Tag: GLHF

NBA 2K22 player ratings: How do the league’s biggest stars rank now?

New season, new game… LeBron and Steph still top?

Basketball, they say, is a strong link sport. Soccer, by contrast, is a weak link sport. In other words, results are often determined by momentary lapses and defensive breakdowns, so great teams with no weak links tend to win, rather than individual superstars accompanied by ten journeymen. 

Cut to LeBron picking up rings for Miami, Cleveland, and the Lakers by sheer force of will. The superstars aren’t just the most exciting part of the sport; they are the strong links who decide the outcomes. They are the NBA. No shade intended, Jordan Clarkson. 

Getting their stats right in NBA 2K matters, then. *Puts on best Al Pacino voice* Waddya got, 2K22?

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Laurence Fishburne might not be in ‘Matrix Resurrections’ because Morpheus died in a video game

This gets weird real fast.

Ever heard of a video game called The Matrix Online? You probably haven’t, since it was an MMORPG based on The Matrix that shut down over a decade ago. The thing is, this long-forgotten game might be the reason why Laurence Fishburne didn’t appear in the new Matrix Resurrections trailer.

“I am not in the next Matrix movie,” Fishburne said via Collider. “You would have to ask Lana Wachowski why because I don’t have an answer for that.” 

Well, the reason for Fishburne’s absence might be due to Morpheus, his character from the series, getting killed off in The Matrix Online. Yes, a video game that you can’t even play anymore might be why Fishburne isn’t reprising what is arguably his most iconic role. 

Check out the scene in question from The Matrix Online where Morpheus gets killed for yourself below.

Taking place after the original film trilogy, The Matrix Online was to be a continuation of the series various storylines. It’s supposedly to be canon, according to none other than the Wachowskis themselves.

 “Our films were never intended for a passive audience,” the Wachowskis said via IGN back in 2005. “Yet the fact that the Matrix films are three of the most successful adult films in history suggests that there are other people like us. Those are the people, the people who thought about it, who worked at it, who we ultimately made the trilogy for, and it now makes perfect sense to us that they should inherit the storyline.”

They continued: “For us, the idea of watching our baby evolve inside the virtual bubble-world of this new radically developing medium, which has in our opinion the potential of combining the best attributes of films and games, of synthesizing reality TV with soap opera, RPGs and Mortal Combat, is fantastically exciting.”

So there you have it: The Matrix Online might be why Morpheus, and by extension Laurence Fishburne, isn’t in The Matrix Resurrections. 

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The 10 most hype trailers and reveals from Sony’s PlayStation Showcase

Would you rather thwip across New York or clash swords with Norse gods?

Excitement going into Sony’s PlayStation Showcase was damn near palpable, and somehow, the show managed to meet expectations. For the most part, anyway. 

Sure, it would have been nice to catch a teaser for Final Fantasy XVI, but it’s hard to complain when the likes of God of War: Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had magnificent showings. There were plenty of great surprises too. Like, who could have predicted a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was going to debut at this show? Or better yet, Kid A Mnesia Exhibition, which is being co-developed by Epic Games and fricking Radiohead!? Yes, as in the band! 

Considering the embarrassment of riches that was this show, FTW’s Mary Clarke and GLHF’s Kyle Campbell decided to list the wildest and straight-up best trailers from the PlayStation Showcase.

Batman gets into esports as DC partners with FaZe Clan for new comic book

Who knew the Caped Crusader’s ELO was so high?

Holy colorful computer chairs, Batman! DC Comics is collaborating with FaZe Clan on a limited edition comic book where several content creators will transform into superheroes. 

The first issue of this collaboration features Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Batwoman teaming up with FaZe Clan to fight The Joker, Mr. Freeze, and The Riddler. At least, that’s what we can glean from the cover art, anyway.

“DC is excited to partner with FaZe Clan to share this custom Batman story with their amazing gaming fans,” Daniel Cherry III, general manager at DC Comics, said via Esports Insider. “This partnership is a great opportunity to invite even more fans into the iconic DC universe.” 

Check out the teaser for this collaboration for yourself below.

“The limited-edition comic will feature popular FaZe Clan members like Banks, Apex, Temperrr, Rain, Adapt, Rug and Blaze in Super Hero form,” DC Comics said on its official blog. “And this is just the beginning. There’s even more FaZe Clan and Batman coming in Batman Month that fans won’t want to miss, including limited-edition Batman and FaZe Clan merchandise like esports jerseys, tees, hoodies and more.”

The comic will be out on Sept. 24 for those that dig these sorts of crossovers. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Justin Wong proves he’s still the ‘Marvel vs. Capcom’ king by winning a $10k match

If you come at the king, you best not miss.

They say if you come at the king, you best not miss — which is precisely what Butra “Roundhouse” Soinak learned while facing off against Justin “Jwong” Wong  in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Soinak challenged Wong, the nine-time Evolution Champion, to what’s referred to as a “money match” where $10,000 was on the line. Both players put $5,000 of their own money on the line, and whoever got to 15 wins first took home the cash.

Well, despite some intense opening matches from Soinak, Wong went on to utterly dominate the challenger, Kotaku  reported Tuesday. By the time it was all over, Wong was up 15-5 rounds. He even went on a 9-round winning streak.

“It wasn’t even all that fun to watch,” Ian Walker, staff writer at Kotaku, said. “Wong, as he’s done for the last 20 years, simply bided his time in every game with his impeccable Storm movement, doing just enough to deplete [Soinak’s] life bars in small bursts and keep his own team safe from retaliation.”

Wong even had a little fun teasing Soinak afterwards.

Wong walking off with Soinak’s $5,000 isn’t all that surprising, though. While Soinak is a wildly talented player, Wong has won countless Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournaments over the two decades that he’s played. 

Will they rematch? Wong is certainly ready for it.

You can check out the series of matches between Soinak and Wong here. However, you will have to subscribe to Soinak’s Twitch channel to see it.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘Counter-Strike’ pro Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev gets his own documentary

S1imple Formula chronicles the rise and career of arguably CS:GO’s biggest star.

Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev is one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most decorated players, and a new documentary just came out highlighting his career.

S1mple Formula, produced by Kostyliev’s team NAVI, is a documentary chronicling his path towards professional Counter-Strike and what sets him apart from other players. It includes interviews with former and current teammates, coaches, friends, commentators, analysts, and Kostyliev’s family. Clocking in at just shy of two hours, S1mple Formula is a staggeringly thorough look at one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s biggest stars.

“I remember the time when we just signed a contract in 2016,” Yevhen Zolotarov, СЕО of NAVI, said via Dot Esports. “Honestly, now it’s hard to believe that it was already five years ago. For the esports industry, five years is quite a long period of time.”

Check out the teaser for S1imple Formula for yourself below.

The full documentary is on YouTube for those willing to learn all about the life and trials of this legendary player.

We don’t see profiles for esports stars all that often, so here’s to hoping this is just the first of many.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Developers and the gaming world mourn a ‘God of War’ gameplay engineer

George Mawle is best known for his work on the game’s Leviathan Axe.

God of War wouldn’t be considered a modern-day classic without the contributions of George Mawle, a gameplay engineer who sadly passed away on Thursday. 

Working at Sony Santa Monica during God of War’s development as a programmer, Mawle was responsible for everything from enemy combat behaviors to making weapons feel satisfying. Particularly the universally adored Leviathan Axe, which many of Mawle’s co-workers claimed wouldn’t be the same without his efforts.

“If you’ve ever enjoyed throwing and recalling the Leviathan Axe or twirling the chains of the Blades of Chaos in God of War,” Mihir Sheth, combat design lead at Sony Santa Monica, said via Twitter. “Please take a moment to recognize that it was possible in large part to the engineering and energy of George Mawle, who sadly passed away on September 2nd, 2021.”

Sheth continued: “There’s much more I can say, as I’m sure is the case with many other people he’s worked with. I’d welcome others to share in the comments. Games are made by people, and we all lost a great one on Thursday. We’ll miss you big guy.”

A number of Sony Santa Monica developers left some moving words in Mawle’s memory.

It’s quite touching to see Mawle’s co-workers take the time to honor their late friend. Rest in peace, king. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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10 unintentionally hilarious glitches that actually made a video game better

Some priceless glitches here. You can’t make this stuff up.

When you stop to think about it, it’s a genuine wonder that all games don’t look and behave like the marvelously broken virtual circus exhibits below.

Video games aren’t reality. The walk-in universes we inhabit are all precariously held together with the code equivalent of popsicle sticks and rubber bands, and we go bounding through them like boisterous puppies, pressing ‘use’ on every conceivable surface and doing unspeakable things to NPCs. It’s honestly amazing they don’t break more often. 

What we have below, then, are delightful reminders of how close every game comes to an absurd, surrealist deconstruction of reality. These are the all-timers whose unintentional slapstick and nightmarish imagery are forged into the collective consciousness forever, but they’re not so different from the ones that work.

But for the grace of Gaben and a few patches, Half-Life might have a giant face for a sky. Deus Ex might feature one inexplicably tiny major character. Skyrim might… actually, let’s leave Skyrim out of this. Raise the curtain on the glitches!

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‘Far Cry 3’ is currently free on the Ubisoft Store

You’d buy it for (less) than a dollar?

Far Cry 3 is one of the most beloved first-person shooters of all time, and it’s available totally for free on the Ubisoft Store right now. Simply create a Ubisoft account, head over to Far Cry 3’s  store page, and click the big button urging you to get it for free.

With Far Cry 6 coming out in a few weeks, Ubisoft likely wants everyone to experience Far Cry 3 beforehand if they haven’t already. After all, the third game popularized the series to mainstream fans and is sitting at an impressive 88 Metacritic  score. Safe to say, it was both a critical darling and fan favorite at the time. 

“It’s easy to see why someone would want to visit Rook Island – it’s a stunning tropical location with plenty of fun activities, scenic views, and history worth discovering,” Mitch Dyer said via IGN. “Far Cry 3 disrupts that paradise to challenge your feelings about enjoying violence. Because of lunatics like Hoyt and Vaas, you’ll see beautiful things you never would have.”

If you haven’t given Far Cry 3 a go before, now’s the perfect chance to do so before the free giveaway ends on Sept. 10.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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New ‘Valorant’ skins were co-designed by Grammy winning EDM artist Zedd

These might be the most beautiful skins ever to grace a video game.

Grammy winners don’t collaborate on video games all that often, but that’s precisely what EDM artist Anton “Zedd” Zaslavski did with Valorant’s new Spectrum weapon skin bundle. 

These sleek skins for the Bulldog, Guardian, Classic, Phantom and knife weapons are supposed to evoke the neon hues of a night club. If you happen to win a match with one of these skins equipped, the battlefield will transform into a dazzling EDM rave. It’s wild stuff, and developer Riot Games wanted Zaslavski’s expertise to help pull the concept off.

“This is honestly a dream come true,” Zaslavski said via Billboard. “I’ve never done anything like this, and I get incredibly excited any time I get to do something I haven’t done before. I’m such a big fan of the game. When I’m not on tour, I literally play every day.”

Check out Zaslavski introducing Spectrum for yourself below.

For an example of the rave aesthetic in action, check out what happens when you finish someone off with the Spectrum Classic below.

The Valorant community is already elated over Spectrum, letting Zaslavski know right away how impressive the new skins are.

If you would like to pick up the Spectrum line for yourself, the skin package is already available via Valorant’s in-game store.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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