“I really hate League of Legends. Whenever I played, I was bombarded with toxicity from other players, and there was no room for new players to learn how to play. I always wished that there was a game with a similar play style but more welcoming community.
I may have finally found that game in Heroes of the Storm, a new game by Blizzard which plays out similar to games like League of Legends and Dota. You get to play as heroes from Blizzard’s big three properties, Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft. You may play as Sylvanas Windrunner on a team with Diablo and Jim Raynor.
The matches are fun and fast-paced, but most importantly it feels much more welcoming to beginners. There are of course still some toxic players, but it’s easy to block and report those people. The experience is fun and addicting, and new heroes are being added pretty regularly. If you’re looking for a game to keep you occupied for a few weeks or months, Heroes of the Storm may be it. Open beta starts May 19 with an official release date of June 2.”
– Joel Wallick, Gaming Writer
“I’ve been away from my Nintendo DS for months to finish my thesis, but now that I’ve started back up, I’m remembering how great Animal Crossing: New Leaf is! It’s a super-adorable game, and while it’s not exactly the most challenging, it’s a ton of fun and structured in a way that makes it easy to set it down after playing for about 15 or 30 minutes a day. (As long as you haven’t set it down for over a year, of course…)”
– Feliza Casano, Editor
“I’m a sucker for comedy and podcasts (and comedy podcasts!), and Earwolf’s newest show, Spontaneation with Paul F. Tompkins, is basically the best thing ever. Each week, Tompkins interviews a special guest who then suggests a location, and Tompkins and three or four other comedians then create a long-form improv scene set in said location that lasts the rest of the episode. The improvisers use different tidbits from the earlier interview as additional fodder for the scene, and it’s just so cool seeing how they all can take such a simple concept and turn it into something hysterical right on the spot. All the episodes are great, but my favorites so far are Dracula’s Bedroom, Savannah Georgia, and Mars Base 3.”
– Allison Racicot, Audiobook Reviewer
“It’s been a pretty crazy month for me so far, between working full time and running a Kickstarter campaign for my theatre company and studying for the GRE. But one thing I’ve found that helps me get through everything is listening to the podcast Radiolab. On their website, they describe themselves as “a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”
The podcast is ostensibly about science, but the personal journalistic style of the hosts and producers make it extremely engaging and interesting. So even if you’ve never thought about, for example, the social engineering behind websites like Facebook, after listening to their half hour episode “The Trust Engineers,” you’ll want to become an expert.
When I’m faced with my many daily tasks, I find listening to Radiolab helps me relax and focus, not to mention teaches me about all kind of topics. And, since they’ve been on the air for 13 seasons, I’m sometimes able to get through an entire workday just binge-listening. I would recommend it to anyone who spends a lot of time commuting and/or a lot of time on the computer. It’ll make the time fly by, and you can impress your friends with stories about the history of American Football or the role stochasticity (a word I didn’t know existed until I listened to their episode about it) in our lives.”
– Laura Jewell, Staff Writer
“I’ve recently started watching Friends, which is a show I figured I should probably watch as a 20-something living in a big city. I will say that my knowledge of sitcoms has definitely fallen off in the last 10 years because my cable was limited in college, so I’m not sure if I’m just not familiar enough with the form or if a lot of the situations and jokes on Friends are actually really sexist. I like the show a lot, but there are definitely certain episodes that are cringe-worthy for all the wrong reasons. On the other side there are some very important episodes, like “The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant” that dealt with the income disparity of the six friends. It’s a great look at the dynamic of friend groups and the importance of friendship particularly in the face of financial hardship.
While I’m not sure I can last the full ten seasons with the show, I definitely want to stick it out until Chandler and Monica get together, because obviously Chandler is the best character on the show. Part of the reason I’m struggling with the show is because I just want Chandler to be happy and he’s not yet, and a close second is my great dislike for Ross. He’s whiny, immature, and desperate. That’s right, I said it. He’s totally desperate and pathetic when it comes to Rachel, who would be a much better character if she didn’t suddenly fall in love with Ross right after Chandler lets it slip that Ross is in love with her.
I’m currently halfway through the second season and Rachel is one of the characters that has grown the most so far, and it’s annoying that her happiness is connected to Ross because I can’t stand him. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the show, but I’m a little weary of the tropes and situations that are recurring. Let’s see if it gets any better any time soon.”
– Christina Casano, TV & Film Writer
“Since last year, I’ve been getting into Homestuck. I’ve been checking out Let’s Read Homestuck on Youtube to try to catch up, but at the same time I’ve also kept up with the updates. Last month, Homestuck came back after its hiatus, and I’ve been really enjoying it so far. It’s interesting seeing the remaining trolls and kids and how they are now after Vriska was brought back as a result of the events from a couple months ago. Also, I really loved the conversations between Rose and Roxy-after what those two been through, it’s so nice to see them happy and chatting together (without the other being dead). I just hope with the upcoming updates, we see Gamzee become a character again (I by no means condone the actions he’s done in the webcomic, however is it really a good idea to keep him in a fridge with corpses? RELEASE. THE. CLOWN).”
– Janelle Smith, TV & Film Writer
“When I came across Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!) on Crunchyroll simulcast, I remembered seeing the manga on GiC editor Feliza’s bookshelf, and we tend to have similar tastes in both manga and anime, so I figured it was worth a shot on a boring Sunday afternoon. Three hours later, I was all caught up and lamenting the long wait for next week’s new episode.
Takeo Gōda is a very tall and large high school student, but he is also a very kind and chivalrous man who struggles with girls despite his popularity with guys. Girls always end up falling for his handsome yet standoffish best friend, Makoto Sunakawa. One day on a train, Takeo saves a girl, Rinko Yamato, from a molester, and she immediately admires his strength and kindness. Of course, Takeo assumes Rinko has a crush on Makoto, so he tries to help them get together, despite the feelings he has for Rinko. Against all of Takeo’s expectations, it turns out that Rinko fell for him, not his friend. The rest of the story unfolds as their adorable first love story.
Ore Monogatari!! is often touted as a contemporary Beauty and the Beast, which makes sense with the love-beyond-appearances theme, but it’s more and better than that, because Takeo doesn’t turn into a handsome prince at the end — he is who he is: a selfless sweetheart who deserves the happiness Rinko brings him.”
– Amber Midgett, Young Adult Reviewer
“My one true television love, Penny Dreadful, is finally back for its second season. It hit me hard and fast in season one and two episodes in to season two, its still as brilliant as I’d expected. I remember watching the first season and waiting for it to suck. Miraculously, it didn’t and I couldn’t be more pleased.
The show follows Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnet), and a collection of prominent literary figures like Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) and Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), as they attempt to survive the creatures of the Demimonde. Season one brought us vampires and the doomed Mina Murray; season two is rife with witches.
Penny Dreadful has a killer combination of brilliant actors, gorgeous scenery, and a lingering taste of Victoriana. Someone did their research and did it well. Season one was only eight episodes long, but Showtime promises us diehard “Dreadfuls” ten episodes for season two. I’m terribly excited to see what the writers have in store for us this time.”
– Meghan Harker, Horror Writer
