDutyRU) March 31, 2020

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Terror Train

Publisher Deep Silver has announced the release date for the next DLC expansion for its unnerving first-person-shooter Metro Exodus. Sam's Story will launch on all platforms on February 11, following on from previous DLC release The Two Colonels.

There's no trailer as of yet for this new side-adventure, but Deep Silver has detailed that Sam's Story will? add a new "exploration-based" sandbox environment. The narrative will see players take the role of the titular Spartan Ranger, who ventures out from the relative safety of the underground to join series protagonist Artyom on his journey into the nuclear-winter. After leaving the party's stolen train-cum-home, The Aurora, Sam travels to Vladivostok in an effort to reunite ?with his missing father.

Sam's Story launches on February 11 and can be purchased separately or is included as part of the game's season pass. Metro Exodus is available now on PS4, PC and Xbox One.

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It looks like a page-turner

You probably aren't short on games to play, but here's another contender for your 2020 Steam wishlist. Black Book is a 19th-century adventure with a bit of ??deckbuilding that's rooted in Slavic folklore.

It's a tale about Vasilisa, a witch-to-be who "decides to throw her fate away and marry her beloved" onl?y for her betrothed to end up dying "under mysterious circumstances." The solution? "A demonic artifact, said to be powerful enough to grant any wish to the one who uncovers all seven of its se??als."

When you aren't poking around the countryside, you'll cast spells in card-based battles. My favorite tidbit: ??you can command demons, but they'll "torture you if you don't find them something to do."

Morteshka, the Russian team behind Black Book, previously found success on Steam with The Mooseman. Apart from the PC ?release, there are also plans for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

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And DLC! And the first game for PC!

Today's contest features some cool swag from, and also a free copy of, Metro Exodus!

From Russia, with love, as they say! Except in this case. It just doesn't look like there's much love in the Metro universe. Everything is super slimy and gross and mutated, and honestly I don't think I'd like to vacation there. Nothing personal, Metro, I just need a bit more sun in my lineup.

Russia might not love you very much, but I do! So I'm giving away some copies of Metro Exodus, along with its DLC The Two Colonels. Also, I've got some sweet Metro sling bags to g??ive away so you ca?n take abject depression with you wherever you go! Thanks, Russia!

It's too cold for me to explain, myself, so read some press material. You can also check out our review for more!

Five years in the making, Metro Exodus sees Artyom and a band of Spartan Rangers flee the Moscow Metro and embark on an epic, continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Rus??sia.

Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus weaves a powerful narrative through its huge single-player campaign that blends ferocious combat, exploration, survival and stealth in one of the most atmospheric, immer?sive ga??ming worlds.

So, the base game isn't enough for ya? The game's first expansion pack, The Two Colonels, serves as both a prequel and side story, telling the tale of the final days of the Novosibirsk station. It's got mor??e coldness and good old-fashioned? Russian oppression, so if you dug the base game you'll love the DLC!

Still not impressed? We've also got these ?cool shoulder sling backpacks to give away! It's got a whole bunch of patches on it featuring the game's logo, and lots of zippers so you can carry all your crafting materials yo??u forage from old lockers and stuff. You guys do that too, right?

Here's a recap of everything we're giving away:

• 10 shoulder slings randomly drawn from entrants
• 8 PS4 digital copies of the game and DLC
• 8 Xbox One digital copies of the game and DLC
• 8 PC digital copies (Epic Games Store) of the game and DLC, and as a bonus 8 copies of Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light (both Steam copies)

...whew!

To enter to win, use the widget below to leave your name and email address --?? be sure to specify which platform y??ou'd like to win! There are plenty of ways to earn bonus entries, as well, so click around and start earnin'.

Physical p????rizes are limited to United States residents, only. All prizes are shared across the Enthusiast Gaming network; winners will be drawn Friday, December 27.

Metro Exodus and its DLC The Two Colonels are available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Contest: Win sweet swag and a f?ree ??copy of Metro Exodus

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Sony pulls new release from digital storefront

Sony has decided that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which launches this week on multiple formats, will not be available for sale in Russia via the PlayStation Store. The decision first appeared on the Sony Russia twitter account, before Call of Duty publisher Activision confirmed the news to Eurogamer.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a fictional game that has been thoughtfully created to entertain fans and tell a compelling narrative," said Activision. "Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided not to sell Modern Warfare on the PlayStation Store in Russia at this time. We look forward to launching Modern Warfare digitally in Russia on 25 October on PC via Battle.net and on?? console via Xbox."

While no official word has been given on the reason behind the decision, Modern Warfare is known to feature a plot thread where Russian military instigates an all-out attack on a Middle-Eastern city. This sequence culminates in an already notorious scene where a child, Farah, is forced to kill a Russian soldier who enters her home. Farah eventually goes on to help form a resistance militia combating the Russian presence. Also noted by Eurogamer, this isn't the first time Russia has played the "bad guy" in a Call of Duty title, but it is the first time the decision has been made not to ??sell in that terr??itory.

It should be reiterated that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will still be available to purchase digitally in Russia on PC and Xbox One and will be available elsewhere on the PlayStation Store. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches October 25.

Sony decide?s?? not to sell Modern Warfare on PlayStation Store in Russia [Eurogamer]

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Cuts the Mustard

Making my way through Metro Exodus back in February was one of the most frightening video game experiences I've ever had. As I noted in my review, I'm a particularly jumpy person. I'd be on edge in a room full of kittens, lest one of them moved suddenly, or looked at me in a violent fashion. As such, THQ Nordic's journey in?to a mutation-fi??lled Moscow and beyond gave me the jitters in a big way.

As a video game however, Metro Exodus was pretty damn good. Once you got past the awful game-breaking launch bugs, a deeply detailed world awaited aboard The Aurora, packed to the brim with atmosphere, bad voice-acting, and horrifying monsters. Why I'm choosing to return to Dmitry Glukhovsky's grim and unsettling world is anyone's guess, but here I am, donning my spider-covered visor and descending once more into the abyss.

Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release: August 20, 2019
MSRP: $7.99

The Two Colonels is a standalone DLC chapter which serves as both a prequel and a side-story to the events of Metro Exodus. In a neat and effective bit of dual storytelling, The Two Colonels sees Col. Miller retracing the steps of Col. Khlebnikov's final days. After a routine - but n?onetheless scary - mission clearing out irradiated slime with a flamethrower, Khlebnikov attends a New Year's Eve?? party with his son Kirill, which sadly proves to be the last hurrah for Novosibirsk's thriving community.

As The Two Colonels continues, Khlebnikov engages in violent combat against both monsters and man, as the tale ??turns into a?? miserable story of a civil uprising and a totalitarian coup, exploding in scenes of depressingly relatable violence, as the people, desperate for medicine and support, turn against the OSKOM.

To explain further would be to give too much away, but it is fair to say that, despite the return of some eyebrow-raising voice acting, The Two Colonels features an excellent and affecting story of duty vs. conscience, of the line between man and soldier, and the sad state of affairs when desperate, dying civilians somehow become "The Enemy" to the state. It's impossible not to feel just a nagging sense of dread in some of The Two Colonels scenes, extreme as they may be. From civilians asked/forced to give up everything under the thin promise of security, to refugee children hounded into shitty enclosures, with the state ultimately forced to separate the Have and Have Nots, The Two Colonels is effective in its weirdly resonant drama.

As you may have noticed, most of this text has been about the narrative, and for good reason, as The Two Colonels is a chapter that leans far harder on conversation and lore-building than it does on actual gameplay and action. That isn't to say that the trademark combat and atmosphere of Exodus doesn't remain. The DLC has its fair share of scares, darkened corridors, and fearsome beasties to ignite, but the two-to-three-hour adventure definitely feels more like a story Metro wants to tell, rather than an adventure it wants you to play. Elements such as crafting and scavenging a??re almost entirely bypassed, with NPC chatter, exploration, and explosive ?set-pieces brought to the forefront of the action.

Ironically, by giving Khlebnikov an actual voice and dialogue, The Two Colonels far supersedes the Metro Exodus campaign when it comes to character engagement, serving as yet another reminder that Exodus' "silent protagonist" direction was a poor choice. The flamethrower - which you need to pump frantically like a '90s Super Soaker - is a powerful weapon, offering a surprising sense of catharsis as you clear out the slime-infested tunnels and gian??t man-ea??ting worms that reside within. Icky.

Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels is light on action and heavy on narrative, but will please dedicated Metro fans with its gripping, even unnerving, lore. While its smart story succeeds in engaging the player dramatically, the lack of extended gameplay sequences may leave some feeling like they're watching an interactive movie, rather than playing a new chapter of an action-adventure title. A sho??rt j?ourney, yes, but still a trip worth taking.

_{[This revi??ew is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Underground film

Gazprom Media are currently putting together pre-production plans for a movie based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel - and subsequent video game series - Metro 2033. As reported by tinseltown mag Variety, the film ??is expected to begin shooting next year for a 2022 release.

First published in 2002, Metro 2033 tells of the aftermath of a apocalyptic nuclear war in Mother Russia, which forces the remaining civilians of Moscow underground, where they cobble together a civilisation within the subterr??anean transport system. The novel follows the story of Artyom, who is investigating the origins of a horde of mysterious creatures known as "The Dark Ones."

Glukhovsky noted that this isn't the first time he has been approached by production companies wishing to adapt his work, but this is the first time he has agreed to an offer. "In Russia, I didn’t see any producers who could make a good [adaptation of] this book," said the author. "It just seemed impossible. But now I finally met a team that I can entrust Metro wi?th. Our ambitions turned out to be similar: to create a world-class blockbuster and stun even those who have read the trilogy and k??now it by heart. So as not to disappoint them, I am ready to become a creative producer of the movie and help create it with both my advice and action."

Metro 2033 begins ??shooting in? 2020 for a scheduled January 1, 2022 release date.

Cult sci-fi novel?? Metro 2?033 to be adapted as movie [Variety]

The post Metro 2033 movie in the works for 2022 release appeared first on Destructoid.

Last Train to Darksville

[Update: Since this review was published, I’ve encountered instances of game breaking save bugs that can spawn the player back into locations where they are “locked” in place. This effectiv??ely kills your autosave file. This happened on PS??4 to me, costing hours of progress, and I have read testimonials of it happening on PC too. Be warned.]

I'm a scaredy cat. Maybe it comes from getting a diploma from the School of Having the Shit Kicked Out of Me, or maybe it's my erratic heartbeat and over-reliance on stabilising medication. Point is, I'm a "jumpy" person. As such, loud noises, sudden lunges out of the darkness, and monstrous hellspawn hav??e, surprisingly enough, a pretty animated effect on me.

"Sure, Chris Carter, I'll review Metro Exodus." I said, completely ignorant of the above.

Two minutes into the darkened subway tunnels, my first thought was "Who the fuck designs a game mechanic that causes massive spiders to scurry across your face?" What sadists do 4A Games have working for them? Still, ever the pro, I rose above my fears and pressed onw??ard, determined to check out Deep Silver's sombre sequel.

Metro Exodus (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release: February 15, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

After a brilliantly conceived opening sequence, Metro Exodus drops players into the boots of Spartan soldier Artyom Chyornj. Artyom and his wife Anna - along with their fellow squad members - live underneath post-nuked Moscow, struggling to make a life for themselves away from the suffocating radiation of the overground. It should be noted that players can, for the most part, jump straight into Exodus with no prior history. The intro sequence quickly and effectiv?ely expositions the backstory before y??ou trot off into the belly of the underground.

After an awkward, clunky first chapter, Metro Exodus conspires to have Artyom and party venture out beyond the city limits. Riding aboard a purloined train - The Aurora - our crew travels to various wide-open locations, where a series of objectives must be completed before the locomotive can resume its journey - albeit with a few more (or perhaps less) passengers along for the ride. It's a narrative device that breaks Exodus down into several small-scale open-worlds. The Aurora visits environments such as luscious woodland of The Taiga, the frozen marshland of The Volga, and the sad remnants of what was The Caspian Sea. Without giving too much away, it's a long haul for our heroes. Exodus doesn't exactly take place over the course of?? a lazy weekend.

When it comes to atmosphere, Metro Exodus kills it. Once out on the open rails, each area is stunningly detailed and meticulously designed. Burnt-out buildings, web-filled storage containers, crashed transportation, murky swamps, bandit camps and abandoned homes, all of which feel instantly recognisable from similar locales explored in the Fallout series.

Here, however, 4A Games has created a visual environment with a realism that goes far beyond the tech of Bethesda's own nuclear adventures. Metro Exodus looks incredible, its desolate world backed by dynamic sound effects, realistic weather and authentic seasonal changes. Whenever we dare venture indoors, we find rusted machinery, flickering lamps, rotting corpses, mold, fungi and worse. You can practically smell the must. All of the above creates the impression of a civilisation that once was, but is no more. A population stopped dead in its tracks in the blink of an eye. It's eerie, disquieting, and wholly effective. They say the devil's in the details, and 4A Games get this; wispy gun-barrel smoke, the weak flicker of low-quality night-vision, a visor smeared in blood. Metro Exodus' world is something else.

Populating Mother Russia are equally realistic beasts, with a menagerie of irradiated creatures out for Artyom's neck. Gross fuzzy humanoids, huge water-dwellers, mutated rats and the most murderous bear since Grizzly are all waiting to leap out of the trees, seas and cornfields at a moment's notice. There's also a few particularly momentous encounters, which I won't spoil, as they made me jump out of my skin and they can do the same for you, pal. Monster attacks in Exodus are heart-racing affairs, executed with a sense of genuine panic. It's funny h??ow you eventually feel relaxed when facing off against squads of heavily-armed bandits??, just because they're "only humans."

Though I'm deservedly painting a solid-gold picture of Metro Exodus' atmosphere, environments and denizens, I unfortunately have to head south when discussing some other aspects. Exodus' story falls flat, not so much in concept - the "Rail Trip of Doom" is a great nar??rative device - but overall story engagement is let down by terrible dialogue. The script often delivered with a style that is at times unintentionally hil??arious.

Mixed poorly into the game's audio, the dialogue is hurried, muddled in context and off-putting, breaking the taut drama instilled by the outside world. In a bad design holdover from previous games, Artyom is a silent protagonist, speaking only during Exodus' lengthy loading screens. When Anna is bearing her soul to him, Artyom doesn't speak a single word in response. It comes across as utterly ridiculous, breaking player/character relations. In MachineGames' Wolfenstein, B.J. Blazkowicz is his own man, with a voice, a face and believable chemistry with his band of brothers. Here, Artyom is nothing, a faceless avatar who fails to e??ngage with strangers, friends, his lover, an??d ultimately, the player.

Metro Exodus is specifically built around its crafting mechanic, which can sometimes bring pacing to a dead halt. There are options to reduce these elements, but choosing said option also nerfs in-game difficulty. This makes it tough to find the sweet spot between pulse-pounding, challenging fun and time spent sat building filters for your gas mask, repeatedly cleaning your entire arsenal of weapons, improving your anti-radiation defence, or any other number of micro-management busy-work. Meticulous detail works wonders in Exodus' world design, but here in the buz??zkill of crafting it can become an unwelcome break from the fun of exploration.

Metro Exodus' strengths lie in traveling, meeting new people, delving into backstories, and tensely stepping through abandoned buildings - where sudden horror awaits in every corner - not huddled over a workbench, pouring over an inventory so you can make six more bullets for your gun (that might jam after you fire three of them). For those who want exciting adventure without all the red tape, I'd suggest hitting a lowe?r difficulty and just enjoying the wild ride. Conversely, fans of bullet-coun?ting and dumpster diving will be in their survivalist element, with a whole host of bizarre attachments available for your favourite skull-popper.

Metro Exodus will be a killer release for franchise fans. Exodus' Russia plays host to creepy-beyond-belief locations, populated with threats that will leave stains on your eyeballs. When treading tentatively across uncomfortably quiet terrain - trigger-finger at the ready - every single door opening makes you hold your breath. It's here where Metro Exodus is simply glorious.

When not out in the great unknown, however, Exodus tends to get bogged down by a dogged insistence on overly-fiddly technical details and humdrum foraging. Furthermore, Exodus' personality-free protagonist and his pals can leave players alternately stifling giggles or rolling their eyes. Fo?rtunately, exciting set-pieces, blood-pumping combat and the changing landscape work hard to keep boredom at bay.

Metro Exodus is a tour-de-force in apocalyptic exploration. It offers a rich, evolving world, brought to life with stunning visuals, immersive sound and ghastly creatures. These thrills and chills are irritatingly tempered with menial tasks, poor voice acting, dull stealth and a soulless hero, all of which prevent Metro Exodus from achieving its true potential. Behind these grievanc?es, however, lies an absolutely thrilling adventure for? anyone who dares board The Aurora. Just prepare to get your ticket punched.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by t?he publisher.]}

The post Review: Metro Exodus appeared first on Destructoid.

49 Steam keys up for grabs

You wanna know the best way to get me the NOPE the fuck out of a room? Start playing a horr??or game. Any horror game. It doesn't matter. I just can't deal, man. Once you begin adding in schools and children, though?, then you might as well delete my number 'cause I'm never coming back. That shit is way too scary.

Are you tougher than me? Then prove it by taking a Steam key for psychological horror title Uventa.

Uventa is based on the true story of a Russian nightguard patrolling an abandoned school, only to have things take a turn for the aw-hell-no, of course. You'll explore?? the schoolgrounds as the anxieties of the world take their toll on you -- what's real, and what's just in your head? The only way to find out is to press on to get to the bottom of what lies in the derelict building.

Get your Steam key by commenting below with what makes you NOPE out of a game. This game is definitely one of them for me, but I also can't stand anything that takes place underwater. ??I hate underwater. It's stupid. Let's abolish it.

Our 49 winners will be randomly drawn on Wednesday, ??September 5. Make sure you comment using a Dtoid account with your email address on file so I can contact you. Alternatively, email me at tacos@jbsgame.com and I'll put your info in for the drawing.

Uventa is available now on Steam. Be sure to check out our sister site PC Invasion for more chances to win!

The post Giveaway: Get schooled in horror adventure Uventa appeared first on Destructoid.

From Russia with Love

Along with loving video games, I'm also a huge fan of learning the history behind the industry. When I stumbled upon "The Gaming Historian" on YouTube in 2016, I had basically hit the jackpot. I've previously linked to his video on the formation of the ESRB, but his latest video about the creation and distribution of Tetris takes the cake.

Practically a feature film in length, this video goes over the humble beginnings of a Russian programmer creating things on his spare time to the heated negotiations done by ELORG vice chairman Nikolai Belikov. What ensues is a fascinating tale of tricky wording and backstabbing that would make a suitable Game of Thrones sto???ryline...well, I guess it has less nudity, but the point still stands!

If you have any fondness for Tetris, you'd do well to watch this video.

The Story of Tetris | Gaming Historian [YouTube]

The post Tetris’ history is a complicated mess of Soviet policy and sneaky negotiations appeared first on Destructoid.

Let me show you my...

Remember Warface? When Crytek launched the game a few years ago in the Russian market, I remember the company saying they were done with triple-A development and that free-to-play was the future. I'm not sure if that still rings true for them, but Warface has managed to stick around in spite of its free-to-play trappings. With this next upcoming?? patch, the game might finally be able to draw attention.

Jumping on the craze started by H1Z1 and PUBG, Warface is going to be adding a "battle royale" mode. This will feature all the sub-genre tropes like a progressively closing circle, last man standing action and 100 player battles. The most notable difference would be that Warface is entirely first-person, though PUBG does feature that as a mode. Know that the mode isn't going to be permanent, at least not for now. All feedback taken from this beta period will be used to fine tweak the mode for its eventual?? return.

Seeing as how I dig the battle royale game mode that PUBG popularized, I might actually be down to check this out. I don't know that I particularly care for Crytek's style of shooters (I've never been a fan of Crysis), but that massive scale last man standing mode allows for such emergent gameplay that it constantly surprises and?? delights. Competition in the genre will also push everyone to get better, so this can only mean good things for the future.

New experimental PvP Game Mode: Battle Royale! [Warface]

The post Warface is jumping on the battle royale craze appeared first on Destructoid.

Here comes Revenge

Re??venge plots are overused in our media. I’m sure off the top of your head, you could come up with about 15-20 films that have a character going on a vengeance streak for the wrongs done against them. You could probably also name a handful of video games, since killing off a family or humiliating a character is an easy way to bu??ild up bad guys as “evil.”

Redeemer doesn’t try to break that mold, which is fine for?? a short bit. This is a game about being brutal, bloody, and difficult and it gets that right for the first third. Soon, though, things go south and the game never really recovers.

Redeemer (PC)
Developer: Sobaka Studio
Publisher: Gambitious Digital Entertainment
Released: August 1, 2017
MSRP: $14.99

Redeemer starts in a decent manner that is reminiscent of a lot of old-school kung fu flicks. Your main character, named Vasily, had a ter?rible past where he was an assassin for hire working for an e?vil corporation. When they started to dig into cybernetic augmentation, Vasily wanted out. After a huge struggle, he escaped, but ended up crash landing at a monastery in some undisclosed mountainside.

After roughly 20 years of peace with the monks, the evil corporation finally tracks Vasily down and proceeds to destroy the life he had built. Un??able to esca?pe his tormented past, Vasily finally embraces the rage inside him and commences a vicious killing spree to end the corporation once and for all.

With that simple setup established, the game quickly thrusts you into the action and has you murdering foes within minutes. The first cutscene is short and sweet and doesn’t waste your time getting to the meat of the game. While the camera evokes a sort of Hotline Miami charm, this is not a twin-stick shooter. Redeemer is ba??sically a beat-'em-up, with a?ll of the pros and cons that genre used to have.

You have a light and strong attack that you can string together into some makeshift combos, the ability to carry weapons (both melee and firearms), a dodge roll, a block, a stealth take??down, and the ability to d??isarm. It gives you a bunch of options to deal with foes, of which there are varying designs.

One of the cooler features (possibly inspired by 2016’s Doom) is that killing enemies regenerates your health. While you’ll always recover to about 25% when damaged, if you want to heal more, you’ll need to put the pressure on foes and utilize context-sensitive kills or environmental tak??edowns to restore anything more. It keeps the action going, since running away to hide doesn’t benefit y?ou much.

You’ll start off tackling some basic humans and eventually that progresses into heavy grunts, firearm-clad grunts, shielded flamethrower units, and dreaded zombie-like enemies. The combat almost feels like the Batman Arkham ser??ies, since you can time out your blocks to initiate a counter that temporarily stuns your foes. ??While you can’t spam block, you don’t really need to put much thought into when you press the button.

For a short bit, this all works well. The game is fast-paced and likes to give you ample opportunity to try out things like the aforementioned environmental takedowns and throwing objects. After the sixth level, though, all of the energy and fun gets sucked out. Since zombies are pretty resilient to physical attacks, the game becomes a slog of rolling around to find melee weapons while being chased by upwards of 10 enemies at once. The level sizes also balloon out to insane degrees, turning what used ?to be roughly 10-minute sections into 40-minute affairs.

This would be fine if the checkpoints were evenly spaced, but some of the later levels don’t even offer the chance at a breather. If you die, you’ll either be set back upwards of ?10 minutes or have to restart the level which then becomes infuriating. Not only that, but quitting at any point resets your progress on a specific level, so you better hope you complete the entirety of a tough section or you’ll just need to relive that agony.

It doesn’??t help that the level design never really does anything interesting. It’s okay to have more simplistic designs at the start to get players acquainted to the control scheme, but all of the cool ideas like hiding behind walls and sneaking up on foes for stealth kills just stop mid-way through. As you reach tougher enemies, you can’t even stealth kill? them, so that entire tactic becomes worthless.

Guns begin taking on a bigger role, since it becomes the most effective way to deal with foes that don&rsqu??o;t bother to get stunned. Sure, you can charge up a punch for a stun, but when five or six guys are running y??ou down, trying to find a moment to hold down attack is nigh-on impossible. It would be somewhat understandable if the enemy AI consisted of more than just guys running straight at you, but that never changes (even on boss battles).

It doesn’t help that when in the middle of a takedown animation, you’re still vulnerable to enemy attacks. There were a bunch of moments where I started to murder a guy, but was killed in the process and just had to wait for the anima?tion to stop before the “You Died” screen came up. It becomes doubly strange when your health bar actually refills, yet you’re still considered dead.

So even without aspiring to be, Redeemer ends up feeling like a really poor rip-off of Hotline Miami and that is a total shame. It exhibits a lot of cool ideas and has a serviceable plotline, but it mostly feels like the?? end result was rushed out to simply finish the game. Maybe Sobaka Studio ran out of budget, but I have no idea why the later levels are so poor compared to the start.

At least the performance is nice. Running on ??the Unreal 4 engine, this game looks pretty decent and scales well to different hardware. There aren’t a vast amount of options for tweaking graphical quality, but you can easily turn off typical??ly high demanding features like shadows to smooth out the framerate. I’m not sure why everything looks like it was smeared with Vaseline, though.

Sadly, a lot of the animations are glitchy and you’ll often see Vasily float away from an enemy during a takedown animation. I also managed to get stuck behind some geometry in a few levels, but you can thankfully restart checkpoints while in the middle of a level. That doesn’t help much? with poor level design or shoddy collision detection, but it’s something.

The audio design is also lackluster. The voice acting is okay, though thankfully not too prevalent. What doesn’t work is how minimalistic the music is. You’ll travel through levels with only environmental noises to accompany you and even intense action scenes don’t exhibit anything. The sound effects ar?e just bland and lack a lot of impact, which sucks when you’re slicing an axe through a guy’s head. I want to hear the crunch and squish of blood and bones, not just a generic thud.

Once you’ve ??completed the main game, which took me roughly six hours on “Hardcore” mode, you’ll unlock an arena-style horde mode where you’ll face off against endless waves of foes. Seeing as how the game lasts roughly four hours too long, I didn’t even bother to see what this was about. I can’t stand the thought of fighting waves of enemies since most of the encounters during the campaign feel exactly like a horde mode.

So overall, Redeemer is a bit of a dud. While it certainly has a good premise and delivers on its promise of blood ?and brutality, it just feels like the game came out of the oven too early. Hopefully after a few patches and some more polish, Sobaka Studio can iron out the bugs present and tighten up the fl??ow to create a decent little brawler. Until then, give this a pass.

_{[This review in progress is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Redeemer appeared first on Destructoid.

Live right now, danger close to our government

The White House is hosting its first ever gaming live stream right now (watch below), the "White House Competitive Gaming Event." The four-hour Twitc?h stream is meant to "promote health coverage enrollment," possibly through a live case of gaming-induced deep vein thrombosis. 

But why are beanie-wearing millenials playing esports in the White House, and so soon after the CIA -- an incredibly trustworthy institution with no history of installing right-wing leaders in foreign nations across the globe -??- has int?imated, albeit with no evidence, that Russia got Donald Trump elected?

It's convenient that this is the second time in as many weeks a big gaming event has been used to distract from Russian meddling in United States politics -- remember that sudden No Man's Sky update? And while video games might be as American as baseball and apple pie today, a closer inspection at the origins of the mediu??m might prove shocki??ng:

Just because thes?e gaming youths look sweet, it doesn't mean they're not part of a Russian plot to undermine everything you believe in, including the fact that stemless wine glasses are stupid. Either go full stem hoity-toity, or just use a regular glass that isn't so thin it will shatter in your hand.

Watch live video from getcovered on www.twitch.tv

The post Gamers are streaming from? the White House, but did Russia put them there? appeared first on Destructoid.

Russia argues rainbow soccer jerseys are dangerous to children

Russia is at it again. Russian MPs have sent a letter of complaint to the communications oversight and state consumer protection agencies asserting that FIFA 17 may be in violation of Russia's 2013 "ga?y propaganda" law that claims the presence of positive homosexual material in media will do "harm to children's health and develo??pment."

In this case, it was EA giving out a free rainbow calcio kit that led to Communist MPs sending the letter. EA gave away the digital item in support of the Rainbow Laces campaign meant to combat homophobia, bi?phobia and transphobia in the sport??.

Show your support, get your FREE Rainbow kit in FUT now! More on the #RainbowLaces campaign: //t.co/2NohXaloXe pic.twitter.com/xSbY9G8wAp

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) November 26, 2016

According to The Guardian, Communist MP Valery Rashkin says the family-friendly-rated game needs to be investigated by the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of?? Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications to ensure it is in compliance with the 2013 law. Following that, authorities should order the developer to, "introduce changes to the programming code or the age classificat??ion of this information product, and if it refuses, adopt corresponding restrictive measures."

FIFA 17 could even end up banned in Russia. United Russia MP Irina Rodnina told Russian newspaper Izvestia that authorities need to "verify the possibility of distributing this game on the territory of the Russian Federation," noting, "Every state has its internal laws a??nd order;?? they need to be obeyed."

Russian MPs accuse Fifa 17 video game of 'gay ??propaganda' [The Guardian]

The post Russian MPs looking to ban or censor FIFA 17 for ‘gay propaganda’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Laying the 'Foundation,' comrade

The United States is the gold standard for democracy, also known as a "representative democratic republic." It's why we are the freest country in the world and why we have almost 800 military bases abroad to make sure others are doing democracy right. If they aren't, we can find someone who will for them, like a Yellow Pages or temp agency of democracy. The hundreds of billions spent maintaining these installations is a testament to our philanthropy, so that we may ??bring our freedoms around the world.

However, our democracy is under attack -- at home. Last week the Washington Post dropped a nuclear bombshell: the Russians flooded us with fake news (or, "propaganda") to elect Donald Trump president. The Post cit??es a mysterious, newly-established group (it joined Twitter in August) called PropOrNot which has identified 200 news outlets that are Russian plants, unwitting or otherwise. Some of them are eve?n well-respected organizations that have been around for ages!

PropOrNot put these non-mainstream media outlets on "the list." When some in the media argued "the list" smacked of Joseph McCarthy-era paranoid smearing and red-baiting, PropOrNot's "collection of researchers with foreign policy, military and technology backgrounds" responded with a now-deleted tweet, "Awww, wook at all the angwy Putinists, trying to change the subject - they're so vewwy ang?wy!!"

So the Washington Post, based on PropOrNot's blacklist, has definitively proven that Russia got Donald Trump elected. Case closed. But what happens next will shock you.

Just one day after the Post's Watergate-sized breakthrough, Hello Games broke months-long radio silence on one of the biggest releases of the year, No Man's Sky. Tellingly, the so-called "Foundation Update" was announced with a short, sparse blog post that had almost no detail. It took another two days before Hello Games could cut a trailer detailin?g the changes.

The timing here is interesting. If Hello Games was trying to reinvigorate its fan base, why break a long period of non-communication to drop news of a h?uge update to one of the hugest games of the year on a Friday, the day most companies use to drop bad news they want swept under the rug? Why not wait until you have a post ready that actually ??details the changes, or the video, which is bound to get more excitement than text?

Could it be that the Foundation announcement was meant to distract from the Post'??s brave reporting on Russian influence in our supposedly-fair-and-democratic election? As the experts at PropOrNot point out, some of the Russian propaganda arms don't even know it; they're known as "useful idiots." Hello Games might not be taking money directly from Vladimir Putin -- though they definitely might be as well! -- but rather the company is being manipulated in a 12th-deminensionla chess move it isn't even cognizant of.

Gamers represent a large voting bloc. It would make sense for Russia to orchestrate a move to try and distract the bloc given their Manchurian candidate's tenuous hold on the office in light of days-long anti-Trump protests, the near-$7-million raised to fund recounts, and questions over the democratic nature of the Electoral College that gave Trump/Russia the victory, even though Democratic-nominee Hillary Clinton received more than 2.5 million more "votes." And it wouldn't be unprecedented. Russia itself was recently the target of a video-game-based CIA psyop meant to destabilize the country -- Pokemon Go. Maybe that's where they got the idea.

The post Is No Man’s Sky a Russian plot to distract from election tampering? appeared first on Destructoid.

Currently under house arrest

I would like to point your browser towards two links first by way of remembrance. Pokemon Go is still chugging? as the 'fastest game ever' to hit $500 million in revenue, to remind you that there are still a lot of people playing Pokemon Go. And From Auschwitz to Arizona: Humble requests that you stop playing Pokemon Go, to remind you that there are still places that would prefer you not play Pokemon Go.

Popular Russian blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky made a video of himself playing Pokemon Go in a church in Russia, ex??pressing his right to game.

In the video, Sokolovsky says, via Moscow Times translation, "This is complete nonsense ... Who could ?get offended if you're just walking around with your smart phone in a church?" presumably before muttering, "what are they gonna do, arrest me?" off-air.

Indeed the blogger was arrested under the same law that jailed protest band Pussy Riot: Article 282 of the Russian Federation Criminal Co?de prohi??bits "incitement of hatred or enmity, as well as abasement of human dignity." He's also charged with, "public actions expressing clear disrespect to society with the aim to insult religious feelings of believers committed in places for religious worship" (Article 148.2)? and could face five years in prison if convicted.

He was moved from police custody to house arrest at his lawyer's flat, due to his?? lack of a permanent address in the city. Sokolovsky, "isn’t allowed to leave the house, use his phone or the internet. He’s banned from communicating with anyone except the people investigating him, and his lawyer," according to Amnesty International.

Rus?sia: Free YouTuber facing prison for playing Pokémon Go [Amnesty International]

The post Russian man faces 5 years in jail for playing Pokemon ??Go in church appeared first on Destructoid.

Halo Online

I totally forgot there was a free-to-play rendition of Halo in the works, titled Halo Online. Backed by Russian studio Saber Interac?tive, the game even had an early access period, but production has been halted, and the game ha??s been canceled.

Taking to Russian social media platform VK, a user called "Fogeyma" contends that it was Microsoft's fault, and that "over the past six months" it hasn't done its part in helping with development. The website and social media accounts have been closed, so this looks like a done deal. If you somehow put money into the game, you can ask for a refund through August 30 ??(cutting it kinda close there!).

We've?? reached out to Microsoft to hear its side of the story. In the meantime, you can go back to forgetting this was a thing.

Halo Online [VK via Reddit]

The post That obscure free-t??o-play Russian Halo game is dead appeared first on Destructoid.

Introducing a future Exhibit A

As a major video game press outlet, we get a lot of emails in our Tips mailer asking us to cover Kickstarters, iOS games, Steam Greenlight trailers, and all kinds of garbage. It happens! Any good PR representative will tell you that press coverage is a crucial part of a product's release cycle. And, let's be fair, sometimes cold-emailing reporters does work! If you've got the right subject line and an interesting?? pitch, you just might?? grab somebody's attention.

This nightmare device -- known as the R-HANDLE -- absolutely grabbed my attention, as well as the attention of our publisher Niero, who said it reminded him of the "Wild Wacky Action Bike" from South Park. Me? I think it looks like some horrific The Fly-esque combination of a Dreamcast fishing controller, and those Xbox keyboards. Like if Dahir Insaat made a vi?deo game controller.

It's Russian (obviously), and currently only a single prototype exists. Here's some footage of it being used to play Dota 2, which thematicall??y I can get behind. A complicated controller for an equally complicat??ed game makes a lot of sense.

Looking at this thing, I don't even think I'd instinctively know how to hold it. When you grab a DualShock 4 or an Xbox One controller, your hands just naturally fit on the thing -- your palms grab the curvature, your index fingers rest on the shoulder b??uttons, your thumbs end up near the face buttons and thumbsticks.

Creators Alex and Eugene Nesmeev claim that the R-HANDLE will be the best controller of all time, beating out classics like the GameCube controller, the Xbox 360 controller, the Xbox One controller, and the DualShock 4. "Tests show that this prototype absolutely surpasses all known gamepads," this Doom video claims. I doubt this very much.

The duo make a good point -- thumbsticks are not as accurate as a mouse and keyboard -- but I doubt this abomination is the way to fix the problem. If you're only rea??lly holding the controller with your left hand, with your other hand grasping the massive side protrusion, wouldn't that create stability issues? There are an excessive number of buttons as well, some even crammed near the d-pad!

?Currently, there is no way to buy this or even donate to a Kickstarter. I hope the R-HANDLE gets funded so we can all learn a valuable lesson about solving problems that don't reall??y exist.

(PS: If your name starts with 'R', I'm going to start calling you R-??HANDLE.)

The post You could probably club somebody to death with this Russian gamep?ad appeared first on Destructoid.

Counters with Pokemon Go knockoff app

Playing Pokemon Go in Russia could land you in jail. The country is not taking well to Niantic and Nintendo's global hit. The Moscow City Hall is even trying to substitute Pokemon Go fever with its own knockoff app ??about "catching" historical figures around? Moscow (the only part of Russia it will work in), though you can't have Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great duke it out in virtual pitched battle.

"There is a feeling that the devil came through this mechanism and is?? simply trying to destroy us spiritually ?from within," Franz Klintsevich, a senior Russian security official, told the state news agency TASS.

So Russia's dipping its feet into the classic "Pokemon is satan" notes that our Moms Against Games hit 15 years ago, but there's also concern that the app is a Western "psychological operation" meant to infiltrat??e the minds of the youth that "could lead all the way to revolution."

"Imagine that the little beast in question doesn't appear in some park but at a secret site where a conscript or other soldier takes and photographs it with his camera," a retir??ed major general of the Federal Security Service Aleksander Mikhailov told state news agency RIA Novosti. "It's recruitment by one's own personal desire and without any coercion. This is the ideal way for secret services to gather information."

Denis Voronenkov, a leader of Russia's Communist party -- parl??iament's second-largest group -- fears players, "with this game installed on it could become unsuspecting accomplices in terrorist acts." Voronenkov also thinks the CIA created the app for "uninterrupted spying activities" in the country.

And, hey, the CIA has intentionally destabilized much less-threatening governments before. Like a ?shit ton of times. But I'm pretty sure this is purely a money-making opportunity for its capitalist creators and not some sort of CIA psyop. Pretty sure, at least.

Then again, maybe this is exactly why Russia allegedly just hacked the Democratic National Committee to install their Manchurian Candidate Donald Trump into the United States office of the presidency. But then why is Trump using Pokemon Go to make trendy political attack ads? Would a Trump presidency mean the end of Pokemon Go and its goal of furthering United States hegemony? Is playing Pokemon Go an act of patriotism of the highest order? How far does this thing GO, man!?

Russians fear Po??kemon Go a Western plo??t to destabilize nation from within [The Washington Times]

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Check your reference material

The official account of The Russian Embassy in London tweeted an ostensible news report about, "Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo." Aleppo is the largest city in Syria, a country wherein 11.5 percent of the entire population has been wounded or killed since 2011. The last reported death toll is 470,000; 400,000 have been killed in violence, while "70,000 [deaths] came as an indirect result of the war."

And so perhaps when tweeting about a region, the UK's Russian Embassy might want to consider not using screenshots from EA's Command & Conquer: Generals just because it is, no lie, the first Google image search result for "bomb truck." Unless the US and China are about to team up to nuke Syria, then the Generals screenshot would make more sense.

The Embassy went on to explai??n that the, "image [was] used for illustration purposes only," even though a real-life picture of a truck seems more illustrative than a top-down, 3D render of a truck.

Regardless, folks are having ?fun in the responses.

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