Tag Archives: Arts & Entertainment

MMORPG Blue Protocol shuts down before most people got a chance to play it

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When Blue Protocol was announced, many people speculated it would be a “Genshin killer” in reference to miHoYo’s popular title Genshin Impact. But now, nearly a decade after it began development and just over a year since its release in Japan, Blue Protocol has reached an ignominious end. The planned worldwide release is being scrapped, and even the Japanese version is shuttering. Players there can enjoy the game until January 18, 2025.

Blue Protocol was slated to be published in the Western world in collaboration with Amazon Games. Bandai Namco, in announcing the decision, said "we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you.”

For those of us looking for a Genshin alternative, it's back to that and Honkai: Star Rail and Wuthering Waves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/mmorpg-blue-protocol-shuts-down-before-most-people-got-a-chance-to-play-it-152545183.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Why aren’t you playing Balatro yet?

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As a regular reader of TMA, you might have picked up on regular references to the addictive card-game-that-isn’t-a-card-game, Balatro. If you want to get technical, it’s a single-player poker-themed rogue-like deck builder game where you build and modify your decks with powerful joker cards to overcome scores that increase in each round. (I am aware of how boring that makes it sound, but trust me: It’s amazing)

If you’re not playing it yet, get on it. The makers have announced a collaboration with a handful of games, introducing new themed decks based on The Witcher, Vampire Survivors (another addictive game recently added to Apple Arcade), Dave the Diver and Among Us.

These themed decks are seemingly the only twist. There are no super-powered new jokers, but a new challenge is welcome. Now, where’s that mobile version? According to the creator of Black Mirror, it could end humanity.

— Mat Smith

The biggest announcements from Nintendo Direct

The best daily online games and puzzles

Date Everything! will let you romance objects on October 24

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French authorities have arrested Telegram boss Pavel Durov on charges that include money laundering and distributing child pornography. The charges reportedly come from a judicial investigation opened in July against an unnamed individual. The arrest has sparked debate around how much responsibility platform owners have for content on their platforms. Telegram denies the charges, while Elon Musk (ugh) has called for Durov’s release. French President Emmanuel Macron defended the arrest, stating France is committed to upholding the law.

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The XPS 13 is a capable and stylish Copilot+ PC, but it’s still slower than the Intel model, at times. On top of that, it doesn’t run some games and apps. Sadly, battery life is also surprisingly average. With an NPU capable of 45TOPS, the laptop is better equipped for future AI features.

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HMD’s Barbie Phone finally has pricing and release info. The Mattel-sanctioned hot pink flip-phone launches in October — only 15 months after Greta Gerwig’s movie hit theaters! — for $129. Better late than never? Or just… never?

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-why-arent-you-playing-balatro-yet-111600293.html?src=rss

This Walmart Labor Day deal discounts the Ninja Creami by $50

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Labor Day is nearly upon us, so the deals are rolling in. Case in point? The Walmart Labor Day sale includes the Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $150, which is a discount of $50. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the innovative gadget, but it’s close.

This isn’t your ordinary ice cream maker, as we mentioned in our Ninja Creami review. The design is based on high-end machines found in restaurants. Until recently, the technology was under a strict patent. Once that patent expired, Ninja scooped up the tech and, well, here we are.

So what makes it different? The Creami doesn’t churn in the traditional sense. You make a liquid base, freeze it for 24 hours and then the machine uses a drill-like mechanism to blend everything together. The end result is something that resembles soft serve ice cream, with options for sorbets and other frozen desserts.

It comes with two pint-sized containers for storage, so you’ll always have some ice cream on hand to scream about. The form factor is also on the smaller side when compared to rival ice cream makers, due to the lack of a traditional churning mechanism. It’s fairly tall, but not that wide.

The ice cream this machine makes is extremely delicious, though there are a couple of downsides. It’s loud during use, but no more than a blender. The noise also lasts just a few minutes. The machine creates a softer product when compared to rival ice cream makers, so you had better eat it or get it back in the freezer as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be staring down some thick milky liquid.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-walmart-labor-day-deal-discounts-the-ninja-creami-by-50-184648150.html?src=rss

Pizza Tower has surprise dropped for Nintendo Switch

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The beloved platformer Pizza Tower is finally playable on Nintendo Switch, as revealed at the company’s Indie World event. As a matter of fact, it’s one of those surprise drops, so the game’s available right now.

It’s about time the title is on a Nintendo console as, well, it feels like a Nintendo game. Pizza Tower is a frantic 2D sidescroller that cribs a whole lot from the Wario Land franchise and, to a lesser extent, Mario and Sonic games.

You play as a balding chef named, and this is real, Peppino Spaghetti. The game tasks you with scaling the titular tower to fight a sentient pizza that is kind of like the Bowser of Italian food. The game was largely designed by someone named McPig and the soundtrack was created by a high school student. It’s an indie game miracle!

However, forget all of that. Gameplay is where Pizza Tower shines. The movement feels perfect so the platforming is, simply put, S-tier. It’s been polished to a Nintendo-like sheen, which is quite a feat for a high schooler and someone who goes by the moniker McPig. There are tons of fully-realized abilities and a dedication to speed pulled straight from Sonic. Also, Peppino can’t die, allowing for insane platforming experiments.

In other words, this is one heck of a game and now it’s on a Nintendo console. That’s gotta be quite a thrill for the development team.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pizza-tower-has-surprise-dropped-for-nintendo-switch-152859625.html?src=rss

Neva will break your heart on October 15

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We called Neva a "grand achievement in emotional game design" in our June preview, and the latest trailer makes that clearer than ever. And now, thanks to the latest Nintendo Direct stream, we know it'll arrive on October 15th on the Switch, alongside the PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S. Developed by Nomada Studio, the creators of the acclaimed Gris, Neva looks like it'll deliver plenty of action alongside potential heartbreak.

"Neva chronicles the story of Alba, a young woman bound to a curious wolf cub following a traumatic encounter with dark forces," the trailer's description reads. "Together they embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around them."

"I’m convinced that every preview of Neva (including this one) will mention how quickly and easily the game will make players cry, and I want to take a moment to recognize the magnitude of this achievement," Engadget's Jessica Conditt wrote in her hands-on preview. "The bond that Nomada Studio have built between Neva and Alba is incredibly powerful, and this type of emotional connection doesn’t just happen when you put an animal and a human in the same scene."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/neva-will-break-your-heart-on-october-15-143555144.html?src=rss

Date Everything! will let you romance objects in your home on October 24

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Date Everything! has a perfect title. It's a dating sim in which you'll be able to date humanoid manifestations of many objects throughout your home. You won't have to wait too long to check it out, as it's coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 24.

This project from developer Sassy Chap Games and publisher Team17 features more than 100 voice-acted dateable characters, from a vacuum cleaner to a shelf and even your own sense of existential dread. That's deep, man. According to the trailer description, each dateable object has its own story to tell and could become a lover, friend or enemy.

Date Everything! seems to draw inspiration from the excellent Boyfriend Dungeon, a dating sim/dungeon crawler mashup in which you can date your weapons to level them up. In any case, it looks like a wild time. This one's well and truly on my wishlist.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/date-everything-will-let-you-romance-objects-in-your-home-on-october-24-142727451.html?src=rss

Get 50 percent off your first year of Masterclass for Labor Day

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If you're especially nerdy like me, then you miss every September marking the start of a big learning period. Well, instead of searching random facts on the internet (you do that, definitely not me..) why not check out the half-off sale running on MasterClass subscriptions ahead of Labor Day? Right now all of the annual plans are discounted to between $60 and $120. 

MasterClass offers video lessons from over 200 experts on topics including cooking, sports and music — to name a few. The Standard subscription is down to $60 from $120 and offers viewing on one device at a time with no offline option. Then there's the Plus tier, which has dropped to $90 annually from $180, giving you access on two devices and the ability to watch videos offline. The most expensive option is the Premium Tier, which you can grab for $120, rather than its usual $240, and allows for six devices and offline mode.

Not for you? Consider giving it as a gift to someone who loves learning — we featured MasterClass in our roundup of the best presents for teachers. Just remember that the sale only applies to the first 12 months of your subscription, so make sure to set a far-off reminder if you don't want to get charged double in a year.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-50-percent-off-your-first-year-of-masterclass-for-labor-day-142131332.html?src=rss

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer introduces Keanu Reeves’ broody Shadow

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The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was surprisingly great (certainly more so than the outright terrible Borderlands or the all too safe Super Mario Bros.), thanks to a genuinely funny script and Jim Carrey going wild as Dr. Robotnik. After introducing Idris Elba's Knuckles in the second film (andhis own Paramount+ TV series), now we're getting Sonic's broody counterpart Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. 

Voiced by Keanu Reeves, who sounds like an angstier John Wick in the trailer, Shadow is introduced as an alien who has lived through tragedy and is out for some unspecified revenge. (His real problem though, as fans of the Fast and Furious franchise will tell you, is his lack of #family.)

Judging from the trailer, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 clearly feels like the third entry in a franchise. Sonic and Knuckles are now frenemies who've banded together, alongside Tails, to form the Sonic Team. But when confronted with Shadow's anger and nihilism, they have no choice but to team up with Robotnik to take him down. Personally, I'm just hoping Shadow at some point says, "I'm going to need a gun."

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters December 20th.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Paramount

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sonic-the-hedgehog-3-trailer-introduces-keanu-reeves-broody-shadow-134106308.html?src=rss

Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli ordered to surrender copies of one-off Wu-Tang Clan album

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Convicted felon and ex-pharmacy profiteer Martin Shkreli has been ordered to surrender all his copies of a one-off Wu-Tang Clan album he used to own, ArtNet reported. The preliminary injunction, issued by federal judge Pamela Chen, was made on behalf of an NFT collective called PleasrDAO, the current owner of the record. 

As part of the ruling, the court ordered Shkreli to turn over all copies to his attorney within a week, along with an affidavit confirming he'd done so (under penalty of perjury). He must provide an inventory of all copies of the album, a list of anyone who may have received it and any money made from distribution.

The judgement could prove a challenge for Shkreli. In a May 2024 podcast, he reportedly said he copied the album and "sent it to like, 50 different chicks," while also boasting that "thousands of people have listened to it," according to PleasrDAO's original complaint.

Shkreli — who became infamous for buying and jacking up the price of life-saving AIDS medication Daraprim — purchased the only copy of the Wu-Tang album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin back in 2015 for a reported $2 million at auction. Following his securities fraud conviction, the album was seized along with other assets to satisfy a forfeiture judgement. The government then sold the album in 2021 to PleasrDAO for $4.75 million. 

However, that group sued Shkreli in June 2024, accusing him of streaming the music as part of a "Wu-Tang Official Listening Party" on social media. To promote that, he reportedly boasted in a now-deleted video that he made copies "hidden in safes around the world." In June, Judge Chen issued restraining order requiring Shkreli to stop distributing the album and to appear in court to explain why he should be allowed to keep his copies. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/pharma-bro-martin-shkreli-ordered-to-surrender-copies-of-one-off-wu-tang-clan-album-120013576.html?src=rss

Netflix drops a gory new trailer for Terminator Zero, an anime from the studio behind Ghost in the Shell

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The new Terminator anime heading to Netflix looks absolutely brutal in a trailer that dropped this weekend. Terminator Zero is set in 2022 and 1997 (the year of Judgment Day, as described in Terminator 2) and focuses on new characters: Eiko and the scientist Malcom Lee, who are being hunted by a Terminator. The series is produced by Skydance and Production I.G., the Japanese animation studio behind Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass. 

Fittingly, it drops on August 29, in a nod to the date of the fictional nuclear annihilation event. You can check out the new trailer below — but just a heads up for anyone who isn’t into anime gore, this clip is packed with it.

Netflix also released a six-minute look at the show’s tense opening on its companion site, Tudum, earlier this week. It begins in a nightmare version of 2022 before traveling back in time. Per the site:

Eiko later arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee (André Holland) who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he’s hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future, which forever alters the fate of his three children.

The show was first revealed to be in production late last year, when Netflix dropped a teaser under the working title of Terminator: The Anime Series. The first season will have eight episodes. And, dare I say it, it looks pretty good.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-drops-a-gory-new-trailer-for-terminator-zero-an-anime-from-the-studio-behind-ghost-in-the-shell-195026137.html?src=rss