Tuesday, May 21

GAMING

Fortnite’s black hole teases the future of entertainment
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GAMING

Fortnite’s black hole teases the future of entertainment

As audiences have embraced on-demand video services, algorithmic feeds, and an ever-growing number of digital “things to do,” our collective attentions have become hyper-fragmented. Yet we know that audiences actually love shared live experiences. Jeopardy is more fun watched with others. Movies are funnier in a packed theater. It’s hard to enjoy sporting events that happened hours earlier The durability of this appeal spans generations: Boomers watched the moon landing together, Generation X witnessed the end of M*A*S*H, and millennials recently collectively viewed (and complained about) the ending to Game of Thrones. Each generation might prefer different content, but we all love to watch it together and live. There’s no better proof of these two points than the recent #FortniteBla...
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GAMING, TECHNOLOGY

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 review: An affordable flagship gaming phone

Gaming phones are an ancient idea. Nokia released the N-Gage, which was like a phone built into a game controller, in 2003. And it didn’t do very well. But the concept has made a resurgence recently thanks to devices from Razer, Asus, and Xiaomi. Now, Xiaomi has launched its second-generation gaming phone called the Black Shark 2. The Black Shark 2 has a suite of features that make it a great way to play games on the go. It’s also affordable, starting at $420 for the version with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. But I’m less convinced than ever that anyone really needs a gaming phone even if this a great example of the form. What you’ll like Nice design for smartphone gaming I used the Black Shark 2 to play a variety of games, and it was comfortable relative to other smartphones. ...
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Fun new tabletop games for families, couples
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GAMING

Fun new tabletop games for families, couples

Five new tabletop games that are both fun and have a broad appeal to players of all ages and interests. Last century I made my living writing for and designing tabletop games, and Gen Con was the center of my professional life. As I moved into developing video games, I stopped going, so I haven’t been to the self-proclaimed “Best Four Days in Gaming” in over 20 years. Since then it’s moved from Milwaukee to Indianapolis and more than tripled in size. This year saw 70,000 gamers come together and play thousands upon thousands of games. It was a joyous sight to behold. Gen Con has become a prime stage for publishers to show off new and forthcoming games, and for players to demo them before they buy. I spent a lot of time in the First Exposure hall, where developers were playtesting ga...
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GAMING

Spend the extra to go online with ‘Mario Maker 2’

The original “Super Mario Maker” was praised as one of the best games on Nintendo’s previous console, the late Wii U. The game was so interesting, it almost made me want to buy a Wii U myself, but like most people who play games, I didn’t. At last, more than two years later, “Super Mario Maker 2″ is here, and the tens of millions of us who skipped the Wii U (the Switch has already more than doubled its predecessor’s lifetime sales) have our chance to make our own “Mario” levels. It’s great! It’s also a lot! Creating your own levels and sharing them with your friends (and the world) is the core appeal for “Mario Maker 2,” which expands on the first game’s many features. If you’re the kind of player who wants to spend from 10 minutes to 10 or more hours crafting a bespoke platformer ex...
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GAMING

4 games to look forward to this year

Every year video game publishers come together in Los Angeles for the biggest press event in the industry: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. Well, it’s supposed to be the biggest. This year Sony and its PlayStation decided to skip the show, and in general there were fewer exhibitors and fewer exciting announcements than in previous years. The 2019 showcase offered some exciting games, but with new consoles coming from PlayStation and Xbox next year, I got the sense that a lot of the more interesting titles were held back for the next generation of these platforms. There are still at least four titles coming out this year that I’m excited for, most of which gave a good show at E3. ‒ For me the next six months of gaming begin and end with fast-paced, exciting and very gory s...
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5 Reasons Why Mario Is So Popular
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GAMING

5 Reasons Why Mario Is So Popular

As far as video games are concerned, one of the most popular characters is known as Mario. Over the 30-year-career of Nintendo, it introduced more than a hundred games for many genres and systems and enjoyed great success. Given below are 5 reasons why Mario Bros runs circles around other games. Read on. Revolutionary style In the gaming world, Mario offers a refreshing change. In each game, Nintendo guides you to a new, exciting adventure. Most of the fresh Mario titles follow the same format set for Super Mario Bros. As a matter of fact, a lot of other games are inspired by the style of Super Mario Bros. This is what this game makes one of the best out there. New format Actually, this product is iconic as it didn't pose the same challenges that other titles did. Throughout t...
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Unique, artful games for summer
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GAMING

Unique, artful games for summer

Now is a great time to catch up with some chill, beautiful indie games with unique styles and emotionally moving art. Summer brings long, languid days and vacations - the perfect time for games, but also a slow time for big new game releases. Now is a great time to catch up with some chill, beautiful indie games with unique styles and emotionally moving art. ‘Florence’ $2.99, Android and iOS, rated E ”Florence” is a mobile game that tells the story of one young woman’s life and relationships. The elegant, welcoming ink-and-watercolor style doesn’t look anything like most video games. It’s subtle, simple and balanced, not oversaturated, heavy on details and made from polygons. It has the feel of an illustrated novel come to life. Except unlike a novel, there are scarcely any words. T...
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Babylon casino with a large amount of games
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GAMING

Babylon casino with a large amount of games

Playing at online casinos, gamers often face with such problems as a few number slots or the lack of other games except of the classic machines. Sometimes you want to compete by playing poker or blackjack. At the Babylon online casino, you can easily play both the popular card games, and HD slots or the classic game emulator. There is also a mobile version of the casino and popular slots, which works on any tablet or smartphone. Everything is very convenient. You can enjoy your favorite gambling games wherever you are without being tied to a PC. Modern design of the emulators allows you to get real pleasure playing casino games. The joy of victory, emotions, passion – every gamer experiences these feelings while playing here. Competing with other gamblers playing popular card games...
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GAMING

Rewrite history in ‘Imperator: Rome’

They’re complicated, difficult and take forever — 20, 30, 100 hours into one play-through if you’re up for it. “Imperator: Rome” $39.99 for PC All-ages (but very complicated) The grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive are some of my greatest gaming guilty pleasures. These are games where you control a country on the world stage over the course of centuries, and so unlike other guilty pleasures (cookies, cheesy horror movies, sleeping in) there’s nothing sweet and easy about a Paradox game. They’re complicated, difficult and take forever — 20, 30, 100 hours into one play-through if you’re up for it. And I’m up for it. Whole weekends have disappeared down the grand strategy rabbit hole. “Imperator: Rome” is the latest game from Paradox. In it you take control of ancient Rome a...
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GAMING

Simple and brilliant – a perfect puzzle game

Yes, it’s a strange name but it’s a strange and amazing puzzle game that’s worth your time. “Baba Is You”Developed by Hempuli OyFor Mac, PC and Nintendo Switch, $15, rated E for Everyone You should play “Baba Is You.” Yes, it’s a strange name but it’s a strange and amazing puzzle game that’s worth your time. The “Baba” in the title refers to a cute little sheep that you move around a very simple, pixel-art world. “You” refers to the fact that you as the player control Baba, who can’t jump, fight, run or any of the other classic video game verbs. Baba can only push (some) things around the screen; most importantly Baba pushes words together to form sentences. Those sentences change everything. Each level of “Baba Is You” starts with a number of complete sentences that define the level....
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