Lean and mean games that you can finish without having to smother your social life with a pillow obviously have undeniable appeal, but the draw of a gargantuan experience that promises endless dozens of hours of gameplay can be hard to resist (if the game is good, at least). Weve had several such games in 2024, and with the year winding down, here, were going to talk about the ones that stood out to us the most.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYLS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2made grand promises about its size and scope leading up to launch, and it makes good on those promises without a shadow of doubt. Even seeing the main story alone to completion requires a hefty time investment, but if youre trying to experience every single thing the game has to offer, youreeasilygoing to clock in at least a hundred hours, if not more.MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024is exactly the sort of game for you if you like pouring endless hours into a single game. Like its 2020 predecessor, it lures you in with the promise of a large, authentically recreated digital twin of our planet and flight simulation mechanics, while this time, theres an even greater amount of content and attention to detail in general to be impressed with. Chances are, if the game gets its hooks in you, youre going to keep going back to it for some time to come.LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTHA longLike a Dragongame? Whod have thunk, eh? Of course, almost dauntingly long runtimes have been a key characteristic ofYakuzagames for a long time now, but even by the series standards,Infinite Wealthis particularly beefy. Even the quickest of playthrough of this colossal RPG can easily take between 50-60 hours, but players who want to experience everything in the game are easily looking at over a hundred hours.FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTHEpic doesnt begin to describe the scope ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.Square Enix truly went all out with this game, as illustrated by just how much has been crammed into the experience. This is a massive open world RPG that if, in addition to the main story, youre also doing all of the side quests and every single side activity while taking the time to thoroughly explore each map can keep you glued to your screen for upwards of even 150 hours.PALWORLDIn its early access form, Palworldisnt technically a finished game, but Pocketpairs open world survival MMO is still a sizeable game. How sizeable exactly? Well, given its genre, it is designed around being highly replayabe, which gives it an inherent leg up in this area. Though a 30-40 hour playthrough is technically enough to get through the games critical path,Palworldhas enough meat on its bones to keep you occupied for more than twice as long.HELLDIVERS 2The beauty of endlessly playable live service multiplayer games likeHelldivers 2(i.e. the good ones, which is admittedly a bit of a rare breed) is that you can play them almost infinitely. Not literally, maybe, but Arrowhead Game Studios co-op shooter is so incredibly well made and boasts such a strong core gameplay loop that many have already clocked an almost unreasonable amount of time into the game since it came out earlier this year.ONCE HUMANStarry Studios open world multiplayer survival gameOnce Humanis definitely a flawed piece, with issues such as some tedious mechanics, combat issues, rough storytelling, and more dragging it down. There is, however, plenty to enjoy here as well, and if that stuff does end up grabbing you, the good news for you is thatOnce Humanhas no shortage of content to get lost in.THRONE AND LIBERTYWeve mentioned a few multiplayer-centric games here that find different ways to keep players coming back- but that is, of course, baked into the very DNA of an MMORPG. That is admittedly a genre with a historically low hit rate, and though Amazon GamesThrone and Libertyis far from perfect, itdoesgive players plenty of reasons to keep diving into its fantasy world. Grindiness may be an issue, but at least theres plenty to do.TEKKEN 8A good fighting game has several tricks up its sleeve to keep players glued over a prolonged period of time, andTekken 8is one of the very best fighters out there, which means this is the sort of game that you can completely lose yourself to. You can technically see the game through to full completion in under 20 hours, butTekken 8delivers one of the most addictive and captivating fighting experiences out there, which means pouring in that amount of time multiple times over is very much conceivable.DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERODragon Ball: Sparking! ZEROis a very different kind of fighting game fromTekken 8, but it, too, is not only good enough, but also substantial enough to keep players busy forlongstretches. The core mechanics are immaculate, theres plenty of content on offer, and the roster is stupidly crowded.Dragon Ballfans can spend days upon days just pitting an infinite combination of characters against each other.RISE OF THE RONINTeam Ninjas open world debut did not go as well as many would have hoped, andRise of the Roninis certainly nowhere near as good as theNiohgames, but though its got its share of rough edges, its also undoubtedly a large game. It does suffer from rote and repetitive design, which means not everyone may have the patience for everything that the game encompasses, but given the fact that the combat and traversal mechanics always remain highly enjoyable at their core, spending close to a hundred hours playingRise of the Roninmight have some appeal.SATISFACTORYOver five years in early access had assured many thatSatisfactorywould be good, and sure enough, its good. How good? Well, just its main story alone requires over a hundred hours, while a completionist run is going to take you roughly twice as long. And in spite of those daunting demands, this is still a game that those whove played it will heartily will recommend to you. Thats how goodSatisfactoryis.DRAGONS DOGMA 2Sticking to the critical path to finish the main story will see you putting roughly 25-30 hours intoDragons Dogma 2, but honestly, thats one of the worst possible ways to play this game. Capcoms open world action RPG constantly begs players to go off the beaten path, mess around with its sandbox systems, follow your curiosity, and be distracted by the abundant optional content on offer. Theres lots to do inDragons Dogma 2, the majority of which is a blast, to the extent that even a comprehensive 100-hour playthrough can pass by in a flash.ELDEN RING: SHADOW OF THE ERDTREEFrom Software has made it a habit of delivering expansive, action RPGs that can keep you busy for long, long stretches, and Elden Rings expansion Shadow of the Erdtree doesnt buck that trend. From a lengthy critical path line to plentiful side content to a number of difficult to find secrets, Shadow of the Erdtree has no shortage of things to do- and thanks to its slick combat, engrossing boss fights, and eye-popping art style, youre going to have an absolute blast as youre doing all of it.GRANBLUE FANTASY: RELINKSimply playing through its main story is a solid enough way to get a taste ofGranblue Fantasy: Relink, but Cygames action RPG is at its best when you truly dive into its co-op offerings, optional content, and its sizeable endgame. Repetitive quest design and grindy progression can be grating, but the games pros outweigh its cons, which is why so many of its players have happily sunk over a hundred hours into it.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, Herman Hulst, CEO of the companys Business Group spoke about the future of the Sonys plans for cross-platform releases in the future. Speaking to Famitsu, Hulst speaks about the success of co-op shooter Helldivers 2, its cross-platform release on PC and PS5, and plans for the future.Hulst places an emphasis on the fact that live-service titles tend to require a strong player-base to justify continued development. This means that PlayStation needs to get new players on to its releases, and this can only happen by expanding the scope of a games release outside of PlayStation hardware.Since live service titles are released on multiple platforms, the key to success is how to attract new players and increase the number of players, said Hulst when asked about the game. Therefore, maintaining momentum at the time of release and broad player adoption are especially important in the live service sector.Hulst goes on to talk about how, while Helldivers 2 was a big hit, single-player releases are still a key aspect of the appeal behind PlayStation consoles. This essentially means that the company will continue to work on its single-player games while also expanding the audience on PC. This indicates that, while we might continue to get single-player PlayStation games on PC, multiplayer titles will also get strong support by integrating PlayStation Network with its PC games.Single-player games are a key component of the PlayStation platforms appeal, and each title has a strategic sales period, he said. While consoles remain our core business, expanding to PC and other platforms will allow us to bring our games to a wider audience. Our priority is always to provide the best possible experience for our players, and as part of that, we are also promoting the integration of PSN accounts on PC.Hulst also talks about expanding PlayStations releases on to other platforms, such as the Nintendo Switch. When asked about the release of LEGO Horizon Adventure on PC, PS5 and Nintendo Switch, Hulst said that release plans tend to depend on the game, and what would be the best way to reach a wider audience.Live service titles are released on multiple platforms because it is important for multiple players to be able to play the game together, said Hulst. For other titles, we will consider and decide on the best sales format for the players and the company.Over the last few years, Sony has seen quite a bit of success by releasing its titles on PC. While multiplayer titles like Helldivers 2 saw a simultaneous release across platforms, the company is still cautious about its single-player games. Titles like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War Ragnark, for example, have only been released on PC a few years after they were originally released on consoles.The release and success of Helldivers 2 itself indicates a larger plan for PlayStation to bring its multiplayer titles to PC alongside PS5 in order to garner and maintain a strong player-base, since these types of titles tend to require larger player numbers in order to justify continued development of content.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, PlayStation boss Herman Hulst speaks about the upcoming PlayStation game he is most excited for: Ghost of Yotei.While Hulst acknowledges that picking just one first-party title can be a tough order for him considering PlayStations prolific output, Sucker Punchs Ghosts of Yotei seems to be of particular note owing in large part to the studios history in making critically-acclaimed games in the past.It is very difficult to single out just one game or studio, as we have high expectations for all the projects currently in development, but the announcement of Ghost of Yotei by Sucker Punch Productions, which has produced a number of masterpieces in the past, is very special, said Hulst. The announcement of Ghost of Yotei by Sucker Punch Productions, which has produced many masterpieces in the past, was a special one.Ghost of Yotei, the upcoming sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, was announced with a trailer back in September. As part of the announcement, we learned quite a few things about the upcoming adventure game, including the fact that it will feature a female protagonist, and will be set 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima.The game will also feature more expanded gameplay features. Back in September, developers of the game revealed in an interview that players will have more control over the overall story of the game than they did in Ghost of Tsushima. While the preceding title allowed players a choice of which missions to take on, the games plot was more-or-less set in stone, with little in the way of options for players to affect the story as a whole.Ghost of Yotei is slated to be the first major single-player release by a first-party PlayStation studio in 2025, and back in November, Sony has stated that this will be the start of a trend. The company has plans of releasing a major single-player game every year starting from 2025. Currently, however, no other new releases aside from Ghost of Yotei have been revealed.For more details about Ghost of Yotei, here is everything you should know about the 2025 single-player title.

Stardew Valley reaches 41m lifetime sales | News-in-briefSince its 2016 launch, the open-ended RPG has sold over 26 million copies on PC and 7.9 million on Nintendo SwitchImage credit: ConcernedApe News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Jan. 2, 2025 This is a News-in-brief article, our short format linking to an official source for more information. Read more about this story by following the link below:Stardew Valley reaches 41m lifetime sales

Just a few days after LG announced its CES 2025 lineup of monitors, Samsung is doing the same. The company just introduced several new models, and perhaps the most impressive among them is the Odyssey OLED G81SF. Its a 27-inch 4K monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, 0.03ms response time, a glare-free display, and rear-core lighting with 52 color options. Samsung is also including a number of burn-in protection measures to ensure that the Odyssey G81SFs screen looks pristine for years to come. The G8 is likely to be using the latest and greatest OLED panel from Samsung Display.Next up is the Odyssey OLED G60SF also a 27-inch OLED monitor with a QHD resolution and an impressive 500Hz refresh rate that Samsung says effectively eliminates lag and motion blur for ultra-smooth gameplay during critical moments.In 2025, Samsung is also finally shipping the Odyssey 3D monitor it first teased at least years CES. It lets you experience 3D visuals without any special glasses by using a lenticular lens on the front panel. Eye tracking monitors the movement of both eyes using a built-in stereo camera, while view mapping continuously adjusts the image to enhance depth perception, Samsung said in its press release. The Odyssey 3D only comes in a 27-inch 4K size; the larger 37-inch display mentioned last year has apparently been scrapped. The company says it offers a rapid 1ms gray-to-gray response time, and a 165Hz refresh rate.Samsungs Smart Monitor series is making the switch to OLED. Image: SamsungThat does it for the gaming-focused monitors, but Samsung is also announcing two others that are more focused on everyday productivity. The SmartMonitor series is finally going OLED with the new Smart Monitor M9. And this year, Samsung is throwing in a ton of AI capabilities including AI Picture Optimizer. Like on its TVs, this feature analyzes input signals to determine the type of content being viewed such as gaming, video, or productivity applications and automatically adjust the display settings for the best visual experience. This also works for gaming and can detect the genre of what youre playing.AI Upscaling Pro can make lower-res content look crisper at the M9s 4K resolution, and the monitor has a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz. Thats a significant upgrade from the M8, which topped out at 60Hz. Samsung says moving to OLED also allows for a new ultra-slim design for the Smart Monitor M9 that should take up considerably less desk space.The last monitor being announced (at least for today) is the only non-OLED model of the bunch. The new 37-inch ViewFinity S8 has a 16:9 aspect ratio, a built-in KVM switch, 90W USB-C passthrough charging, and covers 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut. Peak brightness for this 4K display tops out at 350 nits, which should be perfectly suitable for anything youll be doing at a desk.Pricing and release dates are still to come, but The Verge will be in Las Vegas for CES 2025 in a matter of days. So you wont have to wait much longer for some first-hand impressions of Samsungs new monitors.

27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz monitors seem to be like buses: you wait ages for one and then three turn up at once. Asus, Samsung, and MSI are all announcing the industrys next-generation QD-OLED gaming monitors that offer the benefits of 4K OLED 240Hz panels at the smaller 27-inch size instead of 32 inches.All three appear to be using the same fourth generation QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, which Asus says offers a longer lifespan over previous-gen OLEDs. Both the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED (who names these things?) include DisplayPort 2.1a (UHBR20), which offers 80Gbps of bandwidth to support 4K at 240Hz without the need for Display Stream Compression (DSC). Samsungs press release about its Odyssey OLED G8 (G81SF) doesnt mention DisplayPort 2.1a compatibility, but its reasonable to assume its part of the spec list.Asus latest OLED monitor has a 26.5-inch viewable display. Image: AsusSamsungs Odyssey G8 now comes in a 27-inch OLED 4K 240Hz variant. Image: SamsungMSI and Asus models both support DisplayHDR True Black 400, and Asus also supports Dolby Vision HDR. Both MSI and Asus are offering a three-year warranty that includes burn-in protection, but Samsung hasnt confirmed its warranty situation for its latest G8 model. Samsung also hasnt fully detailed the specs of its latest G8 OLED model, but its reasonable to assume it will support DisplayHDR True Black 400 at the minimum.Interestingly, Asus model only has a 26.5-inch viewable display, but both MSI and Samsung are marketing their monitors as 27-inch ones. With all three offering the 0.03ms response times of OLED, 240Hz refresh rates, and above 160PPI, the choice will really come down to design, features, and pricing. Unfortunately, Samsung, Asus, and MSI havent announced release dates or pricing yet.

2025 has kicked off with even more Nintendo Switch 2 leaks, although this time theyre accompanied by a fresh patent that suggests the console includes exciting new tech.Lets start with the patent, filed July 2023 but published for the first time just this week. As noted by Eurogamer, the patent describes AI image upscaling technology that would help keep video game download sizes small enough to fit on a physical game cartridge while offering up to 4K textures.Now for the leak. Again, as noted by Eurogamer, we have a look at what appears to be the Switch 2s internal components. It tallies with information suggested by previous image leaks that have helped give us a decent idea of what to expect from Nintendos next-gen console.Heres what we know for sure: Nintendo has confirmed that the yet-to-be-announced Switch 2 will be backward-compatible with original Switch games and will feature Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo has also said it will announce the Switch 2 by the end of March 2025, which means the reveal is fast approaching. As for a release date, the console is not expected to launch during Nintendo's current financial year, so it will arrive April 2025 at the earliest.In September, unverified images a mix of Computer-aided design (CAD) images and printed circuit board (PCB) photos that were said to have originated from a Chinese website before making their way onto Reddit, depicted a device similar to the existing Switch console, but with a larger screen and magnetic Joy-Cons. There is a USB-C port on the top and bottom of the console, which you can see in the latest leaked images above.Accompanying the images was an alleged specifications list that mentioned 12GB of RAM (the original Switch has 4GB), and 256GB of internal storage (the original Switch has 32GB). Theres a new "C" button on the right Joy-Con, too.We even have developers outright saying they plan to release their upcoming games on the console, with others teasing a Switch 2 release for their games. When Switch 2 does eventually come out, Nintendo expects to have plenty of stock available, which in turn will hopefully combat scalping.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Expect Squid Game Season 3 during the summer or fall of 2025, the shows creator has said.In an interview with Variety, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk said Netflix will announce the Season 3 release date soon after the recent release of Season 2: I probably expect that to launch around summer or fall next year.Fans are already theorizing that a summer release for Squid Game Season 3 suggests a Halloween release for the hotly anticipated Stranger Things Season 5. Currently, like Squid Game Season 3, Stranger Things Season 5 has a vague 2025 release window.Anticipation for Squid Game Season 3 is extremely high after Season 2 broke Netflix viewership records. It opened with an incredible 68 million views, making Squid Game Season 2 Netflixs biggest TV debut ever ahead of Wednesdays 50.1 million views in 2022. Thats across the first four days of availability, so Season 2 will no-doubt be well on its way to becoming one of the most popular seasons of TV ever on Netflix across the first 91 days of viewership, perhaps even overtaking Season 1.Squid Game Season 2 ends on a cliffhanger that sets up Season 3. Be sure to check out our Squid Game Season 2 review to find out what we think of the show. Fans are also waiting for official confirmation on the number of episodes in Season 3, after Season 2s brisk seven episodes were all released on December 26, 2024.Photo by Hari Anggara/NurPhoto via Getty Images.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is projected to make an eye-watering $3 billion in its first year on sale.Rockstars hotly anticipated open-world crime caper is currently due out fall 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, with no word on a PC release for now.A new report by the Financial Times, based on analysis by video game research group DFC Intelligence, predicts GTA 6 will exceed $1 billion in pre-orders before it even launches. Surprising no-one, GTA 6 is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch of 2025, ahead of any movie or competing video game.DFC predicted total revenue from GTA 6s first 12 months on sale will reach $3.2 billion. To put that into context, 2024s highest-grossing movie, Inside Out 2, made just shy of $1.7 billion at the global box office. In 2013, it took Grand Theft Auto 5 just three days to surpass $1 billion in sales the fastest to that figure in entertainment history.Strauss Zelnick, boss of Rockstar parent company Take-Two, told the Financial Times: I never claim victory before it occurs. That said, I think Rockstar Games will once again deliver something absolutely phenomenal Certainly the anticipation is high.The huge projected revenue of GTA 6 is up against similarly huge development costs, which the Financial Times estimates from the high hundreds of millions to as much as $2 billion. Theres a lot riding on GTA 6, then, but not just for Take-Two and Rockstar. In March last year, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella predicted Rockstars surefire hit would spark renewed interest in video games, before going one step further: There's probably never been a more important thing to ever release in the industry, so no pressure.GTA 6 is the kind of game that will sell consoles. Sonys PS5 Pro will no doubt benefit greatly from interest in GTA 6, too. Lets remember: GTA 6 is not coming out on PC at launch; to play you must own a PlayStation or an Xbox. Beyond the point of sale, GTA 6s GTA Online equivalent will surely come packed with microtransactions as the current GTA Online does. Microsoft and Sony will get their cut of any money spent there, too.As the Financial Times points out, the almost guaranteed success of GTA 6 comes amid one of the toughest periods for the video game industry in recent memory. More than 33,000 people have lost their jobs since 2022, with huge layoffs at the likes of Microsoft and Sony. Indeed, Take-Two itself has suffered layoffs and studio closures.All eyes are on Rockstar for a firm GTA 6 release date, or, as some are predicting, a delay into 2026. While you wait to find out, IGN has much more on GTA 6 to check out, including an ex-Rockstar dev who says the studio probably wont be able to decide whether GTA 6 is delayed until May 2025, the boss of Take-Two's coy response on whether GTA 6 is coming to PC, and the expert opinion on whether the PS5 Pro will run GTA 6 at 60 frames per second.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of ELLE DECOR. For more stories from our archive, subscribe to ELLE DECOR All Access.A Great House is not necessarily a great house. The former is historically important, architecturally significant, and frequently intimidating. The latter is a place where you want to hang out. So its a credit to Peter Spears and Brian Swardstrom that theyve turned the 228-year-old Ludlow Homestead, in Claverack, New York, into a house that is distinguished, fine, and proud, yet also so congenial that you cant help wanting to curl up by the fire and take a nap. Bjrn WallanderA pair of circa-1930s armchairs from John Derian and a 19th-century American table in the library; the 19th-century Persian rug was bought at auction, and the mantel is original. Our goal was to have it not be a museum piece, says Swardstrom, a talent agent whose clients include Tilda Swinton and Michael Douglas, but rather livable, comfortable, warm, and relaxed.The couple also felt a deep respect for the history of the house, which was built in 1786 and will likely long outlast them, according to Spears, an actor, director, and producer whos currently at work on a project with James Ivory. Its like were just part of the lineage of it now. We dont really own the house so much as were its custodians for the future. Our goal was to have it not be a museum piece Bjrn WallanderAntique maps of New Yorks Columbia County in the library; the 17th-century chair is Dutch, and the bookshelves are custom designs.Their first job in this role was to restore the structure, which was in need of attention when they acquired it in 2009. For one thing, the house had sat empty for a few years and had deteriorated accordingly. Moreover, its previous owners had converted part of it into an antiques shop, installing track lighting in the ceilings and ripping out part of the banister. Undoing that was an ordeal. The banister alone required borrowing a 3D-imaging device to create a model of how the original would have looked, then presenting it to a millworker who could fabricate a new one. Bjrn WallanderThe dining room mural by Elektra Buhalis is painted in the style of the 19th-century New England artist Rufus Porter; 18th-century chairs surround an early-20th-century Regency-style table, the Dutch-style chandelier is 18th century, and the 19th-century mirror came from a Hudson Valley estate. A bigger challenge still was lurking in the dining room. There was a little pucker in the ceiling, and the guy who showed the house was like, Oh, its just plaster, Spears recalls. After we bought it, we explored further and found the main beam supporting the second floor had split. A careless 20th-century bathroom installation had created more stress than the original beam could carry. The dining room ceiling had to be cut open, and so did the floorright through to the basement, so that a jack could pass through it, to rest on solid ground. A centimeter at a time, the jack eased the beam back into place, says Spears, because we didnt want to crack it again.Bjrn WallanderAn 1840 center table, made in the region, was found at the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair, and the pine floor is original. Decorating the house proved a lot less nerve-racking. The couple quickly decided that, apart from upholstered pieces, they wanted furnishings that were appropriate not only historically but also, whenever possible, regionally. Theres a big difference between stuff that was made in New York and stuff from Boston and Philadelphia, says Spears, who majored in Colonial American history in college and took to the project like a duck to water.They also introduced moments of playful drama, as in the Grand Tour room, an upstairs parlor decorated with pictures and mementos reminiscent of those aristocrats collected during their 19th-century peregrinations, including a painting of Vesuvius, a classical bust, and early photographs of Egyptian ruins. And once the dining room was restored, they invited a muralist to decorate the walls in the style of Rufus Porter, an itinerant artist whod traveled throughout New England in the early 19th century, painting landscapes on the walls of houses and taverns.Bjrn WallanderThe kitchen island was made with reclaimed wood from the house, the countertop is Carrara marble, and the refrigerator is by Sub-Zero; the light fixtures are from Time and Materials, and the window frames, shutters, and cabinetry are painted in Farrow & Balls Buff. All the same, the houses broad, even vast, Georgian proportions took some getting used to. The rooms can swallow furniture up, says Swardstrom. So at first there was a lot of empty space. But over time, weve started to layer things in. Hunting for those things has been fun. There were a lot of great bargains to be found, says Swardstrom, thanks to the fact that brown furniture is not in style right now. He likens it to shopping for modern furnishings in the early 1990san experience the couple knows well, having lived in and decorated a string of notable homes, including a Paul Williamsdesigned bungalow during their 20 years in Los Angeles, where they still keep an apartment. Weve always been drawn to architecturally significant houses, says Spears. Still, it takes a bit of moxie to inhabit a house thats nearly as old as this countryand that, according to Spears, is among the most famous in Columbia County. Yet the couple did not for a moment feel apprehensive about living up to their houses illustrious pedigree. This house is the fulfillment of a dream we didnt even know we had.Bjrn WallanderThe primary bedroom features an Empire four-poster with a coverlet from Rural Residence, an 18th-century blanket chest, and vintage alabaster lamps atop American Empire side tables; the walls are covered with a custom wallpaper by Adelphi Paper Hangings.Weve always had the kind of personalities that, even if everybody told us something was impossible, we didnt see the obstacles, says Spears. I grew up in Kansas. Brian grew up on Cape Cod. Hollywood is full of people who dream really big, and I think we always had big dreams. Certainly, this house is the fulfillment of a dream we didnt even know we had.Perhaps the Great House, too, was dreaming that one day, a couple of equally great characters would come along and take up its story.Tour this graceful Georgian Manse in Upstate New York