Google's CEO said it had cut managers, directors, and VPs by 10% as part of its efficiency drive.The company has been boosting efficiency by reducing layers and reorganizing teams.Google has been facing down threats from OpenAI and other AI rivals.Google had cut the number of top management roles by 10% in its push for efficiency, CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in an all-hands meeting on Wednesday.Pichai said that Google had made changes over the past couple of years to simplify the company and be more efficient, according to two people who heard the remarks, who asked to remain anonymous because they're not authorized to speak to the press.Pichai said this had included a 10% reduction in managers, directors, and vice presidents, one source said.A Google spokesperson said that some of the roles in that 10% figure were transitioned to individual contributor roles and that some were role eliminations.The company has been on an efficiency drive for more than two years. In September 2022, Pichai said he wanted Google to be 20% more efficient, and the following January, the company had ahistoric round of layoffsthat saw 12,000 roles eliminated.The efficiency push has coincided with AI rivals such as OpenAI unleashing new products that threaten Google's search business.Google has responded by injecting generative AI features into its core businesses and launching a flurry of new AI features, such as a new AI video generator beating OpenAI's in early testing and a new set of Gemini models, including a "reasoning" model that shows its thought process.In Wednesday's all-hands meeting, Pichai also clarified the meaning of the word "Googleyness," telling staff that it needed updating for a modern Google.Are you a current or former Google employee with something to share? You can reach the reporter Hugh Langley via the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-628-228-1836) or email ().

In an all-hands, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the word 'Googleyness' had become too broad.Pichai clarified what the word means for the company.Now it's about being "Mission First" and being "Bold and Responsible.""Googleyness" has long been a vague word for the search giant. Once used to determine if a candidate is a good fit forhiring, it has evolved in definition over the years.Google CEO Sundar Pichai just attempted to clarify what the word means for Googlers now.In a company all-hands meeting on Wednesday, Pichai told staff the definition of "Googleyness" had become too broad and that he felt obliged to clarify it, according to two employees who heard the remarks, who asked to remain anonymous because they're not authorized to speak to the press.Pichai defined "Googleyness" as the following, per one of those sources:"Mission First""Make Helpful Things""Be Bold & Responsible""Stay Scrappy""Hustle & Have Fun""Team Google"A Google spokesperson declined to comment.The term "Googleyness" has always been amorphous. In his 2015 book Work Rules,Google's former head of people operations, Laszlo Block,listed certain attributes that he considered "Googleyness," such as "intellectual humility," "enjoying fun," and"comfort with ambiguity."The company previously changed its hiring guidelines to "avoid confusing Googleyness with culture fit,"The Informationreported in 2019. The change came after the company had been criticized for its lack of diversity in its workplace.Are you a current or former Google employee with something to share? You can reach the reporter Hugh Langley via the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-628-228-1836) or email ().

Timothe Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in the movie "A Complete Unknown."He was so immersed in the role that he even grew his fingernails long like Dylan."He had some full-on Nosferatu going on," director James Mangold told BI of how Chalamet looked by the end of filming.If you look close enough while watching "A Complete Unknown," in which Timothe Chalamet completely immerses himself in playing Bob Dylan, you'll notice what many online have pointed out Chalamet's nails are quite long.Some even observed Chalamet's lengthy nails when photos from the set were released online. ATikTok videohighlights them, and journalist Hunter Harris dedicated an entire post on her Substack back in June to Chalamet's "aprs nail tips."So, are those fake nails, or did Chalamet grow his out for the role? Timothe Chalamet sporting long fingernails while holding Elle Fanning on the set of "A Complete Unknown." Gotham/GC Images/Getty "Yeah, he was growing them," "A Complete Unknown" director James Mangold told Business Insider. "If you look earlier in the movie, there are some scenes where they aren't as long, but by the end, he had some full-on Nosferatu going on."There are theories onlineabout why Dylan grew out his nails from the nails helping him fingerpick while playing his guitar to simply having bad hygiene. We couldn't find Dylan on the record to explain. Business Insider reached out to the 83-year-old to find out, but he didn't respond to our very important query on this matter.For Chalamet, however, it's another example of how deep he went into the role for the biopic, which is out Christmas Day. A NovemberRolling Stone cover storychronicled how the actor submerged himself into the character while filming, including keeping to himself on set, always speaking in Dylan's voice, and singing his songs like "The Times They Are A-Changin.'"'A Complete Unknown' director said he understands why Chalamet did Method acting on set Bob Dylan, with long fingernails, performed in 1978. Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe/Getty Images Mangold scoffed at the "Method" acting narrative, saying that Chalamet speaking like Dylan even when cameras weren't rolling is a trick actors often do when playing a character with a unique voice."Timmy's not the only person whose ever done that, that's true for most of the actors in my movies doing dialects," he said. "They don't just do it and fall out of it the second the scene ends.""You're also trying to make it more and more internalized. You're trying to make it something you don't have to think about," Mangold continued. "So if you're turning it on and off, you're kind of making yourself hyper-aware of it.""A Complete Unknown," which also stars Scoot McNairy, Edward Norton, and Elle Fanning, will be released in theaters on December 25.

Kerr v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which the Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it would hear, is not a difficult case.The question in Kerr is whether a federal law, which requires state Medicaid programs to guarantee that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain that care from any institution, agency, community pharmacy, or person, qualified to perform the service or services required, does in fact allow Medicaid patients to choose any doctor qualified to perform the services they seek.After reading this statutory language, youre probably wondering why this legal dispute triggered a lawsuit in the first place the law, after all, is perfectly clear that any Medicaid patient is allowed to choose any person qualified to provide them with care. But there are two reasons, one legal and one political, that explain why Kerr is contentious enough to make it to the Supreme Court.The first reason is that the Supreme Courts rules governing when someone can sue to enforce a provision of federal Medicaid law are somewhat complicated, although not nearly complicated enough to justify denying Medicaid patients their right to choose a health provider. The second, more salient, reason is that this case involves Planned Parenthood, and so a handful of outlier judges have allowed anti-abortion politics to trump a clearly written federal law.South Carolina is one of several states that attempted to exclude Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program, effectively preventing Medicaid patients from seeking care at the venerable reproductive health care institution. In 2018, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order prohibiting abortion clinics from being paid to provide care to Medicaid patients. (Although the Supreme Court permitted states to ban abortion in 2022, South Carolina still allows some abortions up to the sixth week of pregnancy.)Shortly after McMaster issued this order, both Planned Parenthoods South Carolina affiliate and an individual Planned Parenthood patient sued, pointing to the federal law giving Medicaid patients a right to choose their health provider. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the federal appeals court that oversees North Carolina, has repeatedly ruled that these plaintiffs are correct the federal law does exactly what its plain text says that it does.Most federal appeals courts ruled similarly when other states announced rules similar to McMasters. But two outlier circuits, the Fifth and the Eighth, did not. Notably, both the Fifth and the Eighth Circuits decisions were handed down before the Supreme Court decided Health and Hospital Corporation v. Talevski (2023), a significant decision clarifying the rights of Medicaid patients to bring federal lawsuits, which cuts against the Fifth and Eighth Circuits reasoning.In any event, its hard to imagine that such a straightforward legal dispute would produce such a circuit split if it didnt involve the contentious question of abortion. Its also possible that the Supreme Court took the Kerr case simply to reaffirm its decision in Talevski and reverse the two courts that created this split.The whole point of having one Supreme Court at the top of the federal judiciary is to maintain uniformity in federal law an act of Congress should mean the same thing in South Carolina as it does in Texas so the justices often step in to resolve legal questions that divide federal appeals courts.Still, this case does involve abortion. Republicans have a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court. And five members of that majority have a history of reading the law in absurd ways to diminish abortion rights. So theres at least some risk that the Court may lash out at Medicaid patients right to choose their own health provider.What is the specific legal issue at the heart of Kerr?Arguably the most important federal civil rights law is a provision known as Section 1983, which permits state officials to be sued in federal court if they deprive someone of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws. Without this law, people whose constitutional or federal statutory rights are violated would often have no recourse, because they would be unable to bring a lawsuit seeking to vindicate those rights.Notably, however, Section 1983 does not permit anyone to file a lawsuit challenging any violation of any federal statute whatsoever. As the Supreme Court said in Blessing v. Freestone (1997), a plaintiff must assert the violation of a federal right, not merely a violation of federal law. And the Court has developed a framework governing which federal laws create individual rights that can be enforced through private lawsuits.Yet, while this framework sometimes creates uncertainty about which federal laws can trigger such suits, the issue in Kerr is straightforward. As the Court recently reaffirmed in Talevski, the key question is whether a federal law is phrased in terms of the persons benefited, and whether it contains rights-creating, individual-centric language with an unmistakable focus on the benefited class.Thus, for example, a hypothetical federal statute that provides that no state may deny someone who owns golf clubs the ability to play golf could be enforced by federal lawsuits, because this statutes language focuses on the people who benefit from it (people who own golf clubs). A statute that says that states shall not impede enjoyment of the game of golf, by contrast, would not permit individual lawsuits because this statutory language does not even mention which individuals are supposed to benefit from the law.With this framework in mind, consider the statutory language at the heart of the Kerr case:A State plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance (including drugs) may obtain such assistance from any institution, agency, community pharmacy, or person, qualified to perform the service or services required (including an organization which provides such services, or arranges for their availability, on a prepayment basis), who undertakes to provide him such services.This language is full of the kind of individual-centric language with an unmistakable focus on the benefited class that the Court spoke of in Talevski. It provides a right to any individual eligible for medical benefits. It states that these individuals may obtain medical care from the provider of their choice. And it concludes with a pronoun (him), which refers back to the individuals who benefit from the law.All of which is a long way of saying that, if the Court follows existing law, including the rule it recently announced in Talevski, then it will rule in favor of the plaintiffs in Kerr. But it is unlikely the case would have made it to the Supreme Court in the first place or that any appeals court would have read this particular provision of Medicaid law to deny similar plaintiffs their right to sue if this case did not involve a politically contentious issue like abortion.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Just like you cant control the bus schedule, you cant control your pay schedule which leaves you stuck on someone elses clock, even though youve already worked hard for that money. But have you ever wondered why do we get paid every two weeks? We teamed up with rapper Vince Staples and Chime to get to the bottom of this bi-weekly mystery, and why our outdated system isnt keeping up with the needs of todays workers.The good news? MyPay from Chime can help. MyPay lets you get up to $500* of your pay before payday, giving you the freedom to jump on last-minute deals, handle unexpected expenses, and gain more control over your finances, without waiting on someone elses schedule.Join Vince as he embarks on a journey of epic proportions through the history of pay cycles, and discover how MyPay offers a new route to getting money when you need it.Visit chime.com/mypay to find out how you can take control of your pay today.MyPay line of credit provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. MyPay services provided by Chime Capital, LLC (NMLS 2316451).*To be eligible for MyPay, you must receive qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account as set forth in the MyPay Agreement. A qualifying direct deposit is a deposit from an employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, government benefits payer, or other permitted source of income by Automated Clearing House (ACH) or Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Your MyPay Credit Limit and Maximum Available Advance may change at any time. MyPay is a line of credit and available limits are based on estimated income and risk-based criteria. Eligible members may be offered a $20 - $500 Credit Limit per pay period. Your Credit Limit and Maximum Available Advance will be displayed to you within the Chime app. MyPay is currently only available to eligible Chime members in certain states. Other restrictions may apply. See Bancorp MyPay Agreement or Stride MyPay Agreement for details.

Over the summer, a story circulated across news outlets claiming that eating plant-based burgers led to heart disease. New research, the Washington Post reported in June, found eating plant-derived foods that are ultra-processed such as meat substitutes, fruit juices, and pastries increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Vegan fake meats linked to heart disease, early death, the New York Post declared. There was just one problem: The narrative was totally fake. The claim emerged from a study on plant-based ultra-processed foods by a team of nutrition researchers at the University of So Paulo and Imperial College London. Using data from a sample of 118,397 people in the UK who had reported what they ate over at least two days, the paper found that increased consumption of ultra-processed plant foods was associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and premature death, while eating non-ultra-processed plants like fruits and vegetables was linked to better health outcomes. But plant-based meats were virtually absent from the study: Just 0.2 percent of calories across the sample came from meat alternatives. The bulk of the plant-based ultra-processed calories instead came from what the authors describe as industrialised packaged breads, pastries, buns, and cakes, and biscuits, better known in the US as cookies foods that have little to do with plant-based meats or other specialty vegan products. The new generation of vegan burgers, including Impossible and Beyond burgers, did not yet exist when the data was collected between 2009 and 2012. With such a small contribution, we cant draw any meaningful conclusions about plant-based meat alternatives specifically, University of So Paulo researcher Fernanda Rauber, lead author of the study, told me in an email. That makes sense. Not many people, after all, regularly eat vegan meat alternatives. So why did the media focus on plant-based meats? The answer is bigger than just one misreported study. It connects to deeper tensions within the science of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a relatively recent category in nutrition research used to describe packaged foods with dubious-sounding ingredients not typically used in household kitchens. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trumps pick to lead US health policy, promises to crack down on ultra-processed foods and has called plant-based meats instruments of corporate control over our food system and humanity. And its not just RFK Jr. and his MAHA supporters. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), too, has recently called for regulating UPFs. Last week, however, the scientific panel that advises the creation of the federal dietary guidelines concluded that there was limited evidence on UPFs health effects and that few studies were designed and conducted well. The supposed danger of ultra-processed foods has resonated among the general public in the last several years, tapping into anxieties about industrial modernity and a sense that were being poisoned by big food companies. It really responds to this feeling that a lot of consumers have, which is that the food industry is not protecting their health, Aviva Musicus, science director for the health policy advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, told me. Consumers are right about that: The American food environment is unhealthy and disease-promoting, and the food industry bears much of the blame. But ultra-processed foods a framework so broad that it borders on useless, as Oxford nutrition researcher Nicola Guess argued in the New York Times this week does little to clarify the reasons why. Taken at face value, it could even steer consumers away from healthier, more planet-friendly plant-based foods. What happened with that study and why the ultra-processed concept is so confusingJournalists have a responsibility to verify the facts of any research they cover. But the framing of that University of So PauloImperial College study, and the promotional materials associated with it, might have made it easy for reporters to misunderstand what the research really found.A news release from Imperial College London led with a photo of plant-based burgers, sausages, and meatballs, as one nutrition researcher not associated with the study pointed out at the time, and the first example the release mentions of ultra-processed plant foods is plant-based meat. Many plant-based foods, including meat-free alternatives such as some sausages, burgers and nuggets, can be classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), despite often being marketed as healthy options, the release reads. Thats neither a fair representation of the research nor of plant-based meats relatively small role in most diets. The use of these examples, Rauber told me, are technically correct because they do fall into the ultra-processed plant-based group. That said, these foods contributed very little to the overall calories in our study, she acknowledged. I probably wouldnt have chosen that specific photo to illustrate the findings, since our study examined broader dietary patterns comparing ultra-processed plant-based foods with their non-ultra-processed counterparts not specific food categories. But press teams often need concrete examples for clarity, and we understand the medias role in shaping how findings are presented.Things get weirder when you dig into how the study defined ultra-processed meat alternatives. Included on that list are tofu and tempeh, soybean-based foods that have been used in East and Southeast Asian cuisines for centuries. They bear little to no resemblance to products like Impossible and Beyond burgers.This fact, more than anything else about the study, set off my BS detector. Ultra-processed foods researchers categorize foods according to the Nova classification, which consists of four tiers, going from least to most processed: Group one, which includes unprocessed or minimally processed foods, like whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, milk, and cuts of meat.Group two, or processed culinary ingredients, including cooking oils, butter, lard, sugar, and salt. Group three, or processed foods, often made by combining group one and group two ingredients into things like homemade breads, desserts, sauts, and other dishes. Group four, or ultra-processed foods, defined as formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes, including dyes, flavors, emulsifiers, certain sugars like fructose, and other ingredients rarely or never found in home kitchens. Depending on how you interpret these categories, tofu probably belongs in group three, and tempeh, which is just fermented soybeans, may belong in group one. Neither of them fit the ultra-processed category. Foods with added gluten, too, have been arbitrarily slotted into category four by the creators of the Nova classification, although gluten has a long history as a meat alternative (known as seitan) in East Asian cuisines. Not only can you use it in your home kitchen, but you can make it yourself from flour.If youre confused, dont feel bad some of the worlds top nutrition experts are, too. You look at these papers, and its still very hard to pin down what the definition [of ultra-processed] really is, Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard, told me. Its a concept prone to illogical free association, lumping together Cheetos with ultra-healthy fermented beans. Asked why tofu and tempeh were classified this way, Rauber said the dietary questionnaire filled out by people in the dataset grouped together tofu, tempeh, and soya mince, also known as textured vegetable protein (a UPF, but one thats a perfectly reasonable source of protein and fiber made after the fat has been removed from soybeans in the production of soybean oil). While plain tofu itself might not be considered ultra-processed, we observed that many options available on the market at the time of data collection contained natural flavourings, thickeners like guar gum, and other ingredients that align with the Nova definition of UPF, she wrote. Thats true of some flavored tofus though the addition of an ingredient like guar gum wouldnt much impact their nutritional properties. Added sugar, however, definitely would but sugar is not an ultra-processed ingredient, according to the Nova classification, unless it comes in the form of something like high-fructose corn syrup, which is.This story was first featured in the Processing Meat newsletterSign up here for Future Perfects biweekly newsletter from Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torrella, exploring how the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, environment, and more.Have questions or comments on this newsletter? Email us at futureperfect@vox.com!For the most part, the UPF category targets ingredients that have only come into use with modern food science and industrial technology. Without a doubt, many foods that meet the ultra-processed criteria are bad for us, and were better off eating mostly unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Processed meat is classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization because of the specific harms of that type of processing. UPFs like Twinkies and Oreos are unhealthy because theyve been processed in a way that strips important nutrients and adds super tasty, health-damaging components like sugar things that are well-established in nutrition science, without reference to the concept of ultra-processing.The relevant question about a novel scientific concept is not whether it happens to correlate with stuff we already know is true, but whether it adds something genuinely new to our knowledge, without also being wrong about a bunch of other things, as New York University environmental scientist Matthew Hayek pointed out to me. UPF, at least so far, doesnt seem to clear that bar it casts a net that manages to be overbroad while excluding some unhealthy forms of processing that have been around longer. Meanwhile, the ultra-processed framework has needlessly cast aspersions on foods that are perfectly fine (like store-brought 100 percent whole-grain bread with some added gluten generally still a better choice than less processed white bread) and that can make it easier to enjoy unprocessed whole foods (like MSG, another ingredient I use at home). On the Nova scale, homemade soup is a 1 unless you use a bouillon cube, in which case it catapults to a 4, Washington Post food columnist Tamar Haspel wrote earlier this year.These arbitrary categorizations can make it harder to make informed comparisons between foods. Some of the plant-based alternatives to meat are quite a bit healthier, it looks like, than the actual beef or pork that people are consuming. Its a big step in a healthier direction, a huge step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Willett said, citing meats high carbon footprint.Beyond Meat, which has recently switched the fat source in many of its products from coconut and canola oils to avocado oil, fares particularly well against beef, with much lower saturated fat, lots of protein, iron, and even a bit of fiber. Would it be better to eat an unprocessed source of plant protein, like beans? Sure. Minimally processed foods are almost always the optimal choice, Willett said.I wouldnt eat Beyond burgers every day, much like it would not be a good idea to eat a beef burger every day. But theres no reason to be afraid of them. What this means in the real worldHaving said all that: I get it. It feels intuitive to think there is something fundamentally not right about ultra-processed foods. I can understand why people would be freaked out by a vegan burger that looks and tastes like meat. I shudder at the junk that was normal for kids to eat when I was growing up Gushers, Fruit Rollups, Coke and think: That is not food. (Though someone might have said the same thing the first time sugarcane was processed into granulated sugar, and theyd have a point.) It makes sense to have humility about how much we have yet to learn about the impacts of the sweeping changes to our diets that have taken place over the last century. We do need more research into how specific food additives might contribute to specific health outcomes, like impacts to our microbiomes, an area not yet well understood. Emerging evidence suggests some of them might harm health, particularly through gut microbiome disruption, inflammation, and even DNA damage, Rauber said. If UPF were a more intellectually modest concept, it might have more analytic value. But much of the UPF literature has committed itself to the untenable position that whatever it classifies as ultra-processed is automatically an inferior choice, even a dangerous one. Meanwhile, people in the real world are making real food choices under all sorts of constraints, and it would make no sense to tell them that they should avoid unsweetened soy milk just because it contains a thickener. Yet thats what another, more recent UPF study, with some of the same authors as the University of So PauloImperial College paper, suggests doing. Pescatarians, vegetarians, and vegans were more likely to include plant-based milk and meat alternatives in their diet, the study concludes, a finding that the authors find concerning. They argue that it is, therefore, important that urgently needed policies that address food system sustainability like encouraging a transition to more plant-forward diets also promote rebalancing diets towards minimally processed foods away from UPFs.Getty ImagesThis kind of rigidity only makes it harder to make healthier, more sustainable, more humane food choices free of animal products. Soy milk is almost for sure, in the long run, going to be healthier than cow milk, Willett said. The breadth and ambiguity of the campaign against ultra-processed foods make it vulnerable to sloppy thinking and manipulation by pseudoscience purveyors like RFK Jr. Combine that with a political climate in which multiple red states have banned cell-cultivated meat and meat producers seize every opportunity to thwart plant-based competitors, and you can imagine how plant-based meats could be targeted by an unprincipled, politicized application of ultra-processed food research.Vegans and the products associated with them make an easy punching bag for everyone from RFK Jr. to universities chasing media coverage to news outlets seeking reader eyeballs because they make people feel bad about eating meat. Its easier to write off meat alternatives as weird and synthetic than it is to reckon with the environmental and ethical degradation of animal agriculture. But the vilification of these foods, as ever, is not based in well-founded fears about their health effects. Its really just about the vibes.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

20. SatisfactoryPC It starts with a single machine: a landing pod on an untouched planet. Then a drill, built with iron mined by your own hand. Hours later, the planet is covered in neat (or not) arrays of extractors and conveyor belts, machines whirring comfortingly as they create their infinite thingummies. Corporate strip-mining simulator it may be, but its just so absorbing.19. Thank Goodness Youre Here!PS4/5, PC, Nintendo Switch Like much of the best British comedy, this slapstick puzzle game is topped off with just a smattering of unease. As a tiny travelling salesman, you explore a barmy Viz-flavoured northern town, solving its citizenrys weird problems (a boy with a fear of milk, pie meat of questionable provenance, a lost screwdriver stolen by sentient rats). Unfailingly funny.18. Crow CountryPS4/5, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch A cleverly self-referential horror game about a gruesome theme park that draws on all of the genre classics of the 90s, and borrows their fuzzy polygonal aesthetic. Its twisted-fairground settings are as detailed as a dolls house, evolving unsettlingly as the hours pass and Crow Countrys mystery unfurls and the bold ending is worth the effort.More than a PS1 pastiche Crow Country. Photograph: SFB Games17. Pokmon Trading Card Game PocketSmartphones What first appears to be a manipulatively compelling card-collecting mobile game with a bunch of different inscrutable currencies is well, exactly that, but with the addition of impressively well-balanced, snappy and enjoyable competitive battling. It plays fast and smart, and allows for creative deck-building and creature combinations that let each player put their own twist on their game.16. Fear the SpotlightPS4/5, Xbox, PC A seance in a high-school library goes very wrong in this adventure game, a creepy, fun tribute to the best of 90s horror, both film and games. Thanks to its heartfelt, lightly metaphorical story and merciful absence of gore, this is the kind of game that even people who usually hate horror can enjoy.Gore-free horror Fear the Spotlight. Photograph: Cozy Game Pals15. Final Fantasy VII RebirthPS5, PC (2025) Using 1997s Final Fantasy VII as a foundation, Rebirth creates a bigger, richer and, of course, much more beautiful world for Cloud Strife and his companions to roam. A maximalist miracle of fan service replete with things to do, and new, expansive detail on some of the most beloved characters and stories in gamings history.14. Tactical Breach WizardsPC From the title, you would expect a game about a magical special ops team blasting their way through enemy territory with spells and time-rewinding powers. You might not expect a quietly radical story with superb characterisation and the courage to question the morality of the entire military-shooter genre it borrows from but youll get that, too.13. Tekken 8PS5, Xbox, PC Just a splendid modern fighting game, polished in every aspect. New contenders join the highlights of 30 years worth of Tekken rosters (including martial artists, cyborgs, a demon and two giant bears) to smack each other about in thrillingly ostentatious bouts that can turn around at any moment.Thrillingly ostentatious Tekken 8. Photograph: Bandai Namco Entertainment12. Lorelei and the Laser EyesPS4/5, PC, Nintendo Switch An artist invites you to an abandoned baroque hotel where nothing is as it seems. When you get there, you can rely only on your mind to disentangle the confused timelines and bespoke puzzles that await you, finding fragments of answers in paintings, discarded documents, behind locked doors and on the other end of a ringing phone. As ambitious, compulsive and stylish as puzzle games come.11. Animal WellPS5, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch The eeriness of this subterranean maze, filled with disquieting pixellated animals trying to snap you up for a snack, is offset by quiet beauty. Fronds of luminescent plants sway as you pass them; drips and creaks and distorted animal cries echo off the damp walls of intricate caverns. Exquisitely clever and atmospheric.10. Indiana Jones and the Great CircleXbox, PC The adventurous archaeologist whips around fascinating recreations of the Vatican City and the Pyramids of Giza in the 1940s, delving into ancient crypts and, naturally, punching Nazis. Anyone expecting a first-person Uncharted or Tomb Raider will be pleasantly surprised by the emphasis on puzzles, disguises and exploration over whipping out a revolver.9. UFO 50PC A compilation of 50 games from the long-defunct (fictional) 1980s game company, UFO Soft, encompassing a stunningly creative variety of themes and gameplay styles while remaining faithfully retro in look and feel. Almost any one of these games individually would be an indie release worth paying for. Together, they are an absurdly generous package.8. Black Myth: WukongPS5, PC It is rare to play an action game in 2024 that feels truly original. Black Myth: Wukongs spectacular take on Journey to the West is as flashy as Devil May Cry and (almost) as rewardingly challenging as Dark Souls. A tightly curated journey through Buddhist legend and jaw-slackening scenery.Truly original Black Myth: Wukong. Photograph: Game Science7. Helldivers 2PS5, PC This hit shooters premise is so simple and so well trodden: four players land on a planet full of insectoid aliens and blast it all to bits. But everything from the feel of the guns to the rhythm of each mission to the jingoistic satire is precisely engineered to entertain, and with the right friends, every session has the potential to devolve into slapstick hilarity.6. NevaPS4/5, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch A warrior and her wolf pup fight to survive and repel an incursion of oil-black demons into their natural paradise. As the seasons pass, the wolf grows, and so does the threat. One of the most extraordinary-looking games youll ever play, infused with deep and sincere feeling.5. Dragons Dogma 2PS5, Xbox, PC A highly unusual and unfailingly entertaining quasi-medieval fantasy role-playing game that has no qualms about dropping you into hot water and challenging you to figure things out for yourself. Stuck out in the woods at night after forgetting to pack your camping kit, surrounded by ghosts, you cannot fail to find your way to adventure.Adventure awaits Dragons Dogma 2. Photograph: Capcom4. BalatroPS4/5, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, smartphones The years biggest breakout indie hit, this chillwave psychedelic take on poker can make hours disappear. Create outrageous hands with decks of cards that transmogrify with each playthrough, making your score ping higher and higher (if you know what youre doing). Wins are elusive but every attempt brings you tantalisingly closer.3. Metaphor: ReFantazioPS4/5, Xbox, PC Extraordinary art direction, an operatic soundtrack and theatrical battles between transforming fantasy robots and grotesque Boschian human-adjacent monstrosities come together in an impassioned plea for the embrace of multicultural society and an end to divisive politics. A role-playing game as intelligent as it is grandiose, pairing philosophical postulating with intense strangeness and outrageous style.2. Elden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreePS4/5, Xbox, PC Not technically a sequel to 2022s dark fantasy masterpiece, but it may as well be. Shadow of the Erdtree adds tens of hours, more creatively disturbing foes and yet more fascinatingly defiled locations to FromSoftwares peerless realm. It reinvigorates an already superb game with a renewed sense of danger and possibility.More than a sequel Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Photograph: Bandai Namco Europe1. Astro BotPS5 A cute blue-and-white robot and his hundreds of little friends romp across a galaxy of fun-packed planets, aided by backpack monkeys, extendable frog boxing gloves and a rocket-powered chicken. A brisk 10-plus hours of pure, concentrated playfulness from Sonys Team Asobi, this inventive and adorable adventure shows exactly what modern consoles advanced technology can add to the business of fun.

Alongside some worthy winners Balatro, Astro Bot and Metaphor: ReFantazio swept the board the Game awards last Thursday brought a generous bounty of end-of-year announcements, like unexpected gifts under the tree. In terms of newsworthy reveals, it was the best show yet: it felt a bit like an old-school E3 conference. If you were, quite understandably, not watching a three-hour video game awards show live from LA that aired after midnight UK time, heres whats worth knowing about.A first look at The Witcher IVWeve known that another dark-fantasy RPG has been in development in Poland at CD Projekt for some time, but now weve seen it. The next Witcher game stars white-haired warrior badass Ciri, instead of her sort-of-father-figure Geralt, and the trailer shows her locked in combat with an impressively gruesome monster. I hell yeahd my way through this whole trailer I spent about 200 hours on The Witcher III back in the day and I am looking forward to this immensely.A new game from Naughty DogJudicious use of the Pet Shop Boys Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Photograph: Naughty DogThe next project from the developers of The Last of Us is called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and, as the name would suggest, its science fiction. You are trapped on a planet at the edge of the known galaxy from which nobody has returned in 600 years, cut off from communication with civilisation. The premise feels a little tired, but Im loving the stylish lines and bright colours of this space fantasy, and the judicious use of Pet Shop Boys in the trailer.We also saw a new trailer for another promising-looking AAA game: Mafia: The Old Country, which is set in Sicily. (Our Guardian games columnist Dominik Diamond recently played the remake of the original Mafia, to see if he was too old to finally become a mafioso.)Sequels I never expected to seeThe painterly kami from 2006, pictured here, is getting a sequel in 2026. Photograph: CapcomI loved the 2006 painterly Zelda-alike kami, in which you play a wolf-god fighting demons across ancient Japan with the help of a magic ink brush but I had long since given up hope of seeing a sequel (aside from 2010s kamiden, made by a different studio). So the announcement that Hideki Kamiya, the games original director, is working on kami 2 at his new studio Clovers was a surprise on a par with the unveiling of Shenmue III at E3 2015. The studio name is an in-joke: Kamiyas former studio, which made the original kami, was Clover.Another unexpected Capcom announcement was a new Onimusha game another PS2-era hit about samurai in feudal Japan, just as exciting but significantly more forgiving than the Ninja Gaiden action games (which are also getting a side-scrolling sequel). Sega is also getting in on the revivals the team behind Like a Dragon have been tasked with working on a new entry in the Virtua Fighter series. And even 90s dinosaur hunter Turok is getting another shot in a new game called Turok: Origins (warning: violent trailer).Future co-op classicsIn Split Fiction, two aspiring writers get trapped together in a VR simulation of their stories. Photograph: Electronic ArtsSwedish developer Hazelight is known for its cooperative games A Way Out, about two brothers attempting a prison break, and It Takes Two, a magical-realist platformer about a couple on the edge of divorce. The next one is about two aspiring writers sci-fi and fantasy who get trapped together in a VR simulation of their stories. You switch between fighting dragons and mechs. Its called Split Fiction.Meanwhile, the new game from the creators of Overcooked! is a creepy cooperative horror affair called Stage Fright, which has two players working through escape-room style scenarios. And also, FromSoftware has a new Elden Ring co-op spin-off that looks a bit like Elden Ring meets Monster Hunter I am slightly sceptical of this but also delighted at the prospect of a new FromSoftware game that I may actually be able to finish, because playing it will totally count as quality time with my partner.And finally Fumito Ueda led the team at Sonys Japan Studio that made Shadow of the Colossus, Ico and The Last Guardian, a trilogy of standard-setting games that all made me think differently about how games can express ideas. Now at a new studio in Tokyo, hes back in game development with Project: Robot. Theres barely enough here for a one-minute trailer but, nonetheless, I will play anything this man makes any chance I get.What to playSubmerged in nature Naiad. Photograph: SteamIn the madness that is being a working parent in December, I have found some peace in Naiad, a free-flowing game about being a water nymph. Followed by small shoals of fish, you swim through beautiful river scenes, singing to the birds and enjoying piano music and the sounds of nature. Sometimes you reunite lost ducklings with their mother, or make a brief appearance in the human world (these are, alas, the most frustrating parts). It has made me feel submerged in nature on my Steam Deck.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionAvailable on: PC Estimated playtime: What to readThe CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/ReutersBloomberg interviewed the CEO of CD Projekt Red to get more context on how the studio has changed since Cyberpunk 2077 in preparation for The Witcher IV.And if you want to hear more about the background of that kami sequel, VGC has a great interview with Hideki Kamiya.Classic adventure game Beneath a Steel Sky turned 30 last week Eurogamer ran an entertaining interview with its makers to mark the occasion.What to clickQuestion BlockFun for all the family Super Mario Party Jamboree. Photograph: NintendoThank you to everyone whos sent in a pick for our upcoming readers games of the year issue, and also to those whove just written in to say how much they enjoy the newsletter. It truly makes my day. One last question for the year is a perennial classic from reader Jessica:As usual I have family descending upon me for Christmas, and Im hoping theres a video game that different generations might be able to play together. Everyone is bored of Overcooked. Help?!The Christmas gaming classics never seem to change: Wii Sports, the Jackbox series for gameshow-esque quizzes, Just Dance, Mario Kart, 1-2-Switch, Heads Up! for a hilarious phone version of charades, and Clubhouse Games for a beautifully put together collection of virtual board and card games. But in the interests of providing an actually new recommendation: Super Mario Party Jamboree is the best that virtual board games have ever been. My five-year-old can play it, so I reckon anybody could.If youve got a question for Question Block or anything else to say about the newsletter hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.

A third Sonic film rolls off the production line with remorseless inevitability, and no little excitement among its core early-teen fanbase; the Marvel Cinematic Universe could take a lesson or two in how to keep the audience onside. The kerfuffle over Sonics weirdly designed teeth seems a long time ago and if Jim Carrey is really only in it for the money, he certainly gives his double role here some major welly. And while no one could deny the cash-grab fan-service underpinning to the entire project well, its actually a not unenjoyable experience, even if you are someone on whom the intricacies of early-00s game narrative are lost.So this Sonic reboot takes the time-hallowed third-instalment approach by foregrounding a dark version of Sonic in fact near-identical hedgehog Shadow, distinguished from our hero by his black and red colouring. At the start of proceedings, Shadow escapes from a containment unit where he is being held for various convoluted reasons, and Sonic (along with his echidna and fox sidekicks) is called in to deal with him. Pretty soon, for further convoluted reasons, they briefly find themselves fighting alongside Ivo Robotnik before and I dont think this is a major spoiler unearthing Robotnik grand-pre in an abandoned military base. Then it starts getting complicated.Having a rich stew of plotlines, character arcs and dramatic incident to draw on from more than three decades of games means that this film is, frankly, groaning at the seams with switchback story-moments, seemingly random flashbacks (often unannounced) and bizarre sideways leaps; but its all held together, just about, by a kind of delirious energy that creates its own momentum. The human elements are a bit hit and miss: the big name voices from Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba (as Shadow and Knuckles respectively) arent knocking anyones socks off, and James Marsden and Tika Sumpter (as Sonics adopted family the Wachowskis) are a chemistry-free zone, looking like they met for the first time seconds before the cameras started rolling. Carrey, though, is very good value, getting off a couple of lines that might actually make grownups laugh, and generally putting himself about to decent effect. Without him, this film could have been a lot, lot worse.

Call of Duty 2026 could be a bizarre mix of old and new according to a new rumor even though we haven't seen next year's game in the series yet, if fans can handle the suspenseTech15:12, 19 Dec 2024This year's CoD has been a huge success(Image: Activision)Call of Duty players are enjoying everything Season 1 Reloaded has brought to Black Ops 6 and Warzone, and while we're almost a year away from Call of Duty 2025, the 2026 entry in the franchise sounds like a wild ride.The game, reportedly set to be developed by Infinity Ward (who's most recent release was the divisive Modern Warfare 3 in 2023) will have a surprising set of features and maps according to a new rumour.The rumour comes from longtime Call of Duty insider TheGhostOfHope on X (formerly Twitter), who says the game is slated for late 2026.Content cannot be displayed without consent"Infinity Ward will be utilizing Omnimovement and Wall Running (Which is currently rumored to be a feature in COD2025 as well) in their game," the post reads."Infinity Ward will also be remastering a majority of Modern Warfare 3 (2011) maps for their game alongside new original maps."Modern Warfare 3 (the 2023 one, stick with me here) drew criticism for its short campaign, but many fans acknowledged the inclusion of classic Modern Warfare 2 (2009) was a great choice.Modern Warfare 3's campaign was short, but its multiplayer maps were greatAdding 2011 maps, but potentially retrofitting them for returning movement mechanics like wallrunning, as well as Black Ops 6's Omnimovement, sounds like a surprising choice.As TheGhostOfHope goes on to say, "2026 is a long ways away but these are the current plans. Infinity Ward do not look to be making the same mistake again," presumably referring to the critical malaise surrounding the studio's last Call of Duty title.Rumours have previously suggested that 2025's Call of Duty title will be a direct sequel to Black Ops 6, potentially with a time jump back to the near-future setting of Black Ops 2.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED