Reviews About NBA 2K17: Game For Sport

PROS

• Impressive depth
• Graphics have improved
• New animations add to immersion

CONS

• MyCareer mode is unforgiving
• Online play is buggy

Available on Xbox One (version tested), PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC

There was a time when 2K Games and EA Sports were locked in bitter competition to produce the best basketball sim available. Now, times have changed, and the NBA 2K series is pretty much the only game in town, with NBA Live continuing to stumble each year. Luckily, NBA 2K17 happens to be a bloody good game.

The development of the NBA 2K series over time shares a lot in common with the progression of tech products in general. Each year sees new tweaks and incremental improvements that add to a product which long since reached a refined state. With NBA 2K17, it's the same story.

Small additions such as new animations, expanded options and improved graphics can add a lot to how immersive the game feels, and 2K has opted for precisely this approach with the latest instalment – which pays off, even if it doesn't make for the most innovative entry.

When you initially load up the game – if you're downloading a digital copy, be prepared for a hefty 50GB installation first – you'll notice all the usual game modes have returned. There's the central MyCareer mode, as well as MyGM, MyLeague, MyTeam and all manner of possessive-pronoun-led features.

The first thing I did was load an exhibition game to get a feel for what's changed gameplay-wise. I was relieved to see my favourite retro team, the indisputably pre-eminent '00-'01 Lakers, remain playable, as do most of the retro teams from last year, alongside a host of European clubs and the usual Dream Team rosters of days past.

Taking charge of the Kobe and Shaq partnership once again, I was pleased to see the game has undergone some visual improvements. There's nothing here that's going to blow you away in terms of graphical upgrades, but the overall look of the players and the court seems more refined.

The action also feels a lot more fluid than last year, and you'll definitely notice the newly expanded range of animations. Pulling up for a classic Kobe fadeaway felt just as authentic as ever, but 2K has also added a host of other, non-character-specific, animations that makes the gameplay in general feel more realistic.

Character models also look great, even if some of the more slight players such as Kevin Durant look a tad strange, and you'll notice the controls have been tweaked slightly. This time around, the Pro-Stick (right analogue stick) is a more comprehensive handling tool, allowing you to pull off chains of dribbling moves to try and break some ankles and clear a path to the hoop – toppling the '92 Michael Jordan in this way with early-'00s Kobe was a particularly satisfying experience. But you can also now use the stick to pull up for a jump shot or try to go for a more pinpoint steal attempt.

Of course, you can still use the usual steal, shoot and pass buttons, but you might be surprised to find the passing options have been expanded. Aside from the usual pass button, you can now choose to throw a bounce pass using B, or an overhead lob using Y. It's useful, and once you get used to it, you'll find it strangely satisfying to drop a perfectly timed bounce pass to your man in the post.

While the new Pro-Stick functionality might please some, I found myself wishing 2K had borrowed a feature from a former NBA Live instalment. It used to be that moving the stick while stationary allowed you to wield the ball to create space – either with a quick step fake or by hiding the ball behind you to draw the reach-in foul. It's by no means a deal-breaker, but I always found that feature useful and wish it was present here, as I honestly didn't find the Pro-Stick's new shooting functions all that handy.

After destroying the '92 Dream Team with the might of Shaq and Kobe, I was suitably impressed by the new gameplay, and I loaded up the MyCareer mode. The setup is the same this year as in previous versions. You create a character and take him through a full basketball career. This time you begin at the end of high school, and have to pick a college to begin the storyline.

Spike Lee is nowhere to be seen this time around, which will either be a bonus or a drawback depending on whether you enjoyed his attempt at taking the MyCareer directorial reins in 2K16. If nothing else, I was glad not to be burdened with the cringe-inducing name of 'Freq' in this instalment. Instead, you're given the slightly less irritating moniker of 'Prez' – as in President.

Despite Lee's absence, then, your time as Prez is spent in much the same way as before. You create your player and have to work your way through college to gain entry into the NBA in order to embark upon your professional career. You can even download an accompanying app to your smartphone and use it to scan in your face. Well, you can if you want a terrifying glimpse of a future where our likenesses are mapped onto robotic endo-skeletons, as demonstrated by the below image.

And, to be honest, the result wasn't all that impressive – yielding what looks to be Bradley Cooper's overlooked and untalented brother, rather than anyone who looks like me. (Editor's note: I can confirm that Joe is, indeed, nowhere near this fresh-faced and handsome.)

When it comes to building a career, the lead-up to the NBA is, I have to say, incredibly unforgiving. While the college games are fun, and feel just as immersive as the NBA section of the game, you'll likely find that one mistake can mess up your entire trajectory. I had won every game, racked up some decent scores, and attained some pretty impressive teammate grades, only to lose the championship game and see my projected draft pick drop significantly.

I was eventually drafted by the Denver Nuggets (yay...) as the 15th pick in the first round, but I couldn't help but feel a little cheated. I thought I was headed straight to the Lakers as the first pick!

And the harshness continues into the regular season. Unless you're a seasoned 2K pro, you'll find the number of minutes you're given as a rookie aren't nearly enough to establish yourself as a top player. Needless to say, after struggling to make anything of the minuscule amount of court time I was given, the Rookie of the Year award managed to elude me.

Also, star of Creed and Fantastic Four Michael B Jordan is your mate for some reason. And he's going to be turning up in an overwhelming number of cut-scenes that seem to go on for an unnecessary amount of time.

Despite this rather frustrating experience, however, the overall career mode is as solid as ever, and even the typically contrived dialogue seems to have been improved this time around. MyCareer is still a slog, but it's incredibly in-depth – as are the other modes which I haven't invested as much time in, but which from my initial impressions seem more comprehensive than ever before.

Woe betide anyone who ventures online with a less-than-perfect connection, however. My online career was more than a little frustrating, with slowdown and glitches making it impossible to play a fair game with anyone.

VERDICT

If nothing else, then, the game manages to impress with the sheer level of detail it provides. You could spend months trying to work through the career mode, not even touching MyGM or MyTeam, and feel as though you got your money's worth.

That, combined with the graphical upgrades and new animations, plus the fact that 2K has managed to retain the overall feel of the game, makes the 2K17 experience a very impressive one. It's not without its flaws, but the lasting impression you'll get is one of sheer admiration for the amount of work that must go into creating such a varied game.

NBA 2K is still carrying the baton for basketball sims all on its lonesome, and seems to do so effortlessly. If the great NBA 2K vs NBA Live war is ever to return, EA has got a hell of a lot of work to do.

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SOME NEWS ABOUT PLAYSTATION VR

PlayStation VR release date: October 13, 2016

PlayStation VR price: £349 / $399

When it comes to PlayStation VR, folk fall into one of two camps. There are those who are super-excited by the prospect of “affordable” virtual reality that’s playable on a console, while others look down their nose at its inferior specs when compared to the PC-based alternatives. I’m very much in the former, and having played PSVR on numerous occasions, not only do I feel that my enthusiasm is justified, but I’ve actually found myself more drawn towards console-driven VR than Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. I believe Sony is onto a winner here and has the potential to become the dominant market force.

I’ve already discussed my excitement for PlayStation VR, especially when compared to the Rift and Vive, in another article, so let’s instead focus here on Sony’s headset itself.

I say it’s “affordable” because when compared to its VR rivals, it is indeed the cheapest; in real terms, however, it’s still an expensive piece of kit. The headset itself costs as much as a console at £350 – and if, like most people, you traded in your Move controllers and PlayStation Camera as soon as you realised Sports Champions was a bit pants, you’ll have to shell out another £100-plus for the full experience.

But for those who can afford the expense, you’re in for an absolute treat.

PLAYSTATION VR – DESIGN AND COMFORT

As a piece of tech, the PlayStation VR is a beauty. Looking like it’s come straight out of the Tron movie, the headset looks space-age and futuristic. With blue lighting decorating the edging, and a nice matte black/white finish, it’s a headset in which you’ll still feel goofy waving your hands about, but maybe slightly less so compared to wearing the Rift and Vive.

However, the PSVR lacks a built-in pair of headphones, meaning you’ll have to plug in your own, unless you’re willing to have your VR experiences in total silence.

The one big difference between the PSVR and its PC rivals is how it fits onto your head. While the Vive and Rift attach around your head using Velcro straps, Sony’s headset sits atop your head, with soft padding seeing it rest on your forehead and level on the back of your head.

Pressing a button at the back of the headset enables you to increase the circumference, with the headset automatically scaling to your head size. Rather than clicking into place the headset will form around your bonce, and it’s an incredibly comfortable fit. It never feels too tight or loose, and looking around whichever virtual world I’m in, I’ve never once felt like the headset is slipping off – even when I’m in an utterly sweaty state from whichever real-world hotbox I’m in at the time.

A second button beneath the actual display allows you to adjust the view of the screen; you tilt the front until the picture becomes clear. The one downside of this fit is that, with some games, in order to avoid blurry images or double-vision, I’ve had to place the monitor at a distance where I can see the outside world, which can be distracting and break the immersion.

To counter this, there are two rubber flaps that sit on either side of your nose, which can help cut out some of the light. But again, if the fit isn’t snug then it can be all too easy to look down and become distracted by your feet.

Once you start playing a game, however, any minor distractions will fall by the wayside, and you’ll be completely sucked into the great experiences on offer.

PLAYSTATION VR – DISPLAY

Much like the Rift and Vive, before a game actually begins you’ll notice the “screen door” effect that comes with VR gaming, although it’s more pronounced in PSVR due to the inferior screen quality. When you’re not focusing on any particular action or item in a game, you’ll be paying particular attention to the general blurriness of text. Or, when looking at a character’s face, you’ll be alerted to the soft haze that covers their face, failing to focus on particular details thanks to this pronounced issue. It isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does bring to light the differences in display quality between console and PC virtual reality.

However, once you’re actually in a game, such issues fade away, and gameplay becomes king. I’ve played Batman Arkham VR, PlayStation VR Worlds, Robinson: The Journey, Farpoint, DriveClub VR, Rez Infinite and Resident Evil 7 in PlayStation VR and each has run like a dream. Many doubted the PS4’s ability to produce quality virtual-reality experiences, but not only does it deliver, I’ve actually found the experiences far more comfortable than on the Rift.

PLAYSTATION VR – GAMES AND SOFTWARE

Refresh rates have proved incredibly smooth, meaning motion sickness has hardly been an issue. The only time it was a problem was in Resident Evil 7, where the right analogue stick controlled head movement along with actually turning your head. On the whole, however, the comfort of playing these games has meant that I’ve never once felt the need to stop playing.

No frame-rate dips have been apparent in any game that I’ve played, which is incredibly encouraging. Of course, with these being vertical slices of the full experience, we need to wait until we get to play the finished product for a definitive verdict. Nevertheless, the initial signs are great, and with PS4 Neo on the horizon, things could get even better – and perhaps produce better-looking VR experiences too.

The majority of games work with the DualShock controller, and work very well. However, the true standouts are the titles that take advantage of the Move wands. Being able, with no latency, to throw batarangs as the Caped Crusader – or fire an Uzi out of the front of a van while a cockney gangster screams obscenities – is a thing of beauty. One surprise of the bunch is the PlayStation VR Aim controller, a bespoke device that works primarily with Farpoint right now, but could be a game changer for first-person shooters. Having a peripheral with which you can actually aim down sights, even having to close one eye to improve your shot, is excellent.

PLAYSTATION VR – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

While PlayStation VR may not be considered the “premier” virtual-reality experience on the market, I personally consider it to be by far the most comfortable and most enjoyable. Every demo I’ve tried has been a joy to play, offering zero latency, smooth frame rates and very enjoyable experiences.

With a stronger line-up of software, a cheaper price point and incredible potential, Sony’s venture into virtual reality has me super-excited for what October and beyond will bring.

Fallout 4 Mods Not Coming to PS4

Bethesda Game Studios officially announces that mod support for its post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 4 will not be coming to Sony’s PlayStation 4 consoles.

Despite Bethesda’s announcement that the release date forFallout 4 mods on PlayStation 4 would occur earlier this June, players have been kept waiting ever since. Now, unfortunately enough, the developer has officially announced by way of a blog post that mod support on the console is going to be cancelled indefinitely for Fallout 4.

According to Bethesda, the blame lies squarely with Sony, as the company has constrained the way in which the developer can have mod support for Fallout 4 operate on the PlayStation 4. Apparently, the Japanese tech firm had its own vision for how the program could work, but it was too restrictive to the action-RPG’s users, as found in Bethesda’s full statement on the matter below.

“After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.

“Like you, we are disappointed by Sony’s decision given the considerable time and effort we have put into this project, and the amount of time our fans have waited for mod support to arrive. We consider this an important initiative and we hope to find other ways user mods can be available for our PlayStation audience. However, until Sony will allow us to offer proper mod support for PS4, that content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on PlayStation 4 will not be available.”

Although Bethesda has currently ceased mod support for Fallout 4‘s PlayStation 4 versions altogether, the studio did go on to say that it would update fans of the game should the situation change. However, there’s no telling as to whether or not Sony will alter its position on the issue, but if it doesn’t, Bethesda seems to be sticking to its guns and its developers won’t back down until mods on PS4 work similarly to the feature for Xbox One.

For fans who are unaware, Fallout 4‘s PS4 mods received delay after delay following the announcement of the feature’s actuality earlier this year. Regrettably, the program for Sony’s console was plagued with problems from the start, for not only was the size limit for mods reduced by a much greater degree than those on the Xbox One, but also Bethesda encountered memory, performance, and audio issues during development.

While this is sure to disappoint plenty of Fallout 4 owners on PlayStation 4, at least fans can take solace in the fact that they’re no longer being strung along with promises that mod support is eventually on its way. Hopefully, though, Sony will decide to compromise with Bethesda so thatFallout 4 players can take full advantage of the feature sometime in the future.

Fallout 4 is out now and is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Bethesda

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Spirograph Rainbow

Source: Youtube

Spirographs let anyone draw intricate curved patterns, but one Instagram channel took this geometric art to another level. ‘Spirographsoph’ has incredibly steady hands and chooses gorgeous matching colours to make her pieces stand out from the rest. The artist already has more than 44,000 followers and regularly uploads satisfying-to-watch videos. If you want to create spirographs yourself, you can even get the same kit that this artist uses here.

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macOS Sierra review: Apple reaches for the clouds

For the last few years, nearly all of OS X's biggest updates have come in response to iOS. First, the Mac got iOS's apps. Then it got iOS's looks. And now it's even getting iOS's naming format. This year, OS X is gone and replacing it is macOS — a new iteration on the same operating system, with a changed but still comfortably familiar name.

Perhaps the update is fitting for 2016. With today’s release of macOS Sierra, the latest version of Apple’s desktop OS, the Mac is at long last getting the one feature that’s arguably come to define iOS more than any other, the feature that singlehandedly was supposed to alter the way we use our gadgets: Siri.

It's an exciting addition and something Mac users have been waiting years for. Siri's been on the iPhone since 2011, and in the meantime, Microsoft and Google have both introduced voice-controlled artificial intelligence on their own desktop operating systems. But the strange, and maybe most encouraging part of Sierra is that, for how big of a deal Siri is, it’s hardly the most useful aspect of the new software.

Watch our macOS Sierra preview from June.

Still, let’s start with Siri. It's Siri! It's the virtual assistant with a helpfulness that's approximately inverse to the amount of public attention it's getting at any given moment. (Right as another celebrity showed up in a Siri ad, you were probably struggling to look something up.) But five years later, it’s actually starting to pick up some useful skills.

On the Mac, Siri lives in a bunch of different places — dock, menubar, keyboard shortcut — and pops up as a black box on top of whatever you're looking at, ready to start fielding questions (notably, it is wholly distinct from Spotlight, despite their similar functionality). It can do all of the stuff you've been doing with Siri on the iPhone until now, like display sports scores, look up movie times, and solve math problems, Siri can also just open apps for you (e.g., "Open Contacts" or "Open Spotify"). And one of the most useful functions it has on the desktop is the ability to search your files.

I spent a lot of time asking different questions of Siri and came away both frustrated and impressed. Siri does a good job of looking through your files and is surprisingly competent at handling complex modifiers. So you can say, "Find me every PDF I worked on in the last 30 days," and it'll present you with a list of exactly that. That's the kind of multifaceted query I'd have expected to trip up Siri in the past.

SIRI DOES WELL WITH COMPLEX FILE SEARCHES, BUT CAN STILL MISS THE BASICS

On the other hand, working with Siri on the desktop can still feel like trying to guess the right passphrase to be let through a door. For example: Siri returned exactly what I asked for when prompted to "Show me emails I've received from Dieter." But that's not how I'd naturally phrase my request. What I wanted to say — and what I tried first — was "Show me emails Dieter sent me," but that doesn't work. The difference? "Sent" versus "received." It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's the kind of small hiccup that you still have to deal with.

There's also one big limitation to Siri on the Mac right now: it's not getting any of the third-party integrations that are currently popping up on iOS. That means you can't use Siri to hail an Uber, Venmo a friend, or order Seamless; you're stuck going back to your phone and asking Siri there. I suspect Apple will open Siri up to these services sometime down the road, but for now, it's a noticeable absence and makes its assistance a lot less useful.

Siri, or the promise of what Siri can do, makes a lot of sense on mobile, where it's often the fastest way to accomplish a task. Maybe you’re driving and can’t tap a screen, or maybe you have your phone stuffed in your pocket and are using headphones to communicate, or maybe you’re even wearing an Apple Watch that uses Siri. But on the desktop, I suspect people will have diverging experiences with it.

For me, trying to look something up with Siri on my Mac was almost always slower and more disruptive than tabbing over to the right window and typing in my search. But for others, especially people less familiar with desktop computers, the story could be different. Siri's ability to dig through the file system so you don’t have to could be a real help. It's not a stretch to say that locating a file you downloaded two weeks ago and only opened once can be a frustrating experience, and Siri can start to resolve that.

Assuming Siri can figure out what you’re asking, of course.

But here’s the thing about macOS Sierra: Siri isn't the most interesting part of it. It seems like it should be with all the emphasis on artificial intelligence right now, not just at Apple but at all of the major consumer tech companies. But the most interesting part of Sierra is actually iCloud.

Yeah, iCloud. Really! Sierra introduces a pair of very cool new features to iCloud, which don't just improve the operating system but actually feel as though they're extending Apple's hardware.

The two features work in conjunction: first, iCloud Drive can now store the contents of your Desktop and Documents folders and sync them to your other devices, whether Macs, iPhones, or iPads. It's basically Dropbox, but built right into the OS. (The only downside is this that you can't selectively sync files; it's all or nothing. So gigabytes of work files suddenly appeared on my home computer, where I really don't want to be reminded of how much work I have left to do.)

The second feature, and the more important one, is something Apple calls Optimized Storage. In short, Apple will automatically remove files from your computer and store them in the cloud so that there's always free space on your local drive. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is an incredible feature. My personal MacBook Air has persistently been running out of space for the last three years. After installing Sierra, I suddenly had 25GB of available storage.

THE FREE SPACE IS AMAZING, BUT YOU'RE TRUSTING APPLE TO MAKE THE RIGHT CALLS

Optimized Storage is only supposed to remove old files that you aren't actively using. For the most part, that seemed to be what happened — it pushed my old D&Dmanuals up to the cloud, as well as a bunch of documents from when I was in college years ago. But in at least one instance, I noticed it pushing a file to the cloud that I did need locally: a song recorded by a friend of mine, which I've been regularly listening to over the past few months. Recovering files happens as fast as you can download them, so restoring it wasn't an issue; but I do think I'll be double checking that any critical files are actually on my computer the next time I'm about to jump on a plane.

While I wish there were more granular controls here, Optimized Storage is still a remarkable addition. Apple has historically been quite stingy with storage capacity — hello, 128GB MacBook Air — and this feature essentially lets you extend your drive as far as you want, keeping only what (it thinks) you need and downloading the rest on demand. As someone who's struggled to free up space every few months for years, this could absolutely change the way I interact with my Mac.

There is, however, a big caveat here: you’ll have to pay Apple monthly for all the iCloud storage you want. Apple only offers 5GB of free cloud storage, and that space gets split between photos, documents, iPhone backups, and anything else you put there. It’s so little space that both of Sierra’s big iCloud features are effectively unusable unless you pay.

Two quick side notes: since iCloud is already storing your files, I wish it would let you do a full Time Machine backup to the cloud, saving everything on your computer and keeping intact older versions of documents, just in case you lose something. And on a much nerdier note, Time Machine now supports network-attached storage (basically a wireless backup drive connected to your router); I've been waiting years for this.

There are a bunch of smaller feature additions to Sierra, like Apple putting tabs in basically every interface and bringing Apple Pay to Safari, but there are two in particular that I want to briefly highlight.

First, Apple has added something called Universal Clipboard, which is basically what it sounds like; it lets you copy something — text, images, and video — on your Mac and paste it on your iPhone, and vice versa. It works, but there's a short delay the first time you try to paste something. Still, worth it.

Second, Apple now lets you unlock Macs (made from 2013 onward) with an Apple Watch (running watchOS 3). It doesn't happen instantaneously — I could definitely type my password quicker — but I suspect it'll be fast enough for most people.

AUTO-UNLOCK IS WEIRDLY DIFFICULT TO SET UP

The bigger problem? The setting to enable auto-unlock is entirely hidden. You have to activate two-factor authorization in order to even see the setting, and it turns out, enabling two-factor involves jumping through quite a few hoops. (Did you know that Apple has a virtually identical security feature called "two-step authorization"?) Perhaps Apple wanted to use this feature to nudge people toward better account security, but if so, it probably should have done a better job of making people aware it exists; instead, you'll have to Google for a tutorial.

For the most part, Apple's own apps are unchanged in this update, which is to say, they're still not that great. Mail is better than you remember, but remains too tailored to Apple’s other apps and services. Safari is fine (and way better on your battery), but I personally prefer Chrome. And iTunes… there's not enough space here to get into that.

The one app that is getting a big update this year is Photos, which Apple launched last year with the thankless task of replacing iPhoto and smoothing over years of frustration.

At launch in 2015, Photos was a bare-bones photo viewer with some simple editing tools. In macOS Sierra, it's pretty much a beat-for-beat clone of Google Photos, the key distinction being that it does all of its photo processing on your local machine, rather than on Apple's servers.

I was prepared to hate Photos — I may still have some lingering iPhoto resentment — but it's actually a nice app in a lot of ways. Its editing features hit the basics, so you can brighten a photo or remove a blemish, but where it really shines is in giving you ways to explore your library of photos.

OBJECT RECOGNITION, SCANNED ON YOUR COMPUTER, IS PHOTOS' BIGGEST DRAW

Apple added two new ways of doing that this year. The first is object recognition, which lets Photos detect what’s in your images so you can search through them by subject — e.g., "beach" or "bird" or "playground." The second is a new section called "Memories," which automatically builds photo albums for trips, events, and pictures Apple thinks you’ll want see again.

Both of these features are neat, if imperfect. When I searched for "forest," for instance, Photos identified four pictures, when I’d say there were closer to a dozen. It did better with specific objects, like "fence." Memories is also hit and miss. At one point, it created an album for me titled "Best of last three months" that included several close-up pictures of my foot, which my girlfriend took as a joke. I suppose that counts as a good memory, but the photos were pretty unflattering.

Where Photos does excel is when you're just browsing around. It uses all of the features mentioned above in a much more casual way, so that when you're viewing a photo you can scroll down to see others related to it — perhaps a photo with the same person in it, taken in the same place, or on the same trip. It's a great way to look back through your pictures, and it feels way more natural than something like an automatic photo album for a random set of dates.

STORAGE IS PHOTOS' BIGGEST LIMITATION

Combined with Photos on the iPhone, Apple’s Photos apps are turning into solid options for sorting through your old pictures. They’re not as accurate as Google or Flickr when it comes to object scanning, but they’re close. And they come with the benefit of added privacy.

But if you’re choosing an app to hold all of your photos, another factor enters the equation: storage space, which can fill up very, very quickly as you import hundreds and hundreds of pictures from your phone. This won’t be a problem for everyone. But for me, there’s no option but to keep them all in the cloud.

And that makes picking Apple Photos a much tougher decision. Google offers unlimited photo storage (up to a certain resolution) and Flickr gives everyone a free terabyte of space. Both will scan your photos, but neither requires a monthly payment. If you need space in iCloud — and I suspect a lot of people will — then you’ll have to pay Apple for it.

It’s fair to say that Apple has always been behind when it comes to cloud services. Either it’s messed them up (MobileMe), or it’s underwhelmed (early stages of iCloud), or it’s just iterated at a glacial pace compared to its competitors (Google Photos, for instance,launched a new feature on Monday; its last significant update was less than two weeks ago).

But Sierra starts to change that, particularly when it comes to iCloud syncing and Optimized Storage. The two features feel like meaningful extensions of the Mac, which is what makes it so disappointing that not everyone will get to use them due to Apple’s decision to charge for even a modest amount of cloud storage.

A small iCloud plan is available for $0.99 per month, offering 50GB of space. For me, that'll probably be enough to store my extra documents; in fact, I've signed up, and I intend to keep paying. But it’s not enough to store my photos, so for that, I’m sticking with Google.

SIERRA'S BEST FEATURES ARE LIMITED TO THOSE WHO BUY ICLOUD STORAGE

One has to wonder why Apple, among the wealthiest companies in the world, would even bother charging $0.99 per month for a basic amount of storage if it really wants these features to create a better experience for everyone. (I seem to recall a designer once saying that file syncing is "a feature and not a product.") If Google is able to give a free 100GB of storage for two years to everyone who purchases a $300 Chromebook, certainly Apple can offer more than 5GB to everyone with a $1,300 Mac. I don’t think that it needs to give away 100GB or even half of that, but what it offers now simply isn’t enough.

So to the annual question: should I update my Mac to the new OS? So long as you’re on recent hardware, I don’t see a reason not to. (My five-year-old Air has been having a tough time, but my three-year-old Pro hasn’t slowed in any noticeable way.) MacOS is at its core a great operating system, and this year’s additions don’t worsen the experience in any way. Sierra adds some handy new features, and while Siri eternally feels like it has room for improvement, everyone loves playing with it at least once in a while. Plus, it’s a free update. There’s not much to lose.

But will Sierra meaningfully improve the Mac? That’s up to you and your wallet. Sierra’s best features require you to pay Apple month after month, with no end in sight.

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Pokemon Uranium is Officially Dead

The developers of the fan-made Pokemon Uranium game announce that it will no longer be receiving new updates and its online services will be shut down.

The decade-long saga of Pokemon Uranium has finally come to a close. The group of fans that have been working on Pokemon Uranium for all these years have decided to stop supporting it in any official capacity, removing all download links, ceasing work on any future updates, and shutting down the game’s online services effective immediately.

The dedicated group of Pokemon fans that developed the game announced its demise on Twitter earlier today. Apparently, the team decided to end support for Pokemon Uranium because there is a “limit” to how far fan games can go, and they would like to move on to new projects. Whether or notNintendo’s legal notices played a role in the decision or not is anyone’s guess.

After Nintendo managed to get Pokemon Uranium pulled from the web, fans were still sharing download links with each other, and the developers still supported the game with updates and online functionality. Perhaps Nintendo was wise to the fact that the Pokemon Uranium team was continuing development on the project, and decided to be more aggressive with its legal actions. That’s just speculation at this time, however, and it’s possible that the explanation provided by the team is the full truth.

If Nintendo did play a role in this latest Pokemon Uranium development, it wouldn’t be all that surprising. The Big N has been quick to have numerous fan-made projects taken down this year, such as a Metroid II remake that was created to celebrate the franchise’s anniversary (an event Nintendo largely ignored), as well as a parody game that combined Super Mario with No Man’s Sky.

This could end up being a good thing for the Pokemon Uranium development team, however. The individuals that helped make the game have developed game development skills that could help them land legitimate jobs in the industry, so that they can work on games in an official capacity. Furthermore, they already have a built-in fan base of the people that enjoyed the nuclear-powered twist on Pokemon in Pokemon Uranium that will be excited to see what they cook up next.

Maybe one day the Pokemon Uranium team will return to release more content for the game, or perhaps someone else will step forward to continue fleshing out the project. Even if they don’t, though, those that have already downloaded Pokemon Uranium should still be able to enjoy its single player adventure for the time being.

Pokemon Uranium was available for PC.

Source: Pokemon Uranium

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Nibblers Cheats: Top 8 Tips For You

Let’s ask a simple question. Why do you play games? If you’re anything like us, then the answer is that they’re often extremely fun!

Rovio, the masterminds behind the Angry Birds series, recognized this and decided to create a game that is all about simplicity and fun; they created Nibblers! In the game, you’ll go through more than 200 levels of helping little fish-like creatures to defend their island from the invading reptiles who want all the fruit for themselves.

Stick with us, for in order to help you get the most out of this game, we decided to offer you these 8 tips, tricks, and cheats.

1) Get to Know Your Nibblers

As with the traditional match-three puzzle games, you make things happen by matching the right types of fruit on the board. Do this with more than 3 of them to summon your Nibbler!

Match 4 fruits of the same type to summon Coral, who is capable of clearing an entire row or column. If you make an �L’ or �T’ shape with 5 fruits, then prepare to meet Bitelings who clears entire rows and columns in all 4 directions.

Octo will spawn up if you match 5 fruits in a line; he does a lot of damage by obliterating 3 rows or columns. Finally, summon Bouncer by completing multiple combos and enjoy the sheer pleasure of devastating power! He can clear out an entire board with a single drop!

2) Keep Your Friends Close…

In this game, you will be facing many different types of enemies; our advice? Don’t go into it blindly.

The first thing you’ll notice about your reptile enemies is whether they stand in one place or not. The static ones can be defeated by simply matching fruits in their vicinity, while the moving enemies are a bit harder to kill – they take two matches made on their heads in order to drop dead!

Snake-y and turtle-y creatures are a bit tougher since they require you to summon a Nibbler to eliminate them. Lastly, mud creatures can be taken out by matching fruits all around them. Beware though; those muddy beasts can be very tricky to kill!

3) Make the Power-ups Count

Fighting the enemies mentioned above is nothing compared to the boss battles. Therefore, however tough a regular level is, try not to spend your power-ups on it. Keep them for the bosses – they deserve it!

And besides, power-ups are not at all cheap.

4) Match Big

Seeing how effective and colorful a 3-match play can be, it may make you satisfied with the easiest of matches. But, don’t be. In your game always go for bigger, 5 or more matches.

The reasons for this are many, but the most important one is that bigger matches result in summoning more powerful Nibblers, who in turn make the game more fun!

5) Make Use of the Bonuses

No matter how good you are, sooner or later you will lose a level. Don’t despair though; the game has a neat way to get you back on track!

Whenever you fail, you’ll be offered to watch an ad video. By doing so you’ll receive a bonus Nibbler. Just make sure to watch the ad video before you quit the game, since once you left there won’t be any video to watch.

6) More bonuses!

Rovio’s long-established tradition of giving benefits to all players who connects their games to their Facebook accounts is present in Nibblers. Use this feature, for it gives you some special bonuses, not the least of which is the possibility to get a few extra lives.

Connecting to your Facebook account will also save any progress you’ve made. This is particularly handy if you change your device or for some reason uninstall the game.

7) Focus on the Objective

This one may seem straightforward to some, but we feel the need to stress it out.

The levels in Nibblers often feature a few obstacles that you have to get around before completing your objectives. Try not to focus of these obstacles; they are there only to hinder your progress towards completing the objectives.

For instance, if the game asks you to clean some mud before getting to a reptile, do not clean all of it! It would be a pointless activity that results in no reward whatsoever.

8) Undo Your Moves

If you feel you’re about to make a wrong move with your Nibbler, don’t despair. You can always change your mind provided that you still have control over the Nibbler in question. Take your time and Drag the Nibbler as long as you feel like it!

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Pokemon Go Dev Is Talking About Trainer's Battles

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Pokemon Go is getting Apple Watch support, and we learned recently thatsupport for Android devices could be coming as well. Now, thanks to an interview with Tech Crunch, we know that developer Niantic is also talking about bringing player-versus-player battles to the augmented-reality game.

"I have [a] 10 year old son--he's my Pokemon expert, we play together--he wants to battle his friends in Pokemon Go," Niantic CEO John Hanke said. "Battling is something we talk a lot about. It's probably something that will make its way onto our roadmap."

Hanke added that the company is also talking about trading, something that hepreviously confirmed as a feature and said is "kind of a core element." He explained to Business Insider that trading encourages people to talk and interact in both the game and the real world, which is important to Niantic and Pokemon Go.

It's important to note that battling hasn't been officially confirmed as a feature on its way. Additionally, trading still doesn't have a solid release date. We'll keep you updated as more information is revealed.

For those who want to try out new features now, Pokemon Go recently received an update that adds the Buddy system, in addition to Plus support and some animation and network reliability fixes. You can now make one of your Pokemon a "buddy" and walk around with them, earning candies as you reach distance milestones.

The Pokemon Go Plus is a wearable device that alerts you of nearby PokeStops and Pokemon. The device has a button, but you can only use it to catch Pokemon you've already caught--you'll have to take your phone out to catch new Pokemon and collect items. You can find out everything you need to know about the Plus here.

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This Week’s New iPhone and iPad Games

Welcome to another week of new mobile games for your iPhone and iPad. A few surprises spawned up this week’s releases with a couple ports along with freshly designed puzzle experiences.

Check out this week’s new iOS games, available in the App Store. Download links available.

SKYHILL

World War III was one cruel tragedy, at least for the others. You seemed to have a quite nice time, hidden in your fancy penthouse at the Skyhill Hotel… Till the impact of a bio-weapon blew away the life you once knew.

Disco Dave

Are you ready for some 70s’ disco fever with Dave and the rest of the gang? Disco Dave is a quick fun game with voxel graphics. Test your reflexes in the neon disco environment, stay alive and perform combos to get extra points. Watch the floor tiles change colour, and stay away from the gray ones!

Monster Super League

Fans of modern and classic collection games can revel in the world created inMonster Super League, a unique take on strategy RPGs, giving players the chance to journey through eight distinct regions filled with over 550 unique and lively Astromon to capture and train.

Submerged

Submerged is a third-person combat-free game in which you explore a mysterious flooded city and discover the beauty of desolation in vast outdoor environments. You take on the role of Miku, a young girl who has brought her wounded brother to the city in their small fishing boat. Navigate the flooded city streets by boat, scale the drowned buildings, and use your telescope to scour the city for the supplies needed to save your dying sibling.

STEINS; GATE

The story found in STEINS;GATE is not your usual time traveling fare, but is a “hypothetical science adventure” focused on the structure of time travel itself.

Many of the situations and scientific concepts referred to in the game have been plucked from real science; the story-line is therefore credible and intellectual stimulating for players.

Atomic Super Lander

The doomsday is upon us. The Earth is about to be bombarded by an asteroid supercluster! Its time to cram all able-bodied men to rockets and fire them blindly into space in a desperate fight for mankinds survival!

Makenines

It requires careful thought and is solved using process of elimination similar to world-renowned puzzle game Sudoku. Think you’re good with numbers? Think you’re great at solving puzzles? Put your brain-skills to the test!

Head of State

Head of State is a political simulation game. It is a satirical look at the dangers facing modern democracy.

Rubek

Rubek is a minimalist color based puzzle game. Roll a cube to pick up and match correct colors on the floor, as you make your way to reach the end point while figuring out a way to solve the puzzles. Play through 70+ handcrafted levels of mind bending difficulty and collect stars to compete on the global leaderboards.

Isoland

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How to play Pokémon Go: All the tips you need to become a Pokémaster

How to play Pokémon Go: Tips, tricks, hints and cheats to help you become a Pokéboss quicker than your mates.

What was the world doing before Pokémon Go came out? It seems everyone has at least tried the game at some point, and at this point, there's no question it's a certified phenomenon.

But with so many players, you're going to need a little extra help if you want to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Which is why we've rounded up our best tips and tricks to help you become a Pokémaster. Here's all you need to know in order to get ahead in Pokémon Go.

UNDERSTANDING POKÉ-TERMS

First though, a quick rundown of some of the names and phrases you'll come across when playing the game:

Pokéstops – All the items you need to play the game are stored in these blue supply stores, dotted around the map.

Pokéballs – Used to catch Pokémon and build your team.

Incense and Lure Modules – You can use these items to attract more Pokémon to your location. At the start, this is vital to build a large team that you can then use to battle or trade for goodies further into the game.

Gyms – Available from level five, controlling gyms is what the game is all about. Located at points of interest and landmarks, these are where the battles between players and their Pokémon take place.

Factions – These are the teams you're asked to join after reaching level five. They will determine which colour a gym turns when you claim it. Simply pick your favourite colour.

Potions, Super Potions and Revives – After a hard battle, you’ll need these to help your Pokémon recover before the next challenge.

Candy and Stardust – Think of these as supplements to make your Pokémon stronger and more evolved — absolutely vital for taking over more gyms.

Eggs – Go is big on XP, and you’ll need Lucky Eggs if you want to earn double XP. Regular eggs allow you to hatch more Pokémon to add to your team.

Razzberries – Harder to catch Pokémon can be tamed by feeding them these and winning their trust.

Now you're up to speed, here are our tips on how to get ahead in Pokémon Go:

1) TURN OFF AR

This is the easiest way to start racking up your Pokémon count. One of the game's more intriguing features is how it uses your phone's camera to overlay images of Pokémon onto real-world environments – a crude but still engaging form of AR. Come across a wild Pidgey or Weedle and the game will load whatever you camera is pointed at as a background on which to do battle with the newly-discovered creature.

But what you may not be aware of is that using AR mode actually makes it harder to catch Pokémon. Simply turning off AR allows you to centre the Pokémon on your screen, making it much easier to chuck Pokéballs and claim your prize.

To turn AR mode off, wait until a wild Pokémon appears and tap the AR slider on the top-right of the battle screen. Whichever creature you're trying to enslave into your Poké-army will immediately move to the centre of the display, ready for the taking. Throw a ball or two and that wily Abra will be yours.

2) DO CATCH 'EM ALL (AND TRADE THE LEAST POWERFUL)

This is another simple tip, but one worth knowing for those who've just signed up to the game. While it's often tempting to overlook the more mundane Pokémon that crop up all the time (seriously, Weedle, piss off) you should try to catch all the creatures you can.

That's because you can immediately trade them in to the Professor to get Pokémon-specific candy. Why is that important? Because candy and Stardust are how you evolve your Pokémon.

For example, if you've got an abundance of Pidgeys, you should immediately figure out which one of them is the most powerful by seeing which has the highest CP score and the highest-rated attacks. Once you know which one you're going to keep, select the first Pidgey you want to transfer, scroll down to the bottom of the menu that pops up, and tap 'Transfer'.

You'll be asked to confirm, after which the Professor will provide you with Pidgey candy. Once you've got 12 of these, you'll be able to upgrade your remaining Pidgey to a Pidgeotto, provided you've also managed to collect enough Stardust on your travels. Transfer enough Pidgeys or Pidgeottos and you'll get enough candy to evolve the Pidgeotto to a Pidgeot.

Each Pokémon requires a different amount of candy to evolve to its next state, so keep an eye on how many of each kind you're collecting and make sure to transfer the less powerful ones to start stacking up the candy for future evolutions.

You will receive 500XP for every low level Pokémon you evolve, or 1000XP for every second level Pokémon you evolve. So all those Pidgeys and Pidgeottos you evolve are the fast-track to levelling up. This is also where your Lucky Egg comes into play. Wait until you have lots of Pokémon all set to evolve. Trigger your Lucky Egg and your level-up medal will be imminent.

3) FEELING LUCKY? USE LUCKY EGGS CAREFULLY

If the game is feeling generous, you may just find yourself in possession of a Lucky Egg. What the hell is that, you ask? Well, ever since we wasted our first Lucky Egg by using it at the worst possible time, we've made sure we know the answer to that very question.

Basically, a Lucky Egg doubles all the XP you get for 30 minutes. You should start to pick up a few once you reach level 8 or so, and they can also be bought from the shop – if you're a dirty cheat, that is.

As the egg's effect only lasts for half an hour, you're going to want to spend that time as productively as you can to maximise the XP you get. Before you start the timer, then, make sure you've got a load of Pokémon to evolve, tons of Stardust, a Lure Module or Incense, and plenty of Pokéballs. Also make sure you're near a Pokéstop and gym.

Once you've started the Lucky Egg's timer, drop the Lure Module on the Pokéstop and immediately begin evolving your Pokémon. Pidgeys and Rattatas are good for this, as they seem to crop up all the time and only need 12 candies to evolve, but any Pokémon you have ready to evolve will net you XP once you start upgrading them – and thanks to the Egg, you'll get double the amount.

You'll also want to catch all the unsuspecting Pokémon that come your way as a result of the Lure Module, gaining double XP for all the creatures you manage to capture.

Once the Lure Module starts to wear off and you've evolved all your Pokémon, head to the nearest gym and start racking up the XP by stealing the gym from those wretched Reds, or whichever team happen to be your sworn enemies.

If the gym belongs to your team, try raising its prestige with some repeat attacks, and make sure you use any extra Stardust you get to raise the level of your best Pokémon. It all adds XP and should result in a nice and productive half-hour of Lucky Egg levelling.

4) TWEAK YOUR POKE-HUNTING TECHNIQUE

When the game first launched it came with a Nearby tracking feature that showed you how close Pokémon were to your location. The feature has since been tweaked by the team at Niantic, who have removed the footprint tracking system – a feature which showed you how close a creature was by displaying either one, two, or three footprints below its icon in the list.

But although the footprint aspect has been removed, the Nearby tracker still remains part of the game, in the form of the 'Sightings' menu, and is arguably easier to use than before. In order to find the Pokémon that are showing on your tracker, you can no longer click on a specific creature and follow the flashing green box to where that Pokémon is supposed to be.

To hunt down a specific beast, keep the Sightings display open, walk around, and watch for whether the creature's icon disappears from the list or not. If so, you're going the wrong way. Repeat until you happen across the little beast.

In the latest update, the circumference of the circle around your character has also been increased. This means you’re able to catch Pokémon that are much further away than you could previously. The distance is now about 200 metres.

A new Nearby tracker should be arriving soon, so this could change in the near future. The new system is being trialled by Niantic with certain users, and we're expecting it to be rolled out to other players soon.

5) NEVER LURE LOCALLY

One of the most unique aspects of Pokémon Go is that it aims to get you out and about. The more new places you take your Poké-hunt to, the more different Pokémon you’ll find.

If you only play the game in your local area, you’ll find yourself catching the same Pokémon time and again. And although this is useful for evolving and levelling up, we are all after the same result – catching as many different Pokémon as possible. So why waste your own lures in your local park when you know it's only filled with common Drowzees and Rattatas?

Instead, make the most of lures other people have dropped in your area. Unlike incense, which will draw Pokémon specifically to you, a Lure is attached to a Pokéstop and can benefit all the Poké-trainers in the area. You’ll see be able to tell if a lure has been released at a Pokéstop when the supply store starts showering purple confetti. Keep an eye out for these when walking around your local area, and keep your own Lures and Incense for when you’ve taken your Poké-hunt somewhere new.

Once you’ve arrived at a new location and your ‘Nearby’ screen is telling you there are a range of interesting Pokémon close by, this is the time to strike up your Lure or Incense. Before using a lure on a specific Pokéstop, make sure you’re able to stay in the same spot for 30 minutes. In no time you’ll find yourself surrounded by Pokémon ready for catching.

6) ROLL WITH A CREW

Although Pokémon Go can be perfectly enjoyable when playing solo, if you want to move up the ranks quickly, it's advisable to round up a few fellow trainers and travel in a pack. Pokémon Go lets you choose between joining either the Red, Blue or Yellow team once you reach level 5, which forms the basis for gym battles. Whenever you capture a gym, which are dotted around the landscape, you will claim it for your team.

And while it's much more satisfying to steal a gym from some unsuspecting randomer, you'll have a much easier time levelling up, at least at first, if you travel with some members of the opposite factions. That way, you can roam the land, taking gyms for your team, then losing them to your fellow travellers and repeating the process. This means you'll all gain the XP that comes with taking and defending gyms without having to wait for an unknown Pokétrainer to come along and challenge you.

7) DATA AND BATTERY-SAVING TIPS

There's a few things you can do to save battery life and data. Firstly, there's the battery saving feature built in to Pokémon Go, which can be found in the settings menu, and should allow you to keep hunting for much longer.

Secondly, and more generally, make sure your phone isn't downloading automatic app updates over your data connection. To ensure you're only getting automatic updates when you're connected to Wi-Fi, iPhone users can turn off 'Wi-Fi assist' in Settings, while Android users should select 'Update Apps automatically only through Wi-Fi' in their Settings.

You can also download data-conserving browsers such as Opera Mini, which will load pared-down versions of websites to limit the amount of data used. Chrome users should also check out Chrome Data Saver.

Of course, a lot of apps will run in the background, using up your data without you even realising it. To stop this betrayal from going on any longer, iPhone users should go to Settings>General and turn 'Background App Refresh' off. Alternatively, you can turn off individual apps' ability to update in the background in the same menu.

Android adherents should go to Settings>Data Usage and scroll down to see a list of apps using data. Tapping on individual apps will give you the ability to 'Restrict app background data' for particular apps.

8) KEEP AN EGG ON THE BOIL

You should find yourself picking up eggs on your travels, which can be hatched to gain new Pokémon by simply walking around. If you do nothing else, make sure you have at least one egg in an incubator at any one time. You’ll find your eggs by tapping on the Pokemon button then scrolling right to reveal all of the eggs you’ve collected.

Eggs will hatch after either 2km, 5km or 10km of distanced travelled. The further you have to walk, the rarer the Pokemon inside is. 2km eggs will hatch your standard Zubat or Spearow, while 10km eggs may hold a Mr. Mime.

It's also worth noting that the longer you had to walk to hatch your egg, the higher the XP you receive. So try to keep track of when your 10 km egg will hatch and use your Lucky Egg to coincide and maximise the XP you get.

Even when you’re not actively hunting for Pokémon, make sure Pokémon Go is running in order for it to track how far you’re travelling. The app doesn't track distance travelled if you don't have it open while travelling. And don't think about cheating by using a car either – the game knows when you're travelling faster than a preset speed limit, and won't count any distance travelled above this speed.

Walking is the most reliable option. However a slow-moving bus in heavy traffic will often do the trick. What’s more, if you have your AR switched off, you may find you can catch a few Pokémon along the way. This is also a great way of checking out where you can find different Pokémon, even if you don’t have time to catch them. Although, if you’re not in a hurry you can always jump of the bus at the next stop and track down that pesky Sandshrew.

9) PERFECT YOUR THROW

There are a few tips to follow if you want to improve your catch rate and reduce the number of re-throws you need to make.

Firstly, get into the habit of throwing when the catch circle (the coloured ring that diminishes in size) is small. Although it's easier to hit the Pokémon when the circle is at its largest, and you may have been relying on this technique in the early levels, your Pokémon is more likely to break out afterwards, especially once you start hitting the higher levels.

Once you start collecting Great Balls, Master Balls and Ultra Balls, you’ll need to start combining these with Razz Berries to catch high-CP Pokémon, or those with orange or red catch circles. You’ll gradually get the hang of which combination to use for different Pokémon through practice. But, initially, throwing a Razz Berry then following it up with a Great Ball throw to a small catch circle usually does the trick.

If your Pokémon still breaks out, you can keep using Razz Berries before each throw as long as you caught the Pokémon in the previous throw. You can’t use multiple Razz Berries without catching the Pokémon in between.

10) IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT CP

That's right, those seemingly all-important Combat Points aren't always the best indicator of how a Pokémon is going to fare in battle. There's actually a whole hidden level of stats called Individual Values, or IVs which will contribute to the strength of any given creature.

As such, it's best to catch as many Pokémon as possible, even if you already have a particular creature, if for no other reason than to ensure you get the best possible version of a Blastoise, or Raichu, for instance.

The thing to keep in mind is that, although CP is important, as well as the particular battle moves a Pokémon has, it doesn't tell you the whole story, and you could ultimately end up with a weaker Pokémon than you realise, once you get into evolving. Luckily, there's an online calculator that can help you determine whether a Pokémon is worth the effort it takes to train it up and evolve. You can find the IV calculator here.

It's also worth mentioning that moves are important. All Pokémon will have two attacks they can use during gym battles. If you capture two of the same Pokémon, and one has a higher CP, don't be too quick to trade the creature with the lower CP in to the Prof. First, check the moves for both, and if the lower CP one has higher-rated moves, it might just be worth keeping that one instead. Of course, if there's a huge difference in CP, it's a different story. We'd refer you to the above calculator in any case.

11) EVOLVE A DOWNED POKÉMON FOR A FULL REVIVE

This is a bit of a cheeky technique if you happen to have a downed Pokémon in your arsenal and don't want to use a revive. It turns out you can feed candies and use stardust on any creature that's been defeated in battle. That means, if you've got enough candies, you can evolve it while it's still technically 'down'.

Once it gets to its evolved state it should have a full health bar. Simple, and not all that much easier than just using a revive. But it could be worth knowing in a pinch.

12) BATTLE YOUR OWN GYMS

Here's another quick and easy one. If you've got a particular gym you would hate to see fall into the hands of another team, especially Spark and his band of Yellow scoundrels, you might consider fighting at your own gym.

Why would you do such a thing? Well, each Pokémon you defeat will gain XP for the gym itself. Rack up enough XP and the gym will level up – unlocking more spaces for you to add new creatures to defend it. It's worthwhile, as the more Pokémon you have there, the easier it will be to defend. And defending a gym nets you Pokécoins, which you can use to buy all manner of helpful supply in the store.

We'll be updating this list with more invaluable tips in the coming days, so stay tuned.