Month: November 2023

Nintendo's great success in 'Super Mario Bros Wonder' is… eliminating the time limit on each level

The -probably- last great Switch title comes to dismantle everything we believed about Mario based on colors, talking flowers, incredible aesthetic decisions and, once again, innovative gameplay. And also, without a time limit. And this is not a coincidence, but a declaration of intentions.

‘Super Mario Bros Wonder’ is everything a Nintendo fan would expect from a new 2D game in the series… and everything to the contrary at the same time. By removing the constraints of its “New” releases, which ultimately ended up feeling more like a punishment than a blessing, the -probably- last great title for the Switch comes to dismantle everything we believed about Mario through the use of vibrant colors, talking flowers, incredible aesthetic choices, and once again, innovative gameplay. And, without a time limit. And this is not a coincidence but a statement of intent.

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A marvel of brothers

A lot has been said about the craziness that Nintendo has prepared throughout ‘Super Mario Bros Wonder,’ from a musical to turning you into a Goomba or causing a stampede that even takes down the classic end-level flagpole, but not about what makes all of this fun and not just a gimmick to use while rushing to finish the level: the removal of the time limit.

The music that used to rush you to stop checking every corner of the kingdom and telling you that you’d better run is over because now the game no longer wants you to go from one place to another but to explore, have fun, go back and forth without worrying about how many seconds you have left before reaching the next Wonder Seed. There’s nothing more Nintendo at its core than that. Well, except for removing videos of kids playing on YouTube, but that’s another story.

You might think that a decision like this is trivial. That they’ve even removed one of the keys to Mario games. However, it’s proof that Nintendo carefully considers every detail of each game instead of going with the flow and churning out levels. If the animations of each sprite in ‘Super Mario Bros Wonder’ don’t fully convince you of the change in direction by the Japanese company, this will.

This is definitely a Mario game, but while you play it, it feels completely different. It’s like eating your favorite dish prepared by the world’s best chef. It tastes like the usual, but it’s absolutely original, masterful, and magical. Something as simple as removing the time limit is a statement of intent. The best one possible. It’s like someone smiling and saying, “I’m going to give you what you didn’t know you wanted.” And in a time of clone games, something like this is appreciated.

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We already know what Deadpool 3 will be about, and it promises to be a surprising movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Deadpool 3 is one of the most anticipated movies in Marvel Studios’ near future. The integration of the antihero into the universe of Iron Man, Captain America, and company has been eagerly awaited for a long time, and it seems it’s going to be a grand entrance: with Wolverine joining the character in a great epic adventure.

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But how exactly will Deadpool be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, director Shawn Levy has given us some hints: “I am very cautious about revealing anything because I have learned the hard way that even with a few titles – like any Marvel movie – anything you say can lead not only to rumors, but to misinformation. I will only say this: He is very much a part of the MCU, what a privilege, what a wealth of resources and knowledge.”

Deadpool (and Wolverine) vs Kang

Despite Levy’s somewhat empty words, the plot of Deadpool 2 has leaked online, and even though the filmmaker insists they are just rumors, they seem quite accurate considering the developments in the Marvel multiverse, as seen in series like Loki.

Apparently, Deadpool will be visited by the TVA to help him eliminate various versions of Kang, as this organization would already know him from his previous movie, where he had a multiversal encounter with Cable. At that moment, Deadpool would accept the mission but see it as an opportunity, believing it’s the perfect chance to recruit Wolverine to his side. He holds great admiration for Wolverine and wants to embark on this journey with him.

Although Wolverine wouldn’t be very agreeable at first, he would end up joining Deadpool on this grand mission against the Kangs. And, well, obviously, this would have quite significant repercussions that would lead us straight to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. But that’s a matter for the future.

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With this flaw in the security of our smartphones, we are more than traceable anywhere in the world

A new report published by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto suggests that, due to the technology used by our smartphones, we are traceable by hackers, regardless of where we are in the world. Specifically, this study blames the data roaming technology used by our mobile phones for this.

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To be even more precise, the authors of this study argue that the underlying technology of mobile data roaming has so many vulnerabilities that it’s impossible for some hackers, even other types of malicious actors, not to consider exploiting them to determine our location at any given moment and thus track us. It’s worth mentioning that these flaws can be exploited by both independent hackers or those belonging to an organized group, as well as certain security services and the like.

Our location and data are barely safe

“Foreign intelligence and security services, as well as private intelligence companies, often attempt to obtain information about location, just like national state actors, such as law enforcement,” as stated in the mentioned report, which you can read in detail in the link above. “In particular, the methods available to law enforcement and intelligence services are similar to those used by illegal actors and allow them to obtain geolocation information of individuals with a high degree of secrecy.”

Going into details, this recent study aimed to indicate that the vulnerability they had highlighted came from IP Exchange (IPX), which is a network that helps telecommunications companies exchange data about their customers. It appears that more than 750 mobile networks use it in around 200 countries worldwide, so the amount of data is not small, to say the least. They also point out that companies can sell, and even resell, access to IPX without any issues, which implies that the number of users is even larger.

Obviously, as you can imagine, all of this goes completely unnoticed by the end users. In fact, the study is not limited to theory, and they have been able to gather several examples of how the mentioned network has been abused in various parts of the world. However, the researchers have not wanted to point very specifically to direct culprits, as no specific company or country is mentioned.

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To be more precise, this study blames the entire telecommunications industry for it, as it seems that they do not have very appropriate security standards to prevent these flaws. Legislators are also criticized for not imposing significant legal or regulatory consequences on those who exploit these security vulnerabilities in our mobile devices, which make us more vulnerable to those who do not hesitate to take advantage of them.

‘Ticket to Ride’ reinvents itself to be the same game as always, but played like never before!

We have moved on to another phase: that of games where we expect the unexpected. And here comes a board that you have surely played before: ‘Ticket to Ride’

If by this point you’re still anchored to ‘Monopoly‘ and ‘Risk’ as your go-to games, perhaps it’s time to visit a board game store and discover that Saturday afternoons can be much more enjoyable than buying, yet again, the street María de Molina. We’ve moved from classic games to other boards like ‘Settlers of Catan’ or collectibles like ‘Dominion,’ entering a new phase: games where you can expect the unexpected. And that’s where a board game you’ve probably played at some point comes in: ‘Ticket to Ride.’

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You are very cute cute cute

‘Ticket to Ride’ was born in 2004, almost two decades ago, and has become, by itself or thanks to its expansions, one of the games that cannot be missing in any board game collection. The objective is to create a train route connecting the cities on your route, preferably annoying your opponents along the way. For years, the gameplay system has remained almost unchanged throughout different editions and maps, from Europe to New York or London.

But now, everything has been turned upside down with the arrival of ‘Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West,’ a board game that finally takes the formula and reinvents it to create a legacy game. In other words, it includes a game board, cards, and rules that change from game to game, forming a story with a beginning and an end that players will have to uncover, surprise after surprise. In the style of ‘Pandemic Legacy,’ perhaps the most well-known game of this kind.

“And this includes sticking things on the board, making decisions, permanently altering the way you play, and, in the end, putting the game on the shelf never to be touched again. Sadly, legacy games offer an experience that cannot be repeated afterward or passed on to a friend: once you’ve started, the same group must reach the end, as if it were a video game.

For twenty years, ‘Ticket to Ride’ has been an example of a game almost frozen in time, always in continuous motion with new maps but fundamentally dedicated exclusively to the fans. Will it manage to kick down the door with enough force to fully enter the world of modern gaming? For now, it has the hype. And in this gaming world, often, that’s all it takes.”

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The NASA showcases images of a gigantic, ghostly cosmic hand

Thanks to X-rays, NASA has been able to see the “bones” of a huge space hand that is 16,000 light years from our planet.

Can you imagine being able to see the “bones” of a ghostly hand in space? Although it may seem completely outlandish, that’s exactly what two of NASA‘s X-ray telescopes have achieved by combining their images to reveal the “bony” magnetic field of a surprising hand-shaped space structure.

The images taken by both telescopes show the behavior of a collapsed, dead star that continues to live in the form of a “pulsar wind nebula“: jets of energized matter and antimatter particles combined with an intense wind.

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In 2001, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the pulsar PSR B1509-58 for the first time and revealed that its pulsar wind nebula (named MSH 15-52) resembles a human hand. The pulsar is located at the base of the “palm” of the nebula, situated 16,000 light-years away from Earth.

Now, NASA’s new X-ray telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), has observed MSH 15-52 for about 17 days, the longest time it has looked at any object since its launch in December 2021.

“The IXPE data gives us the first map of the magnetic field in the ‘hand’,” said Roger Romani of Stanford University in California, who led the study. “The charged particles producing the X-rays travel along the magnetic field, determining the basic shape of the nebula, much like bones do in a person’s hand.”

The IXPE provides information about the orientation of the electric field of X-rays, determined by the magnetic field of the X-ray source, a process known as “X-ray polarization.”

In large regions of MSH 15-52, the amount of polarization is remarkably high, reaching the maximum level expected by theoretical studies. To achieve this strength, the magnetic field must be very straight and uniform, indicating low turbulence in those regions of the pulsar wind nebula.

A particularly interesting feature of MSH 15-52 is a bright jet of X-rays directed from the pulsar to the “wrist” at the bottom of the image. The new IXPE data reveal that the polarization at the start of the jet is low, likely because this is a turbulent region with complex and “tangled” magnetic fields associated with the generation of high-energy particles.

X-rays are a well-known diagnostic medical tool for humans. Although in this case, they have been used for other purposes, as you have seen, they also reveal information that is hidden from plain sight for us.

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These are the best Halloween series and movies to watch for free on Apple TV+

From classics for the whole family to comedies, mysteries and thrillers, here are 5 of the best movies and series you can watch…

We don’t always talk about Apple TV+, or rather, we don’t talk about the service as much as it deserves. Apple TV+ is very underrated outside of the United States; it is one of the streaming services that is definitely worth it at the moment.

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Finally, Halloween has arrived, and we are eager to watch our favorite autumn movies. Netflix and HBO Max might seem like obvious streaming platforms for Halloween content, but Apple TV+ has a bunch of spooky movies and series you can watch this season.

From family-friendly classics to comedies, mysteries, and thrillers, here are 5 of the best movies and series you can watch on Apple TV+ right now, perfect for Halloween.

What to watch on Apple TV+ this Halloween season?

Wolfwalkers

“Wolfwalkers” is an animated adventure and fantasy film that premiered on Apple TV+ late last year and received very positive reviews. Although it is not categorized as a Halloween movie, its characters, themes, and supernatural magical elements make it perfect for the season, and it is one of the best Halloween movies on Apple TV+.

“Wolfwalkers” follows a young hunter named Robyn, whose father sends her on a mission to Ireland to kill the last known pack of evil wolves. However, Robyn unexpectedly meets and saves another girl named Mebh, who is native to the land, and the two quickly become friends.

Robyn’s journey with Mebh teaches her the true nature of wolves, and Robyn faces a difficult choice that goes against everything she believed to be true.

Home Before Dark

This mystery drama series was a hit when it premiered on Apple TV+, and now, with two seasons available for streaming, “Home Before Dark” is a perfect choice for your Halloween watchlist. The story follows a young girl who moves to a town where her father once lived.

But as she learns more about the lake community and its residents, she uncovers an unsolved case that many people in the town, including her father, tried to make disappear.

Mythic Quest

“Mythic Quest” is a workplace comedy about the creators and developers of a popular multiplayer video game set in a medieval fantasy world.

We see the daily struggles and comedic moments among the staff as they work to keep their video game at the number one spot among players, but there is one particular episode on Apple TV+ with an extra layer of fantasy that is perfect for the season.

In the 11th episode of the first season, a standalone episode titled “Everlight,” the characters celebrate a special annual party with a live-action role-playing game and a fun but intense jousting tournament.

Ghostwriter

“Ghostwriter” is a family mystery series on Apple TV+ with a supernatural premise. A high school student named Ruben struggles to fit in when he moves to an apartment above his grandfather’s bookstore.

It is there that Ruben and his classmates encounter a supernatural being they call the ghostwriter. In each episode, the ghostwriter writes them messages and even sends them spirits of fictional book characters whose stories relate to the struggles the high school students face.

Servant

“Servant,” the most terrifying series on this list, is a psychological thriller by M. Night Shyamalan. In the series, a couple is grieving a loss, and the tragedy creates a “rift” in their marriage that allows a supernatural force to enter their home.

We follow the couple as they hire a nanny to take care of their baby, but the audience quickly discovers that there is a mysterious darkness at play. Currently, there are two seasons available on Apple TV+, and a third season is likely to be added next year.

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What’s coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day 1 this November

November is a good month for video games and this year is no different, nor is it for Game Pass, which is already very busy in its first fortnight.

Although October has not ended yet, we already have to think about November. After all, there are mere hours left until that happens. And that also means that Microsoft has already let us know which games will arrive on Game Pass during the first half of next month. Some very interesting new releases, a couple of surprises, in addition to some games that are arriving today. So, without further ado, let’s go through everything that Microsoft’s service brings us, starting with three games available right now.

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Headbangers: Rhythm Royale (Consoles, PC and Cloud — October 31)

Defined as a Rhythm Royale, it is a game of small rhythmic competitions where we compete against 29 other people to see who emerges victorious from the succession of mini-games we encounter. Like a sort of Fall Guys, but with rhythm-based mini-games and adorable pigeon characters.

Jusant (Consoles, PC and Cloud — October 31)

Probably one of the games of the month is this Jusant. Developed by Don’t Nod, it puts us at the foot of a desolate tower filled with artifacts from past civilizations. With a very satisfying climbing mechanic and beautiful art direction, the game could end up being a small hit.

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Wartales (Consoles, PC and Cloud – October 31)

One of the two surprise arrivals is Wartales. It’s an open-world RPG where we lead a group of mercenaries, managing our team, exploring the world, and earning rewards. All while delving into a vast world long forgotten.

Thirsty Suitors (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 2)

An RPG with a highly interesting artistic design that puts us in a unique situation: we are a young girl named Jala, who returns to her hometown, Timber Hils, to confront her past mistakes. This means facing her exes, reconciling with her own culture, all while engaging in turn-based combat, skateboarding, and cooking mini-games. A curiosity worth noting.

Football Manager 2024 (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 6)

The classic football management video game returns, now with a installment that promises significant changes in team management, both at the micro and macro levels. If you’re looking to play football, this is not your game. But if you want to turn your hometown team into league champions after eighteen seasons and sign unknown players from the Argentine league, this game has hundreds of hours to offer you.

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Dungeons 4 (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 9)

Who said a dungeon has to be a dark and sinister place? Take on the role of the Supreme Evil and build a dungeon where your minions feel comfortable battling against the forces of good in a new iteration of the already classic Dungeons saga. An automatic must-play for fans of Realmforge Studios.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 9)

Without a doubt, the Game Pass game of the month is Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It’s a new installment in the Yakuza franchise, now renamed Like A Dragon, which explores what happened to Kazuma Kiryu between the end of Yakuza 6 and the events of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Absolutely essential for franchise fans, but also a must-play for any action game enthusiast.

Wild Hearts (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 9)

Through EA Play, we get Wild Hearts, EA’s take on Monster Hunter. With many interesting ideas and absolutely delightful for cooperative play with friends, it doesn’t have the depth of Capcom’s game but is perfectly enjoyable due to its unique ideas and their consistency. A little treat for those looking for a good game to play with friends.

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Spirittea (Consoles, PC and Cloud — November 13)

A life simulator inspired by Stardew Valley and Spirited Away, in which we manage hot springs and, besides making friends with neighbors, we have to try to find all the spirits that inhabit the area. A calm and relaxing game for fans of cute games.

Coral Island (Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Cloud – November 14)

To finish off the first half of the month, Game Pass offers us Coral Island, a farming simulator with a Disney-esque aesthetic, fantasy elements, and a maritime theme. Placing special emphasis on the need for harmony and the importance of romance, it’s the classic farming game for those who want to dive into a game as ubiquitous as it is endless.

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Escape from Tarkov already has its Halloween event thanks to the latest patch

As you may already know, regular Escape from Tarkov players, the game by Battlestate Games received a new patch a few days ago that brought some interesting fixes, but that wasn’t the only thing that arrived in the game. In addition to those improvements and solutions to certain issues that a title like this usually faces, Escape from Tarkov received the first elements of its highly anticipated Halloween event, one that is now much more complete and ready to be enjoyed today, during the night of the mentioned holiday.

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As we mentioned, Escape from Tarkov’s Halloween event arrived a few days ago alongside the new patch for the game, which was released on October 26th. However, yesterday, the game developers added more elements to celebrate Halloween with their players in the best way possible. Among other things, the maps in the game now feature decorations in line with the date we are on today, October 31st. In other words, it’s easy to recognize that we are in the midst of the Halloween event within the game.

Halloween comes to Escape from Tarkov

With the initial arrival of the patch, players started to notice how loot containers changed their appearance to that of a pumpkin, something that some enemies also began to use as helmets in the game. Now, Escape from Tarkov has also made the boss Zyrachiy appear in all maps with a 100% spawn rate. In addition, rituals can now be found in entirely random locations when the boss is defeated, and a poisonous green flare has been added to the scav loot, the game’s enemies.

Obviously, this hasn’t been the only thing added, as Tagilla, one of the bosses in the game, has also been equipped with a scythe and appears on maps like Factory and The Lab. Beyond what’s been mentioned, there are other additions, such as the event that occurs when the game’s rituals are successful, as this generates an invincible Zyrachiy and permanently locks the weapons. There are quite a few additions in this new Halloween event for the mentioned game, and we don’t know how long they will remain in the game. In other words, at the moment, we don’t know when the mentioned thematic event will end.

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To finish, and as we mentioned earlier, the patch recently received by Escape from Tarkov, in addition to the already mentioned Halloween event, also added several fixes to the title and other improvements aimed at enhancing the enemy AI.

Ready to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? Here are its minimum and recommended requirements on PC

The Call of Duty website shows what the minimum and recommended technical specifications are to play Modern Warfare 3 on PC.

The nerves among the gaming community are becoming increasingly palpable. There are less than two weeks left until the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the latest installment in one of the most successful franchises in history. Modern Warfare III will come with a revamped zombie mode, and the story has military consultancy.

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While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be playable starting from November 10 in most parts of the world and from November 9 in some regions of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the PC preload of the game will be available from November 8, allowing players to have the game ready for its launch without any additional wait.

But is your PC ready to play Modern Warfare 3? A blog post from Call of Duty confirms the minimum and recommended technical specifications your computer should have for the best possible experience with Modern Warfare III. Here are the details.

Minimum – Multiplayer Only

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (latest update)
  • CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: SSD with 79 GB of available space (34 GB if COD HQ and Warzone are already installed).
  • Hi-Rez Texture Cache: Up to 32 GB
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 470
  • Video Memory: 2 GB

Minimum

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (latest update)
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: SSD with 149 GB of available space (78 GB if COD HQ and Warzone are already installed).
  • Hi-Rez Texture Cache: Up to 32 GB
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 470
  • Video Memory: 2 GB

Recommended

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64-bit (latest update)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: SSD with 149 GB of available space (78 GB if COD HQ and Warzone are already installed).
  • Hi-Rez Texture Cache: Up to 32 GB
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080Ti / RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600XT
  • Video Memory: 8 GB

Competitive / Ultra 4K

  • Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64-bit (latest update)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: SSD with 149 GB of available space (78 GB if COD HQ and Warzone are already installed).
  • Hi-Rez Texture Cache: Up to 64 GB
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 / RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
  • Video Memory: 10 GB

Mandatory for all specifications

  • Red: Broadband Internet connection
  • Sound Card: DirectX 12 compatible

Recommended drivers for NVIDIA and AMD

  • NVIDIA: 537.58
  • AMD: 23.10.2
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The first benchmarks of the M3 make the M2 pale in comparison: here are the numbers

The M2s pale in comparison and set an impressive starting point for whats to come.

Following the presentation at the Scary Fast event and with the first units still pending arrival, the Geekbench 6 database has already revealed the initial benchmark results of the M3 chips, setting a new standard in Apple’s SoC performance. These results provide us with a first glimpse of the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro’s next generation, putting into perspective the impressive progress that Apple has achieved with its latest range of chips.

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