Some Info ABout XCOM 2

PROS

Tight tactical gameplay

Dynamic and unpredictable

Wider strategy full of tough, meaningful decisions

New stealth options work in well

Strong cinematic presentation

CONS

Views don’t always provide necessary information

Available on PS4, Xbox One (version tested), PC

XCOM 2 CONSOLE REVIEW

During the run-up to XCOM 2’s initial release, developer Firaxis spoke candidly about its decision to keep it PC-exclusive, saying it felt more comfortable on the platform and explaining how the game’s UI – filled with on-screen information – worked better on a monitor. At the time, there weren’t even any plans to develop controller support for PC. If you’d caught this messaging, you’d be forgiven for feeling cautious about the game’s console port. Luckily, those concerns can be put aside – XCOM 2 on console is still unmissable.

As anyone who’s played the PC version will know, any mistake or error of judgement can prove devastating. Fortunately, those mistakes won’t be down to the input method, as the former PC-exclusive’s controls transfer over to the Xbox One pad surprisingly well. Give the right trigger a squeeze to initiate an attack command and you’re presented with an on-screen selection of icons. Often-used commands that you can select without choosing a target – reloading and Overwatch, for example – are mapped to buttons, so you can pull them off without fuss.

Obviously an analogue stick doesn’t match the precision of a mouse when trying to choose a location for a squad member to run to, but the game does a great job of making the cursor snap to the right grid, judging by your stick inputs. As for performance, if anything it’s more stable than on the PC version, thanks to a capped frame rate and fewer visual effects. This being a slow-paced strategy game, you’ll miss neither. This isn’t a second-class cash-in. Still, you will make mistakes...

XCOM 2 translates surprisingly well onto console, with the controls feeling intuitive and the map’s grid negating the need for precision mouse control – buttons act as hotkeys for certain actions. The Xbox One version, while capped at 30fps, doesn’t have any of the frame rate issues that the PC version had at launch either, so you’re never distracted by jerkiness.

Though I’d still play on PC if given the option – because the HUD looks sharper on a monitor and it feels slightly more natural to play with a mouse – XCOM 2 is a stellar port, bringing the full-fat experience across otherwise intact.

Even if you’re not a strategy game fan, you owe it to yourself to give this a try anyway – it transcends genres. This lacks the vertical learning curve of many strategy games, slowly easing you in with exciting combat encounters instead of overwhelming you with walls of text. It’s a game that trusts you to figure out its nuances itself, and it’s all the better for it. XCOM 2 is the pinnacle of its genre.

Read on below for Stuart Andrews' review of the PC version of XCOM 2

Now this is how you follow up a fantastic reboot. Yes, XCOM 2 brings all the stuff you might expect – new unit types, new enemies, new weapons and new features, some impressive visual upgrades and a meaty new campaign – yet it also does so much more.

The sequel expertly twists and refines XCOM’s gameplay, not reinventing it for reinvention's sake, but making changes that work to pull the rug out from under experienced players; changes guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. In doing so, it makes a genre that can feel dry and predictable every bit as dynamic and exciting as any all-action shooter. Firaxis’s superb sequel might give you nightmares, but it's the kind of turn-based, tactical game that dreams are made of.

Boldly, it makes the choice not to follow Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within by assuming that mankind was victorious, but by taking the opposite approach – imagining we lost it. Twenty years on the aliens dominate the planet, ruling humanity under the guise of a benevolent global agency, Advent, while secretly oppressing and even kidnapping the people for their own nefarious ends. Luckily, a plucky band of resistance fighters wage a guerilla war against our extra-terrestrial overlords from a captured heli-carrier, christened the Avenger. Even your protagonist – the legendary Commander of the first game – needs rescuing from a sinister alien lab.

In short, this time you're no global government agency with a big budget to back you up, but the leader of a small bunch of underdogs, on the run and striking where you can. You no longer have the world's most advanced military resources at your disposal, but a small number of enthusiastic, hard-working scientists and engineers. XCOM 2 wants to make you work for every victory in a world where playing it safe can mean disaster. At every turn, it's about acting fast, moving decisively and seizing the advantage when an opportunity arises.

The fundamentals of the gameplay haven't changed. Each turn sees you move your four-man squad using simple point-and-click controls, moving them into position then – if you have any action points left – firing on the enemy or setting them to 'overwatch': a state where they'll fire at any one enemy that strays into their field of view. Once you've moved your guys, the aliens move theirs. Repeat until you meet your objectives or you’re dead.

The major difference XCOM 2 brings is urgency. As a guerrilla force you need to strike fast, capture intel or resources and then escape the battlefield, often within a set number of turns. As a result, there's none of the namby-pamby, keep everyone in cover and switch to overwatch stuff that you could get away with in the original game. No. Here there's a little time to probe the area and set-up ambushes while your squad remain concealed, but that’s soon followed by a rapid push forwards to get to your objective and get out before the turn count expires. You can take all the time you need on each turn, so there’s no sense that strategy is compromised, but each turn has to count. Taking things slowly might mean failing your mission or – worse – leaving valued troops behind.

This last point is important. As in XCOM, you only have a small pool of soldiers and specialists to choose from, with restrictions on the numbers you can recruit. Taking troops out on a mission and exposing them to combat gives them experience, making them stronger and allowing you to promote them. When promoted, your squaddies earn new skills and gain access to new equipment – in concert with a research tree, of course.

What's more, troops can be killed, wounded, abandoned or over-stressed, making you work hard to maintain a balance. Do you take your best operatives out and risk losing them, or take the rookies and try to build them up? Is it better to keep a troop in cover or use them as a sniper, or are you risking the possibility that they might not make it to the evac point? Do you prioritise your brave men and women or the objective? Here command is all about responsibility, and as your troops gain promotions, vital skills and even nicknames, you’ll find that this responsibility can suck.

But then that's the great thing about XCOM 2. The stakes are always high and the combat dynamic. The original did a fantastic job of making a turn-based strategy game feel cinematic, but the sequel is even better, the view zooming in to cut between a troop firing and their target riddled with bullets or – if you're unlucky – coming through unscathed. More detailed models, more lifelike textures and more varied scenery help sell all those reaction shots and close-ups, and make every big moment count.

Those big moments come pretty thick and fast as well. You'll move one of your best guys into what looks like safe cover, only to have them spotted by an enemy on overwatch. Cue triumphant alien bastard, blast of energy and smoking corpse. Sometimes you'll send a squaddie sprinting for the evac point, and they'll make it through a gauntlet of alien fire. Sometimes you'll have the joy of watching an ambush come together, as snipers, scouts and troops on overwatch take out a trio of aliens in one slick sequence of moves. Whatever happens, it won’t be predictable. The game even uses procedurally generated maps to make each encounter different – and your own.

Beyond the action on the ground there's a wider underground war effort, where you'll find yourself choosing missions, selecting areas to scan for intel, making contact with resistance groups and prioritising tasks for your research and engineering teams. In a way, this defuses the tension of the actual missions and gives you a chance to regroup and prepare, but this stuff also matters.

Not only is there the risk that mistakes made here might eventually cost you the war, but the troops you recruit, the facilities you build and the items you research have an impact on the battlefield, making your troops stronger, buffing their skills and making them better equipped to respond to the escalating threat.

As each day passes you’ll face decisions as to where to go, what to scan and whether resources are worth travelling to and picking up. Plus, once the alien plans become apparent, you’ll have to keep them delayed while maintaining your own wider objectives. This won’t be an easy task, and it may take multiple playthroughs before you get the balance right.

To help, you have new options. Troops begin as raw rookies before drifting into one specialism or another, but the grenadiers and sharpshooters of the first game are now joined by a stealth and close-quarters combat operative, the ranger, and a new specialist class with support capabilities and a customisable drone. Put your research on the right path, meanwhile, and new psionic troop types open up. Even within the different classes you have choices, enabling you to tailor the specialist for combat support or medic roles or the ranger for infiltration or melee attacks. Combine these with a steady drip feed of new alien-derived equipment, and there’s cope for a huge range of different strategies.

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Needless to say, the aliens aren’t sitting still. For a start, you’ll find new types in play, using dastardly psionic powers to disrupt your troops on the battlefield or give you a nasty shock just when things seem to be going well. The aliens are also hunting you and the resistance, meaning you’ll face fraught missions where you have to rescue fellow rebels in the middle of an Advent onslaught or equally tense missions where you’ll have to defend your downed Avenger so that it (and you) can escape.

Whether you’re building, researching and recruiting or actively in combat, XCOM 2 never lets you forget that you’re a small band of fighters with limited resources and fearsome time pressures, battling a powerful, embedded foe. Victory is never inevitable, defeat is always lurking round the corner, and a wise commander will save regularly to avoid disaster (though the game quicksaves automatically as well).

It’s a tough game, but nearly always fair. The enemy AI can be fiendishly tricky, working to outflank you or taking advantage of your silly errors. It’s great to have your best, most heavily armed grenadier right on the frontlines, but not when he or she falls foul of alien mind control and goes haywire. Sometimes the dice don’t roll in your favour and a battle-hardened troop will miss a crucial, easy shot, but sometimes things can go the other way as well.

The worst thing I can say about it is that the cutaway view with its disappearing rooftops can sometimes make it hard to see an alien squad or emplacement, while the procedurally generated maps can give you unexpected challenges – it’s tough enough facing several groups of aliens and Advent soldiers, but tougher still when an automatic turret has been placed without much reason on a rooftop right behind you. Still, such events aren’t a regular occurrence, and if they’re the price of such an unpredictable, exciting game then that’s a price worth paying.

VERDICT

XCOM 2’s brand of tactical strategy might have its roots in the golden age of PC gaming, but its sights are set square on building a future. By limiting your reliance on safe, defensive play styles and pushing you to work quickly and attack, Firaxis has built one of the most tense, demanding and addictive strategy games ever, where every choice has repercussions and every soldier, every victory counts. If you buy it, clear your schedule: this one will keep you gripped for months.

Some Preview About Corsair Lapdog

PROS

Comfortable

Large mousepad

Stable

Powered USB ports for fast charging

CONS

Keyboard section could do with a wristrest

Quite expensive for what it does

KEY FEATURES

Aluminium top

Supports any Corsair K70 or K65 keyboard

Can be used with any mouse

Two extra USB 3.0 ports

Padded lap rest

Integrated mousemat

Manufacturer: Corsair

Review Price: £110.00

WHAT IS THE CORSAIR LAPDOG?

PC gamers need no longer be confined to the back room – advances in TV technology and compact PC cases mean that it's possiblr to partake in a bit of gaming from the comfort of the living room. However, having to deal with wired mouse and keyboard in such a scenario can prove a bit of a faff. Although bog-standard Bluetooth keyboards are now fairly cheap, they can't compare to a proper mechanical keyboard. With the Lapdog, Corsair looks to solve this problem in one expensive swoop.

The Corsair Lapdog consists of a base unit that can house one of Corsair’s keyboards and a mouse of your choice; it all connects to your PC via a single cable. With a padded underside and integrated mouse mat, the Lapdog provides everything you should need for stable and comfortable gaming from the sofa. It's like a much larger version of the Razer Turret keyboard and mouse combination.

CORSAIR LAPDOG – DESIGN AND FEATURES

The Lapdog is made of two main sections: a tough plastic piece on which sit the mousemat and keyboard, and a second plate that magnetically attaches to the underside to provide the padding.

Usefully, it's possible to replace the actual padding on the latter section without having to invest in a complete unit. Considering the abuse it may incur, and the fact that it isn't washable – nor can it be wiped down like the rest of the Lapdog – this is an advantage.

The plates are 2mm-thick slabs of aluminium, consisting of the 277 x 251mm mousemat, a top piece into which you can hide and cables, a lower section that holds the bottom edge of the keyboard, and an optional piece that comes into play only if you're using the shorter K65 range of keyboards that don’t feature a number pad.

Corsair has made quite a name for itself for producing mechanical keyboards with a premium vibe and solid feel, so it’s great to see it continue in that vein with the Lapdog.

However, those who prefer another brand of keyboard are out of luck since the Lapdog is only compatible with the company’s K70 and K65 keyboards. You can use any mouse, though.

The Lapdog includes a fully powered two-port USB 3.0 hub that can be used for connecting a USB headset, attaching another set of peripherals (for multi-player on a single computer perhaps), or just charging your phone.

CORSAIR LAPDOG – SETUP

Setting up the Lapdog requires the removal of the top plate and mousemat; depending on whether you’re using a full-sized K70 keyboard or the shorter K65, you may need to remove the central metal plate, too.

Inside, there are a couple of USB ports into which you plug the mouse and keyboard (ignore the second USB plug on the keyboard) then it’s simply a case of tucking all the excess cable beneath the top plate and mousemat. The keyboard’s cables won't be visible at all; with regards to the mouse, you simply thread as much cable as you need out through a channel under the top plate, just next to the mousemat.

As already mentioned, it's possible to use any mouse of your choosing with the Lapdog, and in theory you can even opt for a different mouse mat if you’re not a fan of the Lapdog's hard plastic mousing surfaces. However, the one included is perfectly good, and its raised edges along the right and bottom ensure your mouse stops short of sliding off the unit.

The slight downside to the whole setup is that you do still need a cable to connect it all to your PC – this isn’t a wireless solution. What’s more, Corsair also recommends you provide extra power to the Lapdog courtesy of the included power supply.

However, Corsair has made what is potentially quite a cumbersome setup as simple as possible. The company provides a long 16ft (4.8m) cable for trailing to your PC. In addition, not only does the Lapdog require the use of just one USB 3.0 port to connect to your PC/console, but it also runs that extra power up to the Lapdog as well. As a result, you can have the power supply plugged in next to your PC and not have two cables dangling over your lap.

What’s more, the power supply is simply "recommended", it isn't mandatory. You’ll need it to use the extra USB ports – for charging a phone, for example – but for only the keyboard and mouse, the single USB should suffice. It worked throughout testing even on a USB 2.0 socket.

CORSAIR LAPDOG – COMFORT AND PERFORMANCE

Most apparent on first using the Lapdog is just how stable and comfortable it feels.

The entire setup is sturdy enough to ensure that the tapping of your fingers on the keyboard and movement of the mouse doesn't cause the Lapdog to wobble at all, while the padded underside stops it from sliding around on your lap.

In addition, the mouse mat is plenty big enough not to feel cramped. I experienced no issues while playing a more intense FPS, for instance, where the mouse was flying around at breakneck speed.

The Corsair Lapdog isn't perfect, however.

First is that the lack of a raised edge along the front of the mousemat, which results in the mouse sliding off in that direction if left unattended in some sitting positions.

Then there’s the fact that it's quite a large and heavy setup. Although this adds to the Lapdog's overall sturdiness and stability in use, it also makes it a little cumbersome to store and carry around.

Also, personally I found the natural keyboard position to be little too far to the left. While you can just shuffle the whole thing over a bit, to achieve what I considered a comfortable typing position resulted in the Lapdog being so far to the right that it was only a inch or so from balancing entirely on my right leg, therefore becoming unstable.

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The lack of a wrist rest also affects comfort. Since there’s no room to add one, you'll either have to adopt a raised-wrist typing position – which, is of course what we should all do anyway – or let your hands drop and type at an awkward angle and touch the rather sharp edges.

These comfort issues aside, the Lapdog works impressively well. You really can play FPS to a reasonably competitive level or type out a lengthy document all from the comfort of your sofa. All the while, you have only one cable to deal with and one stable, all-in-one unit to pickup and put down in between sessions.

Assuming your living room is big enough, it’s definitely the sort of thing you could have stored next to the TV and drag out when needed, without much hassle.

SHOULD I BUY THE CORSAIR LAPDOG?

The Lapdog could be seen as something of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, or at least an overly engineered solution to a fairly minor problem. However, if you can identify with that problem then the Lapdog most definitely solves it.

It brings a level of convenience and ease of use to using a keyboard and mouse from a sofa that I haven't witnessed before, and in doing so genuinely opens the door to playing games such as Titanfall 2 withthe competitive edge a keyboard and mouse can bring.

Combine this with the fact that it’s a well thought through and a well made bit of kit, and the Lapdog goes a long way to justifying what is undeniably a high asking price.

VERDICT

Not the cheapest bit of kit for living room gaming, but the Corsair Lapdog provides a stable and comfortable solution for gamers.

Some new features in WatchOS 3

iPhone and iPad users aren't the only people being treated to a huge update with the release of iOS 10. For those with an Apple Watch, after installing iOS 10, your next step is to install WatchOS 3.

A lot has changed with WatchOS 3, leaving some familiarity and a lot of new ground to cover. Below are 10 tips and tricks for WatchOS 3.

Scribble

With WatchOS 3 you can write your text responses -- literally -- using Scribble.

If an app gives you the option to reply to a message, be it Mail, Messages or Facebook Messenger, you'll find the Scribble button. Tap on it, and use your finger to write each letter in the dotted square.

The best part? You don't have to wait for the watch to recognize each letter. Write as fast as you want, each letter on top of the last and the watch will figure it out. Scribble is one of those features that sounds like more work than it's worth, but in reality is one of the most useful features in WatchOS 3.

Tapback

Along with the dramatic changes to Messages in iOS 10, WatchOS 3 gets to join in on the fun. That doesn't mean you'll have access to iMessage sticker packs or apps, but you can view the fun bubble or screen effects.

It also means you can use a Tapback reply to quickly acknowledge a message instead of using Scribble or dictating a new message altogether right on your wrist.

Long-press on a chat bubble, and then select the proper Tapback.

Application dock

After installing WatchOS 3, when you press the side button it will now open the Application dock. Think of the dock as a shortcut to your favorite apps.

As you begin using apps on WatchOS 3, your Apple Watch will fill in the dock with recently used apps. The next time you open the dock and view apps, you are asked if you want to keep an app in the dock or ditch it. You can keep up to 10 apps in the dock.

A couple of gestures to help you manage the dock include:

• Long-press on an app to rearrange the order.
• Swipe up and select remove to get rid of an app.
• Alternatively, you can edit and arrange apps available in the dock through the Watch app on your iPhone.

Unlock your Mac

When combined with MacOS Sierra, you can use your Watch to automatically unlock your Mac when you're nearby. Here's how to set up the Auto Unlock feature.

Disable screenshots

I don't know about you, but my iPhone's camera roll is full of Apple Watch screenshots I accidentally captured when bending my wrist just right.

On your iPhone, open the Watch app and select General. Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you'll find a new button labeled Enable Screenshots. Slide the switch to the Off position.

Edit watch faces on your iPhone

Instead of tinkering and adjusting a watch face on your Apple Watch, you can now create, edit and browse watch faces in the Watch app.

Open the Watch app on your iPhone, and the first section is titled My Faces. This is where you can find watch faces you've already created and have stored on your watch.

A new tab at the bottom of the Watch app called Face Gallery offers up watch faces put together by Apple. You can add and customize them as you see fit.

Switch between watch faces

You can now quickly switch between watch faces by swiping left or right across the screen of your Apple Watch. The new method makes it easier to move between watch faces with complications for work, home or a night out.

Control Center

Glances on the Apple Watch are no longer a thing. Instead, you can swipe up from the bottom of the watch's display and view Control Center. Just as Control Center on iOS gives you shortcuts to common settings, so does the Apple Watch.

With Control Center you can check current battery level, turn on Airplane Mode, turn on silent mode, enable do not disturb, ping a lost iPhone, lock the watch or control AirPlay for Music playback.

Activity sharing

A big part of the Apple Watch is its fitness and activity tracking. But up until now, it's been a lonely journey.

With WatchOS 3, you can now share your current activity stats with friends and family members. Hopefully, seeing how much someone is up and moving around will be enough to motivate you to do the same.

Open the Activity app on your iPhone, tap on Sharing and then add a friend. Once the invite is accepted, you will receive an alert and gain access to your friend's activity stats.

Wheelchair mode

For those Apple Watch users in a wheelchair, Apple has added a new wheelchair setting that changes how the Watch calculates and tracks activity.

To enable the new feature, open the Watch app on your iPhone then select Health. Edit your Health profile, and set wheelchair to Yes.

SOS mode

In case of emergency, hold in the side button on your Apple Watch until your watch dials emergency services. Before your watch calls, however, you will hear an alarm and a countdown will show up on the display in an effort to eliminate accidental calling of 911.

Using the Watch app on your iPhone, you can set up to three SOS contacts that will each receive a text message letting them know you used the SOS feature, and a link to your current location. You can disable the default behavior, opting instead to slide the SOS button across the screen to begin an emergency call once the feature is triggered, in the Watch app under General > Emergency SOS.

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How to sync files via iCloud Drive with MacOS Sierra

Apple's new desktop software, MacOS Sierra, takes the two folders you likely use the most -- Desktop and Documents -- and syncs them with iCloud Drive. That means any files you have stored in either spot are accessible from your other iCloud Drive-enabled devices, including your iPhone, iPad, other Macs and even Windows PCs.

After you install MacOS Sierra, one of the setup screens will ask you if you want all your files in iCloud. That might be overstating it slightly, because the fine print states that all your files on your Desktop and in your Documents folder will be automatically uploaded to to iCloud Drive.

Setting up iCloud Drive sync

If you missed the iCloud setup screen, don't worry -- you can enable these two folders to sync via iCloud Drive after you've installed MacOS Sierra.

To sync the Desktop and Document folders, open System Preferences and clickiCloud. Next, click the Options button for iCloud Drive and make sure the box is checked for Desktop & Documents Folders.

Using iCloud Drive sync

With your Desktop and Documents folders synced via iCloud Drive, you can access files in these folders from iOS devices using the iCloud Drive app. Just look for the new Desktop and Documents folders in the app.

On other Macs, open Finder and click iCloud Drive on the left panel. You'll see the Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive alongside any other folders files you have stored there.

On PCs, you can access your synced files from iCloud.com or the iCloud for Windowsapp.

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Driving Partner, Hydration Station, and Flying Grabbers

Welcome, dear readers, to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that's gotten over its disappointment from the latest Apple event just long enough to deliver the lowdown on the latest in gadget announcements.

On the whiteboard this time around are a device that grants vehicles a self-driving function, a wearable to monitor your hydration level, and a drone with arms.

As always, these are not reviews, and the ratings relate only to how much I'd like to try each item.

Wheel Wonder

After a bad experience when I was first behind the wheel as a teenager, I'm only just now learning to drive, more than a decade later. My partner and I are going through the school together, and when asked about our dream vehicles in class, she replied that she'd love a self-driving RV. Her wish eventually might turn true with a device that grants vehicles more autonomy.

The Comma One which is somewhat analogous to Tesla's Autopilot, is shipping this year, according to its maker.

It isn't a device that will give a car full self-driving powers -- you'd need to add sensors everywhere, for starters -- nor does it work with every model. However, in the right car, it will take you along the highway without you needing to touch the controls at all.

It uses front radar units and a camera to judge its speed and distance from the car ahead, and it costs US$999, plus a $24 monthly subscription. That seems like a fair price for someone who does a lot of highway driving.

My concerns are the same for every other automated driving feature -- that it'd be all too easy for a driver to tune out and start watching a movie instead of keeping an active eye on the road. I'm also worried about how systems like this can handle inclement weather, especially since I live in a part of the world where there's snow and ice on the ground constantly for five months of the year.

Of course, this isn't something I'm likely to try any time soon, thanks to local requirements that put me at least six months away from getting my license. What's more, I live in a city with many narrow streets, and I won't be likely to drive out of town all that often, so Comma One's usefulness is limited for me.

That said, I'd like to try it. It seems a compelling way to test semi-autonomous driving without having to buy a custom-built car. Sadly, that self-driving RV seems a little further away.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Feelings of Safety When Changing the Radio

H2No Thanks

Thanks to modern technology, we have another way of monitoring hydration beyond assessing how dry our mouths feel and paying close attention to the color of the liquids we expel.

LVL measures your dehydration level, and it will vibrate when you need to take more H2O on board. In a move that feels like the complete antithesis of adorable anthropomorphic technology, an accompanying app displays a happy face when you're sufficiently hydrated, and a frown when you are not.

It apparently can guide you on exactly how much water you need to drink at a certain time to optimize your body. Of course, it also bears typical fitness wearable functions like activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep cycle tracking, and calorie intake counting.

It has a nicer design than most fitness trackers, too.

LVL is expected to retail for $199, but as of this writing, there were still a few discount offers available through its very successful crowdfunding campaign.

I suspect many of us are underhydrated, though this device seems wholly unnecessary. Drink if you're thirsty. And then you should probably drink some more. Done. I can't imagine I'd ever need this, given the volume of tea I ingest every day.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Glasses of Water

Airborne Grabber

The horror movie genre seems to be in a resurgence after a successful summer at the box office, followed by the not-half-bad Blair Witch. Now, I want to see a remake of The Birds, with these drones with arms clawing at some poor actor's scalp.

The latest drone from ProDrone has a meaningless string of numbers and letters for a name -- so annoying that I was tempted to omit it from this column. I decided to include it, though, because you should be prepared when the ruling class uses it to assert control in our impending dystopia. It's "PD6B-AW-ARM."

This beast can use its twin arms to carry a 44-pound payload and balance itself on surfaces on which it otherwise might not be able to land. It's terrifying. I'm not sure I'd ever want to trust a machine that probably could tear off my head before I even saw it sneaking up on me. This is not a horror movie I want to be a part of.

Still, I suppose it could prove useful in extreme situations, like accurately dropping a float in the sea for someone who's fallen overboard, or dumping water onto a small roof fire.

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Reviews about HoPiKo

PROS

Addictive and unforgiving gameplay

Superb retro visuals

Brilliant soundtrack

CONS

Available on Android and iOS

When you die in HoPiKo, you don't just have to replay the level you died on, you also have to take on the entire batch of levels that came before it again, too. At first, it's a decision that seems like a mistake: mobile games have long got used to the idea that players are short on time and want to dip in and out at their leisure. The idea of taking on levels they've previously played again and again just because they've come a cropper later on seems positively archaic.

It soon becomes clear, however, that this is an intentional handicap by Laser Dog. It's an effort to separate the wheat from the chaff amongst its fans, if you will. Like an arcade classic of old, HoPiKo is a game that takes no prisoners. Luckily for us, so immediate is the gameplay, so damn addictive, that going back over old ground again and again feels like a fitting punishment for failure, and one that makes success when it comes seem all the sweeter.

It also helps that the basic premise behind HoPiKo has been intentionally designed to appeal to the kind of 'hardcore' arcade gamers that will lap up the game's short and sharp action. Your job is to set about eradicating a computer virus that's taken hold of your favourite games console – a machine that looks suspiciously like an old NES unit during the game's opening cut-scene. Doing so, at least initially, is a question of jumping between platforms set at all manner of angles before rescuing the good guys, trapped in a sort of red, blocky and typically digital forcefield.

The big catch, however, is that you have just a few seconds to make each jump. Leave it too long and your little guy will explode into a million pieces, sending you right back to square one. Likewise, get your angles wrong and fire off in an odd direction and you'll suffer the exact same fate, making each and every level one packed full of instant judgements and on-a-knife-edge reflexes.

It's lucky, then, that the controls are especially simple to grasp. Holding your finger down anywhere on the screen will charge your HoPiKo up. In the few short seconds you have, it's your job to slide your finger in the direction you wish him to fire, with the game drawing out a small arrow to let you know which way he'll head at any given time. Then all you have to do is let go of the screen and hope for the best. With several platforms making up each stage, success in HoPiKo is a multiple case of rinse and repeat, with every move carried out at lightning speed.

There are other distractions along the way, however. Along with different kinds of moves that are later filtered into play, new songs in the game's (frankly brilliant chip-tune) soundtrack are actually unlocked not as you progress to new batches of levels, but within the levels themselves. Little MP3 players pop up every now and again that are designed to take you slightly off course, but when captured bring with them a brand new tune, each one just as catchy as the last.

It's an inventive way of doing something very simple that most developers would overlook, yet it serves as the perfect symbol of what HoPiKo looks to do from the start: a game that, on the surface, could have come out 20 or 30 years ago, but one that adds the odd fresh touch here and there to bring play into the 21st century. It's this link back to games of old, however, particularly when it comes to HoPiKo's difficulty level, that really stands out. The decision to make the game utterly unforgiving of failure will, no doubt, alienate large amounts of mobile gamers, many of which will close down and uninstall HoPiKo after a few failed attempts.

Indeed, it could easily be argued that the game's one weakness is that it doesn't explain itself especially well in its opening few levels. Success in HoPiKo requires perseverance, even when, unlike leagues of other mobile games, every indicator is telling you you're a bit rubbish. It's that old school approach to gaming – get better or die trying – that makes HoPiKo really stand out.

When every other game on earth rewards you for no reason whatsoever, handing out trinkets aplenty for winning a tutorial contest, or simply sticking with it, having a title that only honours talent and ability is refreshing. Just be warned, if you want to come out on top in HoPiKo, you'll need to have that talent and ability in spades.

Verdict

Utterly old school in all the right ways, HoPiKo's punishing set up may alienate more casual gamers, but it's a glorious celebration of reaction-based arcade play of old, with a superb soundtrack adding to a game with an unashamedly retro ethic.

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2048 Cheats: 4 Tips to Help You Be A Winner

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Here are the best 2048 cheats/tips/tricks/hints to get better at the game.

2048 is definitely an incredible game that has a lot of fans in the entire world. All you have to do is to combine the matching tiles in order to create other tiles that have a bigger number.

It may seem easy but actually it is a very complicated game. If you want to reach the 2048 tile then you must have a special strategy and to think every move in advance.

Read the following four tips and you will be able to find out some interesting things that could help you improve your game.

1. Large tiles shouldn’t be your main goal

You may feel the temptation to chase larger numbered tiles and to combine them. This is actually something that you should avoid doing if you want to be sure that you are going to reach the 2048 tile.

Focus on smaller ones and do not worry at all for a specific set of tiles. In the end they are going to meet or you will create a new tile that ends up right next to it.

2. The corners are your best friends

If you stay in the corner then you will have more of the main game board for new tiles that can be brought. Keep your tiles grouped in the corners and bring the new tiles into the middle area when you can. Then you can combine them with other tiles in the corners.

You can start in the upper left hand corner and you can even make larger combos only by moving the entire board to diagonal or to the bottom left.

3. Take some time to think

Finding the best move each time is almost impossible. If you don’t choose the right move in a certain moment then you should not despair. You have a lot of chances to recover from a bad move if you manage to keep enough empty spaces on the board.

If you want to be sure that you will choose a suitable move then you shouldn’t hurry and you should analyze all the tiles properly.

4. Make moves where multiple tiles merge first

If you get the chance to merge multiple stacks of cards in the same move then do it. Your main goal should be to keep multiple empty spaces on the board. This offers you certain flexibility.

If you make a single move then you are basically replacing a card with another one.

On the other hand if you combine multiple cards then you are actually creating some new empty spaces and this is always a good thing.

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Pokemon Go Is Broken Without Radar

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Over the weekend, after heavily hinting at their disapproval of such apps, Niantic sent cease and desist letters and effectively brought down all fan-made radar programs for the company's runaway success Pokemon Go. PokeVision, PokeRadar: just gone. At the same time, they pushed an update to the app that removed the footprints from beneath Pokemon in the Nearby tab, and instead replaced it with nothing. And other than the few interviews Niantic CEO John Hanke has done over the past two weeks, we've heard nothing from the company--no kind of community management, no message, no explanation of how we're supposed to track Pokemon now. It's frustrating, and for some has made Pokemon Go unplayable.

I initially wasn't a fan of Pokemon Go. The game launched while I was staying in a sparsely populated rural area, so with limited access to Pokestops and Pokemon I wasn't motivated to play. Returning home to San Francisco, however, I found myself with a wealth of options: gyms every few blocks, multiple Pokestops on every street, and clusters of creatures, both annoyingly common and tantalizingly rare, available to catch. I started collecting eggs and walking the long way to work, hoping that the deviation from my normal route would bring an extra Clefairy or maybe even a more uncommon creature into my path.

When my coworkers introduced me to PokeVision, however, is when I really took to Pokemon Go. I read stories about a Vaporean spawning in New York's Central Park that brought masses of people to the landmark as they found him on their maps. Friends told me about seeing an Aerodactyl spawn in our Mission district and a Blastoise in Burlingame, and how they called each other and jumped in their cars, racing to grab the monster before it despawned. I frequently checked the PokeVision map throughout the day, which is how I found out about the Porygon that repeatedly spawns on Alcatraz Island along with a horde of Voltorbs and Magnemites; my coworkers and I subsequently made plans to do an Alcatraz tour in hopes of catching these electrical monsters.

THERE'S A SCYTHER HERE HOW DO I EVEN

PokeVision is also the reason our office found out about a Dragonite spawning, which, of course, caused mass hysteria and flocks of SoMa workers to gather outside our building. PokeVision alerted my coworker to a Venusaur five minutes down the road--and we took an afternoon hiatus to run at breakneck speed through the streets to get him. These moments wouldn't exist without PokeVision, and because my coworkers, friends, and likely most of you reading this don't have the luxury to spend hours on ending wandering the streets, it was the best way for us to locate and capture the Pokemon we needed.

Part of the reason we loved PokeVision and apps like PokeRadar so much is because they filled a void left by the app itself. Pokemon Go's Nearby feature was impossible to decipher and a little broken on launch. Each Pokemon that showed up in the "Nearby" tab would have one, two or three little footprints beneath it, indicating how far away you were from its location. But players worldwide never quite figured out what those footprints meant; I heard from a friend each footprint represented one yard, while another told me it was three footprints per city block, and so on. Without a reliable tracking feature, there was no effective way to play Pokemon hot and cold other than walk in circles and hope you were going in the right direction.

But now Niantic has forced them to be taken down. These radar apps weren't "cheating," nor did they take away from the experience of Pokemon Go. They added to it. People who don't have the time to roam knew when and where to find the Pokemon they wanted--just like in the actual Pokemon games. The radar apps also bolstered the game's social component, just look at what happened above with my coworkers and friends. We planned outings based on where we knew we could find rare Pokemon. In one instance, a friend took my phone with him down the street to catch a Magmar while I waited in line to pick up our lunch. There was a teamwork aspect that grew from having these tracking resources. We were trainers helping each other, looking out for rarer monsters and planning trips to where we knew we could get a good sweep of critters.

But now that that social component is all but gone--largely because my friends aren't playing anymore. A few have dismissed the app entirely; usually the GameSpot office is punctuated by shouts about Pokemon appearing here or there, and then a mass exodus as we all grab our phones and go for a quick jog. It was an excuse to get out of the office in the middle of the day and get some exercise.

By far the worst thing about all this is Niantic's silence.

By far the worst thing about all this is Niantic's silence. The company should say something, anything, detailing how we're supposed to track Pokemon now that the app no longer displays distance. An explanation on why they shut down radar apps--made by fans who love and want to share their love of Pokemon Go--would be beneficial as well. Is Niantic making their own radar? Adding a better tracker to the game? There's no point in chasing a Scyther that pops up on your radar when you have no idea if it's a one, five, ten, or more minute walk away from your office, especially when you have the rest of your life to attend to.

With their silence and stinginess, Niantic has effectively killed the Pokemon Go hype, at least for my friends and I. How do we know we won't be met with endless Rattatas the next time we head to the park? If we could get an explanation, perhaps that would ease the pain of having our most meaningful tools unexpectedly taken away. Until then, we're all a little less "go" for Pokemon Go.

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Nintendo Confirms ‘Super Mario Run’ Will Be Coming to Android

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The recent news at the Apple Event of Nintendo’s next mobile game starring Mario in Super Mario Run has fans of the franchise either excited or angry, or maybe a bit of both. Nonetheless, the runner game will launch initially on iOS devices in December 2016 and has been confirmed for an Android release in the future.

“We do intend to release the game on Android devices at some point in the future.”

This only makes sense with Android’s market share and I’m sure they’ve see many of the users of Pokémon GO using Android devices. But as the announcement comes fresh alongside the new iPhone 7, I’m sure Android players will have to wait a bit longer before diving into the Mario mobile game.

An exact release date for Super Mario Run on Android has yet to be confirmed, but we’ll keep you posted!

Source: 9to5 Google

5 CRAZY IN POKEMON GO

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Pokemon Go has been out for over a month now, and still the Niantic Labs-developed app continues to impact not just the mobile gaming market but the culture at large. The game's first few weeks of release have led to boosted sales performances for some businesses, the accidental discovery of multiple dead bodies, and a continued search for how and when legendary Pokemon will actually appear in the game.

And though Niantic's updates to the app, removing some features while promising the return of others, as well as the alleged appearance of previously unseen Pokemon like Articuno have dominated the conversation around the game this week, the app has had continued effects outside of the game itself. (And for more on all things Pokemon, check out the latest episode of IGN's new Pokemon show, Secret Base.)

Here are some of the craziest Pokemon Go stories from the last week.

1. Olympic Gymnast Generates $5,000 Phone Bill Playing Pokemon Go 

Gymnast Kohei Uchimura from Japan is in Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games, and he's been playing Pokemon Go while abroad to pass the time. Unfortunately, in the process he amassed a $4,954, or about 500,000 yen, phone bill thanks to roaming charges. After explaining the situation to his phone company, Uchimura convinced them to waive the extra costs and charge him a flat $30 per day fee.

Just ahead of the Olympic Games, Niantic announced that Pokemon Go is now available in Brazil.

2. Battery Pack Sales Double Thanks to Pokemon Go

Niantic recently removed the battery saver option for iOS players from the game, promising it would return within "several days." But whether you're playing on an Android or iOS device, the game can still be a hefty drain on your battery. So it's no surprise players have started investing in extra battery packs. The demand has been so high, though, according to The NPD Group, that sales of battery packs for mobile devices grew by 101 percent between July 10 and July 23. If only the game came with its own personal Magnemite.

3. Iranian Authorities Ban Pokemon Go Over "Security Concerns"

The High Council of Virtual Spaces in Iran has banned Pokemon Go in the country, according to the BBC, citing unspecified security worries. The BBC notes, however, that social media posts in the country suggest players have ignored the ban and continue to play the game. While Iran is the first country to ban the game, The BBC also detailed that other countries have put some limits on play of the game, such as Indonesia, where police officers are forbidden from playing the game while on duty.

4. Niantic, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company Sued Over Pokemon Go Players Trespassing

A lawsuit has been filed against the companies behind Pokemon Go, seeking class action status. The plaintiff is contesting that Niantic Labs set Pokestops and Pokemon Gyms on his property in Wesr Orange, New Jersey without his consent, and as a result players are hampering his quality of life. The suit was filed on July 29, giving Niantic Labs, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company several weeks to respond to the suit.

IGN also took a look this week about whether Pokemon Go and the game's function of placing virtual goods on private property is even legal.

5. Man Falls Off Pier While Playing Pokemon Go

We wouldn't have believed it either, but IGN's own Andrew Goldfarb came into work with the injuries to prove it. Hear the details of his harrowing journey below.

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Pokemon GO: Earn Experience Points

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As fun as Pokemon GO can be, it can become a grind as players begin to gain levels slower. Here’s every known method of earning XP to help plan and speed up trainer growth.

Pokemon GO may be a game built entirely around the premise of journeying out into the real world and fulfilling many peoples’ dreams of becoming a Pokemon trainer, but it’s easy to forget that in the world of Pocket Monsters, being a trainer is a full-time job. Pokemon GO starts out holding players’ hands and guiding them gently through the alternate reality game’s simple set-up, but sooner rather than later leveling up in Pokemon GO becomes a much more difficult task. Pokeballs become scarce, more frequent trips to Pokestops have to be made, and Pokemon begin to put up more of a fight when trainers attempt to catch them.

These elements haven’t stopped Pokemon GO from making Nintendo worth more than Sony for the first time in years, and they likely won’t stop many fans from continuing down the path to becoming a Pokemon master. People have already found a work around for Pokemon GO‘s broken tracking system, and luckily for those who are experiencing grind fatigue after the game’s easier earlier leveling, the solution for XP is much easier.

All trainers need to do is plan a little and maximize their chances and returns on the actions that generate XP. Here at Game Rant, we’ve assembled a list of every way gamers can earn XP in Niantic and Nintendo’s smash hit – and with careful, deliberate planning, most fans won’t even have to quit their jobs for Pokemon GO in order to rack up copious amounts of experience points.

0-50 XP Awarded

• Train at a Gym – this XP amount varies based upon how strong the trainer’s selected Pokemon is. If the Pokemon is significantly overpowered, the trainer will earn less XP than using a Pokemon that is closer in strength to the others at the Gym.

10 XP Awarded

• Curveball Bonus – awarded to players for spinning their Pokeball by rotating their finger very fast on the screen, which will then cause the Pokeball throw to have a distinct curve on it and require a different trajectory than normal.
• Nice! Throw Bonus – awarded for players who simply get the Pokeball to land within the outer white circle when succeeding to capture the Pokemon on that throw.

50 XP Awarded

• Great! Throw Bonus – awarded for players who get the Pokeball to land inside the inner circle when it is exactly half of its biggest size.
• Pokestop Interaction

100 XP Awarded

• Successful Pokemon Capture
• Excellent! Throw Bonus – awarded for players who get the Pokeball to land inside the direct middle of the outer circle when the inner one is at its absolute smallest.

200 XP Awarded

• Hatch an Egg (2km)

500 XP Awarded

• Hatch an Egg (5km)
• Add New Pokemon to Pokedex
• Evolve a Pokemon

1000 XP Awarded

• Hatch an Egg (10km)

Of course, all of this information is helpful, but it’s pretty clear that in a game with this many XP options, some methods will be better than others. In that regard, there is a clear winner – the Lucky Egg method that many gamers have been using to significantly decrease the amount of grind time in between levels.

The Lucky Egg method works as a result of some long-term planning. First, players need to save up a high amount of Pokemon who are cheap to evolve, since the evolve bonus is the same regardless of how much candy has been spent evolving the evolved Pokemon – Rattata, Pidgey, Caterpie, and Weedle are excellent choices for this method. Next, trainers should use the Lucky Egg item, which doubles the amount of XP a player earns for the next half hour. Next, it’s just a simple matter of evolving as many Pokemon as possible within that half hour to earn 1000 XP per evolution!

It might not be the glamorous life many people thought being a Pokemon Trainer might entail, but the power leveling Lucky Egg method works, and it works well. Just remember – as with any gameplay involving Pokemon GO, be safe, and if nothing else, make sure not to crash a car into a police officer’s vehicle while playing Pokemon GO.

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Tips for Pokemon Go

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Turn Off AR to Make Capturing Easier

Capturing Pokemon with AR on is part of the fun, especially when the pocket monsters pop up in inappropriate places, but it's way easier to capture Pokemon without worrying about aiming your phone camera. And strangers, for the most part, don't like having phones pointed at them. Why not turn off AR and relieve them of social anxiety? You can do that by tapping the AR toggle when you're capturing wild Pokemon. Pokemon will then sit perfectly still on a grassy field, though they will occasionally hop or gyrate to make capturing difficult. But at least this way you can focus on just the Pokemon, and not worry about reorienting the camera or suffering the death stares of real-life NPCs. 

Summon Nearby Pokemon

After weeks of bug-squashing and feature-tweaking, the Pokemon locator tab is completely different. Now, instead of footsteps that indicate how close or far a certain Pokemon is, you'll just see a a Sightings section, with a graphic of the wild critter next to a tuft of grass and…that's it. No more footprints, no way of knowing if they're within spitting distance. Just if they're in the general area. At least it's better than playing blind. 

However, the recent update also rolled out a more useful change, but only for a few users. If you're one of the lucky few, you can view the Pokemon that are wandering around nearby Pokestops. You'll see a series of real-world overlays of the Pokestops (for example, a picture of Madison Square Garden or the Liberty Bell), which you can then tap to view an overhead view, showing you where you should head towards. The Pokemon should be within a block or two of that particular landmark. But developer Niantic has been trigger-happy about pulling features, so tread carefully. This feature could change yet again in the near future…

CP Explained

CP simply means Combat Power, and it's the number above each wild Pokemon. It indicates their battle prowess, and as you gain more experience points (or XP) and level up as a Trainer, the CP of the Pokemon you find will become higher. 

We're still learning about Combat Power, but here's what we know so far. In an individual Pokemon's stat screen, you'll see a semi-circle at the top. The part that's bold with a dot at the end indicates that Pokemon's current maximum Combat Point potential. Some Pokemon have higher maximum CP than others. For example, an intimidating, spiky Pinsir will likely be stronger than a tiny, wormy Caterpie. But, if you find a 50 CP Pikachu, that doesn't mean it's stronger than a 20 CP one. For efficiency's sake, though, you'll probably want to Power Up the 50 CP Pikachu with Candies. 

Whether you Power Up or Evolve a Pokemon first is up to you. Some believe powering up a 'Mon before evolving it results in even higher CP, but there's no confirmation of that yet. But, your Pokemon's max CP rises along with your Trainer level, so don't neglect those curve balls (more on that shortly) and be sure to visit Pokestops whenever you can! Get dat XP! 

Extra Note: It looks like your Pokemon's weight/size (XL or XS) could affect their stats, like CP, HP, and dodge speed. Again, there's a lot of rumor mongering and unconfirmed info out there at the moment, so that could be a bunch of Bouffalant hockey.

Check the Moves

You might catch a few different Staryus that are all around the same CP, but take a look at the two moves each Pokemon has when you catch it, and the power level of each move. If you catch a 98CP Staryu and a 105 CP Staryu, and the slightly weaker one has Water Gun and Psybeam, while the stronger one only knows how to Tackle and Body Slam, go for the better move set. 

Next to each move you'll also see how much damage it does, along with a blue power meter for the second (more powerful) move, which indicates when your Pokemon's power move is ready to rock in a battle. Better moves, more power, better Pokemon. You can always make up some CP points later.

Can I Optimize Egg Hatching? And What's a Kilometer?!

While visiting Pokestops, you'll probably pick up some eggs, from which Pokemon hatch. But first, you need to incubate them, and then walk around. To do that, go to your Pokemon collection, and in the upper-right you'll see an Eggs tab. Tap that, choose an egg, then an incubator. Then you walk around and wait for the hatch. 

Here's some advice: Don't waste your time incubating the 2K (kilometer) eggs unless you really want more low-level Pokemon (though that isn't a bad way to get a starter you missed or snag yourself a Pikachu). The 5K eggs can net you some decent ones like Cubone, Porygon, Machops, or Sandshrew. The 10K eggs get you more powerful, uncommon ones like Snorlax. Take a look at this handy infographic for a more in-depth egg breakdown, courtesy of Reddit.

Could You, Would You On a Train?

You can even hatch eggs if you're on a bicycle, bus, or train. The app just registers that you're moving; it won't actually care that you're not walking. So, you can hop on your bike and keep the app open to not only get some exercise, but hatch some sweet Snorlax bros as well. Another great way to incubate and hatch eggs is to go for a run! 

To pick up more incubators, you can either buy them outright in the real-money Shop or by getting lucky at Pokestops, though they are rare. You also gain more incubators and other more rare items as you level up. And remember: Pokestops replenish every 10 to 15 minutes, which is remarkably fast for a free-to-play mobile game! 

By the way, 5 kilometers is about equal to 3.1 miles. Pokemon Go, not only does it bring us together, it educates.

Pokeball 101

When capturing wild Pokemon, you can throw a curveball to gain more XP. All you have to do is jiggle the ball! Jiggle it good! Basically, you tap the ball, hold it, and spin it around clock- or counterclockwise until it sparkles. Once it's shining up, toss it and boom! If you capture the critter you'll get a curveball XP bonus. 

But wait, there's more: Where you throw the curveball depends on how you throw after the spin. Apparently, it helps to throw the ball in the opposite direction of the initial spin. So, if you're spinning it clockwise, you'll want to toss the ball to the left. How the ball moves after a spin seems pretty random to me, though. 

Supposedly, if you botch a toss you can tap the Pokeball when it bounces or rolls away in order to retrieve it. But I've been tapping away and trying this out for a while, with no real indication that it works. But some people online have say it works for them. Huge, if true.

The Razz Berries Taste Like Razz Berries!

We explained in our primer that razz berries are items you can feed a Pokemon to slow it down before you capture it. More importantly, you can use razz berries in tandem with a stronger Pokeball (especially once you start leveling up and unlocking Great Balls and Ultra Balls) to catch particularly feisty or extremely rare Pokemon that cross your path. 

One of the aspiring trainers right here in the PCMag Labs caught themselves a Dragonair doing just that. Feed the Pokemon a razz berry, take out a Great Ball, give it some good arc on your throw, and catching just got a whole lot easier.

Gain More XP! Faster!!

The best way to grind XP is to capture multiple low-level Pokemon, pay attention to the number of candy they require to evolve, and wait until you have enough Candy for multiple evolutions at the same time. By capturing the same type of Pokémon over and over you gain more Stardust and Candy. So, don't think ill of all those Doduos, Caterpies, and Weedles! They're potentially useful because you can transfer duplicates, which will earn you 1 candy of that Pokemon type. Then, use a Lucky Egg and evolve all of the Pokemon at the same time to gain double the amount of XP. Pidgeys are especially pretty good for this. 

Some words of wisdom on Stardust and Candy, though: think carefully about what Pokemon you want to power up now, and which ones you want to save for after you evolve. The more you power up a Pokemon you eventually plan on evolving, the longer it'll take you to collect the 25, 50, or 100 candies you need to evolve that little guy and see the Pokemon's CP skyrocket anyway. Pro tip: evolve the Pokemon first, then power it up. Better to use your stardust on Pokemon that are finished evolving or only have one form to optimize your battle lineup, with a bunch of even stronger Pokemon waiting in the wings, piling up candies to take your squad to the next level once they evolve.

But, Wait! What the Heck Is a Lucky Egg?!

It's an egg that's lucky! Really, it's filled with happiness and most importantly, grants you double the amount of experience points you can gain for 30 minutes at a time. You can only buy these in the Shop, with Coins. If you've got a couple Pokemon you're almost ready to evolve, save up those candies until you've got a Lucky Egg, then evolve them all one after another while the Lucky Egg's dank XP aura is in the air to double down on that extra CP and XP.

How Do I Transfer?!

Tap a Pokemon in the menu, scroll down below its bio, and tap Transfer. You get 1 candy per transfer. But you better be sure you want that Pokemon transferred to Professor Willow, because once you do, that Pokemon goes bye-bye.

How Much XP You Get for Each Action

Capture a Pokemon: 100 XP

Capture Bonuses: 

Nice: 10 XP

Great: 100 XP

Excellent: 100 XP

Curveball: 10 XP

Hatch a Pokemon: 

2K: 200 XP

5K: 500 XP

10K: 1000 XP

Evolve a Pokemon: 500 XP

Register a new Pokemon in your Pokedex: 500 XP

Check a Pokestop: 50 XP or 100 XP (if six or more items) 

Training at a Gym: Depends on success 

Battle Pokemon at a Gym: Depends on success 

So far it looks like the maximum level you can reach in Pokemon Go is 100. You gain numerous rewards for each level gain, including Potions, Incense, Revives, Egg Incubators, and, eventually, Super Potions, Razz Berries, Hyper Potions, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. The elusive Master Ball has yet to be glimpsed, but if you fulfill your destiny of finding and beating the Elite 4, maybe you can be the chosen one who's granted the ultimate Pokemon power and enters Cerulean Cave to find your Mewtwo.

Used Incense?! Then You Gotta Move!

Wily Reddit users found a way into the game's code to figure out how Incense works. In case you need a reminder, Incense covers your Trainer in a pink, fluffy fragrance that attracts wild Pokemon to your location for 30 minutes. But you can't just be complacent and sit there waiting for Pokemon. If you stay still, you'll only see one Pokemon every five minutes, which isn't a great way to spend your time. Instead, take a walk and you'll lure one Pokemon every 200 meters.

Location Matters

Just like in the core, handheld Pokemon games (or real-life animals) certain Pokemon types only dwell in certain locations. Do you want to collect a lot of Magikarps to evolve one of them into a fearsome Gyrados? Or fetch yourself a Squirtle? Then head down to the river, lake, or reservoir, because that's where Water-type Pokemon will appear! Want to catch Beedrill, Bulbasaur, or other Bug- and Plant-type critters? Take a stroll through the woods. And big-city dwellers may wonder why there are so many Electric-type Pokemon like Magnemite and Voltorb around. That's because they like to hang around electric billboards (maybe).

Evolve That Eevee! Rename It!

If you remember the original Pokemon cartoon, you may recall the three Eevee Brothers, who each owned one of Eevee's evolutions: a Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon. If you nickname your Eevee one of the brothers' punny names, then it will evolve into your desired evolution! Want a Flareon? Then name it Pyro. Want a Jolteon? Name it Sparky! Jonesing for a Vaporeon? Then call it Rainer. This may not work all the time, however; it's an almost-guaranteed way to evolve one of your Eevees, but this weird method may not work 100 percent of the time.

Who's That Pokemon? It's Pikachu!

If you're already a Level 30 trainer, then you may not care about this tip. But if you're just starting out and you're about to select your starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle), don't! Like Lord Humongous says: "Just walk away!" Instead, walk away from the starters, and keep ignoring them, and eventually, the plump electric mouse himself will appear for you to recruit. Finally, you, too, can be just like Ash Ketchum.

More Pokemon Scanning! Track Them With Your Compass!

Remember that tab in the lower-right corner with the footsteps? Well, after you select a Pokemon you want to track, you can turn on your compass (the icon in the upper right), then slowly turn yourself around in a circle. The lower-right tab will begin to pulse green when you're facing the direction of the Pokemon you're tracking. Not only that, the pulse will quicken as you near your target.

Lighten Your Load, Throw Away Potions!

If you're anything like me, you shoot from the hip and let Pokeballs fly where they may. And, if you're anything like me, eventually, you're going to run out of Pokeballs that way. And if you stroll by a Pokestop, chances are your bag will be full and you will be unable to collect more Pokeballs! Well, don't let that stop you. Just open your inventory and chuck some potions. Chances are you don't need 99 of every Potion type, so get rid of some and you'll get your Pokeballs back in no time…so long as you stroll by more Pokestops, or wait around for them to refresh.

Have Patience, Kricketot! You Can Capture All Pokemon!

You don't have to evolve everything you come across. With patience, you could potentially find a Blastoise, or even a Charizard, out in the wild. Maybe even a Gyarados. Just don't expect Mew or any of the legendary birds, however—although their existence has been found in the game's code. They're locked away for now, but one day, we'll get 'em.

It's Over 1,000!!!

That's right. This is some advanced stuff. Just like in the core games, there are hidden stats called Individual Values, or IVs, that affect a Pokemon's strength. Wild Pokemon IVs are randomly determined, so that Pikachu with high CP and HP that you caught may actually—ultimately!—evolve into a weaker Raichu than a Pikachu with lower CP and HP, but higher IVs. That's why it's important to catch as many Pokemon as you can, so you can whittle them down to the best of the best. 

If this all sounds confusing, don't worry about it. Just plug in your Pokemon's CP, HP, and the Stardust needed to evolve it into this IV Calculator. With that, you can figure out exactly which of your Pokemon to evolve. This is especially helpful if you have multiple candidates to evolve but a limited amount of Candy. It's like the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, but with Snorlax!

Want the Best of the Best? Pay Attention to IVs!

Having a tough time battling gyms? Well, Reddit user Kyurun figured out how to guarantee your evolved Pokemon will have over 1,000 CP. Turns out, your unevolved 'Mon needs to have a minimum amount of CP before it can evolve. Refer to the handy chart above to find what those numbers are! It's not exact, however. You may evolve a Raichu with a CP number outside of the predicted range. For more accurate results, you'll have to pay attention to your Pokemon's IVs…

Team Time: Long Live Valor!

If you're just starting out, you may notice gyms that are blue, red, or yellow. And you've probably figured out that you can't do anything with gyms yet! That's because you need to be at Level 5. Once you are, visit a gym and join one of three teams: Team Mystic (blue), Team Valor (red), or Team Instinct (yellow). Each team has a leader: Blanche for blue, Candela for red, and Spark for yellow. Not only that, each team represents one of the three Legendary Birds: Articuno for blue, Moltres for red, and Zapdos for yellow. 

Nothing's been confirmed yet, but this could mean that a future quest would reward each team member with a chance to catch their respective legendary bird. And there's some credence to that theory...

Articuno or Articunot?

...Articuno has already been found in the game! Sort of. (Developer Niantic has already taken it away.) And no, the person who caught it was not cheating, as you can read on our sister siteGeek.com. So, if you come across Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mew, Mewtwo, or any of the other legendary Pokemon, keep in mind that they are NOT officially part of Pokemon Go (at least not of the time of this writing). Chances are, any lucky run-ins are mistakes on Niantic's part.

What's in a Nickname? Change It!

A new feature that was added with an Aug. 8 patch: Changing names! It's easy-peasy. Just tap the Pokeball on the main screen at the bottom > Settings > tap Change Nickname. You'll get a warning that you can only change your nickname once, so choose wisely, and make it count! And make sure it's at least PG-rated because other Trainers are going to see it.

PCMag Talks Pokemon Go

In a Special Edition of our daily news show, Random Access, PCMag analysts Matthew Buzzi, Ajay Kumar, Rob Marvin, and Timothy Torres chat all about Pokemon Go. The foursome dole out tips, debunk some rumors, discuss business, and talk about how Niantic and Nintendo's phenomenon has the world going crazy trying to catch them all.

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