games

Hannah Epstein says she believes the computer in this childhood photo is actually running MOOSE Crossing.

Arts

Remembering 'MOOSE Crossing' — A Different Kind Of Animal

7:00am April 17, 2020

by Hannah Epstein

It seems like everyone's obsessed with Nintendo's hit Animal Crossing right now. But writer Hannah Epstein is thinking about a game she loved as a kid — the text-only virtual world of MOOSE Crossing.

In Bloodborne, you battle a plague of monstrous werewolves — but who's really the monster?

Arts

Going Mad, Together: Finding Quarantine Connections In 'Bloodborne'

11:21am April 10, 2020

by James Perkins Mastromarino

A five-year-old video game about coming together to battle a nightmarish plague of werewolves proves a surprising consolation during a real-world pandemic.

Familiar enemies return in Half-Life: Alyx.

Arts

'Half-Life: Alyx' And The Promise of Virtual Reality

3:01pm April 09, 2020

by Vincent Acovino

After thirteen years, a new Half-Life video game is finally here. Aside from being the latest entry into an anticipated franchise — it's also one of the biggest virtual reality games yet.

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Nemesis is the terrifying bioweapon the evil Umbrella Corporation sends after Jill and her team.

Arts

Remade 'Resident Evil 3' Looks Great, Plays Well — It's Just Not Quite As Scary

9:10am April 09, 2020

by Kaity Kline

Capcom's remake of its classic 1999 survival horror game is gorgeous — taking full advantage of new technologies not available then. But it suffers from more muted scares and a lack of replayability.

20-Year Wait Is Over: 'Final Fantasy VII Remake' Is Out Friday

6:27am April 09, 2020

by Lindsay Totty

An iconic video game from the '90s has been remade from the ground up for a modern console. We examine the excitement surrounding the new game: Final Fantasy VII Remake.

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Students Create Their School On Minecraft Using Blueprints And Photos

7:10am April 01, 2020

Students at the Bronx High School of Science haven't set foot on their campus in weeks. But now they can visit any time they'd like — in the virtual building game Minecraft.

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You can't play games like Lost Cities and Mystic Vale with your friends in person right now, but you can still play them online.

Arts

Keep Your Game Night Rolling (At A Safe Distance) With These 3 Online Services

1:52pm March 27, 2020

by Petra Mayer

If your regular game night's been disrupted by social distancing, here are a few ways that you can take tabletop games online — so you can stay safe and still trash talk your friends when you win.

This toad-shaped sandwich bar called the Toed In, near Los Angeles in 1939, allowed you to grab a bite to eat while your car got serviced. There's a lot of wordplay going on here: the toad-shaped building, the "towing in" of the car, and the stepping or "

Do Your Wurst. Food Pun Haters, The Yolk's On You

7:00am August 21, 2019

by Nina Martyris

If you relish puns, then you'll love a new game that gives you two food-themed topics to blend into one deliciously bad joke. The food pun is so beloved, there's even one in the story of Adam and Eve.

Lincoln Clay, the lead character in Mafia III, is a protagonist rarely featured by the gaming industry.

How One Video Game Unflinchingly Tackles Racism With History And Raw Interactions

10:39am January 03, 2017

by Iman Smith

Creators of Mafia III, set in a fictionalized Louisiana, took a documentary approach to confronting players with prejudice and bigotry of the 1960s South from the perspective of a black protagonist.

Can An Online Game Help Create A Better Test For TB?

12:43pm May 02, 2016

by Esther Landhuis

In a vote of confidence for citizen science, researchers who created an online RNA-folding game launched the project's first challenge aimed at a disease — creating a better tuberculosis test.