Calico Review
I was quite a young girl when I first got interested in video games. It was something of an awkward transition. At the time, games were largely considered "boy toys," so moving from typical "girly" things like princess dolls and My Little Ponies into gaming was jarring at times, especially since not a lot of games catered to the cute, colorful things I’d been enjoying at playtime to that point. Sure, I loved the fantasy worlds of Mario and Sonic, but I also wished there was a fun gaming playspace for me that echoed the fluffy-cats-and-rainbow-unicorns aesthetic of my Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers.
Had my third-grade self seen Calico, an open-world animal cafe and social interaction game, she would have lost her mind. Calico embraces an aesthetic and theme that is shamelessly, unabashedly girly in the best ways--a world of happy magical girls living in pastel-colored lands with fluffy, cotton-candy trees where all kinds of lovable animals roam freely. But while Calico's concept and visuals are a delight, the simplistic, bug-ridden gameplay dragged me kicking and screaming out of the childhood fantasy world I so wanted to exist in.
Calico starts off with your created player character inheriting a cat cafe in a faraway world where magic is very real and a part of everyday living. Your job is to fill your little cafe with animals, decorations, and cute kitty-themed pastries while exploring the world and helping your new friends with various errands. It’s a very laid-back, play-as-you-please experience in the vein of other life-sim games, but with an air of play and fairy magic baked in: You can buy potions with funny effects to use on yourself and your animal friends, like shrinking down to mini-size to cook, zooming around while riding on giant red pandas and bunnies, decorating your house with clouds, flowers, and cat paws, and collecting basically any animal in the game (that isn’t already someone else's pet) to be a part of your cafe or your traveling posse.
Continue Reading at GameSpotCalico Review
I was quite a young girl when I first got interested in video games. It was something of an awkward transition. At the time, games were largely considered "boy toys," so moving from typical "girly" things like princess dolls and My Little Ponies into gaming was jarring at times, especially since not a lot of games catered to the cute, colorful things I’d been enjoying at playtime to that point. Sure, I loved the fantasy worlds of Mario and Sonic, but I also wished there was a fun gaming playspace for me that echoed the fluffy-cats-and-rainbow-unicorns aesthetic of my Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers.
Had my third-grade self seen Calico, an open-world animal cafe and social interaction game, she would have lost her mind. Calico embraces an aesthetic and theme that is shamelessly, unabashedly girly in the best ways--a world of happy magical girls living in pastel-colored lands with fluffy, cotton-candy trees where all kinds of lovable animals roam freely. But while Calico's concept and visuals are a delight, the simplistic, bug-ridden gameplay dragged me kicking and screaming out of the childhood fantasy world I so wanted to exist in.
Calico starts off with your created player character inheriting a cat cafe in a faraway world where magic is very real and a part of everyday living. Your job is to fill your little cafe with animals, decorations, and cute kitty-themed pastries while exploring the world and helping your new friends with various errands. It’s a very laid-back, play-as-you-please experience in the vein of other life-sim games, but with an air of play and fairy magic baked in: You can buy potions with funny effects to use on yourself and your animal friends, like shrinking down to mini-size to cook, zooming around while riding on giant red pandas and bunnies, decorating your house with clouds, flowers, and cat paws, and collecting basically any animal in the game (that isn’t already someone else's pet) to be a part of your cafe or your traveling posse.
Continue Reading at GameSpotPS5’s Launch Year: Looking Back at PlayStation’s 2020
On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to look back on the year that was for PlayStation. The cast reminisces about the PS5 news cycle this year, how the launch year coped with the lack of in-person events, and the many PS5 and PS4 games we were lucky to have this year.
Watch the new episode above!
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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review.
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Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
PS5’s Launch Year: Looking Back at PlayStation’s 2020
On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to look back on the year that was for PlayStation. The cast reminisces about the PS5 news cycle this year, how the launch year coped with the lack of in-person events, and the many PS5 and PS4 games we were lucky to have this year.
Watch the new episode above!
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-playstation-exclusives-of-2020&captions=true"]
Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
Scientists Confirm the Negative Health Effects of Humans Traveling to Space
Human space colonies may be further away than we think, unfortunately. Scientists have long been researching the health effects of space travel on humans, and new discoveries indicate the health effects can be detrimental.
As explained by ScienceAlert, we've known that space travel is dangerous for a long time - after all, we've been doing it for over 50 years now. But, if our plan is to colonize Mars in the future, it's important we understand just what is at stake.
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According to discoveries made as part of NASA's Twin Study, extended time in space can affect blood flow to the brain, alter the ratio of bacteria in your gut microbiome, and cause temporary visual impairments, among other effects, due to the microgravity found outside Earth.
The issues begin during liftoff when astronauts are subjected to G forces almost three times what we experience on Earth. After exiting our atmosphere, space radiation becomes an issue and something that scientists are still looking to understand.
"Going forward, our goal is to get a better idea of underlying mechanisms, of what's going on during long-duration space flight in the human body, and how it varies between people," said Susan Bailey, a biologist from Colorado State University. "Not everybody responds the same way."
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A one-way trip to Mars can take roughly seven months, meaning a round trip leads to a minimum of well over a year in space – not counting any research time on the planet itself. While this may not seem like a long time, relatively speaking, it is just shy of the record for the longest duration in space by a single person. Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov spent 438 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station in 2016.
This is just a singular case, however. In order to truly test the long-term health effects of space travel, we'll inevitably need a larger sample size. Currently, much of the data is pooled as part of NASA's GeneLab Project. This is a more cost-effective way for scientists to test samples and compare data.
The results of one such test indicated a collective change in the subjects' mitochondria—tiny organelles within our cells that help to convert food into usable energy. "What we found over and over was that something is happening with the mitochondria regulation that throws everything out of whack," said Afshin Beheshti, a bioinformatician at NASA's Ames Research Center.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/08/21/the-martian-features-these-9-real-nasa-technologies-ign-news"]
While the idea of living in space or on another planet is certainly appealing, we've clearly got a lot more to understand first. For more space news, read about NASA's discovery of water on the moon as well as possible signs of life on Venus.
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Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
Scientists Confirm the Negative Health Effects of Humans Traveling to Space
Human space colonies may be further away than we think, unfortunately. Scientists have long been researching the health effects of space travel on humans, and new discoveries indicate the health effects can be detrimental.
As explained by ScienceAlert, we've known that space travel is dangerous for a long time - after all, we've been doing it for over 50 years now. But, if our plan is to colonize Mars in the future, it's important we understand just what is at stake.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]
According to discoveries made as part of NASA's Twin Study, extended time in space can affect blood flow to the brain, alter the ratio of bacteria in your gut microbiome, and cause temporary visual impairments, among other effects, due to the microgravity found outside Earth.
The issues begin during liftoff when astronauts are subjected to G forces almost three times what we experience on Earth. After exiting our atmosphere, space radiation becomes an issue and something that scientists are still looking to understand.
"Going forward, our goal is to get a better idea of underlying mechanisms, of what's going on during long-duration space flight in the human body, and how it varies between people," said Susan Bailey, a biologist from Colorado State University. "Not everybody responds the same way."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"]
A one-way trip to Mars can take roughly seven months, meaning a round trip leads to a minimum of well over a year in space – not counting any research time on the planet itself. While this may not seem like a long time, relatively speaking, it is just shy of the record for the longest duration in space by a single person. Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov spent 438 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station in 2016.
This is just a singular case, however. In order to truly test the long-term health effects of space travel, we'll inevitably need a larger sample size. Currently, much of the data is pooled as part of NASA's GeneLab Project. This is a more cost-effective way for scientists to test samples and compare data.
The results of one such test indicated a collective change in the subjects' mitochondria—tiny organelles within our cells that help to convert food into usable energy. "What we found over and over was that something is happening with the mitochondria regulation that throws everything out of whack," said Afshin Beheshti, a bioinformatician at NASA's Ames Research Center.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/08/21/the-martian-features-these-9-real-nasa-technologies-ign-news"]
While the idea of living in space or on another planet is certainly appealing, we've clearly got a lot more to understand first. For more space news, read about NASA's discovery of water on the moon as well as possible signs of life on Venus.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
Nintendo Switch Year In Review Will Reveal Your Most Played Games in 2020
Nintendo is now allowing players to view their Nintendo Switch Year In Review that shows what kind of player they are, how many hours were played, how many games they played, and what your most-played games are.
If you want to know how many hours your spent in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, or Paper Mario: The Origami King, you can find your own Nintendo Switch Year In Review on Nintendo.com.
Not only does it show you a bunch of stats from this year, it also compares them to 2019.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/02/the-best-nintendo-gifts-holiday-gift-guide-2020"]
Many players will undoubtedly see that their play time has increased year-over-year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is making many spend more time at home.
Despite Switch shortages this year, Nintendo's newest console has achieved a 24-month streak as being the best-selling hardware platform in terms of units sold. In November 2020, it even withstood the launch of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
For more on Nintendo Switch, be sure to check out our list of the Top 25 Switch Games and our guide for the best gifts for Nintendo fans for some last-minute shopping this holiday season.
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Nintendo Switch Year In Review Will Reveal Your Most Played Games in 2020
Nintendo is now allowing players to view their Nintendo Switch Year In Review that shows what kind of player they are, how many hours were played, how many games they played, and what your most-played games are.
If you want to know how many hours your spent in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, or Paper Mario: The Origami King, you can find your own Nintendo Switch Year In Review on Nintendo.com.
Not only does it show you a bunch of stats from this year, it also compares them to 2019.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/02/the-best-nintendo-gifts-holiday-gift-guide-2020"]
Many players will undoubtedly see that their play time has increased year-over-year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is making many spend more time at home.
Despite Switch shortages this year, Nintendo's newest console has achieved a 24-month streak as being the best-selling hardware platform in terms of units sold. In November 2020, it even withstood the launch of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
For more on Nintendo Switch, be sure to check out our list of the Top 25 Switch Games and our guide for the best gifts for Nintendo fans for some last-minute shopping this holiday season.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"]
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Star Wars: Is Disney Teasing the Return of Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu?
As if all the geeky cameos and guest appearances in The Mandalorian: Season 2 weren't enough, Disney may be planning to bring another iconic Star Wars character back into the fold. The official Star Wars Instagram account wished actor Samuel L. Jackson a happy birthday, while strongly hinting Jackson may be reprising the role of Jedi Master Mace Windu.
The message reads, "The party isn’t over, it’s just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson."
The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+.
If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans.
Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father?
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale...
Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments:
[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+.
If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans.
Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father?
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale...
Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments:
[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Star Wars: Is Disney Teasing the Return of Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu?
As if all the geeky cameos and guest appearances in The Mandalorian: Season 2 weren't enough, Disney may be planning to bring another iconic Star Wars character back into the fold. The official Star Wars Instagram account wished actor Samuel L. Jackson a happy birthday, while strongly hinting Jackson may be reprising the role of Jedi Master Mace Windu.
The message reads, "The party isn’t over, it’s just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson."
The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+.
If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans.
Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father?
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale...
Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments:
[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+.
If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans.
Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father?
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale...
Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments:
[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.