Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy aim to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget by July 4, 2026.They've said they'll fire federal employees, "delete" agencies, and publicize all of their work.The DOGE leaders have name-dropped many causes they may target, such as DEI efforts and public media.Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have big plans for the Department of Government Efficiency.The two have promised to significantly reduce the federal budget, with a goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending. In the fiscal year 2024, federal spending reached $6.75 trillion, with nine-tenths going to federal programs. President-elect Donald Trump has long sworn not to touch Social Security or Medicare benefits, which comprise a significant chunk of the budget.Here's a running list of things Musk and Ramaswamy have said they'll do as they gear up to take on this new role.Representatives for Musk and Trump didn't respond to Business Insider's request for comment. A representative for Ramaswamy declined to comment.Slash regulationsMusk and Ramaswamy plan to suggest regulations for Trump to cut, and they said Trump could then use executive actions to pause the regulations and begin the removal process.The coheads outlined their ideas in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal and said they planned to lean on two recent US Supreme Court rulings, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. The cases, they said, "suggest that a plethora of current federal regulations exceed the authority Congress has granted under the law."Some legal experts previously told BI that the DOGE leaders were misinterpreting the lawsuits, which they said didn't add to the executive branch's ability to curb regulations. Under the rulings, agencies still need to comply with a lengthy administrative process to change or overturn rules, the experts said.'Delete' entire agencies, or at least vastly change themA key part of DOGE's cost-cutting agenda has to do with scaling back government agencies Ramaswamy promised that the group would "delete" entire departments. Political scientists and fellows at Washington think tanks previously told BI that deleting departments outright almost always requires congressional approval, making DOGE's goal seem unrealistic to some. Musk has said he wants to trim the number of federal agencies down to no more than 99.Here are some of the agencies DOGE plans to target:Department of Education: Trump has said he wants to abolish thepost on X, Ramaswamy endorsed the idea, and he did so again while speaking with Fox News in November; he also said on X that dismantling the department would help address the nation's low literacy rates. The department has the smallest staff of any Cabinet agency, employing fewer than 4,500 full-time-equivalent employees. For the fiscal year 2024, it had a $90 billion budget, which is less than 11% of the defense budget of $842 billion.Department of Defense: Musk and Ramaswamy have also targeted theTesla CEO criticizing the Pentagon's F-35 jets in a string of X posts.Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureaucreated after the Great Recession to protect consumers. In 2024, the CFPB had almost 1,800 full-time-equivalent positions and an annual budget of $762.9 million, according to the agency's annual performance report. Previous attemptsInternal Revenue Service: Musk has mentioned simplifying the tax code and has asked his followers in posts on X whether the IRS should be deleted. Ramaswamy has also posted about the IRS he reposted an article explaining that the agency risked losing $20 billion in funding with the caption, "This is not a bad thing." In 2024, the IRS had a $14.1 billion budget; in 2023, the IRS employed just shy of 83,000 full-time-equivalent positions.Planned Parenthood and public media may be impactedMusk and Ramaswamy criticized the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and "progressive groups like Planned Parenthood" in their op-ed. They said DOGE would try to curb federal spending "by taking aim" at the funds appropriated for those services, among others.The$535 million. Congress created the CPB and authorizes the budget. Between 2019 and 2021, American affiliates of Planned Parenthood received about $148 million in federal grants, according to the Government Accounting Office.Target expired federal spending commitments On X, Ramaswamy has floated a range of places that could see cuts. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Musk and Ramaswamy said in their op-ed that they planned to go after expired federal expenditures. According to the Congressional Budget Office, $516 billion worth of federal appropriations in 2024 have expired, with the largest programs in terms of spending relating to veterans' healthcare, drug development, and NASA. Neither Musk nor Ramaswamy have specified which expired authorizations they'd target.Reduce the federal workforceMusk and Ramaswamy have said they want to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce, though haven't specified precisely how many employees should be cut. There were more than 2 million federal employees as of 2023, according to the nonpartisan group the Partnership for Public Service.Civil-service workers benefit from job protections that make it difficult to fire them, but the DOGE co-leaders said in their Journal article that Trump could implement "reductions in force" that aren't directed at individual employees.In the op-ed, Musk and Ramaswamy said that after eliminating federal regulations, "mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy" would follow. They plan to determine the minimum number of employees needed at each department and said they might enact policies that lead some staffers to voluntarily resign, such as return-to-office mandates, early retirement offers, and severance packages.Federal employee salaries don't comprise a big chunk of the budget not including military personnel, their annual salaries and benefits total about $305 billion, or 4% of spending, The Washington Post reported. If Musk and Ramaswamy got rid of 25% of the federal workforce, government spending would fall by about 1%.Relocate some federal agencies and reform building use Musk has vowed to get rid of entire agencies. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Musk and Ramaswamy raised the possibility of relocating federal agencies outside Washington in their op-ed, a point that Ramaswamy has spoken more about online and in interviews. When talking to Fox News in November, he said he "absolutely" wanted to move agencies elsewhere and called the fact that some employees don't go into the office a "dirty little secret."In a post on X from late November, Ramaswamy said addressing the cost of maintaining federal buildings "sounds like a job for DOGE." A 2023 report from the Government Accountability Office found that 17 of the agencies reviewed used about 25% or less of their buildings' space. The federal government spends about $2 billion each year to maintain federal office buildings and $5 billion to lease space to agencies, the report found.Conduct audits of agenciesIn their opinion piece, Musk and Ramaswamy said audits conducted during temporary payment suspensions could bring big savings. They called out the Pentagon and wrote that the agency failed its seventh consecutive audit. Support for the proposal came from an unlikely place: progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders. In a post on X, Sanders said that "Elon Musk is right," adding that the Pentagon had "lost track of billions." Musk has stayed by Trump's side since the election. ANGELA WEISS / AFP Publicize all the changes the commission makesMusk said in a post on X that he'd publish all of DOGE's actions online for "maximum transparency.""Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!" he wrote. In the same post, he said DOGE would create a "leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending." Ramaswamy promised in a post that DOGE would start "crowdsourcing" for sources of waste and fraud.Hire employeesIn addition to Musk and Ramaswamy, DOGE has announced one official hire: William Joseph McGinley as the commission's counsel. The commission is actively recruiting employees, according to its X account, though their identities have not yet been shared and the hiring process remains unclear.In a post on X from November, the commission said it was seeking "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week" and that thousands have indicated interest. Applicants should message the account their CV and the co-leaders would review top contenders, the post said.Musk said in his own post from that month that the jobs will be unpaid. Yet in late December, DOGE's account said the commission was looking for people to fill "full-time salaried HR, IT, and Finance positions." Again, interested applicants were instructed to send their rsums and bullet points about their interest in a direct message.Disband DOGE no later than July 4, 2026When Trump announced the creation of DOGE, he said the committee would disband by July 4, 2026. The committee's leaders, though, have said they think their work will be done earlier.Musk said on X that DOGE would complete its goals "much faster," and Ramaswamy told Fox News that "people will be surprised by, I think, how quickly we're able to move with some of those changes."They've hinted at abolishing daylight-saving time and other initiativesThough posts on X don't equate to an official DOGE plan, Musk and Ramaswamy have both posted about other things they may tackle in their roles, some of which would require congressional approval.Musk has posted about abolishing daylight-saving time, spending in Afghanistan, and "fake jobs" in the government.Ramaswamy said in his posts that DOGE could be used to address subsidies from the CHIPS Act, DEI efforts at universities, and how the federal government buys technology services.DOGE's X account has posted repeatedly about publicly funded infrastructure projects, including the California High Speed Rail project, which aims to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco. First approved in 2008, the project's timeline and budget have grown in the years since. Though DOGE's posts on X don't specify precise plans for existing infrastructure projects, they criticize the permitting and regulation process.Correction: December 13, 2024 An earlier version of this story misstated the end date for DOGE; it is set to end July 4, 2026, not June 4, 2026. The story also overstated the number of existing federal agencies.

Anna Sawai celebrated her Golden Globes win.Anna Sawai at the 2025 Golden Globes. Tommaso Boddi/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Sawai won the Golden Globe for best female actor in a drama series for her performance in "Shgun."She raised her award in excitement after her win, smiling gleefully. The "Wicked" cast was photographed celebrating at their table.The "Wicked" table at the 2025 Golden Globes. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images During the evening, the cast and crew of "Wicked" that attended the Golden Globes, including Jon M. Chu, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, toasted each other with glasses of bubbly.Cynthia Erivo's and Ariana Grande's hands were visible at the bottom of the photo as they raised their glasses. Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Erivo seemed happy to see each other.Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Mot & Chandon Yeoh, who plays Madame Morrible in "Wicked," wrapped Erivo in a tight hug and smiled softly at the camera.Erivo leaned into the embrace, closing her eyes. Friends like Ayo Edebiri and Zendaya reunited at the awards show.Ayo Edebiri and Zendaya at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Edebiri and Zendaya posed with their arms around each other during the Golden Globes.Zendaya changed out of the custom Louis Vuitton dress she wore on the red carpet before they were photographed. Zendaya squeezed Timothe Chalamet, too.Zendaya and Timothe Chalamet at the 2025 Golden Globes. Christopher Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images The "Dune" costars hugged at Chalamet's table, where Zendaya was also photographed greeting Kylie Jenner. The "A Complete Unknown" actor spent most of the night cozied up to Kylie Jenner.Kylie Jenner and Timothe Chalamet at the 2025 Golden Globes. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images Chalamet brought Jenner as his date to the awards show, though she didn't walk the red carpet with him.The couple had plenty of PDA moments throughout the night, including a kiss where Jenner sweetly cupped Chalamet's face. Selena Gomez was photographed kissing her fianc, Benny Blanco, as well.Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco at the 2025 Golden Globes. Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Gomez and Blanco sat side-by-side throughout the night, sneaking in a kiss between the segments of the awards show. Gomez jumped to her feet when her costar won an award.Selena Gomez at the 2025 Golden Globes. Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Gomez and Zoe Saldaa were nominated as supporting actors for their performances in "Emilia Prez," and Saldaa won.The actor was thrilled, but Gomez almost seemed happier than Saldaa was herself, jumping to her feet and clapping for her costar. Andrew Garfield and Kerry Washington looked excited for Demi Moore after her win.Andrew Garfield, Demi Moore, Kerry Washington at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Moore's performance in "The Substance" earned her the Golden Globe for best female lead actor in a motion picture musical or comedy.Moore gave an emotional acceptance speech, and afterward, Garfield and Washington, who presented the award, cheered her on as they accompanied her offstage. Edebiri and Andrew Scott seemed happy to see each other.Andrew Scott and Ayo Edebiri at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Scott and Edebiri, who were both wearing bold suits for the evening, embraced when they found each other at the Golden Globes.The pair appeared to stay locked in their hug while they caught up. Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley posed for a photo together.Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images The pair, who both took their parents to the Golden Globes, wrapped their arms around each other while taking photos.Powell and Qualley are set to star in A24's "Huntington" together. Throughout the night, Kylie Jenner, Elle Fanning, and Monica Barbaro took photos together.Kylie Jenner, Elle Fanning, and Monica Barbaro at the 2025 Golden Globes. Christopher Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images The trio sat together at the "A Complete Unknown" table for the Golden Globes, chatting and giggling during the awards show.They also posed for several photos, including this shot where they looked over their shoulders at the camera. Jenner even snapped some photos of her own.Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning, and Kylie Jenner at the 2025 Golden Globes. Christopher Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Fanning sat between Barbaro and Jenner, hugging the two women as they looked at Jenner's phone for the photo. Kieran Culkin gave Colman Domingo a peek at his bracelets for the evening.Colman Domingo and Kieran Culkin at the 2025 Golden Globes. Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Domingo and Culkin spoke to each other forVariety's Actors on Actors series in December.During their conversation, Culkin spoke to Domingo about the array of bracelets he's often spotted wearing in public.When they spoke, Culkin told Domingo he switched the bracelets out every month or so, and he appeared to be showing him his updated collection at the Golden Globes. Ramy Youssef and Emma Stone looked ecstatic to see each other.Ramy Youssef and Emma Stone at the 2025 Golden Globes. Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Youssef and Stone filmed "Poor Things" together, so the Golden Globes offered them the chance to reunite.They both grinned widely at each other as they hugged.Ariana Grande brought her mom as her date.Ariana and Joan Grande at the 2025 Golden Globes. Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Ariana and Joan Grande were together throughout the evening, standing up to pose for a photo between segments of the awards show. Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman sat closely together all night.Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at the 2025 Golden Globes. Christopher Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Photographer Christopher Polk captured Urban and Kidman, who have been married for nearly 19 years, hugging from their seats at the Golden Globes.Both closed their eyes and smiled during the embrace, seemingly lost in their own world.The cameras caught the candid moments between celebrities that make the Golden Globes so much fun.Timothe Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the 2025 Golden Globes. Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images Michael Buckner snapped a shot of Chalamet and Jenner, who are largely private about their relationship, leaning in for a kiss at their table.

Zendaya wore a ring to the Golden Globes, sparking rumors that she is engaged to Tom Holland.Zendaya and Holland are known for keeping most of their relationship details private.PR experts told Business Insider the ring could be interpreted as a nod to an engagement without needing a statement.Zendaya wore a ring on her left ring finger to the Golden Globes on Sunday reigniting theories that she and Tom Holland are engaged.Two branding PR experts told Business Insider that this approach could generate more attention than a simple statement.Holland met Zendaya in 2016 when she auditioned for 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," in which he played Spider-Man. Zendaya's character, Michelle Jones, became Holland's love interest in the sequels to "Homecoming," leading to fans speculated if the actors would date like other former "Spider-Man" costars.Holland eventually confirmed their romance to GQ in November 2021, while criticizing the media for publishing a photo of them kissing in a car earlier that year before they were ready to go public.Since then, Zendaya and Holland have appeared in public as a couple but kept most details about their relationship private.On Sunday, The Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman said Zendaya "kept showing her ring, smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders mysteriously" when she asked if she was engaged. On Monday, TMZ and People reported they were engaged, citing unnamed sources. Neither Zendaya nor Holland have commented, and their representatives did immediately not respond to a request for comment from BI. Zendaya appeared to have a diamond ring on her left ring finger at the Golden Globes 2025. Taylor Hill / FilmMagic Kayley Cornelius, a celebrity PR specialist from Manchester, UK, said Zendaya's choice to wear the ring could be a clever PR stunt, because it could get double the attention.She said that fans and the media were already speculating about whether the couple are engaged, and that conversation will be restarted if the couple addresses the rumors."If they just came out with a statement saying they're engaged, the moment would've lived and died by the end of this week," Cornelius said.Mayah Riaz, a PR and personal branding expert based in London, said she wouldn't label the moment a publicity stunt but thinks Zendaya's team "would be fully aware of the buzz it would generate.""It has excited fans and media, driving attention without either of them having to make a formal statement," Riaz said. "This understated approach is very in line with their brand of letting their work speak for itself while occasionally letting personal moments shine."Holland and Zendaya's choice to stay private helps their relationship look authentic Zendaya at the Golden Globes 2025. Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic Riaz said the private approach reinforces the actors' brands as "mature, focused professionals.""They've cultivated trust and respect from their fan base, as they are seen as prioritizing their personal lives over publicity," Riaz said. "Doing this allows them to focus public attention on their work rather than their personal life, which can be beneficial for those wanting to be taken seriously in their craft."Cornelius said this approach makes Holland and Zendaya's relationship seem more relatable to the average person and authentic."They're probably losing out on money by not being as public as they are and building up that brand and identity together," Cornelius said. "So the fact that they're willing to lose out on that, keep things private, it shows that they're likely very genuine, and they very much care about one another."Comparing the couple to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Cornelius said it's smart for Zendaya and Holland to keep their brands separate in case they break up."Unfortunately for Travis, he is going to find it very hard to ever shift his brand from being Taylor Swift's boyfriend," Cornelius said. "And because they've been so public together, everything that Travis does now is going to have that association with Taylor Swift."By rarely sharing public moments together, Zendaya and Holland garner more attention than celebrities who are often out together, Riaz and Cornelius said.They said this increased interest in the couple could backfire if fans begin overstepping boundaries to find more information or if false rumors spiral out of control.Overall, they said the benefits outweigh these risks."Tom and Zendaya have struck a great balance by being private yet not completely inaccessible. They've neither denied nor overshared, allowing them to maintain respect from their fans and the media," Riaz said.

During my three-decade career as a games journalist I have written a lot of most anticipated games of the year articles, and they nearly always have a familiar theme: Well, the lineup is dominated by sequels (yawn), but at least there are one or two original titles to look forward to! From todays vantage point that ennui over the predictability of the games industry looks incredibly quaint. We didnt know how good we had it.The past five years have seen seismic shifts in the mainstream industry, mostly connected to the irresistible rise of live service games such as Fortnite, GTA Online and Genshin Impact, which survive over multiple years through voracious subscription models. The biggest are insanely profitable: since its launch in 2017, Fortnite is estimated to have earned $20bn (15.7bn), maintaining 500 million player accounts into its sixth year. GTA Online still makes an estimated $500m a year (399m), more than a decade after its initial release.The past two years have seen major publishers scrambling for their share in the live service bonanza often with disastrous results. In the past 18 months, three major live service games have been cancelled: Creative Assemblys Hyenas, Sonys Concord and Ubisofts XDefiant, with losses in the hundreds of millions, as well as studio closures and staff redundancies. There were about 10,000 games industry layoffs in 2023; according to the online layoff tracker maintained by game artist Farhan Noor, the number for 2024 approached 15,000. As Olivia Rodrigo succinctly put it: God, its brutal out here.So now when I look at the games due to arrive in 2025, my mood has somewhat changed. There are indeed a lot of sequels. Grand Theft Auto VI will, of course, be the mega event of the year when it arrives in the autumn. But there is also Hideo Kojimas post-apocalyptic sci-fi opera Death Stranding 2; Sid Meiers history-spanning strategy sim Civilization VII; Capcoms open-world beast-catching epic Monster Hunter Wilds; and Ubisofts latest time-travelling hitman odyssey, Assassins Creed Shadows. Not a month will pass without some sort of nostalgia-packed franchise iteration.Monster Hunter Wilds. Photograph: CapcomAnd I feel relieved. Naturally, many of these massive, expensive and ambitious projects will have gone into production before the industry doubled down on its obsession with identikit live service wallet-whackers. Nevertheless, it is bizarrely comforting to see that they havent been summarily abandoned or as far as I know converted into free-to-play gacha games crammed with microtransactions and multiple interconnected currencies.I suspect that in the coming months were going to see a lot of dilapidated intellectual property being rebuilt by big publishers as they seek alternatives to the clearly extremely precarious live service merry-go-round. This year were expecting a relaunch of the classic role-playing series Fable, while Sega is exhuming brands such as Crazy Taxi and Shinobi, and SNK is bringing back fighting game series Fatal Fury after more than 25 years. This is all very similar to the way the music, film and stage musical industries continually repackage classic albums and movies to create bankable premium experiences for older fans. In these tough, unpredictable times we all need reassurance.But I dont think the big titles coming out next year are merely safe money-spinners. We dont know much about GTA VI, but we do know it is going to be wild, controversial and extremely adult unlike most live service titles, which are pitched at the widest possible global audience. Death Stranding 2, like its predecessor, will be an almost incomprehensible yet utterly gorgeous examination of death and solitude on a ruined planet. Doom will be what it has always been: gross and hyperviolent. These are games so big they dont have to worry about alienating key demographics; they dont have to work virtual currencies or seasonal battle passes into their sprawling narratives (though GTA VI will certainly come with an online multiplayer side hustle). One of the last games I reviewed in 2024 was the morose and depressing open-world adventure Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a game about picking your way through an obliterated Ukraine, eating mouldy bread to stay alive and being attacked by rabid dogs. Good God, what a pleasure it was to be dumped into this miserable landscape once again; how wonderful that this game could still be made and sold.Somehow, in the madness of the modern mainstream games industry, returning to what games used to be has become something wildly courageous and optimistic. What a time to be alive, holding a joypad, hoping to be entertained by a sequel.What to playCaves of Qud. Photograph: Kitfox GamesIf youre looking for a fantasy rogue-like adventure of incredible depth, and enjoy the aesthetics of 1980s computer role-playing games, Caves of Qud is for you. Its a vast, richly detailed opera of a game tinged with sci-fi and filled with weird mutant creatures, exotic plant life and ruined civilisations, all conveyed through simple (yet stylish) 2D visuals and numerous interconnected menu systems. The world and elements of the story are procedurally generated, leading to wildly different playthroughs as you explore landscapes, kill monsters and gather items.Developed over 15 years by a small team, it has the same idiosyncratic, obsessive qualities as acknowledged genre classic Dwarf Fortress, but Ive found it more approachable and seductive. You sit down for a quick mooch about and then five hours mysteriously disappear. A true wonder.Available on: PC Estimated playtime: 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 promotionWhat to readStardew Valley. Photograph: ConcernedApeThe Steam winter sale is on! There are plenty of bargains to be had but only until tomorrow, when the sale ends. Polygon has a great list of recommended titles. Balatro, I Am Your Beast and Stardew Valley are ridiculously good value.If youre looking for console gossip, VGC has a good piece on the latest Nintendo Switch 2 speculation, including a much more powerful dock and the elimination of stick drift, which led to lots of Switch users losing control of their games.A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research has found that open-world games can aid relaxation and mental wellbeing. According to Neuroscience News, Open-world games, known for their expansive environments and player autonomy, offer a form of cognitive escapism that helps players disconnect from daily stressors and enhance their mood. The research team clearly did not watch me trying to beat Maliketh, the Black Blade, in Elden Ring.What to clickQuestion BlockMouse and Crane. Photograph: Those Eyes GamesThis recent question from a reader is one that comes up regularly, so its worth considering again:What iPad games can I get for a five-year-old that dont contain any microtransactions or require a monthly subscription?Its become extremely difficult to find premium (paid) games on the App Store, especially ones suitable for children. All the money is in the free-to-play model where games dont cost anything to download but then hit you with in-app purchases, adverts, or both. However, I asked Andy Robertson, founder of the excellent Family Gaming Database and author of the book Taming Gaming for his suggestions. Mouse & Crane is perfect for five-year-olds, he says. Its a lovely cooperative puzzle game about three unlikely friends who live in a harbour and fix machines. Chuchel is another great option. Its a comedy adventure where you play hairy hero Chuchel and his rival Kekel to solve simple puzzles and retrieve the precious cherry. My sons also really loved the Toca Hair Salon games, which let you cut and style the hair of various funny customers.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.

In the 1990s, the turn-based RPG was unstoppable. From Pokmon to the multimillion-selling PlayStation Final Fantasy games, there was nothing cooler than vanquishing blocky beasts via drop down menus. Then came the new millennium. As computing power blossomed and western-made games rose in popularity, traditional Japanese-made RPGs slowly but surely fell out of fashion.What Final Fantasy was doing before a more realistic, grounded take on the turn-based genre now, nobody is doing that. And thats where we want to be, says Guillaume Broche, CEO of Sandfall Interactive and creative director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Citing 2007s Xbox 360 classic Lost Odyssey as the last truly high-budget turn-based RPG, the ex Ubisoft employee founded a studio with a mission to move the genre forward.The result is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The name is a baffling mouthful, but this ambitious French epic is inspired by Frances 20th-century belle poque and surrealist painters. A lavishly rendered party of adventurers move through a world that shimmers with a dreamlike quality, from a Little Mermaid-esque underwater kingdom to gothic, grandiose mansions.Its not just the setting and aesthetic that separate Expedition 33 from its peers, but its fast, fluid combat. Im a bit burned out on turn-based RPGs, because Ive just played far too many, Broche shrugs. So for players like me, we wanted to make sure the turn-based battles feel more interactive and different, requiring skill and offering something fresh.Shimmers with a dreamlike quality Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Photograph: Sandfall InteractiveEach attack requires successfully pulling off a timed button-press. Dodges and parries are performed in real time during enemy attacks, with successful parries and evasions recovering HP and enabling counterattacks. Jumps are introduced halfway through our demo, adding an extra layer of dynamism as each party member leaps out of the way of incoming attacks.The belle poque and art deco aspects are really present throughout, says Broche, from the costumes to the decor and the environments. We wanted to push that aesthetic as deep as we could into every aspect of the game.While the developers are remaining tight-lipped on specific plot details, the plot centres on an expedition crew with only one year left to live. Each year, a mysterious painter daubs a new number on a distant tower, and everyone of that age disappears into ash. Seeking answers, the party venture out to find and kill the painter, discovering the lifeless bodies of the expeditions that came before them.The tone of the story, the writing, the characters we have developed are darker than traditional JRPGs, says Broche. [Games such as] Sea of Stars and Octopath Traveler are what I would call love letters, because theyre reminiscent of old times. We dont consider ourselves a love letter at all. Obviously we take inspiration, but in terms of art style, presentation and gameplay we take a different approach.The high fidelity and sombre tone recall the aforementioned Lost Odyssey, an impressive feat for a game made by just 30 people. While the opaque cutscenes shown so far have left me scratching my head, there is an irresistible flair and dynamism to this world. If you have even a passing interest in the genre, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one to watch.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox in summer 2025

EA FC 25's Team of the Year promo is here, or at least the nominees are here you'll find the full list of nominees, and how to vote for your pick of the players to make it into the squadTech16:53, 06 Jan 2025Who gets your vote?It's a new year, and that means it's time for the EA FC 25 Team of the Year.If this is your first season, fear not. Essentially a fan vote to highlight the best players from more than 200 exceptional talents in the men's and women's game, you'll find Premier League stars rubbing shoulders with the best talent in the world.With fans able to contribute to the final lineup, it's an exciting promo to be a part of, but you're unlikely to be disappointed with literally any of the cards on offer here.Here's the full lineup for EA FC 25 Team of the Year, as well as how to get your vote in for your favourite players.Before we get into the full list of nominees (and it's a big list), it's easy to get your vote in.Voting began today, January 6 at 4pm GMT, but there are separate links for men's and women's voting.For men, head here.For women, vote here.The Premier League nominees are packed with talentGoalkeepers:Emiliano MartnezGianluigi DonnarummaGregorKobelPter GulcsiMike MaignanUnai SimnDiogo CostaDefenders:Joko GvardiolWilliam SalibaVirgil van DijkTrent Alexander-ArnoldRben DiasMarquinhosWilfried SingoGrimaldoJonathan TahJeremie FrimpongJoshua KimmichMaximilian MittelstdtTheo HernndezBremerFederico DimarcoAlessandro BuongiornoAlessandro BastoniDani CarvajalAntonio RdigerMiguel GutirrezMidfielders:RodriCole PalmerMartin degaardDeclanRiceBruno FernandesVitinhaMahdi CamaraEdon ZhegrovaFlorian WirtzGranit XhakaJamal MusialaJulian BrandtXavi SimonsHakan alhanoluCharles De KetelaerePaulo DybalaRiccardo OrsoliniJude BellinghamFederico ValverdeNico WilliamsPedriDani Olmolex BaenaZubimendingel Di MariaSalemAl DawsariN'Golo KantAttackers:Erling HaalandMohamed SalahBukayo SakaPhil FodenOllie WatkinsHeung Min SonBradley BarcolaJonathan DavidOusmane DemblAlexander LacazetteHarry KaneOmar MarmoushSerhou GuirassyDeniz UndavLos OpendaLautaro MartnezDuan VlahoviAdemola LookmanChristian PulisicMarcus ThuramKhvicha KvaratskheliaArtem DovbykVini Jr.Lamine YamalRaphinhaKylian MbappRobert LewandowskiAntoine GriezmannViktor GykeresCristiano RonaldoLionel MessiGoalkeepers:Chiamaka NnadozieMerle FrohmsLola GallardoAnna MoorhouseAnn-Katrin BergerDefenders:Alex GreenwoodLucy BronzeKatie McCabeLotte Wubben-MoyWendie RenardSakina KarchaouiEllie CarpenterSelma BachaJade Le GuillyGiulia GwinnSara DoorsounGlds Perla ViggsdttirLisa KarlIrene ParedesNerea NevadoOlga CarmonaKaleigh KurtzNaomi GirmaEmily SamsMidfielders:Yui HasegawaSjoeke NskenJill RoordGuro ReitenGrace ClintonLindsey HoranGrace GeyoroClara MateoGatane ThineyKlara BhlPernille HarderSvenja HuthLaura FreigangNatasha KowalskiAitana BonmatVilde Be RisaAlexia PutellasSandie TolettiKaren ArayaLaura PrezTemwa ChawingaCroix BethuneTrinity RodmanRose LavelleMallory SwansonMartaArticle continues belowAttackers:Khadija ShawLauren HempLauren JamesMarionaMayra RamrezTabitha ChawingaKadidiatou DianiMarie-Antoinette KatotoMelchie DumornayAlexandra PoppLea SchllerVanessa FudallaKristin KgelCaroline Graham HansenEwa PajorSalma ParallueloAlba RedondoRasheedat AjibadeNerea EizagirreBarbra BandaSophia SmithAsisat OshoalaFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

Riot Games has finally lifted the lid on Valorant's latest Agent, and Tejo is making his debut this week alongisde Act 1 of 2025 here's what he brings to the rosterTech16:49, 06 Jan 2025Valorant's new Agent, Tejo, is stylish and deadlyRiot sure knows how to keep us coming back, and after a more than 100 League of Legends Champions, Valorant's roster has just hit 27 Agents with Tejo being officially unveiled.The new character is a "veteran intelligence consultant" from Columbia, and comes packing a particularly unique set of abilities that should help push teams back with versatile alternate fire options to boot.Here's all we know about Tejo, including his abilities, and everything else coming in Act 1 of Season 2025 when it launches this week.Tejo will arrive in Valorant on January 8, 2025, alongside the rest of Act 1.The update will not only include Tejo, but also the new Flex content type that appears via the in-game Spray Wheel as a new cosmetic.A new skinline, EX.O, is also added, including Vandal, Sheriff, Spectre, Outlaw and Katana skins. The new Battle Pass will include the Celestia Ghost, Epilogue: Tactical Spacewar Card, Hieroscape Blades (Dual Melee), Moon Scout Outlaw, Scaredy Cow Gun Buddy and Stellar Dendrite FlexTejo has a high skill ceilingHere are Tejo's abilities, as per Riot Games:Article continues belowSpecial Delivery - Equip a sticky grenade. Fire to launch. The grenade sticks to the first surface it hits and explodes, Concussing any targets caught in the blast. Alt Fire to launch the grenade with a single bounce instead.Stealth Drone - Equip a stealth drone. Fire to throw the drone forward, assuming direct control of its movement. Fire again to trigger a pulse that Suppresses and Reveals enemies hit.Guided Salvo - Equip an AR targeting system. FIRE to select up to two target locations on the map. Alt Fire to launch missiles that autonomously navigate to target locations, detonating on arrival.(Ultimate) Armageddon - Equip a tactical strike targeting map. Fire to select the origin point of the strike. Fire again to set the end point and launch the attack, unleashing a wave of explosions along the strike path. Alt fire during map targeting to cancel the origin point.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

Resident Evil 4 remake is fastest-selling game in the series by far but whats next?Adam StarkeyPublished January 6, 2025 6:05pmUpdated January 6, 2025 6:05pm Its certainly time for bingo (Capcom)Capcoms Resident Evil 4 remake has surpassed nine million copies sold, as it looks to become the best-selling entry in the series.After hitting eight million copies sold in October last year, Capcoms excellent Resident Evil 4 remake has already passed another sales milestone.As confirmed by Capcom this week, the remake has now sold over nine million copies. That means it sold one million copies within the past three months, which is impressive for a title that came out in March 2023.When compared with the sales of other Resident Evil games in their eighth quarter, Resident Evil 4 remake is actually top of the list making it the fastest-selling entry in the series yet.Games industry business development manager Alex Aniel, who is the author of Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History Of Resident Evil, crunched the numbers in a post on X where he described Resident Evil 4 remake as the fastest-selling entry by far.According to Aniel, Resident Evil 4 remakes one million sales during its eighth quarter are higher than Resident Evil Village (500,000), Resident Evil 7 (400,000), and both Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 2 remakes (300,000 each) during the same period.With over nine million sales, Resident Evil 4 remake is also outpacing Resident Evil Village as the fastest-selling entry ever, which had sold 7.9 million in total during the same timeframe.https://twitter.com/dev1_official/status/1876175498398822673While these updated figures are not yet reflected on Capcoms official list of its best-selling games, this pace suggests Resident Evil 4 remake has a good chance of eventually becoming the best-selling title in the series.As of September 2024, Resident Evil 2 remake holds that accolade with over 14.5 million units sold since January 2019, followed by Resident Evil 7 at 14 million. If Resident Evil 4 remake doesnt drop the pace too much, it should surpass both of them this year or next.https://twitter.com/cvxfreak/status/1876181041783984596What is the next Resident Evil remake?Capcom has confirmed it is working on more Resident Evil remakes, but nothing has been announced about what title they will tackle next.There is, however, good evidence to suggest Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil Zero are next in the pipeline. In May 2024, reliable insider Dusk Golem claimed these were both in development, which has been corroborated by both IGN and VGCs Andy Robinson.Ive talked to many others behind the scenes about this at this point, its something I heard over a year ago, think it was going to get out whether I was the one to say it or not, and thats about it, Dusk Golem wrote on X.The same insider has since suggested these remakes will not be as ambitious as Resident Evil 4, describing the latter as the crown jewel for Capcom which proved to be the most challenging one to tackle in scale, scope, [and] expectation.Resident Evil Zero and Code: Veronica were picked for a number of reasons, they wrote on Discord (via Wccftech). But I do believe a big one is theyre good titles to improve from their originals that allow for more horror-focused design up the alley of Resident Evil 2, which was a big success, and continue the remake train, which has been very successful for them.This suggests well have a long while to wait for any potential remake of Resident Evil 5, along with the rumoured revamp of the original.Capcoms next Resident Evil game, however, is assumed to be Resident Evil 9, which was officially announced in July last year. Nothing has been said about it since though and theres little clue as to what it will be like, with the only rumour so far suggesting it may be open world.More TrendingGiven the amount of information that has leaked out about other Resident Evil games though, well likely learn more before the official unveiling whenever that is. Theres a strong thirst for remakes (Capcom)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Did you get enough about Qualcomms Snapdragon X chips in 2024? To start off 2025, the chipmaker known for finally bringing ARM to PCand usable this timenow aims to carve a niche in the cheap laptop or mini-PC market. The new Snapdragon X platform isnt plus and it isnt elite, although if you want to get your mother a ARM-based small PC for nothing but browsing and streaming, this could be your first CPU of choice..The current staple of Oryon-based Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips include an 8-core variant. The Snapdragon X has the same number of cores, though its dialed back to 3 GHz clock speeds on the same 4nm processor node and a 30 MB cache. It has a 135 mb/s memory bandwidth but maintains the same 45 TOPS neural processor as the other Snapdragon PC CPUs. Does the NPU really matter so much when its made for a PC that has a limited amount of onboard RAM? Likely not. The Snapdragon X is more meant to compete against other, low-end CPUs like the Intel Core Ultra 5 120U from early last year. Qualcomm claims its new chip is capable of close to 60% better benchmarks in Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024, though for a low-end PC the most important thing is how it handles browsing tasks with better power efficiency. Qualcomm claimed it should get 157% better power efficiency at ISO power than the last-gen Intel chip.Intel just released new CPUs for both its Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake lineup, including a new U line. Without benchmark comparisons, all we have to go off is the companys specs. Otherwise, the Snapdragon X supports Bluetooth 5.4 and WiFi 7. Devices with this chip should be able to support 4K HDR video capture and HiFi audio. There should be several OEMs debuting new Snapdragon X-based PCs during this years CES. Lenovo is first out the gate with two mini-PCs, the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC and Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini x (1L, 10). Both include the Snapdragon X Plus, though the IdeaCentre is geared more toward creatives looking for a Mac mini alternative.

James Whitbrook is the Deputy Editor of io9, where you can often find him writing about Stars of the Wars and Trek varieties, as well as toys, superheroes, games, and more. You can follow his coverage here, and email tips to[emailprotected].The Top Story Even withDeadpool & Wolverine making over a billion dollars at the box office and the likes ofX-Men 97and The Penguin garnering critical acclaim, 2024 was seen as a bit of a quiet year for superhero adaptations, as DC Studios quietly tinkered away at its retooled future and Marvel reckoned with the potential that audiences just werent investing in its post-Endgame plans. But if a very good year overall for the big two was quiet, 2025 is shaping up to beextremely loud, as Disney and Warner put their faiths in takes on some of the most iconic DC and Marvel heroes of all time inthe one-two punch of James Gunns Supermanwhich took the internet by storm when its trailer dropped last monthand Matt ShakmansFantastic Four: First Steps, the first reboot of Marvels premiere superhero family to be made under the direct control of Marvel Studios. Currently theyre slated to arrive in just a few weeks of each other this July, giving us a superhero summer unlike any othershould they match their lofty expectations, that is.What Were Waiting For IfSuperman andFirst Steps are the big movies of 2025and not the only ones, considering weve also got Captain America: Brave New World next month, andThunderbolts in May from Marvelthen TV is going to be the dominant force for superheroes this year. DCs traditionally been the stronger of the two on that front in recent years, and 2025 will have a good showing with the return of Peacemaker in the summer and the impending arrival this month of the latest season of Harley Quinn. But Marvel is hoping to have a huge 2025 on the small screen too, with animation like this monthsFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Manand Eyes of Wakanda later in the year. Its big hopes on that front however, lie in two more live-action pillars in the form of Ironheart, the continuation of Riri Williams adventures as the MCUs latest young hero after her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and one of the studios most anticipated shows of its whole Disney+ slate:Daredevil: Born Again, coming this March, a continuation/soft reset of the beloved Netflix adaptation that helped shoot Marvels TV ambitions into the stratosphere a decade ago. Its not just film and TV to get excited about, though. On the comics front, DCs launch of the Absolute Universe line is off to an incredibly strong start with its re-imagined take on the trinity, and its set to get even bigger with the arrivals ofAbsolute Flash,Absolute Martian Manhunter, andAbsolute Green Lanternthis spring. Marvels big comic book ambitions this year are talking a page out of theAvengers: Doomsday hype withOne World Under Doom, its latest event series that will see Victor Von Doom ascend as the latest bearer of the Sorcerer Supremes mantle. And of course, theres games: DCs pretty quiet on that front after the public failure ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but while Marvel got a huge boost on the gaming front late last year withMarvel Rivals (its new season is set to add the Fantastic Four this month), were also looking forward to news from long-gestating projects like InsomniacsWolverine game or the period Captain America/Black Panther team-up Marvel 1943.Unconventional Wisdom Much of the success of the superhero movie boom across the past 15+ years has been driven by a sense of specific interconnectednessbut even with the multiversal crossover concept broadening that to massive success in recent years, its beginning to feel like which story is connected to what universe matters a lot less than it used to, and thats only going to keep growing even as we see the big two building to big climaxes in their respective superhero universes. The success of The Batman andThe Penguin even without any planned tie-over into DC Studios broader plansas well as Gunns explicit intent to create a universe where not only can multiple versions of a continuity can exist simultaneously, but also give a prime universe that is less interested about establishing originsand Marvels increasingly lassez-faire approach to the exact chronology of the MCU is somewhat exciting, especially as it begins to leverage animation more and give us new spins on non-MCU takes on the likes of Spidey and the X-Men. After years of it mattering the most, maybe everything doesnt need to be all connected. Longshot Bets Looking ahead, 2025 will be an important year for Marvel and DC alike, but fans are always yearning for whats next even with major projects on the horizon. With Superman andFirst Steps out of the way in July, maybe itll be time for us to start learning about both studios plans for the next big chapters of their movie timelines: whatever approach Brave and the Bold will take bringing a new Batman to live-action, and Marvel Studios ever-brewing plans for its first crack at a live-action X-Men. Its going to be a big summer with all eyes on SDCC, even after weve feasted on the treats to come.That, or maybe this year well actually get another attempted release date forBeyond the Spider-Verse. A webhead can dream, right? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.