Games

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.04-192130/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/04/04/in-ukraine-gamers-make-the-best-drone-pilots_6739849_4.html

Now more deadly than any other weapon, drones have changed the face of the fighting between Kyiv and Moscow. Pending a solution to the conflict, Ukraine is focusing on training and recruiting the people who make the best pilots: gamers.

All you could see were their black or khaki caps, five heads bent in a semicircle, 10 eyes glued to a console. If it weren't for the fatigues, you'd think it was a gaming convention. But big insects were buzzing in the air, and the 92nd Assault Brigade was actually training in drone warfare in a snow-covered field near Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. "Of course we all play video games," smiled commanding officer Nikola, his cheeks reddened by the cold under a The North Face beanie. "Those who have had practice are definitely more proficient in piloting the drones."

"The face of war has changed. We are the 'new wave,'" said one of the supervisors of a drone manufacturing workshop hidden in the basement of an old Soviet building in Kharkiv. "The infantrymen of the trenches can do nothing nowadays without the new strategic battalions which, since 2023, have upended combat," he continued under a poster of a scantily clad woman wearing biker boots, a bra, and holding a Kalashnikov. Drones are now responsible for 70% of deaths among combatants, both Russian and Ukrainian, and their use has made the third year of the war deadlier than the first two combined.

Nintendo has confirmed backward compatibility on the Nintendo Switch 2. Let's discuss how it works in some detail.

• 00:00 - Recap
• 02:35 - Switch 2 confirmed to be using emulation/translation layer
• 08:59 - A closer look at the compatibility list
• 14:32 - Conclusion/Outro

3D platformers had an incredible year in 2024. That momentum will continue with these five great upcoming 3D platformers! From uncovering the secrets of Yooka-Laylee's remake, a sequel to Demon Turf, and a great frog-themed Kickstarter-funded platformer!

Mat Piscatella of Circana said this is an unprecedented and "chaotic" situation as it relates to tariffs and their impact on video games, so anyone claiming to know how things will shake out may be speaking out of turn.

"All anyone can do at this point is speculate. We are certainly in uncharted waters here, and no one really knows what will happen next," he told GameSpot. "Obviously, the announced tariffs are having an immediate impact on the financial markets. And given the haphazard nature of how the tariffs are being calculated and applied, uncertainty is really the only certain thing at the moment."

Piscatella said there is "absolutely the chance" that the new tariffs or any additional future tariffs might amount to changes for US consumer products, and not just for Nintendo but for all players.

The top 20 most influential video games of all time in the BAFTA poll are as follows:

1. Shenmue
2. Doom
3. Super Mario Bros.
4. Half-Life
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. Minecraft
7. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
8. Super Mario 64
9. Half-Life 2
10. The Sims
11. Tetris
12. Tomb Raider
13. Pong
14. Metal Gear Solid
15. World of Warcraft
16. Baldur's Gate 3
17. Final Fantasy VII
18. Dark Souls
19. Grand Theft Auto 3
20. Skyrim
21. Grand Theft Auto

Nintendo is pushing back preorders for the Switch 2 due to concerns about Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs. According to a statement sent to The Vergeby Eddie Garcia on behalf of Nintendo, it says preorders will no longer begin on April 9th:

Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.

Mewgenics is a turn-based tactics game from The Binding of Isaac developers Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel coming to Steam.

When you're dealing with a series with gameplay as refined as in Mario Kart 8, there are, thankfully, few major changes to the game's driving mechanics. Yes, you can grind rails now on occasion, though these only appeared fairly sporadically in the various courses I played. A wider selection of items/weapons are included, including Mario Kart Tour's Ice Flower, Super Mario Kart's Feather, and the Mega Mushroom originally from Mario Kart Wii. Items such as green shells and bananas are now automatically held behind you, meanwhile. Otherwise, the game controls similarly to the Mario Karts you probably spent hundreds of hours playing over the last two console generations - a welcome feeling of familiarity within the wider changes.

Mario Kart World's reinvention of the series may be a gamble, but it's absolutely one I think will pay off. With a web of possible routes and hours of time likely to be spent exploring every corner of its highways, deserts and mountains - or racing to stay ahead of the competition in Knockout Tour - it's just as well the game's a Switch 2 launch title. I absolutely can't wait to play more of what is undoubtedly Switch 2's killer app.

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