This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first,sign up here. The launch of a single new AI model does not normally cause much of a stir outside tech circles, nor does it typically spook investors enough to wipe out $1 trillion in the stock market. Now, a couple of weeks since DeepSeeks big moment, the dust has settled a bit. The news cycle has moved on to calmer things, like the dismantling of long-standing US federal programs, the purging of research and data sets to comply with recent executive orders, and the possible fallouts from President Trumps new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Within AI, though, what impact is DeepSeek likely to have in the longer term? Here are three seeds DeepSeek has planted that will grow even as the initial hype fades. First, its forcing a debate about how much energy AI models should be allowed to use up in pursuit of better answers. You may have heard (including from me) that DeepSeek is energy efficient. Thats true for its training phase, but for inference, which is when you actually ask the model something and it produces an answer, its complicated. It uses a chain-of-thought technique, which breaks down complex questions-like whether its ever okay to lie to protect someones feelingsinto chunks, and then logically answers each one. The method allows models like DeepSeek to do better at math, logic, coding, and more. The problem, at least to some, is that this way of thinking uses up a lot more electricity than the AI weve been used to. Though AI is responsible for a small slice of total global emissions right now, there is increasing political support to radically increase the amount of energy going toward AI. Whether or not the energy intensity of chain-of-thought models is worth it, of course, depends on what were using the AI for. Scientific research to cure the worlds worst diseases seems worthy. Generating AI slop? Less so. Some experts worry that the impressiveness of DeepSeek will lead companies to incorporate it into lots of apps and devices, and that users will ping it for scenarios that dont call for it. (Asking DeepSeek to explain Einsteins theory of relativity is a waste, for example, since it doesnt require logical reasoning steps, and any typical AI chat model can do it with less time and energy.) Read more from me here. Second, DeepSeek made some creative advancements in how it trains, and other companies are likely to follow its lead. Advanced AI models dont just learn on lots of text, images, and video. They rely heavily on humans to clean that data, annotate it, and help the AI pick better responses, often for paltry wages. One way human workers are involved is through a technique called reinforcement learning with human feedback. The model generates an answer, human evaluators score that answer, and those scores are used to improve the model. OpenAI pioneered this technique, though its now used widely by the industry. As my colleague Will Douglas Heaven reports, DeepSeek did something different: It figured out a way to automate this process of scoring and reinforcement learning. Skipping or cutting down on human feedbackthats a big thing, Itamar Friedman, a former research director at Alibaba and now cofounder and CEO of Qodo, an AI coding startup based in Israel, told him. Youre almost completely training models without humans needing to do the labor. It works particularly well for subjects like math and coding, but not so well for others, so workers are still relied upon. Still, DeepSeek then went one step further and used techniques reminiscent of how Google DeepMind trained its AI model back in 2016 to excel at the game Go, essentially having it map out possible moves and evaluate their outcomes. These steps forward, especially since they are outlined broadly in DeepSeeks open-source documentation, are sure to be followed by other companies. Read more from Will Douglas Heaven here. Third, its success will fuel a key debate: Can you push for AI research to be open for all to see and push for US competitiveness against China at the same time? Long before DeepSeek released its model for free, certain AI companies were arguing that the industry needs to be an open book. If researchers subscribed to certain open-source principles and showed their work, they argued, the global race to develop superintelligent AI could be treated like a scientific effort for public good, and the power of any one actor would be checked by other participants. Its a nice idea. Meta has largely spoken in support of that vision, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has said that open-source approaches can be more effective at keeping AI safe than government regulation. OpenAI has been on the opposite side of that argument, keeping its models closed off on the grounds that it can help keep them out of the hands of bad actors. DeepSeek has made those narratives a bit messier. We have been on the wrong side of history here and need to figure out a different open-source strategy, OpenAIs Sam Altman said in a Reddit AMA on Friday, which is surprising given OpenAIs past stance. Others, including President Trump, doubled down on the need to make the US more competitive on AI, seeing DeepSeeks success as a wake-up call. Dario Amodei, a founder of Anthropic, said its a reminder that the US needs to tightly control which types of advanced chips make their way to China in the coming years, and some lawmakers are pushing the same point. The coming months, and future launches from DeepSeek and others, will stress-test every single one of these arguments. Now read the rest of The Algorithm Deeper Learning OpenAI launches a research tool On Sunday, OpenAI launched a tool called Deep Research. You can give it a complex question to look into, and it will spend up to 30 minutes reading sources, compiling information, and writing a report for you. Its brand new, and we havent tested the quality of its outputs yet. Since its computations take so much time (and therefore energy), right now its only available to users with OpenAIs paid Pro tier ($200 per month) and limits the number of queries they can make per month. Why it matters: AI companies have been competing to build useful agents that can do things on your behalf. On January 23, OpenAI launched an agent called Operator that could use your computer for you to do things like book restaurants or check out flight options. The new research tool signals that OpenAI is not just trying to make these mundane online tasks slightly easier; it wants to position AI as able to handle professional research tasks. It claims that Deep Research accomplishes in tens of minutes what would take a human many hours. Time will tell if users will find it worth the high costs and the risk of including wrong information. Read more from Rhiannon Williams. Bits and Bytes Dj vu: Elon Musk takes his Twitter takeover tactics to Washington Federal agencies have offered exits to millions of employees and tested the prowess of engineersjust like when Elon Musk bought Twitter. The similarities have been uncanny. (The New York Times) AIs use in art and movies gets a boost from the Copyright Office The US Copyright Office finds that art produced with the help of AI should be eligible for copyright protection under existing law in most cases, but wholly AI-generated works probably are not. What will that mean? (The Washington Post) OpenAI releases its new o3-mini reasoning model for free OpenAI just released a reasoning model thats faster, cheaper, and more accurate than its predecessor. (MIT Technology Review) Anthropic has a new way to protect large language models against jailbreaks This line of defense could be the strongest yet. But no shield is perfect. (MIT Technology Review).

Submitted by WA ContentsHEMAA built a slender skyscraper that stands elegantly on a narrow plot in Mexico City Mexico Architecture News - Feb 04, 2025 - 14:55 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Mexican architecture firm HEMAA has built a slender skyscraper that stands elegantly on a narrow plot in Mexico City, Mexico.Named Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780, the 13-storey skyscraper is situated on a narrow strip of land which was destined to become a neglected area of the city.Situated between a narrow street and the remnants of the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad, HEMAA faced the challenge of envisioning "a graceful" tower that would adapt to the difficult terrain. This tower would emerge like a resilient plants that flourish in the face of hardship, exceeding all expectations.Inheriting its external appearance from the industrial past of the urban fabric, the tower becomes an elegant representation of modern architecture using steel, concrete and glass.The structure is a result of meticulous analysis and reworking of classical architectural features. The design explores attractive proportions in great detail, using golden ratios whenever feasible.Moreover, it demonstrates a knowledge of steel, concrete, and glass construction in the context of contemporary architecture while paying close attention to the site's unique characteristics.Each of the base, shaft, and capital that make up its volumetric composition reveals its own character through a variety of modulations and windows of different sizes.The design removes any obstacles from the floors by cleverly using the structural facade. A constructive technique like this produces modules that carefully arrange the facades and maximize the use of interior space.These facades, which are enclosed within the urban setting, primarily use glazing to let in a lot of natural light and to blend the building in with its surroundings.Image Rory GardinerIn terms of architecture, the bottom floor welcomes guests with two symmetrical entrances on the north and south faces, which allow pedestrian traffic to flow freely and visually connect the street to the newly finished linear park along the railroad.Its domain includes two parking cabins, aided by a robotic pallet system, and two service cores that include utilities, restrooms, stairwells, and elevators. Image Rory GardinerThe ground floor is further enhanced with a commercial space intended for a local coffee shop with welcoming terraces. The program streamlines on the normal floors, keeping only the most important service cores.On the thirteenth story, however, the inner space recedes to make room for a spacious terrace that offers expansive views that stretch from Chapultepec Park to the city skyline.Image Rory GardinerStorage rooms, cleaning and maintenance areas, and other areas essential to the building's smooth functioning are located below street level. Interestingly, 126 parking spots spread over 13 storeys are accommodated by a robotic parking system.The limited site limitations and local standard requirements that made it difficult to use a conventional parking system gave rise to this creative approach.Image Rory Gardiner"The substantial materiality of steel serves as an evocative reminder of the area's industrial past. Once peripheral, this district has undergone a remarkable rejuvenation, emerging as one of Mexico City's most vibrant locales, boasting unparalleled cultural, economic, and infrastructural growth in recent years," said HEMAA."Echoing this historical resonance, the building's name boldly situates the tower alongside the railway tracks.""Guided by the principles of rationality, order, and meticulous proportion, this project aspires to contribute to the urban fabric, becoming an integral part of its narrative," the firm added.Image Rory GardinerApart from its historical significance, the choice of steel as the primary building material is crucial for tackling the particular difficulties presented by Mexico City's seismic regulations.The city's building standards mandate that structures have strong systems that can withstand earthquake forces because the area is seismically active.Image Rory GardinerThe project collaborated with elite structural designers known for their proficiency in seismic-resistant design in order to meet the seismic difficulties and guarantee the highest degree of structural integrity.The structure has a distinctive and unique form while blending in with its surroundings. Its shape gently changes depending on the time of observation and the viewpoint of the observer, providing a multitude of distinct interpretations.Image Rory GardinerIts "unequivocal identity" provides the perfect setting for the tower to take on a lively life once it is occupied. Architecture and technology blend together to create a flexible system that guarantees effective resource management and energy use.In addition, Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 is certified by LEED, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. Advanced HVAC systems, high-efficiency lighting, and insulation systems are examples of energy efficiency techniques that guarantee optimal energy use and lower carbon emissions.Water consumption can be considerably decreased by implementing water conservation techniques, such as rainwater collection and energy-efficient plumbing fixtures.The health and well-being of occupants are promoted by adequate natural lighting and efficient air replacement, which are key components of indoor environmental quality.With expansive windows, a rooftop garden, and outdoor gathering spaces that improve the user experience overall, the building's architecture promotes a connection to nature.Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 actively contributes to the restoration of the neighboring urban ecosystem in addition to adapting to it. It engages in an active conversation with its community, embracing its obligation to public space.As a result, a section of the property has been set aside for public space expansion rather than new development.This will promote connectivity and ease traffic flow by linking a densely populated and once congested street to the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad linear park.Additionally, the ground floor's planned commercial area adds to the lively ambiance. Like the nearby parks and museums, this structure accepts the duty of creating a resilient urban fabric in which the past and present coexist peacefully to create a picture that represents the city's future.Location planBasement floor planGround floor planFloor planFloor planEast faadeNorth facadeAxonometric drawingAxonometric detail drawingProject factsProject name: Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780Architects: HEMAALocation:Mexico City, MexicoBuilding area:9,464.43mDesign and Construction Team:Santiago Hernndez Matos, Alejandra Tornel Cahue, Jos Miguel Fainsod Castro, Jos Pedro Lpez Gonzlez, Alonso Snchez Toscano, Adriana Aguirre Becerra, Andrea Motilla Chvez, Daniela Parra Orozco, Jos Miguel Santivaez Gmez, Juan Octavio Ferreira, Mnica Garca Cruz, Patricio Salgado Rodrguez.Estructural Engineering:PESAElectric Engineering:DECPlumbing Engineering:Garza MaldonadoHVAC Engineering:CYVSASpecial Engineering:TecnoBuildingsLandscape Design:DLC ArchitectsLEED Certification Comissioning:Alejandro Trillo + Gabriel MoralesArchitectural Model:Taller Cuatro CuartosModel Photographs:Rodrigo ChapaOthers: Omar Sad / Augusto lvarezThe top image in the article Rory Gardiner.All images Csar BjarAll drawings HEMAA.> via HEMAA

Our Picks Best foam roller for beginners Gaiam Restore Muscle Therapy Foam Roller View details $14 at Amazon View details Most affordable foam roller Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller for Exercise, Massage, Muscle Recovery View details $14 at Amazon View details Best foam roller for full body Lululemon Double Roller View details $64 at Lululemon View details Best foam roller for upper body and neck Roll Recovery R4 View details $60 at Roll Recovery View details Best foam roller for travel Grace MOBOT 27 OZ Foam Roller View details $55 at Mobot View details Best foam roller for legs TriggerPoint GRID Patented Multi-Density Foam Massage Roller (Back, Body, Legs) for Exercise View details $36 at Amazon View details Best vibrating foam roller Hyperice Vyper Go (Update: Out of stock) View details See at Hyperice View details Table of Contents Whether you have a physical job or sit at a desk all day, it is not uncommon for your muscles to feel sore and tight after long days. One easy way to relax and relieve pain is by using a good foam roller. Foam rolling is a type of self-myofascial therapy that's become a go-to for athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. It offers an affordable way to warm up, recover and release tension. Doing it before a workout as part of a warm-up can increase flexibility. I find that foam rolling helps me loosen up a tight back before a workout, massage my quads and calves after a run then unwind after a day of traveling.The data isn't clear on how foam rolling works, but research suggests it's most effective when used at specific times. With so many options available on the market, ranging from basic cylinders to vibrating models with textured surfaces, choosing the right roller can feel overwhelming. But don't worry, we're here to help. We've put dozens of models to the test, evaluating design, efficiency and experience, to help you find the perfect match for your recovery needs. Take a look at our top picks below.Best Foam Rollers $14 at Amazon One thing that can be intimidating about foam rollers is their different ridges and groove patterns. Beginners will likely feel comfortable with the Gaiam Restore Muscle Therapy foam roller because it's on the semi-firm side and looks less complicated than some of its competitors. It's smooth and made of lightweight recyclable foam. At 18 inches long, it won't take up much space.This is a good option for anyone new to foam rolling or anyone who wants a less-firm foam roller. It also comes with a guide that teaches you different foam rolling techniques if you have no idea where to begin. The downside is that it doesn't feel durable. Athletes who want a deeper and firmer massage may find it lacking because of its design and may prefer one of the heavy-duty foam rollers on the list instead. If you're just starting out and want an affordable option, the Gaiam Restore Muscle Therapy foam roller is a good introduction to self-myofascial massage.Pros:AffordableSemi-firm and lightweightMade of recyclable materialsCons:May be too soft for some usersRoller looks less durable compared to others on the list $14 at Amazon If you're looking for a full-size foam roller that's inexpensive, you'll want to consider Amazon's High-Density Round Foam Roller. This foam roller comes in three different sizes: 18 inches, 24 inches and 36 inches. I chose 24 inches because it was an in-between size and is long enough to cover more area. It's on the firm side, but not so firm that it would be uncomfortable for the average user. It's smooth and looks like the traditional type of roller you'd find at the gym in the stretching section. It's versatile enough to use on your back, legs, quads and glutes. Some may like this roller for everyday use, but others may prefer something firmer after a hard workout.I was able to keep it in a corner without it interfering with space, but you can go with the smaller size if you find this one too long. It's also very affordable. The 24-inch version is only $14, while the 18-inch is $13 and the 36-inch is $19. No matter which one you select,you're getting a good deal.Pros:The most affordable foam roller on the listVersatile for foam rolling different areasComes in various sizesCons:It's a basic foam roller without any unique featuresAthletes may prefer something more heavy-duty

February 4, 20256 min readHow Bad Are COVID, Flu and RSV This Winter?COVID levels may have peaked but flu is still high; RSV is on the way outBy Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)If it seems like almost everyone you know is getting sick with influenza or some other virus right now, its not your imagination. The Northern Hemispheres respiratory illness season, which typically runs from October to May, is in full swing. Flu hospitalizations appear to have declined from an initial peak in January, but they remain high, and cases may be rebounding. Levels of the virus that causes COVID detected in wastewater are also high but declining. And respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is still putting people in the hospital, albeit at lower levels than flu or COVID. Yet despite all the sniffles, its shaping up to be a fairly typical year for respiratory viruses.FluSo far, this years flu season looks pretty similar to that of previous yearswith the exception of 20202021, when flu all but disappeared because of COVID-related masking and social distancing measures. This seasons weekly hospitalization rate reached a peak around January 4 and then appeared to decline, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated there may be possible delays in reporting. The latest positive test rate data (some of which were released several days late under the new presidential administration) show a slight rebound in infections, so we may not be out of the woods. There have been some reports that this years flu vaccine might be less effective than in previous years, which could explain the apparent high levels of sickness that are currently around. But this season doesnt seem to be particularly more severe than others.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)This years flu season started a bit late, saysJennifer Nuzzo, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. But were still in the thick of it, she says. I dont know how its going to play out, Nuzzo adds.To prevent becoming seriously ill with flu, health officials still recommend getting the flu vaccine if you havent already, especially if you are age 65 or older or have underlying health conditions. Masking, avoiding crowds and being in well-ventilated spaces are always helpful at reducing the chance of getting infected. And if you should test positive for flu, antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu are available by prescription.The fact that this years season started slightly later than last years is a relief, Nuzzo says, in light of the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in cows and poultry that have caused 67 human infections and one death in the U.S. Nuzzo is worried about people getting infected with both H5N1 and seasonal flua situation that could increase the risk of bird flu adapting to humans and becoming a pandemic. Im a bit relieved because I was fretting about the co-occurrence of H5N1 and seasonal influenza, she says. Im worried about humans getting infected with both viruses.COVIDThere has been a much smaller spike in COVID hospitalizations this winter, compared with previous ones. Thats likely thanks to widespread immunity from vaccination or infection, or both. The U.S. also had a substantial late summer COVID spike in 2024, so some of the immunity from infections during that time may have prevented a large winter surge.Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)The virus that causes COVID, SARS-CoV-2, hasnt mutated much recently, says Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who writes the popular newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist and consults for the CDC. In addition, more people older than age 65 were vaccinated this season than last season, she says. And wastewater levels of the virus appear to have peaked.COVID hasnt really settled into a seasonal pattern like flu and RSV. It seems to peak at least twice a year, including during the summer, which suggests that transmission may be driven at least as much by human behavior as by weather or other environmental factors. Some of it is our behavior. Some is just opportunitysort of like Boggle, Nuzzo says. Each season you shake up the cubes and see what happens.The COVID vaccine is still the best way to protect against severe illness, and most experts recommend that at least older adults and those who are immunocompromised stay up to date on the shot. For those who get COVID and are at high risk of severe disease, experts recommend the antiviral medication Paxlovidas long as you can start taking it within the first five days after symptoms appear. Studies suggest it offers less benefit for people who arent at high risk, however, and it can interact with many other common medications, so seek medical advice if youre unsure.COVID still kills more people overall each year than the flu, although flu hospitalizations this winter are double those for COVID, suggesting that flu has had a more concentrated winter peak. Its not clear whether SARS-CoV-2 will eventually evolve to be less severe than flu virus. We cant say definitively no, Nuzzo says. Generally speaking, as a population, we are less susceptible to severe COVID-19 disease. But never say never. Ive been humbled by this virus several times.RSVLike flu, RSV is having a fairly typical year. Hospitalizations appear to have already hit a high mark for the season and are on the way down. This year is not too bad. Many people think were at the peakof RSV infections, says Peter Chin-Hong, a professor and associate dean for regional campuses at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.Amanda Montaez; Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (data)During the COVID pandemic, RSV showed a slightly odd pattern: like flu, it basically disappeared in the 20202021 season, likely because of masking and social distancing. But in 20222023 it came roaring back and had a large, early peak during the fall. Last year saw a significant surge as well, but it was closer to the timing of a typical season.Chin-Hong thinks this years somewhat milder RSV season may be the result of the virus settling back into a normal pattern. Also, in 2023 RSV vaccines for older adults and pregnant people were finally approved, and that may have protected more individuals. Theres still a lot of room to [vaccinate] the older population, Chin-Hong says. In addition, theres now a prophylactic antibody drug available to protect young children and newborns from RSV, and uptake of that has been pretty good, he adds.Other VirusesFlu, COVID and RSV arent the only nasty bugs that are circulating, of course. This season has seen one of the worst outbreaks of norovirusa nasty gastrointestinal pathogen that causes symptoms similar to food poisoningin the past decade. Between August 1, 2024, and January 15, 2025, there were more than 1,000 norovirus outbreaks reported in the U.S. By contrast, last season there were only about 550 during the same time period.The likely reason for this surge is that the virus has mutated to a form that fewer people have immunity to. Outbreaks usually happen when the virus has evolved and population immunity is low, Jetelina says.This season nearly 70 percent of norovirus outbreaks have been caused by an atypical variant of norovirus, she says.Then theres human metapneumovirus (HMPV). In early January a flurry of news reports said HMPV cases were surging in some countries in Asiabut this isnt a new virus, and experts say it doesnt pose a major threat. Positive HMPV tests in the U.S. showed a slight uptick in January, but that appears to have subsided.And of course, at any given time theres a veritable stew of common cold viruses going around. These include rhinoviruses, adenoviruses and seasonal coronaviruses. Such viruses dont usually send people to the hospital, but they can make you feel crummy. Most cases can be treated at home with hydration and rest.As always, its a good idea to stay home if youre not feeling well (and can afford to). Limiting contact with others or wearing a mask can help limit the spread. And washing your hands with soap and water is important, especially for norovirus, because hand sanitizer doesnt kill the virus.

Unreal Engine 5 is one of the most resource-intensive game engines out there: just reaching 60 frames per second while utilising Lumen global illumination and Nanite micro-geometry is a serious challenge for developers. With that in mind, it perhaps comes as no surprise to see that Team Ninja opted for 'master ninja difficulty' in remaking Ninja Gaiden 2. Not only are UE5's cutting-edge features deployed in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, the developers are choosing to target 120fps on a console. Did the studio achieve its target or is it just a step too far for current generation hardware?This is just one facet of Team Ninja's latest project. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black marks the return of the second modern entry in the Ninja Gaiden franchise. As the final Team Ninja game helmed by Tomonobu Itagaki, the original Xbox 360 version kicked players in the teeth and left them begging for more. It's a beloved yet tough-as-nails action game that just happened to be riddled with technical and balance issues. Even so, with its insane enemy counts, extreme dismemberment system and intense speed, it rewards those who stick with it. However, things got weird with Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Released initially for PlayStation 3, Sigma 2 would serve as the basis for each new release going forward. It's a more polished game with more content but at the same time, it has its own issues: enemy numbers are reduced, damage and HP values are tweaked and the glorious showers of blood removed.Which brings us to Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, shadow dropped after the Xbox Developer Direct. Let's just say that it's a curious release. Fundamentally, this is a release like Bluepoint's work on games such as Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus: a visual remake that combines the original engine running original gameplay, working within Unreal Engine 5. But even that's a somewhat simplistic view of the situation.This isn't just a prettier version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Instead, it feels as if the development team went in and pulled elements from all versions of Ninja Gaiden 2 to create a completely new version of the game. One change is the return of the limb severing system and the litres of blood that went missing in Sigma.Check out John Linneman's video review for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, examined on PC and all consoles.Watch on YouTubeThe original iteration of this system tied into the combat - enemies in the Xbox 360 game appear in larger numbers but can be killed faster or at least their limbs chopped off creating a different type of threat. In Sigma, enemies all take more damage but there are fewer of them at any given point. It's difficult to say for sure but it seems like the new release walks somewhere in between the two: overall, there are fewer enemies than Ninja Gaiden 2 on Xbox 360, but somewhat more than the body count in Sigma on PS3.The new game also includes the easier bow and arrow system and various changes to level designs. The extra stages included in Sigma 2 are here but not all of the bosses, such as the statue boss in the first stage. The key is that the development team clearly put in the work here to rebalance the game as they saw fit which is commendable.Visual comparisons with the Xbox 360 original are intriguing. By and large, I think the new version of the game looks significantly better - but there are areas where the original Xbox 360 vision stands strong. The intro cutscene's skybox subjectively looks better to me than the new game's equivalent - even though Team Ninja has turned a 2D texture into actual 3D work. Other changes include completing changing the mood of the second level by changing the time of day, for example. That said, the rest of the rendering quality is largely boosted. Character models look significantly better, I think, aside from, perhaps, the artefacts visible in the hair. Overall geometry is massively improved, as you would expect with Nanite in the picture.What makes this so interesting is that much like Namco's Tekken 8, the gameplay itself is handled by a different underlying engine - in this case Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - but all rendering is handled by Unreal Engine 5. What this means in practice is that the game plays authentically but benefits from beautiful new lighting thanks to Lumen while Nanite ensures no visible LOD pop-up during gameplay.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. All console versions of the game feature software Lumen and Nanite including Xbox Series S. When playing on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, players also have the choice between 60fps and 120fps using dynamic resolution scaling and Epic's TSR upscaler. PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X all target a 4K upsampled output in the 60fps mode though the internal resolution is obviously lower. The 120fps mode instead targets 1080p, which is also true of Series S which only has one mode - 1080p60.The results are interesting, but this is a game that, in some ways, demonstrates the limitations of modern upsampling and temporal anti-aliasing. With a high input resolution, the results are excellent - especially on PS5 Pro which is noticeably sharper than any other version in action. The problems show up with the lower resolution modes and especially with Xbox Series S which has fewer frames to work with. Image quality on Series S is so bad that I would almost consider it worse than the Xbox 360 original. Basically, there's just not enough native pixel data to work with and thus, when combined with the fast motion, the results can border on the hideous. The 120fps mode has similar issues but due to the higher number of frames to upsample from, the results are less egregious.Otherwise, the visuals are nearly identical - the 60fps modes on PS5, PS5 Pro and Series X all look basically the same. The 120fps mode and the Series S version has a reduction in terms of draw distance of non-Nanite geometry and things like shadows which draw in close to the camera. Can the game handle 120fps? Well, in terms of image quality, just barely - the sacrifices required here are significant and image quality is rather poor on a large 4K display.1 of 13 Caption Attribution Here's how the new UE5-powered Ninja Gaiden 2 Black looks compared to the venerated Xbox 360 original.In terms of performance, the PS5 Pro version runs fastest with PS5 slightly behind on average and Xbox Series X at the bottom. Unfortunately, no version is able to fully hold 120fps and the frame-rate is highly variable. The problem here is that the game does not play nicely with frame-rates that fail to lock to 30, 60 or 120fps. Anything in between presents with judder regardless of whether you have VRR enabled or not. It's just an issue with how this game seems to work. So, I can't recommend the 120fps mode at all on consoles: the hit to image quality and the unstable performance just isn't that desirable.When running at 60fps, however, I think the results are excellent. PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X all do a wonderful job locking to 60fps during normal gameplay while offering good image quality. It also runs significantly better than any of the original releases of the game. The PS5 Pro version especially feels good thanks to a slight boost in image quality, though it's not enhanced beyond this, which could be seen as a disappointment. Xbox Series S? You get 60fps but it doesn't look pretty.The PC version is interesting and by virtue of the sheer horsepower potentially available, it can be the best-looking version of the bunch. The options menu is robust and you have many more upsampling options and the ability to play at native res. The Xbox Store version initially was missing DLSS and XeSS - which isn't acceptable - but thankfully the studio added those features post-launch. 120fps performance is wobbly, exhibits judder on all systems and isn't recommended. The 60fps mode sees all systems - even Series S - deliver 60fps gameplay, but the second image here shows frame drops in cutscenes that highlight relative performance when the performance target cannot be met. | Image credit: Digital FoundryOne of the curious new features on PC is an additional 'ray tracing' option in the menu. Lumen as seen on console is a software-based form of ray tracing and that is the default setting on PC but the RT option invokes hardware-accelerated Lumen - but the results are a little strange with many objects missing from the BHV structure used to calculate RT effects. With this in mind, I'd stick to software Lumen - but I do hope that Team Ninja addresses the hardware alternative. Another nitpick with the PC version is the poor implementation of frame-generation. Both DLSS and FSR variants are available but neither works properly owing to visible judder that eliminates the whole point of the feature. This might be related to the game's need to perfectly lock to 30, 60 or 120fps and the latency mitigation features mean the target frame-rate falls just below 120fps on my 120Hz panel. I'm not entirely sure but was unable to use either of them smoothly.The reason this is important is because the game seems to be quite CPU heavy - I'm using a now mid-range 12900K and 120 fps is simply off the table with this CPU, requiring me to cap the game at 60fps to achieve smooth, consistent play. There's also mild stutters on first run and various other minor hiccups. I can't say that it's a bad PC version, necessarily, but it's certainly not where I would like it to be.Right now, my overall feeling on Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is positive - but with a hint of disappointment. The visual upgrades are largely welcome and I prefer this to any version of Sigma 2 but there's still room for improvement both with game balance and technical performance. Still, I'm thrilled that Ninja Gaiden 2 has made a return and if you've not played it before, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Furthermore, for those wanting physical copies of your games, the PS5 version will be receiving an Asian disc release sometime soon, so keep that in mind.

Xbox Game Pass February titles announcedAvowed! Madden! Far Cry!Image credit: Microsoft News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Feb. 4, 2025 Microsoft has announced its line-up of Xbox Game Pass titles for the beginning of February. The selection is, as you'd expect, headlined by this month's big Xbox Game Studios arrival Avowed, the fresh role-playing game from Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian.But, of course, you'll only get the game on 18th February - its launch date - if you have either PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate.Here's the full line-up of Xbox Game Pass titles for February:Far Cry: New Dawn - 4th February (Standard, Ultimate, PC)Another Crab's Treasure - 5th February (Now with Standard)Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - 5th February (Now with Standard)Starfield - 5th February (Now with Standard)Madden NFL 25 - 6th February (Ultimate, PC)Kingdom Two Crowns - 13th February (Now with Standard)Avowed - 18th February (Ultimate, PC)To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Is this an Xbox? Probably yes.Watch on YouTubeIf you're already on Ultimate or PC Game Pass, your other new additions this month include Far Cry spin-off New Dawn, a follow-up to Far Cry 5, and the arrival of this year's Madden NFL installment from EA Sports.Subscribers to the newer Standard tier now join Ultimate and PC subscribers in gaining access to Bethesda's space RPG Starfield, plus Another Crab's Treasure, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and Kingdom: Two Crowns.As ever, whenever Microsoft giveth, it also taketh away. Seven games are set to leave Xbox Game Pass on 15th February, in case you want to give them a quick bash before they go:A Little to the Left (Cloud, Console, and PC)Bloodstained Ritual of the Night (Cloud, Console, and PC)EA Sports UFC 3 (Console via EA Play)Indivisible (Cloud, Console, and PC)Merge and Blade (Cloud, Console, and PC)Return to Grace (Cloud, Console, and PC)Tales of Arise (Cloud, Console, and PC)If you want to keep playing these games after they leave Game Pass, you'll need to purchase them. On the plus side, Game Pass subscribers get a 20 percent discount.For everything else in Microsoft's subscription service, you can check out Eurogamer's handy Xbox Game Pass guide detailing the many titles available.Last week, Microsoft gave us a glimpse at Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 4 and South of Midnight as part of its Xbox Developer Direct. It's taken eight years, but could Game Pass finally be positioned to save the Xbox console business and give Xbox a point?

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Diablo 4 fans want more expansions Blizzards original plan for Diablo 4 was to have paid annual expansions that bring new stories, classes, enemies and sweet, sweet loot. However, following comments from head of Diablo Rod Fergusson and a lack of news from the developer, fans are worried that the annual expansion plan is already over for the ARPG in favour of seasons.Diablo 4 fans want more expansionsWith Diablo 4 seasons now in a good place following the release of the Season of Witchcraft, a large number of players are finally happy with the state of the games progression systems. However, with 60% of players immediately jumping ship to the new Spiritborn class on launch of the previous expansion, the hunger for large content drops is obvious.In a post on the games official forums, Diablo 4 players expressed worry that the ARPGs previously announced expansion plans arent actually happening.I know Rod [Fergusson] acted like he forgot about their annual expansion plan but will we have any infos or leaks? Or is the annual plan already ditched? the post reads. If it works like seasons they should be already in works right? Will we ever play a holy class in a Diablo game? Can we go to Westmarch? Charms? Set items? Class balance and client stability?The communitys worries have only been exacerbated since the release of Vessel of Hatred. In a GameSpot interview last year, head of Diablo Rod Fergusson explained that he never technically promised yearly expansions for the game.I dont think Ive ever said that officially, he told fans. We know were going to be supporting Diablo for years to come. Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now However, players waiting for an update have been left in the dark. While the community has been frequently updated with plans for bug fixing strategies and season release changes, the core expansions that Diablo 4 fans truly care about have been kept secret.Weve gone from an expansion each year to silence in under two years of live game time, one fan explained on the forums.Hopefully, Diablo 4 does receive another expansion in the future, one that adds the teased Holy Class included in past artwork. However, we have no idea if this will actually happen. With D4 planned to be properly supported for years to come, it would be a shame if we only had seasons to play through.Diablo 4Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Action RPG, RPGSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Destiny 2 Episode Heresy is finally here! This will hopefully be a lot better than Revenant Act 3, and odds are looking pretty good as it is launching side-by-side a crossover with Star Wars. Prior to its release, Bungie has revealed a lot of details to get fans excited, and here you will find some early Destiny 2 update 8.2.0 patch notes detailing Episode Heresy buffs, nerfs, and more.Early Destiny 2 update 8.2.0 patch notes for Episode HeresyThe Destiny 2 update 8.2.0 patch notes will be released at roughly 9AM PT/12PM ET/5PM GMT on February 4th. Prior to the official release, below are some early update 8.2.0 patch notes detailing buffs, nerfs, and more for Episode Heresy:Destiny 2 update 8.2.0 patch notes balance changes (via TWID Jan 16th):HunterArc StriderTempest StrikeNew additional effect added.Killing any jolted target grants a stack of Bolt Charge.Increased damage against PvE enemies by 57%.Disorienting BlowNow grants a moderate amount of Bolt Charge stacks when dealing damage with Disorienting Blow.Disorienting Blow now deals significant damage in an area around the target hit, instead of just single target damage.Increased the Blind AoE from 6m to 9.6m.Arc StaffReflecting an attack will grant a stack of Bolt Charge.AscensionIncreased Fragment slots to three on Arc.Note: Ascension was already granting three Fragment slots on Prismatic.Activating Ascension will now activate the effects from the following abilities: Gamblers Dodge, Marksmans Dodge, Empowering Dodge, and Threaded Specter.Note: We dont plan to make Ascension activate every Hunter class-ability perk, but we may add more interactions in the future.ThreadrunnerEnsnaring SlamActivating Ensnaring Slam will now activate the effects from the following abilities: Gamblers Dodge, Marksmans Dodge, and Threaded Specter.Note: We dont plan to make Ensnaring Slam activate every Hunter class-ability perk, but we may add more interactions in the future.Threaded SpecterIncreased the clones PvE damage resistance from 40% to 70%.Titan Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now All Titan SubclassesBarricadeIncreased damage resistance vs. combatant splash damage attacks when standing behind Barricade from 60% to 80%.Taunt strength and range no longer fall off over time.StrikerJuggernautWhile Juggernaut shield is active, players now have splash damage resistance.60% splash damage resistance in PvE, 10% in PvP.While the Juggernaut shield is active, players now have 10% damage resistance vs PvE combatants.When the Juggernaut shield blocks damage, players are granted a stack of Bolt Charge.Ballistic SlamSprint time requirement before activation significantly reduced.Damage now scales based on distance traveled.Damage vs. PvE combatants increased by 30%.Each enemy damaged by Ballistic Slam grants a stack of Bolt Charge.Up to the max of 10 stacks if you manage to hit 10 targets with a single activation.SentinelUnbreakableIncreased the rate that the Unbreakable offensive throw charges up when blocking damage.Increased max damage dealt from the offensive throw by 20%.Increased the health pool of the shield to make it less likely to break when under heavy fire.Increased the Void Overshield charge rate while holding the shield.Throw now costs half of a grenade-energy charge instead of a full charge.While Sentinel Shield is equipped, Orb of Power creation cooldown increased from 1s to 4.5s.Note: Unbreakable has received a significant buff here. We want it to be strong, but well be monitoring it closely to make sure we havent gone too far.Ward of DawnWard of Dawn now does a Weaken pulse when the Ward is created.SunbreakerConsecrationReduced scorch-wave and slam-wave damage in PvE by 55%.Note: When reviewing the damage-cost ratio for certain abilities, it became clear that Consecration was doing too much for too little. We didnt want to take away from the dramatic pop moment of landing both waves on a target though, so we kept its increased Ignition damage bonus and instead reduced the wave damage. We suspect we may also need to adjust the Ignition damage in the future.WarlockStormcallerStormtranceIncreased non-champion PvE damage by 20%.Chaos ReachIncreased non-champion PvE damage by 15%.Lightning SurgeRemoved Amplified on cast.Now grants a stack of Bolt Charge for each enemy hit with Lightning Surge.Increased damage vs. PvE combatants by 30%.VoidwalkerHandheld Supernova (Chaos Accelerants Magnetic Grenade Variant)Increased total projectile count from five to nine.Increased the width of the cones blast by roughly two meters.Increased the height of the cones blast by one meter.Reduced projectile damage in PvP from 20 to 15 per projectile to account for additional projectiles.Note: Adding four projectiles is potentially a substantial damage increase, but due to the increased size of the cone blast, all projectiles wont land on a single smaller target. This means PvP potency should remain similar but in PvE this becomes a much more reliable add clear tool or single target burst damage option against larger targets.All ClassesSolarRadiantDamage bonus reduced from 25% to 20% in PvEWell of Radiance damage bonus remains unchanged.StasisFrost ArmorIncreased DR per stack from 4.5% to 6.25%.At max stacks, DR goes from 36% to 50%.Note: This change is PvE only, PvP values remain unchanged.ArcAmplifiedWhile Amplified, PvE combatants are now less accurate against you.This is similar to how The Manticores Exotic effect works while in air.While Amplified, players now have 15% damage resistance against PvE combatants.Spark of DischargeAdded effect: Picking up an Ionic Trace grants a stack of Bolt Charge.Spark of MomentumAdded effect: Sliding over ammo bricks now also grants a stack of Bolt Charge.Removed the bespoke melee energy bonus from sliding over ammo bricks since each stack of Bolt Charge comes with bonus melee energy.Reduced the amount of time you need to be sliding to activate Spark of Momentum.This should make it so if you start your slide on top of an ammo brick, Spark of Momentum will still activate instead of previously needing to slide into the brick after roughly 0.75s.Spark of FrequencyAdded effect: While Amplified, gain a bonus stack of Bolt Charge from all sources, in addition to previous effect.Spark of VoltsAdded effect: Finishers grant a stack of Bolt Charge in addition to granting Amplified.Spark of IonsAdded effect: Targets defeated with Bolt Charge will also make an Ionic Trace, in addition to previous effect.PrismaticFacet of HopeCan now be activated by Bolt Charge.Facet of PurposeNow grants a stack of Bolt Charge on orb pickup when an Arc Super is equipped instead of granting of Amplified.Facet of SacrificeCan now be activated by Bolt Charge.ModifiersBrawnTuned healing sources to better balance the health economy when this modifier is active.Trials of Osiris (via Episode Heresy Crucible updates):Trials of Osiris Rework for HeresyMove Trials away from a Flawless based system to a get seven wins on a card system that rewards win streaks, with multiple tiers and exclusive aesthetic rewards for higher win streaks.Provide a selectable alternative experience that is closer to Iron Banner in terms of reward structure and matchmaking to get more players into the Trials ecosystem.Adding new rewards, including an armor set, Ghost Shell, ship, Sparrow, and emblem.Simplify engagement and matchmaking systems.Skill and Player Score Stat, Competitive Point System ReworkWe want skill to be more transparent and easily understood so players can get a better feeling of where they sit or how they performed relative to other players in their games.Competitive point gains should feel like they make sense and give you more agency over climbing the Ranked ladder.Playlist ReorganizationUsing what weve learned over the last year, consolidate and solidify our playlists into options that better represent the experiences Destiny PvP can offer, without splitting the population into too many separate slices.Introduce Iron Banner Quickplay, which offers a more relaxed variant of Iron Banner, using our Open Skill matchmaking to provide minimal stratification and a focus on the less serious game modes.Ability Sandbox Updates We arent going to spend too much time discussing the ability tuning, as much of it is self-explanatory and we have a lot to discuss in terms of the other three items.GeneralBaseline Crucible ability cooldown penalty increased from 15% to 20%.Supers go from 20% to 25%.Prismatic OnlyUnpowered Knockout melees will no longer spawn Diamond Lances on kills against players.Active energy refund on Prismatic decreased by 20% in Crucible.This affects energy refunds from things like Gamblers Dodge, Shiver Strike, and armor mods, but generally excludes Exotic effects.Added a 10% cooldown penalty to Supers so that there is more of a tradeoff to picking these subclasses in modes where Super timing can be vitally important, like Trials or Competitive.Destiny 2 Episode Heresy patch notes Weapons and armor (via TWID January 23rd):HunterSealed Ahamkara GraspsSealed Ahamkara Grasps have struggled on Hunter due to the large array of alternate reload options that Hunters already had access to. Weve reworked its behavior to have a bit more Exotic flair in terms of playstyle.Reworked with a weapon-swapping focus to differentiate it from other Hunter reload Exotics. Perk description now reads as follows:Powered melee and finisher final blows grant Nightmare Fuel, increasing handling and airborne effectiveness. While active, freshly drawn weapons deal additional damage and grant Nightmare Fuel on final blows. Gaining Nightmare Fuel reloads all holstered weapons.Gwisin VestWith the recent roaming Super changes, we decided to give this Exotic a bit of tuning to let it shine in its role, as well as giving some utility outside of the Super.Now progresses its Super returns on Super hits as well as kills before becoming invisible.Improved the maximum possible Super energy gains per return while also increasing the amount of progress needed for maximum gains.Now also emits a cloud of weakening smoke when you exit invisibility while nearby an enemy.Works both in neutral and while in Super.Renewal GraspsNow that Frost Armor has settled in the sandbox, we feel that Renewal Grasps can safely be more generous in granting it.Doubled the rate of Frost Armor gain while in the enhanced Duskfield grenade.FoetracerWhile Foetracer offers an excellent way to increase ones damage, weve found that the benefit is too brief when compared to other alternatives.Increased the bonus weapon damage duration from 10 seconds to 15 seconds.Radiant Dance MachinesRadiant Dance Machines has been reworked to allow the multiple dodge charges that it grants to count as real dodges for the purposes of perks and aspects. The trigger mechanism for granting extra dodges requires more effort to compensate for that, but the overall change is a large increase in strength and utility. We have also added some flat benefits to Primary weapons that are a real gamechanger for players who prioritize gun feel and performance when mobile.Improves airborne effectiveness and hip fire mobility, range, and accuracy for Primary ammo weapons.Multi-kills with Primary ammo weapons refund dodge energy. When dodge energy is full, multi-kills grant extra charges. Powerful combatants and Guardians count as more than one kill.RelativismSpirit of GalanorWith the ability to regenerate a roamer more quickly than ever, it was quite easy to end up chaining roaming Supers back-to-back and effectively never need to rely on your weapons during activities. So, to combat this, we are reducing this capability a little on the armor side specifically for Silkstrike and Golden Gun.Reduced the maximum amount of energy refunded for Silkstrike and Golden Gun to 30% (down from 50%).RelativismSpirit of the FoetracerSpirit of the Foetracer has inherited the changes made to Foetracer.TitanCitans RampartsCitans Ramparts was last adjusted to account for its problematic dominance in PVP, but that came at the cost of its value across the game. In the current sandbox, weve found that many of its downsides can be removed safely in PVE, even with the small buff that gives it in PVP, without introducing those toxic play patterns.Removed several downsides applied by Assault Barricade to bring it in line with base Towering Barricade behavior. Cumulatively, these changes result in a Towering barricade you can shoot through with no other downsides while Citans is equipped (in PVE see below).Increased barricade health from 400 to 500.No longer increases Barricade cooldown.No longer decreases Barricade duration.Further increased damage dealt to Citans barricades by Guardians from 125% to 160%.This results in near-identical effective Barricade health in PVP (~2.5% less after these changes).Eternal WarriorWe want Eternal Warrior to be an appealing option in both PvP and PvE for players interested in building into Fists of Havoc. Were giving it increased Super duration on final blow a nostalgic effect for longtime players that is thematically aligned with the Exotic.Final blows with Fists of Havoc now grant extended Super duration.Ursa FuriosaOur recent changes to Ursa Furiosa to integrate it with the Unbreakable aspect have yet to encourage significant use. So, we want to lean further into supporting Unbreakable by changing the energy returned by blocking with Unbreakable to be grenade energy.Blocking damage with Unbreakable now returns grenade energy instead of Super energy.Grenade energy is returned at the end of Unbreakable and is scaled based on the amount of damage you blocked with it.Khepris HornKhepris Horn is getting a glow-up: It will still causes your Barricade to emit waves of damaging Solar energy, but with this update they have been significantly enhanced.Now sends out three waves of flame instead of just one.These waves no longer return towards the Barricade they only travel outwards once.Tracking on the waves has been enhanced.Combatants damaged by these waves are enveloped in a Sunspot. Players are enveloped if they are defeated.Now requires a Solar Super to be equipped to create the flame waves from the Barricade.An Insurmountable SkullfortAs difficulty goes up, Skullfort can feel overly punishing when you fail to land the final blow its perk demands. To alleviate this issue, we are extending its effect to grant partial refunds from any melee attack to help rebuild that crucial momentum.Now grants energy to Arc melee abilities when hitting targets with any melee attack. Amount granted varies based on the melee used.From most to least energy granted: Powered melees, non-Glaive unpowered melees while Knockout is active, and unpowered melees (including Glaives).StoicismSpirit of the BearSpirit of the Bear has inherited the changes made to Ursa Furiosa.StoicismSpirit of the HornSpirit of the Horn has inherited the changes made to Khepris Horn. On Thruster, Sprit of the Horn will now emit four waves in an X-pattern.WarlockStormdancers BraceMuch like Spirit of Galanor, we wanted to tune back how much returned energy was given for roaming Supers via Exotics. To compensate, we wanted to give Stormdancers Brace a little love in the potency granted to Stormtrance while you are in Super.Doubled the damage benefit per stack of Ascending amplitude (up to 20% per stack, from 10%).Now also reduces the cost of Ionic Blink during Super by 50%.Reduced the maximum amount of energy refunded to 30% (down from 50%).Geomag StabilizersPart of the charm of Geomag Stabilizers was lost when sprinting to get Super was removed due to PvP issues. With the introduction of Bolt Charge to the Arc kit, there was an opportunity to bring this experience back without breaking PvP.Added a new perk: Sprinting while near max Bolt Charge will top it off.Starts at six stacks of Bolt Charge.Reenabled VFX where boots spark while sprinting near max Bolt Charge.Increased Super energy gained from ionic traces to 7% from 2%.Secant Filaments (and Spirit of the Filaments)Ever since anti-Champion capabilities were expanded to work with elemental verbs inherently, Secant Filaments have felt like an Exotic lost to the flow of time. Giving it a satisfying loop felt like a nice way to give the perk some love for both the base Exotic and its Spirit counterpart.Now gives class ability energy per kill while Devour is active.Speakers SightSpeakers Sight paired with Ember of Benevolence allowed Warlocks to earn a massive amount of ability energy via the Healing Turret even if they and their fireteam were all at full health. Speakers Sights impact should be rooted in the actual healing of injured Guardians, so we are making a change to how the Healing Turret selects its targets.Healing Turret no longer targets allies at full health.Allies need some damage done to their shields to be eligible targets.Veritys Brow (and Spirit of Verity)The Death Throes buff is quite potent, but it is easy to let it run out and lose all your grenade benefit. We have updated this Exotic to bring it in line with how the similar Titan Exotic Wormgod Caress works: Stacks of Death Throes are now represented by a meter that decays backwards through each tier rather than falling off entirely when the duration elapses.Now uses a meter to track Death ThroesNew durations per tier:x1: 8 secondsx2: 7 secondsx3: 6 secondsx4: 5 secondsx5: 4 secondsWhen one tiers duration elapses, the buff will downgrade to the next lower tier rather than expiring entirely.Bonus grenade recharge per tier:x1: 0.5% per secondx2: 1% per secondx3: 1.5% per secondx4: 2% per secondx5: 2.5% per secondWe will update this article with the full official Destiny 2 Episode Heresy update 8.2.0 patch notes when they are shared.As for more Destiny 2, check out our guide to thebest Legendary weaponsalong with thebest weapons for PvP.Destiny 2Platform(s):Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Web, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Adventure, First Person, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter8VideoGamerRelated TopicsDestiny 2 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

AdvertisementGo ad freeGithubForbidden Words: Github Reveals How Software Engineers Are Purging Federal Databases Feb 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM A project called "Remove-DEI" shows the tweaks used to remove "forbidden words" from a database about childhood school readiness. Code updates to a government database that helps track whether a federal program to get children ready for school at age five is actually working show software engineers are purging it of references to "forbidden words" related to DEI.The updates, shown in Github commits, are to a database for the Department of Health and Human Services Head Start program. They show a project called Remove-DEI, which reveal some of the back-and-forth that is happening behind the scenes to align federal agencies with Donald Trumps executive orders that forbid almost anything having to do with race or gender within federal agencies. The Github pages show software engineers discussing amongst themselves how to best remove all instances of forbidden words from a specific database, and the code updates they used to do it. The changes also show that, while thousands of government datasets are disappearing from the internet, even ones that remain are having parts of their utility deprecated or broken in a way that may not be visible to those outside the government.The Office of Head Start is a government agency that spends roughly $12 billion per year to get families and children between birth and age five ready to succeed in schools, with a special focus on providing and administering grants to groups that provide assistance for Americas most vulnerable young children. Head Start centers were briefly impacted by Trumps spending freeze, leading centers to worry about making payroll.Are you a federal worker or contractor? Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.The changes show that the U.S. government or people working on its behalf are not just manually deleting references to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) but are also writing and tweaking code to remove references to DEI in a more blunt-force way. The HHS change is emblematic of hundreds that 404 Media has reviewed in recent days. At HHS, a recent GitHub commit details a project called Remove-DEI which removes the ability to search or filter in this HeadStart for information on how well programs that target families affected by systemic discrimination/bias/exclusion are actually working.The changeswhich are among at least hundreds across the federal governmentcome to a database operated by the HHS Office of Head Starts Training and Technical Assistance Centers.This specific database is behind a government login wall, but allows government employees to search for information about grants and programs that had a focus on Equity and had a target population of Children/Families affected by systematic discrimination/bias/exclusion.Code in the database was tweaked to remove the ability to search or filter according to these terms. A description of the change explained on Github reads Review the option for equity: Removal of the equity topic from the topic drop down, removal of the equity topic from all filters, Removal of the DEIA standard goal, Families affected by systemic discrimination/bias/exclusion removes as a target population.The coder also explains that they tweaked how topics are filtered in the database as a way of making sure that when we mark a topic as deleted, it is removed from all the relevant places.The coder asked their colleagues to confirm equity has been removed from the places above. I ask also that you scan the website for other places where we need to remove the forbidden words. The code was written by employees at a company called Ad Hoc LLC, a government contractor that works with HHS on the database. Ad Hoc is being paid $7.2 million to manage the database, according to federal records.Ad Hoc was created in the aftermath of the HealthCare.gov launch debacle, and describes itself as a digital services company that helps the federal government better serve people. Ad Hoc declined to comment. HHS told 404 Media that it is not allowed to comment: "HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health. This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.The tweak is one of hundreds that have been revealed across government via Githubs commit tracking, which shows version changes to code, websites, and other projects managed on the site. It also gives insight into how the hundreds of websites and datasets being deleted are actually being purged. WIRED reported earlier Monday that the federal government is now using scripts to forcibly remove gender pronouns from federal employee email signatures.

Sage WisdomKingdom Come Deliverance 2 is incredibly hard, and thats the point, but these 7 essential tips should make it just a little bit easier for youIf you're going to make a life for yourself in Medieval Europe, then follow these 7 essential Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 tips!Image credit: Warhorse Studios/VG247 Article by James Billcliffe Guides Editor Published on Feb. 4, 2025 If there was ever a game where you might need a helping hand and a few wise tips, its Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.After his unlikely rise over the course of the original Kingdom Come Deliverance, Henry of Skalitz is back down on his luck, forced yet again to climb the slippery slope of medieval society in pursuit of a more purposeful life.If youre feeling just as lost as Henry wandering the Bohemian countryside, here are a few of our best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 tips gleaned from our experience with the game.To He Who WaitsIf youre completely new to the world of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, then there are a few basics you need to understand:You cant rush anythingYou can only save in very specific circumstancesRealism can only go so far in a video gameTo the first point, the most important thing to remember in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is that you cant rush or force any of the games mechanics, otherwise youre going to have a bad time, or fail completely.Nowhere is this more apparent than in the combat system. People, swords and armour in Kingdom Come Deliverance are built as physical objects within the games engine, which can bump and slide off of one another. This, on the one hand, makes for a patient melee that truly feels like a life-or-death situation. However, it also means that you simply cannot button mash your way through any encounter, even if your opponent has just a sliver of health left.All that will happen is Henry will swing impotently, run out of stamina, and land you in an extremely difficult spot.In this game you need to concentrate on what youre doing for the entire duration of the activity, patiently complete the action "correctly", then celebrate a job well done.Im outta hereCompounding this is the saving system, where you can only save by sleeping in your own bed, when a major quest updates, or by drinking a special potion.The game obviously doesnt want you to abuse this, but theres actually another situation where you can make an advantageous save: using the Save & Quit option in the menu before immediately reloading the game.There are multiple times throughout the game, usually at the climax of a quest or ahead of you on a road, where its clear a fight is about to break out or you need to persuade a key character to come around to your way of thinking.To test out these potential multiple outcomes, you can Save & Quit before you jump into the encounter, safe in the knowledge you can start again if it doesnt quite go the way you want.Be aware though, you can only have one exit save and making a new one will overwrite your previous state - so choose wisely!Look your Sunday bestIronically in a medieval world where everyones caked in stinking mud and worse, appearance is everything.If you take nothing else away from this tips page, let it be this: in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, you must have a separate set of fancy clothes you can use to pass speech checks.As well as your Speech skill, which dictates how silver-tongued and articulate you are, Henry also has a separate value for Charisma, which is a measure of persuasive his outward appearance is. Dirty, ruined clothes make him out to be a pauper and untrustworthy, while a jaunty, expensive hat marks him as a man with influence. Image credit: Warhorse Studios/VG247The thing is, you can grab many high Charisma garments for a relatively reasonable price quite early in the game; the peacock-feather hat is my go-to. This allows you to quickly don your persuasion suit whenever you think you will need to sweet talk someone (like a guard with a warrant for your arrest or a key quest participant) and get away with murder, sometimes literally!Visit the tailor, Bartoshek, in Troskowitz, where you can pick up said peacock-feather hat, good quality pants and coats, and embroidered hoods for a few groschen each.Also look out for jewellery and necklaces in graves and on defeated enemies. These give big boosts to Charisma without having to mess around with your core outfit (they still need to be kept clean however).Bed, Bath and BeyondSpeaking of keeping clean, the bathhouse has many uses in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Theyre not only an affordable way to restore the Charisma of your clothes, but let you rest and heal your wounds much more quickly than sleep.If youre so inclined, its also the quickest path to romance and what the Sims would call woohoo.Dont ignore forks in the roadThe main quest of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 diverges quickly into multiple, equally valid paths.Henry can either pitch up to the blacksmith and ask for a job, or head down to the Miller who youre warned theres something not quite right about.Because of this warning, its very easy to discount the Miller as a malevolent reprobate because he kind of is. However, thats only because his quests serve as the games stealth, thievery and pickpocketing tutorials, whereas the blacksmith introduces you more to crafting, speech and survival.These routes arent exclusive, and even after youve completed one set of quests you can still go and complete the other too. This is not only a great way to get more familiar with some of the games most difficult mechanics, but grind some vital XP too.Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is more forgiving than its predecessor, with fewer quests which progress in real-time without your involvement. This means you can explore and take on more quests to your hearts content, allowing you to gain skill and quest rewards as you find your feet in Bohemia.Ask and you shall receiveThere are easy, cheap and fast ways to get most essential items in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. For example, you can get a free dagger, which gives Henry the ability to perform a stealth kill, from the Millers farm next to the lockpicking tutorial chest. Image credit: Warhorse Studios/VG247A shovel can be procured with a five-finger discount from Troskowitz cemetery, or purchased for cheap from the general merchant on the west side of Troskowitz. From that same merchant, you can also get a pouch to use potions in battle.These might seem minor, but when you need them, you really need them!The pen is mightier than the swordSkill books are very good in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and often hidden in plain sight.You can sit down to read them on a bed (like you get for starting the blacksmiths quests in Tachov) and they dish out a huge amount of XP for the time investment.Theres a very useful Strength Skill book behind the very easy locked door in the basement of Troskowitz Rathaus, while the Miller gives you two Stealth books during the Wedding Crashers quest line.For even more Thievery XP, theres a Skill Book on the cart next to the Voivodes tent in the Nomad Camp which you can freely pick up.And finally, in the early game, if you return to Gerta the alchemist's wife in Troskowitz after you've solved the mystery of The Hermit, she'll give you an Alchemy skill book which is great for levelling the notoriously tricky system.