(Julie Markes/AP) Monstrous or magnanimous?Ĭhase can be arrogant, unpredictable and mean. (AP) “Saturday Night Live” alumni Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase joke during taping of “The Dennis Miller Show,” in Los Angeles in 1992. White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen, left, on the set of “Saturday Night” with Chevy Chase, producer Lorne Michaels, right, and other cast members during rehearsal for a 1976 telecast. I don’t know why I couldn’t do a Chevy Chase picture, but it just doesn’t happen.” “They’re really more about the George Clooneys and people that age,” he says. Then the general thing that happens when you grow older in show business. His move from Hollywood in the mid-’90s to a quiet town in New York to raise his three daughters with his wife, Jayni. His disastrous late-night TV talk show on Fox in 1993, which lasted 29 episodes and earned an F grade from Entertainment Weekly. The man who revolutionized television in the 1970s, serving as the first breakout star on NBC’s breakout program, “Saturday Night,” who made three of the best comedies of the 1980s - “Caddyshack, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and “Fletch” - and who as recently as 2012 earned raves for his turn on “Community,” wonders why he can’t get a break. But these days, he’s more likely to be fielding another round of bad press than a promising pitch. Bill Murray, 67, meets a cellist on a plane, and suddenly he’s doing a spoken-word tour backed by a chamber group.Ĭhase is eager to work. David Letterman, 71, travels to India and interviews world leaders on Netflix. Steve Martin, 73, writes musicals, records bluegrass music and tours. These days, Chase sits at home, waiting for a script to roll in. (NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) A career gone cold “You know what I mean? How could you dare give that generation worse shit than they already have in their lives? It just drives me nuts.”ĭanny Pudi, Chevy Chase and Donald Glover in an episode of “Community.” (NBC via Getty Images) Chevy Chase with “Community” co-stars David Neher, Joel McHale and Yvette Nicole Brown. “That means a whole generation of shitheads laughs at the worst f- humor in the world,” he says. He is reminded that SNL is immensely popular, with millions of viewers. Maybe off the record? A microphone and digital recorder sit in front of him. I had to watch a little of it, and I just couldn’t f- believe it.” “First of all, between you and me and a lamppost, jeez, I don’t want to put down Lorne or the cast, but I’ll just say, maybe off the record, I’m amazed that Lorne has gone so low. When asked what he thinks of the current show, he doesn’t hold back, delivering a foul-mouthed appraisal that’s as unforgiving as his critics. He’s only weeks removed from a potential publicity disaster centered on race, and here he is, reentering the minefield with a reference to Glover’s skin color.Ĭhase is a key piece of SNL’s history, whether establishing “Weekend Update” or pioneering the path from Studio 8H to Hollywood stardom. The line almost sounds like a throwaway, which it is, until you think about how odd it is for Chase to deliver it. “I never saw a guy turn white so fast,” Chevy says. Then, he ran into Glover, who was doing a cameo in the finale. How could anybody think he was racist?īy the time SNL co-creator Lorne Michaels texted Chase an invitation (“you’re still a legend here”) to the season finale in May, the New Yorker thing seemed to have blown over. Chase had been a fan of Glover’s since they filmed the pilot in 2009. He doesn’t deny delivering the line - “I could have said it” - but he denies the interpretation. The night the story went up, Chase texted, “There goes my career.” But I know there’s a human in there somewhere.” I can’t help him if he’s thrashing in the water. “A true artist has to be okay with his reign being over. “I just saw Chevy as fighting time,” Glover told the magazine. (Erin Patrick O'Connor,Geoff Edgers/The Washington Post) Now sober and ready to work, no one will hire him. Chevy Chase was "Saturday Night Live's" first breakout star, but he fell off the map after the '90s.
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He said that since Iolaus had helped his uncle, this labor should not count as one of the ten. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CaliforniaĮurystheus was not impressed with Hercules' feat, however. Main panel: Hercules slaying the Lernean hydraĬollection of the J. As for the rest of the hapless hydra, Hercules slit open the corpse and dipped his arrows in the venomous blood. This he buried at the side of the road leading from Lerna to Elaeus, and for good measure, he covered it with a heavy rock. Once he had removed and destroyed the eight mortal heads, Hercules chopped off the ninth, immortal head. The flames prevented the growth of replacement heads, and finally, Hercules had the better of the beast. Quickly disposing of this nuisance, most likely with a swift bash of his club, Hercules called on Iolaus to help him out of this tricky situation.Įach time Hercules bashed one of the hydra's heads, Iolaus held a torch to the headless tendons of the neck. With his club, Hercules attacked the many heads of the hydra, but as soon as he smashed one head, two more would burst forth in its place! To make matters worse, the hydra had a friend of its own: a huge crab began biting the trapped foot of Hercules. The monster was not so easily overcome, though, for it wound one of its coils around Hercules' foot and made it impossible for the hero to escape. Once the hydra emerged, Hercules seized it. Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Münchenįirst, Hercules lured the coily creature from the safety of its den by shooting flaming arrows at it. Side A: scene at left, Hercules and Iolaos in chariot Munich 1416, Attic black figure amphora, ca. So, the pair drove to Lerna and by the springs of Amymone, they discovered the lair of the loathsome hydra. Legend has it that Iolaus won a victory in chariot racing at the Olympics and he is often depicted as Hercules' charioteer. Iolaus, who shared many adventures with Hercules, accompanied him on many of the twelve labors. His trusty nephew, Iolaus, was by his side. Hercules set off to hunt the nine-headed menace, but he did not go alone. Schoder, S.J., courtesy of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Nor was this beast easy prey, for one of the nine heads was immortal and therefore indestructible. A monstrous serpent with nine heads, the hydra attacked with poisonous venom. From the murky waters of the swamps near a place called Lerna, the hydra would rise up and terrorize the countryside. The second labor of Hercules was to kill the Lernean Hydra. Hercules' Second Labor: the Lernean Hydra Enjoy your games at unprecedented speeds! Download BlueStacks 5 today – it’s free!Ĭreate blooper reels, highlights, and tutorials, by recording details of your favorite moments with BlueStacks! All it takes is the click of a button, and you will automatically get the HD copy on your hard disc. It now supports 32-bit and 64-bit concurrent games and applications on PCs running on Windows 7 and above with an Intel or AMD processor. Click and Play instantly!Įnjoy uninterrupted fun and action on BlueStacks 5 – the safest gaming platform built for privacy! This Android emulator brings you the best mobile gaming platform for the best experience while playing mobile games on PC!Įnjoy all your favorite mobile games and play any desired title on PC or MAC on the fastest and lightest emulator ever – BlueStacks 5! You don’t need a gaming laptop to enjoy your favorite games! Why? Because BlueStacks 5 consumes significantly less CPU space and maintains a stable FPS even over long gaming sessions!īuild your campus and become a school tycoon in this intriguing management simulation game! Download Idle School Tycoon with BlueStacks and have fun! You can run different mobile games on BlueStacks alongside other apps and create multiple instances without consuming excess resources! Switch between work and play with so much ease – efficient multitasking!īlueStacks requires a PC or Mac with at least 4GB of RAM. You can also Play Idle School Tycoon in your browser on your PC or mobile without downloading. And with their help, you will be able to get extra cash to invest in your long-term goals!Ĭan you build your way to be the greatest school tycoon ever? It’s time to find out! Download Idle School Tycoon PC on PC to play this management, casual, simulation game! You can also meet new people while expanding your college. You’re also the school guardian, so be aware of various emergencies and deploy staff flexibly to solve problems! Explore various maps and collect over 60 featured cards to unlock epic characters and increase your college’s diversity. Attend to the faculty needs and assist the students in improving their grades hire high-quality teachers, chefs, security guards, and more! You must be a master at leadership and learning and must manage resources to efficiently optimize student learning. There’s a lot to do! So, use your management skills to create an organized campus! Build new facilities like classrooms and parking lots, and upgrade old equipment! In the Idle School Tycoon PC game, you must build and grow your campus as the Principal. Play Idle School Tycoon on PC and enjoy this offline tycoon simulation game from the large and gorgeous display on your PC! Dear Principal, you’re welcome to college! Create the college of your dreams, grow it, give it life, and then make it an extraordinary campus! BlueStacks app player is the best platform (emulator) to play this Android game on your PC or Mac for an immersive gaming experience! Idle School Tycoon is a simulation game developed by OCTOPUS GAME. Launch the UniFi Protect Mobile App and follow the on-screen instructions to complete setup. IMPORTANT: Ensure that the Cable Gland is securely seated during installation and cable routing. Ensure that the Cable Gland is securely seated during installation and cable routing. Versatile 4 MP (1440p) indoor/outdoor bullet camera with 24 FPS video for day or night surveillance with infrared LEDs.The UniFi Camera G4 Bullet delivers. IMPORTANT: For proper weather sealing, the Cable Gland must fit securely within the Adjustable Base when the camera is mounted. IMPORTANT: If you are installing your camera outdoors, create a drip loop for the cable below the camera to prevent water ingress. The Ubiquiti UniFi Protect G4-Bullet Camera delivers clear 4MP, 24 fps video over Gigabit Ethernet and is a versatile 4 MP. Add 50 cameras to your system to cover every angle. UniFi UVC-G4-Bullet works with UniFi Protect Software. Powerful UniFi Protect Software Management. It features a built-in microphone and supports 802.3af PoE for power. Note: For outdoor installations, position the Cable Slot downward. The UVC-G4-Bullet has infrared LEDs with an automatic IR cut filter for day and night surveillance. The camera has infrared LEDs with an automatic IR cut filter for day and night surveillance. Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Protect G4 Dome Camera Compact 4MP Vandal-Resistant Weatherproof Dome Camera with Integrated IR LEDs (UVC-G4-DOME) 138 37 offers from 199.99 Ubiquiti 3-Pack UniFi Protect G4-Bullet Camera UVC-G4-Bullet-3 27 23 offers from 548.00 Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key Gen2 Plus (UCK-G2-PLUS), Single 1,597 30 offers from 174. The UVC-G4-Bullet has infrared LEDs with an automatic IR cut filter for day and night surveillance. The ball joint mount design allows indoor or outdoor installation and offers flexible 3-axis adjustment. To reset to factory defaults, press and hold the Reset button for more than 10 seconds while the camera is powered on. The UniFi Camera G4 Bullet delivers clear 4MP, 24 fps video over Gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit RJ45 port connects to an 802.3af PoE switch for PoE power and data. For more details, visit: ui.com/toughcable The ball joint mount design allows indoor or outdoor installation and offers. The camera has infrared LEDs with an automatic IR cut filter for day and night surveillance. We recommend that you protect your networks from harmful outdoor environments and destructive ESD events with industrial-grade, shielded Ethernet cable from Ubiquiti. The UVC G4 Bullet delivers clear 4MP, 24 fps video over Gigabit Ethernet. The Ubiquiti UVC-G4-BULLET UniFi Protect HD PoE Bullet IP Camera delivers clear 4MP, 24 fps video over Gigabit Ethernet. Shielded Category 5 (or above) cabling should be used for all wired Ethernet connections and should be grounded through the AC ground of the PoE. Giving a child a visual schedule allows them to study, learn, and repeat the expected behaviors of a task or activity. Even transitioning between regular activities can be difficult if a child does not know what to expect.Ī visual schedule can help autistic children understand what’s coming next, which can help facilitate smoother transitions.Īlso, the visual schedule can reinforce lessons or help develop new skills. And unexpected scheduling changes can be upsetting and stressful. Many autistic children prefer to stick to regular routines. Visual schedules can help reduce scheduling-related anxiety. How visual schedules help autistic children But visual supports can often help bridge that gap. The best type of visual support for an autistic person will depend on their preferences and communication styles.įor some autistic children, responding to auditory prompts and verbal instruction may be difficult. They’re also helpful for nonspeaking autistic people.Īutism visual supports can be in the form of: Generally speaking, visual supports are image-based tools that help autistic people communicate, follow directions, and carry out daily tasks more effectively. Ultimately, these visual tools should help a child develop new skills, meet expectations and deadlines, and reduce their dependence on caregivers, teachers, and parents. The right type of visual schedule will depend on the person’s needs, routines, and goals. Schedules are typically customizable and adjustable. That schedule could include things like:Ī visual schedule can be as broad as an entire day’s activities, or multiple visual schedules can be used to break down parts of the day. Once the child is at school, they may have another visual schedule to follow. The schedule could include photographs depicting tasks that need to be done, such as: It presents a sequence of events for what is going to happen during a specific task, during an activity, or throughout the day.Ī visual schedule may use a sequence of photographs, videos, illustrations, or other visual elements that help children understand what they are expected to do.įor example, a parent might use a visual schedule to help their child prepare for school. Additionally, the City Council adopted a resolution to approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with RideCo to operate Milpitas SMART.A visual schedule is an image-based tool that helps support autistic children. On April 5, 2022, the Milpitas City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a funding agreement with the VTA for the 2016 Measure B Innovative Transit Service Models Program. On March 4 th, 2021 the VTA Board of Directors approved the recommended projects, including Milpitas SMART. The City partnered with RideCo, a transportation consultant that specializes in micro-transit services, to submit a proposal for funding through the Innovative Transit Service Models Program to develop and implement Milpitas SMART. The goal of this program category is to support affordable new innovative transit service models to address first/last-mile connections to transit and serve the vulnerable, underserved and transit-dependent population. VTA established several program categories including Innovative Transit Service Models. The program is funded by the 2016 Measure B ballot measure for a 30-year half-cent countywide sales tax. The City of Milpitas was awarded $1,084,732 in grant funding through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) 2016 Measure B Program to implement Milpitas SMART. City Council Transportation Subcommittee.Ad Hoc Main Street Revitalization Subcommittee.Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.Library and Education Advisory Commission.Energy and Environmental Sustainability.Economic Development and Trade Commission. I have an apostrophe in my wifi network name.I now know the problem is eero accepting the RING interface. They could not see that the RING is reaching the system. After reading the chat group I tried walking away with my iphone to connect at 2.4GHZ.They did not solve my issue after 2 phone calls at an hour each. RING tech support can see that I attempted 20 set up tries.My wifi extender is about 3 feet away from the RING. I go through the RING set up and once it finds the wifi and asks for password which I give it says “The wifi may be too far away.” And flashes blue.Here is a synopsis of my trouble shooting: My RING flood cam would not connect with the eero wifi. The next time I tried to install the Ring Pro camera to my EERO mesh system, I walked my iPhone (with the app opened up and ready to enter the Wi-Fi password) about a good 75-80 feet away from the EERO PRO mesh system to "force" the EERO to switch down to the 2.4 GHz band.again, before entering my Wi-Fi password.and IT WORKED!Īgain.take your phone, with the Ring app, and walk a good distance AWAY from the EERO Pro mesh system to FORCE IT to connect at 2,4 GHz.BEFORE you enter your password! It did not switch down to it because it was close to the router. Even though EERO Pro does operate at 2.4 GHz. What happened is that the EERO Pro mesh WiFi was trying to connect via 5.2 or 5.8 Ghz ONLY!! The Ring Pro camera only operates at 2.4GHz. To verify the Ring Pro camera was working properly, I temporarily hooked the camera to my iPad hot spot and it worked perfectly! So, I eliminated that the camera was defective itself. Then the Ring camera goes from a flashing blue light to a flashing red light.BAD! The Ring Pro camera "thinks" you have entered the wrong password, via the app, when.THAT IS NOT THE CASE. When the Ring Pro camera sees the EERO Pro mesh network (usually at full/Excellent strength), it asks for the Wi-Fi password and unfortunately after you ENTER IT PROPERLY, it does not connect. I was so mad that I was getting ready to send back the Ring Pro cameras! I was getting so frustrated!! I used EERO Pro for months and loved it, but could NOT hook up my new Ring Pro (hardwired.did not want to change batteries) system! It’s a great time to do that while you’re asleep and not using your iPhone for other tasks.Ring Pro Camera (hard wired) issues with EERO Pro! - SOLVED Some backup services like Apple iCloud for iPhones wait until idle times to upload your data to Apple’s servers for safekeeping. RELATED: Why Does Unplugging a Device Fix So Many Problems? The Convenience FactorĪnother issue with shutting down your router or modem, especially at night, is that it might interrupt any automated cloud-based backups you have set up on your PC, smartphone, or tablet. If you don’t use them for a long time (months, years), turn them off. So if you want to increase the chances of your router or modem lasting longer, leave them turned on all the time-as long as they’re in use. It puts stress on its internal components with the changes in current and temperatures involved. The process could take several minutes before your internet access is ready to use again.įurthermore, while there isn’t a broad consensus about this, some people think that powering an electronic device up and down repeatedly can potentially shorten its lifespan. As soon as you unplug (or power off) a router, then power it back on, the device will go through a boot-up process that might include negotiating a new dynamic IP address from your ISP. One major advantage of leaving a router plugged in continuously is that it’s always ready for action. As such, some routers don’t even have power switches-you’d need to unplug them to shut them down. The engineers who create internet routers design them to run 24/7 so they can always be available to provide you with internet access whenever you need it. RELATED: The Best Wi-Fi Routers of 2023 They’re Designed to Run Continuously Can you save money by shutting them off? Yes, a tiny bit (96 cents if you leave your router powered off for an entire month in our example), but it might not be worth the downsides of doing so, as we’ll learn ahead. Seems pretty reasonable for a device that gives your entire household internet access, doesn’t it?Ĭable modems use similarly low amounts of power, so basically, you never need to worry about the electricity cost of operating a modem or internet router continuously. That translates to an operating cost of $0.0013 per hour, $0.03 (3 cents) per day, $0.96 a month, or $11.65 per year to operate. If the Synology RT2600ac router were powered on 24 hours a day, using 10.8 watts during peak times (for 12 hours) and 7.94 watts when idle (for 12 hours), then it would use about 0.00937 kilowatts/hour on average. According to the EIA, the average price of electricity in the United States is 14.19 cents per kilowatt hour. She decided to confront the blue pegasus which is when Twilight and Spike decided to slip away. Just then, Rainbow Dash crashed near them after somehow overhearing everything that just ensued.Īfter Rainbow Dash explained her reasoning, Applejack realized that she has competition for that other gala ticket. Seeing this, Applejack explained why she wanted to go to the gala which involved showing her apple products to a broader audience and possibly raking in a profit. While Twilight was helping out in Sweet Apple Acres, Spike arrives with two tickets to the gala. After hearing Princess Celestia's explanation on her relations to her sister, the rest of the group went back to celebrate Luna's return. This was followed by the rest of the Mane Six floating over the evil alicorn and blasting her with a rainbow colored beam, reverting her to her less evil form, Princess Luna. Luckily, Twilight soon realized the true nature of the elements and how each of her friends represents a piece of them, allowing for the recovery of the elements which were turned into necklaces. After some convincing, Applejack managed to get Twilight to let go and get caught.Īfter surviving the many threats before them, the Mane Six eventually arrived at where the elements were contained, only to immediately be attacked by Nightmare Moon, resulting in the destruction of the elements. The yellow pegasus and blue pegasus are ready to catch the purple unicorn anyway though she didn't know. The orange pony managed to catch Twilight though due to slipping ground, she had to let go. With that, she joined the rest of the group in their journey to retrieve these items, unaware that Nightmare Moon had been listening in on their conversation.Īmong the threats the group had to brave through, Applejack got her time to shine during a landslide which took down half of the group with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying off to save them. It came in the form of magical items sealed away in a faraway place known as the "Elements of Harmony". Out of guilt, the purple unicorn decided to stay for brunch with them.Īt the celebration, Applejack was present to witness the return of Nightmare Moon where she had to stop Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie from doing anything stupid in the presence of this dangerous villain.Īpplejack along with the rest of the Mane Six arrived at Golden Oak library to learn about the method to defeat this new threat. Eventually that compilation came to an end though due to her tight schedule, Twilight needed to leave early, much to the dismay of the whole family. Said samples eventually began to pile up due to the sheer size of the apple family still alive in the present. Learning that the two are here to check up on the catering service, she called her family in, introducing each of them while they brought in samples for the foods that'll be served. There they got to witness the amazing feat of applebucking and Southern accent from the orange pony herself. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 1 Friendship is MagicĪpplejack's first appearance was during Twilight Sparkle and Spike's visit to Sweet Apple Acres. Once there she realizes that she truly belonged there, and finally gains her cutie mark. The rainbow left in the wake of Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom leads her to return home to the farm. Once there, however, she finds it hard to fit in and becomes terribly homesick. Due to this, she decided to leave the farm to live with her upper-class relations, the Oranges, in the big city called Manehatten. 1.2.3.10 Just for Sidekicks/Games Ponies PlaysĪpplejack was the last one in her class to get her cutie mark, a trait that seems to run in the family.1.2.2.15 MMMYstery on the Friendship Express.1.2.2.11 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.1.2 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. There are no sound effects yet, I am adding them early next week :) I create frequent updates and appreciate feedback. Since I develop all of this alone you could expect some occasional minor problems during this initial release. This is a fresh indie mini game programmed and developed entirely by myself. You can also find, upload and vote on projects. It lets you build whatever contraption you can imagine. Super Contraption Maker is a physics sandbox editor. Note: I received a copy of this game for review purposes.Watch Contraption Maker Wonderstructs Launch video. In addition, for a limited time, teachers, after school program directors, parent educators and homeschoolers, and librarians can get the Teacher Edition for free. For hours and hours of unlimited play, that’s a bargain. This game is about as solidly in the intersection of fun and education as I can conceive.Īvailable for Windows and Mac, Contraption Maker is a downloadable game and only costs $9.99. A perfect summer activity to keep young minds engaged, since they’ll be thinking spatially, sequentially, and learning to solve problems. It’s great fun for kids (and adults), but it’s also very educational. This game is fantastic for critical thinking, engineering, design, cause and effect, and puzzle solving skills. She needs to be in the mood to play the game, but it definitely speaks to one side of her personality. She likes being able to do things in the game that you can’t do with real-life marble runs, such as suspend balls in the air that will drop when you press Go. She likes how many options there are, and loves to design her own levels. My daughter enjoys games, but they aren’t her go-to activity. The fact that he chooses, on his own, to play this game again and again says a lot for this Minecraft-obsessed boy. He likes the variety of levels, found the tutorial helpful, and likes the challenge of solving different types of puzzles. He likes this game very much, even continuing to play after he’d given me his review. How will kids like it? I have a sample size of two kids here at my house: my daughter, almost 14, and my son, age 11. This is truly a passion for our team, but we are always looking for ways to improve – we recently created our Contraptioneers team that are helping us to craft projects, lessons and a wide array of ways kids can get involved with building contraptions.įor those who like their standards and acronyms, Contraption Maker fits in solidly with STEM education and activities, and probably fulfills a decent number of the Next Generation Science Standards. We’ve added in Javascript Modding, Contraption Sharing and collaborative Maker Lab just to name a few. We’re excited about all the things we can do now that we have so much more processing power than we did 20+ years ago. The wiki also has instructions on how to program your very own Contraption Maker mods. The game includes a community of forums to chat with other players, perhaps exchanging puzzles, along with a detailed wiki which contains instructions on getting started. You can even record video of level solutions. There are over 200 built-in puzzles to solve, and you can also create your own unlimited levels to save or share with others. Then start adding the next steps that are required to complete the puzzle, working backward from the goal if necessary. If you get stuck, I always found it helpful to hit play on the partially completed puzzle to see what will happen if you don’t add anything. Once you get into the main puzzles, there is often more than one solution per puzzle. You can make and share your own puzzles, and there are also multi-player options. Then you continue with Easy, Medium, and Hard levels, as well as puzzles submitted by the community. You begin by playing your way through a tutorial section, which has dozens of puzzles that teach you game mechanics. Each level is different, and you use objects such as scissors, flashlights, magnifying glasses, conveyor belts, motors, pulleys, see-saws, balls, and more to facilitate goals such as releasing balloons, exploding bombs, knocking balls off the screen, turning on lights, firing rayguns, or capturing a mouse. You have a goal, and you need to arrange objects and machines to make the goal happen. If you’re not familiar with this type of game, it’s a lot like creating elaborate Rube Goldberg devices. Now Contraption Maker, made by some of the same people who worked on The Incredible Machine, carries that torch forward. I kept on the lookout for new versions of the game for my own kids to play, but didn’t find much. (I’m sure some of you out in Readerland did, as well.) I played for hours, trying to solve the included puzzles, usually succeeding. I was a young adult, probably older than the intended demographic, but I ate it up. In the early 1990s, there was a fantastically geeky game called The Incredible Machine. It’s a steal of an experience even at full price on PC and Xbox consoles (as a timed console exclusive). This “small” indie title from Andrew Shouldice will take anywhere from 10- 20 hours to complete. It’s a clever mechanic embedded within Tunic’s DNA, and something that makes it truly unique. Those tomes were always filled with helpful tips and guidance, and they serve the same purpose here on the screen, offering players crucial information in-game – bites of lore, hints for puzzles, combat tactics, and more. The manual takes inspiration from the same packed-in physical game booklets that many gamers pored over in their earliest years. Its level design outshines even what some of the best AAA studios can manage, cleverly funnelling players to their next objective, and regularly rewarding them when they stray from the beaten path with money, upgrade ingredients, and maybe even a new page for the invaluable in-game manual. There are no traditional quest markers so to speak, meaning players needs to organically figure out where to go and what to do next.īut this is where Tunic truly excels. It’s worth pointing out, though, that infinite stamina and health options are available for those who shy away from challenging combat, because it’s actually a side feature to Tunic’s main attraction – exploration. Boss encounters are also presented as grand, daring affairs that are seemingly impossible for our adorable fox protagonist, but not unmanageable. In fact, it’s very easy to draw comparisons to Dark Souls on this front, because routine skirmishes can be challenging, with death one miscalculated roll away. Tunic’s combat, for instance, has more depth than one might expect, demanding stamina management, enemy prioritisation with the game’s camera lock system, and just a good general awareness of surroundings. What follows, however, is an unforgettable, exquisitely designed adventure that does more than enough to prove that it’s more than a “fox in Link’s clothing.” You awaken in a mysterious land, sporting nothing more than a very familiar green outfit. That comparison isn’t far off, at least in the game’s opening hours. If you’ve been eying them, here’s your chance to find out if they’re worth playing – though a Game Pass sub, or on other gaming platforms via traditional purchase to own.Īt a glance, Tunic looks like a gorgeous indie clone of any classic Legend of Zelda game. We’re making up for it with mini reviews for three very different games, all of which joined the subscription service from mid March onwards. The accessory was inspired by "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." Additionally, it comes with Razer's ultra-fast charging station.It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these closer looks at additions to Xbox Game Pass (read previous articles in the series here and here). Last month, Tech Times reported that an Xbox Captain America controller has hit the shelves for the fans. Microsoft released it on consoles in March. Lastly, the lineup will not be complete without "The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk." According to Gamerant, PC Game Pass users can now access it on their computers. It is available on PC, Xbox, cloud, and gaming consoles.Īnother game that was added to the Game Pass is "Panzer Corps 2." For those who are wondering why it's only available on PC, it's considered a separate service from the vanilla Game Pass. For curious gamers who want to check this out, this video game has previously garnered a lot of positive feedback from critics. This title is part of the "Life is Strange" series that made its way in 2021. At that time, the subscribers can play "Life is Strange: True Colors." Last week, Microsoft rolled out a new lineup of fresh games that users can play as part of the Xbox Game Pass. Related Article: Xbox Game Pass Adds 30-Day Access to Paramount+ as New Perk More 'Xbox Game Pass' Games It should be noted that this video game title features only controller support despite over 100 options for the gamers to play it via touch controls on mobile devices. On top of that, you can also access "Lost in Random" on Cloud Gaming. Interestingly, its rich lore is made possible thanks to Marvel's "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl" comics writer Ryan North. This strategy-focused game will feature several arenas with board-game mechanics. Apart from this kingdom, you will explore the "six shadowy realms" where a lot of dangers await you. You will play as Even who will travel to the Kingdom of Random in search of Odd, her sister. For gamers who love a mixed element of role-playing games (RPGs) and board games, "Lost in Random" is something that you need to test out as soon as possible. In a similar report by the gaming publication, Zoink is the developer behind the new EA Play game on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. More importantly, watch out for another batch of releases from Microsoft. If you haven't yet played this game, it's now your chance to access and add this to your game library. I found her accent to be adorable, so I didn’t want to experiment with the other available options for myself, but maybe the reptilian Kangah or the white-haired Professor Zaine is more your speed - it’s up to you. There are also additional characters to purchase in case you’re not a fan of Quinn Hicks, the default protagonist. You can then spend these on cosmetic upgrades that mostly amount to color-swapped versions of whatever you’re wearing. See, the game gives you credits for completing daily quests and for simply surviving each night. Oh, and there’s also a weirdly implemented cosmetic system that I want to talk about for a bit. This can be a distraction from the true joy of just building and expanding your base while you continue to learn fresh recipes.Īgain, this was certainly not enough to turn me off of the game, but it does seem like there could be some balance changes to reduce the rate at which you starve or run out of oxygen. While I did manage to get my hunger meter under control eventually (by planting massive farms outside my base), there was a point when I was spending most of my time just wandering around looking for food and oxygen. Plus, you’ll have a place to store the extra junk that you’ve been collecting (in case you need it later) and wait out the game’s brutally cold nights.Īctually, that brings me to another one of my gripes about Beyond Contact: I do think the survival mechanics are a little too brutal. You’ve actually claimed a piece of land, and now it’s yours to develop and nurture. Before that point, you can feel a bit lost and purposeless, but when your first base is complete, you suddenly feel connected to Ketern in a way that might surprise you. I feel like the game really starts cooking once you establish a base (which the game sort of nudges you to do early in the story). This happens slowly enough that you’re not overwhelmed with new recipes all the time, but fast enough that you always feel like you’re making progress. As you collect and scan various plants and minerals in the game, you will earn data, which can be spent buying new crafting recipes and building blueprints. The thing that hooked me was the drip-fed crafting mechanic. This game does have a series of quests that tell an over-arcing narrative, but I honestly never felt all that invested in the story. According to Steam, I’ve played this one for about 16 hours so far, and I don’t feel like I’m done with it yet. The character tends to spin just a little too slowly, so when you want to shoot something behind you, you’ll have to allow a little bit of extra time for them to turn all the way around, otherwise you’ll shoot off to the left or the right of where you were intending to.īut neither of those issues is a dealbreaker for a fifteen-dollar video game, and I ended up really enjoying my time with Beyond Contact. I always felt like I wish I could zoom the camera out a little bit further, and I did struggle to aim my weapons with a controller. The camera angle doesn’t change a lot about the basic gameplay loop, though I do think it makes it feel a little more awkward to play than it needs to. It’s almost like a Diablo-like take on No Man’s Sky (though without all of No Man’s Sky‘s planet-hopping - Beyond Contact takes place on a single planet called Ketern). I would probably draw the line somewhere before $25, though.īeyond Contact is one of those survival buildy-crafty games that’s been all the rage since Minecraftand DayZ became such massively successful properties (has it been more than a decade already?) The difference, I suppose, is that this one takes place on an alien world, and that it’s also played from a Diablo-style top-down perspective. In fact, I think Playcorp and Deep Silver could have asked for $20 or even $22.50 for this. But this actually costs a cool $14.99 (and at the time of this writing, it’s on sale for an even cooler $9.89.) For ten or fifteen bucks, Beyond Contact is absolutely worth the asking price. If I would have paid $70 for this - or even like $40 - I think I would have said that it feels a little undercooked but that it’s also showing a lot of promise. I mean, you expect something totally different from a $70 game than you would from a $20 game, right? Sometimes, the price of a game will totally change the way you feel about the content of that game. |
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