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This article contains spoilers for Supernatural season 15 episode 14 “Last Holiday.” If you’re a fan of fantasy, you’ve probably heard of a wood nymph, or Dryad, before. Many of us will have first met them in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, where they appear as the female spirits of the trees, but their history goes back much further than that, to Greek mythology. There are lots of nymphs in Greek mythology; they’re minor deities associated with different parts of nature....

The sequel to Bossa Studio’s well-received creation for the 2013 Global Game Jam, Surgeon Simulator 2 is a comical take on the often high-stress drama that unfolds in a hospital’s operating theater. And now the surgery sim is being offered free of charge to medical professionals currently practicing in Britain’s National Health Service. In the spirit of the UK’s Games for Carers initiative that was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bossa Studios has launched the NHS: National Handout of Surgeon Simulator initiative, which will run through October 21, in an attempt to support professionals working in Britain’s healthcare field....

The recently released Switch exclusive Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise has been a contentious one. While fans of the original never expected a sequel to materialize, a lot of the conversation has been focused on how poorly the game performs. It absolutely sucks from a technical aspect, but there’s a bigger discussion that should be evolving from talks of the game: its depiction of trans people. I can’t speak to the specifics of said character (I haven’t yet played the game) but many gamers have voiced their concerns over some dialogue that paints trans people in a bad light....

Our quick take Tacx Neo Bike Smart - 4.0 / 5 What is the Tacx Neo Bike? Dedicated indoor trainer Zwift and other virtual platforms compatible Compatible with Tacx training / Garmin Connect integrated Towel, sweat-catch, construction tools and water bottle included How easy is it to setup the Tacx Neo Bike? Dimensions: 1.39 [L] x 0.75 [W] x 1.17m [H] (4'7" x 2'6" x 3'10") / Weight: 50kgs (110lbs) Two person setup recommended, Allen & Hex keys included 1x mains power socket required Crank length: 170/172....

There’s nothing worse than cheaters in online games. For players, it sucks to get head-shotted every time you peek out from cover by someone using an aimbot. For developers, it sucks to lose revenue as players leave your game for greener pastures. That’s why developers like Bungie, Riot, and Take-Two are starting to take legal action against cheat makers. But not Valve. Bots and cheaters have long been a huge problem in Team Fortress 2, but Valve doesn’t seem to care....

How do you kill a superhero? That was the question we wanted to pose to writer Tim Sheridan who, in his first issue of Future State: Teen Titans, kills a metric ton of famed caped crusaders. Part of Infinite Frontier, the massive publishing initiative that’s rewriting the (possible) future of the DC Universe, the series begins with a massacre. But it also sets up a mystery: what happened at Titans Tower?...

Tekken has always been a fun fighting game series with an awesome set of characters. Even back in 1994 in its first incarnation, it had so many wild designs that helped decorate the gameplay. It had jaguar-headed wrestlers, lady assassins, robots, whacko ninjas, and a bear. Best of all, all of these zany characters were brought together by a by-the-books martial arts revenge storyline with a wonderful twist ending that set the stage for the next several decades....

Looks like Tencent is not quite done spending money on developers. According to Daniel Ahmad, the Senior Analyst at Niko Partners, the Chinese giant has just acquired a ten percent minority stake in UltiZero Games. The studio is responsible for developing Lost Soul Aside. While details from either parties are sparse, Ahmad states that Lost Soul Aside’s development is progressing well. According to Ahmad, “Tencent has been increasing its M&A activity in the HD console game space, acquiring both minority and majority stakes in console game developers both in China and overseas”....

Those learning of Stitch Media’s Terrorarium may not at first be able to distinguish what that terror part in the title actually means in context with a game that seems on the surface, primarily catered toward younger audiences. That is right up until the player is smack dab in the center of a garden teeming with all kinds of murderous vegetation and fauna. It’s this very originality and uniqueness, coupled with its own blend of perfected humor, that makes this puzzle-platformer a simultaneous joy and dread to play; the latter of which is not to mean it’s got bad gameplay by any means, but exceptionally difficult and horrifying in its own right....

Our quick take Tesla Model X - 4.0 / 5 Keeping it in the family Training your muscle memory It’s all about those doors Stand-out features aplenty Driving long distances and the Supercharger network Outrageous speed for an SUV Or let the car drive itself with Autopilot A practical family car? Yes and no To recap Falcon-wing doors, a huge panoramic windscreen, supernatural power and a whole catalogue of party tricks make the Model X look and feel like it has just landed from Mars....

The video game industry has a level of inherent competition built into it. Even though there are many titles that get multi-platform releases, one of the biggest ways in which consoles can stand out from their competition is through console exclusives that can’t be found anywhere else. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One have a number of fundamental differences, but they’re familiar similar when it comes to their hardware power....

The Mario series historically offers players the ability to use various powerups to aid them. While Super Mario Bros. initially started the convention, the amount of transformations Mario and his friends could use has since grown exponentially. These items change either his suit, or his cap, and allow him to use new abilities. While some of these abilities fire projectiles, others are for flying or hovering. Yet all of them come with a charming design....

In this era where most people think “graphics are everything”, these developers prove them wrong. Visual novels give players a chance to try different methods of completing the game, a simple choice could change a certain character’s feelings and the branching storylines offer infinite replayability, couple that with newer engines and the possibilities are endless. Whether it’s the good old Ren’py engine (Doki Doki and Katawa Shoujo) or the expensive but user-friendly Visual Novel Maker (Fullmetal Alchemist), game development has never been made easier....

Realism in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a funny thing. The game seems to strictly adhere to it in parts, such as only being able to have two guns at arm’s reach when off your horse. Yet at other times, it seems to flip completely, and go a bit bananas in the traditional GTA sense, with your horse able to carry as much weaponry as Fort Knox during a red alert....

A recent study claims that the average consumer inadvertently gets exposed to around 5,000 advertisements per day, which is a pretty lofty number. Even those who opt to stay indoors are buffeted with online advertisements and email spam, and even YouTube binges flaunt one product or another during mandatory commercial breaks. Video games are often one’s escape from the hustle and grind of life (and its included ad-spam), but sometimes even this medium throws ads at consumers....

Despite all the flashy magic Dark Souls 3 bestows upon players, the best and most efficient way to kill some rotting old gods and their emaciated minions is to poke holes in them or slice them in half. It just so happens that one of the best starting classes that lets players do that is the Knight. It’s one of the most straightforward classes in the game; wield a big sword, and wear shiny armor....

The Sims franchise has been around for over 20 years now and still remains to be the most popular life-simulator game today. In 2014, The Sims 4 was released serving as the latest mainline entry in the series and has since spawned eight expansion packs, eight-game packs, and sixteen stuff packs. Despite its six-year existence in the market, The Sims 4 remains to be a popular game and a huge part of its success can be attributed to the sprawling modding community that supports it....

This week, The Division 2 World Tier 5 unlocked with the Invasion update, bringing a new Tidal Basin stronghold, the first gear sets, and a new Gear Score cap. For most players, the Division grind has simply continued but there are a few changes that they should be aware of, especially when it comes to increasing Gear Score in World Tier 5. Previously, The Division 2 developers revealed that the Gear Score for a players’ drops was influenced by all of the items in their inventory including those in the stash....

YouTuber Arekkz Gaming posts a video detailing The Division’s map size as well as the game’s mission structure, safehouses, and other gameplay features. Fans of The Division have been following the game closely ever since its exciting E3 2013 reveal trailer. Painted as an open world cooperative shooter/RPG hybrid, many have been wondering exactly how large the map size is in the game. Well, thanks to YouTuber Arekkz Gaming, we now have a much clearer idea as to just how big the map will be in The Division....

This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 8 This week’s The Expanse injects a whole different type of tension into the stories of escape and helplessness. While Amos’ arc has shifted into a quest to escape a dying planet, Naomi’s has become a desperate tale of survival and a MacGyver-esque call for rescue. While the Drummer family’s struggle under the yoke of Marco’s command isn’t quite as compelling, it, too, denotes a longing to break free that has been the thematic hallmark of season 5....