BANDAI NAMCO announces that ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN has sold more than six million copies on PC and consoles since the aerial combat sequel took off in 2019. Word is this pushes lifetime sales of the series past the 20 million mark. In a similar vein, an announcement from Focus Entertainment reveals that more than six million players have now played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which includes GeForce NOW players as well as purchases. This is a jump from the end of October when the game surpassed 4.5 million players. Word is:

We now count more than 6 million players on #SpaceMarine2!! 🎉

Since the release, we keep reaching incredible milestones, and we're endlessly grateful for it. Grateful for YOU! 🫵

Thank you so much for your unwavering support. ⚔️

Tales of Graces f Remastered is now available for PC and consoles, and the Windows edition of this action/RPG update graces Steam. The original launched in 2010 and the Launch Trailer offers a look at the new version's updated graphics. Here's the tale of these tales:

TALES OF GRACES f REMASTERED is a remastered version of TALES OF GRACES™f that released in 2010. Players will follow the adventures of Asbel and his friends as they embark on a world-spanning quest filled with unforgettable characters, shocking revelations, and unique companions brought together through promises made across time. Set in the lush and vibrant planet of Ephinea, players embark on a journey of intrigue across a world ruled by three great nations, each with the power of Eleth.

Continue here to read the full story.

The Independent Games Festival Website lists the nominees for the Independent Games Festival Awards, which will be handed out on March 19th during the Game Developers Conference. The highlight is Consume Me with five nominations, which feels like a lowlight for this site, since it's never been mentioned here, but it is still listed as "coming soon" on Steam, and "in development on Itch.io, so how this all works is a little mysterious. Word on the process includes a little placeholder text:

This year's nominees were selected from a list of almost 500 entries, thanks to the hard work of our expert juries in each individual category, who chose the finalists after playing, discussing, and meticulously evaluating each of the games in consideration. Be sure to submit your vote for the IGF Audience Award LINK TKTKTKTTK! Voting will close on TKTKTKT.

The Independent Games Festival is part of GDC 2025, which will be held in San Francisco March 17-21.

• Monster Hunter New Year Hunting Collection (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Save 85% on Othercide on Steam.
• Save 75% on ICARUS on Steam.
• Save 60% on EA SPORTS FC 25 on Steam.
• Save 50% on Saleblazers on Steam.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Ubisoft Finally Adds Steam Achievements To Old Far Cry Games - Kotaku.

Official patches.

• DayZ Experimental Update 1.27 (Change log).
• Star Citizen Alpha 4.0.1 PTU.9488811 Patch Notes.

• EA Sports FC 25 is giving every player a 90-rated Zidane, with the chance to evolve him to 94 - VGC.

• Arma Reforger - Make Arma Not War 2025 Contest. Arma mod competition.

• Hexes, Headrotten, and Havoc – The Lore of Diablo IV: Season of Witchcraft - Xbox Wire.

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Exploration Gameplay Overview.

• Mark Zuckerberg blamed Sheryl Sandberg for Meta 'inclusivity' push: report - Fox Business. Way to man-up. Thanks Matthew.
• Bluesky releases its annual moderation report for 2024 - Neowin.

• Windows 11 is finally getting a battery percentage indicator - Neowin.
• Adam Savage Learns About the Flipper Zero - Adam Savage’s Tested (video). Thanks RedEye9.
• FreeFileSync version 14.0. Thanks Ant.

• OpenAI's AI reasoning model 'thinks' in Chinese sometimes and no one really knows why - TechCrunch.
• ChatGPT is the homework helper for more than a quarter of teens – and the trend is accelerating - TechRadar.

• FTC settlement order bans sales of Genshin Impact loot boxes to kids under 16 without their parents' consent - Federal Trade Commission. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• FCC says US telcos by law must secure networks from spies • The Register.

Last Link of the Day: Tiny insect-like robot can flip, loop and hover for up to 15 minutes - New Scientist.

DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS is now available for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, offering the chance to travel back to the upheaval of the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. This is steeped in history, if not realism, as you play a one-person army in this "musou thriller" where you single-handedly take on up to a thousand foes at once ("never tell me the odds!"). The PC edition is on Steam with no launch discount, but there is a playable demo. Check out the Launch Trailer for a look at frenetic combat and an interesting courage mechanic, and read on for more:

DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS introduces a new, deeper interpretation of the traditional Three Kingdoms storyline, which depicts ancient Chinese history. From the “Yellow Turban Rebellion” to the climax of the “Battle of Chibi”, the story of DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS drops players into the heart of an ancient China in turmoil. Through the eyes of a nameless hero, players will have to fight fiercely while making bold choices in order to restore peace and shape history to their own experience, battling enormous enemy armies while navigating the chaos of the Three Kingdoms era.

Continue here to read the full story.

An X from Jeff Grubb supporting a rumor that Corrine Busche is departing Electronic Arts is confirmed on Eurogamer.net, who heard directly from the now-former Dragon Age game director herself. Refuting a separate element to the rumor, Grubb also reported his belief that BioWare Edmonton will not be closing, and Eurogamer states it "understands" that "BioWare itself is otherwise unaffected by any other changes." There's been backlash from some corners to aspects of the recently released Dragon Age: The Veilguard deemed too woke, but Corinne says she decided to leave for the chance to build a new RPG she "couldn't turn down":

"At the heart of it, this was about my own fulfillment," Busche told Eurogamer. "I did what I set out to do at BioWare. That is to come in and help right the ship. I love Dragon Age, and BioWare, so the chance to return the game to a proper quality single player RPG was the privilege of a lifetime.

"It was hard fought, as games with such tumultuous dev cycles rarely end up shipping, and even more rarely turn out great. We, as a team, did it. And it was hard. It took a toll on me. BioWare still has a lot of work to do culturally, but I do believe they are on the right footing now.

Continue here to read the full story.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling on TikTok, rejecting an appeal claiming the recent law forcing a sale or closure of the Chinese social media app is a First Amendment violation. This upholds a ban in the U.S. that demands TikTok be closed or sold by Sunday, though the report on CNN notes it is still not entirely clear how this will work. It shares details on the case, saying the court acknowledged the outlet that TikTok provides, but ultimately ruled that the national security concerns that inspired the ban will carry the day. It also quotes President-elect Trump saying his executive branch will ultimately decide on the fate of the app he once opposed, despite this closure from the other two branches of government. Here's word on the decision:

In its opinion, the Supreme Court acknowledged that for 170 million Americans TikTok offers “a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community.”

But the court said, Congress was focused on national security concerns and that, the court said, was a deciding factor in how it weighed the case.

“Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,” the court wrote.

Official patches.

• The First Descendant - 01-17(Fri) Maintenance-Free Patch Notice.

• CYBERZONE: The World's First VR Game Show (Is Very Bad) - Kim Justice (video). Thanks Ant.
• All The Kids Are Convinced This VR Gorilla Game Is Haunted - Kotaku.

• New Call of Duty- Warzone Glitch Lets Players Fly Across the Map - GameRant.

• ENDER MAGNOLIA- Bloom in the Mist Final Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Time of day specific quests - Viva La Dirt League.

• Q&As with: Michael Haire - Former Art Director at Microprose - Spillhistorie.no.
• The Witcher 3's director explains why he had to leave CDPR to make his dream vampire RPG- 'We had crazy ideas' - PC Gamer.

• Sony's Live Service Push Has Been a Disaster of Utterly Insane Proportions - Push Square. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition Physical Pre-order Trailer.
• Next Week on Xbox- New Games for January 20 to 24 - Xbox Wire.
• (For Southeast Asia) January Deals come to PlayStation Store – PlayStation.Blog.

• This Raspberry Pi handheld emulator looks like a Nintendo Switch but it can play many more games - Tom's Hardware.
• Apple Watch Saves Man's Life After He Passes Out While Driving, Accelerates Car Into Neighbor's Swimming Pool, And Gets Trapped Upside Down - Wccftech.

• RedNote Scrambles to Hire English-Speaking Content Moderators - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Mark Zuckerberg Turns His Back on the Media - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).

Thanks Console General.

• PCIe standards group releases draft specification for PCIe 7.0 — full release expected in 2025 - Tom's Hardware.
• Microsoft begins force-updating users to Windows 11 version 24H2 - Neowin.
• Free Windows 11 upgrade offer won’t be getting killed off by Microsoft (yet) - TechRadar.
• NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 GPUs Expected to Have Limited Launch Availability; Team Green To -Nitpick- Retailer Distribution - Wccftech.
• The death of DEI in tech – Computerworld.
• Intel Shares Jump On Renewed Buyout Chatter - Wccftech.
• TSMC CEO says Arizona fabs won't manufacture latest-gen chips before Taiwan - Neowin.
• Walgreens Regrets Replacing Fridge Doors With Smart Screens, Creating Techno-Dystopia Vibes. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Fighting To Keep Bluetooth Thermometers Hackable - Hackaday. Thanks Max.
• Visual Studio Code version 1.96.4.
• StreamFab version 6.2.1.5.

• Microsoft AI Red Team says security work will never be done • The Register.
• Apple Intelligence- iPhone AI news alerts halted after errors - BBC. Come for the news, stay for the hallucinations. Thanks brother19.

• Over a million WordPress sites exposed to attack from W3 Total Cache plugin flaw - TechRadar.
• Six vulnerabilities in rsync announced and fixed in a day • The Register.

• Supreme Court rules in favor of TikTok ban in the U.S. unless ByteDance sells - NBC News.
• European Union orders X to hand over algorithm documents - Ars Technica.
• GM responds to FTC's proposed five-year ban on selling customer data - Neowin.
• They Went After the Hawk Tuah Crypto Promoters. Now They're Suing Pump.Fun - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Nintendo just admitted that emulators are, technically, legal - Android Authority. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Lawmakers press Meta, Apple, Google, and others on massive Trump donations - The Verge.

• Transformers- Galactic Trials (Xbox Series X|S) - Christ Centered Gamer.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Dock: Plugable USB-C Dual 4K Display HDMI or DisplayPort Horizontal Docking Station review - TechRadar.
• Game Controller: Logitech G RS Wheel Hub and RS Track Wheel review - PC Gamer.
• Headset/Earbuds: These Beyerdynamic headphones deliver impressively accurate sound and all-day comfort - ZDNET.
• Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% review - PC Gamer.
• Keyboard: Lemokey P1 HE review- A premium, beautiful gaming keyboard that feels (and sounds) great - XDA.
• Monitor/Projector: Asus ProArt PA27JCV 5K professional monitor review- Redefining pixel density and color accuracy - Tom's Hardware.
• Mouse Pad/Mat:
• RAM: Crucial Pro Overclocking DDR5-6400 2x16GB Review - APH Networks.
• Sound Card/DAC: Fosi Audio K7 Gaming Desktop DAC-Headphone Amplifier Review - TechPowerUp.

Taco Tuesday is all well and good, but what I'm excited about today is Empanada Friday. That's because today is when the empanada truck parks nearby to bring fried goodness to those knowledgeable enough to seek it out. We're warned we may be in for a severe winter storm this weekend, so we may prudently pick up a couple of extras to reheat as comfort food if we're snowed in. Comfort food for the win.

Obituary: Dame Joan Plowright- Acting legend dies at 95.
Obituary: Jeannot Szwarc Dead: 'Somewhere in Time' Director Was 85 - Variety. Tactfully doesn't mention Jaws 2 or Supergirl.
Obituary: Leni, of Puppy Songs fame, crosses the Rainbow Bridge - Boing Boing.

Comfortable Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• Drones Uncovered a 3,000-Year-Old Hidden Mega-Fortress in the Mountains - Popular Mechanics. Thanks RedEy9 (may require registration or subscription).
• US sues Pepsi over exclusive discounts to Walmart - KSL.com. Why sue the victim instead of the blackmailer?

Science

• Nanoparticles Reverse Parkinson's in Mice by Healing Damaged Dopamine Cells - ScienceAlert.
• Panorama of Andromeda galaxy unveils hundreds of millions of stars - Phys.org.
• SpaceX catches Starship booster a second time, loses ship to an 'anomaly' in space - TechCrunch.

Media

• THE MONKEY - Official Redband Trailer - In Theaters February 21 (NSFW). Thanks RedEye9.
• SKILL is everything ▪ Vol. 2. Thanks VideoSift.
• For Possibly The First Time Ever, A Meteorite Was Captured Hitting The Ground On Video And Audio - IFLScience.
• Watch SpaceX Starship explode over Atlantic Ocean on Flight Test 7 (videos) - Space.