The odds of a Days Gone sequel ever happening might be slim at best, but that didn’t stop developer Sony Bend from envisioning what a follow-up game could add to its mix of zombie apocalypse sandbox after production had wrapped. In an interview with USA Today, Days Gone director Jeff Ross spoke about plans for the canceled sequel, which would have improved on elements that had been criticized by reviewers and players.

In the gameplay department, protagonist Deacon St. John would finally be able to swim and instant-fail stealth sections would have been scrapped, much to the relief of anyone who dreaded the NERO levels of Days Gone. Interestingly, Deacon’s motorcycle would be used as part of a more technical direction for the proposed sequel, as the biker would be able to use NERO technology to upgrade his ride.

“I think we would have expanded the tone a little bit in a more technical direction,” Ross explained. “The tone would have expanded one ring outward towards some of the new reality. I think this would have been a little bit more, I don’t want to say Avengers, but something where the player had resources, he had some sort of the remnants of whatever the government had.”

The dynamically dangerous world of Days Gone would also be enhanced, and would feature more lethal enemies to deal with while exploring the post-apocalyptic wilderness. As for the narrative, Ross explained that the story would continue to focus on Deacon and Sarah’s relationship, as well as examining just how strong their bond was now that they had been reunited. The rest of the game’s narrative was described as “heavy and strong,” which could have built on the surprise twist in the first game’s secret ending regarding the Freaker infection and just how far it had really spread.

As for criticisms regarding Days Gone being light on content when it first launched, Ross added that the plan was to always build on the template of the game, in much the same way that the Uncharted and Batman: Arkham games had done within their respective franchises.

“We have to be able to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run,” Ross said. “I just see that as a trilogy. First games–Batman: Arkham, the first Uncharted–are basic. They are a platform to build on top of for subsequent titles. And if you look at a game like Uncharted, you could surface swim in the first game. In the second or third game, you could go underwater. Then in the fourth game, you’re scuba diving underwater. They didn’t start with scuba diving, they built towards it. That applies to every game.”

Ross would eventually leave Sony Bend, citing one of the reasons behind his departure and the cancellation of the Days Gone sequel being the studio’s shift towards a more group-orientated creative process instead of a singular creative director who steered a project.

“We moved from a singular creative director to a creative committee,” Ross said. “And committees aren’t cool. You would have been able to create a more collaborative environment where people can contribute ideas, but unless there’s structure to it, it’s just going to be chaos. And that was the new direction the studio wanted. I was like, ‘Hey, it doesn’t even have to be me. It can be anybody, but we need one person where the buck stops.’ And it wasn’t happening. I like to collaborate and get people’s ideas, but somebody has to make a call on direction.”

Days Gone was back in the news earlier this month after Ross claimed that the game had sold 8 million copies on console alone. Ross would later reveal that the source of this sales information was a Trophy-tracking website that has since shut down. This data could also be the result of multiple users playing a single copy of Days Gone, which led to speculation over the true numbers of the game’s sales.

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Last week Razer announced the Zephyr Pro, an upgrade that adds voice amplification to its base RGB Zephyr mask. The new announcement prompted criticism that Razer was overstating the amount of protection the cyberpunk-style masks offered, leading the company to remove claims that the mask had “N65-grade” filters, The Verge reports.

While Razer never said the mask itself was N95 rated, its product page repeatedly referred to the mask’s replaceable filters as “N95-grade.” This claim was based on the filter’s 99 percent bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), which it compared to PPE devices like respirators and surgical masks. These references have now been removed, while the product page refers to the filters as “air purification filters,” saying only that they are “FDA-registered and lab-tested for 99% BFE.”

An update has also been added to a blog post called “The Science Behind Razer Zephyr,” which now explicitely states that “the Razer Zephyr and Zephyr Pro are not certified N95 masks.”

While the Razer’s FAQ section on the Zephyr initially compared the mask to a medical device, it has now explicitely stated that this isn’t the case. Under a heading that reads “will the Razer Zephyr protect me from Covid-19?” the page now states that “Razer Zephyr is not a medical device, respirator, surgical mask or personal protective equipment (PPE) and is not meant to be used on medical or clinical settings.” This same disclaimer was also tweeted out on Razer’s official account.

As of the initial Zephyr’s release on October 21, 2021, the mask does comply with mask mandates in the USA and UK, however the webpage encourages users to check with local laws before they take this as gospel.

While the mask has gone through a number of internal tests, the device still hasn’t been certified by relevant authorities including the FDA, CDC, or OSHA. Despite Razer’s own testing, both the Zephyr and the Zephyr Pro would need to be externally reviewed to be properly classified as PPE.

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One of Halo Infinite’s new weapons, the Mangler, might be getting a nerf in the future. While no official changes have been announced, 343 Industries recently stated it was aware of the feedback regarding the weapon and that discussions are happening internally.

The news comes via Halo esports and viewership lead Tahir “Tashi” Hasandjekic, who recently responded on Twitter to Halo pro Snip3down’s suggestion that the weapon needs to be on a longer spawn cycle. Other pros began to chime in, asking for a better flow of communication between players and 343 in regards to balance changes and feedback. Tashi stated that 343 has “definitely been seeing all of the feedback and talking about it internally (especially for big ones like the Mangler),” and stated to those in the thread that official feedback surveys were on the way “so we can capture it all in a clear and concise way.”

The discussion about the Mangler isn’t exactly new, but has ramped up recently. The official Cloud9 esports team Twitter account went so far to ask the official Halo account “how many likes to delete the Mangler” early last week. The Mangler is, it must be said, is undeniably powerful. Two shots with the Brute revolver will take down an opponent’s shields. One more follow-up shot to the head will finish them off. Because it’s a Brute weapon, it also does increased melee damage, meaning players can pop off one shot before meleeing with it to score an easy kill. While the weapon does have a slow firing speed, isn’t great at medium and long ranges, and requires some precision to finish off an enemy with a headshot, in skilled hands it can still be a powerhouse. There’s also the issue of just how prevalent the weapon is. Thanks to the weapon’s fast respawn timer and large ammo pool, there’s a potentially large number of Manglers being used for a long period of time in any given match.

It’s currently unclear if 343 would nerf the weapon’s damage, ammo pool, respawn times, or all (or none) of the above. But even 343 simply stating that talks about the weapon are happening internally has more casual Halo fans worried.

On the game’s subreddit, many players are begging 343 to keep the gun as is and not cater to pro players when it comes to balancing Halo Infinite. Players point to the fact that 343 nerfed the Commando Rifle and the Ravager following Halo Infinite’s technical previews, resulting in the two weapons largely not being worth picking up currently. That’s something fans don’t want to happen to the Mangler too. Others point out that if other lesser-used weapons received buffs, then perhaps the Mangler wouldn’t be a go-to weapon for more competitive players.

Halo Infinite has yet to receive a balance patch in regards to weapons and equipment since its official launch, though numerous changes have already come to the game’s challenge system and event progression. The game recently saw the return of its samurai-themed Fracture: Tenrai event, which will return again later on in Halo Infinite’s first multiplayer season.

Originally slated to last three months, Halo Infinite’s first season will instead last until May. The delay was made, according to Halo Infinite chief of creative Joseph Staten, in order to allow the studio more time to “meet a high-quality bar and so we can finish development of Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team.” Co-op campaign is slated to arrive alongside Season 2 (although some players have already glitched their way into the mode), with the game’s custom map and game editor, Forge, expected to arrive with Season 3.

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