Tower defense games were one of the first successful games on phones, as they were easy to play, engaging, and totally addictive. While mobile gaming has come a long way since those early days, the tower defense genre remains as popular as it’s ever been—even as other genres flashed into glory and faded just as quickly. Part of that is due to the genre evolving with the times. Today’s tower defense games aren’t the same as the ones you might remember from years ago....

Fast-paced action games that require nothing but adrenaline and reflexes can be fun, but if that’s all you played you’d probably get bored pretty quickly. Sometimes you feel like playing a game that requires more strategic thought and careful planning than pure mechanical skill. While the heyday of the real-time strategy game has come and gone, there are still plenty of strategy games worth playing. Over the last decade, we’ve seen great strategy games from real-time to turn-based to anywhere in between, meaning no matter what type of strategy game you prefer, there’s something for you....

Whether you’re hosting a game night or throwing a casual get-together of friends or family, you might find yourself facing a tough question: How do you keep a large group of people entertained? One option is to let them break up into smaller pockets of chit-chat and everyone can just move to and fro between groups, migrating from discussion to discussion. Sometimes that’s the right call! But what if you want everyone to have fun together ?...

Most modern multiplayer games lean into online gameplay, but nothing beats the tight-knit fun of playing on the same couch with friends or family. Whether you’re trash talking in PVP or working together against a boss, it’s an unbeatable experience. When you’re playing local multiplayer games on your couch, your mood can jump around. That’s why we aren’t focusing exclusively on couch co-op games or competitive games; we’re including both because it’s fun to play both when you’re on the couch....

Heartbreak is something everyone can relate to, even if it isn’t to the stereotypical extent where we’re crying into a bucket of ice cream (or any other number of breakup tropes that have been portrayed a million times in film and television). Love gained, love lost. It isn’t always the central narrative—more often a supporting storyline to deepen several characters—but there are a handful of seriously good movies where breakups and divorce do play a central role in the plot....

Being a genius or gifted individual is, in many ways, pretty awesome. At the very least, you can excel in your courses (as a student) or at work (as an employee) with minimal effort and never break a sweat. But when a movie features a genius or gifted individual, you can be sure you’ll be in for a ride—whether it’s a comedy centered on a nerd, a mystery featuring an intuitive investigator, or even a thriller about someone whose high IQ grants special powers....

If there’s one thing that all animated Disney movies need, it’s a screen-dominating, get-lodged-in-your-memory, catchy-as-anything song that keeps the movie in your life long after the credits roll. From Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1938 to Frozen in 2013, the musical aspect of Disney’s movies has always been a vital part of the experience for the audience to fall in love with. Sure, many of those Disney movie songs have ended up being utterly forgettable, and some have only been OK....

Despite being a massively popular storytelling form, short stories are exceptionally difficult to write well. When you have so few words at your disposal, every single word matters that much more. The conundrum for many writers is knowing what to tell. It’s not just about having a great idea—it’s about conveying that story as succinctly as possible with maximum effect. In other words, the best short stories strike the perfect balance between subtlety, power, and omission....

Star Wars isn’t just one of the most beloved film franchises of all time. It reaches much farther as a full-fledged media empire, into comic books, TV shows, paperback novels, and yes, even video games. Like any video game series, the quality of Star Wars games can vary widely—but when they’re good, they’re really good. Whether you’re looking to save the galaxy as a rebel or rule it yourself with an iron fist, here are the best Star Wars games ever made and what they did right when others failed....

During the late 90s and early 2000s, we saw a shift in the culture of comedy movies. Groups like The Pythons weren’t dominating the scene with their films, and stars like Adam Sandler were breaking out and growing big in Hollywood. But the greatest cultural shift in comedy movies came with one particular raft of new talent—a group of comic actors who signaled the start of a new era for Hollywood....

The gaming industry has turned into a mercurial mess as it’s evolved from small beginnings to one of the largest entertainment industries of modern society. The competition amongst developers is fierce, and everyone wants a slice of the massive pie that video games represent. After Microsoft declared intention to buy Activision Blizzard in January 2022—to the tune of a whopping $60 billion plus—many have expected some sort of response from Microsoft’s main gaming rival, Sony....

At the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, Terrence Malick finally unveiled a film that many didn’t think would ever come to light—a film he’d spent decades writing and over two years editing: The Tree of Life. Many critics stood to applause as the credits rolled while others booed, and that’s what a Terrence Malick picture often is—something that so carefully skirts the line between pretentious and genius, and it’s not always clear where it has truly landed until later reflection....

Some movies are held together by actors with sparking chemistry, but you might be surprised to find that many of these on-screen flames are truly just an act. At the end of the day, actors are just people—and not all people get along. Tensions can run especially high when having to spend hours and hours on set together, re-shooting take after take after take. From production bickers to full-on rivalries, here are some of the most notorious instances of actors and actresses who starred together but actually didn’t get along behind the scenes....

I’m going to be completely honest: I’ve never visited the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building despite living only two hours away from NYC. Instead of heading to tourist traps, I tend to gravitate towards all the nerdy sight-seeing destinations. If national monuments and skyscrapers aren’t your thing either, you should consider hitting up these nooks and crannies that you’ll instantly geek out over. 1.Kinokuniya USA Are you on a hunt for the latest manga in your favorite series?...

Different anime series may have their own characters and storylines, but anyone who watches a lot of anime will spot similarities from time to time—and sometimes those similarities are a wee bit suspicious. This doesn’t only happen in anime, of course. Lots of superheroes in TV shows, movies, and comic books have repeat powers. And it’s not like you can copyright the effects of an ability or spell. It’s not wrong for different anime jutsus to resemble each other....

Anime and comic conventions are some of the best ways to fully enjoy your hobby of choice—but they can be expensive. From tickets to transportation to lodging to food, you can spend way more than intended if you aren’t careful. And while you’re there, you’ll be tempted to buy all sorts of souvenirs, trinkets, merchandise, and event-only specialty items. A t-shirt here and a book there and a few signed autographs can add up—and suddenly you’re out hundreds of dollars....

London, England was once known as the center of the world—and still remains the literal center on most world maps. However, at any given time, much of the world’s people lives elsewhere. For everyone outside the UK, it’s the London middle-class accent that’s generally seen as “the British accent” that represents the British Isles. But there are so many other British accents, each with its own unique twists that differ from the prim and proper speak of London southerners....

Most tabletop RPG games like Dungeons & Dragons consist of a group of players who rally around a single Dungeon Master (DM). The DM guides the action, controls the monsters and non-player characters, and shapes the narrative structure of the adventure. Every D&D group needs someone to take on the role of DM, but it can be an intimidating position to step into—especially for the first time. Related: Tabletop RPGs That Don’t Require Any Game Masters...

10.Uncle Frank(2020) Uncle Frank is an American gay-rights drama film set in the 1970s. It tells the story of a young woman who doesn’t ever feel like she fits in with her family, but gets on well with her outcast uncle. When she leaves for college in New York, she connects further with her uncle—until they’re both called back home for his father’s funeral. Making a film that speaks to the issues of family dynamics and relational shifts while maintaining a delicate balance is always a difficult task....

The 90s decade was an exciting time for media. Those years gave us some of the most memorable sitcoms, action movies, video games, and TV commercials of all time. Oh, and don’t forget horror movies! Indeed, many of the horror movies that came out in the 90s ended up being highly influential, either reviving stagnant genres (like monster movies) or pioneering new ones (like found footage horror films). Here are the best horror movies from the 90s era that are iconic, terrifying, and still worth watching today....