In BriefPosted:6:17 PM PST March 3, 2025Image Credits:Pete Marovich/BloombergTrump Administration cuts may threaten AI research effortsThe Trump Administration has fired a number of National Science Foundation employees who had been handpicked for their expertise in AI, threatening the agencys ability to sustain key AI research, Bloomberg reported.One of the affected departments inside NSF, called the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, was instrumental in funneling government grants focused on AI. Many review panels have been postponed or canceled as a result of the layoffs, stalling funding for some AI projects, according to Bloomberg.AI experts have criticized the Trump Administrations recent cuts to scientific grant-making, and in particular, reductions championed by billionaire Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency. In a post on X, Geoffrey Hinton, an AI pioneer and Nobel Laureate, called for Musk to be expelled from the British Royal Society because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the U.S.Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever.Your comments above are carelessly ignorant, cruel and false. That said, what specific actions require correction? I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2025Musk responded to Hintons post, saying, I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them.Topics

Google Gemini users can now access the AI chatbot directly from the iPhones lock screen, thanks to an update released on Monday first spotted by 9to5Google. Users can now call up Gemini Live, Googles relatively real-time voice feature for its AI chatbot, before they unlock their phone by adding a Gemini widget to their lock screen.Talk with Gemini Live from the iphones lock screen.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunchAs Apples version of an AI-enabled Siri reportedly faces delays until 2027, competitors in the AI space are stepping in to supply iPhone users with AI assistants of their own. These features may give iPhone users a sense of whats possible with LLMs and voice assistants, though Apples version of an LLM-powered Siri may be far more integrated with the iPhones other functions when it ultimately ships.ChatGPTs iOS app also lets users call up OpenAIs near real-time voice feature, Advanced Voice Mode, from the lock screen.Besides Gemini Live, the updated Gemini app also includes several other lock screen widgets, including one for taking pictures using the iPhone camera and uploading them to Gemini; one for setting reminders and calendar events; or another that lets users jump straight to a text chat with Gemini.Google also announced on Monday that later in March, it would allow Gemini users on Android to ask its AI chatbot questions about video and onscreen content, and get answers in real time. These features were first unveiled as part of Project Astra, Google DeepMinds multimodal AI project that is slowly making its way into the Gemini app. To start, these features will be available for subscribers to Googles $20-a-month Gemini Advanced plan.

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How to solve today's Wordle.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Mondays Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here:Tuesday, Tuesday. We got a little snow yesterday, but it was just a very small amount. Still, thanks to everyone who prayed for snow! Well take what we can get! In any case, its another day in paradise and as good a time as any to solve todays Wordle. Lets do it!How To Solve Todays WordleThe Hint: Something you ask for after a meal.The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter.Okay, spoilers below!...The Answer:Today's WordleCredit: Erik KainWordle AnalysisEvery day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. PLATE wasnt very lucky as far as first guesses go, leaving me with 334 possible solutions and just one yellow box. I tried all new letters with COINS, which slashed that number to a still unhelpful 11 and gave me a green C. From here, I tried CHEER but to no avail. Two words remained. Fortunately, I guessed correctly. CHECK for the win!Competitive Wordle ScoreToday's Wordle BotCredit: Erik KainA total wash today. 4 gets me zero points as does tying the Bot. Big fat zero!March Running Total: 6 points.How To Play Competitive WordleGuessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your pointspositive or negative.You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!Todays Wordle EtymologyThe word "check" originates from the Persian word shh (), meaning "king," which entered medieval Latin as scaccus through Arabic (shh mt, "the king is dead" the origin of "checkmate" in chess). It then passed into Old French as eschec, meaning "chess, a check, or a stop," before entering Middle English as "check." Over time, it expanded in meaning to include verification, control, and halting actions.The use of "check" as a written payment order comes from the same Old French eschec (derived from chess), meaning "a check, a stop, or a control." The financial sense developed in the 18th century from the idea of a document that acts as a control or verification on funds. It is related to the use of "check" in accounting, where balances are examined or "checked" for accuracy.Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when Im not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

The tools for making video games are more accessible than ever. Were not only seeing the rise of amazing indie games, but even entire projects made by a single person. While a lot of these are new IPs that are clearly inspired by the likes of thebest Mario and Pokemon games, others are so passionate about their favorite franchise that they create an entire fan game in that series. Because they cant legally sell a game using a publishers IP, these fan games are pure works of passion from the developers. Whether it is a franchise that hasnt seen the light of day for years or one that has fallen off in terms of delivering what the fans want, fan games are there to deliver a new experience that can even overshadow the real thing. At the same time, a lot of fan games can be a major disappointment due to a lack of experience and oversight. We have picked out only the most impressive fan games of all time that are worth playing alongside the original franchise.Recommended VideosRelatedEditors Recommendations

George Miller is contemplating a return to the Wasteland.Miller recently admitted that he has a script for another Mad Max movie. Whether it gets made is up in the air.Recommended VideosWeve got another script, Miller told Vulture. But having been doing this long enough where Im habituated to storytelling, I find myself with way too many stories not only in my head, but in the form of screenplays or at least very detailed notes that are within reach of screenplays. Im a professional daydreamer, really.Please enable Javascript to view this contentWhile Miller teased the sixth Mad Max film, the 80-year-old filmmaker has plans to work on other projects before potentially revisiting his most famous creation. Even then, Miller plans to take a wait-and-see approach with Mad Max.Theres lots of stories. Indeed, one of them is a Mad Max, Miller said. It is not something I would do next, because theres two things Im keen to do next. But if for whatever reason the planets align, you can never tell. Too often, youre lining up to do a movie and then something happens. Some things fall into place and some dont, so all I can say is well see.Miller first introduced audiences to the antihero Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) in 1979s Mad Max. The Australian independent film became a massive success and spawned two sequels: 1981sMad Max 2and1985sMad Max Beyond Thunderdome.30 years later, Miller returned with the fourth installment, 2015s Mad Max: Fury Road. The thrilling chase movie with Tom Hardy as Max is widely considered one of the best action movies of the 21st century. Fury Roadgrossed over $380 million and won six Oscars.In 2024, Miller helmed Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,a prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Furiosa before the events ofFury Road. While critically acclaimed,Furiosaflopped at the box office, with a gross of $173 million on a $168 million budget.Editors Recommendations

2025-03-04T01:56:03Z Read in app Michael Baeumler, owner and CEO of Handsome Bastard Clothing & Apparel Limited, wears one of his company's ball hats in Brampton, Ontario. Mike Campbell/NurPhoto via Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Canadians are angry over Trump's tariff threats and 51st-state comments.In response, they're abandoning US consumer brands in favor of locally-made alternatives.The country's largest retailer said sales of Canadian goods are up by double digits.In response to President Donald Trump's tariff threats and comments about adopting the 158-year-old nation as the 51st US state, Canadians are hitting back with a bit of economic populism of their own."Every single person I meet, they want help and guidance how they can buy more Canadian products, and we're really trying to do everything we can to help them," Loblaw Companies CEO Per Bank said on the company's fourth quarter earnings call last month. Loblaw, which owns several grocery and pharmacy brands, is the largest retailer in Canada.In a LinkedIn comment a week before the call, Bank said sales of products prepared in Canada were up double digits in the second week of February, especially in grocery, dairy, and frozen sections as shoppers were "already in a patriotic state of mind."The sentiment goes well beyond the grocery aisles."It's a combination of we're hurt and angry," said Mike Moffatt, a former economic adviser to Justin Trudeau, in an interview with Scott Galloway published last week. "Weirdly, we're actually more we've come together more as a country. I think we are less divided than we have been in probably a decade here."Moffatt noted that Canada is significantly more dependent on foreign trade than the US is, and that new tariffs as well as any retaliatory tariffs would create a host of supply chain challenges and new price increases.Trump said Monday that Canada had"no room left" to avoid the tariffs. A customer buys Canadian-made maple syrup at the Real Canadian Superstore on March 3, 2025 in Toronto. Katherine KY Cheng/Getty Images Canadians aren't mincing words about how they're feeling and what they hope to accomplish with their next grocery run."I'm a little bit horrified. I'm very scared," Pearl Whamond, a nurse who has lived in Montreal all her life, told Business Insider. She said she's personally witnessed an outpouring of Canadian patriotism even in Quebec, a primarily French-speaking province that is not typically considered very patriotic."If Quebec is pissed off enough to become nationalistic and fly the Canadian flag, something's really wrong," she said.Whamond is among the many Canadians who are trying to boycott American companies in favor of Canadian ones. She said her local Facebook groups are full of people asking for Canadian alternatives to specific products and brands.She personally hasn't shopped at Amazon in nearly a month despite her husband previously referring to her as the "Amazon queen" and is also avoiding brands like McDonald's and Walmart.Another Canadian based in Alberta who asked to remain anonymous for fear of political backlash, told BI he also has been trying to avoid buying American products, opting for goods made in any other country but especially Canada when it's feasible. "Patriotism is definitely way up," he said. "I feel like we're actually a united front as Canadians. We're collectively rejecting the divisive rhetoric that has led to all this." Canada's Connor McDavid celebrates after scoring the game winning goal of the Four Nations Face-Off Championship Game. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images The renewed patriotism even spilled out onto the ice during the final game of the Four Nations Face Off hockey tournament, which replaced the otherwise sleepy NHL All Star Game.After the US handed Canada a decisive defeat in their round-robin match-up, Canada returned with a vengeance in the final to win a sudden-death overtime victory on par with the Olympics or the Stanley Cup."You can't take our country and you can't take our game," Trudeau posted on X.It's a mood that has more Canadians reaching for Crown Royal over Maker's Mark.

2025-03-03T23:29:38Z Read in app Ruby Franke's two oldest kids, Shari and Chad Franke, participated in a new docuseries about her. Kai Pfaffenbach/Disney; 8 Passengers/YouTube This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Two of Ruby Franke's kids participated in a new docuseries about her.The former vlogger was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.Shari Franke says she'll never speak to her mother again; Franke's son Chad still has love for her.One of the most harrowing parts of "Devil in the Family," Hulu's new docuseries about the downfall of former mommy vlogger Ruby Franke, happens minutes before it ends.Shari Franke, her eldest daughter, was an internet personality as a child alongside her five younger siblings Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve, who were all featured on their mother's popular YouTube channel "8 Passengers." Shari participated in Hulu's series alongside her father, Kevin Franke, and her younger brother, Chad Franke.In an interview near the end of the third and final episode, Shari reflects on her fractured current relationship with her mother as she watches old footage of herself as a child with her mother.It's a dark moment for Shari. The now 21-year-old saw her family, presented for years as idyllic and perfect, crumble in the public eye.Ruby Franke, who started her YouTube channel in 2015, was convicted on four counts of child abuse and sentenced to between four and 30 years in a Salt Lake City, Utah, prison. Before that, she'd become controversial in 2020 over her parenting style, which some viewers called abusive.The true depth of her crimes was uncovered in 2023, when her younger son, one of the two kids she abused, escaped from the home of Franke's friend and collaborator Jodi Hildebrandt and told authorities he and his sister had been subjected to horrific abuse.Here's where Ruby Franke's six kids are now, amid their mom's imprisonment.Ruby Franke's 4 youngest kids are being kept out of the spotlight Ruby Franke with five of her kids in an early YouTube video circa 2015. 8 Passengers/YouTube (via Hulu) Ruby and Kevin Franke's four youngest children are still minors. Though they were prominently featured in their mother's YouTube channel and on her Instagram for years and even had "official" individual Instagram accounts managed by their parents their identities were concealed in footage shown in the Hulu docuseries. The kids' faces were blurred out in old videos, and they weren't named.In legal documentation related to Franke's trial and conviction viewed by Business Insider, the four youngest were also referred to by their first initials. The two youngest kids, "R." (Russell) and "E." (Eve), were 12 and 10 at the time of Franke's arrest and were the ones subjected to physical abuse.The abuse stemmed from Franke and Hildebrandt's belief that they were possessed by the devil, and that their "deviance" needed to be addressed with harsh punishments. Those punishments, chronicled in Franke's detailed journal about the abuse made public by authorities during the trial, included withholding food for days, making them stand in the hot sun for hours, and having them run shoeless in the Utah desert.As the docuseries recounts, the two middle sisters, Abby and Julie, did not appear to be physically harmed at the time Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in August 2023. All four kids were taken into the custody of Utah's Department of Child and Family Services when Franke was arrested; their father, Kevin Franke, alleged in the docuseries that he had been pressured to leave the family home and cut off contact with all his children for over a year by his wife and Hildebrandt.Kevin Franke's attorney told Today.com in September 2023 that he was "focused on doing what is best for his kids" and was "making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships." Kevin filed for divorce that year and has been seeking to regain custody of his four youngest children. It's unclear whether the kids are still in the custody of the state, in Kevin Franke's custody, or elsewhere, as the status of his guardianship case isn't publicly accessible.As of a June 2024 filing in Kevin Franke's lawsuit against Hildebrandt, viewed by BI, all four kids were residing in separate homes while in the state's custody.When reached via email, a representative for Utah's DCFS declined to comment further on specifics of the case or the whereabouts of the Franke children "in order to protect the integrity of the necessary working relationships with those we serve, and to respect the privacy of children and families."Chad Franke still has love for Ruby Franke despite her crimes Chad Franke. Kai Pfaffenbach/Disney Chad Franke is Kevin and Ruby Franke's second-eldest child and eldest son. He and his older sister Shari, who are now both adults, participated in the Hulu docuseries where they opened up about their family's vlogging career and their mother's abuse case.In the docuseries, Shari and Chad recalled how the two of them were the most popular of the Franke siblings among viewers, remarking that photos with the two of them in the thumbnail tended to perform best on "8 Passengers." Chad in particular became something of an internet celebrity in his own right, and he said he played into the charming goofball character.Kevin admitted in an interview for the docuseries that he was living vicariously through preteen Chad, who was much cooler and more confident than he ever was, and said he and his wife exploited that for monetary gain. At its peak, Kevin said they were making over $100,000 a month in YouTube revenue.As a teen, Chad started to act out, culminating in his expulsion from school. At that point, the Frankes brought in Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist referred by a family friend, to help keep Chad in line. He was sent to the Anasazi Foundation Wilderness Therapy Program, a troubled teen program.In the docuseries, Chad said he didn't mind working with Hildebrandt at first, as she mostly focused on trying to get him to be more spiritual. He even grew to love her, despite her encouragement of Kevin and Ruby Franke's harsh punishments. It was Chad's revelation in a 2020 YouTube video that he'd had his room taken away and was made to sleep on a bean bag chair in the basement for seven months that kickstarted the backlash against the Franke family and precipitated their downfall.Chad was ultimately kicked out of the family home by Franke and Hildebrandt, who'd moved in with them, when he was 17 for admitting to watching pornography in the house. He went to live in an apartment nearby and didn't have contact with his parents or siblings for a year. He recalled in the docuseries finding out about his mother's arrest when someone at his lifeguarding job saw it on the news and told him.Initially, Chad still believed that his punishment and his siblings' treatment were appropriate and that Hildebrandt and Franke had been acting as "God's chosen people." It was only after his father finally realized they'd both been lied to and told Chad that he realized the extent of the abuse.In the docuseries, Chad said it was "heartbreaking" seeing his mother on trial. He admitted that his feelings about her are complicated, though he believes she belongs in prison at least for now."I miss a mother figure. I miss how she was when I was very young. But I think what she's going through is deserved," he said. "I don't think she should get out, at least until the kids, all the kids, turn 18 years old. But that doesn't mean I don't have love for her."Chad now works as a real estate agent in Utah. He's also started his own influencing career, growing his personal following on Instagram and TikTok, where he posts videos with his girlfriend.Shari Franke says she'll never speak to Ruby Franke again and is lobbying against family vlogging Shari Franke. Kai Pfaffenbach/Disney In the docuseries, Shari and Chad recalled how their mother grew her following by forcing all the kids to constantly create content for the channel, which began when Shari was a preteen. Shari managed to break away before the situation deteriorated, leaving the family home to attend Brigham Young University in 2020; Shari says Franke kicked her out of her room two weeks before she left for college in order to move Hildebrandt in.She recalled being immediately suspicious of Hildebrandt and found negative reviews of her online that said she'd destroyed other families and even had her license revoked. Shari told her mother, but Franke didn't listen. Ultimately, Franke cut Shari off after Shari refused to stop contacting her father Kevin and brother Chad from college.In the docuseries, Shari and a family friend who was her former teacher recalled going to the Franke home to confront Franke, who was unmoved even as Shari cried and begged Franke not to cut her off. From that point, Shari didn't have contact with her family, but neighbors would keep her updated on the situation with her siblings amid their father's absence.In 2022, they alerted Shari that Franke appeared to be gone for hours at a time, leaving the younger kids home alone. Shari placed a call to the Springville Police Station in September 2022 asking for a welfare check; a case opened by the DCFS was eventually closed because according to documentation previously viewed by BI, there was no evidence of wrongdoing.Shari addressed cutting ties with her family on a podcast in 2023, months before Franke's arrest, saying that they'd left her "spiritually drained." When Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested that August, Shari reacted to the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of a police car with the word: "Finally.""Today has been a big day," Shari said in another post. "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."She also appealed to her followers and former "8 Passengers" fans to help her crowdsource "questionable or concerning" video evidence against Franke and ConneXions, the controversial group started by Hildebrandt that Franke had joined, shortly after the arrest.Today, Shari is an outspoken critic of family vlogging, testifying at an October 2024 Utah Senate committee hearing in favor of laws to protect child influencers. In her speech, she called herself a "victim of family vlogging" and said "there is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger.""If I could go back and do it all again, I'd rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet," Shari said. "No amount of money I received has made what I've experienced worth it."She also published a memoir, "The House of My Mother," in January ahead of the Hulu docuseries, about her family life with Franke."Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke" is streaming on Hulu.

Which console is best? (Metro/Sony/Nintendo)The Tuesday letters page tries to imagine what Nintendo will do for Splatoon 4, as a reader celebrates the French-ness of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe contendersInteresting celebration of the Nintendo Switchs eight anniversary and how we might be thinking about the Nintendo Switch 2 in a similar amount of time. Im not going to try and predict how things will work out, because how could anyone know, but I am interested in the idea of the Nintendo Switch being the best console ever.Im sure that will get the back up of some people, who dont like the fact that it doesnt have the best graphics, but for me the front runners are the Switch, the SNES, and the PlayStation 4. For me the question is whether the Switch is distinctive enough as a console and in terms of its games line-up.It might not have Elden Ring or Red Dead Redemption 2 or whatever but multiple consoles have those, so theyre not really tied to a specific one (plus, the Switch 2 will probably get them in the end). So on that basis, and the fact that the console itself is so innovative, Id have to say that, yes, the Switch probably is the best console ever made so far.ShipleySweeping generalisationsCount me as another person that couldnt give a flip about Monster Hunter but is super happy about how well the new game has gone down. A rich and stable Capcom is a confident Capcom, that can afford to take risks, and were already starting to see them do it with a new Onimusha and you could argue other things like the Ghost Trick remaster.Im sure weve all got our favourite Capcom franchises wed love to see come back (Ghosts N Goblins and Dino Crisis for me!) but now it seems like it could really happen.I also cant help but compare the difference between what a company like Capcom does when it gets a windfall and the disgusting amounts of money that Microsoft and co. have been throwing around lately, none of which has resulted in anything those companies wouldnt have bene making anyway. $75 billion and we still havent had a sequel to Blinx: The Time Sweeper.BoffoZut alorsGood to see that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is keeping the tradition of indie games having a terrible name that you cant either say or spell (yes, I copied and pasted it). Apart from that I really like the look of the game and I hope it turns out to be good all the way through.What I like about it is it just looks so French. Everyones worrying that Ubisoft are going under, but I dont think theyre doing that because anyone really likes Ubisoft, its just were running out of publishers and theyre one of the last ones weve got.When was the last time Ubisoft made anything that looked or felt French? The last Rayman game 12 years ago? Ill be said if they go because of what it means for independent game companies but not because of the stuff theyre actually making right now.GigasEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukSerious suggestionI see Rockstar Games is getting back into bed with the maker of L.A. Noire but Im not sure that is really a good idea. Dont get me wrong, I would love to see a sequel of some sort, or just anything from Rockstar that isnt GTA or Red Dead, but for me L.A. Noire was the perfect example of a good idea badly done, and I would put most of that down to the developer.The story was terrible, the game didnt need to be open world, and the guessing whether people are lying based on what theyre doing with their eyes was just silly. I would love a proper, serious film noir in video game form, but I cant imagine the maker of L.A. Noire ever delivering that, no matter how much better technology has got.Give it a go, by all means, but Id be a lot more confident if someone else was doing it. Sadly I think the old GTA writer, Dan Houser, wouldve been the best person for the job, as Wikipedia tells me he was only executive producer on the first game. But hes left now, which is a shame.PaulieSensible decisionDont get me wrong, I love Hideki Kamiya and his games but I am shocked that he keeps getting work. As far as I can think of his only real hit was Resident Evil 2 and that was in the 90s (and not something most people really associate with him).I notice the story was him asking Phil Spencer to bring back Scalebound and not the other way around. Maybe itll happen but I think the sensible business decision is to politely decline. However, if theres one thing the last few years have made clear is that Phil Spencer has virtually no business sense at all, so that means the chances of Scalebound coming back are good. So, yay?LambasCall of InklingsNice article about the Nintendo Switchs eight anniversary and how likely it is that Nintendo is going to be able to repeat the same trick. My guess would be that it will probably be roughly the same level of popularity. You might lose a few people from it seeming too similar but with Xbox falling off and PlayStation not making any new friends I dont see that not equalling things out.I was interested in your list of Switch failures too, namely Pokmon and the very unambitious Splatoon 3. As you pointed out, it was still very popular in Japan, but I am sure Nintendo will have noted it did not do very well in the West. So, I wonder what their reaction to that will be.Will Splatoon 4 be significantly different from the others? That seems unlikely given how popular it is in Japan but how do you make it feel like a major step-up if the multiplayer kind of has to be the way it is.The only way through I can see is to try and take the Call Of Duty approach and make the story campaign seem much more important and distinctive. But that doesnt strike me as something Nintendo is very good at. The backstory in Splatoon is weird and doesnt really have much momentum. And really, how seriously can you take a plot involving post-apocalyptic squid people?Im really not sure what the answer is, except maybe some kind of third mode that focuses on co-op. Salmon Run is great but its very short and abstract. Something with more in common with Zombies might be whats needed, and Ill be interested to see what they try.ZeissWeve got to go backI hope this new Pokmon game turns out well but after the last two or three I really havent got much faith. I almost feel that the whole series has to go purposefully retro to get its mojo back. Trying to reimagine the games as big open world 3D worlds just isnt going to work with low grade Game Freak tech.Even their more recent 2D games, like Lets Go, Pikachu!, looks really bad and low tech. If they cant handle modern graphics then they need to look at an alternative. Some sort of 2D art style that looks more like painted drawings or something maybe they could make it look like the trading cards. Anything that doesnt look like cheapo art assets from some 3D freeware bundle. My hopes are not high though.D-FenceEmpathy breakdownBFG isnt completely correct. I appreciate the time and effort some game devs put into their offerings, I just dont care who they are. I couldnt name more than two people involved in game making, Miyazaki for Dark Souls and Kojima for Metal Gear and Im fine with this. I dont really rate Kojima either.I dont care what they go through for their jobs, just like I dont care what goes into making films I enjoy or music I like. Background people run the world in one way or another, Fight Club was a documentary about this exact thing.Like most of the world, were just enjoying our free time, when we get some. I dont want to have to watch a 20 minute credit scroll just so 1,000 people feel appreciation. I always skip credits in games and films unless there is an achievement for doing so. If thats the case, Ill let it run and take a short walk till its finished.Game devs might have a hard time for a short while but lets be honest, they arent surgeons or air traffic controllers. If devs make a mistake a character can fall through the floor or a quest isnt doable, its not the end of the world.Im aware that if people werent coding games I would have less to do but if games werent a thing I wouldnt know any better either. Its a career people take on knowing the long hours and unfair conditions they might face but it isnt forced labour.It might sound miserable, but we are all in the same boat. Under appreciated and undervalued every day, its just the way it is. Its how we deal with it is what matters.BobwallettGC: It certainly isnt forced labour if they all get laid off.Inbox also-ransI just bought Forspoken for 5. Ive come to the conclusion I was overcharged by at least 6.LHTAll this excitement for a Tony Hawks Pro Skater annoucement but is anyone really that hyped for a remaster of 3 and 4? Theres a reason they didnt make a number 5. Id be much more interested if it was a brand new game.BootlesMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: What is the next big PS5 exclusive?GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Every Assassins Creed game ranked from worst to bestMichael BeckwithPublished March 4, 2025 1:00am Which do you think is the best Assassins Creed game? (Ubisoft)With a new mainline Assassins Creed dropping this month, GameCentral runs through the entire series to determine its best and worst games.Since 2007, Assassins Creed has become easily Ubisofts most prominent franchise and while the days of yearly releases ended a while ago there are still a huge number of entries out there, for a franchise that is only 18 years old.According to a recent report, there are no less than 10 Assassins Creed projects currently in development. The next is Assassins Creed Shadows, which Ubisoft is hoping will turn around the companys fortunes, after the dismal financial year its had.So with Shadows just a few weeks away, lets reflect on Assassins Creeds legacy so far and which games hold up the best and which are better left to be forgotten by history. For the record, well be sticking with the mainline entries, since wed be here all day if we counted the multitude of spin-offs.13. Assassins Creed Unity (2014)2014 was a pretty bum year for Assassins Creed, considering it saw two major releases that year and neither of them were any good. Of the two, the French Revolution themed Assassins Creed Unity is easily the worst.Pushed as the first entry to feature co-op multiplayer, Unity is mostly remembered for how disastrously buggy it was at launch, its strange omission of playable women in the multiplayer, and its baffling lack of French accents in the English dub.Even when it works properly, its easily the dullest entry in the series from both a mechanical and story perspective, with very little parkour and a weak protagonist. At least it was pretty to look at though.12. Assassins Creed Rogue (2014)Rehashing the beloved Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag to create a prequel may have sounded like a smart idea on paper but, inevitability, that meant that Assassins Creed Rogue lacked any real identity of its own.We honestly keep forgetting this one exists, but thats understandable as it was an obviously rushed release, initially produced only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while Unity was current gen-only.The returning naval combat is still fun and, like Unity, Rogue offers some pleasant graphics. Unlike Unity though its story is actually quite good, with one of the few chances in the series to play as a Templar.11. Assassins Creed Syndicate (2015)Even nowadays, Assassins Creed Syndicates open world take on 19th century London is impressively designed and easily the highlight of the whole game. Its just a shame Ubisoft didnt do more with the setting, but then the mid 2010s were definitely a low point for the series.While by no means incompetent, Syndicate plays things safe to the blandest degree. Beyond the admittedly excellent soundtrack and half of its twin protagonists being fairly entertaining, Syndicate is kind of just there. Which is a real shame, because its arguably the best representation of a major city in the series.10. Assassins Creed (2007)The Assassins Creed series had a peculiar start in life, as while the first game, set during the Third Crusade, was a hit it wasnt particularly good, with extremely repetitive missions that were very clearly copy and pasted from each other.Simplistic and repetitive; what attracted people to the game was the unusual historical setting, which is still rare in other titles today. The stealth and parkour was emphasised much more back then, but all of it was done better in the immediate sequels.You can also trace a couple of the series longest running issues to this game, namely the po-faced and overly complex plot and the games propensity for bland protagonists. How well do you think the original has held up? (Ubisoft)9. Assassins Creed 3 (2012)Had we been writing this 10 years ago, when Assassins Creed 3 was still fairly new, wed probably have ranked it higher. In 2012, its efforts to go bigger and bolder were welcomed and seen as a necessary evolution for the series, with its expansive tale of 18th century Colonial America. Nowadays, though, its reputation hasnt fared well.Its activity filled open world, jam packed with side quests and map icons, almost feels like a parody of complaints about modern Ubisoft games, even if at the time this was only the start of the problem. The dull combat doesnt help and despite its best efforts the story is too long winded to get its hooks into you, with one of the longest prologues in gaming history.8. Assassins Creed Origins (2017)On one hand, Assassins Creed Origins was a major turning point for the series, eschewing its stealth game origins in favour of action role-playing elements that have become a mainstay ever since. However, its successors would end up using the formula to more entertaining ends.Even in 2017, Origins felt like a missed opportunity, fixing very few, if any of the previous games issues while retaining many of the same problems. The open world, set in Ancient Egypt, is impressively realised but otherwise boring to explore and woefully barren in places. Plus, the stealth has been dumbed down to the point where it feels like the supposedly experienced protagonist Bayek is stumbling around like a clumsy fool.7. Assassins Creed Mirage (2023)After years of action role-playing games, Ubisoft decided to return to the series stealth game roots, and a setting in 9th century Baghdad, with Assassins Creed Mirage.Mirage is purposefully old school, as a homage to the very first game, and not nearly as big as most other entries, but at a time when modern Assassins Creed games felt bloated and unwieldly, Mirages more streamlined experience made it a great alternative for anyone with a day job.Theres also some decent mission variety (with the best ones being those where you methodically assassinate entire rooms full of enemies) and some nicely detailed graphics. You do get too powerful very quickly through upgrades, but that can be a positive for some players.6. Assassins Creed Revelations (2011)Ubisoft was probably pushing its luck when it made not one, but two follow-ups to the beloved Assassins Creed 2. While it did pay off in terms of sales, some fatigue had set in by the time of the second one, Assassins Creed Revelations.What it offers is still competently entertaining, if dated, especially since Assassins Creed 2s protagonist Ezio remains at the forefront and the first games less charismatic hero Altar thankfully doesnt take up too much time.You only play this nowadays if youve finished Assassins Creed 2 and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and are still hungry for more and you want one last adventure with Ezio. It also loses points now that its multiplayer doesnt work anymore.5. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood (2010)While not as much of a dramatic leap compared to the jump from Assassins Creed 1 to its sequel, this direct follow-up to Assassins Creed 2 remains one of the better entries in the series.Like Revelations, this may have ranked slightly higher if its multiplayer was still operational. As is, its still a worthy follow-up to Assassins Creed 2, thanks to its titular Brotherhood system, which sees you recruiting new assassins to send out on missions. Theres also some solid mission variety and more refined combat.4. Assassins Creed Odyssey (2018)These next two are arguably interchangeable given theyre of similar quality, and both use the series more modern role-playing style. But both are well worth playing today, whether youre an Assassins Creed veteran or new to the series.After Assassins Creed Origins introduced the new role-playing formula, Assassins Creed Odyssey helped refine it, but its expansive open world setting of Ancient Greece can be a double-edged sword.Youll never want for things to do, and it has some solid features, like fan favourite naval combat and the new conquest battles, but the game is so bloated with content it feels like it goes on forever. Just be sure to pick Kassandra as your protagonist as shes easily the more likeable choice.3. Assassins Creed Valhalla (2020)Assassins Creed Valhalla is Assassins Creed Odyssey but with Vikings instead of Spartans. That said, theres more stealth opportunities here, for those who dont appreciate how much it was downplayed in Odyssey, and probably the best combat in the series.Its also got a nice bevy of mini-games, including historically accurate Viking rap battles, and some beautiful visuals, that include much of 9th century England. If anything its even more bloated than Odyssey, which can become exhausting.2. Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag is so popular with fans Ubisoft has tried to replicate its success multiple times, not just with other Assassins Creed games but also the doomed Skull And Bones live service title.Its hamstrung by the usual Assassins Creed problems uninteresting story, dull main character, underdeveloped ideas but its hard to dislike a proper open world pirate game that features many of the most famous historical figures of the time, including Blackbeard.More TrendingAnd while it couldve afforded to be a bit more focused, it doesnt feel as bloated as later games, while still being chockfull of content. If the rumoured remake addresses some of Black Flags issues, it could end up being the best entry in the series.1. Assassins Creed 2 (2009)This should not be surprising in the slightest. While it has undeniably aged in places, Assassins Creed 2 is well worth revisiting even 15+ years later and is a much better starting point for newcomers than the first game.A big reason for this is leading man Ezio, without a doubt the most charismatic protagonist in the series, while the setting of Renaissance Italy allowed for some wonderful virtual, historical tourism.Even if the parkour mechanics dont hold up quite as well nowadays, the graphics certainly do. We almost recommend tracking down an original Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 copy since the 2016 remaster was very half-assed. Although therell probably be another one along sooner or later. More Assassins Creed heroes could stand to borrow a few things from Ezio (Ubisoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy