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The fifth generation of home video game consoles brought about many of the firsts to the world of gaming. This includes widespread real-time 3D graphic rendering, analog controls, CD-ROMs as standard game media, full-motion video, and a massive diversification of the video gaming genres. The original PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 collectively gained more than 4,000 mainline gaming titles during this era, a few of which were groundbreaking and influenced the industry in subsequent generations.
1999’s Urban Chaos was one such game, as it broke new ground by featuring one of the first Black woman video game protagonists: Officer D’arci Stern. As such, the cultural impact of this gaming gem can’t be overstated. In an era in which game releases such as Max Payne and Final Fantasy VII are being remastered and remade left and right, this particular gem of the late ’90s emerges as a prime candidate for a revival.
Urban Chaos was set in the fictional Union City at the turn of the millennium. In the role of D’arci Stern, the player navigates the crime-driven and corrupt world of Urban Chaos as a representative of law-and-order, engaging in hand-to-hand combat and investigative missions. The game is set in largely free-roaming maps. While it isn’t a truly open-world game, it most certainly resembles open-concepts, as you can easily switch between indoor and outdoor environments and even switch areas with relative ease.
Considering that the protagonist D’arci Stern was a police officer fighting crime, the game involved combat that relied on a rather complex fighting system, allowing players to use weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Stern’s arsenal included guns but also kicks, punches, throws, sliding tackles, knives, and baseball bats, all of which were at the player’s disposal during missions. Those who wanted to immerse themselves further into the gameplay could arrest their enemies, which would ultimately make the populace more friendly towards the cops.
The free-roam environments, though not as big as those in modern games, did include indoor areas, people to talk to, fights to intervene in, and several additional missions. The other missions included hostage rescues, suicide prevention, and many other activities that might require police assistance. In short, the game had well-developed driving and combat mechanics before Grand Theft Auto 3 was a thing, as well as a strong and independent woman lead, who fortunately wasn’t as sexualized as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider.
Introducing an African American woman lead in the late ’90s was a bold movie in more ways than one. The world of gaming, which has been dominated by male protagonists, has seen its fair share of women stars. However, none of them escaped rampant sexualization within the gaming industry and culture of the time. A woman explorer threading the caves and dungeons in shorts? Really? We’re looking at you, pre-2013 Tomb Raider.
But D’arci was more than just a character. She was a statement: a strong, competent, and complex character who broke the previously established stereotypical mold for representation in gaming. She was portrayed as a no-nonsense rookie cop who’s not afraid to get dirt under her fingernails if that meant that bad guys would end up behind bars. This rendered her quite refreshing as a character. The groundbreaking portrayal of her character was mirrored in the game’s reception: Urban Chaos for PC received high praise for both its character design and the overall design and narrative.
It’s worth noting that not everyone shares fond memories of this game. Following its release on Microsoft Windows in 1999, the game was also released for the original PlayStation and Sega Dreamcast right on the cusp of the 2000s. However, the game didn’t fare as well on consoles due to technical limitations that hindered performance and player experience. As a result, many age-old reviews of this game on PC vs. console talk about it as if they’re talking about two entirely different and separate releases.
But the truth is that Urban Chaos deserves a modern remake or a complete overhaul due to the cultural impact it had upon its release. Not only did it introduce a fantastic African American woman protagonist, but it also proved a strong point that law enforcement can actually arrest bad guys without killing them. This would provide a really strong message in today’s “Defund the police” era. A new remake could benefit from the current graphics and gameplay that have limited the original while also introducing D’arci Stern to a whole new generation of gamers.
The gaming world has evolved quite a bit over the past three decades. Re-imagining the gritty world of Union City in stunning detail is now more a question of budget rather than technological limits in gaming. However, representation in gaming, with respect to African American woman leads, still makes for a rather short “best of” list. Apart from the recently released Forespoken, the decades-old Urban Chaos, and Assassin’s Creed Liberation — which we’ll cover in a subsequent story — there are not a lot of African American lady leads in gaming.
That should change. Urban Chaos definitely deserves a place in today’s gaming world, and its portrayal of African American woman protagonists makes it ripe for a revival and perfect as an icebreaker.
The fifth generation of home video game consoles brought about many of the firsts to the world of gaming. This includes widespread real-time 3D graphic rendering, analog controls, CD-ROMs as standard game media, full-motion video, and a massive diversification of the video gaming genres. The original PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 collectively gained more than 4,000 mainline gaming titles during this era, a few of which were groundbreaking and influenced the industry in subsequent generations.
1999’s Urban Chaos was one such game, as it broke new ground by featuring one of the first Black woman video game protagonists: Officer D’arci Stern. As such, the cultural impact of this gaming gem can’t be overstated. In an era in which game releases such as Max Payne and Final Fantasy VII are being remastered and remade left and right, this particular gem of the late ’90s emerges as a prime candidate for a revival.
Urban Chaos was set in the fictional Union City at the turn of the millennium. In the role of D’arci Stern, the player navigates the crime-driven and corrupt world of Urban Chaos as a representative of law-and-order, engaging in hand-to-hand combat and investigative missions. The game is set in largely free-roaming maps. While it isn’t a truly open-world game, it most certainly resembles open-concepts, as you can easily switch between indoor and outdoor environments and even switch areas with relative ease.
Considering that the protagonist D’arci Stern was a police officer fighting crime, the game involved combat that relied on a rather complex fighting system, allowing players to use weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Stern’s arsenal included guns but also kicks, punches, throws, sliding tackles, knives, and baseball bats, all of which were at the player’s disposal during missions. Those who wanted to immerse themselves further into the gameplay could arrest their enemies, which would ultimately make the populace more friendly towards the cops.
The free-roam environments, though not as big as those in modern games, did include indoor areas, people to talk to, fights to intervene in, and several additional missions. The other missions included hostage rescues, suicide prevention, and many other activities that might require police assistance. In short, the game had well-developed driving and combat mechanics before Grand Theft Auto 3 was a thing, as well as a strong and independent woman lead, who fortunately wasn’t as sexualized as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider.
Introducing an African American woman lead in the late ’90s was a bold movie in more ways than one. The world of gaming, which has been dominated by male protagonists, has seen its fair share of women stars. However, none of them escaped rampant sexualization within the gaming industry and culture of the time. A woman explorer threading the caves and dungeons in shorts? Really? We’re looking at you, pre-2013 Tomb Raider.
But D’arci was more than just a character. She was a statement: a strong, competent, and complex character who broke the previously established stereotypical mold for representation in gaming. She was portrayed as a no-nonsense rookie cop who’s not afraid to get dirt under her fingernails if that meant that bad guys would end up behind bars. This rendered her quite refreshing as a character. The groundbreaking portrayal of her character was mirrored in the game’s reception: Urban Chaos for PC received high praise for both its character design and the overall design and narrative.
It’s worth noting that not everyone shares fond memories of this game. Following its release on Microsoft Windows in 1999, the game was also released for the original PlayStation and Sega Dreamcast right on the cusp of the 2000s. However, the game didn’t fare as well on consoles due to technical limitations that hindered performance and player experience. As a result, many age-old reviews of this game on PC vs. console talk about it as if they’re talking about two entirely different and separate releases.
But the truth is that Urban Chaos deserves a modern remake or a complete overhaul due to the cultural impact it had upon its release. Not only did it introduce a fantastic African American woman protagonist, but it also proved a strong point that law enforcement can actually arrest bad guys without killing them. This would provide a really strong message in today’s “Defund the police” era. A new remake could benefit from the current graphics and gameplay that have limited the original while also introducing D’arci Stern to a whole new generation of gamers.
The gaming world has evolved quite a bit over the past three decades. Re-imagining the gritty world of Union City in stunning detail is now more a question of budget rather than technological limits in gaming. However, representation in gaming, with respect to African American woman leads, still makes for a rather short “best of” list. Apart from the recently released Forespoken, the decades-old Urban Chaos, and Assassin’s Creed Liberation — which we’ll cover in a subsequent story — there are not a lot of African American lady leads in gaming.
That should change. Urban Chaos definitely deserves a place in today’s gaming world, and its portrayal of African American woman protagonists makes it ripe for a revival and perfect as an icebreaker.
Video game fans have been safely enjoying the excitement/terror of a post-nuclear wasteland since 1997. That’s when Fallout and its ’50s-era Cold War aesthetic first came to stores. Since then countless sequels and spinoffs have turned the game into one of genre’s most successful franchises. Now Fallout is ready to conquer another medium entirely. It’s getting its very own show from Amazon. What kind of story can gamers expect from the Prime Video Fallout adaptation? Who’s behind it, and who will star in it? And when will we get a chance to see it?
The Game Awards 2023 did give us yet another peek into the series with some new footage that wasn’t in the trailer. It isn’t much but we are glad to see it, especially because CX404 the dog-like character is in it. (More on him later.)
Here’s everything we know about Prime Video’s Fallout series so far.
Title
Prime Video’s adaptation will share the same name as the original game, Fallout.
Fallout‘s Plot
We officially have our first full look at the Fallout series. Prime Video released the first trailer for the show and it teases a dangerous wasteland of a world. But it’s clear the show understands its dark humor as well.
Prime Video has shared an official Fallout series synopsis, setting us up for what’s to come. It reveals, “Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.“
Additionally, we know that the series is “set in the future post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.” It will also tell an “original story based on Fallout that will be part of the canon of the games.”
The first image from the show featured a glimpse at the franchise’s all-new Vault 33. And more recent looks have revealed Fallout‘s main characters including Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and Kyle MacLachlan’s Overseer Hank.
There will also be an adorable animal involved. In the Fallout games, a dog called Dogmeat exists as an NPC companion character that accompanies players on their adventures. According to a blog post from Amazon, the live-action Fallout series’ cute canine isn’t called Dogmeat, but instead is named CX404. But this pup, too, will serve “as a companion navigating the post-apocalyptic world.” Maybe this dog is Dogmeat’s distant cousin. After all, it would be pretty cool to see a Dogmeat Easter egg in the show. Regardless, we’re sure CX404 is a very good boy.
Interestingly enough, it looks like this Fallout dog belongs to Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul on the Prime Video series. That character is definitely shaping up to be our anti-hero, so giving The Ghoul the best relationship with Fallout‘s cutest creature will likely go some way to help balance out his more nefarious tendencies. We’re excited to see how the story unfolds for our new dog friend and all the other characters in Fallout.
Behind the Scenes
Fallout comes from Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and Kilter Films. The latter is the production company of executive producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, creators of HBO’s Westworld.
Writers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner will also serve Fallout co-showrunners and executive producers. Nolan directs the first three episodes.
Fallout‘s Cast
The show stars: Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O’Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time).
Fallout‘s Release Date
Prime Video celebrated the 26th “Fallout Day” by announcing when the series will premiere via a Pip-Boy-style message. The show begins its post-apocalyptic adventure on April 12, 2024.
That’s a lot closer than it sounds, which means we should start getting trailers and more information soon, too. When we do you’ll find everything you need to know about Prime Video’s Fallout right here.
Originally published on October 23, 2023.
The post Prime Video’s FALLOUT Series Drops Another Trailer at The Game Awards 2023 appeared first on Nerdist.
BET Plus 
“When I started, I had to rely on a lot of men in the industry,” Hazel Rachelle says in front of a crowd of her closest friends and collaborators, in an episode of BET+’s First Wives Club. “Men who tried to mold me into something else because they thought that who I was, wasn’t enough. After a while, I started believing that myself. But with the help of my true friends, I realized I was more than enough.”
Hazel (played by Jill Scott) makes this bold declaration as she steps into a self-assured chapter of her life. This scene comes after she realizes she no longer needs her partner Derek (Malik Yoba). Throughout the first season, Hazel has been emotionally manipulated and drained, but she’s also leaned on her closest friends Bree (Michelle Buteau) and Ari (Ryan Michelle Bathe). This scene is pivotal to the show’s ongoing theme of friendship, and it’s also a major style moment; in it, Scott’s Hazel is wearing an all-white suit. The white hue signals the new chapter she’s walking into. It also draws attention to her stepping into her power as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She is doing so while continuing to dream rather than give up.
BET Plus The previously described scene clarifies that in the universe that makes up Tracy Oliver’s First Wives Club, Hazel is one of the brightest planets. Her eagerness to be seen and heard is an ongoing theme in season one. By the end of the ten episodes, she is creating her life on her own terms. The BET+ series which aired in 2019 centers around a core set of Black friends who are dealing with relationship issues with their husbands. Alongside this ongoing theme, the costuming in the first season spearheaded by Dierdra Govan is exceptional and spot-on. Hazel’s looks are impressive mainly because they’re lived-in and not forced. No matter the occasion, she is either wearing a patterned suit, a form-fitting gown, or even a no-fuss top with denim.
Inspired by the lack of quality clothing she feels is available to curvy women, Govan alters nearly all of the pieces Scott was seen in for season one. In a Madame Noire interview, Govan shared: “I’m a constant sponge. But my biggest inspiration is not on the runways, it’s in the everyday, it’s on the streets.” Combining this notion with her past work on “Sorry to Bother You” and other films, Govan styled not just Scott, but her co-stars Buteau and Bathe. The costume designer expressed that when she set out to design the show she was focusing on nailing Scott and Buteau’s characters. “They were women of a certain age, they were sexy, they were full-figured, they were desirable,” she noted. “I didn’t want their size to be the focus. I wanted the fact that these women were dressing as women and were stylishly fabulous.”
BET Plus The defining style chartered by Govan in the first season hooked me in. Scott’s costumes were also pivotal in exemplifying her bold, loud-mouthed personality. She was the friend that would never go down without a fight. That meant that she was often depicted in vibrant patterns, colors, and prints. Bree’s style is more toned-down, she wears denim quite a bit–Ari is often depicted in suits speaking to her life as a high-powered lawyer. Since Scott’s character Hazel is a beloved celebrity and entertainer, she never appears to cobble together outfits–there were one or two moments when she was a bedridden homebody. But those moments didn’t last long.
By the time season two debuts, costuming is being helmed by Lorraine Coppin. Scott’s Hazel is now the owner and founder of a record label, Ladies First, too. This new title epitomizes what she continues leaning into: her inner strength and her fascination with looking good. At the beginning of the season, she introduces her friends to her new beau Nigel (Mikhail Keize) while wearing a glitzy two-piece set. It’s a bit of a departure from her past looks, but it works, and it’s captivating. By mid-season, she’s wearing a camouflage jacket and a matching pair of bottoms; it’s clear she’s aiming to step into her leadership characteristics. At this point of the show, Hazel is constantly at odds with the caftan-wearing, free-spirited singer Regina (played by Deborah Cox). Since Hazel’s home is often her office she teeters between comfortable yet stylish looks. She adorns herself in overcoats; sometimes, they’re emblazoned with glitter, but they don’t feel childish–instead, they appear as markers of her exploratory style.
A pivotal moment in season two ensued when Nigel invited Hazel, Bree, and Jayla (Michelle Mitchenor) to a bashment in Brooklyn. The three friends arrived in club attire, Hazel was of course the dressiest of the friend group: she donned a golden bodysuit. Bree opted for a red cape blazer dress, and Jayla arrived in a maroon faux fur vest and matching dress. Everyone else who attended wore comfortable dancing clothes: colorful crop tops, shorts, and not much else. This distinct difference in clothing showcases not just a moment to reflect on differences in socioeconomic statuses, but also what Hazel felt would impress Nigel’s family. Though she still ended up clashing with her beau’s sister she was overly cautious of how her personality came across. This environment tested her, but she still came out triumphant.
Further emphasis was placed on Nigel and Hazel’s relationship when the duo nearly broke up–but by season three they’re going strong and set to wed–notably Derron Cherry stepped in as the lead costumer. In the first two episodes of this season, we catch a glimpse of her stunning wedding gown. It features a striking bustier accentuated with gold and off-white tones, and the train isn’t too lengthy. Nothing about her wedding day went well, and perhaps that was why aesthetically she and her bridesmaids, who were dressed in regal purple gowns, looked perfect. This twist was a bit confusing, but it’s proof of how spot-on costuming can trick you into thinking everything is fine. The couple ended up breaking things off and deciding to part ways.
For the rest of season three, Scott’s Hazel is thriving while fighting the powers that be as the founder of her label. Her clothing is still color-filled and she still heavily leans on patterns. In episode three which is marked by Ari’s funeral, she dons a head-turning, black and white patterned suit. A voluptuous feathered hat accompanies her look. While this felt like a bit of a miss, it also showcases the lengths Hazel goes to, to set herself apart from her close friends, even while mourning. Cherry excelled at nailing this notion. The other castmates are wearing black just as nearly everyone in this episode is.
A look that encapsulates the wonder of First Wives Club’s costuming is the gold number Hazel wears in the final episode of the series. It’s form-fitting, sexy and appealing. It’s a profound moment she takes, in a room with the main characters, including Khalil (Tobias Truvillion) who she is now publicly dating. She’s confidently smiling and champagne is flowing in the room. Regina is even there. Nothing about this moment is boring, it almost urges viewers to want to be a fly on the wall in the room. When I saw Hazel unable to experience her Grammy Award-winning moment, I was hoping Cherry would still give her a celebratory look, and she did. No matter if Scott’s Hazel was overly mouthy to some viewers, one thing that you couldn’t ever say is that she was unstylish. Each costumer succeeded in providing incredible looks for a curvy woman who has been a fixture in music for over 30 years. And that is perhaps what is most enjoyable about the clothing Jill Scott wears in First Wives Club.
TOPICS: Black Costume Designers costume design first wives club Jill Scott Tracy OliverThe post Jill Scott’s Outfits On ‘First Wives Club’ Are My Favorite Thing Right Now appeared first on Essence.
From full matte coverage and gradient eyebrows, to dark updos and sharp nails, our favorite celebrities are serving beauty looks that we can’t get enough of. Check out the pictures here!
TOPICS: beauty moments Beyonce Celebrity Looks Chloe Bailey Glam beauty moments lori harvey Tracee Ellis RossThe post WATCH: In My Feed – ICYMI Glam Celebrity Beauty Moments Of The Week appeared first on Essence.