Star Citizen players slam CIG's "non-apology" after space-sim introduces "pay to win" items that cannot be earned in-game "Vote with your wallet, citizens!" Image credit: Cloud Imperium Games News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on May 18, 2025 Cloud Imperium Games has responded to players unhappy about the recent introduction of "pay to win" flight blades in Star Citizen, admitting it "missed a step". While Star Citizen's community doesn't typically shy away from financially supporting the game's 12-year-old early access period, on this occasion, players took umbrage that even though the blades give an undeniable in-game advantage, they had been introduced as a premium item that could not be earned organically through gameplay. The fallout has been so intense, CIG has now posted a statement, stressing to players that they will be able to obtain flight blades through the in-game currency aUEC "in our next patch this June" and said that "for future gameplay kit introductions, we’ll ensure these items are obtainable in-game on day one". Star Citizen | The Idris Is Here.Watch on YouTube "We're pushing 11 patches this year instead of 4. We're crushing more bugs than ever, building more exciting content, moving faster than ever to make the Persistent Universe a better experience for everyone, and in moving that fast, we missed a step," stressed Tyler "Zyloh-CIG" Witkin (thanks, PC Gamer). "To be clear, the new Flight Blades will be obtainable for aUEC in our next patch this June. We followed our usual approach by offering early access on the pledge store to help support development. But after some reflection, we've decided that for smaller components like Flight Blades or bomb racks, they should be available in-game at the same time they appear on the store. "The choice has and should always be yours," the statement continued. "If you want to support the project early, you can, but it's not required. "Thanks to everyone who's weighed in, especially those who brought the heat constructively. This game has always been shaped by the community," Witkin concluded." Star Citizen wouldn't exist without your passion and support, or your scrutiny and feedback. We hear you, and we take it all to heart." Not all players were mollified, however. "This is meant to be constructive, but you cannot keep the status quo and move up the in game part a little faster and act like you have solved the root of the problem," responded one. "This is a bandaid to calm people down, but the root issue here is that you continue to sell more and more items in the game that have a wider impact on what a player would do day to day. "Everyone knows the convienence of the pledgestore would outweigh any gameplay in an MMO that is meant to be played and slowly gained progress over years…" "Flight blades were kept from players in PTU with complete radio silence from CIG only for them to pop up in the store once the patch hit LIVE," added another. "They wanted to cash in on the FOMO during Invictus, and have not changed course. This isn't an act of goodwill, this is a non-apology and business-as-usual for CIG." Another said players "deserve what we tolerate", stating: "These flight blades feel so gimicky, and having them locked to a single type of ship is just greedy design. "If we accept this and CIG makes money off these blades, then we deserve more pay-to-win features. "Vote with your wallet, citizens! I've been following the project since 2.6 and I was happy with the development till they changed the ship prices to GTA5 online prices (and economy). That was a hard pill to swallow, but seeing these flight blades come out in this manner, it just paints a clear picture of things to come." Star Citizen has now raised over $800m, despite there still being no hint of a version 1.0 release date some 12 years after its original Kickstarter campaign.

Disney has officially begun its year-long celebration of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary and they invited us to preview all of the festivities it has planned throughout Summer 2026, and this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about the entertainment, food and beverages, merch, and more.From the return of Paint the Night to new retro food items to a Disneyland Key that will unlock surprises all across the park, there’s a lot to look forward to when planning a trip to the park. Below, you will find the twelve things you need to know about Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and we'd love to hear what you are most excited about!1. Paint the Night Is Back With Elsa, Anna, and Over One Million LED LightsThe return of Paint the Night, the fan-favorite nighttime parade that first debuted for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, has perhaps received the most buzz in the lead-up to the celebrations of the park’s 70th. The parade’s initial run ended in 2016 and is now back with over one million LED lights, the return of Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, and more.2. Disneyland is More Affordable Thanks to Limited-Time 70th Anniversary Ticket and Disneyland Hotel Offers For those hoping to make a trip to Disneyland for its 70th anniversary celebrations, Disney is offering a few deals to make the trip a little more manageable. Guests will be able to purchase a multi-day theme park ticket for as low $360 with a special 3-day, 1-park per day ticket. There will also be an option to get a 4-day, 1-park per day ticket for as low as $400. These tickets will be good for May 16 - August 14 and they don’t need to be used on consecutive days.For those looking to stay on property, guests will be able to save up to 20% on select stays at the Disneyland Hotel between May 16 and August 14. This will also give them the chance to check out how the Disneyland Hotel is celebrating its own 70th anniversary as well, as the hotel will have special decorations, themed in-room celebrations, unique beverages, and more.Staying at a Disneyland Resort will also put guests just steps away from Downtown Disney, which is dressed up for the occasion. Alongside 70th anniversary medallions placed around the area with favorite Disney characters that are great photo spots and other decorations, the path to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will continue to offer all of its many food and shopping experiences.3. World of Color Happiness! - A New Version of the Disney California Adventure Water Show Featuring Inside OutWorld of Color Happiness! is the big new nighttime spectacular for Disney California Adventure, and it is actually the seventh version of World of Color since its debut in 2010. This show is all about celebrating happiness with over one million water fountains and projections, and it takes inspiration from Walt Disney’s words from Disneyland’s opening day park dedication, “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!” Inside Out’s emotions are front-and-center in World of Color Happiness!, with Joy and the other emotions making up parts of the logo. Guests will be able to help alter the story of World of Color Happiness! and can vote on whether Sadness, Anger, Disgust, or Envy are featured in various scenes on the Disneyland app. World of Color Happiness! also features a brand new pre-show with The Muppets, who also happen to be celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. As for the music, highlights include Boyz II Men, who recorded a special rendition of ‘Rainbow Connection,’ and FITZ, who recorded a new original song called ‘Makes Me Wanna Move.’Check out our thoughts on 2023’s World of Color - ONE for Disneyland’s 100th anniversary, another very impressive and emotional show 4. Wondrous Journeys Celebrates Over 60 Walt Disney Animation Studios Films With Fireworks, Projections, and MusicDisneyland’s nighttime spectacular Wondrous Journeys, which first debuted for Disney’s 100th anniversary, is back for Disneyland’s 70th. This show celebrates over 60 films in Walt Disney Animation Studio’s catalog and, as Disney puts it, “illustrates the possibilities, excitement, heartache, and determination we all face when working to make our dreams come true.”Wondrous Journeys is pretty much the same as it was, but it remains a favorite nighttime spectacular for fans of all ages. It’s also a show that is slightly different depending on where you are in Disneyland, as Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, Rivers of America, and the façade of it’s a small world all offer unique experiences and moments.Check out our thoughts on Wondrous Journeys in my Disney 100th Anniversary Guide, but this is a must-see show that is filled with so much heart, emotion, and truly special moments.5. Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Shines a Spotlight on the Importance of Friendship with Toy Story, Coco, and MoreBetter Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! is another returning parade that’s getting a new run for Disneyland’s 70th and it features many fan-favorite characters from beloved Pixar films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Coco, Inside Out, Monsters, Inc., and Up.The show is nearly identical to what it was when it debuted during Pixar Fest 2024, and it’s just as fun and still carries the same message. “This parade wants to honor and celebrate the more recent films that Pixar produced where you feel like there are characters who feel lesser than… like they don’t belong,” Susana Tubert, creative director at Disney Live Entertainment, told us. “And through these friendships, they're upheld, they're celebrated, and they're accepted. And that's the message that we want this parade to share with our guests - that it's okay to be you, that you can bring your authentic self to Disneyland, and at the end of the day, we're better together.”6. Tapestry of Happiness Brings a Special Projection Show to it’s a small world that Celebrates Disneyland’s Pastit’s a small world’s Tapestry of Happiness was the big surprise during the entire Disneyland 70th Anniversary Media Preview. For roughly five minutes, this show transforms the façade of it’s a small world with projection effects and music and celebrates the history of Disneyland in such a beautiful way.The whole show is inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair, who was responsible for the timeless design of it’s a small world, and many of Disneyland’s biggest attractions and shows get their time to shine, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and many more. It’s made even more special as the songs from those experiences are woven into The Jonas Brothers’ ‘Celebrate Happy’ Disneyland 70th Anniversary theme song, and it’s really just the best. That's not all for it's a small world after all, as Coco's Miguel and Dante have been added to the attraction just in time for the 70th anniversary. Additionally, a brand-new verse from the late Richard M. Sherman will be added to it's a small world on July 17.7. The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade at Disneyland Stars Duffy and ShellieMayGoing into this 70th Anniversary Media Preview, we were perhaps most excited to take a look at The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade led by Duffy and ShellieMay. For those unfamiliar, Duffy was first designed as the “Disney Bear” in 2002 for Disney World’s Disney Springs, but he proved to not be very popular.However, Tokyo Disney Resort took the idea and gave him a name - Duffy - alongside a story, friends like ShellieMay, and so much more, and it proved to be a great decision. He is very popular overseas, and now he and ShellieMay get a chance to shine stateside along other Disney favorites in a smaller parade that is still so worth a watch.8. Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! Is the Perfect Place to Take Your Kids For Some Dancing and FunDisney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! is another pleasant surprise aimed at younger guests and encourages them to get up and dance and sing with Mickey and his friends. This time around, Mickey and Minnie are trying to find Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto as they are missing from their party, and we get to visit each of their differently themed houses (two of which come with bubbles and fake snow!) for a fun adventure.The music is fun and upbeat, and it will undoubtedly be a great place to escape the heat for a few moments and let kids get some energy out with some of their favorite characters!9. Disneyland 70th Merch, Led by the Disneyland Key, Is a Celebration of Today and YesterdayAs with any big milestone at a Disney Park, there is a ton of new merch available for guests to celebrate with. For Disneyland’s 70th, the team at Disney wanted to not only celebrate this momentous occasion in 2025, but also honor the past. However, the item that has garnered the most buzz during the preview was the Disneyland Key.This interactive key is now available and allows guests to “unlock magic” in all of the nine lands in Disneyland. There is one lock not-so-hidden in each land and there is a keyhole that fits the key perfectly. Each one does something special when unlocked, including playing music and showing lights and more, and it also adds that land’s icon to your key.When you unlock each one - and don’t worry, you don’t have to do this all on one trip as it will save your progress - you can head to the Mickey Topiary Finale lock by the entrance of the park to unlock the final surprise. After you put the key in the lock and some bubbles fly to the sky in celebration, a secret compartment in the key will unlock with one of nine commemorative trading pins inside. These pins represent the lands of Disneyland and are just a fun way to celebrate you accomplishing your quest. Disneyland 70th Anniversary MerchYou can check all the 70th Anniversary merch offerings in the slideshow above and with the link right here.10. Disneyland Food and Drinks Offer a Window Back in Time With a Delicious TwistOne of the best things to do at a Disney Park is try out all of the new food and drink offerings made available with a festival or big event, and the 70th anniversary is no exception. There are over 70 items to try during this year-long celebration, and they’re a mix of new delights and dishes inspired by Disneyland’s past. What Chef Steven Medina and the team are doing with Disneyland’s 70th is very special, as the team really wanted guests to get a glimpse of what it was like when the gates opened for the first time. For example, there’s a Banana Split and a plate of Apple Pancake Rolls that guests can try that are recreations of actual items that were available on Disneyland’s first day.Disneyland 70th Anniversary Food and DrinksAs for the new offerings, these are new spins on beloved favorite treats like the 70th Celebration Churro. This twist on the park classic matches the purples, and blues, and pinks of the anniversary and features an ube sugar coating, marbled blue raspberry drizzle, and sprinkles.You can check out the 70th anniversary food offerings in the slideshow above and right here!11. Toy Story Midway Mania!, Carthay Circle, Downtown Disney, and Much MoreThere really is a ton of things to do and experience for Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and I wanted to highlight a few others to look out for, including a new glow up for Toy Story Midway Mania! This attraction at Disney California Adventure now features a ton of 70th anniversary stickers that Andy has put up that net you bonus points when you hit them. It's a very fun addition that adds some flair to the well-known attraction.Also in DCA, Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night will illuminate the outside of Carthay Circle with lights, projections, and a special visit from Tinker Bell, and Animation Courtyard (which is one of my favorite places in all of Disneyland) now features Encanto, Coco, Soul, The Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, and Moana. For those with MagicBand+, there will be special Disneyland 70th anniversary interaction points that will all do something fun, including those at Jungle Cruise and Frontierland that print out actual tickets that commemmorate this milestone. 12. Walt Disney - A Magical Life and More Experiences to ComeWhile the celebrations for Disneyland’s 70th begin on May 16, the actual anniversary won’t happen until July 17, which is also the same day Walt Disney - A Magical Life will make its big debut. This will be the first time Walt Disney will become an Audio-Animatronic and will welcome guests into his office to hear about his story.We recently had the chance to go to Imagineering to learn more about this project, and you can read all about how Disney is bringing Walt back to life. This experience will open alongside an Evolution of a Dream exhibit that features many items from Walt’s past and another that celebrates the history of Disney’s cast members.For more, check out our story of how a century of Disney Magic began and our list of the 25 best Disney animated movies of all time.Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst,Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

We really did get Windows on the Game Boy before we got GTA VI! Ever stare at a Game Boy Color and think, “This thing needs Windows”? No? Well, now you will. GBS Windows by Ruben Retro is a ridiculous, beautiful, perfectly unnecessary but deeply satisfying piece of nerd culture. It’s a full-blown tribute to Windows 3.1 packed into a 512KB Game Boy cartridge. It boots, it beeps, it has a fake startup sequence, a bootable file directory, and yes, you need to type ‘cd windows’ followed by ‘win’ to get going – except you don’t really type. You just mash buttons and bask in the illusion. The Game Boy Color itself was never meant for this. Released in 1998, it ran a custom Sharp LR35902 processor at 8 MHz, had a 160×144 pixel screen, supported 32,768 colors (of which only 56 could be displayed simultaneously), and took two AA batteries. It was built for basic 8-bit gaming, but this cartridge turns it into a gorgeously retro Windows machine, complete with a GUI, windows that maximize and minimize, and yes – it even comes with (wait for it) MS Paint! Designer: Ruben Retro GBS Windows comes loaded with a faux-multitasking interface that lets you navigate between a media player, Minesweeper, a piano keyboard, an arcade-style cannon defense game, and a literal paint app! Every interaction is deliberately clunky in the most loving way. You have to double-click icons to launch, and launching apps has noticeable load times that feel like you’re back on a 486 with 4MB RAM. Heck, booting the system also displays a parody of the famous American Megatrends page before loading command prompt. ‘Type’ the command and it magically loads the Windows GUI, with all the apps. The whole thing runs on a flash ROM, not a mask ROM, so the data is rewritable. There’s even a CR2032 battery inside, although – plot twist – nothing in the cartridge actually uses it. There’s no save functionality. You can’t store high scores, paint drawings, or piano loops. That battery is just there, waiting. It’s the Schrödinger’s save feature of the Game Boy world. My earliest memories of a Windows PC were playing Solitaire and Minesweeper on a crusty old computer. Given that this probably isn’t powerful enough (or the display isn’t hi-res enough) to run Solitaire, the GBS Windows does, however, come with a fully operational version of Minesweeper, complete with the Windows theme and graphics. You move a cursor around and play the game, and the best part is that even though GBS Windows is only compatible with Game Boy Colors, the cartridge actually works with Game Boy Classic consoles too, loading just a b/w version of Minesweeper that you can play. The media player is a surprise hit. Featuring chiptune renditions of themes inspired by Dr. Mario, Mega Man, and a few original compositions like “Free City” and “Seaside”, it’s all courtesy of the prolific Beatscribe. The music can even keep playing while you tinker around in other apps, a multitasking miracle on hardware with the power of a digital calculator. Now the paint app. Grayscale only, of course, because we’re not monsters trying to make this thing too modern. What sets it apart is support for the Game Boy Printer, which means you can actually print your pixel scribbles onto tiny thermal stickers. Assuming your ancient paper hasn’t turned to dust, it works. You get low-res joy printed in faded thermal gray. Sadly, you can’t save any of your creations, which I really do wish were a feature! GBS Windows even has a piano app modeled after the childhood Casio PT-10. It doesn’t save your compositions, and no, the tempo doesn’t go as fast as your hyperactive eight-year-old self might want, but it plays tones, loops tracks, and does it all in glorious 8-bit charm. Combine that with Cannon Defense, which uses a virtual mouse cursor to shoot enemies in real time, and you’ve got more interaction in this cartridge than most mobile apps pretending to be “retro” ever bother to deliver. And then, out of nowhere, you get a Blue Screen of Death. A proper blue screen, mid-session, that lets you return to Windows. That’s sacrilegious in a way that makes you laugh out loud. Windows never let you come back. Windows was the friend who crashed your party and then set your house on fire. GBS Windows is the friend who imitates that friend and then hands you a soda. The entire project is engineered to delight anyone who remembers when computing was tactile and weird and ran on 1.44MB of possibility. Before Teams crushed spontaneity. Before Copilot started writing emails you didn’t want to send. Before Excel became the only app your boss respected. GBS Windows is a microdosed hit of digital nostalgia. It’s gloriously inefficient. It’s pixelated comfort food. It’s a Windows tribute, playable on a Game Boy, and it reminds you why tech was once magical and not just managerial.The post This Game Boy Runs Windows 3.1, Plays Music, Minesweeper, and Even Has a Blue Screen of Death first appeared on Yanko Design.

[Warning: This piece includes spoilers for Clair Obscur’s late-game Act 2 reveals.] I love a serious story as much as the next person, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is incredibly serious. It starts with hundreds, likely thousands, erased from existence before an expedition of a couple dozen go off to fight the Paintress, the deity-like being responsible for said erasure of Lumière’s citizens. Most of those expeditioners shockingly die rather quickly. Like I said — serious. But Clair Obscur can also be incredibly goofy, and no character straddles both the serious and the goofy better than Esquie. You meet Esquie early on in Clair Obscur, around when you encounter the obsession-worthy Gestrals, battle-ready little dudes. You’re barred from entering Esquie’s nest until you learn the password, which is a resounding, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” (though, that isn’t actually the password – sorry for shouting). Once you speak with Esquie and grab his rock from his cranky buddy François, he’ll join your expedition. Esquie, because he’s the best, doesn’t join as a fighter, but as your mount (because why ride a horse when you can ride Esquie?). He’s a talkative mount, and I still giggle whenever Esquie yells “Exploration!” when we’re out and about on the continent, or “Time for swim swim!” when we’re taking a dip. The way his arms incessantly flap when flying never fails to make me grin. Eventually, as more rocks are acquired, he’ll gain the ability to grab underwater items. This ability comes as a reward for leveling up Verso’s relationship with Esquie, and their relationship lends depth to the characters and the game at large. They share secrets, like how Esquie is full of Verso’s good wine. Esquie tells the group their secret, and Verso playfully scolds him in a way that shows these two have been friends for some time. While Verso bonds with the expeditioners — and can share romantic scenes with Sciel or Lune — those bonds aren’t as deep as his friendships with Esquie and Gestral warrior Monoco. Mostly, it’s Verso’s fault, as he can’t be honest with Sciel, Lune, and Maelle in ways he can with his old friends. During some stretches, he distances himself from the expeditioners and allows them space to grieve or dance to take their mind off things while Verso remains in the background. One of Esquie and Verso’s more friendship-affirming conversations happens while spending time together at camp. Esquie picks up on his friend’s down-in-the-dumps mood, leading to one of the more touching conversations in the game. “I too am ‘Whooo.’ But I’m also ‘Wheee.’ So the ‘Wheee’ balances the ‘Whooo,’” Esquie says, hitting on something we all can relate to: holding conflicting emotions simultaneously. Being joyful but low at the same time, frustrated yet excited. The “WheeeWhooo” conversation captures this tension between light and dark permeating throughout Clair Obscur; hell, the title roughly translates to “light dark.” The group can swing from the joy of discovering Gestrals are real to just a few hours later grappling with the loss of Gustave. Through this all, though he doesn’t have a large role to play in the narrative, Esquie is something of its emotional rock, if you’ll allow me, whether he’s comforting Maelle or dancing ballet as Verso plays the piano. Once all the truths are laid bare by the end of Clair Obscur’s second act, and you discover who Verso truly is (for the final time) — a painted copy of the real and deceased Verso — Verso truly opens up to Esquie, wondering if he misses the real Verso, if it bothers Esquie that the Verso we know isn’t the Verso Esquie befriended. It’s a stark moment in the game; Verso hasn’t always been the most upfront about his internal struggles, often just reluctantly opening up about his grief-stricken family and their role in the devastation wrought upon Lumière. Esquie, the wholesome giant, continues being the emotional rock of the group. He leaves no room for confusion, and provides the type of kind-hearted, open-armed response that’s endeared him to fans. “You’re my friend,” he says, assuring Verso that no matter how Verso views himself, Esquie will always see him as his ami.

[Warning: This piece includes spoilers for Clair Obscur’s late-game Act 2 reveals.]I love a serious story as much as the next person, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is incredibly serious. It starts with hundreds, likely thousands, erased from existence before an expedition of a couple dozen go off to fight the Paintress, the deity-like being responsible for said erasure of Lumière’s citizens. Most of those expeditioners shockingly die rather quickly. Like I said — serious. But Clair Obscur can also be incredibly goofy, and no character straddles both the serious and the goofy better than Esquie.You meet Esquie early on in Clair Obscur, around when you encounter the obsession-worthy Gestrals, battle-ready little dudes. You’re barred from entering Esquie’s nest until you learn the password, which is a resounding, “GET OUT OF MY WAY!” (though, that isn’t actually the password – sorry for shouting). Once you speak with Esquie and grab his rock from his cranky buddy François, he’ll join your expedition.Image: Sandfall InteractiveEsquie, because he’s the best, doesn’t join as a fighter, but as your mount (because why ride a horse when you can ride Esquie?). He’s a talkative mount, and I still giggle whenever Esquie yells “Exploration!” when we’re out and about on the continent, or “Time for swim swim!” when we’re taking a dip. The way his arms incessantly flap when flying never fails to make me grin.Eventually, as more rocks are acquired, he’ll gain the ability to grab underwater items. This ability comes as a reward for leveling up Verso’s relationship with Esquie, and their relationship lends depth to the characters and the game at large. They share secrets, like how Esquie is full of Verso’s good wine. Esquie tells the group their secret, and Verso playfully scolds him in a way that shows these two have been friends for some time.While Verso bonds with the expeditioners — and can share romantic scenes with Sciel or Lune — those bonds aren’t as deep as his friendships with Esquie and Gestral warrior Monoco. Mostly, it’s Verso’s fault, as he can’t be honest with Sciel, Lune, and Maelle in ways he can with his old friends. During some stretches, he distances himself from the expeditioners and allows them space to grieve or dance to take their mind off things while Verso remains in the background.One of Esquie and Verso’s more friendship-affirming conversations happens while spending time together at camp. Esquie picks up on his friend’s down-in-the-dumps mood, leading to one of the more touching conversations in the game. “I too am ‘Whooo.’ But I’m also ‘Wheee.’ So the ‘Wheee’ balances the ‘Whooo,’” Esquie says, hitting on something we all can relate to: holding conflicting emotions simultaneously. Being joyful but low at the same time, frustrated yet excited. The “WheeeWhooo” conversation captures this tension between light and dark permeating throughout Clair Obscur; hell, the title roughly translates to “light dark.” The group can swing from the joy of discovering Gestrals are real to just a few hours later grappling with the loss of Gustave. Through this all, though he doesn’t have a large role to play in the narrative, Esquie is something of its emotional rock, if you’ll allow me, whether he’s comforting Maelle or dancing ballet as Verso plays the piano.Image: Sandfall InteractiveOnce all the truths are laid bare by the end of Clair Obscur’s second act, and you discover who Verso truly is (for the final time) — a painted copy of the real and deceased Verso — Verso truly opens up to Esquie, wondering if he misses the real Verso, if it bothers Esquie that the Verso we know isn’t the Verso Esquie befriended. It’s a stark moment in the game; Verso hasn’t always been the most upfront about his internal struggles, often just reluctantly opening up about his grief-stricken family and their role in the devastation wrought upon Lumière.Esquie, the wholesome giant, continues being the emotional rock of the group. He leaves no room for confusion, and provides the type of kind-hearted, open-armed response that’s endeared him to fans. “You’re my friend,” he says, assuring Verso that no matter how Verso views himself, Esquie will always see him as his ami.See More:

White Cave House | © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio The conventional courtyard house confronts a climatic paradox in Kanazawa, Japan, where winter snow accumulates in deep, persistent layers. Traditionally associated with sunlit, arid environments, heavy snowfall can fundamentally challenge the courtyard typology. In response to these conditions, Takuro Yamamoto Architects devised White Cave House (2013), a residence that critiques, reshapes, and revalidates the courtyard model for a snowy suburban context. White Cave House Technical Information Architects1-8: Takuro Yamamoto Architects Location: Kanazawa, Japan Area: 172.33 m2 | 1,855 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 2011 – 2013 Photographs: © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio We proposed to connect these external spaces one another into a large single tube, or Cave, and have each part serve multiple purposes in order to make up for the space limitations. – Takuro Yamamoto Architects White Cave House Photographs Facade | © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio © Ken’ichi Suzuki Photo Studio White Cave House: Adapting Typology to Climate This single-family house, located on a 493.88 m² site, is not merely a formal exercise in white minimalism but an attempt to resolve spatial contradictions through architectural strategy. Rather than prioritizing interior space at the expense of outdoor functions or vice versa, the architects introduce a third condition: the Cave. This spatial system, composed of a continuous, cranked void, acts as a connective and generative device that rethinks how program, privacy, and climate interact. The initial brief called for a home with minimal expression and multiple exterior spaces, including a roofed garage, a covered entrance, a sky-facing terrace, and a courtyard. However, in Kanazawa, such outdoor amenities often become non-functional in winter. Snow not only conceals the courtyard but complicates access to the home. To navigate this contradiction, the design reframes the courtyard as part of a larger architectural system. The solution was not to compartmentalize or reduce but to integrate. By spatially linking the outdoor elements into a continuous, kinked tube, what the architects describe as a White Cave, each programmatic element retains autonomy while benefiting from collective spatial logic. This bent and folded cave balances visibility and opacity, allowing light and air to circulate while preserving internal privacy. The project becomes an architectural diagram in three dimensions, an exercise in folding a linear void into a coherent living framework that works both in summer and under heavy snow. Spatial Logic and Visual Continuity Unlike most courtyard homes, where the courtyard is the central void around which functions are organized, White Cave House positions the void itself as a pathway. This void is not residual but essential: it is the architecture. The kinked configuration of the Cave mediates privacy by obstructing direct lines of sight from the street. Its geometry offers framed, oblique views rather than open panoramas. This spatial logic introduces a sense of depth and progression, transforming what could have been leftover outdoor space into a dynamic corridor of light and shadow. Internally, rooms are organized to face this void, not for outward views but for carefully curated inward experiences. In a sense, the architecture turns itself inside out. The Cave becomes both a facade and an interior, challenging conventional spatial hierarchies. Materiality and Phenomenological Depth Materially, the house is defined by its white monochrome in form and surface treatment. Thick, load-bearing walls, painted in matte white, produce a monolithic impression, emphasizing the house’s sculptural quality. The continuous whiteness allows subtle changes in light and texture, seasonal, daily, and momentary, to become the focus of visual experience. Perhaps most striking is the use of water as a spatial modifier. A thin basin integrated into the terrace captures shallow pools of water, transforming a flat surface into a reflective void. As sky and sunlight dance across its surface, the basin becomes a mirror of atmospheric conditions. Here, the Cave no longer just carves through solid material; it also holds and reflects the ephemeral. This material clarity extends into structural decisions. The wooden frame is not articulated expressively but concealed to reinforce the building’s mass-like presence. The result is a space that feels not constructed but excavated. White Cave House Plans Floor Plan | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects Sections | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects Elevations | © Takuro Yamamoto Architects White Cave House Image Gallery About Takuro Yamamoto Architects Takuro Yamamoto Architects is a Tokyo-based architectural practice founded in 2005 by Takuro Yamamoto. The firm is renowned for its minimalist residential designs that thoughtfully integrate light, voids, and spatial continuity. Their work often explores the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, emphasizing privacy and openness. Notable projects include the White Cave House and the Little House with a Big Terrace, both exemplifying the firm’s commitment to creating timeless architecture that responds to its environment. Credits and Additional Notes Structure: Wood Design Period: Feb 2011 – Sept 2012 Construction Period: Oct 2012 – June 2013 Structural Engineer: Yamada Noriaki Structural Design Office Construction: Ninomiya-Kensetsu Client: Married couple + child Site Area: 493.88 m² Building Area: 132.68 m²

A long, winding dirt road leads to Contrada Conazzo, a farm in the Enna region of Sicily that is owned by Sara Prato and her family. The ruin of the 14th-century Castello di Pietratagliata hulks in the distance, but the land is otherwise dominated by this masseria (a fortified Sicilian farmhouse), one of the most unexpected properties photographer Guido Taroni and I came across while researching our -forthcoming book, Inside SicilyIn the entry hall of Sara Prato’s 1940s country home in Sicily’s Enna region, a marble staircase leads to a landing with a soaring rectangular window in glass block. The adjacent fresco, original to the house, features imagery of workers in a wheat field; the floor features a mix of marbles.Inside Sicily$75 at AmazonThe house, built in 1943, is a relic from a time of transition, when new industrial methods were being pioneered to uphold an older mentality, in which every element—from the foundation to the furniture—was designed and crafted for its purpose. Prato remembers when her family moved into the masseria. “The house was new,” she says. “We must have been the first people for miles with running water and electricity.” While she and her late brother, the architect Antonio Prato, were alive during the construction of the house, their family has been farming the land for generations.Designed by the chief municipal engineer of Palermo, the home is strikingly modern, with a few whimsical flourishes characteristic of Italian Art Deco. The gatehouse is adorned with medieval-style fishtail merlons, a gesture that acts as a feint: Once you’re in the courtyard, decoration has been reduced to classical elements as seen through the filter of Italian rationalism. The main structure is flanked by stables on one side and a dopolavoro on the other—a space where workers gathered after long days in the fields—and the five-sided semicircular archway is made from blocks of actual travertine as well as a trompe l’oeil version made of concrete.Guido TaroniIn the kitchen, cornflower-blue subway tile contrasts with cabinetry, woodwork, and a table painted in a brighter shade of cyan. The floor is terrazzo.Inside, much of the original decoration was entrusted to Carmelo Comes, a midcentury painter and ceramist whose work can be found in many public buildings across Sicily. He created frescoes throughout, depicting allegorical figures and laborers tending the land—idealized visions of Sicilian rural life. Comes also designed the elaborate ceiling murals, including a zodiac-patterned one in the sitting room. Everything, from the oak table with aluminum legs to the terrazzo floors to the etched glass and chrome chandeliers, was custom made for the house in the 1940s. In an approach reminiscent of Piero Portaluppi’s Casa Corbellini-Wassermann in Milan, the property is a true gesamtkunstwerk: entirely conceived and designed at a time when the term “modernity” was still finding its definition.Around 80 years prior to the construction of Contrada Conazzo, Sicily was conquered by Garibaldi and unified with Italy. Prior to that, the native Sicilians had been dominated by waves of Phoenician, ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, French, and Spanish invaders. It was only in 1946 that Sicily was made an autonomous region within Italy. When this house was built, anxiety and aspirations for the future were held in equal measure. The visionary design of the home seems especially courageous against that backdrop.Sara and her daughter Marianna Nicolosi Asmundo today continue their family’s stewardship. And while the land remains an active farm, the property no longer hums with daily activity. Even in this quieter state, the masseria retains an energy: a readiness for renewal. ◾This story originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

Control is still the GOAT when it comes to uncanny beauty in video games Unhomely alonely. Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Feature by Christian Donlan Contributing Editor Published on May 18, 2025 Stop me if you've heard this before. We say "uncanny", but in Germany it's "unheimlich". The unheimlich was a big deal for people like Freud, and it's hard not to love the term, just a little bit. Unheimlich means, well, it means uncanny - weird, eerie, unsettling. But more specifically, it translates as "unhomely." Unhomely. Now that is a word that carries a chill, a creep of the flesh, a word that registers an arachnid skittering in the corner of your vision. When something is familiar and unfamiliar all at once! You should feel like you're at home, but... Testify! Rotary telephones with no dials. Bodies suspended in the air with a kind of ballerina poise and elegance. Staff portraits, but they're, like, full-blown oil paintings, dark eyes and unknowable aspects. When it comes to the uncanny, there's one big budget game that really delivers on it for me. It's Control. It's a shooter, I guess, a third-person action game inspired by everything from The X-Files to House of Leaves to tropical Brutalism. There's a splinter of Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and even Stranglehold in there too. But it's also pure, delicious, slow-dripping uncanniness. It's familiar and unfamiliar. It's... Well... Control is set within a building known as the Oldest House, and here, already, things are getting weird. Lots of games are perfectly house-sized. Edith Finch. Maniac Mansion. But a special few are set within houses that feel much bigger than the game they contain - much bigger than a single imagination could ever understand. Jet Set Willy. Impossible Mission. Control. The Oldest House contains Control, then, but it also feels like it contains so many other things, so many other implausible, improbable, impossible things. This week, for example, Remedy gave us a taste of FBC: Firebreak, a hectic multiplayer action game. Yes, it's set in the world of Control, but more specifically it's set within the Oldest House. Why not? There's plenty of room. Here's Aoife's take on Control from back in the day.Watch on YouTube In Control's fiction, the Oldest House is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control. This is a government agency that deals with extremely bizarre stuff. But the Bureau's surfaces are beautiful and often quietly elegant. The face the Oldest House presents to the world is one of tastefully curated mid-century modernism. Wood looks like wood. Tile looks like tile. Concrete looks like concrete, and there's lots of it, along with indoor bays for tropical plants and wide staircases and bright overhead lighting that's perfect for giving ghostly shape to cigarette smoke. Players come to the Oldest House as Jesse, a woman searching for her kidnapped brother. That's a straightforward set up, and a game as unmoored as Control needs it, just as it needs the surprisingly strict confines of its third-person combat. Shoot stuff with a gun that can change form. Throw stuff around with your mind. Explore and clear out monsters as you dig for the truth. There's this unexpected core of extreme orderliness at the center of Control, in terms of what you do most of the time and why you've been told you're doing it. In retrospect, I guess the name of the game was a hint. This orderliness allows the designers to then bolt on all kinds of antic zaniness with no danger of the whole thing collapsing into fripperies, and it reminds me a little of the way that even the most extravagant skyscraper begins with the fixed core of its elevator shafts. (In Control, it's the central elevator that often sends you off on missions. It all works!) Control. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment The plot is really just there to direct you back and forth through the Oldest House itself, though, and like all uncanny things, transformation is always in the air. Sometimes the Oldest House is doing the transforming. Sometimes you're more directly in charge. Both these approaches are brilliant. When it comes to the Oldest House's own tricks, it tends to start with subtlety. Places will take slightly too long to reach. The signage looks weird and announces unusual departments. The technology is of the wrong era - green-screen computers? Bakelite phones? Radio equipment that looked like it may have been of use during the space race? This is all just the prelude, the aura before the migraine. But soon the Old House is revealing itself in full. Rooms telescope or twist, like the architect behind the place was willing to bust out a Spirograph. Smooth surfaces give way to jumbled blocks. In one area, chill infects the corridors and the glass freezes over, and are those tree trunks in the distance? In another, a furnace radiates the full heat of the sun. This is where that splinter of internal order really helps. It helps to orient. Because you know what you're doing and why you're doing it, the building can transform around you in quite wild ways without becoming frustrating. But the Oldest House also has a lovely sense of pace. It will go wild for a few moments and completely transform itself, but then it turns quiet again. Safe? Ah, but now you're left questioning the simplest things - the background hum, the volume of a room. Did I walk this way before? Was this hallway pointed in the same direction? Control. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment Further on things get really, really weird, but in a way the Oldest House is at its best before it drops too far into sci-fi. It's at its best when it's got something tricksy, something of the funfair to it. There's an incredible sequence towards the end of the adventure when the Oldest House flings everything at you and you're racing through an environment that warps and twists and strobes, an environment that truly contains multitudes. This is fantastic, and feels like the middle-eight in a song, changing things up and leaving them elevated. But it's not the moment people mention the most in my experience when they talk about Control. That moment is an office that is simply overrun with Post-its. Post-its belong in offices, of course, but here they cover absolutely everything. Familiar and unfamiliar. And kind of funny, too. And here's a thing I really admire about Control. It's willing to be very funny, but not in the way that games about hellish offices normally try to be funny. It doesn't take the top-down approach, so often lifted wholesale from Portal's precision wit and cruelty, in which humans are sane lab-rats in an insane hierarchy of faux camaraderie and corporate double-speak, a world in which there are a million euphemisms for dying at work and there's a slice of cake promised if you can survive. Control. | Image credit: Remedy Entertainment No. Control is funny because it looks at the way all offices affect the people who work within them - how the creeping of weird rules and weird ways of being is slow and measured and often hard to spot. The comedy here comes from how that quietly insane hierarchy in turn warps ordinary people. The fact that it relies on the supernatural, in a way, only makes it more relatable. It's the comedy - and horror - of a room in which someone's really busted out the Post-its. It's the comedy of lamping someone with a photocopier. Here's a trailer for FBC: Firebreak. Are you ready to go back in?Watch on YouTube And with that image, we've the other kind of transformation in Control. It's the transformation brought about by the player, as they encounter the Oldest House's many enemies and use gunfire and numerous supernatural abilities to fight back. The gun you're given is pretty great, but Control's really about telekinesis - about picking stuff up with your brain, watching it sway woozily in the air, and then lobbing it somewhere in order to really hurt something. It's the transformation of impact, of violence and splatter. All that concrete is so eager to come apart in gritty chunks. All those office supplies are ready for a second life as a projectile or cudgel. You can take the Oldest House apart just as quickly as it tries to build itself into something monstrous. When I first played Control I would often end action sequences realising I was just firing wildly into the walls. They seemed, I guess, like a viable target. And while Control's mid-century vibes are very pleasant to engage with, it's the violence - this is a very weird thing to say - that's truly beautiful. When I first played the game, I remember chucking stuff at a filing cabinet for hours, just to enjoy the rippling of its drawers caused by the impact. In the moment of connection, it was briefly alive. And after a particularly fraught battle I remember staring at a crater on the wall, made by the impact of some kind of white foam or powder - maybe the aftermath of a fire extinguisher? This crater, this moon landing on a wall, struck me as being one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in a game. Not least because I suspect if I'd played that encounter slightly differently, I would not have seen it. There's so much more to Control than this, but the uncanny takes strange shapes when it lives in the mind, and this is the shape Control has taken for me. It's not the shape of the Oldest House, because who ever could map such a thing? But it's a shape that clearly fits inside the Oldest House. Deep inside, where it works its strange, dark, endlessly charming magic.

As Country Living’s Senior Homes Editor, I spend a lot of time looking at homes, so let me share a little bit of advice: Whether it is special landscaping or a happily painted front door, every home needs an exterior element to give it personality. The quickest way to accomplish that? An interesting exterior color palette. But we understand that painting a home’s exterior (or choosing a new color of siding) is a big investment both of money and time, so you want to make a color decision that know you’re going to love for years to come. When picking the best paint color for your home, there are lots of things to take into consideration such as architectural style, the setting and light situation, and your region. You also need to decide if you’d rather keep it simple and classic with a white or neutral color, or take a bold approach with a deeper shades like green or blue. Below, I’ve gathered up 10 paint colors designers and homeowners alike love for home exteriors that are guaranteed to stand the test of time. (And, if you want even more exterior paint color inspiration, here are 35 more exterior paint colors ideas.)Looking for more curb appeal ideas? Check out these stories. 1Wythe Gold by Benjamin MooreErin KellyDesigner-architect duo Liz and Greg Dutton chose this soft yellow shade for their historic Ohio farmhouse because it mimics the landscape’s flowering goldenrod. Buttery warm yellows are definitely trending, but their nostalgia factor keeps them feeling timeless. Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Wythe Gold by Benjamin MooreTOUR THIS HOUSERELATED: These 80 Tiny Homes are Small in Size, but Big in Charm2Blueberry by Benjamin MooreRead McKendreePerfect for coastal homes or darling cottages, this true blue is quintessentially charming, which is exactly why designer Katie Rosenfeld chose it for this Maine getaway.Get the Look:For similar, Exterior Paint Color: Blueberry by Benjamin MooreRELATED: Our Best Beach House Decorating IdeasAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Rustic Red by Sherwin-WilliamsAdam Albright for Country LivingCherry reds might be trending this year, but we say they are a classic choice for country-style cottages and cabins any year, especially for homes near the water. This lake home’s bright red shade feels perfectly pleasant against a verdant, woodsy backdrop. Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Rustic Red by Sherwin-WilliamsTOUR THIS HOUSE4White Dove by Benjamin MooreJane BeilesIn search of a timeless, somewhat creamy white to match your equally timeless architecture? Then the designer favorite, White Dove by Benjamin Moore, is just what you need. Take palette inspiration from antiques dealer Ali Mahon, who paired her Connecticut barn home’s crisp white exterior with a poppy red door. Talk about timeless!Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: White Dove by Benjamin MooreFront Door Paint Color: Spanish Red by Benjamin MooreAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Night Watch by GliddenBrie Williams, styling by Elizabeth DemosThe perfect camp green is hard to find, but luckily homeowner Kelly Gray did the legwork. Her Georgia lake cabin is clad in this deep green that is nicely offset with crisp white trim to give the exterior the ultimate summer camp appeal. Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Night Watch by Glidden TOUR THIS HOUSE6Evening Hush by BehrBrie Williams for Country LivingWhile I’m a staunch believer that gray paint should be used sparingly, Bambi Costanzo’s West Virginia cottage, painted a steely blue-gray shade by Behr, proves it does have star power. White trim keeps the look crisp.Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Evening Hush by BehrTOUR THIS HOUSEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7Black Bean Soup by Benjamin MooreBrian Woodcock for Country LivingWhile stain is always an option, there’s something charming about the opaque look of painted wood. In this Alabama farmhouse, artist-meets-farmer Kelly Bentley Ash chose designer-favorite Black Bean Soup from Benjamin Moore to complement the shining tin roof. It also makes a great backdrop to have fun with a unexpected front door color.Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Black Bean Soup by Benjamin MooreTOUR THIS HOUSERELATED: Get More of Our Top Brown Paint Colors To Use All Through the House8Brilliant White by Benjamin MooreDylan Chandler for Country LivingAuthor, aesthete, and antiques-lover Nora Murphy chose a simple white shade for her recent seaside Colonial makeover. Bright, almost reflective whites such as this are perfect for coastal homes; pair it with a black front door and shutters for a more traditional touch. Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Brilliant White by Benjamin MooreRELATED: These Are The Best Designer-Approved White Paint ColorsAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below9Barn Red by ValsparAudrey HallIf you’re looking to add a bit of quintessential country flair to your home’s exterior, try a barn-inspired red. Valspar’s aptly named Barn Red takes a grounded, more historic approach to the saturated shade thanks to its purple-brown undertones. Get the Look:Exterior Paint Color: Barn Red by ValsparTOUR THIS HOUSERELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Barndominiums10India Yellow by Farrow & BallAlpha SmootLooking for a shade that looks as good in the summer sun as it does in the fall foliage? Floral and event designer Justin Reis chose this timeless muted ochre for his Georgian-style Connecticut home. Get the Look:For similar, Exterior Paint Color: India Yellow by Farrow & BallTOUR THIS HOUSEAnna LoganSenior Homes & Style EditorAnna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.  

StylizedWorld: Free Stylized Assets for Game Developers By stylizedworld on May 17, 2025 3D News Stylized World is building a library of assets - both free and Patreon supported.Hey there, game developers, artists, and stylized art enthusiasts!Welcome to StylizedWorld, your go-to hub for high-quality, stylized game assets that bring charm, personality, and creativity to your projects. Whether you're working on an indie game, a vibrant mobile title, or an immersive RPG, my assets are designed to help you build captivating worlds with ease.Why Stylized Art?Stylized graphics stand out—they defy realism to create something bold, expressive, and memorable. From exaggerated proportions to hand-painted textures, stylized art breathes life into characters, environments, and props in ways that realism can't. It's the magic behind games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Team Fortress 2, and Genshin Impact—and now, you can harness that magic too!What I Offer 3D Models & Props – Low-poly, optimized assets with handcrafted textures. Modular Environment Kits – Build stunning worlds with ease. Shader & Material Packs – Enhance your visuals with custom stylized effects Sound FX Tutorials & Guides – Learn the secrets of stylized art creation. Join the Stylized World!Whether you're a solo dev or part of a studio, StylizedWorld is here to fuel your creativity. Please browse our website, grab some freebies, and let’s make something amazing together.Stay tuned for exclusive asset drops, industry tips, and behind-the-scenes looks at how stylized art comes to life.I am offering freebies and some exclusive assets for my Patreon supporters.If you consider supporting and getting all my assets, you can help with only $3 on patreon.com/stylizedworldI appreciate your support.