Final Fantasy VII, one of the greatest games of all time, is getting a remake | ||
| | ||
It's finally happening. After 18 long years, a remake of Final Fantasy VII is on its way. For those not in the know, Final Fantasy VII — or FFVII for short — was a PlayStation fantasy role-playing game released in 1997. It's widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, and key details like arch-villain Sephiroth and the fate of Aeris have become enduring touchpoints in gaming culture. At annual gaming conference E3, developer Square Enix dropped a trailer for the game on Tuesday night. Fans have clamoured for such a remake for years, and while the studio has released a number of sequels, spin-offs and animated films, it has always backed away from a direct recreation of the original classic — until now. The teaser trailer appears to show off Midgar, the largest city on the fictional planet Gaia and home to the Shinra corporation:
There's a subtle hint to Aeris, a Midgar flower girl who gets caught up in the adventure:
As well as a road that looks suspiciously similar to one feature in one of FFVII's iconic chase scenes:
Though we never see their face, this man with a gun barrel for an arm can only be Barret Wallace, one of the game's key playable characters:
And close behind Barret comes Cloud Strife, FFVII's primary protagonist and one of the most iconic characters in the last 20 years of video gaming history:
The trailer ends with the caption "play it first on PlayStation 4" — suggesting that while Sony fans will be the first to get their hands on the eagerly-anticipated title, it won't be exclusive to the PS4. Here's the full trailer:Kotaku got its hands on a press release from developer Square Enix, and the studio says it has just "begun production." The inference is that the game is a long way off yet: LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2015) – At Sony Computer Entertainment of America LLC’s (SCEA) E3 press conference today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that it has begun production on the full remake of FINAL FANTASY® VII for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. Leading the development will be key members from the original project, including producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Tetsuya Nomura and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima. The immediate reaction on Twitter is, well, exactly what you might expect: Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning  | ||
| |
Business Insider UK is hiring an evening news editor! | ||
| | ||
Business Insider UK is hiring an evening news editor. We are looking for individuals who have excellent news instincts, who are cool under pressure, and who are comfortable writing, editing, and publishing stories on their own. The evening news editor will:
The ideal candidate is a news addict with at least a few years of editorial experience who is willing work night and early morning hours (6 p.m. GMT - 3 a.m. GMT), Monday through Friday. The evening news editor has the potential to work remotely. APPLY HERE with your resume and cover letter if interested. Please note this position is based out of our London office, located near the Old Street and Shoreditch High Street tube stations. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: A 13-Year-Old Made A Revolutionary Invention Out Of Legos And Now Intel Is Investing In His Company  | ||
| |
Sony is bringing back classic gamepads for its new game console | ||
| | ||
It may not look "modern" anymore, but the flat greys of Sony's early PlayStation hardware brings wide smiles to those of us who grew up playing classics like "Resident Evil" and "Final Fantasy." Though years of play wore down the originals, Sony's issuing original PlayStation-themed gamepads and headphones in honor of the orig nal console's 20th anniversary. They look like this: The brand's seen a variety of applications in the past 20 years: four home game consoles, two handheld game consoles, countless services, peripherals and, now, a virtual reality headset, all branded "PlayStation." The gamepad, however, is especially iconic. Sony's "DualShock" line of gamepads has become a modern symbol for gaming, both literally and figuratively. When you're clicking through a menu of media types on a modern phone, a regular stand-in for the word "games" is a gamepad that looks distinctly similar to the classic DualShock design. The design set a standard for modern gamepad design. Both Nintendo and Microsoft took cues from Sony's original DualShock controller design when looking to their own gamepads. Ironically, the first DualShock controllers were introduced two years after the original PlayStation launched; the gamepad seen above is intended to celebrate the original console's anniversary, not the gamepad itself. The 20th anniversary edition DualShock 4 gamepad for the PlayStation 4 and Wireless Headset arrive this September, for $64.99 and $99.99 (respectively). The nostalgia is free. SEE ALSO: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning AND: Sony's going to beat Apple to the a la carte TV game Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning  | ||
| |
Final Fantasy VII, one of the greatest games of all time, is getting a remake | ||
| | ||
It's finally happening. After 18 long years, a remake of Final Fantasy VII is on its way. For those not in the know, Final Fantasy VII — or FFVII for short — was a PlayStation fantasy role-playing game released in 1997. It's widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, and key details like arch-villain Sephiroth and the fate of Aeris have become enduring touchpoints in gaming culture. At annual gaming conference E3, developer Square Enix dropped a trailer for the game on Tuesday night. Fans have clamoured for such a remake for years, and while the studio has released a number of sequels, spin-offs and animated films, it has always backed away from a direct recreation of the original classic — until now. The teaser trailer appears to show off Midgar, the largest city on the fictional planet Gaia and home to the Shinra corporation:
There's a subtle hint to Aeris, a Midgar flower girl who gets caught up in the adventure:
As well as a road that looks suspiciously similar to one feature in one of FFVII's iconic chase scenes:
Though we never see their face, this man with a gun barrel for an arm can only be Barret Wallace, one of the game's key playable characters:
And close behind Barret comes Cloud Strife, FFVII's primary protagonist and one of the most iconic characters in the last 20 years of video gaming history:
The trailer ends with the caption "play it first on PlayStation 4" — suggesting that while Sony fans will be the first to get their hands on the eagerly-anticipated title, it won't be exclusive to the PS4. Here's the full trailer:Kotaku got its hands on a press release from developer Square Enix, and the studio says it has just "begun production." The inference is that the game is a long way off yet: LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2015) – At Sony Computer Entertainment of America LLC’s (SCEA) E3 press conference today, SQUARE ENIX® announced that it has begun production on the full remake of FINAL FANTASY® VII for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. Leading the development will be key members from the original project, including producer Yoshinori Kitase, director Tetsuya Nomura and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima. The immediate reaction on Twitter is, well, exactly what you might expect: Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning  | ||
| |
Business Insider UK is hiring an evening news editor! | ||
| | ||
Business Insider UK is hiring an evening news editor. We are looking for individuals who have excellent news instincts, who are cool under pressure, and who are comfortable writing, editing, and publishing stories on their own. The evening news editor will:
The ideal candidate is a news addict with at least a few years of editorial experience who is willing work night and early morning hours (6 p.m. GMT - 3 a.m. GMT), Monday through Friday. The evening news editor has the potential to work remotely. APPLY HERE with your resume and cover letter if interested. Please note this position is based out of our London office, located near the Old Street and Shoreditch High Street tube stations. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: A 13-Year-Old Made A Revolutionary Invention Out Of Legos And Now Intel Is Investing In His Company  | ||
| |
The UK came out of deflation in May | ||
| | ||
The UK's brief bout of deflation ended in May, according to official statistics just released. Consumer prices rose by +0.1% in the year to May. Analysts had expected inflation to bounce back to +0.1%, after the UK recorded a -0.1% drop in April — the first decline for half a century. Economists were also expecting core inflation, which fell to its lowest levels in more than a decade in April, to firm from +0.8% to +1%. In reality, core inflation came in a little weaker than expected, up +0.9% in the year to May. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 'The Little Prince' trailer looks better than anything Pixar has made in years  | ||
| |
14 dead, 70 injured in Tunisia train crash | ||
| | ||
Tunis (AFP) - At least 14 people were killed and 70 injured when a train and a lorry collided south of the Tunisian capital on Tuesday, the transport and interior ministries said. The accident happened at El Fahes, some 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Tunis, at around 6:30 am (0530 GMT) in the midst of the morning rush hour. "The death toll could rise," Transport Minister Mahmoud Ben Romdhane told Mosaique FM radio. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
The 10 things in advertising you need to know today (SBUX, FB, SNE, KO, PEP, DIS, TWTR) | ||
| | ||
Good morning! Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today. 1. Pepsi is taking an audacious swipe at Coke. Pepsi's new ad campaign pokes fun at Coke's polar bear mascots, and the Share a Coke promotion. 2. It looks like Sony is going to beat Apple to the a la carte TV game. Sony's new offering launches in July, and it will be the first paid TV service to allow users to subscribe to individual channels, without the purchase of a multi-channel bundle. 3. Netflix has just relaunched its website. It gets rid of one of its most annoying features: carousel-style browsing. 4. These are the top 15 apparel brands for millennials. That's according to a study of 1,500 millennials from ad agency Moosylvania. 5. Evan Spiegel says you've been holding your phone the wrong way. In his mind, videos should always be shot vertically, not horizontally. 6. This is the story behind one of Starbucks' most embarrassing moments in history. A deep dive into the #RaceTogether campaign. 7. Disney has a secret army of mothers who flood the internet with Disney propaganda. They're known as the Disney Social Media Moms. 8. One of Twitter's biggest investors doesn't want Jack Dorsey to be the company's new CEO. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns 5% of the company, thinks Dorsey should concentrate on his other company Square instead. 9. Subway made two mistakes that are destroying its business. It failed to keep up with the competition, and it over-prioritized restaurant expansion versus restaurant improvement. 10. Facebook has launched a new standalone app called Moments. It allows you to share a batch of photos with your friends. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 70 people were injured while filming this movie with 100 untamed lions  | ||
| |
REPORT: Greece's economy will be locked down with capital controls if it can't find a deal by the weekend | ||
| | ||
A report in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Monday evening says European governments are ready to push for capital controls in Greece if there's no deal this week. That would mean a severe lockdown on flows of cash similar to the ones brought in for Cyprus in 2013 — strict limits on the amount that could be withdrawn from banks, taken abroad physically or passed between international accounts. The move would slam the brakes on outflows of money streaming out of Greek banks, but would also make it more difficult for the country to recover economically and remain a functioning member of the eurozone. Capital controls are easy to bring in, and hard to get out of. Other European countries can't make that move on their own — there's no institutional procedure for the rest of Europe locking down an individual member state. Greece would have to pass its own law agreeing to the move. The controls would reportedly be brought in if there's no progress by the time of Thursday's Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers. Greece's last €7.2 billion ($8.07 billion, £5.19 billion) bailout tranche is still in limbo, with the country and its creditors unable to reach an agreement on what reforms it should undertake to access the money. Athens needs that cash to make payments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on June 30, and the European Central Bank (ECB) on June 20. Even before the Eurogroup meeting, Greece will have a crucial decision made for it — the ECB will decide tomorrow whether to raise the ceiling for the country's emergency liquidity assistance (ELA), the banking system's last lifeline. With money flooding out of Greek banks, the government will almost certainly want the ceiling raised. Here's how bank deposits look:
Bloomberg's Lorcan Roche Kelly flagged up this message from the ECB to Cyprus in 2013, the point at which it refused to keep raising the ELA ceiling, saying that more funding "could only be considered if an EU/IMF programme is in place that would ensure the solvency of the concerned banks." A similar message to Athens could force Greece's hand, and hurry either a deal or the implementation of capital controls. But Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis reportedly told Germany's BILD tabloid that Athens has nothing to present at the Eurogroup on Thursday, when Europe's finance ministers gather again. A statement from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accusing the institutions lending to Greece of pillaging the country with austerity measures was released on Monday, making it clear that Greek negotiators have moved as far towards a deal as they intend to. Unless some urgent crisis drives the two sides back to the table, a deal this week looks very unlikely now. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Second thoughts: Is a tiny addition in time too much? | ||
| | ||
Paris (AFP) - Question: When is a minute not a minute? The answer: At 2359 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on June 30, when the world will experience a minute that will last 61 seconds. The reason for the weird event is something called the leap second. That's when timekeepers adjust high-precision clocks so that they are in sync with Earth's rotation, which is affected by the gravitational tug of the Sun and the Moon. Few of the planet's 7.25 billion people are likely to be aware of the change... and even fewer will have set plans for how they will spend the extra moment. But for horologists, the additional second is a big deal, and there is a wrangle as to whether it is vital or should be scrapped. "There is a downside," admits Daniel Gambis, director of the Service of the Rotation of the Earth -- the poetically named branch of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), in charge of saying when the second should be added. To be clear, the leap second is not something that needs to be added to that old clock on your mantlepiece. Instead, its importance is for super-duper timepieces, especially those using the frequency of atoms as their tick-tock mechanism. At the top of the atomic-clock range are "optical lattices" using strontium atoms, the latest example of which, unveiled in April, is accurate to 15 billion years -- longer than the Universe has existed. Outside the lab, caesium and rubidium clocks are the workhorses of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, which have to send syncronised signals so that sat-nav receivers can triangulate their position on Earth. On Earth, big-data computers may be less manic than atomic clocks but still need highly precise internal timers. The Internet, for instance, sends data around the world in tiny packets that are then stitched together in micro-seconds. Some algorithms in financial trading count on gaining a tiny slice of a second over rivals to make a profit. There have been 25 occasions since 1971 when the leap second was added in an effort to simplify Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the official monicker for GMT.
- Time to go? -
But over the last 15 years, a debate has intensified about whether the change should be made, given the hassle. "The argument of critics is that it's become more and more difficult to manage these days, as so much equipment has internal clocks," says Roland Lehoucq of France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). "The problem is synchronisation between computers. They do sort things out, but sometimes it can take several days." The last modification, on June 30, 2012, was disruptive for many Internet servers -- the online reservation system for the Australian airline Qantas "went down for several hours," says Gambis. "It's time to get rid of the leap second. It causes complications and bugs," argues Sebastien Bize, a specialist in atomic clocks at the SYRTE Laboratory -- it means Time-Space Reference System -- at the Paris Observatory. Gambis defends the change on the grounds of principle. "Should Man be the servant of technology? Or should technology be the servant of Man?" he asks rhetorically. After all, if the world got rid of the leap second, time as counted by mankind would no longer be coupled to the exact rotation of the planet it lives on. "That would mean in 2000 years, there would be an hour's difference between UTC and the time it takes for the Earth to complete one complete turn," notes Gambis. "It would mean that, on a scale of tens of thousands of years, people will be having their breakfast at two o'clock in the morning."
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Sony is bringing back classic gamepads for its new game console | ||
| | ||
It may not look "modern" anymore, but the flat greys of Sony's early PlayStation hardware brings wide smiles to those of us who grew up playing classics like "Resident Evil" and "Final Fantasy." Though years of play wore down the originals, Sony's issuing original PlayStation-themed gamepads and headphones in honor of the orig nal console's 20th anniversary. They look like this: The brand's seen a variety of applications in the past 20 years: four home game consoles, two handheld game consoles, countless services, peripherals and, now, a virtual reality headset, all branded "PlayStation." The gamepad, however, is especially iconic. Sony's "DualShock" line of gamepads has become a modern symbol for gaming, both literally and figuratively. When you're clicking through a menu of media types on a modern phone, a regular stand-in for the word "games" is a gamepad that looks distinctly similar to the classic DualShock design. The design set a standard for modern gamepad design. Both Nintendo and Microsoft took cues from Sony's original DualShock controller design when looking to their own gamepads. Ironically, the first DualShock controllers were introduced two years after the original PlayStation launched; the gamepad seen above is intended to celebrate the original console's anniversary, not the gamepad itself. The 20th anniversary edition DualShock 4 gamepad for the PlayStation 4 and Wireless Headset arrive this September, for $64.99 and $99.99 (respectively). The nostalgia is free. SEE ALSO: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning AND: Sony's going to beat Apple to the a la carte TV game Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: PlayStation's flagship game looks absolutely stunning  | ||
| |
