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The best whodunit movies are suspenseful and often twist-filled masterpieces, from the voyeuristic classic Rear Window to the clever modern hit Knives Out.

Visions of Mana’s story may be predictable, but its familiar gameplay makes it feel like RPG comfort food.

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was surprisingly great (certainly more so than the outright terrible Borderlands or the all too safe Super Mario Bros.), thanks to a genuinely funny script and Jim Carrey going wild as Dr. Robotnik. After introducing Idris Elba’s Knuckles in the second film (andhis own Paramount+ TV series), now we’re getting Sonic’s broody counterpart Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. 

Voiced by Keanu Reeves, who sounds like an angstier John Wick in the trailer, Shadow is introduced as an alien who has lived through tragedy and is out for some unspecified revenge. (His real problem though, as fans of the Fast and Furious franchise will tell you, is his lack of #family.)

Judging from the trailer, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 clearly feels like the third entry in a franchise. Sonic and Knuckles are now frenemies who’ve banded together, alongside Tails, to form the Sonic Team. But when confronted with Shadow’s anger and nihilism, they have no choice but to team up with Robotnik to take him down. Personally, I’m just hoping Shadow at some point says, “I’m going to need a gun.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters December 20th.

Paramount

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sonic-the-hedgehog-3-trailer-introduces-keanu-reeves-broody-shadow-134106308.html?src=rss

French authorities have now shared the why behind the August 24 arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov. His arrest came in response to a series of charges, including complicity in “distributing, offering or making available pornographic images of minors, in an organized group.” The charges stem from a judicial investigation opened on July 8 against an unnamed individual.

The release, penned by Prosecutor of the Republic Laure Beccuau, details 12 charges in total, including money laundering, drug trafficking, fraud, running an online platform that allows illegal transactions and possessing child pornography. Durov can be held in custody until Wednesday, August 28.

The arrest has raised questions about how much leaders are responsible for what happens on their platforms. Telegram shared a post stating the company “abides by EU laws” and “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.” There have also been outcries from individuals like Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), who posted “#FreePavel” on X, and NSA whistleblower and now Russian citizen Edward Snowden, who called it politically motivated. Telegram is especially popular in Russia and Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron responded on X (formerly Twitter) to “false information” that the arrest was politically motivated. “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so,” Macron shared on August 26. “In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/telegram-ceo-charges-include-distributing-csam-and-money-laundering-125336547.html?src=rss

Nintendo fans have a lot to look forward to, including the company’s new museum, a Donkey Kong theme park expansion coming to the US and, of course, the follow up to the Switch. But everything all boils back down to the games, and we’ll soon have a clearer idea of what’s coming to the Switch thanks to a double Nintendo Direct that the company has lined up for August 27. The stream will start at 10AM ET this morning on YouTube with an Indie World showcase that will lead into a Nintendo Direct Partner presentation.

The two-for-one stream will run for around 40 minutes, but Nintendo stressed that there won’t be any news about its next console (it’s smart to manage expectations about that). Indie World presentations often feature a few games that suddenly arrive on the eShop that same day, so you’ll most likely have some new options to check out soon.

The second showcase will include details on third-party games that are coming to the Switch. It’s interesting that Nintendo hasn’t divulged exactly which partner or partners it has lined up, perhaps indicating that it has a significant surprise in store. Yeah, yeah, we say this every single time that there’s a Nintendo Direct or Indie World, but if ever there was an ideal time for a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date reveal and a deep dive into the highly anticipated sequel, this feels like it. 

In any case, Team Engadget will be keeping a close eye out for any news from Team Cherry during the stream. We’ll keep you up to date with all of the notable announcements from the double showcase as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/a-nintendo-direct-partner-showcase-and-indie-world-double-header-is-set-for-august-27-150333395.html?src=rss

It’s hard to believe that it was only in late 2021 that Wordle blew up. The social aspect of sharing results and stickiness of the one-round-per-day format proved to be a winning formula. So it’s little surprise that many other daily games have found success by going down this route. Some are as fun or even more enjoyable than Wordle. Others are actually educational, even helping you learn about the makeup of a country’s exports. Yet more will have you scratching your head as you try desperately to remember the title of a movie based on some stills. In any case, there are many, many daily online games out there. Since most are free to play, we’re here to help you figure out which of the best online games and puzzles are worth your time.

The best online games and puzzles for 2024

Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-online-games-puzzles-120059484.html?src=rss

Apple pretty much always announces the year’s iPhone in the first chunk of September, so no surprise here. It’ll announce the iPhones 16 on September 9 with the usual pomp and show at Apple’s campus, complete with global live stream. Dubbed It’s Glowtime, the event name hints at the new features leveraging Apple Intelligence.

Being a diligent technology news outlet, we already have a detailed roundup of all the rumors. It’s likely the hardware won’t change too much, with small tweaks all around. That includes slightly bigger screen sizes, new colors and a faster chipset better able to run Apple Intelligence. Personally, I’m excited for a second action button as a camera trigger, given how often I’m snapping with my iPhone.

— Dan Cooper

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Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli ordered to surrender copies of one-off Wu-Tang Clan album

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Real-life Batman villain Martin Shkreli has been ordered to hand over any copies he may have made of the Wu-Tang Clan album that propelled him to infamy. The album’s current owner gained an injunction demanding he document any copies made and hand them over within the next week. Probably shouldn’t have boasted he’d sent the album to various people and stored copies in safes all around the world.

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After CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in France, Telegram says it’s ‘absurd’ to blame a platform if users abuse it

It’s not entirely clear why Durov has been arrested.

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, the messaging platform, was arrested by French authorities on the weekend. French law enforcement says Durov’s arrest is part of a wider investigation into online crime, but Durov’s connection isn’t clear. Shortly after the arrest, Telegram said it’s “absurd” to arrest its CEO because some users may be misusing its platform.

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SpaceX will soon send the Polaris Dawn crew off to attempt the first commercial spacewalk

Good luck to the crew.

SpaceX

Bankrolled by billionaire Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn is a private space mission that aims to complete the world’s first civilian spacewalk. Due to launch August 27, the Polaris Dawn capsule will travel into the high atmosphere before two of the four crew members exit the craft. The flight will also test SpaceX’s innovative idea of not building the capsule with an airlock. Instead, the crew will all don spacesuits then open the door, exposing the rest of the crew and the spacecraft to the vacuum of space. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed.

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Starliner astronauts will come home in February on a SpaceX Crew Dragon

Boeing’s annus horribilis continues.

NASA / Robert Markowitz

After years of having its backside handed to it by SpaceX, Starliner was meant to be Boeing’s comeback story. Sadly, after its first trip to the International Space Station, the vessel will return to Earth without its two crew members. NASA has announced that, instead, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will get home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon scheduled for February 2025.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-iphone-16-launches-september-9-111546820.html?src=rss

Organizations remain skeptical about the effectiveness of appointing a Chief Automation Officer for digital transformation.

Sony has announced a new way for users to fully customize their DualSense Edge controller on PC.

We might finally know the AMD Radeon RX 8000 GPU’s specs, thanks to a new Geekbench benchmark leak.