EA’s Sleek New Frostbite Tech Makes Hair More Realistic Than Ever

EA has shown off new technology for its Frostbite engine that renders and simulates realistic hair.

Revealed in a Frostbite blogpost, this technology is intended to "produce a step change in real-time hair and reach results close to movie and offline rendering.” Beginning in 2018, a small group of Frostbite physics and rendering engineers started working on this hair tech along with the help of some assets and feedback from Criterion content creators.

The post includes various short video demonstrations, one focusing on volume preservation, and others on believable and artificial coloring. The primary video shows off a (mildly creepy) mannequin sporting this realistically rendered hair that bounces and falls as it walks. It also demonstrates changes to the hair’s color, and how it reacts when the mannequin is in extreme motion.

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Godzilla’s Greatest Fights

Godzilla didn’t earn the title King of the Monsters by knocking down buildings and stomping on tanks. No, ma’am, Godzilla fought his way to the top. The guy has taken down three-headed dragons, giant robots and even King Kong. He’s not just king of the monsters, he’s king of the movies.

So as we prepare for the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, let’s take a look at the best of the best of Godzilla fights…

10. Godzilla vs. MUTOs

Movie: Godzilla (2014)

10-godzilla-fights

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14 Stranger Things Season 3 Character Posters Revealed

Warning! Season 2 SPOILERS for Stranger Things below.  

The highly-anticipated third season of Netflix's Stranger Things is nearly upon us. Premiering on Thursday, July 4, the adventures of Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, and the rest of the Hawkins' crew continue with terrifying new monsters to battle, and a new mall to visit.

Netflix has dropped 14 new posters for the upcoming season featuring many of our favorite characters. You can check out the images in the gallery below.

Stranger Things and Netflix have partnered with Coke for an entertaining '80s commercial for "New Coke," which includes some of the cast. Coke revealed the advertisement via Twitter.

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Stranger Things Reveals a Retro Season 3 Poster

Warning! Season 2 SPOILERS for Stranger Things below.  

The highly-anticipated third season of Netflix's Stranger Things is nearly upon us. With a release date of Thursday, July 4, the adventures of Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, and the rest of the Hawkins' crew continue with terrifying new monsters to battle, and a new mall to visit.

Netflix has dropped an awesome Season 3 retro poster and new episodic images featuring many of our favorite characters. You can check out the images in the gallery below:

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GoT Character Side-by-Side Comparisons from Premiere to Finale

Full spoilers for Game of Thrones' series finale follow below.

Game of Thrones is easily one of the most complex fantasy series ever to appear on TV, with a cast of hundreds all playing a role in the wars to determine the true ruler of Westeros and decide the fate of the living. Many of these characters evolved quite a bit over the course of eight seasons, to the point where they're hardly recognizable by the end -- we're looking at you, Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn!

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to compare the first and last scenes of all the major players of the Game of Thrones saga. How did their appearance change? How different a person had they become in the end? Note that we're only including characters who played a major role over the course of several seasons rather than just one or two, where there appearances and costumes would have changed, which is why some big names like Khal Drogo, Oberyn Martell and Euron Greyjoy were left out. Spoilers, obviously, lie ahead!

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GoT Character Side-by-Side Comparisons from Premiere to Finale

Full spoilers for Game of Thrones' series finale follow below.

Game of Thrones is easily one of the most complex fantasy series ever to appear on TV, with a cast of hundreds all playing a role in the wars to determine the true ruler of Westeros and decide the fate of the living. Many of these characters evolved quite a bit over the course of eight seasons, to the point where they're hardly recognizable by the end -- we're looking at you, Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn!

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to compare the first and last scenes of all the major players of the Game of Thrones saga. How did their appearance change? How different a person had they become in the end? Note that we're only including characters who played a major role over the course of several seasons rather than just one or two, where there appearances and costumes would have changed, which is why some big names like Khal Drogo, Oberyn Martell and Euron Greyjoy were left out. Spoilers, obviously, lie ahead!

Continue reading…

Rage 2’s Bright Bouncy Apocalypse Both Helps It and Hurts It

There’s something about the apocalypse we just can’t quit. Whether its a nuclear war, zombies, robots, games (and gamers) have a morbid fascination with what comes after society breaks down. The infatuation is long-standing, but in 2019 we’ve seen an interesting style shift starting to form: In games like Rage 2 and Far Cry: New Dawn, bleak wastelands are set in the seemingly grand tradition of end-of-the-world stories, but brightened with neon color palettes and a healthy dose of explosive, double-barrelled escapism. You not only get to survive the end of the world, but you also get to thrive in it.

It sounds like a subtle distinction, but it creates a disconnect between the state of the world and how you move through it. The people around you, friends and, often, foes, struggle, but you’re more powerful than ever. That distances you from the desperation you’d expect to feel in such hard existence and the characters who aren’t as lucky as you, which waters down the story.  But that distance also makes the ride even more fun, as you aren’t burdened by the weight of that experience.

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Rage 2’s Bright Bouncy Apocalypse Both Helps It and Hurts It

There’s something about the apocalypse we just can’t quit. Whether its a nuclear war, zombies, robots, games (and gamers) have a morbid fascination with what comes after society breaks down. The infatuation is long-standing, but in 2019 we’ve seen an interesting style shift starting to form: In games like Rage 2 and Far Cry: New Dawn, bleak wastelands are set in the seemingly grand tradition of end-of-the-world stories, but brightened with neon color palettes and a healthy dose of explosive, double-barrelled escapism. You not only get to survive the end of the world, but you also get to thrive in it.

It sounds like a subtle distinction, but it creates a disconnect between the state of the world and how you move through it. The people around you, friends and, often, foes, struggle, but you’re more powerful than ever. That distances you from the desperation you’d expect to feel in such hard existence and the characters who aren’t as lucky as you, which waters down the story.  But that distance also makes the ride even more fun, as you aren’t burdened by the weight of that experience.

Continue reading…