Vanilla Control Will Not Upgrade to Next Gen

505 Games has stated that to upgrade Control for Next Gen is too difficult so they are releasing Control Ultimate Edition, which will have all of the DLC along with the base game for £30. Wonderful news if you haven't already bought the game. This will be up-scaled for the next gen consoles but owners of the original game will not get the upgrade and therefore be stuck with it on the current consoles.

“We spent several months exploring all of our launch options for Control Ultimate Edition and no decision was taken lightly,” the publisher wrote. “While it is challenging bringing any game to next gen platforms, we quickly realised it was even more difficult to upgrade our current user base to next gen with full parity across platforms with our year-old game.”

"Every avenue we pursued, there was some form of blocker and those blockers meant that at least one group of players ended up being left out of the upgrade for various reasons. As of today, we can’t offer an upgrade to everyone, and leaving any one group out feels unfair. We understand that is not what you want to hear."

This news does not bode well for other companies up-scaling their games for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It also reveals that the power is in the hands of the developers. Companies like Ubisoft have shown their dedication to up-scaling games. If you've played Far Cry 4 or their older titles on a PS4 Pro, they look almost as good as modern games, so let us hope that this is the case with most big names in the business. 

It would be a shame if they all started releasing "Ultimate Editions" in order for us to get the new and beautiful experience. 

Control: Titanusgojira

 

Titanusgojira was a new profile to me only last week. One thing I love about Instagram is constantly bumping into new talent and skill sets. Everyone shoots games differently and that is what keeps me there. Inspiration and variation to me are key.

Titanusgojira aka Tom, shows us a wide wealth of vibrant content from a selection of photo mode games. Constantly positing new and varied content he is one to follow. 

I especially like the impact of his Control shots. Turning away from the typical dreamy, Lynchian dreamscapes and moving into brighter pastures. Each shots brings a punch of colour and sheds a different perspective on the Control experience. Frenetic action coupled with immense power. Sheer beauty. 

For more of Titanusgojira's work check out his page here. 

Control DLC + Alan Wake Easter Eggs

Love it or hate it Control has been a huge success since its release in August 2019. The game was recently added to PS Now, Sony's streaming service and is even possibly getting a film adaptation. 

This week it was announced that the game is also getting its second batch of DLC some point in March, this will be part of the Season Pass but presumably you will also be able to purchase it separately. Along with this first DLC entitled Foundation, there will be some map adjustments and some other fan-requested changes, which Remedy are apparently going to unveil "soon".

Foundation will follow on from Expeditions DLC, which was released in December 2019. We will see our protagonist Jesse descend into the depths beneath the Bureau to restore the Oldest House. This will then be followed by AWE at some point in mid-2020.

Fans of Remedy's popular Alan Wake series are getting excited as the third DLC expansion allegedly links to the series.  If you are sceptical there are already a host of references connecting the two games together.  The first is an in-game document in the Federal Bureau of Control that states that they went to Bright Falls two days after the events of Alan Wake. You can also find his themos collectable that is being studied by the Bureau. If that isn't enough, Alan Wake himself can even be found within the game. Travel to the fifth floor of the Panopticon in the Containment Sector. If you use the levitate ability you will be able to find both Alan and his thermos!

Throughout this article I have used photographs shot by the charming and talented Quiet_wolf84 throughout his Control journey. Check out the link for more of his work.

Feature: International Women's Day

Senua from Hellblade - by me.

International Women's Day was on Sunday the 8th of this month. I didn't do the post on that day as it was the opening of the blog and I wanted to get some of my favourite women on board to share their favourite women in gaming.

As the years have progressed we can see a great increase of strong female leads and supporting characters in games. Now in games like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Control, we see leading ladies that stray from the media's typical portrayal of women. Gone are the thin, bombshells with tight backsides and heavy chests, less emphasis is put into the sex appeal and more into the characters personality, characteristics and the ability to do their job without being objectified. They are more than just eye candy.

Jesse Faden from Control - by me.

Like anyone who is attracted to the female form, I do appreciate its beauty and anyone who follows me will know that I enjoy games such as Dead or Alive and various mods on the Resident Evil 2 remake. Just like in real life everyone is different and I feel that is why it is important to have a mix of representations in gaming. In both the cases, Resident Evil 2 modding community and Dead or Alive, men are as objectified as the women. 

One of my favourite virtual women of all time has to be Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Kassandra is strong, both physically and mentally (she is half Spartan, after all), witty, smart and very resourceful. The options in the game allow you to mould her character through her responses and actions, but they all show great strength - even if some of them can be a little...abrupt!   

Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey - by me

Now I hand over to some of my most favourite women on Instagram in the VP community, to share their favourite women, why they are special to them and the shots they have taken.

Dragngirle_gaming
Commander Shepard - Mass Effect

One of my favourite female characters is Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect trilogy. Commander Shepard shows her strength in her resolve, despite having all the odds stacked against her. She faces her fears and pushes forward even with other doubts in her altogether. I often think of her when I'm facing my own problems and try to summon a little bit of that strength and courage from her. I know it sounds corny but sometimes I slip on my N7 hoodie and think to myself: "What would Commander Shepard do?" 

She truly represents the strength and courage that I hope to find in myself in times of darkness.

Wolfwithashield
Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII
Ayane - Dead or Alive

There's only two female characters in the gaming world I have ever felt connected with, the first and most important is Tifa Lockhart. To me, especially at such a young age, I related to her HARD. And if the release date was on time, it would be her picture here.

But its cool as I get to post Ayane, my second and only other female gaming character I've felt connected to. I related to her a lot and playing as her gave me strength to handle hardship. Even if I lost with her, things felt okay.

We're all important and we all have our stories. I'm very thankful to be accepted in this community. We're all amazing at supporting each other and that's not something I'm used to. So a deep thank you to all you wonderful ladies (and dudes, but come on it ain't happy dude day 😂) thank you for making me feel like its okay to be me.

And to all those who have always been fighting for whatever reason, well done and keep going, we've got this!

Dragon78

Sadie Adler - Red Dead Redemption 2

I have chosen Sadie Adler as my female gaming inspiration. There are so many wonderful female characters to choose from in video games today, so this was not and easy choice. I think what speaks most to me about Sadie is her strength. She has been through such and emotionally traumatic event with the take over of her and her loving husbands ranch. She had had to witness the death of her husband and 3 days of being held captive by the O’drisscol gang. One can only imagine all of the horrors she must of went through in those days.

Although it’s not confirmed, I’m sure she was most likely sexually and physically abused. As the story progresses and her character develops, you really get to see a sense of how strong she really is. Her progression form an emotional wreck at the beginning of the game, to the strong and independent women she is by the end is an interesting journey to follow. Her willingness to not be a victim and her fire for revenge moves her forward in her character development. I love how she does not sit by like the other women, she fights along side the men. This is a powerful trait especially during the time period in which this game is set. Most women had no rights and were expected to just do as they were told and obey. Sadie follows no rules and listens to no man. She is an equal and expects to be treated as one. For these reasons I choose Sadie Adler as my female video game character.

Baddest Female
Hekate - Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Hekate is known as a Goddess associated with ghost and magic. In my opinion she's a strong woman: Never getting walked on by anyone, always showing a glacial facial expression. She's been one of my favourites since I played Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even if people know her as a betrayer (a baddest bitch, but lets stay polite). I really love that she is a perfect example of a strong woman. Simply put, she is the baddest female, like me!

Stellarosityvp
Aloy - Horizon Zero Dawn

My favourite woman in gaming has to be Aloy. Throughout the whole story of Horizon Zero Dawn, you see her strengths and weaknesses, her wit and kindness. It's amazing to see her grow and persevere through the tough times that she goes through, she always comes ahead strong. Shes someone I absolutely love to look up to.


A huge thank you to all five of the women that contributed to this article.  To them and to all of the women out there, a belated happy International Women's Day to you all!