by Lucy Ungaro
This week we’ve got a fair amount of tech news for you, among the usual game reviews, releases, and occasional scandal.
We’ve read about a lot of GOTY picks from critics and writers, but what do readers think? Luckily we have a true voice of the people. Matt Gerardi presents his readers’ opinions on the best games of the year.
Since the holiday season was so recent, it’s likely there are a lot of new Xbox owners out there. If you’re not sure what games are worth getting, Samit Sarkar has you covered with an article on the best games to get for your new Xbox One.
If those aren’t enough games for you, read about all 2016 has to offer, from Ebenezer Samuel. We’ve got a lot of sequels to look forward to this upcoming year, it seems.
Also coming up in 2016 is the Oculus Rift. And with it’s very high price released recently, a lot of people are wondering whether anyone will actually buy the device. Scott Stein perceives this to be VR’s biggest problem–getting people to buy it and use it. Find out his reasoning here.
I promised tech, and the Circle delivers. Asus has announced a new tank of a gaming desktop. Like most of Asus’s gaming products, it is huge and powerful, and as an Asus lover, I can attest to the satisfaction of owning a giant chunk of gaming machinery. Dan Ackerman provides details on the new product.
Looking for a new MMO? Elsword is one such game with a really cute art style. It came out in 2007, but is maybe not as well-known as other MMOs. You can see the voices behind the game in this article by Jorge Jimenez.
If you need a new gaming headset for your new holiday systems and games, check out this short review of the LucidSound LS-30 headset by Jeff Bakalar.
Ok, here’s the scandal of the week: Minecraft: Pocket Edition 2 reached the App Store’s top 10 list recently, but, um, turns out it’s a rip-off and is no way affiliated with the people who make the real Minecraft games. Yes, like faux fur, you can now have faux video games. Allegra Frank provides the details on this story.
Speaking of survival games, the new add-on to Rise of the Tomb Raider, Endurance, forces players to keep Lara well fed and warm. The hero is now subject to normal human necessities. Read Evan Narcisse’s article on the add-on to find out more about it.
Chelsea Stark is here with news on a collaboration between the Sims and Smart Girls–an organization for the empowerment of girls and women. Read about the collaboration, and what it did to encourage girls to become game developers, here.
And now for news outside of the Circle…
A video game called Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2—Battle of Endor “predicted” the ending of Star Wars: the Force Unleashed in 2010. If you’ve seen the movie already or aren’t afraid of spoilers, check out how weirdly similar the two scenes are.
And the award for most unique game controller goes to: a Dodge Challenger SRT. Yup, the controller is a real car. Read about the experience here.
A study shows that videogames are, in fact, addictive. This is especially the case with children. It does seem a little bit like a no-brainer, since pretty much anything can be addictive, like candy or Netflix. But the article talks about how video games in particular can be damaging to kids’ lives. See for yourself here.
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading.
