Astro Bot Takes Game of the Year, Witcher 4 and Naughty Dog's New Game Announced—Highlights from the Game Awards

Astro Bot Shines at Game Awards, Sony and Sega Celebrate Big Wins

The annual Game Awards crowned Astro Bot as its "Game of the Year," and the platformer wasn’t done collecting trophies. It also took home awards for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Action/Adventure Game,” and “Best Family Game.”

In a heartfelt acceptance speech, Nicolas Doucet, the director of Astro Bot, shared his gratitude for the honor. Doucet reflected on the importance of creating a game that might become the first many children play, calling it a “huge privilege.” He also gave a nod to Nintendo’s iconic Mario series, acknowledging it as the inspiration behind making a platformer.

Sony had more reasons to celebrate. Its unexpected hit of the year, Helldivers II, earned the awards for “Best Multiplayer Game” and “Best Ongoing Game.” Meanwhile, Sega’s highly praised RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio was another standout winner, taking home prizes for “Best Role-Playing Game,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Art Direction.”

Among indie games, Balatro—a card game developed by a solo creator—swept three categories: “Best Independent Game,” “Best Debut Indie Game,” and “Best Mobile Game.” The indie hit surprised both critics and players with its creative gameplay and commercial success.

Big Announcements Steal the Show
As always, the awards ceremony wasn’t just about trophies. Several major game studios unveiled exciting new projects.

• Naughty Dog revealed its first original franchise in years with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. This sci-fi adventure introduces protagonist Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter portrayed by actress Tati Gabrielle. Kumail Nanjiani is also confirmed to feature in the game.
• CD Projekt RED gave fans a sneak peek of The Witcher 4, which will star Ciri as the main protagonist. This marks a major shift for the series, with Ciri stepping into the spotlight after her supporting role in previous games.
• FromSoftware announced Elden Ring: Nightreign, a spin-off from their award-winning 2022 title. Unlike the original, Nightreign will focus on co-op action and survival gameplay. It’s set to release next year.

Capcom Brings Back Cult Classics
Capcom made waves by reviving two beloved franchises.

• Onimusha: Way of the Sword marks the series’ return after nearly 20 years. Slated for a 2026 release, the game will retain its feudal Japan fantasy setting but serve as a soft reboot of the series.
• Fans of Okami have more to look forward to, as Capcom teased a sequel to the 2006 classic. Though details are scarce, the announcement thrilled long-time supporters of the visually stunning adventure game.

With unforgettable moments, exciting reveals, and big wins across the board, this year’s Game Awards proved to be a celebration of creativity and innovation in gaming.

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Cowboys lose on blocked punt gone horribly wrong in crushing ‘MNF’ defeat.

 

The Cowboys lost in a special way Monday night.

Dallas’ small playoff chances in this miserable season may have been all but extinguished during their clash against the Bengals when what could have been a potentially game-winning blocked punt instead ricocheted off a Dallas player and gave Cincinnati another possession.

The Bengals then scored a touchdown to escape AT&T Stadium with a 27-20 win and drop the Cowboys to 5-8 and three games back in the NFC wild-card hunt with four games remaining.

“Of course that locker room is really devastated by the turn of events on the blocked kick,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “Obviously, we had a blocked kick called, made the play … we all would say, ‘Why block the kick? Just take the kick and get in a field goal kick. We’ll be second-guessing that one.”

The Cowboys likely needed to win out to have a shot at the playoffs and they forced a punt deep in Cincinnati’s territory coming out of the two-minute warning.

Dallas went for a block and Nick Vigil stormed through the line and deflected the punt, with the ball landing around the Cincinnati 33-yard line and bouncing past the 40.

Cowboys cornerback Amani Oruwariye then made the critical mistake of attempting to field the ball, but the ball went right through his hands and into the arms of Bengals linebacker Maema Njongmeta.

ESPN captured the range of emotions on the play via special teams coach John Fassell, who jumped with joy after the block then looked like a broken man after the turnover.

“AO was in a vice situation and then he heard the roar of the crowd and when he turned — he understands the rule, crossing, once the ball crosses the line,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “His response was when he turned, when he heard the crowd, the ball was there and he reacted to it.

Cincinnati, granted new life, went 57 yards on three plays to grab the 27-20 lead when Ja’Marr Chase scored his second touchdown, this one from 40 yards out with 1:01 remaining.

Dallas could not counter with a game-tying touchdown drive, allowing the Bengals to improve to 5-8 and at least keep the door open — albeit, the tiniest of a crack — for a potential playoff berth.

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“That mistake we made at the end was very impactful, that’s all I can say,” Jones said.

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'Joy Bangla' is not the national slogan of Bangladesh! The Appellate Division stayed the judgment of the High Court.

 

        

'Joy Bangla' is no longer the national slogan of Bangladesh. On March 10, 2020, the High Court of Bangladesh gave the status of 'Joy Bangla' as a national slogan based on a writ petition during Sheikh Hasina's tenure.

The High Court judgment also said that steps should be taken to use the slogan on national days, government events and educational institutions.But the interim government of Muhammad Yunus filed a leave to appeal against this judgment of the High Court in the Appellate Division.The Appellate Division granted the petition on Tuesday. 

A four-member Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed ordered the suspension of the High Court's verdict on the national slogan.In 2017, a lawyer of the Supreme Court of that country filed a writ petition requesting to declare 'Joy Bangla' as the national slogan of Bangladesh. 

The High Court gave that judgment based on that. Additional Attorney General of Bangladesh Aneek R Haque said on Tuesday,"After the order of the Appellate Division, 'Joy Bangla' will no longer be considered as the national slogan.

" Incidentally, during the liberation war of 1971, the slogan 'Joy Bangla' became popular among the freedom fighters. This popularity remained unbroken during the reign of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party Awami Leag

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Chiefs survive with wild game-winning FG vs. Chargers on 'Sunday Night Football': Live reaction and updates

 

The Chiefs entered Sunday with 14 consecutive victories in games decided by one score, the longest streak in the NFL’s 105-year history. But even a routine game-winning kick was weird. Wright’s field goal was good but the ball hit the inside of the left upright before touching the net, a moment that led starting kicker Harrison Butker — who is out with a left knee injury — to smile and laugh.

As the Chiefs aim to capture an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory, this season has been about the team’s last-second victories. Including Sunday, half of the Chiefs’ 12 victories this season were decided on the final play — Butker’s game-winning kick over the Cincinnati Bengals, linebacker Leo Chenal’s block in the win over the Denver Broncos, kicker Spencer Shrader’s field goal over the Panthers, running back Kareem Hunt’s touchdown in overtime over the Buccaneers and Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s right big toe being out of bounds instead of a touchdown as time expired.

Inserting D.J. Humphries, the eight-year veteran, at the left tackle position didn’t fix the Chiefs offense. Instead, Humphries did his best to help stabilize the offensive line. But Mahomes was hit 14 times by the Chargers and Humphries left the game with less than four minutes left because of a hamstring injury.

Similar to last week, the Chiefs scored only one touchdown, which happened just before halftime. Given the circumstances, though, Mahomes was still brilliant at times, especially when he was hit or about to get hit.

Mahomes made sure the Chargers never got the ball again when he rolled to his right on a critical third-and-7 play from the Chargers’ 20-yard line after the two-minute warning. Mahomes waited long enough — and avoided linebacker Daiyan Henley — to find tight end Travis Kelce for a nine-yard completion, setting up the game-winning field goal from Wright.

                                           

The Chargers defense played a valiant game, holding the Chiefs to 19 points. But the unit ran out of steam on the final drive. The Chiefs took over with 4:35 remaining. They did not give the ball back.

The Chargers had their chances. The Chiefs faced a third-and-10 on the first set of downs. The Chargers lost track of receiver Xavier Worthy over the middle of the field, and Mahomes was able to find him with an acrobatic throw amid pressure. The Chargers had kept Mahomes contained in the pocket all game. He escaped on a second-and-eight scramble to move the Chiefs into field goal range. Late in the drive, the Chiefs faced a third-and-7. Mahomes booted to his right off play action. No one covered Kelce, and Mahomes dumped it to his favorite target for a game-sealing conversion. Kelce had 45 yards on the game.

The Chargers slowed him down. But they did not get a body on him on the game’s most pivotal play. Kicker Cameron Dicker’s botched kickoff before the final drive did not reach the landing zone, and that gave the Chiefs prime field position to start the possession. The Chargers made too many mistakes down the stretch to beat a team who knows how to win.

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Rebels declare Syria liberated

 The Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) has declared the country "liberated" after dictator President Bashar al-Assad fled the capital, Damascus.

"Dictator Bashar al-Assad has fled. This marks the end of a dark era and the beginning of a new one," HTS said in a Telegram post on Sunday morning.

 The Bashar al-Assad rebel group has fled Syria, announcing that "Syrians displaced or imprisoned during the Assad government's half-century rule can now return home."   

"This will be a 'new Syria', where everyone lives in peace and justice prevails," HTS said.

 The rebels began celebrating after hearing the news of Bashar al-Assad's escape. Earlier, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled by plane early Sunday morning.

After capturing the city of Homs, he flew to an unknown destination by plane as the rebels began to enter the capital Damascus.

 

                                    

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor, said a private plane, believed to be carrying Bashar al-Assad, took off from Damascus airport after being greeted by government forces at the airport.   

Media reports indicate that there has been no violence since the city of Homs was taken over.

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Real Madrid close on leaders Barcelona with 3-0 win at Girona

 

LaLiga - Girona v Real Madrid - Estadi Montilivi, Girona, Spain - Dec 7, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe in action with Girona's David Lopez REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Real Madrid narrowed the gap on LaLiga leaders Barcelona to two points with a commanding 3-0 win at Girona on Saturday thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe.   

Second-placed Real have 36 points with a game in hand on Barca, who drew 2-2 at Real Betis. Girona suffered a sixth loss in 16 league matches and remain eighth on 22 points, two points off the European spots.

Bellingham opened the scoring in the 36th minute by capitalising on a loose ball and firing home from the centre of the box before setting up Guler with a fine through ball to double the lead 10 minutes after the break.

The England midfielder, who scored for a fifth consecutive LaLiga match, was having an outstanding game but was forced off after taking a knock shortly before Mbappe made it 3-0 with a shot from a tight angle in the 62nd to wrap up the win.

LaLiga - Real Betis v FC Barcelona - Estadio Benito Villamarin, Seville, Spain - Dec 7, 2024 FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in action with Real Betis' Romain Perraud REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo

Real boss Ancelotti told reporters Bellingham was alright but they also lost full-back Ferland Mendy to a muscular problem ahead of their Champions League clash at Atalanta on Tuesday.

"(Bellingham) is fine, he is available. We've had the muscle injury to Mendy but the rest of it is just knocks, nothing more," the Italian manager said.

Girona have struggled without key players through injury and now face difficult matches at home to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday and away to Mallorca next Saturday in LaLiga.

"The team has suffered a lot of injuries. It's costing us more. We still have months to keep growing," Girona defender Miguel Gutierrez told Movistar.

"We have to keep going. We have two very important games. In the Champions League against Liverpool, we're playing to get through. In LaLiga against Mallorca."

Girona are 30th in the Champions League table, three points behind Real who are 24th and occupy the final qualifying spot for the playoffs.

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TikTok loses bid to strike down law that could ban it from the US

 

New YorkCNN — 

TikTok has lost its bid to strike down a law that could result in the platform being banned in the United States.

A US appeals court upheld the law in a ruling Friday. Denying TikTok’s argument that the law was unconstitutional, the judges found that the law does not “contravene the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” nor does it “violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws.”   

The ruling means that the platform is one step closer to facing a US ban — unless it can convince Chinese parent-company ByteDance to sell and find a buyer — starting on January 19, 2025. After the deadline, US app stores and internet services could face hefty fines for hosting TikTok if it is not sold. (Under the legislation, Biden may issue a one-time extension of

 the deadline.)In a statement, TikTok indicated it would appeal the decision.

“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” said company spokesperson Michael Hughes. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.”

ByteDance has previously indicated it will not sell TikTok.

Finding in favor of the US government     

The court’s ruling Friday largely deferred to Congress, finding that lawmakers acted within their constitutional powers and followed appropriate procedure in crafting the TikTok law. The legislation “narrowly” addressed the specific problem of TikTok’s China ties, the judges said, and “does not suppress content or require a certain mix of content.”

“People in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” the judges said. “What the Act targets is the PRC’s ability to manipulate the content covertly. Understood in that way, the Government’s justification is wholly consonant with the First Amendment.”

Unimpressed with TikTok’s counterarguments, the judges dismissed the company’s objections to the US government’s national security concerns. TikTok only “quibbles” with how US officials have characterized its data practices, they said, and TikTok’s defense of its data collection “misses the forest for the trees.”

A key flashpoint in the case had been a proposed deal with US national security officials that TikTok claimed would have resolved the potential spying concerns. During the litigation, TikTok implied that the US government acted in bad faith by pursuing negotiations for months before suddenly cutting off communication and then backing the legislation that Biden ultimately signed. US government lawyers, meanwhile, responded that the draft deal was insufficient to resolve the security concerns.

On Friday, the judges sided with the US government on the deal negotiations, saying they “can neither fault nor second guess” the determination by US officials that the draft deal with                                                       More

                       

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Spotify advertises with Nemo in Basel

 

Since Wednesday, listeners have been able to discover their personal streaming highlights in Spotify's 2024 annual review Wrapped, and the most streamed international and national artists, songs and podcasts of the year have been revealed.   

Spotify launched a marketing campaign to mark the end of the year, which is running in 31 markets via (D)OOH, digital channels, social media and its own platform, according to a statement. A huge out-of-home poster can currently be seen on the market square in Basel, which celebrates Nemo's impressive ESC victory this year.   

"The Wrapped campaign reflects what moved users in Germany and around the world this year - far beyond music and podcasts. Wrapped is always an expression of how video, audio and culture grow together and constantly reinvent themselves. We are particularly proud to capture success stories such as Nemo's impressive ESC victory this year on an OOH space in Basel," said Heiner Kuhlmann, Director of Marketing at Spotify in Central Europe. (pd/wid)

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Das waren die Top-Songs in der Region

 

Jedes Jahr veröffentlicht der schwedische Musik-Streamingdienst einen personalisierten Rückblick der meistgehörten Songs des zurückliegenden Jahres. Wir haben die Top-Ten der drei Städte.

Die Vorweihnachtszeit hält für viele ein weiteres Highlight bereit: Spotify erstellt seit einigen Jahren seinen eigenen Jahresrückblick „Wrapped“. Dabei führt der schwedische Marktführer zum Beispiel auf, welche die Lieblingssongs der Nutzer waren, wie viele Minuten sie gestreamt haben und nach welchen Künstlern sie besonders verrückt waren. Auch für einzelne Städte gibt es eine Zusammenfassung. Wir haben die Lieblingssongs des Jahres 2024.      der Nürtinger, Esslinger und Kirchheimer. Auffällig: Der Sommerhit „Bauch Beine Po“ von Shirin David hat es nur in die Top-Ten einer der drei Städte geschafft:

Nürtingen:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

3. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

4. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

5.Bausa, CHEKAA, FOURTY - VEMPA

6. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In

7. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

8. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

9. Mark Ambor - Belong Together

10. Agatino Romero, Jaxomy, Raffaella Carrà - Pedro

Kirchheim:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

3. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

4. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

5. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In

6.Mark Ambor - Belong Together

7. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

8. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

9. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

10. Shirin David - Bauch Beine Po

 

Esslingen:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

3. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

4. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

5. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

6. Bausa, CHEKAA, FOURTY - VEMPA

7. Mark Ambor - Belong Together

8. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

9. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

10. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In 

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