Gaming in Russia. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze has apologised for its lack of communication surrounding the game's highly anticipated first patch, which promises to address the disastrous launch.

It is common knowledge that arms manufacturers and the videogames industry have partnerships and sponsorship deals, with series like Call of Duty sometimes even including gunmakers like Colt in their credits. But we almost never get a glimpse at what these deals involve, both in terms of the finances and the thinking behind marketing real weapons in virtual worlds.

Hazards like solar storms and asteroids constantly appear and pose threats to our planet. NASA diligently monitors Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) to safeguard our planet from potential impacts. When NASA's telescopes detect a new NEA, precise observations of its position in the sky are reported to the Minor Planet Center. Subsequently, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) utilizes this data to establish the most likely orbit of the asteroid around the Sun. To evaluate the risk of impact and the asteroid's orbit, NASA employs the innovative Sentry II system, featuring a unique algorithm. Sentry II strategically selects random points within the entire uncertainty region, enabling the program to pinpoint very low-probability impact scenarios. Recently, NASA has issued an alert concerning a colossal asteroid that is approaching Earth tomorrow:

Asteroids are abundant in space and as many as 1298148 have been discovered to date. To track and study these space rocks which are mainly present in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, NASA has several advanced ground and space-based telescopes in place. NEOWISE telescope, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Pans-STARRS1 and Catalina Sky Survey are just some of the telescopes and observatories that help study asteroids and remove any uncertainties around their potentially close approaches to Earth.

The Thaumaturge is an isometric narrative RPG set in Warsaw in 1905, and it has been announced for a PS5 release in Early 2024. It features turn-based combat and an intriguing supernatural setting, and we got a decent look at it in an official gameplay trailer.

By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

By Adi Robertson, a senior tech and policy editor focused on VR, online platforms, and free expression. Adi has covered video games, biohacking, and more for The Verge since 2011.

Arma 3 developer Bohemia Interactive has commented on the use of footage taken from its military shooter being used online to spread misinformation about Israel and Palestine.

Czech game developer Bohemia Interactive has once again had to address the fact that footage of Arma 3 is being used as fake news about the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Social media users are attempting to pass off videos of Bohemia Interactive's military shooter Arma 3 as real-life footage of the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which erupted into open war this week. Several of these mocked-up videos have circulated on Tik-Tok and Xitter, one of them purporting to show a member of the Hamas group shooting down Israeli helicopters. Bohemia Interactive have now released a statement calling on their community to publish and share Arma 3 footage responsibly, while offering advice on how to spot a fake.

With large-scale hostilities breaking out between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, Arma 3 developer Bohemia Interactive has issued a statement asking its players and content creators to «use their footage responsibly» in order to avoid contributing to a flood of false information being spread on social media. The studio also shared a detailed guide to help people distinguish videos made in the game from real-world combat footage.

Loongson has shared two major developments this week which include the launch of its 3A6000 CPUs in the Chinese domestic market and a Russian deal for its 3A5000 CPUs.

NASA, ESA and other space agencies have a suite of ground and space-based telescopes and observatories to track and monitor asteroids. Despite the presence of these technological marvels, an asteroid snuck past all of them! The asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 NT1, made its closest approach to Earth on July 13 when it entered Earth's 60,000-mile radius, which is 4 times closer than the Moon! It was not a small rock either, as scientists later revealed it was nearly 200 feet wide, about 4 times the size of the Chelyabinsk asteroid that caused massive damage in Russia. It was at last found by the Asteroid Terrestrials-Impacts Last Alert System (ATLAS) observatory in South Africa on July 15.

Last Train Home has been given a release date of November 28th for PC, and demo is now available on Steam. Last Train Home is a story based on real events following the end of the First World War, where soldiers from Czechoslovakia had to make their way home on an armoured train through Russia where the Russian Civil War has erupted.

The board game adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune, first published 40 years ago and long out of print, is back — and it’s on sale for October Prime Day. Snag the legendary strategy game before it goes back up to full price.

In an effort to stifle any public opinion that isn't fawning or shows viewpoints the Kremlin doesn't want the average Russian to see, the Russian government is going to try to ban virtual private networks (VPNs). According to a report from Russia's RIA (H/T to Fudzilla), The regime wants to ban VPNs from March 1. 

The Creator, the latest film from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, takes a strong stance against war and America’s worldwide interventionism in particular, pointing out its human cost. The movie is filled with anti-war imagery and messaging, but according to Edwards, it also gained a surprising connection to a real-life war in the middle of filming.

Amtrak wants to bring high-speed trains to the US, a country known more for pickup trucks and planes than public transit, and has recruited Andy Byford to get the job done.

China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its lifespan.

China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has opened up a key lunar mission to international cooperation as mission deadlines loom for setting up a permanent habitat on the south pole of the moon.

Patch 1.03 for Red Dead Redemption has sneaked in a 60fps mode for those playing on PlayStation 5.  When the game launched on PlayStation 4 in August many people questioned why the game was not running at 60fps and 4K.

We live in an age of state-sponsored cyber warfare, one where conflicts have a parallel and intangible digital battlefield. The most obvious manifestation of this is propaganda, good old information warfare, with things like photos, videos and records being obtained and then framed and circulated online. The other side of it—concentrated cyber attacks on infrastructure, hacks of enemy equipment and forces, doomsday viruses like Stuxnet—the public never sees outside of vague news reports.

Patch 1.03 for Red Dead Redemption has sneaked in a 60fps mode for those playing on PlayStation 5.  When the game launched on PlayStation 4 in August many people questioned why the game was not running at 60fps and 4K.

Modern Warfare 3 is nearly here and with so much of the game’s pre-release hype being focused on Multiplayer upgrades, the hype is hitting fever-pitch levels. It’s no secret we’re in for a blast from the past with the return of Modern Warfare 2’s beloved maps.

Epic Games' head of publishing strategy Sergiy Galyonkin has announced that he is leaving the company after eight years.

Epic Games' director of publisher Sergiy Galyonkin has left the company.

Epic Games‘ director of publishing strategy, Sergiy Galyonkin, is leaving the company.

The world's most expensive weapons program - the US's F-35 fighter jet - got even more costly, according to the Pentagon. The program to develop and procure the plane will cost a total of $438 billion, up $26 billion from the last estimate a year ago, according to the F-35's new Selected Acquisition Report released Monday. The 6.5% increase is actually relatively modest by the standards of the program, which originally was $233 billion when Lockheed Martin Corp. won the contract in 2001.

Sergiy Galyonkin - aka Mr. SteamSpy himself - has left Epic Games after almost a decade at the Fortnite maker, including six years as its director of publishing strategy, saying that he is no longer “a good fit” for the publisher.

Sergiy Galyonkin has announced via Twitter today that he has resigned from his role as Director of Publishing Strategy at Epic Games. He had been with the company for over eight years.

Sergiy Galyonkin, director of publishing strategy at Epic Games — and creator of Steam analytics website Steam Spy — has announced his departure from the Fortnite maker after nearly eight years, saying he is «not a good fit» for the «new version of Epic».

After years of Fortnite-fueled relative stability, it seems a shakeup has come to Epic Games. Last week, we heard Epic was laying off nearly 900 employees, with company CEO Tim Sweeny admitting the company has been “spending way more money than we earn” for some time now. It seems whatever transition Epic Games is going through may affect one of the most divisive parts of their business – the Epic Games Store – as today Sergiy Galyonkin announced he was leaving the company.

After nearly four months sincehad wrapped up its production, the first trailer for Lucasfilm’s next Star Wars series has been leaked online on social media platforms like X and Reddit.

Tom Hanks is warning everyone on the internet that he is not trying to sell you a dental plan, but an AI version of him is.

After seven years in space, NASA's Osiris-Rex probe has captured the world's attention with its successful return to Earth, carrying a precious chunk of asteroid sample. This achievement promises groundbreaking insights into the origins of our solar system and potential threats from asteroids. Notably, Osiris-Rex traveled billions of miles before jettisoning the precious cargo capsule back towards Earth. The Osiris-Rex spacecraft was some 63000 miles above Earth when it released the capsule carrying the asteroid sample, which fell back to Earth. The craft itself shot by the Earth.

CD Projekt have detailed Cyberpunk 2077 2.01, the game's first patch following update 2.0, which implemented a top-to-bottom reset of the once-ailing but at present, rather triumphant sci-fi RPG. According to the provisional changelog, the latest update encompasses general performance improvements and minor fixes plus a fatal bug which sees V falling through an elevator floor to their death when the performance falls too low. Now that's what I call a plunging frame-rate.

Delightful destructive heist sim Teardown is getting four paid DLCs, with the first to be released on November 15th. It's called Time Campers and will transport players back in time with a caravan to tackle new heists with "old-timey tools and architecture" in the Wild West.

SpaceX has won a Pentaogon contract to supply military communications to the US Armed Forces using Starlink technology.

ChatGPT doesn't know whether Taylor Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

After yesterday's close call with Asteroid 2023 SF6, which passed Earth at a close distance of just 1.4 million kilometers, yet another asteroid approach is expected today. NASA has now revealed that an asteroid is expected to just about miss Earth. While it isn't expected to impact the surface, it could pass by very closely. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies against the threat of rogue asteroids, has issued a warning against the close approach of an asteroid designated as Asteroid 2023 SW6.

CD Projekt Red has apologised for the Ukrainian localisation of Cyberpunk 2077 due to language which could be «considered offensive by Russian gamers» which was added in the 2.0 update last week and said it is working to add the «correct lines» in the next patch.

Cities Skylines 2 is almost upon us, and from what we’ve seen, it’s delivering every minute and specific little detail we could want in a city builder. At the same time, the late Soviet era aesthetic of Stalker – and the upcoming Stalker 2 – provides one of the best-looking environments in all of gaming. Those big factories. The chunky old cars. Metro 2033, Metro Last Light, and Metro Redux make the most of the Soviet style, which brings to vivid life a kind of decrepit old world waiting to be reborn. You put all this together, the mechanics of Cities Skylines, and the visual flair of Metro and Stalker, and you get Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic, a superlative city sim that’s just signed to a new publisher, and available to try with a free Steam download.

In news that is sure to thrill Elon Musk, European regulators say that Twitter is currently the biggest source of disinformation. 

CD Projekt Red has apologized for a Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update featuring anti-Russian dialogue and graffiti and says it will remove them in the next update.

Developer CD Projekt Red has apologized to Russian players for a number of anti-Russian messages that were included in the new Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt RED has issued an apology, after it was discovered the Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 includes a remarkably comprehensive array of anti-Russian references. These range from prominently featured graffiti all the way to niche terminology that will largely be unfamiliar to anyone not from Ukraine or the surrounding countries.

Elon Musk's X was cited as the biggest outlet for peddlers of disinformation as the European Union urged Silicon Valley platforms to step up their vigilance to combat Russia's “war of ideas.” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said platforms need to act ahead of national and European elections over the next year. “This is a multi-million euro weapon of mass manipulation aimed both internally at the Russians as well as Europeans and the rest of the world,” Jourova told reporters Tuesday.

CD Projekt have formally commented on the presence of references to the Russia-Ukraine war in Cyberpunk 2077's recently added Ukrainian localisation, apologising for dialogue lines "that can be considered offensive by Russian gamers", while reiterating their support for Ukraine.

CD Projekt has apologised for anti-Russian elements in the Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077, which was released alongside the game-changing Update 2.0 ahead of Phantom Liberty's launch on September 26.

Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update includes a Ukrainian localisation of the game's enormous script, but added in this version without developer CD Projekt Red's knowledge are references to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

CD Projekt Red has apologized after it was spotted that the newly released Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 contained dialog and images that could offend Russian players.

CD Projekt has apologized for in-game dialog and graffiti in the Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 that criticizes Russia's invasion of the country, and says it's working to remove or replace them in the next update.

NASA is on a continuous mission to track and study asteroids especially the ones that come too close to the Earth for comfort. The US space agency goes to considerable lengths to increase its knowledge about the space rocks. The most recent case being the retrieval of an asteroid sample from a spacecraft it had sent out to collect it. It achieved this significant milestone yesterday by successfully retrieving the space capsule containing the samples from Asteroid Bennu. These precious samples were collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020 and the craft came back now. This marked NASA's inaugural attempt and triumph in acquiring samples from an asteroid.

Ransomware group Ransomed.vc claims to have successfully breached Sony Group and is threatening to sell a cache of data stolen from the Japanese company.

Reworked skill trees and new minigames aside, Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update includes a Ukrainian localisation of the game's million-plus-word script. It turns out the Ukrainian version is awash with references to Russia's on-going invasion of Ukraine, all of it seemingly in support of the latter. The news comes via Zone of Games, who have published a few side-by-side comparisons from the game's files, underlining differences between the English and Ukrainian translations in various bits of dialogue and menu text.

The US government is soon to begin awarding up to $52 billion in subsidies for domestic semiconductor manufacturing. The funding is a part of the CHIPS and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in August 2022. But before the funds are given, the US Commerce Department is introducing rules to ensure beneficiaries of the funding don't spend it elsewhere, and it particularly doesn't want it feeding back to China.

Have you ever thought what would happen if Earth got hit by an asteroid? Even the thought of it is scary. While that has not happened for quite some time now, the threat is constantly present. It is also something that is inevitable and that is why space agencies like NASA keep a constant watch on all asteroids approaching Earth. While it is not in the hands of humankind to stop an approaching asteroid, NASA has successfully tested a mission where it was able to divert an asteroid from its path. This was the DART mission.

Happy Friday, Polygon readers!

Yesterday, Activision announced what players can expect in Season 6 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone, The Haunting, which has a spooky theme just in time for Halloween.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated Sledgehammer Games’ upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ahead of its November 10, 2023 release. In the contents of the ESRB rating summary, the board may have revealed new freight delivery, No Russian-style mission.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will include scenes reminiscent of the franchise's infamous No Russian mission, where armed terrorists murder scores of people in a civilian setting.

The US Defense Department wants US businesses to help it develop space-based weaponry. 

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

Phil Spencer admitted the hole in Game Pass left by Starfield's delay was a «disaster situation» and suggested FromSoftware's Dark Souls games to plug the gap following the success of Elden Ring, among other third-party releases.

Since asteroids are an ever-present threat, apart from NASA, other organizations too are engaged in efforts to establish protocols for planetary protection against such threats. The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) have joined hands in order to eliminate planetary threats. While IAWN is tasked with establishing protocols and developing communication plans to aid in decision-making, SMPAG is responsible for selecting the technology that is needed for the deflection of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) like asteroids and finalize the measures for planetary defense.

You can really hear the exasperation in this terse statement from Konstantin Govorun, head of PR at War Thunder publisher Gaijin Entertainment: «Our moderators quickly nuked the post, deleted the files and banned the user. This is probably 12th time this happens.»

The military genre in video games is massive, and whether it’s on console or PC, they tend to play pretty well. Want to know some of the best on PC? We’ll show you the best available right now.

Starfield was comfortably No.1 across Europe during its launch week, GSD data shows.

Fans of classic Call of Duty, rejoice! All 16 CoD MW2 2009 maps are included in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023).

Asteroids that pass Earth at close proximity present a potential threat of collision with Earth. In fact, there have been several close calls with asteroids recently. In February, a 2 feet wide rock broke into pieces about 33 kilometers above the Earth's surface. On July 6, a meteor crashed, bounced off a roof, and hit a woman in the chest who was sipping coffee on her terrace in the village of Alsace in Eastern France. Now, another meteor and its impact crater was reportedly spotted by a dog walker on Portmarnock Beach in Ireland.

Is the Russian government using spyware from Israel’s NSO Group? According to researchers, spyware from the notorious Israeli company has been found on an iPhone belonging to an exiled Russian journalist.

China’s Foreign Ministry is dismissing media reports that say the country has banned iPhone use among its government agencies. 

Distributed by Level Endless and developed by Tencent Games, Tarisland was first announced in April of this year. The game was announced with the confirmation that shut beta tests begin exclusively in China during June 2023.

STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World seems cursed with bad luck. As you might remember, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most of the team relocated to Prague to work from a more secure location.

ChatGPT is making headlines for the enormous amount of water it uses, but water consumption in the tech industry has been an issue long before before the AI chatbot's November 2022 debut.

GSC Game World, the game developer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has revealed that they have been victim of a fire.

The developer of Stalker 2, GSC Game World, has had a fire at in their offices.

There was plenty of excitement when a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel was announced by GSC Game World. Nobody could have predicted just how tumultuous the development cycle would be. The game has faced numerous delays due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which forced the team to quickly relocate from Kyiv to Prague.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which was already around the Moon captured an image of the Chandrayaan-3 lander that made a successful lunar soft landing on its South Pole.