8 Reasons why WoW Forever is ensuring the iconic MMO remains immovable (GamesRadar)

GRANT BRICKMAN: A long-term WoW veteran says Forever blends Classic nostalgia with Retail comforts.

GRANT BRICKMAN: Good evening. Eight reasons to love an old game, says GamesRadar. Gary is on location and, as ever, unbothered. Gary? ▶

GARY: Evening. GamesRadar gives eight reasons World of Warcraft: Forever keeps the iconic MMO immovable. I rate that headline four hearts. ▶

GARY: The writer spent dozens of hours hands-on and is itching to dive into the full game. ▶

GARY: They call themselves a long term veteran, a polite way of calling themselves old. I respect that. My pickaxe is old too. ▶

GARY: Right now the community is split between Retail, the main experience, and Classic, the less cluttered early days. ▶

PASSERBY: I'm Team Classic. I like it less cluttered. Please don't tidy my game. ▶

GARY: Here's the big news: Forever takes the nostalgia of WoW Classic and adds many quality of life additions from Retail. ▶

GARY: The writer calls it incredibly compelling and the best new version yet. From me, four out of five hearts. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: For the record, Grant, this is a hands-on preview and one writer's opinion. The full game is still ahead. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: Immovable, Greta. Forever. Some of us have been doing it for decades. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: Yes. We've noticed. ▶

Science Assessments for a Changing World (Eos)

GRETA FOOTNOTE: AGU wants science assessments to be more frequent, more focused and more local.

GRANT BRICKMAN: The Big Picture. Today: science assessments. I assume that's an exam for scientists. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: It isn't, Grant. Vera, would you? ▶

DR. VERA VECTOR: Eos reports assessments are the bridge from research to action. Think the National Climate Assessment, the Arctic Report Card, the IPCC. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: A bridge. And who is paying the toll, Vera? ▶

DR. VERA VECTOR: That's the problem. The article says key US programs and institutions behind them have been weakened or dismantled. AGU is launching a new initiative. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: And before the cuts? Were assessments working? ▶

DR. VERA VECTOR: Even before, the article says there were gaps. Reports arrive years apart and address broad questions at national and global scales. ▶

NOVA: Reporting from the polar ice! Cosmically, a county water district is a tiny dot, but its choices are local, and the article says it needs local answers. ▶

DR. VERA VECTOR: What's still open: the report says assessments should be more frequent, more focused and tied to people. It doesn't yet say what the initiative will deliver. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: So the aim is clear and the delivery is pending. That's the picture so far. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: Big picture, small print. Thank you, Vera. ▶

The Pixel Line: viewers call in (PXL)

GRANT BRICKMAN: Your calls on Steam clones, legal AI and a lake with a ratings problem.

GRANT BRICKMAN: Time for The Pixel Line, the phone-in. Lines are open and our first caller is waiting. Go ahead, Gerald. ▶

PASSERBY: Hello. Games are being cloned with AI on Steam. Why doesn't Valve just stop it? ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: At a Steam Indie Connect conference in Korea, Valve's Tom Giardino said they don't want to gatekeep tools. Make the real version the best. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: Be the original. Radical advice, Gerald. Next caller. ▶

PASSERBY: Hi, I swam in a lake and I'd give it 1.3 billion minutes. Is that enough for a second season? ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: Brigitte, that's Crystal Lake. io9 says it drew 1.3 billion minutes in 11 days. Whether that earns season two is the open question. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: A lake with a second season. Ambitious. Most lakes just have the one, long. ▶

PASSERBY: Derek again. Still angry about the robot lawyers. Legora, was it? I want a word. ▶

GRETA FOOTNOTE: Derek, OpenAI's customer story says Legora uses its models to speed legal workflows and free lawyers for higher-value work. ▶

GRANT BRICKMAN: We hear you, Derek. Thank you all for calling The Pixel Line. ▶