Technologies

Wild Hearts Tries Too Hard to be Like Monster Hunter

Commentary: Sure, it’s fun to smash monsters with ridiculous weapons, but not when it feels like you’ve done it before.

Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force and published by EA, tries its best to take the monster-hunting genre crown from Capcom’s long-running franchise, Monster Hunter. The problem is it copies Capcom’s homework a bit too much.

Despite fast action and a stacked variety of enemies, Wild Hearts is a carbon copy so blatant that fans of the Capcom series may find it hard to ignore. Those new to the genre, however, should find battling giant monsters to be a fun, if somewhat shallow, experience.

Hunting down monsters

In Wild Hearts, you play the role of a nameless hunter in Azuma, a world that closely resembles feudal Japan. You’ll seek out giant monsters, known as Kemonos, upgrade equipment and complete quests for characters. At your disposal is a stockpile of weapons with unique moves, such as the outlandish Bladed Wagasa, an umbrella-looking weapon that makes the hunter into a deadly Mary Poppins as they float while slicing away at monsters.

Weapon options are similar to Monster Hunter, but the toolsets feel slightly different. Called Karakuri, players can create different objects that aid in traversal but can also be used in battle. The first Karakuri available to players is a box that can be used to reach higher ledges or as a platform to deal extra damage when doing plunging attacks. Later, players will learn to combine six of these boxes together to create a bulwark, a fortified wall that will stop a charging monster, causing them to fall on their back leaving them open to attacks. The Karakuri is essentially a Swiss Army knife-like tool that unlocks more options as players progress.

Combat in Wild Hearts feels more frantic than in Monster Hunter, but there’s a sluggishness to the controls. Attacks, healing, dodging, using Karakuri and other actions come with a hint of input lag, leading to some frustration while playing.

Enemies range from smaller monsters that are only a few sizes larger than the hunter to giant behemoths that tower over the player. Fights come in phases. When an enemy’s health is taken down enough, the monster will roar and escape to another part of the map. Players will have to find them again and start the second phase, which has the monsters unleashing new and more powerful attacks making them far more dangerous.

This heart is too familiar

I can’t stress this enough: Wild Hearts plays so much like Monster Hunter. It’s almost distracting. And unfortunately, Wild Hearts copies some of the most monotonous parts of Monster Hunter wholesale.

Like in Monster Hunter, enemies have roars that indicate the start and end of a battle, which is a lame mechanic that shouldn’t have been copied. Then there’s the tedious and pointless action of the monster running away after losing a certain amount of health. There’s even the incorporation of a 30-second timer after hunting down quest-related monsters to take you back to camp instead of letting you continue to hunt other monsters or immediately start another quest.

The world of Azuma is split into islands where there is a variety of terrain, but only so many locations are actually intended for fighting. The rest allows you to gather items for crafting or healing, as well as provide a safe space to set up camp. This also feels exactly like Monster Hunter.

Even the tone of the game is similar. Wild Hearts’ feudal Japan setting isn’t that much different from Monster Hunter, although the latter is a bit more playful with its characters and setting.

Wild Hearts isn’t going to take the monster-hunting crown. Fans of the Capcom series won’t find much new to explore in the game, while those new to the genre will see the same notes repeated again and again. Who may enjoy Wild Hearts the most are those new to the genre and never had the experience of beating up on giant beasts with ridiculous weapons.

Wild Hearts launches on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC for $70 on Feb. 17.

Technologies

You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy Walmart Products Through ChatGPT

OpenAI’s chatbot already connects to Etsy and Shopify. Now you can buy bananas too.

OpenAI and Walmart will soon offer shopping via AI through ChatGPT, the retail giant said in a press release on Tuesday.

While using ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature, customers can buy groceries, electronics or other essentials within the chatbot interface.

Walmart has its own AI assistant in its app named Sparky. With Sparky, customers can ask questions about products and get summaries of reviews to find the best item.

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«For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,» Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. «There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.»

When asked for comment, Walmart referred to its press release. Walmart also said it wouldn’t discuss the financial terms of the agreement at this time.

«We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,» OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.

OpenAI referred to Walmart’s press release when asked for comment.

The latest deal with Walmart comes as OpenAI tries to make ChatGPT an all-in-one shopping experience. AI chatbots are increasingly being used as vehicles for online shopping. They can synthesize reviews from across the internet and give people direct answers to shopping questions. Already, ChatGPT connects with Etsy and Shopify with its Instant Checkout feature, allowing people to buy directly. OpenAI also added more shopping features in ChatGPT Search earlier this year.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Technologies

OpenAI Will Loosen ChatGPT’s Mental Health Guardrails and Allow Erotica for Adult Users

Sam Altman said the company will ease limits for adults after rolling out age verification.

ChatGPT is treading cautiously right now, but the chatbot may become more risqué by the end of the year.

In recent weeks, the generative AI chatbot has been operating under somewhat stringent limitations, as OpenAI tried to address concerns that it was not handling sensitive mental health issues well. But CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X Tuesday that the company would ease some of those restrictions because it’s «been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues.»

Though Altman didn’t elaborate on what tools are being used to address the problem, OpenAI recently announced new parental controls in ChatGPT.

CNET reached out to OpenAI for details, but the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Other changes are also expected. Altman said the company could allow «erotica» for verified adult users as it implements an «age-gating» system, or age-restricted content, in December. The mature content is part of the company’s «treat adult users like adults» principle, Altman said.

Altman’s post also announced a new version of ChatGPT in the next few weeks, with a personality that behaves more like the company’s GPT-4o model. Chatbot users had complained after the company replaced 4o with the impersonal GPT-5 earlier this year, saying the new version lacked the engaging and fun personality of previous chatbot models.

«If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing),» Altman wrote.

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After OpenAI was sued by parents who alleged ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide, the company imposed an array of new restrictions and changes, including parental controls, alerts for risky behavior and a teen-friendly version of the chatbot. In the summer, OpenAI implemented break reminders that encourage people to occasionally stop chatting with the bot.

On Tuesday, the company also announced the creation of a council of experts on AI and well-being, including some with expertise in psychology and human behavior.

This comes as lawmakers and regulators are ringing the alarm on the risks AI tools pose to people, especially children. On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new restrictions on AI companion chatbots into law. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several AI companies, including OpenAI.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 15 #591

Here are hints — and the answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 15, No. 591.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, once you understand the theme. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Going up?

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not an escalator, but…

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

ROTATE, LOBE, NOPE, RATS, STAR, SAME, LOSE, VOTE, BUTTE, SAMS, BAMS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

ALARM, OPEN, CLOSE, LOBBY, GROUND, BASEMENT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ELEVATORBUTTONS. To find it, look for the E that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind straight up, and then straight down.