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It’s Friday! Or is it? Time is a social construct, so I could tell you it’s Wednesday today, and how could you prove me wrong? It’s Friday because it’s the fifth day this week, but when did this week start? Can’t prove that either, I’m afraid. Well, the calendar in the bottom right corner of the monitor says it’s Friday. Who told the computer that it’s Friday? Anyone could change that display in the settings. What I can say, for certain, is that events occurred and news transpired in this indefinable time period, and it’s been turned into bite-size chunks, here in the round-up…
Have you ever considered the money, politics, and tensions behind space food? Kimchi is South Korea’s national dish. If you’re not familiar, it’s a side dish of salted and fermented vegetables with a number of spices. In order to take kimchi into space, three top government research institutes spent millions of dollars to develop a version of kimchi that would not become dangerous when exposed to forms of radiation present in space, “would not put off non-Korean astronauts with its pungency,” and still tasted good. The fermentation was the toughest challenge, because the microbes that encourage fermentation could mutate upon exposure to cosmic rays and become pathogenic. That would be one way to iterate on the story of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Life as we know it gets taken out by an angry cabbage.
However, there are issues, even with millions of dollars spent on research produced by the brightest boffins on board. There was tension between the U.S. astronauts and the Russian astronauts, after the latter used the former’s toilets. When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But the diets of these two groups are very different, and the sewage system was specifically designed with that information in mind. As a result, the waste of the Russian astronauts ended up blocking the toilets (again and again), and the new toilets for the Russians cost $19 million to NASA.
Here’s the news.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has been listed for Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Switch port popped up on Amazon UK. In 2019, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that there were no intentions to bring back any other Zelda games. “Currently I don’t have plans,” he qualified. “But if there is a title that we can incorporate new elements or new features that is perhaps a perfect fit for a remake, then maybe we’ll consider it.”
In terms of releases, Nintendo has had a fairly quiet year this year, with the launches of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and Paper Mario: The Origami King raking in the cash. No other Nintendo titles are announced for the remainder of the year, so Skyward Sword sounds enticing. However, this listing from Amazon UK doesn’t actually confirm its existence, so we’ll update you as and when we know for certain.
Dataminers have discovered a list of possible playable characters, including Ant Man, Captain Marvel, Dr Strange, and their accompanying abilities in the PC beta code. Now, none of these characters have been officially announced by Crystal Dynamics or Eidos Montreal. As a result, we should see these as possibilities, as it is also possible that these characters were playable at an earlier stage in development, and this code is a relic of that stage.
There are also mentions of Ultron, Red Hulk, Monica, and others, though these don’t have attached character abilities like the aforementioned. We do know that Clint Barton and Spider-Man will be playable heroes post-launch, and the latter will be an exclusive addition for PlayStation players. The developers have also promised “even more PlayStation advantages,” so it’s not known if any of these newly found heroes are locked to platforms.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is a free online multiplayer mode launching later this year
The mode is touted to be “haunting and fantastical,” drawing from Japanese folk tales and mythology to create harrowing Story and wave-based Survival missions. Four players have access to four classes: Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, and Assassin. These have their own combat advantages and abilities, which will be explored by the developer in the future. Players will be able to play with friends or group up through online matchmaking. And lastly, there will be a “brutal” four-player Raid, which will roll out shortly after the launch of Legends later this year.
Deathloop delayed to 2021 to ensure a “true next-gen experience”
Arkane Lyon’s Deathloop, the time-travelling immersive first-person shooter, was delayed this week, because the studio wants to ensure a “true next-gen experience” upon launch. “Our ambition for Deathloop is to deliver a signature Arkane game that takes you to never-before-seen places in a stylish new world,” read the statement from the studio published to Twitter.
Instead, Deathloop will arrive for PC and PlayStation 5 in “Q2 2021.” Arkane affirmed that this is the appropriate course of action for the anticipated title, but stated that it is disheartened to share the news. “Your positive feedback has helped fuel us as we continue to work from the confines of our homes. We can’t wait to share more details about Deathloop with you, so keep your eyes open for our next update, coming soon,” the developer concluded.
Baldur’s Gate 3 enters early access with four-player co-op next month
At the “Panel From Hell,” senior writer Adam Smith, creative director Swen Vincke, Wizards of the Coast senior story designer Chris Perkins, and Geoff Keighley gave us the low down on Baldur’s Gate 3.
The most intriguing tidbit was that we’ll be able to give it a whirl when the early access period goes live on September 30. Four-player co-op is possible, and the level cap is limited to a healthy level 4. That’ll give you lots of wiggle room to explore what Baldur’s Gate 3 has to offer at this early moment in its sprawling story. Speaking of which, there are over 45,000 lines of dialogue in this part of the game, which is mega. Vinke stated that the early-access period will be available for a while, so that the team may gather feedback. He added that this “isn’t for people who want a finished, polished game,” but players will be a part of the journey Baldur’s Gate 3 takes.
Rocksteady Studios accused of apathy towards sexual harassment and slurs in the office
A letter, obtained by The Guardian and released this week, has accused Rocksteady Studios, the developer of the Batman: Arkham games, of failing to protect its employees from sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the office. The letter was signed by 10 of the company’s 16 female staff at the time, and criticised the acceptance of “slurs regarding the transgendered community,” “discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues”, and sexual harassment “in the form of unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman’s body, and inappropriate comments in the office.” As a result of this, one training seminar has been held to combat the unacceptable behaviour, and multiple employees are no longer with Rocksteady Studios due to its lack of action.
Brian Mitsoda, the lead writer on Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines, has been suddenly removed from the sequel’s creative team. “That this came as a shock to me is underselling it,” he said in a statement to Rock Paper Shotgun. “I've worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years. The story and main cast was initially conceived in my living room. I helped develop the pitch for Hardsuit Labs and helped pitch the project to Paradox in Las Vegas. I've been in charge of the narrative since the beginning, working long days and sometimes weekends to deliver a successor to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, and I've never been led to believe that I hadn't succeeded.”
In addition, Alexandre Mandryka will be replacing creative director Ka’ai Cluney. Mandryka has credits on the Far Cry, Warhammer 40K, and Assassin’s Creed franchises. Paradox Interactive, the parent company of Hardsuit Labs, issued its own statement on the situation. “We appreciate, and value, the contributions of Brian and Ka’ai, which were instrumental in establishing the game’s storyline and dark tone and have helped to ensure that we are making a true successor to the iconic Bloodlines,” said the company. “We wish them both the best in their future endeavors.”
Black Myth: Wu Kong is an awe-inspiring RPG inspired by a medieval Chinese novel
It’s a single-player title inspired by Journey To The West, a classic Chinese novel published in the 16th century. This novel draws from Chinese folk religion and mythology, Confucianist, Taoist and Buddhist philosophy; and the game will follow Sun Wukong, otherwise known as Monkey King. 72 abilities will be present in Black Myth: Wu Kong, just like the 72 methods of transformation that the character learns over the course of his story in the book.
There is a thirteen-minute demo video out there, from a pre-alpha build, which I strongly advise you to check out. The environments are moody and beautiful, and the character designs are exciting and unique. I especially liked it when Sun Wukong spun his staff to deflect those arrows. It’s a bit like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, mixed with Nioh, with a dash of the physicality of God of War.
