The summer is here, and the weather outside is undeniably hot. So if you're anything like me, that means staying cool inside in an air-conditioned room and spending your days playing video games.
Here are five classic video games that will keep you entertained with their strong narrative and exciting gameplay.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Developer: Rockstar Studios
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Consoles: PlayStation 4 and 5; Xbox One; PC
Released in 2018 as prequel to Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption. Telling the story of Arthur Morgan, a cowboy in the Old West, who is part of a gang of criminals who travel from town to town to evade capture.
Rockstar improved the game immensely with the second iteration, with a much larger map to explore, as well as a long list of side missions and characters with which to interact.
The story in Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place years before the events of the first game, making a case for jumping straight into it regardless of whether you’re familiar with it or not.
It takes anywhere from 40 to 60 hours to complete the main storyline in the game, with many more hours to spend on the side missions.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016)
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Consoles: PlayStation 4 and 5; PC
Perhaps the quintessential summer game, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is an epic experience in scope and storytelling.
The game has sold more than 15 million copies since its 2016 release, and has won a multitude of awards, including game of the year from several publications.
The game concludes the saga of treasure hunter Nathan Drake in an adventure that sends him around the world. The fourth instalment in the series is also the biggest and most ambitious, with large-scale missions that require players to do everything from escaping prison to orchestrating a heist.
It can take up to 15 hours to finish the game, and if the game leaves you wanting more, the first three games in the series are worth exploring too.
LA Noire (2011)
Developer: Team Bondi
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Consoles: Nintendo Switch; PlayStation 3, 4 and 5; PC; Xbox 360 and One
Step into the world of glamorous actors and seedy drug dealers in 1947 Los Angeles.
Released by Rockstar in 2011, LA Noire is an investigation game set in post-Second World War Hollywood.
The gameplay centres around Cole Phelps, a detective who is assigned cases around the city and must solve them using interrogation skills and powers of observation.
The strength of the game is in its attention to detail, with a dream-like setting supported by period-accurate music and strong, era-accurate characters.
It takes up to 25 hours to complete the game, with room to spend more time exploring the city and all it has to offer.
Resident Evil 2 (2019)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Consoles: Nintendo Switch; PlayStation 4 and 5; PC; Xbox One and Series X/S
Playing a horror game is not for everyone, but occasionally one comes along that is too tempting and exciting to overlook.
Released in 2019, Resident Evil 2 is a remake of a game with the same name from 1998. Developed by Japanese gaming giants Capcom, the remake received praise for its successful attempt to update its horror classic for current consoles.
The game is set in a police station in the aftermath of a virus outbreak that turned people into flesh-eating zombies. The main playable characters are Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield, each with a unique adventure navigating through the outbreak and trying to survive.
Resident Evil 2 is a game that can be enjoyed alone, braving through the scary zombie hordes, or with friends each taking a turn to show what they can do.
It takes almost nine hours to complete the game with one character, doubled to 18 hours when playing through both characters’ storylines.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Consoles: Nintendo Switch
Some video games can exceed expectations, prompting players to tell everyone around them that they should play it and experience it for themselves. The buzz and hype around The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild exemplified such a game.
Released in 2017 by Nintendo, the game received perfect scores from gaming publications, including an elusive 10/10 from pop culture site IGN.
In the game, the lead character is Link, a young warrior set on an adventure to save Princess Zelda. Breath of the Wild is the 18th game to feature in the long-running Zelda series, with the latest release Tears of the Kingdom coming out in 2023.
It can take up to 50 hours to complete the game, with the option of getting lost and doing side missions adding to the overall experience.
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
The years Ramadan fell in May
more from Janine di Giovanni
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
