A sneak peek at the innovations that will change our everyday lives in the future.
Ryan Sedmak
Designed by Engineered Arts, Mesmer robots breathe life into technology. The company has even worked with Madame Tussauds, taking the famed wax figures to the next level of reality. Cool or creepy?
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Republicans are counting on President Donald Trump to help drag Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn over the finish line. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Republicans are counting on the president to help stave off a massive upset.
Donald Trump lands in East Tennessee tonight to headline a rally and fundraise for Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, but the mission is actually broader than that: how to prevent the massive upset brewing in the state’s open Senate race.
Just two years ago, Trump trounced Hillary Clinton in Tennessee, winning by 26 points. Today, Republicans are working to stave off what would be a disastrous defeat in the battle for the Senate seat left vacant by GOP Sen. Bob Corker’s retirement — a loss that could threaten the GOP’s razor thin majority. They’re counting on the president to help drag Blackburn over the finish line.
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Yet Blackburn and state Republicans are leaning so hard on Trump that the pivotal Senate race might come down to a single question: how much is too much Trump?
“I think it’s a vulnerable race in a very Republican state,” said longtime Tennessee Republican strategist Tom Ingram. “I think Trump is still popular here. But this is a statewide race, not a district race. The dynamics change a lot between a polarized district and a broader-based state.”
Monday’s events mark the president’s second visit to the state since the spring. That’s on top of the images from a Trump rally that appear in her TV ads, her repeatedly touting the president’s endorsement and, in a recent 30-second spot, using Trump’s own words to blast Democratic opponent Phil Bredesen.
Republicans predict tonight’s rally will motivate a sluggish base that will be essential to a Blackburn win this fall. Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said he expects supporters tonight will line up for blocks to catch a glimpse of Trump in Johnson City. The event is in Washington County, in the heart of Trump territory, where the president cleaned up in 2016, winning nearly 70 percent of the vote.
“When you have a president that goes to that length in order to see people, that just absolutely gets our folks very fired up and enthused about what we need to do for the election,” Golden said. “For him to be here, to personally come and talk to the people — 7, 8, 9,000 whatever it ends up being — in an arena setting, is electric.”
Trump’s visit couldn’t come at a better time for the GOP. Blackburn has fallen behind in recent polls. She’s up against a wealthy two-term ex-governor with statewide name recognition, who’s also popular among the women voters who are uncomfortable with Trump.
For months, the president himself has monitored Blackburn’s polling in the race, according to three White House aides and allies. Trump has personally called her to check in and offer his encouragement, tweeted supportive messages on her behalf and hosted a Nashville rally in the spring. The president, the sources said, was behind deploying Vice President Mike Pence to Knoxville last month, where he headlined a $1,000-a-person Blackburn fundraiser.
Ad spending data shows that six Republican-aligned groups have booked air time for the Tennessee Senate race through November, having spent nearly twice as much on reservations in the final weeks as Democrats.
America First, the major Trump-aligned Super PAC, is watching the Tennessee race closely and contemplating whether it needs to assist. Another super PAC, the Committee to Defend the President, has run polling and predictive modeling that shows Blackburn is better positioned, based on a partisan breakdown of who is going to vote, a source with the group told POLITICO.
But that’s dependent on Republicans getting their electorate to the polls.
The catastrophic scenario of having the Tennessee Senate seat fall into Democrats’ hands for the first time in nearly three decades is not lost on Republicans — from Trump on down. A win in Tennessee would give Democrats breathing room: even if one of their own endangered Senate incumbents loses in November, they’d still have a chance at winning the Senate.
That’s why both sides have paid close attention to voter turnout efforts. Garren Shipley, a Republican National Committee spokesman said since 2012, the party’s has heavily invested in data.
“For Tennessee, that means campaigns armed with the most up to date information possible,” Shipley said. “This is the most hard-nosed, impressive ground game Tennessee has seen since the days of General Neyland.”
Mary Mancini, Tennessee Democratic Party Chair, pointed to August primary results as evidence momentum is with Democrats.
Mancini said the primary showed “an increase in turnout all across the board,” for Democrats. “We flooded the field with county commission candidates, statehouse and senate candidates. People were just excited to come out and vote for a Democrat,” she said, noting that recruiting more Democrats to compete in local races is key to motivating the party across the state.
Out of 118 statehouse and state senate races, for example, Democrats have candidates in 104 of them. “That’s the most we’ve had in 20 years,” she said.
Democrats contend the GOP’s heavy reliance on the Trump brand is a miscalculation. Republicans are betting all their resources on their base, they say, while Democrats are busy expanding theirs with a candidate who appeals to independents and crossover Republicans.
Bredesen touts a “A” rating with the NRA and recently opened up a debate by announcing he wouldn’t support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In one of Bredesen’s ads, he stares into the camera vowing he’ll stand with Trump when it’s appropriate. But, citing tariffs that he says has hurt manufacturing companies in the states, he makes clear he’ll step away from Trump when necessary and vote “with Tennessee” when necessary.
“He’s the candidate that fits Tennessee the best,” Chris Hayden of the left-leaning Majority Forward said of Bredesen. “He’s shown he has an independent streak and he’s going to stand up for Tennessee first.”
Majority Forward, a nonprofit group affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, is administering $24 million in voter mobilization efforts in key Senate races, primarily focused on Tennessee, Arizona, Missouri and Indiana.
Ingram warns that Tennessee Republicans can’t count on Trump’s popularity being transferable to Blackburn, pointing out that those who tried emulating Trump by going far to the right failed to connect with voters, pointing to the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, where, he said, the two Republican candidates who were the most conservative and mostly aligned with the president came in second and third place.
“There’s only one Trump. And Trump voters are Trump voters. It’s a mistake to consider that they’re all ultra-conservative voters. They’re angry, frustrated, felt-left-out voters. Some of them are very conservative, some aren’t. They’re all over the board in Tennessee,” Ingram said. “I think putting all of your eggs in the Trump basket in Tennessee is a little risky.”
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A sneak peek at the innovations that will change our everyday lives in the future.
Ryan Sedmak
Vector is a smart home robot that doesn’t need to connect to a device to operate. The team behind the bot developed Vector to have a welcoming AI vibe to it … because let’s be honest, would you let an unfriendly robot into your home?
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It’s Villain Week here at Mashable. In honor of the release of Venom, we’re celebrating all our favorite evildoers from film and TV all week long. Spooky, scary!
Not every video game needs a villain, but a good one can make a strong game even better.
Villains give us reasons to fight. They motivate the story. Sometimes, they even see the error of their ways and switch teams. Usually though, villains represent the ultimate threat, the last obstacle to overcome before you can lean back in satisfaction as a game’s credits roll.
SEE ALSO: The women of ‘Ozark’ redefine the male-centric crime genre
There’s a long and colorful history of memorable video game villains. We’re ranking them here based not on who’s “best,” but rather who’s “worst.” The more evil and detestable, the better.
Image: rockstar games
Ah, Trevor. Pretty much any playable character in a Rockstar Games release qualifies as an anti-hero. But Trevor’s unhinged and antisocial behavior elevates him above the rest.
I guess he’s not your traditional villain, since you’re actually playing as Trevor for large portions of Grand Theft Auto V. But he’s memorable for his antics as a thief, a liar, and a murderer, and he lives that life whether you’re playing as him or against him.
Image: Yager development
Spec Ops: The Line delivered one of the most brilliant bait-and-switch twists I’ve ever seen in a story-driven action game. Spoilers ahead.
Your journey through a sandstorm-wracked Dubai is essentially a play on Apocalypse Now. Captain Martin Walker is introduced as one member of a squad that’s been sent to Dubai to restore order in the wake of the “Damned 33rd” Infantry Battalion and their PTSD-addled commander enacting a brutal form of martial law on the local population.
Only that’s not what’s really going on. By the end of the game, you learn that the Damned 33rd’s commander is dead, and many of the atrocities witnessed during the game were actually committed by Walker himself. It’s a dark, powerful turn that, in a matter of minutes, reframes the narrative around the idea that you’ve been a terrible scourge the entire time.
Two all-time great villains so far, and both of them were playable characters. That’s not weird, right?
Image: IO Interactive
Technically speaking, the smooth-talking, fabulously bald star of the Hitman series is as lethal as you want him to be. Even though murder is on the menu in the end, every time, there’s nothing stopping you from knocking out possible witnesses instead of just killing them. Hell, your score is higher when you play the part of a conscientious hitman. Yay for only killing who you must!
But! Going completely non-lethal (save for your targets) brings a lot of added challenge to Hitman. It takes a lot more time to render someone unconscious out than snuff them out completely, and when you do the latter they never wake up.
Another playable villain. What’s going on here?
Image: Irrational Games
BioShock Infinite is a thrilling game. And a confusing one. Spoilers!
You play as Booker DeWitt, and you’re up against Zachary Comstock, the founder of the floating sky city Columbia who also happens to be an alternate universe version of Booker. You don’t learn that detail about Comstock until the end, though.
And so you spend the game murdering your way across Columbia, which is populated with an army of Comstock adherents. Then, once all truths are revealed, you actually take the step of wiping Comstock — and the city he built — from existence.
Comstock is the villain here, let’s be clear. But Booker is Comstock. So Booker is the villain? Why are all of the best video game villains characters you control?
Image: sony
Let’s just impose a blanket spoiler warning for the rest of this list.
It’s clear early on in Shadow of the Colossus that something isn’t quite right. By the time you’ve led Wander to his first skyscraping Colossus — one of sixteen massive boss fights that make up the sum total of this otherwise combat-free game — you’re nagged by a creeping sense that your efforts to resurrect your dead lady love will involve tearing down this beautiful world.
That’s exactly what happens. Wander defeats the 16 Colossi, only to discover that in the process he’s unleashed a powerful magical being that’s been imprisoned for an unspecified amount of time. Oops.
Image: Rocksteady games
I know what you’re thinking. “Batman? Seriously???”
Yes. For all of their technical and narrative excellence, the Arkham games took a weird turn in the last entry — Arkham Knight — when they gave the Caped Crusader a literal tank to use in his never-ending effort to keep Gotham City safe.
The bat-tank doesn’t fire explosive shells and it’s not technically built for destruction. What’s more, remote-operated drones are primarily what you’re shooting at when you’re in the tank. But. It’s a freaking tank. Big, heavy, destroys pretty much anything it rolls through. Collateral damage in the extremes.
Sorry Bats. The game expects us to suspend our disbelief, but Arkham Knight turned you into everything you claim to stand against.
Image: naughty dog
Come on. Nate Drake? The Indiana Jones of video games?!
Have you played an Uncharted game lately? Nathan Drake may be a lovable scamp of a treasure hunter, but he’s also handy with bullets and the guns that shoot them.
The climbing and puzzle solving in your typical Uncharted game is broken up by extended combat sequences in which you’re expected to lay waste to armies of bad dudes. Sure, Drake doesn’t gun down innocents (at least not knowingly). But make no mistake: He’s a mass murderer. In most civilized countries, dude would spend life behind bars for his crimes.
We’ve gone completely off the rails now. Action video game heroes are actually villains, confirmed.
Image: eidos montreal
Past Tomb Raider games have leaned in on action, but the Tomb Raider reboot from 2013 kicked off a new era for the series, one featuring a much more violent Lara Croft. It’s technically aping Uncharted in a lot of ways, but Uncharted went there first by openly aping Tomb Raider. (And both draw inspiration from Indiana Jones.)
Just like Drake, new Lara is a literal mass murderer. Over the course of any one game in the reboot trilogy, you’ll gun down hundreds of nameless dudes. Her coming of age journey is bathed in blood. She might see herself as a hero and a defender of the little people, but the families of the guys she gunned down would probably feel differently.
Image: nintendo
This could really apply to multiple Mario games where Yoshi also appears. Mario is the scourge of the Mushroom Kingdom, crushing its residents beneath his mushroom blood-soaked boots. But what really makes Mario worthy of god-tier villain status is his cruel treatment of Yoshi.
Yoshi, for those who might not know, is the smiling green dinosaur that Mario can ride like a horse. Yoshi has a number of abilities, including a great high jump. Mario can also use his dino friend as a launchpad, jumping as Yoshi and then jumping off of Yoshi at the apex of the first jump for extra height.
This usually happens to bridge some otherwise uncrossable gap. Which means it ends with Yoshi inevitably plunging to his death in one of the game’s many bottomless death pits. Not too surprising that a guy who stomps living creatures just because they’re in his way would betray a friend like this.
Image: Shutterstock / MaryMistan
Twist! #NotAllGamers, amirite?
Here’s a good litmus test: If you’re offended at the idea that real-life gamers are the most dreadful villains in video games then you’re probably part of the problem.
Let’s review. Over the past year alone, angry gamers have prompted firings at two major studios, ArenaNet and Riot Games. They’ve harassed newly jobless Telltale Games developers because the company’s layoffs mean a partially released episodic game (probably) won’t be finished. They got weirdly aggressive over the role women play in a historical strategy game.
And don’t forget GamerGate, the hate group that’s engaged in an open campaign of harassment — primarily targeting women in the industry — since 2014. I’m going to weather a few days of attacks on social media after this publishes, simply because I invoked that detestable group’s name.
Yes, games are always going to struggle to strike the right balance between likable characters and entertaining action. Our favorite heroes are never going to stop being villains from a certain point of view. But the people who play these games aren’t lines of code. They’re people. They’re capable of change. And yet, many choose not to. I can’t think of anything more villainous.
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If you enjoyed Episode 3, catch up on the other episodes of the series:
The 10-part series will resume on Monday, 8 October, at 5 p.m. ET, 10 p.m. UK time.
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Thanks to K-pop’s growing visibility in the U.S., NCT 127‘s upcoming October comeback is looking bigger — and bolder — than ever.
The Seoul-based unit is officially Apple Music’s newest “Up Next” artist, joining the likes of Grammy-nominated R&B crooner Khalid, cool teen Billie Eilish, and pop hitmaker Bazzi (who co-wrote NCT Dream’s latest single, “We Go Up”). This is especially cool considering that NCT 127 is the program’s first K-pop partnership.
The announcement even gives fans a taste of what to expect from their next single, “Regular,” which sounds like another bass-heavy bop à la “Limitless.”
So in addition to the group’s first full-length album release on October 12, their first late-night appearance in the U.S. on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 8, and the formal introduction of their tenth member, Jungwoo, NCTzens have even more to look forward to this comeback season. On October 9, Apple Music will release a short film documenting the band and their global sound, before dropping an exclusive choreography video on release day.
The month-long rollout kicked off today (October 1) with a special Beats 1 interview with the group. The members break down their sound, talk about the Western artists who inspire — from Frank Ocean to The Internet to DJ Khaled — and give fans a preview of the lead single off their anticipated album, Regular-Irregular.
Rapper Mark describes “Regular” as a very “confident song” that shows off the group’s “masculine side” and global growth.
NCT 127 will release two versions of the Latin-infused song; the English single and music video will drop the day after their Kimmel performance on October 9, and the Korean version and visual will be released October 12. It’s an ambitious strategy aimed directly at the Western market, but if BTS’ unprecedented success has proven anything, it’s that the cultural barriers that once prevented Korean artists from making it big in the U.S. are being smashed one milestone at a time.
And NCT 127 are now at least a little closer to their dream of becoming the biggest hit on the stage.
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A true Khaleesi is not an easy person to buy gifts for.
What do you get a Mother of Dragons who, if she doesn’t already have it, can just burn anyone alive with a simple Dracarys before taking what is hers? Well, never fear, Game of Thrones fans. We’re here to guide you through melting the heart of your Daenerys Targaryen.
SEE ALSO: Emilia Clarke just got the best ‘Game of Thrones’ tattoo
Because the promise of riches, love, and even glory are not enough. Your Khaleesi will settle for nothing less than bending the knee, swearing fealty, and also a few purchases from this list.
The terror of this monstrous beast, the doggo dragon Drogon
Image: jess joho/Froodies Hoodies
You could just get a standard dragon costume from Amazon and pretend it’s Drogon, Viserion, or Rhaegal. But Etsy shops like Froodies Hoodies accept custom orders, not only ensuring a perfect fit but also giving them lots of experience recreating your favorite Game of Thrones dragon (even of the undead White Walker variety). Just look at the adorable pictures in their reviews!
This lovely shop accommodates all breeds and sizes, but specialize in bullies (french bulldogs, English bulldogs, pitbulls, boxers) since few other costumes fit their barrel chests.
Note: The writer of this guide can personally vouch for the adorably fiery results of their Drogon costume!
Feel the burn with these dragon egg candles
Image: DragonflyRedDesigns
It’s a bit of an oxymoron of a gift, but no one can deny the class of some hand-crafted dragon egg candles.
Get the mood set — by lighting your Khaleesi’s children on fire and watching them melt. Is that the smell of her ancestors charred remains from the Doom of Valyria, or just the fire burning between you two?
Every Khaleesi needs her Iron Throne
Image: Shop Simply Perfect
HBO’s $30,000 life-size Game of Thrones iron throne might have been discontinued years back because they couldn’t sell enough of them. But don’t fret! There’s much more affordable ways to take your rightful place as Queen of Westeros.
Just get this cheap sticker and slap it right above the household throne: your toilet.
Or for that matter, get some lessons in Valyrian after polishing off Dothraki
Image: hbo
Daenerys had to learn Dothraki the hard way. But she grew to love it, as will your Khaleesi with the help of the HBO official conversational language course, Living Language Dothraki.
If you really want to show her your commitment, get a copy for yourself or do it together! Soon enough, you’ll be each other’s sun and stars just like Daenerys and Drogo.
Image: vat 19
You can’t even call yourself a Khaleesi until you’ve successfully eaten a horse heart. But they don’t sell those online, so go easy on yourself with this 1.5 pound cherry-flavored, anatomically correct gummy heart.
Ensure you keep hard eye contact with your Khal to make sure he sees how hot you’re being.
Dracarys on-the-go
Image: ellusionist
A Khaleesi can’t always have one of her dragons on hand, so why not have a backup Dracarys that shoots flames from your actual hands? With this nifty little mini pyrotechnic device, your Targaryen will be able to burn her enemies even while on-the-go.
For those who feel a bit intimidated by the price point or gear, grab this fire finger tip magic trick instead.
Olaplex is a different kind of Targaryen magic
Image: olaplex
A committed Khaleesi is probably feeling tempted to get those silvery Targaryen locks for themselves. We feel you. Take what is yours, with fire and blood and bleach.
But if you’re going to go down that path, make sure you’re prepared for the repercussions. Even Emilia Clarke’s hair couldn’t handle playing Daenerys for seven years!
Outside of dragons, the magical properties of Olaplex will be every Khaleesi’s best friend to recover from color hair damage. Any consumer can purchase No 3, but ask your hairdresser for the really good stuff (No 1 and No 2.)
I’m sure Jon Snow would rather see this on his floor
Image: Marie Cosplay shop
Daenerys has been serving looks that kill as much as her dragons for many seasons now. And there’s no shortage of insane amounts of money you can spend on getting their replicas.
But Etsy shop Marie Cosplay really brings our the couture in cosplay, recreating no only Dany’s looks from Seasons 1-7, but also Sansa, Margaery, and even Melissandre. Since it’s winter, we highly recommend this recreation of the fur coat she wore on her rescue mission beyond the wall in Season 7.
Let the watery get super steamy for you Dragon Blood bath bomb
Image: witch baby soap
Make sure your bath is hot and scalding before dropping in this Dragon’s Blood bath bomb, which is supposed to make your Khaleesi magic more potent. So make sure you have one if you ever find yourself stuck with a bewitched, brain dead Khal and in need of a ritual to rebirth dragons into the world.
Image: Famgem
Jon Snow not only knows nothing, but also has shown to be less flame-retardant than his Aunt/paramore (ew). Even with the reveal of his hidden Targaryen blood in Season 6, you know your boy will need all the help he can get to survive the flaming heart of a Khaleesi.
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Black Mirror is going to get interactive with Season 5, multiple publications reported Monday.
Netflix will be bringing an interactive element to one episode of Black Mirror next season according to a report from Bloomberg and confirmation from The Hollywood Reporter. At this point we don’t really know how exactly the interactivity will work, but both publications reported that it will be a sort of choose-your-own-adventure thing.
SEE ALSO: Netflix’s ‘Maniac’ has a surprisingly simple message at its core
Of all the shows to go the choose-your-own-adventure route first, it makes sense for Black Mirror to give it a shot, giving viewers a chance to decide how a story pans out using Netflix’s technology.
Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker, has been one of Netflix’s most critically acclaimed series since the streaming company picked it up in 2015 from the British TV network Channel 4, earning five Emmy Awards in 2017 and 2018. Each episode of the show is its own contained, often terrifying story revolving around technology.
Netflix has done the whole choose-your-own-adventure thing before with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, which allows viewers to choose where Puss goes in the narrative goes by clicking one of two options while viewing. Throughout the 35-minute experience, there are 13 branching paths to go down.
When we reached out to Netflix for confirmation or comment, a Netflix spokesperson responded via email: “Thanks for reaching out! You have the ability to choose your own response from Netflix: This or this.”
The coy response seems to confirm the reports of the interactive episode, but it’s still vague.
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In the summer of 2016, two political earthquakes hit the European Union and Turkey within a month of each other. On June 23, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, triggering a major existential crisis within the union. Less than a month later, on July 15, the terrorist organisation FETO, having infiltrated the Turkish state and military, tried to overthrow Turkey’s democratically elected government. Although the coup failed, it had a profound effect on Turkey’s political scene and state institutions.
As both the EU and Turkey faced grave political crises, relations deteriorated further. The weak response by the EU to the FETO-led coup attempt and their reluctance to extend full political support to the Turkish government increased pre-existing tensions.
Before the summer of 2016, Ankara and Brussels already had serious disagreements on a number of points, including the Kurdish issue, democratic reforms and the way the Turkish security apparatus handled anti-government protests in 2013.
Two years have passed since that eventful summer and now it is time for both the EU and Turkey to hit the reset button. The visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Germany last week was a good first step in that direction.
The Turkish president described his trip as a “success” while his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was less forthcoming, saying: “This visit isn’t an expression of normalisation – we are a long way from that – but it could be a start.”
Looking back on the past two years, there are indeed quite a few reasons for scepticism. Since 2016, there have been a growing number of political disputes between the two countries.
From the Armenian Genocide bill passed by the German Assembly in 2016, the Incirlik airbase crisis in 2017, the granting of asylum to individuals accused of being part of the July 15 coup attempt, the allegations of espionage against imams affiliated to the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, the ban on campaigning imposed on Turkish politicians in Germany, Erdogan’s harsh criticism of the German political leadership using Nazi analogy ahead of the Turkish constitutional referendum in 2017, all the way to the jailing of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel and Germany hosting members of FETO and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist group – indeed a lot has happened over the past two years.
But there is also reason for optimism. In fact, over the past few months, there has been a rapid change in the climate of relations between the two countries and more generally between the EU and Turkey. There has been one main reason for this spectacular shift: US President Donald Trump.
Since he was elected president in November 2016, Trump has done much to spoil trans-Atlantic relations, with most EU leaders – especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel – demonstrating an outright aversion to his style of politics. His administration has managed to strain relations with Turkey as well.
In other words, the policies of the Trump White House have radically increased the desire in Brussels and Ankara for convergence on foreign policy, trade and security issues of major concern.
Even before coming to office, Trump pledged to go after NATO, and he did. He has attacked his NATO allies and accused them of not paying their dues. This encouraged the rest of NATO’s members to come together in a united front against his disruptive activities endangering the future of the alliance.
Trump has also caused significant damage to US economic relations with both the EU and Turkey. His decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and his constant threats of levying heavy import taxes on European cars have angered Brussels, which is already concerned about the economic impact of the UK leaving the union. The Trump administration also recently slapped Turkey with a number of economic sanctions.
As the Trump-initiated trade war rages on, it only makes sense for the EU and Turkey to stick together. Turkey is the EU’s fourth largest export market and fifth largest source of imports; the EU is by far Turkey’s number one trading partner. And if there was one aspect of relations that thrived over the past two years of tensions, it was the economic ties.
In addition, Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran and to impose sanctions on the country’s oil exports has further destabilised US relations with the EU. European diplomats scrambled to save the deal, most recently proposing a special financial vehicle allowing companies to sidestep US sanctions. Turkey is also on board about preserving engagement with Iran, having declared that it would itself defy the sanctions.
Security is also another major field of cooperation that has brought Ankara and Brussels closer in recent months. Erdogan has worked hard to prevent another offensive by Syrian government forces and Russia in northern Syria, which could produce another wave of Syrian refugees heading to the Turkish border and potentially to Europe. The Turkish president has engaged with his European counterparts seeking a solution to the crisis, despite the Trump administration playing a continuously disruptive role, supporting a PKK offshoot in northeastern Syria and failing to come up with an unequivocal stance on a future peace process.
While pursuing rapprochement with the EU, Turkey is aware that after Brexit, Germany’s political weight within the union will grow significantly.
For Ankara, it is increasingly clear that better relations with the EU have to be pursued not through Brussels but through Berlin. While there are still many issues to resolve, today the interests of Turkey and Germany overlap more than ever.
From the migration crisis to trade wars, from the Trump problem to the Syrian crisis, and from rising populism to Islamophobia, the two countries need each other to resolve major challenges they are facing.
It is in the best interest of both countries, and the EU as a whole, to seek unity in times of increasing global polarisation, uncertainty and instability that leaders like Trump have brought about.
It is important to remember that 2018 marks 100 years since the end of World War I, which brought Turkey and Germany together in a close alliance and which ended with a Turkish-European geopolitical settlement still affecting their ties today. The Turkish reading of history produced a popular saying: “We were declared defeated because of Germany’s defeat.”
Today, Turkey is betting again on a close relationship with Germany, but this time Europe is different and so is the world. The 20th-century system of camps and axes is antiquated and should not be the basis of our reading of geopolitics today.
We have to recognise that Turkey and Europe have a geographical, demographic and economic interdependency, as well as major historical and cultural links, which will always pull the two back together, no matter the circumstances.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.
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Assassin’s Creed took a year-long break in 2016, then came out swinging last year with a quite literally game-changing new vision for the series in Assassin’s Creed: Origins.
It’s a year later now and there’s no break this time. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey picks up many of the newer ideas laid out in Origins, then expands on them and frames them all against the backdrop of an ancient Greece setting. But is that a good thing?
SEE ALSO: In ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,’ choices really matter
Critics seem to think so. Mashable’s review is coming soon, but here’s a rundown of the critical pulse surrounding Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, which is out for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 5.
Heather Alexandra, Kotaku
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is huge. Each new boundary is broken down the moment you reach it, the game world spilling out and expanding further and further than you can possibly imagine. It is big in the same way the Great Pyramids or Empire State Building are big, the result of untold amounts of labor and artistry distilled into something remarkable yet intimidating. It’s not a sandbox. It is a world, with all of the beauty, anxiety, and inconsistency that entails.
Jeff Grubb, GamesBeat
The Greek world in Odyssey seems to have more missions, quests, characters, and side diversions than any Assassin’s Creed ever. At the same time, the world has enough space to let each of those activities breathe.
Some past open-world Ubisoft games seem like Yves Guillemot threw mission icons onto every possible square inch. Odyssey is the opposite of that. All of its map icons exist as distinct little islands. As a result, the entire adventure is much more manageable. Your brain actually has a chance to meaningfully process the information. It’s as if Ubisoft is treating you like a human and not some kind of box-checking automaton.
Brandin Tyrrel, IGN
For the first time in an Assassin’s Creed game we get a choice of whether to play exclusively as a man or a woman: siblings Alexios and Kassandra. … These protagonists are easily the most flexible characters in any Assassin’s Creed game to date when it comes to their personalities. As a mercenary, my Alexios was free to be whoever I decided he should be. A merc with a conscious, a one-track-mind horn dog, or a ruthless murdering psychopath – there are no wrong answers, but there were definitely consequences to the decisions I chose.
Andrew Webster, The Verge
The story is fairly standard stuff, but what makes it interesting is how you actually have some control over the lead character. She still has a distinct personality, but you’re able to make decisions at various points in the game, that somewhat shape her beliefs. This was true in Origins as well, but it feels deeper and more meaningful here. You can choose whether Kassandra accept money as a reward from a poor slave, or spare the life of a criminal. In one particularly harrowing mission, a murderer kidnapped a family, and forced me to choose whether the mother or father should survive. These moments can add emotional weight to otherwise boring missions, and they often forced me into difficult quandaries, as often the morally right decision would mean more work, typically in the form of an extended battle.
Alessandro Fillari, GameSpot
Naval combat and sailing make a return in Odyssey, opening up exploration on the high seas. As you build up resources and find new members to join your crew, you can customize and upgrade your ship, The Adrestia, to take on more daring challenges. Much like in Black Flag and Rogue, seafaring offers up some of the more exciting and visually pleasing moments of the game, finding lost sunken ruins in the oceans depths or facing off against increasingly aggressive rival ships. Over the course of your travels, you’ll be able to recruit new lieutenants to add buffs to your ship, giving you more of a fighting chance against the sea’s greater threats.
Mike Williams, USgamer
Lieutenants can be recruited from nearly every enemy non-player character (NPC) in Odyssey. While you’re scanning forts and outposts for enemy positioning you can also see what ship bonuses your opponents bring to the table. If you find one that strikes your fancy, you can knock them out, either from stealth or with the new Spartan Kick ability. Once they’re down, you can loot them and then recruit them to your pool of lieutenants. Most of the worthwhile NPCs are named, with their own weapons and looks, so there’s a bit of individuality to them. You’ll find yourself wanting to collect more unique folks, just so you can see them on the deck of your ship.
The recruiting system is cool, when it works. The problem is all the good recruitables are likely strong enough that the stealth knockout option won’t work (more on this in a bit) and the Spartan Kick is touchy. A Spartan Kick only knocks enemies out at the last portion of their lifebar, but at that point they’re low enough that anything can kill them. I’ve kicked a potential recruit, only to have them roll down a hill and die instantly. There are some great candidates you can find on enemy ships, but boarding actions include the rest of your crew, who will likely kill any hopeful outright. Or you’ll accidentally kick them into the ocean, where they’ll drown.
Tom Phillips, Eurogamer
The [new signature weapon, Spear of Leonidas] symbolizes the shift away from Ubisoft’s habitual Assassin’s Creed gameplay to one that feels freer, more fantastical and more fun. Why wait to dual assassinate a pair of enemies who’ve finally rotated around their guard patterns to stand next to one another when you can blink around a map chaining assassinations over great distances, should you have invested in the skills and built-up the stamina to do so. Another combat move, where you rip the shield away from a powerful enemy and donk them on the head with it after, reminds me of the joy felt in Zelda when, after hours whittling away the health of armoured enemies, you finally get a hookshot and are able to de-shell them instantly. Fire arrows? Sure, but how about ghostly arrows which zip through walls, through enemies into other enemies, who you can then also set on fire? Level up far enough and you’ll get these too.
Arthur Gies, Escapist Magazine
Too much of Odyssey’s later game story content is locked behind a murderous progression wall. Every quest in the game has a level attached to it, and while there’s some wiggle room, anything more than a couple of levels above your character is intended to be beyond your capability — more simply, you just can’t do enough damage to fight effectively.
As the game goes on, more and more quests are required to be completed to move on and frankly, I’ve found it exhausting. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a game obsessed with making the player eat their vegetables.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey comes to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 5, 2018.
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