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The sound in my head was much better

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  Imitating a noise feels easy right up until the recording plays. Before that, the version in your head is convincing. The robot alarm has the right pitch. The cat sounds like a cat. You can even hear the rhythm of the old clip you are trying to copy. The microphone may have a different opinion. The robot becomes a bicycle horn. The cat sounds mildly offended. The clip is still recognizable, but only if you are being generous. I like that gap. A bad imitation is not always a failed attempt. Sometimes it is close enough to be satisfying. Sometimes it is much funnier than the sound you meant to make. Either way, playback removes the argument. That became Mimic Party Online , a small browser game about listening to a sound, trying to copy it, and hearing the recording before seeing the score. A sound plays once. You press record and make your version. When the take ends, it plays back. The score comes after that, which seems fair. A number makes more sense when you have just heard wh...

Meet 195-0, the game where you build a very strange cabinet

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  If you like strategy games but are tired of building the same kind of empire, 195-0 starts with a different question: who would you put in charge if the available candidates included a politician, a pop star, a billionaire, or a wrestler? 195-0 World Draft Game is a free browser game. You choose five people, give them jobs, and try to get as close as possible to a score of 195. The goal is fictional: conquer all 195 nations in the game's imagined world. The idea is simple, but the choices can get odd quickly. A politician might be the obvious President. A pop star could make more sense as Propaganda Minister. A military commander may look perfect for the General's seat, but using that person elsewhere could leave the rest of the cabinet short on strength. You have to work with the candidates in front of you, and every appointment changes the options that remain. How a run works Each game has five appointment rounds. A round begins with a category and a country, then shows si...