Tech

Silent Hill 2 remake: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Published

2 years ago

October 22, 2022

There was a rumor here. It’s gone now. That’s right, the Silent Hill 2 remake rumors have faded into the fog and become a reality. The cult classic title that, to this day, tops many of “the best horror games of all time” lists is getting a complete remake. Unlike the disappointment that was the HD Collection, this time, the game will be fully recreated from the ground up for modern hardware. Still, with such a beloved game, and Konami’s troubling track record in recent years, fans may have more concern at this announcement than immediate excitement.

Aside from a brand-new graphical overhaul, remakes can mean many different things. For Silent Hill 2, the question of exactly what will be — and, more importantly, won’t be — changed is on the minds of the dedicated fan base that holds the original in such high esteem. While Konami didn’t fully clear the fog on what Silent Hill 2 will be this time around, we turned on our radios, checked every locked door, and managed to come out alive with everything you need to know about the Silent Hill 2 remake.

Note: There will be very minor spoilers for the plot of Silent Hill 2, but nothing beyond the basic premise.

Release date

Announcements can be hit or miss with giving release dates or even windows, and unfortunately, Silent Hill 2 remake’s reveal was deafeningly loud in failing to give us any form of time frame for when we can return to that town. That typically means the developers aren’t confident quite yet on when they expect to wrap up production, so we would guess there’s at least a year’s wait on this game, if not more.

Platforms

Silent Hill 2 remake was revealed as a true current-generation exclusive, but also a console exclusive for the PlayStation 5. PC players will also get to experience the game on launch, whenever that may be, but Xbox players will have to wait until the exclusivity deal runs out, which could be as short as six months or as long as a year.

Trailers

The announcement trailer for the Silent Hill 2 remake is technically called a teaser since there’s no actual in-game footage, but it still gives us a nice, long look at the creepy town of Silent Hill.

It opens in the same dingy bathroom as the original game, only this time, James looks far more distraught. He looks at himself in the mirror and asks himself if Mary could really be there waiting for him, knowing that she has already passed away from “that damn disease three years ago.”

James steps outside, passes by the familiar map of the town by a diner, and heads down a street as Mary’s voice comes in with the iconic line, “In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill.”

We cut to the disturbing scene where James first witnesses Pyramid Head in the apartments, as well as sees Laura outside the hospital. Even some late-game scenes, such as with the noose, are shown.

What appears to be a new cutscene of James attacking a nurse only plays for a moment but may indicate more additional scenes such as that.

Before the title drop, we see the meeting of James and Maria and Pyramid Head walking in from the rain.

Much more was revealed thanks to a PlayStation Blog post with Konami producer Motoi Okamoto and the creative director and lead designer at Bloober Team. It was mentioned in the trailer but reiterated that both Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka, the original creature designer and composer, respectively, will join Bloober Team in developing this remake. Many attribute much of the original game’s success as a lasting horror masterpiece to the original Team Silent, so having two of those members involved may put some fans’ minds at ease.

The primary goal for Bloober Team with the Silent Hill 2 remake is to “preserve the atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 so exceptional while also modernizing many aspects of the game’s overall gameplay.”

While they don’t explicitly mention how they will or will not be changing the story, that is probably the part most fans are curious about. While some shots do appear new, we will have to wait to see if any substantial changes are coming in that department.

Gameplay

The trailer showed off no gameplay, but again, the blog sheds light on how they intended to modernize Silent Hill 2.

The original Silent Hill 2 used a semi-fixed camera that would track and pan as you dynamically moved through environments. You had some control over it, but it was mostly meant to frame things in a specific way.

With the Silent Hill 2 remake, the team has decided to adopt a more traditional third-person, over-the-shoulder style, in a similar way that Resident Evil 2 Remake shifted from the fixed cameras of the original. This change is intended to make the game more immersive and visceral, which leads to a new combat system.

The original had a clunky (perhaps intentionally so) melee combat system and basic gunplay. We don’t know how much will be mechanically different, only that the team says they intend to use the new perspective and combat system to rebuild set pieces and ways to keep the player immersed.

The team also points out that the Silent Hill 2 remake will run on Unreal Engine 5, and they specifically point out the Lumen and Nanite features. Lumen is their dynamic illumination system that makes light interact with the environments in realistic ways to allow for more natural lighting. Nanite, meanwhile, is what was used to create highly detailed environments and levels.

Being a PS5 console exclusive, there will also be features that take advantage of that specific hardware. 3D audio was highlighted as a way to bring players deeper into the titular town, as well as utilize the controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

Multiplayer

James fighting a lying figure with a plank.

Nope. Staying true to the original, Silent Hill 2 remake will be a solitary, lonely, and foreboding experience that can only be tackled solo.

Pre-order

The Silent Hill 2 remake is a long way off. While we’d love to tell you how to reserve a place in this quaint resort town, it isn’t quite ready yet. As soon as pre-order information goes live, we will update you with all the gory details.

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

1 day ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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