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Tales of the Shire, a cozy life sim set in the world of Lord of the Rings, has been delayed until 2025. It was previously set for a release sometime this year. Developer Weta Workshop, who assisted with the effects in all of Peter Jacksons Middle-earth films, says the delay was necessary to ensure that players experience a fully realized version of its original vision. This is a cozy life sim in the vein of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and a million others, but this one is set in In Tolkien's Middle-earth between the events of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Mixing the cozy sim formula with a pre-established IP tends to work. Just ask fans of Disney Dreamlight Valley. If theres one aspect of Tolkiens world that fits this genre, its the Hobbits and their Shire. The forthcoming game looks to prioritize meal prep, as we all know Hobbits love a good feast, and will let players design the look of their own personal Hobbit hole. Theres fishing and farming, of course, but also a robust-seeming character interaction system. We arent sure if romance is on the table but, come on, that Hobbit population isnt going to replenish itself. The developer is holding a live showcase event on September 22 at 10:30AM ET to discuss some new aspects of the game and to go over various mechanics. It will also use the stream to drop an actual release date which, again, will be sometime in 2025. Maybe well also get an update on Hobbit-based romance during the showcase. A #HOBBITDAY SHOWCASE Join us September 22nd for an inside look at #TalesoftheShire! Here is just a smattering of what's in store... Sharing home-cooked meals Visiting The Green Dragon Furnishing your Hobbit hole pic.twitter.com/9AB55H6vyh Tales of the Shire (@talesoftheshire) September 10, 2024 This makes me wonder what other culturally significant IPs could benefit from the cozy life sim experience. They were always trying to farm in The Walking Dead, but the presence of zombies would be less cozy and more an endless nightmare. I could see farming or building up a society in some outer rim planet in the Star Wars universe, or maybe Knowhere as seen in the MCU films.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/tales-of-the-shire-a-cozy-life-sim-with-hobbits-has-been-delayed-until-2025-171031409.html?src=rss
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NASA confirmed on Friday that its developing a new lunar time system for the Moon. The White House published a policy memo in April, directing NASA to create the new standard by 2026. Over five months later (government time, yall), the space agencys confirmation states it will work with U.S. government stakeholders, partners, and international standards organizations to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). To understand why the Moon needs its own time zone, look no further than Einstein. His theories of relativity say that because time changes relative to speed and gravity, time moves slightly faster on our celestial neighbor (because of its weaker gravity). So, an Earth clock on the Moon would gain about 56 microseconds a day enough to throw off calculations that could put future missions requiring precision in danger. For something traveling at the speed of light, 56 microseconds is enough time to travel the distance of approximately 168 football fields, said Cheryl Gramling, NASA timing and standards leader, in a press release. If someone is orbiting the Moon, an observer on Earth who isnt compensating for the effects of relativity over a day would think that the orbiting astronaut is approximately 168 football fields away from where the astronaut really is. NASA Aprils White House memo directed NASA to work with the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State and Transportation to plot the course for LTCs introduction by the end of 2026. Global stakeholders, particularly Artemis Accords signees, will play a role. Established in 2020, the agreements include a growing collection of 43 countries committed to norms expected to be honored in space. Notably, China and Russia have refused to join. NASAs Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program will lead the initiative. One of LTCs goals is to be scalable to other celestial bodies in the future, including Mars. The time standard will be determined by a weighted average of atomic clocks on the Moon, although their locations are still up for debate. Such a weighted average is similar to how scientists calculate Earths Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). NASA plans to send crewed missions back to the Moon through its Artemis program. Artemis 2, scheduled for September 2025, plans to send four people on a pass around the Moon. A year later, Artemis 3 aims to land astronauts near the Moons South Pole.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-confirms-its-developing-the-moons-new-time-zone-165345568.html?src=rss
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In Hollowbody, an early 2000s-style third-person survival horror game by Nathan Hamley (the solo developer behind Headware Games), the true terror comes not from its hideous monsters, but from inhabiting a world where regular people are failed by the system and left to die. Hollowbody is an homage to the PlayStation 2-era classics that helped define the genre. It also adds a tech-noir spin; think the first few Silent Hill games, namely Silent Hill 2, and a touch of Blade Runner. It goes heavy on atmosphere, relying almost entirely on tension-building rather than action to create a sense of palpable unease. And while the game resurrects PS2 graphics, it does not subject you to tank controls (unless you want them, then theres a toggle for that, sickos). Its set in the not-too-distant future in a ruined city somewhere in the British Isles, decades after the region was struck by a supposed biological attack and later bombed while under quarantine. A brief introduction alludes to corruption and conspiracy around the true events of the catastrophe. The initial attacks targeted cities plagued by economic hardship and depravity, and the affected areas were walled off to contain the spread of any contagions but not before people deemed to be high value citizens were allowed to escape to an artificial island with a suspiciously utopic name (Aeonis). The game opens with a group of researcher-activists who have convened at an entry site to one of the exclusion zones, where they plan to go in search of answers. After one of them, Sasha, goes missing, her partner Mica sets out in a hover car to find her at any cost. Its in this early sequence that we really see the tech-noir part of Hollowbodys description come through: Mica staring out the huge glass window of an apartment overlooking a densely packed city la Blade Runner 2049; zipping between skyscrapers in a flying passenger vehicle; having a cheeky conversation with an intelligent navigation system. Naturally, Mica crashes on the ride in, loses contact with the one person who can help her and has to make her way toward Sasha on foot. Headware Games From then on, the tech-noir bit slips mostly out of focus until it swings back around at the end of the game, and Hollowbody takes on the more traditional survival horror mold of science experiment turned local extinction event. There are some touches of that distinct tech-infused vision at one point, Mica passes a broken-down mech the size of an apartment building, and theres a glowing childrens toy in one room that looks vaguely robotic but its not exactly pervasive. Micas personal gadgetry and the styling of the inventory menu serve as the only real reminders of that angle for most of the game. There are a number of puzzles to solve as you explore derelict buildings and the citys parks trying to figure out how to get the hell out of there. The solutions to most of these are fairly obvious once youve come across the clues sprinkled around each location, so the fun is more in the exploration. There was an occasional head-scratcher that would send me in circles though. It didnt help that the surfaces I was able to interact with would sometimes continue to display indicators like Pick up or Seek even after I took everything that could be used from them. In cluttered rooms, I found myself rechecking some spots over and over thinking Id missed something. These prompts will also appear in some places just for the sake of having Mica make inconsequential observations, like commenting on the dirty dishes or sheets that have gone years unwashed, and shell say the same remarks repeatedly as she encounters the same setups in different apartments. Thankfully, that doesnt detract much from how unnerving the setting is. The music is haunting, and it combines with heightened environmental noises like rain, radio static and Micas echoing footsteps to create a really visceral soundscape. If ever Micas inside a building or underground structure, you can be sure itll be dark and labyrinthine. It always felt like a monster was going to jump out at any second, despite that not usually being the case. (It was sometimes, though.) Outside, Mica is exposed, and it doesnt take long for monsters to notice her and start congregating around her. Headware Games The monsters themselves are wonderfully disgusting. There are bipedal abominations, some emaciated while others are top-heavy and headless, with gross tendrils flailing out from their upper halves. Hollowbody has some demon dogs, too, plus a few scuttling insectoid creatures that seemingly pose no threat beyond creeping you out. Cat-sized worm critters will slither right past you, and their hilariously clunky animation just might be the most PS2 thing about the entire game. Its not very combat-oriented often, you can just run past the enemies but there are guns to come by, and a few makeshift melee weapons. Using the latter felt somewhat stiff and slow at times, particularly when facing a group of beasts, but I was still able to make do favoring bludgeoning tools to conserve ammunition. And I delighted in the gushy thwack of my street sign ax connecting with monster flesh. I also loved that Mica can grab an electric guitar off the wall and use it as a weapon. It may not be the most pragmatic approach considering the heaviness, but the clang when it makes contact with its target is very satisfying. There are bodies in various states of decay at every turn, and Micas scanner will give you an instant read on the deceased to get a sense of who they were and how they died. In many instances, the cause is nothing paranormal: dehydration, starvation, murder, etc. A backstory forms through documents and audio flashbacks that are activated at certain sites, telling of financial struggles and gentrification in the city long before the biological disaster, and the eventual desolation endured by the people in the quarantined area afterward, who could only survive as long as their dwindling resources allowed. Mica finds a notice of impending rent hikes, a letter that mentions the disruption of construction going on at all hours of the night and a past due notice for unpaid utilities bills showing monthly prices had quadrupled. She comes across a note left behind by a dying man, wishing for a better future for his family and humanity. In one post-quarantine recording, starving civilians pleading o leave the city are gunned down by armed forces. It is all incredibly bleak, and I didnt have to suspend my disbelief very much to envision a reality in which things would pan out like this. Headware Games But an explanation as to why there are horrid, fleshy humanoid monsters roaming the streets never fully reveals itself in a straightforward way. (At least, not with the ending I reached and all the materials I collected.) The most substantial hint on that front came from a single newspaper clipping, the contents of which Id rather not spoil here. The article plants the seed of an idea, but its largely up to the player to fill in the blanks beyond that. There are touching snippets of Mica and Sashas story as well, but the duos connection to this place and apparent significance within its present goings-on never quite got the neat wrap-up I was hoping for. While the ending was a beautiful, emotional scene that felt like it brought the story full circle thematically, it also left me with the feeling of, Wait, what just happened? It seems like there are other endings, though, which may prove more conclusive on subsequent playthroughs. Beating the game also unlocks a harder difficulty option and a first-person dungeon crawler mode, which immediately made everything feel scarier when I switched it on. Even with its shortcomings, Hollowbody is a solid survival horror title that feels especially impressive when you take into account the fact that it was made by a solo indie developer. Vibes are part of what made its predecessors unforgettable, and Hollowbodys oppressive mood hits all the right notes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollowbody-fills-the-void-left-by-ps2-survival-horror-games-160030810.html?src=rss
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