Ina Garten's chicken pot pie soup was inspired by a dish she spotted at an airport.Garten's chicken pot pie soup was inspired by a dish she saw in an airport. Jeff Neira/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Garten shares the origin story for chicken pot pie soup in her 2020 cookbook, "Modern Comfort Food.""This was a little crazy," she writes in the recipe's intro. "I was walking through an airport once and spotted chicken pot pie soup on a restaurant menu. What a good idea!""It was actually harder to make than it sounded my first few attempts just tasted like chicken pot pie filling, not soup," she added. "This one, though, hit all the right comforting notes, with good chicken stock, roasted chicken, and puff pastry croutons."Garten's chicken pot pie soup is packed with colorful veggies.Garten's chicken pot pie soup features carrots, leeks, and fennel. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider To make Garten's soup for a serving of 6, you'll need:3 chicken breasts, skin-on, bone-in (2.5 to 3 pounds total)7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade5 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped or diced3 leeks, white and light-green parts chopped3 garlic cloves, minced2 fennel, tops and cores removed, chopped1 cup frozen whole pearl onions1 10-ounce bag frozen peas cup cream sherry cup Wondra flour cup fresh parsley, minced6 tablespoons unsalted butter1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped1 piece of Italian Parmesan cheese rind (Garten recommends 2-inch x 3-inch)The soup is served with easy puff pastry croutons, which only require a few ingredients.My homemade puff pastry croutons. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider To make 12 croutons for the chicken pot pie soup, you'll need:1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, defrosted1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream for the egg washAll-purpose flourKosher salt and freshly ground black pepperBefore starting my soup, I needed to roast the chicken.Garten says to roast the seasoned chicken breasts for 35 minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then placed my three chicken breasts on a sheet pan with the skin side up.I rubbed the skin of each chicken with olive oil, then generously seasoned them with salt and pepper.Garten says to roast the chicken for 35 minutes, until the thermometer registers 130 to 140 degrees, then set it aside until the meat is cool enough to handle.I also prepped my veggies.My chopped fennel and tarragon. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I chopped the fennel, tarragon leaves, and carrots and minced my garlic.Per Garten's instructions, I took extra care with the leeks.I washed the chopped leeks in a bowl and made sure to dry them well. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Garten says you should cut off the leeks' dark green leaves at a 45-degree angle. Then, chop the white and light green parts from each leek and wash them well in a bowl of water.She notes that wet leeks will steam rather than saut in the soup and recommends drying them in a salad spinner. If you don't have one at home, you can just pat them dry in a paper towel it did the trick for me.Once all my veggies were ready, I threw them in a big pot with melted butter.I sauted the fennel, carrots, and leeks over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I melted the butter over medium heat before throwing in the leeks, fennel, and carrots.I sauted the veggies over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garten notes that the leeks should be tender but not browned.After sauteing the carrots, leeks, and fennel, I added the garlic and tarragon and cooked everything together for an additional minute.I sprinkled the flour over my aromatics and let everything cook for two more minutes.Adding Wondra flour to the vegetables. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Garten says you should be stirring the pot constantly during this step.Then, I added half a cup of sherry.Adding sherry to the vegetables. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider While cooking, I didn't realize that I was using dry sherry instead of cream sherry, which Garten specifies in her recipe. Truthfully, I haven't cooked with sherry much and just grabbed the first bottle I saw at the supermarket.But the soup still tasted fantastic, so I wouldn't stress too much if dry sherry is all you have on hand.I also threw in the chicken stock and Parmesan rind.Don't forget to season the broth with salt and pepper. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I seasoned the broth with 4 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoons of pepper.As I brought the soup to a boil, my kitchen filled with the most incredible smell.I brought my soup to a boil before letting it simmer. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider My boyfriend's roommates returned from a trip while we were cooking and immediately came into the kitchen to see what was on the stove.I then lowered the heat and let my soup simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.Garten says to let the soup simmer while partially covered. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider While the soup was simmering, I removed the meat from the chicken bones and diced it into 1-inch pieces.As my soup continued to simmer, I made my puff pastry croutons.I used one sheet of puff pastry to make the croutons. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I first preheated the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lined a sheet pan with parchment paper.Then, I lightly dusted my cutting board with flour and unfolded a sheet of puff pastry on the board. Make sure you've properly thawed your puff pastry beforehand. You can defrost it overnight in your refrigerator or let it sit on the counter for 45 minutes before you whip up the croutons.I dusted the puff pastry with flour and lightly rolled the sheet to smooth out any folds. You can use a rolling pin for this step, or just use your bottle of sherry!Whatever rolling tool you pick, just make sure to dust it with some flour so it doesn't stick.I used a fluted cookie cutter to make 12 croutons.Cutting out my homemade croutons from the puff pastry. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Garten recommends using star-shaped or fluted round cookie cutters, but next time, I might try dicing the puff pastry instead so I can have bite-sized croutons that are easier to eat with each spoonful.I placed the croutons on my sheet pan and brushed each top with the egg wash.It took about 10 minutes for my croutons to bake. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I had plenty of dough left over after I cut my 12 croutons, so I made extra there's no need to waste good puff pastry!I seasoned each crouton with salt and pepper and then threw my pan into the oven for 10 minutes.Every oven is different, so I recommend checking on them around the 8-minute mark. You'll know the croutons are ready when they're puffed and golden brown.While my croutons were baking, I added the chicken, peas, and pearl onions to my soup.Adding pearl onions to the broth. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I let the soup simmer, uncovered, for an additional five minutes.Then, I took my soup off the heat, removed the Parmesan rind, and added another cup of sherry.My chicken pot pie soup had a lovely golden hue and smelled incredible. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider This is also when I added the minced parsley.I took my croutons out of the oven and served them on top of each bowl of soup, which genuinely resembled chicken pot pie.Garten's chicken pot pie soup is full of rich flavors. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I'm truly thankful to whatever airport had chicken pot pie soup on its menu because Garten's recipe is the comfort meal of dreams.Her homemade chicken stock is so silky, delicious, and rich that I've already come to terms with the fact I'll never be able to use store-bought stock again. All the veggies made each sip deliciously hearty and kept the soup in line with the spirit of pot pie, and I loved how much tender chicken I got with each spoonful. The fluffy and buttery croutons were such a fun and indulgent addition and were even more delicious after soaking up all that broth.My boyfriend Peter loved this dish so much he declared it's the best soup we've made all winter and we've made a lot.Garten's chicken pot pie soup has earned a permanent spot in my soup rotation.Garten's chicken pot pie soup will help you get through the rest of winter. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I've discovered a real love for making homemade soups, and this Barefoot Contessa recipe is easily one of my favorites.While it takes some time and prep, Garten's chicken pot pie soup is worth the extra effort. It's hearty, comforting, and truly soothes every inch of the soul. It's perfect for a nice winter dinner or as a gift to a friend or family member under the weather.It's the kind of soup that core memories are made from.

MALCOM, IOWA When Carolyn Bittner moved to Malcom, Iowa, in 2008 to serve as a pastor at two churches, she had no idea the town was also home to millions of egg-laying chickens. Three miles from her home, those chickens which now total around 7.5 million are raised in massive warehouses on a sprawling complex run by Fremont Farms, which from the outside looks more like a maximum security prison than an egg farm.Fremont is an egg factory, Bittner told me when I visited her late last year. Its not a farm. The US Environmental Protection Agency categorizes egg farms with 82,000 or more hens as large; Fremont has over 90 times as many birds, all packed into about 100 acres. Despite living three miles from the egg operation, Bittner is regularly reminded of its presence: When they move manure, the stench is sickening. They will be moving manure now for the next few days, and it will be bad. An egg farm that houses 7.5 million hens generates hundreds of millions of pounds of manure each year. The stench affects her in seemingly mundane ways that accumulate to degrade her overall quality of life. She cant hang her clothes out to dry for fear the wind will shift and make them smell terrible. She often cant open the windows, lest the smell invades her home. And the staggering amount of manure attracts tons of flies to the town, which spread their own manure around.I had a new garage built while I was here, and it looked new for three days, and then there were so many fly specks [excrement] on the white edging and around the windows that it looked like it had been here for a decade, she said.Joe Gough for VoxThe same week I visited Bittner, I also visited other factory farm towns in the region and quickly grew sick of the odor; I couldnt imagine what it would be like to live with it every day. Bittner told me that years ago, during a permit hearing at the local county board of supervisors meeting, the Fremont Farms CEO at the time asserted that the operation doesnt smell and that no one ever complains. From that day on, I have complained every time it smells, she said. This morning, before you came, I was on the phone. Both the former and current CEOs have met with Bittner at her home, and while the meetings were cordial, she told me, neither seemed particularly sympathetic to the problems their company had wrought.Bittner also worries about whats in the air she breathes. Hog and poultry barns are equipped with giant exhaust fans that push pollutants, such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter, out into the atmosphere.Air pollution from animal farms is linked to almost eight times more premature deaths than coal-fired power plants, a 2021 study from Johns Hopkins University found. Other research has found that living near a factory farm is positively associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia, and people who live near them report higher rates of headaches, depression, anger, and respiratory symptoms, such as asthma. Owned by a group of family farms with a long legacy in egg production, our team makes environmentally conscious decisions each day to protect the land, air and water around our farm, reads part of a statement provided to Vox by Fremont Farms, which declined an interview request for this story. We are committed to responsible farming and we will continue to support the Malcom community as we have for decades.Over the last 65 years, the US has nearly tripled annual meat production, and the number of animals raised for food each year surpassed 10 billion in 2022. At the same time, the number of farms has plummeted, as small- and mid-sized operations have given way to large factory farms and increasingly, mega factory farms, like Fremont Farms that now produce the vast majority of Americas meat, milk, and eggs.These massive facilities can far exceed the threshold for what the EPA considers a large animal farm by orders of magnitude. Their enormous scale enables them to produce more food on less land with a smaller carbon footprint on a per-pound basis, and at a lower price point, compared to traditional farms. But they also push environmental and public health boundaries with little to no repercussions. The mega factory farm is the inevitable consequence of decades of federal and state agricultural policy that has incentivized growth at all costs, with few guardrails in place to protect the people who live near them, like Carolyn Bittner, many of whom feel their health and quality of life has been sacrificed for corporate profit and cheap meat, milk, and eggs. With unceasing domestic and international demand for animal products, theres no limit to how big the countrys factory farms will get and how much damage theyll do.How a mega factory farm could end up in your backyardHow so many animals, and the voluminous manure and noxious fumes they produce, can exist so close to peoples homes is the result of a complex web of federal, state, county, and local regulations or lack thereof. In Iowa, for example, the nations top egg- and pork-producing state, agricultural operations are exempt from county zoning ordinances, and there are no limits on how many animals can be crammed inside a factory farm. Large farms can set up shop half a mile from homes, businesses, churches, and schools. Iowas agricultural zoning and permitting laws are written by the state legislature and carried out by the states Department of Natural Resources, each of which have close ties to Iowas powerful agribusiness lobby as does Iowas governor and secretary of agriculture. Some environmentalists call Iowa a sacrifice state, where the health and well-being of its residents has been sacrificed to enrich large meat, milk, egg, and grain corporations.This is the fourth in a series of stories on how factory farming has shaped, and continues to impact, the US. Find the rest of the series and future installments here, and visit Voxs Future Perfect section for more coverage of Big Ag. The stories in this series are supported by Animal Charity Evaluators, which received a grant from Builders Initiative.While Iowa produces more animal waste than any other state, many arent far behind, and every major agricultural state has similar policy regimes, political dynamics, and air and water quality issues.If there were regulations in place to prevent factory farms from polluting so much, their staggering animal populations and close proximity to people might be less of a concern, but there arent. The deregulation starts at the top, with the US Environmental Protection Agency, which enforces the Clean Air Act. But the agency has long said it doesnt know how to measure pollutants on animal farms, so its authority there has barely been put to use.In 2005, the EPA said it would study the issue and finalize pollution measurement models in 2009, which it could then use to issue Clean Air Act permits in 2010 and get factory farm air pollution under control. Over 15 years later, it still hasnt delivered.The agency declined an interview request for this story and didnt answer several detailed questions. Over email, a spokesperson said that in November 2024, the agency posted draft air emission models for dairy, swine, and poultry operations. On its website, the EPA says it will finalize its emissions models by spring of this year. The agency didnt provide insight as to when it will begin issuing Clean Air Act permits to animal farms.Factory farms are exempt from other federal air pollution laws, due to actions taken by the EPA and Congress.The factory farm industry also benefits from sweeping exemptions under the Clean Water Act, which has helped make agriculture the leading source of US water pollution. Much of the near 1 trillion pounds of manure produced each year by animal farms is applied to cropland as fertilizer, and when it rains, the manure along with chemical fertilizers and pesticides can leach into groundwater and contaminate the wells that people depend on for drinking water. It also runs off into rivers and streams, some of which water utilities source their water from, causing them to spend significant taxpayer resources to filter out pollutants.More recently, theres been concerns over longer-term health impacts that can develop through long-term exposure to nitrate [from manure and chemical fertilizers] in drinking water, David Cwiertny, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa, told me, pointing to studies on the potential links in association between nitrates in drinking water and bladder cancer, thyroid disorders, colorectal cancer, and birth defects.Joe Gough for VoxThose potential health effects worry Jennifer McNealy in Decatur County, Indiana, who lives 1.5 miles from Hulsbosch Dairy Farm, which has 8,000 cows around 11.5 times the threshold for what the EPA considers a large dairy. Her tap water comes from wells, and while she hasnt tested it for nitrate levels, she doesnt drink it out of an abundance of caution.I do not feel comfortable drinking my well water, McNealy told me. She has reason to worry; a 2022 report by the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project found that Indiana leads the country in polluted waterways, with agriculture as the top cause. In recent years, the EPA appears to have modestly increased its oversight of agricultural water pollution; in a few states its either sued individual factory farms or directed state officials to take action. But the agency has much more work ahead if its to see meaningful progress. While McNealy said the stench of manure from 8,000 cows is bad enough, there are also three hog farms with around 4,400 pigs apiece within a 2.5-mile radius of her home. The EPA considers a hog farm to be large if it houses 2,500 pigs. About three years ago, McNealy was diagnosed with asthma. I cant say that any one or the combination of these facilities has caused it; I can say that it aggravates it, she told me.Pigs at Fair Oak Farms in Indiana (this is not the facility near McNealys home). AP Photo/M.L. JohnsonDairy cows at Fair Oak Farms in Indiana (this is not the facility near McNealys home). Fair Oak raises 36,000 cows, about 50 times the size of what the EPA considers a large farm. AP Photo/M.L. JohnsonLike Carolyn Bittner in Iowa, the smell of the factory farms near McNealys home erodes her quality of life. She takes the long way to work to avoid driving by the dairy and hog operations, and some days when she gets home, the stench is so bad she has to cover her mouth and nose with the top of her shirt or a scarf and run to the door. She bought a grill but ended up giving it away because she couldnt host outdoor cookouts due to the unpredictability of the odors. Hulsbosch Dairy Farm didnt respond to a request for comment.McNealyss situation illustrates another problem of factory farm expansionism over the last few decades: Rural communities dont only have to contend with the rise of mega factory farms, but also with increasing factory farm density, with numerous large farms concentrated in one area that ultimately has the same impact of living near one massive facility. Agricultural permitting regimes dont adequately look at the cumulative impacts of all of the surrounding operations, so theres a huge gap there, said Holly Bainbridge, a staff attorney with FarmSTAND, a legal advocacy organization that works to reduce the harms of industrialized agriculture. Other people I spoke with in Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa complained of similar factory farm density in their community. The smell just made you want to throw up, Kim Gearhart, who formerly lived within a three-mile radius of around nine cattle operations each of which he estimates had a little under 1,000 steer each at the time in Edon, Ohio, told me.Cattle at a Schmuckers operation in Williams County, Ohio. This photo is from a source whose name is being withheld due to fear of retaliation.The operations are run by the Schmuckers, an Amish family with a beef empire of nearly 100,000 cattle concentrated around the Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio tri-state border. They raise the cattle for JBS, the worlds largest meat company, and the region 85 miles west of the manure-imperiled Lake Erie has been plagued with farm pollution as the family has expanded its empire.About 10 years ago, Gearhart and his wife moved several miles away to another part of Edon. We moved over here, and I just thought Its out of sight, out of mind. But about a year ago, the Schmucker family started a new cattle operation a quarter-mile from his new home, and theyre building two more, he said. I have to keep the windows closed year-round. Its just disgusting again. Schmucker Family Farms didnt respond to a request for comment. The right to farm, or the right to harm?With few policymakers or regulators looking out for them, people who live near factory farms might naturally take livestock operations to court, but even that right has been taken away. Every state has whats called a Right to Farm law on the books, which protect farms from lawsuits over nuisances like odor, noise, and dust. Most of the laws came about in the 1970s and 80s as city dwellers moved to the country, sometimes bringing complaints of agricultural pollution with them. Right to Farm laws have long been invoked as a means to protect small, independent farms and conserve a rural way of life, but food system reform advocates have nicknamed them Right to Harm laws, as theyve been instrumental in both factory farm operators and large meat corporations efforts to beat back nuisance lawsuits. Everyone has a right to use and enjoy their property under common law, said David Muraskin, managing director for litigation at FarmSTAND. What the Right to Farm laws have done is basically say, If you move next to a farm, no, you dont that farm can screw you over however it wants. Almost two-thirds of states Right to Farm laws supersede municipal ordinances, meaning towns cant implement their own regulations to limit factory farm pollution, such as placing a cap on the number of animals allowed per farm. I dont think its a good thing for states to strip communities of their capacity to self-govern, Loka Ashwood, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky and co-author of a book on Right to Farm laws, told me. I think its undemocratic.While there are ongoing, long-term efforts to regulate farm pollution at the federal and state levels, campaigning on the ground against proposed factory farms before they can be built seems to be one of the few approaches thats actually worked.As executive director of Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Diane Rosenberg has been running local campaigns to oppose factory farm construction in southeast Iowa, and elsewhere in the state, for almost two decades. When a factory farm is proposed in her county, she sends out a letter to people living within a couple miles of where itll be built explaining the potential impact it might have on them and, if they have concerns, how to make their voice heard.Diane Rosenberg, executive director of Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, at Lake Darling State Park speaking about factory farming in Iowa. The lake has long been polluted by livestock manure and other farm runoff. Sam Delgado/VoxTruthfully, [factory farms] are hard to stop, because Iowa does not give us a whole lot to work with, Rosenberg told me. We come up with a strategy to exert public pressure and that can look like a lot of different things: phone calls to the meat company or potential factory farm owner, letters to the editor, organizing public meetings, attending hearings, or placing local ads. That the county in which she primarily works Jefferson County has far fewer hogs than most surrounding counties is a testament to the power of community organizing, she says.Such campaigns may ultimately result in the proposed factory farm being built elsewhere, making it somebody elses problem what some would criticize as a form of NIMBYism. But after spending a few days in Iowa and Minnesota touring factory farm communities and hearing and smelling what its like to have millions of chickens or thousands of pigs as neighbors, I cant blame them for using the only tool left at their disposal.Stopping factory farms isnt easy, Rosenberg said, but its possible and its possible when people work together and they dont give up.Sam Delgado contributed reporting to this story.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Its no secret that the video game industry is struggling. The last two years have seen more than 25,000 redundancies and more than 40 studio closures. Thanks to game developments spiralling costs (blockbuster titles now cost hundreds of millions to make), overinvestment during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a series of failed bets to create the next money-printing forever game, the pressure for blockbuster games to succeed is now higher than ever.Its a predicament that feels especially pertinent for Ubisoft. Employing in the region of 20,000 people across 45 studios in 30 countries, its most recent big licensed games Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws underperformed commercially. It has had two expensive, failed live-service experiments in the past year, Skull and Bones and X-Defiant. With Ubisoft share prices plummeting and investment partners circling like sharks, rarely have the fortunes of a massive games company relied so heavily on a single release. It has already been delayed multiple times, to ensure its quality.Against this gloomy backdrop, I find myself roaming the glistening halls of Ubisoft Quebec for the worlds first hands-on of Assassins Creed: Shadows. The companys series of historical action games is back after a two-year break, and this time it takes us to feudal Japan. This has been the most requested setting by fans, according to creative director Jonathan Dumont, but ironically some of those purported fans have turned on Ubisoft over the course of this games development.Shadows stars Yasuke, a documented historical figure known as the black samurai, and a female shinobi named Naoe. This ignited a mini culture war, as X posters and YouTube commenters seethed over historical inaccuracy and the wokefication of video games. (Oddly enough, these complaints of historical inaccuracy have never been levied at the series before, despite the fact that it stars a secret order of essentially time-travelling assassins doing side quests for Karl Marx and Leonardo da Vinci.)When I ask nervous Ubisoft developers about the deluge of unpleasant comments and online harassment directed their way over the past year, they look understandably scared. Nobody is willing to address it directly. We like to make games, this is what we wake up to do every morning, offers Dumont. So obviously if the criticism [we receive] is nuanced or if its good feedback, its always taken.When I pick up the controller, Yasuke is the first character to take the stage. After an engrossing opening cutscene, Portuguese missionaries introduce their African slave Diogo to the Oda clans ruler, Lord Nobunaga. The influential warlord takes a shine to Diogo, employing him as a samurai and renaming him Yasuke. As he wanders silently across Harimas cobbled streets, he is greeted by the kind of dumbfounded looks youd expect for an African man arriving in 16th-century Japan. Kids and adults alike scramble to take a look. Its a clever and attention-grabbing opening, reminiscent of 2024s Emmy-award winning Shogun series; here Yasuke echoes the TV shows John Blackthorne character, a cipher for players to experience this era of Japan through a foreigners eyes.Naoe the shinobi in Assassins Creed Shadows. Photograph: UbisoftAfter a so-so hour-long prologue, this war-torn world finally opens up. I gallop across the green fields of the Iga province, and Shadows Sengoku period adventure truly begins. There is pleasing visual variety and attention to detail. Reeds sway in the wind convincingly as workers toil the rice fields beside the road; fishing boats float across the horizon line while villagers chatter by bustling markets.With open worlds, its the little details that really bring the simulation to life, and in Shadows, I am told, there are more than 1,000 different situational behaviours directing its 16th-century characters. Roaming the port town I see a fishmonger chopping his fish, a woman cleaning a firearm and a shiba inu gleefully hopping around as merchants and villagers haggle over their wares. Wild deer frolic in the tall grass, fleeing skittishly as I ride past, and noble ladies gather idly at Buddhist shrines. Weather and seasons change dynamically too, adding a welcome layer of unpredictability as a sunny countryside walk suddenly becomes an ominous, rain-drenched affair. As I ride valiantly into battle, scale Osaka castle and gallop my way across serene landscapes, I forget all about the difficulties surrounding this games development and lose myself in the feudal fantasy.The Quebec studios of Ubisoft, where the game had its launch. Photograph: Tom ReganIts hugely enjoyable to play. In recent years, Assassins Creed has strayed from its stealth roots, embracing RPG-esque inventories and swapping infiltration for all-out action. Yasuke embodies this, yet in Shadows, players who prefer their Creed on the sneakier side can step into the tabi boots of shinobi Naoe, swapping lumbering might for agile parkour and stealthy takedowns.In a Grand Theft Auto V-esque touch, youre free to switch between Yasuke and Naoe as you please, approaching each new quest as either protagonist: sneaky shinobi or murderous samurai. On main missions, this plays out as the pair splitting up to divide and conquer, with Naoe silently running across rooftops and slitting throats while Yasuke charges brazenly through the front door. Yasukes heft leaves him unable to perform aerial assassinations or do much in the way of the series trademark acrobatics, but he can wield katanas, bows and rifles. Having the freedom to swap between protagonists and their vastly different play styles keeps things fresh, providing a welcome antidote to the mission-repetition fatigue that so often plagues open-world games.On first impressions, Shadows marks itself as the most overtly violent Assassins Creed to date: heads are sent flying by Yasukes katana; arms are severed from bodies by the force of a spear; and skulls caved in with a mace. An explosion of blood and viscera accompanies each of Yasukes cinematic executions (these gory animations can be turned off for the more squeamish player). At key moments during Shadows 700 cutscenes, players can decide which lords they will pledge allegiance to, how they navigate Japanese/ Portuguese relations and which romances they chase.Strength and stealth each play their part in the game. Photograph: UbisoftShadows also takes surprise inspiration from the other AC: Animal Crossing. Once you unlock a hideout for your characters, you can adorn it with furniture and decorations, and people you recruit along the way will relocate themselves there. I became entranced with setting out a tea room and laying a beautiful bamboo forest around a pond. It was a welcome contrast to all the bloodshed.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 promotionYou can also hang paintings of wildlife in your hideout because instead of hunting and skinning animals, Naoe and Yasuke respectfully sketch Japans wildlife. Crouching out of sight, you edge yourself quietly into the perfect viewpoint, allowing you to paint two deer clashing horns or capture a heron mid fish-dive. This made me feel like an ancient Japanese Attenborough.Despite Shadows recent second delay, I find myself pleasantly surprised by just how polished and bug-free my six hours of playtime are a marked improvement over the enjoyable but bug-ridden Star Wars Outlaws. It is shaping up to be an immersive and enjoyably slick adventure, offering perhaps a more detailed and varied simulation of feudal Japan than Sonys Ghost of Tsushima.Assassins Creed Shadows trailerBrooke Davies, the games associate narrative director, talks me through the teams painstaking efforts to create relatable and endearing characters. We had the great privilege of working with consultants, historians and experts at every stage in the production, she says. That gave us lots of interesting ideas about how to tell stories about very ordinary people caught at this very extraordinary moment in history.One of our core narrative themes is community and about people coming together to make the world a better place, and despite loss and difficulty, really persevering and having the courage to start over. Its a really uplifting message to me, imagining and learning about the courage of these people and being able to explore that alongside our protagonists Naoe and Yasuke.With a series as big as Assassins Creed, its all too easy to forget that these pieces of fiction are made by very real people people who just want to entertain their audience. Games made by humans, and no one wants to make something bad, says art director Thierry Dansereau. Were working hard. We want to make the best Assassins Creed we can So I think [people] should just keep that in consideration. The people that are making video games, they just want to have fun and to create great products.

It's been a long time coming, but Assassin's Creed Shadows will finally launch in March 2025 we got to play it, and it's shaping up to be the best entry in yearsTech17:00, 23 Jan 2025Assassin's Creed Shadows is shaping up excellentlyThere are few series in gaming with the sheer volume of entries that Assassin's Creed has massed over the years. From the original stealthier entries, to smaller, side-scrollers and mammoth RPGs, the series has gone to Ancient Egypt, Renaissance Italy, the Viking invasion of England and plenty more, and everyone has their own favourite time period, mission, or protagonist.Still, I'm not sure there's ever been as much riding on an entry in the series, which turns 18 years old this year. With regular delays, a wave of 'controversy' over its inclusion of a black man in Japan, and the ongoing rumblings over the sale of Ubisoft, there has never been a more important Assassin's Creed game than Shadows. Thankfully, after playing a few hours, it just might become my favourite entry since 2017's Origins.Even Yasuke can struggle against powerful opponentsAt a recent preview event at Ubisoft's offices, I was able to play a chunk of the game's prologue, before being let loose in one open world region to complete quests and activities. I'll avoid spoilers here, but I think it's important to state explicitly that the character of Yasuke, who has drawn so much criticism from some corners of the internet for being a black man in Feudal Japan, is a "fish out of water" who's reasons for being in the area are explained within the first five minutes.With that out of the way, Shadows is a gorgeous video game. Assassin's Creed Valhalla was a launch title for the current generation of consoles and looked great, while Mirage was certainly prettier but narrower in scope, but Shadows feels like a mix of the two in that it is almost impossibly detailed in places but doesn't sacrifice scale to achieve this.Assassin's Creed Shadows opens in explosive fashionYasuke's armour is packed with detail, from worn sections to fabric, while Naoe's hair flows realistically as she slinks through the darkness. In the earliest section of the game, players get to step into the shoes of both, kicking off what feels like an epic tale of revenge, albeit with political ramifications.The prologue certainly isn't a cheerful one, and it's much less playful than Mirage or Assassin's Creed 2's earliest moments with Ezio, but it lays out how each of our protagonists plays. I was a little worried things would be too dour, but in the later section of the game there's a little more levity here's hoping that continues throughout.Naoe is focused on getting in and getting out unseenYasuke is a physical fighter, capable of handily wielding two-handed weapons, but it's his movement that's more fun to experiment with. He's a little less sure in his parkour, often looking just as liable to teeter and fall as he is to make the next leap, and standing on a rope suspended between two rooftops (a common feature in just about every Assassin's Creed game so far) will see the rope snap and our hero plummet.Still, he's able to break down locked doors by charging, and doing so makes him feel incredibly powerful because it's tied to his sprint so doesn't take up an ability slot.On the other hand, Naoe is a shinobi, and she's just as fun to control for very different reasons. In the prologue, she has to sneak into an encampment and retrieve an item, but it's left up to the player how they choose to engage.Assassin's Creed Shadows can play like a classic, stealth-focused AC title if you preferI slipped through by sticking to the rooftops and picking guards off with throwing knives, while using her grappling hook to escape trouble. It's not quite as fast as I'd hoped, but I'd imagine that's to do with realism, and it's a nice way to give the parkour a rest for some higher vantage points.Sticking with the series' trademark movement, however, I think this might be the closest Ubisoft will ever get to perfecting it. It's fun to use, and just feels ever so slightly more refined than earlier titles. There's still an element of "no, don't go there, go the other way!" particularly in chase scenes, but they are fewer and further between.Yasuke lacks the agility to climb to certain points in the map, and will often suggest Naoe be a better choice. Switching between them isn't as instant as something like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (at least not on the PC build we played), but it's still very quick. Some missions will let you choose which character to use, but you can also switch freely between them in my experience, meaning if the brute force approach isn't working, you can switch to stealth or vice versa.Players can switch at any point, or at the start of a missionThe sanding down of those edges, paired with the option to play as either of the protagonists at any point in time, makes Assassin's Creed Shadows feel like the dream game for anyone with even a passing interest in the franchise. Prefer sneaking into heavily-guarded fortresses? Try Naoe, and sneak in. Looking for bombastic combat? Yasuke's your best bet.While some missions take place in the open world, others feel more akin to set-pieces, and they're fantastic. Leading an assault on what is essentially a fortress as either of the two characters in a race to save a comrade felt great, and offered plenty of opportunity to experiment with both Yasuke and Naoe.This story mission was particularly memorable, but I'll leave this spoiler-freeWhat struck me at multiple times in my demo session was just how tricky Shadows can be. Blocking and parrying windows are relatively small, and while Yasuke can take a hit or two and keep swinging, Naoe is much less able to withstand.Combat, perhaps more than any other entry, has a focus on disengaging when things don't go your way, or pivoting to another solution. One mission ended in an ambush, and while I attempted to stand my ground, I ended up having to sprint clear.Skirmishes reward quick target prioritisation, like spotting the ranged enemy before they shoot and taking them down. It's a far cry from the series' first entries and their 'instant counter kills', and it's all the better for it.There's even a whole base-building system I haven't seen yetWhile I did find both Yasuke and Naoe getting bloodied and bruised, I do wonder how the gear system (returning from Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins) will help factor into the game's challenge. I got through Origins with a pretty slick poison-focused build that carried me for much of the way, and I'm curious to see if those same possibilities will exist in Shadows.Speaking of the more RPG side of things, there are choices to be made but Shadows still occasionally drops the notion that those choices matter. One mission needed me to sneak into a home to speak to a civilian, but I used Yasuke to slay the guards instead. While the contact initially screamed, I was instantly able to trigger the dialogue and have a normal conversation with them, despite standing atop a small mountain of enemies. Sure, it's hardly a major plot point, but it's still lagging behind the kind of conversation-altering systems that The Witcher 3 had in 2015.I should note that as part of the preview, we didn't see any 'modern day' content focusing on the more contemporary side of the battle between the Templars and the Assassin's, but I did get to see the 'Animus Hub' which will seemingly be a launcher of sorts for Assassin's Creed. It'll let players jump across the timeline and helps put each entry in order, but I'd need to see how it looks when it launches to say whether it's worthwhile.Small nitpicks aside, I loved my time with Assassin's Creed Shadows and still felt as though I barely scratched the surface. Despite having the run of an entire region, opening the map showed me it was actually a very small section of the map.With so much more to see, including gear options and even a base-building system, I'm not sure I've ever been this excited for an Assassin's Creed title since Origins shook up the series in 2017.Article continues belowPreviewed on PC. Preview access provided by the publisher.RECOMMENDED

Maybe fans should just wait for a new trailer instead of trawling Rockstars social media posts for non-existent clues? (Rockstar)Red Dead Redemption 2s lead actor is as sick of all the GTA 6 trailer theories as the fans are, saying they havent the first f***ing clue.Its no secret that GTA 6 fans are hungry for new information, especially when Rockstar hasnt said anything about it since the 2023 reveal trailer.2024 saw several theories for when a second trailer would debut and all of them were pretty ludicrous (and wrong) hyper fixating on innocuous details, like an image of the moon and a motorbikes licence plate, from Rockstars social media posts.Earlier this week, the latest theory to make the rounds claims one such post is hinting at a new trailer releasing at the end of the month but theres no more reason to believe it than any of the other rumours. And not only are fans tired of such theory crafting, but so is Rockstar voice actor Roger Clark.While Clark has never acted in a GTA game before, he did star as protagonist Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, providing both the voice and performance capture.In a recent post to his X account, Clark makes his feelings on people trying to figure out when the next GTA 6 trailer will drop very clear: Please stop guessing when GTA 6 trailer two is dropping. Please. You havent the first f***ing clue and its beyond obvious now.Fans quickly took this as an opportunity to jokingly misconstrue Clarks words as its own hint at a trailer. Guys, its a hint. GTA*6*? Trailer *two*? Trailer is dropping February 6, replied dlwiest.PazyPlayz wrote: Breaking News: Roger Clark states GTA 6 trailer two is dropping and added its beyond obvious now.It must be stressed that, despite his association with Rockstar, Clark doesnt necessarily know anything about GTA 6 either, but even if he did he seems sensible enough not to leak it.In 2023, Clark explained how the companys incredibly strict NDA contracts mean voice actors would never discuss their involvement with GTA 6 without approval.More TrendingClark has also said hes certain a Red Dead Redemption 3 will happen one day, probably without him since his characters story was wrapped up in the last game, but this is based on his own speculation and not any insider info.As for GTA 6s actual cast, there have been theories about that too, with some fans thinking they tracked down the actress behind protagonist Lucia.Another theory posited that actor Bryan Zampella was playing the male lead, a theory he seemed happy to play along with without explicitly confirming anything.A new GTA 6 trailer will happen eventually, since the game is supposed to launch this autumn, so fans simply need to exercise some patience. Although it would be ironic if said trailer does drop this month after all. Even if GTA 6 is delayed, Rockstar will likely have something new to show before the end of the year (Rockstar)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.GameCentralSign up for exclusive 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

As consumer companies including Apple and Samsung start opening up their hardware products to independent repair, and legislators put pressure on companies like John Deere to do the same, others are resisting the right-to-repair movement. A medical device company that makes a machine for heart surgeries has told hospitals recently that it will no longer allow their in-house technicians to repair the devices themselves. Hospitals will now need to enter into repair contracts directly with the manufacturer. Terumo Cardiovascular makes the product, called the Advanced Perfusion System 1 Heart Lung Machine, which reroutes blood during open-heart surgeries to keep a patient alive during surgery. According to 404 Media, Terumo told hospitals last month that it will stop offering certification classes for repairs of the devices. The job of an independent repair technician used to be more commonplacethere were individuals who could fix everything from TVs to dishwashers and automobiles. But today more hardware is filled with chips and software, and companies like Apple have said the software on their devices is copyrighted intellectual property; allowing anyone to look under the hood and conduct modifications could lead to security or reliability risks. Apple has begun loosening its grip on repairs somewhat, after years of criticism over the hypocrisy of committing to environmental sustainability while simultaneously hampering repairs that could extend device lifespans. The company now offers official replacement parts and repair tools for some devices with plans to expand this support in the future. Reports suggest it is still complicated to repair an iPhone independently, but it is a start. Samsung also supports independent repair of its smartphones. In many cases, however, devices today are more like services. Instead of buying a refrigerator or smart thermostat once and being able to do with it whatever the owner would like, any type of upgrade or fix often requires returning to the company that sold it. Research suggests it is a fundamental reason we have so much waste in the world today. TV will not turn on? Either get it fixed under warranty or throw it away, because getting a new one may just be cheaper.Turning hardware into essentially a service is inherently inflationary due to lock-in. If there were an open market for repairs of devices like Terumos, it is possible hospitals could get a better price. Case in point: in a report, the Federal Trade Commission found that medical device manufacturers sometimes charge 2-3 times what an independent technician would charge. And U.S. healthcare costs are already astronomically high as is. To see how things could be, look no further than automobiles of yore. For a long time, independent auto body shops flourished. BMWs or Fords could be repaired by anyone with a wrench and some elbow work. But as cars too become more computerized, access to digital information is required to diagnose and fix problems, like a malfunctioning backup camera.Lawmakers have recently complained that like medical device companies, the automakers are making it difficult for independent repair companies to access software data and diagnostics under the same guise that it would risk security. And they are doing so in violation of right-to-repair laws passed in states including Massachusetts explicitly to enable independent shops to access software diagnostics. The harms of lock-in are clear. There are few independent repair shops that can service Teslasbesides high prices, owners of those vehicles have complained about slow or poor service from the companys official technicians. In the case of Terumo, what if it is too slow to respond when a critical device is in need of repair for surgeries? Terumo has of course argued that medical devices are sensitive and complex, and allowing anyone to repair them risks patient safety. It also told 404 that the company saw declining demand for participation in its training program. But if Apple can figure out how to make third-party repairs work, maybe Terumo can too. Hospital repair technicians are technicians after allthey should able to do whatever Terumos in-house technicians can.

Magic: The Gathering has played with dozens upon dozens of genres and moods over its long historybut racing and sci-fantasy card game arent exactly the first things that come to mind when you think of potential mashups. Thats changing in Magics next major expansion, and weve got a look at some of the new cards lining up at the starting block. Centered around a multiversal racing tournament, Aetherdrift is built around the plane inMagics vast cosmology formerly known as Kaladesh (recently renamed to Avishkar ahead ofAetherdrifts release due to controversial interpretations of its inspiration from Hindi), as 10 racing teams vie for success across the planes as they race in the Ghirapur Grand Prix, a glitzy celebration of Avishkars history of underground racing offering a fascinating top prize: the Aetherspark, a mysterious device that theoretically holds the power to let its wielder use the powers of a Planeswalker, even if they lack the latent power to be one. But to even nab a chance at getting the Aetherspark, youre going to need a rideand Aetherdrift has plenty to offer in its new cards, such as Possession Engine, which you can check out below in all its variants! Magic: The Gathering Aetherdrift Preview: Possession Engine Leroy Steinmann/Wizards of the Coast Douglas P. Lobo/Wizards of the Coast Leroy Steinmann/Wizards of the Coast Douglas P. Lobo/Wizards of the Coast As you can see in the preview above ofPossession Engine (with borderless alternate art as well as matching gold-trimmed booster fun variants), the Vehicle subtype for artifact cards will have a major role inAetherdrift. While vehicles have appeared inMagic before, now many of them inAetherdrift come with a new mechanic, Crew, abilities activated tapping a certain number of untapped creatures you control with total power greater than the required number. InPossession Engines case, having the right amount of crew will let you target one of your opponents creatures, stopping them from being able to either attack or block as long as its in play. Magic: The Gathering Aetherdrift Preview: Marshals Pathcruiser Javier Charro/Wizards of the Coast Michal Ivan/Wizards of the Coast Crew isnt the only new mechanic coming inAetherdriftMarshals Pathcruiser above, its Exhaust ability lets it swap Artifact subtypes from Vehicle to creature (which would allow it to be used as crew for other Vehicles), and beef up its stats with two extra +1/+1 counters. Youll be able to see these cards, and many more, in action whenMagic: The Gathering Aetherdrift hits shelves starting February 14. 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.

Kindergarten Torricella / celoria ArchitectsSave this picture! Franco MatteiKindergartenTorricella-Taverne, SwitzerlandArchitects: celoria ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:1500 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2021 PhotographsPhotographs:Franco Mattei Lead Architects: Aldo Celoria More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. In this compartment, the construction of various public school and sports facilities is planned in stages, including the construction of the Kindergarten as the first work. The School, according to the building parameters, is to be located above the existing Civil Defence Shelter. Functional spaces such as the kitchen, storerooms, technical rooms and service entrances are to be located at the level of the shelter so as to be connected to it at altitude.Save this picture!The planning project planned for the Traversee area is characterized by the presence of an infrastructure wall that involves and redefines the relationships between the individual elements in the context.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The wall becomes an object of interpretation for the project, characterizing the pedestrian walkway as a basement. The Kindergarten is primarily conceived as an infrastructural element that becomes an integral part of and concludes the elevated plinth walk. The building rests on the podium with the same expression by juxtaposing two new horizontal lines of the two floors of the School. These three parts have the same abstract language drawing three horizontal lines. From earth to sky the three lines gradually taper off. The identity of the intervention is created by this indissoluble tripartition, whose public vocation is on the podium. The building is a compact volume, organized on three floors. A ramp provided according to the planning project connects the floor of the future sports fields to the pedestrian walkway planned for the entrance to the School.Save this picture!The east and west fronts of the School are glazed, expressing horizontal linearity and reinforcing the transparent transverse connection between the park area and the sports field area. The north and south fronts, on the other hand, are blind and define the head and end of the architectural body. On the outside, the area reserved for the enclosed garden of the Kindergarten is to be modelled. The natural terrain and spaces currently dedicated to the public park and grove will remain unchanged.Save this picture!The reading of the project is conceived on several levels, from the territorial scale to the scale of the child. The four sections are characterized by a rhythm of solids and voids. The structure and the connecting vertical volumes define the four spaces of the Kindergarten sections. The four entrances welcome the children into the atrium. From this space, one can go upstairs or reach the movement space. This space can, if necessary, be divided by a movable wall. From the movement rooms, one can access the covered paved area outside and thus reach the green garden.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Torricella Taverne (TI), SwitzerlandLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeceloria ArchitectsOfficeMaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on January 23, 2025Cite: "Kindergarten Torricella / celoria Architects" 23 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026038/kindergarten-torricella-celoria-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

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