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Author: FOREWARD BY SIMON KING
The “Bird Photographer of the Year” is a competition that celebrates the artistry of bird photography from around the world, and this beautiful, large-format book showcases the best images from the contest—some of the most stunning bird photographs ever taken.
A gorgeous record of avian beauty and diversity across the globe, the book demonstrates the dedication and passion of bird photographers and the incredible quality of today’s digital imaging systems.
LONDON: Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws presents an ambitious entry in the Star Wars gaming universe as the first-ever open-world instalment, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
This game delivers an immersive crime-driven narrative that fans have long awaited, blending the familiar allure of Star Wars with gameplay mechanics reminiscent of Far Cry and Grand Theft Auto. But does it live up to the galaxy-sized expectations? Let us dive in.
The game transports players to a vibrant, morally grey underworld that feels like a perfect fit for its “original scoundrel story.” Set during the dark times of the Galactic Empire’s reign, players control Kay Vess, a resourceful outlaw who navigates the dangerous landscape of crime syndicates, shifting alliances, and backstabbing enemies.
The central narrative takes place on planets like Canto, with Kay caught between the Empire and the criminal underworld. Star Wars lore weaves seamlessly into the experience, as conversations with non-player characters and your adorable companion, Nix, help flesh out the galaxy and its struggles.
The world-building is a strong point here. Kay’s story encourages players to explore the Star Wars galaxy from a new perspective, absent of the high politics and philosophy of the Jedi. Conversations and side quests emphasize trust and reputation, providing players the freedom to “play the underworld to their advantage” and manipulate situations.
Side quests, however, tend to fall into the familiar territory of fetch tasks, limiting their creativity, but they do provide extra opportunities to engage with the game’s rich environments.
If you have ever wondered what Grand Theft Auto in space would feel like, Star Wars Outlaws gets pretty close. There is a wanted system that escalates based on your actions, adding tension to missions as you are pursued by law enforcement or bounty hunters.
The addition of slow-motion shooting mechanics adds flair, letting players make quick decisions in high-intensity moments. Combat feels satisfying, though not revolutionary, and can occasionally feel repetitive, especially when coupled with enemy artificial intelligence that does not always present a significant challenge.
Where the game shines are in its traversal mechanics. Kay’s grappling hook, stealth missions, and use of vents (which admittedly feel overused at times) allow her to sneak through the environment, offering a variety of ways to approach objectives.
There is an undeniable rush from slowing down time in mid-air during combat, but the over-reliance on certain movement tactics, like jumping and climbing, can make the gameplay feel a bit predictable.
Vehicles such as Kay’s Trailblazer spaceship and her customizable speeder bike help flesh out the Star Wars experience. While upgrades to the bike provide some sense of progression, it is the exploration aspect — flying to different planets, speeding through landscapes — that evokes the most excitement.
The inclusion of side activities, like changing music on a jukebox, learning a card game, or playing an arcade game, adds to the immersion and keeps things light when you want a break from the main story.
One glaring issue lies with the game’s technical performance. Glitches, like floating stormtroopers and awkward animations, break immersion at times. While Ubisoft is known for polishing its games post-launch, these bugs can pull players out of an otherwise engaging world.
Another point of contention is the enemy AI, which can feel lackluster. Too often, enemies fail to present a strategic challenge, relying more on brute force than intelligent tactics. This can make some combat scenarios feel repetitive.
Star Wars Outlaws is an impressive open-world experiment in the Star Wars universe. The narrative is compelling, the world immersive, and the core mechanics — while not perfect — offer enough to keep players engaged.
However, a lack of variety in missions, occasional bugs, and underwhelming enemy AI keep it from being a true standout. With a bit more refinement, this could be the definitive Star Wars game for fans of open-world exploration.
For now, it is a solid adventure with potential for more.
Author: LEONARD CASSUTO
If you want people to read your writing, it has to be readable. In “Academic Writing as if Readers Matter,” Leonard Cassuto offers academic writers a direct, practical prescription for writing that will be read and understood: Take care of your reader.
With a wealth of examples from the arts and sciences, this short, witty book provides invaluable advice to writers at all levels, in all fields, on how to write better for both specialized and broad audiences.
Author: Keidrick Roy
Though the US has been heralded as a beacon of democracy, many 19th-century Americans viewed their nation through the prism of the Old World. What they saw was a racially stratified country that reflected not the ideals of a modern republic but rather the remnants of feudalism. American Dark Age reveals how defenders of racial hierarchy embraced America’s resemblance to medieval Europe and tells the stories of the abolitionists who exposed it as a glaring blemish on the national conscience.
American Dark Age reveals how the antebellum Black liberal tradition holds vital lessons for us today as hate groups continue to align themselves with fantasies of a medieval past.
Against those seeking to maintain what Frederick Douglass called an “aristocracy of the skin,” Keidrick Roy shows how a group of Black thinkers, including Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Hosea Easton, and Harriet Jacobs, challenged the medievalism in their midst—and transformed the nation’s founding liberal tradition.
Doctors and pharmacists make critical decisions every day about whether to dispense opioids that alleviate pain but fuel addiction. Faced with a drug crisis that has already claimed more than a million lives, legislatures, courts, and policymakers have enlisted the help of technology in the hopes of curtailing prescriptions and preventing deaths. This book reveals how this “Trojan horse” technology embeds the logics of surveillance in the practice of medicine, forcing care providers to police their patients while undermining public trust and doing untold damage to those at risk.
The Yuan dynasty endured for a century, leaving behind an architectural legacy without equal, from palaces, temples, and pagodas to pavilions, tombs, and stages.
With a history enlivened by the likes of Khubilai Khan and Marco Polo, this spectacular empire spanned the breadth of China and far, far beyond, but its rulers were Mongols.
Yuan presents the first comprehensive study in English of the architecture of China under Mongol rule.
