Many open-world games make you feel powerful, letting you strike fear into enemies simply by appearing. This can be through your character’s history, reputation, incredible abilities, or other unique qualities. We’re taking a look at open-world games where the main character is genuinely feared, and exploring how that fear impacts the gameplay and makes each title stand out.
Mojang quickly kicked off 2026 by announcing fresh content for their next game update. A major highlight is a complete redesign of baby animals – including wolf pups, kittens, piglets, calves, chicks, ocelots, lambs, and rabbits – to make them even cuter and more unique. Previously, baby versions were simply smaller copies of adults with oversized heads. This update gives each baby animal a brand new look. The update also includes new baby versions of rideable creatures. Unsurprisingly, Minecraft players are already loving the adorable redesigns, and many are hoping to see baby versions of even more in-game creatures!
A new implementation combines post-quantum cryptography with established symmetric encryption to deliver secure communication in the age of quantum computing.
Some games have incredibly creative stories, but those stories can be confusing or illogical. Even so, these games can still be really enjoyable. Players might need to look up extra information—like articles or videos—to fully grasp what’s going on, but that doesn’t make the games any less fun.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a new direction for LEGO games. Unlike previous titles with huge rosters, this game focuses on just seven characters from the Batman world. The combat system seems to take cues from the popular Batman: Arkham series, offering a simplified, action-packed experience for younger players. With designs pulled straight from Batman comics and movies, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight aims to be a celebration of everything fans love about the Batman universe.
As a big fan of the Payday series, I’ve been pretty disappointed with how Payday 3 has done since it came out last year. It didn’t get the greatest reviews, and even now, players on Steam are pretty divided about it. The developers have been working hard to fix things and add new content, but it feels like it’s still struggling to really click. Honestly, with reports of job losses, it’s starting to feel like there might be even more trouble ahead for Starbreeze.
![Distinct schedules for measuring the [latex]ZZZZZZZZ[/latex] syndrome within a quantum circuit exhibit differing logical error rates, as demonstrated by the timing of Pauli checks between data and ancilla qubits across surface code patches.](https://arxiv.org/html/2601.12509v1/x1.png)
A new framework uses Monte Carlo Tree Search to dramatically improve the efficiency of syndrome measurement circuits, a critical step in protecting quantum information.
For many World of Warcraft players, collecting cosmetic appearances – or ‘transmog’ – is the most engaging part of the game, and weapons are a key component. However, some classes face challenges with weapon transmogs because of how their specializations work. Take Fury Warriors, for instance. They have a talent called Titan’s Grip that lets them use two-handed weapons as if they were one-handed. Previously, if a player wanted to make their weapon look like a one-handed weapon, they had to choose a talent called Single-Minded Fury, which meant sacrificing some of their damage output.
If you’re curious about Aemeath and Luuk Herssen, you absolutely have to watch the WuWa 3.1 livestream – they’re doing a special preview! And seriously, don’t forget to grab those WuWa 3.1 livestream codes while you’re there!
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