TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Walter Clayton scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half and No. 20 Florida held off a late rally to beat Florida State 87-74 on Friday night.
Florida’s Todd Golden coached his first road game after allegations of sexual harassment and stalking surfaced last week. Golden was greeted by boos from a sold-out Florida State student section.
Alijah Martin added 17 points and five rebounds, Alex Condon had seven points and 12 rebounds and Florida (4-0) won its fourth straight rivalry game against Florida State.
Florida State trailed by 15 with just under eight minutes to go but chipped away and cut Florida’s lead to 77-73 with 2:23 to go. But Clayton and Martin made 3s to help Florida secure the win.
Jamir Watkins had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles (3-1). Justin Thomas hit three 3-pointers in the second half, finishing with 11 points.
Takeaways
Florida: The Gators had 13 offensive rebounds and produced 16 second-chance points.
Florida State: The Seminoles forced 19 turnovers, producing 16 points off turnovers, but the defensive effort wasn’t enough.
Key moment
The Gators made 3s on back-to-back possessions to punctuate a 14-2 run, extending their lead to 37-19 with 5:36 until halftime.
Key stat
Florida shot 26% from 3-point range in its first three games but was 7 of 15 (46.7%) from beyond the arc in the first half and raced to a 44-31 lead at the break.
Up next
Florida hosts Florida A&M on Tuesday, the same day Florida State hosts Hofstra.
In a news release, Krafton said it “intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects.” Krafton added that it “intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans.”
The move from Microsoft to Krafton will not impact Tango’s existing game catalog, which includes The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi Rush, the publisher said. Hi-Fi Rush is available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
Tango Gameworks was founded in 2010 by Shinji Mikami. The studio’s first release, The Evil Within, was a survival horror game in the vein of Mikami’s work at Capcom, where he had overseen survival horror games Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Resident Evil 4 as game director. Tango Gameworks became part of Xbox’s stable of studios when ZeniMax was acquired by Microsoft in 2021. Mikami left Tango in 2023.
The studio found great critical success with Hi-Fi Rush in 2023. The rhythm-action game was a surprise release through Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription, and markedly different from the dark and violent games Tango Gameworks had come to be known for.
Microsoft announced in May that it planned to close three studios under the Bethesda Softworks umbrella: Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Studios, and Tango Gameworks. A fourth studio, Roundhouse Games, had its staff reassigned to other duties.
After shutting down multiple Bethesda studios, Xbox and Bethesda leadership held a town hall meeting with staff to discuss the closures, explaining that the company’s studios had been spread too thin and that it wanted to focus on fewer projects moving forward.
Thank You, PS Plus, For Making My Backlog Even Bigger
On May 7, Xbox announced that it was closing three studios—Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), Arkane Austin (Redfall), and Alpha Dog Games (Mighty Doom)—with a fourth support studio, Roundhouse Studios, being absorbed by the team behind Elder Scrolls Online. According to a new report, on May 8, in the aftermath of these surprising shutdowns, Xbox President Matt Booty and Zenimax head Jill Braff held a large meeting with staff and laid out the reasoning behind the cuts.
As reported by Bloomberg, during the meeting Booty praised Hi-Fi Rush, but wouldn’t go into specific details on why the studio behind the colorful action game had been shut down.
Speaking more broadly about the closings, Booty reportedly explained that Xbox and Bethesda’s studios had become spread too thin, like “peanut butter on bread,” and that team leaders felt understaffed. The idea being that by closing studios, Xbox would free up resources elsewhere within the company. Booty also told staff at the meeting that Akrane Austin’s closing had nothing to do with Redfallflopping with fans and critics.
Reportedly both Tango and Arkane Austin had pitched games to work on next, including a Hi-Fi Rush sequel and possibly a new Dishonored or similar single-player immersive sim-like game. Those likely won’t happen.
Braff allegedly said that she hoped the closing of some studios would allow Bethesda/Zenimax to focus on fewer projects in the future.
“It’s hard to support nine studios all across the world with a lean central team with an ever-growing plate of things to do,” she said, according to a recording Bloomberg reviewed. “I think we were about to topple over.”
Tango and Arkane were trying to hire more people while pitching new games, and both Braff and Booty reportedly suggested that the long, expensive road those teams faced before being able to release something new was the main reason for closing the studios, implying that it was just bad timing as Microsoft looks to trim down costs and overhead. It’s reported that more cuts are likely for Xbox, according to people who spoke to Bloomberg.
It’s also reported that ever since the massive $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023, Microsoft leaders have been ramping up their scrutiny of the Xbox division. The Verge reported on Wednesday that executives at Microsoft and Xbox had discussed not adding Call of Duty games to Game Pass, and raising the price of Game Pass Ultimate. However, nothing is concrete yet.
Microsoft’s leaders taking a bigger interest in Xbox might help explain why Booty and others are looking to cut costs. Either way, it’s likely more folks at Xbox will lose their jobs in the future.
Nestled against the sparkling waters of the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is well-known for its breathtaking landscapes. From the lush greenery of its gardens to the sun-kissed beaches, the beauty of this tropical paradise is unmatched.
So whether contemplating renting a home in Honolulu, purchasing a property, or you’re already a local, be sure to keep your camera within arms reach, as there’s no shortage of stunning views in the area. Here’s Redfin’s list of some of the most beautiful places in Honolulu.
1. Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach, with its golden sands and turquoise waters, is an iconic symbol of Honolulu’s coastal charm. Framed by swaying palm trees and the majestic Diamond Head crater in the background, this world-renowned beach offers a perfect blend of relaxation and water activities. Whether you’re looking forward to a relaxing day in the sun or hitting the waves, Waikiki Beach provides a picturesque setting.
2. Diamond Head State Monument
Embark on an adventure to the summit of Diamond Head, an extinct volcanic crater offering panoramic views of Honolulu and the vast Pacific Ocean. The moderately challenging hike leads you through tunnels and up staircases, providing an immersive experience of Hawaii’s volcanic history. The reward? Unforgettable vistas that showcase the city’s dynamic beauty.
photo courtesy of Masha Sakhno Photo
3. Laie Point
Nestled on Oahu’s northeastern shore, Laie Point is a mesmerizing coastal location that captivates visitors with its natural beauty. As you stand on the rocky outcrop overlooking the Pacific Ocean, you’ll be treated to panoramic views of turquoise waters and lush greenery. The crashing waves and the cool ocean breeze create a serene atmosphere, making Laie Point an ideal spot for relaxation and contemplation.
“A must-see if you are visiting the island of Oahu in Hawaii is Laie Point in the North Shore,” says local photographer Masha Sakhno. “It has breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, the Ko’olau mountains, and the iconic volcanic rock with a hole in the middle (featured in many Hollywood films). This area is truly spectacular, especially during sunrise and sunset.”
4. Manoa Falls Trail
Embark on a magical journey through the rainforest to reach Manoa Falls, a 150-foot waterfall nestled in the heart of the Manoa Valley. The trail winds through lush greenery, offering a refreshing escape into nature. As the sound of cascading water grows louder, the reward at the trail’s end is the sight of this enchanting waterfall, creating a serene and memorable experience.
5. Lyon Arboretum
For a serene escape into nature, venture to Lyon Arboretum in the picturesque Manoa Valley. Immerse yourself in the lush greenery of this botanical garden, where a diverse collection of tropical plants and exotic trees flourishes. The tranquil trails wind through enchanting landscapes, offering a peaceful retreat for nature enthusiasts and a feast for the senses.
photo courtesy of Chris Boulware Photography
6. Waialae Beach Park
Honolulu wedding photographer Chris Boulware recommends checking out Waialae Beach Park for its scenic beauty.
“Waialae Beach Park is a hidden gem nestled in Kahala and encapsulates the diverse beauty of Honolulu,” he says. “Its unique allure of palm trees and serene waterfront creates a mesmerizing setting for breathtaking wedding, engagement and family photography. Providing the perfect backdrop for locals and visitors looking to capture their keepsake, surrounded by the essence of Hawaii.”
7. Ala Moana Beach Park
Adjacent to Waikiki, Ala Moana Beach Park is a vast urban oasis offering a peaceful retreat from city life. With a sandy beach, shady picnic areas, and walking paths, it’s a haven for residents seeking a serene escape. Imagine homes in Honolulu with easy access to Ala Moana, providing the perfect balance between the vibrant energy of the city and the tranquility of the coastline.
photo courtesy of Kenji Croman Photography
8. The Ko’olau Range
The Ko’olau Range features lush, emerald-green mountains that stretch across the eastern side of Oahu.. Dotted with cascading waterfalls and framed by lush tropical vegetation, the Ko’olau Range provides a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Hiking trails weave through its slopes, inviting adventure enthusiasts to explore its hidden gems and witness panoramic views of the city and the Pacific Ocean.
“I really believe Hawaii has some of the most unique types of mountains in the world,” says local photographer Kenji Croman. “Millions of years of rain and erosion created the Koolau’s famous unique ridges. This is surely one of my favorite places in Hawaii.”
9. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
Dive into the underwater wonderland of Hanauma Bay, a marine sanctuary nestled within a volcanic crater. Snorkel through vibrant coral reefs, where a kaleidoscope of fish and sea turtles dance beneath the crystal-clear waters. The bay’s crescent shape and diverse marine life make it a snorkeler’s paradise, inviting you to explore the depths of Hawaii’s captivating ocean life.
10. Koko Crater Botanical Garden
Discover a unique blend of desert flora at the Koko Crater Botanical Garden, nestled within the Koko Crater on the eastern side of Honolulu. This garden showcases a stunning collection of cacti and succulents against the backdrop of volcanic terrain. Living near Koko Crater allows residents to experience the unexpected beauty of a desert oasis in the midst of a tropical paradise.
My late Peruvian grandfather was quite the traveling businessman in his day. I found a luggage in his apartment filled with old currency leftover from his travels.
American, the most likely to have collectors value, or at least their official value.
Latin American. Almost all have been superceded by a newer currency, or have been massively devalued. I made sure to grab one coin with each national crest.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Karlach Actor On Playing The Beloved Barbarian
There are some genuinely great games on sale right now, including newer titles like Mortal Kombat 1, Cocoon, the Dead Space remake, and Hi-Fi Rush. These are all games that are nominated for various awards this year. But, interestingly, this sales event—which ends December 11—also features discounts on games that won in Game Awards of old. So that means stuff like Control, The Witcher 3, Gris, and Grand Theft Auto V are also discounted for a limited time on Valve’s digital PC store.
If you are one of the 27 people on Earth who have yet to buy and play GTA 5, now’s as good a time as any to check it out before GTA 6 in 2025.
Hi-Fi Rush, a game built around the concept of pure joy, was notable last week for two things. One, it’s really, really good! And two, it achieved that rarest of video game feats: a successful surprise release.
By surprise I mean absolute surprise. One minute nobody knew the game even existed, the next it was available to download and play on Xbox and PC. In this, The Year Of Our Lord 2023, how often does that happen…to anything? Anywhere? Never, that’s how often!
As a result the game doesn’t feel like a breath of fresh air, it feels like gust blowing us off our feet, and while I don’t want to undersell any aspect of the game itself when talking about its success, let’s be honest here: this game feels so fresh not just because it’s an amazing game, but because it wasn’t wrung dry for 12 months by a drawn-out marketing campaign.
What I’m about to say here isn’t meant to directly disparage anyone working in video game marketing: you have jobs to do selling video games, and in the vast majority of cases that involves people doing very good work. Whether it’s putting together blockbuster trailers or just chatting with (potential) fans on social media, it’s a tough job and one that in the majority of cases I completely understand and empathise with, especially since the system within which they’re operating—selling games on shopfronts obsessed with preorders and wishlists—demands it.
But I’m not responsible for making a single advertising campaign. I, like you, am on the receiving end of thousands of them, all at once, everywhere we look. From previews on big sites to YouTube to Twitter to Discord anyone interested in video games on the internet is under siege from the second we log on to the second the log off. Here’s a thing, preorder it, learn more about this thing, preorder it.
Vivid colors and deep blacks It’s Oscar season which means it’s time to binge all the nominations before the big day. Why not enjoy these pieces of art on a new TV from our friends at Samsung?
I’ve covered this in my Deathblood saga pieces previously, but video game marketing always has a certain predictability to it. Not in terms of specific aspects of their campaign—a AAA blockbuster obviously has a different marketing budget to a small indie release—but in the way that they can so often be guaranteed to leave us feeling exhausted.
It’s not enough that we are shown a game’s world, genre and premise. We have to be told each major character’s backstory. Shown a lore explainer for the world. We’re told how many lines of dialogue are in the script, how many thousands of hours it might take to finish, who every voice actor is. We’re conditioned, and in many cases expected, to by the time of release be fans of a game that we haven’t even played yet. Which, of course, is the whole point.
Screenshot: Hi-Fi Rush
Imagine if, instead of appearing out of nowhere, Hi-Fi Rush had been subjected to a traditional Bethesda marketing campaign. Picture seeing it revealed at The Game Awards back in December 2021, its bright light dimmed by the weight of the bigger, more expensive games it was revealed alongside. Imagine being subjected to Chai’s worst lines as part of a character reveal trailer on YouTube, instead of warming to his Fry-From-Futurama-esque charms over the course of the game’s opening hours. What if instead of the game being able to take so much delight in revealing its cast and world on its own terms we’d had that spoiled for us already by a Meet Project Armstrong documentary?
It would have sucked! The game itself would still have been great, of course, but so much of the joy of discovery that has accompanied its release, a modern day schoolyard buzz, would have been lost. To be clear, like I’ve said already, I don’t say any of this to shame any particular worker, studio or agency involved in marketing any other video game. The trees aren’t the problem here. It’s the forest.
Which is what makes Hi-Fi Rush so special. It’s one of the only games that could get away with this. Note I haven’t called for an end to video game marketing here, or said more games should try this, because the former would be pointless (it’s a big forest!) and the latter would be reckless advice. As much as Hi-Fi Rush feels like a remastered GameCube game, and unlike anything else out there, it was developed by a noted AAA studio and published by Bethesda, then released on Xbox Game Pass so people could try it for “free”. It was blessed to be perhaps the only possible combination of style, scope and pedigree that could afford to even try this, let alone hope to get away with it.
So I don’t want to say Hi-Fi Rush should be an example. I just want to say we should all treasure this game for what it is, and how it came to us, because in both cases the circumstances are as perfect as we could ever have hoped them to be, and we may never see them align like this again. Surprises are nice, but few are as nice as a good video game surprise.
Things haven’t been going great for Xbox recently. Microsoft is facing stiff resistance in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. It released hardly any big exclusive blockbusters last year. And it just cut over 10,000 jobs last week, including many senior developers at Halo Infinite studio 343 Industries. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tried to remain upbeat and do damage control on each of these points and more in a new interview with IGN.
“Every year is critical,” he said. “I don’t find this year to be more or less critical. I feel good about our momentum. Obviously, we’re going through some adjustments right now that are painful, but I think necessary, but it’s really to set us up and the teams for long-term success.”
This week captured both the peril and promise facing Xbox right now. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a drop in net-income of 12 percent for the most recent fiscal quarter compared to the prior year. Xbox gaming hardware and software were down by similar percentages, and Microsoft said nothing about how many new subscribers its Game Pass service had gained since it crossed the 25 million mark exactly a year ago.
Then on Wednesday Microsoft provided a sleek and streamlined look at its upcoming games in a Developer Direct livestream copied right from the Nintendo playbook. Forza Motorsport was seemingly quietly delayed to the second half of the year, but looked like a beautiful and impressive racing sim showpiece. Arkane’s co-op sandbox vampire shooter Redfall got a May 2 release date. Real-time strategy spin-off Minecraft Legends will hit in April. And to cap things off Tango Gameworks, maker of The Evil Within, shadow-dropped Hi-Fi Rush on Game Pass, a colorful rhythm-action game from left field that’s already become the first undisputed gaming hit of 2023.
Vivid colors and deep blacks It’s Oscar season which means it’s time to binge all the nominations before the big day. Why not enjoy these pieces of art on a new TV from our friends at Samsung?
“2022 was too light on games,” Spencer confessed in his IGN interview. 2023 shouldn’t be thanks to Redfall and Starfield, Bethesda’s much-anticipated answer to the question, “What if Skyrim but space?” But both of those games were technically supposed to come out last year. Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Rush, like Obsidian’s Pentiment before it, is shaping up to be a critically acclaimed Game Pass release that still might be too small to move the needle on Xbox’s larger fortunes.
Spencer remained vague when asked how successful these games were or their impact on Game Pass, whose growth has reportedly stalled on console. “I think that the creative diversity expands for us when we have different ways for people to kind of pay for the games that they’re playing, and the subscription definitely helps there,” he said.
Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, Starfield, and a new The Elder Scrolls Online expansion due out in June are also all from Bethesda, which Microsoft finished acquiring in 2021. The older Microsoft first-party game studios have either remained relatively quiet in recent years while working on their next big projects, or, in the case of 343 Industries, were recently hit with a surprising number of layoffs.
Following news of the cuts last week, rumors and speculation began to swirl that 343 Industries—which shipped a well-received Halo Infinite single-player campaign in 2021, but struggled with seasonal updates for the multiplayer component in the months since—was being benched. The studio put out a brief statement over the weekend saying Halo was here to stay and that it would continue developing it.
Image: Bethesda / Microsoft
Spencer doubled down on that in his interview with IGN, but provided little insight into the reasoning behind the layoffs or what its plans were for the franchise moving forward. “What we’re doing now is we want to make sure that leadership team is set up with the flexibility to build the plan that they need to go build,” he said. “And Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo.”
Where Halo Infinite’s previously touted “10-year” plan fits into that, however, remains unclear. “They’ve got some other things, some rumored, some announced, that they’ll be working on,” Spencer said. And on the future of the series as a whole he simply said, “I expect that we’ll be continuing to support and grow Halo for as long as the Xbox is a platform for people to play.” It’s hard to imagine Nintendo talking about Mario with a similar-sounding lack of conviction.
It’s possible Microsoft’s continued struggles with some of its internal projects is partly why it’s so focused on looking outside the company for help. Currently that means trying to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion and fighting off an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal trade Commission in the process. Microsoft had originally promised the deal to get Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush would be wrapped up before the end of summer 2023. That deadline’s coming up quickly, even as the company continues offering compromises, like reportedly giving Sony the option to continue paying to have Activision’s games on its rival Game Pass subscription service, PS Plus.
Spencer told IGN he remains bullish on closing the deal, despite claiming to have known nothing about the logistics of doing so when he started a year ago. “Given a year ago, for me, I didn’t know anything about the process of doing an acquisition like this,” he said. “The fact that I have more insight, more knowledge about what it means to work with the different regulatory boards, I’m more confident now than I was a year ago, simply based on the information I have and the discussions that we’ve been having.”
