This year may not have been as jam packed as 2023 was for gaming, but there were still plenty of amazing new releases. Whether you love a good indie or a big-budget production, this year had you covered. All you needed to do was look a bit deeper than you might have in 2023. The core of Animal Well isn't that structurally complicated: It's a lock-and-key Metroidvania. You go to places to unlock other places and abilities. Beating the core "story" opens up a couple layers of admirably elaborate and increasingly meta secrets, but let's be real, most people interested in those are just going to look up the answers online. And yet, you play it, and you can't help but think there isn't much like it nowadays. It's the fact that you never learn what your little blob guy is. It's giving you a map to mark up yourself instead of providing any instructions.

Iran stands accused by Western powers of supplying drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine, with analysts saying such military cooperation is of immense interest for Tehran at a delicate moment for its theocratic leadership. The United States has denounced as "appalling" Russia's use of Iranian drones after residents of Kyiv and other cites were shaken by a spate of recent attacks. Ukraine has said around 400 Iranian drones have already been used against the civilian population of Ukraine, and Moscow has ordered around 2,000. Tehran has rejected the allegations. Iran and Russia, both former imperial powers who for centuries vied for domination of the Caspian Sea region, have long had a highly nuanced and delicate relationship marked by rivalry and cooperation.

Machine learning is now a critical component in modern warfare systems. Let's explore 7 key military applications of artificial intelligence today. Machine learning has become a critical part of modern warfare, and a major point of interest for me, both as an Army veteran and data scientist. Compared with conventional systems, military systems equipped with ML/DL are capable of handling tremendously larger volumes of data more efficiently. Additionally, AI improves self-control, self-regulation, and self-actuation of combat systems due to its inherent computing and decision-making capabilities; a critical aspect to consider due to the nature of combat.

The ongoing covid-19 pandemic placed a brighter-than-usual spotlight on gaming in 2020, with an isolated population looking for entertainment they could enjoy from the safety of home. How fortunate then that alongside the year's many maladies, 2020 also delivered some of the most memorable games in recent years. From laid-back life simulators to an anticipated sequel that scrutinized cyclical violence, the gaming world was replete with options for anyone who wanted to get their minds off the consistently grim reality around them. The reintroduction and reimagination of the classic "Final Fantasy VII" highlighted the early spring, while the November debut of the PlayStation 5 ushered in a next-generation hero the gaming world both needed and deserved. Even with multiple delays pushing the much-anticipated "Cyberpunk 2077" beyond our Dec. 1 cutoff for Game of The Year consideration, there was no shortage of worthy contenders for that title.

You play as Templars (the antagonists of the series) who are training by using the Animus, learning how to hunt and kill assassins, which is a neat twist. It's a game of cat and mouse: you're given a target to track and kill while other players are hunt you as well. The premise is so unique, and so satisfyingly tense. I can't think of any other multiplayer experience that put so many resources into building a compelling stealth experience to play with friends. I loved being able to sneak up to a target and poison them silently, then watch them collapse like a rag doll moments later.

The sheer volume of rhetoric and shill-like babble about military AI is already gigantic. The constant stream of new AI in military roles is making headlines every day. Everyone has an opinion; answers to questions, maybe not. The likely effect of super-lethal AI-operated weapons is one of those questions. "Slaughter" is the more usual answer.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into weapon systems is one of the most consequential tactical and strategic decisions in the history of warfare. Current AI development is a remarkable combination of accelerating capability, hidden decision mechanisms, and decreasing costs. Implementation of these systems is in its infancy and exists on a spectrum from resilient and flexible to simplistic and brittle. Resilient systems should be able to effectively handle the complexities of a high-dimensional battlespace. Simplistic AI implementations could be manipulated by an adversarial AI that identifies and exploits their weaknesses. In this paper, we present a framework for understanding the development of dynamic AI/ML systems that interactively and continuously adapt to their user's needs. We explore the implications of increasingly capable AI in the kill chain and how this will lead inevitably to a fully automated, always on system, barring regulation by treaty. We examine the potential of total integration of cyber and physical security and how this likelihood must inform the development of AI-enabled systems with respect to the "fog of war", human morals, and ethics.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been omnipresent and the latest in the block is Military. In recent times, AI has become a critical part of modern warfare. Compared with the conventional systems, military establishments churning enormous volumes of data are capable to integrate AI on a more unified process. Ensuring operational efficiency, AI improves self-regulation, self-control and self-actuation of combat systems, credit to its inherent computing coupled with accurate decision-making capabilities. Taking into account the enormous capability Artificial intelligence (AI) holds in the modern-day warfare, many of the world's most powerful countries have increased their investments into military and self-security.

While the rest of the world was calling out for Bloodborne 2 to be FromSoftware's next big game, a select few were hoping for an entirely new and fresh idea. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was this new title, and it was immediately clear that it would be a huge departure from their past hit games such as Dark Souls and Demon's Souls. Sekiro is unapologetically the furthest from a typical Souls game in the best ways possible. As you might expect, the game is exceptionally difficult yet wonderfully rewarding in its combat and exploration. It bares all the trademarks of a FromSoft title but Sekiro's biggest departure however is that it's a character-driven story with a fairly explicit plot. In previous titles like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, you created your own character and gave them your own backstory, justifications and drives.

AI and Games is a crowdfunded series about research and applications of artificial intelligence in video games. If you like my work please consider supporting the show over on Patreon for early-access and behind-the-scenes updates. Horizon Zero Dawn stands as one of the most critically acclaimed of Sony's roster of Playstation 4 exclusives. As the hunter Aloy, players venture across the post-apocalyptic landscapes of the future to uncover the mysteries of her past and how the world fell in the years before. Humanities fall from grace has led to the rise of'the machines' – robots of varying shapes and sizes that that now run free across the lands.