Monthly Archives: February 2022

Francis Ford Coppola has always been a risk-taker. Even after making three of the finest films of the 1970s (and beyond) with The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, and The Conversation, the studios werent willing to take a gamble on Apocalypse Now, the five-time Oscar winners surreal fever dream of a Vietnam film, loosely based on Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness. So he invested every cent he had to get the budget where it needed to be, and made one of the most celebrated war films of all time. I invested all my money and own the film, Coppola told The Washington Post in 1979. I think Ill get it back.

But for as long as Coppola has been making movies, he has really wanted to make one movie: Megalopolis. And now, at the age of 82, the filmmaker told GQ that hes ready to risk it all again and drop some seriously mad cashlikely more than $100 millionon finally seeing his pet project through to completion.

As GQs Zach Baron writes:

It is a film called Megalopolis, and Coppola has been trying to make it, intermittently, for more than 40 years. If I could summarize the plot for you in a concise way, I would, but I cant, because Coppola cant either. Ask him. Its very simple, hell say. The premise of Megalopolis? Well, its basically I would ask you a question, first of all: Do you know much about utopia?

The best I can do, after literally hours talking about it with him, is this: Its a love story that is also a philosophical investigation of the nature of man; its set in New York, but a New York steeped in echoes of ancient Rome; its scale and ambition are vast enough that Coppola has estimated that it will cost $120 million to make. What he dreams about, he said, is creating something like Its a Wonderful Lifea movie everyone goes to see, once a year, forever. On New Years, instead of talking about the fact that youre going to give up carbohydrates, Id like this one question to be discussed, which is: Is the society we live in the only one available to us? And discuss it.

Its certainly a tall order, but given that this year marks the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, maybe its not so far-fetched to believe that if anyone can make the next great classic film, it would be Coppola. Even so, no studio in Hollywood seems ready to make that gamble.

After more than four decades of talking about Megalopoliswhich he says is as ambitious as Apocalypse NowCoppola understands that, the more personal I make it, and the more like a dream in me that I do it, the harder it will be to finance. And the longer it will earn money because people will be spending the next 50 years trying to think: Whats really in Megalopolis? What is he saying? My God, what does that mean when that happens?

Still, the situation feels like dj vu to the director. Do you know why I own Apocalypse Now? Because no one else wanted it, he says. As for casting? Oscar Isaac and Zendaya are just two of the stars Coppola is eyeing.

You can read Coppolas full GQ interview here.

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Francis Ford Coppola Will Spend $120 Million To Make 'Megalopolis' - UPROXX

Greens Leader Adam Bandt is that whiny girl on the Brady Bunch who constantly complains, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! except that he cries, Billionaires, Billionaires, Billionaires!!!

Where jealousy drove Jan to be fixated on her older sister, the Green-eyed monster drives Mr Bandt to obsession with those wealthier than him.

Writing inTheAustralianthis week, Mr Bandt blamed every conceivable ill on Australias billionaires.

Billionaires dont pay their fair share of taxes. Billionaires receive unfair handouts. Billionaires increase their wealth during pandemics. Billionaires are favoured by the Liberal Party. Billionaires are the reason you were late to work this morning. Okay, I made that last one up, be Mr Bandt might as well have said it.

Billionaires, billionaires, billionaires!

Mr Bandt is so fixated on billionaires that he mentioned them 12 times in a 15-paragraph article. For context, he mentioned climate five times, coal just twice, and the environment once.

The real enemy, you see, is Scrooge McDuck.

The Greens would you have call to mind all your woes while harping with them, Billionaires, billionaires, billionaires!

The problem with Australia are those successful entrepreneurs who take enormous risks to create wealth and, in the process, employ tens of thousands of Australians while providing much-needed services bastards!

But fear not. If you elect the Greens at the next federal election, Mr Bandt will slug it to the wicked billionaires. (Right before he hammers the annoying middle class. Well get to that in a moment.)

The Greens will push a new billionaires tax, Mr Bandt wrote triumphantly. Thats the only wealth tax well be pushing. A big, new six per cent tax on billionaires wealth.

How wonderful life would be if billionaires did not exist. Instead of working for major corporations, we could work for the government on communal farms. Others could work in state-run factories. And still more could work as fact-checkers at the ABC.

The rest of us could work for the big new bureaucracy that would be required to annually assess who the billionaires are, value every item they own, and levy them with Mr Bandts big, new six per cent tax.

Stealing from, er, taxing the wealth of billionaire boogey men will pay for the Greens imagined Utopia in which everything is free and where school leavers can aspire to just smoke weed for a year or two.

According to the 2021Financial Reviews Rich Listthere are 111 billionaires in Australia. So the Greens entire policy platform is based on taxing 111 people.

Of course, the problem with getting your policy ideas from fairies at the bottom of the garden is that reality is rarely factored in. Mr Bandt is so busy making snow money angels with the$40 billionhe expects to pickpocket from billionaires each year that it never occurs to him they will simply take their wealth along with their businesses and many of our jobs elsewhere.

The sinister billionaires will be disappeared; banished by Bandt, the man who has zero business experience and who has never employed anyone.

With all that economic activity gone, the Greens will then be free to set about creating their Looney Land utopia in which solar panels we cannot afford power all the businesses we no longer have.

But rest assured, Mr Bandt promised, We wont be going after everyday people like the Liberals do, but instead make big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share and rein in their unfair handouts.

Ah yes, use the language of envy to demonise big business and billionaires, billionaires, billionaires.

And then, when Adam Hood and his band of Merry Watermelons fail to raise the revenue to pay for their socialist wet dreams, they will simply widen the shakedown to include the middle class.

Only a fool believes that they can vote for others to be slugged with a wealth tax while expecting it will never be imposed upon them.

Mr Bandt concluded his piece in The Australian by claiming that Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, whose seat of Kooyong will be hotly contested at the next election, is terrified of a Greens victory.

Mr Bandt, 92 per cent of Australia is terrified!

You can follow James on Twitter. You can order his new book Notes from Woketopiahere.

Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.

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Adam Bandt has billionaires on the brain - The Spectator Australia

Im hovering on a red carpet outside Londons Royal Albert Hall. Cameras explode with flashes. Haute hubbub envelops me. Im posing hard, sporting the sharp white tuxedo I picked out for the British Fashion Councils annual Fashion Awards ceremony, my fluffy pink tail peeking out from the Bianca Jagger-inspired look.

Yes, you read that correctly: my tail. In a surreal touch, I am attending a simulacrum of the ceremony in the metaverse, the social-meets-gam-ing virtual landscape where so much in fashion seems to be happening nowadays: from Balenciagas excursion into Fortnite to a virtual Gucci Garden experience. And the guise Ive chosen is that of a pink squirrel-like creature with, I discover, a squirrels propensity for clambering onto every object it comes into contact with. As I rove around inside the hall, listening to the evenings host, Billy Porter, intone Fashion is culture! from the stage and impulse-buying a Gucci baseball cap (which sets me back 100 Robux, aka the currency of Roblox, the gaming app Im using), I have a strange flashback to the in-person fashion events I used to attend in the halcyon days of early 2020.

COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

Admittedly, they dont hold a candle to the real thing, but for millions of users, these virtual platforms are a way to feel part of the exclusive fashion worldand to use style to experiment in a way that real-world confines may not allow. Says Robloxs vice president of global brand partnerships, Christina Wootton, A lot of times, when you hear from people whove experienced it virtually, they talk about it as if they were really there. (Increasingly, the virtual and the real are colliding: The night also included a new award for metaverse design, presented by a digital Alessandro Michele. This years recipient: a Roblox user and digital fashion creator known as cSapphire.)

While many associate the metaverse with Mark Zuckerbergs tete-a-tete with his virtual avatar, the term is actually 30 years old. It was coined by the sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson to describe a virtual reality space that mimics a physical one. For some participants, those interactions serve as a way to experiment not just with style, but identity. Users can select from multiple male and female avatars as a way to explore their gender identity and can customize their body size and proportions, says Maura Welch, vice president of marketing at Together Labs, a technology company that operates the metaverse platform IMVU.

There, this past spring, seven brands, including Collina Strada and Mowalola, showed their collections as part of what media outlets like Paper billed as the metaverses first runway show. The platform boasts 200,000 active creators; for the show, each designer was paired with a creator. (The Collina Strada design even found its way into the real world, via a dress that designer Hillary Taymour debuted on the platform and then designed IRL for Kim Petras to wear to the Met Gala.) It broadens the audience and allows people who cant drop that money on fashion to be able to experience it, Welch says. Its super empowering.

COURTESY OF THE DESIGNER, ELIZAVETA RADIONOVA, AND NATALIA GUSELMANN

Empowering, perhaps. But it also feels a tad strange, as someone whos been immersed in tactile fashion for a decade and a half, to be zipping around in this imaginary space like Ive been uploaded into a Philip K. Dick characters consciousness. It seems unnatural to be interacting with people as an imaginary character on a screen. Welch challenges me to consider how much Im already doing that. If you think about the amount of time that you spend in your digital space versus your real space, she points out, the former is starting to outweigh the latter for many of us.

We may not be disguising ourselves as fashion-forward pink squirrels, but were fudging details or creating new identities online, whether its alter-ing our Zoom backgrounds, Facetuning our Tinder photos, or touching up our appearances on video calls. If you ask somebody in Gen Z if a friend was made online or in real life, they actually dont see a difference, she adds. And during the pandemic, IMVUs active user ranks grew by almost half, suggesting that people are flocking to the metaverse as a social space.

For some, its a kind of no-rules style utopia. Maybe you arent comfortable dressing in the clothes you want to wear, or youre worried about what people will say; the metaverse removes a lot of that friction. The more time is spent in this virtual space, the more important your online identity becomes, Wootton says. You may go in and say, I want it to look just like my real-world self, or maybe you want it to be completely different. It feels great to be able to do that without the anxiety of how people will react, because a lot of people on the platform are so much more accepting. Its where you experiment, and express yourself in different ways.

COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

Those who are championing the metaverse also see it as a way to finally do that much-discussed thingfix fashion. Though there are concerns about its energy consumption, the realm is otherwise sustainable, waste-free, and infinitely renewable without the environmental and labor costs that come with fast fashion. For designers, especially young, aspiring ones, its a win, too. There are, after all, no supply chain issues in the metaverse. You dont need an expensive degree or bolts of pricey fabric to start creating. And you can get instant feedback, says Welch: If you put something out in the catalog, youre going to know right away: What do people like, what do they not like? Theyre going to tell you. Users are particularly interested in customization, which is shaping up to be the new couture, with e-ateliers full of aspirants.

After making my Fashion Awards debut, I spend day two in the metaverse as two very different entities. First, Im a blank-faced mannequin, visiting the Gucci Garden on Roblox in a developers intricately pixelated re-creation of Florence. I wander through the space, collecting flowers for my head, then a Matrix-like neon maze, where I collect stripes for my outfit. Digital versions of the Italian houses wares are also on offer.

When the experience debuted, Wootton tells me, People were setting their alarms because they were just like, I cant miss out on this drop. In some cases, theyd then resell their finds on Robloxs booming secondhand market, where prices were sometimes higher than in the real world. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian tweeted about the fact that a virtual version of the houses Dionysus bag, whose physical version is priced at $3,400, resold for the equivalent of $4,115, adding, Watch this space.

COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

Next, I indulge my sporty side at the Ralph Lauren Winter Escape pop-up. This time Im a generic jock, clad in a Polo-branded parka, doing a series of wholesome activities meant to generate cheer, which serves as a kind of currency in this space. I vault over rocks, ice-skate, toast marshmallows, and sip on Ralphs Coffee. Alice Delahunt, the brands chief digital and content officer, notes that while the technology feels cutting-edge, the designer has always been all about world-building. When youve walked into a flagship store like 888 Madison Avenue, youve been transported to the Double RL Ranchthe designers Colorado getawayor an Aspen chalet or Round Hill in Jamaica, she says. We feel that his is the perfect brand to exist in the metaverse.

Even though this all feels impossibly removed from realityand is missing some of the texture of real-life interactions, not to mention the sensual pleasure of wearing clothes and sizing up others looksit could soon be our reality. What the metaverse lacks in quotidian friction, it makes up for in other ways. And as we continue to replace physical interactions with digital ones, it could start to feel more normal than doing things in person.

In the same way that we looked at websites maybe 15 to 20 years ago, we now need to be looking at the metaverse and understanding what our strategy is there, Delahunt says. And that strategy translates into real-world dollars: The brand has already sold 164,000 digital goods on the Zepeto platform. She gestures to the blue ski sweater shes wearing: What I get really excited about in the digital world is, Does this evolve over time? Does this change and adapt to my context, my environment, my mood? Have I earned something for wearing it a certain amount of times, and therefore, have I unlocked the next level of some community-driven activity? (I could definitely monetize that last one, based on how often I repeat outfits in the actual-verse.)

The possibilities are endless, and not just online. As established designers journey into the metaverse and virtual creators dip their toes into the real world, the whole thing becomes a feedback loop. Which means you could see cSapphires wares strutting down a runway near you someday.

This article appears in the March 2022 issue of ELLE.

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The Metaverse and Fashion: What You Need to Know - ELLE.com

Former Australia women's cricket captain Alex Blackwell represented her country in 251 international matches, with the team winning the World Cup and the Ashes under her captaincy. Since her retirement in late 2019, Blackwell has continued to be involved in the game as a board member, commentator and media spokesperson. She also works as a genetic counsellor in addition to her cricket-related roles.

In this lightly edited extract from her new book, Fair Game, she looks ahead to where she hopes cricket in Australia and the world at large will be in 20 years.

So I want to finish by imagining an ideal future for cricket. If I was suddenly transported 20 years into the future and was checking in on the state of the game, what would I hope to see? What does a cricket utopia look like?

It looks like a completely level playing field between men and women. There's no longer any sense that the men's game is of any higher priority or importance than the women's game. Men's cricket is no longer the default. The media coverage and public interest is split equally - and sometimes the women are ahead in this regard. Thanks to incredible marketing efforts and increased media coverage, sponsors have flocked to women's cricket, realising what a hot commodity it is and wanting their businesses to be associated with something so special.

All players in the Australian women's team are household names. The team is made up of women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and they are equally adored and celebrated. The players feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to cricket - their differences and quirks are embraced and incorporated into the team culture. The Australian public loves them, not just for their amazing feats on the field but because they are interesting people with lives and passions away from sport who set a great example in so many different ways. Past women's players are held in equally high regard as their male counterparts and the history of the team is regularly celebrated by administrators and current players. Past female legends of our game are lead commentators in men's and women's cricket, not just for radio but also front and centre on our screens, with their naturally grey hair and sun-aged skin.

In boardrooms across the country I see equal numbers of men and women discussing the game and working to keep making improvements. Women can afford to commit to these roles because their time is valued as much as men's and they have been paid equally for many years now. I can see many past players among these board members, leading discussions through their knowledge, experience and passion. When they speak, everyone stops to listen and their opinions are respected and acted upon.

I can see women in leadership positions in the Cricket Australia headquarters too. Past players haven't been lost to the sport due to burnout, domestic players have degrees in a whole range of specialties after being supported to study during their careers. They're energised and excited to bring their unique skill sets to the organisation that supported them and continue to drive things forward for the next generation. The halls of our great stadiums are adorned with portraits of past players - male and female legends of the game appear side by side. Those past female players, the invisible giants of our game, are now recognised and celebrated regularly for the contributions they made to our sport against the tide. The rich history of gay women in cricket and their positive impact in the evolution of the women's game is spoken about openly and celebrated.

As I walk past the nets at the SCG prior to the New Year's Test I can see the Australian men's Test team being put through their paces by head coach Ellyse Perry. This group of young men are awed to be in her presence and have so much respect for this incredible cricketer they grew up watching dominate the domestic and international arenas. No one asks the players any questions about what it's like to have a female coach; it's no longer an anomaly or a novelty.

Looking around at the elite men's and women's teams across the country, I can see a diversity that truly reflects the Australian population. Players whose heritage lies in the cricket-loving South Asian nations are flourishing and the sport has also attracted many people with backgrounds that haven't been traditionally associated with cricket, such as Thailand and Sudan. In the media I see beautiful photos of the most recent Allan Border Medal winner celebrating with his husband and their daughter. They walked into the event with pride and were captioned correctly as husbands in every photo.

All over the world I can see our players proudly representing themselves and their country. Global tournaments for women have exploded and alongside the WBBL and the Hundred, the women's Indian Premier League has expanded rapidly and attracts talent from all over the world. The Caribbean Premier League also has a thriving women's competition, and the FairBreak Global tournament has become the key event in the calendar - this two-week invitational tournament has become the highest-paying T20 tournament for women in the world, and women from Associate cricket nations such as Botswana, Oman and China are stars of the show.

Recently retired women's international cricketers continue to make a great living from playing in short T20 tournaments all over the world. The television and live-stream coverage is excellent - of better standard than the men's because the women have been quicker to embrace the use of cutting-edge technology which has enhanced the viewer experience. This was a big step to achieving equality with the men's game, because more and more viewers tuned into women's cricket to witness the interaction with artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies. The success in the women's game convinced the men to be open to the opportunities as well and interest has risen across the board. There is all kinds of data available that helps fans understand the sport better - from the heart rate of a bowler in the death overs in a tight T20 match to the fatigue levels of a player batting out two full days of a Test. All games are accessible on demand for viewers everywhere.

Stepping back to the grassroots level, I can see that cricket has embraced all different forms of the game. Modified formats like indoor cricket and Last Man Stands (which was renamed to Last Player Stands, and not one single person kicked up a fuss, because gender-neutral language is just expected now) all fall under the Cricket Australia banner and it has helped the sport to thrive. Cricket is no longer just for those who have an entire weekend day available to play each week. Instead there are people taking part on weeknights, parents playing alongside their kids in social competitions, and competitive grassroots leagues that can be played with rubber cricket balls, encouraging more people to play, with fewer concerns about concussion and injuries.

I see mums coaching their sons' teams, boys and girls sharing training facilities equally and cheering each other on during matches. The diversity that is now present at the top levels of the game is visible here too. Cricket teams are made up of people from all different cultures and all walks of life, brought together by a love for the game.

The final of a Sydney women's social competition is held during a lunch break at the New Year's Test match at the SCG. The leaders of our game recognise that it's not just kids who will relish that opportunity and understand the importance of engaging adult women and the benefits that will come from these opportunities. Most importantly, community cricket is a space where people of all genders feel safe and welcome and everyone is able to play in a team that matches their gender identity without fear or anxiety.

There is a strong link between elite and grassroots cricket. Reduced training loads for professional players to foster better work-life balance have not only allowed players to gain qualifications and experience that prepare them for life after cricket, they have also given them more time to reconnect with their clubs. Community cricketers know the players who have come through the pathways they are a part of now and regularly go to games to support them. When professional players are introduced to the field - at the ground and on TV - they are identified by their club as a way to acknowledge that lifelong connection. Elite players take the time to attend club training sessions, where they can enjoy quality facilities and coaching in addition to giving back to the community that set them on the path to where they are today.

Premier cricket competitions across Australia are stronger than ever before. The number of teams in each grade has been reduced and club cricketers are playing alongside elite players during the regular mid-week matches held under lights. These matches are the highlight of training each week for elite players who are spending less time in the nets and more time playing matches. The club players are genuine team-mates with some of the best elite players in the country and they see a definite pathway to the next level.

Access to the best grounds is shared equally between the men's and women's teams and fixturing takes into consideration the opportunity for players to support other teams from their club and the WBBL and MBBL teams from their state. There are strong and definite pathways from junior cricket through to premier cricket for women and men, with shared high-performance hubs and facilities to build the connection. The ease of live streaming and the plethora of streaming services available means that grade competitions are now broadcast and the increased visibility leads to better sponsorship deals at this level. This allows for better facilities and more ability for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to participate without having to navigate a large financial barrier. The aspiration to reach the premier level has increased - particularly for women - and these reinvigorated competitions keep people engaged in the sport longer and make the elite levels stronger.

Even though things have changed significantly for the better, no one is letting their guard down. They recognise how easily things can slip back into the status quo and they keep on working to make sure the doors open even wider and let more people in.

This all feels like a distant dream, but 20 years is a long time. Who would have imagined 20 years ago, when my elite cricket career was just getting started, that we would have reached the great heights we have now? I experienced so much positive change throughout my two decades in the sport and I know what is possible.

In the future, I hope I'm sitting down to read a book by my former Sydney Thunder teammate Phoebe Litchfield - who was 20 years my junior when we first formed a match-winning partnership together - charting the amazing changes she has experienced since her debut. I hope her story describes something like I have imagined in this chapter, but who knows? It could be even better.

Reproduced with permission from Fair Game by Alex Blackwell (with Megan Maurice), Hachette Australia, 2022

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Cricket in 2042: here's hoping it's in a more equitable place, with greater opportunities for all - ESPNcricinfo

There is a deluge of well-known persons seeking to sell out to the burgeoning crypto business. Randi Zuckerberg can now be added to that list. She isnt a celebrity per se, but she is the sister of Mark Zuckerberg and has reportedly decided to put her name down in history with a ridiculous, Adele-inspired, De-Fi-themed video.

Hello its me Music video! b/c community should be FUN, crypto should be welcoming not intimidating & why not?!?! @thehugxyz we believe in working hard AND enjoying this crazy amazing moment were in. Best way to support creators is to be creators! Apologies Adele pic.twitter.com/GHKRCK8J7z

randizuckerberg.eth (@randizuckerberg) February 17, 2022

According to a recent press release, Zuckerberg, who previously worked in Facebooks marketing department, is currently serving as the exchange Okcoins inaugural brand advisory council member, where she is tasked with encouraging more women into the crypto sector. She is also the CEO of Zuckerberg Media, a marketing firm, and the founder of Hug, a decentralised community network.

Her crypto persuasion effort reportedly includes the release of a parody video in which she sings out the Hello tune while deconstructing DeFi concepts. Actually, Zuckerberg is a decent vocalist. Meanwhile, the lyrics are basically what youd anticipate:

Hello, its meWould you like to learn exchanging cryptocurrency?Well go over everythingCause youve got coins from different blockchains and want to do some tradingHello, can you hear me?A decentralized exchange lets you convert from A to BOnce you pay theGas feeAnd no single point of failure means youve got security

Web3 is rumoured to be poised to completely change the internet and usher in a new blockchain-centered period of utopia and ultimate freedom. At least, thats what youd think based on the fuckton of advertising cash that crypto companies are constantly hurling at the wall in the hopes of luring the rest of us in. Resistance is pointless, people. Invest in Okcoin right now.

Randi Jayne Zuckerberg is a businesswoman from the United States. She was Facebooks former director of market development and spokesperson. She previously worked as a panellist on Forbes on Fox. She is the founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, the editor-in-chief (EIC) of Dot Complicated, a digital lifestyle website, and the creator of Dot., an animated television show about a young girl (the titular Dot) who uses technology to improve both her scholastic and recreational experiences.

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Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi debuts with crypto themed version of Adele's Hello - Techstory

With two fantastic console generations behind it, Sony was looking to up the ante with the PlayStation 3. Out of the box, the console looked like another leap massive leap forward. It had a Blu-ray player for high-definition entertainment, the latest DualShock controller was a wireless peripheral that narrowly avoided looking like a silver banana, and the internal engineering could throw an impressive number of polygons at your eyeballs. All of that effort would have been wasted if the game library wasn't up to scratch, but fortunately, the PS3 had a terrific selection of games available as the years went on. We've rounded up our picks for the 25 best PS3 games of all time (in alphabetical order).

More PlayStation best lists

From first-party titles that paved the way for an era of prestige single-player experiences to third-party blockbusters that made full use of the console's powerful engine to wow players, the PS3 had an eclectic library of memorable games. Some of these games have even been remastered for PS4 and are backward compatible with the PS5. We only included one game from each franchise, so you won't find multiple Uncharted, Mass Effect, or Batman games on this list.

Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum raised the bar for superhero games when it first arrived, but its first sequel Arkham City easily leaped past that benchmark when it landed on the PS3. On the surface, this was your typical follow-up: bigger environments to explore, more villains to punch justice into, and enhanced visuals that hit a fantastic middle ground of new but familiar gameplay. Where Arkham City elevated itself, though, was with its more confident action, finely-tuned gameplay, and an ending that left everyone shocked. The best Batman games are both brave and bold, and Arkham City was the digital definition of that idea with its rhythmic action, predatorial stealth, and intuitive detective work.

Read our Batman: Arkham City review.

Platinum Games redefined witchcraft in Bayonetta, as the titular magic-wielder traded a broomstick for ankle-mounted pistols and an arsenal of sadistic magic. Bayonetta looked great, it played even better, and its devil-may-care approach made it an instant cult-classic with fans. A thrill ride from start to finish, Bayonetta's brand of action established Platinum Games as a powerhouse in the action genre.

Read our Bayonetta review.

Would you kindly remember just how groundbreaking Bioshock was when it was first released? A deep dive into a utopia gone horribly wrong, Bioshock was oozing with atmosphere from your very first step inside of Rapture, and the action wasnt too shabby either. Fighting back against gene therapy-addicted geniuses gone rogue, unleashing the power of the mind, and trying to avoid getting on the wrong side of a lumbering Big Daddy was fun, while the game's regular plot twists made this subterranean masterpiece an adventure to remember.

Read our Bioshock review.

After several games on the PS2, Criterion's Burnout Paradise established itself as the magnum opus of the franchise with its gorgeous rides, high-speed danger, and a crash camera that made every wreck a grotesque masterpiece of twisted metal. Taking place in a gigantic sandbox of roads that were just begging to be explored, Burnout Paradise had an absurd amount of activities to take part in while you listened to a certified banger of a soundtrack in the background. Additional DLC made the entire package even better, and the joy of cruising around a playground at top speed made this the definitive Burnout experience.

Read our Burnout Paradise review.

Call of Duty was a solid--but predictable--journey into well-worn World War 2 energy before it became one of the biggest franchises across multiple gaming generations. Modern Warfare rewrote the book on blockbuster gaming entertainment, delivering a campaign that pinched inspiration from Hollywood war movies to create a thrilling theater of operations. Modern Warfare's gunplay felt superb, its visuals hammered home the brutality of war, and its campaign was a scenic tour of duty across both single and multiplayer battlefields.

Read our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review.

From Software's initial journey into the world of punishing fantasy action showed promise when Demon's Souls was released so many years ago, but Dark Souls was undoubtedly where the studio hits its stride. It may have earned a reputation for merciless difficulty and challenging foes, but Dark Souls is so much more than digital masochism. Beneath its surface was a game filled with dense amounts of lore, wonderful locations to explore, and a gameplay system that would reward you for all of your work. Every victory was earned in Dark Souls, but it set the bar for the franchise and paved the way for a new genre to flourish on gaming systems.

Read our Dark Souls review.

Diablo's brand of isometric dungeon-crawling and demon-slaying had long been considered too complex to port to consoles without losing a lot of its luster (the original Diablo was merely fine on PlayStation), but Blizzard managed to find a way to not only make the franchise playable on PS3 but feel superb as well. Diablo 3 was devilishly charming thanks to an incredibly-intuitive control scheme that made every action flow smoothly from your inputs. Exploring Sanctuary, delivering killer-blows that reduced demons to giblets, and building up your character along the way into a force of nature that not even the Prime Evils could overcome made Diablo 3 feel arguably even more at home on console than PC.

Read our Diablo 3 review.

Horror games may not have been entirely deceased by the time that Dead Space arrived on the scene, but the genre certainly felt like it was on life support back in the late 2000s. Dead Space was a shot of adrenaline to that category of gaming, a gruesome and captivating descent into darkness that had the potential to ruin your most comfortable pair of pants with its frequent scares. Constantly unnerving, Dead Space's atmosphere is still a gold standard for terror and its unique combat against terrifying necromorphs made every encounter feel like a last-ditch effort to survive unrelenting horror. Sequels and spin-offs would follow in its wake, and for fans of the original, an upcoming remake is also on the horizon.

Read our Dead Space review.

Ninja Theory might be known as the studio behind Hellblade these days, but for a brief time, it made a splash in the industry with a stylish new spin on one of Capcom's greatest franchises. Wildly different from the source material and not giving a damn, DmC is arguably the best Devil May Cry of the PS3 generation. Dante's new awakening led to a fascinating system that balanced both his angelic and demonic heritage, the visual style was pure S-Rank in the imagination department, and the story packed an emotional haymaker in each chapter. A one-off with no sequel in site, DmC still stands as an example of ingenuity and fun from a studio that gave the devil his due.

Read our DmC: Devil May Cry review.

Fus-Roh-Dah! Rewind the clock back to the magical date of November 11, 2011, and Bethesda was on top of the world with an action-packed new chapter in its Elder Scrolls series. Oblivion may have set the bar high for a follow-up in that fantasy universe, but Skyrim easily vaulted over it and delivered a Nordic adventure for the ages. Mastering the power of being really loud, wondering what to do with the funky-smelling toe of a giant you just killed, and really hoping that you wouldn't get an arrow in your knee were just some of the highlights of Skyrim. With unparalleled freedom to be the adventurer--or really horrible person who sacrificed Lydia to dark Daedric gods--Skyrim was unmatched in its ability to grab your attention for hours on end. Thankfully, Bethesda has re-released Skyrim over and over again, so you almost certainly have a device (or five) that can play it.

Read our Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim review.

Love or hate it, but there's no denying the impact that Grand Theft Auto V has had on the gaming landscape. A game of unprecedented scope and ambition, GTA V was a phenomenal single-player game and a groundbreaking multiplayer sandbox. It's the multiplayer portion of GTA V that has gone on to define the series, as GTA Online has extended the game well past its sell-by date with its interconnected world of characters, gangs, and a constant influx of new content. In the years since it debuted, GTA V hasn't just been one of the best games on PS3, it has gone on to find new audiences on PS4 and its primed for a PS5 debut next month.

Read our Grand Theft Auto 5 review.

Media Molecules' LittleBigPlanet sequel hit the nail on the head for wholesome content that also inspired its players to unleash the power of their imagination. Games that gave players all the tools that they'd need to generate their own content were starting to take off, and LittleBigPlanet 2 helped pave the way for player freedom. Fronted by the adorable mascot of Sackboy, the digital sky was the limit for creating adventures, stories, and memories within its platforming structure. The PS3 was home to a library of great games, but LittleBigPlanet 2 stands tall as one of its most charming and important titles. PS4 and PS5 owners should definitely check out spin-off title Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which gives the adorable star an adventure similar to Super Mario 3D World.

Read our Littlebigplanet 2 review.

On the topic of definitive PS3 games, Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was the best send-off that the PS3 could ask for as it reached the twilight of its life. A must-play game on PS3 and a step in the prestige direction that Sony was working to establish with its first-party studios, The Last of Us was enchanting, terrifying, and pushed the PS3 to the bleeding edge of what the hardware was capable of. Pushing the envelope on interactive storytelling, The Last of Us is a mature tale set in a believable post-apocalypse that perfectly drew the curtain closed on the PS3 generation.

Read our The Last of Us review.

The original Mass Effect was a fantastic first step into sci-fi territory for developer BioWare, but admittedly, it was a little rough around the edges when it came to combat. Mass Effect 2 on the other hand, is where all the parts of this cosmic engine felt like they were working in harmony. Commander Shepard's return began with an unforgettable first chapter, the story provided plenty of opportunities to create a more personalized adventure, and some of the choices you'd be forced to make would leave you feeling haunted by the tangible repercussions. All that, and gameplay which perfectly mixed traditional cover-based shooting with a selection of fantastic RPG mechanics that made you feel fully empowered for the threats that awaited the misfit crew of the Normandy.

Read our Mass Effect 2 review.

A short and sharp experiment into spin-off territory, Platinum Games Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is still a cut above the rest when it comes to action. Originally developed by Kojima Studios, the project met some difficulty along the way and was handed over to Platinum Games to bring the concept of over-the-top sword-fighting to life. Not only was the studios talent for satisfying mayhem on full display in this cheesy adventure, but it was also amplified by a series of incredible boss fights, memorable memes, and a soundtrack so metal that you'll get lead poisoning if you listen to it on repeat.

Read our Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance review.

The PS2 era was home to a double-whammy of excellent Metal Gear Solid adventures, but for the PS3, it was time to close the book on Solid Snake's storied career as an expert in tactical espionage action. Older and grumpier than ever, Snake's latest adventure may not have been as much of a game-changer as his previous missions were, but Metal Gear Solid 4 still managed to intelligently use the PS3's power to refine and enhance its formula. It might be a little too dependent on cutscenes and it has no time for newcomers thanks to its dense lore, but for Metal Gear Solid fans who had stuck around since the beginning, the fourth game's lengthy running time more than paid off with a conclusion that brought the series full circle.

Read our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots review.

A role-playing game with vibrant cel-shaded visuals straight out of the Studio Ghibli playbook? That was a recipe for success when Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch first came out, and the charming art design was bolstered by the sheer amount of content that you could engage with. Having an exciting world to explore, a phenomenal soundtrack, and an emotionally told story was enough to win over even the most jaded of RPG fans, but Ni No No Kuni's inventive locations, tense battles, Pokemon-esque creature system, and witty banter solidified it as one of the best RPGs on the PS3.

Read our Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch review.

Persona 5 had a strange journey over the years, starting out life as a PS3 exclusive back when the PS4 was still a tightly-guarded secret over at Sony headquarters. Fast forward to 2017, and the Atlus-developed game launched on both consoles with surprisingly few compromises between the two editions. As for the game, there's a reason why it's still so beloved by fans of the franchise. The PS4 version might be superior in the technical department, but the PS3 incarnation of the game has all the charm, swagger, and staggering amount of content that made it the new gold standard for the JRPG genre.

Read our Persona 5 review.

Everything that you loved about the original Portal game was amplified and enhanced in its sequel, as Portal 2 took the foundation built by its predecessor and built a turbo-mansion on top of it. A lengthier collection of mind-bending puzzles that forced you to use your surroundings to find a solution, Portal 2 feels like a more complete game. It had a meaty story infused with dark humor, the new colors of space-time tears added more layers to the gameplay, and the two-player co-op made this one of the best games that you could play with a friend. All that, and Steven Merchant's portrayal of the clumsy guide Wheatley is still one of the best characters to ever pop up in a video game.

Read our Portal 2 review.

There's a beauty to Red Dead Redemption in its quiet moments and desolate landscapes that its more contemporary sibling Grand Theft Auto V cannot replicate, which is probably just one of many factors that makes this cowboy sandbox so popular more than a decade after it was first released. It's a rugged journey across hostile terrain, filled with danger, and untamed in its wild beauty. John Marston is still a fascinating protagonist torn between loyalty and duty, unleashing hell with a fistful of iron in deadeye mode always felt exhilarating, and that third act plot twist still feels heartbreaking to this day. Red Dead Redemption is still one of the best wild west simulators out there, standing the test of time and unleashing six rounds of hell with its haunting story.

Read our Red Dead Redemption review.

The first two Resistance games were solid but not exactly unmissable entertainment. The third time was the charm for Resistance 3, however, as everything about this threequel felt just right. The gunplay felt ever-so-satisfying as you took care of alien hordes with a mixture of traditional and exotic weaponry. The art direction of a 1950s world fighting off an intergalactic invasion looked marvelous, and the story was surprisingly heartwarming. Resistance 3 might always be the final chapter in the series (sadly), but it ends the trilogy in a grand and intimate fashion.

Read our Resistance 3 review.

A rogue-like platformer with randomized levels, Spelunky wasn't exactly an easy game to hop into but it was infinitely replayable thanks to some incredible design and precision engineering. Dangerously alluring and packed with multiple moments to risk everything for a rewarding payday, Spelunky's flexible design shows off incredibly engineered danger as you delve deeper into chasms of opportunity.

Read our Spelunky review.

Uncharted 2 improved on the original game's formula by leaps and bounds, hitting an almost-perfect balance of epic set-pieces, fun adventure action, and thrilling storytelling. No matter where you were in the game, Nathan Drake's epic journey was consistently entertaining. Trading a well-timed quip with a perfectly-executed knockout blow at any given time, Uncharted 2 was all held together by a fluid control scheme and gameplay that never skipped a beat. Years--and sequels!--later, and Uncharted 2 is still arguably the series at its best.

Read our Uncharted 2 review.

A good Wolfenstein game follows a simple formula: it gives you a chunky arsenal of weapons to run around with and plenty of Nazis to try your new firepower out on it. After the previous Wolfenstein game failed to capture that Reich-smashing magic, developer Machine Games took on the task of making nigh-unstoppable Nazi-smasher BJ Blazkowicz relevant again, a task that the team succeeded at handsomely. The core gameplay--which allowed you to mix stealth with gung-ho action--was exhilarating to say the least, but balancing it with an intriguing story, a protagonist who thoughtfully reflected on his actions and was complemented by a terrific cast of allies and Axis enemies? That was just icing on a decadently delicious cake of ultra-violence and a sublime narrative.

Read our Wolfenstein: The New Order review.

While The Bureau: XCOM Declassified may not have been the fresh start that fans of the tactical series had hoped for, Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Unknown proved to be the shot in the arm that the franchise needed. A back-to-basics approach that retained the DNA of the original games and augmented them with smart strategy, Enemy Unknown delivered a knockout blow of turn-based tactics and action. Each successful incursion into enemy territory made you feel like a wartime genius, the layers of depth in the game had a surprisingly gentle learning curve, and each encounter unfolded in cinematic fashion. An absolute masterpiece of a game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown could easily devour dozens of hours of your life with its gripping board game appeal and sound strategies.

Read our XCOM: Enemy Unknown review.

Continued here:

The 25 Best PS3 Games Of All Time - GameSpot

The governments announcement of a planned blanket ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005 could prove challenging. Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 The governments announcement of a planned blanket ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005 is a seemingly puritan goal and could prove challenging if alternatives to said products are similarly outlawed, economists opined.

Last month, national news agency Bernama reported Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin as saying that the government plans to ban tobacco products, including vape, for anyone born after 2005.

Like some other Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) countries, he said Malaysia hoped to pass the law this year, to spell the generational end-game to smoking.

Economist and Center for Market Educations chief executive, Carmelo Ferlito, said that while Putrajaya has set an ambitious target, the reality on the ground and subsequent consequences are varying.

Ferlito pointed out policies that do not take into account the emergent social order are likely to produce a plethora of unintended consequences.

The real point, according to me, is: What do we want to achieve? Banning nicotine consumption in all its forms smells Prohibition-like (in reference to the constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933 in the United States). It sounds very puritan, Ferlito told Malay Mail.

Tobacco bans fail to recognise that in the externalities analysis, two parts are involved. By protecting non-smokers from smokers, we harm the smokers, depriving them of their right to pleasure. Therefore, a ban is discriminatory.

Furthermore, we have evidence that prohibitions do not stop consumption. They just move consumers toward illegal alternatives, creating opportunities for a flourishing business for smugglers. Is this what we want? The actual target should be not consumption cessation, which is an utopia, but harm reduction.

If we are talking about pleasure consumption like in the case of nicotine, it is much easier to convince consumers to switch to a less harmful product rather than convincing them to quit. Here the key is thus to promote less harmful initiatives, such as vaping, through incentives and in general an ecosystem conducive to innovation.

He said that freedom of choice and respect for peoples pursuit of pleasure must be the cornerstones for an effective harm reduction strategy.

Ferlito listed three points: Use more rewards to incentivise behavioural change; focus on decreasing traditional products, while minimising restrictions and taxes related to healthier alternatives (vaping, alcohol-free beer, etc); and concentrate on creating an environment that actuates innovation.

He added that a country that aims at being called a democracy should be respectful of the freedom of choice of individuals, with education and innovation at its core and not punishment.

Punishment, like higher taxes, has been proved to be a failure as policy, and today, Malaysia has the highest illegal product market penetration in the world. Illegal products will flourish even further, not only for traditional cigarettes, but for vaping products too, he said.

This would be a loss of revenue for the government, which instead should proceed toward a different taxation in order to promote less harmful products.

Ferlito added that harm reduction moves would only triumph if accompanied by respect for freedom of choice, which, in turn, implied the need to create conditions for the market to supply less harmful alternatives to consumers.

Better education, more awareness

One in five adults over the age of 15 smokes in Malaysia, with the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 estimating that there are approximately 4.7 million male smokers and more than 135,000 female smokers in the country.

Smoking prevalence is 45 per cent or higher across all age groups among men. For male teens aged 15 to 19, almost 25 per cent smoke.

Sunway University Business School economist Prof Yeah Kim Leng said that given Malaysias high national smoking prevalence of between 21.3 per cent and 40.5 per cent of male adults and a high proportion of below legal age smokers, the goal to lower smoking rates more quickly would be more challenging with a complete ban.

Banning sales, limiting supply and curbing access by penalising those not subject to the ban are unlikely to be effective as such activities are typically hard to police and enforce. Such measures will lead to black market and clandestine activities that could spawn greater social ills, said the former Bank Negara Malaysia Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member.

More efforts should be focused on curbing demand through sustained education and awareness programmes on the ill effects of smoking. Such measures will need to be reinforced with well-designed support and incentives programmes to quit smoking and adopt healthy lifestyles.

The deputy president of the Malaysian Economic Association (MEA) added that while the tobacco industry will see less cigarette sales with corresponding reduction in industry revenue, tax collection and indirect effects on employment, income and wages, the ban may not result in lower consumption if circumvented, or if the sales are substituted with contraband cigarettes, which would result in revenue losses for both industry players and the government.

Uphill climb

Founder and CEO of The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, Azrul Mohd Khalib concurred that smoking is a problem among todays youth, but added that it is still inherently a male issue.

Azrul foresees an uphill task for Putrajaya, in realising its ambitious goal of banning the sale of tobacco and smoking products to those born after 2005.

It is going to be tough but making this first commitment is a critical step forward to addressing the problem of smoking in Malaysia, which has not seen much progress over the past five years.

To see how tough it is going to be, compare Malaysia with New Zealand, which is leading this bold approach. The adult smoking prevalence in New Zealand is at 13.4 per cent, while Malaysia is at 21.3 per cent, he said, adding that Singapore, which is also considering the same strategy, has about 10 per cent smoking prevalence.

By soldiering on with the goal, Azrul said that Malaysia has the potential to make an unprecedented, positive leap forward in tobacco control, drastically locking the gate to new smokers.

It will bring those numbers down. It is an uphill climb, even for those countries, but for Malaysia it will be particularly steep, he told Malay Mail.

Azrul said that several steps would have to move in parallel, chiefly emboldened by enforcement. This, he lamented, is where the problem lies.

Unfortunately, based on our track record, this is where we are most likely to fail. For this policy to succeed, we must weed out corruption among law enforcement officials involved in curtailing the illegal market and reduce the flood of illicit tobacco into the country, he added.

On government earnings, meanwhile, he did not see a drastic change in tax revenue in the first five years of the policys implementation.

However, if there is a change in the behaviour of smokers, it will likely be a transition from smoking tobacco to smoking vape products. So the tax contribution will shift to vape and e-cigarettes, Azrul said.

New laws for a fool-proof system?

When contacted by Malay Mail, lawyer Fahri Azzat said that new laws specifically addressing the ban would be needed.

The government may have to fashion some new laws to take into account offences unique to the ban, but they do not have to create a specific one for those that abet, conspire or do so with common intention, he said.

Fahri also saw little to no hope of the goal being achieved, pointing to weaknesses in the supporting institutions.

Personally, we seem to want to ape the West without considering our local circumstances and dynamics, he said.

The ban is not going to stop the vaping or smoking culture. It will just drive it underground and the government will be deprived of taxes and have to spend to keep cigarettes/vapes out. The illegal gangs will now have another commodity to sell and make money from. The ban will not work here because our government bodies and enforcement institutions are corrupt.

The question that should be posed to the minister is: What exactly does he hope to achieve from this from an economic, enforcement, corruption and societal standpoint?

Lawyer Dinesh Muthal also concurred with Fahri.

Actually there is already a law the Food Act 1983, Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004. There is already a maximum penalty of RM10,000 or two years imprisonment if the sale of tobacco is done to those who are underage, he said.

Vape does not fall under this as it does not need tobacco but there is something called the Poison Act. So there are already provisions inside to ban it.

Here, pretty much a law would be needed emphasising youngsters and probably they have to reinstate the selling and buying points in it.

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Experts: Challenges ahead for Malaysias proposed tobacco sales ban to those born after 2005 - Malay Mail