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A lot of folks know New Mexico for green chiles, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, and the birthplace of the bomb. But it's also a global center of flamenco—the passionate dance, song and music of the Roma people of southern Spain.

(Image credit: Thais Coy)

The settlement in House v. NCAA brings an end to the NCAA's long-standing tradition of amateurism. Starting this fall, schools will be able to pay players directly up to a salary cap of $20.5 million.

(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 7.

Bystanders and protesters have been confronting ICE agents as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement.

(Image credit: Lara McCaffrey)

Deported migrants have been stuck at a military base in Djibouti for over two weeks — and ICE officers are also there, guarding them 24 hours a day.

(Image credit: U.S. Navy photo / Screenshot by NPR)

• Resident Evil Requiem has officially been announced
• The ninth entry launches on February 27, 2026, for PC and console
• Requiem's protagonist is FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, who could be related to Resident Evil Outbreak's Alyssa Ashcroft

It's official, Resident Evil Requiem is set to launch on February 27, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

The next Resident Evil game was the final announcement of Summer Game Fest 2025 and was unveiled with a chilling cinematic trailer showing off the game's protagonist, FBI technical analyst Grace Ashcroft, and a nuked Racoon City.

Capcom is calling the ninth entry "a new era of survival horror," and host Geoff Keighly describes it as a "bold shift for the franchise both in tone and gameplay," and that players should expect "high-stakes cinematic action".

"Requiem for the dead. Nightmare for the living. Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth title in the mainline Resident Evil series," the blurb reads. "Prepare to escape death in a heart-stopping experience that will chill you to your core.

"A new era of survival horror begins in 2026. Technological advancements combined with the development team's depth of experience combine in a story with rich characters and gameplay that's more immersive than ever before."

Bizarrely, Jun Takeuchi, Resident Evil executive producer, made a brief appearance earlier in the broadcast to tease the game, but stated that Capcom wasn't ready to reveal it.

From the trailer, it seems that Resident Evil Requiem will follow Grace as she investigates a serial killer who has a connection to her deceased mother.

It's unclear if former Resident Evil characters, like Leon and Jill, will make an appearance, but it appears that Grace Ashcroft is related to Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak and Outbreak File #2.

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Resident Evil Requiem is the next entry in Capcom's survival horror series.

• Street Fighter 6 Year 3 characters have been revealed at Summer Game Fest
• A hilarious trailer featuring wrestler Kenny Omega showed them off
• They are Alex, Sagat, Ingrid and C.Viper

We now know which four characters will be released as part of Street Fighter 6's Year 3 character pass.

The characters were announced during the Summer Game Fest 2025 showcase, in a humorous live-action trailer starring legendary wrestler (and Street Fighter pro) Kenny Omega.

The characters you'll be getting in Season 3 are Alex, C.Viper, Ingrid, and Sagat. And while these are all fan favorite characters in some regards, it does feel like a very safe selection overall.

Alex debuted in Street Fighter 3: New Generation, and was effectively the face of that game. He also appeared in Street Fighter 5.

C.Viper was arguably one of the more iconic debutants from Street Fighter 4, and her omission from Street Fighter 5 certainly left some fans out in the cold.

Ingrid is an interesting one, as she effectively only ever appeared in two games - one of those was Capcom Fighting Evolution, which many fighting game fans would prefer to pretend didn't exist (though it is playable again today via Capcom Fighting Collection 2). She also appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX, a PSP port often considered among the best the Alpha subseries has to offer.

Lastly there's Sagat. Cool.

As for when you can expect to play as these new characters, Capcom has release windows for them in a recent X / Twitter post.

Sagat is out first in 'Summer 2025,' followed by C.Viper in 'Autumn 2025.' Third is Alex in 'Early Spring 2026,' with Ingrid closing the year out in 'Late Spring 2026.'

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• The free-to-play PvP shooter Mecha Break officially launches for PC and Xbox Series X in July
• Dying Light: The Beast gets an official August release date at Summer Game Fest
• Hideo Kojima debuts an exclusive new look at Death Stranding 2: On the Beach at Summer Game Fest

• The Mecha Break launch trailer debuted at Summer Game Fest 2025
• It's coming to PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
• Players can expect the full version on July 1, 2025

Amazing Seasun Games has announced that Mecha Break will launch on July 1 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC at Summer Game Fest 2025.

The free-to-play multiplayer shooter was revealed at The Game Awards 2023 and had a pre-launch beta that took place in August 2024. A separate open beta also concluded in March 2025, and pre-registrations have been available for some time.

Mecha Break will offer three distinct combat modes, including 3v3 Deathmatch, 6v6 Hero Shooter, or PvPvE Extraction Shooter, and allow players to master assault, melee, sniper, reconnaissance, and support classes.

"In the aftermath of the Catastrophe, a mysterious carbon-silicon mineral known as Corite has breathed new life into Earth's depleted energy industry," the game's description reads.

"But its gift came with a curse — its pathogenic nature and uncontrollable spread are slowly devouring the last habitable spaces on the planet. Within 30 years, the heavily polluted Marcens Zones threaten to engulf the entire globe, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction.

"Amid the chaos of this catastrophic event, you find yourself thrust into the role of an unlikely hero — a pilot of the third-generation BREAK Striker. Now, you must navigate an uncertain path, one fraught with peril and discovery. But you are not alone. A secretive organization known as S.H.A.D.O.W. has extended an offer, one that could change the fate of both you and the world."

Mecha Break is also being developed for PS5, but there's no release date for that version just yet.

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Unveiled at Summer Game Fest, Killer Inn is an upcoming multiplayer murder mystery pitting players against each other in the search for the true killers.

Much-anticipated bantamweight rematch headlines a stacked bill in New Jersey.

After two long years of waiting, Lies of P: Overture has finally arrived.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: June 6, 2025

A full-sized expansion to the 2023 base game (a title that was my game of the year for 2023), Overture is a masterful example of taking an already complete-feeling game and showing that its best content was actually yet to come. Indeed, if Lies of P wasn’t already one of the best soulslike games out there, it certainly is now.

Overture is a prequel set some years before the events of Lies of P. The protagonist and his companion Gemini somehow find themselves transported back in time, right on the cusp of the Puppet Frenzy outbreak and the spread of the Petrification Disease. You’ll visit locations that have since been burned to the ground or decommissioned, and meet a handful of characters whose fates are only discussed in passing in the base game.

If you’re a lore head, then you’ll be pretty pleased with Overture, as it fills in the gaps left by plenty of unanswered questions - and sheds even further light on the twisted experiments and excursions of the villainous Alchemist faction.

You can also expect to visit plenty of gorgeous locations, including the opening level of Krat Zoo and its massive greenhouse and carnival. There are a handful of underground interiors that can start to feel a little samey, and there are some instances of very questionable enemy placement (those guys dual-wielding massive shields can absolutely do one) but the good news is that level design is as strong here as it is in the main campaign.

Naturally, Overture also sets the stage for plenty of new boss fights, and these are by far the best and most challenging encounters the whole game has to offer. Paired with the brand new Battle Memories mode - which lets you replay all bosses across five difficulty levels - and there’s plenty to keep fans busy here for months if not years to come.

At around 20-25 hours, I estimate Overture to be roughly half as long as the base game on a first playthrough on the Legendary Stalker difficulty (that’s the game’s standard difficulty option, joined by two easier modes in the accompanying free update). Though it is possible you may run the clock a bit longer than that if you’re stuck on some of these boss fights or going through the new lore with a fine-toothed comb.

Overall, though, if you liked Lies of P, you’ll adore the Overture expansion. Developer Round8 Studio seems to have already perfected its approach to the soulslike formula, and I’m beyond excited to see what the team has in store for the future.

Pasts unwritten

(Image credit: Neowiz)

Firstly, I’d just like to note how simple it is to unlock and play the Overture DLC. So long as you’ve beaten Chapter 9 of the main story, you’ll get an item and a prompt telling you exactly where to go to begin the expansion. There’s no FromSoftware-esque obscurity here; just head to said location and you’re underway in seconds, which is very welcome.

If you’re curious about how the Overture journey begins, you can read my preview where I talk about Krat Zoo at length. Otherwise, I won’t get into a talk about the expansion’s individual levels for the sake of avoiding spoilers. But in general, you can expect the same compact, expertly crafted level design for the most part. Overture still follows the fairly linear level structure of the main game, but there are plenty of avenues of exploration and instances of revisiting earlier levels during side quests.

You’ll absolutely want to be exploring these locations top to bottom, too. Overture has no shortage of new weapons, costumes, consumables, scraps of lore, sidequests, and even a couple of new Legion Arms (your trusty left arm-mounted utility) for you to discover.

Best bit

(Image credit: Neowiz)

I won’t go into spoilers here, but the closing hour of Overture is its crowning achievement. Mixing climactic combat, deeply emotional moments, and a showstopping final boss fight, this whirlwind expansion definitely ends with a bang.

The new weapons are pretty excellent across the board, and you can expect armaments obtained from each boss, as well as ones you’ll find tucked away in treasure chests that let you swap blade and hilt, just like in the base game. Better yet, these are compatible with the base game’s weapons, opening up even more opportunities for customization.

I went into Overture with a Technique (dexterity) build, so I quickly warmed to the new Death’s Talons weapon. These Wolverine-like claws slash foes quickly, and its unique Fable Art (special moves you can perform by filling the accompanying gauge) attack can perform a devastating multi-stage combo which quickly builds an enemy’s Stagger bar, allowing you to go in for a massive critical hit.

Pale Knight is another big winner; essentially a Squall Leonhart-esque gunblade with explosive rounds, it packs a serious punch for Motivity (strength) builds, and it’s one I can see becoming a favorite among the playerbase if only for its coolness factor.

Those two new Legion Arms are also a vast improvement over many of the main game’s roster. In Lies of P, most Legion Arms had very situational usages, making it tough to commit to a single one. Overture’s are far more practical, one producing a devastating shotgun blast, with the other firing out spinning discs that stay in place, damaging enemies over a short period of time.

Both are vastly more useful, and I find myself sticking with the latter in particular for my current New Game Plus run.

Writ in blood

(Image credit: Neowiz)

It wouldn’t be a soulslike experience without a few bosses for you to bash your head against for hours on end, and Lies of P: Overture certainly doesn’t disappoint in this department. While there aren’t too many new boss encounters, the ones that are here are absolutely a quality over quantity affair.

I’ve already spoken at length about three of them in my previous boss impressions piece - and I certainly won’t be spoiling the remainder here - but you can rest assured that if you’re seeking a challenge, Overture’s bosses are indisputably the hardest fights in the entire game.

Hard, but certainly not unfair. And if you’re tired of those Elden Ring-style bosses that have seemingly endless combo strings, there’s actually very little of that here. Like the main game, it’s all about pattern recognition and how effectively you can Perfect Guard the attacks you’re confident about, and dodging through the ones you’re not. Most of the bosses are a good deal speedier, too, so picking the right moments to strike is more crucial than ever here.

Should I play Lies of P: Overture?

(Image credit: Neowiz)Play it if...

You want more of 2023’s best soulslike
Simple. If you loved Lies of P, you’ll adore what Round8 Studio has brought to the table with its Overture DLC.

You’re pining for new weapons and builds
Overture’s lineup of new weapons, amulet accessories, and Legion Arms add even more variety to Lies of P’s build scope. Want to deal more damage after a perfect dodge? Or decimate a group of foes with a powerful shotgun blast? You can expect all this and more.

You’re looking for a new challenge
Between the new bosses and the excellent Battle Memories boss rematch mode, Lies of P: Overture will test your soulslike skills to their limits.

Don't buy it if...

You haven’t played Lies of P yet
This one’s a bit obvious, sure, but Overture requires that you own the base game first. Be sure to get a playthrough of that under your belt before deciding whether or not the DLC is right for you.

You’re easily frustrated by soulslikes
Even on its new easier difficulty options, Lies of P: Overture can provide a staunch challenge. If you’re not a fan of grinding boss attempts for potentially hours, this might be one to miss.

Accessibility

Lies of P: Overture has launched alongside a new free update for the game. This adds two easier difficulty options, perfect for players less versed in the soulslike experience. There are also new colorblind mode options (protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia), as well as a colorblind mode intensity slider.

How I reviewed Lies of P: Overture

My playthrough of Lies of P: Overture took me around 20-25 hours to complete on the default Legendary Stalker difficulty. That time was spent combing through most of each level’s optional secrets and side quests, as well as a good deal of time up against the incredibly tough new boss encounters. While I’m not sure I achieved a 100% complete run, I am confident that I got to experience the vast majority of what Overture has to offer.

I played the expansion on PC (via Steam) with my controller of choice being the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro. I also made use of my RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset to experience the game’s immaculate soundtrack and impressive audio design.

First reviewed June 2025

Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s the Merc with a Mouth flying face-first into his next game: Marvel’s Deadpool VR – and it’s coming exclusively to the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.

We just got our first trailer for the title at Summer Game Fest, and it’s jam-packed with violence against a host of Marvel villains and Deadpool’s signature humor.

While the gameplay focus doesn’t tell us too much about the story, the trailer’s description reveals that Deadpool has been given the chance to make big bucks after being transported to Mojoworld, which X-Men animated fans will recognise as the home of the TV-obsessed Mojo.

He signs a contract (which he obviously doesn’t read properly) and that sends him across the Marvel universe to face off against Hydra goons, the Hand, and iconic villains including Omega Red and Mephisto.

In a press release sent out to us ahead of the announcement, the combat style was described as “if you can imagine it, you can probably do it.” Based on what we’ve seen, this appears to be the case.

Deadpool blocks incoming fire with his katanas before wall running while shooting at his foes and finishing them off by chucking his pistol at the robot trying to gun him down. Later in the trailer, we see him throwing appendages (his own and others) at his foes, pressing a goon’s face into a spinning plane propeller, and using the Hand’s kunai against them.

If you like action-packed VR sandboxes, this looks like it could be right up your street, as the footage seems to stress the importance of creative killing rather than simply flailing your katanas around.

All the while, Neil Patrick Harris is delivering humorous quips as the voice actor for Deadpool in this title. And while we only get a small taste of his performance, he already sounds like a great pick for the role with his characteristically dry, sarcastic humor.

(Image credit: Meta / Marvel)

Meta and developer Twisted Pixel haven’t yet given this title an exact release date, but have said it’s coming “Late 2025,” and it can’t come soon enough.

Deadpool and his fans have been crying out for a new video game.

Since his 2013 title’s release, the character’s popularity has skyrocketed thanks to a trilogy of much-loved movies starring him. However, Activision also lost the Marvel license it had in 2014, so the game is impossible to get digitally and can’t be rereleased physically.

That’s why copies of the 2013 Deadpool game have seen prices over $100 / £100 at times, and can still fetch prices in the $50 / £40 range from resellers.

If this Meta Quest 3 title can live up to the superhero-fantasy that was Batman: Arkham Shadow – one of the best Batman games ever made, and the perfect title for anyone who has dreamt of wearing the cowl – I exp[ect it could be the sought of 2025 system seller the Quest 3 and Quest 3s have been looking for (especially given rumors that a Meta Quest 4 refresh has been delayed until at least 2027).

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The unexpected prequel DLC expands the dark Pinocchio-inspired world with over 10 hours of new gameplay, and it's available now.

Magnetic Joy-Cons and better graphics make the Nintendo Switch 2 feel like an evolution, but its familiar design and a lack of early exclusive games mean you're OK to wait.

• A new trailer for Dying Light: The Beast was shown off at Summer Game Fest
• The DLC-turned-full game release will be out on August 22
• Anyone who bought the game originally as DLC will receive the full version at no extra cost

Dying Light: The Beast just received an official release date at Summer Game Fest 2025.

Revealed alongside a new gameplay and story trailer showcasing first-person action, Dying Light: The Beast is set to launch on August 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

The game was initially being developed as downloadable content (DLC) for Dying Light 2: Stay Human, but developer Techland announced at Gamescom 2024 that the project had become a standalone title.

"Development of Dying Light: The Beast originally started as a story DLC for Dying Light 2: Stay Human," Techland announced at the time. "But after two years of work, its size and scope has changed so much that it evolved into a standalone, self-contained experience.

"To show appreciation for the community who patiently waited for the DLC, Techland will be offering Dying Light: The Beast at no extra cost to all owners of the Dying Light 2: Stay Human Ultimate Edition, delivering a full standalone adventure instead of just a DLC."

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• A new Mafia: The Old Country trailer debuted at Summer Game Fest
• The story focused trailer gave us a look at several new characters
• The game is slated to launch on August 8, 2025

Mafia: The Old Country will officially launch on August 8 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Hangar 13 made the announcement at Summer Game Fest 2025 and gave us a brand new look at the third-person action game with a cinematic trailer, which also provided some new insight into the story.

"Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Cosa Nostra in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era," the game's description reads.

"Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he's ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family. His oath to the Cosa Nostra, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth: Family Takes Sacrifice."

Pre-orders for the Standard and Deluxe Editions are available now. Players who secure a copy will receive the Soldato Pack featuring distinctive cosmetics and a helpful Charm.

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Top Republicans, including President Trump, are criticizing the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office over its assessment that GOP's signature policy bill could add $2.4 trillion to the deficit.

(Image credit: Visual Generation)

New experiment from Google Labs crunches financial data and builds interactive graphs and charts

The presence of AI in music is on the rise, and there are plenty of questions about whether that's a good thing or not. Of course, the music business is a business, so the real question is whether it can be a success, not whether the quality matches human artists. The incredibly successful musical artist and producer Timbaland is going to find out for himself.

Timbaland has signed an AI pop act named TaTa to his new company Stage Zero, according to Billboard. The first performer for an AI-powered music genre he's named “A-Pop,” TaTa was created in a partnership with AI music platform Suno, a company Timbaland has worked with before. According to a statement to Billboard, Timbaland thinks of TaTa as far more than just a more complex auto-tune tied to a chatbot. TaTa is “a living, learning, autonomous music artist.”

I get the appeal of AI for someone like Timbaland. He’s a producer. His talent allows him to hear the possibilities for a song or artist before they are fully formed. And AI tools like Suno and its various rivals, like Udio, can generate catchy melodies, layered harmonies, and even full songs in just a few minutes. What took days now takes hours, and what took months now takes days. AI music production is fast, consistent, and never a diva about its lunch order.

But, so what? That might be fine for elevator music or background music in a million insurance commercials, but that's not what Timbaland is pitching. Music that people listen to for fun or for the feelings may have been created in a burst of inspiration and a dream, like "Let It Be" was for Paul McCartney, but far more often, an album is the result of a lot of hard work, experiments, failures, and emotion. Consistency is what you want from fast food, but music shouldn't be that way. Sometimes a song is amazing, and sometimes it's bad, but that's better than dully competent.

It's like with AI writing. Usually it's very competent and accurate, but supremely dull and lacking imagination. Sure, a good set of prompts can provoke something more imaginative, but even that's ultimately from the prompt; the AI just stitches together the rest from whatever good idea appeared in the prompt.

It's not like AI music is always going to be bad. Timbaland is keen to point out that TaTa is not just an avatar, but a model able to learn. But, say TaTa has twenty thousand great pop songs to learn from. It may perform something that sounds just as good, but really will be exactly the average.

I think we often confuse technical ability with artistry. AI can write lyrics and generate beats and melodies. But it doesn’t understand what it's writing, and I think you can tell in the best music the intention behind the singing. It’s the difference between cooking from a recipe and cooking from memory. Both result in a nice meal, but one has a story behind it to enhance the flavor.

AI Pop

I think AI has a place in music. I really like how it can help the average person without technical or musical skills produce a song. Anyone with an idea can make a song without a whole team or a record label behind them. But, ultimately, it's the idea and the person providing it that make or break a song. AI should be a tool, even a collaborator, but I don't think it should be the whole act. That's not helping humans make better music; that's just replacing them. We’re replacing them with algorithms and calling it progress.

Timbaland says TaTa is the first of a new generation of musical acts. That might be true, as there's certainly a lot of AI-generated music on streaming platforms now. We may soon see AI artists on half of the Top 40, all optimized for TikTok loops. But I question how many of them will be considered the best music around.

Even as AI keeps getting better, more convincing, and more nuanced, I think real voices and songs will stand out. Timbaland could make a lot of money from TaTa, because he's that talented a producer. But I’d rather hear what he does collaborating with a young artist who's come up with a great hook and lyrics for a chorus.

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