Gaming in Washington. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Denzel Washington’s trilogy concludes this weekend, which means now is the perfect time to look back on the series and rank them from best to worst. Personally, none of them are awful, but one of the films definitely stands out amongst the other two. Where does this latest entry rank among the franchise? Read on to find out.

Never doubt the power of an A-list superstar. The Denzel Washington-led Equalizer 3 destroyed all competition at the domestic box office en route to a $42 million 4-day weekend ($34.5M 3-day) after an impressive $13.1M Friday, per Deadline. That’s about on par with the previous two entries in Antoine Fuqua’s franchise, a hair under The Equalizer 2 ($36M) and just over The Equalizer ($34M).

A whole host of new units, including Space Marine Warhammer 40K reinforcements and a new addition to the upcoming Old World game, have just been unveiled at the Nova Open event in Washington DC. 

An undergraduate engineering degree costs a lot of money: about $44,072 for a state school, $144,524 for a private one. To recoup that cash, you’re going to want to attend one of the schools whose graduates earn the most. 

Senator Chuck Schumer plans to bring together several technology industry chiefs to discuss the ramifications of artificial intelligence, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who have been discussing whether to bring their rivalry to a cage match.

The Equalizer 3 is here. But while I enjoy Washington’s performance as Robert McCall, it’s far from his best work. Indeed, the multiple Academy Award-winning actor boasts an impressive resume that places him in the GOAT conversation.

Paul Mescal is set to star in the highly anticipated upcoming sequel to. According to the actor, he hasn’t gotten in touch with Russell Crowe about starring as the nephew to his character.

Paul Mescal says he was too scared to talk to eventual Gladiator 2 co-star Pedro Pascal, and we don't blame him.

Jio unveils plans for custom AI models for public and businesses; OpenAI's ChatGPT flouts political usage ban, raises concerns of misuse; Sensually designed AI chatbots pose complex challenges for fan communities; SpeechGen.io revolutionises AI text-to-speech with support for 150 languages - this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

A federal judge has dismissed the Republican National Committee’s lawsuit against Google, which claimed the tech giant illegally sent some of its messages to spam on Gmail.

Greetings, Tenno! This message comes to you from that primeval epoch known as "Last Wednesday", when Digital Extremes treated RPS to a preview screening of the Warframe update announcements planned for this year's Tennocon - a special Tennocon indeed, coinciding as it does with the game's 10th anniversary and the studio's 30th. Alas, "Last Wednesday" was a regular Dark Age, and we dusty ancients were granted only a partial glimpse of the promised new areas, weapons, cosmetics and story content, Digital Extremes having reserved some of the key reveals for a happier period, "Today" - which, according to our most trusted seers, will be an era of understanding and transparency. Fickle are the winds of history! Still, even with the limited insight of our time, we grasped at some sense of the offering's magnitude. Read on, if you dare.

Keeping the peace with your neighbors can be tricky, and anyone who has joined their community's Nextdoor group knows people have a lot of opinions. But there are a few types of issues that really get people going, a new study of Nextdoor posts reveals.

Director Antoine Fuqua says he sees as an unofficial sequel to Man on Fire.

The US has arrested one of the founders of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency “mixing” service that North Korean hackers have been using to launder their ill-gotten gains. 

The US government blacklisted Huawei as a national security risk, but the Chinese company has apparently found a way to sidestep sanctions.

Beth Wilkinson had 10 days to save Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., the biggest gaming deal ever.

Earlier this year we saw the first gameplay trailer for Flashback 2, and now our hero Conrad B. Hart is back for more. With Gamescom underway, a new trailer is here to show off more of the sequel’s action and intrigue.

A demo for Twin Peaks: Into the Night, a PS1-style reimagining of the cult hit TV series, is available to play right now.

A new teaser for Starbreeze Studios’Payday 3 is available, showcasing what’s to come in the live-action trailer, “Follow the Money.” The latter’s release date wasn’t revealed, but it could debut at Gamescom Opening Night Live. In the meantime, check out the teaser below, with music by Gustavo Coutinho and footage that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Some of America’s bigger internet providers don’t like the taste of one ingredient in a broadband-transparency rule modeled after the FDA’s nutrition labels: a requirement to itemize the non-tax government-related fees they stack on subscriber bills.

The Canadian government has reportedly demanded Meta remove its ban on domestic news in the country for residents to share news about wildfires that are occurring in the western part of the country.

Happy August, Polygon readers!

U.S. counterintelligence agencies on Friday warned the American space industry to guard against efforts by foreign intelligence entities to steal research and trade secrets as they try to boost their own countries' space programs.

2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the conclusion to the Modern Warfare subseries, at least until it came back with its 2019 reboot. Unlike the original trilogy, however, the rebooted Modern Warfare series will not be ending with its upcoming third instalment.

Twin Peaks, the beloved mystery serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, has been the inspiration for several video games since the show first premiered in 1990. From Deadly Premonition and Alan Wake to Kentucky Route Zero and more, countless games have paid homage to the cult classic TV series centered on Special Agent Dale Cooper’s investigation into the murder of high school girl Laura Palmer in the quiet town of Twin Peaks, Washington.

Our online search history can reveal a lot about us, but which Americans are most curious about new technologies?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III just got a gameplay reveal trailer — a slightly misleading title, given most of the footage is loaded with cinematics. Indeed, it is focused on the campaign, which sees Captain Price and his Task Force 141 take on the Russian ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov, as he extends his grasp across the world. Publisher Activision has introduced a new non-linear campaign structure called ‘Open Combat Missions,' memorable multiplayer maps, and a Zombies mode set in an open world. Pre-orders for the game are now live across all major platforms.

Unlike the original Modern Warfare trilogy, 2023's Modern Warfare 3 won't be the end.

One summer, I watched somewhere between 10 and 30 episodes of Ballers, HBO’s comedy-drama starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a former NFL player turned pro athlete financial manager. I don’t remember how long it took me, nor could I tell you much about those 30 episodes, which passed through me as if I were a sieve. One doesn’t really “watch” Ballers. One becomes Ballers. Ballers, as they say, is life.

Another HBO Original series has popped up on Netflix – and subscribers are (understandably) confused.

American Truck Simulator's next few rounds of DLC are recreating some of the most boring places in the US, and I for one could not be more excited to drive through the flyover states.

Social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, delayed access to links to content on the Reuters and New York Times websites as well as rivals like Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Washington Post report on Tuesday.

In what is seen as a first, Apple iPhone 15 mass production has started in Tamil Nadu, India. This is the first time that an iPhone has started being manufactured in India before it has actually even been announced by the company, MacRumors reports. And this is a step that will worry China as it indicates India's rising status in the tech manufacturing segment that it had been controlling for so long. For Apple, this is the best way to protect its manufacturing base after the fiasco that happened during and even after the Covid-19 epidemic in China when its entire supply-chain was disrupted.

ChatGPT set the academic world ablaze after it was introduced in November, when the AI chatbot suddenly gave students a hard-to-detect shortcut for completing essays and assignments. Nine months later, as a new school year nears, many universities are still crafting their response.

A new report from Axios has shed fresh light on Embracer Group's mysterious $2bn «major strategic partnership» which collapsed spectacularly back in May, causing its shares to drop by 40 percent and sending the company into cost-cutting mode.

The 90s American mystery drama series, Twin Peaks, is getting an all-new PS1-style video game thanks to a pair of fans, Jean Manzoni and Lucas Guibert (who together form Blue Rose Team).

The Equalizer 3 could be the end of the road for Denzel Washington’s reluctant hero Robert McCall – at least if you believe series director Antoine Fuqua.

Every year there are various space missions conducted to study the mysteries of the solar system. One such mission was launched by NASA nearly 17 years back to study the Sun. The spacecraft, known as the STEREO-A, collected data and was instrumental in unveiling various discoveries over the years. It had a partner too in the form of STEREO-B craft, but communication was lost with it. Now after 17 years, the STEREO-A spacecraft is rushing towards a rendezvous with the Earth. Notably, NASA has taken this opportunity to make STEREO-A further study the Sun from this vantage point in order to collect new information about our closest star.

LAS VEGAS—Two government officials came to Black Hat here this week with some security tips that got a whole lot more specific than the high-level talking points attendees might have expected to come out of Washington. 

Flashback 2, the took-your-time-getting-here sequel to the classic '90s platformer Flashback, has a sweet new trailer and, finally, a proper release date: Publisher Microids announced today that after more than 30 years of waiting, fans will finally get their follow-up on November 16.

Flashback 2, the sequel to Delphine Software's classic 16-bit sci-fi puzzle-platformer, now has a release date and is launching for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC on 16th November. And to celebrate the news, developer Microids has shared a fresh look at the game in action, this time showcasing its sprawling city of New Washington.

Microids has released a new trailer for Flashback 2 introducing the city of New Washington.

With NFL vet Clint Oldenburg becoming the face of Madden's dev team, more players are wondering if game dev is their life after football too.

I don’t know if there’s something in the water causing developers to dust off franchises that were around when I was still in diapers and start developing sequels, but if last year’s Return to Monkey Island is anything to go by, I’m thankful for whatever mysterious powers are at work. And just like Ron Gilbert’s return to the helm of his old brainchild, Paul Cuisset, creator of the original Flashback, has also come back to head up the upcoming sequel to a retro classic. From the hour-long section I was able to play, it’s shocking just how much Flashback 2 seems like it will stick to its roots. That comes with all the potential pros and cons you might imagine.

Today was a big day for businesses that are either working heavily with artificial intelligence or are looking to get into this space. Walt Disney has created a new task force that will study AI and find out all the different ways it can be used in its businesses in the entertainment industry. In other news. Spotify is finally expanding its experimental feature of an AI DJ to 50 different countries, after keeping it in limited access for almost three months. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.

After months of speculation, the Red Dead Redemption remaster/remake saga hit a damp squelch of an anticlimax yesterday afternoon, when Rockstar proudly announced it was porting the basic version of the original PS3 and Xbox 360 game to the Nintendo Switch and PS4. For $50, no less. Fans were upset.

Sledgehammer Games and Activision today announced the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

It's been a hot minute since we first started looking for a news editor to take the reins of RPS' daily news posting, but today I'm very pleased to announce that search has finally come to an end. Please give a very warm welcome to Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, the latest addition to the RPS hivemind.

If films like Heat and Sexy Beast are anything to go by, when you're in the professional heist business, retirement does not come easily. There's always that one last job you get called in to tie up some loose ends, rekindling greed and the drive to plan elaborate robbery schemes within you. With the old gang rounded up, Payday 3 now takes us to the bustling streets of New York City, several years after our reign of terror in Washington DC, masked-up and prepared for new challenges in a present-day environment of mass surveillance gadgets, cryptocurrency, the deep web, and more. Having spent a few hours in the internal playtest, followed by the ongoing closed beta, I must say that I'm truly impressed with how streamlined this sequel is shaping up to be.

Apple Inc.'s main supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, is planning to invest close to $500 million to build two component factories in India as part of a steady diversification from China.

The Destiny developer smashed its fundraising goal.

In a bid to enhance the capabilities of its latest microblogging platform and thereby compete in a much better way with Elon Musk's X, the former Twitter, the new Meta platform Threads is set to introduce the direct messaging (DMs) functionality, allowing users to engage in conversations with their friends and followers in a much more engaging way. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, confirmed this development in a recent statement to the Washington Post. With Facebook and Instagram, other social media platforms under Meta's umbrella, already equipped with DM options, the integration into Threads should be a relatively smooth process, positioning it to compete with X on a much better footing.

Two of the most popular genres in gaming are RPGs and FPS. And what happens when you combine them? You get some great games, where your actions have an impact but you can still blow up your enemies’ faces. Here is a list of the 20 best RPG shooter games available on Xbox Series X/S.

Blizzard Entertainment's newest update for Diablo IV has added an extra barrier to buying its premium battle pass. The change comes following recent controversy around the ease of buying said pass for the RPG's first in-game season. 

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is under the US government, have unveiled an ambitious plan to revolutionise space exploration. Their joint venture, known as the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO), aims to propel space travel to new heights by employing nuclear-powered rockets. Lockheed Martin has been chosen to lead the design, construction, and testing of this groundbreaking rocket, with an anticipated launch in space by 2027.

NASA is set to launch an on-demand streaming service, as well as upgrading its app and revamping its websites to allow easier access to the agency's content.

The next wave of ‘free’ games set to be offered to Amazon Prime members has been confirmed.

Venus is a planet known for its un-Earthly temperatures. NASA says surface temperatures on Venus are about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (475 degrees Celsius). However, on planet Earth, there is a sun-soaked hellish place on our planet too and it is nestled in the heart of Chile and it is as sunny as the surface of Venus. But it is not the temperature that makes it so, it is the radiation hazard.

The Exorcist is joining the long funeral parade of classic horror movies getting sequels with The Exorcist: Believer. The new movie from David Gordon Green, the director of the most recent, and extremely bad, Halloween trilogy, saw its first trailer last week ahead of certain Oppenheimer screenings, but it’s now online for everyone to see.

The complete Commanders roster has been revealed for Madden 24. Here are the team's best players and full roster.

General Motors now says it will keep the Chevrolet Bolt EV in its lineup, after announcing in April that it would discontinue its most affordable and top-selling electric model.

Amazon said on Friday it will invest $120 million to build a satellite construction facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, as part of its plans to launch a space internet service to rival SpaceX's Starlink.

A social-media rapper, who dubbed herself the “Crocodile of Wall Street,” and her husband have reached a plea deal with prosecutors in a case that involved laundering billions of dollars of stolen Bitcoin, according to a court filing and a person familiar with the matter.

To quickly build out Project Kuiper—a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink—Amazon is preparing to build a $120 million facility in Florida dedicated to placing the company’s satellites onto rockets. 

Google is working on a new artificial intelligence tool, known internally by the codename Genesis, that can generate news content, according(Opens in a new window) to The New York Times.

There have been several developments in artificial intelligence over the past few days, with the SAG-AFTRA strike at the forefront. Meanwhile, Google today unveiled an AI tool for journalists that can help write articles and become a personal assistant. On the other hand, a UK trade union has demanded the formation of a special task force to protect workers from AI. Microsoft's stock has soared, partly due to its investment in OpenAI and ChatGPT. This, and more in today's AI roundup.

Shinichirō Watanabe, the man behind anime classics like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, has lined up his next anime project. The new series is called Lazarus and comes from an all-star creative team that includes John Wick director Chad Stahelski and jazz legend Kamasi Washington.