Balatro, the poker-themed roguelite, has now passed 5m copies sold.That's more than double the sales since last August, when the game passed 2m copies sold.Since then it's released on mobile and has seen a surge in popularity following its multiple wins at last year's The Game Awards.Balatro Mobile - Official Release Date TrailerWatch on YouTubeAlongside the mobile release, Balatro was added to the Apple Arcade subscription service, but it would appear those players are not included in these 5m individual sales.The news was shared on the Balatro social media account, which implored fans to try out more indie games."The last few weeks have been pretty wild," the post reads. "To everyone who picked up Balatro after seeing it at thegameawards, we hope you're having an amazing time with it!"If this is your first time picking up an indie title, try to make it a habit! There's some amazing stuff out there!" To see this content please enable targeting cookies.LocalThunk, as the game's solo developer is known, released a list of his favourite indie games at the start of this year, with his top pick being Animal Well.Balatro was released in February last year and is available across PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and mobile devices.It won best mobile game, best debut indie game, and best independent game at The Game Awards 2024.Two months after its release on mobile, a report estimated the game had generated almost $4.4m on mobile alone.LocalThunk has stated he wishes to remain anonymous and, in a previous interview, admitted he regrets the game's success. "Honestly, yeah," he said. "Don't get me wrong - this has changed my life in a lot of amazing ways. I'm so grateful. But I do miss that time before. It was just a hobby that recharged my batteries. Sometimes I think, 'Maybe I would've been happier if I had never released this game to the public.'"

If you fancy kicking off the new year with another Xbox controller variant, good news. Microsoft has revealed the latest edition to its Cipher family of controllers, and this one comes in a bright red hue. Read more

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereA new Marvel Rivals event is coming to the game extremely soon, bringing a host of new content to the popular superhero multiplayer game. Following the release of Season 1, a much bigger season than usual, the Marvel Rivals Spring Festival event celebrates the Chinese New Year with an awesome new limited-time game mode, free skins and more.Marvel Rivals Spring Festival announcedRevealed in a post on Twitter, the new Spring Festival event officially commences on January 23rd, 2025 at 1 AM PST on all platforms. Celebrating the Chinese New Year, the new event comes with the new limited-time game mode Clash of Dancing Lions.As shown off in a video, the new game mode is essentially a game of Superhero Football featuring Iron Fist, Black Widow and Star-Lord. Dressed in Chinese New Year themed skins, two teams of the three heroes will compete to get the most goals in the game.Alongside the new game mode, players will be able to get access to new unique rewards only available during this period. This includes a free unlock for Star Lords Clash of Dancing Lions costume, a new nameplate and more.May the golden lions mane guide your fortune and bring you strength this season. Join the celebration now and let the magic of the Spring Festival unfold, reads the events official synopsis.After the already massive Season 1 update and the promise of a new hero every month-and-a-half, Marvel Rivals is spoiling players with even more free content. Following the awesome Jeff the Land Shark Christmas eventwhich was essentially a shark-themed Splatoonthis new event is just as strong as the last.For more Marvel Rivals coverage, read about the games new Ghost Rider character coming to the game in a future update, or the leaked version of Ultron. Additionally, check out our tier list of the games best characters.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Call of Duty is no stranger to bringing back fan-favourite weaponry into its latest releases in order to shake up the existing meta. The Black Ops 6 cycle has already seen the return of the hugely popular Saug from Black Ops 4, quickly cementing its place as one of the strongest weapons to use.Season 2 is make or break for multiplayer and Warzone with Activision swinging the ban hammer and promising a wealth of fixes to improve the experience for everyone loading into the action. Although the upcoming season will feature less new content, the return of an iconic SMG isnt going to be a weapon that many first thought.Another iconic SMG is returning to Call of DutyAfter Treyarch teased the return of an SMG in its 115 day blog post, fans quickly assumed that the MP40 would be on its way back. Instead, in-game files appear to reveal the developer is heading in another direction.Uncovered by notable leaker HeyImAlaix, the file name heavily indicates the PPSh-41 is the iconic SMG that will arrive as part of the second post-launch season for Black Ops 6 and Warzone. Last seen in Call of Duty: Vanguard, the weapon possesses a lethal rate of fire making it extremely difficult to control in the heat of battle.While many would prefer the MP40 to join the ever-expanding arsenal of weaponry, the PPSh is bound to prove a popular addition to multiplayer and the battle royale. The SMG will become the eighth weapon to join one of the most popular categories.Will Call of Duty Season 2 have lots of new weapons?The Season 2 roadmap will unveil everything there is to know about the new content making its way to Black Ops 6 and Warzone. With the update arriving on January 28th, 2025, it wont be long before Treyarch and Raven Software share the intel.Season 1 saw seven new weapons arrive but with fixing the game-breaking flaws the priority, expect fewer new additions and adjustments that should make Call of Duty a far more enjoyable experience.For more CoD intel, check out the best controller settings to keep your shots straight along with the best AMES 85 loadout.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

View of the primary bedrooms shower and vanity enclosure.At the request of his client, Tagliaferri designed a peekaboo shower within the primary bedroom as a further nod to the hotel lifestyle. Made of clear and fluted glass, the meticulously engineered enclosure for the shower and vanity pays homage to the Cronotopo sculptures of the late radical Italian artist, designer, and architect Nanda Vigo, whose pioneering experiments with light and space well deserve broader exposure. Opposite the structure, tubular acrylic pendant lights by Angelo Mangiarotti and a custom bed of brushed stainless steel and chrome underscore the 1970s vibe.The apartment is not huge, but every corner, detail, and material was highly considered. They all work together to set the right mood, Tagliaferri says. Not such a bad way to put your feet down in Milano, is it?Giampiero Tagliaferri in front of a folding screen of rosewood, stainless steel, and fluted glass that conceals a television.This Milanese pad designed by Giampiero Tagliaferri is featured in ADs February issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.

While Stimson operates as a collaborative, with three fellow principals sharing leadership with Lauren and Stephen and a trusted team of 40 clustering on about 120 projects a year, its ethos flows directly from the couple and their divergent approaches. Good design, like a good marriage, requires compromiseand time. Commissioned gardens tend to unfold over years with extensive illustrations and planning. (This collaborative approach has attracted AD100 firms like Ashe Leandro, Clements Design, Olson Kundig, and RP Miller.)At their own home, the Stimsons improvise, their limited resources fueling creativity. (We have similar tastes to our clients, Lauren says with a wry smile, just not the same budgets.) When the couple acquired the property, they focused on sensitively reclaiming the land from overgrowth and invasive species, but drew no master plan, preferring to let things evolve organically. Since then, theyve added a grange hall and a studio (designed by OPAL architects) that accommodates on-site colleagues. The rest of the firm works remotely or out of a loft office in Cambridge.American Milking Devons graze in the lower pasture.Photo: Ngoc DoanCharbrook marks a homecoming for Stephen, whose family once stewarded some of this land and also owned a sprawling dairy farm down the road, with roots stretching back 12 generations. (Stimson now operates its own nursery on 12 acres of the old tract, while nephews manage the rest.) Lauren grew up roaming the woods just two towns over. Her parents, who met when her father served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines, prompting her mother to immigrate to the United States, now live across the street from Charbrook.Stephen launched the first iteration of the firm on Cape Cod in 1992. Now, more than 30 years on, its portfolio rolls wide and deep, linking extraordinary New England and Northeast private homes with innovative public projects. Such ambitious endeavors range from Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio, Texas, where they restored an endangered oak savanna and brush forest ecosystem on a mile-wide swath of former cattle ranch, to crafting a new comprehensive accessibility plan for Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and rebuilding a natural riverbed after a centuries-old dam and reservoir recently failed in Clevelands Doan Brook watershed. The firm has also overseen myriad projects on the campuses of Harvard, Brown, Northeastern, MIT, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Lauren and Stephens alma mater, where they recently helped establish a scholarship fund for BIPOC landscape architecture candidates in an effort to invite deeper diversity into the field).

Behind the Scenes: Iron Sentinel By Alina Khan on January 21, 2025 Behind the Scenes Dive into Yusuf Salih zdemirs creative journey as he masterfully crafts a medieval knight, blending realism and fantasy through intricate armor design, detailed texturing, and dynamic posing.INTRODUCTIONHello, Im Yusuf Salih Ozdemir (y2art). My journey into the creative world began at a very young age with graphic design, and today it has positioned me as a 3D artist. I describe myself as a 3D generalist because the effort to bring every idea in my mind to life is a constant source of happiness for me.My interest in games encouraged me to deepen my knowledge in this field, leading me to complete a masters degree in Game Design. Throughout this journey, I had the opportunity to mentor game companies in Turkiye and deliver talks at universities. Additionally, I manage the Blender Turkiye Toplulugu Discord server, which consists of over 2,000 members, where we collaborate on exciting projects together.For me, 3D art is not just a profession but also a space where I express and discover myself. Meeting new people, learning something fresh, and generating creative ideas at every step of this journey are my greatest sources of motivation.INSPIRATIONRecently, I had been focusing a lot on characters and was interested in working on armor instead of clothing, but it was just an idea. That is, until I watched The Elder Scrolls Online Cinematic Trailer. The knight in the trailer caught my attention so much that I immediately started working on it.PROCESSAll Stages: Concept, References (PureRef) Base Shapes, Models (Blender) High Details (ZBrush) UV Mapping (Blender) Bake, Texturing (Substance Painter) Rig, Pose, Render (Blender) Concept, ReferencesIn the initial stage, I examined various medieval outfits from many places selling them. This was an important step in gaining a deeper understanding of the clothing from that era.However, when working digitally, we have the opportunity to overlook certain details if we decide they are unnecessary. Therefore, my goal was to achieve a realistic appearance while also giving the character a slightly fantastical vibe.Base Shapes, ModelsFirst, I used the basic female model from ZBrush. Since I had previous experience with hard surface modeling, creating the armor was not difficult.After establishing the base on the character, I added the necessary modifiers to build the armor. I shaped the entire armor in this way.I completed the model, but it didn't fully satisfy me. So, I examined my references more closely and tried several alternatives to find the armor that would best convey the feeling I wanted.High DetailsAfter finalizing the armor design, I completed the entire character's armor and sword using the same technique. Then, I moved on to adding more details in ZBrush.Since the character is a knight, I aimed to give her a somewhat aggressive appearance, starting by sculpting the face. I added details like cracks and dents to the armor and applied wrinkle effects to areas like the cape.Additionally, I wanted the helmet to be removable, so I needed to incorporate details that allowed the hair and hood to open and close. Considering the character needed to be game-ready, I began creating the hair using hair cards. While I experimented with many alternative hair alphas, I ultimately chose to work with just three of them. To make the hood open and close, I applied a shape key to the head area and sculpted accordingly. This approach allowed me to complete the characters visual and functional details effectively.UV MappingDuring the UV stage, since I wanted to make this character game-ready and designed with detachable elements, I kept the texel density of the invisible parts inside the armor much lower compared to the outer sides. To avoid losing detail, I increased the number of materials. Therefore, I assigned a separate material to each part of the armor, ensuring that areas like the body, shoulder pads, shoes, etc., each had their own material.Bake, TexturingI switched to Substance Painter for texturing and performed a high-to-low bake. To easily access every part of the character, I made sure to keep both the individual pieces and the full character in a single file. After a clean bake, I began creating high-quality textures.By creating my own smart materials, I painted down to the finest details. I used "Texturing XYZ" for the detailed displacement texture on the face. However, before achieving the final result, I had to make several changes to the tattoos, colors, blood, and some minimal details.Rig, Pose, RenderI was really excited to see the final version of my character in T-pose. The next step was to add a pose and take a render. For this, I rigged the character using the ARP addon. There were some weight issues in certain areas, which I manually corrected. To add effects to the cape, I weighted half of it and applied a cloth simulation, making it responsive to wind. I actually wanted to create an animation and render a video, but although the processes I mentioned may seem short here, they took quite a bit of time. Therefore, I decided to apply a pose and take a render of my character from a nice angle.Finally, the most enjoyable part for me was the post-process. I started by adding a background, then increased the contrast and brightened the darker areas to make the details of my character stand out more. After that, I finished my project with some general touch-ups. I hope this article has answered any questions you had and inspired you as well. Your feedback is highly valuable to me; I would be happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions.RENDER: Iron Sentinel And that's it. Thank you for reading my article. I hope you have a nice day!If you have any questions or feedback, please dont hesitate to share your thoughts.About the Artist Yusuf Salih zdemir is a 3D Generalist from Turkiye. He is currently working as a Lead 3D Artist at a gaming company. Links

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MindfulHow do you remaster an overlooked cult classic like Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles? By leaning into how "fun and quirky" it is, says the developerThe even goofier side of The Phantom Menace.Image credit: VG247/Aspyr Article by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on Jan. 21, 2025 The surprise remaster of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is right around the corner. I and other retro Star Wars gaming sickos are celebrating already, but before its January 23 release across all modern platforms, I had the opportunity to shoot Aspyr some burning questions about the process of revisiting such an overlooked Star Wars oldie.The developer-publisher is no stranger to remastering classic Star Wars games, and even though 2024's Battlefront Collection faced a rough kickoff due to some baffling choices and overall lack of polish at launch, its hit rate has been remarkable: Episode I - Racer, KOTOR 1 & 2 (Switch), The Force Unleashed (Switch), and Bounty Hunter, among others, all successfully refreshed the originals for old and new fans alike. We've yet to see whether Jedi Power Battles is a Forced-powered win or another fall to the dark side, but color me excited.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Chris Bashaar, Director of Product at Aspyr, was kind enough to shed some light on why and how Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games remastered the (originally divisive) arcade-like beat 'em up. The developer has been steadily working its way through LucasArts' rich back catalogue, and even though games like The Phantom Menace have been rescued by Disney and Lucasfilm as straightforward re-releases instead, most of the Star Wars titles we millennials blasted through in the late 1990s and early 2000s are getting a new coat of paint.Elsewhere, Aspyr has also been killing it with the recent remasters of Soul Reaver 1 & 2 and Tomb Raider's original trilogy (soon to be followed up by IV-VI), so Star Wars hasn't captured them if you're worried about that. Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrThe following Q&A has been editorialized, trimmed, and rearranged for clarity and cohesion."The decision to bring it back stemmed from the perfect combination of fan nostalgia, the games 25th anniversary, and the opportunity to introduce it to a new generation. Lucasfilm Games has been an incredible partner, and together we recognized that now was the right time to celebrate this cult classic," Bashaar explained. While the 'direct tie-in' Phantom Menace game (developed externally by Big Ape Productions) was released in 1999, Jedi Power Battles, a wacky retelling of sorts of the first prequel movie, was internally developed at LucasArts and dropped the following year. With the Battlefront Collection also dropping during a marked anniversary (the original's 20th), we have to wonder what might be coming from Aspyr this year...Of course, 2005's Revenge of the Sith tie-in, another underrated fan-favorite, comes to mind, but Bashaar sidestepped the question, stating Aspyr the team was "just focused on bringing Jedi Power Battles to players." All right then, keep your secrets (the Disney snipers are scary, we get it). He did note, however, that "Lucasfilm Games has been an incredible partner" so far.I believe most fanatics of this game, myself included, will admit Jedi Power Battles wasn't like good good, but it's looser approach to the property and charming bits won you over if you stuck with it (it's infamously hard, at least in its original PS1 iteration). At Aspyr, Bashaar notes that "several members of our team grew up playing Jedi Power Battles... That personal connection really fueled the passion behind this remaster. Its not just about bringing back a gameits about honoring the fun, quirky spirit that made the original so memorable." If you've paid attention to the trailers (we're sharing the co-op-centric one below), it's easy to see what he means by that.Players who only experienced the PS1 version might also be confused by some of the visuals and overall art work the remaster sports. It actually isn't a huge 'redo' of that initial release, but a direct upgrade of "the Dreamcast version because it was the most refined iteration of the original game." Again, he's not wrong, check out this longplay of the Dreamcast release; on top of looking sharper and running much better, a number of changes were made to tricky areas and jumps. The team has, however, kept some of the superior UI elements from the PS1 release around: "We upscaled its textures, re-baked lighting, and improved overall visual fidelity, all while staying true to the games aesthetic. We also preserved some elements from the PlayStation release, like parts of its iconic UI, to keep that nostalgic connection intact."A big selling point of the remaster is all the new playable content that comes with it, which fully transforms the game into a generous 'couch co-op' package that doubles down on playstyle variety and flexibility to experience all the levels. Since most of the new character and cheat additions work with assets that were already there, was it all leftover and unfinished from the original development or brought to life by Aspyr for the first time?"We are adding all-new content, including 13 newly playable characters. We wanted to expand the game in ways that felt organic to the Star Wars galaxy. These elements were carefully crafted to enhance the gameplay experience while staying true to the spirit of the original. We are all about additions not revisions so nostalgic players are going to feel that classicness back 25 years ago." You can even play as Jar Jar Binks and make him fall to his death repeatedly! Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrA downside to the unlockable characters in the original (Captain Panaka, Padm Amidala, and Darth Maul) was that they couldn't be leveled up, not even to get extra HP and more Force capacity. It seems that hasn't changed for none of the remaster's bonus characters, as they're designed as a challenging, extra way to experience the game: "The 13 new playable characters are part of a New Game + experience without progression, unlockable by beating the main campaign once. Except for the Loader Droid, which requires a cheat. Youll have to stay tuned to get that code." Prepare accordingly for wilder runs.Another big question mark every time a new Star Wars game (old or new) releases is where Lucasfilm is at regarding the public perception of events and content depicted in them, as the Story Group has been safeguarding a firm canon continuity for well over a decade now. All retro Star Wars games are either considered Legends or their own, what-if, madcap thing. Jedi Power Battles is clearly one of the latter. But still, this franchise is strictly controlled, so how does that work when you're remastering a very silly game?"Lucasfilm Games worked closely with us to ensure everything aligns with the Star Wars galaxy. Their collaboration allowed us to add new content, like characters, that feel authentic to the franchise." I mean, I'm fairly sure random mercenaries aren't able to uppercut and send Jedi Knights flying, but yes, that's an Ishi Tib model that looks like a background alien from the movies. I dig this mix of attention to detail and flexibility. Let Star Wars be silly and over-the-top more often! Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrThe general 'silliness' of Jedi Power Battles also extended to its sound effects, with Yoda's classic laugh playing for absolutely no reason (other than it being really f**king hilarious) every time you picked up an item or power-up. The good news is that none of those have been cut or remade, and the same goes for John Williams' fantastic Episode I soundtrack. "All the original audio and music remain unchanged to preserve the authenticity of the experience," Bashaar confirmed.Last but not least, we asked Aspyr about the matter of those wonky platforming sections (which, in all honestly, are part of the original game's challenge) and whether something has been done about them. It wasn't an easy thing to figure out and decide on, it seems: "This is a very heated debate for us at Aspyr. While yes, those mushrooms on Naboo are particularly tough to navigate, especially as a first time player, the designers made those jumps with a very particular intent. If you break down the jump mechanics, forward momentum doesnt apply on a double jump. This is very unique to Jedi Power Battles compared to other contemporaries. If we alter jumps, or the jumping mechanic, the knock-on effects start to remove the charm of the design. What I can say is, single-jump those mushrooms and itll be a much easier platforming section." It must be noted the Dreamcast port already saw big improvements to many sections, but long story short: Git gud. Image credit: Lucasfilm Games, AspyrStar Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is coming to PC (Steam and GOG), PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S plus One, and Nintendo Switch on January 23.

Keeping It ClearWorried you're going to get confused about whether a DC film is canon to the DCU or not? Don't be, as Elseworlds films are getting their own unique opening to make the distinction clearThis'll save at least some of you from asking why there's two Batmen.Image credit: DC News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 21, 2025 Keep calm, casual comic book film viewers, because DC is developing a special opening for Elseworlds film to make it clear what is and isn't canon.With DC opting to have a main canon universe with the option for unconnected Elseworlds films, it's understandable that some audience members might be a bit unsure of what is and isn't canon. You can't expect everyone to be as much of a nerd as we all are, staying up to date on the comings and goings of the DCU in such minutiae. Plus, eventually the DCU will likely get its own Batman separate from Robert Pattinson's, and I'm sure that'll make at least a few people go "hey what happened to Edward?" Lucky for this subset of people, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has made it clear that Elseworlds films will have a distinct opening of their own.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. In response to a fan on Threads, who asked why shows like Harley Quinn and The Penguin don't use the DC Studios logo if they're now technically DC Studios shows. "All DC television & film projects are now under DC Studios," Gunn explained. "Because Harley Quinn was developed long before us we didnt think it was fair to put the DC Studio fanfare on there. On Penguin, which we had a small hand in developing, we have a different DC Studios anim at the end." Gunn then noted that they're "currently working on the DC Studios Elseworlds opening," meaning it'll be pretty clear what you're in for as soon as the film starts (going forwards at least). View on ThreadsTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Presumably the first project to use that new opening will be the upcoming The Batman: Part 2, even if it has now been delayed for a second time all the way to 2027. Luckily, there will be some actual DCU projects to tide us over while we wait, like Gunn's Superman film, which is due out this coming July 11.