Console yourself this summer

Our pick of the best new games to keep you occupied during the long, hot summer months.

Alex Ritman

May 23, 2012

  • English
  • Arabic

With the telltale drops of back sweat already weeks old, it's about time you started preparing for summer's long hibernation. But rather than going down the usual DVD box-set route, give your thumbs some exercise with a nice extra-long video game to see you through those months indoors. Settle down for the long haul with a few titles that should take simply ages to finish (if at all).

Mass Effect 3
Bioware
PS3, Xbox360, PC

The final chapter in the role-playing space actioner completes the story of Captain Shephard, and sees our hard-fought galactic warrior take the battle to Earth, via a few less easy to pronounce alien homeworlds. Like its predecessors, ME3 was met with almost universal acclaim when it came out in March, although some die-harders got a little frothy-mouthed about the lack of variations in the ending.

Heat-beating: With an estimated 40 hours of gameplay time, Mass Effect 3 should see you through at least one sweaty weekend with only the minimum of sleep.

Diablo III
Blizzard Entertainment
PC

Twelve years is a long time to wait for a follow-up, but when Diablo III became Amazon's most pre-ordered PC game of all time before its release last week, it was clear this dungeon hack-and-slash RPG series hadn't been forgotten. Despite better graphics, more advanced classes of characters and a few other tweaks, there hasn't been a revolution in gameplay, with left-clicking monsters to death still the order of the day. But hey, it was so much fun last time.

Heat-beating: You know, there are still people playing the last game. Diablo III is likely to see you through not just this summer, but the next five. Assuming your finger doesn't fall off.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier
Ubisoft
PS3, Xbox360, PC

Tom Clancy's tough-talking third-person military tactical shooter has spawned numerous instalments – so many, it seems, that now they're forced to turn to the future for inspiration. The latest offering – out this week – takes place in 2024 and involves dirty bombs, invading Russian armies and something called "optical camouflage", which sounds lovely. There's also Kinect support, enabling you to customise weapons through gestures and voice control.

Heat-beating: While the game itself might not eat up much of the summer, the various multiplayer options will definitely see through a decent chunk.

Minecraft
Mojang
PC, Xbox360

There's no doubt that Markus "Notch" Persson's somewhat revolutionary world-building masterpiece has already devoured much of humankind's available working hours since it was released online in 2009. Spectacularly simple, yet fiendishly difficult at the same time, (yeah, we know, don't ask), Minecraft is basically a gigantic, endlessly reshapable Lego world on which you must build your kingdom by hand and avoid pesky nocturnal monsters. And this month it moved from PC to Xbox360.

Heat-beating: The new Xbox edition includes a tutorial, so you've got no reason to give up. If you are easily addicted, wave goodbye to summer. And friends.

Zayed Sustainability Prize
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Saudi National Day
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

More on animal trafficking
World Mental Health Day
Brief scores:

QPR 0

Watford 1

Capoue 45' 1

Our commentary on Brexit
Our commentary on Brexit
Kareem Shaheen on Canada
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Tomorrow 2021
On Women's Day
While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
You might also like
Brief scores:

Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf

Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)

Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17

Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)

Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40

E-cigarettes report
Plastic tipping points
More on this story:
On Women's Day
World Mental Health Day
War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

On Women's Day
War on waste
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 0

Manchester City 2

Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'

Tomorrow 2021
More on this story
THE DETAILS

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Dir: Ron Howard

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson

3/5

'Top Gun: Maverick'

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 
Neighbourhood Watch
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

More from this story
Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

While you're here
While you're here
World politics
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

Transgender report
What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

School uniforms report
You might also like
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

Plastic tipping point
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More coverage from the Future Forum
War and the virus
Art