Pelican Press

NHS offers ‘improved’ stop-smoking pill varenicline NHS offers ‘improved’ stop-smoking pill varenicline The NHS will start offering an “improved” stop smoking pill to tens of thousands of people in England who want to quit cigarettes. Varenicline, a daily tablet given over a few months, is as effective as vapes and more effective than nicotine replacement gum or patches, NHS England says. The *****, which fights cravings, was available a few years ago on the NHS under the brand name Champix but was withdrawn due to some impurities. The new version has been approved as safe. E-cigarettes, meanwhile, will “sometimes” be offered, often as a starter kit of about two weeks’ worth of vapes by local NHS stop smoking services, officials said. Varenicline is a prescription only medicine, which means people cannot buy it over the counter at a pharmacy or supermarket and will instead need to see their GP or an NHS stop smoking service to get it. It works by reducing cravings for nicotine and blocking its effect on the brain, while also helping with withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling irritable or having difficulty sleeping. When used alongside behavioural support, such as counselling, it has been shown to help around one in four people to stop smoking for at least six months, said NHS England. That could help more than 85,000 people stop smoking each year, it said, and might prevent around 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years, according to research by University College London. Around one in eight adults – six million people in the *** – are smokers. There were more than 400,000 hospital admissions in England linked to smoking last year. Each year the NHS spends around £2.5bn on treating health issues caused by smoking – it is the leading cause of preventable illness and deaths. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The rollout of this pill can save the NHS millions of pounds, save appointments to help other patients be seen faster and save lives.” Since e-cigarettes are not licensed as medicines, GPs are unable to prescribe vapes to people trying to quit smoking unless there is a locally agreed NHS scheme to do so. Some local authorities do offer vapes to smokers who are looking to quit. Guidelines recommend people try a licensed stop smoking medicine first, though vapes are a recognised smoking cessation aid. Vaping is nowhere near as harmful as smoking cigarettes. However, it is not entirely risk free and health experts agree people should not start vaping other than to give up smoking. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said access to services was variable. She said: “Wherever a smoker lives, they should be able to access the most effective forms of treatment to help them stop. “Improving access to varenicline will be a positive step forward to help prevent the tens of thousands of deaths caused by smoking. However, a ***** alone will not transform smoking rates. Services are needed to support smokers and prescribe these products. “The NHS has done a good job in setting up in-hospital support to help people quit smoking, which complements the services provided in the community. “But gaps remain around the country, with services often in peril as local NHS organisations try to balance the books.” Prof Nick Hopkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said varenicline was the “most effective smoking cessation medication”. The fact it has not been available for the last few years has been a “real problem”, he said, adding: “We know that quitting smoking is the best thing anyone who smokes can do to improve their health and the health of people around them, especially children and young people. “People are most likely to quit successfully if they have a combination of counselling support and medication to relieve cravings and help break their tobacco dependence.” He said people could access help online at NHS Smokefree and should ask their healthcare provider about varenicline, “especially if they have not managed to quit successfully using other medications like nicotine patches or gum in the past”. Source link #NHS #offers #improved #stopsmoking #pill #varenicline Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix Battle Pass: How to get all rewards Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix Battle Pass: How to get all rewards Fortnite Battle Passes are always a hot seller among the player community, not just for the premium content it offers them, but also because it’s a great value for those who rarely purchase V-Bucks to buy Item Shop skins. Battle Passes are a great economic alternative to players looking for free skins in exchange for XP and also some free V-Bucks so they can buy the next one for the following season. The previous season’s pass was full of Marvel stuff, with iconic heroes and villains that fans could get. Now, in Chapter 2 Remix, Fortnite has brought back some classic characters, but with a twist. If you’re wondering about everything you can get this season from the pass, we’ve got you covered. Epic Games How to get the Remix pass In order to get the Chapter 2 Remix pass this Fortnite season, you’ll need to spend 950 V-Bucks as you would for every other pass. However, if you’re a crew subscriber, you’ll get the pass for free. You can progress along the pass by earning Battle Stars, where one level-up requires you to earn 80,000 XP. However, if you’re keen to unlock certain levels early, you can purchase 25 levels for a bonus price of 750 V-Bucks, after which each level up will cost you 150 V-Bucks. All Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix Battle Pass items Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix Battle Pass brings back OG characters from the 2019 and 2020 seasons and adds an exciting twist to it. You can unlock these items by spending Battle Stars, where one item is worth 5 Battle Stars, while others may vary across 2, 3, 6 or 9 Battle Stars. Since this season is only a month long, the max level is Level 50, after which you can unlock Bonus Rewards. You’ll need to redeem all your Battle Stars before December 1, 2024 which is when the Remix season ends. Epic Games Here are all the cosmetic items you can unlock by progressing along the Chapter 2 Remix Pass in Fortnite: Page 1 rewards Chaos Director loading screen Spiked Baton-Mace pickaxe Chaos Directive wrap 100 V-Bucks Rhythm of Chaos emote Ooze contrail Tri-ooze Tank back bling Chaos Director outfit Page 2 rewards Ghostly Director loading screen Ghostly Baton-Mace Bunny Bounce (Murda Beatz Remix) Jam Track and Lobby Music 100 V-Bucks Ghostly Tri-Ooze Tank Ghostly Chaotic Crawler Ghostly Director outfit Page 3 rewards 1-Ball loading screen Combat Cue pickaxe and back bling Radiant 1 wrap 100 V-Bucks The Break Shot emote Baller Faller contrail 1-Ball outfit Page 4 rewards Undercover Skye loading screen Guffy 6-String guitar instrument Snap-A-Zoomatic back bling Epic Blade of Floof pickaxe Tactical Guff wrap 100 V-Bucks Undercover Skye outfit Page 5 rewards Midnight Skye loading screen Midnight Snap-A-Zoomatic back bling Guff Puffs contrail 100 V-Bucks Midnight Blade of Floof pickaxe Skatemonster emote Midnight Skye outfit Page 6 rewards Meowdas loading screen The Gilded Filet pickaxe 100 V-Bucks Golden Grin wrap Golden Nemesis bass instrument Feline Dagger back bling Meowdas outfit Page 7 rewards Shadow Meowdas loading screen Purr-Demonium emote 100 V-Bucks Spies! (Murda Beatz Remix) Jam Track and Lobby Music Skelleshark glider 100 V-Bucks Shadow Meowdas Outfit Bonus rewards Chaotic Crawler glider 100 V-Bucks Limitless (Murda Beatz Remix) Jam Track and Lobby Music Heart of Chaos emoticon Chalked Up 1-Ball loading screen 100 V-Bucks The Rack-Up glider Shadowstruck Director outfit Dynamo TNTina rewards Dynamo TNTina loading screen Dyna-*****! wrap Back-Mounted ****** away back bling Banner Icon ***** Bouquet pickaxe Dynamo TNTina outfit Dynamo TNToon-A loading screen Love and Grenades emoticon Heart ***** contrail Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘****** To Reimagined’ Kicks Double-Barreled ***** Ballasts glider Dynamo TNToon-A outfit Those are all the rewards you can unlock by earning XP throughout Chapter 2 Remix. However, if you’re keen to know more about what’s been added this season, check out our piece about everything new. Source link #Fortnite #Chapter #Remix #Battle #Pass #rewards Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Judge who assaulted former partner to resign Judge who assaulted former partner to resign A Supreme Court judge who could receive a jail sentence for assaulting and emotionally abusing his then-partner will resign from the position. Tasmanian Justice Gregory Geason struck the woman at a Hobart home in October 2023 and pushed her, causing her to fall into a mantelpiece and suffer concussion and bruising, He was found guilty on October 16 of ******** and one count of emotional ****** or intimidation, which involved tracking her movements, being jealous, aggressive and calling her names. During sentencing submissions on Tuesday, Geason’s lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi told Hobart Magistrates Court his client would resign as a Supreme Court judge. “(Geason) considers he has lost the moral authority necessary for any judicial officer to sit in judgment over other human beings,” Mr Canglosi said. “The defendant has reached the conclusion he is not able to sit as a judge.” Tasmania’s parliament in December abandoned an attempt to suspend Geason, who has been on leave since November 2023, because of constitutional worries. No date was aired in court for the resignation of Geason, 63, who is expected to be sentenced on Thursday. Mr Cangelosi said there was an acceptance parliament would likely try to remove Geason following the guilty ruling and recent law reforms. Mr Cangelosi said Geason, who had given a written undertaking to not serve as a judge until the conclusion of ********* proceedings, had “lost everything”. “The destruction of his public image and professional life is total,” Mr Cangelosi said. The maximum penalties for common ******** were 12 months jail and a $4040 fine, while emotional ****** carried a maximum two-year jail term and $8080 fine, the court was told. Mr Cangelosi said Geason posed “practically” no risk of reoffending and the ******* were out of character. “He loved (her). There ******** clear evidence of his support for her during the relationship, in an emotional sense and a material sense,” he said. Director of public prosecutions Daryl Coates SC said Geason’s offending was a serious example of common ********. He said the ******** stemmed from jealousy, a ******* to control the woman and contained numerous applications of force resulting in extensive bruising and a concussion. Mr Coates said a jail term, suspended or not, should be considered. In a statement read to the court via video link, the woman said she was in hospital for months, couldn’t work for eight months and was no longer the same person. She said she had become a recluse, set up video cameras around her home and was constantly looking over her shoulder. “How could someone I loved and respected … do this to me?,” she said. Magistrate Susan Wakeling previously found the woman, who gave evidence at a week-plus hearing, to be a truthful witness. Ms Wakeling said Geason’s version of the ********, in which he said the woman fell, was “contrived and implausible”. Geason pleaded guilty in a NSW court on November 8 to breaching a family ********* order and is expected to be sentenced in December. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Source link #Judge #assaulted #partner #resign Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership The best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership Besides your equipment, Battle Plugs are the main part of your kit that you will need to manage in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. These new equippable items can give you a wide range of different bonuses to make even the toughest challenge more manageable. Between the Battle Plugs you earn naturally, ones you can buy, and others made by crafting, there are dozens of plugs and thousands of possible combinations to equip. Because you only have so many Power Taps to equip them in, you will need to make some tough choices about which ones you think are most useful. Let’s team up and go over some of the best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership that you should build around. The best Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership N When considering which Battle Plugs to use, it is important to remember that some can make combos. You won’t know which pairs will make combos until you try them, but we will also share any possible combos we know of here. Surprise Iron Ball One of the early Battle Plugs in the game is a great one to keep using for the first half of the game or so. When you nail an Excellent rating with any Jump or Hammer *******, a spikey iron ball will fall onto the ****** to deal bonus damage. This is especially effective against bosses. If you also equip the Kaboom ******* plug, then they will combo into Ka-Ball. This will deal bonus damage to your individual target like normal, but also deal splash damage to nearby targets. Dizzifying ******* Another offensive Battle Plug, Dizzifying ******* has two benefits. First, you get a flat 15% increase to Jump and Hammer attacks, but the real treat is that getting an Excellent rating has a chance to cause dizzy. This is a bit easier to use since you can always count on that 15% extra damage even if you don’t get the Excellent or the dizzy doesn’t trigger. Combo this plug (or any status effect plug) with Kaboom ******* to create Statusplosion. Doing so simply increases the odds that you will get that dizzy trigger. Auto Mushroom Spending a turn to heal can lead to a ****** spiral where you’re constantly healing instead of attacking until you eventually lose. Instead of wasting that turn healing, Auto Mushroom will automatically use a Mushroom (assuming you have one) whenever your HP gets too low. In the later stages of the game, the usefulness of this plug will fall off unless you combo it with Deluxe Auto to use whatever the best healing item you have when at low HP instead of just a Mushroom. Coiniplier Mario & Luigi: Brothership doesn’t require you to grind coins too much, but there are times when you may find yourself low on items or see some expensive gear you want to get your hands on. Coiniplier can be put on to reward you with coins for hitting enemies based on how much damage you deal. This is essential if you don’t want to spend hours going for those coin-related challenges. Charge Bank This is a passive Battle Plug that you should add in if you have an extra slot and a set of plugs you want to focus on. Whenever another plug drains some of its charge, this one will drain instead so you can keep using your more powerful ones. Notdroppin Bosses can be tough in Mario & Luigi: Brothership and if it comes down to the wire and you end up getting hit with one bad *******, it can sting. Notdroppin is a Battle Plug that, as long as you have more than 2 HP, will prevent your HP from going down to 0 in a single hit and keep you on 1 HP instead. That gives you one extra opportunity to heal up and swing the ****** back in your favor. Source link #Battle #Plugs #Mario #Luigi #Brothership Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man *****, 2 women injured in ****** in Markham Man *****, 2 women injured in ****** in Markham A man is ***** and two women are injured, one critically, after two vehicles collided in Markham on Monday night, York Regional Police say. Police said the collision happened on Highway 7, east of Reesor Road. Officers were called to the area just after 7:45 p.m. One vehicle was heading east while the other was heading west when they collided, police added. The man, in his 60s and the driver of one vehicle, was pronounced ***** at the scene. His passenger, a woman in her 60s, is in life-threatening condition. She was airlifted to a Toronto hospital. The driver of the other vehicle, a woman in her 40s, was taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Highway 7, east of Reesor Road, is closed in both directions as police investigate. Source link #Man #***** #women #injured #****** #Markham Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nintendo lawsuit against Palworld devs concerns Poke ****** Nintendo lawsuit against Palworld devs concerns Poke ****** GameFreak We finally know the patents at the center of a massive Nintendo lawsuit against Palworld maker Pocketpair, and they refer to patents specific to the Pokémon games. When Nintendo announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair over Palworld — aka “Pokémon with guns” — it did not reveal which patents were allegedly being infringed upon, and Pocketpair said it didn’t know either. However, there were some good educated guesses, like one that pertained to throwing a Poké Ball at a creature in a virtual world. Pocketpair confirmed in a statement on Friday that there are three patents at the center of the lawsuit. Two are tied to this idea of throwing a Poké Ball and how that works in a video game, and one concerns another mechanic. These patents were all filed in Japan, but correspond to similar patents filed in the U.S. over the past few years. To sum it all up, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are suing Pocketpair over its system whereby a player throws an object in a virtual game world in a certain direction at a “battle character.” There’s also a patent listed for the technical aspects behind transitioning from riding a board or other object to walking on the ground. This latter one can refer to the bikes in Pokémon games but, as it shows in the patent, it may pertain to riding a Pokémon. Here are summaries and links to the patents if you’re interested in the full details: Patent No. 7545191 Determining, in a first mode, an aiming direction in a virtual space based on a second operation input, and causing, in a second mode, a player character to ******, in the aiming direction, an item that affects a field character placed on a field in the virtual space based on a third operation input. Based on the second operation input, the aiming direction is determined, and based on the third operation input, the player character is caused to ****** the battle character in the aiming direction. Patent No. 7493117 A sighting direction within a virtual space is determined based on second operation input in a first mode, a player character is allowed to release an item affecting a field character disposed on a field within a virtual space toward the sighting direction on the basis of third operation input, a sighting direction is determined based on second operation input in a second mode, and the play character is allowed to release a fighting character who fights toward the sighting direction on the basis of the third operation input. Patent No. 7528390 In one example of a game program, a riding object for ground or an aerial riding object is selected by a selection operation, and a player character is made to ride on the selected riding object. In the case that the player character riding on the aerial riding object moves toward the ground, a change is automatically made to a state in which the player character rides on the riding object for ground so that the player character can move on the ground. Palworld – Launch Trailer | PS5 Games Pocketpair also revealed that the injunction calls for 10 million yen: 5 million paid out to Nintendo and 5 million paid out to The Pokémon Company. “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings,” Pocketpair said in a statement. Despite the lawsuit, Palworld and Pocketpair are still business as usual. Not only has Palworld hit PlayStation 5 (even in Japan, where the case has been filed), but Krafton announced a deal to bring Palworld to mobile. Source link #Nintendo #lawsuit #Palworld #devs #concerns #Poke #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Better to stay prudent than bask in the rally Better to stay prudent than bask in the rally Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Friday, November 8, 2024. Source: NYSE This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here. What you need to know today Record closing levelsU.S. markets traded higher Monday. The S&P 500 closed above 6,000 for the first time and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a fresh closing high above 44,000. The pan-********* Stoxx 600 index jumped 1.13%. The U.K. government sold more of its stake in NatWest. That “vote of confidence,” as an analyst put it, pushed up U.K. bank shares. Frenzy in crypto worldBitcoin broke another record Monday, rising 12.1% to $88,684.00, according to Coin Metrics. It’s so much in demand that the iShares Bitcoin Trust, a bitcoin ETF, has surpassed the iShares Gold Trust, in terms of assets managed. Separately, the estate of crypto exchange FTX sued Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, over a “fraudulent” share deal. ‘Most pro-stock market president’President-elect Donald Trump is the “most pro-stock market president” the U.S. has had in its history, Jeremy Siegel, finance professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told CNBC. Trump measures his success by the performance of the stock market, so it’s “unlikely he’s going to implement policies” that will be bad for it, Siegel said. Getting around Trump’s tariffsEuropean countries are scrambling to work out the best response to Trump’s pledge of a universal tariff of 10% to 20% on all U.S. imports. Countermeasures could include deeper integration into regional markets and introduction of tariffs, said analysts, adding that boosting ********* imports to secure an exception from tariffs could also be an option. [PRO] Overheating rally?After the U.S. presidential election, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average had their best week in around a year. Some think the rally is getting ahead of itself, writes CNBC Pro’s Fred Imbert. A Wall Street analyst pointed out that, according to history, one ostensibly bullish sign actually portends retreats in the near term. The bottom line The stock market is riding high on Trump’s election victory. The S&P 500 ticked up 0.1% to close at 6,001.35, the first time it’s ended the day above 6,000. Likewise, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, after adding 0.69%, closed at a record of 44,293.69, its first close above 44,000. While Tesla’s rally sees no signs of stopping — shares popped almost 9% yesterday — other tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft have seen shares slip. That caused the Nasdaq Composite to underperform the S&P and Dow. The tech-heavy index eked out a 0.06% gain. The postelection stock rally, however, is likely to stay strong for now. “The Republicans’ decisive win has ignited ‘animal spirits,’ despite already lofty expectations,” wrote Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Officer Lisa Shalett in a Monday note. But whether the good vibes are the healthy flood of endorphins after a run, or the alcoholic buzz that will lead to a hangover, is still an open question. Amid such uncertainty, investors “could well benefit from practicing patience and avoiding jumping to conclusions as to how the election outcome will affect the markets,” wrote John Stoltzfus, chief investment strategist at Oppenheimer Asset Management. “We favor broad diversification tuned more to cyclical and secular trends that remain in place for now,” he added. Likewise, Shalett advocates a “balanced stance” for investors, and cautions they avoid jumping to conclusions on whether the surge in stocks is signaling stronger economic growth. So, it ******** to be seen if the rally will fizzle out once the initial election euphoria wears off, or the market frenzy portends a longer-term phenomenon. It’s hard to go wrong following the age-old rules for investing in the stock market: Be in it for the long term, diversify and look at fundamentals like earnings and valuation. — CNBC’s Brian Evans and Alex Harring contributed to this report. Source link #stay #prudent #bask #rally Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Travellers Rest – Preview (PC) | GameHype Travellers Rest – Preview (PC) | GameHype In the heart of a pixelated fantasy realm, Travellers Rest invites you to step into the shoes of an innkeeper. Author: Damien O’Neill for Game Hype ***. Source link #Travellers #Rest #Preview #GameHype Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Echoes of Wisdom devs talk about how they made the new Nintendo game Echoes of Wisdom devs talk about how they made the new Nintendo game Nintendo Echoes of Wisdom is the first Nintendo-published game to star Princess Zelda Princess Zelda is one of Nintendo’s best-known characters, but she’d never starred in one of its games until this year. Despite lending her name to the Legend of Zelda series, she’d always played a supporting role behind regular hero Link. That all changed with Echoes of Wisdom, released a few weeks ago. BBC Newsbeat caught up with series producer Eiji Aonuma and the game’s directors, Tomomi Sano and Satoshi Terada, to find out about making the game and their reaction to its launch. A nervous revealNintendo Series producer Eiji Aonuma (centre), oversaw the work of game directors Tomomi Sano (left) and Satoshi Terada Echoes of Wisdom was a complete surprise when it was announced at the Nintendo Direct showcase in June. Fans were quick to realise the significance of a game starring the princess as the main character. But it also introduced a new play style for the series. Rather than being equipped with a sword and shield, as in previous Legend of Zelda games, the main character has the ability to copy items and enemies found during their quest. Known as echoes, these items can then be spawned or “pasted” into the world, allowing players to come up with solutions to obstacles and puzzles. You might stack beds and boxes to scale a wall, or unleash several enemies to ******* one of the game’s bosses. Series producer Aonuma acknowledges “a lot of the focus of the topic of conversation was going to be on Zelda being the main protagonist”. But, he says, a ******* concern for him was “whether or not the unique gameplay of the echoes was going to be conveyed properly and understood properly by the viewers”. It’s a feeling shared by directors Terada and Sano. “Whether or not the Zelda fans would accept these new elements was something I was watching over nervously,” says Terada, chief of third-party co-developer Grezzo. Sano says she was “relieved to see that it was being accepted positively, and was really watching closely over my smartphone to see people’s reactions the following day as well”. Getting used to a new ZeldaNintendo Echoes of Wisdom allows Zelda to memorise items and recreate them later in the game Since getting their hands on the new game, some players have reported taking a while to get to grips with the new system. Aonuma, who says he completed Echoes of Wisdom eight times during its development, admits that he had similar feelings on his first playthrough. “From the second time through I sort of realised that there’s various ways and methods of overcoming these puzzles and overcoming the challenges,” he says. Aonuma says experimenting with different methods helped him to change his experience. “And so I think that realisation that you can do various things and there are various ways to overcome and solve these puzzles is sort of a turning point of whether you become used to using the echoes in the new game system.” They do watch your videosNintendo The developers say they wanted to encourage players to experiment with solutions Recent Zelda games have given players much more room to be creative and test the limits of what they can do, with some sharing the results online. Last year’s Tears of the Kingdom, for example, allowed players to build strange contraptions and led to memorable creations such as a giant robotic Godzilla. Terada says that the team spent a lot of time testing Echoes of Wisdom’s various combinations, but even they were surprised once people got their hands on it. “Seeing how players are using it, I was really amazed at people’s imaginations,” he says. The developers admit they were impressed by one trick that’s been widely shared, of players combining a bed with a tornado to propel Zelda into the air. “That was one that we hadn’t thought of,” Terada admits. Sano adds: “Players were using the tornado and the bed to actually climb and go over mountains. “And this was something that I was amazed by, something that I probably wouldn’t be able to do.” Responding to criticisms Echoes of Wisdoms received positive reviews upon its release, with the majority of critics praising the game for the sense of freedom it gave players. But there were a few common criticisms. One of the main ones was about the game’s performance on the Switch console, which was released back in 2017. Many players said the game’s frame rate – which governs the smoothness of on-screen animations – was unstable. Sano confirmed that Echoes of Wisdom uses a variable frame rate, and that the developers felt this was the “best option” available. Players and reviewers also had complaints about the menu system used to select echoes during the game. By the end it’s possible to have gathered a total of 127, and the main method of selecting them involves scrolling sideways through a very long row of icons. It can be filtered using options including most used and newest, but many still felt that it could have been more streamlined. Terada tells Newsbeat the developers wanted to encourage players to experiment. “One of the essences of this game is being able to figure out different ways of using each of these echoes,” he says. “And so in that sense we wanted players to fall upon and see the echoes that they may not have noticed or have been using while they’re sorting through all the echoes that they have.” He also pointed out that there’s an alternative notebook method which enables players to access the echoes they’ve gathered more quickly. Keeping it old school Zelda celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, and Aonuma says Echoes of Wisdom shares some DNA with the original game in the series. Aonuma says that he thought it “might be close to impossible” to make a new entry adding new elements to the top-down style of earlier Zelda titles. But, he says: “I think through this game we were able to satisfy a lot of players. “And so this game made me realise that there’s still a lot of possibility for these top-down Zelda games as well.” The future of Nintendo is currently a topic of speculation among fans, with fans waiting for news on its successor to the Switch. Aonuma didn’t give anything away there, but did share something about his vision for the next instalments of Zelda. “And so we will also have those dynamic 3D Zeldas as well,” he says. “But in addition to that, we’re also hoping that we can continue with these 2D top-down Zeldas.” Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here. Source link #Echoes #Wisdom #devs #talk #Nintendo #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The best Faction to pick in Dragon Age: The Veilguard The best Faction to pick in Dragon Age: The Veilguard After taking way too long in character creation making your perfect Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you’re still left with some tough decisions. Choosing a class is one thing, but then there are six different Factions to decide on as well. Each Faction comes with its own perks, and your choice also alters certain dialogue moments and relationships, as it plays a part in how Rook came to be a part of Varric’s group. While your Faction choice may entirely depend on what you want to role-play as, the perks can affect your gameplay experience depending on your class as well. We’ll help you figure out the best Faction to pick for your Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard so you can finally leave that character creation menu and start the actual game. All Faction perks in Dragon Age: The Veilguard BioWare Each Faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard comes with three perks. The first always has you gain reputation with your chosen Faction faster, while the second has you deal better damage to a specific ****** type. The final perk is more specific to the Faction. On top of perks, the Faction also decides your surname and backstory. The character creation menu will briefly detail what each Faction is and what kind of character your Rook would be because of it. As a reminder, you cannot change your Faction after this, just like how your class is permanent. Grey Wardens Gain reputation with the Grey Wardens more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Darkspawn. Base Defense and Health are slightly increased. Veil Jumpers Gain reputation with the Veil Jumpers more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Fade-Touched. Deal slightly increased Critical and Weakpoint damage. Shadow Dragons Gain reputation with the Shadow Dragons more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Venatori. Your class-specific resource regenerates slightly faster. Lords of Fortune Gain reputation with the Lords of Fortune more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Mercenaries. Perform Takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort. The Mourn Watch Gain reputation with The Mourn Watch more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Undead and Demons. You can apply an additional Affliction stack on targets. Antivan Crows Gain reputation with the Antivan Crows more quickly. Deal increased damage vs. Antaam. Holds an extra potion. How to gain Faction Strength BioWare During your playthrough of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you will come across each Faction and be able to grow a relationship with them. You can easily gain Faction Strength by completing Faction quests and selling valuables to Faction merchants. Whether they’re main or side quests, if they’re tied to a specific Faction, you have the chance to gain Faction Strength with them. You’ll also slowly accumulate valuable items as you play the game, so save them up and sell them to your preferred Faction merchant to increase your relationship. You can find these Faction merchants in the Factions’ base locations, which you’ll discover throughout the main campaign. With an improved relationship with a Faction, they will start to tell your Rook better items at lower prices. Having a good Faction relationship can also affect the outcome of certain quests, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking about getting on a Faction’s bad side. What is the best Faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard? BioWare Overall, the best Faction you could choose in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is either the Grey Wardens, Antivan Crows, or Shadow Dragons. The reasoning behind these three being the best have to do with their perks. Being with The Grey Wardens buff your Health and Defence, improving your survivability. Being with the Antivan Crows allows you to have another potion on hand, and the Shadow Dragons allow your Rook to use abilities and spells faster. This doesn’t mean that the other three Factions aren’t good choices, but their unique Perks don’t matter as much. You’ll face a variety of foes during your time in The Veilguard, so the improved damage against certain enemies doesn’t matter too much in the long run. The better Faction can also depend on your class. If your Rook is a Warrior, The Grey Wardens makes you a tanky fighter. The Rogue class fits well with the Antivan Crows as you’re swift but squishy, so you’ll need that extra health potion. Shadow Dragons can help all classes, but especially Mages who rely on powerful spells during combat. Source link #Faction #pick #Dragon #Age #Veilguard Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Travel schedule could change after ODI series belting Travel schedule could change after ODI series belting Cricket Australia will consider tailoring the international summer to be more travel-friendly for players after a raft of Test stars rested for the historic ODI series loss against Pakistan. After winning the first match at the MCG, the 50-over team were then smashed in Adelaide and Perth as Pakistan won their first series in Australia since 2002. Captain Pat Cummins, as well as fellow Test stars Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, were all rested for the deciding match at Optus Stadium on Sunday to ready themselves for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy battle against India. Those players would have been more likely to have featured if the third match had been in Sydney or Brisbane, or even Melbourne. The first Test begins in Perth on November 22, so Australia’s high-performance staff decided two trips to Western Australia in a week would have been too much. India are booked to travel to Australia again next summer, for white-ball matches that don’t yet have dates or venues, but they will take place before the 2025-26 Ashes. “What this schedule has really shone a spotlight on is the travel schedule into such a big series is critical,” CA boss Nick Hockley said on Tuesday. “This is about thinking ahead and getting players through in the best possible condition. “As we look to the schedule for next year … we’ll make sure that the travel schedule is optimised so we can continue to put our best possible 11 on the field.” World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke blasted the selections during the series, claiming Australia “didn’t care about losing”. At the same time Australia were losing badly in Perth, Cummins was attending a Coldplay concert on Sunday night with wife Becky. “You can’t expect the fans to want to come and watch one-day cricket,” Clarke said on his Big Sports Breakfast radio show on Monday. “If you’re not going to care, we’re not going to care.” International white-ball matches outside of world cups has been in steady decline due to the sheer amount of cricket in the calendar. “I feel what’s really important is each of the series have context and meaning,” Hockley said. “Certainly a big advocate going forward for all series to make sure they count for qualification for world cups. “We’ve made our position very clear on that to the ICC. “This was a critical series in preparation for the Champions Trophy coming up, which is now three months away. “A really disappointing result, and I know that the squad’s very motivated to make amends during the T20 series. “We go out to win every game and every series.” Source link #Travel #schedule #change #ODI #series #belting Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sony commits to single-player games in wake of Concord ******** Sony commits to single-player games in wake of Concord ******** Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony is not giving up on single-player games despite investing a lot into live-service games over the past few years, with plans to release at least one “major” single-player game every year “from next fiscal year onwards.” The company released its Q2 2024 financial report on Friday, and there was a lot of good news for the video game division despite the high-profile ******** of live-service title Concord. Earlier this year. The hero shooter only wracked up a few hundred players on Steam at launch — only 697 concurrent users at peak, according to SteamDB. Sony Interactive Entertainment took the game offline two weeks after launch before eventually sunsetting it and shutting down developer Firewalk Studios. Sony has also been at the center of issues with Destiny 2 developer Bungie, which ***** off more workers this year and restructured to create a new studio inside PlayStation. However, single-player games have done well for Sony this year. While there haven’t been many first-party releases, the family platformer Astro **** was a big hit for the company. According to the financials, it’s sold over 1.5 million copies over the first nine weeks. It even managed to convert users, with 37% of Astro **** buyers not having bought a first-party game from Sony over the past two years. It’s also the highest-rated 2024 game on Metacritic at the time of this writing (tied with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree). “We intend to build an optimal title portfolio during the current midrange plan ******* that combines single-player games, which are our strength, and which have a higher predictability of becoming hits due to our proven IP, with live service games that pursue upside while taking on a certain amount of risk upon release,” the presentation transcript reads. So basically, Sony will continue to release big single-player games based on their established IP, like Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, ****** Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Marvel’s Wolverine. While the company hasn’t officially announced other games that would fit in this category, fans can be on the lookout for another Final Fantasy 7 Remake entry, another **** of War title, a game to cap off the Horizon trilogy, and more Marvel titles as reported in the Insomniac Games *****. It’ll also retool its live-service strategy a bit, with the company “improving our live service game processes” and sharing lessons it learned from Concord‘s development and shutdown. The company has also been riding sales of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. And while Helldivers 2 is a live-service shooter, it’s been a big hit for Sony on both PC and PlayStation 5. Source link #Sony #commits #singleplayer #games #wake #Concord #******** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state, sources say Trump expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state, sources say By Gram Slattery and Steve Holland WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) -Donald Trump is expected to tap U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the *********** president-elect takes office in January. Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, and he has in years past advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to America’s geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba. Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past U.S. presidents of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy. While the famously mercurial Trump could always change his mind at the last minute, he appeared to have settled on his pick as of Monday, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. Representatives for Trump and Rubio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The new administration will confront a world more volatile and dangerous than it was when Trump took office in 2017, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East and China aligning itself more closely with U.S. foes Russia and Iran. The Ukraine crisis will be high on Rubio’s agenda. Rubio, 53, has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade. He was also one of 15 *********** senators to vote against a $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, passed in April. While Rubio was far from the most isolationist option, his likely selection nonetheless underlines a broad shift in *********** foreign policy views under Trump. Once the party of hawks who advocated military intervention and a muscular foreign policy, most of Trump’s allies now preach restraint, particularly in Europe, where many Republicans complain U.S. allies are not paying their fair share on defense. “I’m not on Russia’s side — but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Rubio told NBC in September. Rubio’s selection holds domestic as well as international significance. Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election in part by winning over large numbers of Latinos, who had voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in previous election cycles but have become an increasingly diverse demographic in a political sense, with more and more Latinos voting ***********. By selecting Rubio for a key policy role, Trump may help consolidate electoral gains among Latinos and make clear that they have a place at the highest levels of his administration. Rubio was one of three final contenders for Trump’s vice-presidential pick. The president-elect ultimately chose U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a hard-right figure who is known for his isolationist foreign policy positions. CHINA, CUBA HAWK Some of Trump’s supporters will be skeptical of his decision to tap Rubio, who until recently held muscular foreign policy positions that contradict those of Trump. During Trump’s 2017-2021 term, for instance, Rubio co-sponsored legislation that would make it ******* for Trump to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, by requiring two thirds of the Senate to ratify withdrawal. Trump has railed for years against NATO member countries that ******* to meet agreed military spending targets and warned during the campaign that he would not only refuse to defend nations “delinquent” on funding but would also encourage Russia “to do whatever the ***** they want” to them. Rubio is a top China hawk in the Senate. Most notably, he called on the Treasury Department in 2019 to launch a national security review of popular ******** social media app TikTok’s acquisition of Musical.ly, prompting an investigation and troubled divestment order. As the top *********** on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he has also kept up the heat on the Biden administration, demanding it block all sales to Huawei earlier this year after the sanctioned ******** tech company released a new laptop powered by an Intel AI processor chip. Rubio, whose grandfather fled Cuba in 1962, is also an outspoken opponent of normalizing relations with the Cuban government, a position Trump shares. The head of the House subcommittee overseeing ****** ********* affairs, he is also a frequent and fierce critic of Nicolas Maduro’s government in Venezuela. (Reporting by Gram Slattery in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee, Howard Goller and Sonali Paul) Source link #Trump #expected #tap #Senator #Marco #Rubio #secretary #state #sources Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to unlock the secret ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard How to unlock the secret ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard EA There are many, many quests and diversions to distract you from the main quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. All of them are rewarding in their own way, whether it be story, gear, or a Trophy, but not all will help you get the game’s true ending. If you want the complete story, you will need some very specific tips on what to do and when or you will most likely miss out on in completely. Without spoiling anything, we’ll make sure you know exactly what to do to get the true ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. How to get the true ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard The true ending has two requirements you must meet before passing the point of no return. You know you are at this point when the next story mission is When Plans Align. Step 1: The first part of the process is completing the sidequest called Regrets of the Dread Wolf, which involves collecting six memories of Solas during his rebellion. Two are given to you during the main story, but the remaining four are missable. Step 2: All four are located in the Crossroads and are marked on your map so long as you have that quest active. Some of them cannot be accessed until you reach certain points in the main story, however, so you cannot complete this quest as soon as you reach this location. Three are locked behind gates that only open after you defeat their respective Champions in other regions of the world. The subquests tied to these Champions are Gate of Lost Ages, Gate of Faded Flories, and Gate of Deep Sorrows. Step 3: After you have found and viewed all of Solas’s memories, you will be directed to speak to a fragment of Mythral in the Crossroads. Make sure you use the following dialogue choices: I want your help We must stop the blight You stood against it We must stop the gods They wronged you We are worthy Building a safe place This will get you Mythal’s Light and avoid you having to ****** her. Step 4: You now need to find three Mysterious Circles around Thedas. The first is in Arlathan Forest at the Waterfront Glades and requires you to solve a puzzle by directing all the beams in the area at a crystal on an island to form a bridge. This is the location of the island: EA Step 5: A miniboss will be waiting for you there, so be prepared. Once you take it out, interact with the Mysterious Circle floating by the pillar to hear some dialogue. Step 6: The second circle is in the Necropolis Halls, but is only accessible after you’ve done Emmrich’s first companion quest called Restless Spirits and the sidequest Pinnacle of Its Kind. Step 7: The circle will be on the left side of the room where you fought the dragon called The Formless One. EA Step 8: The final circle is back in the Crossroads and is at the end of The Heart of *********** quest. Just follow the waypoints and defeat the bosses. Step 9: Once finished, return to the arena you fought the Revenant Dragon in and climb up the path to the left to grab the circle. EA Step 10: With all that done, simply finish the game or replay the ending to get one extra, secret scene after the credits. Source link #unlock #secret #Dragon #Age #Veilguard Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This CEO started a $100 million a year business out of her parents’ garage This CEO started a $100 million a year business out of her parents’ garage Jane Lu, founder and CEO of Showpo. Courtesy of Jane Lu. Growing up, Jane Lu dreamt of waking up every morning and putting on a power suit to go to work at a fancy corporate finance job in one of the tall city buildings. Today, the 38-year-old is the founder and CEO of online fashion retail company Showpo, which brings in over $100 million a year in revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Along with running a nine-figure business, Lu is also currently a judge on “Shark Tank Australia” and has built a following of almost 400,000 users across her social media platforms, but her path to success was far from easy. Humble beginnings Lu grew up as the only child in an immigrant household. She moved to Australia from China at age eight with her parents. When her family first landed in Australia, Lu didn’t know how to speak English, and her parents had to work odd jobs for several years as they tried to establish their lives in the new country. Jane Lu with her parents. Courtesy of Jane Lu. “You don’t realize you’re poor until… some **** makes you realize you’re poor,” she told CNBC Make It. “My mom… actually a cleaner for some of the [families of the] kids at my school.” “I was the only foreigner at school that didn’t speak English,” she said, adding when she first started at school, she couldn’t go to the bathroom because she didn’t know how to ask where it was located. Lu said the experience of feeling so different from her peers left her with a chip on her shoulder. 5 to 9 after the 9 to 5 Competitive and driven by nature, Lu has always been an overachiever. During her first year of university, she had already landed a role at KPMG, one of the “Big 4” accounting firms. She worked there for about two and a half years, then moved onto a corporate finance role at Ernst & Young — all while balancing her school work. In 2009, one of Lu’s friends approached her with a business idea: a pop-up store concept called “**** Boye Group.” “With a silent ‘e,'” she said. This business idea eventually became Lu’s side hustle. At that time, Lu was working in her corporate finance role during the day and on her business in the evenings. On weekends, she would run the brick and mortar pop up store. “The way the pop up worked was, it was set up and packed down on a daily basis. So, it was like so much manual work,” she said. She used her parent’s garage as a storage space for all of the business supplies, and would use any of her other free time handing out business cards with her partner, pitching their pop up concept to suppliers and running the store. Quitting her corporate job in secret As Lu realized that she loved running a business, she also began feeling very unhappy in her corporate role. “I just hated it. I found it so boring, so dry,” she said. “I used to always look at my corporate job as financial security, and the thing that was going to lift me and my parents out of ever having to worry about not being able to pay rent or mortgage…Then, all of a sudden, looking at it as like a prison sentence.” While the global financial crisis was in full swing, Lu’s day job became more demanding as her favorite managers were being made redundant. Lu finally quit her corporate job in June 2010. The final straw: having to spend a half a day removing a circular reference in an excel sheet that causing the document to ******. “I’m like, ‘Oh my ****, you have one life and now I’m three hours closer to ******, and what have I done? I’ve done something so meaningless as to remove this circular reference,'” she said. Jane Lu when she was working in accounting. Courtesy of Jane Lu. Lu decided to keep the decision a secret from her parents. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell my parents I had quit my job to sell clothes in a pop up store,” she said. So, for months, she would wake up early in the morning, put on a suit, have breakfast with her parents and commute into the city with her mom as if she was still working in her corporate finance role. After her mom went to work, Lu would sneak off to spend her entire day working on **** Boye Group. Hitting rock bottom Coincidentally, about one month after Lu quit her job and went all in on the company, her business partner returned from an overseas vacation, and decided that she was over the startup life. “She basically said: ‘Look, Jane, I don’t want to do this anymore… I don’t want to be poor anymore. I don’t like the startup life. I’ve been job hunting while I was away and I’m going back to work,” said Lu. At that point, Lu lacked the confidence to run the business by herself, so in July 2010, she shut down **** Boye Group. “If you cut to just a month ago, I had everything that me and my parents have been working towards: financial security, job security, and a great job at that,” she said. Then, she found herself in about $60,000 of debt due to money owed from her student loans, losing money in the business and more. “I was a ********… I was embarrassed, ashamed, and I also couldn’t get another job because it was the middle of the global financial crisis. So I was just so devastated,” said Lu. From $60,000 in debt to $100 million a year business Two months later, Lu was still unemployed and looking for work, so she reached out to the only friend she knew that owned a business in hopes of securing a job at his company. But instead of offering Lu a job, he offered to connect her with someone he knew in the online fashion retail industry. Lu met up with the girl, who she declined to name, and they hit it off immediately. “Then maybe the third time meeting her, after a few too many glasses of red wine, we came up with a name and the concept for the store, and then that night, I came home and I was still ******, and just built the website,” said Lu. The new business partners decided on the name “Show Pony,” which was eventually shortened to “Showpo.” That same weekend in September 2010, they did their first photoshoot, found suppliers, and within one week, made their first *****. Jane Lu in Showpo’s first office. Courtesy of Jane Lu. Lu was still in debt at the time, so they couldn’t afford to pay for a traditional supplier or traditional marketing and had to get creative. “We did traditional marketing for [the first business] and that just drained the business out of money, and that’s why Showpo, having no money, had to do social media,” said Lu, which she credits for contributing to the success of the company. In addition, “the fact that [**** Boye Group] was bricks and mortar, I saw that it wasn’t scalable, and that’s why Showpo was online first,” she said. “That’s the best ****** course in business — when you actually fail at something, because I think that’s when you really learn.” After about fifteen months, Lu’s business partner decided to leave as sales began declining. “By the time that she was leaving, the sales just got worse and worse,” said Lu. “She [was running] her own business the whole time [which] was doing a lot better and was growing, so she decided to tap out.” In December 2011, Lu bought out her business partner, and became the sole owner of Showpo. In the first month of running the business by herself, Lu was able to double the company’s sales to $9,000 a month, and two years later, Showpo hit a $1 million run rate. Revealing the secret Over the span of the first two years building Showpo, Lu kept it a secret that she had quit her corporate finance job. She was worried about disappointing or worrying her parents, but by 2012, the company was growing quickly and Lu finally decided to fess up. “I remember us having half a million dollars sitting in stock, and I was like: ‘Okay, worst case scenario, I can sell all of this and start another business,'” Lu said. “That was a pinch me moment… [seeing that] no matter what happens, I’ve shifted the trajectory of my career.” On Father’s Day, Lu brought her parents to a fine dining restaurant in Center Point Tower, one of the iconic buildings in Sydney, Australia, and broke the news. “So I told them, and [said] that I was going to buy them a new car, because they’ve only had secondhand cars at this point… and then [also] that I was going to pay off their mortgage,” said Lu. Jane Lu with her parents, husband and children. Courtesy of Jane Lu. “They were just in shock,” she said. They couldn’t believe that Lu had just been pretending to go to work at her corporate job, when really, she had quit that job years ago. “They’re like, that’s not possible. You were leaving home [to go to work]… like, it took a while to even convince them,” she said, but when the shock finally passed, they were very happy. Today, Lu is a mother of two, and her husband has joined to work on Showpo full-time. Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course. We’ll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life. Source link #CEO #started #million #year #business #parents #garage Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to enhance PS4 graphics on the PS5 Pro How to enhance PS4 graphics on the PS5 Pro Sony We’re all eager to replay all the best PlayStation 5 games on our upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro consoles, but that’s just one of the benefits of the console. Besides the list of current games with enhancements, plus upcoming PS5 games we’re sure will take advantage of the new hardware, thousands of the best PS4 games will also see graphical improvements on the Pro. There’s one important new setting you need to check on the PS5 Pro to make sure any eligible PS4 game looks its best. Here’s how to make sure all PS4 games are enhanced on your PS5 Pro. Sony How to turn on enhanced visuals for PS4 games on the PS5 Pro The PS5 Pro allows for thousands of PS4 games to benefit from enhanced visual quality. Turning the feature on is simple once you know where to look. Step 1: Go to your Settings menu on the PS5 Pro. Step 2: Scroll down to Screen and Video. Step 3: Choose Video Output. Step 4: Scroll down and make sure Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games is toggled on. The setting notes that this feature may cause some issues with certain PS4 games. If you notice any unusual behavior from your PS4 game with this on, you may need to toggle it off. Source link #enhance #PS4 #graphics #PS5 #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump picks Rep. Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser Trump picks Rep. Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 3 of the *********** National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024. Mike Segar | Reuters President-Elect Donald Trump has picked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security adviser, according to four sources familiar with the decision. Waltz is a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and *******. Since 2019, he has represented a congressional district in the House, where he’s a member of the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s NSA pick. Waltz’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Waltz is a particularly hawkish member in Congress when it comes to China. He’s a member of the House’s China Task Force and has argued that the U.S. is underprepared if there is a conflict in the region. Like many congressional Republicans, Waltz has also been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. In a Nov. 4 interview with NPR, he said the U.S. had “leverage” to get Russian President Vladimir ****** to the negotiating table to negotiate a “diplomatic resolution” to end the war. The role of White House national security adviser does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz joins New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as the second House *********** to be tapped by Trump for a post in his new administration. Trump selected Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the ******* Nations. Source link #Trump #picks #Rep #Mike #Waltz #serve #national #security #adviser Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Execs at Marvel Rivals developer NetEase arrested for *********** Execs at Marvel Rivals developer NetEase arrested for *********** NetEase Two top executives at NetEase Games, the makers of a number of huge free-to-play and mobile titles like Marvel Rivals and the upcoming Destiny: Rising, were arrested this week in connection with allegations of bribery and ***********. According to Bloomberg Law and ******** outlet Leifeng (and spotted by Game Developer), two executives and seven other employees were reportedly taken into custody following an internal NetEase investigation. NetEase isn’t confirming any specifics as the investigation is still ongoing, but Leifeng noted that it concerns employees purchasing traffic. Whatever the case may be, it involves a contract value that amounts to around 2 billion yuan (equal to approximately $278,506,000), and 27 other suppliers were involved. Yicai Global notes that the companies have been “blacklisted.” Xiang Lang, the former esports chief, and Jin Yuchen, the former head of marketing, have both been implicated and are no longer with the company. There are varying reports on whether the other employees have also been affected. For a long time, the China-based NetEase Games has partnered with various Western companies to make mobile and ******** versions of larger titles. It previously had a long-running relationship with Blizzard Entertainment in making Diablo Immortal, along with ******** versions of Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and other titles before the agreement expired in 2023 (although it that was renewed in April 2024). It’s also worked with Marvel Games, leading to the upcoming hero shooter Marvel Rivals, which will be out in December. It also recently started expanding into the U.S. on its own, opening a studio in Austin, Texas, called T-****** Zero Entertainment that employs Bethesda and BioWare veterans. Source link #Execs #Marvel #Rivals #developer #NetEase #arrested #*********** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has 50,000 troops in Kursk Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has 50,000 troops in Kursk Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his military’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is now holding down 50,000 Russian troops. In his daily address to the nation, Zelensky said the operation was reducing Moscow’s ability to ******* inside Ukraine itself. The president has long cited this as the goal of the offensive, despite scepticism from some Western allies. According to the Institute for the Study of War, a US non-profit, Russia had 11,000 troops in Kursk when Ukraine began its shock incursion in early August. However, a report in the New York Times suggests Moscow has achieved its troop build-up in Kursk without any need to pull its soldiers out of Ukraine. The paper says North Korean troops are also being deployed in Kursk as part of an imminent Russian counter-offensive. In his speech, Zelensky said he had been briefed by his Сommander-in-Сhief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyy, who announced earlier on Monday that he had carried out an inspection of Ukrainian units deployed in Kursk. “Our men are holding back… 50,000 of the occupier’s army personnel who, due to the Kursk operation, cannot be deployed to other Russian offensive directions on our territory,” the Ukrainian president said. Gen Syrskyy said separately that were it not for Ukraine’s forces inside Kursk, “tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian ******** units would have been storming” Ukrainian positions in Donetsk region, a key battleground since the conflict erupted a decade ago. Fighting rages on in Donetsk, where the two sides accused each other on Monday of damaging a dam near the Ukrainian-held town of Kurakhove. Russian troops have been slowly advancing in the region for months towards the key city of Pokrovsk – a major supply hub for Ukrainian forces. The New York Times, which quotes both US and Ukrainian unnamed officials, puts the number of Russian and North Korean troops being readied for the reported counter-offensive in Kursk at 50,000. “A new US assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine’s east – its main battlefield priority – allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously,” the paper says. Both Ukraine and the US say that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia. Moscow neither confirms nor denies that troops from North Korea, a close ally since ******* times, are in Kursk. In North Korea itself, it was announced that its leader, Kim Jong un, had signed a decree ratifying a mutual defence treaty with Russia, which was approved in June at a summit in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir ******. North Korea and Russia have grown increasingly close since Moscow found itself largely internationally isolated after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The US has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of sending vast amounts of military hardware to Russia, including ballistic missiles and launchers. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte recently suggested that Pyongyang was receiving military technology and other support from Moscow to help it evade international sanctions Elsewhere, amid much speculation over the impact of Donald Trump’s re-election victory last week, the Kremlin has denied media reports that he held a phone call with President Vladimir ******. The call, which was first reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, is said to have happened on Thursday. Trump is said to have warned the Russian president against escalating the war in Ukraine and mentioned America’s extensive military presence in Europe. Trump’s team told the BBC that it would not comment on the president-elect’s “private calls”. Source link #Volodymyr #Zelensky #Russia #troops #Kursk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership The best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership The Mario & Luigi series has always been a lighter take on RPGs, but still has all the core elements you expect from the genre. With Mario & Luigi: Brothership, you can count on the return of turn-based battles, puzzles, leveling up, and plenty of gear to find, buy, and equip to alter your stats. This isn’t the most challenging RPG on the market, but not upgrading or maximizing your gear can certainly make it far more challenging than it needs to be. You will need to manage both Mario and Luigi’s gear individually with dozens of ways to build their abilities. Before you invest in that expensive pair of gloves or shiny pair of boots, let us point you in the right direction on what the best gear is in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership Gear can be broken down into five categories: Boots, Hammers, Wear, Gloves, and Accessories. In total, each brother can equip up to five pieces of gear. Some gear can be found, while most needs to be purchased or crafted as you go through the game. We’ll run through the best one or two for each category for each of the brothers. Best gear for Mario Nintendo Starting at the bottom, the best Boots for Mario are the Gobblick Boots DX. These give you Jump +123 and Stache +5 but also give you 10% of damage dealt back as HP so you can keep on the ******* and not worry about healing as often. For a Hammer, go with the Bros. Hammer DX. It has a similar effect to the Boots except that each ****** you defeat will give you 4 BP back on top of the +96 to Hammer. The Wear category is simple: Masterpiece Wear is the best in the game. It has no bonus effect but gives you a massive +93 to defense. For Gloves, we like the Speed Gloves since they give your Speed x1.1 and have the effect of increasing your speed by 10%. As an accessory, put on the Quick-Charge Brooch. It gives +1 to Jump, Hammer, and Defense but also makes you Battle Plugs recharge twice as fast. Best gear for Luigi Nintendo For the taller Mario Bro., put him in the High-Heal Boots DX. In addition to the Jump +96, it also heals 10% of your max HP each time you defeat an ******. It isn’t quite as good as Mario’s, but can work well in tandum if Mario softens enemies up and Luigi gets the final *****. Hammer-wise, stick with raw damage and use the Masterpiece Hammer. It has the same +96 to Hammer as the Bros. Hammer DX, but with no special effect. If you don’t want to give Luigi the Masterpiece Wear, slap on the Bros. Wear DX. It provides +77 Defense and restores 2 BP when you take damage. For Gloves, the POW Gloves are a good choice that don’t have any trade-offs. You get Jump and Hammer x1.1 and 10% more POW. We chose the Maykit Bangle as the accessory since it increases the damage of your first ******* by 15%, but you can also use the HP Bangle for some small stat bonuses and the passive effect of healing 5% HP at the end of your turn. Source link #gear #Mario #Luigi #Brothership Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump expected to name Marco Rubio for secretary of state Trump expected to name Marco Rubio for secretary of state What Trump’s Cabinet picks signal so far What Trump’s Cabinet picks so far signal about his second term 10:06 President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state, though the pick is not a done deal, two sources familiar with the talks tell CBS News. The expected nomination represents a long road from the time Trump and the Florida senator were rivals in the 2016 *********** primaries, when Trump referred to Rubio as “Little Marco” and Rubio made insinuations about Trump’s manhood in a presidential debate. The two have since repaired the relationship, and Rubio campaigned with the former president this year. The New York Times first reported that Trump appears to be settled on Rubio for the post. A spokesperson for Rubio did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former President Donald Trump greets Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., during a campaign rally on Nov. 4, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. Evan Vucci / AP GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee has also been under consideration for secretary of state, a source with knowledge of the discussions previously told CBS News. Rubio, 53, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top *********** on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is a China hawk with extensive foreign policy experience. Republicans will control the Senate in January, giving Rubio a likely easy path to confirmation, buoyed by his *********** colleagues. In Florida, the governor appoints a temporary replacement for open U.S. Senate seats, meaning Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would have the ability to select Rubio’s successor if the nomination goes through. Trump has announced a slew of nominees and appointments since winning a second term last week, with more expected to come in the weeks ahead. Fin Gómez Fin Gómez is the political director for CBS News. Fin oversees the day-to-day political coverage for CBS News. He has covered five presidential political cycles and multiple presidential campaigns. He was formerly a member of the CBS White House unit. Source link #Trump #expected #Marco #Rubio #secretary #state Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Struggling DNA-testing site 23andMe to lay off 40% of its workers Struggling DNA-testing site 23andMe to lay off 40% of its workers The struggling genetic testing company 23andMe says it will cut 40% of its workforce, or 200 jobs, as it fights for survival. The once-popular DNA-testing site will also halt work on therapies it was developing. Last year, the company said hackers had managed to gain access to personal information of millions of its users. 23andMe’s share price has fallen by more than 70% this year, as its co-founder and chief executive Anne Wojcicki tries to turn the business around. The company said it expects to incur one-off costs of $12m (£9.3m), including severance pay, for the plan that will result in savings of $35m. “We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships,” Ms Wojcicki said. The company also said it is considering what to do with the therapies it had in development, including licensing or selling them. 23andMe is a giant of the growing ancestor-tracing industry. It offers genetic testing from DNA, with ancestry breakdown and personalised health insights. In December last year, 23andMe confirmed that hackers had accessed details of about 6.9 million of its users. In some cases this included family trees, birth years and geographic locations, the company said. But the stolen data did not include DNA records, it said. Its customers included famous names, from rapper Snoop Dogg to multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Source link #Struggling #DNAtesting #site #23andMe #lay #workers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Planet Coaster 2: tips and tricks for beginners Planet Coaster 2: tips and tricks for beginners Frontier Development is back with a sequel to the beloved Planet Coaster game, and this time, we have the chance to create water parks. Planet Coaster 2 has a slew of other improvements compared to its original release in 2016, but now, eight years later and with a PS5 Pro enhancement, there’s a chance for beginners to try out this theme-park manager. With any simulator game comes a wave of tutorials, options, and buttons to press that can get overwhelming. Even if you’ve played the original game before, knowing the best tips and tricks for Planet Coaster 2 will help you create a successful amusement park and learn more about the ins and outs of this sequel. Always start with tutorials Frontier Anyone who plays Planet Coaster 2 for the first time will probably want to hop right into Sandbox mode, even if they had experience with the first game before. No matter if you’re a beginner or veteran, play through the starting tutorials first. The tutorial section is essentially through Career mode, so as soon as you download Planet Coaster 2 and start it, at least finish the Prologue section in Career mode. This will teach you the essentials of both a basic theme park and the water park. You’ll also learn how the new utility mechanic works, as you’ll need to properly power your park. Don’t be afraid of blueprints Frontier Blueprints are a park builder’s best friend, so don’t ignore them. Blueprints give you pre-built roller coasters, buildings, and scenery right from the game’s catalog. Not only that but there’s an online Workshop that allows you to upload your own Blueprints and download creations from other players online. There are an array of Blueprints available from the get go, but when you start to run out, download some creations from the Workshop. Although you can jump right into creating every detail of your park from scratch without Blueprints, they make it easier to learn how to manage the park versus building it all yourself. Happy guests, happy park Frontier The key to a successful park is to keep your guests happy, and even with a starter park, you can easily make this happen. Guests have a myriad of needs that you must meet to keep them in your park and earn you more money. The easiest way to do this is by having enough food and drink stalls around your park to keep them full and quenched. On top of that, keep enough bathrooms around, as well as benches so their energy doesn’t decrease too much. If you have too many rides that induce nausea, they won’t be too happy about it, and safety is key, so always have a lifeguard on duty for every pool. Gift shops are also a nice touch to keep guests believing your park is luxurious. Add scenery to improve rides Frontier Building a simple roller coaster isn’t the only factor when it comes to having a good amusement park. You’ll want to have high Prestige, which you can make happen by creating an attraction that catches the attention of your guests. Do this by adding scenery and decorating the ride, as well as the queues leading up to the ride itself. If you’re unsure where to start, getting a Blueprint is not a bad idea, as they offer pre-decorated rides and attractions. Otherwise, experiment with anything under the scenery tab and make your rides stand out. Watch your EFN rating Frontier Speaking of Prestige, another great way to gain Prestige is by having a good EFN rating. This stands for Excitement, *****, and Nausea, which all get scored on a ride. You want high Excitement, a little bit of *****, but not too much Nausea. Having a balance of some rides that peak in ***** and Nausea is fine, but having too many roller coasters that cause your guests to ****** and run in ***** won’t do you any good. You also don’t want all your rides to be boring and low on Excitement, so test your rides and see how your guests like them, which can help guide your EFN rating. Account for weather changes Frontier A new mechanic with Planet Coaster 2 is dynamic weather. Some days it’ll be cloudy and rainy, but other times it’ll be scorching hot. If you’re not prepared to protect your guests from extreme weather conditions, they’ll leave your park unhappy. On sunny days, your guests will want to put on sunscreen and will look for shade, so make sure to place enough Guest Services booths so they can purchase sunscreen and umbrellas. Those same umbrellas are also good when it’s raining so guests can stay dry. Make extra money with Priority Passes Frontier One of the best ways you can make some extra money in Planet Coaster 2 is by selling Priority Passes. In Park Management, you can price your Priority Passes so guests can pay a bit of extra money to skip the long lines. This also means you’ll need some extra space for Priority Pass entrances and queues to rides. If you sell Priority Passes at a reasonable price, enough guests will start buying them for easier ride access, giving you more money in the process. There are many different ways to boost sales, but this is one of the easier methods. Source link #Planet #Coaster #tips #tricks #beginners Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Pressure mounts on Welby’ and Lineker to leave MOTD ‘Pressure mounts on Welby’ and Lineker to leave MOTD Many of the papers lead with the growing pressure on Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the ******* of England. The Daily Mail says the report found that Mr Welby’s ******** to act when details of the case were presented to him in 2013 meant John Smyth QC, who is believed to have abused more than 100 boys and young men, was never bought to justice. Mr Welby acknowledged last week that the review made clear he had “personally *******” to “energetically investigate”, and said he had considered resigning, but decided to stay in his role. The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, has become the most senior ******* leader to call for the archbishop’s resignation, the Metro reports. “Time to go Archbishop” is its headline. The paper says a petition started by three members of the *******’s governing body, the General Synod, calling for Mr Welby to step down has attracted more than 6,500 signatures. Speaking to the Times, one of the men abused by Smyth says the archbishop’s handling of the allegations was a “dereliction of duty” and that he has “no shadow of a doubt” Mr Welby should step down. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has “declined to offer his public support” to Mr Welby, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper quotes Sir Keir saying the archbishop’s future is a “matter really for the ******* rather than for me” and describes the situation as “unprecedented”. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP bringing a bill to legalise assisted dying in the ***, has pledged the new laws would contain the “strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world”, the Guardian reports. The paper says that, to be eligible, patients will have to be expected to **** within six months, have the mental capacity to make their own choice, and see their bid to end their life approved by a high court judge. It adds that critics are concerned about the potential for undue pressure on patients and the risk that the scope of the bill will widen under legal challenges. Water minister Emma Hardy has said water bills will have to rise in order to repair the country’s crumbling infrastructure and stop ******** sewage spills, the i reports. The paper says the government is also looking at conducting year-round sewage testing at wild swimming spots and expanding the number of spots at which testing is carried out. The Financial Times says that, following Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election, the ********* Union is planning to redirect potentially tens of billions of euros to defence and security. The paper says the change will involve loosening the rules governing how EU funds intended to reduce inequality between member states can be spent, and that in future the money could be used to boost arms manufacturing or reinforce roads and bridges to allow for the passage of tanks. Gary Lineker is to step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of the season and leave the BBC altogether after the 2026 World Cup, the Sun reports. A source tells the paper Lineker “wants to leave on a high” and that “if England were to win, it doesn’t get much higher”. And the Daily Mirror describes the move as a “shock” and says it will bring to an end a 25-year career as the host of the show. One insider tells the paper it comes after a deal “agreed by both sides” and that “everyone is happy”. Source link #Pressure #mounts #Welby #Lineker #leave #MOTD Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Unknown 9: Awakening review: a surprisingly intricate gaming gem Unknown 9: Awakening review: a surprisingly intricate gaming gem Unknown 9: Awakening MSRP $50.00 “Unknown 9: Awakening is a promising start for a new series once you learn to love its combat.” ***** Fun, intuitive combat Authentically-written South ****** hero Worthwhile collectibles After spending nearly 20 hours with Haroona, I truly wish I could spend more time with her. That’s a testament to Reflector Entertainment’s first video game endeavor, Unknown 9: Awakening. The action-adventure game intertwines engaging gameplay with unique player strategy through Haroona’s powers, stealth, and environmental objects that can be exploited to crush enemies. It brings me back to the era of early 2010s games like Tomb Raider (2013), Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and even Prince of Persia: Warrior Within — in all of the best ways. Unknown 9: Awakening – Cinematic Launch Trailer Despite some solvable technical issues, Reflector Entertainment has successfully crafted an intricate gem with Unknown 9: Awakening. Its experimental combat makes lots of room for player agency, and its hero, Haroona, is the South ****** AAA action-adventure lead I have wanted to see for decades. Her debut makes me crave the boundless globe-trotting adventures and secrets that await her in the future. Stepping up The story starts off with Haroona, Unknown 9’s heroine, stowed away in a vehicle driven by her mentor. Both are Quaestors and are able to push and pull objects and people, similar to how the Force works in the Star Wars franchise (though Haroona unlocks more abilities that set her apart from the Jedi very quickly). What begins as a simple revenge story of Haroona trying to ***** the head of the Ascendents, Vincent Lichter, quickly becomes an entire *********** theory. Haroona discovers clues around the world and finds secret societies trying to break the cycles of determinism and destruction of a malevolent evil that was sealed away long ago by a group called the Unknown 9. As a Quaestor, Haroona has a variety of combat skills, powers, and abilities usable throughout the course of her journey to aid in taking her revenge on Vincent. Haroona is a skilled fighter who can use light and heavy attacks close up, dodge ****** melee attacks, and reposition by hiding in tall grass to get the jump on enemies. Where she shines the most is her use of her Quaestor abilities, which can be used depending on her Am gauge. Am is life-force energy that will replenish gradually over time and allows Haroona to push and pull enemies, lob projectiles that lure foes, and shroud herself by turning invisible. Am can even be used to heal when fights become a bit chaotic; that happens fairly quickly and gives the adventure a steady stream of satisfying challenges. Bandai Namco Entertainment Unknown 9 does a fantastic job of introducing its core gameplay loops in a *****-sized manner early on. It was easy for me to get a feel for what Haroona can do and the choices I had to hone my play style: sneaking past enemies by using tall grass, destroying electric generators to zap enemies, or even breaking lamps that will leave ***** in its place to then push enemies to watch them ***** alive. The star of the show, though, is Stepping. As long as you have Stepping Tokens available, this skill allows Haroona to possess an ******. A time limit ticks down when moving into a new body, but time stops when possessing an ******. I can do whatever I want in that time window. There’s some strategic depth to that system. For instance, I can take control of an ******, walk toward another ******, ***** my ****, possess another ******, and use my melee shockwave on the first body I possessed. After my Stepping Tokens are used up, the whole thing plays out, and I sit back and watch as my foes ******* one another. In those moments, I appreciate how intricate the core combat feels and how easily it becomes second nature. Even when I ***** during a long combat encounter and had to start it all over again, that just meant I had a new opportunity to experiment with my powers. There is no one way to “win” these combat encounters; the decision-making and scheming are up to you. Hidden upgrades and puzzles Throughout Unknown 9, you will find Anomalies, which are collectible pocket spheres used to upgrade skills. You have three skill trees available: Umbric Abilities, Stealth, and Combat. Through these paths, you can upgrade your core abilities to replenish Am through Stepping, become invisible for longer, deflect bullets, and more. Anomalies are the only way to unlock or upgrade these skill trees, which I find refreshing compared to your average action-RPG level-up approach. I could naturally hunt for them on hidden pathways while I searched for other collectibles like documents, blueprints, and dossiers that built out the world further. I always felt free to experiment since I didn’t have to worry about perfecting a ****** to get skill points. Bandai Namco Entertainment As for other fine details, each ****** has a Faze gauge. When maxed out, this allows Haroona to deal a rapid burst *******, dealing massive damage and leaving her invulnerable for a few seconds. Faze attacks feel weighty, especially when I use them on multiple enemies around me and then move toward each to inflict a burst *******. This especially comes in handy with the few boss battles the game throws out, since burst attacks are the ideal way to dish out damage. There are a lot of terms the game throws at you in immediate succession, but the handy Journal written from Haroona’s point of view explains everything in excruciating detail. I appreciate that the UI is not cluttered with objectives or constant text like other action-adventure games, too. This helped me better take in the scenery, like large canyons, bustling street markets, or rushing waterfalls. At certain points, Haroona can enter the Fold, a spiritual plane with prints of history and glances at alternate histories. There, Haroona has an out-of-body experience and solves environmental puzzles by redirecting light sources and channeling Am through different tablet sources to open doors. These visually awe-inspiring segments reminded me of Tomb Raider’s puzzles, but they come with some technical woes — Unknown 9’s Achilles’ heel overall. Bugs like one where I’d channel my Am correctly with no result can lead to frustrating moments that had me resetting to clear up problems. Bandai Namco Entertainment Another technical issue I had was when a friendly NPC got stuck crawling inside a wall. Again, loading the last checkpoint fixed this easily and actually pushed me farther with the NPC appearing right next to me, so I had no qualms. When Stepping into enemies, sometimes their model does not shift properly to correspond with their line of sight, but when you do use the ******* where you want, the ****** will use it correctly. This one is more of a visual bug that had zero bearing on the combat at all, but the large puzzle room and the NPC getting stuck on time crawling inside a wall set me back a bit even though the fixes were ********* easily on my end. Players will have to ***** into the Fold for extended periods, and those segments make for some of the best spiritual, dimension-shifting, time-dissociative experiences you’ll find in a game this year. These could have been brief puzzle sections in any other game, but they’re grand escapades here that had me questioning what was happening, what would happen, and what could happen. Haroona and friends What really draws me to Unknown 9 is its characters. Early on, Haroona crosses paths with a secret society that she must work with to get her revenge. The Morning Star, an airship hub area, allows me to speak to each of these society members about their goals, their lifestyles, and where they are from. Each of these characters comes from a completely different life. I found myself eager to speak to each and every one of them anytime I returned to The Morning Star. I sincerely wanted to know more about Buchra’s extensive knowledge of books, Luther’s sharpshooting cowboy ********* antics, or Fortunato’s passion for music. Bandai Namco Entertainment These moments leave a real impression on Haroona. I can sense her tone shifting depending on who she speaks to, which is a realistic touch that gives her character depth. That cultural attention to detail is on display throughout the adventure. Hearing background characters speak Bengali (that I could understand as I know Hindi) made me feel represented in a way few AAA titles have. And it accomplishes that while adding more realism to this bustling world. As for Haroona herself, I love her character. Plain and simple. She feels like a hero I would have seen beside Lara Croft and Nathan Drake if this game had been released around the 2010s. Actress Anya Chalotra, known as Yennefer from Netflix’s The Witcher, is extraordinary in the role. There is a lot of depth in Haroona and her portrayal; you can feel a lot boiling inside Haroona. It’s not just her revenge for Reika that defines her. You can feel her change when she discovers a place or a group of people she belongs with. When Reika is taken away from her, Haroona very much pushes people away and only lets those near her that can aid her to hunt down Reika’s *******. Moments where she called out colonialism endeared me to her. She is affectionate and true to herself as best she can be. The titular Awakening is not just about her powers; it’s about opening her heart to new people to let them inside. Gaming enthusiasts tend to talk a lot about how they want all-new games rather than playing the same tired franchises. Even with some technical hiccups holding it back in a few places, Unknown 9: Awakening delivers a fresh new world filled with memorable characters and an inventive combat system that pushed me to experiment with my powers. It may have gotten lost in 2024’s busy holiday season, but I hope more players return to it once the flood of new games slows. It’s the kind of hidden gem that deserves to be discovered. Unknown 9: Awakening was tested on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher. Source link #Unknown #Awakening #review #surprisingly #intricate #gaming #gem Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]