Overview
In many games, in order to expand the game's universe as well as its narrative, television newscasts will play either during cutscenes or in the background. For example, major story beats are delivered via newscast in Crysis 2 while the setting of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is given via a broadcast of the incoming alien invasion.
News media (and the manipulation thereof), plays a recurring role throughout the Command & Conquer series. In the original C&C, the fictional news network WNN had a prominent role, major events in the campaign would be discussed in news segments, and a major plot point in the Brotherhood of NOD campaign included manipulating the news media to blame UN's Global Defense Initiative for war crimes. Both campaigns also end with a news report that continues throughout the credits roll.
Command & Conquer 3 features the W3N news network, whose war reports appear in between missions.
During the campaign mission "Charlie Don't Surf", the United States believe that the wanted terrorist Al-Assad is said to have taken over a local news broadcast where he now broadcasts his propaganda. Marines raid the television broadcast building, meeting heavy resistance. After making their way through many newsrooms, they make it to where the broadcast is being recorded only to realize that the newscast was on a loop and that Assad is nowhere to be seen.
Picus TV is the main television newscast in the year 2027. The news is given by Eliza Cassan, who plays a vital role in the game. It's revealed that Cassan in fact an artificial intelligence programmed to influence public opinion. For example, Cassan deleted the tracking devices on the missing scientists, making the world believe that they were dead when in fact they'd just been kidnapped. Cassan explains that she monitors data streams and communications between people, then provides news reports which reshape public viewpoints on issues accordingly.
Cassan and Picus TV play a key role in the ending of the game as it is through a newscast that the player can choose to divulge the truth to the people.
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"Only doing God's work."In the Devil May Cry reboot, DmC, the newscast is not only an essential part of the game's story, it's also a level in the game. The main source of news in the game is the Raptor News Network (a parody of Fox News). The broadcast is given by Bob Barbas. Bob is in fact a demon and the newscast is in fact a prison for disobeying souls. The Raptor News Network influences the population into thinking that Dante and members of the Order are terrorists that must be stopped. The Raptor News Network is a vital part of the demon Mundus' apparatus in keeping humanity sedated.
Dante goes on a quest to destroy Bob's news empire. In order to get to Bob, he has to go "into" the newscast. He jumps his way through what is traditionally seen as the opening montage of a news broadcast. During the boss fight against Bob, Dante is teleported into a live news broadcast where he must fight demons.
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