This post has the not unexpected announcement of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, saying that this will roll out on November 6th for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version to follow a week later. Here's the Official Reveal Trailer and there's also a video showing off 10 minutes of gameplay on GameSpot, and here's an outline of what to expect from the updated version of Criterion's 2010 racing game after its tune-up: "Unleash a savage sense of speed both as an outlaw and a cop in this timeless racing experience updated for today’s platforms. Get cross-platform multiplayer and Autolog, enhanced visuals, all main DLC delivered at launch, and much more. It’s time to reignite the pursuit." Here are more details:

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered has been upgraded for today’s generation of hardware with enhanced visuals. The Nintendo Switch version runs at 1080p/30 FPS in docked mode (720p/30 FPS undocked) and includes higher-resolution models, more objects and props, longer draw distance, higher resolution shadows, and improved videos.

Depending on your specifications, 4K/60 FPS is supported on PC, and players can choose between 4K/30 FPS or 1080p/60 FPS on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. Base versions of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will run the game at 1080p/30 FPS. In addition to the listed improvements for the Nintendo Switch version, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions are also updated with upressed UI, higher resolution reflections, boosted textures, more particles, and improved AA/SSAO.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new Beta Trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War celebrates the beta that begins on Thursday for PlayStation 4 preorder customers. Interestingly, this carries a disclaimer: "Footage captured on next-gen platform. Performance may vary on other platforms." This means that this trailer does not look like the PS4 version it intends to support. It does, however, probably represent the PC version. The PC beta begins for preorder customers on October 15-16 and for everyone else on October 17-19. Continue here to read the full story.

Professor Lupo: Ocean is now available for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering a puzzle/adventure game that's a sequel to Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets. This is offered as a standalone release as well as in a BeautiFun Games Collection. It's also supposed to be in a bundle of both Professor Lupo games, but this seems to be broken right now. You can see the new game in action in this Gameplay Trailer and check it out firsthand in the playable demo. Here's word:

Professor Lupo: Ocean blends gorgeous hand-drawn characters with 2D grid-based gameplay and challenging, deadly puzzles, all accompanied by an evocative synth soundtrack. With 40 story-driven levels, you’ll have to navigate an abandoned ship, utilize water flow and currents to progress, and avoid alien creatures set on harming or hindering your journey, to discover the mysteries of who you really are.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Tom Clancy Franchise Sale on Green Man Gaming - Steam Keys. Save up to 79%.*
• Humble Book Bundle- iOS & Android Mobile Development by Packt (pay what you want and help charity).*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Apex Legends Aftermarket Patch Notes.

• Fall Guys Season 2: Exclusive Knight Fever Level Reveal.

• Spellbreak's four-year incantation for streamable, shareable sorcery - GamesIndustry.biz.

• Ten New Titles, Critical Acclaim, and Exceptional Engagement Mark a Record Year for Xbox Game Studios.
• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One.
• Shadow Gangs Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One.
• Pistol Whip’s The Heartbreaker Trilogy update out today for PS VR.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta (2010.201002-0000).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2010.201002-0000).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2011.201002-0000).

• Google Assistant Gets a New Welcome Music Feature on Android and Android Auto.
• Amazon is bringing an Auto Mode to Alexa on smartphones.

• Instagram starts labeling ‘state-controlled media’ accounts and posts.
• Facebook Accidently Bans Fake Fallout 76 Militia Group.
• NVIDIA Broadcast Features Now Integrated Directly In Top Streaming Applications.
• YouTube Music now lets free users cast uploaded music to speakers.
• "GLOW" Abruptly Cancelled Despite Renewal.

• Nvidia to build Britain’s largest supercomputer after Arm bid.
• GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 cards to face supply shortages till end of 2020, says Nvidia CEO.
• RTX 3080 shortages are “not a supply issue”, Nvidia just couldn’t supply enough.
• AMD's Infinity Cache May Solve Big Navi's Rumored Mediocre Memory Bandwidth.
• Don't waste money chasing RAM speed for gaming on AMD or Intel. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• HyperX Adds Blue Mechanical Switches to Alloy Origins Gaming Keyboard Lineup.
• An LED Cube To Display CPU Vitals. Thanks Max.

• This new "linkless" phishing scam is even tricking tech experts.
• Vulnerability Summary for the Week of September 28, 2020 - CISA. Thanks Ant.
• Hackers claim they can now jailbreak Apple's T2 security chip.

• U.S. indicts anti-virus software creator John McAfee for tax evasion. Bath salts aren't deductible? Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Ransomware victims aren't reporting attacks to police. That's causing a big problem.
• Feds arrest former Amazon employee after company reported him to FBI for fraud.
• Led Zeppelin Wins 'Stairway to Heaven' Legal Battle. "Ooh, it really makes me wonder." Thanks Acleacius.

• Genshin Impact- 17 Million Downloads on Mobile Alone, Estimated $50 Million in Revenue Since Launch…
• Baldur's Gate 3 hard drive requirement more than doubles ahead of Early Access launch…

Last Link of the Day: How to Fight Fire or Flooding on a Nuclear Submarine - Smarter Every Day 244. Thanks RedEye9.

Obituary: The Sword of Truth Writer Terry Goodkind Dies at 72. Thanks Neutronbeam.

CD PROJEKT RED tweets the news that Cyberpunk 2077 is officially gold, so the sci-fi RPG is on track for its planned November 19th release. A map and some postcards seem to be part of some of the physical releases, as these have apparently leaked online, and can be seen in this thread on ResetEra. The tweet about the completion of the game's development includes an image of cyber-Keanu holding a gold master disc, and the following concise message:

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold! 📀

See you in Night City on November 19th!

An Almost My Floor: Prologue is now available on Steam, allowing a chance to sample a portion of this point-and-click horror/adventure. This is in the works at two-developer Russian studio Potata Company and a full release is planned for February 2021. A look at the game's distinctive comic-inspired art style can be found this previously released trailer. Here's the elevator pitch:

One day Alex routinely comes back from work and enters the elevator. Strange and terrifying things start to happen, making it hard to distinguish delusions from reality. He will meet monsters from the depth of unconsciousness, traverse the endless maze of floors, meet the inhabitants of the house and taste their fears and suffering. The victims of this world drown in their fears and worries. Each character has a backstory, and you are going to lead them to a befitting ending. Alex is driven by a single goal - to get out of this nightmare.

Continue here to read the full story.

Developer Purple Tree Studio and publisher Zordix announce November 5th is the new release date for Ponpu, their Bomberman-inspired battler which features duck-on-duck violence. The Windows and console versions were previously expected in June, but something must have happened to fowl that up. The new Release Date Trailer shows off the game's near-monochromatic graphics and you can see more of what to expect through its Steam Listing. Here's a quick description:

The all-seeing Duck God has had enough and the world has run out of time. Every 2 billion years the world must be refreshed through divine destruction and he has sent you, a Ponpu, as his herald. But, a nasty bump on the head during a crash landing took your memory and now you find yourself working against the Duck God in a carnage-fueled battle against other Ponpu to save the very world you were sent to destroy.

Across an expansive single-player campaign, your Ponpu will battle its way through 10 challenging worlds, while fighting off rival Ponpu and enormous, deadly and grotesque bosses. If the spirit of competition is what drives you, up to four players can battle to be the best via both local and online multiplayer across three frenetic modes, including Coin Chase (get those coins before the competition!), Color Fight (your attack spread paint through the level, cover the most real estate with your color to win!), and good old-fashioned team deathmatch (kill, kill, kill!). Bomb, kill, and dominate with your stats tracked via a global ranking system.

Continue here to read the full story.

AppGameKit Classic for Windows, macOS, and Linux is currently available for free on Steam, providing the chance to do some "easy game development." This can be yours to keep, but you must claim your copy soon, as this offer ends in a couple of hours (thanks to Free Steam Keys via Ant for letting us know in time). Here's what this offers:

AppGameKit Classic is a powerful game development engine, ideal for Beginners, Hobbyists & Indie developers. Now anyone can quickly code and build apps for multiple platforms using AppGameKit's BASIC scripting system. With just a few commands you can have demos/games up and running on mobile devices. Bob Duffy, Developer Relations Intel Corporation, said “AppGameKit is a great cross platform development tool. It allows developers to quickly optimize and compile apps.”

Games can be developed and deployed to your chosen mobile devices for rapid prototyping. AppGameKit Classic does all the heavy lifting for you - making it easy to code, compile and then export apps to each platform. All you need to focus on is your game/app idea. It's that simple!

• GOG.com Weekly Sale- games with a strong pop-cultural background up to 90% off.

• American Truck Simulator - The Western Star 49X is now available. Here's a trailer.

• Actor Tycoon 2 🎬 Announcement Trailer 📣. Expands on the original mobile game.
• Sword of the Necromancer - Dev Diary 1 - Gameplay and Features.

• Sony In A Good Position To Buy Warner, Buying Metal Gear Solid IP Isn’t Worth Much Without Kojima – Michael Pachter. Thanks Screen Rant.
• Dead Space 2 director Wright Bagwell looks back on the eye needle scene - Polygon. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• How esports is quietly spawning a whole new generation of problem gamblers.

• Bloodborne is free on PlayStation Plus right now.
• In a historic move, PlayStation 5 swaps X and Circle button use in Japan.
• First PlayStation 5 console hands-on reveals mysterious nut.
• A year of PlayStation Plus, VPN Unlimited, and vast game development training is all on sale for under $100.
• Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 adds more customization, characters, and slime.

• Google Patches ChromeOS Update Bug That Caused 100% CPU Usage. Thanks Ant.
• Why you shouldn't stop this 'hidden' location tracking on your iPhone.
• Call of Duty: Mobile generated $480 million during its first year.
• Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 series pick up October security update.

• Ad Tech Could Be the Next Internet Bubble.
• The Studio home workout display works with your existing gym equipment.
• YouTube apologises for mocking long videos.
• The #ProudBoys Twitter hashtag has been taken over by gay men.
• "The Witcher" S2 First Photos & Early S3 Talk.

• Quadro No More? NVIDIA Announces Ampere-based RTX A6000 & A40 Video Cards For Pro Visualization.
• Building a Future for Semiconductor Manufacturing in America. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Intel Wins US Government Advanced Packaging Project. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Intel and Sandia National Labs Collaborate on Neuromorphic Computing. Thanks Hypothermia.
• NVIDIA Gives Jetson Nano Dev Kit a Trim- 2GB Model For $59.
• Windows 10 update finally lets you disable Bing for good. Bing-go!
• Zeiss’ full-frame Android camera is available to preorder for $6,000.

• Microsoft releases tool to update Defender inside Windows install images.
• Four npm packages found uploading user details on a GitHub page.

• Star Wars- Squadrons review - a scrappy, compelling starfighter that excels in VR • Eurogamer.net.

• CORSAIR K100 RGB (OPX Optical Mechanical Switch) Keyboard Review - Introduction.
• FiiO FD1 Hi-Res Beryllium In Ear Monitors Review - Nikk Tech.
• Glorious Modular Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - GMMK Review - TweakTown.
• SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Pro Headset w/ Atlas Edge Review (Page 1 of 4) - APH Networks.

• Thunderful Group Acquires Jurassic World Aftermath Developer…
• The Women Who Invented Video Game Music…
• You will be able to randomize your costume in Fall Guys Season 2…

Happy belated World Animal Day, as this was actually yesterday (thanks Frans). But to echo a sentiment I've expressed before about similar occasions, every day is animal day at the Blue Tower, as critters are some of my favorite people (the ducks are quacking their approval outside my door as I type these words).

Obituary: French-Japanese designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19.

Feral Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Science

• Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest. Thanks Max.
• How Much Cheaper Are SpaceX Reusable Rockets? Now We Know.
• Safety panel has “great concern” about NASA plans to test Moon mission software.
• Some planets may be better for life than Earth. After 2020, all of them seem appealing.

Media

• Slow-Mo Pulse Jet Engine with COLIN FURZE. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Micro RC Batwing.
• Watch a bizarre Soviet animation short from the 60s.