Latest news with #JayMa
Engadget
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Playdate Season 2 review: Fulcrum Defender, Dig! Dig! Dino! and Blippo+
Playdate Season Two is here, bringing with it two new games for the quirky yellow handheld every week until July 3. And if the first two titles are any indication of what this season will be like, it's sure to be a great one. Season Two kicked off on May 29 with the arcade action game Fulcrum Defender — from the studio behind FTL: Faster Than Light and Into the Breach — and the delightfully chill Dig! Dig! Dino! . The two games couldn't be more different from each other, but they're both bangers in their own right. Panic also released Blippo+ , which can only be described as a fever dream of cable TV, with the first drop of Season Two, and it is amazingly bizarre. "Survive for 10min!" sounded almost like a threat when I first started reading through Fulcrum Defender 's How To Play guide. Between all the on-screen information you need to pay attention to, the many different types of enemies that'll be attacking and the various weapon upgrades you can earn over the course of a run, there's a lot to take in, and I braced myself for a tense and complicated playing experience. But, while that may be closer to the case on Hard Mode, I found that Fulcrum Defender wasn't all that punishing of a shooter on Normal Mode. It's a challenge, for sure, but one with a surprisingly achievable goal that I was able to enjoy without losing my mind. At least, not until crossing the 10-minute mark. After that, all hell breaks loose. In Fulcrum Defender , you're positioned at the center of a circular arena and have to fend off a continuous swarm of enemies. Your shield will take damage any time an enemy collides with it, and once enough have breached that zone, it's game over. To avoid that, you need to shoot them down one by one, using the crank to aim your weapon and the D-pad to shoot. Some enemies can be taken out in one shot, but others — distinguished by their filled-in appearance — require multiple shots. Over time, you'll earn weapon upgrades to build out a more powerful defense system, with options like large, guided projectiles and a flail that can knock out several enemies in one sweep. It's unexpectedly addicting. The music is beautiful and calming, giving the whole thing a pleasant atmosphere despite the fact that you're surrounded by enemies at any given moment and trying not to die. Once I realized it was absolutely possible to survive 10 minutes and even go beyond that, I got sucked into the loop of trying over and over to beat my high scores. I'd love to see a global leaderboard for this game at some point, because I just know I'd be floored by how long some players will be able to last. If you liked this one and want to know a little more about the making of it, be sure to check out our interview with Jay Ma , the co-founder of Fulcrum Defender developer Subset Games. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing right now than pretending to be a paleontologist and casually digging for bones. No thoughts, just dig. That's exactly what Dig! Dig! Dino! has going on, and it's awesome. You're working as part of a crew (made up entirely of anthropomorphic animals) at the site of some really unusual dinosaur fossils, and it's your job to dig up new bones and artifacts. Once you've got the entire skeleton of a particular dinosaur, you can scan it in the lab to reveal what it was like when it was alive. That information, coupled with the peculiar artifacts scattered around the site, paints a picture of some pretty strange activities that went on there long ago. For example, some of these dinosaurs seem to have had crystals growing out of their bodies, and it looks like they were warned about the asteroid extinction event. Fishy! The gameplay is extremely low stakes — this is one for when you just want to zone out playing something that'll keep your hands busy. You're equipped with a shovel, a drill and a radar gadget for detecting items beneath the surface, and have no time-sensitive goals to hit. You only have so much energy, though, which will be consumed with each use of your tools. When you run out, the round is over. But you can visit each site as many times as you need to in order to find all of the dinosaur pieces hidden there, so it can be a really casual undertaking if you want it to be. It's a really nice time, with a fun story to tie it all together. You'll get a solid few hours of playtime out of this, too, and the simplicity of it all means you can put it down and come back to it later without having to rack your memory to figure out where you left off. I loved this one. What can one even say about Blippo+ ? This bizarre "1-bit television" experience came as a bonus with the first Season Two games, and it is something. Panic first teased it back in December 2024 as a Steam title, but here it is for the Playdate now, complete with a roster of channels playing hallucinatory programs and Femtofax, an interactive message board of sorts where you can find affirmations, neighborhood drama, chatter among amateur astronomers and more. Panic describes it as being "comparable to an old episode of The Twilight Zone ," but it's more like an old episode of The Twilight Zone if it were made by Tim & Eric and aired after midnight on Adult Swim. I think I am obsessed with it? I'm really interested to see where this goes. It'll keep getting new content alongside the rest of the Season Two releases, with new episodes every week for 12 weeks. I would totally park my Playdate in a dock (but not the Stereo Dock </3) on my desk and leave Blippo+ running in the background all day if it has enough fresh material to sustain it. The song playing alongside the endlessly scrolling Blippo+ TV guide screen is already stuck in my head, and I don't hate it. The program guide with this week's schedule is online, if you're curious about what's going on right now.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Playdate Season Two includes an action arcade game from Into The Breach studio Subset
The long-awaited second season of weekly Playdate game drops commences on May 29. During a showcase on Thursday, Panic revealed that players will get two fresh games on their console every seven days for six weeks. It's also promising a surprise of some kind. Unlike the first season of games that's included with every Playdate, you'll need to pay extra for this one. Playdate Season Two will run you $39. You can pre-order now through the Playdate Catalog. Part of the allure of Playdate's seasons is that the games are a bit of a mystery, so you never quite know what you're going to get in your weekly drops. To that end, Panic didn't go super in depth into all 12 during the showcase, instead opting to shine a spotlight on four of them. One of the games will be of particular interest to FTL: Faster Than Light and Into The Breach fans. Subset Games, the studio behind those hits, has made a brand new game for the Playdate. It's an arcade action game called Fulcrum Defender. You'll use the crank to aim and shoot at waves of enemies as you try to survive. Subset co-founder Jay Ma says the enemies will progressively become more complex and you'll need to have good aim and choose upgrades wisely to keep your run going. Antonio "Fáyer" Uribe, one of the folks behind last year's well-received Arco (which Panic published), teamed up with Flinthook designer Dom2D to make Dig! Dig! Dino!. This is a relaxing puzzle game in which you'll be digging for dinosaur bones and treasure. Sell the booty and you can unlock upgrades to help you dig deeper for more bones and artifacts. The maker of Playdate titles Life's Too Short and Time From Earth is back with another game that will be part of Season Two. It's a remake of the classic point-and-click adventure Shadowgate for the diminutive console. Pixel Ghost says it took the best parts of the previous versions to make Shadowgate PD, which includes new music, art and features. The fourth game that was featured in the showcase is Taria & Como, a puzzle platformer that's based around swinging instead of jumping (that reminds me a little of the wonderful Grapple Dogs). You'll take on the role of Taria, a girl with a prosthetic leg who sets out to find her sister, Como. JuVee Productions, Viola Davis' production company, collaborated with Popseed Studio on this project. "A few years ago, my friend's son was diagnosed with Tourette's, and I began to think about what sort of stories he'd grow up with. As a disabled person, I've seen the same tropes recycled — pity case, inspiration, disability as a superpower, magical cures," Taria & Como creator Kip Henderson said in a statement. "Disability is complex, and we're more than the inspirational fodder for able-bodied people. Taria & Como is the story I wish I had growing up." In addition to the Playdate Season Two details, Panic revealed a new cover for the console to go alongside the purple, blue and pizza ones. This one is yellow to match the hardware and it costs $34. The price of the console itself recently jumped up to $229, but you might be able to snag an official refurbished model for the system's original price of $179.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
You Can Use AI to Help You Ace Your Job Interview, but There's a High Cost
If you've got a job interview looming, you know how much preparation will go into it. Researching the company, prepping your answers to potential questions and figuring out how to express your skillset is all part of a good interview strategy -- but sometimes, the reality of an interview doesn't equate to what you prepared for. The jittery, anxious pre-interview feeling is all too familiar. Maybe, like me, you start to dissociate from the overwhelming conversation, losing a sense of connection with the person you're speaking to. Imposter syndrome can show up -- and take you down -- in seconds. Yes, you can find ways to cope with anxiety through things like meditation and breathing. Yes, you can always refine your preparation practice. But it would be nice to have support during the call to keep your confidence up and focus intact while pitching yourself to someone who has (likely) never met you in person. Enter: Final Round AI, an artificial intelligence tool that helps you prepare for your interview and polish your skills. The suite of AI-powered tools offers real-time "on the fly" interview transcription and support, mock interviews and resume building across 100-plus roles in consulting, marketing, finance, software, product, data science and dev ops. It also offers resources like a blog with tips and commonly asked questions, plus guides that provide visual and written how-tos for common tech-related issues. Final Round AI is a new tool that joins the ever-growing number of AI-powered companies and platforms for job seeking — founders Michael Guan and Jay Ma launched it in late August 2023. While still in its infancy, Final Round AI is designed to offer many ways to support your career-related needs. If you're looking for an all-in-one job seeker-support system, this could be it — or, at least, a worthwhile attempt to navigate your professional journey (and inner turmoil). But after attempting to navigate the platform, my stance on it changed. Final Round AI's Interview Copilot allows you to create various types of interviews across multiple fields, and can access analytical reports for each one. Here's how to try it out: Log into the free version for Final Round AI with a Google, LinkedIn or Twitter account, or sign up with your email. Once you're on the platform, select Mock Interview. Here you will be prompted to upload your resume and select from the optional drop-down Role and Specialization menus. You will be asked to connect your credit card, even while on the free trial experience. This is when you'll learn that to access all aspects of Interview Copilot, you need a paid Premium account. Premium plans start at a steep $112 per month, but the company has a $10 million scholarship program to support job applicants. This provides those who secure job offers with the help of Final Round AI's Interview Copilot to receive a "scholarship" that waives 100% off subscription fees. This feels misleading and untrustworthy, considering how the platform advertises itself. It seems that when you subscribe to Final Round's "God Mode" plan (really?), you will be given six months of its cheapest subscription for "free" — though you're required to pay $672 upfront. If you land a job utilizing its AI-powered software, you can claim a 100% scholarship, which will refund up to $672 (scholarship amount undetermined) four to six weeks after submission. Terms and conditions for reimbursement include a copy of your job offer with details including position title, start date and salary. At the time of writing, Final Round AI is also offering 10% off any subscription for students, veterans, first responders and medical professionals, as well as anyone recently laid off. This can't be used for the God Mode scholarship offer, or your scholarship will be disqualified. The actual free aspects of Final Round AI include access to potential interview questions, where you can enter a keyword concerning a company, job position and technical or general topic; an AI Resume Generator, which can provide Applicant Tracking System optimization (and is currently in beta mode); a ChatGPT-style AI Career Coach; and Guides, where it shows you how to launch a live or mock interview alongside a step-by-step visual example. While robust in quantity, I can't say these features offer anything incredibly innovative or new from other AI platforms. I don't think a virtual interview can truly gauge if you're the right fit for a company — particularly when you're not in person. So while some may see aspects of Final Round AI's platform as a copout for knowledge and expertise, or a potential mishap (if the AI-generated text is incorrect), I see it as a real-time note-taking system with feedback. I have vivid memories of performing poorly in interviews because I was trying to do just that — perform to the best of my abilities rather than have a conversation with another human. This has made me a staunch advocate for anything that can alleviate overwhelming feelings attached to the unknown. Final Round AI attempts to do just that. However, my two issues with Final Round AI are… significant. The "bright and shiny" aspect of a new company that is innovative, yet potentially problematic. With the number of lawsuits that have circulated in response to other areas of AI like voice impersonations and copyright infringement, I am wary of the safety concerns that may arise when it comes to the company's Interview Copilot — an AI-powered tool that you can use on your end during your real interviews that gives you live tips on how to answer. For instance, if an interviewer isn't aware that artificial intelligence is listening and responding to their voice, where's the line between what's supportive and what's legal? And in the case of illegal use, who is liable — companies like Final Round AI or the interviewee? Secondly, its free versus paid membership service is misleading. Final Round AI advertises itself for its Interview Copilot, with a button referencing the ability to "Get Started [for] Free." Yet, as soon as you navigate to this part of the platform, you're unable to do more than upload a resume before being prompted to "upgrade your membership." I respect transparency. As someone excited to trial this portion of the platform, this turned me off as a potential customer. With its platform barely a year old, time will likely answer these questions and hopefully rectify its other challenges. (Final Round AI didn't respond to my request for comment by the time of publication.) Until then, I wish anyone job seeking well. May your resumes be immaculate and your interviews be handled with confidence and ease… with Final Round AI's help or not. (Remember: Meditation is, actually, free.) For more ways you can use AI (for free) to help with your job-hunting journey, check out CNET's pieces on how to use AI as a career coach, create a resume using ChatGPT, use Figma AI to design a resume, find the job of your dreams using ChatGPT, use AI to write a cover letter and negotiate a starting salary using AI.
