This week on Spiffing Reads, we begin with why Monster Hunter World might be the best thing ever.

---

You Won’t Get Beta Than Monster Hunter World (Kotaku UK)

I almost wrote a post earlier this week on how brilliant the Monster Hunter World beta was, but after reading Rich Stanton’s brilliant write-up on Kotaku UK, I realised he’d said everything I wanted to say. It really is a glorious evolution of the series, easily the best entry yet judging by the bite I sampled. If you’re new to the series, it’s the perfect place to jump in, as a lot of the faff from the previous games has been stripped back. Plus it looks absolutely glorious in HD – and I love the way it feels like a real ecosystem now, with no loading screens and monsters roaming freely and sometimes fighting each other. Lucius P. Merriweather

---

Playing Super Mario 64 increases hippocampal grey matter in older adults (PLoS ONE)

I’ve been a scientific copy-editor for about 11 years, and it’s not often that my day job collides with my hobby of video games. But this week some fascinating research was published in PLoS ONE that showed how playing Super Mario 64 increased grey matter in the brains of the elderly, indicating that video games could help your brain remain healthy for longer. I certainly plan on whiling away the hours in my retirement home with all the video games I never had time to play… LPM

---

5 of the Funniest Video Games I’ve Played So Far (Roboheartbeat)

Some great games on this list, particularly Psychonauts. What’s the funniest game you’ve ever played? Mine is probably South Park: The Stick of Truth – although the late-era Dreamcast game Stupid Invaders tickled my funny bone, too. LPM

---

Spiffing Reads is a regular feature where we pick out the best gaming articles of the week. If you’ve read anything interesting, please let us know in the comments.

[amazon_link asins=’B071G5HZ7F,B075QXV7KW,B075QY6SD3′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’mostagreeable-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a63ceef9-e194-11e7-9b5a-d977c9e8de4e’]