Entertainment
The First Live-Action Video Game Movie Was Actually Awesome, See For Yourself
By April Ryder
| Published
If you love live-action video game adaptations, then you have to take the time to check out the very first one. Released at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival in 1988, Mirai Ninja or Cyber Ninja (in the United States) opened the door for progression in a realm that has become a popular interest for many moviegoers today.
The world may never have had the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie of the ’90s, the Mortal Kombat movies, or the Resident Evil flicks if Mirai Ninja had never hit the screen. Of course, it was a direct-to-video release, so there was no theater time for this Namco-backed B-movie.
Directed by renowned visual artist Keita Amemiya, Mirai Ninja is a low-budget, wacky action flick about a future time where war is being waged between humans and cyborgs. An elite enemy cyber ninja who wishes to take back his humanity defects and sets out to help the royal family save their princess from becoming a cyborg sacrifice.
The human resistance army sends in a small band of soldiers to assist, and one of them is a young soldier with a mission to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the robots. After many battles and losses in the fight to reach the enemy castle, the movie reveals that the defective cyber ninja is the remnants of the young soldier’s dead brother.
The main mission now is to get to the castle and rescue the princess before the resistance army takes matters into their own hands, firing a super cannon at the target. Blowing the place up is the only way to ensure the cyborgs can’t move forward with their evil plans.
The low budget of Mirai Ninja didn’t dissuade Keita Amemiya from injecting his own flavor into the movie’s final mix. The film is silly with the nostalgic DIY quality of movies like Evil Dead and El Mariachi. Nevertheless, Amemiya was committed to telling the story and making it fun to watch.
The acting performances may be a bit on the absurd side, but they were genuine. The sword-fighting in Mirai Ninja was much better than one might expect and well-choreographed. You also get quality laser light shows and explosions added to the mix during a fight to boost the excitement.
Mirai Ninja has a pinch of Full Metal Alchemist, mixed with the Power Rangers (live-action flick of the ‘90s) and Star Wars. If you want nostalgia and pure, unadulterated childhood delight, this movie will not let you down.
However, it won no awards for technical quality or dramatic impact. One critic openly wrote that Mirai Ninja “does not reach the level of Star Wars as promised by promotional materials,” but does ANY movie really reach the level of Star Wars? That’s a high bar to set for the very first live-action game adaptation.
One fan spoke of Mirai Ninja, saying that the movie “has a story, it tells it in 75 minutes, there’s violence, and robots, and demons, and then it ends.”
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 5, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a big spender.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Healthy snack
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Green: Spending methods
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Blue: Swipe it
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Purple: One letter
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Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #1120 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Granola ingredients: HONEY, NUTS, OATS, SEEDS
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Payment methods: CARD, CASH, CHECK, WIRE
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Amex card types: CENTURION, GOLD, GREEN, PLATINUM
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What “W” might stand for: TUNGSTEN, WEST, WIN, WITH
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for July 5, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a dog lover.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Barking up the right tree
The words are related to animals.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe types of dogs.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
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NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Hunting Breeds.
NYT Strands word list for July 5
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Pointer
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Spaniel
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Retriever
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Hound
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Hunting Breeds
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Terrier
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 5, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re Hindu.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
A religious teacher.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
SWAMI
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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