Article includes descriptions written by Robert Falchi.If you're searching for your next new game to play, Humble Choice January is now live, and this is the perfect bundle to discover something new! Each month, Humble Choice curates a selection of games for members to redeem. For January 2025, this includes games like Blasphemous 2, Against the Storm, Jagged Alliance 3, and more. This deal will only be available for a limited time, so check out the details below on how you can score this Humble Choice bundle!Humble Choice January 2025 GamesHumble Choice$11.99 at Humble BundleThis month, Humble Choice includes a total of eight different games that you can add to your library. With a wide variety of genres, developers, and publishers, this is a great way to find a new favorite game. One of the biggest games available this month is Against the Storm, an incredibly high-rated city builder that takes place in a dark fantasy world where you build out a customizable city. There's also Jagged Alliance 3, which we gave a 9/10 to in our review. You can check out the full list of games below:Against the StormJagged Alliance 3Blasphemous 2Beneath OresaFort SolisBoxes: Lost FragmentsDordogneThe Pegasus ExpeditionIn addition to these games, you can also score up to 20% off select games on the Humble Store! The longer that you have an active subscription, the more rewards you can unlock. 5% of each Humble Choice purchase also supports a charity that rotates monthly, with January's supporting Make-A-Wish, an organization that works to bring wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Don't miss out on this month's amazing Humble Choice selection!Against the StormIn Against the Storm, your enemy isnt a rival army or an alien threat, but the Blightstorma cataclysmic death-rain from above. This dark fantasy city builder blends everything you love about the genre with unique roguelite elements, delivering a one-of-a-kind experience with endless replayability. You play as the Viceroy, a general appointed by the Scorched Queen and tasked with reclaiming the wilderness from the Blightstorm. Lead a diverse group of magical creaturesfoxes, beavers, lizards, humans, and harpieseach with unique skills to help build and defend your growing network of village strongholds.Building and maintaining the new cities you develop across the land is the backbone of the experience in Against the Storm, and that gameplay loop is dialed in perfectly.Jagged Alliance 3The tactical turn-based strategy combat fans love about the Jagged Alliance series is back in an exciting new entry. Jagged Alliance 3 takes players to the fictional nation of Grand Chien, a land rich in natural resources but torn apart by deep political divides. When the newly elected president goes missing, and a rogue terrorist organization known as The Legion seizes control, chaos ensues.Its now up to you and a massive roster of interesting, memorable, and powerful mercenaries to retake Grand Chien, rescue the president, and restore order. Every decision you make, both on and off the battlefield, will shape the fate of the country. Will you engage in smaller, calculated skirmishes or launch bold, all-out assaults? The presidents family has entrusted these choices to you and your teamfailure is not an option!Blasphemous 2Platform, parry, and ponder the deeper meanings of good and evil in Blasphemous 2. This Metroidvania side scroller packages exceptional retro-inspired visuals with exciting modern sensibilities in devastating fashion. This story begins after the Wounds of Eventide DLC from the original game, where The Heart announced the return of The Miracle and predicted the birth of a new and powerful child of miracles.Combat is bombastic and brutal with a wide range of new weapons to obliterate hordes of disgusting enemies. Fight with righteous zeal and unrivaled rage across multiple levels within a non-linear world. The grotesque landscapes and eerie castles ooze with gothic charm and unknown dangers. Fight with justice and strength in Blasphemous 2 today.Beneath OresaControl the field of play and dominate your opponents with style in Beneath Oresa. This fighting roguelike deckbuilder mixes strategy with stylized cellshaded visuals to deliver a dynamic experience unlike any other. As a mighty hero, choose your companion, and deck of cards to win fast-paced missions across a variety of environments where positioning is key. Line up enemies for super attacks, move to avoid their counterattacks, or position the bad guys to knock into each other for double damage! Own the arena with upgradable cards that bend to your style of play, and unique companion skills that magnify your existing techniques. Do you have what it takes to arise victorious in Beneath Oresa?Fort SolisFort Solis offers a refreshing take on the thriller genre with a story-rich narrative, stunning visuals, and all-star voice talent. Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan, Red Dead Redemption II) and Troy Baker (Joel Miller, The Last of Us) headline a stellar ensemble of memorable voice actors, enriching every scene with their gripping and realistic performances.Descend into the dark and desolate Martian mining base, Fort Solis, and search for a lost crew as protagonist Jack Leary. The narrative is structured into four chapters and is designed to be enjoyed either in one sitting or episodically. Fort Solis aims to deliver an immersive gaming experience through realistic audio logs, surveillance footage, and more. Experience the fear, excitement, and empathy of Fort Solis for yourself.Boxes: Lost FragmentsPuzzle-solving gameplay in a whole new light. Step into the shoes of a master thief on a job gone wrong in this atmospheric 3D point-and-click adventure. The mission? A seemingly simple heistget in and get out. But everything spirals out of control when you stumble upon a series of mysterious and powerful puzzle boxes.Boxes: Lost Fragments is a puzzle-centric title with stunning, unique level design that delivers some of the most perplexing and satisfying puzzles youll encounter. Will you escape this formidable mansion, or will its suffocating yet lavish walls trap you forever?DordogneWholesome games that warm your heart never go out of style, and Dordogne is one of the most charming and heartfelt around. Immerse yourself in the breathtaking landscapes of Dordogne, brought to life with stunning hand-painted watercolor visuals that exude charm and artistry.Reconcile your past and present as Mimi, a young adult returning to her childhood village following the passing of her grandmother. Along the way, collect photos, sounds, and scents to expand your personal journal and uncover the secrets of Mimis life. Embark on this heartwarming narrative experience today!The Pegasus ExpeditionSurvive and conquer the unknown to save humanity in The Pegasus Expedition. With Earth beyond salvation, you are tasked with leading the Zeus Link fleet on a mission to find a new home in the distant Pegasus Galaxy. This story-driven grand sci-fi adventure combines classic 4X gameplay with a compelling narrative. Manage your forces, forge alliances, advance technology, and oversee the economy while making crucial decisions as crises emerge and events unfold.Strategic planning is the key to success in The Pegasus Expedition. Engage in espionage and all-out war to battle rival factions in a galaxy that feels truly alive. The longer your expedition lasts, the greater the resistance you'll face. Take command of the fleet today and shape humanity's future!About Humble ChoiceIf you're unfamiliar with Humble Choice, this program from Humble Bundle offers a curated mix of PC games each month, delivered in the form of Steam keys. This monthly membership costs $11.99, and you can guaranteed at least $200 worth of games! You can skip or even cancel your membership at any time. Best of all, each month, 5% of your subscription will be donated to a charity. The featured charity rotates each month, with January memberships supporting Make-A-Wish!

TVs may be an investment, but they are one of the most used gadgets in your home. You dont want to get some cheap screen with lackluster picture quality and a short lifespan just to save a few bucks. Instead, you should look for ways to spend less on the best TV ready for all your gaming and streaming needs. Luckily there are TV deals all year, so you never really have to pay full price for a new TV if you know when to look. Everyones aware of the discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and admittedly those sales often render the most savings if you can score the best deals. However, there are other times throughout the year you can find major savings on the best gaming TVs or quality 4K TVs. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl every year, the biggest TV-watching event of the year, youll often enjoy savings. Combine that with most manufacturers releasing new models for the spring, and you'll discover that right now is actually a great time to find a deal on older TVs. That said, there are always more upcoming sales events, like holiday weekends and Amazon Prime Day, on the horizon.Best Times to Buy a TVBlack Friday and Cyber MondayWhat was once a huge shopping day following Thanksgiving has now expanded into a couple weeks in November for sales on everything you can think of. TVs often have some of the deepest discounts of the year, and its one of the best times to look out for one. Youll find many lower-quality TVs for rock bottom prices, which could be handy for a guest bedroom or kid's playroom. Higher-end and newer models of TVs that came out in the spring are also often discounted, so youre bound to find a deal suited for you.Black Friday used to be exclusively for in-store shopping, where youd see people camping outside retailers like Best Buy and Walmart the night before to score the limited inventory and low prices. There are still some incredible TV deals only for in-store purchases, but theyre mostly just advertised to get people in the store, and the stock will more than likely be gone unless you get there early. If you have a specific TV youre searching for, just be sure to snag it quickly during these deals in 2025.Cyber Monday is online shopping's answer to Black Friday. Its simply when youll find the best deals shopping from online retailers. Amazon offers sales similar to Prime Day, which happens in the summer (and now in October), where youll find a variety of TV deals that are often available for a very limited time with a small stock. Other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart participate in Cyber Monday, and those stores will also have similar sales in-store. Before the Super BowlAfter the holiday rush comes one of the biggest TV-watching events of the year: The Super Bowl. Many retailers have better TV availability around mid-January and early February, as stock should be back after shoppers made their purchases during the holiday sales events. Therefore, in the weeks leading up to the big game, youll see great savings on TVs, including many massive screens. Typically, older models will go on sale first with better discounts, but you can still find a great deal on a newer TV. Right now, we're already seeing Super Bowl deals on Samsung OLED TVs. Early January is also when many TV manufacturers announce their newest models at the Consumer Electronics Show (See details about CES 2025 for the TVs you can expect to be on sale). That means some stores will be looking to get rid of their stock of older models to make room for the latest televisions coming in spring. SpringtimeIf youre seeking out a specific brand of television, be it Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL, etc., many of those manufacturers release their latest TVs in the Springtime, starting around March and running through Memorial Day weekend. That means you may find deals on the older models of those TVs at that time as retailers want to make room for the new crop. Most manufacturers usually make minimal changes to the older models successor, so you wont miss out on many features if you choose to purchase last year's version. Amazon Prime DayPrime Day was once an Amazon Prime exclusive sale that started in mid-July to celebrate their birthday, but now other retailers join in with similar deals. Walmart, Best Buy, and a variety of other retailers put on their own sales around the same time, attempting to compete with the online retail giant. Some will even match prices.Amazon Prime Day generally lasts a few days during mid July and is only for Prime members. When it comes to TVs, youll often find deep discounts similar to the sales seen around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, many of the best TV deals are on older models. Be sure to keep your eye on the site, as deals are constantly added throughout the two-day sales event. All-in-all, Prime Day is still not as good as Black Friday when you compare the total number of sales across all retailers.Holiday WeekendsIf youre desperate for a new TV and dont want to wait, many retailers will have special sales during long holiday weekends, like Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. These discounts often arent as great, and your TV selection is more limited, but youll still be able to score a decent deal on a TV.The next holiday weekend to be ready for is Labor Day weekend. You can most likely expect Labor Day sales to kick off the weekend before and last through Labor Day itself, which takes place on Monday, September 1.TV Release Cycles MatterIts important to pay attention to the TV release cycle to find the best discounts on TVs, especially if youre looking to buy the latest and greatest releases. In January, at the massive consumer tech conference, CES, is when many manufacturers will announce their upcoming models. Come springtime, starting around March, those new models start to roll out, with many retailers placing deeper discounts on older models. Youll still see releases into the summer. If youre looking to grab one of the newest models, prices often dont drop until the fall. When you hold out until Black Friday and Cyber Monday, youll see the best deals on the latest TVs. TV Brands With New ProductsMost of the notable TV brands release updated and new models of their TVs every year. We go over them below: SamsungSamsung has shifted its focus to higher-end models of TVs, and therefore, there's a limited selection when it comes to more budget-friendly options. We dont see a very big change from last year's lineup, with many new models offering minor upgrades from their predecessors. This crop of Samsung televisions continues promise better brightness, improvements to the mini-LED and Quantum Dot (QD-OLED) backlighting, along with upgrades to their already excellent gaming features. LGLG's OLED evo TVs are getting a few upgrades in 2025, including AI features for more personalization and an upgraded "Brightness Booster Ultimate" technology. For gamers, LG's new G5 TV will sport a 4K 165Hz5 variable refresh rate, aiming to decrease lag and frame stuttering. HisenseHisense continues to make a name for itself in the TV game with its 2025 lineup. Many of their higher-end ULED models now offer a 144Hz refresh rate for a better gaming experience. The 136" MicroLED TV is a stunning, large display that utilizes mini-LED technology to "eliminate traditional backlight limitations."VizioIn 2024, Vizio made a few small improvements to its latest TVs with some added features and better LED performance. They have also removed the top-line P-series model from their roster. Youll still get to choose from the mid-range M-series and the more budget-minded V-series. If youre okay with a 1080p resolution and a smaller screen, you can also grab the D-series on the cheap. TCLTCL made major changes to its TV lineup back in 2024. They introduced Q- and S-series, with their flagship model being the TCL QM8. At CES 2025, TCL announced a new entry-level Mini LED TV: the QM6K. Models are already available at 65", 75", and 85", with smaller size hitting the market later this year. RokuYes, thats right. Last year, Roku, the brand known for streaming devices and putting their smart technology into many other manufacturers' TVs, decided to branch out with its own lineup of Roku TVs. 11 different models range in size from 24 to 75 inches that are all designed for streaming first and foremost. The Roku Plus options will come with the Voice Remote Pro which features hands-free voice commands and rechargeable batteries, while the Roku Select models come with the more basic Roku Voice Remote. You can get access to the Roku Channel without a Roku streaming device, so you don't need to get a Roku-integrated TV to take advantage of the free streaming service.Top Budget TVs You Can Buy NowIf you're ready to shop right now, we keep an ongoing list of the latest TV deals worth shopping. We also have some top budget picks if you aren't necessarily in need of a sale. Below we've detailed some of our favorite cheap TVs you can buy in 2025:Hisense 65U6NGrab this TV for accurate colors, solid contrast, and a wealth of features for a surprisingly low price. See it at AmazonTCL 55Q750GStunning QLED TV that delivers impressive contrast and brightness and can even hit 144Hz in 4K with VRR enabled, all while remaining affordable.See it at AmazonHisense 50U6HFAn ultra-affordable TV offering Amazon Fire TV OS for simple streaming and smart home capabilities. See it at AmazonDanielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.

From the very first time we were introduced to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at last Junes Xbox Games Showcase, it was clear we were witnessing something special. And, every time this incredible-looking games debut developer, Sandfall Interactive, has dropped tantalizing glimpses of its debut game since then, hype levels among RPG enjoyers only continue to rise.Which brings us to todays Developer_Direct, where we traveled to Montpellier, France to meet the minds behind one of the most exciting new RPGs in years, and learn more than ever before. After establishing that this surprisingly small team of creators works out of a French manor(!), the development team peeled back even more layers of their finely crafted mille feuille of an RPG, revealing delicious details on the games emotional story, original world, how its gameplay innovates on classics of the genre. They also shared its April 24 release date; you can pre-order here and play it day one with Game Pass!Recently I caught up with a couple members of the Expedition 33 team for a recording of the Official Xbox Podcast airing soon where they kindly shared even more details on what weve just seen.From that first reveal, the depth of Expedition 33s turn-based combat proved immediately arresting; the implementation of real-time elements (like dodging or parrying), the variety of moves at players disposal, and the stylish visual flourishes that accompany it all. As nice as it shows up on screen, the team wanted to ensure that the gameplay had the depth to back up its showstopping looks.We didnt want the game to just be a pretty face, Guillaume Broche, CEO & Creative Director, told us. We wanted it to be like a game that feels like a real game. So every character has their own playstyle and you can really play them in a lot of different ways but they also feel very different from each other, and they all have their unique mechanics and their unique skill tree. During Developer_Direct, Sandfall explained another aspect of Expedition 33s deep customization of characters and playstyle, which you set up before you enter battle. The games innovative Pictos, modifiers tied to gear, evolve into passive abilities referred to as Lumina after four battles.For example, one character, Lune has a mechanic whereby every time she casts a skill, she will generate a Stain, up to four at a time. She can then consume these Stains across the battle, amplifying her abilities in various ways; the (pardon the pun) magic is in finding the right combination for your playstyle. Each character boasts their own unique mechanic, from Gustaves Overcharged arm to Sciels use of Sun and Moon-based Foretell charges.So whats very cool is that, when you play through the game, you will change your equipment a lot and you will get more and more Lumina and at the end of the game you have a full list of passives that you can either activate or deactivate, and this allows some crazy build opportunities, Broche explained. This is where we really make some crazy combos, and this is where we expect players to really break the game and we hope they break the game, because its made for that!For all the strategic options on offer, its the visceral, real-time elements of the turn-based battle system that leap front and center in every bit of gameplay weve seen. While this is a crucial part of gameplay, and will certainly appeal to those looking for an experience which challenges both mind and reflexes, Broche assures those of us lacking, shall we say, Sekiro-caliber timing will have options:So youre not supposed to parry everything, of course, that would be far too hard. So we have difficulty options in the game, and depending on the difficulty options the parry window and dodge window will be bigger or smaller if you are playing in Hard mode, and you dont dodge at least 50% of the attacks, you will have some trouble. If you are in Normal, its a bit more [forgiving] than that, and if you are in Easy if you build your characters correctly, at least, you will go by without having to be a master dodger.All this strategic depth comes to life through dynamic camerawork and the alien beauty of the world of Expedition 33, inspired by the Art Deco style of Frances Belle Epoque era. Art Director Nicholas Maxson-Francombe explains that he wanted to avoid replicating things hes already experienced across a lifetime of playing games:I just wanted to get out of the stuff that weve just seen a million times, science fiction, to space, or zombies, all that kind of stuff. I just wanted to get my head out of there and see what I can try to come up with that was original for me personally.Most of the research [I did was into] ceramic textures actually there are some very original shapes that I saw. Those shapes really inspired me to come up with the enemies that we see today in the game. Also, it helps for the environments as well. It was a [painterly] vibe mixed with ceramics and going with crazy colors all over the place. It does help that theres an amazing story behind it!These inspirations really come together on the navigable world map, another Developer_Direct reveal. This is, yet again, inspired by JRPGs of the past, modernized, and planned by Broche from the start.Since the day I started working on this project in Unreal engine, I wanted a world map, he said. I feel like its such a cool thing that has almost completely disappeared from the face of the gaming industry. Like, nobody does that anymore, and for me it was such a crucial and important part of what made the old-school JRPGs unique. Its this sense of travelling and [indicating that] we are an expedition and we wanted the player to feel like theyre going on a grand journey.This is when the size of Expedition 33s world really comes into focus. Broche elaborates: In the beginning, it seems extremely, extremely big. And it is very big. There are a lot of levels to find hidden bosses to find also on this world map; there are tons of secrets. And thats also what makes a world map super cool, because its just like it feels like a completely different exploration game and really makes you understand how much youre travelling.As much as weve seen, theres still plenty more that Expedition 33 has waiting for us, including a camping system and a mechanic where you battle merchants to unlock more of their wares. Its all very ambitious for a relatively small team but once again, every time this team peels back a layer, we cant help but be impressed with what theyre building. Expedition 33 might be standing on the shoulders of giants, but its beginning to look like it could become an RPG touchpoint all of its own.That isnt all we have for you on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; in an upcoming episode of The Official Xbox Podcast, the team at Sandfall Interactive shares additional behind-the-scenes insights into the development of the game, including a new gameplay video. Pre-order today and look out for it on Xbox Wire, YouTube, and Official Xbox Podcast feeds next week!Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Kepler Interactive$49.99Pre-orderYear by year, She erases us.Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow shell wake and paint 33. And tomorrow we depart on our final mission Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again.We are Expedition 33.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Explore a fantasy world inspired by Belle poque France in which you battle devastating enemies.Reactive Turn-based CombatIn this evolution of JRPGs, real-time actions enhance the heart of turn-based combat. Craft unique builds for your Expeditioners that fit your playstyle via gear, stats, skills, and character synergies. Open an active dimension in combat dodge, parry, and counter in real time, chain combos by mastering attack rhythms, and target enemy weak points using a free aim system. Tomorrow ComesWith only one year left to live, join Gustave, Maelle, and their fellow Expeditioners as they embark upon a desperate quest to break the Paintress cycle of death. Follow the trail of previous expeditions and discover their fate. Get to know the members of Expedition 33 as they learn to work together against impossible odds.A Hauntingly Beautiful WorldExplore an enchanting realm populated by surreal adversaries. Wander through breathtaking landscapes, from the Island of Visages to the Forgotten Battlefield, discovering secrets and hidden quests along the way. Find allies of fortune in creatures of legend. Recruit special companions to access new travel methods and discover secret areas in the World Map.Experience the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, fully realized in Unreal Engine 5 with stunning graphics and a heartbreaking soundtrack.

Zaire Lanier, Writer & Narrative Designer at Compulsion Games PublishedJanuary 23, 2025 SummarySouth of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, cloud, and play it on day one with Game Pass. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, play on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloud with full cross-entitlements and cross-saves. Pre-orders are available now.Play up to five days early, starting April 3, 2025, and get access to digital extras with the Premium Edition. You can upgrade if you purchase the Standard Edition or are playing with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC.Check out the all-new story trailer here, and hear directly from Compulsion Games, the creators behind South of Midnight, in their segment from Developer_Direct here.Today was a big day for all of us at Compulsion Games. In addition to being a part of Developer_Direct, where members of our studio team shared more about the gameplay, look, and feel of South of Midnight, our third-person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South, we announced our release date of April 8, 2025, and early access beginning April 3. If that wasnt enough, we also released our brand-new story trailer, which expands on the narrative of South of Midnight, while including all-new gameplay, characters, and mythical creatures from the game. Were so excited to share more about South of Midnight, which is available now for pre-orders. The Story of South of MidnightIn our story trailer, protagonist Hazel and her mother are preparing for the impending hurricane. The storm proves massive, causing catastrophic flooding-and causing their own home to be swept down river with her mother in it. Its aftermath shows the fictional town of Prospero, located in the southern United States, eerily calm while irrevocably changed from the hurricanes destruction. Here, Hazel undertakes a journey in search of her mother, while finding out more about herself and her familys lineage in the process.Hazel begins to see fantastical phenomena all over Prospero, including meeting Catfish, an enormous and talking creature in his own right, stuck in a tree following the hurricanes destruction. Catfish tells Hazel she is a Weaver, someone who possesses magical powers and can see how our threads connect to form the woven tapestry of our fates. As Hazel, players will learn with her to use her powers, overcoming obstacles such as defeating enemies and removing barriers, from conjuring past incarnations of objects to use them to overcome traversal and puzzle challenges, to combat-based spells to take on the biggest foes. As Jasmin Roy, South of Midnights Game Director highlighted during Developer_Direct, Push, Pull, and Weave are some of the spells at your disposal that give you a tactical advantage during a fight. Timing is everything. Pull distant enemies close to start melee combos, push them back to interrupt and stun their attack, then press the advantage with follow-up strikes.Behind each monster is a haunting pastSpeaking of these creatures, we show a few different types of enemies and characters Hazel will encounter. Youll see Haints, which are an enemy class that comes in many forms, with Hazel using her weaving powers and magical tools to unravel the corruption afflicting these creatures and the environment around them, and return the area to reality. Theres also a glimpse of Two-Toed Tom, the blind albino alligator the size of an island, whom we shared in our gameplay reveal trailer in 2024. A new mythical creature shown for the first time is Huggin Molly. Inspired by a Southern legend, Huggin Molly is a monstrous woman-spider. Her dress is a quilt patchwork made from childrens clothes and her trademark red yarn that she spins like a web. Folks say Huggin Molly still ventures out of her mountain lair to snatch random children that wander off from town. But everyone seems to tell a different version of Mollys story. We also provided glimpses of other creatures including The Rougarou, a shapeshifting were-owl who lives in a dense, dark forest at the edge of the mountain.A love letter to the SouthOur town, Prospero, and its outskirts are a composite of a number of Southern-inspired locations from flooded country sides, abysmal swamps and Appalachian mountains. And while the game features all sorts of creatures, pulled directly from Southern Fairytales, at its heart it is a story about family and healing. When South of Midnight releases on April 8, 2025, players will be able to see first-hand our commitment to narrative-rich storytelling, mixed with third-person action, in an experience that will take most players between 10-12 hours to complete. Were also excited that soon press and creators from around the world will be receiving a pre-release build of South of Midnight so they can play it themselves, in order to share their first previews impressions publicly. Well be sharing a special preview ourselves on Compulsion Games and Xbox channels, so stay tuned for more in February.Get ready to start your adventureSouth of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, and play it on day one with Game Pass. If you want to immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight early, get the Premium Edition to play up to 5 days early, and get access to digital extras. If you purchase the Standard Edition or are playing with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC and decide you want the Premium Edition, you can upgrade at any time with the Premium Upgrade Edition to get up to five days early access, and access to these digital extras (English only):South of Midnight Artbook: Compulsion Games presents The Art of South of Midnight. Organized by the games story chapters, this abundant visual gallery includes never-before-seen character art, environmental art, iconography, artist commentary, and more from Compulsions modern Southern Gothic folktale.Original Soundtrack: Inspired by the haunting allure of the Southern gothic Deep South, the South of Midnight original soundtrack blends traditional Southern-style music with a dark, otherworldly essence. With visionary composer Olivier Deriviere at its helm, the dynamic soundtrack features performances by Southern artists and incorporates traditional instruments to create a diegetic musical narrative that evolves in response to the players actions and environment. From soulful blues to lively honky-tonk, each song invokes the regions rich cultural history, immersing players in an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere where reality and myth collide.The Boo-Hag Digital Comic Book: Compulsion Games has teamed up with award-winning comic book artist and writer Rob Guillory to create The Boo Hag, a digital comic book set in the South of Midnightuniverse. Presented in full color, The Boo Hag explores protagonist Hazels encounter with an infamous mythical creature from Deep South mythos, giving readers the chance to dive even deeper into the games fantastical and folkloric world.Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight: Feel the magic of South of Midnights lyrically driven narrative music with Songs & Tales From South of Midnight, a visual compilation featuring three selected songs from the South of MidnightOST. This field recording-style music video showcases and celebrates the diverse range of Southern musical genres that define South of Midnights soundtrack, all while telling a cohesive story through delightfully haunting visuals.Documentary: Weaving Hazels Journey, Directors Cut: Weaving Hazels Journey: A South of Midnight Documentary(Directors Cut) offers fans an extended look at the development of Compulsion Games third-person action-adventure South of Midnight. This directors cut explores in even greater detail the teams world-building process and inspirations drawn from Deep South folktales, featuring exclusive interviews and commentary from various Compulsion Games developers across multiple disciplines, including gameplay, narrative, art, music, and more. Minimum PC SpecsTo play South of Midnight on PC, you will need the following minimum PC specs: CPU: AMDRyzen 3 1300X / Intel i3-8100 GPU: AMD RX 580 / Nvidia GTX 1060 Memory: 12GB RAM Storage: SSD required (55GB install size) DirectX: 12South of MidnightXbox Game StudiosGet it nowFrom the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and if she's lucky find her way to a place that feels like home.A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity.CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURESWield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry.HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTHDiscover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.

Apples developer site has shared news of a new API coming for apps that will offer expanded options for managing In-App Purchases. Its called the Advanced Commerce API, and heres what we know so far.Advanced Commerce API gives more flexibility to App Store developersHeres the official announcement:The AppStore facilitates billions of transactions annually to help developers grow their businesses and provide a world-class customer experience. To further support developers evolving business models such as exceptionally large content catalogs, creator experiences, and subscriptions with optional add-ons were introducing the AdvancedCommerceAPI.Developers can apply to use the AdvancedCommerceAPI to support eligible AppStore business models and more flexibly manage their In-App Purchases within their app. These purchases leverage the power of the trusted AppStore commerce system, including end-to-end payment processing, tax support, customer service, and more, so developers can focus on providing great app experiences.Apples announcement also includes a link where developers can learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process.As of the time Im publishing, however, that link is redirecting to Apples standard In-App Purchase page for developers. Initially, the link was broken altogether.Hopefully Apple will get the page up that contains more details soon. But for now, it sounds like Apple is expanding the ways that developers can manage In-App Purchases for their apps.Whatever the full details turn out to be, more options and greater flexibility seem like great changes no matter what.Are you a developer interested in using this new App Store API? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Three weeks into 2025, Apple has now updated its CarPlay website with one small, but noteworthy change: CarPlay 2 is no longer promised to arrive in 2024, thus confirming the delay.Apple, however, says its work on next generation CarPlay continuesUpdated CarPlay site removes promised launch date, but Apple confirms ongoing developmentApples plans to ship CarPlay 2 (next generation of CarPlay) have hit an official delay.Apples website has been updated to remove any reference to a 2024 deadline (first seen by MacRumors).In a statement to 9to5Mac, however, Apple said that it is still working with several automakers to implement the next generation CarPlay experience:The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay.Each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay.All throughout 2024, Apples CarPlay site claimed that the first models with CarPlay 2 would arrive in 2024.Even in December, the language remained unchanged, leading some (myself included) to believe a launch announcement would arrive just before the deadline passed.The same thing had played out the prior year, for example, when Apple promised the first CarPlay 2-supporting automakers would be announced. They kept that promise, just barely, with a December news drop.But in 2024, Apples new CarPlay deadline came and went with no change.Whats next after CarPlay 2s delay?Plenty of signs exist that Apples still working on its new CarPlay system, beyond the statement shared abovebut its just not ready yet.Personally, Id love to see Apple take CarPlay in a new direction by building CarPlay 2 tools into the existing system. That way, millions of existing CarPlay users can benefit from the upgrades.For now though, all we know is that Apple and its automaker partners are continuing to develop the next generation of CarPlayand all we can do is wait.Are you interested in getting CarPlay 2, or would you prefer that the first CarPlay just got better? Let us know in the comments.Best CarPlay accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Yikes.Dirty MoneyPresident Donald Trump's $500 billion AI infrastructure project, dubbed Stargate, is receiving a ton of fundingfrom an Abu Dhabi-based investment company called MGX which is led by the United Arab Emirates' president's brother, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan.According to The Information, the firm is contributing roughly $7 billion to the project, which is hoping to raise $100 billion to build out AI infrastructure in the United Statesbefore expanding that figure to a half trillion in several years' time.Tahnoun is in charge of a $1.5 trillion empire, reflecting of the UAE's vast crude oil wealth. He also has a strong interest AI, quickly emerging as one of the biggest investorsin the industry.On the flip side, the national security advisor is also a member of the country's royal family, which has an abysmal track record when it comes to human rights abuses, from detaining prisoners of conscience to the torturing of immigrant workers. The family's members also have a well-documented reputation for dodging taxes and laundering money abroad using offshore companies, earning the UAE a spot on the European Union's "black list" of countries that are failing to keep illicit money flows at bay.In short, Trump's massive AI infrastructure project is receiving a ton of dubiously-sourced cash an ethical miasma that will haunt the program from its earliest days.Green New DatacenterBy relying on oil money, Stargate also highlights a greater turn away from investments in renewable sources of energy, with progressing AI becoming a far more commonly and easily agreed-upon goal uniting the ultra-wealthy.None of that seems to have put off multi-hyphenate billionaire and former environmental champion Elon Musk, who met with Tahnounin September to discuss the "latest developments in advanced technology and AI."Tahnoun also met with AI chipmaker Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Alphabet president Ruth Porat since then, as Bloomberg reports. In October, MGX was also one of the biggest investors in OpenAI's round of funding.But whether the multibillion gambit will pay off in the long run remains to be seen. While Trump made a big deal out of his announcement of the Starget project earlier this week, he remained noticeably vague on details.Besides, as several publications have since pointed out, the numbers aren't quite adding up. While $500 billion in a matter of years seems like a massive stretch, even conjuring up $100 billion might prove extremely difficult.Musk voiced those concerns in a tweet just hours after the project was announced, arguing that OpenAI doesn't "actually have the money" and that SoftBank has "well under $10B secured."The accusations drew the ire of Altman, though, who accused Musk of being "wrong, as you surely know."More on Stargate: Sam Altman Blasts Elon Musk for Defying Donald Trump's AI DealShare This Article

Image by Getty / FuturismDevelopmentsExThera, a US-based medical startup, claimed that its cutting edge blood-filtering device could cure cancer.Intrigued, an American billionaire named Alan Quasha capitalized on its promisebybuying the devices and taking overa medical clinic on the Caribbean island of Antigua outside the purview of US regulators, offering desperate, terminally ill cancer patients a chance of being healthy again at the price of $45,000 for each round of treatment.But as The New York Times reports, of the roughly two dozen patients treated at the Antigua clinic using the ExThera device, at least six died, likely as a result of their stay. Family members and medical professionals who visited the clinic reported horrifying conditions, including patients being treated without sufficient anesthesia, and a lack of basic hygienic practices.Most of all, it appears that the cancer-curing claims about the device were vastly overblown and in some cases, were spun into outright lies."I feel so duped by all these people," Kim Hudlow, whose husband, David, underwent treatment at the Antigua clinic, told the NYT. "The way this was spun up and the way it was explained, they got me."The ExThera device isn't total quackery, in the NYT's analysis. It was approved by the Food and Drug and Administration for treating emergency COVID-19 cases, and for that purpose, it seems effective. After the pandemic and seeking another stream of income, however, ExThera thought its device might be effective at filtering circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, which are responsible for cancer metastasizing.The startup's chief regulatory officer Sanja Ilic organized a study in Croatia to test the filter's efficacy on cancer patients. It yielded promising preliminary results, with at least one patient showing a shrunken tumor. But the Croatian study was tiny, with only 12 patients in total, and it wasn't led by an oncologist.It was enough to woo the billionaire investor Quasha, however, who invested several million dollars in ExThera through his firm Quadrant Management, and began operating a clinic in Antigua via a subsidiary called Quadrant Clinical Care,where the experimental treatment wouldn't need approval from from US regulators.When ExThera's director of medical affairs Jonathan Chow arrived at the clinic, according to the NYT's reporting, he was appalled by what he saw. Patients were bleeding profusely, and at least one was screaming in pain. He learned that the patients were instructed to abstain from chemotherapy, the most reliable treatment for halting the spread of cancer. There was also, Chow discovered, not a single oncologist on site.Other witnesses said that the clinic's lead doctor, Joey John, made incisions without any imaging or sufficient anesthesia. Chow warned ExThera's leadership about what he saw, and when they didn't listen, he resigned.Hudlow, a trained nurse, was on several occasions taken aback by the clinic's questionable practices and her husband's condition, which was not improving. In fact, after finishing the first round and returning home to Florida, it got worse and his cancer showed signs of growing more aggressively.But at every step of the way, a doctor was there telling her to continue her husband's treatment. On a phone call, Ilic, ExThera's chief regulatory officer, told her that her husband's pain was actually a good sign. It meant that David "had a strong immune activation," he said, per the NYT.Ilic also reportedly made multiple claims that weren't supported by the Croatian study, such as promising that one patient had recovered so thoroughly, with a 60 percent reduction in tumors, that he was now training for a marathon.The Hudlows returned for another bout of treatment. Shortly after, David's condition became so horrendous that he had to be scrambled back to a US hospital, where doctors found that his cancer had spread beyond saving. Two days later, he died.The NYT found that another patient, Ashley Sullivan, asked Ilic why she developed new tumors after her treatment. Ilic insisted she had it all wrong. "Have NO idea who told you is not working for you," Ilic texted Sullivan. "We got your CTCs down to zero."According to the newspaper, she died three months later.Share This Article

MIT Technology Reviews Whats Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of themhere. Jan Liphardt teaches bioengineering at Stanford, but to many strangers in Los Altos, California, he is a peculiar man they see walking a four-legged robotic dog down the street. Liphardt has been experimenting with building and modifying robots for years, and when he brings his dog out in public, he generally gets one of three reactions. Young children want to have one, their parents are creeped out, and baby boomers try to ignore it. "Theyll quickly walk by, he says, like, What kind of dumb new stuff is going on here? In the many conversations Ive had about robots, Ive also found that most people tend to fall into these three camps, though I dont see such a neat age division. Some are upbeat and vocally hopeful that a future is just around the corner in which machines can expertly handle much of what is currently done by humans, from cooking to surgery. Others are scared: of job losses, injuries, and whatever problems may come up as we try to live side by side. The final camp, which I think is the largest, is just unimpressed. Weve been sold lots of promises that robots will transform society ever since the first robotic arm was installed on an assembly line at a General Motors plant in New Jersey in 1961. Few of those promises have panned out so far. But this year, theres reason to think that even those staunchly in the bored camp will be intrigued by whats happening in the robot races. Heres a glimpse at what to keep an eye on. Humanoids are put to the test The race to build humanoid robots is motivated by the idea that the world is set up for the human form, and that automating that form could mean a seismic shift for robotics. It is led by some particularly outspoken and optimistic entrepreneurs, including Brett Adcock, the founder of Figure AI, a company making such robots thats valued at more than $2.6 billion (its begun testing its robots with BMW). Adcock recently told Time, Eventually, physical labor will be optional. Elon Musk, whose company Tesla is building a version called Optimus, has said humanoid robots will create a future where there is no poverty. A robotics company called Eliza Wakes Up is taking preorders for a $420,000 humanoid called, yes, Eliza. In June 2024, Agility Robotics sent a fleet of its Digit humanoid robots to GXO Logistics, which moves products for companies ranging from Nike to Nestl. The humanoids can handle most tasks that involve picking things up and moving them somewhere else, like unloading pallets or putting boxes on a conveyor. There have been hiccups: Highly polished concrete floors can cause robots to slip at first, and buildings need good Wi-Fi coverage for the robots to keep functioning. But charging is a bigger issue. Agilitys current version of Digit, with a 39-pound battery, can run for two to four hours before it needs to charge for one hour, so swapping out the robots for fresh ones is a common task on each shift. If there are a small number of charging docks installed, the robots can theoretically charge by shuffling among the docks themselves overnight when some facilities arent running, but moving around on their own can set off a buildings security system. Its a problem, says CTO Melonee Wise. Wise is cautious about whether humanoids will be widely adopted in workplaces. Ive always been a pessimist, she says. Thats because getting robots to work well in a lab is one thing, but integrating them into a bustling warehouse full of people and forklifts moving goods on tight deadlines is another task entirely. If 2024 was the year of unsettling humanoid product launch videos, this year we will see those humanoids put to the test, and well find out whether theyll be as productive for paying customers as promised. Now that Agilitys robots have been deployed in fast-paced customer facilities, its clear that small problems can really add up. Then there are issues with how robots and humans share spaces. In the GXO facility the two work in completely separate areas, Wise says, but there are cases where, for example, a human worker might accidentally leave something obstructing a charging station. That means Agilitys robots cant return to the dock to charge, so they need to alert a human employee to move the obstruction out of the way, slowing operations down. Its often said that robots dont call out sick or need health care. But this year, as fleets of humanoids arrive on the job, well begin to find out the limitations they do have. Learning from imagination The way we teach robots how to do things is changing rapidly. It used to be necessary to break their tasks down into steps with specifically coded instructions, but now, thanks to AI, those instructions can be gleaned from observation. Just as ChatGPT was taught to write through exposure to trillions of sentences rather than by explicitly learning the rules of grammar, robots are learning through videos and demonstrations. That poses a big question: Where do you get all these videos and demonstrations for robots to learn from? Nvidia, the worlds most valuable company, has long aimed to meet that need with simulated worlds, drawing on its roots in the video-game industry. It creates worlds in which roboticists can expose digital replicas of their robots to new environments to learn. A self-driving car can drive millions of virtual miles, or a factory robot can learn how to navigate in different lighting conditions. In December, the company went a step further, releasing what its calling a world foundation model. Called Cosmos, the model has learned from 20 million hours of videothe equivalent of watching YouTube nonstop since Rome was at war with Carthagethat can be used to generate synthetic training data. Heres an example of how this model could help in practice. Imagine you run a robotics company that wants to build a humanoid that cleans up hospitals. You can start building this robots brain with a model from Nvidia, which will give it a basic understanding of physics and how the world works, but then you need to help it figure out the specifics of how hospitals work. You could go out and take videos and images of the insides of hospitals, or pay people to wear sensors and cameras while they go about their work there. But those are expensive to create and time consuming, so you can only do a limited number of them, says Rev Lebaredian, vice president of simulation technologies at Nvidia. Cosmos can instead take a handful of those examples and create a three-dimensional simulation of a hospital. It will then start making changesdifferent floor colors, different sizes of hospital bedsand create slightly different environments. Youll multiply that data that you captured in the real world millions of times, Lebaredian says. In the process, the model will be fine-tuned to work well in that specific hospital setting. Its sort of like learning both from your experiences in the real world and from your own imagination (stipulating that your imagination is still bound by the rules of physics). Teaching robots through AI and simulations isnt new, but its going to become much cheaper and more powerful in the years to come. A smarter brain gets a smarter body Plenty of progress in robotics has to do with improving the way a robot senses and plans what to doits brain, in other words. Those advancements can often happen faster than those that improve a robots body, which determine how well a robot can move through the physical world, especially in environments that are more chaotic and unpredictable than controlled assembly lines. The military has always been keen on changing that and expanding the boundaries of whats physically possible. The US Navy has been testing machines from a company called Gecko Robotics that can navigate up vertical walls (using magnets) to do things like infrastructure inspections, checking for cracks, flaws, and bad welding on aircraft carriers. There are also investments being made for the battlefield. While nimble and affordable drones have reshaped rural battlefields in Ukraine, new efforts are underway to bring those drone capabilities indoors. The defense manufacturer Xtend received an $8.8 million contract from the Pentagon in December 2024 for its drones, which can navigate in confined indoor spaces and urban environments. These so-called loitering munitions are one-way attack drones carrying explosives that detonate on impact. These systems are designed to overcome challenges like confined spaces, unpredictable layouts, and GPS-denied zones, says Rubi Liani, cofounder and CTO at Xtend. Deliveries to the Pentagon should begin in the first few months of this year. Another initiativesparked in part by the Replicator project, the Pentagons plan to spend more than $1 billion on small unmanned vehiclesaims to develop more autonomously controlled submarines and surface vehicles. This is particularly of interest as the Department of Defense focuses increasingly on the possibility of a future conflict in the Pacific between China and Taiwan. In such a conflict, the drones that have dominated the war in Ukraine would serve little use because battles would be waged almost entirely at sea, where small aerial drones would be limited by their range. Instead, undersea drones would play a larger role. All these changes, taken together, point toward a future where robots are more flexible in how they learn, where they work, and how they move. Jan Liphardt from Stanford thinks the next frontier of this transformation will hinge on the ability to instruct robots through speech. Large language models ability to understand and generate text has already made them a sort of translator between Liphardt and his robot. We can take one of our quadrupeds and we can tell it, Hey, youre a dog, and the thing wants to sniff you and tries to bark, he says. Then we do one word changeYoure a cat. Then the thing meows and, you know, runs away from dogs. And we havent changed a single line of code. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the robotics company Eliza Wakes Up has ties to a16z.

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