24 Games We're Stoked For In March, Great Switch Games On Sale For Mario Day, And More Of The Week's Top News
This week, we got some insight into what prompted Ubisoft to add a 'canon mode'—which strips out all narrative choices in favor of adhering to one set story path—to the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows. Also, we looked at 24 games coming out in this fairly packed month that we can't wait to try, shared the details on Nintendo's current Mario Day sale which has some pretty great Switch games available at a nice discount, and covered a big change that the upcoming Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is making to THPS 4, which has some fans concerned. Read on for all this and more.
Popular streamers Valkyrae, Emiru, and Cinna were stalked and attacked by a young man during a livestream as they walked around the Santa Monica Pier. Thankfully, nobody was hurt during the encounter. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
The PlayStation-owned studio Visual Arts was hit with fresh layoffs this week amid a further restructuring of Sony's U.S. game development operations. While some of the cuts included staff who had contributed to recently canceled projects like an upcoming live-service game at Bend Studio, a source told Kotaku the layoffs were more widespread than that. - Ethan Gach Read More
The day of Mario is nearly upon us. In celebration of the overall-wearing plumber and his ongoing gaming franchise domination, Nintendo has marked down a bunch of Switch games that are normally $60. It's also released a new Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch OLED bundle, in case you wanted to pick up the eight-year old console right before Nintendo starts selling the Switch 2. - Ethan Gach Read More
Twitch has temporarily banned Hasan Piker for a fifth time on Monday, shortly after the leftist streamer talked about how if Republicans really cared about Medicaid they would kill Florida Senator Rick Scott. 'Big shout out to the right wing free speech lovers who took time out of their day screaming about dei & immigrants, to cry abt this!' he posted on X after his stream was taken down. - Ethan Gach Read More
Peak release season for the first half of 2025 is officially upon us. The February flood picks up into a tidal wave in March with dozens of new games both big and small to check out, as well as tons more that will blow up or be discovered in the weeks ahead. Assassin's Creed Shadows is the big tentpole blockbuster this month, but there's plenty more I can't wait to check out on either side of the recently delayed open-world RPG's release. - Ethan Gach Read More
After a few delays and leaks, Ubisoft's next main entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed Shadows, is nearly here. And, in a series first, it comes with a mode that removes many choices, instead adhering to one 'canonical' narrative path. Now Ubisoft has explained why this option was added and also clarified that you'll still be free to kiss whoever you want even if you pick the Canon Mode. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 was officially announced earlier this week and while it looks to be a great remake of some popular PS2-era skateboarding games, one big change involving timed challenges in THPS4 might be a dealbreaker for some players. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
A 10 a.m. restock of Pokémon cards led to aggressive pushing and shouting between two men inside a store in front of a card-selling vending machine. The video has since gone viral on TikTok and social media. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
FragPunk is a first-person hero shooter where you use deckbuilding card mechanics to augment your characters' strengths and weaknesses. It's the next free-to-play game from NetEase, which also produced Marvel Rivals, and it's coming out this week, just not on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S where it was suddenly delayed just 24 hours before launch. - Ethan Gach Read More
I've been waiting a long time for a game like Avowed. In fact, you might have to go back to 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to find another first-person fantasy role-playing game that so utterly captivated me with its world. I've seen some people grouse that it's not as full-featured as the likes of Skyrim, but I actually like that about it! Developer Obsidian knew what it wanted to achieve with this game and focused its resources where they mattered most: on creating a world that's fun and rewarding to explore; on developing combat that's hard-hitting and offers all kinds of player agency; and on a narrative that has deeply developed themes, expressive choices, and the potential to experience significant consequences. I didn't realize just how significant until I failed to prevent a catastrophe in the game's second area, and you know what? I'm glad I made this huge mistake. Let me explain. (Spoilers concerning the second area of Avowed follow.) - Carolyn Petit Read More
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Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Cupps, Gary Dugger perform in tornado-affected community
Residents of Finley Trailer Park gathered last Wednesday evening for a musical performance aimed at bringing the community together after the May 16 tornado. A flatbed trailer was transformed into a stage for a special performance by The Cupps, a Christian-based band from Williamsburg, and local singer Gary Dugger. The gathering was partially organized by Monroe Murphy, a resident of the trailer park who wanted to do something in response to the devastation that struck the area. YouTube personality John Ward of La Follette, Tennessee, also played a role in making the event happen. Ward, known for his channel The Appalachian Channel with John Ward, helped facilitate the visit and documented the event for his audience. The event brought community members together to uplift one another as the area begins recovery efforts following the EF-4 tornado that left behind major structural damage in the park. Murphy was among those who had damages to his home. Recounting his experience, Murphy said that at about 11:45 p.m. May 16, he stepped out on his porch because he'd heard a sound on the roof, which he said ended up being hail. 'The wind started picking up so I immediately closed the door and by that time, I knew something bad was coming so I laid down in my kitchen floor,' Murphy recounted. 'Next thing I know, my trailer felt like it was up in the air, turned upside down, and slammed on the roof.' Murphy said he must have blacked out during the experience, saying it only spanned 30 to 45 seconds. He shared that while he did not acquire any broken bones, it did hurt his head and back. Murphy went on to spend the night in his brother's truck, awaking there at daylight. 'I went back to where I knew I got up from and there was a Bible laying there... It had embroidery on it and it was Psalms 93:11. It said, 'The Lord will give charge over his angels to protect you in all your ways,' and that was laying right beside where I was at,' said Murphy. Now, Murphy temporarily resides in a mobile home loaned by Still Water Baptist Church. Ward has driven from Tennessee four times to provide assistance where he can. 'When this happened, I had supplies in stock already as I was giving stuff to the homeless,' Ward stated. 'When I came here, this was the first place I found really that needed some stuff.' Ward said it's been 'inspiring' to see both community members and other outsiders band together to provide aid to those in need. 'I'm just thankful for all the people that's donated and come to volunteer here,' he said. As attendees enjoyed the show, they were also treated to free hotdogs, chips, and water from Bobby and Angela Nelson. Wednesday's event came to a close following the two performances.

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Cupps, Gary Dugger perform in tornado-affected community
Residents of Finley Trailer Park gathered last Wednesday evening for a musical performance aimed at bringing the community together after the May 16 tornado. A flatbed trailer was transformed into a stage for a special performance by The Cupps, a Christian-based band from Williamsburg, and local singer Gary Dugger. The gathering was partially organized by Monroe Murphy, a resident of the trailer park who wanted to do something in response to the devastation that struck the area. YouTube personality John Ward of La Follette, Tennessee, also played a role in making the event happen. Ward, known for his channel The Appalachian Channel with John Ward, helped facilitate the visit and documented the event for his audience. The event brought community members together to uplift one another as the area begins recovery efforts following the EF-4 tornado that left behind major structural damage in the park. Murphy was among those who had damages to his home. Recounting his experience, Murphy said that at about 11:45 p.m. May 16, he stepped out on his porch because he'd heard a sound on the roof, which he said ended up being hail. 'The wind started picking up so I immediately closed the door and by that time, I knew something bad was coming so I laid down in my kitchen floor,' Murphy recounted. 'Next thing I know, my trailer felt like it was up in the air, turned upside down, and slammed on the roof.' Murphy said he must have blacked out during the experience, saying it only spanned 30 to 45 seconds. He shared that while he did not acquire any broken bones, it did hurt his head and back. Murphy went on to spend the night in his brother's truck, awaking there at daylight. 'I went back to where I knew I got up from and there was a Bible laying there... It had embroidery on it and it was Psalms 93:11. It said, 'The Lord will give charge over his angels to protect you in all your ways,' and that was laying right beside where I was at,' said Murphy. Now, Murphy temporarily resides in a mobile home loaned by Still Water Baptist Church. Ward has driven from Tennessee four times to provide assistance where he can. 'When this happened, I had supplies in stock already as I was giving stuff to the homeless,' Ward stated. 'When I came here, this was the first place I found really that needed some stuff.' Ward said it's been 'inspiring' to see both community members and other outsiders band together to provide aid to those in need. 'I'm just thankful for all the people that's donated and come to volunteer here,' he said. As attendees enjoyed the show, they were also treated to free hotdogs, chips, and water from Bobby and Angela Nelson. Wednesday's event came to a close following the two performances.


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Google offers buyouts to more workers amid AI-driven tech upheaval and antitrust uncertainty
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