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Overwatch 2’s Latest Hero Is The Crossbow-Wielding Bounty Hunter Freya Overwatch 2’s Latest Hero Is The Crossbow-Wielding Bounty Hunter Freya Overwatch 2’s first new hero of 2025 will be Freya, an explosive crossbow-wielding bounty hunter who can dash and fly around the battlefield. Blizzard revealed Freya as part of its Overwatch 2 Spotlight livestream, diving into more details about the damage-role hero. Freya is a former search-and-rescue operative but now works as a bounty hunter. Her basic crossbow attack will rapidly shoot bolts at enemies. However, her alternate fire sees her taking aim to deliver a high-speed explosive bolt for big damage. Freya wields and explosive crossbow and a bola launcher that can pull enemies together. Movement and positioning seems to be a big part of Freya’s toolkit, with Blizzard stating she is a “challenging and rewarding” character that will take “precision and a steady aim to master.” She has both a quick dash ability (that reloads her crossbow in the process) and a move called Updraft that will launch her into the sky. Her Bola Shot ability pulls enemies together, setting them up for a damaging combo from teammates or a well-placed explosive crossbow shot. Freya will join Overwatch 2’s roster as part of Season 16 later this year, but players will get the chance to try her out during Season 15 as part of a trial weekend. Aqua will join Overwatch 2 as part of Season 18. While Blizzard shared plenty of details about Freya, she wasn’t the only new hero the developer revealed. Aqua, a staff-wielding, water-bending ******** hero, will join Overwatch 2 as part of Season 18, Blizzard announced, bringing with him an “innovative playstyle.” Blizzard at this stage has only shared concept art for Aqua, but said more details about his abilities would come closer to his release. New heroes were just a part of all the announcements to come out of Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 Spotlight stream. For starters, loot boxes are returning to Overwatch 2 with Season 15. Blizzard additionally revealed the addition of Perks as a new core gameplay system in Overwatch 2, as well as a new round-based, third-person mode called Stadium that sees players buying items and upgrading their heroes over the course of a match. Source link #Overwatch #Latest #Hero #CrossbowWielding #Bounty #Hunter #Freya Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elon Musk's 'take your kid to work' day Elon Musk's 'take your kid to work' day He brought his son to the Oval Office for a surprise press conference Source link #Elon #Musk039s #039take #kid #work039 #day Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Batman Arkham Games Features Multiple Bosses But One Fight Continues to Haunt Players To This Day Batman Arkham Games Features Multiple Bosses But One Fight Continues to Haunt Players To This Day The Batman Arkham franchise features one of the best storylines in gaming history. The franchise is its own universe by itself, which successfully captures the dark and gritty environment of Gotham and brings the city to life. Rocksteady Studios has revolutionized the gaming industry with their Arkhamverse and have set a standard for superhero games. Batman Arkham series has the best villains in gaming history | Image Credits: Rocksteady Studio The Batman Arkham series has a plethora of villains. From the infamous Joker to Killer Croc, the villain roster does not seem to end. But one villain in the entire franchise has made players rage quit the game, similar to a souls-borne game. Who is this villain? Let’s find out. Who is this villain that can go head-to-head with Batman Bane is accurately represented in the franchise | Image Credits: Rocksteady Studio The Batman Arkhamverse consists of four main installments, each contributing to the rich narrative of Gotham’s Dark Knight. Among these installments, there is one game that has captivated players with its plot and storyline more than any other titles in the series. That game is Batman: Arkham Origins. Batman: Arkham Origins is the third installment to the franchise and acts as a prequel to all the other games in the series. The title takes place eight years before the events of Arkham Asylum and follows the story of young Bruce Wayne who is just starting out on his crusade of being Gotham’s crime-fighting vigilante. In Arkham Origins, Batman faces many antagonists, and although all of them are great on their own, one particular villain sticks out the most and that is Bane. Bane is one of Batman’s nemesis in the DC universe, he is not only strong but is also intellectually inclined and one of the few people who is actually capable of defeating Batman. Bane is a threat to Batman both physically and mentally. In Arkham Origins, whenever the supervillain would appear on the screen, it would send shivers down the player’s spine because of his sheer intimidation. In the game, Bane is blessed with two boss fights, and although some hardcore fans would love to fight the big guy twice, for most players it is a nightmare. Comment byu/TypoShock from discussion inBatmanArkham Comment byu/ProfChaos85 from discussion inarkham Comment byu/ProfChaos85 from discussion inarkham While both the boss fights are extremely difficult for most players, in the second boss fight when Bane injects himself with the TN-1, a super soldier serum, he becomes a beast, making the boss fight infinitely harder. He is strong, agile, and has the ability to counter Batman’s dodges. This boss fight made players truly frustrated and even made some of them rage quit. Bane is not just an obstacle, he is a brick wall Rocksteady proved that antagonists are the ones who shape the hero | Image Credits: Rocksteady Studio Batman: Arkham Origins sets a standard for how a well-crafted villain can elevate the story to new heights. The dynamic between Bane and Batman fuels the story and drives the narrative, forcing the Dark Knight to grow and adapt to Bane’s versatility. Rocksteady Studios made sure that both the boss fights were not just about defeating the villain but about overcoming monstrous odds of not winning against a metaphorical tank. By creating an antagonist who is constantly annoying the protagonist using different tactics, each more unique than the last one, Rocksteady Studios proved that villains are more than just mere obstacles in any game. Bane is both mentally cunning and physically a powerhouse, his sheer intimidation solidifies him as one of the most compelling and hard-hitting villains in the Arkhamverse. Source link #Batman #Arkham #Games #Features #Multiple #Bosses #Fight #Continues #Haunt #Players #Day Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

2025 could end up the year of the spinoff as break-ups like Honeywell grow 2025 could end up the year of the spinoff as break-ups like Honeywell grow Even in a volatile market inundated with the latest policy changes, one corporate event last week highlighted a growing trend that may help investors through the rest of the year. Lennar last week completed its spinoff of Millrose Properties , siphoning off its land banking assets into a real estate investment trust that will now acquire and develop land for Lennar and other homebuilders. The move kicks off the spinoff calendar for 2025, a year that many expect will see more companies splitting off businesses that investors hope will unlock greater value for shareholders. At least 10 spinoffs are set to close through December. “The calendar is starting to fill up with opportunities,” said Brian Leonard, a small- and midcap portfolio manager at Keeley Teton. He said he will be monitoring the transactions for potential investments. Some spinoffs to be completed this year include Honeywell , which last week said it’s splitting into three independently listed companies by the end of 2025 or early next year. Last November, Comcast said it plans to create a new company for its cable network businesses, including USA Network and CNBC, in a spinoff set to be completed by year’s end. ‘A coiled up spring’ There are more spinoffs expected this year, partly because interest rates finally eased off their highs, and because companies — with shareholders seeking earnings growth in an expensive market — are reviewing their businesses in hopes that the sum of their parts may be greater than the whole. “The real focus is on companies’ ability to manufacture growth and how they’re going to continue to move ‘the ball down the football field.’ How they keep on moving forward,” said Leonard. “Oftentimes, that results in some sort of corporate action.” Spinoffs, mergers and acqusitions and restructurings are a “coiled up spring” set to break out from a two-year low, with plenty of money ready to be deployed from the sidelines, said Thorne Perkin, president of Papamarkou Wellner Perkin. The money manager told CNBC that he spends his days speaking with investors at family offices and institutional funds who are sitting on “20%, 30%, 40%, 50%” in cash, and who have been reluctant to sell companies into a weak market with high interest rates. “There’s plenty of capital out there. It’s just been on the sidelines,” Perkin said. “It’s a lot of people sitting on their hands.” Why spinoffs? For investors, it’s a unique opportunity to invest in spinoffs, as the separate businesses are likely more focused and agile, potentially unlocking their full potential. What’s more, spun off companies typically outperform their parent companies, for the first 400 trading days after the close date, according to Trivariate Research. On average, over the next 18 to 24 months, the spinoffs outpace the S & P 500 by an average of 10%, the firm said. Additionally, spinoffs in businesses different from their parent companies perform better than those spun off into the same industries. To be sure, there are risks. Spun off companies typically experience more near term volatility, especially as funds sell shares in new businesses that don’t meet their investment criteria. However, the short-term dip could be an opportunity for a quick-eyed investor to snag a bargain. For example, Keeley Teton’s Leonard said he would wait and see what happens with Millrose Properties, the company spun off from Lennar. In the first trading week following the spinoff, shares of Lennar rose 2%, while Millrose Properties plunged 15%. “It’s kind of the first one of many we’re looking at, at least about 10 to 14 additional businesses this year,” Leonard said. “Lennar’s going to lead the pack coming out first.” — CNBC’s Fred Imbert contributed to this report. Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Source link #year #spinoff #breakups #Honeywell #grow Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Titans legends of 2010 provide lessons for modern squad Titans legends of 2010 provide lessons for modern squad The Gold Coast forward pack this year could be the best they have fielded but there is one proviso about whether they will be regarded as such. As it stands, the 2010 pack that reached the preliminary final is the benchmark. That side is still the most highly regarded in the Titans’ 18-year history. Current Queensland prop Moeaki Fotuaika and second-rower Beau Fermor, on the cusp of representing the Maroons, are two Titans that draw inspiration from what that former side, and particularly the forwards, achieved. It was red hot and boasted a quintet of Luke Bailey, Greg Bird, Ash Harrison, Brad Meyers and Anthony Laffranchi, all of whom had played State of Origin. Only Harrison did not play for Australia. Throw in workaholic club legends Nathan Friend and Mark Minichiello and the Titans had grit, muscle and class. They were also winners. The recruitment of former NSW and Test prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard and the return of Australia and Queensland front-rower Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from an ACL injury has given the 2025 Titans a boost, and belief they can achieve something special. Maroons back-rower David Fifita, 2024 rookie of the year Josiah Pahulu and workhorse prop Jaimin Jolliffe give the Titans a multi-faceted pack. It’s only on paper right now though. The Titans have finished 14th in their past two seasons and 13th in 2022. The 2010 side came fourth in the regular season. “They are definitely a team we can take motivation off,” Fotuaika said of the 2010 outfit. “Obviously they made it to one game before the grand final with the quality players involved like Anthony Laffranchi, Luke Bailey and (fullback) Preston Campbell. “We’ve had a few of those guys have a chat to us. Just their knowledge about the game and how connected they were as a team we can definitely take a lot out of.” The form of the Titans can fluctuate within a game and Fermor said there was much to learn from the 2010 side. “In those early years when the Titans first started they were really successful and as a team we have done a lot of reflection over this pre-season on what that team brought ,” he said. “They were a really tough and gritty team so if we can base our performances off that I think we will be really hard to beat … and the difference between our best game and our worst game won’t be too big. That is what everyone is striving towards.” Fotuaika was confident the current pack had the capacity to be the club’s best. “For sure. We have a great mix in terms of youth and experience,” he said. “It will be good to put it all together.” Fotuaika and Fermor will get the chance to fire in a trial match with Brisbane in Toowoomba on Sunday. Source link #Titans #legends #provide #lessons #modern #squad Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

An Apple TV app is finally available for Android devices An Apple TV app is finally available for Android devices After years of waiting, the Apple TV app is finally available natively on Android devices. This version was “built from the ground up” to take advantage of the Android operating system and is currently ready for download from the Google Play Store. It was designed for smartphones, tablets and foldables. This is a full version of the app, with all of the stuff Apple users have come to expect. There’s a feature for picking up a show where you left off and a tool for downloading content to watch offline. It works via Wi-Fi or cellular. The app allows access to Apple TV+ content, so you can finally watch the absolute boatload of original shows the platform pumps out. It’s a veritable cornucopia of sci-fi goodness, with hit shows like , and . The platform also airs non-genre fare like Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Slow Horses. New users get a free seven-day trial to the platform. Otherwise, pricing is the same as always and folks can sign up for subscriptions via Google Play. To view this content, you’ll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the “Content and social-media partners” setting to do so. The app even grants access to MLS Season Pass content, just in time for Major League Soccer’s 2025 season. Sports fans can also check out a weekly MLB double-header each Friday with no local restrictions. There have been workarounds to get Apple TV content on Android devices. In the past, users were forced to enter credentials via the web app or use a Prime Video bundle. Android TVs have long had a dedicated Apple TV app, but there was no way to subscribe on the television itself. That also changed today, as Google Play now offers the ability to subscribe on Android TVs. There’s no casting support on this first version of the app, but we hope it’ll come soon via a future update. The Apple TV app only works on devices running Android 10 or later. Source link #Apple #app #finally #Android #devices Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

CFPB staff purge begins with dozens of employees terminated CFPB staff purge begins with dozens of employees terminated Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell Vought speaks with reporters during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, March 11, 2019. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sent termination notices to several dozen employees late Tuesday, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The affected staff were mostly those with probationary status, said the people, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly after orders to stop all agency work, including speaking with reporters. Being on probation means the employee is in a trial *******, often lasting a year or two, after starting a new government position, and doesn’t reflect performance, the people said. The move comes amid a broader effort under President Donald Trump to trim federal staff. The Office of Personnel Management asked federal agencies for lists of all recently hired workers because they are the easiest to terminate, NBC News has reported. That has stoked fears of layoffs at places as disparate as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Environmental Protection Agency. CFPB staff have been on edge since late last week, when operatives of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency gained access to the agency. The CFPB headquarters have since been shuttered, while employees were told by acting CFPB director Russell Vought not to do any bureau work. Both Musk and Vought have called for the elimination of the CFPB. The terminations have sowed more confusion at the bureau; several of those being laid off had already accepted federal buyout offers, said one of the people. Some being dismissed received form letters that didn’t include their specific names and titles, but left some fields filled with generic placeholders, said this person. The terminations hit the CFPB’s enforcement division in particular because of a push under former director Rohit Chopra to boost hiring of enforcement lawyers, said another person. The agency had about 1,700 employees before the job cuts. The CFPB declined to comment. Source link #CFPB #staff #purge #begins #dozens #employees #terminated Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apex Legends’ Season 24 Seems to Have Made the Game Lore Accurate At the Cost of Gameplay Experience Apex Legends’ Season 24 Seems to Have Made the Game Lore Accurate At the Cost of Gameplay Experience Apex Legends has recently received its latest update, Season 24 Takeover, and overall, the changes have been received positively. Players are enjoying the rework of several legends and the various balance changes. As is often the case with new patches, something always ends up being overpowered. Ash got her much-needed buffs. | Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment Surprisingly, it’s Ash, a legend many expected to receive buffs—but not to this extent. Her rework has made her faster, more aggressive, and incredibly mobile, making her feel more in line with her ruthless lore. But it seems like it came at the cost of the gameplay, ruining the player’s overall experience. Apex Legends Season 24 is fun but introduces a major problem Players are frustrated with her extra mobility. | Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment On paper, the changes to the Ash sound fantastic. She was always meant to be a swift, high-damage assassin, and her update finally delivers on that promise. It looks like John Larson, Apex Legends’ live-balance designer, was right when he teased her “exciting changes.” However, the combination of her new movement ability, new armor changes, and overall high mobility has created an issue. Players are abusing her movement and hitbox, leading to a frustrating new meta. Right now, hitting the legs is the key to getting kills, and Ash’s rework makes this strategy extremely effective. This would be fine if it worked both ways, but the reality is that playing against her feels terrible. Her movement allows her to dodge shots easily, and when players spam leg shots, fights feel less skill-based and more about abusing the system. To be honest, landing these shots as Ash is fun, but being on the receiving end is sure as frustrating as ever. Comment byu/Witherik from discussion inapexlegends Comment byu/Witherik from discussion inapexlegends Comment byu/Witherik from discussion inapexlegends Comment byu/Witherik from discussion inapexlegends Players across social media and gaming forums have been very vocal about their frustrations. While it’s still early in the season, many are already worried that this will dominate the meta and ruin the game’s balance. A lore-accurate Ash at the cost of Gameplay The developers need to find the right balance. | Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment It’s clear that Respawn wanted to make Ash true to her lore: a relentless, precise, and efficient killer. In that regard, they succeeded. However, the problem is that lore accuracy doesn’t always translate to balanced gameplay. With her current state, every team in a lobby is almost guaranteed to have an Ash. This reduces diversity in team compositions and risks making Apex Legends feel repetitive and linear. While the game is supposed to be a fast-paced game, being so mobility-focused is bound to ruin the gameplay. Right now, she is still fun in ranked play, but once players fully optimize her abilities and abuse her strengths, the frustration will only grow. The biggest issue is that Ash’s new playstyle isn’t particularly hard to execute. Just simply double-tapping the jump button unlocks her passive which allows players to be mobile. If left unchecked, she could turn Apex into a stale, one-dimensional experience where every match revolves around her. In the end, Respawn has a task on its hands to once again rework her abilities and find a good balance. But for now, Apex players are left dealing with a fast, powerful, and frustrating opponent that might just be a little too strong for her good. What do you think? Is she too powerful, or is this just an overreaction? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Source link #Apex #Legends #Season #Game #Lore #Accurate #Cost #Gameplay #Experience Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Opinion | Is Trump Helping You or Hurting You? A Cautionary Tale. – The New York Times Opinion | Is Trump Helping You or Hurting You? A Cautionary Tale. – The New York Times Opinion | Is Trump Helping You or Hurting You? A Cautionary Tale. The New York TimesNYC Mayor Eric Adams bribery investigation: Alex Spiro says corruption trial was political ABC7 New York‘Crossed the Rubicon’: Rev. Al Sharpton suggests he may pull support for Mayor Adams after Trump DOJ moves to drop charges amNY Source link #Opinion #Trump #Helping #Hurting #Cautionary #Tale #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Luxury and Exclusivity Await Within Rosewood Mayakoba’s Private Villas Luxury and Exclusivity Await Within Rosewood Mayakoba’s Private Villas Rosewood Mayakoba Founder’s Villa Terrace Nestled along the stunning coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula, the resort development of Mayakoba blends harmoniously with the region’s rich ecosystems. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, lush jungle, and winding lagoons, the complex features four unique resorts, all connected by meandering canals and scenic trails. At its heart is Rosewood Mayakoba, a sumptuous retreat of natural beauty, elegant design, and exceptional service. To stay here is to enjoy the very best of the region. And to stay within one of its ultra-luxurious private residences is to further elevate an already decadent experience. Whether planning an adults-only retreat with friends or a memorable family escape, Rosewood Mayakoba Private Villas offer unparalleled, elevated amenities hosted by a resort team that could easily conduct classes in the art of hospitality. Staff is devoted to delivering personalized, bespoke service, catering to individual preferences and offering tailor-made experiences based on guest interest. Case in point: During my Rosewood Mayakoba visit, staff had taken note of my love of wine, and concluded that I might enjoy an introduction to some of the country’s best wines. Thus, wine director Alejandro Bru conducted a private wine tasting for me and my husband of varied ******** varietals. Ultra-special, and unexpected, this tasting was the definition of “being seen.” (Particular favorites were a Piscis Rosé Grenache, and a Casa Madero Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.) Rosewood Mayakoba Coral Three Bedroom Villa Rosewood Mayakoba Paraiso Four Bedroom Villa Rosewood Mayakoba’s villa choices include Beachfront and Lagoon locales, or the coastal living majesty of the ultra-private Founder’s Villa. Each provides a serene and peaceful ambiance, amongst the natural beauty of the emerald lagoons or the Caribbean Sea. Here, every comfort is within reach and every dream feels effortlessly attainable. Villa guests have options; they can immerse fully in the peace and tranquility of their private quarters, while also enjoying all of the resort amenities, such as the beautiful Sense, A Rosewood Spa, and the resort’s varied restaurants. Rosewood Mayakoba Villa Living Room Rosewood Mayakoba Founder’s Villa Kitchen With a villa stay, you’ll enjoy: * Personalized pantry curation fully stocked with guests’ favorite items * Private chef-led cooking classes * Daily in-villa breakfast * Dedicated butler service * Complimentary private roundtrip airport transfers * Private full-sized pools and jacuzzis * Full outdoor dining setup, ideal for private dining, events and celebrations * Private beachfront cabana with sound system and fire pit for the beachfront villas * Private eco-tours * Living areas with fully equipped kitchens, living rooms and expansive outdoor terraces Rosewood Mayakoba Villa Bath Lagoon Villas are generously laid out in two, three, four, or five-bedroom configurations, with interior space from 3,497 square feet to more than 7,000 square feet. Each features media rooms, rooftop or wraparound terraces, and sizeable outdoor living and pool areas ideal for entertaining, unwinding, and swimming. Beachfront Villas offers an escape unlike any other in Mexico. Situated within the gates of the resort, yet strategically set apart, these villas feature more than 16,300 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space, including six bedrooms with dual master suites, seven full baths plus one half-bath, a media room, and a convertible office suite. Outdoor features include an open-air courtyard, a 92-foot infinity-edge pool, an oceanside lounging and dining area with a fire pit, and nature’s most rejuvenating creation—an unspoiled 131-foot stretch of Riviera Maya’s white sand beach. The Founder’s Villa Courtyard Of all of its spectacular villas, the pièce de resistance is The Founder’s Villa—16,300 square feet of pure indulgence. Unimpeded by proximity to other dwellings, this villa is far away from curious eyes, and is nestled between lush mangroves and the sea. This private estate features six-bedrooms—two dual-master suites with ocean-view outdoor showers, and four guest bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms and private terraces. It is anchored by an open-air courtyard with lush landscaping; the design seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor spaces. The large outdoor sundeck features a 92-foot infinity pool and unobstructed views of the ocean. A fully equipped kitchen, a media room, generous living and dining space, and dedicated, signature butler service, allow groups of up to 14 guests flow through carefree days and inspired evenings in uncrowded luxury and pampered ease. The Founder’s Villa Media Room Founder’s Villa guests also enjoy exclusive benefits including a dedicated chef and servers, personal golf carts, transfers to and from the Cancun airport, access to all restaurants and bars, fitness centers, Sense, A Rosewood Spa, El Camaleón golf course, and kids clubs within Mayakoba. Whichever villa you choose, each offers an unparalleled experience in luxury, privacy, and personalized service. Imagine the following: Begin your day with a thoughtfully curated, chef-led, in-villa breakfast served on the outdoor terrace featuring a spread of ******** specialties alongside your favorite continental items. Immerse yourself in the rich and diverse wildlife of Mayakoba with a private eco-tour taking off from your private dock. In the afternoon, participate in a chef-led cooking class in your Villa with menus inspired by Mexico’s diverse culinary traditions. Pair your self-made feast with with ******** wines. If you’re in a Beachfront Villa, enjoy beachside cocktails and music within your private cabana. In the evening, take a refreshing swim in your secluded pool before gathering with crafted cocktails to watch the setting sun. Commemorate milestone events (anniversaries, birthdays, etc.) with a special private in-villa celebration prepared by your butler, complete with live music (mariachi, DJ, or other preference), food & drink, and festive décor. Any visit to Rosewood Mayakoba is indulgent. A stay within one of its spectacular villas takes your stay to the next level. Photos courtesy of Rosewood Mayakoba Source link #Luxury #Exclusivity #Await #Rosewood #Mayakobas #Private #Villas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump Announces Big News About Ending Russia’s War in Ukraine Trump Announces Big News About Ending Russia’s War in Ukraine President Trump says he has spoken to the Russian and Ukrainian presidents about ending the war in Ukraine, and ceasefire negotiations will begin soon. A White House delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now expected to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich on Friday to discuss steps toward peace. Trump spoke first to Putin in a lengthy, wide-ranging phone call. “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” Trump posted on social media. Later, in a separate post, Trump said, “I just spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE. …It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!” Zelenskyy also spoke out after the conversation, stating on X, “No one wants peace more than Ukraine … Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done. We agreed to maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings.” Trump’s announcement came shortly after his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged NATO leaders to abandon their hopes of restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders and instead prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia. He also said it’s not feasible for NATO to admit Ukraine to the alliance. “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” Hegseth said. Both of those points are disappointing news for Ukraine. Hegseth’s comments came while attending a meeting of Kyiv’s backers at NATO headquarters. He also added that a peace arrangement with Russia should be policed by an international force but no U.S. troops. Russia has demanded that NATO not admit Ukraine into the alliance. Ukrainian allies like the *** and France aren’t supporting the Trump administration’s proposal to block Ukraine from NATO. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that if the West abandons Ukraine, it would “entrench the law of the strongest. It would be an invitation to all the world’s tyrants and despots to invade their neighbors with complete impunity.” Source link #Trump #Announces #Big #News #Russias #War #Ukraine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stadium: Overwatch’s New Competitive Mode Similar to Deadlock, VALORANT Stadium: Overwatch’s New Competitive Mode Similar to Deadlock, VALORANT Overwatch’s spotlight showcase on February 12 included a massive amount of content planned for the next couple seasons. Among that content is a huge new competitive mode, Stadium, that borrows from other popular titles, and provides a completely unique experience. This is Stadium, and it’s coming to Overwatch 2 in Season 16. What is Stadium Mode in Overwatch? Stadium is a best-of-seven-rounds competitive mode, where players use currency earned from previous rounds to buy new items and upgrades. The upgrades menu is strikingly similar to the one used in Deadlock, in that players have a finite amount of slots for traits and items. There are even starter builds that let players pick predetermined items and powers, but only for new players. Like in games such as VALORANT or Counter-Strike, players are limited to what they can afford in early rounds, but can save up for more powerful abilities later on. Players will have the ability to buy, trade, and sell their abilities during any round. There abilities provide dozens of different effects, like extra projectiles, ability cooldown reductions, extra damage, extra charges, and slowing effects. Each round of Stadium will consist of a game of one of three core modes: Control, Push, or Clash. While Stadium is a best-of-seven, a “mercy rule” will end the match if a team loses the first three rounds. There’s also a bounty system that rewards taking down dominating players. Stadium will give the players the choice of playing either first-person or third-person on restructured maps. It will also feature its own ranked mode. When Can I Play Stadium in Overwatch? Stadium mode will launch in April 2025, as part of the Season 16 update to Overwatch 2. When the mode launches in Season 16, there will be 14 core heroes available to play. More heroes, maps, and modes will be added over time, and Stadium will be subject to changes stemming from player feedback. Is Stadium a mode you must try out when it launches later this year? Let us know down below and in the official Insider Gaming forums. For more Insider Gaming, read about what Electronic Arts almost acquiring Blizzard. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Stadium #Overwatchs #Competitive #Mode #Similar #Deadlock #VALORANT Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Secret Portrait Unveiled Beneath Picasso Painting Secret Portrait Unveiled Beneath Picasso Painting Picasso’s “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto” (left) and the infrared scan revealing the woman (right). Courtesy of Courtauld Institute of Art. Researchers have uncovered the secret portrait of a mystery woman hidden behind one of Picasso’s most famous blue-******* works. Researchers at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London made the breakthrough using imaging technology such as infrared and x-ray scanning. The painting, “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto,” is one of Picasso’s most famous from his blue ******* beginnings from 1901 to 1904, when he stuck to a palette of mostly blues and greens, and his paintings took on a more somber tone. The portrait is of his friend Mateu Fernández de Soto, but when looked at with infrared and x-ray imaging, a mysterious woman is revealed to be next to Picasso’s buddy. The mysterious hidden portrait in Picasso’s painting X-ray of Picasso’s portrait. Courtesy of Courtauld Institute of Art. The researchers determined that the mystery woman was likely drawn several months before Fernández de Soto’s painting was put onto the canvas. The lady has her hair twisted into a chignon and appears to be staring, almost hovering over the man in the portrait. While this may be news for art aficionados and common people alike, the minds behind this discovery had long suspected that someone was lurking beneath the surface of this Picasso painting. “We have long suspected another painting lay behind the portrait of de Soto because the surface of the work has tell-tale marks and textures of something below,” said Barnaby Wright, deputy head of the Courtauld Gallery. “Now we know that this is the figure of a woman. You can even start to make out her shape just by looking at the painting with the naked eye.” Confirming their suspicions raises many questions about the mystery lady’s identity. The researchers suspect she could be the same woman in Picasso’s “Woman with Crossed Arms” and “The Absinthe Drinker,” but she could also have been a friend or lover from the Spanish artist’s time in Paris. Courtauld said in a statement that more research is needed to determine the identity of the portrait’s hidden woman. However, her revelation gives art experts and scientists alike a glimpse into Picasso’s mind and stylistic preferences through the revisions in the scans. “The way Picasso transformed one image into another, evolving his style, would become a hallmark of his work,” said Wright. “That ability is what made him one of the most influential figures in art history.” The piece will be displayed at the Courtauld Gallery starting February 14 during the “Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection” event they are hosting. Source link #Secret #Portrait #Unveiled #Beneath #Picasso #Painting Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fact-checking Elon Musk’s claims in the Oval Office Fact-checking Elon Musk’s claims in the Oval Office Jake Horton & Lucy Gilder BBC Verify EPA Elon Musk has made a number of exaggerated or unevidenced claims during an Oval Office event alongside President Donald Trump. The billionaire, who was making his first major media appearance since beginning his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), said his team was seeking to improve transparency in government. But he provided no evidence when making sweeping statements about corruption in government agencies and also defended false allegations he had spread about US funds being used to send condoms to Gaza. BBC Verify has examined these claims made by Musk. Sending condoms to Gaza? Musk was challenged by a reporter about a recent White House claim, which he has repeated, that it had stopped $50m (£40.2m) worth of condoms being sent to the Gaza Strip. The reporter asked whether the condoms were actually due to be sent to Gaza Province in Mozambique. Musk appeared to concede that could be the case, and responded: “I’m not sure we should be sending $50m dollars on condoms anywhere… if it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza, I’m like, OK that’s not as bad, but still you know why are we doing that?” Several posts on X have highlighted a US commitment to fund an ****-prevention programme in Gaza, Mozambique. US government records show that an American-funded scheme for Gaza, Mozambique was awarded $83.5m for “prevention, care, support and treatment interventions within **** and TB facilities and communities” for a programme running until September 2026. BBC Verify contacted the aid agency that granted the funding – the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) – who told us that no money has been used to procure condoms. The US State Department told us two $50m donations due to be sent to the Gaza Strip via the International Medical Corps had been stopped, which it claimed included contraceptives such as condoms. But responding to the claims, the charity said it wasn’t aware of any future US funding for condoms or any other contraceptives for Gaza. They also said none of the funds they’d received from the US government since October 2023 had been used to procure or distribute condoms within the Gaza Strip. The US has, in the past, provided contraceptives to countries around the world as part of family planning programmes. In 2023 fiscal year (1 October – 30 September) $60.8m was sent abroad for contraceptives – with about $7m of that for condoms – according to a USAID report. None of this was listed for Gaza in the Middle East. $5.4m of contraceptives were listed for Mozambique, but none of this was for condoms. These contraceptive programmes existed under Trump’s previous administration as well. During the 2019 fiscal year, for example, about $40m was spent sending contraceptives abroad, according to another USAID report. ‘The woman that walked away with $30m’? Although he did not mention her by name, Elon Musk appeared to reference former USAID administrator Samantha Power’s alleged net worth. President Trump asked Musk to “mention some of the things that your team has found some of the crazy numbers, including the woman that walked away with about 30 million.” There have been claims on social media about Power’s net worth increasing to this amount during her time at USAID. One post claims: “Ex-USAID chief Samantha Power’s net worth skyrockets – from $6.7m to $30m on a $180k salary… Where did the extra $23.3m come from? And all of this in just 3 years!” Musk responded to another post on X about Power’s work at USAID, asking “how did she accumulate wealth that is 100 times her after tax salary?” Reuters Samantha Power led USAID during the Biden administration and previously served as US ambassador to the UN under President Barack Obama Musk responded to Trump’s prompt in the Oval Office by saying: “There are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position, which is, you know what happened to USAID. “Maybe they’re very good at investing… I think the reality is that they’re getting wealthy at the taxpayer expense.” Power’s detractors have not provided any evidence whatsoever of a sudden increase in her wealth or that she benefited from her role at USAID beyond her salary. The claim appears to come from a website called Inside Biden’s Basement, which estimated that Samantha Power was worth between $10m and $30m. There is no breakdown of the figure or methodology but it does include three of Power’s government ethics disclosure forms from 2021-22. These forms show Power’s income from various sources, including her teaching salary, investments, payments for speaking engagements and book royalties. Most of those figures are published in a range, such as shares in a particular company being worth between $15,000 and $50,000 or a bank account containing between $1m and $5m. As such, the range of results returned when estimating Power’s wealth are wide. BBC Verify added up the income and investments from the form that Power submitted before she was sworn in as administrator in 2021, in which her wealth and income come out at between about $9m and $22m. The most recent disclosure form available on the government website gives her accounts for 2023 and is problematic because it gives one account containing “over $1m” without stating an upper limit. If you take that as being between $1m and $5m in line with her other entries, you get an overall range of $9m to $25m. In line with the filing rules, the 2021 figure does include her $461,167 salary from her previous job at Harvard, while the latest figures do not include her $183,100 salary from USAID. So from her published accounts, it seems that she was pretty wealthy before she started working at USAID and that has not changed a great deal, although that is working within very broad ranges. BBC Verify approached Samantha Power for comment via her official website. Social security payments for 150-year-olds? Social security provides a base income for people in the US who are either retired or can’t work because of a disability. It covers about 67 million Americans. Regarding the programme, Musk said: “There’s crazy things… cross re-examination of Social Security, and we’ve got people in there that are 150 years old.” He did not provide evidence of this. BBC Verify has been unable to find specific evidence for the claim – although we don’t have access to all the US social security data that Musk has been granted. “I think they’re probably dead… and then there’s a whole bunch of social security payments where there’s no identifying information,” Musk added. There have been previous reports which have identified tens of billions of dollars of fraud in social security payments – but we have found no specific evidence of 150-year-olds claiming benefits. There is a 2023 report by the social security inspector general which identified about 19 million people born in 1920 or earlier who didn’t have any death data on file – 44,000 of whom were still receiving social security benefits. The report was triggered by calls to better maintain claimant records, after the Social Security Administration in 2021 estimated some 24,000 people received payments by the agency after death, amounting to almost $300m. There were an estimated 101,000 people over 100 years old in 2024 across the US, according to the Pew Research Center, most of whom you would expect to be receiving social security, considering it covers retired people. Paperwork stored down an old mine shaft? Speaking about government inefficiencies Musk claimed only 10,000 federal employees could retire per month because the paperwork is written down manually and kept in a mine. He said: “The limiting factor is the speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move determines how many people can retire from the federal government, and the elevator breaks down sometimes, and then nobody can retire.” That same day, Musk’s department posted about the mine on X. “Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months.” Musk is referring to Iron Mountain, a high security storage facility in Pennsylvania which holds government documents in a former limestone mine. A 2014 article by The Washington Post reported that the retirement paperwork at the facility was processed “entirely by hand, and almost entirely on paper”. Getty Images Musk’s drive to cut government spending has been backed by President Donald Trump More recently, a 2019 audit report found that between 2014 and 2017, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – which manages the federal retirement program – did not meet its goal of processing most retirement applications within 60 days. The report said that one of the reasons for this was OPM’s “continued reliance on paper applications and manual processing”. Insufficient staffing and incomplete applications were the other reasons provided for processing delays. It did not mention problems with the storage facility or its elevators. The number of claims processed for civil service and federal employee retirements rarely exceed 10,000 per month, according to US government data. These figures also show that cases can take multiple months to process. BBC Verify has contacted the OPM about Musk’s claims. Additional reporting by Joshua Cheetham and Anthony Reuben Source link #Factchecking #Elon #Musks #claims #Oval #Office Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

India’s Modi to meet with Trump, Musk as trade tensions mount India’s Modi to meet with Trump, Musk as trade tensions mount India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks prior to a meeting with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman in ******* Seri Begawan on September 4, 2024. Dean Kassim | Afp | Getty Images Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Washington, D.C., for meetings with President Donald Trump and members of his administration, including Elon Musk, to discuss topics such as efforts to avoid a trade war and artificial intelligence policy, CNBC has confirmed. In his meetings with President Trump on Thursday, Modi will address the country’s growing trade deficit and present a menu of trade concessions including some tied to agriculture and medical devices, according to sources familiar with the upcoming talks who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter. Modi and his team will also signal India’s intent to buy more liquified natural gas from the U.S., a deal that will likely involve Cheniere Energy. India already buys one-fifth of its LNG from the U.S. and is one of the world’s biggest importers. A senior official in Modi’s government told CNBC that India is ready to procure more U.S. defense equipment from Stryker, and to find other ways to partner with Washington on military drills in the Indian Ocean, where China remains a lingering threat. While in Washington, Modi will spend time with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to run the Commerce Department. Modi will also have a one-on-one meeting with Musk, who is overseeing the “Department of Government Efficiency,” with a focus on slashing federal programs and regulations. Modi’s discussion with the world’s richest person is expected to center on AI policy, Starlink’s expansion into India and Tesla’s ability to open up a plant in the country, the government official said. A White House spokesperson didn’t respond to CNBC’s request for comment. On technology, Modi and his team will also reinforce their interest in buying high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) from the U.S. and in avoiding any forthcoming export controls from the Trump administration. In a recent trip to Mumbai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed interest in partnering with India’s Reliance Industries to further the country’s AI efforts. It won’t be the first meeting between the Indian leader and Musk. Just before Modi’s state visit to Washington in 2023, Musk met with Modi in New York to discuss slashing electric vehicle import duties in India and other ways Tesla’s expansion into India could become a reality. Tesla hasn’t publicly shared a plan to build a factory in India, and has instead continued to focus on China. But India has become a big growth market for U.S. tech. Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Google and Amazon have pledged billions of dollars of investment in India’s growth and to capitalize on the country’s emerging middle class. According to analyst estimates, Apple now manufactures 10% to 15% of its iPhones in India, and CEO Tim Cook has suggested that the company is looking to potentially move more production there. Apple also opened a few retail stores in India in 2023. For Modi, the trip represents an opportunity for a much-needed boost to his company’s private sector. The MSCI India exchange-traded fund has fallen 5% this year and more than 15% since late September. Meanwhile, ******** stocks have been rallying as emerging market investors bet on the country’s AI advancements, particularly following recent reports about the power and efficiency of DeepSeek’s model. The iShares MSCI China ETF is up 11% in 2025. WATCH: India needs ‘many more’ credit institutions Source link #Indias #Modi #meet #Trump #Musk #trade #tensions #mount Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Premier Roger Cook cuts ribbon to officially open Magnium Collie’s pilot plant Premier Roger Cook cuts ribbon to officially open Magnium Collie’s pilot plant Premier Roger Cook appeared in Collie last week to cut the ribbon for the Pilot Plant at the Magnium Collie Plant alongside the company’s chief executive officer Shilow Shaffier. Source link #Premier #Roger #Cook #cuts #ribbon #officially #open #Magnium #Collies #pilot #plant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Everton v Liverpool: Premier League – live – The Guardian Everton v Liverpool: Premier League – live – The Guardian Everton v Liverpool: Premier League – live The GuardianConfirmed Liverpool lineup vs. Everton: 10 changes, Trent in the squad This Is AnfieldMoyes lauds Arne Slot ahead of Merseyside derby ESPN Everton and Liverpool name their XIs for historic derby clash Yahoo SportsLiverpool: Win at Everton would extinguish Arsenal Premier League title race turnaround hopes, says Jamie Carragher Sky Sports Source link #Everton #Liverpool #Premier #League #live #Guardian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elden Ring Nightreign Launches In May, Has No Microtransactions Elden Ring Nightreign Launches In May, Has No Microtransactions Bandai Namco has announced that Elden Ring Nightreign will launch on May 30 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. In a statement to GameSpot, Bandai Namco also confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will not feature any microtransactions. However, it will have DLC in the form of a one-time purchase that adds more characters, bosses, and biome elements. The DLC is included in Elden Ring Nightreign’s Deluxe and Collector’s Editions. Ahead of the games release, closed beta network tests will begin this weekend from February 14 to February 16. There are five sessions in total and network test codes have already been emailed out for players who signed up for the beta last month. Some people were trying to scalp their network test codes last month for cash, although it didn’t seem like many people took up those offers. Elden Ring Nightreign is a different take on the typical souls-like formula. It’s a co-op survival game featuring roguelike and battle royale mechanics that has up to three players teaming up survive three days and three nights. It’ll feature bosses from previous From Software games, including the Dark Souls series. Unfortunately, it won’t have cross-play across different platform families, but it’ll have cross-generational play between the same console family. Check out GameSpot’s Elden Ring Nightreign preview as well as GameSpot’s interview with its developers. Source link #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #Launches #Microtransactions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Henry IV’ Review: Two Plays Become One ‘Henry IV’ Review: Two Plays Become One A young prince and an old knight walk into a tavern … So much of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays like a setup, either to a joke or to a significant turning point in English history. It’s perhaps the most defining, and trickiest, element of the Henry plays, which often combine the interpersonal high jinks of a comedy with the politics and knavery of a war drama, sans the typical dramatic structure. In a new production from the Theater for a New Audience, the two “Henry IV” plays are combined into a single adaptation that clocks in at nearly four hours. The script, by Dakin Matthews, condenses and restructures the material, while the direction by Eric Tucker opts for a more classic, toned-down staging. For all the successful work this “Henry IV” does to combat the unwieldy bloat of the two history plays together, it does not probe the central characters enough to uphold the stakes and maintain the tension throughout the lengthy running time. The result is a serviceable production that lacks fresh revelations. The “Henry IV” plays are part of the Henriad, the series of history plays that begin with “Richard II” and end with “Henry V.” Often considered the less glamorous section of Shakespeare’s oeuvre, the plays are about the making and unmaking of kings, the burdens of the crown, revolts, betrayals and the disastrous clashing of many male egos. At the start of “Henry IV,” Henry Bolingbroke (played by Matthews) has usurped the crown with the help of the Percys, a family of English lords who now lead a rebellion against Bolingbroke for that same crown they helped him procure. Meanwhile, Bolingbroke’s son, Prince Hal (Elijah Jones), fetters away his time drinking and palling around with the crooked old knight John Falstaff (Jay O. Sanders) and his reprehensible cohort. Hal and Falstaff’s trivial pursuits are interrupted, however, when they’re called to the battlefield, and by the end of “Henry IV,” Hal has renounced his old habits, brutally rebuffed Falstaff and taken his place on the throne as King Henry V. The relationship between Hal and Falstaff, a favorite of lit majors and Shakespeare scholars, is the true heart of the material. The young prince and the old knight are like father and son, mentor and mentee, but also serve as each other’s foils. They represent opposite sides of age and privilege, and their gradual dynamic shift reveals the nuances of their characters. For all his comedic purpose in the story, Falstaff emerges as a tragic figure — the ********* sideshow act in a grander story about nobility and a nation’s evolution. He’s the sacrificial lamb to Prince Hal’s ascension. Each of the three acts ends with a major scene between Hal and Falstaff, marking another dramatic crux in their story. One of the production’s strengths is how Matthews cleverly structures the script to steadily follow the arc of these two characters. However, the same nuance and decisiveness is less present in the direction and some of the performances. Jones, who played an older version of Hal in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s recent 2024 production of “Henry V,” offers a performance that feels unintentionally laced with ambivalence. How much is Hal inclined toward the frivolity of Falstaff and his buddies from the London underground and how much toward the throne? At what lines, in what moments does he decide to step into the role of Henry V not just in title but in attitude? These subtleties aren’t always signaled by the performance. Similar is true for stage stalwart Sanders, whose wincing, slovenly Falstaff unsteadily teeter-totters across and around the stage, the butt of a colorful array of Shakespearean **** jokes. This Falstaff is a vain, boisterous clown, but not much else; Sanders’s performance doesn’t touch on Falstaff’s underlying somberness until the end. The version of Falstaff as the sad philosophizing old man is almost completely subsumed by Falstaff the degenerate clown. Tucker, who is also the co-founder and artistic director of the innovative Off Broadway theater company Bedlam, has staged this production in the round, on a small platform stage, in a surprisingly minimalist style. There’s a dry matter-of-factness to this aesthetic choice: the actors enter and exit among the audience, sometimes taking seats next to audience members along the aisles, and the music and wardrobe changes are all set up within view, along the perimeters of the Scripps Mainstage at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center. This “Henry IV” also sticks roughly to the style and fashion of the time in which it was written. The costume design, by AC Gottlieb and Catherine Zuber, is full of layered cloaks and robes, with subtle variations of textures and patterns so even the mute ****** and browns — occasionally interrupted by a splash of carmine for the royals — are treated with some dimension. The lighting design, by Nicole E. Lang, often draws too much attention to itself; the harsh overhead fluorescents in the early scenes give the production a distant, clinical feel. That isn’t the only place where the production feels distant. Overall, it’s worth applauding the cast, most of whom, with the exception of Sanders and Jones, play between two and six separate roles. And yet some of the monologuing, as with Matthews’s Bolingbroke and Jones’s Hal, comes across as more showy and performative than intimate and naturalistic, despite the production’s attempt to draw the audience in closer through its cozier staging. There are, however, some cast members who connect more effortlessly with the audience and the text. Jordan Bellow makes a meal of his role as Hal’s friend Poins, imbuing the lines with playful character and Poins’s postures and movements with a comedic waywardness. James Udom handily switches between the proud, hot-tempered Henry “Hotspur” Percy, with his puffed out chest and long, confident stride, and Pistol, a slouching soldier from Falstaff’s cohort. Steven Epp is likewise charming in all respects, whether as the wry-tongued and dry-humored Worcester or the bumbling tavern waiter Francis. Over the long run time (which includes two intermissions), we see a young prince and an old knight walk into a tavern together, march on a battlefield together, trade jabs and muse on their futures. But when the prince transitions into a king and that old knight becomes irrelevant — what then? The punchlines in “Henry IV” are as much about laughs as they are about losses. The ending must find its players, and hopefully the audience, irrevocably changed. Henry IV Through March 2 at Theater for a New Audience, Brooklyn; tfana.org. Running time: 3 hours 45 minutes. Source link #Henry #Review #Plays Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center, moving away from “woke culture” How Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center, moving away from “woke culture” President Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center’s board and performances, moving away from what he views as “woke culture,” multiple sources tell CBS News. After Mr. Trump announced plans last week to remove the Kennedy Center’s chairman and board of trustees and install himself as chairman, the White House has begun filling board member slots that are open, sources say. The board was expected to vote on the chair Wednesday afternoon — and it will be Trump, sources said. They also expected to make additions to the board. The White House started filling a number of open seats this week without fanfare. Some current board members are expected to remain, sources said. Mr. Trump has tapped ally Ric Grenell to be interim executive director, but his tenure is expected to be brief, two of the sources said. The president doesn’t want productions to lean into “woke culture,” as he believes they have in the past. But some programs will proceed as planned, such as Hadyn’s “Creation,” based on the Biblical creation story and performed by the Choral Arts orchestra and symphonic chorus, one source said. And the lineup — theater, music, singing, dance — will continue. But Mr. Trump wants the performances to appeal to what he views as a broader, more inclusive and more balanced instead of those that only appeal to half the country, one person said. Some content on the Kennedy Center website is also expected to be removed, including a reference to the fact that the center is “standing on the traditional land” of the Nactotchtank and Piscataway tribes. Fundraising for the center has been lackluster, two sources said.The dozens of people on the fundraising team raised more than $90 million last year, while the federal government contributed about $45 million. The rest of its budget came from ticket sales and other proceeds. David Rubenstein, philanthropist and co-founder of the Carlyle Group, has been the chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees for 14 years and announced that he was stepping down from the board, effective September 2026. Deborah Rutter, who has served as president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, announced last month that she planned to leave at the end of 2025. Mr. Trump has a strained relationship with the Kennedy Center that dates back to his first term in office, when he announced that he and first lady Melania Trump would not attend the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, after some award recipients that year threatened a boycott. According to its website, the Kennedy Center hosts over 2,200 performances, events and exhibits a year, with over 2 million visitors annually. The center was created by Congress in 1958 and serves as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy. Along with the 36 members appointed by the president, trustees also include ex-officio leaders in government designated by Congress. Kierra Frazier contributed to this report. Kierra Frazier contributed to this report. More from CBS News Jennifer Jacobs Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News. Source link #Trump #reshaping #Kennedy #Center #moving #woke #culture Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

“It’s a new reality’ – US stance on Ukraine a bitter blow to Zelensky “It’s a new reality’ – US stance on Ukraine a bitter blow to Zelensky European nations must provide the “overwhelming” share of funding for Ukraine, the new US Defence Secretary has said, as he signalled a drastic shift in Washington’s position on the war. The BBC’s Defence correspondent Jonathan Beale looks at the comments made by Pete Hegseth at a defence summit in Brussels, on funding for Ukraine’s security. Source link #reality #stance #Ukraine #bitter #blow #Zelensky Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

From Software Talks About Attacking Friends For Their Own Good And Other New Elden Ring Nightreign Ideas From Software Talks About Attacking Friends For Their Own Good And Other New Elden Ring Nightreign Ideas Elden Ring Nightreign is the first multiplayer-focused game From Software has created and the first game directed by Junya Ishizaki, who was previously battle designer on Elden Ring. At a glance, it looks like Elden Ring repurposed for a quick-turnaround spinoff, but under the hood there’s a lot more going on than you might think. We recently got a few hours of hands-on time with Elden Ring Nightreign, which releases in May, and came away keen to play more. Following the hands-on session, we got to talk to Ishizaki about the game and some of the interesting design decisions implemented to make sure that it still looks, feels, and plays like a From Software title. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN – Official Reveal Gameplay Trailer | The Game Awards 2024 Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter GameSpot: The first thing that stuck out to me was the style of play is very different from what I expected. I always approach From Software titles with a methodical and slow style. When I started playing this game, everything felt like it was in fast-forward so it felt very unnatural for a little while. Is that [impact on longtime fans] something that you thought about when designing the game? Junya Ishizaki: One of the initial game concepts for Nightreign stemmed from creating a new sense of battle. I was a battle designer on Elden Ring and previous From titles; I wanted to take that in a new direction and try something new and fresh with the battle. But I wanted to do something new and expand on that. So, taking the battle systems of Elden Ring and expanding on those and changing the tempo was something we put great importance on when creating Nightreign. What has it been like to have your scope expanded beyond the battle [elements of a game]? Now you are custodian of an entire gameplay experience. Of course coming from a battle designer to a director of a game brings with it a lot more freedom. I have to make a lot more decisions. I have to look at a lot more of what’s going on in other areas of the game. But this new freedom and this new scope is very liberating and very fun, but also quite challenging. Obviously there are many, many staff involved and a lot of people with different opinions that you have to take into account. But that aspect is especially interesting and it helped me to understand this new difficulty in making games. But it’s not just about designing the battle, even on Elden Ring, while I was assisting with that. It was intended to make the game more interesting as a whole, so being able to translate that into a directorial role has been really fulfilling and really interesting. In Nightreign, you take on challenges as a member of a squad of three. I was trying to pay attention to how core principles or design decisions that are unique to From Software are manifesting in this game. One of the important ones is a sense of self-growth, where you learn and overcome challenges. From your perspective, where in Nightreign’s gameplay loop is that found? And how do you account for implementing that when there are randomized elements? First of all, thank you for your comments about our games. It sounds like you are quite familiar with them and you understand them to quite a deep degree. And as you say, this kind of self-growth of the player that we sort of put a lot of trust in them to learn and to overcome these challenges. That is a crucial aspect of Nightreign, as well. We would say one way in which it differs from previous titles and Elden Ring is the player planning aspect. So in something like Elden Ring, it’s a lot more of a long play. You have an extended experience and extended journey which culminates eventually in a boss battle. But for Nightreign, it’s something that is a little bit more on the fly–it’s a little bit more loose and it’s a little bit more ad-lib. Players have to make these decisions and change their build and, maybe even their play style, on the fly while they’re going through this gameplay loop. So we feel like this will provide a new way for the player to learn and to grow during their adventure with Nightreign. Was the battle royale format always the framework that you wanted to work within or was there experimentation and you arrived at that format being the best place for your style of game and the game you wanted to make? The battle royale-type structure was not considered to be the base of the game. It wasn’t a starting point, it was something that sort of took shape, or elements of these games took shape during development of Nightreign. For instance, the Ring of Reign that closes in around the field is definitely something that players will be familiar with, but it wasn’t there from the start. It’s something that we implemented in order to encourage that movement and to guide the player’s route through the map, and encourage their decision-making. That’s something that we tried and we thought it worked well, so it stuck. Many parts of what I experienced in Nightreign were the complete opposite of what I come to From Software games for. I’m one of those people who really loves the feeling of isolation and then I start playing this and immediately I’ve got two friends next to me. Was there ever a worry that this could impact the tone of the game or how From Software usually present their games in terms of atmosphere? You can glide above the world in Nightreign. We definitely appreciate that players like yourself got into the tone and that sort of sense of isolation when enjoying these games. And we do want to feel like the tone is not too divided from Elden Ring in terms of atmosphere and setting. However, [for] players who might otherwise be intimidated by Elden Ring’s structure and facing that deep dark world alone, we feel like this is an opportunity for them to find a more approachable experience and just jump right into the action. And also, while it’s designed as a multiplayer game and you are likely to find playing among other people, we do feel like this is a game that you can ****** up for solo. And in matchmaking, if you have matchmaking set, you can all go your different ways on the map and you can spread out and do your own thing. You don’t have to babysit one another, but eventually it will culminate in this shared experience of a cooperative boss battle. While it is a multiplayer game, we want this to feel like a loose and flexible experience that retains some of that feeling of isolation and feeling of going off into the unknown on your own, too. One of the things that I thought was interesting was the way that over the course of a run I experienced pretty much every foundational and important aspect of a role-playing game experience and also a From Software experience. There was exploration, character development, a challenge to overcome, for example. I know this is something that you’ve talked about before but what was the thinking behind that and how difficult was it to achieve that? One thing about these games is that there’s an awful lot of weapons and equipment and player actions to choose from. And when making Nightreign, we wanted to figure out a new way in which players could have access to these and enjoy these in a different way. Of course, each player has their own preference and maybe they go into the game with a prerequisite of what sort of character they’re going to build and what kind of weapon they want to use, so obviously they will have a lot of things that they’re unfamiliar with and that they don’t necessarily like using or don’t necessarily go in with an intent to use. But we wanted players to feel more comfortable and like they were able to approach the things they don’t know and aren’t familiar with a lot easier in Nightreign. We wanted to keep this large selection of weapons and abilities very open and available to use, and free for players to experiment with and mix and match with. We wanted this to be one of the driving factors of Nightreign’s gameplay. Of course, just because of the wealth of parameters in this game, you have to choose your character attributes, you have to choose your weapon, how that weapon performs, that weapon’s attributes. One of the challenges involved in implementing this was [how it] creates a whole lot of moving parts. And while we wanted to streamline that in a way, if you streamline and cut back too much that starts to lose the fun and lose the element of interest and surprise. And so it was a difficult balancing act to try to get these two things to live in harmony with one another, the streamlining and this experimentation. But we feel like we’ve landed in a good place with the final product. Looking cool is always the number one priority in a Souls-like. When I was picking a character, it felt like I could identify certain archetypes of characters that I’m familiar with: healer, soldier, tank, and so on. But then when I got into the game and noticed there were very few restrictions on what I could use and how I could craft that build from that point on, it was an interesting experience because then I felt a little more free to experiment. At the same time, I was a little confused about what my role should be on the team. Do you expect people to try and fulfill roles or do you expect people to just build who they want and try to find the synergy? Yes, this is something we were conscious of during development. Of course, you have some of these character archetypes, like the guardian, who, just from their looks and from their abilities and from the outset, you understand, “Oh, this is probably closest to a tank-type character.” Players want to dive in with that mindset and this was, of course, intentional. But we didn’t want players to feel restricted by that archetype or by that role. We wanted to keep the essence of these games that allow you to be loose and change up your play style, change up your equipment on the fly, and change as you go through. We wanted to really emphasize that with Nightreign, so we didn’t want to restrict that too much. So while players can approach this from a role-playing or a team role aspect, we didn’t want to restrict them too much in that sense. We wanted to keep it quite flexible. This was very intentional. How did you come up with the abilities for the Nightfarers? Some of them are really interesting. Like Duchess, for example, being able to repeat damage. The Recluse has a really cool ability where you siphoning magic from around you and building a spell. Where did that idea come from? And if it’s just, “my brain,” then silly question on my part. Yeah. Essentially these ideas came from myself and the team. We tried our best to think up some original and unique abilities for each character. A lot of us, myself included, play a lot of games. We love gaming, we love doing battle with these enemies in different ways [in] different titles. And so when we designed these characters and these abilities our main focus was, “Well, what’s fun about using them? Why do we enjoy the feeling of using these abilities?” With the Recluse, they’re a magic-oriented character. So what’s fun about using magic? It’s using your intelligence. It’s using your brain, and figuring out the enemy’s weak point, and figuring out how to use your magic effectively. So a lot of the characters were designed, and the abilities were designed with this at the forefront; just thinking what’s fun about being this role and how we can effectively translate that into game feel. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. How to Beat Elden Ring in Under 5 Minutes | Speed Break Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter The mechanic of having passive buffs that apply regardless of whether you have the item actively in use is also interesting. I have a one-track mind, so if I know I like great swords, anything that doesn’t look like a great sword is getting filtered out of my brain, usually. But with this system, I was forced to pay attention to everything. And, even if I had no intention of using it, I’d still grab things because there was a buff I wanted. What was the thinking behind that? The passives that you speak of tie back to the aspect of balancing the game between the overwhelming amount of parameters and wanting to have a fun feeling of experimentation and changing on the fly. The passives were something that offered that variety and that ability to experiment. It’s something that we landed on quite early in development [and] we wanted to keep that going forward as a solution to that balance problem. Also, from a balancing perspective in terms of the meta gameplay, we want players to feel like there was something there that they could tap into, get really crazy combinations, and figure out how they could synergize their build with these passives and their equipment and their abilities. This was just another element that allowed us to really imagine the player possibilities. Attacking your teammates also heals them when they’re downed. I had this moment where I was trying a katana but I had a halberd in my back pocket specifically just to revive my teammate because it has a good sweeping attack and, if I needed to, I could hit them from a distance while also hitting the enemy, which was really cool. How did you come up with the idea of attacking your friends to heal them? When designing the revival with this being a multiplayer game and having allies close by in mind, we did consider several traditional methods such as approaching your downed ally and holding a revive button–things like this. But we felt like a lot of these didn’t quite maintain that sense of tension and that sense of focus in battle that we wanted to keep; that flow of battle in Nightreign. So when considering this, again, from a character perspective and what feels good, one of the more obvious conclusions we landed on was, well, we have a wide variety of attacks and abilities, why don’t we try to leverage those? And this is just something that we tried throughout the course of development and it felt like it was working well. People responded well to it, and so we started to build on that. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. The Complete ELDEN RING Timeline Explained! Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter We’ve seen things from other From Software titles appear in Nightreign, most notably the Centipede ****** and what looks like the Nameless King and such stuff like that. Is there a concrete explanation for why this is happening and is it part of the story or is it just one of those things where it’s for gameplay reasons or it’s a good use of assets that already exist? The primary reason for these existing bosses in Nightreign is from a gameplay perspective. Of course, with this new structure and with this new style of game, we needed a lot of different bosses. We needed a lot to add to this mix, so we wanted to leverage what we deemed appropriate from our previous titles. We obviously understand that our players have a lot of affection for these characters and they have a lot of fond memories of battling them in these games, so we didn’t want to encroach too much on that lore aspect. We wanted them to make sense within the atmosphere and vibe of Elden Ring Nightreign. But mainly from a gameplay perspective, we wanted to incorporate these bosses, make adjustments to them to suit the gameplay of Nightreign and to make sure they felt at home. But it was more so from a numbers perspective. And just to add to that quickly, also from a personal standpoint, I thought it’d be kind of fun. So that’s one simple reason why we included some of these old bosses. Source link #Software #Talks #Attacking #Friends #Good #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #Ideas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘I just want to go to the speedway with my friends’: The long battle for Bunbury Speedway accessibility ‘I just want to go to the speedway with my friends’: The long battle for Bunbury Speedway accessibility “I just want to go to the speedway with my friends.” Source link #speedway #friends #long #battle #Bunbury #Speedway #accessibility Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elden Ring Nightreign Explores Exciting And Unexpected New Ground For From Software Elden Ring Nightreign Explores Exciting And Unexpected New Ground For From Software Elden Ring Nightreign requires you to play a From Software game the wrong way. It asks players to prioritize aggression over stoicism; encourages almost reckless speed over careful strategy; and casts aside meticulous exploration for smash-and-grab expeditions. In most From Software games, haste means failure and frustration, where lessons aren’t learned and progress is stymied. Nightreign, however, isn’t most From Software games. Perhaps, then, it’s more accurate to say Elden Ring Nightreign wants you to play a From Software game in an unconventional way. While director Junya Ishizaki has expressed a fondness for multiplayer games, on paper, Nightreign seems more like a product of multiplayer trends. It’s a game in which a squad of three drops into a landmass and fights for survival as a circular wall of energy closes in. Although they’re not usually as PvE focused, games with a very similar premise are a dime a dozen, and in the shadow of the genre’s titans, very few of them have been able to survive, let alone thrive. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. The Complete ELDEN RING Timeline Explained! Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter But, after playing it for a handful of hours, I can say with confidence that Nightreign isn’t From Software chasing a trend. Instead, it feels like its inspirations are taken more genuinely, with the goal of reinterpreting multiplayer experiences that its developers have a fondness for in ways that align with From Software’s design principles and objectives. In many ways, Nightreign is a game of subversions and, as a longtime Elden Ring player, I felt the impact of them the moment I landed in Limveld, an alternate version of Limgrave. First of all, I was joined by two other players. As someone that comes to From’s games for the feeling of isolation, and to be a lone wanderer in a strange and dangerous land, that took some getting used to. The biggest shock to my system, however, was how fleetfooted my character felt. Chosen Undeads, Bearers of the Curse, Good Hunters, and Lowly Tarnished have a weight to their movement that almost feels lumbering, even at a sprint. There’s a slow pace that wordlessly tells the player to be deliberate and have awareness of what’s around or could be lurking ahead. In Nightreign, however, that economic movement is thrown out for expedience. Regardless of which Nightfarer I picked, I felt like I was on skates, zipping around with a momentum that is much more reminiscent of Sekiro’s Wolf. My character, Duchess, also exhibited a few other skills that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a shinobi of Ashina. You can take on Nightreign’s challenge in a squad of three. Like in Elden Ring, jumping is assigned to a face button, but now players can essentially wall-kick to reach higher terrain. The geometry is fairly forgiving in terms of whether you actually have support under your feet to allow scurrying up the side of a steep cliffside, so I was surprised at how easily I could get about. Additionally, clicking in the thumbstick during a sprint propels the character into an even faster sprint. Since you’re basically running as fast as Torrent would have moved, this super-sprint is effectively why the spectral steed has been removed. Couple that with Spiritspring Jumps–launch pads for players to soar up to higher locations–ethereal eagles that will carry players from point-to-point across the map, and the absence of fall damage, and everything about the way my Nightfarer moved told me that taking my time and pre-empting threats was a bad idea. Instead, speed was paramount and I’d need to rely on instinct to overcome threats. Obviously, the big wall of blue fire closing in was also a good indication of that. A complete run lasts around 30 minutes, with the in-game passage of time segmented into three days. The goal in each of these days is to explore Limveld… quickly. Kill any enemies that you may come across to accrue currency… quickly. And, on the way, grab weapons and trinkets… quickly. By the time the Night’s Tide has closed in and encircled the squad completely, the hope is that everyone has the means to bring down the boss that appears and progress to the next day. This process repeats until the end of the third day, when the Night Lord appears for the final confrontation. It’s a simple gameplay loop that is interesting for the way it distills and condenses the essential elements of an RPG–and a From Software game–so it can be experienced in short stints. Each run I did had exploration, challenging combat, character development, and worldbuilding, except in double-time, like I was playing Elden Ring on fast-forward. Numerous tweaks have been made to familiar systems to ensure that sense of momentum isn’t compromised. Sites of Grace, for example, are all marked on the map and will automatically activate when any player is close by–when a ring of fire is closing in, there’s no time for bonfire lit, bonfire sit. Leveling up has also been streamlined, to the point where it’s a one-button-press process. When you have enough runes and are at a Site of Grace, you simply hit level up and the game takes care of the rest, boosting the attributes that are most important for the character archetype you’re playing as. It definitely takes the nuance out of developing a character by tweaking attributes, but equipment and loadouts pick up the slack. Randomness between runs will maintain a sense of wonder and surprise around new discoveries. There is no class restriction for weapons, so anyone can use anything, though there is a natural inclination towards certain fields over others. Duchess, for example, felt more like a dexterity-oriented character, so I always opted to seek out weapons that gave me quick strikes or the ability to overwhelm and stagger enemies. The Guardian, meanwhile, begins with a halberd, so I felt more inclined to find similar weapons that would let me strike from a distance or sweep the battlefield to control mobs. Wylder felt like a safe middle ground that could work with most swords, so I opted for greatswords, but wasn’t shy about dropping that for a katana or straight sword. Since the cost of a level progressively increases, there’s a natural push towards undertaking the more high-risk and high-reward escapades, which is usually conducive to leveling up quicker and/or finding items that are more powerful. On my first run, my squad stumbled into ruins that, unexpectedly, turned out to be crawling with Wormfaces, who immediately began spewing enough Death Blight to incapacitate me. Those particular ruins were ones we opted to avoid, for now. But now we knew where some higher level enemies could be found, should we need to stock up on runes. Even though most of the weapons are carryovers from Elden Ring, there is still the excitement of finding something better thanks to the randomization at play. In our build of the game, much of the world was static. In the full experience, however, there is a fair amount of randomization that From Software hopes will keep runs fresh. While the geography of the land remains the same from run to run, the placement of key locations and points of interest are randomized, as are the locations of items and enemies, including the bosses you may have to face. There are also in-game world events that can appear unexpectedly. Ishizaki-san has previously mentioned that a volcano could emerge somewhere on the map, or a meteor could strike Limveld. I’m imagining it as something like the shooting star that crashes into Limgrave after defeating Radhan in Elden Ring, but since I didn’t get to experience it firsthand, I’m not sure if the change to the world it results in will be quite as drastic. Although initially skeptical of how it would all play out, after a few runs of fumbling around and figuring things out, my squad and I settled into a groove. As soon as we landed, we’d hit up the nearest mob of enemies–usually low level–and grab enough runes to bolt to a nearby Site of Grace and level up. From there, it was a case of checking the map and figuring out what our best strategy was, based on the information we could glean. Churches were always a good option, since they have extra flask charges, but we’d often take quick detours into ruins–both over and underground–to grab equipment. We’d target areas where we thought mini-bosses were available to get loot more specifically catered to us, or spot the blackish mark on the map that signals an invasion point. These yielded much better drops, but only after defeating a few waves of the giant ants. In a rather smart design choice, From Software has made everything useful, regardless of whether it is actively in use. Almost every item has passive buffs that will take effect as long as you have it in one of your equipment slots. So, in my case, although I was using a Rogier’s Rapier and intended to stick with it, I’d still equip a greatsword or claws or even a staff because its buffs were useful. This meant that pretty much everywhere we went offered a high chance of finding something I could use, so there was a consistent drip feed of that satisfaction of discovering something new and shiny to use that is core to RPGs. The only real prerequisite you need to be mindful of is level requirements. Even if parts of the game change run-to-run, the topography of Limvel remains the same. The decision to keep the topography of Limveld the same, but randomize pretty much everything else, has me of two minds. On the one hand, it would have been really cool to have a Caelid map or a Mountaintop of the Giants map, but at the same time, I came to recognize how important it was to have a consistent and predictable landmass that the player can build confidence within. After a few runs, we no longer needed to spend time getting a lay of the land, and instead could focus on just plotting a path to quickly bring a strategy to fruition. That familiarity is what built confidence, both with the space we were playing within and the various systems and tools available for us to utilize. That is how we learned to play our characters well and, more importantly, develop synergy. As previously mentioned, I mained Duchess while my squadmates, Kinda Funny’s Andy Cortez and GameSpot’s Lucy James, played as Wylder and Guardian respectively. What initially began with us just surrounding and wailing on enemies eventually became well-timed activations of special abilities to deal big damage and smart uses of skills to support each other. In one encounter, Lucy used her Guardian’s Wings of Salvation, an ultimate that has the weird eagle man leap high into the air and then come crashing down with a divebomb that killed off a few enemies and made it easier for her and Andy to revive me… by attacking me. Yes, in Nightreign getting your compatriots back on their feet requires you to deal damage to their struggling body. It’s very strange but, surprisingly, adds a layer of extra strategy to battles. In the middle of a fight against the Centipede ******–the boss of day one–two of us had to work together to draw aggro away from the downed squadmember, then have one of us peel off to go and smack some life back into our ally. At one point, I opted to keep a halberd on me purely for revivals, since I could use the sweeping attack from a distance to speed things up and, in the event that someone is downed near a boss or in the middle of a mob, I could do damage to them while also bringing a friendly back. The Wylder’s Claw Shot ability functions like a grappling hook of sorts and can be used to pull enemies closer or away from others. In one instance, I used it to bring a downed ally closer to me for a safer attempt at issuing aid. Wylder’s ultimate, however, was far more destructive. Once it’s ready to go, Wylder executes a big, explosive attack that deals a lot of damage–fantastic against bosses that have ******* pools of health. However, when paired with Duchess, it becomes a game-changer. Duchess’s Restage, when activated, will repeat the damage of the last attack, which means combining it with Wylder’s ultimate would take chunks out of health bars. She also has the ability to make the party invisible for a brief ******* of time, which is a great way to set up multiple charged heavy attacks that can then be repeated. The Recluse was also available to play but, admittedly, I didn’t spend too much time with her, owing to the fact that she is much trickier to play without a good amount of experience, and was also very squishy, so one wrong move and it was over. She is a really interesting character, nevertheless. Effectively a mage of sorts, the Recluse relies heavily on FP since she primarily casts spells from a distance. FP is hard to come by–sometimes you can restore it using items in the environment, but more often than not the best tactic is to constantly move to Sites of Grace or stay near them. Her abilities involve siphoning magic from the environment, be that a player or an enemy, and storing three charges that are combined for a new attack. I wasn’t able to get a good handle of it, but at one point I extracted flame magic from an enemy that was on fire, poison from a teammates attack, and what I believe was just a generic non-elemental spell from another enemy, and combined it to unleash a powerful ********* spell. Nightreign has different playable characters. More immediately useful, however, was the Recluse’s ultimate, which paints a target with a sigil. For as long as that was in place, any time we attacked the enemy it would restore health, so she can serve the function of a healer too. Again, admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing as her and given the time pressure I opted to play the less-complex characters to get a better grasp of the game. I am very much looking forward to digging into the Recluse’s skillset when the game is out though. There’s plenty of other things going on in Elden Ring Nightreign: relics that carry over between runs and can be activated in Roundtable Hold for extra buffs; characters that are hanging around hinting at an underlying story; the world events that we’re yet to see; and, of course, enemies being pulled from the world of Dark Souls into Elden Ring, which we need an explanation for. It’s safe to say that the team is doing plenty to put its own spin on what initially may seem like a familiar template. What’s hard to convey without actually playing is how this familiar format has been adapted to not only incorporate the touchstones of From Software games, but also inspire the same soaring highs and crushing lows typical of the studio. With enough experience–and confidence–runs through Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Elden Ring can be optimized to the point where, depending on your objective, there are set paths to travel, key items to acquire, and specific weapons to develop. This is how speedrunners play those games, and Nightreign feels very much like a game at least partially inspired by and for that community. Although the few hours I played began with discomfort and frustration, by the time I was done I had experienced the satisfaction of exploration and character growth, but, more importantly, I learned from my mistakes and started to understand how the game is meant to be played, overcoming unlikely odds. In that respect, Nightreign looks to be very much a From Software game, and I’m more intrigued by it now than I was before getting some time with it. For more, check out our Elden Ring Nightreign interview. Nightreign releases on May 30. Source link #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #Explores #Exciting #Unexpected #Ground #Software Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

House Republicans unveil blueprint to extend $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and lift the debt ceiling House Republicans unveil blueprint to extend $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and lift the debt ceiling WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans released a budget plan Wednesday that sets the stage for advancing many of President Donald Trump’s top domestic priorities, providing for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit so that the U.S. can continue financing its bills. The budget plan also directs a variety of House committees to cut spending by at least $1.5 trillion while stating that the goal is to reduce spending by $2 trillion over 10 years. The blueprint represents a first step in a lengthy legislative process that would allow Republicans to pass some of their top priorities in a simple majority vote. The House Budget Committee is expected to hold votes on the plan on Thursday. House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted it would easily advance out of committee. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. “Then, we’ll work with everybody over the week to make sure they are on board,” Johnson said. Johnson has set an ambitious schedule for moving the resolution and subsequent legislation, but tensions remain within the Republican conference about the scope of the proposed tax and spending cuts. Some want more in tax cuts than what is in the blueprint while others want steeper spending cuts. “There’ll be a lot of negotiations back and forth,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of moving parts to this, but our objective is to fulfill all the president’s campaign promises and the full agenda, so we have time to do that.” Budget resolutions are often considered statements of priorities. But the 45-page plan is more than just a policy blueprint as it provides specific directions to House committees to rearrange the federal money flow. GOP leaders are eyeing cuts to social services, and particularly Medicaid, as they seek massive savings. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles health care spending, is asked to cut $880 billion over the decade, while the Education and Workforce committee is asked to reduce spending by $330 billion. The Agriculture committee is asked to save $230 billion, while the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is asked to find at least $10 billion in cuts through 2034. Even as some programs would be cut, money would be shifted to other Trump priorities, including a $100 billion boost in defense spending over the next decade through the Armed Services Committee and an additional $90 billion for the Homeland Security Department, which is carrying out Trump’s massive immigration deportation. House Democrats were harshly critical of the budget plan. Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democratic on the House Budget Committee, said that the tax cuts won’t pay for themselves through increased economic growth. “Instead, their plan blows up the deficit and sticks the middle class with the bill, whether through higher prices, deep cuts to essential programs, or both,” said the Philadelphia lawmaker. And Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., said it could eventually lead to many who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance coverage to see higher costs or lose coverage entirely. “To take away this lifesaving coverage is cruel in its own right. But to do it all to further line the pockets of their donors, of the wealthiest Republicans and corporations, is despicable,” Tonko said. Republicans say they don’t want to take benefits away from those who rely on Medicaid, but they are considering requiring more able-bodied Americans to work as a condition of their participation. “If you add work requirements to Medicaid, it makes sense to people. It’s common sense,” Johnson said. “Little things like that make a big difference not only in the budgeting process but in the morale of the people. You know, work is good for you. You find dignity in work. And the people who are not doing that, we’re going to try to get their attention.” As House Republicans press ahead, Senate Republicans are pursuing a narrower effort focused on boosting border security and defense spending. Republicans have been debating since last year whether to enact the bulk of Trump’s agenda in one or two pieces of legislation. The Senate is moving on a two-bill track, while the House is moving on a one-bill track. It’s unclear which side will win out in the end. The Senate Budget Committee began work on the narrower budget plan on Wednesday. It would allow $175 billion to be spent on border security, $150 billion for defense and $20 billion for the Coast Guard. Their budget would not include an extension of tax cuts, leaving that to be dealt with in a second bill later this year. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the committee’s chair, said in selling the blueprint to other lawmakers that a majority of American supports deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, but that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was running out of funding. He said more agents and detention space will be needed to allow for the deportation effort. “We need to move on this issue,” said the South Carolina Republican. Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the committee, said the GOP effort would in the end drive the nation deeper into debt through massive tax cuts that he said primarily benefit the wealthy. He said it’s a trend that has occurred repeatedly with Republicans in the White House. “We are seeing a replay of the charade one more time,” the Oregon senator said. “The trickle down never trickles down.” Source link #House #Republicans #unveil #blueprint #extend #trillion #tax #cuts #lift #debt #ceiling Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]