Aug 05 2019
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Madden NFL 20 Makes You the Face of the Franchise

Posted by | News, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | No Comments

It’s August, which means football season, which means the release of another Madden video game. Madden NFL 20 is available now for PC (Origin), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Madden 20 adds several new features to the annualized franchise. The former cinematic Longshot career mode has been replaced with Face of the Franchise. In Face of the Franchise, players create their own custom quarterback, choosing from several different player archetypes. You then play through your college career, culminating in the championship game, followed by the NFL combine and the draft before making your way through the NFL.

The Scenario Engine generates new playable scenarios, events, and challenges that are tailored to your character’s career, telling a unique NFL story.

Other new features include the return of the Pro Bowl, more refined player ratings, and Superstar X-Factor development traits.

“There’s been a huge focus on quality, polish and most importantly fun in Madden NFL 20,” said Seann Graddy, Executive Producer, EA. “We believe the new Superstar X-Factors really bring the biggest NFL stars to life and make them feel like the elite players they truly are, and we’re excited for fans to check out our new career campaign in Face of the Franchise: QB1. Together these features deliver new ways to play that our fans have been asking for and lay the groundwork for some really cool innovations in the future.”

A new season of the mobile tie-in app, Madden NFL Mobile, has also released, adding dynamic NFL seasons and competitive gameplay. Madden NFL Mobile is available to download for free on iOS and Android.

Madden NFL 20 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It’s rated E for Everyone.

Jul 23 2019
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Girls’ Game Lab Teaches Young Women Design and Production Skills for Gaming Careers

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A new non-profit organization has been founded in the UK called Girls’ Game Lab. It’s designed to host workshops and classes exclusively for girls ages 8-12 to teach the basics of coding, game design, and production.

Girls’ Game Lab was founded by veteran game designer Caoimhe Roddy (Producer, Chucklefish) along with producers Rachael Gregg-Smythe (Producer, PlayStation and Regional Coordinator, Women in Games), and Lucy Smith (Designer and co-founder, Women Making Games).

“When we were kids, we didn’t even know it was possible that making games could be our actual jobs,” said Roddy. “There were no workshops, or any guidance whatsoever at school for this sort of career, especially for young girls. With Girls’ Game Lab, we want to show this next generation of girls that they can be the next prominent game designer, and build a career out of something they’re truly passionate about.”

The first planned workshop event will take place on August 3 at Playground Games’ studio in St Albans House. The four hour workshop will include building levels, animating and programming characters using Stencyl, and showcasing local developers’ games. Girls’ Games Lab has partnered with several game studios across the UK, including No More Robots and Playground Games.

Girls’ Game Lab is based in the UK. For a US-based girls-centric workshop, check out Girls Make Games, which has actively been running workshops around the United States for the last five years.

Jun 12 2019
1

Little Friends: Dogs & Cats Review

Posted by | Reviews, Switch | No Comments

Available On: Switch

With the arrival of touch screen technology in the early 2000s, the ability to pet our furry friends wasn’t far behind. Nintendogs was a big success on the Nintendo DS, eventually spawning a sequel on Nintendo 3DS.

The Switch’s touchscreen controls and Joy-Con seem like an obvious pick for a new version, but thus far the series lies dormant. Here to fill in the gap is Little Friends: Dogs & Cats, a Nintendogs sequel in all but name. It brings the pet playing and petting to the big (and handheld) screen, though doesn’t evolve much beyond the original pet simulator formula from over a decade ago.

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