Daily Archives: July 21, 2017

A mysterious man in a long overcoat, neon light-lined facemask and hat with rabbit ears stands ominously against a wall lined with a mixture of English and Chinese words. A woman in heavy gold makeup rushes over to me and asks if I saw the accident.

"If someone's hurt, dial 995, OK?" she pleads, before walking away through the haze-filled room.

Behind me is the crash site, a downed hover car (known as a "spinner"), with yellow police tape wrapped around it.

This is not the Los Angeles I know.

After lifting our VR headsets, we were greeted with this scene.

Indeed, this is the Los Angeles of the "Blade Runner" universe, a cyberpunk future that's the setting of the upcoming film "Blade Runner 2049." I'm actually in San Diego for the opening night of Comic-Con. The "Blade Runner 2049 Experience," just a block away from the convention center, mixes virtual reality with an immaculately crafted set and committed actors to bring you into its dystopian world.

Comic-Con, which has grown over the years into a mecca for entertainment -- particularly of the geek and blockbuster film variety -- is all about immersing you in different worlds. The "Blade Runner 2049 Experience" goes above and beyond in creating a small, but fully fleshed slice of its universe. It's the perfect way to tease the upcoming film, a sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic, that brings back actor Harrison Ford and pairs him with Ryan Gosling.

"It looked legit," said Kevin Bussey, a food and beverage manager based in San Diego, after going through the experience. "The whole ambience was awesome."

The film opens on Oct. 6, and the cast will be holding a panel later this week at Comic-Con.

I first walk through a long hallway. It's lined with concept art from the movie as a tease of what's to come. After rounding the corner, I see several rows of what look like racing bucket seats.

The experience began with a VR video that was synced with our seats.

Once in my seat, I put on a Gear VR headset and headphones, which transport me to a digital recreation of the driver's seat of a spinner. The bucket seat is specifically tuned to move in way that convinces me the hover car is actually taking off just as it does in the virtual world.

As I cruise around the cityscape of 2049, I see giant ads for Coca-Cola and Atari, as well as Johnnie Walker (a sponsor of this event). Another digital ad features a tennis racket that whacks a giant digital tennis ball through my head.

The action heats up when I identify another spinner with a replicant -- an android that the in-universe blade runners are supposed to track down. From there, I'm in hot pursuit, ultimately crashing into the replicant's spinner and forcing it to the ground.

As far as VR experiences go, this one sold me on the world thanks to the perfect marriage of the seat and the imagery, much like an updated version of those old motion simulator rides. Take away the special seats, and the graphics are likely to sustain that immersive quality.

The VR experience, as it turns out, was just the beginning. As we lifted our headsets, the wall in front of us rose and we confronted the downed spinner. Actors in 2049-style garb walked around, asking if we'd seen anything.

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Exploring the Blade Runner 2049 Experience at SDCC 2017

At one point, a flood of water rained down from part of the ceiling. I narrowly avoid getting soaked.

This mysterious character stood ominously against the wall.

In the next section, Bibi's Bar, I saw people order drinks from the bar at the White Dragon (you can see a clip on Twitter here). In the middle of the room was a busted-up (but futuristic-looking) taxi.

Breaking the illusion a bit was a table with spring rolls and pork buns, but my stomach didn't mind the brief return to reality.

A policeman suspiciously asked what I was doing as I filmed him for an Instagram post. A nearby guard had me stand in front of a scanner, which shone a light across my face to determine if I was a replicant. You'll be relieved to know that it confirmed that I am, indeed, human.

Props from the film lined the wall on one side of the room, while mannequins adorned with futuristic clothing lined window displays on the opposite end. All of this work has been put in to get the thousands of convention-goers who'll flock through the exhibit jazzed about the film.

Cosplayers, or costume players, aren't a unique sight at a comic book convention. But I have to admire the dedication of these actors.

Two women, one in a zebra-like fur coat and another sporting a large and fuzzy purple hat, approached my colleague Tania Gonzalez and me to strike up a conversation. They were so committed to staying in character that Tania wasn't entirely sure whether one was legitimately flirting with her.

But having women ignore me in favor of the cooler, more interesting person to my side? Some things don't change no matter what universe I'm in.

Crowd Control:A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

CNET Magazine:Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition.

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'Blade Runner 2049' brings cyberpunk LA to San Diego Comic-Con - CNET

Poland-based developer Bloober Team who you may recognize from 2016sLayers of Fear and publisher Aspyr Media have announced that the formers upcoming cyberpunk horror game is set to launch on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Linux on August 15th.

Additionally, the pair have revealed that the legendary actor, Rutger Hauer who you may know from films such asBlade Runner, Flesh+Blood, Sin City, Batman Begins, The Hitcher, Blind Fury,and more stars as Detective Lazarski, the character you play as.

Lastly, new key art for the game has also been released alongside a few new images and a new 2084 trailer that explores the aforementioned Daniels role as an Observer.

Observeris set in a 2084 dystopian future ruled by oppressive corporations. Further, the game isnt your traditional take on cyberpunk, but notably is an Eastern European take on the iconic sub-genre, which is to say in the game youll find architecture, historical and political references, and pop-culture that would be found in Eastern Europe.

As mentioned above, in the game you play as Dan, a member of a special corporate-funded police unit called Observers. Following cryptic messages from his estranged son, dan quickly founds himself trekking through the seedy underbelly of the city where horror, madness, andpsychological experiences bordering on the psychedelic await.

Observers are essentially detectives equipped with special augmentations that allow them to hack into minds of anyone and see the things in an altered perception, which in turn allows for them to gather information or interrogate in unique ways. Every time they go in someones mind they will see what they saw and live what they lived, and while the process can and will take a toll on the Observer, it will allow them to find clues otherwise hidden.

As you play the game you will be presented with many choices and options to approach the world as you want, which in turn shapes the narrative and leads to multiple endings.

Observeris set to release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One at an unknown price-point. If you havent already, be sure to check out our interview with Brand Manager at Bloober Team,Rafa Basaj, where we talk aboutObserver,including its inspirations, story, themes, approach to horror, and more.

Observeris currently playable for the public at Lionsgates booth atSan Diego Comic-Con until July 22nd.

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Layers of Fear Dev's Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Launches ... - DualShockers

Cyberpunk horror game Observer will be releasing on August 15 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and a new gameplay trailer has been released.

Created by Layers of Fear developer Blooper Team, Observer holds the same pacing of Layers Of Fear, and uses modern themes to illustrate a society where hacking peoples nightmares is a reality. You can check out the new gameplay trailer alongside a set of screenshots below:

How would it feel if your fears could be weaponized against you? Det. Daniel Lazarski is an Observer; part of a corporate-funded, specialized police unit with full legal clearance to tap directly into a targets mind via neural implant. A cryptic message from your estranged son sets you on a journey to the drug-ridden Class C slums of Krakow, Poland. As you hack into the minds of criminals and victims alike to uncover the truth of the mysterious communique, you are forced into a surreal landscape of the residents darkest fears.

Key Features

If you played our first game, Layers of Fear, you know that we make a different kind of horror, Blooper Team said last month. Something a bit more cerebral, emotional, and psychological; We like to call it hidden horror. We think of hidden horror as a subgenre. There are a million different types of action games out there, but you dont see that kind of diversity in horror games. Most horror games are designed completely around survival.

For those wondering the character displayed in the main image above is indeed Cyberpunk legend Rutger Hauer from Bladerunner as Detective Dan Lazarski.

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Cyberpunk 'Hidden Horror' Game Observer Releasing on August 15 for PC/XO/PS4 - Wccftech

After the success of "The Witcher 3," it will not be easy for "#Cyberpunk 2077" to surpass that popularity. However, it looks that #CD Projekt RED is going to get a pretty good shot with the sci-fi #Role Playing Game "Cyberpunk 2077." Even if CD Projekt Red is highly secretive about the details of the game, here is everything that you need to know about this highly anticipated game.

During an interview, CD Projekt Red mentioned that "Cyberpunk 2077" is going to be a huge project for the studio. According to the studio's visual effect artist, Jose Teixeira, the game is going to be bigger than anything else that the studio has created.

The head of the studio, Adam Badowski, also stated that the game would be even bigger, even better, and more revolutionary. Basing on the way the gaming studio was describing the development of "Cyberpunk 2077," gamers should expect an ambitious and big game once "Cyberpunk 2077" is released.

Mike Pondsmith, the creator of "Cyberpunk 2020" shared some details about the game's classes during an interview with Game Reactors last June. We can expect that the character classes from the original game will be carried over in "Cyberpunk 2077." These classes will not be limited to Cop, Rockerboys (rockers), Nomads, Netrunner (hackers), Corporate, Fixer (information brokers), Media (reporters and journalists), Solo (bodyguards and assassins), Med-Tech (doctors), and Techie.

Whether all of these character classes will be included in the game, that is remain to be seen. However, according to Pondsmith, a lot of these, if not all of them, will be in the game. With the vast character classes it will have, this sci-fi role playing game will work great with multiplayer features.

CD Projekt Red's jobs page showed a huge hint about what to expect in the game: Flying vehicles. According to the job opening on their website, the gaming studio is looking for a vehicle game programmer who can create a vehicle-related code and knows the physics of flying and driving those vehicles. There was even a released animated GIF that is claiming to be part of the highly anticipated project. Although it is legitimate or not remains to be confirmed.

Although CD Projekt Red remains quiet about "Cyberpunk 2077's" exact launching date, the game will be scheduled to release by 2019. The game will be available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

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'Cyberpunk 2077' Update: Different playable character classes - Blasting News

>observer_, the next title from Bloober Team -the developer behind Layers of Fear- has received a new trailer as well as a confirmed release date.

Detective Dan Lazarski, portrayed by Rutger Hauer, an elite neural detective known as an Observer is the main character in next months cyberpunk horror, >observer.

The game, from Bloober Team, was originally announced at last years E3 however has been relatively quiet since. That changes as of now, however, as the games new trailer and Steam page, have given over a bevy of information.

Heres a quick glipse at the games setting from the Steam store page:

The year is 2084. If you somehow survived the Nanophage, odds are you were killed in the War. Those who live have turned to drugs, VR, neural implants anything to distract themselves from this new reality. You are Daniel Lazarski, an elite neural detective known as an Observer, and part of a corporate-funded police unit whose purpose is to hack and invade suspects minds. In this future, anything you think, feel, or remember can be used against you in a court of law.

When you receive a mysterious message from your estranged son, a high-level engineer for the almighty Chiron Corporation, you journey to the seedy Class C slums of Krakow to investigate. But as you hack into the unstable minds of criminals and victims to look for clues, you are forced to relive their darkest fears. How far will you go to discover the truth?

Bloober Team appear to have done a fantastic job of transferring their experience with creating heavily-directed horror settings to the miserable future setting, and while theres certainly some neon on show, the nightmares which youll be entering are reflective more of the war-torn, plague-torn, squalor-ridden horrors of the world than the neo-Tokyo style future of Gibson cyberpunk which at least tuck the slums away behind futurist-capitalistic neon glow and high-rise towers.

>observer_ will release for Windows PC, PS4 & Xbox One on the 15th of August. A fact-sheet made note of Mac & Linux versions releasing on the same day, but there is currently no specifications on the games Steam Page.

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observer_: Cyberpunk Horror Title from Layers of Fear Developer Confirmed for August Launch; New Trailer Released - Big Boss Battle