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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
