Schlagwort: games

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We’ve come to expect copious amounts of violence and nudity on premium TV these days thanks to shows like Game of Thrones, but Altered Carbon takes it to a whole new level. It can feel a little excessive, especially in the first few episodes.

But the further you get into Altered Carbon, the more you realize how smart the show actually is–how effectively it gets across its themes and ideas, often by showing rather than telling. It makes you wonder: Why is there so much nudity and violence in Altered Carbon?

The Netflix show’s writer, executive producer, and showrunner, Laeta Kalogridis, has a very good answer.

„There’s a lot of bravery on the part of our cast, male and female, and a lot of commitment in trying to get across one of the core premises–because there are a great many interlocking ideas that we’re trying to bring forward. One of them is that there is a disposability to the human body once you create this kind of technology,“ Kalogridis told GameSpot.

In the world of Altered Carbon, human consciousness has been digitized, each person’s mind and memories residing on a „cortical stack“ located at the base of their skull. Bodies, called „sleeves,“ are replaceable. Even if your sleeve dies, your stack can be inserted into a new one–as long as the stack itself remains intact. The show raises a lot of questions about how that would affect the gap between the rich and the poor.

„Our worst instincts as human beings have to do with our carelessness with natural resources, and when the body itself becomes just one more of those resources, how will we treat it? Will we treat it with such indifference and with such depersonalization that it becomes more like a very fancy car than a repository of the self?“ Kalogridis continued. „And that, I think, is one reason that the nudity itself is not gratuitous; it’s meant to reinforce to you, as a viewer, that the advent of this technology fundamentally and substantially changes people’s relationships with their idea of their own body.“

In other words, in a world in which bodies are interchangeable, what does nudity even matter? It’s not really „you“ being seen naked–it’s just your sleeve. Depending how wealthy you are, it might not even be the one you were born in–or even a real human body, since synthetic sleeves are also a thing.

As Kalogridis pointed out, Altered Carbon’s nudity is „equal opportunity“–the show features a comparable number of naked male bodies as female. She emphasized that the whole thing only works because so many of the actors were onboard to strip down.

„There’s no way to overstate how brave it is for one actor–much less this group of people–to decide together that they’re going to make this statement about this world, because it only works when they do it together,“ she said.

„Naturally, when you pick something to tell a cautionary tale about, normally what you want to do is show the thing you’re cautioning against,“ she quipped.

One of the things Altered Carbon cautions against is what Kalogridis sees as humanity’s very real obsession with immortality–one she’s afraid will have unforeseen consequences as technology continues to build toward something that may wind up looking very like the fictional cortical stack.

„It’s a disruptive technology that much of Silicon Valley is–if you ask me–unhealthily focused on,“ she said. „Anything that you invent that is disruptive, any new technology that is created, I can guarantee you absolutely there will be unintended consequences–and annoying people who say, ‚Well, who could have seen that coming?’“

„Imagine what could go wrong–all you have to do is apply human nature to it,“ she continued.

That thinking manifests in Altered Carbon in countless ways, from the carelessness with which some characters charge into combat, to the null-G knife fights between a husband and wife team who battle to the death for rich people’s amusement. The most egregious example is probably how prostitutes are treated–throughout the season it’s revealed that violence against prostitutes (both female and male, although mostly female) can be bought for the right price. The women have to hope their pimps bother to spin them back up in replacement sleeves.

Kalogridis believes that’s just part of the reality of this world–not to mention noir as a genre.

„Noir has a history of holding up a mirror to the darker side of human society, and I will be thrilled to remove the violence from noir when we remove the violence from our lives,“ she said. „It’s necessary to point out a thing in order to make progress on changing the thing. And if there’s something that I think we maybe have all noticed in the last couple of years–maybe–when you just pretend that something’s not happening, that will not affect change. Acting as if it’s not happening because you are uncomfortable in looking at it has very little value if what you want is to make things better. If what you want is to stay comfortable and feel good, I suppose it’s fine.“

„But that’s not what interests me,“ she concluded.

Altered Carbon is out now on Netflix. Read our full Altered Carbon review, check out why Altered Carbon is the Game of Thrones of cyberpunk, learn what all the show’s crazy sci-fi terms mean, and read what the show’s cast and creators have to say about its overall message.

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EA Sports UFC 3 begins with a slick video package charting the meteoric rise to stardom of cover athlete Conor McGregor. The Notorious Irishman is the ideal poster boy for UFC 3’s new G.O.A.T. Career Mode, as it focuses not just on your performances inside the octagon, but on your propensity for drumming up hype and promoting fights outside of it–something the high-powered southpaw has arguably mastered. McGregor’s world class striking also serves as a perfect introduction to UFC 3’s wince-inducing action, as you’re thrust into a tutorialized fantasy matchup against interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.

UFC 3 hits the ground running with this match-that-could’ve-been, hastily showcasing a plethora of improvements to its stand-up game, from an impressive suite of fluid new animations to an intuitive new control scheme that emphasises maneuverability. Much like previous entries in the series, developer EA Canada continues to excel at stand and bang slugfests–as fists fly, skin lacerates, and the canvas adopts a crimson hue–but falters when the action is dragged down to the ground.

UFC 3’s grappling remains unchanged from its predecessor–utilizing the right stick for transitioning into and out of various positions–and is too cumbersome and binary to ever be particularly enjoyable. Submissions fall into the same category, too. The default four-quadrant mini game feels disconnected from what’s happening on screen, while a simplified alternative that consists of mindless button mashing also fails to capture the intricacies of these bone-breaking holds.

Fortunately, the stand-up game’s redefined excellence does an admirable job of distracting from these flaws. Almost every aspect of UFC 3’s striking has been completely redesigned, placing much more significance on movement, spacing, and momentum. With both fighters standing toe-to-toe, there’s a palpable sense of weight to the way you move around the octagon, and a responsiveness to each blow and crucial head bob that allows you to act just as fast as you can think–reaction times notwithstanding.

The new control scheme does still require a certain degree of finger gymnastics in order to perform particular techniques, but by moving each offensive move to the face and shoulder buttons, the right stick is freed up to be used exclusively for ducking and weaving, while the left stick is dedicated entirely to movement, allowing you to throw strikes and move at the same time. This sounds like a simple change on the surface, but it’s a crucial deviation that opens up myriad possibilities, and substantially increases the kinetic dynamism of each fight. Suddenly you can barrel forward like a freight train to apply pressure; retreat out of danger with defensive jabs to keep your opponent at bay; and laterally weave to a fighter’s weak side while simultaneously throwing a dangerous uppercut to their unsuspecting jaw. It’s a game changer, and beautifully complements UFC 3’s newfound focus on momentum and the risk versus reward at play with each strike.

Being mindful of spacing becomes a key attribute as you look to get in and out of your opponent’s striking range without sustaining damage. Stamina management also plays a crucial role, as repeated strikes lose power as your stamina fades to discourage aggressive players from their worst tendencies. You have to be smarter and more precise with each blow; reading your opponent’s movement, using feints to throw off their timing, and slipping into counterattacks to punish any misguided swings. All of this results in a game that adopts a more measured pace than its predecessors, and should suit those who approach each fight with nuance and tactical astuteness.

Almost every aspect of UFC 3’s striking has been completely redesigned, placing much more significance on movement, spacing, and momentum

Once you’re comfortable in the octagon, the aforementioned G.O.A.T. Career Mode is on-hand to test you against the world’s greatest fighters. With a few fights on the regional circuit under your belt, it doesn’t take long until you impress Dana White enough to earn a UFC contract and can begin climbing up the ranks for a shot at a championship. It’s a familiar setup, but one that differentiates from its contemporaries by embracing the promotional aspect of the sport and focusing on time management above all else. You start the run up to each fight by signing up to a gym that specialises in a specific fighting discipline, and can then choose to train and improve your attributes, learn new moves and perks, spar with a training partner who’s emulating your upcoming opponent, or promote your next fight to drum up hype and attract more fans to your brand.

This balance between performance and promotion is an interesting concept, and it strips away a lot of the monotony these career modes often suffer from. Improving your attributes simply boils down to selecting which areas you want to develop, with each activity eating into that weeks designated time allotment. Promotion works much the same way as you’re given the option to generate hype for your next fight by, say, predicting the finish on social media, attending autograph signings, or even taking a page out of Demetrious Johnson’s book by streaming some video games. There are no tedious mini-games revolving around punching bags and speed balls, and those that are included are incredibly brief with immediate rewards in the shape of new moves and perks. The whole thing is so streamlined it’s almost negligible, ensuring you spend less time staring at menus between each fight, which is a good thing.

The only time the Career Mode falters is when you make the leap from fighting created fighters to fighting real ones. Even if you dedicate yourself to improving your attributes at every possible opportunity–foregoing promotional activities in the process–your overall stats are going to be significantly lower than the world-renowned fighters you’re going up against. Being challenged isn’t an inherently bad thing, but there are moments when this sudden difficulty spike feels genuinely unfair. Whether you’re struggling to break through what seems like an impenetrable defence, or tapping out to yet another overpowered submission, despite your fighter having maxed out submission defence. This puts a dampener on what is otherwise an enjoyable mode.

Elsewhere, Ultimate Team returns and continues to be a curious addition to the world of mixed martial arts. With one-on-one fights on the agenda, UFC 3’s particular flavour of Ultimate Team lacks the appeal of concocting your own unstoppable dream team. Instead, card packs are bundled with not just fighters, but tiered moves, perks, and bonuses as well, essentially painting each fighter as blank canvases for you to outfit with whatever moves you choose. It’s a fascinating idea, and there are a number of single and multiplayer modes for you to unleash your Frankenstein’s monster on. Microtransactions are still a factor, letting you spend real-world money on premium card packs, but there’s enough in-game money to be earned from various fights and challenges that paying real money never seems necessary. Time will tell whether this changes once you fancy testing your mettle at high-level Ultimate Team play.

Once you do take the fight online bouts against human opposition offer a similar level of latency-free smoothness as those against the AI. There are rare occasions where you’ll find yourself in a stuttering, laggy game, making it difficult to execute moves and react to your opponent with the precision you would hope for, but so far matches like this have been few and far between. As with most online games, your mileage will vary depending on who you’re matched up against, but UFC 3 offers a smooth online experience for the vast majority of the time.

EA Sports UFC 3 is a tense, exciting, and dynamic recreation of the stand and bang aspect of mixed martial arts. There’s a fluidity to the way it moves, and a satisfying feel and unpredictability to the way fights can unfold that demands your engagement. The grappling still needs plenty of work, and one would hope this is something EA Canada addresses in the next iteration; yet these shortcomings become easier to overlook because of the accomplishment of its redefined striking. When it comes to the art of combat, few sports titles do it better.

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