Theres one lecture that sticks in my memory from my time as an undergrad at architecture school. It was on professional practice in my second year and I remember it clearly. The lecturer stood in front of the assembled students and said: If youre interested in making money, then architecture is the wrong career for you. You wont see success until youre in middle age. I sat there and, in a mix of hubris and naivety, I thought to myself: Yeah, thats cos youre doing it wrong.Looking back now, its clear she wasnt wrong. Architecture is an old mans (or an old womans) game. Its built on the enthusiasm and the work ethic of youth, yet it values experience over all else. Its rarely said but, to make it in architecture, you need an abundance of patience.But heres the problem. This career model was built in a time when money went further. A single, reasonable salary could support a family and, even if you werent fully comfortable, there was a sense of security about the profession. Stick it out and the gains would eventually come your way. Even if you didnt become an architectural star, youd reach a point of stability.AdvertisementIn theory, playing an old mans game is fine, if you can afford to keep playing. But read any architects blog or publication (or bank statement) and its clear that architects are feeling more and more squeezed out of playing. The old model of success doesnt work in 2025.So, what do we want? And when do we want it? I risk making another mistake of youth and trying to run before I can walk, but I would argue that architects can no longer be patient and wait for the good times to eventually come around. It is time for a redefinition of success that comes a lot sooner. We wont all become starchitects with monograph tomes and very few of us are going to end up getting multi-million-pound dividends from knuckling down during our Part 2.Thankfully, a shift may already be happening. Over the past couple of years my university has run a unit that has students look at architects who have practised in a broader arena. Think stage design, property development, game development. The AJ has also previously published engaging articles on architects making waves in other sectors architect entrepreneurs, who arent waiting for opportunity to come knocking but are instead creating their own measure of success.This is perfect for the next generation of architects raised on the idea of non-conformity and side-hustles, who are already forging new careers blending architecture, social media, AI and more. But, make no mistake, wherever we are on the professional ladder, we can all rethink our personal definition of success and ask whether were aiming for the wrong goal.The vast majority of us wont design the next Guggenheim or win the Pritzker, and thats ok. Thats not the measure of success we should be aspiring to. A well-run, profitable small practice can be just as meaningful and impactful as a high-profile award-winning one. Stability through sustainable, ethical business practices should be celebrated just as much as aesthetic brilliance.AdvertisementWe dont need to burn our copies of Le Corbusiers Towards a New Architecture or reject slow and considered bespoke design. We just need to appreciate that success in architecture can also be measured in financial independence, work-life balance and sustainable practice. The starchitect struggle doesnt work and perhaps never did. The old mans game needs an update.Toko Andrews is an associate at Tunbridge Wells-based Kaner Olette Architects and associate lecturer at the University for the Creative ArtsEmerging practices toko andrews 2025-02-19Alan Gordoncomment and share

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Games with uniquely bombastic titles don't often live up to their names. Thankfully, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii delivers on the promise of its wild title, merging stylish action with an outlandish story and a hefty slew of mini-games, side stories and activities.While I've only played around 20 hours of the game, due to a busy February, the (skull and) bones of the adventure are laid out in that span. Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku studio has built an operatic saga in its eight mainline Yakuza games and handful of spinoffs, telling stories of crime and found family, betrayal and brotherhood. From my two previews with the game ahead of its release on Feb. 21, I knew it was going to be different.Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii might be the most radical departure from the main plot of prior games, which makes it a perfect starting point for new players while rewarding series veterans with cameos -- and, of course, the pleasure of playing fan-favorite Goro Majima in his swashbuckling era.The Mad Dog of Shimano is the most fitting of the series' cast to take a turn flying the Jolly Roger. The eyepatch-wearing goateed yakuza starts the game waking up on a beach with no memory. He's quickly brought up to speed about the small island he's on and the pirates who sail the waters on wooden warships between it and nearby Honolulu, Hawaii. And he decides, correctly, that he must have a ship and crew of his own to hunt down legendary treasure. A perfect premise.Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is a fun, light jaunt that benefits from the idiosyncrasies of its specific setup. Rather than telling a story about modern piracy, the game brings cannon-firing pirate ships, crew-on-crew deck melees and buried treasure hunts into modernity without any pesky logical explanation. The game's bizarre mashup energy is its strength, amplified by RGG's signature blend of sincere character moments and wacky hijinks.Majima himself is the core of much of this energy. Though he's co-headlined several Yakuza games, he comes into his own in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Metaphorically and literally unshackled from the game series' weighty past, the amnesiac Captain Majima sails the seas with a gleeful thirst for treasure, which proves infectious to everyone he meets -- and to the player. This makes the game ideally suited for newcomers to the Yakuza series: even if they'll miss a few of the deeper references and cameos later in the game, the plot is essentially a standalone adventure. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETNew story aside, in typical fashion for the Yakuza games, RGG has carried over a lot of the gameplay from the main series: Running around fighting street goons in real-time combat, shopping at stores and helping locals in amusing side quests. While the new game abandons the turn-based combat of its immediate predecessor, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it inherits the city of Honolulu -- the biggest area in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii -- and most of its colorful denizens. It also retains Yakuza's signature range of minigames, both new and returning. Yes, that includes karaoke.Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii layers over that familiarity with everything needed for a pirate adventure: a new dual-cutlass fighting style for Majima, a ragtag pirate crew to gather, ships to fight in naval combat, several island archipelagos to explore and the bombastic Madlantis area to walk around. The game effectively bounces between these two worlds of thrilling pirate adventure and zany city life; often just as I was wearying from playing too long in one half of the game's setting, its story shrewdly flung me back into the other. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETHow long that sustains you depends largely on your appetite for side adventures. While the main story is fun enough -- a sprawling yarn filled with conspiracies, religious zealots, pirate kings and queens and yakuza sniffing a big score -- the game's soul is in all its side content. You've gotta want to be a citizen of Honolulu nosing into everyone's business to love this game, but RGG's tried-and-true formula of slice-of-life stories makes it easy.The side stories are where the Yakuza universe shines, and Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii proudly upholds the tradition. In a few hours' time, the memory-less madman Goro Majima went on a pop idol bus tour, attended corporate compliance for pirates, went to a beach zoo, nearly fell for a pet mind reading scam and helped a foul-mouthed American lady pirate dress in a kimono to woo a weeb. I won't spoil what seems to be the game's most involved side story where Majima tries to do his first mate a favor, and it breaks into extended live-action footage like a mock reality TV show.In sticking to its strengths of bite-sized storytelling, RGG shows off how unique its games are, with novel narratives toeing the line between absurdity and ridiculousness. The more you play, however, the clearer it is that the story elements are stronger than the pirate ones. As you set sail in the second chapter, the crew breaks out in a musical number. That's when you know it's something special. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETSwashbuckling adventure for the casual piratePirate Yakuza In Hawaii gleefully indulges in plenty of pirate imagery and action, with a charm that extends for most of the game. While it never overstays its welcome, it doesn't feel particularly deep, either.Consider Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii as more of the arcade experience for piracy and all it entails. There's none of the sailing and navigating complexity of Sea of Thieves, nor the precise aiming of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag nor the intense resource and exploration of Skull and Bones. There are half a dozen areas to sail, each with a handful of beaches you can land on to dig up treasure, and you get around the seas by moving through boost rings (perhaps simulating water currents, if I'm being generous). You can also speed up with the jet engines at the bottom of your ship, because why not. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETNautical combat is similarly fun but uncomplicated, with just enough variety in cannons to keep fights interesting, especially as enemy ships get beefier as the game goes on. When taking on notable flagships, defeating them at sea leads to boarding them with your crew of ruffians -- it's always a hoot to be in the middle of a fight Even without grinding for resources, I still only had trouble with a couple fights, and I ran out of useful upgrades by 20 hours in. Customizing my handsome vessel with outlandish decorations (including adorning your ship's prow with many wooden figureheads like, uh, a Hitachi massage wand) was the only way I switched up my vessel later in the game.This cavalier approach runs through the melee combat, too: it's easy to wade into low-level enemies, cutting them down with your cutlasses like wheat in a gleeful Dynasty Warriors-esque power fantasy of a pirate captain among his prey. But hand-to-hand fighting can feel too loose, with the lack of lock-on leaving you swinging through an extensive sword combo in the wrong direction or shooting your pistol at nobody. You can get buried under masses of enemies and blinded by flashy effects. Your special moves, powered by a Heat Gauge that slowly fills below your health bar, have situational triggers that can be difficult to pull off as the prompt appears on the screen for a fraction of a second. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETThe game's action favors novel experiences over difficulty -- I mean, the game made me swordfight bears and tigers on multiple occasions, which were enjoyably chaotic rather than technical challenges. Likewise with another of the game's hallmark experiences, the Pirates Coliseum. Nestled in the neon-splattered ship graveyard turned city of Madlantis, the Coliseum offers escalating combat scenarios of differing formats, from ship-to-ship combat to 100-enemy melees. It feels like if Walt Disney built a Las Vegas casino for one of the scarier Roman emperors.While the game may not have depth in many of its aspects and features, it dares you to be bored. From a minigame roster bigger than anything outside of last year's Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, activities like photo scavenger hunts and lawbreaker bounties to hunt and a substantial string of side stories to experience, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii will keep you entertained -- and frequently surprised by the sincerity of its myriad vignettes. One side story has Majima befriending a cosplayer, stepping in to put the smackdown on a sleazy event producer. Naturally, Majima does it in style. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNETWhile the broader narrative covers the freedom of the high seas when your past isn't a problem, the game's side stories touch on many, many aspects of the human spectrum. Odds are you'll find some storyline or another that resonates with you, though Majima remains a manic clown who ends up in ridiculous situations as often as he's drawing emotional truths from strangers. So long as you're up for his adventure on the streets and the seas, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii will keep surprising you -- and, unlike many games, living up to its bombastic title.Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is coming out for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC on Feb. 21. Watch this: Everything We Expect in Gaming in 2025 05:01

OpinionFebruary 19, 20255 min readTrumps Iron Dome Space Weapons Plan Ignores Physics and Fiscal RealityProposed U.S. space defenses against hypersonic nuclear missiles are unnecessary, impractical and would trigger a dangerous new arms raceBy Dan Vergano edited by Megha Satyanarayana Alexey Koza/Getty ImagesThere is always a well-known solution to every human problemneat, plausible, and wrong, according to H. L. Mencken. Today we might ponder his words to diagnose the revival of another neat, plausible and boneheaded idea: ringing the planet with orbiting missiles to somehow make the U.S. safer.In January President Donald Trump called for a next-generation missile defense shield for the U.S. in an executive order. Named an Iron Dome for America after Israels short-range missile defense systemwhich it has nothing to do withthe plan would pour hundreds of billions of additional dollars into the long-underperforming rathole of U.S. missile defense efforts while weaponizing space. In the order, Trump referenced then president Ronald Reagans 1983 initiative, known as Star Wars, to build a missile defense shield with ground- and space-based weapons, saying it was canceled before its goal could be realized.A similar fate awaits Trumps planfor the same reasons that Reagans missile-defense fantasia, including a late-1980s orbital version known as Brilliant Pebbles, never panned out: it will cost too much, wont work and will endanger us all.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.Right now the U.S. has 44 ground-based interceptor missiles stationed on the U.S. West Coast and aimed against ballistic missile attacks from the unstable nation of North Korea. They have worked 12 times out of 21 tests, a paltry success rate achieved only after $250 billion spent since their 1985 beginning. This illustrates the intrinsic, expensive difficulty of intercepting even dummy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Its just hard to hit them.Whats driving Trumps Iron Dome? Fear of nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles developed by Russia and China, which reach speeds of Mach 5, about one mile per second. Unlike ballistic missiles, which arc into space before returning to Earth, hypersonic ones maneuver and fly on a flat trajectory, which would be challenging for U.S. ground interceptors. Most terrestrial-based radars cannot detect hypersonic weapons until late in the weapons flight due to line-of-sight limitations of radar detection, the Congressional Research Service noted in a recent report.Ben GillilandIn pursuit of peace through strength, the executive order argued, the United States will guarantee its secure second-strike capability. That means the ability to launch nuclear missiles as payback after a hypersonic nuclear attack on the U.S.one that would mean World War III had startedsupposedly to be assured via hypersonic-missile-detecting satellites, plus satellites to link these sensors to interceptors and the deployment of proliferated space-based interceptors.The idea is that space-based interceptors would presumably get a jump on blocking missiles over the current ground-based ones. (Natch, there are also space lasers planned. Although, with apologies to Dr. Evil, weve yet to hear if equally impractical sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads will also make a debut.)The fundamental problem with all this, of course, is that the U.S. already has a guaranteed second-strike capability, with some 900 nuclear missiles riding around on its submarines right now. This is more than China has in its entire stockpile. The whole rationale for Trumps Iron Dome is a solution in search of a problem, the very definition of wasteful government spending. The leaders of China and Russia know launching any missiles, hypersonic or not, at the U.S. would lead to a catastrophic nuclear war that would kill five billion people, very likely including you, me and themthe last group courtesy of the U.S. Navys subs.Even leaving aside this basic flaw, Trumps Iron Dome has plenty of other problems. For one thing, many of the claims about the special threat from hypersonic weapons may be just Department of Defense hype, where their initial launch and detection wouldnt be much different than current intercontinental ballistic missiles, as scientists reported four years ago in Scientific American.Then there is the cost: an Iron Dome actually modeled on Israels short-range missile defense system, scaled up to cover the 3.7 million square miles of the continental U.S. (the contiguous 48 states plus Alaska), at $100 million per battery, would cost around $2.5 trillion, estimated nuclear policy analyst Joseph Cirincione in July. That system offers a defense only against dumb, ballistic missilesnot even addressing maneuverable, hypersonic ones. Another estimate published in 2024 by Defense and Peace Economics found such a system would cost from $430 billion to $5.3 trillion. That estimate noted the fundamental economic challenge facing missile defenses: they cost more, anywhere from eight to 70 times more, than the ICBMs they are meant to defend against. They are machines for bankruptcy.Now, consider the difficulty: leaving aside the poor U.S. test record for its current interceptors, detecting hypersonic missiles from space might be easier than spotting ICBMs. Traveling at high speeds through the atmosphere, hypersonic missiles should generate tremendous heat, giving off a strong infrared signal to track from space. The trouble is that so would any cheap decoys released alongside them, posing insurmountable problems for a reliable system of defense, the New York Times observed in an analysis of Trumps proposal.Finally, even if somehow enacted, this whole idea makes us all less safe. Since the end of the cold war, the U.S. has proclaimed its missile defenses were not meant to block an incoming attack from China or Russia, just loose North Korean ones. This was to forestall a new arms race with China or Russia if they grew spooked that a protected U.S. would launch an unannounced first nuclear strike. Moscow has already threatened to blow through agreed limits to its nuclear stockpile following Trumps proposal, and China was already building up its stockpile over such first-strike fears. Orbiting U.S. missiles and lasers a few hundred miles overhead of Moscow and Beijing would do little to calm nerves there, while false alarms have always been a feared potential start to World War III.Even if missile defenses worked, any attacker could instead just threaten the U.S. with something as simple as a truck bomb, as the Congressional Budget Office noted in a 2021 report, or a nuclear drone. Nevertheless, the CBO projected a 40 percent increase in U.S. missile defense spending, an increase to $176 billion in this decade, even before the Iron Dome proposal. Two senators have already pitched a bill to steer $19.5 billion in taxpayer money to their states under its cover.The most ludicrous thing is that even Trump knows this. You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and theyre building nuclear weapons, he told reporters in February, calling for denuclearization and cutting Pentagon spending. Were all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive.Thats right. If Trump wants to save taxpayer dollars, instead of firing nuclear weapons safety experts, he should put a lid on his Iron Dome.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

February 19, 20253 min readThe Latest on Bird Flu in Humans, Chickens, and MoreBird flu headlines include three new human cases, millions of dead birds in poultry flocks and new personnel moves from the Trump administrationBy Meghan Bartels edited by Lauren J. Young Edwin Remsberg/Getty ImagesWere regularly rounding up the latest news on avian influenza. Heres what happened recently.Human CasesWithin the past 10 days, three different states in the U.S. have reported new known and likely bird flu infections in humans: The first two are a confirmed case in a dairy worker in Nevada and a probable one in a farm worker in Ohio who had handled dead poultry. The third is a confirmed infection in an older woman from Wyoming who has been hospitalized in Colorado. The Wyoming Department of Health department has reported this person has underlying medical conditions and likely caught the virus from backyard chickens. The new reports from Nevada and Ohio bring the tally of human infections in the U.S. since 2024 to 68 confirmed cases and eight probable ones. The new case from Wyoming is not reflected in these statistics, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson confirmed.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.While infections continue, so does scientific research aimed at understanding the virus and its spread. A study published in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on February 13 analyzed blood samples of 150 dairy veterinarians to determine exposure. The researchers looked for antibodies to influenza viruses within a large group scientists call H5, which includes the H5N1 avian influenza virus currently dominating cases in wildlife, poultry and dairy cows. Three of the veterinarians had these antibodies. Of these three individuals, two had no known exposure to bird flu, and one has been working in a state without known dairy infections. Experts say the findings mean that existing systems for tracking avian influenza arent up to the task.Poultry UpdatesDecember 2024 and January 2025 were brutal months for bird flu infections in poultry, and Februarys rates still look grim. So far this month more than nine million domesticated birds have been infected by the virus or culled in attempt to stop its spread. Last December saw more than 18 million dead birds in such flocks, and the number this past January was more than 23 million. Ohio has been particularly hard-hit, with 51 commercial flocks affected in the past 30 days.The poultry infections are hitting egg-laying facilities particularly hard, and the loss of birds is causing egg prices to continue to rise. Last week the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reported that urban egg prices in January reached an average of $4.95 a dozen, the highest since at least 1980. (Experts say that the risk of getting bird flu from commercial eggs is very low, if not nonexistent; you should nonetheless fully cook your eggs.)Agency MovesTwo of President Donald Trumps cabinet secretary nominees who will be important in tackling bird flu outbreaks in people and humans were confirmed last week: the Senate approved Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and Brooke Rollins to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Public health experts have expressed concerns about how Kennedy may shape the response to bird flu should the situation in humans worsen. He has publicly promoted drinking raw milk, which can carry live virus, even though pasteurization has been proven to inactivate it. And he has suggested that candidate vaccines to protect against bird flu may not be safe or effective because of the natural limitations of data for any vaccine that has not yet faced down its target virus in the general population.Rollins has drawn much less public scrutiny than Kennedy. And while she has acknowledged that bird flu is a pressing concern, its even less clear how she might respond to the crisis. She has said that shell help the administration address the high price of eggs, however.In the meantime, Trumps recent government-wide firing of workers is also hitting relevant federal response teams, including the CDCs Epidemic Intelligence Service, a two-year epidemiology training program in which participants monitor potential outbreaks worldwide, and the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which stockpiles personal protective equipment, antiviral drugs and vaccine components, including for avian influenza. In addition, multiple USDA employees tasked with work related to bird flu were accidentally fired over the weekend, NBC News reported, with the administration now trying to rescind their termination letters.The degree to which these personnel cuts may affect bird flu response remains unclear, but experts have expressed alarm. During his first term, Trump disbanded a global health group that might have put U.S. response to COVID on stronger footing. During his campaign for the last presidential election, he also said he would disband a pandemic preparedness office created by then president Joe Biden.

The Last of Us Online "was great", former PlayStation exec says, but Naughty Dog couldn't make it alongside new IPStudios aren't forced into live-service games, he says.Image credit: Naughty Dog News by Ed Nightingale Deputy News Editor Published on Feb. 19, 2025 Former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida played Naughty Dog's ill-fated The Last of Us Online and said "it was great".Factions, as the game became known as, was an online multiplayer spin-off from Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic solo drama, but was cancelled by Sony at the end of 2023 as the studio didn't want to become a "solely live service games studio".Destiny developer Bungie was drafted in to assist during development, but raised concerns about the game's "ability to keep players engaged for a long period of time", according to a report at the time.Xbox currently has more first-party games coming to PlayStation 5 this year than Sony.Watch on YouTubeYet Yoshida, who recently left PlayStation, was able to play the game before it was cancelled, which he discussed in an interview with Sacred Symbols+ (thanks Push Square) saying he "played the game and it was great"."The idea for The Last of Us Online came from Naughty Dog and they really wanted to make it," said Yoshida. "But Bungie explained [to them] what it takes to make live service games, and Naughty Dog realised, 'Oops, we can't do that! If we do it, we can't make Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.' So that was a lack of foresight."Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is Naughty Dog's next game, a single-player sci-fi hack 'n' slash revealed at last year's The Game Awards.Yoshida spoke further on live service games at Sony, stating that no first-party studio had been forced into the genre."From my experience, when studios see the company has a big initiative, [they realise] riding on that gives them a better chance of getting a project approved and supported," he explained. "It's not like [current PS Studios boss Hermen Hulst] is telling teams they need to make live service games, it's likely mutual."At one point, Sony had over 10 live service games in development it planned to launch before March 2026. "That phenomenon of the live service game... that has, in a very large part, fuelled the enormous growth in the gaming industry that we've seen over the last ten years," said (now former) Sony exec Jim Ryan back in 2022. "I think that trend towards live services will continue, and if you look for a model in our category of entertainment, which supports sustained engagement over a long period of time, live services games arguably fit that bill better than a subscription service."Gradually, though, the company has cancelled these live service projects and Ryan has since left the company. Most notably, Sony shut down Concord shortly after release. Last month, two games at Days Gone developer Bend and remake studio Bluepoint were cancelled following a "recent review".Yoshida did not comment on these projects beyond: "Yeah, it sucks".Sony's recent PlayStation State of Play was light on first-party announcements, perhaps due to the large number of cancelled projects. The company's other live-service shooter Fairgame$ has reportedly been delayed to next year.In an interview earlier this week, Yoshida discussed his 2019 move from president of SIE Worldwide Studios to overseeing Sony's indie developer initiative. "Well, I had no choice," he said. "When Jim [Ryan] asked me to do the indie job, the choice was to do that or leave the company."He also addressed current issues in the games industry such as slowed development and layoffs. "I think it's an overreaction to the Covid situation," he said. "Companies invested too much, including ourselves. Then we had to face reality and make adjustments. If you take out the Covid years you'd have smoother growth over the years."

Nike is stepping out with some 'low poly' Donkey Kong Country-inspired trainers. Read more

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 Xbox is currently going through a rebirth. Unlike, say, PlayStation 5, the focus is no longer just on bringing gamers to the hardware, but instead becoming one of the biggest game publishers in the world. With Xbox Game Pass and multi-platform publishing, Xbox is no longer attempting to claw gamers back to its own machine.In an interview on an upcoming episode of the VideoGamer Podcast, Father of Xbox, Seamus Blackley, discussed his feelings on the state of modern Xbox. With Xboxs move towards multiplatform publishing, many gamers have wondered what the point of the console brand is. As for Blackley, the Xbox he helped create is now adapting, and theres no worry about what it will become.Modern Xbox is better than Kinect Era XboxSpeaking on the podcast, Blackley explained that everything has to change to survive. While it was once a good idea to have exclusive games and your own console box, the industry is always adapting, and modern Xbox simply changing with the times. 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. Everything changes, Blackley explained. First of all, it makes you feel old as sh*tyoull see what thats like when youre older.The idea of game consoles is like a zombie that cant be killed and keeps moving forward.XBOX CREATOR SEAMUS BLACKLEYAs for how the new shift makes the Xboxs creator feel, the move is simply interesting. Xbox as a brand stays on, and its doing interesting things. While the box itself may not be a powerhouse draw, the software library is, and at least its not as embarrassing as Xboxs bizarre Kinect phase. Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now This is nothing compared to the pain of the Kinect era, Blackley said. I was really worried then and, you know, much less worried now. I mean, well see, Im surprised there are still consoles in the same sense. To some extent, the idea of game consoles is like a zombie that cant be killed and keeps moving forward.For more Xbox coverage, read Blackleys thoughts on the brands focus on power over the last few generations. Additionally, read our review of Avowed, the latest Xbox exclusive launch from Obsidian Entertainment.Kinect AdventuresPlatform(s):Xbox 360Genre(s):Adventure6VideoGamerSubscribe 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 There has been a lot of talk about Blade in the Marvel Rivals community over the last 24 hours. NetEase has done a great job revealing all the new content that will come on Friday, including two new characters. While players are certainly excited for The Thing and Human Torch, they are even more hyped about the potential release of Blade.The vampire hunter has appeared in several video games, including Marvel Duel and Fortnite. Adding Blade to Marvel Rivals makes a lot of sense, so lets check out the potential release date and take a first look at the in-game character.When will Blade come to Marvel Rivals?If everything goes according to plan, NetEase will release the next season of Marvel Rivals in early April 2025. This season will bring new content, balance changes, and possibly new features. While Blade currently doesnt have a release date, we expect him to come out with the new season on April 11. 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. Interestingly, NetEase has already developed the model of this character. He can be found in Central Park, a new Convergence map set to arrive with the February 21 update. On top of this, the Marvel Rivals developer also added an image of Blade to the game data, which you can see below.Blade can be found in Central Park, the latest Marvel Rivals map. Image by VideoGamerAt this point, accurately predicting Blades abilities in the game is nearly impossible. However, as we get closer to the next season, leaks will likely reveal more details. Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now While his release in early April isnt guaranteed, the timing makes sense. NetEase has committed to introducing a new Marvel Rivals hero every six weeks, and with The Thing and Human Torch launching on February 21, an April 11 release for Blade would align perfectly with that schedule.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Go May Join Go if GoPokemon Go and Monopoly Go could reportedly soon be under the same Saudi-owned umbrella, if Scopely and Niantic press go on a dealWe may soon witness the formation of a terrifying 'pretty addictive mobile things with go in the name' singularity.Image credit: Niantic/Scopely News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Feb. 19, 2025 It's a Wednesday, and I'm here to bring you news that - as far as I'm aware - two of the world's most well-known mobile games with Go in the name could be about to be owned by the same company, which doesn't also have go in the name, and is owned by Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group.According to a report from Bloomberg, Pokemon Go developer Niantic is in talks with Monopoly Go publisher Scopely over a deal for the latter to buy the former's video games business element. About $3.5 billion, so several volumes more cash than you or I will ever see in our lives, is the repoted price tag currently being discussed.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Bloomberg adds that any agreement - if one is indeed reached - would almost certainly include Pokemon Go. As you might remember, Go was massive back in the days when TCG Pocket was yet to even become a glint in the eye of the bit TPC that's dedicated to making lucrative things involving putting together an army of cute fake animals who'll then fight to the death on your behalf, you monster.However, Niantic has struggled to replicate that kind of success in recent yers, despite the likes of Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom doing pretty decently for it. MH Now, for example, has helped one of my coworkers realise he actually likes his mates.Enter Scopely, which is owned by the Savvy Games Group that's part of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and is riding the wave of Monopoly Go generating more cash than you'd need to buy the entire board several times over.As you may be aware, Savvy's growing wave of investments across the games industry - including stakes in the likes of EA and Take-Two Interactive - have proven controversial due to the PIF being the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, whose ruler Mohammed bin Salman and government have been criticised for the country's human rights record. Bin Salman has also been accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.