| Cult of Mac

These are the best games for reducing stress during lockdown

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Sims-4
Sims, available on Mac and iOS, is rated the best stress reliever.
Photo: EA

A good video game is a great way to escape the COVID-19 pandemic and forget, just for a little while, about the nasty impact it’s having on the world. But which video games should you play? Which titles are proven to help?

A new study reveals the best games to play for reducing stress — and those that should be avoided if your primary goal is a positive, calming experience. We’ll highlight those you can enjoy on Mac and iOS.

Nintendo fires takedown notice at fan-made Mario Royale

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Mario-Royale
But it’s not dead yet!
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Mario Royale, the fan-made game that brought the battle royale genre to the classic Super Mario Bros. universe, has been slapped with a takedown notice from Nintendo.

The good news is that the game isn’t dead. Its creator has swapped out Mario for a custom character and made a few other changes to avoid Nintendo’s wrath. You can still enjoy it in your browser for free.

Fan creates surprisingly brilliant Super Mario battle royale

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Mario-Royale
But it’s not dead yet!
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The battle royale genre has become so insanely popular that almost every franchise has its own version at this point. That includes classic Super Mario Bros., thanks to one talented Nintendo fan.

And because this is a free game you play in your web browser, anyone can take control of the world’s favorite plumber as he battles it out against 74 lookalikes.

Super Mario explores Liberty City in hilarious GTA mod

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Mario-GTA-4
Not even Mario is safe in Liberty City.
Photo: CrowbCat

By now you’ve probably already seen the new Super Mario Odyssey trailer for Nintendo Switch, in which everyone’s favorite plumber ventures into the real world for the first time. But what if that world wasn’t created by Nintendo?

The hilarious mod below puts Mario in Grand Theft Auto 4’s terrifying Liberty City, and he looks to be having a whale of a time.

Watch Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto draw Mario on an iPad Pro

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Apple
Mr. Miyamoto tries out a freehand sketch on the iPad Pro.
Photo: Apple

Apple and Nintendo have become a match made in heaven, thanks to the Super Mario Run game that debuted today for iPhone and iPad.

To celebrate the game’s launch, Super Mario Run creator Shigeru Miyamoto showed how he draws the iconic videogame character using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

Watch him sketch below:

Super Mario Run is coming to iPhone this year

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Super Mario Run on iOS
Super Mario on iPhone?! Yes!
Photo: Apple

Yes, you read that correctly. Nintendo is finally bringing a Super Mario game to iPhone, it confirmed during Apple’s iPhone 7 keynote this morning.

It’s called Super Mario Run, and it’s designed specifically for touchscreen devices. It’s the first Mario game you can play one-handed, Nintendo says, and it will hit the App Store in time for the holidays this year.