• Lower Alzheimer's Risk With the MIND Diet, a Combo of the DASH and Mediterranean Diets

    If you’ve ever wondered whether the food on your plate could shape your brain’s future, the science is starting to say: yes, it might. While healthy eating has long been linked to better brain health, new research is getting more specific about which diets help, and when you should start following them.At this year’s annual Nutrition conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers presented findings that add weight to the growing link between diet and dementia. According to a news release, study author Song-Yi Park of the University of Hawaii at Manoa said, “Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia.”The research focused on nearly 93,000 U.S. adults from the long-running Multiethnic Cohort Study. Participants were between 45 years and 75 years old when they entered the study in the 1990s. Over time, more than 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias — but those who closely followed a specific eating plan, the MIND diet, were significantly less likely to be among them.Combining the Mediterranean Diet and DASH DietThe MIND dietblends the best elements of two established eating plans: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.The Mediterranean diet is inspired by the traditional cuisines of countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. It focuses on plant-based foods, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and dairy, with red meat eaten sparingly. It’s been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and is also environmentally friendly.The DASH diet, originally designed to lower blood pressure, shares many similarities but puts extra emphasis on limiting sodium and increasing intake of nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It includes low-fat dairy and lean protein sources and doesn’t rely on any hard-to-find foods.The MIND diet specifically promotes brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil, combining benefits of both approaches with a focus on protecting cognitive health.Read More: Is the Mediterranean Diet Healthy?The MIND Diet Over TimeAccording to Park and her team, people who scored highest in MIND diet adherence at the study’s start had a 9 percent lower risk of developing dementia. That number was even higher with around 13 percent for African American, Latino, and White participants. Looking at those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time, showed a 25 percent reduction in dementia risk compared to those whose dietary habits declined, which was consistent no matter the age or racial background.“We found that the protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites, while it was not as apparent among Asian Americans and showed a weaker trend in Native Hawaiians,” Park said in the press release. “A tailored approach may be needed when evaluating different subpopulations’ diet quality.”Interestingly, Asian Americans also tend to have lower dementia rates overall, which researchers believe could mean other cultural eating patterns might offer similar protection than the MIND diet for that group.The Best Time to Start Is NowOne of the most encouraging findings was that starting late still helped. Participants who began following the MIND diet more closely over a 10-year period, regardless of how old they were when they began, saw benefits. This suggests that even if you didn’t grow up eating brain-boosting foods, it’s not too late to change course.It’s worth noting that the study is observational, so, by itself, it can’t prove this specific diet causes better brain health. Study author Park notes that the next step is conducting interventional studies to verify these promising results.Still, the evidence is mounting. Whether you're 45 or 75, choosing greens over greasy snacks could make a real difference when it comes to aging with or without dementia.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:National Institute of Aging. What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?Harvard Health Publishing. A practical guide to the Mediterranean dietNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Following the DASH Eating PlanHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.
    #lower #alzheimer039s #risk #with #mind
    Lower Alzheimer's Risk With the MIND Diet, a Combo of the DASH and Mediterranean Diets
    If you’ve ever wondered whether the food on your plate could shape your brain’s future, the science is starting to say: yes, it might. While healthy eating has long been linked to better brain health, new research is getting more specific about which diets help, and when you should start following them.At this year’s annual Nutrition conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers presented findings that add weight to the growing link between diet and dementia. According to a news release, study author Song-Yi Park of the University of Hawaii at Manoa said, “Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia.”The research focused on nearly 93,000 U.S. adults from the long-running Multiethnic Cohort Study. Participants were between 45 years and 75 years old when they entered the study in the 1990s. Over time, more than 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias — but those who closely followed a specific eating plan, the MIND diet, were significantly less likely to be among them.Combining the Mediterranean Diet and DASH DietThe MIND dietblends the best elements of two established eating plans: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.The Mediterranean diet is inspired by the traditional cuisines of countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. It focuses on plant-based foods, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and dairy, with red meat eaten sparingly. It’s been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and is also environmentally friendly.The DASH diet, originally designed to lower blood pressure, shares many similarities but puts extra emphasis on limiting sodium and increasing intake of nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It includes low-fat dairy and lean protein sources and doesn’t rely on any hard-to-find foods.The MIND diet specifically promotes brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil, combining benefits of both approaches with a focus on protecting cognitive health.Read More: Is the Mediterranean Diet Healthy?The MIND Diet Over TimeAccording to Park and her team, people who scored highest in MIND diet adherence at the study’s start had a 9 percent lower risk of developing dementia. That number was even higher with around 13 percent for African American, Latino, and White participants. Looking at those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time, showed a 25 percent reduction in dementia risk compared to those whose dietary habits declined, which was consistent no matter the age or racial background.“We found that the protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites, while it was not as apparent among Asian Americans and showed a weaker trend in Native Hawaiians,” Park said in the press release. “A tailored approach may be needed when evaluating different subpopulations’ diet quality.”Interestingly, Asian Americans also tend to have lower dementia rates overall, which researchers believe could mean other cultural eating patterns might offer similar protection than the MIND diet for that group.The Best Time to Start Is NowOne of the most encouraging findings was that starting late still helped. Participants who began following the MIND diet more closely over a 10-year period, regardless of how old they were when they began, saw benefits. This suggests that even if you didn’t grow up eating brain-boosting foods, it’s not too late to change course.It’s worth noting that the study is observational, so, by itself, it can’t prove this specific diet causes better brain health. Study author Park notes that the next step is conducting interventional studies to verify these promising results.Still, the evidence is mounting. Whether you're 45 or 75, choosing greens over greasy snacks could make a real difference when it comes to aging with or without dementia.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:National Institute of Aging. What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?Harvard Health Publishing. A practical guide to the Mediterranean dietNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Following the DASH Eating PlanHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard. #lower #alzheimer039s #risk #with #mind
    WWW.DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
    Lower Alzheimer's Risk With the MIND Diet, a Combo of the DASH and Mediterranean Diets
    If you’ve ever wondered whether the food on your plate could shape your brain’s future, the science is starting to say: yes, it might. While healthy eating has long been linked to better brain health, new research is getting more specific about which diets help, and when you should start following them.At this year’s annual Nutrition conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers presented findings that add weight to the growing link between diet and dementia. According to a news release, study author Song-Yi Park of the University of Hawaii at Manoa said, “Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia.”The research focused on nearly 93,000 U.S. adults from the long-running Multiethnic Cohort Study. Participants were between 45 years and 75 years old when they entered the study in the 1990s. Over time, more than 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias — but those who closely followed a specific eating plan, the MIND diet, were significantly less likely to be among them.Combining the Mediterranean Diet and DASH DietThe MIND diet (short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) blends the best elements of two established eating plans: the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.The Mediterranean diet is inspired by the traditional cuisines of countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. It focuses on plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains), healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and dairy, with red meat eaten sparingly. It’s been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and is also environmentally friendly.The DASH diet, originally designed to lower blood pressure, shares many similarities but puts extra emphasis on limiting sodium and increasing intake of nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium. It includes low-fat dairy and lean protein sources and doesn’t rely on any hard-to-find foods.The MIND diet specifically promotes brain-healthy foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil, combining benefits of both approaches with a focus on protecting cognitive health.Read More: Is the Mediterranean Diet Healthy?The MIND Diet Over TimeAccording to Park and her team, people who scored highest in MIND diet adherence at the study’s start had a 9 percent lower risk of developing dementia. That number was even higher with around 13 percent for African American, Latino, and White participants. Looking at those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time, showed a 25 percent reduction in dementia risk compared to those whose dietary habits declined, which was consistent no matter the age or racial background.“We found that the protective relationship between a healthy diet and dementia was more pronounced among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites, while it was not as apparent among Asian Americans and showed a weaker trend in Native Hawaiians,” Park said in the press release. “A tailored approach may be needed when evaluating different subpopulations’ diet quality.”Interestingly, Asian Americans also tend to have lower dementia rates overall, which researchers believe could mean other cultural eating patterns might offer similar protection than the MIND diet for that group.The Best Time to Start Is NowOne of the most encouraging findings was that starting late still helped. Participants who began following the MIND diet more closely over a 10-year period, regardless of how old they were when they began, saw benefits. This suggests that even if you didn’t grow up eating brain-boosting foods, it’s not too late to change course.It’s worth noting that the study is observational, so, by itself, it can’t prove this specific diet causes better brain health. Study author Park notes that the next step is conducting interventional studies to verify these promising results.Still, the evidence is mounting. Whether you're 45 or 75, choosing greens over greasy snacks could make a real difference when it comes to aging with or without dementia.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:National Institute of Aging. What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?Harvard Health Publishing. A practical guide to the Mediterranean dietNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Following the DASH Eating PlanHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.
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  • A Coding Guide to Building a Scalable Multi-Agent Communication Systems Using Agent Communication Protocol (ACP)

    In this tutorial, we implement the Agent Communication Protocolthrough building a flexible, ACP-compliant messaging system in Python, leveraging Google’s Gemini API for natural language processing. Beginning with the installation and configuration of the google-generativeai library, the tutorial introduces core abstractions, message types, performatives, and the ACPMessage data class, which standardizes inter-agent communication. By defining ACPAgent and ACPMessageBroker classes, the guide demonstrates how to create, send, route, and process structured messages among multiple autonomous agents. Through clear code examples, users learn to implement querying, requesting actions, and broadcasting information, while maintaining conversation threads, acknowledgments, and error handling.
    import google.generativeai as genai
    import json
    import time
    import uuid
    from enum import Enum
    from typing import Dict, List, Any, Optional
    from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict

    GEMINI_API_KEY = "Use Your Gemini API Key"
    genai.configureWe import essential Python modules, ranging from JSON handling and timing to unique identifier generation and type annotations, to support a structured ACP implementation. It then retrieves the user’s Gemini API key placeholder and configures the google-generativeai client for subsequent calls to the Gemini language model.
    class ACPMessageType:
    """Standard ACP message types"""
    REQUEST = "request"
    RESPONSE = "response"
    INFORM = "inform"
    QUERY = "query"
    SUBSCRIBE = "subscribe"
    UNSUBSCRIBE = "unsubscribe"
    ERROR = "error"
    ACK = "acknowledge"
    The ACPMessageType enumeration defines the core message categories used in the Agent Communication Protocol, including requests, responses, informational broadcasts, queries, and control actions like subscription management, error signaling, and acknowledgments. By centralizing these message types, the protocol ensures consistent handling and routing of inter-agent communications throughout the system.
    class ACPPerformative:
    """ACP speech acts"""
    TELL = "tell"
    ASK = "ask"
    REPLY = "reply"
    REQUEST_ACTION = "request-action"
    AGREE = "agree"
    REFUSE = "refuse"
    PROPOSE = "propose"
    ACCEPT = "accept"
    REJECT = "reject"
    The ACPPerformative enumeration captures the variety of speech acts agents can use when interacting under the ACP framework, mapping high-level intentions, such as making requests, posing questions, giving commands, or negotiating agreements, onto standardized labels. This clear taxonomy enables agents to interpret and respond to messages in contextually appropriate ways, ensuring robust and semantically rich communication.

    @dataclass
    class ACPMessage:
    """Agent Communication Protocol Message Structure"""
    message_id: str
    sender: str
    receiver: str
    performative: str
    content: Dictprotocol: str = "ACP-1.0"
    conversation_id: str = None
    reply_to: str = None
    language: str = "english"
    encoding: str = "json"
    timestamp: float = None

    def __post_init__:
    if self.timestamp is None:
    self.timestamp = time.timeif self.conversation_id is None:
    self.conversation_id = str)

    def to_acp_format-> str:
    """Convert to standard ACP message format"""
    acp_msg = {
    "message-id": self.message_id,
    "sender": self.sender,
    "receiver": self.receiver,
    "performative": self.performative,
    "content": self.content,
    "protocol": self.protocol,
    "conversation-id": self.conversation_id,
    "reply-to": self.reply_to,
    "language": self.language,
    "encoding": self.encoding,
    "timestamp": self.timestamp
    }
    return json.dumps@classmethod
    def from_acp_format-> 'ACPMessage':
    """Parse ACP message from string format"""
    data = json.loadsreturn cls,
    conversation_id=data.get,
    reply_to=data.get,
    language=data.get,
    encoding=data.get,
    timestamp=data.get)
    )

    The ACPMessage data class encapsulates all the fields required for a structured ACP exchange, including identifiers, participants, performative, payload, and metadata such as protocol version, language, and timestamps. Its __post_init__ method auto-populates missing timestamp and conversation_id values, ensuring every message is uniquely tracked. Utility methods to_acp_format and from_acp_format handle serialization to and from the standardized JSON representation for seamless transmission and parsing.
    class ACPAgent:
    """Agent implementing Agent Communication Protocol"""

    def __init__:
    self.agent_id = agent_id
    self.name = name
    self.capabilities = capabilities
    self.model = genai.GenerativeModelself.message_queue: List=self.subscriptions: Dict] = {}
    self.conversations: Dict] = {}

    def create_message-> ACPMessage:
    """Create a new ACP-compliant message"""
    return ACPMessage),
    sender=self.agent_id,
    receiver=receiver,
    performative=performative,
    content=content,
    conversation_id=conversation_id,
    reply_to=reply_to
    )

    def send_inform-> ACPMessage:
    """Send an INFORM message"""
    content = {"fact": fact, "data": data}
    return self.create_messagedef send_query-> ACPMessage:
    """Send a QUERY message"""
    content = {"question": question, "query-type": query_type}
    return self.create_messagedef send_request-> ACPMessage:
    """Send a REQUEST message"""
    content = {"action": action, "parameters": parameters or {}}
    return self.create_messagedef send_reply-> ACPMessage:
    """Send a REPLY message in response to another message"""
    content = {"response": response_data, "original-question": original_msg.content}
    return self.create_messagedef process_message-> Optional:
    """Process incoming ACP message and generate appropriate response"""
    self.message_queue.appendconv_id = message.conversation_id
    if conv_id not in self.conversations:
    self.conversations=self.conversations.appendif message.performative == ACPPerformative.ASK.value:
    return self._handle_queryelif message.performative == ACPPerformative.REQUEST_ACTION.value:
    return self._handle_requestelif message.performative == ACPPerformative.TELL.value:
    return self._handle_informreturn None

    def _handle_query-> ACPMessage:
    """Handle incoming query messages"""
    question = message.content.getprompt = f"As agent {self.name} with capabilities {self.capabilities}, answer: {question}"
    try:
    response = self.model.generate_contentanswer = response.text.stripexcept:
    answer = "Unable to process query at this time"

    return self.send_replydef _handle_request-> ACPMessage:
    """Handle incoming action requests"""
    action = message.content.getparameters = message.content.getif anyfor capability in self.capabilities):
    result = f"Executing {action} with parameters {parameters}"
    status = "agreed"
    else:
    result = f"Cannot perform {action} - not in my capabilities"
    status = "refused"

    return self.send_replydef _handle_inform-> Optional:
    """Handle incoming information messages"""
    fact = message.content.getprintack_content = {"status": "received", "fact": fact}
    return self.create_messageThe ACPAgent class encapsulates an autonomous entity capable of sending, receiving, and processing ACP-compliant messages using Gemini’s language model. It manages its own message queue, conversation history, and subscriptions, and provides helper methodsto construct correctly formatted ACPMessage instances. Incoming messages are routed through process_message, which delegates to specialized handlers for queries, action requests, and informational messages.
    class ACPMessageBroker:
    """Message broker implementing ACP routing and delivery"""

    def __init__:
    self.agents: Dict= {}
    self.message_log: List=self.routing_table: Dict= {}

    def register_agent:
    """Register an agent with the message broker"""
    self.agents= agent
    self.routing_table= "local"
    print")

    def route_message-> bool:
    """Route ACP message to appropriate recipient"""
    if message.receiver not in self.agents:
    printreturn False

    printprintprintprint}")

    receiver_agent = self.agentsresponse = receiver_agent.process_messageself.message_log.appendif response:
    printprintprint}")

    if response.receiver in self.agents:
    self.agents.process_messageself.message_log.appendreturn True

    def broadcast_message:
    """Broadcast message to multiple recipients"""
    for recipient in recipients:
    msg_copy = ACPMessage),
    sender=message.sender,
    receiver=recipient,
    performative=message.performative,
    content=message.content.copy,
    conversation_id=message.conversation_id
    )
    self.route_messageThe ACPMessageBroker serves as the central router for ACP messages, maintaining a registry of agents and a message log. It provides methods to register agents, deliver individual messages via route_message, which handles lookup, logging, and response chaining, and to send the same message to multiple recipients with broadcast_message.
    def demonstrate_acp:
    """Comprehensive demonstration of Agent Communication Protocol"""

    printDEMONSTRATION")
    printbroker = ACPMessageBrokerresearcher = ACPAgentassistant = ACPAgentcalculator = ACPAgentbroker.register_agentbroker.register_agentbroker.register_agentprintfor agent_id, agent in broker.agents.items:
    print: {', '.join}")

    print")
    query_msg = assistant.send_querybroker.route_messageprint")
    calc_request = researcher.send_request+ 10"})
    broker.route_messageprint")
    info_msg = researcher.send_informbroker.route_messageprintprint}")
    print)}")
    print)}")

    printsample_msg = assistant.send_queryprint)
    The demonstrate_acp function orchestrates a hands-on walkthrough of the entire ACP framework: it initializes a broker and three distinct agents, registers them, and illustrates three key interaction scenarios, querying for information, requesting a computation, and sharing an update. After routing each message and handling responses, it prints summary statistics on the message flow. It showcases a formatted ACP message, providing users with a clear, end-to-end example of how agents communicate under the protocol.
    def setup_guide:
    print ACP PROTOCOL FEATURES:

    • Standardized message format with required fields
    • Speech act performatives• Conversation tracking and message threading
    • Error handling and acknowledgments
    • Message routing and delivery confirmation

    EXTEND THE PROTOCOL:
    ```python
    # Create custom agent
    my_agent = ACPAgentbroker.register_agent# Send custom message
    msg = my_agent.send_querybroker.route_message```
    """)

    if __name__ == "__main__":
    setup_guidedemonstrate_acpFinally, the setup_guide function provides a quick-start reference for running the ACP demo in Google Colab, outlining how to obtain and configure your Gemini API key and invoke the demonstrate_acp routine. It also summarizes key protocol features, such as standardized message formats, performatives, and message routing. It provides a concise code snippet illustrating how to register custom agents and send tailored messages.
    In conclusion, this tutorial implements ACP-based multi-agent systems capable of research, computation, and collaboration tasks. The provided sample scenarios illustrate common use cases, information queries, computational requests, and fact sharing, while the broker ensures reliable message delivery and logging. Readers are encouraged to extend the framework by adding new agent capabilities, integrating domain-specific actions, or incorporating more sophisticated subscription and notification mechanisms.

    Download the Notebook on GitHub. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter.
    Asif RazzaqWebsite |  + postsBioAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences.Asif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Yandex Releases Yambda: The World’s Largest Event Dataset to Accelerate Recommender SystemsAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Stanford Researchers Introduced Biomni: A Biomedical AI Agent for Automation Across Diverse Tasks and Data TypesAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/DeepSeek Releases R1-0528: An Open-Source Reasoning AI Model Delivering Enhanced Math and Code Performance with Single-GPU EfficiencyAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/A Coding Guide for Building a Self-Improving AI Agent Using Google’s Gemini API with Intelligent Adaptation Features
    #coding #guide #building #scalable #multiagent
    A Coding Guide to Building a Scalable Multi-Agent Communication Systems Using Agent Communication Protocol (ACP)
    In this tutorial, we implement the Agent Communication Protocolthrough building a flexible, ACP-compliant messaging system in Python, leveraging Google’s Gemini API for natural language processing. Beginning with the installation and configuration of the google-generativeai library, the tutorial introduces core abstractions, message types, performatives, and the ACPMessage data class, which standardizes inter-agent communication. By defining ACPAgent and ACPMessageBroker classes, the guide demonstrates how to create, send, route, and process structured messages among multiple autonomous agents. Through clear code examples, users learn to implement querying, requesting actions, and broadcasting information, while maintaining conversation threads, acknowledgments, and error handling. import google.generativeai as genai import json import time import uuid from enum import Enum from typing import Dict, List, Any, Optional from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict GEMINI_API_KEY = "Use Your Gemini API Key" genai.configureWe import essential Python modules, ranging from JSON handling and timing to unique identifier generation and type annotations, to support a structured ACP implementation. It then retrieves the user’s Gemini API key placeholder and configures the google-generativeai client for subsequent calls to the Gemini language model. class ACPMessageType: """Standard ACP message types""" REQUEST = "request" RESPONSE = "response" INFORM = "inform" QUERY = "query" SUBSCRIBE = "subscribe" UNSUBSCRIBE = "unsubscribe" ERROR = "error" ACK = "acknowledge" The ACPMessageType enumeration defines the core message categories used in the Agent Communication Protocol, including requests, responses, informational broadcasts, queries, and control actions like subscription management, error signaling, and acknowledgments. By centralizing these message types, the protocol ensures consistent handling and routing of inter-agent communications throughout the system. class ACPPerformative: """ACP speech acts""" TELL = "tell" ASK = "ask" REPLY = "reply" REQUEST_ACTION = "request-action" AGREE = "agree" REFUSE = "refuse" PROPOSE = "propose" ACCEPT = "accept" REJECT = "reject" The ACPPerformative enumeration captures the variety of speech acts agents can use when interacting under the ACP framework, mapping high-level intentions, such as making requests, posing questions, giving commands, or negotiating agreements, onto standardized labels. This clear taxonomy enables agents to interpret and respond to messages in contextually appropriate ways, ensuring robust and semantically rich communication. @dataclass class ACPMessage: """Agent Communication Protocol Message Structure""" message_id: str sender: str receiver: str performative: str content: Dictprotocol: str = "ACP-1.0" conversation_id: str = None reply_to: str = None language: str = "english" encoding: str = "json" timestamp: float = None def __post_init__: if self.timestamp is None: self.timestamp = time.timeif self.conversation_id is None: self.conversation_id = str) def to_acp_format-> str: """Convert to standard ACP message format""" acp_msg = { "message-id": self.message_id, "sender": self.sender, "receiver": self.receiver, "performative": self.performative, "content": self.content, "protocol": self.protocol, "conversation-id": self.conversation_id, "reply-to": self.reply_to, "language": self.language, "encoding": self.encoding, "timestamp": self.timestamp } return json.dumps@classmethod def from_acp_format-> 'ACPMessage': """Parse ACP message from string format""" data = json.loadsreturn cls, conversation_id=data.get, reply_to=data.get, language=data.get, encoding=data.get, timestamp=data.get) ) The ACPMessage data class encapsulates all the fields required for a structured ACP exchange, including identifiers, participants, performative, payload, and metadata such as protocol version, language, and timestamps. Its __post_init__ method auto-populates missing timestamp and conversation_id values, ensuring every message is uniquely tracked. Utility methods to_acp_format and from_acp_format handle serialization to and from the standardized JSON representation for seamless transmission and parsing. class ACPAgent: """Agent implementing Agent Communication Protocol""" def __init__: self.agent_id = agent_id self.name = name self.capabilities = capabilities self.model = genai.GenerativeModelself.message_queue: List=self.subscriptions: Dict] = {} self.conversations: Dict] = {} def create_message-> ACPMessage: """Create a new ACP-compliant message""" return ACPMessage), sender=self.agent_id, receiver=receiver, performative=performative, content=content, conversation_id=conversation_id, reply_to=reply_to ) def send_inform-> ACPMessage: """Send an INFORM message""" content = {"fact": fact, "data": data} return self.create_messagedef send_query-> ACPMessage: """Send a QUERY message""" content = {"question": question, "query-type": query_type} return self.create_messagedef send_request-> ACPMessage: """Send a REQUEST message""" content = {"action": action, "parameters": parameters or {}} return self.create_messagedef send_reply-> ACPMessage: """Send a REPLY message in response to another message""" content = {"response": response_data, "original-question": original_msg.content} return self.create_messagedef process_message-> Optional: """Process incoming ACP message and generate appropriate response""" self.message_queue.appendconv_id = message.conversation_id if conv_id not in self.conversations: self.conversations=self.conversations.appendif message.performative == ACPPerformative.ASK.value: return self._handle_queryelif message.performative == ACPPerformative.REQUEST_ACTION.value: return self._handle_requestelif message.performative == ACPPerformative.TELL.value: return self._handle_informreturn None def _handle_query-> ACPMessage: """Handle incoming query messages""" question = message.content.getprompt = f"As agent {self.name} with capabilities {self.capabilities}, answer: {question}" try: response = self.model.generate_contentanswer = response.text.stripexcept: answer = "Unable to process query at this time" return self.send_replydef _handle_request-> ACPMessage: """Handle incoming action requests""" action = message.content.getparameters = message.content.getif anyfor capability in self.capabilities): result = f"Executing {action} with parameters {parameters}" status = "agreed" else: result = f"Cannot perform {action} - not in my capabilities" status = "refused" return self.send_replydef _handle_inform-> Optional: """Handle incoming information messages""" fact = message.content.getprintack_content = {"status": "received", "fact": fact} return self.create_messageThe ACPAgent class encapsulates an autonomous entity capable of sending, receiving, and processing ACP-compliant messages using Gemini’s language model. It manages its own message queue, conversation history, and subscriptions, and provides helper methodsto construct correctly formatted ACPMessage instances. Incoming messages are routed through process_message, which delegates to specialized handlers for queries, action requests, and informational messages. class ACPMessageBroker: """Message broker implementing ACP routing and delivery""" def __init__: self.agents: Dict= {} self.message_log: List=self.routing_table: Dict= {} def register_agent: """Register an agent with the message broker""" self.agents= agent self.routing_table= "local" print") def route_message-> bool: """Route ACP message to appropriate recipient""" if message.receiver not in self.agents: printreturn False printprintprintprint}") receiver_agent = self.agentsresponse = receiver_agent.process_messageself.message_log.appendif response: printprintprint}") if response.receiver in self.agents: self.agents.process_messageself.message_log.appendreturn True def broadcast_message: """Broadcast message to multiple recipients""" for recipient in recipients: msg_copy = ACPMessage), sender=message.sender, receiver=recipient, performative=message.performative, content=message.content.copy, conversation_id=message.conversation_id ) self.route_messageThe ACPMessageBroker serves as the central router for ACP messages, maintaining a registry of agents and a message log. It provides methods to register agents, deliver individual messages via route_message, which handles lookup, logging, and response chaining, and to send the same message to multiple recipients with broadcast_message. def demonstrate_acp: """Comprehensive demonstration of Agent Communication Protocol""" printDEMONSTRATION") printbroker = ACPMessageBrokerresearcher = ACPAgentassistant = ACPAgentcalculator = ACPAgentbroker.register_agentbroker.register_agentbroker.register_agentprintfor agent_id, agent in broker.agents.items: print: {', '.join}") print") query_msg = assistant.send_querybroker.route_messageprint") calc_request = researcher.send_request+ 10"}) broker.route_messageprint") info_msg = researcher.send_informbroker.route_messageprintprint}") print)}") print)}") printsample_msg = assistant.send_queryprint) The demonstrate_acp function orchestrates a hands-on walkthrough of the entire ACP framework: it initializes a broker and three distinct agents, registers them, and illustrates three key interaction scenarios, querying for information, requesting a computation, and sharing an update. After routing each message and handling responses, it prints summary statistics on the message flow. It showcases a formatted ACP message, providing users with a clear, end-to-end example of how agents communicate under the protocol. def setup_guide: print🔧 ACP PROTOCOL FEATURES: • Standardized message format with required fields • Speech act performatives• Conversation tracking and message threading • Error handling and acknowledgments • Message routing and delivery confirmation 📝 EXTEND THE PROTOCOL: ```python # Create custom agent my_agent = ACPAgentbroker.register_agent# Send custom message msg = my_agent.send_querybroker.route_message``` """) if __name__ == "__main__": setup_guidedemonstrate_acpFinally, the setup_guide function provides a quick-start reference for running the ACP demo in Google Colab, outlining how to obtain and configure your Gemini API key and invoke the demonstrate_acp routine. It also summarizes key protocol features, such as standardized message formats, performatives, and message routing. It provides a concise code snippet illustrating how to register custom agents and send tailored messages. In conclusion, this tutorial implements ACP-based multi-agent systems capable of research, computation, and collaboration tasks. The provided sample scenarios illustrate common use cases, information queries, computational requests, and fact sharing, while the broker ensures reliable message delivery and logging. Readers are encouraged to extend the framework by adding new agent capabilities, integrating domain-specific actions, or incorporating more sophisticated subscription and notification mechanisms. Download the Notebook on GitHub. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. Asif RazzaqWebsite |  + postsBioAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences.Asif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Yandex Releases Yambda: The World’s Largest Event Dataset to Accelerate Recommender SystemsAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Stanford Researchers Introduced Biomni: A Biomedical AI Agent for Automation Across Diverse Tasks and Data TypesAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/DeepSeek Releases R1-0528: An Open-Source Reasoning AI Model Delivering Enhanced Math and Code Performance with Single-GPU EfficiencyAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/A Coding Guide for Building a Self-Improving AI Agent Using Google’s Gemini API with Intelligent Adaptation Features #coding #guide #building #scalable #multiagent
    WWW.MARKTECHPOST.COM
    A Coding Guide to Building a Scalable Multi-Agent Communication Systems Using Agent Communication Protocol (ACP)
    In this tutorial, we implement the Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) through building a flexible, ACP-compliant messaging system in Python, leveraging Google’s Gemini API for natural language processing. Beginning with the installation and configuration of the google-generativeai library, the tutorial introduces core abstractions, message types, performatives, and the ACPMessage data class, which standardizes inter-agent communication. By defining ACPAgent and ACPMessageBroker classes, the guide demonstrates how to create, send, route, and process structured messages among multiple autonomous agents. Through clear code examples, users learn to implement querying, requesting actions, and broadcasting information, while maintaining conversation threads, acknowledgments, and error handling. import google.generativeai as genai import json import time import uuid from enum import Enum from typing import Dict, List, Any, Optional from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict GEMINI_API_KEY = "Use Your Gemini API Key" genai.configure(api_key=GEMINI_API_KEY) We import essential Python modules, ranging from JSON handling and timing to unique identifier generation and type annotations, to support a structured ACP implementation. It then retrieves the user’s Gemini API key placeholder and configures the google-generativeai client for subsequent calls to the Gemini language model. class ACPMessageType(Enum): """Standard ACP message types""" REQUEST = "request" RESPONSE = "response" INFORM = "inform" QUERY = "query" SUBSCRIBE = "subscribe" UNSUBSCRIBE = "unsubscribe" ERROR = "error" ACK = "acknowledge" The ACPMessageType enumeration defines the core message categories used in the Agent Communication Protocol, including requests, responses, informational broadcasts, queries, and control actions like subscription management, error signaling, and acknowledgments. By centralizing these message types, the protocol ensures consistent handling and routing of inter-agent communications throughout the system. class ACPPerformative(Enum): """ACP speech acts (performatives)""" TELL = "tell" ASK = "ask" REPLY = "reply" REQUEST_ACTION = "request-action" AGREE = "agree" REFUSE = "refuse" PROPOSE = "propose" ACCEPT = "accept" REJECT = "reject" The ACPPerformative enumeration captures the variety of speech acts agents can use when interacting under the ACP framework, mapping high-level intentions, such as making requests, posing questions, giving commands, or negotiating agreements, onto standardized labels. This clear taxonomy enables agents to interpret and respond to messages in contextually appropriate ways, ensuring robust and semantically rich communication. @dataclass class ACPMessage: """Agent Communication Protocol Message Structure""" message_id: str sender: str receiver: str performative: str content: Dict[str, Any] protocol: str = "ACP-1.0" conversation_id: str = None reply_to: str = None language: str = "english" encoding: str = "json" timestamp: float = None def __post_init__(self): if self.timestamp is None: self.timestamp = time.time() if self.conversation_id is None: self.conversation_id = str(uuid.uuid4()) def to_acp_format(self) -> str: """Convert to standard ACP message format""" acp_msg = { "message-id": self.message_id, "sender": self.sender, "receiver": self.receiver, "performative": self.performative, "content": self.content, "protocol": self.protocol, "conversation-id": self.conversation_id, "reply-to": self.reply_to, "language": self.language, "encoding": self.encoding, "timestamp": self.timestamp } return json.dumps(acp_msg, indent=2) @classmethod def from_acp_format(cls, acp_string: str) -> 'ACPMessage': """Parse ACP message from string format""" data = json.loads(acp_string) return cls( message_id=data["message-id"], sender=data["sender"], receiver=data["receiver"], performative=data["performative"], content=data["content"], protocol=data.get("protocol", "ACP-1.0"), conversation_id=data.get("conversation-id"), reply_to=data.get("reply-to"), language=data.get("language", "english"), encoding=data.get("encoding", "json"), timestamp=data.get("timestamp", time.time()) ) The ACPMessage data class encapsulates all the fields required for a structured ACP exchange, including identifiers, participants, performative, payload, and metadata such as protocol version, language, and timestamps. Its __post_init__ method auto-populates missing timestamp and conversation_id values, ensuring every message is uniquely tracked. Utility methods to_acp_format and from_acp_format handle serialization to and from the standardized JSON representation for seamless transmission and parsing. class ACPAgent: """Agent implementing Agent Communication Protocol""" def __init__(self, agent_id: str, name: str, capabilities: List[str]): self.agent_id = agent_id self.name = name self.capabilities = capabilities self.model = genai.GenerativeModel("gemini-1.5-flash") self.message_queue: List[ACPMessage] = [] self.subscriptions: Dict[str, List[str]] = {} self.conversations: Dict[str, List[ACPMessage]] = {} def create_message(self, receiver: str, performative: str, content: Dict[str, Any], conversation_id: str = None, reply_to: str = None) -> ACPMessage: """Create a new ACP-compliant message""" return ACPMessage( message_id=str(uuid.uuid4()), sender=self.agent_id, receiver=receiver, performative=performative, content=content, conversation_id=conversation_id, reply_to=reply_to ) def send_inform(self, receiver: str, fact: str, data: Any = None) -> ACPMessage: """Send an INFORM message (telling someone a fact)""" content = {"fact": fact, "data": data} return self.create_message(receiver, ACPPerformative.TELL.value, content) def send_query(self, receiver: str, question: str, query_type: str = "yes-no") -> ACPMessage: """Send a QUERY message (asking for information)""" content = {"question": question, "query-type": query_type} return self.create_message(receiver, ACPPerformative.ASK.value, content) def send_request(self, receiver: str, action: str, parameters: Dict = None) -> ACPMessage: """Send a REQUEST message (asking someone to perform an action)""" content = {"action": action, "parameters": parameters or {}} return self.create_message(receiver, ACPPerformative.REQUEST_ACTION.value, content) def send_reply(self, original_msg: ACPMessage, response_data: Any) -> ACPMessage: """Send a REPLY message in response to another message""" content = {"response": response_data, "original-question": original_msg.content} return self.create_message( original_msg.sender, ACPPerformative.REPLY.value, content, conversation_id=original_msg.conversation_id, reply_to=original_msg.message_id ) def process_message(self, message: ACPMessage) -> Optional[ACPMessage]: """Process incoming ACP message and generate appropriate response""" self.message_queue.append(message) conv_id = message.conversation_id if conv_id not in self.conversations: self.conversations[conv_id] = [] self.conversations[conv_id].append(message) if message.performative == ACPPerformative.ASK.value: return self._handle_query(message) elif message.performative == ACPPerformative.REQUEST_ACTION.value: return self._handle_request(message) elif message.performative == ACPPerformative.TELL.value: return self._handle_inform(message) return None def _handle_query(self, message: ACPMessage) -> ACPMessage: """Handle incoming query messages""" question = message.content.get("question", "") prompt = f"As agent {self.name} with capabilities {self.capabilities}, answer: {question}" try: response = self.model.generate_content(prompt) answer = response.text.strip() except: answer = "Unable to process query at this time" return self.send_reply(message, {"answer": answer, "confidence": 0.8}) def _handle_request(self, message: ACPMessage) -> ACPMessage: """Handle incoming action requests""" action = message.content.get("action", "") parameters = message.content.get("parameters", {}) if any(capability in action.lower() for capability in self.capabilities): result = f"Executing {action} with parameters {parameters}" status = "agreed" else: result = f"Cannot perform {action} - not in my capabilities" status = "refused" return self.send_reply(message, {"status": status, "result": result}) def _handle_inform(self, message: ACPMessage) -> Optional[ACPMessage]: """Handle incoming information messages""" fact = message.content.get("fact", "") print(f"[{self.name}] Received information: {fact}") ack_content = {"status": "received", "fact": fact} return self.create_message(message.sender, "acknowledge", ack_content, conversation_id=message.conversation_id) The ACPAgent class encapsulates an autonomous entity capable of sending, receiving, and processing ACP-compliant messages using Gemini’s language model. It manages its own message queue, conversation history, and subscriptions, and provides helper methods (send_inform, send_query, send_request, send_reply) to construct correctly formatted ACPMessage instances. Incoming messages are routed through process_message, which delegates to specialized handlers for queries, action requests, and informational messages. class ACPMessageBroker: """Message broker implementing ACP routing and delivery""" def __init__(self): self.agents: Dict[str, ACPAgent] = {} self.message_log: List[ACPMessage] = [] self.routing_table: Dict[str, str] = {} def register_agent(self, agent: ACPAgent): """Register an agent with the message broker""" self.agents[agent.agent_id] = agent self.routing_table[agent.agent_id] = "local" print(f"✓ Registered agent: {agent.name} ({agent.agent_id})") def route_message(self, message: ACPMessage) -> bool: """Route ACP message to appropriate recipient""" if message.receiver not in self.agents: print(f"✗ Receiver {message.receiver} not found") return False print(f"\n📨 ACP MESSAGE ROUTING:") print(f"From: {message.sender} → To: {message.receiver}") print(f"Performative: {message.performative}") print(f"Content: {json.dumps(message.content, indent=2)}") receiver_agent = self.agents[message.receiver] response = receiver_agent.process_message(message) self.message_log.append(message) if response: print(f"\n📤 GENERATED RESPONSE:") print(f"From: {response.sender} → To: {response.receiver}") print(f"Content: {json.dumps(response.content, indent=2)}") if response.receiver in self.agents: self.agents[response.receiver].process_message(response) self.message_log.append(response) return True def broadcast_message(self, message: ACPMessage, recipients: List[str]): """Broadcast message to multiple recipients""" for recipient in recipients: msg_copy = ACPMessage( message_id=str(uuid.uuid4()), sender=message.sender, receiver=recipient, performative=message.performative, content=message.content.copy(), conversation_id=message.conversation_id ) self.route_message(msg_copy) The ACPMessageBroker serves as the central router for ACP messages, maintaining a registry of agents and a message log. It provides methods to register agents, deliver individual messages via route_message, which handles lookup, logging, and response chaining, and to send the same message to multiple recipients with broadcast_message. def demonstrate_acp(): """Comprehensive demonstration of Agent Communication Protocol""" print("🤖 AGENT COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL (ACP) DEMONSTRATION") print("=" * 60) broker = ACPMessageBroker() researcher = ACPAgent("agent-001", "Dr. Research", ["analysis", "research", "data-processing"]) assistant = ACPAgent("agent-002", "AI Assistant", ["information", "scheduling", "communication"]) calculator = ACPAgent("agent-003", "MathBot", ["calculation", "mathematics", "computation"]) broker.register_agent(researcher) broker.register_agent(assistant) broker.register_agent(calculator) print(f"\n📋 REGISTERED AGENTS:") for agent_id, agent in broker.agents.items(): print(f" • {agent.name} ({agent_id}): {', '.join(agent.capabilities)}") print(f"\n🔬 SCENARIO 1: Information Query (ASK performative)") query_msg = assistant.send_query("agent-001", "What are the key factors in AI research?") broker.route_message(query_msg) print(f"\n🔢 SCENARIO 2: Action Request (REQUEST-ACTION performative)") calc_request = researcher.send_request("agent-003", "calculate", {"expression": "sqrt(144) + 10"}) broker.route_message(calc_request) print(f"\n📢 SCENARIO 3: Information Sharing (TELL performative)") info_msg = researcher.send_inform("agent-002", "New research paper published on quantum computing") broker.route_message(info_msg) print(f"\n📊 PROTOCOL STATISTICS:") print(f" • Total messages processed: {len(broker.message_log)}") print(f" • Active conversations: {len(set(msg.conversation_id for msg in broker.message_log))}") print(f" • Message types used: {len(set(msg.performative for msg in broker.message_log))}") print(f"\n📋 SAMPLE ACP MESSAGE FORMAT:") sample_msg = assistant.send_query("agent-001", "Sample question for format demonstration") print(sample_msg.to_acp_format()) The demonstrate_acp function orchestrates a hands-on walkthrough of the entire ACP framework: it initializes a broker and three distinct agents (Researcher, AI Assistant, and MathBot), registers them, and illustrates three key interaction scenarios, querying for information, requesting a computation, and sharing an update. After routing each message and handling responses, it prints summary statistics on the message flow. It showcases a formatted ACP message, providing users with a clear, end-to-end example of how agents communicate under the protocol. def setup_guide(): print(""" 🚀 GOOGLE COLAB SETUP GUIDE: 1. Get Gemini API Key: https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey 2. Replace: GEMINI_API_KEY = "YOUR_ACTUAL_API_KEY" 3. Run: demonstrate_acp() 🔧 ACP PROTOCOL FEATURES: • Standardized message format with required fields • Speech act performatives (TELL, ASK, REQUEST-ACTION, etc.) • Conversation tracking and message threading • Error handling and acknowledgments • Message routing and delivery confirmation 📝 EXTEND THE PROTOCOL: ```python # Create custom agent my_agent = ACPAgent("my-001", "CustomBot", ["custom-capability"]) broker.register_agent(my_agent) # Send custom message msg = my_agent.send_query("agent-001", "Your question here") broker.route_message(msg) ``` """) if __name__ == "__main__": setup_guide() demonstrate_acp() Finally, the setup_guide function provides a quick-start reference for running the ACP demo in Google Colab, outlining how to obtain and configure your Gemini API key and invoke the demonstrate_acp routine. It also summarizes key protocol features, such as standardized message formats, performatives, and message routing. It provides a concise code snippet illustrating how to register custom agents and send tailored messages. In conclusion, this tutorial implements ACP-based multi-agent systems capable of research, computation, and collaboration tasks. The provided sample scenarios illustrate common use cases, information queries, computational requests, and fact sharing, while the broker ensures reliable message delivery and logging. Readers are encouraged to extend the framework by adding new agent capabilities, integrating domain-specific actions, or incorporating more sophisticated subscription and notification mechanisms. Download the Notebook on GitHub. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 95k+ ML SubReddit and Subscribe to our Newsletter. Asif RazzaqWebsite |  + postsBioAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences.Asif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Yandex Releases Yambda: The World’s Largest Event Dataset to Accelerate Recommender SystemsAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/Stanford Researchers Introduced Biomni: A Biomedical AI Agent for Automation Across Diverse Tasks and Data TypesAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/DeepSeek Releases R1-0528: An Open-Source Reasoning AI Model Delivering Enhanced Math and Code Performance with Single-GPU EfficiencyAsif Razzaqhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/6flvq/A Coding Guide for Building a Self-Improving AI Agent Using Google’s Gemini API with Intelligent Adaptation Features
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  • Senior Environment Artist - World at Activision

    As a member of the project, you’ll help take the studio and our game from great to even better—with a focus on inclusivity, mutual respect, thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration.You’ll help us by…Collaborate with level designers and the art director to discuss and understand game intentions and visionHave ownership of a particular part of the gameParticipate in the ideation of locations/levels by performing researchCraft compelling visual narratives that reinforce and enhance the game’s setting, story, and gameplay elementsAssess level scope with your immediate supervisor to establish an achievable production scheduleBuild the rough map of the level with the level designer to show the preliminary graphic intentions, gameplays and ensure they are approvedSet up placeholders and submit prop and material requests to internal or OS teams; follow up on the progress and quality of the work during its developmentCreate a variety of 3D modelsfrom photo references and concept artBuildrealistic detailed 3d environments from photo reference and conceptAssist in troubleshooting artistic and technical issuesYou’re awesome because you have…Solid portfolio demonstrating focus and passion for 3d environment & prop creationAt least 8 years of experience in creating Environment or Prop Art in AAA game development with at least one AAA title connected to your nameExcellent artistic and design skills, including a keen eye for composition, color theory, and visual storytellingProficiency in industry-standard 3D modeling and texturing softwareExperience working in Modern Game Engines with an awareness of game budgets, limits, and memory constraintsAbility to consistently resolve issues from a visual, production, and technical perspectiveBasic ability to communicate visually utilizing traditional mediaEffective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work well in a team environmentAbility to adapt to evolving project needs and work under tight deadlinesBonus points for…Experience in working in or developing procedural workflows via tools like Houdini or UPSExperience with photogrammetry or other scanning techniques & workflowsNot sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.Our WorldAt Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.Ready to Activate Your Future?#elsewhere
    #senior #environment #artist #world #activision
    Senior Environment Artist - World at Activision
    As a member of the project, you’ll help take the studio and our game from great to even better—with a focus on inclusivity, mutual respect, thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration.You’ll help us by…Collaborate with level designers and the art director to discuss and understand game intentions and visionHave ownership of a particular part of the gameParticipate in the ideation of locations/levels by performing researchCraft compelling visual narratives that reinforce and enhance the game’s setting, story, and gameplay elementsAssess level scope with your immediate supervisor to establish an achievable production scheduleBuild the rough map of the level with the level designer to show the preliminary graphic intentions, gameplays and ensure they are approvedSet up placeholders and submit prop and material requests to internal or OS teams; follow up on the progress and quality of the work during its developmentCreate a variety of 3D modelsfrom photo references and concept artBuildrealistic detailed 3d environments from photo reference and conceptAssist in troubleshooting artistic and technical issuesYou’re awesome because you have…Solid portfolio demonstrating focus and passion for 3d environment & prop creationAt least 8 years of experience in creating Environment or Prop Art in AAA game development with at least one AAA title connected to your nameExcellent artistic and design skills, including a keen eye for composition, color theory, and visual storytellingProficiency in industry-standard 3D modeling and texturing softwareExperience working in Modern Game Engines with an awareness of game budgets, limits, and memory constraintsAbility to consistently resolve issues from a visual, production, and technical perspectiveBasic ability to communicate visually utilizing traditional mediaEffective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work well in a team environmentAbility to adapt to evolving project needs and work under tight deadlinesBonus points for…Experience in working in or developing procedural workflows via tools like Houdini or UPSExperience with photogrammetry or other scanning techniques & workflowsNot sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.Our WorldAt Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.Ready to Activate Your Future?#elsewhere #senior #environment #artist #world #activision
    Senior Environment Artist - World at Activision
    As a member of the project, you’ll help take the studio and our game from great to even better—with a focus on inclusivity, mutual respect (for ourselves and our players), thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration.You’ll help us by…Collaborate with level designers and the art director to discuss and understand game intentions and visionHave ownership of a particular part of the game (i.e. a large part of the environment)Participate in the ideation of locations/levels by performing research (collecting written descriptions and visual references)Craft compelling visual narratives that reinforce and enhance the game’s setting, story, and gameplay elementsAssess level scope with your immediate supervisor to establish an achievable production scheduleBuild the rough map of the level with the level designer to show the preliminary graphic intentions, gameplays and ensure they are approvedSet up placeholders and submit prop and material requests to internal or OS teams; follow up on the progress and quality of the work during its developmentCreate a variety of 3D models (architecture, foliage, props) from photo references and concept artBuild (set dress, edit, optimize) realistic detailed 3d environments from photo reference and conceptAssist in troubleshooting artistic and technical issuesYou’re awesome because you have…Solid portfolio demonstrating focus and passion for 3d environment & prop creationAt least 8 years of experience in creating Environment or Prop Art in AAA game development with at least one AAA title connected to your nameExcellent artistic and design skills, including a keen eye for composition, color theory, and visual storytellingProficiency in industry-standard 3D modeling and texturing software (e.g., Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer)Experience working in Modern Game Engines with an awareness of game budgets, limits, and memory constraintsAbility to consistently resolve issues from a visual, production, and technical perspectiveBasic ability to communicate visually utilizing traditional mediaEffective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work well in a team environmentAbility to adapt to evolving project needs and work under tight deadlinesBonus points for…Experience in working in or developing procedural workflows via tools like Houdini or UPSExperience with photogrammetry or other scanning techniques & workflowsNot sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.Our WorldAt Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.Ready to Activate Your Future?#elsewhere
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  • Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging by Protecting DNA

    May 21, 20254 min readVitamin D May Slow Cells’ AgingVitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with aging, a large study shows. But the health effects aren’t yet clearBy Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna BrynerA new study suggests vitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres. Olga Pankova/Getty ImagesVitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by preventing the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten in old age, a new study suggests. The health effects of these findings aren’t yet clear.Vitamin D had been touted as a panacea for a number of health conditions, from cardiovascular disease to bone loss. In 2020 a large randomized controlled trial of supplementation instead found benefits only in a few conditions, particularly autoimmune disease and advanced cases of cancer, says the new study’s co-author JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator of that large trial, called the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL. The new study is an analysis of data from VITAL. Its finding could explain the protective effect of vitamin D supplements on these specific aging-related diseases, Manson says.“If is replicated in another randomized trial of vitamin D supplements, I think this could translate into clinical effects for chronic diseases of aging,” she says. “We’re already seeing that vitamin D does reduce inflammation; it reduces advanced cancers and cancer deaths, as well as autoimmune diseases. This could provide a biological mechanism.”On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.In the VITAL project, researchers enrolled nearly 26,000 women aged 55 or older and men aged 50 or older, and they randomly assigned participants to take vitamin D supplements, fish oil supplements, a combination of both or a placebo. For the new study, published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the scientists looked at a subset of 1,054 participants who lived close enough to Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Science Center in Boston to have their blood drawn three times over four years so researchers could measure their telomeres.Inside the nuclei of most cells in the human body reside 46 chromosomes, where our DNA is neatly packed. Each time a cell divides, these chromosomes unravel and copy themselves, and the copies coil back into the nuclei of the new cells. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes. They stabilize the chromosomes during cell division, though they get shorter each time cells divide. When the telomeres get very short, the cells stop dividing and die. Over time, as more and more of our cells die, the body ages and ultimately stops functioning. Telomeres aren’t a perfect clock for health—very long telomeres can increase cancer risk by stabilizing mutated cells—but they’re often used as a biomarker for aging.Participants in the placebo and supplement groups had similar telomere lengths at the beginning of the study, the researchers found. But over the four years of follow-up, people assigned to take 2,000 international units of vitamin D per day showed less shortening of their telomeres compared with people in the placebo group. Fish oil had no significant effect.“Vitamin D supplementation is able to slow down the telomere shortening process, at least during the four-year period,” says the study’s first author Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.Participants started out with an average of 8,700 base pairs of DNA telomere length, and vitamin D supplementation slowed the loss of length by about 140 base pairs over four years, the study found.The health implications of that number aren’t clear. “It’s only at the extremes that telomere length really matters in terms of aging,” cautions Mary Armanios, a professor of oncology and director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the research. The magnitude of difference seen in the vitamin D trial is within the normal range of human variation, meaning it may not equate with aging or youthfulness in any clinical sense.“Most of us are going to be within this normal range, and there is a wide buffer for how much telomere length can change,” Armanios says.In addition, Armanios says, the study used a method called quantitative polymerase chain reactionto assess telomere length, and this method can be very sensitive to factors such as when samples were collected and what time elapsed between collection and testing. “The methodology for telomere length measurement has been compared to others and found to be the least reproducible,” she says.A large study of people aged 60 and older in the U.K. also found that very high levels of vitamin D in the blood were associate with shorter telomeres, suggesting that more is not always better. The participants in the VITAL study were supplemented with a moderate amount of vitamin D, Manson says.Most of the participants in the new study were white, Zhu adds, so the results need to be replicated in a more diverse sample. The researchers are also currently analyzing data from the 1,054 VITAL participants to understand other facets of cellular aging, including DNA methylation, a type of regulation of gene expression.The results are intriguing, says Anastassios Pittas, a professor of medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Vitamin D supplements are now recommended by the Endocrine Society for people aged 75 and older, as well as for people of any age with prediabetes to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, Pittas says. “These new findings from the VITAL study lend scientific support to these recommendations, highlighting possible mechanisms through which vitamin D may influence long-term health outcomes,” he says.The findings are leading researchers toward a better understanding of who should pop a daily supplement, Manson says. “It shouldn’t be a universal recommendation to be screened for vitamin D blood levels or to take a supplement,” she says. “But it appears that selected high-risk groups may benefit.”
    #vitamin #slow #cells #aging #protecting
    Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging by Protecting DNA
    May 21, 20254 min readVitamin D May Slow Cells’ AgingVitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with aging, a large study shows. But the health effects aren’t yet clearBy Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna BrynerA new study suggests vitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres. Olga Pankova/Getty ImagesVitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by preventing the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten in old age, a new study suggests. The health effects of these findings aren’t yet clear.Vitamin D had been touted as a panacea for a number of health conditions, from cardiovascular disease to bone loss. In 2020 a large randomized controlled trial of supplementation instead found benefits only in a few conditions, particularly autoimmune disease and advanced cases of cancer, says the new study’s co-author JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator of that large trial, called the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL. The new study is an analysis of data from VITAL. Its finding could explain the protective effect of vitamin D supplements on these specific aging-related diseases, Manson says.“If is replicated in another randomized trial of vitamin D supplements, I think this could translate into clinical effects for chronic diseases of aging,” she says. “We’re already seeing that vitamin D does reduce inflammation; it reduces advanced cancers and cancer deaths, as well as autoimmune diseases. This could provide a biological mechanism.”On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.In the VITAL project, researchers enrolled nearly 26,000 women aged 55 or older and men aged 50 or older, and they randomly assigned participants to take vitamin D supplements, fish oil supplements, a combination of both or a placebo. For the new study, published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the scientists looked at a subset of 1,054 participants who lived close enough to Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Science Center in Boston to have their blood drawn three times over four years so researchers could measure their telomeres.Inside the nuclei of most cells in the human body reside 46 chromosomes, where our DNA is neatly packed. Each time a cell divides, these chromosomes unravel and copy themselves, and the copies coil back into the nuclei of the new cells. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes. They stabilize the chromosomes during cell division, though they get shorter each time cells divide. When the telomeres get very short, the cells stop dividing and die. Over time, as more and more of our cells die, the body ages and ultimately stops functioning. Telomeres aren’t a perfect clock for health—very long telomeres can increase cancer risk by stabilizing mutated cells—but they’re often used as a biomarker for aging.Participants in the placebo and supplement groups had similar telomere lengths at the beginning of the study, the researchers found. But over the four years of follow-up, people assigned to take 2,000 international units of vitamin D per day showed less shortening of their telomeres compared with people in the placebo group. Fish oil had no significant effect.“Vitamin D supplementation is able to slow down the telomere shortening process, at least during the four-year period,” says the study’s first author Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.Participants started out with an average of 8,700 base pairs of DNA telomere length, and vitamin D supplementation slowed the loss of length by about 140 base pairs over four years, the study found.The health implications of that number aren’t clear. “It’s only at the extremes that telomere length really matters in terms of aging,” cautions Mary Armanios, a professor of oncology and director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the research. The magnitude of difference seen in the vitamin D trial is within the normal range of human variation, meaning it may not equate with aging or youthfulness in any clinical sense.“Most of us are going to be within this normal range, and there is a wide buffer for how much telomere length can change,” Armanios says.In addition, Armanios says, the study used a method called quantitative polymerase chain reactionto assess telomere length, and this method can be very sensitive to factors such as when samples were collected and what time elapsed between collection and testing. “The methodology for telomere length measurement has been compared to others and found to be the least reproducible,” she says.A large study of people aged 60 and older in the U.K. also found that very high levels of vitamin D in the blood were associate with shorter telomeres, suggesting that more is not always better. The participants in the VITAL study were supplemented with a moderate amount of vitamin D, Manson says.Most of the participants in the new study were white, Zhu adds, so the results need to be replicated in a more diverse sample. The researchers are also currently analyzing data from the 1,054 VITAL participants to understand other facets of cellular aging, including DNA methylation, a type of regulation of gene expression.The results are intriguing, says Anastassios Pittas, a professor of medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Vitamin D supplements are now recommended by the Endocrine Society for people aged 75 and older, as well as for people of any age with prediabetes to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, Pittas says. “These new findings from the VITAL study lend scientific support to these recommendations, highlighting possible mechanisms through which vitamin D may influence long-term health outcomes,” he says.The findings are leading researchers toward a better understanding of who should pop a daily supplement, Manson says. “It shouldn’t be a universal recommendation to be screened for vitamin D blood levels or to take a supplement,” she says. “But it appears that selected high-risk groups may benefit.” #vitamin #slow #cells #aging #protecting
    WWW.SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM
    Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging by Protecting DNA
    May 21, 20254 min readVitamin D May Slow Cells’ AgingVitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with aging, a large study shows. But the health effects aren’t yet clearBy Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna BrynerA new study suggests vitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres. Olga Pankova/Getty ImagesVitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by preventing the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten in old age, a new study suggests. The health effects of these findings aren’t yet clear.Vitamin D had been touted as a panacea for a number of health conditions, from cardiovascular disease to bone loss. In 2020 a large randomized controlled trial of supplementation instead found benefits only in a few conditions, particularly autoimmune disease and advanced cases of cancer, says the new study’s co-author JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator of that large trial, called the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). The new study is an analysis of data from VITAL. Its finding could explain the protective effect of vitamin D supplements on these specific aging-related diseases, Manson says.“If is replicated in another randomized trial of vitamin D supplements, I think this could translate into clinical effects for chronic diseases of aging,” she says. “We’re already seeing that vitamin D does reduce inflammation; it reduces advanced cancers and cancer deaths, as well as autoimmune diseases. This could provide a biological mechanism.”On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.In the VITAL project, researchers enrolled nearly 26,000 women aged 55 or older and men aged 50 or older, and they randomly assigned participants to take vitamin D supplements, fish oil supplements, a combination of both or a placebo. For the new study, published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the scientists looked at a subset of 1,054 participants who lived close enough to Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Science Center in Boston to have their blood drawn three times over four years so researchers could measure their telomeres.Inside the nuclei of most cells in the human body reside 46 chromosomes, where our DNA is neatly packed. Each time a cell divides, these chromosomes unravel and copy themselves, and the copies coil back into the nuclei of the new cells. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes. They stabilize the chromosomes during cell division, though they get shorter each time cells divide. When the telomeres get very short, the cells stop dividing and die. Over time, as more and more of our cells die, the body ages and ultimately stops functioning. Telomeres aren’t a perfect clock for health—very long telomeres can increase cancer risk by stabilizing mutated cells—but they’re often used as a biomarker for aging.Participants in the placebo and supplement groups had similar telomere lengths at the beginning of the study, the researchers found. But over the four years of follow-up, people assigned to take 2,000 international units of vitamin D per day showed less shortening of their telomeres compared with people in the placebo group. Fish oil had no significant effect.“Vitamin D supplementation is able to slow down the telomere shortening process, at least during the four-year period,” says the study’s first author Haidong Zhu, a molecular geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.Participants started out with an average of 8,700 base pairs of DNA telomere length, and vitamin D supplementation slowed the loss of length by about 140 base pairs over four years, the study found.The health implications of that number aren’t clear. “It’s only at the extremes that telomere length really matters in terms of aging,” cautions Mary Armanios, a professor of oncology and director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the research. The magnitude of difference seen in the vitamin D trial is within the normal range of human variation, meaning it may not equate with aging or youthfulness in any clinical sense.“Most of us are going to be within this normal range, and there is a wide buffer for how much telomere length can change,” Armanios says.In addition, Armanios says, the study used a method called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to assess telomere length, and this method can be very sensitive to factors such as when samples were collected and what time elapsed between collection and testing. “The methodology for telomere length measurement has been compared to others and found to be the least reproducible,” she says.A large study of people aged 60 and older in the U.K. also found that very high levels of vitamin D in the blood were associate with shorter telomeres, suggesting that more is not always better. The participants in the VITAL study were supplemented with a moderate amount of vitamin D, Manson says.Most of the participants in the new study were white, Zhu adds, so the results need to be replicated in a more diverse sample. The researchers are also currently analyzing data from the 1,054 VITAL participants to understand other facets of cellular aging, including DNA methylation, a type of regulation of gene expression.The results are intriguing, says Anastassios Pittas, a professor of medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Vitamin D supplements are now recommended by the Endocrine Society for people aged 75 and older, as well as for people of any age with prediabetes to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, Pittas says. “These new findings from the VITAL study lend scientific support to these recommendations, highlighting possible mechanisms through which vitamin D may influence long-term health outcomes,” he says.The findings are leading researchers toward a better understanding of who should pop a daily supplement, Manson says. “It shouldn’t be a universal recommendation to be screened for vitamin D blood levels or to take a supplement,” she says. “But it appears that selected high-risk groups may benefit.”
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  • Paul Tassi: It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’

    LinguisticGoblin
    Member

    Jul 19, 2020

    1,293

    It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’

    Marathon has always been teetered on the edge of future failure, but now that seems set in stone after recent events.

    www.forbes.com

    Article recapping some of the issues Marathon is facing, from the recent plagiarism discovery to how the closed alpha performed relative to competitors and general community sentiments around the attempt to make an extraction shooter that can peel hardcore players off the likes of Tarkov while still holding casual appeal, as well as Paul's thoughts on what the likely outcome of all this will be for the game and Bungie.

    I've tried to put this off for a while now, giving Marathon the benefit of the doubt in terms of fixing what ails it, and maybe snagging an audience that's large enough to make it at least sustainable.

    But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore. This has probably always been true, but the events of the past week have cemented it. I will get into the livestream and plagiarism and all that later, but this is a long, long list of what's gone wrong in the past, what's currently going wrong, and a future that does not look any brighter.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...The idea that this is an extraction shooter that should use a hero model has not landed well at all. It seems woefully unbalanced with full invisibility and wallhacks and things that should just not be in this genre. And it destroys the idea of making a fully custom character like other games, something most players like. It feels like a solution where a problem did not exist. An experiment to make the game stand out, but it's just made it worse.

    None of this was helped that at the exact same time, Marathon's Alpha was interrupted by an ARK Raiders Alpha, a much more traditional extraction shooter and a much better one, by all accounts. More polished, more fun, more expected features found in extraction shooters. All you have to do is look at the fact that ARK Raiders' playercount went up every single day of its Alpha where Marathon's almost always went down. By the end, it was sub-20% of what it started with. Twitch viewers were even worse, going from 150,000 at launch as big streamers tried it, crashing to 1-3,000 a few days later near the end, where big chunks of that might even be one or two Destiny streamers alone.
    Click to expand...
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    signal
    Member

    Oct 28, 2017

    43,240

    If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself.
     

    glaurung
    Member

    Oct 26, 2017

    2,245

    Estonia

    I agree that if they stick to the current release schedule with the currently planned contents, this will be a very hard sell.
     

    Gman!
    Avenger

    Oct 25, 2017

    1,323

    Dallas

    It's a real shame that the one thing Marathon did really well - the art style - was tainted by their own doing.
     

    fudgybrownie
    Member

    Dec 15, 2024

    10

    Another one of those paul tassi articles
     

    Butter
    Member

    Sep 26, 2024

    109

    I'm so torn on Marathon. On one hand I don't want a studio to fail and people to lose jobs but on the other hand I do want Sony's live service push to fail.
     

    thankyoumerzbow
    Prophet of Truth
    Member

    Dec 8, 2020

    12,206

    arC* raiders
     

    Xeno
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    2,354

    Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right?
     

    Fiery Phoenix
    Member

    Oct 26, 2017

    6,314

    fudgybrownie said:

    Another one of those paul tassi articles

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    My thoughts exactly.

    Watch him write about his favorite playstyle in 6 months. 

    LossAversion
    The Merchant of ERA
    Member

    Oct 28, 2017

    11,687

    Marathon was always a hard sell for someone like me. I enjoy the slower pace of extraction shooters like DMZ and Tarkov but the gameplay I was seeing from Marathon looked more like Apex Legends. The whole appeal of extraction modes is the slow pace and the thrill of encountering real players OR avoiding them at all costs. If anything, I would like to see extraction shooters that focus much more on the PVE aspect of things and ARC Raiders seems to be much closer to that. Marathon just reads as another sweaty twitch shooter. The art style was cool but uh... yeah. It won't surprise me if this game is DOA.
     

    RoKKeR
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    17,110

    I'm not exactly looking forward to the game but even still this feels a bit premature.
     

    Rumenapp
    Forza Photographer
    Member

    Nov 9, 2017

    17,451

    Best of luck to Bungie with Marathon or not.

    Competitive multiplayer games is a very hard market to crack right now. 

    DNAbro
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    30,045

    Read it this morning and yeah…

    The vibes are just bad, I still want to try it but after the mid reception and plagiarism scandal it feels like it's dead at the starting line. An open beta will be do or die for it. 

    Yerffej
    Prophet of Regret
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    29,446

    But yeah, from the podcasts I'd listened to where both were mentioned...Arc Raiders had far more positivity thrown its way. 

    Jimbo Fisher
    Member

    Jul 17, 2024

    1,352

    At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal.
     

    Mr Evil 37
    Member

    Mar 7, 2022

    27,762

    signal said:

    If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development.

    Edit: I'm obviously talking about it being cancelled prior to release, not what happened with Concord. 

    Last edited: Monday at 11:16 AM

    Tbm24
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    22,980

    Well, author is setting up future content to backtrack on I guess.

    Jimbo Fisher said:

    At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    If the game is going to fail, let it fail try by to be what it wants to be. Not tack on standard modes just because. No thanks. 

    ZeroMaverick
    Member

    Mar 5, 2018

    5,867

    Xeno said:

    Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right?

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Right?

    For a second I was like, "Holy shit an extraction shooter with dinosaurs is gonna be awesome!" Lol 

    Stibbs
    Member

    Feb 8, 2023

    4,247

    The 518

    If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked

    Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys 

    keyrodi
    Member

    Feb 19, 2018

    1,065

    Frankly, even ignoring the controversy, this game was dead in the water. The plagiarism and the reaction to it only guarantees it.

    I don't know what Sony is going to do or what they should do, whether it be cancel this game, gut the studio, sell Bungie back to the board, etc, but Bungie is an albatross that they need to address harshly. 

    carlsojo
    Shinra Employee
    Member

    Oct 28, 2017

    37,576

    San Francisco

    Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap
     

    Jawmuncher
    Crisis Dino
    Moderator

    Oct 25, 2017

    44,825

    Ibis Island

    IMO, I think Marathon really trying to commit to PVP is doing more harm than good. I think the Hero Idea and such is good, even the features.

    But they'd be far more at home in a game where you aren't worrying about balancing for two different aspects.

    The other thread I see about Public Playtests is probably the best outcome to try and get it somewhere people enjoy. However, if you do too many of those, people are going to wonder why they have to pay for it afterwards. 

    Kalentan
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    50,643

    While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre.
     

    TheWorthyEdge
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    7,908

    Nothing about the current state of Bungie inspires any hope whatsoever. Makes sense why they're doing this Star Wars Destiny expansion. A cash grab if there ever was one. Much needed product on the horizon that SHOULD sell well.
     

    Xeno
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    2,354

    Stibbs said:

    If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked

    Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys
    Click to expand...
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    Marathon is in trouble... but Paul Tassi has built a career on bitching about Destiny.
     

    GlorpShitto
    Member

    Feb 6, 2024

    972

    Every article he writes is negative. Nothing new here.
     

    404LinkNotFound
    Member

    Oct 27, 2017

    10,608

    Ha i see that resetera post of ART RAIDERS really spread
     

    Stibbs
    Member

    Feb 8, 2023

    4,247

    The 518

    Kalentan said:

    While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre.

    Click to expand...
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    Considering Bungie's love of the "faceless/generic helmeted protag"I'm surprised they went for heroes still
     

    OP

    OP

    LinguisticGoblin
    Member

    Jul 19, 2020

    1,293

    carlsojo said:

    Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap

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    Recap but he did an article a few days ago about stuff he'd heard is going on internally at Bungie as well, which this one is also a response to I imagine

    New ‘Marathon’ Info: Bungie Morale, Launch Worries And Changing Plans

    After a rough playtest and now plagiarism confirmation, Bungie is changing some Marathon plans and internally, things are bad.

    www.forbes.com

     

    Audiblee
    Member

    Mar 14, 2025

    1,560

    I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer.

    If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie. 

    MarcosBrXD
    Member

    Aug 28, 2024

    1,694

    User Warned: Drive-By Posting

    This guy is soo boring my god just cry about everything
     

    Man Called Aerodynamics
    Member

    Oct 29, 2017

    8,324

    I'm not optimistic about the game's chances either, but I do think he's maybe overestimating the impact of the plagiarism scandal? Outside of the hyper-aware online bubble following the game, does Joe PlayStation even know about it?
     

    Tbm24
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    22,980

    Audiblee said:

    I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer.

    If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie.
    Click to expand...
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    What would those contacts have to do with proclaiming a game that has only seen an Alpha test as dead on arrival?
     

    Yerffej
    Prophet of Regret
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    29,446

    Mr Evil 37 said:

    There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development.

    Click to expand...
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    Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.
     

    Mr Evil 37
    Member

    Mar 7, 2022

    27,762

    Jimbo Fisher said:

    At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I don't know if there's a big enough audience for traditional multiplayer modes like that, and the audience there is will probably stick with CoD, Halo etc.
     

    Mr Evil 37
    Member

    Mar 7, 2022

    27,762

    Yerffej said:

    Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.

    Click to expand...
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    Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows.
     

    Precious Tritium
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    10,253

    Yerffej said:

    Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.

    Click to expand...
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    Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off. Had they not done that the game would still be playable, Destruction Allstars is still online and I imagine has at most a handful of players. 

    Yerffej
    Prophet of Regret
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    29,446

    Mr Evil 37 said:

    Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows.

    Click to expand...
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    I couldn't be less interested in the product, but I am riveted in what happens with this one. Very curious how this goes.
     

    J_Viper
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    27,139

    Marathon |OT| But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore
     

    LewieP
    Member

    Oct 26, 2017

    19,819

    Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game.
     

    BassForever
    One Winged Slayer
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    31,629

    CT

    Mr Evil 37 said:

    There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development.

    Click to expand...
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    Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year.
     

    IMCaprica
    Member

    Aug 1, 2019

    11,014

    Paul Tassi never met a moment he couldn't be dramatic about. I particularly like the way he puts watching people play Marathon and actually playing Marathon on the same level, and then never directly identifies which camp he falls into. Also, love a writer who can't be bothered to proofread until they feel like it after they've published an article. Watching this guy report on the real reason this game is a disaster now doomed to fail and then doubling back to "and also all the other stuff I previously theorized must also be the case" is cringey.

    fudgybrownie said:

    Another one of those paul tassi articles

    Click to expand...
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    I love his singular insight that viewership and wildly inaccurate dislike numbers on a video platform determine everything about a game's success.

    Precious Tritium said:

    Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Source?
     

    MarcosBrXD
    Member

    Aug 28, 2024

    1,694

    LewieP said:

    Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    They want make these games
     

    ElFly
    Member

    Oct 27, 2017

    3,752

    I think Sony will force it through, it will fail, and then Sony spins what will be left of the Marathon devs to make a CoD clone, no frills, just shooting people good in a realistic env.
     

    LewieP
    Member

    Oct 26, 2017

    19,819

    MarcosBrXD said:

    They want make these games

    Click to expand...
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    I don't doubt it.

    But they don't really appeal to me. 

    Stibbs
    Member

    Feb 8, 2023

    4,247

    The 518

    Yerffej said:

    Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    No one realizes you mean Hyenas? You mean Hyenas right?
     

    Kill3r7
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    29,049

    I don't get the point of doom and gloom. Bungie aren't magically going to rethink the game in the next 5 months. Let's see how it does when it comes out. Bungie has a long history of pulling the rabbit out of the hat.

    LewieP said:

    Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game.

    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    They just delivered a brilliant campaign last year with TFS. 

    Ascenion
    Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
    Member

    Oct 25, 2017

    13,106

    Mecklenburg-Strelitz

    Mr Evil 37 said:

    There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development.

    Click to expand...
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    I can't see how you think this after Concord. Mind you, I agree with you. But if this fails they will almost assuredly be forced to make Destiny 3.
     

    Mr Evil 37
    Member

    Mar 7, 2022

    27,762

    BassForever said:

    Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year.

    Click to expand...
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    As I said in a later post, I was talking about it being cancelled before release.
     

    NekoNeko
    Coward

    Oct 26, 2017

    20,248

    it's Bungover
     
    #paul #tassi #its #just #over
    Paul Tassi: It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’
    LinguisticGoblin Member Jul 19, 2020 1,293 It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’ Marathon has always been teetered on the edge of future failure, but now that seems set in stone after recent events. www.forbes.com Article recapping some of the issues Marathon is facing, from the recent plagiarism discovery to how the closed alpha performed relative to competitors and general community sentiments around the attempt to make an extraction shooter that can peel hardcore players off the likes of Tarkov while still holding casual appeal, as well as Paul's thoughts on what the likely outcome of all this will be for the game and Bungie. I've tried to put this off for a while now, giving Marathon the benefit of the doubt in terms of fixing what ails it, and maybe snagging an audience that's large enough to make it at least sustainable. But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore. This has probably always been true, but the events of the past week have cemented it. I will get into the livestream and plagiarism and all that later, but this is a long, long list of what's gone wrong in the past, what's currently going wrong, and a future that does not look any brighter. Click to expand... Click to shrink...The idea that this is an extraction shooter that should use a hero model has not landed well at all. It seems woefully unbalanced with full invisibility and wallhacks and things that should just not be in this genre. And it destroys the idea of making a fully custom character like other games, something most players like. It feels like a solution where a problem did not exist. An experiment to make the game stand out, but it's just made it worse. None of this was helped that at the exact same time, Marathon's Alpha was interrupted by an ARK Raiders Alpha, a much more traditional extraction shooter and a much better one, by all accounts. More polished, more fun, more expected features found in extraction shooters. All you have to do is look at the fact that ARK Raiders' playercount went up every single day of its Alpha where Marathon's almost always went down. By the end, it was sub-20% of what it started with. Twitch viewers were even worse, going from 150,000 at launch as big streamers tried it, crashing to 1-3,000 a few days later near the end, where big chunks of that might even be one or two Destiny streamers alone. Click to expand... Click to shrink...   signal Member Oct 28, 2017 43,240 If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself.   glaurung Member Oct 26, 2017 2,245 Estonia I agree that if they stick to the current release schedule with the currently planned contents, this will be a very hard sell.   Gman! Avenger Oct 25, 2017 1,323 Dallas It's a real shame that the one thing Marathon did really well - the art style - was tainted by their own doing.   fudgybrownie Member Dec 15, 2024 10 Another one of those paul tassi articles   Butter Member Sep 26, 2024 109 I'm so torn on Marathon. On one hand I don't want a studio to fail and people to lose jobs but on the other hand I do want Sony's live service push to fail.   thankyoumerzbow Prophet of Truth Member Dec 8, 2020 12,206 arC* raiders   Xeno Member Oct 25, 2017 2,354 Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right?   Fiery Phoenix Member Oct 26, 2017 6,314 fudgybrownie said: Another one of those paul tassi articles Click to expand... Click to shrink... My thoughts exactly. Watch him write about his favorite playstyle in 6 months.  LossAversion The Merchant of ERA Member Oct 28, 2017 11,687 Marathon was always a hard sell for someone like me. I enjoy the slower pace of extraction shooters like DMZ and Tarkov but the gameplay I was seeing from Marathon looked more like Apex Legends. The whole appeal of extraction modes is the slow pace and the thrill of encountering real players OR avoiding them at all costs. If anything, I would like to see extraction shooters that focus much more on the PVE aspect of things and ARC Raiders seems to be much closer to that. Marathon just reads as another sweaty twitch shooter. The art style was cool but uh... yeah. It won't surprise me if this game is DOA.   RoKKeR Member Oct 25, 2017 17,110 I'm not exactly looking forward to the game but even still this feels a bit premature.   Rumenapp Forza Photographer Member Nov 9, 2017 17,451 Best of luck to Bungie with Marathon or not. Competitive multiplayer games is a very hard market to crack right now.  DNAbro Member Oct 25, 2017 30,045 Read it this morning and yeah… The vibes are just bad, I still want to try it but after the mid reception and plagiarism scandal it feels like it's dead at the starting line. An open beta will be do or die for it.  Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 But yeah, from the podcasts I'd listened to where both were mentioned...Arc Raiders had far more positivity thrown its way.  Jimbo Fisher Member Jul 17, 2024 1,352 At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 signal said: If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself. Click to expand... Click to shrink... There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Edit: I'm obviously talking about it being cancelled prior to release, not what happened with Concord.  Last edited: Monday at 11:16 AM Tbm24 Member Oct 25, 2017 22,980 Well, author is setting up future content to backtrack on I guess. Jimbo Fisher said: At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If the game is going to fail, let it fail try by to be what it wants to be. Not tack on standard modes just because. No thanks.  ZeroMaverick Member Mar 5, 2018 5,867 Xeno said: Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Right? For a second I was like, "Holy shit an extraction shooter with dinosaurs is gonna be awesome!" Lol  Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys  keyrodi Member Feb 19, 2018 1,065 Frankly, even ignoring the controversy, this game was dead in the water. The plagiarism and the reaction to it only guarantees it. I don't know what Sony is going to do or what they should do, whether it be cancel this game, gut the studio, sell Bungie back to the board, etc, but Bungie is an albatross that they need to address harshly.  carlsojo Shinra Employee Member Oct 28, 2017 37,576 San Francisco Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap   Jawmuncher Crisis Dino Moderator Oct 25, 2017 44,825 Ibis Island IMO, I think Marathon really trying to commit to PVP is doing more harm than good. I think the Hero Idea and such is good, even the features. But they'd be far more at home in a game where you aren't worrying about balancing for two different aspects. The other thread I see about Public Playtests is probably the best outcome to try and get it somewhere people enjoy. However, if you do too many of those, people are going to wonder why they have to pay for it afterwards.  Kalentan Member Oct 25, 2017 50,643 While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre.   TheWorthyEdge Member Oct 25, 2017 7,908 Nothing about the current state of Bungie inspires any hope whatsoever. Makes sense why they're doing this Star Wars Destiny expansion. A cash grab if there ever was one. Much needed product on the horizon that SHOULD sell well.   Xeno Member Oct 25, 2017 2,354 Stibbs said: If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys Click to expand... Click to shrink... Marathon is in trouble... but Paul Tassi has built a career on bitching about Destiny.   GlorpShitto Member Feb 6, 2024 972 Every article he writes is negative. Nothing new here.   404LinkNotFound Member Oct 27, 2017 10,608 Ha i see that resetera post of ART RAIDERS really spread   Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 Kalentan said: While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Considering Bungie's love of the "faceless/generic helmeted protag"I'm surprised they went for heroes still   OP OP LinguisticGoblin Member Jul 19, 2020 1,293 carlsojo said: Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap Click to expand... Click to shrink... Recap but he did an article a few days ago about stuff he'd heard is going on internally at Bungie as well, which this one is also a response to I imagine New ‘Marathon’ Info: Bungie Morale, Launch Worries And Changing Plans After a rough playtest and now plagiarism confirmation, Bungie is changing some Marathon plans and internally, things are bad. www.forbes.com   Audiblee Member Mar 14, 2025 1,560 I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer. If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie.  MarcosBrXD Member Aug 28, 2024 1,694 User Warned: Drive-By Posting This guy is soo boring my god just cry about everything   Man Called Aerodynamics Member Oct 29, 2017 8,324 I'm not optimistic about the game's chances either, but I do think he's maybe overestimating the impact of the plagiarism scandal? Outside of the hyper-aware online bubble following the game, does Joe PlayStation even know about it?   Tbm24 Member Oct 25, 2017 22,980 Audiblee said: I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer. If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie. Click to expand... Click to shrink... What would those contacts have to do with proclaiming a game that has only seen an Alpha test as dead on arrival?   Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 Jimbo Fisher said: At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I don't know if there's a big enough audience for traditional multiplayer modes like that, and the audience there is will probably stick with CoD, Halo etc.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows.   Precious Tritium Member Oct 25, 2017 10,253 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off. Had they not done that the game would still be playable, Destruction Allstars is still online and I imagine has at most a handful of players.  Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 Mr Evil 37 said: Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I couldn't be less interested in the product, but I am riveted in what happens with this one. Very curious how this goes.   J_Viper Member Oct 25, 2017 27,139 Marathon |OT| But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore   LewieP Member Oct 26, 2017 19,819 Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game.   BassForever One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 31,629 CT Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year.   IMCaprica Member Aug 1, 2019 11,014 Paul Tassi never met a moment he couldn't be dramatic about. I particularly like the way he puts watching people play Marathon and actually playing Marathon on the same level, and then never directly identifies which camp he falls into. Also, love a writer who can't be bothered to proofread until they feel like it after they've published an article. Watching this guy report on the real reason this game is a disaster now doomed to fail and then doubling back to "and also all the other stuff I previously theorized must also be the case" is cringey. fudgybrownie said: Another one of those paul tassi articles Click to expand... Click to shrink... I love his singular insight that viewership and wildly inaccurate dislike numbers on a video platform determine everything about a game's success. Precious Tritium said: Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Source?   MarcosBrXD Member Aug 28, 2024 1,694 LewieP said: Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They want make these games   ElFly Member Oct 27, 2017 3,752 I think Sony will force it through, it will fail, and then Sony spins what will be left of the Marathon devs to make a CoD clone, no frills, just shooting people good in a realistic env.   LewieP Member Oct 26, 2017 19,819 MarcosBrXD said: They want make these games Click to expand... Click to shrink... I don't doubt it. But they don't really appeal to me.  Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... No one realizes you mean Hyenas? You mean Hyenas right?   Kill3r7 Member Oct 25, 2017 29,049 I don't get the point of doom and gloom. Bungie aren't magically going to rethink the game in the next 5 months. Let's see how it does when it comes out. Bungie has a long history of pulling the rabbit out of the hat. LewieP said: Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They just delivered a brilliant campaign last year with TFS.  Ascenion Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 13,106 Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I can't see how you think this after Concord. Mind you, I agree with you. But if this fails they will almost assuredly be forced to make Destiny 3.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 BassForever said: Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year. Click to expand... Click to shrink... As I said in a later post, I was talking about it being cancelled before release.   NekoNeko Coward Oct 26, 2017 20,248 it's Bungover   #paul #tassi #its #just #over
    WWW.RESETERA.COM
    Paul Tassi: It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’
    LinguisticGoblin Member Jul 19, 2020 1,293 It’s Just Over For ‘Marathon’ Marathon has always been teetered on the edge of future failure, but now that seems set in stone after recent events. www.forbes.com Article recapping some of the issues Marathon is facing, from the recent plagiarism discovery to how the closed alpha performed relative to competitors and general community sentiments around the attempt to make an extraction shooter that can peel hardcore players off the likes of Tarkov while still holding casual appeal, as well as Paul's thoughts on what the likely outcome of all this will be for the game and Bungie. I've tried to put this off for a while now, giving Marathon the benefit of the doubt in terms of fixing what ails it, and maybe snagging an audience that's large enough to make it at least sustainable. But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore. This has probably always been true, but the events of the past week have cemented it. I will get into the livestream and plagiarism and all that later, but this is a long, long list of what's gone wrong in the past, what's currently going wrong, and a future that does not look any brighter. Click to expand... Click to shrink... […] The idea that this is an extraction shooter that should use a hero model has not landed well at all. It seems woefully unbalanced with full invisibility and wallhacks and things that should just not be in this genre. And it destroys the idea of making a fully custom character like other games, something most players like. It feels like a solution where a problem did not exist. An experiment to make the game stand out, but it's just made it worse. None of this was helped that at the exact same time, Marathon's Alpha was interrupted by an ARK Raiders Alpha, a much more traditional extraction shooter and a much better one, by all accounts. More polished, more fun, more expected features found in extraction shooters. All you have to do is look at the fact that ARK Raiders' playercount went up every single day of its Alpha where Marathon's almost always went down. By the end, it was sub-20% of what it started with. Twitch viewers were even worse, going from 150,000 at launch as big streamers tried it, crashing to 1-3,000 a few days later near the end, where big chunks of that might even be one or two Destiny streamers alone. Click to expand... Click to shrink...   signal Member Oct 28, 2017 43,240 If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself.   glaurung Member Oct 26, 2017 2,245 Estonia I agree that if they stick to the current release schedule with the currently planned contents, this will be a very hard sell.   Gman! Avenger Oct 25, 2017 1,323 Dallas It's a real shame that the one thing Marathon did really well - the art style - was tainted by their own doing.   fudgybrownie Member Dec 15, 2024 10 Another one of those paul tassi articles   Butter Member Sep 26, 2024 109 I'm so torn on Marathon. On one hand I don't want a studio to fail and people to lose jobs but on the other hand I do want Sony's live service push to fail.   thankyoumerzbow Prophet of Truth Member Dec 8, 2020 12,206 arC* raiders   Xeno Member Oct 25, 2017 2,354 Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right?   Fiery Phoenix Member Oct 26, 2017 6,314 fudgybrownie said: Another one of those paul tassi articles Click to expand... Click to shrink... My thoughts exactly. Watch him write about his favorite playstyle in 6 months.  LossAversion The Merchant of ERA Member Oct 28, 2017 11,687 Marathon was always a hard sell for someone like me. I enjoy the slower pace of extraction shooters like DMZ and Tarkov but the gameplay I was seeing from Marathon looked more like Apex Legends. The whole appeal of extraction modes is the slow pace and the thrill of encountering real players OR avoiding them at all costs. If anything, I would like to see extraction shooters that focus much more on the PVE aspect of things and ARC Raiders seems to be much closer to that. Marathon just reads as another sweaty twitch shooter. The art style was cool but uh... yeah. It won't surprise me if this game is DOA.   RoKKeR Member Oct 25, 2017 17,110 I'm not exactly looking forward to the game but even still this feels a bit premature.   Rumenapp Forza Photographer Member Nov 9, 2017 17,451 Best of luck to Bungie with Marathon or not. Competitive multiplayer games is a very hard market to crack right now.  DNAbro Member Oct 25, 2017 30,045 Read it this morning and yeah… The vibes are just bad, I still want to try it but after the mid reception and plagiarism scandal it feels like it's dead at the starting line. An open beta will be do or die for it.  Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 But yeah, from the podcasts I'd listened to where both were mentioned...Arc Raiders had far more positivity thrown its way.  Jimbo Fisher Member Jul 17, 2024 1,352 At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 signal said: If it does get cancelled I hope it's just in its current form and a new Marathon of another genre or something comes out. Seems like there was a lot people enjoyed, if not the game itself. Click to expand... Click to shrink... There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Edit: I'm obviously talking about it being cancelled prior to release, not what happened with Concord.  Last edited: Monday at 11:16 AM Tbm24 Member Oct 25, 2017 22,980 Well, author is setting up future content to backtrack on I guess. Jimbo Fisher said: At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If the game is going to fail, let it fail try by to be what it wants to be. Not tack on standard modes just because. No thanks.  ZeroMaverick Member Mar 5, 2018 5,867 Xeno said: Did he really write a whole ass article and couldn't get the name "ARC Raiders" right? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Right? For a second I was like, "Holy shit an extraction shooter with dinosaurs is gonna be awesome!" Lol  Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys  keyrodi Member Feb 19, 2018 1,065 Frankly, even ignoring the controversy, this game was dead in the water. The plagiarism and the reaction to it only guarantees it. I don't know what Sony is going to do or what they should do, whether it be cancel this game, gut the studio, sell Bungie back to the board, etc, but Bungie is an albatross that they need to address harshly.  carlsojo Shinra Employee Member Oct 28, 2017 37,576 San Francisco Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap   Jawmuncher Crisis Dino Moderator Oct 25, 2017 44,825 Ibis Island IMO, I think Marathon really trying to commit to PVP is doing more harm than good. I think the Hero Idea and such is good, even the features. But they'd be far more at home in a game where you aren't worrying about balancing for two different aspects. The other thread I see about Public Playtests is probably the best outcome to try and get it somewhere people enjoy. However, if you do too many of those, people are going to wonder why they have to pay for it afterwards.  Kalentan Member Oct 25, 2017 50,643 While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre.   TheWorthyEdge Member Oct 25, 2017 7,908 Nothing about the current state of Bungie inspires any hope whatsoever. Makes sense why they're doing this Star Wars Destiny expansion. A cash grab if there ever was one. Much needed product on the horizon that SHOULD sell well.   Xeno Member Oct 25, 2017 2,354 Stibbs said: If Paul, THE Bungie guy is out than this really is cooked Should have made Destiny 3 when you had the chance guys Click to expand... Click to shrink... Marathon is in trouble... but Paul Tassi has built a career on bitching about Destiny.   GlorpShitto Member Feb 6, 2024 972 Every article he writes is negative. Nothing new here.   404LinkNotFound Member Oct 27, 2017 10,608 Ha i see that resetera post of ART RAIDERS really spread   Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 Kalentan said: While I do like the designs of the "Heroes", the game 100% should have kept to it's original design of just being Create-a-characters. Moving to the Hero route was a bad idea for this genre. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Considering Bungie's love of the "faceless/generic helmeted protag"(Marine from PID, Security Officer, Chief, the player Guardian etc) I'm surprised they went for heroes still   OP OP LinguisticGoblin Member Jul 19, 2020 1,293 carlsojo said: Is there any new info in this article or is it just a recap Click to expand... Click to shrink... Recap but he did an article a few days ago about stuff he'd heard is going on internally at Bungie as well, which this one is also a response to I imagine New ‘Marathon’ Info: Bungie Morale, Launch Worries And Changing Plans After a rough playtest and now plagiarism confirmation, Bungie is changing some Marathon plans and internally, things are bad. www.forbes.com   Audiblee Member Mar 14, 2025 1,560 I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer. If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie.  MarcosBrXD Member Aug 28, 2024 1,694 User Warned: Drive-By Posting This guy is soo boring my god just cry about everything   Man Called Aerodynamics Member Oct 29, 2017 8,324 I'm not optimistic about the game's chances either, but I do think he's maybe overestimating the impact of the plagiarism scandal? Outside of the hyper-aware online bubble following the game, does Joe PlayStation even know about it?   Tbm24 Member Oct 25, 2017 22,980 Audiblee said: I don't want it to be true, so I'm going to attack the writer. If nothing else, he's proven to have contacts at Bungie. Click to expand... Click to shrink... What would those contacts have to do with proclaiming a game that has only seen an Alpha test as dead on arrival?   Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 Jimbo Fisher said: At this point how hard would it be for them to just throw in a few traditional multiplayer modes? Some team deathmatch and capture the flag? Feels like that's the only way to save this game's mass market appeal. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I don't know if there's a big enough audience for traditional multiplayer modes like that, and the audience there is will probably stick with CoD, Halo etc.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows.   Precious Tritium Member Oct 25, 2017 10,253 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off. Had they not done that the game would still be playable, Destruction Allstars is still online and I imagine has at most a handful of players.  Yerffej Prophet of Regret Member Oct 25, 2017 29,446 Mr Evil 37 said: Concord did come out though lol I'm saying Marathon will come out. What happens after, who knows. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I couldn't be less interested in the product, but I am riveted in what happens with this one. Very curious how this goes.   J_Viper Member Oct 25, 2017 27,139 Marathon |OT| But no, it's over. I can't dispute this anymore   LewieP Member Oct 26, 2017 19,819 Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game.   BassForever One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 31,629 CT Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year.   IMCaprica Member Aug 1, 2019 11,014 Paul Tassi never met a moment he couldn't be dramatic about. I particularly like the way he puts watching people play Marathon and actually playing Marathon on the same level, and then never directly identifies which camp he falls into. Also, love a writer who can't be bothered to proofread until they feel like it after they've published an article. Watching this guy report on the real reason this game is a disaster now doomed to fail and then doubling back to "and also all the other stuff I previously theorized must also be the case" is cringey. fudgybrownie said: Another one of those paul tassi articles Click to expand... Click to shrink... I love his singular insight that viewership and wildly inaccurate dislike numbers on a video platform determine everything about a game's success. Precious Tritium said: Concord was canned because they promised weekly cutscenes and would have been sued had they stopped support for it without refunding and turning it off. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Source?   MarcosBrXD Member Aug 28, 2024 1,694 LewieP said: Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They want make these games   ElFly Member Oct 27, 2017 3,752 I think Sony will force it through, it will fail, and then Sony spins what will be left of the Marathon devs to make a CoD clone, no frills, just shooting people good in a realistic env.   LewieP Member Oct 26, 2017 19,819 MarcosBrXD said: They want make these games Click to expand... Click to shrink... I don't doubt it. But they don't really appeal to me.  Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,247 The 518 Yerffej said: Another game was even further in development. One might say as developed as you can get. Nothing is impossible in this day and age. Click to expand... Click to shrink... No one realizes you mean Hyenas? You mean Hyenas right?   Kill3r7 Member Oct 25, 2017 29,049 I don't get the point of doom and gloom. Bungie aren't magically going to rethink the game in the next 5 months. Let's see how it does when it comes out. Bungie has a long history of pulling the rabbit out of the hat. LewieP said: Kinda wild that Bungie used to be great at making single player FPS campaigns, but they haven't put one out in 15 years. I'd be very interested in them making another one of those. Even if it was attached to a multiplayer game. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They just delivered a brilliant campaign last year with TFS.  Ascenion Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 13,106 Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mr Evil 37 said: There's no way it gets cancelled. It's too far into development. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I can't see how you think this after Concord. Mind you, I agree with you. But if this fails they will almost assuredly be forced to make Destiny 3.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,762 BassForever said: Concord was released for 2 weeks before being pulled and canceled just last year. Click to expand... Click to shrink... As I said in a later post, I was talking about it being cancelled before release.   NekoNeko Coward Oct 26, 2017 20,248 it's Bungover  
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  • PlayStation sets high Marathon target for Bungie as studio reels from plagiarism accusations

    Bungie's Marathon reboot has been under fire for plagiarism of a British artist, and a new report has suggested Sony has set a sales target for the game that could prove challengingTech13:07, 21 May 2025Is Marathon in trouble?Destiny 2 developer Bungie isn't having the best of weeks, despite revealing a series of expansions for the game and preparing for the launch of its Marathon reboot in September.Still, the studio was forced to go back to the literal drawing board in recent days, with an artist claiming much of the game's design language was lifted from her portfolio, including some lifted wholesale.‌Now, Forbes' Paul Tassi, a regular reporter on Bungie, has discussed the high stakes facing the studio. Reports had previously suggested that Bungie is close to being absorbed into Sony and losing its autonomy if it underperforms, and that seems more likely than ever, given the publisher apparently wants the game to hit a high sales target.‌Posting the above video on YouTube where he explains the deep issues with Marathon on multiple levels, and how it's unlikely to be a critical hit, Tassi reveals he's heard Sony is expecting big things."I heard this needed to be in the top 5 of NPD sales for the year if it's going to be a success, or considered a success," he explained.Article continues below"Crazy," he adds, "there's no way".Last year, Sony did have a live service game in the top five NPDgames with Helldivers 2, but that felt like a cultural zeitgeist moment that didn't enter the arena with all of the baggage Marathon now has saddled on it.The gaming community praised Marathon's visuals, but now those are being questioned, too‌Considering 2025 has already seen critical hits like Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction doing well sales-wise, and the Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon, it seems like a tall mountain for Bungie to climb–especially since it's launching at a price point when many alternatives in the genre are free-to-play.Still, it would be interesting for Sony to push a specific sales number, given that a live service title tends to live or die based on player retention.Over the weekend, Tassi reported that morale at the studio has plummeted.Article continues belowHe said: "Sony and Bungie legal are now sorting through this, and there is unlikely to be any new information as all of this continues to unfold. It is not clear how long an “audit” will take of the assets to remove or find any more plagiarism, as it’s an expansive enough process to have Bungie not even show any footage at all in its recent livestream.""Morale is in 'free-fall” across all departments, and “the vibes have never been worse.” Everyone has the same concerns about what happens to Bungie as a studio if Marathon bombs, which is something they absolutely cannot afford."For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌
    #playstation #sets #high #marathon #target
    PlayStation sets high Marathon target for Bungie as studio reels from plagiarism accusations
    Bungie's Marathon reboot has been under fire for plagiarism of a British artist, and a new report has suggested Sony has set a sales target for the game that could prove challengingTech13:07, 21 May 2025Is Marathon in trouble?Destiny 2 developer Bungie isn't having the best of weeks, despite revealing a series of expansions for the game and preparing for the launch of its Marathon reboot in September.Still, the studio was forced to go back to the literal drawing board in recent days, with an artist claiming much of the game's design language was lifted from her portfolio, including some lifted wholesale.‌Now, Forbes' Paul Tassi, a regular reporter on Bungie, has discussed the high stakes facing the studio. Reports had previously suggested that Bungie is close to being absorbed into Sony and losing its autonomy if it underperforms, and that seems more likely than ever, given the publisher apparently wants the game to hit a high sales target.‌Posting the above video on YouTube where he explains the deep issues with Marathon on multiple levels, and how it's unlikely to be a critical hit, Tassi reveals he's heard Sony is expecting big things."I heard this needed to be in the top 5 of NPD sales for the year if it's going to be a success, or considered a success," he explained.Article continues below"Crazy," he adds, "there's no way".Last year, Sony did have a live service game in the top five NPDgames with Helldivers 2, but that felt like a cultural zeitgeist moment that didn't enter the arena with all of the baggage Marathon now has saddled on it.The gaming community praised Marathon's visuals, but now those are being questioned, too‌Considering 2025 has already seen critical hits like Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction doing well sales-wise, and the Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon, it seems like a tall mountain for Bungie to climb–especially since it's launching at a price point when many alternatives in the genre are free-to-play.Still, it would be interesting for Sony to push a specific sales number, given that a live service title tends to live or die based on player retention.Over the weekend, Tassi reported that morale at the studio has plummeted.Article continues belowHe said: "Sony and Bungie legal are now sorting through this, and there is unlikely to be any new information as all of this continues to unfold. It is not clear how long an “audit” will take of the assets to remove or find any more plagiarism, as it’s an expansive enough process to have Bungie not even show any footage at all in its recent livestream.""Morale is in 'free-fall” across all departments, and “the vibes have never been worse.” Everyone has the same concerns about what happens to Bungie as a studio if Marathon bombs, which is something they absolutely cannot afford."For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌ #playstation #sets #high #marathon #target
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    PlayStation sets high Marathon target for Bungie as studio reels from plagiarism accusations
    Bungie's Marathon reboot has been under fire for plagiarism of a British artist, and a new report has suggested Sony has set a sales target for the game that could prove challengingTech13:07, 21 May 2025Is Marathon in trouble?Destiny 2 developer Bungie isn't having the best of weeks, despite revealing a series of expansions for the game and preparing for the launch of its Marathon reboot in September.Still, the studio was forced to go back to the literal drawing board in recent days, with an artist claiming much of the game's design language was lifted from her portfolio, including some lifted wholesale.‌Now, Forbes' Paul Tassi, a regular reporter on Bungie, has discussed the high stakes facing the studio. Reports had previously suggested that Bungie is close to being absorbed into Sony and losing its autonomy if it underperforms, and that seems more likely than ever, given the publisher apparently wants the game to hit a high sales target.‌Posting the above video on YouTube where he explains the deep issues with Marathon on multiple levels, and how it's unlikely to be a critical hit, Tassi reveals he's heard Sony is expecting big things."I heard this needed to be in the top 5 of NPD sales for the year if it's going to be a success, or considered a success," he explained.Article continues below"Crazy," he adds, "there's no way".Last year, Sony did have a live service game in the top five NPD (now called Circana) games with Helldivers 2, but that felt like a cultural zeitgeist moment that didn't enter the arena with all of the baggage Marathon now has saddled on it.The gaming community praised Marathon's visuals, but now those are being questioned, too‌Considering 2025 has already seen critical hits like Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction doing well sales-wise, and the Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon, it seems like a tall mountain for Bungie to climb–especially since it's launching at a $40 price point when many alternatives in the genre are free-to-play.Still, it would be interesting for Sony to push a specific sales number, given that a live service title tends to live or die based on player retention.Over the weekend, Tassi reported that morale at the studio has plummeted.Article continues belowHe said: "Sony and Bungie legal are now sorting through this, and there is unlikely to be any new information as all of this continues to unfold. It is not clear how long an “audit” will take of the assets to remove or find any more plagiarism, as it’s an expansive enough process to have Bungie not even show any footage at all in its recent livestream.""Morale is in 'free-fall” across all departments, and “the vibes have never been worse.” Everyone has the same concerns about what happens to Bungie as a studio if Marathon bombs, which is something they absolutely cannot afford."For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌
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  • Xbox Game Pass: The Best Games to Play With Your Subscription (May 2025)

    Xbox Game Pass is, without question, one of the best deals in gaming. Whether you want to play the biggest new Xbox games the day they launch or dive into thousands of hours of content for one monthly fee, it is a goldmine for players looking to keep up to date with the latest and greatest releases without having to worry about the price tags attached to them.That being said, Game Pass is a huge service. Across PC and console, there are hundreds of games currently available, with more titles added pretty much every single month. So, for new subscribers wondering where to start, we've put together a list of some of our personal recommendations, so you can get cracking on some fantastic games and make the most out of your first few months.Xbox Game Pass TiersThe first thing to note about Game Pass is that it has a selection of different tiers depending on what platform you're using and how many games you want to be able to access. Let's quickly run you through the price structure so you know what you're getting before you buy.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - As the name implies, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the premium subscription tier. When buying, you'll get access to online multiplayer, Xbox Game Pass Standard, Xbox Game Pass PC, and Xbox Game Pass' cloud streaming services. You'll also get an EA Play membership and bonuses, discounts and in-game perks only available to members. In essence, it's essentially a combination of Xbox Game Pass Standard and Xbox Game Pass PC, plus a few extra benefits. It costs per month.Xbox Game Pass Standard - Xbox Game Pass standard is the base subscription available exclusively on Console. You'll be able to access the full library of Game Pass games available on Xbox consoles, as well as play online multiplayer and access perks and discounts only available to members. It costs a month.Xbox Game Pass PC - Game Pass' PC-exclusive tier, Xbox Game Pass PC will provide access to the full PC Game Pass library. You'll also get an EA Play membership and perks and discounts only available for members. It costs a month.Xbox Game Pass Core - The other console exclusive Game Pass tier, Xbox Game Pass Core offers a lower monthly cost for a significantly smaller library of "core" games available on consoles. Members will also get access to online multiplayer, as well as deals and discounts in the Xbox store. It costs a month.Best New Games to Play on Xbox Game PassWant to get stuck into some brand new additions to the Xbox Game Pass catalog? The following titles are all recent additions that you should absolutely give a go.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33A symphonic blend of turn-based strategy and intense real-time combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is already being lorded as a potential game of the year contender, and it's pretty easy to see why. Expedition 33 is an emotional, visually stunning odyssey. Top that off with a bold reimagining of classic JRPG combat systems, which melds fast-paced action game mechanics and the tactical turn-based battles of games like Persona and Final Fantasy, and you have one of 2025's first unmissable experiences. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can get stuck in right now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredNineteen years after its original release, Bethesda surprised the world by announcing the return of one of its most beloved and widely revered games, unveiling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and then releasing it that very same day. With stunning new graphics, various overhauls, major UI changes, a fresh character creator and much more, it's never felt better to be accosted by a heavily armored, teleporting Legion Guard who labels you "criminal scum" for accidentally sitting on his horse. With over a hundred hours of quests to complete, demonic Oblivion gates to close and even two full DLCs to conquer, the return of Oblivion is an absolute must for those who missed it the first time around. If you want to discover what all the fuss is about or take a nostalgia tour around Cyrodiil all these years later, you can play Oblivion Remastered now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Blue PrinceNot only recently added to the Xbox Game Pass library but also just a brand new release, Blue Prince is a critically acclaimed puzzler where you enter the shifting hallways of Mt. Holly, a mysterious manor hiding an array of secrets. You're tasked with searching that ever-changing mansion full of tricky puzzles to conquer, all the while uncovering a rich story through clues left behind by the former owners. Blue Prince has already garnered huge buzz since its release, with our own review saying, "If The Witness, Portal, and Myst are already emblazoned on the Mount Rushmore of first-person puzzle games, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blue Prince carved alongside them soon enough." If you want to uncover the mystery for yourself, you can play it on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Blue Prince is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Best Games to Play on Xbox Game PassSearching through the broad catalog of Game Pass games? The selections below are some of our absolute favourites the library has to offer.Halo: The Master Chief CollectionWhere better to start your Game Pass journey than with a rundown of some of Xbox's greatest hits. Halo has forever been the face of Xbox, and its armour-clad, hulking space marine hero, Master Chief, has had some of the most iconic adventures in gaming history. If you want to experience the first four of his outings enhanced with better graphics and shooting bundled into one seamless package, then the Master Chief Collection is a surefire recommendation. Compiling Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 together, it'll take you from Master Chief's original battle with the covenant all the way to his first showdown with the Forerunners. Better yet, you can install Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach as additional DLC. The Master Chief Collection can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.MinecraftWhat's there to say about Minecraft that hasn't already been said? Among the most influential and universally loved video games of all time, the experience of jumping in, building your first home, digging for resources and exploring an endless open world has, for many, become a seminal gaming memory. But for those that haven't played in years or have yet to even try Mojang's block-based titan, Minecraft should definitely be on your list of Game Pass stops. Over the years, it's transformed into a hub of endless possibility, so whether you want to build a rollercoaster that runs on Redstone, gear up to face the might of the Ender Dragon or simply create a small riverside farm, you can do all that or more by finding the game on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Minecraft is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Persona 3 ReloadA remake of one of the best JRPGs ever released, Persona 3 Reload is everything that made the original Persona 3 special repackaged with the stylish flourishes, gorgeous visuals, faster-paced combat and jaw-dropping UI that turned Persona 5 into such a hit. In short, it's a modernized Persona 3, and that means it's an absolute must-play. Whether you're trying to grow your friendships between exams or using your off hours to conquer the halls of Tartarus and the various demonic entities dwelling within it, this is just 100 hours of exceptional writing, free-flowing turn-based combat, creative boss encounters and some of the catchiest tunes humanly imaginable. And that's all without mentioning it centers around arguably the most emotional, hard-hitting story in the Persona franchise to date. If you want to uncover the mysteries of the Dark Hour, you can begin your adventure on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Persona 3 Reload is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Resident Evil 2Although remakes are pretty prevalent in the current gaming landscape, few have had such big boots to fill as Capcom's return to Resident Evil 2. Reimagining such an iconic and beloved horror title is no small feat, but not only did Capcom succeed in making a loving ode to the iconic franchise's second entry; they made one that succeeds on its own merits. With a wonderfully cheesy B-movie-esque plot, tense survival horror gameplay, stunning visuals, immensely satisfying exploration and an endless supply of horrifying monstrosities waiting around every corner, Resident Evil 2 is an absolute must play for those that love a gory, shlocky zombie horror adventure. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Resident Evil 2 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.InscryptionThe latest release from developer Daniel Mullins, Inscryption is one of the most original and utterly unique horror games of the modern era, which is surprising considering it's a roguelike card game. Handed a deck of bizarre cards, you find yourself trapped in a small log cabin with an ominous stranger who forces you to keep playing a tabletop game with him while you try to stack the deck in your favor and solve puzzles. But the longer you play Inscryption, the deeper the rabbit hole goes, leading you to discover there's far more to its simple premise than meets the eye. It's hard to talk about why its so special without spoiling its best-kept secrets, so trust us and give it a go. We promise you won't regret it. You can get stuck into this deck-building nightmare on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Inscryption is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Doom Eternalid Software's second entry in their Doom reboot series, Doom Eternal knows exactly what it is. It casts you as a terrifying angel of death wielding a steel-barrelled sword of justice, and you're job is to rip and tear your way through anything even vaguely demonic that gets in your way. Cut to 15 hours of non-stop, gloriously over-the-top violence, as you shoot, stab, burn and chainsaw your way through hordes of demons while being serenaded by a heavy metal soundtrack that feels pulled straight from the pits of hell. Doom Eternal is sheer first-person shooting perfection that effortlessly combines satisfying gunplay, exploration and impeccable design to make a must-play symphony of carnage. If you're ready to rip and tear, you can find it on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Doom Eternal is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.PentimentIt's easy to look at Pentiment's detailed, historically accurate 16th-century setting and assume it may not be for you. However, the absolute genius of Obsidian's small-scale, dialogue-heavy RPG is that it not only makes such a dense period of history deeply accessible; it makes it absolutely riveting. Between a scandalous murder mystery, strange gossip shared among the local townsfolk and long-hidden secrets that concern the ostensibly altruistic members of the nearby monastery, the small town of Tassing quickly becomes a location that demands to be investigated. And as you do, information, secrets and relationships become a core currency, creating a world where who you talk to and what you tell them comes with heavy consequences. It's Obsidian refining their talent for crafting phenomenal dialogue and designing challenging moral decisions to a sharp point, creating a deeply poignant tale where no issue is black or white and misinformation is deadlier than any weapon. Pentiment is an underappreciated masterpiece, so if you love compelling, layered storytelling, make sure to give it a go on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Pentiment is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dishonored and Dishonored 2Dishonored and its sequel, Dishonored 2, are front-to-back two of the best immersive sims ever made. From the moment you step foot in Dunwall and Karnaca, both worlds are filled to the brim with inventive ideas, both through their protagonists' varied skill sets and the way they can interact with the world itself. From offering you a range of shadowy supernatural powers to experiment with and combine to pull off creative kills, to the way each mission constantly reveals new routes to seek out your targets and execute the ultimate assassination, no one does it quite like Arkane, and these back-to-back stealth action masterpieces are truly their magnum opus. So, if you want to dive into two of the last generation's finest offerings, do yourself a favour and get both Dishonored 1 and 2 downloaded on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Dishonored: Definitive Edition is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate. Dishonored 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Fallout: New VegasIf you're looking to dive into the wealth of Fallout games available on Game Pass, you can't go wrong starting with Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian's spin-off takes everything that made Fallout 3 such an ambitious reimagining of the franchise and doubles down on it, throwing players into the seedy streets of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and embroiling them in the power struggle between the various factions vying to control it. But where New Vegas exceeds is not by just being more Fallout 3. Obsidian uses their exceptional storytelling chops and talent for posing morally challenging decisions to create a world that operates purely in shades of grey. The end result is an RPG where every quest, no matter how big or small, has depth, and with four equally great DLCs to play too, it's sure to keep you invested well past the 100-hour mark. New Vegas can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Fallout: New Vegas is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Psychonauts 2If you're looking for a top-notch platformer that's absolutely crammed to the brim with charm, humour and wacky worlds to uncover, Psychonauts 2 is bursting at the seams with creative ideas. Double Fine's sequel to its cult classic hit is just as gloriously wacky and irreverently silly as ever, with the studio managing to surpass the original's boldest concepts with world after world of strange ideas, novel mechanics and phenomenal characters. So, if the idea of going on an espionage mission in a spiralling hellscape built of teeth or being led on a psychedelic, musical journey by an eyeball voiced by Jack Black appeals to you, you can get stuck into Psychonauts 2 on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC.Psychonauts 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.ControlA culmination of everything that makes Remedy Entertainment such a stand-out studio, Control is a sci-fi action horror game that revels in stretching the boundaries of all three of those genres. As you navigate its central setting of the Oldest House, you'll move between different universes, fight a variety of monstrous foes and uncover secrets about the strange building's most unsettling mysteries. But the true strength of Control is how willing it is to embrace its weirdness, whether that's through motel lobbies that let you move across time and space, mazes that you'll need to jam out to heavy rock to escape or the kind but bizarre janitor who appears to be an extradimensional being of extraordinary power. It's a world that begs to be explored, and considering you can do that while wielding an arsenal of mind-melding psychic powers, it's absolutely an easy recommendation. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Control is avaliable on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.BalatroIf you didn't catch it last year, Balatro should be high up on your list of games to check out. Pitched as a roguelike Poker game, the concept is, initially, relatively simple. Moving through increasingly challenging blinds, you're dealt cards you need to combine to make poker hands, with each hand accumulating points. Earn enough points, and you beat the blind, allowing you to progress forward. Lose, and your run is over. But while Balatro may seem like a straightforward idea, its sheer creativity turns a mere poker game into an obsessive gauntlet. Whether it's specific buffs that task you with playing in unique ways, boss battles that completely stomp on your strategies and force you to think around them, or special power-ups that you need to employ in just the right way to win a brutal blind, it's not only one of the best card games you can play on a console, but one of the best roguelikes in years. It's constantly challenging you to think outside the box and experiment with its systems to pull off a hard-fought win, and once it's got its hooks in, you'll spend every waking moment thinking about how you'll do just that. Balatro can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Balatro is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Mass Effect: Legendary EditionIf Bioware's seminal sci-fi space opera trilogy, Mass Effect, has somehow eluded you up until this point, we're jealous, because now you can play all three of these epic RPGs in the best way possible. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition repackages all three experiences with updated visuals and refined mechanics to deliver the definitive way to experience Commander Shephard's hard-hitting mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers. If you've yet to experience Mass Effect, it's front-to-back a masterclass in interactive storytelling, intense squad-based combat, and hyper-immersive sci-fi world-building, and absolutely worth the hundreds of hours you could spend conquering each of its three entries. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.Hollow Knight: Voidheart EditionEver wondered why "Silksong" trends every single time a publisher holds a game showcase? Well, it's because its predecessor Hollow Knight was so damn good. This action RPG casts you as a silent, sword-wielding bug venturing through a dark, forgotten kingdom on a quest to cleanse it of an infection that violently transformed its inhabitants. It's the set-up to a darkly beautiful masterclass in 2D Metroidvania design, as our small but mighty hero takes on fearsome foes in incredibly challenging combat encounters while exploring, growing stronger and learning exactly how this kingdom fell to ruin. If you want to join the agonizing wait to finally see Silksong hit shelves, get this downloaded and be prepared to lose all your free time until you hit the credits. You can delve into the depths of Hallownest on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition is avaliable on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.It Takes TwoIf you're looking for something a little more collaborative to jump into with your membership, Hazelight's game-of-the-year-winning co-op adventure, It Takes Two, is absolutely a must-play. Framed entirely around split-screen play, you and a partner embody Cody and May, a couple going through a complicated divorce that find themselves shrunk down and turned into toys. Committed to finding a way to return to their original bodies, they traverse an overgrown world of magic and mayhem, forced to work together to escape. It Takes Two is absolutely overflowing with creativity, and its greatest strength is how willing it is to experiment with fresh and novel mechanics so frequently that it never loses its breakneck pacing across its fourteen-hour runtime. And that's without mentioning that it's hugely accessible and downright fun to play with almost anybody. If you want to live out your ultimate Honey I Shrunk The Kids fantasy with a friend, you can download it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.It Takes Two is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.InsideIf you love an indie horror that's equal parts a haunting narrative adventure and a creative puzzler, Inside is a top-shelf pick. Throwing you into a dark world with no guidance, it absolutely excels in building a sinister mystery that will stick with you long after the credits roll, as you tangle with skin-crawling monsters, explore a factory full of bizarre, twisted experiments and are left to piece together who you are, why you're here and what exactly your ultimate goal is. It's a classic for a reason, and while it's mostly remembered for its jaw-dropping final moments, the journey leading up to its horrifying conclusion is equally as phenomenal. If you want to investigate the game's eerie facility for yourself, you'll find it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Inside is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.No Man's SkySince its slightly underwhelming release, No Man's Sky has had one of the biggest glow ups in video game history. Turning a relatively bare-bones, endless space exploration simulator into a vast, fully-fledged universe that can be explored in a multitude of different ways, Hello Games' stream of incredible updates have gradually made No Man's Sky a multiplayer experience like no other. Its sheer scope and freedom allow you to jet across the cosmos freely, exploring planets, building bases and teaming up with friends to create your own communities, make discoveries and chart a wealth of planets that only you have ever stepped foot on. So if you want to venture across the untamed stretches of the galaxy and join a passionate community of fellow adventurers, get stuck in on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.No Man's Sky is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.CelesteA deeply moving story that lets challenging and incredibly satisfying platforming act as the driving force of its plot, Celeste is one of the best of its generation. Telling the tale of Madeline, a girl climbing the mysterious slopes of Celeste Mountain in hopes of proving her worth to herself, this powerful platformer is a beautiful, heartfelt, emotional odyssey. But where it truly stands out is how it makes you feel that journey through the gameplay itself. While learning to climb the mountain's treacherous, icy terrain can, at times, be tough, Celeste always pushes you to persevere in the face of its various hazards and adversities, as Madeline, and by extension the player, comes to realise that only through failing can they learn to grow. It's a masterful experience that also happens to look gorgeous, is frequently funny and, for completionists, has a hearty supply of tough-as-nails optional challenges for you to spend hours trying to overcome. If you want to start your ascent, you can begin the climb on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Celeste is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dead SpaceThe original Dead Space is one of the most influential and deeply unnerving horror games ever made, and back in 2023, EA somehow found a way to make it even scarier. Bringing Isaac Clarke's journey through the USG Ishimura back for a full, from-the-ground-up remake, Dead Space's return is some of the best video game horror of the decade so far. With stunning graphics, impeccable sound design, tense, weighty gunplay and enemies that stalk your every move, it takes everything that works about the original and finds a way to make it twice as intense. So if you love a horror game that leaves you jumping at every sound for weeks after, Dead Space is absolutely for you. You can find it on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Dead Space is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.What's Next For Xbox Game Pass?As for what you can look forward to next on Game Pass, the biggest release set to hit the marketplace this month is undoutedly Doom: The Dark Ages. A prequel to Doom and Doom Eternal, it'll once again have players strapping into the heavy boots of the Doomslayer, as he rips and tears his way through a fresh horde of demons using an arsenal of medieval weaponry. It'll hit Series X, Series S, and PC on May 15, and be avaliable on Game Pass the day it launches.Alongside that, you can expect to see Warhammer: Vermintide 2 on May 13, as well as Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo on May 16. We'll be sure to update this page with any new upcoming Game Pass additions as Xbox announces them, so be sure to check back soon for updates!Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he's away from his desk, you can usually find him obsessing over the lore of the latest obscure indie horror game or bashing his head against a boss in the newest soulslike. You can catch him over on Twitter at @CaIIumWilliams.
    #xbox #game #pass #best #games
    Xbox Game Pass: The Best Games to Play With Your Subscription (May 2025)
    Xbox Game Pass is, without question, one of the best deals in gaming. Whether you want to play the biggest new Xbox games the day they launch or dive into thousands of hours of content for one monthly fee, it is a goldmine for players looking to keep up to date with the latest and greatest releases without having to worry about the price tags attached to them.That being said, Game Pass is a huge service. Across PC and console, there are hundreds of games currently available, with more titles added pretty much every single month. So, for new subscribers wondering where to start, we've put together a list of some of our personal recommendations, so you can get cracking on some fantastic games and make the most out of your first few months.Xbox Game Pass TiersThe first thing to note about Game Pass is that it has a selection of different tiers depending on what platform you're using and how many games you want to be able to access. Let's quickly run you through the price structure so you know what you're getting before you buy.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - As the name implies, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the premium subscription tier. When buying, you'll get access to online multiplayer, Xbox Game Pass Standard, Xbox Game Pass PC, and Xbox Game Pass' cloud streaming services. You'll also get an EA Play membership and bonuses, discounts and in-game perks only available to members. In essence, it's essentially a combination of Xbox Game Pass Standard and Xbox Game Pass PC, plus a few extra benefits. It costs per month.Xbox Game Pass Standard - Xbox Game Pass standard is the base subscription available exclusively on Console. You'll be able to access the full library of Game Pass games available on Xbox consoles, as well as play online multiplayer and access perks and discounts only available to members. It costs a month.Xbox Game Pass PC - Game Pass' PC-exclusive tier, Xbox Game Pass PC will provide access to the full PC Game Pass library. You'll also get an EA Play membership and perks and discounts only available for members. It costs a month.Xbox Game Pass Core - The other console exclusive Game Pass tier, Xbox Game Pass Core offers a lower monthly cost for a significantly smaller library of "core" games available on consoles. Members will also get access to online multiplayer, as well as deals and discounts in the Xbox store. It costs a month.Best New Games to Play on Xbox Game PassWant to get stuck into some brand new additions to the Xbox Game Pass catalog? The following titles are all recent additions that you should absolutely give a go.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33A symphonic blend of turn-based strategy and intense real-time combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is already being lorded as a potential game of the year contender, and it's pretty easy to see why. Expedition 33 is an emotional, visually stunning odyssey. Top that off with a bold reimagining of classic JRPG combat systems, which melds fast-paced action game mechanics and the tactical turn-based battles of games like Persona and Final Fantasy, and you have one of 2025's first unmissable experiences. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can get stuck in right now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredNineteen years after its original release, Bethesda surprised the world by announcing the return of one of its most beloved and widely revered games, unveiling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and then releasing it that very same day. With stunning new graphics, various overhauls, major UI changes, a fresh character creator and much more, it's never felt better to be accosted by a heavily armored, teleporting Legion Guard who labels you "criminal scum" for accidentally sitting on his horse. With over a hundred hours of quests to complete, demonic Oblivion gates to close and even two full DLCs to conquer, the return of Oblivion is an absolute must for those who missed it the first time around. If you want to discover what all the fuss is about or take a nostalgia tour around Cyrodiil all these years later, you can play Oblivion Remastered now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Blue PrinceNot only recently added to the Xbox Game Pass library but also just a brand new release, Blue Prince is a critically acclaimed puzzler where you enter the shifting hallways of Mt. Holly, a mysterious manor hiding an array of secrets. You're tasked with searching that ever-changing mansion full of tricky puzzles to conquer, all the while uncovering a rich story through clues left behind by the former owners. Blue Prince has already garnered huge buzz since its release, with our own review saying, "If The Witness, Portal, and Myst are already emblazoned on the Mount Rushmore of first-person puzzle games, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blue Prince carved alongside them soon enough." If you want to uncover the mystery for yourself, you can play it on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Blue Prince is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Best Games to Play on Xbox Game PassSearching through the broad catalog of Game Pass games? The selections below are some of our absolute favourites the library has to offer.Halo: The Master Chief CollectionWhere better to start your Game Pass journey than with a rundown of some of Xbox's greatest hits. Halo has forever been the face of Xbox, and its armour-clad, hulking space marine hero, Master Chief, has had some of the most iconic adventures in gaming history. If you want to experience the first four of his outings enhanced with better graphics and shooting bundled into one seamless package, then the Master Chief Collection is a surefire recommendation. Compiling Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 together, it'll take you from Master Chief's original battle with the covenant all the way to his first showdown with the Forerunners. Better yet, you can install Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach as additional DLC. The Master Chief Collection can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.MinecraftWhat's there to say about Minecraft that hasn't already been said? Among the most influential and universally loved video games of all time, the experience of jumping in, building your first home, digging for resources and exploring an endless open world has, for many, become a seminal gaming memory. But for those that haven't played in years or have yet to even try Mojang's block-based titan, Minecraft should definitely be on your list of Game Pass stops. Over the years, it's transformed into a hub of endless possibility, so whether you want to build a rollercoaster that runs on Redstone, gear up to face the might of the Ender Dragon or simply create a small riverside farm, you can do all that or more by finding the game on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Minecraft is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Persona 3 ReloadA remake of one of the best JRPGs ever released, Persona 3 Reload is everything that made the original Persona 3 special repackaged with the stylish flourishes, gorgeous visuals, faster-paced combat and jaw-dropping UI that turned Persona 5 into such a hit. In short, it's a modernized Persona 3, and that means it's an absolute must-play. Whether you're trying to grow your friendships between exams or using your off hours to conquer the halls of Tartarus and the various demonic entities dwelling within it, this is just 100 hours of exceptional writing, free-flowing turn-based combat, creative boss encounters and some of the catchiest tunes humanly imaginable. And that's all without mentioning it centers around arguably the most emotional, hard-hitting story in the Persona franchise to date. If you want to uncover the mysteries of the Dark Hour, you can begin your adventure on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Persona 3 Reload is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Resident Evil 2Although remakes are pretty prevalent in the current gaming landscape, few have had such big boots to fill as Capcom's return to Resident Evil 2. Reimagining such an iconic and beloved horror title is no small feat, but not only did Capcom succeed in making a loving ode to the iconic franchise's second entry; they made one that succeeds on its own merits. With a wonderfully cheesy B-movie-esque plot, tense survival horror gameplay, stunning visuals, immensely satisfying exploration and an endless supply of horrifying monstrosities waiting around every corner, Resident Evil 2 is an absolute must play for those that love a gory, shlocky zombie horror adventure. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Resident Evil 2 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.InscryptionThe latest release from developer Daniel Mullins, Inscryption is one of the most original and utterly unique horror games of the modern era, which is surprising considering it's a roguelike card game. Handed a deck of bizarre cards, you find yourself trapped in a small log cabin with an ominous stranger who forces you to keep playing a tabletop game with him while you try to stack the deck in your favor and solve puzzles. But the longer you play Inscryption, the deeper the rabbit hole goes, leading you to discover there's far more to its simple premise than meets the eye. It's hard to talk about why its so special without spoiling its best-kept secrets, so trust us and give it a go. We promise you won't regret it. You can get stuck into this deck-building nightmare on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Inscryption is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Doom Eternalid Software's second entry in their Doom reboot series, Doom Eternal knows exactly what it is. It casts you as a terrifying angel of death wielding a steel-barrelled sword of justice, and you're job is to rip and tear your way through anything even vaguely demonic that gets in your way. Cut to 15 hours of non-stop, gloriously over-the-top violence, as you shoot, stab, burn and chainsaw your way through hordes of demons while being serenaded by a heavy metal soundtrack that feels pulled straight from the pits of hell. Doom Eternal is sheer first-person shooting perfection that effortlessly combines satisfying gunplay, exploration and impeccable design to make a must-play symphony of carnage. If you're ready to rip and tear, you can find it on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Doom Eternal is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.PentimentIt's easy to look at Pentiment's detailed, historically accurate 16th-century setting and assume it may not be for you. However, the absolute genius of Obsidian's small-scale, dialogue-heavy RPG is that it not only makes such a dense period of history deeply accessible; it makes it absolutely riveting. Between a scandalous murder mystery, strange gossip shared among the local townsfolk and long-hidden secrets that concern the ostensibly altruistic members of the nearby monastery, the small town of Tassing quickly becomes a location that demands to be investigated. And as you do, information, secrets and relationships become a core currency, creating a world where who you talk to and what you tell them comes with heavy consequences. It's Obsidian refining their talent for crafting phenomenal dialogue and designing challenging moral decisions to a sharp point, creating a deeply poignant tale where no issue is black or white and misinformation is deadlier than any weapon. Pentiment is an underappreciated masterpiece, so if you love compelling, layered storytelling, make sure to give it a go on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Pentiment is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dishonored and Dishonored 2Dishonored and its sequel, Dishonored 2, are front-to-back two of the best immersive sims ever made. From the moment you step foot in Dunwall and Karnaca, both worlds are filled to the brim with inventive ideas, both through their protagonists' varied skill sets and the way they can interact with the world itself. From offering you a range of shadowy supernatural powers to experiment with and combine to pull off creative kills, to the way each mission constantly reveals new routes to seek out your targets and execute the ultimate assassination, no one does it quite like Arkane, and these back-to-back stealth action masterpieces are truly their magnum opus. So, if you want to dive into two of the last generation's finest offerings, do yourself a favour and get both Dishonored 1 and 2 downloaded on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Dishonored: Definitive Edition is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate. Dishonored 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Fallout: New VegasIf you're looking to dive into the wealth of Fallout games available on Game Pass, you can't go wrong starting with Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian's spin-off takes everything that made Fallout 3 such an ambitious reimagining of the franchise and doubles down on it, throwing players into the seedy streets of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and embroiling them in the power struggle between the various factions vying to control it. But where New Vegas exceeds is not by just being more Fallout 3. Obsidian uses their exceptional storytelling chops and talent for posing morally challenging decisions to create a world that operates purely in shades of grey. The end result is an RPG where every quest, no matter how big or small, has depth, and with four equally great DLCs to play too, it's sure to keep you invested well past the 100-hour mark. New Vegas can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Fallout: New Vegas is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Psychonauts 2If you're looking for a top-notch platformer that's absolutely crammed to the brim with charm, humour and wacky worlds to uncover, Psychonauts 2 is bursting at the seams with creative ideas. Double Fine's sequel to its cult classic hit is just as gloriously wacky and irreverently silly as ever, with the studio managing to surpass the original's boldest concepts with world after world of strange ideas, novel mechanics and phenomenal characters. So, if the idea of going on an espionage mission in a spiralling hellscape built of teeth or being led on a psychedelic, musical journey by an eyeball voiced by Jack Black appeals to you, you can get stuck into Psychonauts 2 on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC.Psychonauts 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.ControlA culmination of everything that makes Remedy Entertainment such a stand-out studio, Control is a sci-fi action horror game that revels in stretching the boundaries of all three of those genres. As you navigate its central setting of the Oldest House, you'll move between different universes, fight a variety of monstrous foes and uncover secrets about the strange building's most unsettling mysteries. But the true strength of Control is how willing it is to embrace its weirdness, whether that's through motel lobbies that let you move across time and space, mazes that you'll need to jam out to heavy rock to escape or the kind but bizarre janitor who appears to be an extradimensional being of extraordinary power. It's a world that begs to be explored, and considering you can do that while wielding an arsenal of mind-melding psychic powers, it's absolutely an easy recommendation. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Control is avaliable on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.BalatroIf you didn't catch it last year, Balatro should be high up on your list of games to check out. Pitched as a roguelike Poker game, the concept is, initially, relatively simple. Moving through increasingly challenging blinds, you're dealt cards you need to combine to make poker hands, with each hand accumulating points. Earn enough points, and you beat the blind, allowing you to progress forward. Lose, and your run is over. But while Balatro may seem like a straightforward idea, its sheer creativity turns a mere poker game into an obsessive gauntlet. Whether it's specific buffs that task you with playing in unique ways, boss battles that completely stomp on your strategies and force you to think around them, or special power-ups that you need to employ in just the right way to win a brutal blind, it's not only one of the best card games you can play on a console, but one of the best roguelikes in years. It's constantly challenging you to think outside the box and experiment with its systems to pull off a hard-fought win, and once it's got its hooks in, you'll spend every waking moment thinking about how you'll do just that. Balatro can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Balatro is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Mass Effect: Legendary EditionIf Bioware's seminal sci-fi space opera trilogy, Mass Effect, has somehow eluded you up until this point, we're jealous, because now you can play all three of these epic RPGs in the best way possible. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition repackages all three experiences with updated visuals and refined mechanics to deliver the definitive way to experience Commander Shephard's hard-hitting mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers. If you've yet to experience Mass Effect, it's front-to-back a masterclass in interactive storytelling, intense squad-based combat, and hyper-immersive sci-fi world-building, and absolutely worth the hundreds of hours you could spend conquering each of its three entries. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.Hollow Knight: Voidheart EditionEver wondered why "Silksong" trends every single time a publisher holds a game showcase? Well, it's because its predecessor Hollow Knight was so damn good. This action RPG casts you as a silent, sword-wielding bug venturing through a dark, forgotten kingdom on a quest to cleanse it of an infection that violently transformed its inhabitants. It's the set-up to a darkly beautiful masterclass in 2D Metroidvania design, as our small but mighty hero takes on fearsome foes in incredibly challenging combat encounters while exploring, growing stronger and learning exactly how this kingdom fell to ruin. If you want to join the agonizing wait to finally see Silksong hit shelves, get this downloaded and be prepared to lose all your free time until you hit the credits. You can delve into the depths of Hallownest on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition is avaliable on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.It Takes TwoIf you're looking for something a little more collaborative to jump into with your membership, Hazelight's game-of-the-year-winning co-op adventure, It Takes Two, is absolutely a must-play. Framed entirely around split-screen play, you and a partner embody Cody and May, a couple going through a complicated divorce that find themselves shrunk down and turned into toys. Committed to finding a way to return to their original bodies, they traverse an overgrown world of magic and mayhem, forced to work together to escape. It Takes Two is absolutely overflowing with creativity, and its greatest strength is how willing it is to experiment with fresh and novel mechanics so frequently that it never loses its breakneck pacing across its fourteen-hour runtime. And that's without mentioning that it's hugely accessible and downright fun to play with almost anybody. If you want to live out your ultimate Honey I Shrunk The Kids fantasy with a friend, you can download it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.It Takes Two is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.InsideIf you love an indie horror that's equal parts a haunting narrative adventure and a creative puzzler, Inside is a top-shelf pick. Throwing you into a dark world with no guidance, it absolutely excels in building a sinister mystery that will stick with you long after the credits roll, as you tangle with skin-crawling monsters, explore a factory full of bizarre, twisted experiments and are left to piece together who you are, why you're here and what exactly your ultimate goal is. It's a classic for a reason, and while it's mostly remembered for its jaw-dropping final moments, the journey leading up to its horrifying conclusion is equally as phenomenal. If you want to investigate the game's eerie facility for yourself, you'll find it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Inside is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.No Man's SkySince its slightly underwhelming release, No Man's Sky has had one of the biggest glow ups in video game history. Turning a relatively bare-bones, endless space exploration simulator into a vast, fully-fledged universe that can be explored in a multitude of different ways, Hello Games' stream of incredible updates have gradually made No Man's Sky a multiplayer experience like no other. Its sheer scope and freedom allow you to jet across the cosmos freely, exploring planets, building bases and teaming up with friends to create your own communities, make discoveries and chart a wealth of planets that only you have ever stepped foot on. So if you want to venture across the untamed stretches of the galaxy and join a passionate community of fellow adventurers, get stuck in on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.No Man's Sky is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.CelesteA deeply moving story that lets challenging and incredibly satisfying platforming act as the driving force of its plot, Celeste is one of the best of its generation. Telling the tale of Madeline, a girl climbing the mysterious slopes of Celeste Mountain in hopes of proving her worth to herself, this powerful platformer is a beautiful, heartfelt, emotional odyssey. But where it truly stands out is how it makes you feel that journey through the gameplay itself. While learning to climb the mountain's treacherous, icy terrain can, at times, be tough, Celeste always pushes you to persevere in the face of its various hazards and adversities, as Madeline, and by extension the player, comes to realise that only through failing can they learn to grow. It's a masterful experience that also happens to look gorgeous, is frequently funny and, for completionists, has a hearty supply of tough-as-nails optional challenges for you to spend hours trying to overcome. If you want to start your ascent, you can begin the climb on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Celeste is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dead SpaceThe original Dead Space is one of the most influential and deeply unnerving horror games ever made, and back in 2023, EA somehow found a way to make it even scarier. Bringing Isaac Clarke's journey through the USG Ishimura back for a full, from-the-ground-up remake, Dead Space's return is some of the best video game horror of the decade so far. With stunning graphics, impeccable sound design, tense, weighty gunplay and enemies that stalk your every move, it takes everything that works about the original and finds a way to make it twice as intense. So if you love a horror game that leaves you jumping at every sound for weeks after, Dead Space is absolutely for you. You can find it on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Dead Space is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.What's Next For Xbox Game Pass?As for what you can look forward to next on Game Pass, the biggest release set to hit the marketplace this month is undoutedly Doom: The Dark Ages. A prequel to Doom and Doom Eternal, it'll once again have players strapping into the heavy boots of the Doomslayer, as he rips and tears his way through a fresh horde of demons using an arsenal of medieval weaponry. It'll hit Series X, Series S, and PC on May 15, and be avaliable on Game Pass the day it launches.Alongside that, you can expect to see Warhammer: Vermintide 2 on May 13, as well as Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo on May 16. We'll be sure to update this page with any new upcoming Game Pass additions as Xbox announces them, so be sure to check back soon for updates!Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he's away from his desk, you can usually find him obsessing over the lore of the latest obscure indie horror game or bashing his head against a boss in the newest soulslike. You can catch him over on Twitter at @CaIIumWilliams. #xbox #game #pass #best #games
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    Xbox Game Pass: The Best Games to Play With Your Subscription (May 2025)
    Xbox Game Pass is, without question, one of the best deals in gaming. Whether you want to play the biggest new Xbox games the day they launch or dive into thousands of hours of content for one monthly fee, it is a goldmine for players looking to keep up to date with the latest and greatest releases without having to worry about the price tags attached to them.That being said, Game Pass is a huge service. Across PC and console, there are hundreds of games currently available, with more titles added pretty much every single month. So, for new subscribers wondering where to start, we've put together a list of some of our personal recommendations, so you can get cracking on some fantastic games and make the most out of your first few months.Xbox Game Pass TiersThe first thing to note about Game Pass is that it has a selection of different tiers depending on what platform you're using and how many games you want to be able to access. Let's quickly run you through the price structure so you know what you're getting before you buy.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - As the name implies, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the premium subscription tier. When buying, you'll get access to online multiplayer, Xbox Game Pass Standard, Xbox Game Pass PC, and Xbox Game Pass' cloud streaming services. You'll also get an EA Play membership and bonuses, discounts and in-game perks only available to members. In essence, it's essentially a combination of Xbox Game Pass Standard and Xbox Game Pass PC, plus a few extra benefits (like playing on a FireTV Stick). It costs $19.99 per month.Xbox Game Pass Standard - Xbox Game Pass standard is the base subscription available exclusively on Console. You'll be able to access the full library of Game Pass games available on Xbox consoles, as well as play online multiplayer and access perks and discounts only available to members. It costs $14.99 a month.Xbox Game Pass PC - Game Pass' PC-exclusive tier, Xbox Game Pass PC will provide access to the full PC Game Pass library. You'll also get an EA Play membership and perks and discounts only available for members. It costs $11.99 a month.Xbox Game Pass Core - The other console exclusive Game Pass tier, Xbox Game Pass Core offers a lower monthly cost for a significantly smaller library of "core" games available on consoles. Members will also get access to online multiplayer, as well as deals and discounts in the Xbox store. It costs $9.99 a month.Best New Games to Play on Xbox Game PassWant to get stuck into some brand new additions to the Xbox Game Pass catalog? The following titles are all recent additions that you should absolutely give a go.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33A symphonic blend of turn-based strategy and intense real-time combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is already being lorded as a potential game of the year contender, and it's pretty easy to see why. Expedition 33 is an emotional, visually stunning odyssey. Top that off with a bold reimagining of classic JRPG combat systems, which melds fast-paced action game mechanics and the tactical turn-based battles of games like Persona and Final Fantasy, and you have one of 2025's first unmissable experiences. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can get stuck in right now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredNineteen years after its original release, Bethesda surprised the world by announcing the return of one of its most beloved and widely revered games, unveiling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and then releasing it that very same day. With stunning new graphics, various overhauls, major UI changes, a fresh character creator and much more, it's never felt better to be accosted by a heavily armored, teleporting Legion Guard who labels you "criminal scum" for accidentally sitting on his horse. With over a hundred hours of quests to complete, demonic Oblivion gates to close and even two full DLCs to conquer, the return of Oblivion is an absolute must for those who missed it the first time around. If you want to discover what all the fuss is about or take a nostalgia tour around Cyrodiil all these years later, you can play Oblivion Remastered now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Blue PrinceNot only recently added to the Xbox Game Pass library but also just a brand new release, Blue Prince is a critically acclaimed puzzler where you enter the shifting hallways of Mt. Holly, a mysterious manor hiding an array of secrets. You're tasked with searching that ever-changing mansion full of tricky puzzles to conquer, all the while uncovering a rich story through clues left behind by the former owners. Blue Prince has already garnered huge buzz since its release, with our own review saying, "If The Witness, Portal, and Myst are already emblazoned on the Mount Rushmore of first-person puzzle games, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Blue Prince carved alongside them soon enough." If you want to uncover the mystery for yourself, you can play it on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Blue Prince is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Best Games to Play on Xbox Game PassSearching through the broad catalog of Game Pass games? The selections below are some of our absolute favourites the library has to offer.Halo: The Master Chief CollectionWhere better to start your Game Pass journey than with a rundown of some of Xbox's greatest hits. Halo has forever been the face of Xbox, and its armour-clad, hulking space marine hero, Master Chief, has had some of the most iconic adventures in gaming history. If you want to experience the first four of his outings enhanced with better graphics and shooting bundled into one seamless package, then the Master Chief Collection is a surefire recommendation. Compiling Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 together, it'll take you from Master Chief's original battle with the covenant all the way to his first showdown with the Forerunners. Better yet, you can install Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach as additional DLC. The Master Chief Collection can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.MinecraftWhat's there to say about Minecraft that hasn't already been said? Among the most influential and universally loved video games of all time, the experience of jumping in, building your first home, digging for resources and exploring an endless open world has, for many, become a seminal gaming memory. But for those that haven't played in years or have yet to even try Mojang's block-based titan, Minecraft should definitely be on your list of Game Pass stops. Over the years, it's transformed into a hub of endless possibility, so whether you want to build a rollercoaster that runs on Redstone, gear up to face the might of the Ender Dragon or simply create a small riverside farm, you can do all that or more by finding the game on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Minecraft is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Persona 3 ReloadA remake of one of the best JRPGs ever released, Persona 3 Reload is everything that made the original Persona 3 special repackaged with the stylish flourishes, gorgeous visuals, faster-paced combat and jaw-dropping UI that turned Persona 5 into such a hit. In short, it's a modernized Persona 3, and that means it's an absolute must-play. Whether you're trying to grow your friendships between exams or using your off hours to conquer the halls of Tartarus and the various demonic entities dwelling within it, this is just 100 hours of exceptional writing, free-flowing turn-based combat, creative boss encounters and some of the catchiest tunes humanly imaginable. And that's all without mentioning it centers around arguably the most emotional, hard-hitting story in the Persona franchise to date. If you want to uncover the mysteries of the Dark Hour, you can begin your adventure on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Persona 3 Reload is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Resident Evil 2Although remakes are pretty prevalent in the current gaming landscape, few have had such big boots to fill as Capcom's return to Resident Evil 2. Reimagining such an iconic and beloved horror title is no small feat, but not only did Capcom succeed in making a loving ode to the iconic franchise's second entry; they made one that succeeds on its own merits. With a wonderfully cheesy B-movie-esque plot, tense survival horror gameplay, stunning visuals, immensely satisfying exploration and an endless supply of horrifying monstrosities waiting around every corner, Resident Evil 2 is an absolute must play for those that love a gory, shlocky zombie horror adventure. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Resident Evil 2 is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.InscryptionThe latest release from developer Daniel Mullins, Inscryption is one of the most original and utterly unique horror games of the modern era, which is surprising considering it's a roguelike card game. Handed a deck of bizarre cards, you find yourself trapped in a small log cabin with an ominous stranger who forces you to keep playing a tabletop game with him while you try to stack the deck in your favor and solve puzzles. But the longer you play Inscryption, the deeper the rabbit hole goes, leading you to discover there's far more to its simple premise than meets the eye. It's hard to talk about why its so special without spoiling its best-kept secrets, so trust us and give it a go. We promise you won't regret it. You can get stuck into this deck-building nightmare on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Inscryption is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Doom Eternalid Software's second entry in their Doom reboot series, Doom Eternal knows exactly what it is. It casts you as a terrifying angel of death wielding a steel-barrelled sword of justice, and you're job is to rip and tear your way through anything even vaguely demonic that gets in your way. Cut to 15 hours of non-stop, gloriously over-the-top violence, as you shoot, stab, burn and chainsaw your way through hordes of demons while being serenaded by a heavy metal soundtrack that feels pulled straight from the pits of hell. Doom Eternal is sheer first-person shooting perfection that effortlessly combines satisfying gunplay, exploration and impeccable design to make a must-play symphony of carnage. If you're ready to rip and tear, you can find it on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Doom Eternal is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.PentimentIt's easy to look at Pentiment's detailed, historically accurate 16th-century setting and assume it may not be for you. However, the absolute genius of Obsidian's small-scale, dialogue-heavy RPG is that it not only makes such a dense period of history deeply accessible; it makes it absolutely riveting. Between a scandalous murder mystery, strange gossip shared among the local townsfolk and long-hidden secrets that concern the ostensibly altruistic members of the nearby monastery, the small town of Tassing quickly becomes a location that demands to be investigated. And as you do, information, secrets and relationships become a core currency, creating a world where who you talk to and what you tell them comes with heavy consequences. It's Obsidian refining their talent for crafting phenomenal dialogue and designing challenging moral decisions to a sharp point, creating a deeply poignant tale where no issue is black or white and misinformation is deadlier than any weapon. Pentiment is an underappreciated masterpiece, so if you love compelling, layered storytelling, make sure to give it a go on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Pentiment is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dishonored and Dishonored 2Dishonored and its sequel, Dishonored 2, are front-to-back two of the best immersive sims ever made. From the moment you step foot in Dunwall and Karnaca, both worlds are filled to the brim with inventive ideas, both through their protagonists' varied skill sets and the way they can interact with the world itself. From offering you a range of shadowy supernatural powers to experiment with and combine to pull off creative kills, to the way each mission constantly reveals new routes to seek out your targets and execute the ultimate assassination, no one does it quite like Arkane, and these back-to-back stealth action masterpieces are truly their magnum opus. So, if you want to dive into two of the last generation's finest offerings, do yourself a favour and get both Dishonored 1 and 2 downloaded on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC.Dishonored: Definitive Edition is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate. Dishonored 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Fallout: New VegasIf you're looking to dive into the wealth of Fallout games available on Game Pass, you can't go wrong starting with Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian's spin-off takes everything that made Fallout 3 such an ambitious reimagining of the franchise and doubles down on it, throwing players into the seedy streets of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and embroiling them in the power struggle between the various factions vying to control it. But where New Vegas exceeds is not by just being more Fallout 3. Obsidian uses their exceptional storytelling chops and talent for posing morally challenging decisions to create a world that operates purely in shades of grey. The end result is an RPG where every quest, no matter how big or small, has depth, and with four equally great DLCs to play too, it's sure to keep you invested well past the 100-hour mark. New Vegas can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Fallout: New Vegas is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Psychonauts 2If you're looking for a top-notch platformer that's absolutely crammed to the brim with charm, humour and wacky worlds to uncover, Psychonauts 2 is bursting at the seams with creative ideas. Double Fine's sequel to its cult classic hit is just as gloriously wacky and irreverently silly as ever, with the studio managing to surpass the original's boldest concepts with world after world of strange ideas, novel mechanics and phenomenal characters. So, if the idea of going on an espionage mission in a spiralling hellscape built of teeth or being led on a psychedelic, musical journey by an eyeball voiced by Jack Black appeals to you, you can get stuck into Psychonauts 2 on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC.Psychonauts 2 is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.ControlA culmination of everything that makes Remedy Entertainment such a stand-out studio, Control is a sci-fi action horror game that revels in stretching the boundaries of all three of those genres. As you navigate its central setting of the Oldest House, you'll move between different universes, fight a variety of monstrous foes and uncover secrets about the strange building's most unsettling mysteries. But the true strength of Control is how willing it is to embrace its weirdness, whether that's through motel lobbies that let you move across time and space, mazes that you'll need to jam out to heavy rock to escape or the kind but bizarre janitor who appears to be an extradimensional being of extraordinary power. It's a world that begs to be explored, and considering you can do that while wielding an arsenal of mind-melding psychic powers, it's absolutely an easy recommendation. It can be played on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.Control is avaliable on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.BalatroIf you didn't catch it last year, Balatro should be high up on your list of games to check out. Pitched as a roguelike Poker game, the concept is, initially, relatively simple. Moving through increasingly challenging blinds, you're dealt cards you need to combine to make poker hands, with each hand accumulating points. Earn enough points, and you beat the blind, allowing you to progress forward. Lose, and your run is over. But while Balatro may seem like a straightforward idea, its sheer creativity turns a mere poker game into an obsessive gauntlet. Whether it's specific buffs that task you with playing in unique ways, boss battles that completely stomp on your strategies and force you to think around them, or special power-ups that you need to employ in just the right way to win a brutal blind, it's not only one of the best card games you can play on a console, but one of the best roguelikes in years. It's constantly challenging you to think outside the box and experiment with its systems to pull off a hard-fought win, and once it's got its hooks in, you'll spend every waking moment thinking about how you'll do just that. Balatro can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Balatro is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Mass Effect: Legendary EditionIf Bioware's seminal sci-fi space opera trilogy, Mass Effect, has somehow eluded you up until this point, we're jealous, because now you can play all three of these epic RPGs in the best way possible. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition repackages all three experiences with updated visuals and refined mechanics to deliver the definitive way to experience Commander Shephard's hard-hitting mission to save the galaxy from the Reapers. If you've yet to experience Mass Effect, it's front-to-back a masterclass in interactive storytelling, intense squad-based combat, and hyper-immersive sci-fi world-building, and absolutely worth the hundreds of hours you could spend conquering each of its three entries. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition can be played on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.Hollow Knight: Voidheart EditionEver wondered why "Silksong" trends every single time a publisher holds a game showcase? Well, it's because its predecessor Hollow Knight was so damn good. This action RPG casts you as a silent, sword-wielding bug venturing through a dark, forgotten kingdom on a quest to cleanse it of an infection that violently transformed its inhabitants. It's the set-up to a darkly beautiful masterclass in 2D Metroidvania design, as our small but mighty hero takes on fearsome foes in incredibly challenging combat encounters while exploring, growing stronger and learning exactly how this kingdom fell to ruin. If you want to join the agonizing wait to finally see Silksong hit shelves, get this downloaded and be prepared to lose all your free time until you hit the credits. You can delve into the depths of Hallownest on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition is avaliable on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.It Takes TwoIf you're looking for something a little more collaborative to jump into with your membership, Hazelight's game-of-the-year-winning co-op adventure, It Takes Two, is absolutely a must-play. Framed entirely around split-screen play, you and a partner embody Cody and May, a couple going through a complicated divorce that find themselves shrunk down and turned into toys. Committed to finding a way to return to their original bodies, they traverse an overgrown world of magic and mayhem, forced to work together to escape. It Takes Two is absolutely overflowing with creativity, and its greatest strength is how willing it is to experiment with fresh and novel mechanics so frequently that it never loses its breakneck pacing across its fourteen-hour runtime. And that's without mentioning that it's hugely accessible and downright fun to play with almost anybody. If you want to live out your ultimate Honey I Shrunk The Kids fantasy with a friend, you can download it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.It Takes Two is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.InsideIf you love an indie horror that's equal parts a haunting narrative adventure and a creative puzzler, Inside is a top-shelf pick. Throwing you into a dark world with no guidance, it absolutely excels in building a sinister mystery that will stick with you long after the credits roll, as you tangle with skin-crawling monsters, explore a factory full of bizarre, twisted experiments and are left to piece together who you are, why you're here and what exactly your ultimate goal is. It's a classic for a reason, and while it's mostly remembered for its jaw-dropping final moments, the journey leading up to its horrifying conclusion is equally as phenomenal. If you want to investigate the game's eerie facility for yourself, you'll find it on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Inside is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.No Man's SkySince its slightly underwhelming release, No Man's Sky has had one of the biggest glow ups in video game history. Turning a relatively bare-bones, endless space exploration simulator into a vast, fully-fledged universe that can be explored in a multitude of different ways, Hello Games' stream of incredible updates have gradually made No Man's Sky a multiplayer experience like no other. Its sheer scope and freedom allow you to jet across the cosmos freely, exploring planets, building bases and teaming up with friends to create your own communities, make discoveries and chart a wealth of planets that only you have ever stepped foot on. So if you want to venture across the untamed stretches of the galaxy and join a passionate community of fellow adventurers, get stuck in on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.No Man's Sky is available on Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.CelesteA deeply moving story that lets challenging and incredibly satisfying platforming act as the driving force of its plot, Celeste is one of the best of its generation. Telling the tale of Madeline, a girl climbing the mysterious slopes of Celeste Mountain in hopes of proving her worth to herself, this powerful platformer is a beautiful, heartfelt, emotional odyssey. But where it truly stands out is how it makes you feel that journey through the gameplay itself. While learning to climb the mountain's treacherous, icy terrain can, at times, be tough, Celeste always pushes you to persevere in the face of its various hazards and adversities, as Madeline, and by extension the player, comes to realise that only through failing can they learn to grow. It's a masterful experience that also happens to look gorgeous, is frequently funny and, for completionists, has a hearty supply of tough-as-nails optional challenges for you to spend hours trying to overcome. If you want to start your ascent, you can begin the climb on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.Celeste is available on Game Pass Core, Game Pass Standard, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate.Dead SpaceThe original Dead Space is one of the most influential and deeply unnerving horror games ever made, and back in 2023, EA somehow found a way to make it even scarier. Bringing Isaac Clarke's journey through the USG Ishimura back for a full, from-the-ground-up remake, Dead Space's return is some of the best video game horror of the decade so far. With stunning graphics, impeccable sound design, tense, weighty gunplay and enemies that stalk your every move, it takes everything that works about the original and finds a way to make it twice as intense. So if you love a horror game that leaves you jumping at every sound for weeks after, Dead Space is absolutely for you. You can find it on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.Dead Space is avaliable on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC via each tier's included EA Play Membership.What's Next For Xbox Game Pass?As for what you can look forward to next on Game Pass, the biggest release set to hit the marketplace this month is undoutedly Doom: The Dark Ages. A prequel to Doom and Doom Eternal, it'll once again have players strapping into the heavy boots of the Doomslayer, as he rips and tears his way through a fresh horde of demons using an arsenal of medieval weaponry. It'll hit Series X, Series S, and PC on May 15, and be avaliable on Game Pass the day it launches.Alongside that, you can expect to see Warhammer: Vermintide 2 on May 13, as well as Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo on May 16. We'll be sure to update this page with any new upcoming Game Pass additions as Xbox announces them, so be sure to check back soon for updates!Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he's away from his desk, you can usually find him obsessing over the lore of the latest obscure indie horror game or bashing his head against a boss in the newest soulslike. You can catch him over on Twitter at @CaIIumWilliams.
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