Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has no business being as entertaining as it is. Outside of the superhero genre, there arent many high-quality licensed games out there, and this one comes with decades of film lore to live up to. And, frankly, its a little bit of a mess on Xbox Series S. Some of its scenes are stunning, but its also infested with resolution issues, mechanical glitches and silly animation bugs. In most other games, the combination of these problems would make me throw down the controller and uninstall. And yet, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is endlessly endearing. The games tone is pitch-perfect, it offers moments of earnest beauty and Troy Bakers Harrison Ford impersonation is a treat to witness, let alone embody. In fact, every actor in the game is fabulous, and its writing, audio and direction feel like classic Spielberg and Lucas fare but this time its all in first-person, interactive form, courtesy of Wolfenstein studio MachineGames. I cant speak highly enough of the writing in The Great Circle. Indy feels like an authentic extension of the film character, and his sassy remarks and dad-like frustration spill out in hilarious bursts throughout the game. His companion, Gina, is just as witty, mysterious and independent as Dr. Jones himself, expertly portrayed by actor Alessandra Mastronardi. The main bad boy, a Nazi archaeologist named Emmerich Voss (played by Marios Gavrilis), is supremely unsettling as he manipulates his troops and monologues at his captors, every word dripping with a dark sense of entitlement. The story is set in 1937 between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, and it takes players to Rome, Giza, The Himalayas, Shanghai and the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai in north-central Thailand, on a quest to save the world from an old and powerful magic. Of course, it also involves punching lots of Nazis right in their stupid faces. Bethesda Softworks There are moments in The Great Circle where the music, environment, lighting and writing converge to create a memorable vignette, such as Indys first real conversation with Gina on a balcony in the Vatican. They banter back and forth as a Nazi airship docks on a domed turret behind them, afternoon sun glinting off gold roofs, and the music reacts to their strategizing and flirting with small trills. For a second, the game feels indistinguishable from a classic Indiana Jones movie, and its a real joy. There are a few cutscenes and gameplay bits that feel like this in The Great Circle, though there are just as many that look less polished on Series S, with stilted animations and too-harsh lighting. The writing and tone, however, is consistently top-notch. It almost feels like two studios made this game, and one of them was much better at taking advantage of the Xbox Series S hardware. The visual disparity is odd, with animation and resolution quality shifting from scene to scene. In between gorgeous set pieces, there are sequences that look like a remake of a game from the Xbox 360 era. Its strange. However, I imagine playing on Xbox Series X or a capable PC would boost the resolution and stability nicely. Mechanically, the game is also hit-or-miss. Combat relies mainly on hand-to-hand fights, and while there are guns, theyre generally not the strongest weapon at Indys disposal. His whip is useful for stunning, creating distance and pulling enemies closer for a punch, and hes able to pick up items like shovels, candlesticks, bottles and batons to use as projectiles or melee weapons. Random one-on-one fights against Nazis and fascists play out fine, with solid-sounding punches and sharp whip cracks, but the scripted melee battles tend to feel stagnant. Enemies dont have a health bar and theres little indication of how much damage Indy is inflicting at any given time. Dodging is a key element in these fights and its not the most responsive or forgiving system; inputs feel laggy or ineffective at times, and enemies are allowed to power up big hits even while theyre being punched. Bethesda Softworks Combat might be sluggish, but I had a great time playing The Great Circle as a stealth experience, crouching to sneak past Nazis and fascist guards like a fedora-wearing ghost. Stealth is a valid option in basically every scenario and its a simple, effective mechanic. Stay out of enemies sight lines, dont shine lights in their direction and stay crouched, and youre good to go. Theres usually enough time to adjust your position if youre spotted, and guards are quick to move on once youre properly hidden again. I truly enjoyed mapping out sneaky attack routes and then weaving between guards, throwing bottles every now and then as distractions. Its kind of absurd when Gina tags along in these missions because shes so, so awful at being stealthy, but the game never punishes you for the NPCs missteps. Just enjoy the ridiculousness of your extremely obvious companion and keep slinking along. Puzzles are a major component of the game and theyre perfectly adequate. None of them stand out as being particularly challenging or innovative, but theyre built on clever ideas and executed well. There are light-reflecting puzzles, matching games, spatial-awareness tests and simple logic riddles, and theyre always finished with a cool item or a dramatic reveal. I may have missed some more advanced puzzles in the sidequests, and now that Ive finished the main line Im tempted to go back in and see what I missed, which is surely a sign of a successful game. Bethesda Softworks Exploration is The Great Circles most critical mechanic and thankfully, it feels great. Indy can climb and swing across gaps using his whip, and there are plenty of ledges, boulders, ladders and scaffolding to scale. Secrets, side missions and rewards are secreted around the maps, and curiosity is richly rewarded at every turn. Missions take Indy and Gina to snowy mountain peaks and down to murky, monster-filled waters, and there are moments of real terror and true beauty to be found. The games world feels alive, and it makes great use of vertical space. If you ever feel stuck in an area, just look up that is, if you can. I encountered one game-breaking bug in The Great Circle. I was about 80 percent through the story, and I boarded a boat in the gunner seat as enemies raced us down the river and shot at us from the shores. I was unable to move the camera up and down, but I figured this was a weird restriction of the gunner mechanic. However, it persisted even after I stepped off the boat and entered the following scenes. I was unable to see climbing opportunities, never mind the problems with combat, sneaking and interacting. I tried restarting the game and the console to no avail, and I finally had to restore an old save and replay about 30 minutes of content. This worked, but the experience made me feel slightly crazy and a little sad (so, not too different from my baseline). Bethesda Softworks The feelings of unease didnt last long, because I soon found myself trading punches and insults with a Nazi karate master in the middle of a raucous thunderstorm you know, Indiana Jones shit. This was the cadence of my playthrough: Moments of satisfying climbing, puzzle and stealth gameplay interrupted by supremely silly glitches. What makes these bugs funny, rather than frustrating, is the games tone, writing and acting. With The Great Circle, MachineGames leans into the easy charm of Indiana Jones, highlighting his snark and the wild, unbelievable scenarios expected in popcorn action flicks. This game would make a great movie. And maybe thats the thing about The Great Circle. MachineGames made a fabulous, classic-feeling Indiana Jones film, but they couldve polished the game aspects a little more. So, set your expectations accordingly. Roll with the bugs, soak up the narrative, find all the secrets, and take a moment to laugh at Ginas ludicrous running animation when shes dressed as a nun. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-review-great-movie-good-game-000029449.html?src=rss

Don't miss World VFX Day(s) this weekend. The two-day event features over 20 hours of free livestreamed talks, including making-ofs and careers advice.Day 1 takes place from Tokyo's Megalis VFX studio from 4pm JST on 6 December. Day 2 takes place from Hollywood's Gnomon school from 10am PST on 8 December.More info: https://worldvfxday.com/

Check out Dupe VFX's breakdown of its fluid (and fish) simulation work from ocean-going Amazon Prime drama NautilusWatch the full video on Dupe VFX's website: https://dupevfx.com/work/nautilus-and-nemo-fight-the-bad-guys-with-dupes-vfx-assistance/

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Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Crypto-linked stocks gave up big gains even after bitcoin prices reached $100,000 for the first time ever.

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Make every breath count. Last Breath, inspired by a heart-stopping true story, is set to release on February 28 starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole.This electrifying film follows seasoned deep-sea divers battling the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the oceans surface. A story of teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.The stunning visual effects bringing to life the intense underwater journey were created by RISE (VFX Supervisor: Stuart Bullen) and TPO VFX (VFX Supervisor: Jack Hughes), with Production VFX Supervisor Glenn Holbrook coordinating efforts. Directed by Alex Parkinson, Last Breath will make you sit on the edge of your seat. Focus FeaturesThe post Last Breath Official Trailer appeared first on Vfxexpress.

Go inside Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald VFX breakdown, where DNEG in-house artists dive into the visual wizardry behind the second installment of this beloved Fantastic Beasts series.From mind-blowing crowd and environment extensions to the pulse-pounding climactic battle in the third act including the breathtaking fire dragons DNEGs team created stunning visuals that did wonders to bring the magical world alive.This is a behind-the-scenes look that discovers how meticulously each magical spell, mythical creature, and fantastical environment has been crafted. The technical mastery of the VFX team in blending the mystical with the cinematic makes for a visual feast of an experience in The Crimes of Grindelwald.The post DNEG Unveils VFX Breakdown for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald appeared first on Vfxexpress.

U.S. donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, an increase from the past two years, according to estimates from the nonprofit GivingTuesday.The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, now known as GivingTuesday, has become a major day for nonprofits to fundraise and otherwise engage their supporters each year, since the 92nd Street Y in New York started it as a hashtag in 2012. GivingTuesday has since become an independent nonprofit that connects a worldwide network of leaders and organizations who promote giving to their communities.This just really shows the generosity, the willingness of American citizens to show up, particularly collectively, said Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday. We are just seeing the power of collective action and particularly collective giving over and over and over again.The amount donated this year represents a 16% increase compared to 2023, or an 11.9% increase when adjusted for inflation.This year, about 18.5 million people donated to nonprofits and another 9.2 million people volunteered, according to GivingTuesdays estimates. Both the number of donors and the number of volunteers increased by 4% from the groups 2023 estimates.For us, its not just about the number of dollars, Curran said. Its about the number of people who feel like they have agency over the way their communities progress forward into the future.The nonprofit GivingTuesday estimates the amount of money and goods donated and the number of participants using data from donor management software companies, donation platforms, payment processors, and donor-advised funds. Curran said they are purposely conservative in their calculations.Nonprofits in the U.S.raised $3.1 billionin both 2022 and 2023 on GivingTuesday. That mirroredlarger giving trendswhere the overall amount ofdonations dropped in 2022and mostlyheld steady in 2023after accounting for inflation.Its never easy to predict current giving trends, but Una Osili, associate dean at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, said there were economic forces pushing in both directions.At the very same time, theres a lot of uncertainty, especially around prices, the cost of living, the supermarket toll that people are expecting to continue even though inflation has moderated, she said.Donating orvolunteering with nonprofitsarent the only ways people participate in their communities. Manygive to crowdfunding campaigns, political causes, or support people directly in their networks. But tracking charitable donations is one way that researchers use to understand peoples civic engagement.This country is undeniably in a lot of pain and very divided right now, Curran said. And so, to have a day that felt as hopeful and as optimistic as yesterday did, Im sure was not only comforting to me, but to many, many millions of people.Thalia Beaty, Associated PressAssociated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.