New York Times Connections Hints and Answers for #252 Jul 28, 2025

Connectionshas a brand-new selection of sixteen words that need to be sorted into four categories. In order to win today’s puzzle in the four tries you get, you will need to be familiar with most of the words and all their definitions, therules of how to playConnections, and you’ll also need a little bit of luck. But sometimes, the categories are just things you aren’t familiar with or didn’t think of....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 428 words · John Hensley

Octopath Traveler 1 and 2's Dancers Could Not Be Any More Different

Octopath Traveler 2’s playable cast features a dancer just like the first game did, but despite sharing a class, the two are vastly different characters. Every class fromOctopath Traveleris represented in the sequel, with a new character to fill the role. However, most of these characters take on significantly different roles and storylines than their counterparts from the first game. It is impressive how the developers managed to create radically different characters who can play the same roles, making sure thatOctopath Traveler 2has a unique feel compared to the original game....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 632 words · Ebony Barrera

One Piece: The Marineford Arc, Explained

Summary The execution of Portgas D. Ace is what led to what would be known as the greatest war since the beginning of the great pirate era. With the rise and death of major characters,the Marineford arcof theOne Pieceseries left a bittersweet feeling in the hearts of fans with the deaths of major characters and the possibilities of what would come after. With Luffy being embroiled in a war filled with warlords, emperors of the sea, and admirals, fans were left to witness just how much growing the protagonist needed to do....

June 6, 2025 · 5 min · 954 words · Martin Gates

Palworld Reveals 4 New Pals Coming This Summer

Summary During the 2024 ID@Xbox Showcase, Pocket Pair pulled back the curtain on an upcomingPalworldupdate introducing at least four new Pals and a new island for players to explore. The newPalworldupdate is slated to launch in the summer of 2024, and Pocket Pair shared a short teaser video of the new Pals that players will encounter in the update. The news ofPalworld’s next major update came weeks after the release of Bellanoir, the first raid boss Pal, in the version 0....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 556 words · Bryan Roberts

Pentiment Proves a Great Point About Diversity in Historically Grounded Games

Pentimentis Obsidian’s new decision-based narrative adventure game set in the 16th century. History fans and story-centric gamers have been enjoying theObsidian Entertainmentmurder mystery game, telling the story of Andreas Maler as he builds relationships with the people of Tassing and uncovers the secrets of the small 16th-century Bavarian town. However, with its historical setting comes one key concernPentimentmanages to handle much better than its contemporaries: diversity. As a historically grounded game set in a predominantly white, European, and Christian setting,Pentimentmakes a great point about how similar games can handle diversity while also being historically accurate....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 635 words · Brooke Barrera

Phil Spencer Talks Importance of Mobile for Xbox's Future

Summary Xboxcould become irrelevant if it does not succeed in the mobile space, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer believes. Now thatMicrosoft owns Activision Blizzard franchisessuch asCall of DutyandDiablo, both of which have successful mobile games, a move toward this market seems natural, and it’s aligned with the company’s vision. Microsoft has recently finished the acquisition of Activision Blizzardfor $68.7 billion after battling regulators for over a year. This is the biggest acquisition ever made in the gaming industry, and it seems that it’ll play an important part in Xbox’s move towards mobile....

June 6, 2025 · 2 min · 408 words · Aaron Smith

Pokemon Fan Creates Past Paradox Forms for Paldea Starter Evolutions

Summary The many Paradox Pokemon themed around the past have proven popular amongPokemonfans, and one artist has shared a few of their own designs which present what the Paldea region’s starters might look like as past-based Paradox Pokemon. Despite their widely criticized drawbacks, the latestPokemontitles have introduced a large variety of new creatures, and the Gen 9 starters have certainly proven to be some of the most popular starter Pokemon in recent years....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 485 words · John Black

Pokemon GO: All Luminous Legends Y Field Research Tasks and Rewards

The newest event to come toPokemon GOis the Luminous Legends Y event. This event is a sequel to the Luminous Legends X event and will be running from May 18th at 10:00 AM to May 24th at 8:00 PM in players' local times. While this event is active inPokemon GO, players will find themselves encountering members of Team GO Rocket far more often than usual. Because of this, the majority of the timed research tasks and field research tasks revolve around Team GO Rocket and Shadow Pokemon....

June 6, 2025 · 2 min · 408 words · Joan Mays

RWBY: Semblances and Aura, Explained

Fantasy anime (and anime in general) canput its characters through a lot of physical painthat most people couldn’t survive. Sometimes it’s just a visual gag for comedic effect, but other times the story has an in-universe to explain it andRWBYhas a few of its own. WhenRWBYstarted in 2013, the character’s ability to withstand beatings from big monsters and perform superhuman feats was Aura, a force field of sorts. And characters' unique powers were known as Semblances, which are intrinsically tied to Aura....

June 6, 2025 · 5 min · 975 words · David George

Skyrim Fan Has the Perfect Doormat

Despite its age,The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimremains one of the most popular games ever released. With many in the gaming community actively playingSkyrimtoday and with the copious amounts of memorable in-game content for players to experience, it’s easy to understand why the game has managed to persist for as long as it has. Although, the fans of the game have managed to celebrateSkyrimin a number of unique ways. Over the years, fans have done a number of things to show off their appreciation forSkyrim....

June 6, 2025 · 3 min · 443 words · Donna Roberts

Starfield Should 'Steal' These Features From The Outer Worlds

Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years,Starfield, is one of the most anticipated RPGs of this generation. Bethesda Softworks entered into the mainstream with ground-breaking RPGs likeFallout 3andThe Elder Scrollsseries. However, Obsidian Entertainment briefly worked on the series withFallout: New Vegas, a spin-off game betweenFallout 3andFallout 4. More recently, Obsidian has been working onThe Outer Worldsseries, with a sequel now in development. Both Bethesda and Obsidian share similar game design philosophies and are giants within the RPG world....

June 6, 2025 · 5 min · 983 words · Chad Morgan

Super Mario Bros. Movie's New Posters Feature Luigi's Kidnapping

The Super Mario Bros. Moviewas not featured at the latest Nintendo Direct, but Mario’s upcoming film promotion is still running hot with two more posters being shared that showcase Luigi being captured upon entering the Mushroom Kingdom. The newMariomovie has so far been featured in exclusive Direct presentations that have given fans an inside look at Illumination’s take on Nintendo’s most iconic game franchise, with appearances from cast members like Anya Taylor-Joy and Seth Rogen even setting up the full trailer’s reveal....

June 6, 2025 · 2 min · 426 words · Katherine Allison

The Argument For and Against Mortal Kombat 1's Kameo Fighters to Return in MK2

Summary Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo Fighters introduced a new element to the series, and there’s fair argument over whether it should return for the sequel. It was one of the more surprising additions to the game and played a significant role in shaping the meta ofMortal Kombat 1. While the game’s story has been set up for an enticing sequel, the fate of Kameo Fighters is less clear. They could be embraced as an important part of the new timeline’s fights....

June 6, 2025 · 4 min · 739 words · Erica Barry