TRANSCRIPT · Special Report: Update ## Special Report: Update (PXL) GRANT BRICKMAN: An update on our special report: The Duskbloods has a new date. GRANT BRICKMAN: Will the extra balance work be enough once the game finally arrives? GRANT BRICKMAN: An update on our special report. There is news on The Duskbloods, and it is a delay. GRETA FOOTNOTE: Anime News Network headlines it: FromSoftware Delays The Duskbloods Switch 2 Game to 2027. GRETA FOOTNOTE: The report says developers will take additional time to adjust game balance following August's Closed Network Test. GRANT BRICKMAN: Balance. Of course. Nothing is more delicate than a game on the scales of justice. Or a weather map. GRETA FOOTNOTE: The article gives that reason and no more, Grant. We'll watch for what changes. That's the update. ## In 2023, an anonymous modder released one of the best horror games of the decade, and they still haven't broken character (PC Gamer) https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/in-2023-an-anonymous-modder-released-one-of-the-best-horror-games-of-the-decade-and-they-still-havent-broken-character/ GRETA FOOTNOTE: A horror game nobody can put a name to, and its maker is still in character. The full story, next. GRANT BRICKMAN: Now the full story. A horror game so frightening that its creator refuses to give a name. Brave. Possibly rude. GRETA FOOTNOTE: PC Gamer says an anonymous modder released MyHouse.wad in 2023. Anonymous means no name, Grant. And they're still in character. GRANT BRICKMAN: Then we'll book them as the Modder and send a very nice letter. Gary, you're in the block world. Is it safe? GARY: Define safe. Night is falling and the lava is thinking about it. Per PC Gamer, MyHouse.wad barrages players with horrible things they've never seen in a game. GARY: The writer says the appeal of horror is being surprised and disturbed by something new. They found that in the films Obsession, Speak No Evil and Pearl. GARY: Gary's rating: a full health bar going in, no health bar coming out. Would respawn anyway. Back to you. GRETA FOOTNOTE: The headline says the modder still hasn't broken character. The report doesn't say who they are, or what the character is. GRANT BRICKMAN: A mystery and a masterpiece. We salute the Modder, whoever they may be, wherever they are hiding. ## The Elevator [FICTION] GRANT BRICKMAN: Two colleagues, one lift, no floor in sight. NOVA: Dozer. Hello. We rarely overlap. Did the lift just make a noise? I'm wearing the helmet, so I can't be sure. DOZER BITWELL: Hello, Nova. Lovely. Quiet. We are between floors, I think. Let's ease into this. Do you have a thermos? NOVA: No thermos. I've been busy with the story about sending your name to Titan aboard NASA's Dragonfly mission. Cosmic perspective, you know. DOZER BITWELL: Mine was a battery prototype that charges faster, from Hackaday. I covered it, then lost my place. The floor display is blinking. NOVA: It's blinking at both of us. Should we press the alarm button? What if it sounds like a launch? DOZER BITWELL: Let's not. The muzak is nice. I think it's the weather music. I'll just close my eyes for a moment. NOVA: Dozer, stay with me. We are small specks in a vast universe, and also in a lift. The doors are moving. Finally. ## [AD · fictional product] Fernwick Breath Bar THE ANNOUNCER: Stressed? Frazzled? Staring at a spreadsheet like it owes you money? Meet the Fernwick Breath Bar! THE ANNOUNCER: One calm bar, installed on your desk. Press it, and it reminds you to breathe. In. Out. Repeat! THE ANNOUNCER: Fernwick Breath Bar. Wellness that sits there and believes in you. Get yours today! ## Weather STORMY BYTES: Stormy here with the real forecast! London is 15 degrees and overcast, with a high of 16, a low of 12 and a 10 percent chance of rain. Gloomy but tidy! STORMY BYTES: Paris is 13 degrees under a clear sky, with fog in the daily outlook. High of 16, low of 6, and a 0 percent chance of rain. Dry and mysterious! STORMY BYTES: Berlin is 10 degrees and partly cloudy, with drizzle on the way. High of 12, low of 4, and an 8 percent chance of rain. Bring a hat, not a boat! STORMY BYTES: Madrid is a mild 19 degrees and overcast. High of 21, low of 8, and a 0 percent chance of rain. A cloudy blanket with zero drops! STORMY BYTES: Rome is 16 degrees and mainly clear, though fog is in today's outlook. High of 21, low of 7, and a 0 percent chance of rain. That's the tour! AI-written satire. The text of the news items comes from the linked articles.