Out of nowhere, Roll7s OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome are unavailable to purchase on Steam and the Xbox Store. Theyre still available on the PlayStation Store, though how long remains to be seen. Both titles are published by Private Division, which Take-Two Interactive sold to an unknown party in November 2024.Kerbal Space Program 2 is still available (for better or worse). Theres no explanation for why or when OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome will return. Its worth noting that the developers for all these titles, Intercept Games and Roll7, were shuttered in May last year, which Take-Two would confirm six months later.Perhaps its a similar deal to Triangle Strategy, which became temporarily available on the eShop to facilitate a publisher name change from Nintendo to Square Enix. Stay tuned for updates.Private Division is still publishing Weta Workshops Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game and Project Bloom from Game Freak. Former Annapurna Interactive staff members are reportedly running it now under Haveli Investments, though details have yet to be announced.

The first instalment of Czech-made open world adventure Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been slowly gaining a cultish reputation as the amongst the most immersive and realistic video game portrayals of medieval life since its release in 2018. Now, we have a sequel on our hands; Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, releasing to PC plus current-gen Xbox and PlayStation platforms on February 4th, promises a continuation of player-character Henrys story, but with immersiveness and realism established in its forebearer ramped up. Theres lots to get excited over here, so without further ado herere 15 things we cant wait to do once we ride gallantly into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.Discover the Czech Middle AgesIn Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, authenticity is on the menu. Dont expect non-stop action in this upcoming sequel; instead, the slice of 15th century central European life presented is statelier and more immersive than its contemporary open world adventures. Of utmost importance to the games designers is a deep feeling of realism, eschewing the Hollywood-ification of medieval life portrayed in the movies. It might, at first, seem like a less entertaining approach to game design, but if you want the impression of what the Czech Middle Ages were really like then look no further.Explore BohemiaKingdom Come: Deliverance II takes place in Bohemia in the year 1403, an area in the vicinity of modern-day Czech capital city Prague. The 1400s is an era of cultural change for the region, the Black Death ending a mere fifty years prior with the fall of the Byzantine empire still half a century to the future. There are townships with all sorts of people both friend and foe, but for the most part Bohemias landscape is dotted with serene forests and lakes, places of beauty ready for exploration.Step into KuttenbergHailed as a medieval metropolis, Kuttenberg is Bohemias cultural centre, a city of power, politics, and profit that influences the entire region. Ten times larger than Kingdom Come: Deliverance counterpart Rattay, Kuttenberg now known as Kutn Hora lies east of Prague and harbours a real-life silver mining heritage and thus entrenched wealth. Owing to aforesaid Hollywood-ification, what wed expect of medieval townships crooked streets and dark alleyways, compressed, maze-like was never the reality here. Kuttenberg has wide streets, avenues; a functional layout with distinct commerce centres organised around markets. Its going to be a treat to step foot into a medieval recreation that doesnt play into well-trodden stereotypes.Develop Henrys characterOnce again, players will assume command of gallant everyman Henry of Skalitz, and even though Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a sequel the game starts with Henry as something of a blank canvas whom players can shape their way. His skills, morality, and personality can be developed in ways that reflect individual values, or as a character of fantasy altogether. Henrys chosen skills foster distinct playstyles too, notably in mastered weapon classes giving access a raft of combat techniques such as stealth, whilst alchemy and blacksmithing skills craft more powerful items.Use the persuasion systemBeyond Henrys honed character traits, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II harbours a surprisingly deep persuasion system whereby dialogue options and thus the power to influence people can differ depending on Henrys appearance. Wield a bloodstained sword whilst clad in armour and Henry will be more likely to intimidate Bohemias denizens. Conversely, dress in regal attire, be clean and approachable and Henry will appeal to the environs more noble statesmen. Not everyone is influenced the same way though, so therell be an element of strategy in choosing the right dialogue options.Gain rank in scholarshipKingdom Come: Deliverances reading skill has been replaced by scholarship which is set to evolve Henry beyond understanding the written word to discerning theory and applying knowledge. Putting points into Henrys scholarship level acquired by reading Bohemias numerous books will open new dialogue options plus enhance the ability of other tertiary skills. Seems as though developing Henrys intelligence will be just as mighty for his survival as mastering swordplay.Experience refined combatCombat ranked among the defining elements of Kingdom Come: Deliverance thanks to its insistence on placing the mastery of any given weapon in the players hands. The demands of learning the nuances of Henrys weapons to gain an edge over every opponent continues here, but in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II the look and feel of combat has been refined further thanks to the incorporation of a diverse roster of superb motion capture plus the design of blunt and edged weapons becoming more distinct.Master arsenal of weaponryIn another nod to authenticity Kingdom Come: Deliverance II presents an arsenal of weapons typical of the Bohemian Middle Ages. That is, swords, bows, the mace, and the axe, with each offering varying degrees of finesse and brutality. The latter of the two, the mace and the axe, provide Henry with heavy-handed destruction capable of smashing enemies to pulp. Bow and arrows, of course, give access to ranged attacks, whilst the jewel in the crown the sequels swordplay demands perfectly timed blocks and counterattacks, the deftest angling of your blade, and surgical precision in swings via mixing patience and ruthlessness.Master new weapon: the crossbowNew to Kingdom Come: Deliverance IIs arsenal are crossbows. A more powerful alternative to the bow and arrow, crossbows appear an efficient means to reap ranged devastation. Just imagining the satisfying feeling of popping the heads of galloping cavalrymen from afar has us impatiently waiting to get that crossbow in Henrys hands.Fire medieval gunsWe said Kingdom Come: Deliverance II takes place in an era of change, and we meant it. The sequels incorporation of primitive firearms is a perfect example. However, the guns in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II arent quite the reliable force they became a decade and a half later, but regardless theyre capable here of blasting foes from range, and despite their need for stringent maintenance its going to be great to master the sequels firearms as they promise a sure-fire way to turn the tide of battle.Let out a battle cryAn extension of IIs persuasion system perhaps, introduced in this sequel are battle cries. Taking the form of intimidating screams Henry can emit before or during battle, depending on how much blood Henry has already spilled these battles cries could signal to any remaining combatants that retreating from the skirmish is their best chance of survival.Get immersed in survival mechanicsHoning Henrys weapon-craft isnt the only means to ensuring survival across the harsh realities of medieval Bohemia in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. No, this sequel comes packed with survival mechanics: the need to eat, and the need to rest. Whats interesting here though is that concocting meals cooked from hunted wildlife doesnt transfer into skill points or special manoeuvres. Theyre a method of injecting yet more immersiveness in the world, and, typically, the food Henry carries has a realistic shelf-life. You wouldnt pack fresh food on a weekends excursion in real-life, so you better be curing some items if you still want Henry to have the energy to complete a three-day trek. Sleeping is another essential component to survival, but you need to choose wisely where Henry lays his head to rest as sleep exposes him to ambush.Develop outfitsKingdom Come: Deliverance II has smoothened its inventory management by streamlining the process of switching between outfits. In this sequel Henry has ready access to three, meaning he can don his smartest attire when interacting with the more upstanding, switch to a full suite of armour for when hes accosted, or wear dark clothing for some night-time sneaking. The sleeker UI means any outfit you can dream up from Henrys wardrobe will be simple to combine and adopt during gameplay.Use stealthWeve touched upon developing Henrys character and skillset before mastering certain weapons, increasing his knowledge, concocting an outfit of black attire, all these elements are pointing towards stealth being a viable option for encounters. And yes, it is. Whilst stealth oftentimes feels like an underbaked element thats been tacked onto other action RPGs, stealth in this sequel appears deep and immersive. Another technique to master, improving stealth will make Henrys ability to distract guards, to sneak undetected, make use of disguises, and generally be a phantom of the night is going to be well worth the effort.Look for hidden locations and secretsAs is commonplace in open world games, hidden locations and secrets are rife in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Bohemia in this sequel is host to a raft of concealed locations for the more inquisitive of you. And yes, much like everything else Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is presenting, these secrets are baked into the landscape as realistically as possible. Take Kuttenbergs silver mining heritage for instance. This city is laced with subterranean networks of mineshafts and catacombs, hidden routes to traverse the city, spellbinding locations such as ossuaries, and hopefully a handful of rewards too.

Sid Meier developed the first Civilization game in 1991 and has contributed to every iteration since. When I visited Firaxis Games last year, I saw that the company maintains the very computer Meier used to develop the game, which can still be booted up and played. Walking through the halls of the studio, I saw not only the legacy of its games but its employees, too, some of whom have children who work or worked at Firaxis, including Meiers own son. Its no wonder, then, that Civilization VII is a game about legacy and all the ways it leaves a mark on history and contributes to the future.Civilization VII is a strategy game in which you shepherd a country or people plucked from throughout world history through the ages of time. As their leader, often a famous ruler or notable historical figure, your job is to grow your empire to become the preeminent society of the world either through conquest, commerce, culture, or scientific advancement. As time progresses, you must make choices and take actions for your civilization that determine how it develops into a world power. You must acquire resources, choose systems of government and social policy, research technologies to improve your civilization, defend it from threats, and keep your citizenry happy.Most of my encounters with other leaders were friendlier than this one. Image: Firaxis GamesOne way legacy manifests in Civilization VII is through the games new civ and leader system. In previous games, choosing a leader locked you into a particular civilization. Now, a civ and a leader are chosen independently of one another. Caesar Augustus is no longer tied to Rome but can now be the pharaoh of Egypt or the king of Spain. Since the Roman Empire is my Roman Empire, I really enjoy this change. Augustus ruled an empire that encompassed Europe and North Africa, so it makes historical and narrative sense that he can lead the civilizations of those geographic locations. But beyond the little thrill my historian heart gets from pairing Augustus with Gaul err France, the new system is simply a way to give players more flexibility. You dont have to abandon a favored leader just because you dont want to play as their civ for the umpteenth time, and the game even has a recommendation system that matches leaders with civs that synergize with their abilities.Perhaps the most profound example of legacy in Civilization VII is the way civilizations transition between historical ages. Whereas a players civilization stayed the same throughout a game before, now, as you move between antiquity to the exploration age and the exploration age to the modern age, your civilization changes as well, evolving with history. Like Augustus and Egypt, it makes sense. Civilizations rise, fall, and change with the march of time. Depending on the choices you make and policies you pursue, yours will, too.I started my game playing as the Mississippi empire of North America. Throughout the game, I had the choice of pursuing the goals of one of four advisers, each with their own sphere of influence: economic, military, culture, or science. They gave me quests to complete, like establish a certain number of cities or acquire different luxury resources. Since the Mississippi is a commerce and trade-focused civ, I chose the economic quests, and when it was time to transition to a new age, that choice unlocked more advanced economic-focused civilizations. Its a really interesting, game mechanic version of that one Gladiator quote, What we do now, echoes in eternity. My Mississippi empire fell away and the Majapahit emerged in its place.Image: Firaxis GamesBut legacy can also be complicated and difficult to navigate if you dont understand the history it comes from. (Yes, Im stretching this metaphor, but indulge me.) Civilization V is the only Civ Ive played logging hundreds of hours, and going into VII, Im kinda lost on some things. Theres an entire system that runs concurrently to the overall game, in which I have to figure out optimal building placement in my cities, taking into consideration things like adjacency bonuses and specialist allocation that I just do not understand after 20 hours. Reading the games prolific Civilopedia helps a little, but even that is so confusingly worded (and wordy!) that Ive given up on trying to make sense of it. There are a lot of times when I make a choice with no strategy behind it because I simply have not figured out whats going on. I get the feeling the whole system was put in place for players who like to min / max the hell out of their civs for competitive play, but I am a simple girl. I want to watch numbers go up and buy off my enemies with my massive piles of gold. Thats worked out well for me. My civ is very wealthy and very well liked by my AI opponents, despite not totally understanding everything going on. Theres a level of satisfaction in slowly overcoming that learning curve that keeps me playing for one more turn. In a game of Civilization VII, some players will leave a legacy of conquest others of inspiring cultural works. But the legacy I leave behind will be one of excellent civil engineering.Civilization VII launches on February 11th on PC.See More:

Despite being the shortest month, Februarys place in the bleak and dismal ass-crack of winter for half the planet often makes it drag. In 2025 though, there arent enough hours in the day or days in the month to fit all the massive games that are coming out. But its not so much the quantity of new releases as it is the density of a select few, because some of the years longest games are dropping in the shortest month.If any of your friends are major history buffs, you should probably check and make sure theyre okay over the next couple of weeks. If theyre unresponsive its likely theyre completely immersed in or frozen with decision paralysis over the two huge games that come out in February: Sid Meiers Civilization 7 and Kingdom Come Deliverance II.These are two very different games with a couple major things in common. One, theyre jam-packed with tons of extensive deep-cut lore from that hit, long-running immensely controversial franchise known as human existence (in other words, actual real-world history), and two, theyre infamous timesinks. The upcoming sequels are bound to keep even the most casual players busy for at least a couple 40-hour workweeks, but if the previous installments are any indication, theyll keep serious players occupied waaaaay longer than that.Civilization 7Sid Meiers Civilization 7 needs little introduction and whether you realize it or not, multiple people you know or possibly, you yourself will sink hundreds, possibly thousands of hours into the next entry of the prolific turn-based 4X strategy series. I dont just mean your gamer pals, either; this is one of those series with crossover appeal that attracts players who typically dont play many games otherwise, and hardcore Civ players are hiding in plain sight all around us. Whether its your teachers, your co-workers, your dentist, that one aunt who doesnt talk much at family gatherings, the person at the deli counter, or that guy at your gym who grunts too much when hes working out, Sid Meiers incredibly addictive sim has created a cabal of sleeper agents and its not hard to see why. Despite a dauntingly robust number of systems and a vertigo-inducing amount of depth, the board game aesthetic, turn-based nature, and familiar subject matter make Civ approachable to players who might otherwise be scared off by many other games. You know, the ones set in fictional universes mired in convoluted lore that require players to learn complex control schemes, and then have the dexterity and reflexes to use them under pressure. Civ 6 has one hell of a learning curve but getting the hang of it is more like learning Excel than gittin gud at Elden Ring, and therell be even less of a barrier to entry if Civ 7 comes to iOS down the road, which seems likely, if not inevitable.Sid Meier's Civilization VIIFiraxisFeb 11, 2025According to howlongtobeat.com, you can finish the main story of Civilization 6 in around 23 hours, and according to Lays Classic Potato Chips, the serving size is just 15 chips. Realistically, most people who open a bag of chips are gonna eat way more than that, and realistically, most people who get hooked on Civ will spend days, maybe weeks in its thrall.Howlongtobeat also says completing the main campaign plus sidequests or, optional objectives will take around 97 hours, and if youre a completionist, youre looking at approximately 382 hours, which seems more accurate. Its unclear if this accounts for the copious amount of DLC that Civ 6 has gotten over the years, and it doesnt clock multiplayer , but the point is, Civ is immensely time consuming, infinitely replayable, and prominently featured on plenty of desert island game lists, and theres absolutely no reason to think Civ 7 wont be more of the same, and then some.The jurys out on exactly how long Civilization 7 is, but lets say its on par with Civ 6 if you average the 23 hours it takes to mainline and the 382 hours it takes to 100%, youre looking at approximately 200 hours.If you play video games for four hours a day, every day of the week, clocking 200 hours in Civ 7 will take you 1.7 FebruariesThe average adult gamer spends 8-12 hours a week gaming. I dont know who you are, but if youre watching an IGN video, Im gonna assume youre doing way more than that, so for the sake of this article, lets say you play video games three hours every day. Okay, fine, youve been good, so you can stay up a little late, lets call it four.If you play video games for four hours a day, every day of the week, clocking 200 hours in Civ 7 will take you 1.7 Februaries. Is that a stupid metric for the size of a game? Absolutely, but it just goes to show you that just because something involves numbers doesnt mean it should be treated like an exact science. See also, IGN review scores. How much your time is worth, how much money you spend on games, and how much enjoyment you get out of said games is entirely subjective, but one thing that is not up for debate is that Civilization 7 isnt the sort of game you burn through in a weekend.Kingdom Come: Deliverance IISo thats ONE huge game dropping in February. The other is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II This may not have as much of a reputation as Civ and it might not be quite as infinitely replayable due to its narrower historical focus and lack of multiplayer, but its nonetheless a doozie. The original Kingdom Come Deliverance has garnered a devoted following for not just its authentic simulation of medieval life, but how much player choices actually affect the world around them over the dozens of hours it takes to complete, which has the tendency to encourage multiple replays to see different outcomes. How Long To Beat says you can mainline the original Kingdom Come Deliverance in 41 hours, but again, thats sort of like buying tickets to a renaissance faire and running full speed toward the exit as soon as youre past the front gate, which is a waste of money AND a safety hazard. The point of either experience is getting immersed in the day-to-day life of another era in Kingdom Comes case, as the son of a blacksmith in 15th-century Bohemia. Howlongtobeat says 100%ing Kingdom Come will take around 131 hours, but poking around the KCD subreddit, youll find plenty of folks whove clocked twice that, and several whove put in over a thousand hours because its that kind of game. There are probably people in the Bubsy3D subreddit whove sunk 1,000 hours into Bubsy3D, so take that with a grain of salt.Nobody complained that the first game was too small or light on content, but Warhorse studios has repeatedly touted that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be twice the size, so a conservative estimate suggests a single playthrough will easily make 100 hours disappear. Well, maybe not EASILY, given the realistically brutal combat, but you get the idea. If we take the 41.5 hours it takes to mainline KCD1 and the 131 it takes to supposedly complete it, we have 86.5, which seems fair. Now, if KCD2 is in fact twice the size of the first game, that means itll take you just over 1.5 Februaries to play it once! if you double that, itll take you almost twice as long! When you consider the average price of ren faire tickets is 40 bucks, not counting the cost of mead, turkey legs, or period attire, 60 bucks for a month in medieval bohemia is a steal!AvowedOn February 18th, Obsidians next big fantasy RPG drops. Avowed is set in the same universe as the studios Pillars of Eternity games, which may set unrealistic expectations. Both of those games exhibit some pretty flagrant false advertising: none of the titular pillars are, in fact, eternal. But, in Obsidians defense these isometric CRPGs do offer pretty hefty campaigns you can mainline them both in roughly 40 hours, but 100% completion will take more like a hundred. Then again, these are actual role-playing games, not just games where there are experience points and numbers fly off enemies when they take damage. These are meant to be replayed, and the playtimes youll see people on the Pillars subreddit boasting are three, four, maybe even 30 times that of whats on HowLongToBeat. As always, your mileage may vary.Meanwhile, Obsidians most recent full-scale RPG, The Outer Worlds, is egregiously or refreshingly short, depending who you ask. This ones practically an anomaly in the RPG scene because you can roll credits in under 14 hours, and 100% it in less than 40. An RPG that can be beaten in a single work-week? Unheard of! Though, for some individuals whose work-week cuts into their gaming time, the idea of being able to finish a video game in under a fiscal quarter was one of The Outer Worlds main selling-points.AvowedObsidian EntertainmentFeb 18, 2025Anyone expecting Avowed to be on the same scale as the Pillars games will be sorely disappointed, as Obsidian has said its more in line with The Outer Worlds. The Outer Worlds got a bit of a pass for being short, since it was published by Private Division, whose whole business model was incubating indie and smaller scale projects. Avowed will be the first Obsidian game released since the studio was acquired by Microsoft that actually looks like an Obsidian game. This studio is best known for big, crunchy RPGs like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Fallout New Vegas, and while Grounded and Pentiment are both excellent in their own right, theyre kind of like when Andre 3000 from Outkast put out that flute album. Its a good flute album, but its not an Outkast album.Anyway, even if Avowed is shorter than a lot of Obsidian RPGs, thatll likely encourage people to play it more than once. The Outer Worlds was short but like a good role-playing game, there were multiple outcomes. There were three main endings, but plenty of variables would see situations play out a multitude of different ways. PlaySo, lets say Microsofts deeper pockets means Avowed is a little bigger than The Outer Worlds, like 20 hours, but assume its about as replayable. If you want to see three endings, thats still 60 hours, which is 1.8 Februaries, assuming youre following our completely arbitrary made-up rules and only playing four hours a day. And even if you only play it once, thatll still likely take you a whole weekend during which you do literally nothing else.Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiOn February 21st, theres Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is really more of an honorable mention with an asterisk than a proper entry on this list. The series has some absolute behemoths, with the longer installments like Yakuza 0, Yakuza 5 and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth easily racking up 60 hours for a normal playthrough. Of course, its not uncommon for people to spend twice that long after getting hooked on any of the infamously addictive side activities, like mahjong! Or managing a cabaret club! Or growing a senbei rice cracker company into a fortune 500 company that owns an amusement park run by a crawfish, a vacuum cleaner, and a 10 year old! Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiRGG StudioFeb 21, 2025Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is going to be a smaller entry and the developers gave the oddly specific estimate that itll be about 1.3 to 1.5 times the size of last years Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Despite having the longest title in series history, thats the shortest game to date, apparently starting out as DLC before becoming its own standalone thing. Gaiden can be completed in around 12 hours, so expect Pirate Yakuza to be roughly 16 to 18 with a big capital BUT: its very possible theres some absurdly time-consuming diversion. The kart-racing and delivery minigames from Infinite Wealth return, but theres also something called Masarus Love Journey: My Dream Minato Girl so make of that what you will (just close the blinds first.)Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii might only weigh in at two thirds of a February if youre microdosing it, but dont underestimate how easy it is to lose track of time in one of these games.Monster Hunter WildsNow we should probably address the 800 pound Gorillaphant in the room. Actually, I think thats a Congalala, which is neither gorilla nor elephant and probably weighs way more than 800 pounds but I disgress: the biggest game of the month is Monster Hunter Wilds, which releases on the dawn of the final day, February 28th. When I say this game is big, I mean not just in terms of its geographical scale, the grandiosity of its gameplay, the amount of anticipation millions of players have for it worldwide, or the amount of time theyll sink into it, but really, all the above.Anybody who knows anything about Monster Hunter knows that the people who get into Monster Hunter get into Monster Hunter. The last few entries, Rise and World, plus their respective expansions and/or expanded editions Sunbreak and Iceborne, can be mainlined in 30 to 50 hours, but like every other game on this list, aside from Speedrunners, who does that? Thats like going to an all-you-can-eat brazilian steakhouse and filling up on rolls before a guy with a sword covered in meat even comes by your table. And like a Brazilian steakhouse, the meat and swords are also big selling points for Monster Hunter. Realistically, getting your fill of an average Monster Hunter games campaign and sidequests, plus all the requisite grinding, will at least triple the playtime of the main campaign. Monster Hunter WildsCapcomFeb 28, 2025Related GuidesI sent a message to the entire IGN team asking folks how much time they put into Monster Hunter games and literally no one who responded had less than 100 hours clocked. Admittedly, I work at a video game website. If you work at, like, Applebees, or a hospice, or the Arvin Edison Water Storage District, you probably wont get the same response from your co-workers, though you might get called into HR for being annoying and using company time to talk about video games. Regardless, its probably worth adding that my esteemed colleagues dont play a lot of video games just because they work at IGN, they work at IGN because they play a lot of video games. A lot, as in 956 hours across Monster Hunter World and Iceborne. Another colleague had 632 hours logged, but shrugged it off saying some of it was hanging out in lobbies chatting with friends. Yes, friends with whom you spent hundreds of hours playing Monster Hunter!Im not saying this to boast about the people I work with at a video game website actually doing their job, but rather to underline that its not out of the ordinary for fans of this series to make this kind of time commitment, and Im sure quite a few of you have done even more Monster Hunting than these casual scrubs I work with.PlayMonster Hunter has been a big deal in Japan since the jump. There were news stories about a CEO giving his employees the day off when Monster Hunter Rise came out because he knew half of them were just going to call in sick anyway. In fact, the previous game on this list, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiis Crazy Verbose Vacation Adventure, actually had its release date moved up a week to get the hell out of Monster Hunters way. The studio head put out a video stating the reason was so fans could play the game that comes out after with peace of mind" and "enjoy hunting at [their] own pace."Monster Hunter World was appropriately titled, because it proved to be a massive global success, and part of the reason Wilds has been in the works for so long is because of that popularity. How do you make something that is accessible and appealing to newcomers, but which also poses a fresh challenge to the millions of players whove sunk hundreds of millions of hours into the previous games? Thats quite a quandary, and whatever they dont stick the landing on day one will likely get addressed in future patches or expansions.Based on my incredibly precise calculations, itll likely take upwards of three and a half Februaries to get the full Monster Hunter Wilds experienceIn any case, anticipation is through the roof and Wilds is already smashing records: The open beta held in late October attracted almost half a million concurrent players on Steam alone, a new record high for the franchise, with 150,000 more people online than Monster Hunter Worlds all-time peak player count.So, breaking news: Monster Hunter Wilds is going to be a big game that a lot of people are going to be playing, and based on my incredibly precise calculations, itll likely take upwards of three and a half Februaries to get the full experience, but realistically, this is one of those games that a lot of folks will keep simmering on the backburner year round.So, which of these massive games are you gonna spend your hard earned money on, and how much of your ever-so-fleeting spare time do you see yourself sinking into it? Let me know in the comments below, but try to keep it short and sweet I dont have all day.

Sony is reportedly set to deliver its now-standard February PlayStation State of Play broadcast next week.Leaker NateTheHate, who accurately revealed the date of Nintendos Switch 2 reveal ahead of time, took to social media to tease a State of Play for Valentines Day week (February 10 to 14).Its speculation time! What could Sony have up its sleeve for this years State of Play? Its worth going through the first-party games it has announced and coming out in 2025. Sucker Punchs Ghost of Yotei currently has a 2025 release window. Perhaps well get a fresh look at gameplay and a release date.Meanwhile, Bungies PvP extraction shooter Marathon may be set for a showing if it still plans to open playtesting up this year. Theres also Fairgames, the debut game from Haven Studios. Naughty Dog recently announced its brand new IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and Insomniac is working on Marvels Wolverine. More likely, perhaps, is a fresh trailer for Hideo Kojimas Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is set for a 2025 release.What we wont see are the various live service games Sony recently canned. Last month, Sony canceled two unannounced live-service games that were in development at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. The Bluepoint game was reportedly a live-service God of War game. Bend Studios live-service game remains unknown. Guerrilla Games' live service Horizon game reportedly survived the cull. Is it finally time for a reveal?Moving on to potential third-party announcements, Kojima has Physint, the upcoming stealth-action PlayStation exclusive in the works, but it feels a little early for that. Phantom Blade Zero, the flashy hack-and-slash action RPG from Chinese studio S-Game, is a safer bet.And lets not forget Microsoft, now a significant publisher of games on PlayStation. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to launch on PS5 soon, so maybe we will see a release date announced. And could Microsoft use State of Play to finally announce the arrival of Halo on PlayStation?In predicting the future, its helpful to look to the past. Last years equivalent State of Play showcased the likes of Death Stranding 2, Physint, Rise of the Ronin, the Until Dawn remaster, Stellar Blade, Dragon's Dogma 2, Sonic x Shadow Generations, various Silent Hill projects, Ken Levines Judas, Foamstars, and Helldivers 2.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

In one of the warmest moments during Robert Eggers Nosferatu, a kindly professor inquires about the ownership of a cat. The feline in question is keeping company with a woman cursed by a vampires attention. Even so, she has the good humor and sense to know that a cat is neither owned, or waits on, on any human. She has no master or mistress, young Ellen Hutter smiles.One suspects cinematographer Jarin Blaschke can relate. After all, despite earning his second Oscar nod last week for his entrancing work on the vampire epic, not even the afternoon of the Academy Award nominations being reported live from a laptop in his English home was cause enough to pause these deified creatures needs or demands.Iwas waiting for a cat sitter to arrive, Blaschke chuckles a few days after finding out about Nosferatus Oscar nominations. [And when she gets there], Im like, Oh sorry, theyre announcing the Academy Awards. And shes like, Okay. Anyway, wheres the cat litter?Sure enough the Best Cinematography categorys announcement came and went while Blaschkes had his head turned half away. By the time it was over, all he could get out was oh my gosh, Im nominated for an Academy Award. How nice. Well done you, the cat sitter even acknowledged. Anyway, wheres the cat litter?Its an amusing turn of fate for a movie that seems to channel the ancient, pagan powers of Isis and Bastet. And its still one to be incredibly proud of for Blaschke, who received his second Oscar nomination after previously earning one in 2020 for his work on another Eggers picture, The Lighthouse.Its not something to get used to, Blaschke considers, but I guess there is a part of you that goes oh its not a fluke. It just feels much fuller. It also feels a little better on this go-round because while the cinematographer was inexplicably the only artist nominated for The Lighthouse (and stranger still, none at all were recognized for stunning work on The Northman), with Nosferatu he is joined by collaborators like Costume Designer Linda Muir and Production Designer Craig Lathrop.Says Blaschke, It feels much richer being there with three other collaborators. You know, with Craig, if I dont have amazing sets to light, I dont look as good. Still, he adds it would have been nice to see their director on that stage too. I really wish Rob was in on it, just because obviously hes the center of it all, and he really directs us to do our best work.That best work goes back a long time between Blaschke and Eggers. While the pair have worked together on every one of Eggers feature films to date, beginning with The Witch in 2015, the collaboration began nearly a decade before when both were young film professionals trying to crack the industry in the mid-2000s. Their first professional collaboration was a short film Eggers directed and Blaschke lensed, a 2007 adaptation of Edgar Allan Poes The Tell-Tale Heart.After that first short, we would just hang out all the time, says Blaschke, because we werent working, and theres like seven years of that, really, just becoming friends and kind of aesthetic snobs together, and really connecting.Over the time they got to know each others filmic tastes, which any fan might recognize leans into the dark and shadows.What DP doesnt like some patina? the cinematographer jokes. Everything I do doesnt need to be dark, but the director I connect with the most just [taps into] the dark side of me, and I get to explore that fully. Within that realm our tastes overlap a lot. I know that if Im going to send him an illustration or a photograph or whatever I think is great, hes probably going to like it. Theres just a huge sharing of taste.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Indeed, the twos working method has become distinct and celebrated in cineaste circles for their ability to pinpoint a look or movement from the past and translate it to modern cinema. In the case of The Lighthouse, for example, that meant deliberately recreating the photographic aesthetic at the turn of the 20th century.[On] The Lighthouse, were being very specific with the photography, he says. The references are photography, so we can get technical and get specific as to what an orthochromatic film looks like, and what micro-contrast were going for. By and large, however, Blaschke notes the pair have established a shorthand as collaborators and storytellers since The Witch that informs their storytelling choices more than any particular visual reference.When Im working with Rob, my brain just goes into Rob composition mode, the DP explains. So even if its a frame that I might find, Im filtering it through the Rob filter. Which means we tend to shoot things symmetrically, we tend to shoot things graphically, we tend to make things [that] look a little bit two-dimensional, a little bit storybook. Maybe The Northman you could call a tapestry rather than a storybook, but whatever we do just tends to be graphic.In the case of Nosferatu, this was channeled by studying the oil masterworks of painters participating in the Romantic movement of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The choice was partially done as that was the popular artistic style of the era in the films central European setting, however it also visually separated this Nosferatu from the more Expressionistic techniques utilized by the original versionIt also allowed Blaschke and Eggers to keep their feet firmly planted in their naturalistic preferences. In fact, to achieve a certain painterly aesthetic, the choice was made to film all the scenes set in Germany at night by gaslight (or at least single-source electric bulbs in gas-seeming lamps, Blaschke points out), while the Transylvanian scenes, which are by design located in more ancient and antiquated locales, are filmed entirely by candlelight.The gaslight tends to be a single lamp, almost Lighthouse style, and it tends to be a little harder, Blaschke explains while noting that a single gaslamp is also far too dim to light a face on celluloid. Candles, on the other hand? Well just add candles, well multiply more candles, and well get a light level that way. In some wide shots, this could mean maybe as many as a hundred candles, plus special T1 lenses designed specifically for Nosferatu to capture that low light on film. It all shows up on 35mm celluloid, creating a rich, ghostly effect.With that said, sometimes the old ways are the best at creating a lush romantic aesthetic. Anyone who has seen Nosferatu will not soon forget that final scene where the sun finally rises on Eggers Wisburg, and this often dark and wintry tales shadows are banished by a blindingly resplendent sunrise. Its one of the most exquisite dawns seen in a long time on screen and it was done all on a soundstage lifted off the ground so Blaschke could get 20 HMI lamps underneath to bounce light around the set. There were many other tricks involved, too, including a motorized mirror out the window to mimic the rising of the sun. Furthermore, Blaschke insisted on having the motor-mirror be able to turn.So then its actually turning so you get the moving shadows in the background that no ones going to notice because were looking at Orlok melting, the cinematographer cracks. Few might notice, but as Blaschke muses about another fancy trick in Nosferatu, I like to have fun. You know, going upside down during sex scenes and all kinds of stuff, especially in heightened scenes.Whether you notice or not, his perfectionism is transportative and worthy of a storybook. Perhaps an Oscar as well.Nosferatu is available now for digital rental or purchase. It will be released on Blu-ray and 4K home media on Feb. 18.

Apple Music has today officially announced a special promotional offer for new subscribers. For a limited time, new subscribers can get six months of Apple Music for just $2.99. Thats a big saving compared to the regular price of $10.99 per month.Apple says the offer is available to new and eligible subscribers only. Its unclear if it is exclusive to the United States, or also available in other regions.The promo was announced as part of a company press release published today, which described the deal as the services biggest offer ever. The press release was mostly promoting the upcoming Apple Music Halftime Show at the Super Bowl, featuring Kendrick Lamar. Apple Music hosts Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis will interview Kendrick on February 6 at the Halftime Show press conference on February 6; the interview will be streamed live on Apple Music, on Youtube, Facebook, X and on the NFL Network. Following that, the actual performance takes place during the Super Bowl on February 9.Add 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

Apple is benefiting from a new tax break in India, which will make it cheaper to assemble iPhones in the country. The change was announced by the government on Saturday.We first learned about the plans last month, which are expected to be worth at least $2.7B in benefits to companies like Apple and Samsung India is Apples second-largest production hubAfter China, India is Apples second-largest center for iPhone assembly. Weve been hearing ambitious reports for some time now thathalf of all iPhones could be made in India by 2027 though actual progress has been slower.Things stepped up significantly last year.Bloombergreported back in April thataround one in seven iPhoneswere made in India, but the production of flagship models had always lagged significantly behind due to the advanced manufacturing processes needed. That changed with the iPhone 16, with production in Indiastarting within weeks of launch.Apple gets tax breakThe government has been gradually reducing import duties on electronic components imported into the country for local manufacture, and has now announced an extension to this,Reuters reports that a tax on printed circuit boards was among the iPhone parts to be zero-rated.India has removed import duties on some components key to producing mobile phones, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the annual budget on Saturday []The list included components for mobile phone assembly such as printed circuit board assembly, parts of camera modules, and USB cables, which were taxed at 2.5% earlier.The move will make iPhone production in India cheaper, with the government gambling that it will encourage Apple to move more of its manufacturing there.Photo byKirti KallaonUnsplashAdd 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

Feb 03, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Network SecurityAs many as 768 vulnerabilities with designated CVE identifiers were reported as exploited in the wild in 2024, up from 639 CVEs in 2023, registering a 20% increase year-over-year.Describing 2024 as "another banner year for threat actors targeting the exploitation of vulnerabilities," VulnCheck said 23.6% of known exploited vulnerabilities (KEV) were known to be weaponized either on or before the day their CVEs were publicly disclosed.This marks a slight decrease from 2023's 26.8%, indicating that exploitation attempts can take place at any time in a vulnerability's lifecycle."During 2024, 1% of the CVEs published were reported publicly as exploited in the wild," VulnCheck's Patrick Garrity said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "This number is expected to grow as exploitation is often discovered long after a CVE is published."The report comes over two months after the company revealed that 15 different Chinese hacking groups out of a total of 60 named threat actors have been linked to the abuse of at least one of the top 15 routinely exploited vulnerabilities in 2023."Not surprisingly, the Log4j CVE (CVE-2021-44228) is associated with the most threat actors overall, with 31 named threat actors linked to its exploitation," Garrity noted late last year, adding the company identified 65,245 hosts potentially vulnerable to the flaw.In all, there are roughly 400,000 internet-accessible systems likely susceptible to attacks stemming from the exploitation of 15 security shortcomings in Apache, Atlassian, Barracuda, Citrix, Cisco, Fortinet, Microsoft, Progress, PaperCut, and Zoho products."Organizations should evaluate their exposure to these technologies, enhance visibility into potential risks, leverage robust threat intelligence, maintain strong patch management practices, and implement mitigating controls, such as minimizing internet-facing exposure of these devices wherever possible," VulnCheck said.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Feb 03, 2025Ravie LakshmananOpen Source / Software SecurityThe maintainers of the Python Package Index (PyPI) registry have announced a new feature that allows package developers to archive a project as part of efforts to improve supply chain security."Maintainers can now archive a project to let users know that the project is not expected to receive any more updates," Facundo Tuesca, senior engineer at Trail of Bits, said.In doing so, the idea is to clearly signal to developers that the Python libraries are no longer being actively maintained and that no future security fixes or product updates should be expected.That said, projects labeled as archived will continue to remain available on PyPI and users can continue to install it without any issues.In a separate blog post detailing the feature, Tuesca said the maintainers are considering additional maintainer-controlled statuses to better communicate a project's status to downstream consumers.PyPI also recommends that package developers release a final version prior to archival by updating the project description to warn users and to include alternatives as replacement.The development comes shortly after PyPI rolled out the ability to quarantine projects, allowing administrators to mark a project as potentially suspicious and prevent it from being installed by other users to prevent further harm.In November 2024, PyPI administrators quarantined the Python library aiocpa after a new update was found to include malicious code designed to exfiltrate private keys via Telegram.Since August of last year, approximately 140 projects have been quarantined and subsequently removed from the registry barring one."Having this intermediary stage enables PyPI Admins to create more safety for end users, protecting end users quicker by PyPI Admins removing a suspicious package from being installed, while allowing further investigation," PyPI Admin Mike Fiedler said."Since project removal from PyPI is a destructive action, creating a quarantine state allows for restoring a project if deemed a false positive report without destroying any of the project's history or metadata."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE