• Paranoid Elon Musk Says That USAID Has Been Constructing a False Reality Around Us
    futurism.com
    Elon Musk is making a wild new claim: that USAID and untold other regions of the American federal government,apparently has constructed a false, "Truman Show"-esque reality around us.Keyword: saying. It means nothing, and Musk who's currently knee-deep in a digitally-driven power grab within the federal government has offered no proof of the wild claim that we're living in an intentionally constructed false reality built by the foreign aid agency he's bragged about feeding into a "woodchipper."The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, is America's primary provider of all foreign aid. It's a complex agency that does a lot of things, from treating and preventing the spread of disease to delivering food and medical supplies in war-torn or famine-strickenareas, to sometimes providing disaster relief. It also played a significant role in advancing democratic interests in post-Soviet-era Europe and battling Apartheid in South Africa.While USAID does a lot of good work, it's not exactly a charity: USAID is considered the soft arm of American foreign policy, working to advance American interests globally without the use or need for military force in short, promulgating American influence and combatting that of adversaries like Russia and China. It's the friendlier face of the empire, basically.But according to Musk, USAID is bad. Evil, actually! Since forming the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and crashing the agency's headquarters, Musk has, without coherent evidence, characterized USAID as a "viper's nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America," and a "corrupt" and "criminal" organization.He's also made allegations, again without evidence, that USAID is corruptly pouring money into the pockets of politicians he disagrees with, among too many other paranoid claims to count. Real investigations into wrongdoing take time; there's no way that Musk and his crowd of boyish DOGE staffers one of whom just resigned after his racist tweets were discovered, by the way could have conducted a thorough, nonpartisan audit of USAID's records to determine large-scale and malicious criminalityin a space of less than two weeks.Much of Musk's USAID ire appears to be stemming from one Mike Benz, a former State Department official from the first Trump Administration. Benz is a right-wing media influencer with a large following on X-formerly-Twitter, and was revealed by NBC News last year to be the person behind the online pseudonym "Frame Game," an account from which Benz engaged with and promoted antisemitic and white nationalist conspiracy theories, and said Adolf Hitler "actually had some decent points." (Benz later confirmed the account was his, claiming it was all actually an effort to "get people who hated Jews to stop hating Jews.")The former government officialis also the driving force of a movement against what he refers to as the "Censorship Industrial Complex," which successfully targeted the Stanford Internet Observatory, a nonpartisan group that tracked misinformation narratives, with a particular focus on protecting election integrity.Benz, for his part, has been one of the more prominent voices in the alt-right online world's push against USAID. The former official notably railed against the agency during an appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" in December, and Musk has repeatedlyand publicly engaged with Benz's anti-USAID X posts and theories since.One of those nutty theories, by the way? The outrageous declaration that USAID has somehow built and contained us in a simulation-like world."I've been telling you guys forever that you've been living your whole in a carefully constructed USAID Truman Show," Benz wrote in a frenzied X post yesterday, "where none of the institutions you meet from the media, to public health, to universities, to NGOs, to terrorists are the institutions you think you are."This, apparently, spoke to Musk, who responded: "It's more than just USAID, but... yes."At the time of publishing this article, the posts have a combined near-50 million views.What does this even really mean? Who's to say! The web is currently awash with piles of USAID conspiracies that if someone is attempting to provide any proof at all are either affixed to out-of-context one-liners or galaxy-brained idiocy, as more influencers and even politicians pile on.It's tempting to just look away from bonkers outbursts like this, but the impacts have been real: USAID has halted operations worldwide. Clinical trials have been halted, food isn't being delivered, and a lot of people could genuinely die. And asked if he would go through with a pause on USAID operations, president Donald Trump said he would and repeated similar threads spouted by the likes of Musk, referring to the agency as a cohort of "radical left lunatics," without any further support for the statement. (A spokesperson for his administration has later offered up some provocative-sounding USAID efforts that touched on various culture wars as reason for the halt, some of which were shown to be false.)USAID is surely one of the many forces some quiet, some loud that shape our world. But Musk's embracing of this preposterous'Truman Show" theory seems to veer much further into Andrew Tate-esque "Matrix" rambling than any legitimate criticism or insight into the various factions of global power struggles.That said, if we look at the actual known facts, here, we do know one thing: USAID was investigating Starlink, the Musk-owned satellite internet provider under SpaceX, for its activities in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. So maybe USAID was impacting Musk's reality in a way a littletoo concrete for his liking,leading him to take refuge in these paranoid fantasies.That's the thing, though. Musk, equipped with a massive amount of both financial and cultural power, is building his own reality, as he often does, in real time. There's a chance that USAID's shuttering might be reversed in the courts. But in the meantime, real harm has already been done real consequences, pulled largely out of thin air."Do online conspiracy theories have any impact?" Georgetown University associate research professor Rene DiResta, a former Stanford Internet Observatory researcher and a frequent past target of Benz's rage, remarked yesterday in a rhetorical Bluesky post. "Do disinformation campaigns work?"Share This Article
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  • Google Gemini 2.0 AI Is Out Now. Here Are the Highlights
    www.cnet.com
    Google delivered big artificial intelligence news this week, launching the next generation of itschatbot, Gemini 2.0. Google is opening up new Gemini 2.0 models in a multipronged initiative.Let's break down what's new and coming from Google's Gemini AI tool.Gemini 2.0 ProThe company is releasing an experimental version of Gemini 2.0 Pro inGoogle AI Studio,Vertex AIand in theGemini appfor Gemini Advanced users. The company calls this "our best model yet for coding performance and complex prompts."Gemini 2.0 FlashThe updated Gemini 2.0 Flash is now generally available via the Gemini API inGoogle AI StudioandVertex AI, meaning developers can now build production applications with 2.0 Flash. This gives more people access to the smaller, more efficient version of Google Gemini following thebig splash by DeepSeek, the generative AI tool that burst onto the scene in late January.Read more: What Is DeepSeek? Everything to Know About the New Chinese AI ToolGemini 2.0 Flash-LiteGoogle is also countering Chinese AI startupDeepSeek with Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite, a less expensive alternative that is now available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI for developers. (By comparison, all versions of DeepSeek's AI offerings are free.)Google says Flash-Lite (get it?) is its most cost-efficient model yet.2.0 Pro and Flash Thinking ExperimentalPeople with the Gemini app will also get to try out Google Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, a benchmark darling as the top AI model according toChatbot Arena's leaderboards. This version of Gemini 2.0 Flash is special, thanks to its ability to break down user prompts into a series of steps to help provide better responses to complex prompts. For those looking for something more powerful, Google also added Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental to the Gemini app for Gemini Advanced users, as well as Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.Flash Thinking can also interact with Google apps like Maps, YouTube and Search."These connected apps already make the Gemini app a uniquely helpful AI-powered assistant, and we're exploring how new reasoning capabilities can combine with your apps to help you do even more," Patrick Kane, director of product management for the Gemini app at Google,wrote in a blog post.The AI news keeps comingThe wide release of Google Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental, Flash-Lite and Flash Thinking is the latest in a string of AI announcements from Google.Late last month, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series became thefirst smartphones to ship with Google's Project Astra, an AI feature that lets users point their phone cameras at things to get information about them. The company alsolaunched its Daily Listen feature, which generates audio summaries of news updates based on your Search and Discover activity.Google's news is a counterpoint to the hype about DeepSeek, which boasts similar performance to bigger AI models at a fraction of the price. It's too soon to say if DeepSeek will stick around for the long haul due to a variety of factors, but Google's announcement and OpenAI's o3-mini release may help pry attention away from the young AI upstart.
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  • Watch FA Cup Soccer: Livestream Everton vs. Bournemouth From Anywhere
    www.cnet.com
    See at ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming ExpressVPN See at ExpressVPN See more details See at ESPN Watch the FA Cup in the US from $12 per month ESPN Plus See at ESPN See more details See at SN Now Watch the FA Cup in Canada for CA$15 a month Sportsnet See at SN Now See more details See at Optus Watch the FA Cup in Australia from AU$7 a month Optus Sport See at Optus See more details Table of Contents Everton host high-flying Bournemouth on Saturday in what could potentially be the final FA Cup fixture at Goodison Park.With the Toffees set to move to a brand new stadium before the start of next season, a defeat to the Cherries today would mark this tie as being the last fixture played in this iconic cup tournament at the stadium in Walton.The hosts come into this one off the back of thrashing fellow Premier League strugglers Leicester City 4-0 at home, while Bournemouth's hopes of European qualification were dented by a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool last weekend.Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world. Everton have claimed three successive victories in the Premier League under returning manager David Moyes. Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty ImagesEverton vs. Bournemouth: When and where?Everton takes on AFC Bournemouth in this FA Cup fourth-round match at Stamford Bridge onSaturday, Feb. 8. Kickoff is set for 3p.m. GMT local time in the UK, which is10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and2 a.m. AEDT in Australia in the early hours of Sunday morning. How to watch the Everton vs. Bournemouth game online from anywhere using a VPNIf you find yourself unable to view EPL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. James Martin/CNET 2024 Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year)Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 35% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN isour current best VPN pickfor people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month.Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) See at ExpressVPN Livestream the Everton vs. Bournemouth game in the USThis clash is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday for viewers in the States. ESPN Plus ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $12 a month or $120 for an annual subscription. With it, you'll be able to watch all of this season's FA Cup fixtures.Read our ESPN Plus review. See at ESPN Can I livestream the Everton vs. Bournemouth game in the UK?The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are once again sharing live duties for this season's FA Cup. The bad news is that the match hasn't been selected to be shown live by either network, which also means that if you're in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you're unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geoblocking.There's one option to get around this. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there..Livestream Everton vs. Bournemouth in CanadaCanadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet. Sportsnet Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network's standalone streaming service Sportsnet Plus instead, with prices starting at CA$25 per month or CA$200 per year. See at SN Now Livestream the Everton vs. Bournemouth game in AustraliaFootball fans Down Under can watch FA Cup matches live on streaming service Optus Sport. Optus With exclusive rights to stream select FA Cup and all Premier League matches live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.If you're already an Optus network customer, you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 a month. If you're not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25. See at Optus Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPNWith four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches may vary.If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommendBrave.
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  • Yes, PSN is still down after 12 hours
    www.eurogamer.net
    Yes, PSN is still down after 12 hoursSony is "aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN".Image credit: Sony / Eurogamer News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Feb. 8, 2025 PlayStation Network is still offline after unexpectedly going down around midnight last night, UK time (1am CET / 7pm ET / 4pm PT).According to Sony, the outage is impacting all services and features, including account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Xbox Developer Direct - four promising games also coming to PlayStation.Watch on YouTubeUnlike last time, this seems to be impacting all PlayStation systems, not just PS4 and PS5 players, but also PS Vita, PS3, and website visitors, too. Image credit: Sony / EurogamerBeyond a single-line statement posted to PlayStation social media accounts around 10 hours ago that said Sony is "aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN", there have been no further updates on what's caused the outage, nor when its services will resume.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Eurogamer has reached out to Sony for more information and will update should we hear back.
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  • Fortnite x Avatar: Skins, estimated price, release window, and more
    www.videogamer.com
    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 Avatar is one of the new collaborations coming to Fortnite soon. This partnership was added with the v33.00 update on January 31, but Epic Games hasnt released it yet. On Friday night, Avatar skins were leaked, which indicates that its release date is around the corner. Besides skins, leakers also revealed a couple of other cosmetics coming with the collab.Thanks to the leak, we now know what the skins look like. However, lets also take a look at their potential release date, estimated price, and the other cosmetics.When will the Fortnite x Avatar collaboration come out?The latest Fortnite update added numerous cosmetic items, yet some of them havent been released yet. The second wave of Jujutsu Kaisen arrived on Friday night, but we are still waiting for Avatar and the new Iron Man skin. The good news is that Avatar skins should come out soon. Since they were added with the last update, they will likely come out within the next 10 days. Save Up to $1,200 on the Samsung Galaxy S25! Pre-order now and save big with trade-in and Samsung credit. Limited time only! *Includes trade-in value + $300 Samsung credit. The price hasnt been leaked either, although the skins will probably be at least 1,500 V-Bucks. As the leak shows, two new Fortnite skins will come with the Avatar collaboration, and they will have several matching cosmetics.The Fortnite x Avatar collaboration will bring many other cosmetics to the game. Image by VideoGamerAs seen above, the collaboration will introduce a new emote, two pickaxes, and two gliders. The skins might also include back blings, though they havent been revealed yet. All these cosmetics will likely be available in a bundle, expected to cost around 3,000 V-Bucks. Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now Since Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 1 wraps up on February 21, we anticipate the collaboration will be released soon. However, theres a slight possibility that Epic could delay it until the next season, though that seems unlikely. FortnitePlatform(s):Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter9VideoGamerRelated TopicsFortnite Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share
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  • The Late Amy Laus Enduring Design Legacy Is Summed Up in One Highly Personal Project
    www.architecturaldigest.com
    Amy Lau passed away in January 2025 at the age of 56. The designers Manhattan apartment, completed just months before her woefully premature death, perfectly captures her incisive eye and her steadfast belief in the ennobling power of great design. It is the final grace note to a singular life spent in the pursuit of beauty and joy.Surveying Amy Laus stellar home in New Yorks historic Alwyn Court, one cant help but lament the loss of one of the design worlds most original voices. Amy was a font of optimism and wonder, a champion of art and design placed in the service of a life well-lived. Her apartment brilliantly synthesizes the many threads of her storied career: her virtuosity in marshaling ideal scale, proportion, and shape; her fearless embrace of color as a mode of emotional expression; her refusal to draw artificial distinctions between fine art and fine design; and her drive to conjure interior worlds redolent of curiosity, connoisseurship, and pure delight.Amy told AD that living in Alwyn Court had been a long-standing dream. This building holds a special place in my heart. Ive passed the landmark countless times over the course of my years in New York City, and I was always captivated by the intricate beauty of its ornate faade, she said. Built between 1907 to 1909, the 12-story tower by architecture firm Harde and Short is easily recognizable for its elaborate terracotta decoration, which includes a crush of cherubs, crests, salamanders, scrolls, and vines. A block from Central Park, the Plaza Hotel, and 5th Avenues luxury shops, Alwyn Court quickly became one of the citys most expensive addresses after it opened to its first residents. But to Amy, it represented far more than a reputation or a swanky address: It was an opportunity to create a personal environment that tells my own story within an icon of New Yorks design history, she said.By the time Amy acquired her roughly 950-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, its original interior detailing had long been stripped away. But, characteristically, where others saw only mute, blank space, Amy saw potential. She soon engaged Michael Schmitt Architect and set out on a gut renovation inspired by the glories of the past and the promise of a bright new future.Massachusetts-based sculptor Michael Coffey originally created the living rooms Mozambique wood fireplace surround for Amys Salon Art + Design booth in 2017. An ottoman by Joseph Walsh for Philippe Hetier stands in front of the fireplace by Hearth Cabinet.
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  • A 300-Square-Foot Apartment Is Made Over on a Student Budget
    www.architecturaldigest.com
    For her first real estate purchase, the young owner of this compact, 300-square-foot apartment wanted all the amenities of a true home. This isnt a basic flat for a student, explains Alinor Loudin, the architect hired for this project in Pariss Pigalle neighborhood. My client entertains and hosts dinners. She needed a true adult apartment. The first issue was the size. The second challenge was a two-foot-thick load-bearing wall that was impossible to knock down. Finally, the budget was especially tight. These constraints didnt faze Alinor Loudin, founding architect of Inaugure Studio, who took this small space housed in a 19th-century building and transformed it into a charming and functional interior.The 172-square-foot lounge-bedroom area is a little alcove designed for sleeping.Before the renovation, the apartment was divided into two square rooms, with a large kitchen with a central island. With so little room to work with, we couldnt afford to waste so much space, Loudin says. On the other side of the central load-bearing wall, there was a bedroom with a bathroom. She describes it as a sort of square within a rectangle. Each room felt like it was squeezed into a corner. To optimize space, Loudin opted to put the lounge-bedroom area into the larger of the two spaces (measuring 172 square feet) and the kitchen and bathroom in the smaller one (129 square feet).The dining-kitchen area is on the opposite side of the load-bearing wall.A load-bearing wall divides the apartment while still leaving a small passageway between the two rooms.The kitchen is located in the smaller of the apartments two spaces.To get around the limitations created by the load-bearing wall, Loudin decided to turn it into a feature of the design. I articulated the entire project around this wall and unfolded it like fabric, starting with the small shelves in the kitchen and then wrapping around the wall to reach the lounge-bedroom, using a series of panels. It has a sort of pleated effect that softens the imposing feel of the wall. Similarly, Loudin drew inspiration from the bathrooms half-arch, reproducing it over and over again and creating niches based on the same shape. I repeated this shape because I needed to soften the angles of the apartment, which was compartmentalized and obtuse. It also made the passage through the thick wall more fluid.
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  • UVPackmaster - all the goodness of the recent releases [$]
    www.blendernation.com
    UVPackmaster - all the goodness of the recent releases By glukoz on February 8, 2025 Add-ons Here's an overview of the features and improvements added to UVPackmaster in the recent releases. Support for GPU accelerated packing on Macs (using the Vulkan API). New variant of the pack operation: Repack With Others. Repack all selected islands with all unselected islands which are already placed in the target box: Support for a new packing paradigm Fixed Scale (Max Margin): packing with a fixed scale while searching for the maximum margin between islands: New utility operator: Measure Area (Merged): measure merged area of selected UV islands (area of overlapping UVs will be added to the result only once): But there is more! Refer to our Release Notes page.Get UVPackmasterBest regards,UVPackmaster team
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  • Talking Point: Where Should 'Luigi's Mansion 4' Take Place?
    www.nintendolife.com
    Lean, green, and meanSo without further ado, lets set our Poltergusts strobe light to stun and get cracking, shall we?#1 Cruise ShipImage: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo LifeThe biggest potential issue with this one is that a cruise ship is effectively a floating hotel, so we worry it would simply rehash ideas seen in Luigi's Mansion 3.That said, there's a sense of isolation that only comes when you're stuck in the middle of the ocean, so we reckon Next Level could have fun with this. A huge cruise ship also has a whole bunch of unique areas, including its own waterpark, fitness centres, promenades, and crew decks.If a cruise ship wouldn't work, then an oil rig similar to Still Wakes the Deep might be an idea.#2 Isle DelfinoImage: NintendoA generic tropical island came to mind first, but when we imagined Isle Delfino corrupted by darkness (even more so than in Mario Sunshine) and teeming with ghosts, we just couldn't resist. It would make sense, too, since the F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquid Ultra Dousing Device), much like the Poltergust, was invented by Professor E. Gadd.The original game played around with the idea of manipulating elements, including water, so how awesome would it be if Luigi could quickly swap between the Poltergust and F.L.U.D.D. on the fly?You could also have levels set in core Mario Sunshine locations, such as Ricco Harbour, Bianco Hills, and perhaps most importantly, Pinna Park, ticking off the somewhat obvious choice of a haunted theme park for a new entry.#3 Bowser's CastleImage: NintendoCan we imagine a scenario in which Bowser, king of the Koopas, enlists the help of Mario's brother for a Castle-wide exorcism? Heck yeah, we can! Peach's Castle could be a potential contender, but honestly, this is much more interesting.We've seen Bowser's Castle featured many times over the years in various guises, but we've never really gotten a good sense of its scale and magnitude. What better way to showcase Bowser's home than to give us full access for Boo-busting purposes?The unlikely truce could also lead to some interesting interactions with classic villains like Iggy Koopa, King Bob-Bomb, and Bowser Jr.#4 VillageImage: Sony Interactive EntertainmentWhen floating the idea of potential settings, one of the first things we all agreed on was that the series probably needed to ditch the titular setting for something more ambitious.So, what about an entire haunted village? If you've ever played Medievil, we're thinking something along the lines of the 'Sleeping Village' level; a Lovecraftian location filled with intriguing houses, shops, parks, and spooky schools. Although we'd also be quite keen on a more picturesque, countryside village like those in Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy. "No luck catchin' them ghosts, then?"Moving to a location like this might necessitate evolving the 2.5D 'diorama' setup of the previous games into a full-on 3D explorative experience. We'd be absolutely fine with that.#5 Coconut MallImage: NintendoAh, curse you Dawn of the Dead for turning shopping malls into the perfect setting for horrific scenarios. We're only kidding, we love it.But yes, while Luigi's Mansion 3 had its own floor dedicated to hotel shops (in which it cleverly took inspiration from Resident Evil's classic locked-door / themed-key setup), a full-blown Coconut Mall loaded with unique stores and restaurants would be awesome to explore.You could extend it to the staff areas, including loading bays, big ol' industrial elevators, parking lots, and more. Granted, there's a danger here of limiting the potential environmental variety with a shopping mall, but if Dead Rising can do it, then so can Luigi's Mansion.#6 Space!Image: NintendoOkay, hear us out on this one. [But in space, no one can hear yoI'll see myself out. - Ed.]We're positive some people scoffed at the idea of Mario heading into space when Super Mario Galaxy was first announced, but why not let Luigi venture to the far reaches of the solar system?Perhaps he finds himself lost in a sprawling space station stalked by malfunctioning robots and horrifying ghosts of former astronauts. Anti-grav sections could force Luigi to use the Poltergust as a thruster pack and propel himself around.Plus, we'll take any opportunity we can get for Rosalina and Luma cameo!#7 New Donk CityImage: NintendoWhat's that? An entire village isn't quite ambitious enough? Well okay, let's go for New Donk City then.We're imagining a full-blown Ghostbusters-inspired scenario here with spectres roaming the streets, pink slime flowing through sewers, and a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man smashing his way through buildings. Okay, that might be a bit too similar, but you get the idea.Naturally, a city-wide emergency necessitates radically different means of traversal and exploration. Could Luigi have his own Ecto-1-style vehicle? Maybe E. Gadd could whip something up, or function as a taxi driver of sorts.Either way, done right, this could really elevate the series to a whole new level.#8 Super Nintendo WorldImage: NintendoWe mentioned Pinna Park in the Isle Delfino entry but what if Nintendo just went full meta and introduced a fictional, haunted version of its real-life Super Nintendo World theme park?It could have a similar opening to LM3 in which you explore the park during the day and allow those of us who haven't had a chance to visit in real life to get a feel for it. Then, night descends, ghosts rise out of the ground to take over Toadstool Caf and Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge, and it's up to you to clean things up before guests arrive the next day.#9 Abandoned PrisonImage: KonamiNow, we're not thinking of anything quite as oppressive as Silent Hill 2's Toluca Prison, but we reckon an Alcatraz-inspired abandoned prison facility would be pretty awesome.You could even have some sort of time travel setup in which you rescue a younger version of E. Gadd from the confines of his cell. Doomed to a life of imprisonment for his Doc Brown-inspired whimsy, E. Gadd's ramblings about ghosts finally come true; but while the cowardly guards and inmates flee in terror, Luigi steps up to save the day.So those are our ideas for potential locations in a hypothetical Luigi's Mansion 4. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to hear about what Next Level Games has been working on. A new Luigi's Mansion would likely be targeted for the upcoming Switch 2, so we've got high hopes for a new entry.Now, the only thing left to ponder is which console Luigi will be using to communicate with E. Gadd. So far, he's had the Game Boy Horror, the DS (Dual Scream), and the Virtual Boo. A Switch Fright, perhaps?Where do you think Luigi's Mansion 4 should take place? (60 votes)Cruise Ship18%Isle Delfino18%Bowser's Castle7%Village22%Coconut Mall5%Space 0%New Donk City10%Super Nintendo World3%Abandoned Prison 0%Somewhere else (comment below!)17%Be sure to leave a comment down below on where you'd like Luigi's Mansion 4 to take place. If you have any ideas that we've not mentioned above, then we'd love to hear 'em.Related GamesSee Also
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