Latest news with #videogames
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Out of Words features one of the cutest videogame characters I've ever seen, but there's a tinge of Kafkaesque darkness to it, too
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. After yapping about nothing but videogames for three days at Summer Game Fest, I tried my best to talk about anything else, but I just couldn't stop bringing up Out of Words. It's a sidescrolling tale of young love brought to life by a charming handicraft world and striking stop-motion animation. Being the type of person who's always experimenting with amateur arts and crafts and playing Jim Henson's Labyrinth on repeat must make me the perfect target for this, but the creations here benefit from a team of real artisans. When it launches, you'll be able to play Out of Words with a friend on the couch or connect with them online, regardless of platform. In my demo, I played with game director Johan Oettinger, while game design lead Jeff Sparks joined us for a chat. It's a strictly co-op adventure, and how its protagonists play will change throughout the journey to reflect the emotions and story connecting the kids, Karla and Kurt. An "Alice in Wonderland" moment happens almost immediately, dropping the friends into an unfamiliar and troubled world that hinders their ability to speak. It's also when you meet Aleph—the darling manta-like creature that's a manifestation of their friendship and feelings for each other. The Out of Words duo are cute as a button, but screenshot stills don't do Aleph justice. The bubbly blue baby purrs, coos, and squeaks while twirling about to lighten the mood. It makes perfect sense Aleph is born from good feelings between kind, gentle people. It's gotta be the cutest thing I've ever seen, and it's not just a me thing, either. Characters in later scenes seem drawn to its warmth in a way I suspect will have some special meaning for the big picture. When the demo skips ahead, it takes Kurt, Karla, and the painfully precious Aleph underneath the City of Nouns, aptly named Nounberg. To navigate the dangers of the catacombs, the friends toss Aleph back and forth, juggling its magic to avoid obstacles. The player holding Aleph floats along the ceiling, while the other runs along the ground like normal. Oettinger never dropped me, but I did let him go tumbling once or twice before finding our pace as a team. If you can learn to give up a little control and trust your partner, the mechanic turns into a comfortable dance. It's not difficult, but it's quite satisfying. "There's enough of a challenge to feel like you're overcoming, but we really want to keep it modest," Sparks said. "So that you can play it with your child, a non-gamer partner or parent. Someone who's a little less versed in videogames. We really want to make this as approachable as possible." Despite Kurt and Karla's predicament, the introduction to the catacombs feels surprisingly calm, almost meditative. Character puppets, blades of grass, and books—everything in the world of Vokabulantis is a real object that was made by hand and filled to the brim with tiny details. Set pieces are individually placed, while scenes are lit with actual studio lighting. The whole presentation felt like a diorama I could reach out and touch. It's no small feat, but Oettinger tells me he's been fabricating crafts like these for over twenty years as the founder of his animation studio, WiredFly. Immediately, the studio's approach makes me think of Ghibli, but not in the exclusively cute and cozy way popularly associated with the studio today. Out of Words is dark, beautiful, and comforting. I didn't see anything quite as terrifying as Princess Mononoke's headless Forest Spirit, but I did encounter strange creatures and unease more familiar in films like Spirited Away. Oettinger notes Hayao Miyazaki is among the artists who inspire him, along with Franz Kafka, Michael Ende, and David Bowie. There's a point when Kurt and Karla's own anxieties and miscommunication manifest, and the darker side of those influences emerge. Whatever happens triggers a new low in their friendship, and the two become an abomination of something called Primordial Clay. It's a divine substance that makes up much of the life in the strange world, and seems to sense how the duo feels. I was a little taken aback by how monstrous their insecurities take shape. Karla and Kurt are stuck together, the darling little Aleph sandwiched somewhere in the middle. Their movements no longer complement each other; instead, they move together as a messy, bumbling skull-like creature with two arms—one for each player to control. It destroys pieces of the city as it tears through alleyways and shops, desperate to catch a frightened clay citizen who may have more answers about how to help them find their words again. The rhythm of controlling their embodied ugliness came slower, but I found my groove with time. That's intentional, too. Sparks explained the transition demonstrates "just how dramatic the gameplay changes are between sequences." Out of Words is a coming-of-age story, but the complexities of communication are a lifelong challenge, even in old age. My first trailer impression misread the game, and I assumed the only communication happening would take place through actions, but I was wrong. There's plenty of direct language involved, and it brings the same artistry from the art style to the names of places and people thanks to poet Morten Søndergaard. My only disappointment came when the demo ended—I miss Karla, Kurt, and Aleph already. There's so much craftsmanship in the words, in the interactions, and in the placement of trinkets; it's a real showcase of specialist talent. While my demo experience wasn't very long, only some 40 or so minutes, I can't help but walk away feeling like Out of Words could be one of those games that endears me to the medium all over again.
Globe and Mail
17 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Nintendo Stock Surged Today
Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) stock saw another day of big gains in Wednesday's trading. The company's share price gained 6.1% in the daily session and is now up 56.5% across 2025. Nintendo's gains today were driven by indications that demand for its recently released Switch 2 gaming console remains quite high. The Switch 2 quickly became the fastest-selling gaming platform in history following its release earlier this month, and the new system is powering a strong rally for Nintendo stock. Switch 2 continues to push Nintendo stock higher Nintendo released its Switch 2 platform on June 5, and the new console has gotten off to a fantastic start. The console, which launched at a $449 price point, sold more than 1.1 million units in the U.S. within its first week on store shelves. The performance was good enough to make it the most successful video game platform launch in history. On a worldwide basis, the Switch 2 managed to sell 3.5 million units in just four days -- a performance that also set a new sales record. Now, new shipments from Nintendo mean that retailers are restocking the red-hot console -- and reports suggest that the platform is continuing to quickly sell out. What's next for Nintendo? Nintendo appears to have a big hit on its hands with the Switch 2. Unlike some other console launches, the company did a commendable job ensuring that it had a lot of units produced -- but demand still appears to be significantly exceeding supply at some point. While there is some risk for investors that front-loaded demand for the new console may not provide a great indicator as to the platform's long-term performance outlook, the launch has clearly gone very well. Should you invest $1,000 in Nintendo right now? Before you buy stock in Nintendo, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nintendo wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $658,297!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $883,386!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is992% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
'GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2%, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3% till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%. As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's "Resident Evil Requiem." The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS and set to launch in holidays 2025. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
'GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4 per cent to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2 per cent, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3 per cent till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7 per cent. As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's "Resident Evil Requiem." The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS and set to launch in holidays 2025.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
'GTA VI' delay weighs on global videogame market growth, data shows
June 17 (Reuters) - The global videogame market's growth rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday. Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch of Take-Two's (TTWO.O), opens new tab "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles. However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs, have made consumer spending uncertain. The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to $188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of 3.2%, according to the report. "This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles, pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo. Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3% till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%. As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's (9697.T), opens new tab "Resident Evil Requiem." The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry growth through 2027, the report said. Price increases to Microsoft's (MSFT.O), opens new tab Xbox and Sony's (6758.T), opens new tab PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market uncertainty, even as Nintendo's (7974.T), opens new tab Switch 2 became the company's fastest-selling console. Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally, earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS ( opens new tab and set to launch in holidays 2025.
