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Posted May 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM EDT 0 Comments

Posted May 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM EDT 0 Comments

The Verge2 days ago

Build-a-Gunpla.
This September, Bandai will open a Gundam museum in Japan, where you can not only watch staff members manufacture Gunpla kits inside its factory, but also create a plastic mini mech of your own, as spotted by IGN. You'll get to design the concept of your model, pick a color scheme, create plastic runners to house the individual parts, and even make the packaging. Time to buy a plane ticket to Japan!

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YAHOO POLL: Do you agree with US defence chief's comparison of Donald Trump and Lee Kuan Yew?
YAHOO POLL: Do you agree with US defence chief's comparison of Donald Trump and Lee Kuan Yew?

Yahoo

time36 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

YAHOO POLL: Do you agree with US defence chief's comparison of Donald Trump and Lee Kuan Yew?

In his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a leading security and defence forum focused on the Asia-Pacific, in Singapore on Saturday (31 May), US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth invoked comparisons between President Donald Trump's approach towards the Indo-Pacific and Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's well-known pragmatism, "shaped by a preference for engaging on the basis of commerce and sovereignty – not war". "These two historic men share a willingness to challenge old ways of doing things that no longer make sense. Under President Trump's leadership, we are applying this common sense approach here in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world," he said. Other polls: YAHOO POLL: Do you support harsher punishments for animal abusers? YAHOO POLL: When in the day is best to take a shower? YAHOO POLL: Have you used an automated bot before? Hegseth was underlining the US' new approach in dealing with the rest of the world, where "America does not have or seek permanent enemies". "The United States is not interested in the moralistic and preachy approach to foreign policy of the past. We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace and adopt policies or ideologies. We are not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues. We are not here to impose our will on you," he said. Still, Hegseth called on Asian countries to increase their defence spending to match levels that the US expects of European allies, saying that they bear the brunt of the 'threat' of China and North Korea in their backyards. Do you agree with Hegseth's comparison of US President Donald Trump and Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's "common sense" approach? Related China says Hegseth is touting a Cold War mentality in calling the country a threat Top defense officials say Ukraine war has blurred lines, exposing global threats Did China take a back seat by not having its defence minister attend this year's Shangri-La Dialogue?

Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview Part Two: Why There's No Poison Swamp and Future DLC
Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview Part Two: Why There's No Poison Swamp and Future DLC

CNET

timean hour ago

  • CNET

Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview Part Two: Why There's No Poison Swamp and Future DLC

Elden Ring and its DLC Shadow of the Erdtree have been phenomenal successes for FromSoftware, which enabled the studio to grow beyond its devoted but niche following to explode into the mainstream. Its spinoff, Elden Ring Nightreign, takes a different approach with a co-op multiplayer focus and repeatable run-based gameplay. Nightreign is a bold direction for the studio, which had found success with dark fantasy single-player adventures like Bloodborne and the Dark Souls series of games. Most of its hits were directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the Souls formula of tough third-person combat games. The new multiplayer game, Nightreign, builds on Elden Ring's success by remixing its elements into a new gameplay format of fast-paced action. Fitting this new direction, Nightreign is the directing debut of Junya Ishizaki, who had worked on many earlier FromSoftware titles and been the combat director on Elden Ring. Over video chat, CNET got to talk with Ishizaki about his thoughts on Nightreign and many other topics. In part one of our interview, we discussed how things changed over the course of the game's development, from dropping fall damage to collapsing multiple maps into the final one we see today. And, yes, how he solo'd every boss in the game. In part two below, we chat about Ishizaki's favorite Nightfarer class to play and least favorite boss, as well as DLC info and what FromSoftware learned that it'll carry into future games (like, potentially, the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods coming next year). Of course, we also had to ask the poison swamp question. Woods infested with scarlet rot are the closest you'll get to a poison swamp in Nightreign. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET David Lumb: I feel like I need to ask about the absence of another element that's been present in many other FromSoftware games: Where's Nightreign's poison swamp? Junya Ishizaki: I think the main reason is that this is not a Miyazaki title so that could be one explanation. Jokes aside, I think it's just a serendipitous factor of game development and what goes into the idea process and what comes out. So who knows what could happen in the future with Nightreign? DL: Considering Elden Ring, Bloodborne and two of the three Dark Souls titles are Miyazaki games, what makes Nightreign an Ishizaki game? JI: I think one of the aspects that not necessarily sets me apart from Miyazaki, but that I like to think of as my specialty, is that I like to prioritize the "game feel" more than a lot of things -- these detailed and fine-tuned things, like what happens when a player falls from a height and hits the ground? How is this supposed to feel? And how does this translate into good-feeling gameplay and into player comfort? So as you know, Nightreign doesn't feature any fall damage but there are ways the characters behave when they hit the floor from various heights and what you can do to counteract that. So these are areas that I like to look at -- the relationship between player and controls and how that translates to game feel. Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Elden Ring and other FromSoftware games, at CNET's 2024 interview alongside the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. David Lumb/CNET DL: This is a question I asked Miyazaki-san last year when the Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, came out: Of all the FromSoftware games you've worked on, which is your favorite child? JI: That's a tough question. I've worked on Dark Souls 1, 3, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, of course. I think I'd say the project I have the most memories with is the original Dark Souls. This is the first project I was involved in at FromSoftware and it was my first foray into serious game development, learning the game systems and architecture and every aspect of what goes into these games at this company and what we wanted to convey to the user through gameplay. Learning all of this was extremely valuable to me. Of course, I was new at the time so I was very earnest in helping to make it succeed. DL: During my runs in Nightreign, I ran into memorable Dark Souls bosses like the Gaping Dragon. How did you choose which of the Dark Souls series' many bosses to include? JI: From a gameplay perspective and our sense of, first of all, would they be a good fit for the world and structure of Nightreign. It's the same for the bosses that appear from Elden Ring's world as well. Whether they fit and use the base boss battle format of Elden Ring, we wanted to make sure that they adapt to Nightreign's framework and gameplay as well, and add to that in order to make the experience fresh. Gladius (shown above) and the other eight Nightlords were created for Nightreign. Other bosses, found in the field and appearing at the end of the first two days, are from Elden Ring and Dark Souls games. Bandai Namco DL: Speaking in terms of crossovers, it's great to see Dark Souls bosses in Nightreign, as well as some character costume skins that look straight out of Bloodborne. When are we going to see the Armored Core crossover? JI: We have a very high level of respect for the games that other directors and other creators in the company have created and we never wanted this to feel like a random grab bag kind of approach. We have very fond memories of each of these titles and there was very careful selection that went on in order to choose the right fits and what we felt could be interesting for Nightreign. We didn't want this to feel like too lighthearted of an effort -- we wanted it to feel like there was some love and care and respect put into it. As to the question of an Armored Core or mecha crossover … who knows? It's very difficult to say right now what the future could hold for the company. I think if someone was so inclined, they could approach a crossover of worlds in such a way. But right now, there's really no hint of that. DL: Now I need to know more about how you've played your own game. What's your favorite Nightfarer class? And what's your least favorite boss? JI: I'd have to say my favorite Nightfarer, from a character perspective, is probably the Guardian. I like to feel like I'm protecting the team and that I'm a strong anchor, very unyielding in my approach to any enemy that I've come up against. But he also has some cool aspects to him. He doesn't feel like a full-fledged tank, he feels a little more flexible than that. The Duchess is a powerful and fragile but nimble fighter who pours on damage in fights. Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET In terms of pure gameplay, I like the Duchess. She's really quick, fun to dodge with, uses teammates' attacks effectively and, I think, she's very intuitive for me to play. She's the kind of character I would choose in another game. I can really immerse myself in the gameplay without worrying too much about what's going on. As for my least favorite boss fight, obviously I love all boss fights equally [laughs]. The one I have most trouble with is Fulgore, sort of a centaur type character missing one arm. That one really requires me to keep on my toes and keep focused. That's a tricky one for me. DL: Interesting, he definitely wiped the floor with me when I went against him -- and I appreciated how tough he was without seeming unfair. Broadly speaking, have players responded to the game as you expected or surprised you? JI: The overall response to the network test and to the cycle of the game has been incredibly strong. I'm really glad to see all the feedback we've been getting and we have a lot of great points to learn from and to examine in terms of balancing the game's difficulty, bringing up the highs and tweaking the lows up until release. Personally, I love playing multiplayer games and being part of that community discussion, so seeing this take off with Nightreign, seeing what players thought was [overpowered] or what was meta or what's going to be the new meta when a new character is released -- this was really fun to see. This really made me glad to see these kinds of divisive opinions and discussion. I can't wait to see everyone play it at launch. DL: Great segue -- what is the future of Nightreign? Does that include more content beyond the announced DLC? JI: For future content, we have the already-announced DLC, which we're currently underway on developing. The content for that will be focused on mainly new playable characters and new boss encounters, so please look forward to that. And then of course, beyond that, we can't say definitely right now but we will be continuing to support the game with patches and updates according to what we see from player data and player tendencies. So sticking tight to the game and watching for balance changes that need to be made and generally supporting the game as we have done with our previous titles. Elden Ring Nightreign launched on May 30 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game.

South Korea faces high-stakes election; fears over China, North Korea and US ties shape voter concerns
South Korea faces high-stakes election; fears over China, North Korea and US ties shape voter concerns

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

South Korea faces high-stakes election; fears over China, North Korea and US ties shape voter concerns

Early South Korean voters reportedly turned out in record numbers this week as the nation awaits the June 3 presidential election in what has been described as a pivotal race amid ongoing threats posed by China and recent rocky relations with the U.S. due to President Donald Trump's tariffs. The leader of the progressive Democratic Party of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is reported to be leading the race as the frontrunner, but he has raised some eyebrows after he vowed to take a "pragmatic" approach to geopolitics, chiefly by easing previously hawkish positions on China and lessening dependence on the U.S. "The alliance with the U.S. is the foundation of South Korea's diplomacy," Lee said during a debate earlier this month, Bloomberg reported. Kim Jong Un Left Fuming After North Korea's New Destroyer Damaged In Failed Launch Lee said the U.S.-South Korea-Japan partnership should be expanded, but he also said Seoul can't be "unilaterally bound" to relations with Washington, particularly when it comes to U.S. geopolitical rivalries. "We should not neglect ties with China or Russia. We need to manage them appropriately, and there's no need to have an unnecessarily hostile approach like now," Lee also said during the debate, the South China Morning Post reported. Read On The Fox News App Former California GOP Congresswoman Michelle Steel, who was born in South Korea, explained that China's "bullying" behavior in the region leaves much for the global community to be concerned about. "China [poses] the biggest threat, and they already told the whole world that they're going to take over Taiwan," she told Fox News Digital. "When they take over, where are they going to go [to] next? South Korea or Japan? The Philippines? "China has been always fighting to expand." Foreign policy has taken center stage in the presidential race after conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol threw the nation into political chaos after his December 2024 impeachment. Yoon was ardently aligned with the U.S. when it came to opposing Chinese aggression in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, where Beijing has been accused of expanding, militarizing and blocking freedom of navigation in contested territorial zones. Lee's chief challenger, Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), a former labor minister under Yoon, pushed back on the democratic challenger's position when it comes to China and the U.S. But Lee has rejected the idea he is not prioritizing the U.S. alliance and reportedly said during this month's debate, "There's no need to worry. The South Korea-U.S. alliance is important and should continue to grow and strengthen." North Korea Launches Short-range Ballistic Missiles Into Sea, South Korea Says Though he did caution that certain steps taken by the Trump administration, including the 25% tariffs announced earlier this year and the potential withdrawal of troops has "eroded" the relationship. "If the U.S. continues this way — eroding its soft power and the trust of other nations — it won't be sustainable. At some point, brakes will be applied," Lee said. "Until then, endurance is key." Steel argued the "South Korean people understand the importance of a strong relationship with the United States." "Whatever the outcome of the election, South Korean leaders should embrace President Trump and look to make an incredible trade deal that will benefit everyone," she added. But Lee has not convinced all who are weary of his view on U.S. relations, including David Eunkoo Kim, founder and president of the Truth Forum, a conservative youth organization founded at Seoul National University. "This election is widely seen as a pivotal moment for South Korea because the stakes — both domestically and geopolitically — are extraordinarily high," Kim said. "Throughout his political career, (Lee) has consistently aligned himself with both pro-North Korean and pro-Chinese agendas. He has been implicated in sending funds to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, and his deference to China has been nothing short of submissive," Kim said. Kim was referring to Lee's indictment for an illegal cash transfer scheme to North Korea, though Lee denies the accusations and has argued they are politically motivated. During this month's debate, Lee's opponents claimed Lee is also a "North Korea risk" as concerns about Pyongyang's military movements continue to escalate, Radio Free Asia reported. Lee maintains he wants to ease tensions with North Korea by engaging in peaceful diplomacy. But David Eunkoo Kim told Fox News Digital Lee's legal troubles are another geopolitical vulnerability. "With multiple criminal investigations looming, he has every incentive to cling to power at all costs — even if that means aligning South Korea more closely with Beijing," he said. "And this concern is not theoretical. "China is already aggressively asserting influence in the region."Original article source: South Korea faces high-stakes election; fears over China, North Korea and US ties shape voter concerns

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