15 h. ago Now Play This 2025 review – the end of an era of experimental game design

Somerset House, LondonAfter 10 fun-packed years, it’s a wrap for the UK’s biggest celebration of indie, communal gameplay. But the folk games at the heart of this year’s edition have now filtered into the mainstream, from Taskmaster to The TraitorsWhen she was a child growing up in Adelaide, Australia, Holly Gramazio made up a game with her friend Summer. The two girls would lie back on swings with their eyes closed. When someone made too much noise nearby, they’d sit to attention and yell as loudly as they could: “Don’t wake me up!” The game captured a child’s view of grownups and their irksome inconsistencies – the self-defeating idea, or perhaps threat, that an adult could scream themselves awake amid their stated efforts to remain asleep. It was a co-operative game: the two girls “won” if they shouted in unison. If only one yelled, they lost. “This is the first game I remember playing,” records Gramazio in the printed guide (which also doubles as a delicious compendium of folk g...

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33 h. ago Fan favourite Love Island couple confirm shock split after two years of dating as star takes savage swipe at ex admitting 'I am broken'

The Love Island star took to his Instagram Stories on Friday night to reveal that they have called time on their romance.

Events

33 h. ago Fan favourite Love Island couple confirm shock split after two years of dating

The Love Island star took to his Instagram Stories on Friday night to reveal that they have called time on their romance.

Events

40 h. ago Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Tape Two) review – love, grief and self

PC, PS5, XBox; Don’t NodThe concluding half of this two-parter may be lacking in interactive challenges, but is profound, sensitively structured and emotionally resonantOne thing you realise as you get older is that memories are plastic and that the stories you tell about your life change with every recollection, depending on who you are at the time. This is one of the themes – and indeed the mechanics – of Lost Records, a narrative adventure about four teenage girls who develop an intense friendship in rural Michigan during the summer of 1995. In the first instalment, they form a band, discover an old shack in the woods to use as a clubhouse, and encounter a supernatural force emanating from a deep hole they discover nearby. But as autumn draws in and the girls plan a climactic rock gig, tragic secrets are uncovered.Cleverly, the story is told mostly in flashback, as the characters meet again, decades later, in their long-abandoned home town – they’re older, wiser and with new pers...

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63 h. ago Gino D'Acampo seen for the first time as friends reveal to KATIE HIND the chef's plan to save his career

Wearing dark glasses and a determined expression, Gino D'Acampo looked a far cry from his 'cheeky chappy' persona during a rare public outing yesterday.

Politics

3 d. ago The cost of gaming is soaring – but for many fans, a game is ‘worth’ more than its price tag

As tariffs raise the price of consoles, is it time for gamers to reevaluate our relationship with new releases?Now is not a good time to buy a new games console.The shock waves from Donald Trump’s will-he-won’t-he approach to trade tariffs were always going to hit video games, an industry that relies on incredibly complex global supply chains. On Monday, Nikkei Asia reported on analysis from a major electronics supplier suggesting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be subject to Trump’s 145% tariff on goods imported to the US from China, despite his apparent decision to exempt smartphones and computers. Continue reading...

Sport

3 d. ago One of 2025's best games Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 gets huge 'Hardcore mode' update

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is one of the year's best games, and it's just got even better if you've got the stomach for its new 'Hardcore' mode — here's all you need to know

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3 d. ago Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh review – teenage dreams

The tale of a 17-year-old Irish boy’s painful summer of romance and uncertain friendship captures the tenderness and menace of young menI wouldn’t wish the pains of being a 17-year-old boy on my worst enemy. The awkward longing, the spots, the insecurity: it’s enough to cringe yourself into oblivion. For John Patrick McHugh, however, it is a rich seam to squeeze – not only for humour, but for a nuanced examination of burgeoning masculinity.John Masterson, the main character of McHugh’s debut novel, is in the limboland of a post-exams summer, playing football and hooking up with a slightly older colleague at the hotel where he has a part-time job. In this way, Fun and Games stalks the same emotional and geographical territory as McHugh’s 2021 short-story collection, Pure Gold, also set on an island off the Irish mainland in County Mayo, and also knee-deep in the turmoil of young lads, painted with tenderness and menace in equal measure. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Seven countries in running for hosting future Commonwealth Games

Canada, India and Nigeria among those targeting 2030Event’s future under scrutiny after Victoria withdrawalSeven countries have expressed interest in hosting future Commonwealth Games. Five of those are focused on staging the centenary 2030 Games while two are looking at editions of the multi-sport event beyond that, Commonwealth Sport has announced.The expressions of interest come from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, which mean Glasgow’s hosting of the 2026 Games may signal a break of well over a decade before the UK hosts again, with Britain having hosted two of the last three editions. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago ‘It’s allowed me to see through his eyes’: Super Mario, my dad and me

When his mum found their old family NES covered in dust and rust, Thomas Hobbs cleaned it up, got it working and reconnected with his childhood and late fatherOne of my earliest memories is watching my mum and dad play the opening level of Super Mario Bros in cooperative mode on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was the early 1990s, and they were joined at the hip on the sofa, laughing at the idea of two portly plumbers becoming gigantic after consuming copious amounts of magic mushrooms.In this moment I sensed their natural chemistry, while the intoxicating mix of 8-bit visuals and perky, synth-heavy music blew my toddler mind. Although it was irritating seeing them constantly fail to jump high enough to hit the top of the flagpole at the end of the level, I remember being transfixed by the TV screen, and I’m pretty sure this was the first time I connected properly with a video game. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Miss Scotland to lead Glasgow Kiltwalk in support of people living with MS

Reigning Miss Scotland, Amy Scott from Strathaven, is preparing to lead the Glasgow Kiltwalk on Saturday, April 26, in support of Revive MS Support, which provides essential services to people throughout Scotland, living with MS.

Politics

5 d. ago We will soon be able to talk to dolphins using AI, experts claim

A new model created by Google could reveal the secrets behind how the animals communicate for the first time, with hopes we may be able to 'speak dolphin' in the future.

Science

5 d. ago Eddie Howe to miss further Newcastle games after pneumonia diagnosis

Manager pays tribute to NHS for ‘specialist care’Howe watched win over Manchester United from hospitalEddie Howe remains in hospital on Tyneside but is said to be on the road to recovery after being diagnosed with pneumonia.The Newcastle manager was admitted late on Friday night and, as he underwent a series of tests over the weekend, anxious club officials offered no updates regarding his condition. That changed on Monday afternoon when they released a statement announcing his diagnosis and including a message from Howe thanking medical staff for their care and the wider football community for their good wishes. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago ‘Don’t you besmirch Super Mario Bros!’: how video game adaptations became prestige TV

From The Last of Us to Fallout, the days of ropey dramas stemming from consoles is over. Television insiders open up about why high-end shows and gaming now go hand-in-handTwo teenagers plan how to dispatch their latest undead enemy: a kill-shot to the head, or a knife in the side of the neck? One of them throws a glass bottle, distracting their prey. Then she goes in for the kill with all the breezy confidence of a kid playing a video game on easy.It’s a rare moment of playfulness in the second-season opener of The Last of Us, a show that generally takes its storytelling deadly seriously. While the wildly lucrative Minecraft movie strip-mines its IP for laughs, this celebrated HBO series, adapted from the PlayStation titles of the same name, is as focused on taut character drama as the thrills and spills of the zombie genre. Continue reading...

Culture

6 d. ago The Last of Us Part 2 on Steam Deck is a reliable way to play its underappreciated roguelike mode

Joel and Ellie's journey finally continues for players who don't have a PS4 or PS5 thanks to this mostly switch version of The Last of Us Part 2 on PC.

Politics

7 d. ago Expelled! review – deliciously daft private school murder mystery

(Inkle; Nintendo Switch, iPhone/iPad, Mac, PC)Prove that Verity Amersham is innocent of trying to bump off the head girl in this ingenious whodunnit from the makers of Overboard!There’s been a murder – or an attempted one, at least. At sunrise someone shoved Louisa Hardcastle, soon to be crowned head girl of Miss Mulligatawney’s School for Promising Girls, through the school’s stained-glass window. Your character, Verity Amersham, stands accused, and must present an account of her day that proves her innocence. This is achieved via a Groundhog Day structure: you repeatedly play through the hours leading up to Verity’s expulsion as an interactive flashback, from the moment she woke, through to attending chapel and classes, and the accusation on which the story pivots. There’s no magic involved: you’re simply recounting the day’s events to your concerned father as you construct your alibi, establish whether Verity committed the crime – or if not, by whom she has been framed.Developed ...

Events

8 d. ago How to watch the Galaxies Showcase 2025 and learn more about the new game from ex

Covenant is on its way from development team Legion Studio, made up of ex-developers from the Call of Duty, Halo and Bungie franchises.

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9 d. ago Wordle today: Answer and hints for popular word game on Thursday April 10, 2025

Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to the Wordle edition of Thursday April 10, 2025 - the popular word game was played some 4.8 billion times in 2023 alone

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s time to move on’: Tearful Dončić drops 45 in first game at Dallas since trade

Lakers star scores 31 of 45 points before halftime in winDončić shed tears during lengthy pre-game tribute videoLuka Dončić scored 45 points in his first game in Dallas since being traded to the Los Angeles, helping the Lakers wrap up a playoff spot with a 112-97 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night.Dončić’s emotional return came two months after a seismic trade out of nowhere that sent the five-time All-Star to Los Angeles. The 26-year-old star from Slovenia spent his first five and a half seasons with the Mavericks, and still had two seasons left on his contract. Continue reading...

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1 week ago PS Plus Extra and Premium April 2025 games confirmed – Hogwarts Legacy leads a succinct drop

Hogwarts Legacy joins PS Plus in the latest Extra and Premium update, stuffing players' pockets with more games to play free of charge.

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