TL;DR: Give your doggo the love and care they deserve when you learn how to walk, train, and groom them properly with this $14.99 bundle!
We know you love your dog, but are you taking care of them the right way? — Read the rest
The post You're cleaning your pup's paws all wrong — fix it with this training! appeared first on Boing Boing.
TL;DR: Feeling inspired by the Paris Olympics to travel abroad? Learn up to 25 languages with Rosetta Stone, now $179.99 (reg. $399) for a limited time.
Seeing all the Olympic athletes compete this summer was inspiring (we're anxiously waiting to watch the Paralympics!), — Read the rest
The post Make precious travel memories by learning the local language with Rosetta Stone! appeared first on Boing Boing.
Wildlife photographer Carl Bovis has an incredible talent for capturing stunning images of birds. But while he was wandering with his camera near his Bridgwater, Somerset home, he had a rather strange sighting on the road.
"Being unable to investigate what it was due to it being on private land and the setting sun being in his eyes, the 53-year-old says he spent a couple of minutes watching it to see if it would move before taking a single photo of it and heading home," reports BristoLive. — Read the rest
The post Wildlife photographer snaps image of mysterious hairy beast that turned out to be something even odder appeared first on Boing Boing.
Who could have predicted that the last few years would see such a vast increase in social media spam? Certainly not professional tarot card readers, whose identities have become ripe opportunities for online scammers looking to exploit gullible consumers. This has been a worsening issue in the spiritual advisor industry since at least 2021. — Read the rest
The post How psychics and tarot readers use software to fight online scams appeared first on Boing Boing.
If your response to boredom is to whip out your phone and scroll endlessly through TikTok, you might be doing it wrong. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, this kind of "digital switching" intensifies boredom rather than relieving it. — Read the rest
The post TikTok is making you bored appeared first on Boing Boing.
Atari has updated the 7800 with an HDMI port and wireless controllers and announced ten new games.
If you want wireless controllers or prefer the 7800 form factor, this is the retro Atari cartridge-playing console. The 7800 has always been backward compatible with the VCS/2600/Telegames cartridges, but the 7800 versions are always better. — Read the rest
The post The Atari 7800+ is a trip down the retro rabbit hole appeared first on Boing Boing.
Check out the amazingly talented dancers of ILL-ABILITIES. On their website, ILL-ABILITIES states that they are:
an International Breakdance Crew comprised of eight members from around the world: Luca "Lazylegz" Patuelli (Canada); Jacob "Kujo" Lyons (USA); Sergio "Checho" Carvajal (Chile); Redouan "Redo" Ait Chitt (The Netherlands); Jung Soo "Krops" Lee (South Korea); Samuel Henrique "Samuka" da Silveira Lima (Brazil) ; Lucas "Perninha" Machado (Brazil); "Junior" Bosila Banya (France).
The post ILL-ABILITIES showcases amazing differently-abled breakdancers appeared first on Boing Boing.
There is a disturbance in the force, and his name is Nubs.
Disney has a fairly sweeping Star Wars High Republic story going. Everything from live-action to books, video games, audio dramas, comics, cartoons, and tie-in merchandise abound. With the cancellation of The Acolyte, however, if you want to watch High Republic Jedi do their thing, Nubs is your guy. — Read the rest
The post Star Wars: The Acolyte's cancellation leaves High Republic fans with Nubs appeared first on Boing Boing.
What's cuter than a capybara? A baby capybara, of course. And what's even cuter than a baby capybara? THREE baby capybaras!
This video of the Capybara triplets recently born at the Sydney Zoo to Capybara parents Zoey and Sanchez is unbearably cute. — Read the rest
The post These new baby capybara triplets are adorable! appeared first on Boing Boing.
Lover of Men is an upcoming documentary film directed by Shaun Peterson and written by Grace Leeson which explores the age-old question: was Abe Lincoln gay? Specifically, the movie examines Lincoln's relationship with four different men, with whom Lincoln shared clothes, sleeping arrangements, and deep emotional connections:
The post Documentary highlights the men that Abraham Lincoln slept with appeared first on Boing Boing.
Nikki Haley caved, endorsed adjudicated rapist Donald Trump, and hit her former followers with a cease-and-desist order for supporting President Harris, but it hasn't shut them up.
A couple of weeks ago, we shared the story of Haley Voters for Harris getting CND'd by their former candidate. — Read the rest
The post 'Haley Voters for Harris' speaking out appeared first on Boing Boing.
This 1953 U.S. Navy training film discusses the mechanisms used by the fire control computers. Yes, mechanical computers calculating fire control for big-ass guns—though 70 years ago, men were still needed to move the dials. [via Hacker News]
The ship's location, direction, speed, and the enemy ship's location, direction, and speed—in a matter of seconds so that the ship's guns may fire accurately and effectively.
The post 1953 U.S. Navy training film about fire control computers appeared first on Boing Boing.
Friday Night Videos was a weekly dose of music videos for those without cable and, therefore, no MTV. I hadn't thought about it in years until this episode from 1984, complete with commercials, popped up on YouTube. It is pure 80s nostalgia with Tracey Ullman, who I honestly forgot had a music career, Rockwell, whose Somebody's Watching Me video still creeps me out, a "brand new video by John Cougar Mellencamp," and a talking head of Freddie Mercury smoking like a chimney in an intro to the Radio Gaga video. — Read the rest
The post Friday Night Videos is a blast from the past appeared first on Boing Boing.
TL;DR: Want to spin records at your next hangout? You can play records from your shelf or playlists from your phone with the Gemini TT-1200 Turntable, now $159.99 (nearly 20% off)!
Who doesn't want to pretend you're the hottest DJ? — Read the rest
The post You'll feel like a real DJ when you spin records or stream your playlists with this turntable! appeared first on Boing Boing.
Here's a great resource to learn how Project 2025 will affect you or those you love and care about on specific issues such as health care, food assistance, education, etc. The site is called "25 and Me" and is a collaboration between Rajat Paharia and Google Gemini. — Read the rest
The post "25 and Me" is your guide to the horrors of Project 2025 appeared first on Boing Boing.
Calculating Empires is a "a genealogy of technology and power since 1500" — a beautiful and interactive monochrome chart you can zoom in and out of to trace the connections between all such things in the modern age. I immediately crash zoomed in and found myself face-to-face with a Debord quote: "In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. — Read the rest
The post Calculating Empires: an huge online chart of tech history appeared first on Boing Boing.
Here's the fact check of the century, courtesy of The Washington Post's Amy Gardner: '"Donald Trump says he will refuse to accept the election result if he loses again," Biden said. But that's not true. Trump just hasn't said that he would accept. — Read the rest
The post Trump not technically saying he'll refuse to accept election results—he just won't accept them and has explained why appeared first on Boing Boing.
Last fall, amidst the ongoing national Adderall shortage, I decided it was time to start playing video games every day. That's because I learned about a new game called EndeavorOTC, which was in the process of gaining FDA clearance as a potential alternative treatment for ADHD. — Read the rest
The post A video game just got FDA clearance as an ADHD treatment appeared first on Boing Boing.
In Decatur, Georgia, a momument to the Confederacy stood for 100 years before being removed in 2021. Yesterday it was replaced by a 12 foot statue of John Lewis, the civil rights leader and U.S. Representative who died that year. — Read the rest
The post Statue of civil rights leader John Lewis replaces 100-year-old slaver monument appeared first on Boing Boing.
TL;DR: Evade password hackers by storing your passwords on Thetis, a physical password key that ensures only you can access your info. A three-pack is now on sale for less than $65!
Still storing your passwords on your iCloud key? — Read the rest
The post Beat the hackers by storing your passwords on this physical security key! appeared first on Boing Boing.
TL;DR: Want the Samsung 'Frame TV' experience for less? This phone and TV app can turn any smart TV into a digital picture frame for less than $100!
It seems like everyone and their mother is obsessed with the Samsung 'Frame TV,' and it makes sense why. — Read the rest
The post The 'Frame TV' experience can be yours for less than $100 appeared first on Boing Boing.
In the wake of the recent unionization efforts, such as the Writer's Guild strike, the Animation Guild is also pushing for more power in the industry.
Production houses such as Dreamworks and Pixar—once celebrated for their revolutionary in-house work and style—have increasingly outsourced their once-award-winning animation labor. — Read the rest
The post Inside the struggle to unionize the animation industry appeared first on Boing Boing.
Stan Lee was a beloved American icon—but he also may have been more exploitative and more exploited than most people realize. In recent years, Josie Riesman's fantastic book True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee and Tom Scioli's comic book-styled biography I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee have both explored the nuances and complexities around the man's self-styled myth-making. — Read the rest
The post Making sense of Stan Lee's many financial messes appeared first on Boing Boing.
Fox News today reported "Harris Topping Trump" in a renewed sign that one person at the cable broadcaster is fully cognizant of the term's many shades of meaning and is involved in graphic design there.
The numbers beneath the headline—49% to 45%, quoting an Ipsos poll—do suggest intrusive thoughts ahoy for the former president of the United States of America. — Read the rest
The post Fox News reports "Harris Topping Trump" appeared first on Boing Boing.
Two months into what was scheduled to be an eight-day mission, we learn that spacesuit compatibility problems are also keeping NASA's astronauts stuck in space.
I missed something in the recent discussion about the possibility of Starliner's stranded crew returning to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon. — Read the rest
The post Starliner spacesuits not compatible with SpaceX Dragon appeared first on Boing Boing.
Rather than apologize or praise recipients of the nation's highest Military honor, Donald Trump explained how being good at sports is cooler than winning an MOH.
One of the most shocking things about Donald Trump has been the support he received from our armed services and veterans. — Read the rest
The post Trump makes worse comments about Medal of Honor recipients appeared first on Boing Boing.
Catherine June Lee, 58, of Tasmania, was in court today after being busted in 2022 for having sex with a live brown trout. According to police, June and one Ashley David Hallam, 55, allegedly filmed the act on a boat.
Le requested an adjournment without plea until October, which the court granted. — Read the rest
The post Woman in court for sex with trout appeared first on Boing Boing.
Phil Donahue, the presenter, writer, producer and and host of The Phil Donahue Show, is dead at 88. The longtime TV presence was famed for many achievements off and on-screen.
Donahue became a household name in the daytime talk show space in November 1967 when The Phil Donahue Show premiered on a local news network in Dayton, Ohio.
The post Famed TV host Phil Donahue dead at 88 appeared first on Boing Boing.
Wandering through a forest at night, you might be treated to a strange symphony of creepy cracking sounds. In some cases, the source of the sounds are the trees. Temperature changes, especially between day and night, can cause the wood in trees to expand or contract. — Read the rest
The post Mysterious and spooky sounds of the forest may be coming from the sky not the trees appeared first on Boing Boing.
Of all the memes inspired by Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, the B-girl from Australia who scored zero points in breakdancing at the Paris Olympics, my favorite spoof is this one shared by the Sydney Zoo, titled "Everyone is doing the Raygun!" The video features adorable otters showing off their Raygun-like moves, such as wriggling in the grass and squirming on the rocks. — Read the rest
The post Australian otter's tribute to Rachael "Raygun" Gunn appeared first on Boing Boing.
Launching a new console is neither easy nor cheap, and in order to remain relevant in the “console wars” a continuing price has to be paid… a price that Microsoft learned the hard way. But while hardware developers like Sega and Google were unwilling to pay the ongoing price and watched their dreams crumble as a result, Xbox doubled-down and continued to invest deeply in their commitment to the home console market every year… because while each iteration of their hardware has sold at a net loss, the only path to the treasure they are seeking is to see the road through to the end.
The act of “taking up our cross” involves more than a one-time event of accepting Christ and His grace… it is an ongoing, self-sacrificial journey that will continue for the rest of our lives. Each step we take as we carry our cross will compel us to shed the layers of selfishness that once defined us, and it is a process that is guaranteed to be uncomfortable… crosses are costly, not cozy. But it is in our choice to carry a cross that we’d rather not carry that shows we’re actually following in His footsteps… and that is where the true treasure is finally found.
Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27-30, 33
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:41-42
Podívejte se například na Star Wars Outlaws, připravovanou hru od Massive Entertainment a publikovanou Ubisoftem. Hra ještě ani nevyšla a už mají naplánovanou road mapu plnou mikrotransakcí.
Nicméně 90 % vývojářů, kteří se zúčastnili průzkumu na Devcom 2024, uvedlo, že prémiové hry nepotřebují mikrotransakce. Zatímco široké publikum to již ví, herní společnosti je stále začleňují do prémiových her.
89 % vývojářů dotázaných na Devcom 2024 uvedlo, že věří, že prémiové hry mohou být „finančně úspěšné jen tím, že jsou Buy-to-Play“. Zdá se, že prémiové hry vydané bez mikrotransakcí jsou každým dnem vzácnější.
Pokud jde o obchodní modely, 65 % lidí věří v obchodní model prémiové hry pro fyzické a digitální hry. Kromě toho 81 % účastníků průzkumu věří, že pro úspěšnost prémiové hry je nezbytná hra na různých platformách. Překvapivě jeden člověk věřil, že free-to-play s reklamami je nejlepší obchodní model v oblasti hraní. I když to může platit pro mobilní hraní, bylo by těžké si představit, že hry jako Elden Ring nebo Call of Duty by se daly hrát zdarma s reklamami. Dokonce i v mobilních hrách spousta lidí odmítá hrát hry, pokud jsou tam reklamy, nebo utratí malé množství peněz za odstranění reklam.
Když se podíváme na další poznatky z průzkumu Devcom, 31 % preferuje při své práci minimální využití AI, přičemž 21 % chce využít AI pro kód a produkci, aby byla vývojová práce jednodušší. 18 % by chtělo používat AI pro marketing a komunikaci. Vzhledem k tomu, jak rychle se AI rozšiřuje a vyvíjí, bude zajímavé vidět výsledky používání AI v příštím roce.
Pokud jde o výzvy, kterým herní průmysl čelí, 55 % se domnívá, že největším problémem je nasycení trhu, přičemž 46 % uvedlo, že největším problémem jsou náklady na vývoj. Oba jsou významnými problémy v herním průmyslu, přičemž žánry jsou s každou novou hrou nasycenější. Například žánr Soulslike explodoval a v porovnání s minulým rokem je v tomto žánru na výběr více her než kdy jindy.
A konečně, když byl dotázán na propouštění v herním průmyslu, 57 % řečníků očekávalo, že propouštění bude v příštích 12 měsících pokračovat stejným tempem nebo rychleji, přičemž 43 % věří, že se propouštění sníží a v odvětví se otevře více pracovních míst. pro lidi.
Herní průmysl se rychle mění a vyvíjí – ne nutně k dobrému. Bude však zajímavé porovnat výsledky tohoto průzkumu Devcom 2024 s výsledky z příštího roku.
Článek Téměř 90 % dotázaných vývojářů tvrdí, že prémiové hry nepotřebují mikrotransakce se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment a Hi-Fi Rush vyšly na začátku tohoto roku za hranicemi Xboxu, a to buď na PlayStation, nebo na PlayStation a Switch. Nyní se zdá, že k podobným multiplatformním vydáním míří další tituly od Microsoftu. Nedávné úniky naznačily, že v nejbližší době bude pro PlayStation oznámen významný titul první strany Xboxu, a další únik nyní tvrdí, že se chystá i několik dalších multiplatformních oznámení her první strany pro Xbox.
Známý leaker Xboxu eXtas1s nedávno na Twitteru prohlásil, že v blízké budoucnosti budou pro PlayStation vydány další čtyři hry první strany pro Xbox, ale neuvedl podrobnosti týkající se načasování ani toho, o jaké hry by mohlo jít.
Jez Corden ze serveru Windows Central naznačil, že titul, který má být v nejbližší době oznámen pro PlayStation, by mohl být Indian Jones and the Great Circle (a nikoli Forza Horizon 5, jak naznačovaly některé úniky), ačkoli v tomto směru zatím není příliš jasno.
Každopádně to vypadá, že zavádění multiplatformních titulů ze strany Microsoftu bude mít jen větší dynamiku, což je přesně to, co společnost v posledních měsících několikrát naznačila.
Al final si sería una tanda anunciada o será solo 1?
— LeonCabreado ✖️⬛🔴🔺💙💚❤ (@LeonPlay26) August 17, 2024
Článek Další čtyři hry pro Xbox se chystají na PlayStation se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Od svého oznámení před téměř třemi lety byla hra Star Wars Eclipse téměř úplně ztracena a zprávy o jejím vývoji v zákulisí (mírně řečeno) vykreslovaly obraz problematického vývojového cyklu, což přilákalo spoustu skeptiků. Nyní došlo k dalšímu souvisejícímu vývoji, a nemusí to být nutně ten, který by příliš mnoho lidí postavil na nohy.
Hlavní scénárista hry Star Wars Eclipse Adam Williams opouští společnost Quantic Dream. Williams to oznámil na své stránce na LinkedIn, kde také potvrdil, že zakládá zcela nové studio „se skupinou velmi talentovaných designérů a vývojářů“, o kterém se „brzy“ dozvíme více.
„Po téměř deseti letech ve společnosti Quantic Dream odcházím, abych založil nové studio – společně se skupinou velmi talentovaných designérů a vývojářů,“ napsal Williams. „Zatím toho nemůžeme říct příliš mnoho. Pracujeme na něčem velmi inovativním, velmi speciálním a prozatím velmi tajném. Brzy se o tom dozvíte více.
„Už jsem byl v kontaktu s mnoha lidmi z Quantic Dream a Lucasfilmu, abych vám poděkoval za vše, co se týkalo Detroitu a Eclipse. Bylo to skvělé dobrodružství.
„Velké poděkování patří celému týmu za to, že s námi podnikl tento krok, a investorům za to, že jsou ideálními partnery v dalším dobrodružství. I o něm se brzy dozvíte více.“
Williams působil ve společnosti Quantic Dream téměř deset let. Nastoupil v roce 2015 a pracoval jako hlavní scénárista na Detroitu: Become Human, což je stejná role, jakou zastával u Star Wars Eclipse.
Williamsův odchod nemusí nutně prozradit, jak vývoj hry pokračuje – lidé mění práci neustále, zejména v herním průmyslu – ale pokud lze věřit minulým zprávám, hra nebyla v nejlepší kondici.
Krátce po oznámení v prosinci 2021 se objevily informace, že hra je ve vývoji už zhruba rok a půl, ale stále není v hratelném stavu. Pozdější zprávy tvrdily, že by mohla vyjít až v roce 2027 nebo 2028. Loni v září poskytla Lisa Pendseová, viceprezidentka pro marketing společnosti Quantic Dream, krátkou informaci o projektu a uvedla, že sice není připraven k předvedení, ale v zákulisí „vře“.
Článek Hlavní scénárista Star Wars Eclipse opouští Quantic Dream se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Ostatně OpenAI uzavřelo své poslední kolo financování v únoru 2024, které ocenilo neziskovou organizaci na 80 miliard dolarů. Dnes akcie Intelu uzavřely s tržní kapitalizací 81,19 miliardy dolarů, což se zhruba rovná ocenění startupu zaměřeného na umělou inteligenci.
It’s wild that Intel’s valuation is similar to that of OpenAI.
— The AI Investor (@The_AI_Investor) August 8, 2024
Intel utrpěl na akciovém trhu zuřivý výprask, když vykázal ve srovnání s konsensuálními očekáváními pro druhé čtvrtletí roku 2024 značně negativní výsledky. Výrobce čipů nejenže nesplnil konsensuální očekávání analytiků ohledně svého top- řádkové a spodní metriky, ale také selhaly v klíčovém segmentu DCAI, což naznačuje, že se ještě musí skutečně propojit se širokým zadním větrem zaměřeným na umělou inteligenci.
Je kritické, že Intel výrazně minul svůj vlastní návod na hrubou marži v právě skončeném čtvrtletí a navedl jej na další sekvenční oslabení.
Aby ušetřil hotovost, výrobce čipů nyní snížil dividendu a formalizoval další plán hromadného propouštění ve výši 15 000 zaměstnanců, neboli 13,6 procenta jeho současné pracovní síly přibližně 110 000, čímž se přidal k pětiprocentnímu propouštění, které společnost zavedla teprve minulý rok.
Jako by věci nebyly dost špatné, procesory Intel 13. a 14. generace nadále trpí problémy s oxidací vyvolanými nadměrným napětím. Společnost plánuje vydat aktualizaci, která zabrání další degradaci dosud neovlivněných CPU. Prodloužila také standardní záruku na nezabalené procesory 13. a 14. generace ze 3 let na 5 let.
TSMC alone cannot handle the production volume. $NVDA
—
According to Taiwanese media, Nvidia and other major U.S. tech companies are considering outsourcing packaging solutions to Intel.Currently, TSMC virtually monopolizes the production of Nvidia products, which dominate… https://t.co/WqsbkQsVSZ
— The AI Investor (@The_AI_Investor) August 8, 2024
Uprostřed všech těchto nepříznivých událostí se zdá, že NVIDIA přišla na záchranu Intelu. NVIDIA by mohla využít IFS Intelu, aby splnila potřeby balení H100, které TSMC nemůže splnit. Nyní tchajwanská média zdvojnásobují zprávy, že velké americké technologické společnosti by mohly outsourcovat řešení CoWoS-S společnosti Intel.
Jak se z toho nakonec Intel vyhrabe se teprve uvidí, ale je jisté, že podnikne veškeré kroky k tomu, aby se společnost vrátila zpět na výsluní.
Článek Intel nyní stojí jen tolik jako OpenAI se nejdříve objevil na MOBILE PRESS.
Článek Intel nyní stojí jen tolik jako OpenAI se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Společnost Warner Bros. Discover je stále v těžké situaci, a protože její vedení zvažuje rozdělení společnosti a potýká se s nedávným prudkým poklesem cen akcií, chce se údajně rozloučit alespoň s částí společnosti WB Games.
Deník Financial Times uvedl, že ve snaze vyrovnat část těchto ztrát společnost zvažuje prodej některých svých menších aktiv, včetně podílu v oblasti videoher.
Společnost WB Games vlastní řadu interních herních vývojářských studií, která pracují na významných duševních vlastnictvích, jako je například studio Avalanche Software, které vyvíjí hru Hogwarts Legacy, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor a Wonder Woman vývojářské studio Monolith Productions, Batman: Arkham a Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League od Rocksteady Studios, Mortal Kombat a Injustice od NetherRealm Studios a další.
Jak celá situace kolem WB Games dopadne, se teprve uvidí, každopádně celou situaci pro vás budeme i nadále sledovat.
Článek Společnost Warner Bros. údajně zvažuje prodej podílu ve WB Games se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Nintendo.co.uk microsite – Wikipedia page
Next year, I’ll be blogging for 15 years. I have taken a look at quite a lot of games. Now, if you go back to the start of this blog, you might notice that I only started in May 2013. The three years before that, I wrote a personal life blog in my native language. I have since deleted that for personal reasons and started blogging in English in 2013. On my Dutch blog, I wrote an article about Another Code – Two Memories, but I haven’t written one for my English blog. Yet, I have mentioned it in 2014 in a top 25 list of my favorite DS games of all time. I have written an article on the Wii sequel called Another Code: R – A Journey Into Lost Memories in 2013. While my old articles aren’t up to my personal standards anymore, I still leave them up to see the growth I have gone through over the years. Now, these two titles became classics in my eyes. When Cing went under, I didn’t hold up hope of these games ever seeing a sequel or a remake. But, we got a big surprise this year. Suddenly, both games were coming to the Nintendo Switch and not only that, they were remade from the ground up. Did these two games grow like I did in my writing, or is it something that should be better left to the past? Well, that’s what I’m going to discover with you in this article. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section with your thoughts and/or opinions on the game and/or the content of the article, but now, let’s dive right in.
Editorial note: shameless self-promotion: if you want to see me and my buddy Klamath playing through this title… We started streaming it. So, more opinions can be found in the streams. Here is a link to the playlist.
The Remembering Of A Remake
In this game, we follow the adventures of Ashley Mizuki Robins. In the first part of the game, Ashley got a letter from her presumed dead father to come to Blood Edward island to meet him on the day right before her 14th birthday. On that journey, she meets a ghost named D, who has lost his memories.
In the second part of the game, we fast-forward two years. Ashley takes a camping trip to a lake. When she arrives at lake Juliet, she gets flashbacks from when she was very little. Not only that, she meets a young boy whose father wanted to build a holiday resort at that lake but was blamed for the pollution of the lake.
Since this game is a point-and-click game and is quite story depended, I’m not going to talk more about the story than the two small blurbs above. In terms of the story, this game tells a very heartfelt story with very nice life lessons. The writing in this game is extremely well done. The build up towards the ending of the story is very natural and stays true to the themes of the game. The biggest theme in this game is memories and history. Overall, this game is quite relaxing, and the story is never really in a rush to move forward.
New in this version is that there is voice acting. While not the whole game is voice acted, most of it is and the non voice acted scenes have little grunts and vocalizations to indicate the emotions of what’s being told. I have to say that the voice acting in this game is fantastic. I wish the voice actors of this game had more of an online presence, since I had a hard time finding other works by these voice actors. The fact that these voice actors didn’t really promote that they worked on this game on their socials is a shame.
The voice acting in this game brings so much charm to the game. For this article, I replayed parts of the original DS and Wii game and I kept hearing those characters talk in the voice of the remakes. They fit the characters like a glove, which is a hard thing to do since when you have voiceless characters… Everybody has their voice in their head, and that doesn’t always match up with the official voice acting.
Now, in terms of differences between the original games and this remake… There are quite a lot of things. On the Cing wiki, there is a long list of changes. But I would highly advise you don’t read that before you finished the game. Since, it contains a lot of spoilers. I can say this without spoiling anything. The list of changes on the game article page has no real spoilers. If you haven’t played the originals, you won’t really notice a lot of the changes. Especially because most of the changes are done to improve the flow of the game and the story. Other changes have been done because some puzzles used the special features of the Nintendo DS or the Nintendo Wii in unique ways.
Arc System Works worked together with several members of the original development team, and I have to say that it really feels like this is the definitive way to experience these stories. Both stories now flow into each other, and it feels more like one big story. If you didn’t know better, you could think it’s just one huge game with those major chapters. They have done an amazing job of translating the story into a modern area without destroying the original messages and atmosphere of the story.
Fuzzy memories make imperfections
In terms of visuals, this game goes for a cel shaded look. This makes the remake of the original DS game look more in line with the Wii title. In the original DS game, the game was played as a top-down puzzle game, with some moments you could see a 2D scene that you could explore.
Visually, this game is quite detailed and looks amazing. Yet, I have noticed some rough models here and there. A book here, a window there. Some of them really stick out like a sore thumb. Now, I might be very critical on these things since I review games as a hobby. But let me tell you this as well. Overall, this game looks amazing. Timeless even. There are only a handful of objects that could use some touching up.
I have the same opinion on the animations. Overall, the animations are fantastic. Seeing the first game in 3D was breathtaking. It brought the game to life in such a different way, and I’m all for it. There were a few stiff animations, but if you aren’t looking for them, I can guarantee you that you won’t notice most of them. I especially love the comic book style cutscenes where the characters speaking go inside their own square next to each other. The animations in these cutscenes add some charm to this game, it makes the more relaxing nature of this game shine even brighter.
The controls of this game are excellent. Sometimes the motion control puzzles are a little bit wonky, but overall they work perfectly. The only thing I really don’t like is how, by the press of a button, you can see the orientation of Ashley. Now, what do I dislike about this? Well, it has a sort of build in walkthrough attached to it. This is something that’s too easily accessible, and I have pressed the button too many times.
Something I’m mixed about is how the additional lore spots are now somewhat easier to find. In the original DS game, you could find special cartridges with additional story lore on them. In this game, the hiding spot is located on your map. So, if you have missed one, you can quickly see on your map in which room you need to look. Now, some of them are hidden in very tricky places. During the stream, I have seen Klamath walk past two of them several times. If you want all the additional lore, you will have to keep your eyes peeled.
If you have played any point-and-click adventure game, you’ll know what to expect here. Personally, I compare this game quite a lot to Broken Sword 3, but without the platforming. You can explore the environment, and you have to solve various puzzles. Something unique is that you can also take pictures. And let me tell you, keep every mechanic the game teaches you in mind. The fact you can take pictures is something that is going to be quite helpful during the solving of the puzzles.
The only complaint I have is that solving some puzzles have a bit too much menu work involved. I especially remember one puzzle in the first part of the game where you have to weigh coins. Instead of them being all five on the table, you have to take them from your inventory each and every time. And the annoying part is that the last two you used, move to the last spot in your inventory. There are a handful of puzzles where some quality of life improvements would be very welcome.
Relaxing with puzzles
There are some amazing new features in this game as well. One of my favorite things is that you can access a big board where all the relationships between the characters are mapped out. Not only that, when you open the profile, you can read a small note about them. If you click on Ashley’s profile, you will read a small hint on what to do next. So, if you put this game down for a while, you can catch yourself up quite quickly.
Also, something I adore is the attention to detail in this game. For example, in one of the puzzles, Ashley digs into a building blocks box. After she found what she was looking for, you will notice a small building she built next to the box with the blocks she took out. There are various other moments like this, and it adds to the charm and realism of this game quite a lot.
The more relaxing nature of this game not only comes through the visuals and gameplay, but also through the music. The music in this game is a rather calming and relaxing soundtrack. The main motive is piano through the whole soundtrack. Other major instruments are violin and acoustic guitar. The soundtracks fit this game like a glove. Now, it is tense when it needs to be, but it never steps out of its lane. It keeps being that relaxing soundtracks that brings this game more to life, and I have no complaints about it.
The biggest strength of this game is the charm of it all. The writing, the music, the sound effects, the puzzles… It all flows together so well. While the game is only roughly 15 hours long, if you know what you are doing, it’s a very enjoyable time to play through. In this remake, the game also auto saves now but outside of cutscenes, you can save at any time in 15 different save slots.
Currently, I’m over midway in the second part of the game and I have been enjoying it quite a lot. While the game has it’s minor shortcomings like some rough object models and some annoying menu’ing during puzzles… I’m falling in love with these titles all over again. If you would ask me if the remakes or the originals are better, I’d have to say both. Both versions still have their charm but if you want to experience both these titles, I’d really advice to go for the Switch version. Since, it brings both titles together in a lot better way.
I mostly have minor complaints about these remakes. Like how silly it is that you can only have ten pictures saved and deleting them is a bit too fincky. But overall, the issues I have with this game are mostly minor. Maybe a bit more time in the oven or a polishing patch will bring this game to perfection.
A lot of other reviewers are giving this game lower marks since it’s slower paced or it’s a remake of a rather obscure duology. I personally disagree with these lower scores. These two games deserve another chance in the lime light since they are quite amazing games. I personally don’t mind the slower paced gameplay, since it’s refreshing to be able to wind down with a slower game. On top of that, if you look at the care the developers put into remaking this game and bringing it to modern audiences while not chaging too much to alienate fans of the original is such a fine line to walk on… And they never fell off that line in my opinion.
I can totally understand that this game isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But, the complaints that this game is linear and doesn’t have a lot of replay value, I find ridiculous. I mean, does every game need to have a lot of replay value and let you explore a wide open world? No, it’s okay to play a game where you need to go from point A to B. It’s okay that the story looses some of it’s charm because you know how it’s going to end. It’s how that experience impacts you, that’s what matters.
The reason why I’m so happy to see remakes of these DS and Wii titles is because we now have remakes of amazing titles like this one and Ghost Trick for example. Now, because these two games have been remade, I’m holding out hope that Cing’s other titles like the amazing Hotel Dusk and it’s sequels are being remade as well. And if they are, I hope the same team is working on them since the love and care they placed into remaking these two titles is amazing.
I remember Klamath’s reaction when I suggested this game for streaming. He was worried that it was going to have low numbers and not a lot of interest. But, after our first stream, he started calling this game a hidden gem. I mean, if this game can have that kind of an impact on somebody who loves point-and-click games and the fact that we had a very high number of viewers watching our streams, it must mean something.
This game has a lot of impact and I hope that others who enjoy puzzle, adventure and/or point-and-click games give this game a chance. It’s something different especially since it’s slower paced but if you let it take you by the hand and if you walk along the journey, you won’t regret the powerful journey you are going on. It’s a journey that will stick with you and sometimes a memory will pop back into your head. You’ll remember the fun and relaxing times you had with this game. While the game isn’t perfect, the positives far outweigh the negatives and it’s one of those games where going along with the ride is the most important. Since, the ride of this game is one of the best point-and-click games I have ever played.
And with that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I want to thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m curious to hear what you thought about this game and/or the content of this article. So, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below. I also hope to welcome you in another article, but until then have a great rest of your day and take care.
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