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Annapurna Interactive showed off a first like at Lego Voyagers at Summer Game Fest Live, the next game from Light Brick Studio, the developers of Lego Builder’s Journey.

Lego Voyagers is co-op puzzle game where you and a friend will play as two Lego studs, traveling through a realistic, brick-based world solving puzzles. The trailer showed off several different locales your studs will journey through, including a Lego speedboat and rocket launch. To make your way through the game’s various challenges, you’ll move and build new structures by picking up bricks with your studs.

The game looks like it builds on the calming vibes of Builder’s Journey, but with a focus on co-op gameplay. Light Brick’s first game worked like a riff on Monument Valley, tasking you with building a path for your bricks through a minimalistic Lego world. Voyagers takes things in a Split Fiction-direction, just with a lot more chill.

Lego Voyagers is “coming soon” to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch and PC. You’ll be able to play with a friend using only one copy of the game thanks to a feature called Friend’s Pass.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lego-voyagers-is-a-co-op-puzzle-game-from-the-studio-behind-builders-journey-222331161.html?src=rss 

It’s been a few years since Yacht Club Games, the studio behind Shovel Knight, ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for the first entry in a new franchise, and now we know when that game will drop. The team announced at Summer Game Fest Live that Mina the Hollower will arrive on October 31 on PC. A demo is available on Steam until Steam Next Fest ends on June 13.

Mina the Hollower is a gothic horror-influenced, action-adventure platformer, so the Halloween release date is quite fitting. It’s styled after the look and feel of Game Boy Color games — so much so that the game has no 3D assets and a limited color palette (but Yacht Club did make one concession by opting for a widescreen display ratio). As the inventor and mouse Mina, you’ll have a whip as a weapon and the ability to burrow short distances to cross gaps and have a moment of invincibility.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mina-the-hollower-from-the-makers-of-shovel-knight-arrives-on-halloween-222539705.html?src=rss 

Drinkbox Studios is back with a new title called Blighted, a 3D Metroidvania that promises to take the concept of generational memory to some bizarre and compelling new places. It will have a solo or co-op story that sees players fighting their way through a world full of monsters and secrets as they attempt to control the blight that corrupts them. And maybe eat some brains. The game was announced during the Summer Game Fest kickoff stream, and the creators aim to have a playable demo available later this year.

The team describes Blighted as a “psychedelic western nightmare,” which is pretty much exactly what I love to see from Drinkbox Studios. This company is probably best known for the excellent 2D platformers Guacamelee! and Guacamelee! 2, but don’t sleep on the surreal dungeon-crawler Severed either. Drinkbox games have a powerful sense of place and clever action mechanics, so I’m very curious to see how they’ll bring those sensibilities into this genre.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blighted-is-a-trippy-metroidvania-from-the-team-behind-guacamelee-000030687.html?src=rss 

Tribute Games, the developer behind the fantastic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, is back with its take on another comic book IP. Scott Pilgrim EX is a beat-em-up coming to PC and consoles in 2026.

This looks like a real evolution of its work with those pizza-loving turtles. There’s a large map to explore with plenty of secrets, seven playable characters and, most importantly for Pilgrim fans, a brand-new story. Vegans, robots and demons have taken over Toronto! This seems only nominally better than ex-boyfriends.

The developer promises “countless creative combos” and all kinds of quests “across space and time.” The graphics and soundtrack are both absolutely soaked in retro goodness.

If the idea of a sidescrolling Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up seems eerily familiar to you, it’s not the Mandela Effect. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was first released all the way back in 2010.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-dev-behind-tmnt-shredders-revenge-is-making-a-scott-pilgrim-beat-em-up-223721054.html?src=rss 

Troy Baker will don the cartoon fedora and play the lead role in Mouse: P.I. For Hire. The game has garnered buzz for its unique blending of genres. Imagine a film noir-infused cross between Cuphead and Doom.

Baker will play Private Investigator Jack Pepper, the game’s protagonist. He’s a war hero turned detective who begins his journey responding to a cliché damsel in distress. Pepper’s investigation then peels back the layers of the city’s dark underbelly. It sounds like developer Fumi Games ticked all the items off the noir checklist.

Oh, and don’t forget the minor detail that he’s a rodent. Expect plenty of cheesy (meaning puns about cheese) one-liners.

Being a first-person shooter, Mouse: P.I. For Hire has plenty of Rambo-style room-clearing. Pepper’s weapons range from conventional (shotgun) to comically ludicrous (turpentine cleanser). There’s even an ode to Popeye: Down a can of spinach to beat your foes to smithereens.

The game’s animation draws inspiration from the same 1930s cartoons as Cuphead. Like that game, Mouse: P.I. For Hire‘s monochromatic visuals are all hand-drawn. (But whether it’s as punishingly difficult as the 2017 classic remains to be seen.) Watching the delightfully wacky trailers, it’s easy to see why gamers are keeping an eye on this one.

It sounds like a wild ride. But that doesn’t necessarily point to a game in need of an industry titan like Baker. So, perhaps there’s more to the game’s narrative than you might expect. Or, maybe The Last of Us actor is merely checking “played rodent” off his bucket list. (Couldn’t blame him!)

Baker said he’s been following the game’s development from its first teaser. “Its art style, gameplay and 1930s film-noir aesthetic continue to win me over. I cannot wait to keep working with the team to bring Jack Pepper to life and hope to have some exciting things to share as we get closer to launch!”

You can check out the game’s new trailer here. Mouse: P.I. for Hire arrives later this year. It will be available on all major platforms, including Switch 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/troy-baker-is-the-big-cheese-in-mouse-pi-for-hire-220033867.html?src=rss 

President Donald Trump plans to extend the pause on enforcing the TikTok ban once again, The Wall Street Journal reports. Trump previously extended the pause on April 4 to give TikTok, its potential US buyers and the Chinese government more time to reach an agreement, but the deal has made little progress since then.

The current pause on enforcement is supposed to end on June 19. Given the state of the negotiations between the US and China, the odds of a deal being reached before then seem highly unlikely. The issue hasn’t been helped by the fluctuating tariffs the Trump administration has attempted to levy on goods manufactured outside of the US, which started on April 2 and at one point included a 125 percent tariff on everything shipped from China.

The two countries are expected to restart trade negotiations at some point in the near-future, according to The New York Times, but there’s been no public mention of a TikTok sale being a key part of the discussion. A number of investors are still looking to own a piece of the US version of the app, including the software company Oracle, which has a pre-existing relationship with TikTok as a cloud provider.

The TikTok ban went into effect on January 19. TikTok tried to appeal the ban beforehand, but the Supreme Court ultimately decided to uphold it, prompting Trump’s first executive order pausing the ban on January 20, 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/trump-reportedly-plans-to-extend-the-pause-on-the-tiktok-ban-yet-again-200408397.html?src=rss 

The techs over at iFixit have completed their teardown of the Nintendo Switch 2, which launched this week. After completing a thorough analysis of the newest Nintendo console, it appears this generation of Switch is even harder to repair than its predecessor. iFixit has assigned the Switch 2 a repairability score of three out of 10. This represents an even lower score than the retroactive four out of 10 they awarded to the original model.

A substantial consideration in iFixit’s scoring system is the availability of repair parts from the manufacturer for the device in question. While there was some hope that Nintendo would have to comply with Right to Repair laws, sufficiently stringent versions of these regulations have yet to materialize, and OEM parts are almost impossible to come by.

Further complicating the repairability is that the charge ports, main storage and a game card reader that are all soldered to the board. The USB-C charge ports are a particular pain point here, as disconnecting and reconnecting the charging cable wears on the charge port over time. A bad yank on the charging cable or a fall while it’s connected could damage the charge port, which would require re-soldering a new one.

iFixit found that the battery was also frustratingly difficult to remove — another major detractor to repairability, as batteries by their nature degrade over time. Beyond being difficult to access without the proper tools, it’s held down with strong adhesive that requires a lot of effort (and isopropyl alcohol) to remove.

So if you happen to get your hands on a Switch 2, buy a case and baby that battery, because if it needs any repairs you’ll likely be shipping it to Nintendo and paying a pretty penny.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/you-probably-wont-be-fixing-your-own-nintendo-switch-2-180833765.html?src=rss 

The latest Apple iPad Mini is on sale via Amazon, bringing the 128GB model down to a record-low price. Each Wi-Fi-only model has been discounted by $100, so the 128GB version is $399, the 256GB tablet is $499 and the beefy 512GB model is $699. This deal applies to multiple colorways. 

This is one of the best Apple tablets, and the only choice for those looking for a compact iPad. It’s the company’s most powerful tablet in this size, as the A17 Pro chip is plenty capable. An M-series chip would have been nice, but it’s not in the cards just yet. Having said that, this is still a full-featured iPad that can hang with its larger cousins.

It offers support for the Apple Pencil Pro, which is handy, and the 12-megapixel camera on the rear takes decent shots, even in low light. The camera is also a decent choice for scanning documents and QR codes, as noted in our official review. The speakers sound much better than one would expect, though this has become the norm with recent Apple products.

The display looks nice, but it is just a standard LCD with a 60Hz refresh rate. Apple tends to reserve its best screen technology for the higher-end tablets. There’s no Face ID here, but that’s not a deal breaker for me, as I actually prefer Touch ID or just quickly typing in a four digit security code.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-ipad-mini-drops-to-a-record-low-price-170558317.html?src=rss 

Apple‘s AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are on sale for $170 via Amazon. This is close to a record low price and represents a discount of 32 percent, as the typical cost is $249.

This model easily made our list of the best wireless earbuds, and this is particularly true for those tied to the Apple ecosystem. The earbuds seamlessly switch between Apple devices, which is handy. The transparency mode is fantastic and the ANC is solid.

They also sound great, thanks to a new amplifier, driver and transducer, in addition to updated algorithms. We found that they offered a “massively improved” experience over the first-gen version of these earbuds. Music even sounds better at lower levels here, which is something we noticed in our official review.

The battery life is just average, with six hours of listening per charge and 30 hours with the case. The major downside with these earbuds is the price. No matter how you slice it, $249 is a whole lot of money. Luckily, today’s sale alleviates some of that sticker shock.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-2-are-back-on-sale-for-170-154646082.html?src=rss 

Tesla has been awfully cagey with its self-driving data this week. Reuters is now reporting that Tesla is trying to stop the city of Austin from handing over public records involving its robotaxi operations in the city, which are set to expand this month. This comes just a few days after the automaker asked a judge to prevent the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from releasing certain data related to crashes that involved its cars with self-driving features.

Reuters says that it requested two years’ worth of communications between Tesla and Austin officials in February, shortly after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that Austin would play home to the robotaxi experiment.

Dan Davis, an Austin public information officer, told Reuters in April that “third parties” were asking the city to withhold these records in the interest of protecting “privacy or property.” After the publication escalated the matter to the Texas Attorney General’s office, an attorney for Tesla wrote Ken Paxton opposing the release of what it called “confidential, proprietary, competitively sensitive commercial and/or trade secret information.”

Reuters also spoke with Neal Falgoust, an Austin Law Department official overseeing public records issues about the matter. Falgoust told reporters that the city of Austin doesn’t take any particular position on the confidentiality of the materials involved. When Reuters pressed further, asking if the people of Austin have a right to information about the driverless cars that would be traversing their streets, Falgoust did not respond.

Tesla said just last week that it had been testing driverless Model Ys in Austin for several days, which Elon Musk said was a month ahead of schedule. This would not be the first fleet of autonomous taxis on the streets of the Texas capital, with Waymo operating there since 2023 within a specific geofenced area. Waymo has also partnered with Uber in Austin since March.

By Texas law, the Attorney General’s office has 45 business days to decide whether the city of Austin is required to make these records public, which would be next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-is-reportedly-blocking-the-city-of-austin-from-releasing-robotaxi-records-155643815.html?src=rss