Latest news with #DS2
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
John Lewis threatens to slash affordable flats
John Lewis may slash the number of affordable flats at its new rental home scheme in Reading if the project faces hold-ups, local councillors have been told. Advisers for John Lewis Partnership warned that any planning delays and further demands on funding provided to local services risked making the scheme unviable. In a letter to Reading councillors, building consultants at DS2, who conducted a review for John Lewis, said the new flat scheme would already cost more to build than it was worth on paper, meaning John Lewis would not be able to 'viably provide any affordable housing'. John Lewis has committed to making 10pc of the flats at its 170-home rental development in Reading affordable and available at lower rents. However, they said this was conditional on the council approving the scheme 'within a reasonable timeframe'. John Lewis first submitted the plans for the scheme almost a year ago. DS2 said any requests for further contributions, such as new demands for extra funding of local services, would also be 'reflected in any reconsideration of the affordable housing final commitment at that time'. It is the latest sign of trouble for Labour's ambitions to 'turn the tide on the housing crisis', as developers grapple with demands to build cheaper homes at a time of sky-high building costs. Earlier this month, Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, said she wanted to provide the biggest boost to the number of social and affordable homes across the country in a generation. However, developers say they are facing hold-ups in planning applications, with builders waiting an average of 515 days – nearly a year and a half – for so-called Section 106 agreements to be finalised. This is where developers and local authorities must negotiate agreements on funding for public infrastructure such as schools, roads or affordable homes. The waiting time for the negotiations has increased by a fifth over the past two years. John Lewis has already faced local opposition to its Reading home scheme. Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed NHS officials said they would need more funding to cope with an influx of new patients from the John Lewis flats. They argued local GP surgeries would be overwhelmed by the new housing scheme. At the time, the council said it was working with John Lewis to 'achieve the right outcome for Reading and its residents, which may include additional funding to help meet identified public health needs in the area'. John Lewis said it was in talks with Reading Council, and would 'agree the payment which councils normally receive from developments to fund local services and infrastructure'. Since then, John Lewis has reduced the size of the rental scheme. Last month, the company submitted revised plans for the development, including cutting down the number of homes to 170 from 215. John Lewis Partnership's director of build-to-rent, Katherine Russell, said at the time: 'It's very important to us that we deliver the best possible scheme and one that benefits the community.' The Reading scheme is one of three rental home developments being pursued by John Lewis, with the other two having faced setbacks before being given the green light. John Lewis was forced to launch an appeal with the Government's planning inspector to get approval for its West Ealing, London, scheme after the council failed to make a decision. Its project in Bromley, meanwhile, faced a backlash from locals and councillors, although the development was ultimately approved last year. A spokesman for John Lewis said: 'We're committed to providing as much affordable housing for Reading as is viable. We're working constructively with the Council on our plans to transform this brownfield site with high-quality rental homes.'
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
How to get Climbing Power Gloves in Death Stranding 2?
(Image via Kojima) Stuck scaling steep cliffs or icy mountain paths in Death Stranding 2 ? You're not alone. While fancy bikes and monorails are great, there are missions where brute climbing is your only option. That's where the Climbing Power Gloves come in. These game-changers help you grip better, climb faster, and even grab cargo more efficiently. Here's exactly how to get them in DS2 . Step 1: Progress Through the Main Story Before you can even think about these gloves, you'll need to move ahead in the main campaign. The Climbing Power Gloves aren't available early on — they're tied to a main mission that's critical to the story. Keep playing until you're given Main Order 37, which sends you into the harsh, icy mountains. How to Find and Rescue the Adventurer (Order 37) | Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Step 2: Rescue the Adventurer (Main Order 37) This is the mission that unlocks the gloves. In this mission, you have to rescue the Adventurer stranded in the freezing mountains. It's a bit of a trek, but once you get through the snow, deliver the cargo, and link the facility to the Chiral Network using your Q-Pid, you'll hit Connection Level 1. Once you've reached the Adventurer and successfully brought him back, you'll complete the mission and unlock a connection to his facility. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Step 3: Connect to the Chiral Network After the rescue, use your Q-Pid to connect the Adventurer's base to the Chiral Network . This is a critical step — without establishing this connection, you won't unlock the crafting blueprint for the gloves. Once connected, your relationship with the Adventurer will reach Level 1, and you'll receive the blueprint for Climbing Power Gloves (Level 1). Step 4: Fabricate the Gloves With the blueprint unlocked, head to any delivery terminal and fabricate the gloves. Here's what you'll need: 60 Resins 30 Metals 10 Special Alloys These materials are pretty common, so it shouldn't be hard to craft them immediately. DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH [The Updated Power Gloves Are Awesome! Step 5: Upgrade the Gloves (Optional, But Recommended) If you want even better grip and climbing efficiency, keep delivering cargo to the Adventurer. Reach Connection Level 3, and you'll unlock the Level 2 version of the gloves. These come with improved durability and performance, especially useful during long, steep missions. What Else Can the Gloves Do? These gloves aren't just for mountain goats: Improve grip strength for faster vertical climbs. Reduce stamina loss on steep slopes. Let you grab cargo from a distance, even while driving a vehicle like the Pickup Off-Roader. They're basically Sam's best friends when the roads run out. Climbing Power Gloves aren't just gear; they're essential tools for survival in Death Stranding 2's toughest environments. Get through Main Order 37, rescue the Adventurer, and gear up for smoother climbs ahead. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How to find and unlock Hot Springs in Death Stranding 2
In the vast landscape of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, where each terrain is daunting and each footfall may deliver ambiguity, Hot Springs represent more than picturesque pause points. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They're transformative. Featuring fast-travel options, stamina buffs, cargo assistance and even trophies, these secret havens are a find worth pursuing. Breaking them open isn't easy. Here's all you need to know to locate, unlock and take full advantage of the Hot Springs dotted around Australia in your DS2 adventure. How to unlock the first two hot springs You can't just mine a spring from the outset. To unlock this you must first tap two locations. Miracle Spring – located right west of The Motherhood building. Tap it and put the bucket on Sam's head to initiate a special teleportation sequence. – located right west of The Motherhood building. Tap it and put the bucket on Sam's head to initiate a special teleportation sequence. Heartman's Lab – Where your bath concludes and the actual process initiates. Once you arrive at this spring through fast travel, speak to the Hydrologist to unlock the Hot Spring Digger. Death Stranding 2 - All Hot Spring Locations With this unit now available through a Level 2 or 3 PCC, you're at last prepared to construct your personal hot springs. How to dig new hot springs Once opened, you'll have to seek out some particular chiral-coated regions in Australia. Get your Hot Spring Digger and dig at the hot spots to generate springs. Every spring offers a different temporary buff and adds to in-game progression and collectibles. Going back to the Hydrologist after making one gives you Likes and cosmetic upgrades for your springs. You have to be linked to the Chiral Network in a region to construct a spring there. What every Hot Spring brings Each of Australia's seven diggable springs has a unique purpose. Chiral Spring – Expands cargo bay – Expands cargo bay Healing Spring – heals drat stamina fast – heals drat stamina fast Digestive Spring – amplifies impact – amplifies impact Metallic Spring – Fixes shipping containers – Fixes shipping containers Clairvoyant Spring – boosts environmental awareness – boosts environmental awareness Recharging Spring – Pops your battery levels – Pops your battery levels Tar Spring – Lowers BT detection range Each of these springs assists you with particular in-game challenges, from long hauls to stealth sections. Death Stranding 2 - Spring into Life Trophy Guide (How to Dig a Hot Spring) How to fast travel Bathing in a spring not only provides you with buffs but activates Hot Spring Jumping. By pressing down on the Square button, Sam can teleport to any springs he's found in the past. Here's the catch—only outfitted gear in certain slots (such as your utility pouch) travels with you. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Everything else goes in the spring's private locker. Two huge awards are connected to Hot Spring discovery: Spring Into Life – Presented upon digging your first hot spring. – Presented upon digging your first hot spring. Written in the Stars - The Miracle Spring and Healing Spring are the simplest areas because of the sunny sky. Death Stranding 2's hot springs are no gimmick,they're essential survival equipment swathed in Kojima mystique. If you're seeking gameplay benefits, narrative-tied unlocks, or simply some well-deserved eye-candy calmness, be sure to locate every hot spring across Australia's windswept expanse. Your cargo, stamina and cosmic insight will thank you.
Engadget
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Who is this 'final' six-minute Death Stranding 2 trailer actually for?
Your Yahoo privacy setting is blocking social media and third-party content You can Allow your personal information to be shared and sold. Something went wrong. Try again. You can update your choice anytime by going to your privacy controls, which are linked to throughout our sites and apps. This page will now refresh. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is out today, not counting the early access period. Kojima Productions and publisher Sony couldn't resist putting out one last trailer. I wouldn't be surprised if the filename for it was something like DS2_FINAL_TRAILER_V17_noactuallyitsthelastone.mp4 and yet it still has a runtime of six minutes. Although there are some fun moments in this trailer, it's much too long. You probably shouldn't watch it if you'd like to stay as spoiler-free as possible before playing the game, as the trailer includes some heavy-handed teases and perhaps gives away some of DS2 's surprises. The game's director, Hideo Kojima, is a man with more ideas than he has time to execute. That's evident in his games, which are packed full of complexity and cinematics. I found a YouTube video titled " Death Stranding 2 All Cutscenes Part 1" that's nearly two hours long. In other words, these games are a lot (though it is cute that there's a special cutscene when it's your birthday). Fittingly, the trailers are excessive as well. By my count, we've now had over 30 minutes of DS2 trailers, including a 10-minute one. That's not counting the 22-minute gameplay demo at Summer Game Fest. There will be more trailers when Death Stranding 2 inevitably migrates from the PS5 to other platforms, so I don't believe for a second that this is the "final" one. Perhaps there will be a Director's Cut edition with its own trailers. Yes, studios, publishers and their marketing teams have a tough time on their hands trying to break through the noise and get their games on the radars of players who might want to check them out. But this is a Hideo Kojima game that Sony is publishing. A sequel to an acclaimed game that more than 20 million people have played. The vast majority of people who would be interested in Death Stranding 2 are likely already well aware of it. This probably didn't need a final trailer, and certainly not one that's six minutes long. (I am well aware of the irony that, by embedding it here, we're bringing more eyeballs to this trailer. Don't @ me.) Kojima famously edits the trailers for his games himself, and he did so with this one. But they could probably do with another pass in someone else's hands.
Newsweek
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
REVIEW: Death Stranding 2 Made Me a Hideo Kojima Believer
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors I wasn't a big fan of the first Death Stranding. It wasn't a bad game by any means, but it was frustrating at its best, with slow, methodical gameplay that was often akin to pulling teeth, extreme tonal whiplash, and messy, self-indulgent storytelling that was clearly the result of director Hideo Kojima refusing to edit his own work. Death Stranding 2 does all of the same and more, turning every aspect from the first game up to 11 and then leaning in just a little bit further — but somehow, it all works, and it's one of the best games I've ever played. Death Stranding 2 opens atop a beautiful, desolate mountain range. Sweeping shots of the mountainous vistas of Mexico look so unbelievably real that I was convinced at first that it was real footage, but then Sam – portrayed by Norman Reedus – was on-screen, baby Lou in his arms, and I was handed control. That feeling of surprise, the shock of unbelievable graphics being rendered in real time, stood up for the entire game. It's impossibly pretty, and it impressed me for every single second during my 50 hours with the game. Sam holding baby Lou atop a mountain in Death Stranding 2. Sam holding baby Lou atop a mountain in Death Stranding 2. Kojima Productions As I descended down to Sam's cozy retreat, I felt a slight sense of dread. That descent felt a lot like playing Death Stranding again, and what followed wasn't too different, either. It was slow, methodical, and slightly frustrating. But it didn't take long for things to change. As Death Stranding 2 introduces its mechanics, it erodes any sense that this is just more of the same. Everything is bigger, better, and more satisfying. Combat was one of Death Stranding's weak points, for example, but it always had the bones of something that could feel good to play. Here, thanks to vastly improved enemy design and a wide glut of new weapons and combat abilities, those bones are coated in flesh, resulting in a meaty experience that rivals most third-person shooters. Boss fights are more style than substance – and excessively video game-y at that, with large glowing weak points – but that is very much by design. On more than one occasion, characters look directly into the camera and tell you that it's time for a boss fight, or that a long cutscene is coming up. It's Kojima poking fun at the medium he's spent decades in, and while it's very blunt – and sometimes veers into being the very thing it's making light of – it's kind of charming. But I didn't really spend much time in combat. It's largely unavoidable, sure, but it plays second fiddle to DS2's traversal and exploration. There's a common misconception that these games are "walking simulators," games where all you do is walk and talk. You certainly do a lot of walking and talking in DS2, but it's a lot more interesting than it sounds. There's a huge open world to explore, and lots of heavy, cumbersome cargo to deliver, but it's not just about getting from A to B. There are an infinite number of possible routes to take, hundreds of considerations to factor into your decisions. Most of the game takes place in Australia, and it's a harsh country, subject to bushfires and flooding, wildlife at every turn, and some very harsh landscapes. Planning out a route is as much of a puzzle as anything, and knowing when to throw that plan out the window and improvise is a key part of the experience. The act of traversal itself is the challenge of Death Stranding 2, and it's an incredible challenge that feels meaningful, even when all you're doing is taking seemingly meaningless MacGuffins to far-off places. Let me give you an example. About midway through the game, I was tasked with delivering a truly absurd amount of heavy cargo a very long distance. It was far too much to carry in my backpack, so I loaded it into my trusty truck to make the trek. I planned out my route precisely, making sure I was avoiding any enemies or environments that my truck couldn't handle, like steep, sandy hills and long drops that would damage the cargo. A character in a raincoat overlooks a blazing wildfire in the Australian wilderness in Death Stranding 2. A character in a raincoat overlooks a blazing wildfire in the Australian wilderness in Death Stranding 2. Kojima Productions Despite my perfect planning, it didn't take long for tragedy to strike and my plan to be derailed. A freak firestorm set the surrounding forest on fire, causing an impromptu detour that took me through a rocky area that my truck absolutely could not handle. An encounter with a monstrous BT and a bout of Timefall finished it off, leaving my truck completely inoperable with many miles left to go. I remembered that I had skirted around an enemy base camp not long prior, and that sometimes enemy camps have trucks that you can commandeer, so despite not being geared up for combat, I used a mix of stealth, luck, and the limited weapons I found scattered around the camp to take them down and make my escape in one of their trucks. I planned, I improvised, and I made it through the challenges the world provided. And that's where Death Stranding 2 is at its best. When you approach every puzzle with precision and everything still goes off the rails, and you're stranded in the middle of Australia with a tonne of cargo to move, you have to figure it out and make it through. You have to improvise, write your own story and forge your own path through the wilds, and that makes for some incredible stories to share with friends. Sam walking through a rocky ravine, cargo on his back, in Death Stranding 2. Sam walking through a rocky ravine, cargo on his back, in Death Stranding 2. Kojima Productions Sharing is at the core of the experience, too. The "strand" system sees structures and improvements implemented by other players showing up in your game, and vice versa. If another player builds a bridge over a river, or a generator to recharge your vehicle's batteries, it could pop up in your world. Players can donate weapons and resources at key locations, or offer up cargo they can't deliver to somebody who can. It's an asymmetrical kind of multiplayer that makes the world feel alive and thriving, and while the system is largely unchanged from the first game, it was one of the things in the first game that felt fully-realized, and it feels the same here. And that ultimately brings us to the story, which is far above anything I could have expected. From the very start, I was deeply enthralled in everything that Death Stranding 2 had to offer in its story. It was compelling and exciting, filled with twists and turns, loss and fortune, low points and high points. It contrasts deeply sad and affecting moments with the silliest nonsense you've ever seen, a scene of a character succumbing to death followed by a cheesy dance number out of nowhere. It pulls its punches when you expect it to hit, and hits when you think it's pulling its punches. I didn't think a Hideo Kojima game where your only constant companion is a possessed puppet could bring me to the verge of tears, but it did, multiple times, and often because of that very puppet. It's a messy, tonally inconsistent game, but it's messy and inconsistent in a way that people are messy and inconsistent. Some people deal with grief by singing and dancing, some with jokes and laughter, and every character in DS2 is grieving something — the loss of a loved one, the theft of a childhood, the chance at a future snuffed out. The characters in DS2 deal with this grief in every way imaginable, and it feels raw and unfiltered, like pages from a dozen deeply personal diaries copied verbatim into the script. It's messy, but it's human. And somehow, against all odds, it sticks the landing every single time. Director George Miller scanned into Death Stranding 2 as the character Tarman, voiced by Marty Rhone. Director George Miller scanned into Death Stranding 2 as the character Tarman, voiced by Marty Rhone. Kojima Productions It's also filled with all the things that Kojima loves. It's got his favorite movie directors and musicians in key roles, countless references to anime and TV series that he's gushed about on Twitter, and a lot of music that assuredly pops up on Kojima's most played list in his Spotify Wrapped each year. It's self-indulgent storytelling at its fullest, and in Death Stranding that was often a little bit trite, but there's an earnestness in this sequel that wasn't so apparent in the first game. Kojima isn't inserting these things because he can, nor is he doing it because putting a famous actor in the game puts more eyes on it, like Chris Pratt voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Everything you see in DS2 is there because Kojima truly, deeply loves it, and he wants to share that love with everybody who will give him the time of day. If I hadn't been asked to review Death Stranding 2, I probably wouldn't have played it. That would have been a mistake. It's one of the best games I've ever played, and one of the most beautiful games ever made, even on the base PS5. Maybe I'm biased as an Australian, or maybe I've grown more sentimental since the release of the first game and the global pandemic taught me to value human connection more than ever before, but whatever the case is, I'm glad I got the opportunity to play Death Stranding 2. For the first time in my life, I'm looking forward to whatever Hideo Kojima does next.
