‘The Last of Us Part II’ looks like a slam dunk for Sony
(CNN) — “The Last of Us Part II,” the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2013 survival horror game, is out Friday on PlayStation 4. The game, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony, offers a complex, emotional story and lots of infected zombies.
The franchise is beloved by fans, and analysts say it’s poised to do well, even in the midst of a real-life pandemic.
“The Last of Us” (2013) was a smash hit, selling 20 million copies by 2019, according to Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad. It’s the third-best-selling PlayStation exclusive as of 2019, after “Marvel’s Spider-Man” and “God of War,” according to Mat Piscatella, executive director of games at research firm NPD Group.
The game is even being developed into a TV series by HBO (which is owned by CNN’s parent company WarnerMedia) in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions.
The franchise is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a mutant fungus infected most humans and turned them into cannibalistic “zombies.” In the original game, players traverse the world as Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a young woman who has been orphaned.
The timing of the sequel’s release during a pandemic could actually attract more people to play it, analysts say. The ever present threat of infection in ‘The Last of Us’ franchise has clear parallels to reality, and players might find comfort in the agency they have in the fictional world.
“The Last of Us Part II” continues the story from the end of the original game. Ellie was revealed to be immune to the disease and her cells could unlock a vaccine, although the procedure to harvest her cells would kill her. Joel is unwilling to let Ellie die, and so he murders a doctor and lies, telling her that researchers are no longer looking for a cure.
“It was an incredibly bittersweet ending with tremendous room for interpretation and conversation,” said Rami Ismail, a game developer in the Netherlands. “From what we’ve seen so far, ‘The Last of Us II’ does not seem to hold any punches, and once again showcases the improbable level of craft and borderline unhealthy levels of effort by its creators.”
Part II of the story picks up five years later, where almost immediately Ellie embarks on a mission to avenge a person dear to her. As in the original, players switch characters throughout the game and experience different perspectives, from Ellie to another character whose actions may be difficult for some fans to stomach.
Amid the gunfights, explosions and zombies, the game also has cinematic cutscenes that deepen the player’s connection to the characters. When Ellie tells Dina, her new companion and lover, about her zombie bite mark and how she’s immune, she doesn’t take Ellie seriously.
It’s a tender moment within a post-apocalyptic world, where there are few humans and most buildings are in disrepair.
While the game falls under the shooter genre, ammo is a scarce resource, so players focus on outmaneuvering zombies through stealth and on character interactions that further the narrative.
The game will run on the PlayStation 5, which will be released this holiday season. David Cole, an analyst at research firm DFC Intelligence, said that will be to Sony’s advantage, given how the original Last of Us was released on the PlayStation 3 and then remastered for the PlayStation 4.
“Sony releasing an enhanced PS5 version not only gets people to buy the game again but also buy a PS5,” he said.Make your favorite Sparkling Ice® into a mocktail!All the fruit meets all the flavor in this summertime family favorite.Ad By Sparkling Ice® – Please drink responsibly See More
Why fans love ‘The Last of Us’
“The Last of Us” franchise heavily relies on cinematic elements and emotional narrative, and this depth of storytelling is attractive to its devoted fanbase.
Joost van Dreunen, founder of video game investment firm New Breukelen, told CNN Business, “The games industry has long suffered from Hollywood-envy and titles like ‘The Last of Us’ are among the few that show that video games can deliver an equally compelling experience.”
Dreunen expects “The Last of Us Part II” will be a “slam dunk” and a “blockbuster hit for Sony.”
Julia Singh, 21, a graphic designer in New York, who played the original and has already purchased Part II, explained why she loves the franchise.
“The story, to me, was so well-told and touching, showing the emotional bond between Joel and Ellie,” she said, “A bereaved father, and a girl with no home…They were survivors together, and I loved all of the detail in the game between them.”
Macaiyla Edwards, a 21-year-old Twitch streamer based in Missouri who said she plans to stream “The Last of Us Part II,” told CNN Business, “The storyline really makes you feel like you’re a part of the game itself. I genuinely enjoy the game and I’m excited to see where Joel and Ellie go from where they last stopped on their journey.”
LGBTQ representation
The original “Last of Us” was also celebrated for its queer representation. While Ellie was shown to be queer in a later downloadable release for the game, she isn’t explicitly defined by her sexuality.
“Given gaming’s historic issues with representation, this was considered a triumph by gamers who want to see games catch up to the reality of their player base,” said Laine Nooney, assistant professor and historian of video games at New York University.
Still, the game has received criticism on Twitter for not carrying a trigger warning for violence. Two minor characters in scenes that occur later on in the game deadname a trans character — calling him by his “dead,” given name, and not his chosen one.
For that reason, Kazuma Hashimoto, a Japanese-to-English translator and journalist based in Germany, called out the game on Thursday.
“The scenes that are in that cutscene can be extremely triggering, and even re-traumatize trans people regarding the abuse that we face, the dead naming, the small instances of violence that occur in our everyday lives,” he told CNN Business.
Sony and Naughty Dog did not immediately respond to comment.
CNN Business was provided with early access to the game by Sony.
Photo Credit: kmov/Sony Interactive Entertainment/Naughty Dog
A 9-year-old and her friends have raised nearly $100,000 selling bracelets to help black-owned businesses
MINNESOTA (CNN)– A group of friends with big dreams and even bigger hearts started a summer business that is helping black-owned businesses and neighborhoods in Minneapolis affected by the coronavirus pandemic and protests following the death of George Floyd.
Fueled by boredom and an itch for something new, 9-year-old Kamryn Johnson and five of her friends who live in neighboring Chanhassen decided to open a stand selling friendship bracelets.
After a lot thinking about where the money would end up going, the group agreed that the proceeds would be donated to businesses and food banks in Minneapolis.
Led by Kamryn, the group named their effort “Kamryn & Friends: Bracelets For Unity & Justice.” Since setting up the stand on May 30, the kind kiddos have raised more than $90,000 through sales of the bracelets online fundraising and donations, according to Kamryn’s dad, former NFL player Ron Johnson.
“She has a huge heart and simply wanted to be of help in whatever way she could,” Johnson told CNN. “She and her friends are finding ways to feed the families of Minneapolis and give back to their community in the way they know how.”
While the funds will be going toward helping various businesses damaged during protests, Johnson said the focus is on helping black business owners get back on their feet.
They had already been harmed by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced Minnesota into a statewide shutdown for a month. Then the May 25 death of black resident George Floyd triggered nights of protests and violence in cities across the country.
Scores of businesses in the Twin Cities — Minneapolis and St. Paul — were damaged or looted during days of unrest.
‘When you look at Minneapolis, there is a huge racial gap in basically every aspect of life,” Johnson said. “It’s not equal. We want to be there for black businesses, especially those that don’t have insurance agents to help them out, to let them know they have people that will protect and fight for them.”
A portion of the money is going toward feeding the community and providing families with resources such as diapers and laundry detergent. The kids are donating some of their funds to Minneapolis’ Sanctuary Covenant Church’s food drive and the Kyle Rudolph food and supply Drive.
When the children first came up with the idea, Johnson said he expected them to raise “maybe $50 or something small.” After news of their efforts unexpectedly began to spread, people across the country were donating to the cause.
But that’s not the only impact the children are having on the movement.
“Day after day, we’re having impactful conversations with so many people. So many of our community members have come by to drop off supplies, or just talk about things like racism and injustice, stuff that we don’t talk about very often,” Ron Johnson said.
“We want to stay in the fight. We don’t plan on giving a bit and then walking away and going about our day. We’re fighting for our community and it’s not going to end any time soon. This is a fight for racial equality and an end to police brutality. It’s something we still need to talk about.”
While America is a long way from reaching true equality, for now, Kamryn and her friends will continue spreading joy by selling bracelets for as long as people are willing to buy them.
Photo Credit: Jamie Stoia
Eskimo Pie no more: Ice cream owners will drop ‘derogatory’ name
After nearly 100 years, Eskimo Pie ice cream will get a new name.
“We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is derogatory,” Elizabell Marquez, head of marketing for parent company Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, told Reuters and the Wall Street Journal in a statement.
The chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar joins brands such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s in overhauling long-used names and marketing strategies considered racially offensive. The trend comes amid global demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism following the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police.
Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream has been reviewing the business for some time, Reuters reports.
As The Wall Street Journal noted, “The term Eskimo is a disparaging term for the indigenous people of the Arctic regions of northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Siberia.”
CNN has contacted Dreyer’s for comment but has not received a response yet. Nestle sold the company and the rest of its US ice cream brands to Froneri, a joint venture with a private equity firm, in a $4 billion deal in 2019.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Man allegedly threatens to shoot family wearing Black Lives Matter shirts
A San Francisco man faces hate crime charges after allegedly threatening to shoot a family wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts at a restaurant, according to a report.
Steve Cibotti, 55, was caught on surveillance video accosting Ciara Doherty, Anthony Colon and their three young kids on June 7 while they ate at the Flights Restaurant in the city of Burlingame on the San Francisco Peninsula, ABC7 News reported.
He was booked late last week into San Mateo County Jail on four counts of felony threats with a hate crime enhancement after an 11-day investigation.
“He basically banged the table, slammed his hands on the table looked directly at my son and said, ‘Black lives matter. F— black lives. Blue lives matter,’” Colon told the news outlet.
The family had just arrived at the restaurant after taking part in a demonstration in San Francisco, ABC 7 reported.
Colon said Cibotti returned to their table and again threatened to shoot them.
“He said, ‘F— you, b—-. I’ll f—- shoot you!’” he told the station.
On Thursday, Cibotti was released from jail after posting $150,000 bail.
“He signed up for rehab because I said, ‘Dude you have a drinking problem, you need to go to rehab,’” his attorney Paula Canny told ABC 7, adding that Cibotti had too much to drink with his family at the restaurant.
His family — which has ties to law enforcement — left the joint but he returned to use the restroom – which is when he made the threat, she said.
Canny said Cibotti has been fired from his job at United Airlines after the incident and has been “just a bundle of tears, super upset, super crying, super stressed out.”
The lawyer denied that Cibotti threatened to shoot the family, adding that he doesn’t have firearms at home, but San Mateo County DA Steve Wagstaffe said police interviewed a dozen witnesses.
“Right now, on what people reported to the detective who interviewed them, those words were spoken,” Wagstaffe told ABC 7.
“This wasn’t just somebody who was yelling at the people next to them because their kids were crying or making noise,” he said.
“This one has that added element that it’s based on race at a time in our world, our community is very concerned about this issue and he is railing against a family for exercising their right,” Wagstaffe said, referring to the hate crime component.
“According to the evidence we have, he added in, ‘If I had a gun, I would shoot you,’” he said, adding that Cibotti has no registered weapons.
In a statement, Doherty and Colon said they were “relieved to hear that the District Attorney has filed charges.”
“We look forward to the resolution of this matter so that we and everyone else affected by this incident can put it behind them and begin the healing process,” the couple said.
Cibotti’s arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
“The alleged actions of this individual are unconscionable and go against everything our company stands for,” a United Airlines rep told The Post in an email.
“Upon being informed of this incident we took immediate action and he is no longer employed by the company. At United, we have a zero tolerance policy for acts of racism and bigotry and take pride in standing together against racism.”
Photo Credit: dailymail
Minority corrections officers say they were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin
Eight minority corrections officers in Minnesota have filed discrimination charges with the state’s Department of Human Rights after they were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop charged in George Floyd’s death, according to a report.
Chauvin was booked at the Ramsey County Jail the day he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. He was later hit with an upgraded charge of second-degree murder.
The former officer was captured on disturbing, viral video pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck as the man pleaded for air.
As Chauvin was brought to the lockup, all officers of color were ordered to another floor, according to the Star Tribune, which obtained a copy of the racial discrimination charges.
A supervisor told one of the minority officers that, because of their race, they would be a possible “liability” around Chauvin, the news outlet reported, citing their allegations.
“I understood that the decision to segregate us had been made because we could not be trusted to carry out our work responsibilities professionally around the high-profile inmate — solely because of the color of our skin,” wrote one acting sergeant, who is black, the Star Tribune reported.
“I am not aware of a similar situation where white officers were segregated from an inmate,” the officer added.
Attorney Bonnie Smith, who is representing the corrections officers, said the order affected their morale.
“I think they deserve to have employment decisions made based on performance and behavior,” she told the paper. “Their main goal is to make sure this never happens again.”
Jail Superintendent Steve Lydon told his bosses that he made a call “to protect and support” minority personnel by shielding them from Chauvin 10 minutes before he arrived.
“Out of care and concern, and without the comfort of time, I made a decision to limit exposure to employees of color to a murder suspect who could potentially aggravate those feelings,” Lydon reportedly said during an internal probe, reported the Star Tribune, which received his statement from the Sheriff’s Office,
Lydon has since been demoted, according to the news outlet.
The officers’ charges, which were filed Friday, are expected to automatically trigger a state probe.
The Department of Human Rights has already launched a major inquiry into the Minneapolis Police Department after Floyd’s death to examine its policies and procedures over the past 10 years, the Star Tribune reported.
Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero declined to comment to the newspaper about the pending case in Ramsey County.
Three other former Minneapolis officers — Tou Thau, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng – have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Photo Credit: Hennepin Count Sheriff
Parents accused of killing 11-year-old son by forcing him to drink large amounts of water
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado couple accused of killing their 11-year-old son by forcing him to drink large amounts of water are facing several charges, including child abuse and first-degree murder.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports 41-year-old Ryan Sabin and 42-year-old Tara Sabin turned themselves in to authorities Tuesday and are being held without bail at the El Paso County jail.
Prosecutors say Zachary Sabin died in Black Forest on March 11 after the couple made him drink the water because his urine was dark. The county coroner’s office determined the boy died of forced water intoxication after he was told to drink four 24-ounce (.7-litre) bottles of water over four hours without eating.
According to an arrest affidavit, Tara Sabin, the boy’s stepmother, told authorities he wore a diaper at night because of a hereditary urological problem. Ryan Sabin, Zachary’s father and a sergeant based at Fort Carson, called 911 after he found the boy in his bed with foam coming from his mouth and blood on his bed.
An arrest affidavit says Zachary suffered other physical abuse, as did five other children.
Online booking documents do not indicate if the Sabins have hired an attorney who can speak on their behalf.
Photo Credit: buzzfeednews
Massachusetts man accused of shooting neighbor in UPS driver disguise
A Massachusetts man accused of fatally shooting his former neighbor disguised himself as a UPS driver while hiding his rifle in a box, authorities said.
Police and prosecutors say Robert Bonang, 61, donned a surgical mask, a gray wig, as well as brown pants and a jacket – like a UPS employee – before ringing the doorbell of 59-year-old Laurie Melchionda’s Braintree home and shooting her several times early Wednesday, the Boston Globe reports.
Melchionda, who was shot in the back and head, was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The former school nurse most recently worked as the head of health programs for Weston Public Schools and had served on the Braintree Board of Health for several years, the newspaper reports.
A teenager babysitting nearby said she saw Bonang and was “uncomfortable” about his appearance, which looked as if he was a “fake UPS driver” who was carrying a “weird” box that didn’t look like other packages, according to the Norfolk assistant district attorney and a Braintree police report cited by the newspaper.
The young witness said she then heard screaming after Bonang rang Melchionda’s doorbell and saw him “shooting from the box,” police wrote in a report.
Another resident said he saw Bonang fire a hangun six times into the lawn outside the home, police said.
Bonang, who previously lived across the street from Melchionda, was later taken into custody at gunpoint. While he has cooperated with investigators, Bonang has yet to provide a motive for the shooting, according to the records cited by the Globe.
Bonang, who was arraigned via video Thursday, pleaded not guilty to murder and illegal firearm charges. He also told a judge he intends to hire his own attorney.
Bonang, most recently of Marshfield, had lived on the street with his elderly father, who died in April 2014, and neighbors characterized him an “introvert” who rarely stepped outside, according to Braintree police records.
Bonang’s sister, Catherine, told Braintree police in 2009 that he had been “institutionalized” more than once as she reported an alleged domestic incident between the two, the Globe reports.
Five years later, Bonang’s sister called Braintree police again to ask that he be involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, saying he was showing signs of delusional and “paranoid behavior,” police wrote.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Football may not happen at all this year, Fauci warns
(CNN) — The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to kick off the 2020 regular season at home on September 10 against the Houston Texans. Players are due to NFL training camp on July 22 with the Hall of Fame Game taking place in Canton, Ohio, on August 6.
And the NCAA, which began to allow voluntary athletics activities in all Division I sports this month, on Wednesday approved a plan for summer athletic activities and preseason practice for the upcoming 2020 college football season, which is slated to get underway on August 29.
But should there be any football played this season amid the coronavirus pandemic?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, “Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall. If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
On Monday, several Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans players tested positive for the coronavirus, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. None of the players were in the teams’ facilities, and both teams followed proper health protocols, per the report.
When asked how the positive tests impact the league planning in terms of beginning training camps and the upcoming season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN on Monday, “We expect we are going to have positive tests. That is part of the increased testing that we will be going through and that is something that we just want to make sure that our protocols are working and to date. We are seeing very positive reactions in the sense that we are making sure we respond quickly, protect the personnel that may be impacted by that and others that may be in contact with them.”
In a memo in May, Goodell provided protocols on a gradual reopening of team facilities, starting with a limited amount of employees, and later moving on to players. The league expanded the reopening earlier this month to allow coaches to return to training facilities.
In May, the NFL canceled all planned international games due to the pandemic, moving them instead to the US. The league had previously planned to play four games in London and one game in Mexico City.
If both NFL and college football seasons are able to finish, the Super Bowl will be played on February 7 in Tampa, Florida. The College Football Playoff National Championship game takes place on January 11 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/football-may-not-happen-at-all-this-year-fauci-warns/article_20b7ed7a-b186-11ea-ac5a-438aef68f385.html
Photo Credit: kmov.com/Photo by Christian Petersen
Nanny charged with human trafficking filmed X-rated videos in front of kids
A former Florida nanny was hit with human trafficking charges after she recorded herself performing sex acts in front of young kids, according to a report.
Nicole Lynn Walter, 27, of Pensacola, allegedly filmed at least three X-rated videos of herself with two children present, news station WEAR reported.
Walter charged a different rate for the videos, which were filmed between 2017 and 2018, when the kids were featured in them, authorities said.
The children, who were 3 years old and 15 months old at the time, could be heard playing or crying in the background, authorities said.
“We continued our investigation and determined there was an exchange of money for a video that was made involving some minor children,” Escambia County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Chip Simmons told the outlet.
Walter, who was also a foster parent, was arrested in April on charges of child pornography and lewd behavior with a minor.
The sheriff’s office at the time asked any parents who had hired Walter for nannying or babysitting services to contact them.
Water is being held on human trafficking charges at Santa Rosa County Jail, where she’s awaiting extradition to Escambia County, according to the report.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/18/florida-nanny-charged-with-human-trafficking/
Photo Credit: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Jamie Foxx puts on massive muscle for Mike Tyson biopic
Just call him Iron Jamie.
Jamie Foxx has transformed for his latest role, bulking up his upper body in preparation to play heavyweight champ Mike Tyson in the boxer’s upcoming biopic.
Foxx, 52, spoke of the project on Instagram Live series “Catching Up with Mark Birnbaum,” Wednesday, telling the restauranteur that even after his Oscar-winning turn as Ray Charles, he’s still cautious when it comes to biographies.
“Look, doing biographies is a tough thing,” Foxx said. “Sometimes it takes 20 years to get them done. But we officially got the real ball rolling.”
The multi-hyphenate added that he hopes audiences will be open to seeing the controversial Tyson in a new light.
“We want to show everybody evolves,” Foxx added. “I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson in this story, I think everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey.”
Discussing his journey towards physically embodying the Brooklyn bomber, Foxx revealed that he’s currently working out “every other day,” with a routine that includes 60 pull-ups, 60 dips and 100 push-ups. To prove just how far he’s come, the singer whipped out his cell phone to debut two shots of himself looking quite diesel mid-workout.
As for his lower body, he could still use a little help.
“I ain’t got no calf muscles, so we might have to get some prosthetics for that,” the comic joked.
Photo Credit: pagesix.com