Key Note Gaming

Time is one of the great enemies of even the best board games . It’s often hard enough to get a group of people together in the same space for a gaming session, doubly so if you need to find several hours to play the latest heavy, epic title. So there’s an instant market for faster-playing games. They’re also great for family play or for casually breaking out for a quick game before you head out for the evening. But as you’ll soon find out from our list of suggestions, small and fast doesn’t mean light or boring: from timer-based games to hilarious dexterity games , you’ll soon discover that fast often equals fun. TL;DR: The Best Quick-Playing Board Games Scout 5-Minute Dungeon Fuse Kites Klask Strike Sail! Coup Love Letter Draftosaurus Ticket to Ride: London and New York Scout Ignore the pointless circus theme; this is a fantastic little set collection card game with a devious twist: You can’t change the order of cards in your hand. Nevertheless, you have to work wi...

Editor's Note: Alongside the release of The Sims 4’s Lovestruck Expansion Pack , we are taking a fresh look at the base game in 2024, replacing our original review from 2014 . You can read more about our review policies and philosophy here . In 2014, while wearing a cardboard plumbob headband I’d hastily made the night before, I lined up at a local game store to pick up my pre-ordered copy of The Sims 4. With a create-a-sim wardrobe full of Pinterest-friendly fashion items and a host of then-modern appliances, The Sims 4 felt like a cutting-edge sequel at launch, one that reflected those simpler times. But what’s even more impressive is that now, almost a decade of updates later, it’s still the benchmark life simulator, offering a profoundly unique household sandbox that’s yet to find stable competition. Its aging sense of style and sometimes archaic systems do mean The Sims 4 cannot coast on this legacy forever, even with an admirable free-to-play pivot back in 2022. But w...

Mortal Kombat 1’s much-anticipated story expansion has been revealed, and it’s called Khaos Reigns. It unfolds after the events of the story campaign and centers on the invasion of Titan Havik from an alternate reality, who seeks to spread anarchy across all timelines. The expansion's cinematic story introduces new playable characters, Noob Saibot and the now female Sektor and Cyrax. These three fighters make up half of Kombat Pack 2 and will be available when the DLC launches on September 24.  In keeping with the tradition of prior games, the second half of Kombat Pack 2 features guest fighters from various films. Scream ’s Ghostface, Terminator 2 ’s T-1000, and Conan the Barbarian are on the way, but there’s no release window for their arrival. Kombat Pack 2 comes included with Khaos Reigns and cannot be purchased as a standalone character bundle.  Animalities are making their return as a free content update upon Khaos Reigns’ release. First introduced in Mortal Kombat ...

NetherRealm has revealed animalities for Mortal Kombat 1 in what marks a return of the fatality variant after a 29-year absence. Animalities, which made their debut in 1995’s Mortal Kombat 3, let the victorious character turn into an animal before tearing their victim apart in typically gory fashion. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 attended by IGN, NetherRealm showed off Mortal Kombat 1’s animalities with teaser footage. Rain, for example, turns into a puffer fish who explodes from the inside of his opponent. The final version of Rain’s puffer fish Animality in Mortal Kombat 1. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/P7j8bTHZru — IGN (@IGN) July 26, 2024 A new trailer showed off more animalities, including hyena, hippo, gorilla, t-rex skeleton, and wolf finishers. Of course, Scorpion turns into a scorpion. Mileena turns into a preying mantis. The animalities reveal came as part of the announcement of Mortal Kombat 1’s second year of content and the Khaos Reigns DLC . Kombat Pack 2...

Mortal Kombat 1 is keeping its bloody waterfall of post-launch DLC going with a list of new crossover fighters that include Ghostface from Scream, Robert Patrick’s T-1000 Terminator, and Conan the Barbarian. A lineup of six new fighters was revealed by NetherRealm Studios during San Diego Comic-Con 2024 today. Little gameplay was shown, but we do have a first-look image of every fighter joining Mortal Kombat 1’s roster. The DLC, titled Khaos Reigns, includes the three aforementioned movie representatives, as well as Noob Saibot, Sektor, and Cyrax. Like many characters in the alternate universe that is Mortal Kombat 1, Noob Saibot is sporting a new look. It’s Sektor and Cyrax who get the biggest changes, though, as NetherRealm has revealed that both characters are female in this universe. Sektor voice actor Erika Ishii also says that their character is not a robot like in past entries and is instead human this time around. Ghostface is one character that keeps nearly the same look...

Guilty Gear Strive is now entering its fourth year of content updates, and despite now earning the reptutation as being the "old man" on the block, especially when put side-to-side with more recent releases like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Mortal Kombat 1, Strive is still continuing on just as strong as ever. Which brings us to Evo 2024, where Arc System Works made perhaps their biggest announcement involving Guilty Gear Strive to date: In addition to two returning characters, Dizzy and Venom, and one brand new character, Unika, they would also be adding their first guest character to the roster: Lucy from Cyberpunk Edgerunners. I got a chance to catch up with Guilty Gear Strive Producer Ken Miyauchi to find out how this surprising collaboration came to be, along with getting some insight regarding Strive's future. IGN: We learned that Lucy from Cyberpunk Edgerunners is going to be in Strive. Can you talk a little bit about how long this has been in the works an...

San Diego Comic-Con 2024 officially kicks off today, and eagle-eyed fans are already spotting hidden announcements appearing at the convention. One video game fan in particular noticed branding for what looks like an unannounced remaster of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2. Legacy of Kain: "Soul Reaver I & II Remastered" branding seen at SDCC https://t.co/IjCLDVEEpN pic.twitter.com/WCS94tUl1u — Wario64 (@Wario64) July 25, 2024 Over on ResetEra, user Mama Robotnik posted pictures from the SDCC show floor showing statues based on the Legacy of Kain series. Alongside the statue is a sign with the branding "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered." However, Crystal Dynamics has not officially confirmed an official remaster for either of these games. IGN has reached out to Crystal Dynamics for comment. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was first released in 1999 for the PS1 and PC, while its direct sequel, Soul Reaver 2, was released in 20001 for PS2 ...