Mafia 3 Extended Gameplay Video Provides a Good Look

Mafia 3 comes out on October 7.

Get your system ready for the series' forthcoming return to horror.2K Games has published an extended gameplay demo for open-world crime game Mafia III. This video, which was shown to some at Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show, provides one of the best and most in-depth looks at the game to date.

The 16-minute video shows main character Lincoln Clay taking out one of bad guy Sal Marcano's underbosses, Tony Derazio. There are shooting, driving, and melee combat sequences on display--and it all looks pretty good. You may want to stay through until the end, as the video wraps up with a particularly intense shootout. Take a look:

This is not the first Mafia III video that came out this week. Days ago, 2K released a trailer that showed off the ways you can make money, while another video showcased Clay's deadly arsenal. Additionally, 2K recently announced its post-launch DLC plans, which includes free content in addition to paid expansions. If you're planning to pick up the game on PC, you can see the system requirements here.

For more on Mafia III, which comes out on October 7 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, check out GameSpot's new feature that covers seven things you need to know. You can also read GameSpot's interview with composer Jesse Harlin.

A mobile version of Mafia III, called Mafia III: Rivals, has also been announced.

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WORLD OF WARCRAFT: LEGION REVIEW

World of Warcraft: Legion bears a terrible weight. In some ways, it feels like an apology for the mistakes made during the previous WoW expansion, Warlords of Draenor. Those mistakes also led many to believe World of Warcraft's days were numbered, and now Legion is tasked with not only making up for lost time, but also proving that World of Warcraft still has time left. Despite all that, Legion is the most confident expansion Blizzard has ever made.

The Burning Legion's invasion of Azeroth might be one of the most dire conflicts explored in World of Warcraft, an impression driven home by the Broken Shore intro that pulls a few pages from Game of Thrones by nonchalantly killing off important characters. But that confidence I see in Legion doesn't just come from going all in on the story—it comes from understanding that this is Blizzard's sixth time releasing an expansion. As I imagine the Lord Illidan would say, they are prepared.

Above: Stormheim is a bleak coastal zone populated by a race of totally-not-vikings, the Vrykul. 

On the broken shore

The pre-expansion introduction to Legion starts and, if you're with the Alliance, ends with a bang, but I was a little disappointed that it doesn't keep up that D-Day-style tension beyond its opening chapter. Where Warlords of Draenor captured the feeling of invading a hostile land and establishing a tenuous foothold, the first few hours of Legion feel safe and not nearly as dramatic. I was let down at first, but as I ventured out into the new zones and began digging into their respective questlines, I hardly cared.

There are times when Legion is outright silly despite its apocalyptic main story, injecting a wonderful sense of personality into the characters I meet.

Each of the new zones demonstrates Blizzard's experience in storytelling and world design at its best. The new zones are gorgeous, and effortlessly funnel me from one quest to the next. The rainy coastline of Azsuna is my favorite. The crumbling elven ruins that dot its sombre landscape evoke a sad beauty, like a classical painting weathered and broken by time. The quest about the ghost of a prince seeking redemption is just as tragic. A generous sprinkling of voice acting and cutscenes throughout these quests help me sympathize with the characters I fight alongside.

It's almost odd that things seem so bleak when, at the same time, I'm having so much damn fun. At their heart, the quests in Legion remain focused on collecting and killing, but each one takes a chore and turns it into a game of charades where you'll never know what you're expected to do next. Where there isn't a unique wrinkle, like using a squadron of drakelings to destroy defensive towers while an insane mage rains magic missiles on my head, there's always some oddball character stuck in some bizarre predicament, like a pack of stranded sailors being used in Pokémon battles by giants. Even a simple escort quest became delightful when the scheming, mana-addicted elf I rode alongside had to frequently stop to feed his cravings.

 

Above: A slight update to WoW's lighting does wonders in some areas. 

There are times when Legion is outright silly despite its apocalyptic main story, injecting a wonderful sense of personality into the characters I meet. Because of that, Legion achieves something kind of remarkable for an MMO: I don't see a question mark on my map and consider it some chore to be completed on my quest to level 110, but an invitation for fun.

The meat of Legion's endgame raids won't be available for a few weeks, but the world quest system is a smart revamp of daily quests that won't supplant the need for new updates down the road, but should keep Legion from feeling stale during the months in between. World quests are essentially Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls' adventure mode stitched wholesale onto Warcraft, and turns the entirety of the Broken Isles into an endgame zone at 110—meaning I'm not stuck in the same area repeating the same quests over and over, but rather jumping around the Broken Isles day to day completing a variety of objectives for better loot drops. Once I've had some time with the full endgame experience, I hope to have a better idea of whether or not Legion will become stale months down the road. For now, I'm optimistic that as long as Blizzard can keep pace, Legion's endgame will be more accessible and satisfying than Warlords of Draenor ever was. 

Staying classy

Still, questing for hours on end can be a grind no matter how inventive the quests are, so I'm always relieved when Legion gives me an excuse to take a quick break. Tending to the new 'order halls' that serve as my headquarters breaks up the questing every few hours. In the most reductive sense, order halls are the garrisons of Warlords of Draenor. While I still have followers that I send out on missions that can take days to complete, there's only five to manage instead of dozens. I like not having to worry about erecting and leveling up buildings, instead focusing on a simple, more focused system of researching new upgrades to my base. Best of all, I'm no longer alone when I'm in my order hall like I was with garrisons. It's fun to return home and see all my druid brethren hanging out together.

While the functionality of order halls is great at establishing some longer term goals, my favorite aspect represents something that World of Warcraft has been lacking for years: class identity. Each order hall is unique to each class, and they all evoke the associated mythos and personality in powerful ways. The Dreamgrove, where druid players call home, is an enchanting meadow that feels heavy with ancient mysticism. By comparison, The Fel Hammer, the demonic spaceship where demon hunters kick back after a day of murder, is burning with nefarious green energy amid the gnashing of the demon prisoners chained to its walls.

There's a generous helping of quests associated with each class that further help establish this renewed sense of identity. I love digging deeper into the lore of my druid, and many quests require using abilities unique to my class, even ones I would never use in any other context. It's a great feeling to dust off an old spell for some clever use in a quest, but, more importantly, there's a selfish satisfaction in knowing that I'm doing something not every class can do. 

 

Above: Some order halls also have extra perks, like the Dreamgrove having portals to various locations in Azeroth.  

That sense of affection I'm beginning to feel for my character might just be the most rewarding part of Legion for me. For the first time, I don't just feel like I'm playing a druid—I am a druid. Not that I'm frolicking around in the forest behind my house and trying to commune with trees, but Legion has me more curious about roleplaying in World of Warcraft than I've ever been.

There's no better way to see Warcraft's improved class identity than to take the new demon hunters for a spin. They are, without a doubt, the most well-realized class that Blizzard has ever created. I'm not fond of their dour emo nature, but that's easy to ignore as my demon hunter transforms into a savage monstrosity and obliterates a pack of murlocs with laser beams that shoot out of his damn eyeballs. While I don't find them quite alluring enough to consider switching from my druid, demon hunters are badasses of the highest order.

What makes demon hunters so fun, especially their damage-dealing specialization, is how agile they feel in and out of combat. Whether I'm dashing through a pack of monsters, backflipping away from an attack, or just using their bat-like wings to glide through the air, I always feel like the coolest thing to walk Azeroth since the Arthas first took hold of Frostmourne.

 

Above: Step aside Cyclops, there's a way cooler hero who shoots lasers from his eyes. 

Legacy and lore

If there's one element of Legion that attempts to contribute to that fantasy but falls short, it's the new artifact weapons. Each class specialization now has its own unique weapon that will stay with them until the next expansion, growing in strength alongside the character that wields it. I'm somewhat indifferent to the way artifact weapons work, however. On one hand, I like that they earn their own form of experience points that I can use to unlock nodes in a talent tree, augmenting my abilities. On the other, I resent the way they attempt to appear so legendary and one of a kind when every other player of the same specialization shares the same weapon.

That sense of affection I'm beginning to feel for my character might just be the most rewarding part of Legion for me.

There are cosmetic options to alter the appearance of the weapon to try and make it more unique, but I'm not convinced it's a better system than the traditional method of farming better weapons from dungeons and raids. Fortunately, the weird disconnect that artifact weapons create isn't powerful enough to detract from the enthusiasm I have for what Legion accomplishes.

 

Above: Druids are extra cool because their artifact weapon also alters their shapeshifted forms.

When it comes to that enthusiasm and those accomplishments, however, there's one massive caveat that hangs above them: Warlords of Draenor had me just as excited at launch before Blizzard ignored it for over a year, leading to one of the darkest times in Warcraft's history. With the quality of questing, order halls, and restored class identity, I feel optimistic that Blizzard is keen to win back my lost faith, but an expansion isn't wholly defined by its opening chapter—the updates that follow will ultimately determine how we remember Legion.

But while much of the endgame, like raids and 'Mythic+' dungeons aren't available yet, Legion already represents World of Warcraft at its all-time best.  Even after the weeks spent in the beta and now with the official release,  its weakest elements, like artifact weapons, can't get in the way of how much fun I'm having exploring the Broken Isles. Legion's ultimate legacy may depend on what’s to come, but what's available now has me excited about World of Warcraft in a way I haven't felt since my dwarf hunter took his first steps into Dun Morogh a decade ago.

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Three More Decks for Your Collection--The Story Of Solitaire

Three More Decks for Your Collection

The United States Playing Card Company recently added the Bicycle® Warrior Horse, Brosmind, and Zombified decks to ShopBicycleCards.com.

Zombified

Graaaugh! Zombies are back in the third Bicycle® zombie-themed deck. Billy Tackett, an award-winning artist known for his zombie art, illustrated the Zombified Deck.

Warrior Horse and Brosmind, previously available only in overseas markets, are now easily accessible for fans North America.

Warrior Horse

Warrior Horse celebrates people born in the year of the horse; these people are active and energetic, charming and cheerful, hardworking, self-possessed and sharp. The design is rooted in Chinese style and tradition, and was released in time to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Find yours here.

Brosmind

Brosmind is a design studio in Barcelona, Spain, founded by Juan and Alejandro Mingarro in 2006. Their bright illustrations draw inspiration from street art all over Spain—and now you can find their whimsical designs on every card in the Brosmind Deck. Grab yours here.

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Forty Thieves Solitaire -The Story Of Solitaire

Forty Thieves Solitaire - one of the most challenging and skillful solitaire games that you can find.

Rank of Cards

The ace of hearts is always third-best trump. There are 13 trumps when hearts are trump, 14 when any other suit is trump. Rank of spot cards is different in red and black suits.

Rank in trump suit:

Spades and clubs: 5 (high), J, A, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Hearts: 5 (high), J, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2.

Diamonds: 5 (high), J, A, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2.

Rank of cards in plain suits (no trump):

Spades and clubs: K (high), Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Diamonds: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

Hearts: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The rule to remember is, "Low in black, high in red."

The Deal

Deal five cards to each player clockwise - three, then two (or two, then three) in rotation, to the left, beginning with the player on his left. After the deal is completed, the next card is turned over to indicate trump.

Robbing the Trump

The player holding the ace of the trump suit may exchange any card in his hand for the turned card. If the player does not choose to make this exchange, he must ask the dealer to turn down the trump card, thus announcing who holds the ace (otherwise that player's ace becomes lowest trump, even if it is the ace of hearts). If an ace is turned, the dealer may discard at once and take the ace into his hand after the first trick, or may play with his original hand, announcing this intention.

Object of The Game

The goal is to accumulate the most chips by winning tricks.

The Play

The player on the dealer's left leads any card. Each player, in turn, must follow suit if possible, or trump. If unable to follow suit, a player may play any card.

When a lower trump is led, a player is not required to follow suit with the five or jack of trumps or the ace of hearts.

A trick containing a trump is won by the highest trump played. Any other trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads next.

How to Keep Score

The side taking three or four tricks scores 5 points; five tricks, 10 points. An alternative system is that each trick counts 5 points, and the score of the side taking the fewest tricks is deducted from that of the side taking the most tricks. Thus, three tricks count 5; four tricks, 15; five tricks, 25 points; 45 points is game.

Irregularities

There is a misdeal if too many or too few cards are dealt, if the dealer exposes a card in dealing, if the deal begins with an uncut pack (provided a new deal is demanded before the deal is completed), or if the dealer counts the cards on the table or in the pack. If there is a misdeal, the deal passes to the player on the original dealer's left.

Irregular Hand

A hand with an incorrect number of cards is dead, and the other players continue play. However, if a player has won three tricks with an irregular hand before it is discovered, he wins the pot.

Revoke

If there is an illegal exposure of a card after any player has won two tricks, the offender's hand is dead, and he does not receive cards until the pot in progress is won. However, he must still add to the pot when other players do.

Source : http://webofsolitaire.com/solitaire-news/73-the-history-of-solitaire-freecell-card-games.html

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Pepper--The story of Solitaire

Pepper

The Pack

24 cards containing each 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A in each suit.

Rank of Cards

J (of trump suit, or the "Right Bower"; high), J (of the other suit of the same color as the trump suit, or "the Left Bower"), A, K, Q, 10, 9.

Dealing

Cards are dealt one at a time to each player, starting with the player to the dealer's left. Each player receives six cards.

Bidding

Starting with the player to the dealer's left, each player can bid or pass. A bid indicates the number of tricks that a player (with the help of their partner) will contract to win if allowed to choose either the trump suit or no trump. The possible bids are the numbers from one to five; above five is 'little pepper,' which is a bid to take six tricks, and the highest bid of all is 'big pepper,' which is also a bid to take six tricks, but the stakes for that hand are effectively doubled.

Each player in turn must either bid higher than the previous bid or pass. The auction continues for as many rounds as necessary, until a bid is passed by all of the other three players. The highest bidder then either names a trump suit or chooses 'no trump'. This fixes the trump suit, if any, for that hand.

The Play

The highest bidder then makes the opening lead, and may lead any card. The other players each play a card (playing clockwise) and must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play any card. The trick goes to the highest trump or, if there are no trump cards, to the highest card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads to the next trick.

How to Keep Score

Teams scores one point for each trick taken if it makes at least its contract, but loses six points if it fails to make its contract, regardless of the value of the contract.

A team can have a negative score. An exception to this is the "big pepper" bid. With this contract, if all the tricks are taken the contracting side wins 12 points. However, if the contracting side fails to take all six tricks, they are set back 12 points. The opposing side always scores one point for each trick taken.

The first team to score 30 or more points wins. If both sides reach 30 or more points on the same hand, the side with the higher score wins. If their scores are equal, the game is a tie.

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How To Play Quadruple War--The story of Solitaire

How To Play Quadruple War

The Deal

The deck is divided evenly, with each player receiving 26 cards, dealt one at a time, face down.
Anyone may deal first.

Each player places his stack of cards face down, in front of him.

The Play

Each player turns up a card at the same time and the player with the higher card takes both cards and puts them, face down, on the bottom of his stack. If the cards are the same rank, it is War. Each player counts out four cards face down, and the next card turned face up by each player determines the winner of all the cards.

- See more at: http://www.bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/quadruple-war/#filter

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Five Ways to Tell You Have Too Many Decks--The story of Solitaire

Five Ways to Tell You Have Too Many Decks

There’s nothing quite like opening a fresh deck of playing cards. Or setting aside a few unopened decks just in case. Or lots of unopened decks just in case. Or having so many unopened decks that you’re starting a collection. A collection that begins in a spare drawer, then slowly finds its way onto your desk, then begins building along the kitchen table—wait. Do you have too many decks? Is that even possible? Read this list to find out if you’re in the clear, or part of the problem. You may have too many decks if. . .

1. You have nowhere to put them. When your collection gets so vast that it outgrows your display cases, Drawer-O-Cards, glass cabinets, or secret underground vault, it’s time to either downsize or re-organize. Either give away a few decks, or take the time—this weekend, even—to upgrade your display method so that you can actually give your cards some TLC. Otherwise, they’re just sitting around, unplayed and undisplayed. At that point, they’re just clutter, and. . .

2. You don’t use them. Maybe they’re all sitting out, waiting to be put in a display case. Maybe you only have four or five decks. . . but three have sat unopened for ages. If you’re into using your cards rather than displaying them, and you have unopened decks gathering dust, you have too many.

3. You forget which ones you have. If they’re on display in a prominent location or sealed in the underground vault you visit every day, it’s unlikely you’ll forget about your decks. But if you have so many that, when you occasionally rummage through, you think, Oh! I forgot I had this guy. Whoa. Congratulations, you have too many decks.

4. You have like eight kinds of the same one. Five, six, seven, eight or more of the same kind of deck is a lot of decks. What are they doing, besides gathering dust? Are you going to make an art installation with the extra cards? Carefully paper maché them into an elaborate King of Clubs crown you can wear on poker nights? If they aren’t already being used, there are too many. It’s time to downsize.

5. Kidding! There’s no such thing. Seriously. Who has too many decks? “Too many” is so limiting. So restrictive. Who cares how many decks you have, as long as they’re neatly displayed or put away? You’re carefully curating a collection, not gathering useless paper scraps. Sheesh.

In all honesty, if you’d like to downsize your deck collection, there are plenty of ways to go about it. Start by giving them to friends and family; many non-card-enthusiasts may never see a design that isn’t the Standard rider back. If your stash continues to overflow, consider giving decks to local shelters or thrift stores. Finally, if you’d like to sell some of your vintage sets, eBay is still a great option.

How do you display your collection, and what do you do with the overflow? Tell us in the Comments section.

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solitaire

Have some way when you play the game

On line two (and also throughout the chart) I use the phrase "frees a downcard". The Solitaire board initially has seven upcards (face-up) on top of seven increasingly bigger stacks of downcards (face-down) for a total of 28 board cards (7 upcards, 21 downcards). When you free a downcard you are making a play or transfer that allows one of these downcards to be turned face-up, therefore putting it into play. As you can see in the Solitaire strategy guide on almost every strategy line, freeing downcards is one of the most important tools in solving the game. If you cannot do so on a consistent basis, your chances for success will be greatly decreased. Free those downcards at any cost!

      Line three also extends this logical concept with the addition that if faced with a choice you should free the downcard from the biggest pile of downcards possible. This should make sense to you immediately. If freeing downcards is so important, wouldn't it be your goal to dig into the pile that has the most of them if you can? It better be now! With these simple but highly effective strategy concepts, you now have an excellent grasp of the game and how to defeat it. But let's continue on to discover some of the finer points of this strategy guide that will help you defeat this increasingly not-so-difficult game for one and bring the win home.

      An interesting term I have used in Klondike solitaire turn one strategy line seven on the chart is Next Card Protection. What this means is that whenever you are building your Ace stacks (playing an Ace above the Solitaire board and then proceeding to play additional cards onto it), you may sometimes be able to play many more cards to one particular stack instead of another. For example, say you have the opportunity to play the 4 of spades to the Spades Ace stack. Before you do, you consult the Solitaire strategy chart and find line seven. The first item advises against playing a card to an Ace stack unless it will preserve the Next Card Protection. This means that unless there is a spot on the board for the next lowest cardbelow the potential Ace stack card, you should not play the card to its Ace stack. In this case there must be either another black four (the 4 of clubs) on the board, both red threes already played to their Ace stacks, or both red threes already played to the board. In all of these instances, you have protected the next card below the 4 of Spades because if a red three comes up you have ensured that it will be able to be played (you've left a "spot" open for them). This is the concept of Next Card Protection.

      It is particularly of importance to maintain Deuce Protection. This would mean that you should delay the playing of a Three to an Ace stack in order to keep the availability of a spot for a Deuce to be played to unless both the applicable Deuces had already been played or were being protected due to the other Three being available on the Board. Protect you Deuces or you'll be kicking yourself later!

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Overcrowded Church

The two thousand member Baptist church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church.

One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons.

The one in the middle announced, "Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!"

Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor and start talk about great jokes.

After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit.

The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, "All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service."

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a light bulb.

Three blondes are attempting to change a light bulb. One of them decides to call 911:

Blonde: We need help. We're three blondes changing a light bulb.

Operator: Hmmmmm. You put in a fresh bulb?

Blonde: Yes.

Operator: The power in the house in on?

Blonde: Of course.

Operator: And the switch is on?

Blonde: Yes, yes.

Operator: And the bulb still won't light up?

Blonde: No, it's working fine.

Operator: Then what's the problem?

Blonde: We got dizzy spinning the ladder around, and we all fell and hurt ourselves.

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