Latest news with #ChrisParker
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Condor sells former Jersey and Guernsey passenger ferry to DFDS
A ferry which served the Channel Islands for nearly 30 years is to be repurposed to transport DFDS said the purchase of Condor's Commodore Goodwill would "enhance lifeline freight services connecting Jersey with Portsmouth and St Malo".Under the plans, Commodore Goodwill will be reflagged under the UK flag, and renamed Caesarea Trader in homage to Jersey's Latin name, vessel is 126 meters (43ft) long, has a cargo capacity of 1250 cubic metres, the equivalent of about 80 trailers. It will be renovated ahead of its launch later this year, replacing the MV Arrow, the leased vessel currently transporting Jersey's freight, said DFDS."We are delighted to be able to announce the acquisition of Goodwill, " said Chris Parker, the company's Jersey route director."We are working hard to get it ready for service and in the meantime MV Arrow and her crew will continue to provide an excellent service for the island."
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Bookmarks with Chris Parker
books music about 1 hour ago It was almost 10 years ago that Chris Parker first came on 'Bookmarks'. Back then he'd just won Best Newcomer at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. It's safe to say he's no longer a newcomer. Since then, he's rarely been off our screens. He's featured regularly on 7 Days, Taskmaster NZ, appeared in films like Baby Done and The Breaker Uppers, and won the prestigious Fred Award for his stand-up. He's just kicked off his latest tour, 'Stop Being So Dramatic!', which still has 8 more stops around the country.
Engadget
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Obsidian Entertainment has big ambitions for Grounded 2's small world
Obsidian Entertainment has been an incredibly versatile game developer over the years, even venturing outside its RPG comfort zone with the original Grounded . As a survival adventure game where you're shrunken down and explore the hidden, vast world of a backyard, it became a well-loved hit, and it evolved even further throughout its early access period. But now, the developers have big plans for Grounded 2 , which has new features and a larger scope that was too big for the original to contain. Shortly after the reveal during the recent Xbox Games Showcase alongside Summer Game Fest 2025, I got to play the opening of the sequel, which sees the familiar crew of teenage scavengers, now a little older and wiser, shrunken down once again to survive a new small world hidden in the town's park. Even as a new iteration of a familiar premise, which is essentially the survival gameplay of Rust by way of the whimsical Honey, I Shrunk the Kids , Grounded 2 is already showing some promise as the bigger and better sequel. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Grounded 2 , which will also launch in early access, already feels like a bigger game, even from the confines of the tutorial zone. For starters, there's a larger focus on building up the experience of the four teenage scavengers and how they fit into the larger story. It's not quite Yellowjackets when it comes to teen drama, but the crew exploring the small world of the park have colorful language and quips at their disposal. There's a generally stronger sense of personality in Grounded 2 , which is bolstered by some more character-driven writing and opportunities to take in the lore of the company responsible for the experiments in town. The experience of playing Grounded 2 , much like the original and other survival games, is all about gathering resources from the land and acquiring knowledge to stay alive. Along with collecting materials to build weapons, armor and structures, you'll also have to keep your characters fed and hydrated. You'll also need to defend yourself against the various critters roaming about, such as the ants and the spiders. Also returning is the arachnophobia accessibility option to make them appear less disturbing for players. Thankfully, you can now use a dodge to avoid attacks – a first for the series – and combat is generally more responsive and fair. Grounded 2 feels like a more well-rounded and refined take on the original, which is a solid game in its own right. One great addition that I got to play with was the new ant mount, or buggy, as the devs call it. You'll be able to ride on top of a friendly ant that can attack enemies, move faster throughout the world, and even collect material far more quickly than the human scavengers. Shortly after my hands-on experience, I sat in on a roundtable discussion with game director Chris Parker and producer Miles Winzeler from Obsidian Entertainment, who explained how early access feedback from players helped bring the game to its current state. In order to fully implement their vision for Grounded, though, they would need a new game. "Almost everything in Grounded 2 comes from feedback from the community that we had gathered from the first game," Parker said. "We had to look at what was important to work on with the sequel. People always want more stuff to do. They wanted to have the buggies, which was a huge one and our number one most requested feature from out the gate on Grounded 1 . We then had to work on new creatures, armor and weapons, among other things. How can we further develop our progression systems? So those were all the things that we took on from the beginning for Grounded 2 ." Grounded 2 felt like a more fully realized game, which leveraged years of work on the original. Along with a more developed story campaign focusing on helping the kids survive the portion of Brookhollow Park they have to explore – which is more than three times the size of the original's map – The game will also launch with creative mode, which was a popular feature that let players focus on exploring and building up structures at their leisure. "We're always trying to challenge scale and how we can create a sense of awe and mystery by having something that's supposed to be normal but is now this gigantic thing," Parker said. "That's always the fun when making this game." I really took to the added scope of Grounded 2 . Not just as a shrunken person trapped on the grounds of a park but also for the new features and ideas at work for the sequel. With the game coming out in July for early access, Grounded 2 has already got me invested in making a return visit to this small world with big ambitions. Grounded 2 will release in early access on July 29 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and will be available for Game Pass subscribers.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
DFDS will measure demand as inter-island ferry arrives
The first inter-island ferry operated by DFDS has arrived in company's route director for Jersey, Chris Parker, said staff were "looking forward to seeing how many people we get on" before deciding whether to extend the route currently operates on Mondays only until August and Mr Parker said it was great islanders had a choice of services from different added: "It just takes time to get things right, to get permits issued, to get the planning done for the vessel." 'Promoting both islands' DFDS ran an inter-island ferry for this year's Muratti football Parker said the weekly service would also offer overseas visitors another option for travelling between the two said: "Ferry is just a tremendous way to travel."When we're promoting Jersey, we're also promoting Guernsey because people want to travel between both islands, particularly if they are coming from further afield."Murray Norton, chief executive of Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said: "The introduction of another inter-island service is another important component for both islands for a variety of travellers, either on business, leisure or sporting travel. "It will undoubtedly add visitors, who will spend at on-island businesses".
ITV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
DFDS to run Monday ferry service between Jersey and Guernsey on summer trial
Ferry operator DFDS will start a seasonal weekly service between Jersey and Guernsey to increase inter-island travel options. The summer trial, running on Mondays from 16 June until the end of August, is priced from £40 for a return trip as a foot passenger, with the choice to also travel by bike, car or larger vehicle. The 90-minute crossings will see the Tarifa Jet depart Jersey between 9:20am and 2:20pm, depending on the date, with a short turnaround time in Guernsey before returning. Route Director for Jersey at DFDS, Chris Parker, thanked residents for their patience and hopes these extra sailings will give travellers greater choice, supplementing the existing inter-island sailings by other providers such as Brittany Ferries and Islands Unlimited. He says: "We're excited to be able to launch these eagerly anticipated sailings to Guernsey, providing connectivity for islanders. "We have worked closely with businesses and the tourism industry on our provision of inter-island services, in addition to our Poole, Portsmouth and St Malo routes." DFDS adds that some existing Jersey-St Malo sailings will be affected by the schedule changes, with passengers on those services being contacted to sort out alternative travel. Berthing trials for the Tarifa Jet will take place at Guernsey's St Peter Port Harbour on Thursday 12 June.
