Americas

Forget Control Resonant, You Can Play 2024’s Best Action Game on PS Plus and Game Pass Now

• Banishers is a critically praised but commercially underperforming 2024 action game.
• It combines supernatural combat with difficult moral decisions.
• It is currently available on PS Plus and Game Pass.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a 2024 action-adventure game by Don’t Nod, is being highlighted as an overlooked title now available through PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. The article argues that its combination of combat, emotional storytelling and consequential moral choices makes it a notable alternative for…

OpenAI and Anthropic in price war as Chinese AI rivals gain ground

• US AI labs cut prices amid Chinese competition
• OpenAI reduced one model’s prices by 80%
• Cheaper models are reshaping corporate AI spending

OpenAI and Anthropic are cutting prices for some AI models as businesses seek cheaper alternatives from Chinese competitors such as Moonshot and DeepSeek. The shift matters because it challenges the US labs’ earlier focus on premium performance, while increasing pressure to show that heavy AI investment can produce…

Frankie Valli Has Retired from Performing, Says Brother Bobby

• Frankie Valli has reportedly retired from performing at 92.
• Health concerns led to cancelled 2026 tour dates.
• His career spanned six decades and sold over 100 million records.

Frankie Valli, the 92-year-old singer best known as frontman of The Four Seasons, has retired from performing, according to his brother Bobby. The announcement follows the cancellation of Valli’s remaining 2026 tour dates for health reasons, apparently bringing to an end a career spanning more than six decades.…

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Officially Sets Disney+ Streaming Release Date [Exclusive]

• The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on Disney+ on 2 September.
• The film follows the first three Mandalorian seasons.
• It reportedly grossed nearly $350 million worldwide.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will begin streaming on Disney+ on 2 September, Collider reports in an exclusive announcement with Lucasfilm. The release extends the film’s journey from the cinema to home viewing and marks Star Wars’ return to a major theatrical-to-streaming rollout after the franchise’s years of emphasis…

Muslims in public office are not a threat to America. The attacks on them are.

An op-ed by Zainab Chaudry argues that recent rhetoric from prominent politicians targeting Muslim Americans constitutes a dangerous religious litmus test that violates constitutional principles of equality and religious freedom.

102 Deadpool References in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

Deadpool leaves us literally hundreds of references in Arc System Works' newest fighting game, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. Some pretty easy to pick out, others deep cuts, so we show off what he's referring to. Thing is, we are still missing a bunch! From Anime references from Naruto…

Game of the Week – Marvel Tokon is a heroic fighter that’s easy to get into, and villainous to master

• Marvel Tokon aims to make 4v4 fighting accessible yet deep.
• Players can begin by mastering a single character.
• Arc System Works gives Marvel an anime-inspired fighting-game revival.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is presented as an approachable but demanding new Marvel fighting game, combining Arc System Works’ anime-inspired visual style with large-scale tag-team battles. The article argues that its design lowers the barrier for newcomers while retaining the strategic depth needed to master its systems, making…

‘Objet a’ Review: Ann Oren’s Wickedly Kinky Curiosity Eroticizes Everything From Mushrooms to Mushroom Cuts

• A provocative arthouse drama about desire, control and fetishism.
• Two surgeons’ hidden compulsions destabilise their disciplined lives.
• Critics see it as an ambitious step forward for Ann Oren.

Ann Oren’s “Objet a” is reviewed as a strange, sensual and deliberately provocative follow-up to her 2022 film “Piaffe”. The film follows two highly controlled hand surgeons whose private desires disrupt their orderly lives, using fetishism and erotic curiosity to explore the objects and absences that drive desire.…