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Parma elementary student wins Super Bowl tickets after completing a heart health challenge
A Parma City Schools first-grader walked into what she thought was a school assembly and walked out with tickets to the Super Bowl.
Dodgers remove Freddie Freeman from starting lineup, here’s why
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is out of the starting lineup for the second time in the past six days.
Data Centers Challenge Our Usual Politics
This year, Harvard Magazine featured an article that asserts that the Democrats have lost key tech industry endorsements. Let’s see if that matters.
Water Quality Action Plan Unifies Diverse Perspectives
When the Great Outdoors Foundation began planning the Athene Watershed26 conference held this summer in Des Moines, they knew they wanted to create a tangible action plan to keep the conference momentum going. To do this, they assembled a well-rounded team of over 30 organizations from the public and private sectors to help shape a…
Entertainment Listing: Sept. 9
Wednesday Sept. 9 Little Nashville • Marion Writers Rounds, 6 p.m. PK’s • Carbondale Trivia, 8 p.m. Advertisement Booby’s • Carbondale Gritty Biscuit & Guitar Rabbit, 8 p.m. Hangar 9 • Carbondale Karaoke Night, 8 p.m. Thursday Sept. 10 Booby’s • Carbondale Open Mic Karaoke Night, 8:30 p.m. Hangar 9 • Carbondale ...
Poll shows two-thirds of U.S. Jewish voters will favor Democrats in November
Despite tensions over Israel and rising antisemitism, respondents ranked affordability and the future of democracy as their top issues in the midterms.
Besxar is building an orbital semiconductor factory, one SpaceX rocket at a time
If you want to manufacture in space—and bring the products back again—there's a limited set of options: Wait to go to the International Space Station, or
Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine endorses Collins for U.S. Senate
The endorsement for Collins comes as the campaigns barrel toward the Nov. 3 election in one of the most highly anticipated Senate races in the country.
Scientists in Switzerland made a sponge from cheesemaking waste that captures gold from discarded electronics — after dissolving metal parts from 20 old computer motherboards, they recovered enough to melt into a 22-carat gold nugget
A Swiss lab transformed dairy waste into a gold-recovery tool, extracting precious metal from e-waste that most recyclers leave behind.
Review | Cavalluna’s Hong Kong debut was a magical, if cliché, equine spectacle
Cavalluna’s Asian debut stunned the city with its spectacular horsemanship, but plain and flawed storytelling was a fly in the ointment.
Seminoles Surrender Back Breaking Play in 4th Quarter
FSU suffered a blow in the fourth quarter when SMU wideout Yannick Smith caught a 79 yard touchdown. Even though FSU responded, it was the biggest explosive play of the game, and the one that sticks out the most when you consider SMU had three plays of 50 yards or more, and eight plays of +15 yards.
Chelsea vs Leeds United – Match preview and team news
Chelsea host Leeds United in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday, six months after the sides met at Wembley in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.Xabi Alonso’s side go into the game looking to b...
'Our year': Kane and Bayern primed for Champions League tilt
Bayern Munich have made it clear their main goal this season is to win the Champions League after recent near-misses, with Harry Kane saying "it has to be our year".Bayern have twice made the Champions League semi-finals in Kane's three years at the club, but no further.
More Than 5,000 Leaders Across Entertainment, Academia and Public Life Unite to Reject “Genocide” Accusation Against Israel
Boris Johnson, Deborah Lipstadt, Sir Niall Ferguson, Shari Redstone, Steven Pinker, Sherry Lansing, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Irwin Cotler, Debra Messing and thousands of others reject the genocide accusation against Israel and warn that it fuels antisemitism
Jessica Pegula rallies back into U.S. Open semifinals
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Jessica Pegula came back to win her U.S. Open quarterfinal match Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, reaching the semifinals of the Grand Slam event for the third year in a row. Pegula, the 32-year-old Buffalonian ranked No. 3 in the world, defeated No. 26 seed Emma Navarro in the all-American […]
Pegula outlasts Navarro to set US Open semi with Sabalenka
Jessica Pegula booked a third straight US Open showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, grinding out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Emma Navarro on Tuesday to set a semi-final clash with the two-time defending champion.
Tiafoe escapes Michelsen to reach US Open semi-finals
Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down -- and 3-0 down in the fifth set -- to edge 22-year-old Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10/6) and reach the US Open semi-finals on Tuesday.But in a match of swinging momentum shifts, Tiafoe battled back from 5-3 down in the third set and recovered an early break in the fifth to reach his third US Open semi-final in five years.
Trump-Backed Auto Executive Wins House Primary in New Hampshire
Anthony DiLorenzo, an automotive executive who ran with the president’s endorsement, will be the Republican nominee in the First Congressional District.
US Open results 2026: Quarterfinal scores and semifinal bracket updates
US Open results and bracket updates for the 2026 men’s and women’s draws.
What Hurricanes Newest Signing Means for RFA Alexander Nikishin
Tuesday afternoon, the Carolina Hurricanes announced the signing of Pierre-Olivier Joseph – a 27-year-old left-handed defenseman with 225 NHL games […]
The 98 Biggest TV Show Flops, Bombs and Misses in the First Half of 2026
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) In July, I updated my look at how the “streaming bubble” popped since 2023, showing the decline in streaming TV shows over time. But after compiling and analyzing and writing about over one hundred TV show flops in the first half of 2026—I counted 99 “nominees” and there are even more honorable mentions—I couldn’t have told you that the number of shows is going down. When it comes to scripted, English-language TV shows, it feels like we have as many bombs as ever. I don’t keep a specific count, but some streamers probably had as many flops as they’ve ever had.1 That’s right, it’s time for part two of my analysis of the biggest flops, bombs and misses on streaming in the first half of 2026. Two weeks ago, I took a look at films. Today, TV shows. If you want to read the full methodology for how I assemble this list, you can find it at the bottom of this article. In short, this list is… ...scripted and unscripted TV shows,...from the nine major streamers,...in the US (using US-only ratings),...excluding true crime, kids and foreign-language shows,...that got no/poor ratings,...from Jan-2026 to the end of June-2026. Reminder: this article does not represent my personal opinion—many of these shows are great!—but I follow the data, and a miss is a miss and a bomb is a bomb. Also, price matters. If a TV show costs north of $100 million, it needs to get lots and lots of streaming viewership to justify that budget. As with past editions, I ordered this list by streamer, going from best (fewest flops) to worst (the most misses)—taking the size of the flops into consideration—and like the last edition, three or four streamers vied to take the win/loss of having the most flops. (But the actual winner is no surprise.) I try to avoid tooting my own horn too much, but seriously, in just under 5,000 words (including the methodology section) I provide a mostly comprehensive overview of the eight major streamers (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and Apple TV) for the first half of the year, mentioning most of their hits and all their misses. It summarizes the entire first half of 2026! If you want to support this work, please subscribe. Subscribe Tubi Big Mood Boarders The Freak Brothers Twenty Twenty Six Honorable Mentions: Busted on Bodycam, Deestroying the Pitch, Destination World Cup 2026 I don’t think that Tubi spends all that much making or (mostly) licensing these original TV shows—Big Mood, Boarders and Twenty Twenty Six all come from the UK—but they’re not free and they didn’t chart anywhere. Winner: The Freak Brothers Have you even heard of this show? It’s an animated comedy...that’s on its third season! And Pete Davidson, Woody Harrelson, John Goodman and Tiffany Haddish all provide voice talent for it. Yes, animated shows don’t cost as much as live action shows, but cheap isn’t free! So a show with this level of talent needs to perform better. Disney+ Daredevil: Born Again Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Honorable Mentions: Behind the Attraction, Donna Hay Coastal Celebrations, We Call It Imagineering Disney+ doesn’t make all that many original shows anymore. They had two flops, and one was animated. Their one not-a-miss show, Wonder Man, got just good enough viewership to not be considered a “miss”...but it’s since been cancelled. At this point, Disney has pivoted entirely away from making big budget TV shows for Disney+ to making...almost nothing for Disney+? Sure, Disney’s spending circa 2019-2022 was unsustainable, but now they’re pivoting too far in the other direction. At some point, Disney needs to stop shifting strategies so wildly. Really, Disney should have made fewer shows for Disney+ at launch and the shows they did make at that time needed to be made at more reasonable budgets. And they should adopt that strategy now. Winner: Daredevil: Born Again Daredevil, the Marvel Comics character, is on my personal Mount Rushmore of favorite superheroes, so it pains me to give him the win/loss today, but this show deserves it. I’ll repeat my hot take from last spring: “Based on his popularity, Daredevil should be in movies, and probably ones that cost a lot less than the MCU’s usual price tag. Disney/Bob Iger/Ike Perlmutter (who, based on reporting, made the decision) made a huge mistake selling TV shows to Netflix in the 2010s, thus limiting this character to the small screen. Daredevil could have anchored Marvel’s post-Infinity War plans, and if he did, the MCU would probably be in a better place than it is now.” HBO Max We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… What four streamers had the most misses... HBO’s strong start to 2026… The caveat to Peacock’s turnaround this year... Paramount+’s key man problem… What country isn’t delivering hits for Netflix or Hulu... The cavalcade of stars on a streamer where no one is watching their shows... Across nearly 5,000 words of analysis… And a lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you’d like to read more about why you should subscribe, please read this article about the Streaming Ratings Report, why it matters, why you need it, and why we cover streaming ratings best.
‘Tsunami’ of Behavioral Health Challenges Amid OIG’s Anti-Psychotics Work Plan Seen Impacting QMs and Reimbursement in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes have only reached the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mental health challenges in the sector, with such challenges affecting quality
Business internship presentations connect classroom learning to career readiness
Nineteen Penn State Lehigh Valley business students concluded their required summer internships by presenting what they learned to faculty and staff evaluators. The presentations culminated a semester-long process designed to help students connect their academic preparation, workplace experiences and career-readiness skills.
Meta Removes Iran-Linked Network That Faked American Personas to Sway US Political Debate
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) welcomes Meta’s recent removal of an Iranian regime-linked network that disguised its origins while seeking to influence American political discourse. Meta disclosed the takedown on Aug. 27 in its H2 2026 Adversarial Threat Report. The network consisted of four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts linked to actors based in […]
Proposed Changes to Head Start Undermine Its Role in Promoting Child Nutrition and Healthy Eating - Food Research & Action Center
Published September 8, 2026 For more than 60 years, Head Start has supported young children during their most important phase of growth and development. For families with limited resources, Head Start is a trusted source of care, education, nutritious meals, and health services. Despite Head Start’s long history of bipartisan support, and demonstrated success, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a proposed new […]
Intercard is chosen by Family Entertainment Group for its strategic partnership with Topgolf
ST. LOUIS — Intercard is proud to announce that Family Entertainment Group, one of the nation’s premier developers and operators of entertainment experiences, will use Intercard’s cashless te…
Endorsement: No on Proposition 44, a cynical attack on community health clinics
Californians must not fall for SEIU-UHW’s thuggish tactics. Vote no on Proposition 44.
SkyWater Launches Quantum Semiconductor Manufacturing Business
SkyWater launched a dedicated quantum semiconductor business offering superconducting, photonics, and integration capabilities for customers.
In-studio: SCRMC talks upcoming seminar, ‘Your Health Explained’
Two representatives from SCRMC join Trey to talk about an upcoming event!
Ozempic and Wegovy may have an unexpected mental health benefit
Semaglutide, the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy, may have benefits that extend well beyond weight loss and diabetes. In a large Swedish study of nearly 15,000 people with bipolar disorder, its use was linked to a 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Researchers think effects on inflammation and brain-related biological pathways could help stabilize mood, though other GLP-1 drugs did not show the same association.
Six Flags Acquires Iconic ArieForce One, Bringing Fan-Favorite Roller Coaster Back to Life
/PRNewswire/ -- Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN), North America's largest regional amusement-resort operator, has acquired ArieForce One, the...
Seminole Roundup: Soccer Draws While Volleyball Hosts SEC Foe
Wrianna Hudson nets a late goal as soccer battles Rice, while volleyball preps for an Auburn clash and golf sensations Shawn Coultoff and Sophia Fullbrook ignite strong starts.
Ribbon Bio Appoints Jay Therrien as Chief Business Officer
Cell-free DNA assembly pioneer, Ribbon Bio, has today announced the appointment of Jay Therrien as Chief Business Officer. Therrien joins Ribbon's executive leadership team where he will lead the company's commercial strategy and growth initiatives.
CSU biology professor delivers talk on extremophilic microorganisms, research advancements
Thomas Santangelo began the department of biology’s fall semester seminar series at Colorado State University strong, presenting the progressive research behind microorganisms in extreme environments and how those observations can inform future research about biological resilience and adaptation. Santangelo, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at CSU, was the main speaker of the “Surprises...
"Austerity measures on humanitarian aid worsen severe health crisis in Sudan"
Global cuts to humanitarian aid are leading to inaccessibility of life-saving care in Sudan and pushing the "few remaining hospitals to the limit," warns aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières on Tuesday, on the eve of the United Nations' annual General Assembly.
Democratic Party-Led Resolution Restricts Lee Jin-sook
Democratic Party-Led Resolution Restricts Lee Jin-sook National Assembly Committee Approves Measure Amid Conflict-of-Interest Allegations
Grading Florida State’s Offensive Performance vs. SMU
Ashton Daniels’ scrambling sparked early momentum, but relentless sacks and a dismal third-down conversion rate forced the Seminoles to survive a sluggish, error-prone performance in Tallahassee.
Naomi Osaka exits U.S. Open, but not before displaying one more 'swaggy' fashion ensemble
Naomi Osaka may not have gone out of the U.S. Open with much of a bang. The two-time U.S. Open champion lost a lopsided fourth-round match on Monday to Elena Rybakina. Osaka, already known for her walk-on fashion reveals at tournaments, has been upping her game at the year's final major with a series of dramatic ensembles — all with a basketball theme, as her sponsor, Nike, honors the New York Knicks' championship win.
Microsoft said it would cut Windows 11 ads, then put a Harry Potter ad on your desktop if you use Bing Wallpaper
If you’ve set up Bing-powered wallpapers on Windows 11 (and Windows 10), you might see a full-fledged advertisement for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter + Fantastic Beasts 11-film collection. And if you haven’t seen it yet, the ad doesn’t appear to be showing up on every PC because of how Bing chooses wallpapers, which are auto-rotated […]
NSU shares lectures planned for Fall 2026 Science & Technology Seminar Series
Northeastern State University has shared the lectures planned for its Fall 2026 Science & Technology Seminar Series.
NSU shares lectures planned for Fall 2026 Science & Technology Seminar Series
Northeastern State University has shared the lectures planned for its Fall 2026 Science & Technology Seminar Series.
Under-17 bow out of the Youth Club World Cup
On the afternoon of this Monday (7), São Paulo’s U-17 team was defeated 2-0 by Athletico-PR at Estadio Ciudad de Lucena, in Lucena, Spain, in the semifinal of the FIFA Youth Club World Cup.The open...
Opinion: Bad optics and bad politics with fisheries decision
A North Carolina fisheries ruling enters its remedy stage as debate intensifies over inshore net fishing, agency performance and the General Assembly’s constitu...
Opinion: Bad optics and bad politics with fisheries decision
A North Carolina fisheries ruling enters its remedy stage as debate intensifies over inshore net fishing, agency performance and the General Assembly’s constitu...
Opinion: Bad optics and bad politics with fisheries decision
A North Carolina fisheries ruling enters its remedy stage as debate intensifies over inshore net fishing, agency performance and the General Assembly’s constitu...
Howie Roseman explains why Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell
Jihaad Campbell’s ability to cover, blitz and rush made him valuable to the Eagles
Arizona Land Play Bets on Data Centers and Entertainment to Draw Capital West
Arizona Land Consulting plans a $6 billion to $10 billion Tonopah development mixing data centers, film studios, and an amusement park west of Phoenix.
Florida State Attempting To Flip Key 2027 Athlete From Rival
Florida State will host Florida commit Kamarion Johnson for the SMU game, giving the Seminoles another shot at the versatile 2027 athlete.
Barcelona forecast €1.195 billion in revenue for 2026/27
FC Barcelona have now announced their financial figures ahead of the upcoming General Assembly, providing full access to the club members now about the economic situation.The accounts for the 2025/26 ...
Record revenue! Barça tops €1 billion 💰
FC Barcelona has already made public the figures for the 2025-26 season and the forecasts for 2026-27. Members will vote to approve this balance sheet at the Ordinary General Assembly next Saturday, S...
With a Gerrymander Vanquished, Wisconsin Democrats Aim for Control
The swing state of Wisconsin had one of the most undemocratic State Assembly maps in the country. Now Democrats have a chance to take control of the legislature.
Everton's unlikely new hero's journey to Merseyside
There was some bemusement among supporters when Everton announced the arrival of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has endured something of a nomadic career since making his professional debut for Arsenal in a Champions League tie against Galatasaray in 2014. Following the retirement of Seamus Coleman at the end of last season, Everton chief executive Angus Kinnear spoke about taking their time to find a replacement. When they eventually settled on Maitland-Niles, it was not the coup supporters had envisaged after a tedious, summer-long search.
Democratic U.S. House Candidate Maura Sullivan Visits Business in Dover, NH
Democratic U.S. House candidate Maura Sullivan, CD-1, visits a local business two days ahead of New Hampshire's primary election, the day her major rival Stefany Shaheen received the endorsement of Christian Urrutia, who dropped out of the race.
Researchers create polar wurtzite nitride semiconductor NbAlN
Polar wurtzite nitride semiconductors such as aluminum nitride and gallium nitride underpin high-power and high-frequency electronics. Researchers have now achieved the first epitaxial growth of niobium aluminum nitride (NbAlN) on GaN while preserving its polar crystal structure. Used as a barrier layer, NbAlN increased the interfacial two-dimensional electron gas density from 5.1 × 1012 to 1.7 × 1013 cm−2, opening new possibilities for polarization-based materials design in future GaN electronic devices.
Connor McDavid Teams Up With Maple Leafs Defenseman In Offseason
The Edmonton Oilers are essentially in “win now” mode considering that star captain Connor McDavid is entering the first of the two-year extension that he agreed to in October of last season.McDavid, regarded as the NHL’s top player and who has now lost twice in the Stanley Cup Final, has essentially declared that the Oilers […] The post Connor McDavid Teams Up With Maple Leafs Defenseman In Offseason appeared first on HEAVY.
Derry City beat Dundalk to make FAI Cup last four
Derry City skipper Michael Duffy leads the fightback as the Candystripes book their place in the FAI Cup semi-finals with a comeback victory over Dundalk.
2026 Week 1 Preview: SMU Mustangs @ Florida State Seminoles
SMU kicks off ACC play early in a Monday night Labor Day showcase in Tallahassee.
California Politics 360 full episode | What's next after wildfire liability proposal fails
PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric wanted to shift some of those wildfire costs onto insurance companies. This week, the California Assembly decided to scrap a plan that lawmakers put together in the final hours of the legislative session.
Bridgeway Thanks Knox County 708 Mental Health Board for Support of New Crisis Center
The Knox County 708 Mental Health Board voted on August 31, 2026, to release $150,000 in previously committed grant funding to Bridgeway for a new
Why Is China Betting Billions on a Secret Science Almost No One Knows? - Futura-Sciences
The Silent Quantum Revolution In the shadows of headline debates about semiconductors and artificial intelligence, a quieter, subtler scientific revolution is underway between global superpowers. In the spring of 2025, China unveiled its ambitious strategy to dominate quantum metrology—the ultra-precise science quietly governing our technological world. This marks a frenetic...
Endorsement: The way S.F. does business is broken. Prop E would help
OPINION: Cities don’t work without trucks and toilet paper and computers and train cars and contractors. The way San Francisco handles these purchases is broken, the editorial board writes.
Players will 'learn how we want them to play'
Manchester City clung on to a nervy victory against the Sky Blues to maintain their 100% winning start to the season, but managed to get the job done courtesy of a string of saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Erling Haaland continued his fine start to the season by converting his third goal in as many games from Antoine Semenyo's deep cross, which came after Enzo Fernandez played through a slide-rule pass to the Ghanaian. Playing in the number eight role, Argentina international Fernandez was given licence to roam and make late bursts into the box - he touched the ball six times in the opposition area, with only Haaland managing more with 11.
Ty France is Padres’ MVP
Padres first baseman is having his best season.
Alexander Zverev Has a Highway to the US Open Semifinal
The bracket gods have been extraordinarily generous to Alexander Zverev at the 2026 US Open. Lorenzo Musetti, who held a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over him and was seeded 13th, went out to Australian wildcard Dane Sweeny before they could meet. Alex de Minaur, the sixth seed and one of the most annoying players to play …
Trump’s first major midterm money move: A $10M Texas Senate ad blitz
BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey — The political group associated with President Donald Trump is spending $10 million on television and digital advertisements...
Cynthia Chestnut says Gwen Graham LG pick drove her endorsement of Byron Donalds over David Jolly
'You chose to go backward, not forward.'
Trump’s First Major Midterm Money Move: A $10M Texas Senate Ad Blitz
BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey (AP) — The political group associated with President Donald Trump is spending $10 million on television and digital advertisements in the Texas Senate race, according to a Saturday filing with the Federal Election Commission. This is the first significant spending in a ...
Byron Donalds accuses David Jolly of ducking media, voters in 'basement campaign'
'He's nowhere to be seen.'
Students welcomed back to campus with Bronco Bash festival
WMU held its 44th annual Bronco Bash celebration on Sept. 1 to greet students coming back to campus for the Fall 2026 semester.
Many truckers don't feel like the rest of America about AI data centers as business booms
Sprawling data center components from HVAC systems to tubing, wiring and semiconductors arrive primarily by truck, a boon for a business hit hard by trade wars.
Movie studio, amusement park planned for huge site near Phoenix
A prominent local real estate investor has unveiled a plan for a development an hour west of Phoenix that could include a movie production studio.
Colorado Politics Calendar Sept. 7-13
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances, water meetings, book signings, county commission hearings, city council meetings and more. As a subscriber, […]
Staff Predictions: Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 19 SMU Mustangs
The Noles kickoff their ACC schedule at home as underdogs
NICK STROBEL: New offerings on tap at planetarium
The fall schedule of shows at the William M. Thomas Planetarium is now posted. In my final semester of hosting planetarium shows, we will start with the ever-popular "Black Holes"
‘A devastating betrayal’: Small businesses cut ties with Duluth Chamber over Hermantown data center endorsement
The departures are due to a move these local business owners call a devastating betrayal and misrepresentation of small businesses in the organization.
Chargers Predicted to Make Bold Trade Ahead of 2026 Season
The Los Angeles Chargers could still have some roster moves left to make before we reach the regular season.Roughly a week removed from cutdown day, teams are still fine-tuning their squads. Decisions are being made not just for what’s best right now, but also down the line. The Chargers have assembled their practice squad, and […] The post Chargers Predicted to Make Bold Trade Ahead of 2026 Season appeared first on HEAVY.
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches
In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.
Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Breaks Silence With Important Health Update
The Toronto Maple Leafs were anything but fully healthy last season, as several key players missed weeks of time with various ailments. One such player was defenseman Chris Tanev, who was limited to 11 games.Tanev missed time because of a concussion and later, because of a core-muscle injury that took place shortly after he returned […] The post Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Breaks Silence With Important Health Update appeared first on HEAVY.
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