A federal appeals court panel on Friday upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law, which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January, is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform.
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“The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.”
TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term and whose Justice Department would have to enforce the law, said during the presidential campaign that he is now against a TikTok ban and would work to “save” the social media platform.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China.
The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
However, a significant portion of the government’s information in the case has been redacted and hidden from the public as well as the two companies.
TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government.
Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel heard oral arguments in September.
Some legal experts said at the time that it was challenging to read the tea leaves on how the judges would rule.
In a court hearing that lasted more than two hours, the panel – composed of two Republican and one Democrat appointed judges – appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform.
The judges pressed Daniel Tenny, a Department of Justice attorney, on the implications the case could have on the First Amendment. But they also expressed some skepticism at TikTok’s arguments, challenging the company’s attorney – Andrew Pincus – on whether any First Amendment rights preclude the government from curtailing a powerful company subject to the laws and influence of a foreign adversary.
In parts of their questions about TikTok’s ownership, the judges cited wartime precedent that allows the U.S. to restrict foreign ownership of broadcast licenses and asked if the arguments presented by TikTok would apply if the U.S. was engaged in war.
To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data.
The company also argues the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient.
Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm – the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan – would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content.
Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business.
This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.
TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators – for which the company is covering legal costs – as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc.
If TikTok appeals and the courts continue to uphold the law, it would fall on Trump’s Justice Department to enforce it and punish any potential violations with fines. The penalties would apply to app stores that would be prohibited from offering TikTok, and internet hosting services that would be barred from supporting it.
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sits for his confirmation hearing to potentially become the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), he will face scrutiny over his vaccine skepticism and unorthodox views on medicine. But there’s one area Kennedy may be able to find bipartisan support: food policy.
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Kennedy has spoken out against the dangers of ultra-processed foods, additives, and the influence of large corporations on food production. While his anti-vaccine views have drawn widespread criticism, his stance on combating chronic disease by ridding the nation’s food supply of harmful chemicals and ingredients broadly aligns with efforts from both sides of the political aisle and has been praised by leading public health experts.
Kennedy’s nomination to run HHS would put him in a position to directly influence policies around food regulation, nutrition standards, and federal dietary guidelines. Jerold Mande, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) senior adviser and deputy undersecretary for food safety at the Department of Agriculture under two Democratic presidents, says there’s “remarkable, strong bipartisan concern about ultra-processed food.”
As HHS Secretary, Kennedy would oversee the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has the authority to regulate food safety and nutrition labels. One of the most significant tools Kennedy would have at his disposal, according to Mande, is HHS’ involvement in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a document that shapes federal nutrition advice. The guidelines, updated every five years, inform public health messaging as well as food assistance programs and government food purchasing. The process is political, with each administration shaping the guidelines according to its priorities. “It’s like the phases of the moon,” Mande says of the HHS role. “It’s at its peak in terms of power right now. It’s highly unusual that dietary guidelines would straddle two administrations like this where work would begin in one but be completed in the other.”
For Kennedy, overseeing the Dietary Guidelines process could provide a platform to push for stronger recommendations against ultra-processed foods—particularly those laden with sugar, fat, and harmful additives. He has pledged to immediately remove processed foods from school cafeterias and to strengthen efforts to combat food-related chronic diseases, an issue he believes has been neglected by both major parties. Additionally, Kennedy has been outspoken about restricting the use of pesticides and limiting seed oils like canola and sunflower, which he argues contribute to the growing health problems in America. He has also called for a ban on artificial food dyes, such as those used in Froot Loops, which he claims have adverse effects on children’s health. “We need to stop feeding our children poison and start feeding them real, wholesome food again,” Kennedy posted on X on Nov. 2.
Kennedy has criticized the FDA for being overly lenient on food additives and processing standards. If confirmed, he would likely press for stricter regulations, clearer food labeling, and increased transparency on harmful additives. President-elect Donald Trump, who nominated Kennedy for the position, said he would allow Kennedy to “go wild on the food” after Kennedy dropped his own independent presidential bid and endorsed him.
At a Senate hearing on Thursday, FDA officials were asked about the agency’s repeated delays in implementing a proposed rule to place health labels on the front of food and drink packages, which would flag high levels of sodium, saturated fat, or added sugars amid rising obesity rates. “How long does it take to put a bloody label on a product?” asked Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and chair of the Senate Health Committee. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the delay was necessary to ensure that any proposed rule would withstand potential legal challenges, citing recent Supreme Court rulings that have curtailed the power of federal agencies.
Sanders further said he agreed with some of Kennedy’s positions on food policy, particularly his criticism of how the food industry prioritizes profits over public health, after the hearing. “I think what he’s saying about the food industry is exactly correct,” he told CBS News. “You have a food industry concerned about their profits, could care less about the health of the American people. I think they have to be taken on.”
Any regulatory actions, however, would likely clash with the agricultural industry and large food conglomerates, which have a history of lobbying against changes they deem harmful to their bottom line. The food lobby—which includes companies in processed foods, agriculture, and biotechnology—has long fought efforts to tighten regulations on ingredients, labeling, and food production practices. Kennedy’s call for stricter regulations on pesticides and agricultural chemicals could also alienate some Republicans, who have traditionally opposed government regulation, particularly when it impacts businesses’ ability to operate freely.
Beyond industry pushback, Kennedy could also face practical challenges in funding his initiatives. The FDA’s food division operates on a tight budget, relying on congressional appropriations rather than the self-sustaining user fees that fund the agency’s drug division. Mande notes that fiscal constraints have hindered past efforts to implement major food reforms, and Kennedy could face similar difficulties. “They have less than $25 million to do their nutrition work,” Mande says of the FDA’s budget. “They aren’t able to make an impact in this space because Congress doesn’t fund them.”
Still, even some of Kennedy’s positions on food and nutrition are controversial. His proposed overhaul of the FDA’s food division also includes his desire to fire nutritionists at the agency because they are “not doing their job,” a stance that has raised concerns from some public health experts. Such a drastic move could further complicate his confirmation, particularly among Democrats and public health advocates who are already wary of his broader views. Kennedy has accused the FDA of “aggressive suppression” of various products, including raw milk and hydroxychloroquine. He has previously promoted the consumption of raw milk, claiming that it “advances human health,” even though both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned that drinking raw milk can expose people to dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli and listeria. Kennedy also opposes adding fluoride in drinking water, a practice that boosts oral health and has been a cornerstone of U.S. public health policy for decades, citing studies that suggest a link between high levels of fluoride in drinking water and neurobehavioral problems.
The Senate confirmation process will also scrutinize Kennedy’s views on vaccines. Public health officials are deeply concerned about the possibility of placing one of the country’s leading anti-vaccine advocates at the helm of HHS, an agency responsible for overseeing the safety of vaccines. “Some would say what he says on diet and [the] importance of healthy foods is reasonable,” Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said on Thursday during the Senate Health Committee hearing with FDA officials. “However, one reasonable opinion does not qualify someone to run the United States Department of Health and Human Services.”
When $72 million worth of bitcoin was stolen from Bitfinex, a Hong Kong-based virtual cryptocurrency exchange, it was the second-largest hack of its kind. The 2016 theft sent the entire crypto ecosystem into a tailspin and the value of bitcoin fell about 20% within hours. Bitfinex customers, some of whom had invested their life savings in bitcoin, lost thousands of dollars overnight. Over the next five years, the initial hacked sum grew in value—to approximately $4.5 billion (now it’s worth $10.8 billion.)
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But unlike other bitcoin heists, these hackers didn’t get away with it. Five years after the theft, the FBI arrested married couple Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, whom the Justice Department accused of conspiring to launder $4.5 billion in stolen bitcoin. News of the arrest immediately went viral, not only due to the sky-high amount of money involved, but also because of the perplexing ways Morgan and Lichtenstein documented their lives online. In 2019, Morgan adopted a rap persona called Razzlekhan (“like Genghis Khan, but with more pizzazz,” she wrote on her website) and filmed hundreds of cringe-inducing YouTube videos with crypto-themed raps.
Netflix captures the saga of Dutch and Razzlekhan in Biggest Heist Ever, a new documentary airing Dec. 6. Directed by Chris Smith (Bad Vegan, Fyre) and featuring interviews with investigators, former cyber criminals, and former friends of the couple, Biggest Heist Ever examines the initial Bitfinex hack and works to better understand Morgan and Lichtenstein, or, as they’ve come to be known, “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde.” The documentary also raises new questions about the hack, suggesting possible issues about national security and Lichtenstein’s ties to Russia.
Let’s break down the true story behind Biggest Heist Ever and examine the story’s unresolved threads.
Who are Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein?
Heather Morgan is a 34-year-old entrepreneur and aspiring rapper. Originally from Chico, California, Morgan graduated from University of California, Davis in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations. According to her LinkedIn profile, she also received a master’s degree in economics of international development at American University of Cairo.
After graduation, Morgan worked in Silicon Valley at a startup called Tamatem, later meeting Lichtenstein at a tech conference. The pair moved to a condo in New York, and Morgan pursued multiple projects, including writing articles for Inc. and Forbes and founding a copywriting and email marketing agency called SalesFolk. In addition to pursuing a rap career as Razzlekhan, Morgan promoted herself as an entrepreneur-influencer; her Instagram bio still reads: “I make the weird kids feel at home. ♀️ Surrealist artist, rapper @Razzlekhan & tech entrepreneur with synesthesia.”
Meanwhile, Lichtenstein, 35, who goes by the nickname “Dutch” (a character from the video game Red Dead Redemption 2) and is from Glenview, Illinois, comes from a family that emigrated from Russia. At the time of his arrest, his LinkedIn profile described Lichtensetin as a “technology entrepreneur, coder and investor” who is “interested in blockchain technology, automation, and big data.” Lichtenstein graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Lichtenstein co-founded a startup called MixRank (“a spy tool for contextual and display ads,” according to its website) but exited the company near the end of 2016. The following year, he and Morgan moved to New York.”
Who (or what) is Razzlekhan?
Razzlekhan is Morgan’s self-appointed rap name. In a 2019 video, Morgan explains she created the alter-ego, inspired by real-life rapper/actress Awkwafina, after dealing with a bout of professional burnout. “I think I was pretty unhappy … I think I was searching for something more.”
Nick Bilton, who wrote a 2022 piece about the couple for Vanity Fair, tells filmmakers: “If you’re Ilya and Heather and you have this money, you’re probably kind of terrified of being caught. People deal with anxiety and stress and tension differently. Some people start having panic attacks. Some people start obsessively exercising. It’s steam going through you that has to come out some way. I think for Heather, the creation of Razzlekhan and the rapping was the steam valve.”
Razzlekhan’s much-mocked music video for “Versace Bedouin” didn’t make an impression when it was first posted to YouTube in 2019, but it went viral three years later, after news broke of the couple’s arrest.
What new information does Biggest Heist Ever uncover?
In addition to tracing a timeline from the 2016 Bitfinex hack to the present day and describing how federal authorities discovered Morgan and Lichtenstein’s involvement, Biggest Heist Ever raises a new series of questions about the hack and its implications. In particular, the documentary suggests that Lichtenstein may have been inspired to commit the Bitfinex hack by his father, Eugene, who hacked into the First National Bank of Indiana, as well as a Secret Service computer, many years earlier.
As the doc lays out, Eugene (under a hacker name “Deuce”) approached a government informant and former cybercriminal named Brett Johnson, who tells filmmakers Eugene asked him how to “cash out” what he’d hacked from the bank. In 2005, the Secret Service flew to Chicago to question Eugene about hacking into their computer, as well as the Indiana Bank hack. Eugene, who admitted to the Indiana Bank hack and agreed to cooperate with the Secret Service as an informant, was never charged with any wrongdoing. Eugene Lichtenstein later became a Chicago real estate agent. He did not respond to requests to participate in the film.
Biggest Heist Ever explains that Eugene’s former hacker name was Manus Dei (which he shortened to Deuce) or “Hand Of God” in Latin, while Lichtenstein operated under the name Deus Machina, shortened to Deus, which translates to “God Machine.”
“I believe Ilya is trying to pay some sort of respect or homage to Daddy,” says Johnson in the film. “The father being the hand of God, the son being the machine of God. In my opinion, the Bitfinex hack is awfully similar to what Eugene did way the hell back in 2005 when he compromised the First National Bank of Indiana.”
How were Lichtenstein and Morgan caught?
The couple used a darknet market called AlphaBay to move the stolen cryptocurrency to different wallets and accounts. “After being moved into accounts at AlphaBay, the stolen BTC was withdrawn, layered, and ultimately deposited into [virtual currency exchanges] around the world,” reads a 20-page statement given to the IRS by special agent Christopher Janczewski, who was interviewed for the film.
The FBI seized AlphaBay servers in 2017 and shut down the website. Those servers provided data leading investigators to Lichtenstein and Morgan.
In January 2022, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the couple’s Wall Street apartment and electronic devices. In the apartment, they found currencies from other countries, hollowed-out books, and a bag of burner phones actually labeled “burner phones.”
The feds also discovered an encrypted spreadsheet containing a list of 2,000 virtual currency addresses and corresponding private keys linked to the hack and leading to the stolen funds. Lichtenstein and Morgan were arrested in February 2022.
What were the couple charged with?
Lichtenstein and Morgan were charged with conspiring to launder the stolen bitcoin. (Neither Lichtenstein nor Morgan were accused of perpetrating the actual hack. “It’s potentially more difficult to prove the hack,” Ari Redbord, the head of legal and government affairs at crypto regulatory startup TRM Labs, told TIME in 2022.)
Following his arrest, Lichtenstein was not permitted to leave jail, as the courts perceived him to be a flight risk. (Lichtenstein has a Russian passport, and the couple had traveled extensively to Ukraine the year prior, leading prosecutors to believe that they intended to start a new life overseas.) Morgan was allowed out on bail and permitted to work from home.
At their plea hearing in August 2023, Lichtenstein admitted to the hack, telling the court he had access to the Bitfinex infrastructure. He admitted to stealing usernames and passwords and that he operated alone. At a certain point, however, he said Morgan became involved in the laundering process.
Morgan said she didn’t know what was going on at first but eventually realized the source of Lichtenstein’s bitcoin was a theft. She then took steps to help launder the proceeds. Morgan also admitted to destroying some evidence (she admitted to throwing a laptop down a trash chute and burying gold coins; they were recovered by the government).
Lichtenstein cooperated with the FBI and led them to the rest of the missing crypto. He was offered an opportunity to enter the witness protection program as part of a plea agreement, which he accepted. It’s not known why witness protection is part of the deal, but in November 2022, prosecutors filed documents alleging that the ongoing investigation was now a matter of national security. The filing didn’t specify why.
On Nov 14, 2024, Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years plus three years of supervised release. At his sentencing, Lichtenstein expressed regret for “wasting my talents on crime instead of a positive contribution to society… I want to take full responsibility for my actions and make amends any way I can.” He did not respond to a request to answer further questions, but in May 2022 he did provide a statement to doc director Chris Smith:
Chris, thank you for your kind note. As you mentioned, I am unable to discuss the case at this time. I look forward to sharing my perspective when the time is right. As your instincts probably tell you, there is more to this story than meets the eye. Best of luck with your film.
On Nov. 18, Heather was sentenced to 18 months and three years of supervised release. She declined to participate in Biggest Heist Ever. In a video posted to X, Morgan said: “It’s over, and I’m very excited that I will soon be telling my story, sharing my thoughts, and telling you more about the creative and other endeavors I’ve been working on.”
2024 was a relatively quiet year for video games. The highly-anticipated blockbuster games were fewer in number and largely spread out from each other, at least until the fall, when several games released at the same time, creating a pile-up to explore. This year’s ‘best of’ offering is less about finding the perfect games and more about finding rewarding experiences, even among the setbacks. And what’s true for gaming is very often true for life as well.
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The video game industry faced a record number of layoffs this year, with Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft Gaming, Bungie, Riot Games, and EA all suffering major staff cuts. Many of these layoffs were the result of corporate capitalism and efforts to please investors, with companies like EA refocusing on developing games within popular IP, and MMO games, which have largely remained disappointing, but execs are still on the hunt for loot-based games that will see players sink the dollars into a title over the long term.
Another big industry concern is the proliferation of AI. SAG-AFTRA actors went on strike in July over video game developers using their voice and likeness without consent. By September, 80 video game developers agreed to the union’s terms. Much like in Hollywood, the use of AI is sure to continue to be a battle. Bumbling his way into the fray is Elon Musk, who seeks to start an AI game studio to “make games great again.”
Treasured magazine Game Informer was shut down by GameStop after 33 years in August. It marked a sad day for those who grew up reading the issues for the latest news, reviews, and first looks. The magazine was a staple for millennial gamers. Thanks for all the memories!
In better news, PlayStation celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, going from what was seen as a massive gamble by Sony to the most successful brand in video gaming. Cheers to the game-changers!
As for video game adaptations on the film and television side of things, well, video game movies have certainly had better years. Eli Roth’s Borderlands, which started filming in 2021, and had reshoots by Tim Miller done in early 2023, was a critical and commercial failure despite starring a notable cast of Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis. But hope remains, and it’s fast, blue, and loves chili dogs. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which will see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles forced to team up with Dr. Robotnik to defeat the new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog, will be released on December 20. Early tracking has the movie outpacing The Lion King prequel, Mufasa, which could potentially mean a record-breaking holiday for the blue bolt.
And Sonic brings us to the TV side of video game adaptations, where there was much more to embrace. The Sonic spin-off miniseries Knuckles, produced by and starring Idris Elba as the titular character, became the most-watched Paramount+ original series when all six episodes dropped in April to positive reviews. Netflix released the animated Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, which follows Crystal Dynamics’ reboot trilogy of games, Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and bridges the gap between those games and the Tomb Raider of the original games. The Hayley Atwell-voiced Tomb Raider received positive reception along with the show when it debuted in October and Netflix has already renewed it for a second season.
Prime Video’s Fallout, based on the Bethesda game series, was the crown jewel of video game adaptations in 2024. Working within the continuity of the games, the show, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and Walton Goggins, was nominated for 16 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama and Best Lead Actor for Goggins. A sensation among critics and general audiences, a second season is currently in production.
Still to come from Prime Video this month is Secret Level, an impressive-looking animated anthology series in the vein of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots, which sees creator Tim Miller employ different animators to tell stories set in both the familiar and re-imagined video game worlds of Warhammer, Sifu, Pac-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Mega Man, and Armored Core, among others, with voice talents that include Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Beach, and Temuera Morrison
Finally, before we head into the list, if there was one overarching theme in these games this year, it was patience and perseverance. Small victories were hard-fought, adversaries often seemed overwhelming, and the systems we rely on to get the most out of our experience sometimes failed us. But for those who kept fighting even when the odds seemed insurmountable, who permitted time for patches while understanding that in a perfect world, the problems wouldn’t exist in the first place, and those who shared the essential skills of their experiences with younger generations so that they might have a more rewarding experience—they are the ones who won in the end.
Here are TIME’s favorite games of the year.
10.Helldivers 2
Gamers killed a lot of bugs earlier this year as Helldivers 2, a cooperative third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios broke records—and servers. A sequel to the 2015 top-down shooter, Helldivers 2 became PlayStation’s fastest-selling title of all time, and within a week of its February release, the servers couldn’t handle all of the new players. What made the game so popular? After so many dense story-based narratives came out in 2023, most notably Baldur’s Gate, speculation points to folks just wanting to ride on pure adrenaline.
The game is a riff on Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers (1997), complete with satirical military propaganda, a war against insectoid aliens, and cyborgs. There’s not much in terms of story: gamers play as a shock trooper called a Helldiver and are sent on increasingly difficult operations to collect better weapons, better gear, and more in-game currency to purchase it, so they can defeat a quickly growing number of tougher and tougher enemies. The overwhelming number of enemies led to server overloads and players who weren’t able to get online in time were often quickly outranked and outpowered by other gamers. Despite these frustrations, the game lives up to its core conceit: kill or be killed. And if Helldivers 2 proved anything, it’s a lot easier to be killed unless you’re willing to sink quite a bit of time into leveling up.
Available on PlayStation 5 and Windows.
9.Lego Horizon Adventures
Horizon has quickly become one of PlayStation’s most popular IPs since releasing in 2017, and the chance to explore that world through the lighthearted lens of Lego felt like an automatic win. While Guerilla Games and Studio Gobo’s collaboration with The Lego Group was met with a mixed response from critics, the game offers a fun and worthwhile experience, especially for those who play alongside younger gamers, or young gamers adventuring on their own. Lego Horizon Adventures retells the story of Horizon: Zero Dawn (2017), with all the humor and pop culture references that have made The Lego Star Wars games such a hit across generations.
Outside of games developed exclusively for Nintendo, the last decade has seen a dearth of games made for younger players, making Lego games a consistent go-to for players of all ages. But there’s also something appealing about the gameplay of T-rated titles, and from first-hand experience, Horizon, with its lush world, robot animals, and Alloy’s archery skills, has always had a particular draw. Lego Horizon Adventures makes good on finding that balance, softening the world and its more complex emotional and narrative themes while still providing gameplay that is involving and challenging. Plus, there’s a cool co-op feature that’s beneficial to family-style play. Lego Horizon Adventures may not be what every gamer is looking for, but for Horizon fans and anyone looking to broaden the interests of a younger gamer in their life, this entry offers plenty to explore.
Available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.
8.Star Wars Outlaws
Welcome to a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft take gamers to the seedy underside of the galaxy far, far away, where they play as Kay Vess, a thief, and scoundrel with a heart of pyrite who is looking to escape the Outer Rim and start a new life on one of the core worlds. Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is a third-person action-adventure game featuring shootouts, heists, lockpicking, speeder races, gambling, and double-crosses. While nothing competes with the thrill of being a Jedi, Outlaws offers a wholly new experience in the Star Wars Universe, as Kay is forced to join different crime factions to gain allies, get favors, and walk away alive to collect party members to pull off the biggest heist of her life. While the game had some frustrating bugs upon release, they’ve since been patched, making for a smoother and more thrilling experience. Whether players choose to gun blasters blazing or employ stealth tactics, Outlaws rewards their play style, offering blaster and gear upgrades that work best with their choices. There’s also plenty to explore, from seeing a few familiar faces to finding parts to upgrade Kay’s ship, speeder, and blaster. The varied nature of gameplay gives back what you put into it. But if checking out every local cantina and helping pay off the debts of patrons wanted by the Empire is one detour too many, Outlaws also offers a compelling central story about crime and class that creates hope for more Kay Vess in the future, in any medium.
Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
7.Black Myth: Wukong
Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong made history as the first AAA (major studio release with a lot of money behind it) game in the Chinese video game industry, which has historically developed mobile games instead of console games. Earning rave reviews, Black Myth: Wukong is inspired by Wu Cheng’en’s novel Journey to the West. Gamers play as The Destined One, an anthropomorphic monkey believed to be a reincarnation of Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, as he travels to the mountains to fulfill his destiny, facing a myriad of Chinese spirits and mythological beings along the way.
The game undoubtedly has the best art design of the year, filled with gorgeous, detailed scenes offorests, temples, and mountains. The interpretation of mythological beings matches the God of War franchise in its bold and occasionally horrifying imagination. While some gamers have cited a lack of familiarity with the novel as a hindrance to understanding the narrative, the game does a good job of filling in details and providing a detailed glossary. It’s easy to see why it will be many people’s game of the year. However, the combat is challenging, so punishing that at a certain point, it stopped being fun and never quite gave way to feeling instinctual. Even with all the charms picked up along the way, the many obstacles consistently felt more powerful than The Destined One. For those who have mastered the Souls games, this may be a different story. Your mileage may vary, and there is no doubt plenty to love about Black Myth: Wukong, but when we’re talking about hours put into trying to defeat the same boss over and over again, this monkey’s gone to heaven a few too many times.
Available on PlayStation 5 and Windows.
6.Alan Wake 2: Night SpringsandThe Lake House
Just when you thought it was safe to turn out the lights. TIME’s 2023 game of the year pick, Alan Wake 2, returned with more mysteries to solve this year, with two expansions, Night Springs and The Lake House, totaling around four hours of new gameplay. Remedy Entertainment’s first DLC release, Night Springs, contains three self-contained episodic narratives that exist within the fictional Twilight Zone-inspired series, Night Springs, and features parallels of the familiar characters we met in Alan Wake 2 as they traverse their private nightmares, which become increasingly surreal and meta.
The second DLC, The Lake House, continues to thread the connection between Alan Wake and Remedy’s other franchise, Control. In this installment, players take control of the FBC (Federal Bureau of Control) agent, Kiran Estevez, as she explores the FBC site, the Lake House, and finds horrors within, along with clues and emails that lead her towards a volatile shapeshifting entity. Both DLCs offer up the same kind of cold dread that Alan Wake 2 offered and continue to showcase game creator and director Sam Lake’s exploration of what video games are capable of narratively and how far players are willing to follow him down the rabbit hole. If the set-up for Control 2 in these DLC games and theories already forming in the minds of gamers are any indication, pretty far.
Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
5.Neva
When it came to indie games this year, Nomada Studio and publisher Devolver Digital made quite an impact with their beautifully rendered side-scroller, Neva. The game follows a young woman, Alba, who travels with her wolf companion, Neva, over four seasons across a fantasy land where they fight off a growing darkness that has manifested in the form of monstrous creatures. As the player progresses through each season, Neva grows from cub to adult wolf, which changes the pair’s dynamic, and their emotional bond matures. The game is dialogue-free, and the only words come from Alba saying “Neva.” The lack of dialogue serves to highlight the emotionally moving score by Berlinist. Simple combat and puzzle-solving take on a new sense of grandeur through Neva’s animated visuals, inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1997). A side-scroller hasn’t felt this fresh in a long while. While the gameplay and style are completely different, the game Neva feels closest to in terms of emotional reward is Stray (2022). Keep the tissues handy.
Available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, macOS, and Windows.
4.Silent Hill 2
“In my restless dreams, I see that town.” Silent Hill 2 faced an uphill battle since its announcement in 2022. Not only was the canceled Silent Hills game, announced through the playable teaser game P.T. in 2014, set to be directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, still a sore point with fans, but many did not believe that developers, Bloober Team, would be able to pull off such a feat as remaking one of the greatest horror games. And yet, Silent Hill 2 was one of the year’s biggest surprises, managing to stay true to the same haunting atmosphere of the original while updating the gameplay for a generation of horror gamers more familiar with the current Resident Evil remakes and contemporary entries than the fixed-camera of Silent Hill’s past iterations. While the overall narrative of the original game—in which James Sunderland returns to Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife, Mary, who tells him she’s waiting there—remains largely the same, this one adds new wrinkles and locations to create an entirely different experience. No matter how many times a player has trod through the foggy streets of Silent Hill, the town is never anything less than unnerving. With original composer Akira Yamaoka returning and an excellent sound design that crawls inside your head, Silent Hill 2 is a perfect showcase of respect for the past through the capabilities of the current generation of gaming systems.
Available on PlayStation 5 and Windows.
3.Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The second installment of Square Enix’s ambitious three-part remake of Final Fantasy VII immediately follows Final Fantasy VII: Remake (2020) and picks up with Cloud Strife and the eco-terrorist group AVALANCE as they take on Shinra Power Company that’s draining the planet’s life energy. But Shinra has an ace up their sleeve: their solider Sephiroth, long thought dead, is alive and intent on achieving godhood. Much like Remake and the ’97 original, there’s a lot of lore involved in the narrative, and while the combat is fast-paced and responsive in a nice switch-up from command inputs of the original game, Rebirth does require patience. Newcomers to the franchise may be surprised by the number of cutscenes and dialogue-heavy encounters but they all serve to make the world richer.
The benefit of splitting a single narrative into a trilogy allows for a greater depth of character and emotional connection. As fun as it is to take on enemies with Cloud’s Buster Swords, some of the best moments are found in the interactions shared with companions, which are rewarding for newcomers and fans of the original alike. One of the added features of Rebirth compared to Remake is an expanded open world, allowing for a lot more side quests and interactions. Simply put, the game is massive, and can feel overwhelmingly so. But once you find a groove, these additional narratives deepen the world and its citizens, which makes Cloud and AVALANCE’s plight feel all the more crucial. There’s little doubt that Square Enix will pull out of the stops for the final entry, which will make the Final Fantasy VII Trilogy go down as one of the all-time great game sagas. Not bad for a remake of a game already considered one the greatest triumphs in video game history.
Available on PlayStation 5.
2.Astro Bot
Hands down, the most fun gaming experience of the year is Astro Bot. Team Asobi puts PlayStation’s mascot, Astro Bot, who gamers could previously play as in Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018) and Astro’s Playroom (2020), into a full-length game. Making use of all the PS5 controller has to offer in terms in terms of movement, dexterity, and sound, Astro Bot makes sure no button goes unused, as the player takes Astro Bot from world to world to rescue bots from his crashed ship in four different galaxies and 90 planets that offer different and increasingly difficult experiences, and a variety of terrains and enemy types.
A number of these worlds are inspired by classic video games and iconic PlayStation titles like Uncharted, God of War, and Horizon, with plenty of Easter eggs and nods to PlayStation’s history scattered across the worlds. In the spirit of games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Spyro the Dragon, this one has a pure sense of fun, and the story exists merely to give a sense of structure to the play. Astro Bot is a big win for PlayStation’s renewed investment in family games—I found myself far more lenient with my young kids’ screen time when we were playing it together. It’s a great way to allow new gamers to get a sense of the controllers, but it’s also challenging enough for all parties to feel a sense of achievement over completing a planet. With extremely creative gameplay, even the end credits offer a fun experience, and an earworm of a soundtrack by Kenneth C. M. Young, Astro Bot is a grand celebration of PlayStation’s 30-year history. Fingers crossed we won’t have to wait another 30 for a sequel!
Available on PlayStation 5.
1.Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Between Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s been no shortage of great high-fantasy RPGs to play. It had been a decade since Dragon Age: Inquisition, and despite an incredible run for developer BioWare, their last decade was marred by the canceled game Shadow Realms, the disappointing Mass Effect: Andromeda, and a disastrous foray into MMOs with Anthem. There was reason to wonder if BioWare still had the sauce to return to Dragon Age. Boy, did they ever. Dragon Age: The Veilguard comes out swinging, and BioWare clearly had something to prove.
First, hats off to what has to be the most advanced character creation system ever brought to video games. It’s possible to spend hours just fine-tuning the look of your character as everything from bone structure to tissue placement is considered from every angle. The character creator is also fully inclusive, not only in terms of race but also gender in its inclusion of nonbinary pronouns and flexibility with physical characteristics like hairstyles. Before the game even begins, there’s an effort to make The Veilguard feel personal and truly put the gamer behind the character.
Narratively, the game takes place a decade after the events of Inquisition and immediately follows up on the post-credit scene of that game, which sees former companion Solas revealed as the elven god of betrayal, attempt to tear down the Veil, a magical barrier that separates mortals from the demon realm. The action begins quickly, and players familiar with the franchise will quickly find themselves impressed by the combat and traversal features, which are best seen in the Dragon Age games. The same goes for the impressive details that create a sense of awe and feel visually distinct in an era where gamers have their pick of visually impressive fantasy games. But this is BioWare, of course, and the real treat is in the journey, which is nothing without the bonds formed with your companions. Of the six available companions, each offers a unique skill set and personality, and unlike previous games in the series, going for the seemingly agreeable response in the dialogue trees won’t always grant players the response they wish. There is greater attention to character traits here, which makes the connections all the more exciting because it isn’t simply a game of playing nice. Additionally, the portals are a welcome travel feature, as is the ability to access companions’ special powersets from an open menu. While some may miss the more politically charged narrative of its predecessor, The Veilguard feels like a refreshing addition to the series that’s still heavy on lore but doesn’t feel too dense to distract from the pure pleasure of killing demons. If there’s a single word to describe Dragon Age: The Veilguard that signifies its place as TIME’s game of the year it would be: fulfilling.
Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
KINSHASA, Congo — Congo’s health minister said Thursday the government is on alert over a mystery flu-like disease that in recent weeks killed dozens of people.
Authorities have so far confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern Kwango province, health minister Roger Kamba said.
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“The Congolese government is on general alert regarding this disease,” Kamba said, without providing more details.
Of the victims at the hospitals, 10 died due to lack of blood transfusion and 17 as a result of respiratory problems, he said.
The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province. There were around 380 cases, almost half of which were children under the age of five, according to the minister.
Authorities have said that symptoms include fever, headache, cough, and anemia. Epidemiological experts are in the region to take samples and investigate the disease, the minister said.
“The disease resembles a respiratory disease but it is difficult to talk about how it is transmitted before the results of the analysis of the collected samples,” Kamba added.
The Panzi health zone, located around 435 miles (700 kilometers), from the capital Kinshasa, is a remote area of the Kwango province, making it hard to access. The epidemiological experts took two days to arrive there, the minister said.
“The health system is quite weak in our rural areas, but for certain types of care, the ministry has all the provisions, and we are waiting for the first results of the sample analysis to properly calibrate things,” he added.
A Panzi resident, Claude Niongo, said his wife and seven-year-old daughter died from the disease.
“We do not know the cause but I only noticed high fevers, vomiting…and then death,” Niongo told The Associated Press over the phone. “Now, the authorities are talking to us about an epidemic but in the meantime, there is a problem of care (and) people are dying,” he added.
Lucien Lufutu, president of the civil society consultation framework of the Kwango province, who is in Panzi, said the local hospital where patients are treated is underequipped.
“There is a lack of medicines and medical supplies, since the disease is not yet known, most of the population is treated by traditional practitioners,” Lufutu told the AP.
He also said the disease just affected Katenda, another nearby health zone.
When asked about a potential outbreak in other health zones, the minister said he could not tell if that was the case but that nothing was reported.
Congo is already plagued by the mpox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease in the Central African country, according to the World Health Organization.
“At the current stage, we cannot speak of a large-scale epidemic, we must wait for the results of the samples taken,” health minister Kamba said regarding the mystery flu-like disease.
The working class’s continued attraction to Donald Trump has long rankled his opponents, who argue that his biggest first-term policy accomplishment, the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act, disproportionately benefited the wealthy. They see the President-elect as exploiting fears about cultural change and immigration to sell working people a bill of goods.
The history of another conservative populist — former Alabama governor George Wallace — indicates that such fears are well founded. Wallace is most remembered for the racism and racial violence he unleashed on civil rights protestors in the state during his first term as governor (1963-1967). Yet, looking at his subsequent, oft-forgotten time as governor in the 1970s and 1980s sheds light on Trump’s populist appeal, while also underscoring the likelihood that his business-friendly policies will actually hurt his base of working-class voters.
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Wallace continuously wielded populist rhetoric and maintained support from working-class white Alabamans. Yet, after the successes of the civil rights movement in the 1960s threatened to dilute his power base, the governor joined forces with special interest groups to promote policies intended to protect big business at the expense of everyday Alabamans. The result was sky-high sales taxes, poor public services, and limited economic mobility.
Wallace entered office in 1963 as the state was already beginning to change economically. Alabama’s billion-dollar timber industry had just surpassed heavy metals as the economic leader in the state. Timber and paper companies were eager to buy up as much land from farmers as they possibly could to take advantage of Alabama’s cheap land and low taxes.
Big businesses like these especially targeted land in rural, majority-Black counties, where disenfranchisement allowed whites to control the county positions that determined the property-tax assessment rate. These white officials kept taxes low, which disproportionately helped the businesses that were buying up huge tracts of land. The companies feared that if Black officials were elected, they would raise property taxes to pay for much-needed social services, thereby severely damaging their bottom line.
That made the staunchly segregationist Wallace an ally, although their alliance was far from obvious in the governor’s rhetoric. Wallace mixed his racist appeals to white Alabamans with ample populist rhetoric, which portrayed him as a defender of Alabamans’ right to have a say in their own government. His calls for “freedom of choice,” state’s rights, and low taxes appealed to working-class white Alabamans who saw the social, political, and economic changes of the 1960s as a threat to their “way of life.”
Yet, if one dug beneath Wallace’s rhetoric, it became clear he was wielding white supremacy to defend a tax structure that allowed white elites to take advantage of the very people Wallace claimed to protect.
Wallace railed against the 1965 Voting Rights Act and federal mandates to reapportion the legislature as attacks on local control. Federal orders to equalize representation and taxation, he argued, were really ploys to force whites to pay more taxes for “radical” civil rights initiatives.
The real threat of those federal mandates, however, was to the corporate bottom line for Wallace’s biggest benefactors. Meanwhile, it was the policies that Wallace was pushing which actually hurt the white Alabamans the governor claimed to be protecting. To keep property taxes low for big business, for example, the governor had to raise sales and excise taxes just to pay for essential government functions.
Wallace left office in 1967 and waged an unsuccessful battle to win the presidency in 1968. Then in 1970, he ran to recapture the governorship from Albert Brewer, who had succeeded Wallace’s wife Lurleen as governor when she died of cancer in 1968.
Wallace ran a rabidly racist campaign that included racialized populist promises to white voters. In particular, he railed against “federal overreach” and high taxes, which he framed as stemming from forced desegregation, legislative reapportionment, and property reassessment.
Yet, despite this populist rhetoric, Wallace’s real concern in terms of pushing low property taxes was helping his corporate benefactors.
Wallace won narrowly, and his deep alignment with corporate interests became evident when he backed a series of what was known as “lid bills.” These laws preserved large landholders’ power and profit margins by fixing property tax assessments and rates at ridiculously low levels and removing local authorities’ ability to change them. They eliminated the power of local Black officials elected after the Voting Rights Act to demand that utility companies and large timber and paper conglomerates pay their fair share.
Not surprisingly these industries poured thousands of dollars into these campaigns. With their crucial help, the lid bills passed in 1972 and legislators enshrined the limits they imposed into Alabama’s constitution by 1978.
The lid bills saved these interests millions of dollars and Alabama’s largest landowners quadrupled their holdings.
Passage of the lid bills was a sign of the hollowness of Wallace’s populist rhetoric. The governor had spent years claiming to oppose a “central government meddling in local affairs” — and now he championed doing just that to help corporations.
The practical impact of these policies was devastating on two levels. First, they severely limited the local contribution to things like healthcare and education, resulting in poorer public services. They also forced the legislature to enact one of the heaviest sales tax burdens of any state. The hefty sales taxes disproportionately affected poorer residents, even as companies like Alabama Power saved millions in property taxes.
These policies have hampered Alabama for decades, making it hard to recruit new businesses or keep skilled workers in state. They’ve also strained local governments’ ability to fund essential services and promote economic growth. They highlight the damage that can be done when policy prioritizes corporate interests over the public good.
Trump’s rise to power, like Wallace’s, rests on exploiting divisive social issues and presenting himself as a champion of the “common man.” His promises to create jobs and boost the economy resonate with many working class Americans.
Yet, Alabama’s experience under Wallace presents a stark warning to Trump’s working class supporters: while populist rhetoric may appear to offer a voice to voters who feel disenfranchised and marginalized, the policies that follow from it often fail to serve their needs. Unless the policies of Trump’s second term reverse course from the first, and include significant investment in public services, they may well lead to a race to the bottom — one that hurts Trump’s biggest supporters.
Brucie Porter is a doctoral candidate at Auburn University. Her work focuses on the history of race, education, and policy in the American South. Brucie is a native of Auburn, Ala. and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the South.
Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians.Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
A new report tracking the health of civic freedoms around the world identifies a notable trend: Crackdowns on Palestinian solidarity protests in every kind of society, from the most open to the least.
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“Both the conflict itself and its impact on civic space … is one of the main takeaways of the year for us,” says Tara Petrović, an author of the report by CIVICUS Monitor, a global alliance of civil society groups, headquartered in Johannesburg. “We’ve seen expressions of solidarity and we’ve seen repression of these expressions of solidarity at pretty much every corner of the globe.”
Most protests are over issues close to home—food prices, national politics. The throngs that gathered outside South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday were chanting against the President’s abrupt imposition of martial law, which outlawed just such expressions. Had the decree survived the day, the space for civil society in South Korea might have dropped from its current assessment, “narrowed,” to “obstructed” in the next annual CIVICUS report, titled People Power Under Attack. The group assays civic space in 198 countries, from “open” to “repressed,” and in its newly released report found that nearly one-tenth of the protests suppressed by authorities involved Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, or solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The deadly Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the devastating retaliatory war that answered it, sparked protests around the world, many demanding an end to a war that has claimed the lives of at least 1,200 Israelis and 44,000 Palestinians. But not all such demonstrations have been welcomed. In several countries, including those where civic freedoms are considered by CIVICUS to be “narrowed,” such as the Netherlands (whose standing was downgraded from “open” this year), Australia, and Italy, pro-Palestinian protesters were met with what the organization deems excessive force, arrests, and detention. Some, such as France, banned protests outright on the grounds that they posed a security risk.
Germany stands out, according to Petrović. In addition to cracking down on protests, German authorities have cancelled pro-Palestinian events, conducted raids on the homes of pro-Palestinian activists, and even enforced Schengen-wide bans on pro-Palestinian speakers, such as the British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta, trying to visit the country. (That ban, which applied to the 29 European nations that eliminated passport controls for travel between them, was subsequently overturned.) Most recently, the German government introduced new rules mandating that those applying for naturalization in the country affirm Israel’s right to exist. Germany’s ranking on the CIVICUS Monitor was downgraded from “open” to “narrowed” in 2023—a relegation that Petrović says was widely attributed to the state’s actions against climate activists, with tactics not dissimilar to those now being used against Palestinian-solidarity campaigners.
In the U.S., whose CIVICUS ranking has stood at “narrowed” since 2022, college campuses remain the fulcrum of debate over pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with more than 3,100 people arrested or detained at protests that often included encampments, the vast majority of which were peaceful. The controversies cost the leaders of several Ivy League universities their jobs, and resulted in many universities changing their rules around permissible campus activity and introducing new disciplinary measures in an apparent bid to prevent further such protests from taking place. Last month, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would enable the government to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofit groups it accuses of supporting terrorist entities—a power that opponents of the bill says could be weaponized to target certain organizations, including Palestinian rights groups.
“Engaging in activism or public debate concerning Israel and the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation has become an incredibly fraught endeavor,” Zaha Hassan, a human rights lawyer and fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes in Suppressing Dissent: Shrinking Civic Space, Transnational Repression and Palestine-Israel, which is due to be published on Dec. 5. “This is true even outside of academic settings, whether one lives in Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a liberal democracy such as the United States, or under autocratic rule in the Arab Middle East. That American classrooms and college campuses—so often idealized as safe spaces for ideas to be debated—have become deeply contested terrain is no accident.”
So long as the war in Gaza persists, the protests opposed to it are expected to continue—as are the efforts to suppress them. But Petrović notes that the movements have already had a demonstrable impact on policy: several countries have withheld weapons sales to Israel, as well as restored funding to UNRWA, suspended when Israel reported a handful of Palestinians involved in the Oct. 7 attack also worked for the the U.N. agency that provides health, education, and food aid to Palestinians. Visibility, however, is the main accomplishment.
“What we’ve seen this year was this incredible global mobilization of people for the same cause,” she says, “and more specifically in solidarity with the people of Palestine and what they’re facing.”
