TheGamer - Live-Service Games Features

Naughty Dog Was Not Built For A Game Like Factions 2

Stacey Henley — Mon, 29 May 2023 16:00:17 GMT

Naughty Dog could make a credible claim at being the best video game studio in the world. The Last of Us Parts 1 and 2 are some of the most revered games of all time, and unlike other beloved masterpieces like Tears of the Kingdom and Elden Ring, TLOU is also noted for its moving characters and deeply thematic narrative. In between those two legendary games, the studio casually pumped out Uncharted 4, maybe the best action game ever made, and has a storied history through Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. I hope Factions 2 and its multiplayer ambitions don't throw that reputation away.

Foamstars Could Be Exactly What Splatoon Needs

Stacey Henley — Sun, 28 May 2023 17:30:16 GMT

Just by virtue of being brightly coloured and fun instead of grimy and serious, Foamstars was one of the most memorable games in this week’s PlayStation Showcase. It has stayed lodged in our brains long after the memories of the shadowy shooters have faded, but it’s also catching some heat. Foamstars is just a Splatoon rip-off, comes the cry from the gallery. But is that really a bad thing?

Final Fantasy XIV's Best Content Is Often Its Silliest

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 27 May 2023 16:01:15 GMT

Final Fantasy 14 deals with some heavy topics and themes, the narrative becoming darker and more emotional with each passing expansion. Endwalker hit hard for me in particular, and I’ve written before about how it offers the perfect depiction of depression. After experiencing such a poignant conclusion to the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story, Warriors of Light have since enjoyed lighter content updates in a much deserved break after saving the entire universe.

Where Is The Last Of Us Factions 2?

Eric Switzer — Fri, 26 May 2023 00:11:16 GMT

I rate this week’s PlayStation showcase moderately high. It wasn’t packed with surprises, since most of the big reveals were things we already knew about (sorry, Snake Eater), but there were a fair few games shown that I’m looking forward to. The reason I’m not over the moon about the presentation, despite how cool Spider-Man 2 looked and the fact that I’m now tempted to shell out $550 for a PSVR2 for Resident Evil 4 alone, is the noticeable lack of Sony first-party games. This showcase didn’t give me a good sense of what Sony’s main studios other than Bungie have planned for the future, and I can’t help thinking about the games that weren’t revealed more than the games that were. Chief among them, the previously announced multiplayer The Last of Us game. If this wasn’t the right time to finally unveil that, then when is?

A History Of The Caliente Family In The Sims Games

Gabrielle Castania — Sun, 21 May 2023 16:45:16 GMT

There's maybe no family in The Sims with a history as varied as the Calientes. In some games, Nina and Dina live together and compete for the attention of the womanizing Don Lothario. Sometimes, they're the result of an alien abduction. Others, they're somehow connected to the disappearance of Bella Goth and are persistent in chasing her husband once she's gone.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Bards For Brains Charity Event

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 20 May 2023 16:00:17 GMT

The Final Fantasy 14 community is banding together once again — quite literally — to raise money for a special cause. This weekend, the Bards For Brains event will host multiple bard bands over three stages on the Marilith server to raise awareness and funds for several charities.

Hawken Reborn Is A Shadow Of The Original Game

Ben Sledge — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT

My working title for this article was: “Miss Titanfall? Play Hawken Reborn”. While Hawken was a very different game to Titanfall or its sequel, capturing the lumbering weight of mech warfare rather than Respawn’s slick movement, they’re two of the most iconic mech games out there. Much like Titanfall, Hawken’s servers shut down years ago, and there has been a dearth of good mech content since.

The 2 In Overwatch 2 Was Never About The PvE Hero Mode

Eric Switzer — Wed, 17 May 2023 22:51:54 GMT

Hero Mode, the PvE campaign revealed at BlizzCon 2019 as a major feature for Overwatch 2, has been canceled. In an interview with GameSpot this week, game director Aaron Keller and executive producer Jared Neuss explained that as their vision for Hero Mode came into focus, it became clear that it was too ambitious, too time consuming, and taking too many resources away from the team’s ability to support the main, PvP game modes. Blizzard made the decision to drop the previously announced mechanics for Hero Mode, like character progression and talent trees, and instead develop smaller, episodic PvE experiences that it can release over time as part of Overwatch 2’s seasonal model.

Pokemon Go’s Master Ball Won’t Save The Game, But It’s A Start

Ben Sledge — Wed, 17 May 2023 17:16:15 GMT

Pokemon Go is not what it once was. Even after most normies stopped playing a couple of months after that frenzied first summer, the community was vast. Great additions like raids and trading kept players engaged, and new Pokemon additions were always accompanied by a buzz of excitement.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: The Firebird Theatre Presents The Importance Of Being Earnest

Meg Pelliccio — Fri, 12 May 2023 16:30:15 GMT

There’s always that quiet lull in the theatre where everyone shuffles to their seats, the curtain is down, and you sit in anticipation of the show starting. It still feels strange that Final Fantasy 14 can capture these moments so well. It doesn’t matter that the theatre I’m in is virtual — when you have attendants taking you to your seats, a fully equipped auditorium, and you’re about to watch an in-depth three-hour performance, you realise just how much players have pushed the boundaries of the game.

Apex Legends' SweetDreams Climbed To Apex Predator Without Dealing Damage

Ben Sledge — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:00:15 GMT

Apex Legends’ new season is here, and it’s brought with it a whole new ranked system. It was probably bigger news that the L-Star has hit the Care Package instead of the Charge Rifle everyone wanted, but as players try out new boy Ballistic, it was only ever going to be ranked that they played in. And as it turns out, ranked is much better for noobs than it is for pros right now.

The MTG Arena Launch Is The Next Blunder For March Of The Machine: The Aftermath

Joe Parlock — Thu, 11 May 2023 16:00:15 GMT

The road to Magic: The Gathering’s March of the Machine: The Aftermath has been a bumpy one. The whole set was leaked, which sucks, and Wizards responded by sending Pinkertons after the leaker, which sucks even harder. The preview season was rammed into just one day, the story was just two short chapters, so people were feeling pretty fed up before the set even launched.

Peridot Is An Evolution Of Dogz

Meg Pelliccio — Wed, 10 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT

Big eyes in a squishy monkey face, a colourful iridescent body, cute little bear ears, and a mousey tail seem like an odd combination, but I’ll admit my dot is adorable. Niantic’s latest mobile game, Peridot, has you raising and breeding these quirky little creatures while exploring the world around you, and it uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology to an incredible degree to the point that your dot can identify flowers, pets, and what type of environment you’re in.

Angry Pokemon Go Players Are Way Overestimating Their Impact

Eric Switzer — Mon, 08 May 2023 02:10:52 GMT

Following Niantic’s decision to hike up the price of Remote Raid Passes to encourage players to participate in more in-person raids, a report came out from a third-party mobile market source called Appmagic (first reported by mobilegamer.biz) that claimed Pokemon Go’s revenue was at its lowest point since February 2018. Frustrated Pokemon Go players on social media celebrated this as a sign that Niantic was suffering the consequences of its anti-player decisions. Clearly, people are fed-up with the price increases and Niantic is feeling the pressure. Or at least, that’s what everyone thought, until Niantic came out and said the revenue data was completely inaccurate.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Get Involved With LunarCon 2023!

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 06 May 2023 17:00:14 GMT

LunarCon, Final Fantasy 14’s biggest fan-made event, is returning later this year from September 29 until October 1. Last year was the biggest, most jam-packed, and full of excitement the event has ever been, so why not ensure this year ups the ante even further by getting involved yourself? LunarCon covers a wealth of competitions, performances, and venues, so there’s plenty to get stuck into.

Bungie Should Have Raised Season Pass Price Way Sooner

Eric Switzer — Fri, 05 May 2023 21:06:43 GMT

We’re only a few weeks away from the start of Destiny’s Season of the Deep, and Bungie has just revealed (in last week’s TWAB) that the price of the season pass is about to go up. Next season will cost 1200 Silver rather than 1000, which equates to a $2 increase, from $10 to $12. “This will be the new price for Season Passes in Lightfall’s year for those looking to maximize their rewards with each new Season,” the studio wrote. “And we’ll be evaluating new approaches to post-launch content in the year of The Final Shape.”

Game Pass Is Losing Me

Eric Switzer — Fri, 05 May 2023 20:38:42 GMT

In 2021 I added up the retail cost of all the games I had played on Xbox Game Pass that year and discovered that I saved $382. I wouldn’t have purchased every game I played, but that just made the service feel even more valuable to me. It gave me the opportunity to save money on games I was going to play anyway, and discover great games I would have avoided. For the first few years I subscribed to Game Pass, it added a lot of value to my life.

Honkai Star Rail Reduces The Grind And I Love It

Helen Ashcroft — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:00:15 GMT

Honkai: Star Rail has turned out to be a far less cruel mistress than its predecessors when it comes to grinding. Hoyoverse has blended elements of both Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd into a new gacha RPG that includes a space train, a huge chicken that squashes enemies, and even more unexpectedly, turn-based combat.

When Will Fortnite's Graphics Get The Respect They Deserve?

Stacey Henley — Fri, 05 May 2023 14:30:15 GMT

I haven't played Fortnite in a long time, but I've always admired it from afar. Shooters in general aren't my thing, and Fortnite's fast-paced, ever-changing meta just didn't grab me. I remember when the game was the butt of the joke, a childish game in a genre for tough, sweaty men. Everyone has chilled out a bit now, and it's just another video game. But what it doesn't get enough credit for is how gorgeous a video game it is, and how it has managed to create a strong artstyle even as it leans on IP crossovers. For evolving storytelling and immersive experiences, Fortnite is top of the class. It doesn't try to be photorealistic, and for that reason it often gets overlooked, but Fortnite is one of the best looking games on the planet.

Hela Got Me Hooked On Marvel Snap All Over Again

Ben Sledge — Thu, 04 May 2023 17:00:15 GMT

If you read any of my Marvel Snap articles last year, you’ll know how much I wanted Hela. I coveted her. I needed her. Not because I’m a huge fan, not because the artwork makes me feel funny in my tummy, but because I had the perfect workings for a discard deck. I just needed Hela to make it work.

Why Did Redfall Launch Broken?

Stacey Henley — Wed, 03 May 2023 15:30:15 GMT

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor came out four days ago. Tears of the Kingdom is out in less than two weeks. This is a bad time to release a video game, especially one with the main purpose of bolstering your brand and offering a prestige exclusive, while relying on hopefully convincing enough floating gamers to try out your fairly niche new IP. It's a bad time to release a game like that even if it was perfect. It's a frankly horrific time to release a game like that when it's still falling apart, and that makes Redfall's decision to launch right now all the more baffling. This is a poor launch window to attack, and rushing for it seems almost spiteful.

Redfall Is The Latest Example Of Games Chasing Dead Trends

Stacey Henley — Tue, 02 May 2023 17:30:13 GMT

Everything moves in trends. Things are in, then things are out. We see it in fashion, movies, television, animation, sport, and video games. A few years ago, every cartoon had eyes like that (you know what I mean), and then we all hated them, so new ones don’t. High waisted is in, then low wasted is in. We want sequels, then cinematic universes, then standalone adventures. Teams play four at the back, then three at the back, then four with one inverted full back. Things change. But in video games, it’s not that easy.

Honkai Star Rail’s Mistranslations Are Muddying Its Lore

Tessa Kaur — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 15:00:15 GMT

The highly anticipated Honkai: Star Rail launched recently, and while I’ve never been a live-service RPG kind of person, I pre-installed it a week prior anyway, just to see what was up. My partner came out of the bathroom on the morning of the game’s launch to see me flopped across my bed, phone in hand, Himeko’s cheery voice piping out of my speaker. “How is it?” he asked. “These characters are, like, weirdly hot,” I replied.

Final Fantasy XIV: The Moogle Treasure Trove Event Allowed Me To Finally Finish The Nier Raids

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 17:00:15 GMT

It’s an innate human emotion to want something we don’t have. It’s why we build kingdoms, why we went to the Moon, and apparently, why we play Final Fantasy 14. There are some top-tier coveted rewards for players to earn in the MMO, and I’ll often see a player run past with a mount or minion that makes me do a double-take. They’ll be wearing some shiny, fancy gear, and I can’t help but examine them to find out what it’s called. We’ve all been there, right?

Deceive Inc. Could Be An All-Timer But No One Is Playing It Right

Eric Switzer — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 18:13:07 GMT

While you’ve all been bashing zombies in Dead Island 2 and polishing your lightsabers in anticipation of Jedi: Survivor, I’ve spent my evenings honing my spy skills in Deceive Inc. My friends and I have become completely obsessed with this clever little stealth game, and I think with time there’s a chance it will become one of the most popular multiplayer games out there. While not the first spy vs. spy game on the market, Deceive Inc. is by far the best to do it.

Honkai: Star Rail Has The Potential To Ruin My Life

Jade King — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:13:20 GMT

Genshin Impact isn’t a part of my life anymore. I banished MiHoYo’s hugely popular anime RPG after its gacha mechanics proved too addictive and too much content piled up for me to reasonably catch up on. It wasn’t worth it anymore, and I came to realise how dipping into it each and every day was doing more harm than good. To my surprise, I’ve stuck to this promise for years, but now a new outing from the same studio threatens to upend my weeaboo sobriety.

Someone Tell Bungie About Diablo 4's Free Campaign Skip

Eric Switzer — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 22:20:15 GMT

Blizzard showed off some new Diablo 4 gameplay footage this week, and an observant player noticed a “skip campaign” button on the character select screen. After getting a lot of attention on Twitter, lead quest designer Don Adams chimed in to clarify how the feature works. Once you’ve completed the campaign once, you’ll be able to skip the campaign with any of your other characters at any point. You roll as many alts as you’d like and take them through as much or as little of the campaign as you want to, and as long as you have one character that’s crossed the finish line, you’ll always have the freedom to skip to the end. “I think it's worth playing multiple times,” Adams wrote. “But we never planned on requiring repeat playthroughs per character or even per season.”

You Will Laugh So Hard When I Tell You How Expensive Pokemon Go Fest Is This Year

Eric Switzer — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 21:35:15 GMT

I would love nothing more than to write some nice words about Pokemon Go, but Niantic isn’t giving me much to work with, and hasn’t for a while. I love the new social features that Campfire added, and the introduction of the daily adventure incense last summer was a nice way to reward players for their time, but it’s hard to celebrate small victories in the face of near-constant controversy.

The Mageseeker Got Me Once Again Thinking It's A Good Idea To Play League

Eric Switzer — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:14:20 GMT

The first thing I did after finishing The Mageseeker was load up League of Legends and look at Sylus’ kit. Digital Sun did an exceptional job translating his abilities into The Mageseeker. His Chain Lash matches the heavy attack combo, the Abscond/Abduct ability parallels the dash and chain grab in The Mageseeker, and his ultimate, Hijack, steals the ultimates of other champions. Sylas plays very similarly in The Mageseeker and League of Legends, even though they’re completely different kinds of games.

PlayStation Is Desperate For A Multiplayer Hit

Stacey Henley — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 17:30:15 GMT

PlayStation has made itself known over the past couple of generations as the number one destination for premium, prestige single-player experiences. If you want to sit down and lose yourself in a game’s world, PlayStation is the place to do it. Between the idyllic plains of historic Tsushima, the exciting realms of the Norse pantheon, or, erm, Seattle, PlayStation could take you wherever you wanted to go. But that doesn’t make as much money as you’d think, and it’s clear Sony is going all in on a multiplayer extravaganza.

I Really Want The New Gold Saucer Minigame To Be Added To FFXIV Already

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 17:00:15 GMT

The Gold Saucer is one of my go-to haunts in Final Fantasy 14. It takes pride of place on my list of registered favourite destinations, and I’m sure that’s the norm for most players. Who doesn’t tackle the daily and weekly Cactpocts to earn as much MGP as possible so they can spend it on those sweet rewards? I’ve already cleaned the vendor out of all the minions, but I still need a few mounts, so the more MGP I can earn, the better.

What Even Happened In Destiny's Season Of Defiance?

Eric Switzer — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 00:11:54 GMT

This week’s major mid-season patch for Destiny 2 gave us more than we bargained for. A slew of balance changes came with an equally long list of bugs, as well as an extra mission no one was expecting. It’s somewhat customary to get an epilogue just before a new season begins, but since there’s still six or seven weeks left before Season of Defiance ends, it seems like this one came early.

It's Impossible To Come Back To Pokemon Go These Days

Stacey Henley — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:00:15 GMT

Niantic is bringing out yet another Pokemon Go clone, this time built around Monster Hunter. I don't know why it keeps releasing the same game over and over with little more than a new coat of paint, but I do know that it got me to idly check my Pokemon Go account for the first time in almost a year. I used to play the game a lot, and I've kept up with the major news surrounding it since, but I was still completely unprepared for what awaited me.

With Monster Hunter Now, Why Is Niantic Making The Same Game Again?

Stacey Henley — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 14:30:15 GMT

Niantic has just announced its latest video game, but you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve already heard of it. It’s Pokemon Go, but Monster Hunter. That’s the pitch. It’s an AR game where you walk around the real world, exploring your own streets and town centres, but see them in a new light as creatures come to life in front of you. But after my town centre has come to life in front of me so many times before thanks to an avalanche of new creatures, the whole thing feels stale.

Fortnite's Coachella Is A Charming Yet Broken Mess Of An Event

Jade King — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:45:16 GMT

Coachella has come to Fortnite! I’ll be real that I didn’t give much of a shit until I discovered that Porter Robinson was going to be performing and have some of his work incorporated in the world of Fortnite. I am a sad, bad gamer with a love for sentimental EDM and crossover battle royales so along I went to a themed creative island filled with new tunes and quests.

Diablo 4 Might Not Be For New Players

Stacey Henley — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:30:16 GMT

Diablo 4 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and with good reason. Diablo is in a class of games like Rogue, Doom, Myst, Pokemon, Metroid, and Castlevania where it has become so synonymous with the dungeon crawler genre that many that followed in its footsteps are accused of being mere Diablo clones. It has been ten years since the last major Diablo game, with only a couple of expansion packs, a remaster, and the ill-fated mobile version Diablo Immortal releasing in that time. Diablo 4 is the return of the king, and even in a stacked 2023, for a lot of people it is far and away the game their hopes are pinned on. A word of warning though - if you're a newcomer, Diablo 4 might not be for you.

Best Ways To Level Jobs In FFXIV

Andrea Shearon — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 18:01:15 GMT

Leveling a new job or base class in Final Fantasy 14 can be a bit of a pain, but there is no wrong way to go about the process. However, there are certainly more efficient ways to get the job done if you're looking to level up on your own without the use of jump potions.

Final Fantasy XIV: I Only Just Completed The Binding Coil Of Bahamut

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 17:00:16 GMT

It’s 2023, and I’ve only just completed the Binding Coil of Bahamut. This was the first ever raid added to Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn way back in 2013, with the Final Coil launching in October 2014. That means it’s taken me nearly ten years to complete. Don’t get me wrong. I am bad at raids, but I’m not that bad. It hasn’t been nearly a decade of me constantly trying and failing to complete it. I tried the content at its peak, failed miserably, and pretty much just gave up then and there.

Hearthstone: Festival Of Legends Review - No One Does Expansions Like Blizzard

Eric Switzer — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 16:00:17 GMT

Hearthstone’s 28th expansion, Festival of Legends, launched this week, which is pretty staggering to someone who’s been playing the game as long as I have. After so many years (and so much controversy) it would be easy to assume that Hearthstone is past its prime creatively. But even as an old jaded player who’s been around for all the highs and lows, I can’t help being charmed by Festival of Legends. The music festival theme is so fully and completely realized throughout every facet of the game, from the artwork on the cards, to the new keyword and harmonic spells, to even the board design and audio effects - every element is working together to create a story and experience. It’s the kind of thing that reminds me why I fell in love with Blizzard’s games in the first place, and I’m glad to see that the Hearthstone team still has so much juice left even all these years later.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League's Delay Is Unprecedented

Jade King — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:15:15 GMT

Rocksteady has delayed Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to February 2024, pushing its live-service superhero game back almost an entire year after a very polarising gameplay reveal. We all expected the studio to take a few months away from the spotlight to re-examine the experience, but this sort of shift is significant. The game is presumably nearing the finish line in terms of development, with the original release date close enough that I imagine the dev was busy polishing things up ahead of launch. That is definitely not the case anymore.

What The Hell Is Going On With Overwatch 2?

Rhiannon Bevan — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 14:00:14 GMT

Overwatch 2’s latest patch notes are out, and I’m completely unconvinced that I’m playing the same game that Blizzard thinks it’s making.

That Time A Guy Brought A Replica Frostmourne On Pawn Stars

Eric Switzer — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 21:35:34 GMT

It’s hard to explain the feeling I get from watching normies act clueless about video games. Especially now that gaming culture has so much mainstream acceptance, there’s something almost therapeutic about the confusion that washes over your average Gen Xer whenever they’re confronted with the fact that video games exist and people enjoy playing them. There’s been a lot of unhinged excerpts from Mario movie reviews floating around social media that are enraging fans, but they delight me to no end. Please continue comparing Bowser to actors that died in 1954 and puppeteers that were semi-popular in the ‘70s. I’m living for it.

Tears Of The Kingdom Is Just Garry's Mod Meets BOTW And I Can't Wait

James Troughton — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:15:12 GMT

Garry’s Mod was a weird experiment. It took all of Valve’s library and smushed them together into one big sandbox, giving you a doohicky glue gun that can pick stuff up with a laser. If you really want to, you can make a car out of a bathtub, or a boat out of corpses. It’s absurd, but for some reason, it works. Yet, no game has ever tried anything similar until, weirdly enough, Tears of the Kingdom.

I Don't Think We're Going To Bully Season Passes Out Of Existence

Eric Switzer — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:52:15 GMT

I hate to say it, but I think battle passes are here to stay. I wish it wasn’t the case, and that we could bully them out of existence the way we did loot boxes and time saver microtransactions, but until someone invents a more palatable and profitable way to get players to re-up their investment into triple-A games with outrageously bloated budgets, we’re just going to have to live with season passes being the norm.

Xbox Needs To Handle The Game Pass Churn Better

Eric Switzer — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 23:47:28 GMT

I loathe the way Game Pass rotates games off of the service. Game Pass should be an ever-expanding collection of curated games that becomes more and more valuable over time, but instead the value of a subscription is in a constant state of flux as games are added and removed each month. The idea that someone could be enjoying a game that they paid for through their subscription fee only to have it unceremoniously disappear one day terrifies me. It hasn’t happened to me yet, but I know eventually there will be a Game Pass game I invest in that leaves before I get a chance to finish it.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Esprit's Totally Normal April Show

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 17:00:16 GMT

Hot on the heels of their Junior Dancers Showcase, Esprit were back on stage last week to deliver a unique show like nothing they’ve ever done before in Final Fantasy 14. The event was hosted at the troupe’s new Free Company house on April 1, so that should give you a clue as to what kind of content they delivered.

Season Of The Deep Will Be Destiny's Most Important Season This Year

Eric Switzer — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 20:43:38 GMT

As we enterSeason of the Defiant’s quiet period and the long, two month wait until Season of the Deep, it’s time to reflect on the year so far and consider what still lies ahead for Destiny. For myriad reasons, Lightfall isn’t off to a great start. After so much build-up from The Witch Queen, the expansion’s campaign was a huge let down that didn’t make the kind of narrative strides we were expecting. There were also a multitude of bugs to contend with - more so than the typical amount for a new expansion - and the big changes to the difficulty settings were way out of balance. Strand has been a great addition to the power fantasy, but it’s hard to say that Destiny 2 is in a better place today than it was a month ago.

Just Let Me Play Offline

Stacey Henley — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 15:00:15 GMT

Everybody is on the internet these days. Unless a friend printed this article off and mailed it to you, you're on the internet right now. Between your phone, your work, your car, maybe even your fridge, your central heating, and your clocks, you're always kind of on the internet. Because of this, it has become the norm for video games to assume we will be constantly online when we play them, even forcing it where it has no real purpose. Please, just let me play offline.

Pokémon Go's Remote Raid Changes Will Only Benefit Cheaters

Ben Sledge — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 14:30:14 GMT

There’s a bloke in my local Pokemon Go Facebook group who posts his ‘wins’ after every event. He’ll usually get around 50 shinies per weekend of grinding, including every newly released one of course, and add in a dozen screenshots or so of the incredibly rare Galarian birds for good measure. He’s always met with a chorus of laugh reacts and comments that don’t take him seriously, but it doesn’t deter him. He wants to prove his superiority, and posts his hauls about twice a week.

Overwatch Has An "Openly" Queer Character Now

Tessa Kaur — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 15:31:14 GMT

Overwatch 2 has a new support character coming, and he’s queer. Announced through the official Overwatch Twitter account, Lifeweaver will be joining the roster as part of Season 4. He’s pansexual and Thai – as a queer Southeast Asian, I thought I’d be more excited, but I found myself wondering if this really matters.

Ark: Survival Evolved Is The Latest Game To Rip Off Its Players

Stacey Henley — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 16:30:15 GMT

Everybody wants your money these days. That has always been the case with capitalism of course, but it used to at least feel like more of a trade-off. The people wanting your money would give you something for your cash. Want a rotary phone? Sure, gimme two dollars and a jar of beeswax, or whatever the price of rotary phones were in the old days. It used to be the case with video games too. You want Tomb Raider 3? Sure, gimme the cash. Okay, here's your game, go play it, '90s Stacey. These days, with everything digitised and profit-driven like never before, it's a little different. The latest game to gouge your eyes out and then try to sell them back to you as part of a Vision Pack DLC is Ark: Survival Evolved.

Marvel's Avengers Final Patch Is Live, So Play It Before It's Too Late

Eric Switzer — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:00:17 GMT

Update 2.8 is live in Marvel’s Avengers, which means practically nothing to anyone except the 700 people still active on the subreddit (hello), but it’s an important milestone for the game. As in, the final milestone. Marvel’s Avengers will never receive another update, it is no longer a live-service game, and after September 30, it will cease to exist entirely.

I Don't See How Pokemon Go Recovers From This Remote Raid Pass Fiasco

Eric Switzer — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 03:42:24 GMT

Despite years of back and forth with a unified community begging for support, Niantic has finally decided to gut Remote Raid Passes. Starting this week, the price of Remote Raid Pass bundles will increase from 300 (already up from 250 several months ago) to 525, while the price of single passes will increase from 100 to 195. Additionally, players will be limited to a total of five Remote Raids per day. This change will significantly limit the accessibility of Pokemon Go for disabled players, rural players, and those living in areas that aren't safe to walk around in. It's going to be catastrophic for many segments of the player base and I don't see how Pokemon Go can come back from this.

Final Fantasy XIV: I Finally Jumped Servers

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:00:16 GMT

I finally did it. I moved servers in Final Fantasy 14, and haven’t looked back ever since. A few months ago, I wrote about how lonely I was getting in the game because all my friends had left. Our Free Company house was always empty, my friends list was devoid of life, and I missed proper social interactions with fellow Warriors of Light I’d come to love.

Destiny's Season Finale Highlights What An Incredible Talent Lance Reddick Was

Eric Switzer — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:40:27 GMT

I've had a hard time with the sudden loss of Lance Reddick, as I'm sure a lot of Destiny players have. I hesitate to indulge in any kind of parasocial behavior - I did not know the man, though I did once interview him for Netflix's Resident Evil - but I still mourn him as a fan and a fellow Guardian. Reddick was far more involved in the Destiny community than any actor I'm aware of. He engaged with players frequently, made videos performing as his character on social media, and even played the game himself. We didn't just lose the voice of Zavala, we lost one of our own.

I Don’t Trust Live-Service Games Anymore

Stacey Henley — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:15:14 GMT

MultiVersus is being shut down after almost a year spent in open beta, gearing up for a full release in 2024, and there is absolutely no justification for this. MultiVersus was warmly received at launch, but since then its popularity has dwindled, in part because updates have been agonisingly slow recently. In fact, there were fewer days between MultiVersus launching and its latest update, Marvin the Martian, than there were between Marvin the Martian and the announcement that the beta was being shut down. Whatever the problems, there is no reason the game should be going offline completely - and this problem isn't specific to MultiVersus.

The MultiVersus "Beta" Is A New Low For Live Service

Eric Switzer — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:55:46 GMT

In June, MultiVersus is going offline until 2024. Player First Games (an increasingly ironic name) has decided that it's time to end the beta and use the rest of the year to beef up its content offering so it can have a big, attention-grabbing relaunch next year. In the meantime, WB Games will not be providing refunds for Founder's Packs or Gleamium bundles. If you invested in this game and would like to continue playing it, tough luck, see you next year. Maybe.

Apex Legends Proves That Swimsuit Cosmetics Don’t Need To Put Sexualisation First

Jade King — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 20:00:16 GMT

The fear that the Apex Legends Sun Squad Collection Event was going to be deliriously horny and present all of our favourite heroes in the skimpiest outfits appears to have been unfounded. However, a small minority of vocal fans are angry about the distinct lack of bulges and camel toes. Players can soon earn/purchase a selection of themed cosmetics for the Summer, despite it still being in the month of March and a smidge nippy outside.

Okay For Real This Time, Morbius Is Good

Eric Switzer — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:02:40 GMT

Morbius is incredible… in Marvel's Midnight Suns. No, really! I know we spent the entirety of last summer pretending Morbius was awesome, but I mean it this time. It’s really Morbin' time, baby. Firaxis figured out the best way to play off of the meme is to actually make Morbius as cool as we were all pretending he was.

Good News, Another One Of Your Favorite Games Is Mobile Trash Now

Eric Switzer — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:34:16 GMT

If mobile games can teach us anything it's that the game industry has no shame. It's incredible how many companies are willing to jeopardize their reputations over low-effort freemium games and shovelware cash grabs. It's one of those situations where there's no one to point the finger at because everyone is equally terrible. We're supposed to just accept that the mobile market is a cesspit of predatory apps, where all your favorite characters are just salesmen for gems bundles. It’s a bizzaro world where everything is designed to hold your attention but nothing is designed to actually be fun.

The Problem With Live-Service Sequels

Stacey Henley — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:00:16 GMT

In the modern day, games can broadly be split into two categories. There are self-contained, single-player experiences, and then there are expansive online playgrounds that run seasonal events, have timed objectives, and develop over the course of their lives with major updates. God of War, Assassin's Creed, and Citizen Sleeper might vary in size and runtime, but they each aim to be self-contained experiences. Meanwhile you have Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Final Fantasy 14 which are intended to be played on a loop with evolving developments to a neverending story, as well as repeated activities for you to come back. But now a lot of live-service games are reaching the end of their life cycle naturally, challenging what we know about these two distinct groups - so what does that mean for the future?

Lego 2K Drive Can't Go Down The Crossover Route

Stacey Henley — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 17:30:15 GMT

I've been wanting to talk about Lego 2K Drive for a while now. Though I didn't do the preview myself (you can read ours here), ever since the event was set up I've been aware of its existence, and if 2K gets things right, it could be the perfect game for me. There's still no racing game that has replicated the thrill of Burnout 3: Takedown, Mashed, or Destruction Derby 64, and I have high hopes that the cartoonish carnage of Lego with 2K's competence in the sports game market will combine to create exactly that. An open world Lego driving game sounds like a bunch of random popular words thrown together, but just like the best Lego creations, this mash-up of disconnected ideas could combine into something beautiful.

Crash Team Rumble Already Looks Like A Trainwreck

Stacey Henley — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 18:00:16 GMT

I've never been on the Crash Team Rumble train, not even back when it was called Wumpa League and the community wouldn’t stop obsessing over leaks for the once cancelled project. The more we've seen of the game, which is a selection of team-based minigames to capture wumpa fruit in a variety of ways, the less interested I’ve become. This week, footage of the game leaked, before a subsequent announcement from Activision confirmed the price point and release date - it looks free to play but it’s not. None of these things are encouraging, and when you look at all the potential Crash Bandicoot has, it's a little sad to see it reduced to this.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Esprit Junior Dancers Showcase

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 17:00:15 GMT

We all know and love Esprit by now, right? You see them popping up everywhere at various community-led Final Fantasy 14 events throughout the year, impressing players with their highly polished Macro Dance routines. Fans will always spot the familiar faces amongst the troupe, but recently, it was time for Esprit to show off what its newer team members were capable of with the Esprit Junior Dancers Showcase.

Fortnite's Unreal Editor Tools Are Going To Change Video Games Forever

Jade King — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 16:15:14 GMT

It can be easy to dismiss Fortnite for its enduring popularity. It’s all about the pesky zoomers and endless crossovers, so cynical onlookers can label it as the mainstream anomaly that keeps on trucking no matter what. It’s so much more though, and Epic Games has proven over the years that what was once a battle royale cash-in has the power to change the world of video games forever. In a way it already has, establishing in its confines how a metaverse could look moving forward while exposing the huge potential of game development to an audience of young players with a thirst to jump into the medium.

I Would Love To See Epic Do A Cohesive Map In Fortnite

Andrew King — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:30:15 GMT

When Epic teased Fortnite's new season a few weeks ago, I was stoked to see the battle royale game get a cyberpunk makeover. But after thinking about Fortnite's approach to map design, I quickly realized that this cool new metropolis would only be taking over one portion of the map. Sure enough, when I booted the game up, the cyberpunkening had come to one small section, Mega City, a dense and highly vertical sector that fills the same role Tilted Towers has in the past.

Betas Only Became Twisted Because Corporations Kept Selling Them To Us

Jade King — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:11:57 GMT

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson described beta as a “twisted word” which in today’s landscape is more akin to a marketing demo in which anyone who pre-orders or stumbles upon a key can take advantage of.

Apex Legends' Second-Worst Legend Is Surprising The ALGS

Ben Sledge — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 16:43:47 GMT

In standard Apex Legends matches, the only Legend used less than Rampart right now is Newcastle. At the highest levels of ranked, in Master and Predator lobbies, the only thing that changes is that Rampart is used more than Revenant, and Newcastle overtakes her. For Twitch streamers, she’s rock bottom.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Eorzea Rescue

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 17:30:14 GMT

Earlier this month saw Bard groups across Final Fantasy 14 working together to create a concert like no other as they raised funds for those affected by the Turkey and Syria earthquakes. The community group FFXIV Bards & Bands was the incredible team behind Eorzea Rescue, which saw over 30 bands performing to raise awareness and get people donating.

Does Anyone Else Feel Like You're Wasting Time When You're Playing Multiplayer Games, Like Halo Infinite And Fortnite?

Andrew King — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 18:00:15 GMT

I'm a goal-oriented person. Before a new year starts, I take a few hours to write out resolutions for every area of my life (like this promise to beat 52 games in 2023). I've made resolutions and failed enough times in the past that I now review those goals each week on a Monday to make sure I'm sticking to them, while every evening, I make a to-do list for the next day in the Notes app. When I complete them, I put little fire emoji next to them. But I can’t do this with multiplayer games.

Imani's Banner Art Brings A Personal Touch To Fortnite

Andrew King — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 18:00:14 GMT

Fortnite's Chapter Four Season Two battle pass boasts a brilliant banner of the latest original character Imani, a Black woman with dreads rendered in a cel-shaded aesthetic, sitting by her window in Mega City, surrounded by clutter. Though Mega City feels a little clean and sterile for my cyberpunk tastes, this art by comic artist Brandon Graham goes a long way toward selling the idea that these quiet, lived-in moments are happening in the new metropolis, just out of sight.

There Is No Fixing Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Stacey Henley — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 17:30:14 GMT

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is currently down on the floor, gasping for breath, blood spraying from its teeth, so I'm not gonna kick it any further. In fact, I'm going to rack my brain for a nice thing to say about it - the characters all seemed to have well-established and authentic personalities in the cutscenes we've seen so far. The most important thing for me personally was that the game got Harley Quinn right, and it appears to have done that. So, good job. But I won't lie, the latest trailer did not make it look good, and pretty much everyone agreed. So much so that the game has reportedly been delayed into late 2023 (as recently as two weeks ago the PlayStation showcase emphasised the May 26 release date) and could even be bumped to 2024. But there's just no fixing it. Suicide Squad is what it is.

The Sims 5 Needs To Change The DLC Model

James Troughton — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 15:54:45 GMT

I’ve recently contemplated getting back into The Sims 4. It’s been over a year since I had a proper go, and I wanted to check out some of the newer expansion packs and kits - of which there are a lot. So, I went to Steam, opened the store page, had a look at the DLC listing, and read that big number at the bottom. Yikes.

Destiny 2's New Loot Cave Has Turned Neomuna Into A Ghost Town

Eric Switzer — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:16:54 GMT

One frequent complaint about Lightfall is that Neomuna feels a little barren. With the entire population confined to a simulation, the war-torn streets of Zephyr Concourse and Ahimsa Park lack the hustle and bustle that make urban environments feel alive. Post-apocalyptic games are often filled with the remnants of humanity to give the environments a lived-in quality, but in Neomuna there isn’t evidence that people ever inhabited the city. Even in the chaos and destruction, it is static and pristine. Neomuna feels less like an open city to explore and more like an oversized Overwatch map. It’s Numbani with Vex instead of Omnics.

Final Fantasy XIV Shows That The Series Has Room For Strong Women And Positive Female Representation

Meg Pelliccio — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:15:13 GMT

When I was growing up, it was standard practice for games to oversexualise women, squeezing them into itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny outfits that no one in their right mind would actually go adventuring in. Lara Croft might be afforded a more realistic outfit these days, but in the ‘90s, it seemed that, despite her wealth, she could only afford a tank top and shorts. At least she had attitude, though. Many female characters were reduced to hotties with no real personality, often fulfilling the part of the damsel in distress or a minor plot device to move things along.

There's An Entire Difficulty Setting Missing In Lightfall

Eric Switzer — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 07:10:18 GMT

Bungie announced plans to revamp the difficulty curve in Destiny 2 ahead of Lightfall, a decision that came under some scrutiny from players who were afraid that casual playlist activities might become too challenging. I was a defender of the changes Bungie described, which seemed like a considerable effort to bring meaningful challenge to Destiny’s ritualistic low-end content. Now that the changes are here, it’s clear that most of the concerns were overblown. Strikes aren’t any more taxing than they were before, provided you’re willing to put some effort into tailoring your build - which is exactly the point of these changes.

Lightfall Is The Buggiest Destiny 2 Launch In Memory

Eric Switzer — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 06:45:59 GMT

Destiny gets more slack than most when it comes to buggy launches. It’s a massive game made of countless moving, interconnected parts that continues to grow exponentially with each annual expansion, so the community tends to forgive a lot of the short-term growing pains that plague each expansion. Some issues, like the frequently resurfacing Telesto bug, are even celebrated by the community whenever they pop up. Launch issues are a part of Destiny’s charm by now, but it’s hard to ignore that Lightfall feels especially buggy. Between performance issues, inconsistent mods, overpowered gear, and the cavalcade of usual suspects (I’m looking at you, one-shot Thresher), Lightfall feels like the most busted Destiny 2 expansion I can remember.

Strand Has Broken My Obsession With Big Numbers In Destiny 2

Eric Switzer — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 03:32:21 GMT

I have some incredible Hunter builds in Destiny 2. With Young Ahamkara’s Spine and some specific energy mods, my solar grenade and melee abilities can be thrown almost infinitely. If there’s something big that needs to die quickly, I can usually deal with it faster than anyone else by spamming grenades and knives at it. For my void build, I use Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk to infinitely chain invisibility and volatile rounds together. Not only does it clear big hordes of enemies instantly, it also gives me incredible survivability. Those two builds alone make even the hardest content a breeze.

Pokemon Go's Golden Lure Module Is Broken If You Use It Right

Ben Sledge — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 18:00:14 GMT

I quickly came to terms with the fact that I would probably never get a Gholdengo in Pokemon Go. The 1,000th Pokemon was introduced to the game last week, and instead of needing an arbitrary number of Candy to evolve Gimmighoul, you need no fewer than 999 Gimmighoul Coins. It’s a mechanic borrowed straight from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but the task is immeasurably more difficult in Go.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2 Needs To Solve Valve's Gambling Problem

James Troughton — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:30:14 GMT

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s gambling fiasco hit its boiling point in 2016 when two YouTubers were unearthed to have been behind one of the biggest sites, advertising it on their channels to millions of impressionable young gamers, all without disclosing their involvement. They were Trevor ‘TmarTn’ Martin and Thomas ‘Syndicate’ Cassell. Valve decided to take action against their site and the countless copycats popping up, announcing plans to tackle gambling operations using their game and its market—but seven years later, not much has changed, as one Google search will present a wall of lucrative betting and roulette games.

Assassin's Creed Has Lost Its Way

Tessa Kaur — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:16:14 GMT

Assassin’s Creed has long had a problem with repetitiveness, and we all know it. As a long-standing, big-budget franchise, it’s widely considered ‘too big to fail’ – despite putting out a number of relative flops, Ubisoft continues to launch game after game after game, staying relevant by slightly changing its mechanics and exploring a new setting with each release.

Destiny's Commendation System Is Nothing But Empty Gestures

Eric Switzer — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 01:27:21 GMT

I just ran a Destiny 2 Strike, no different than the thousands I’ve run before it, and at the end I was asked if I’d like to commend my teammates for their contributions. I can give one of them the Thoughtful award, meaning they were “Considerate, Kind, and Helpful,” and I can give the other one the Joy Bringer award, meaning they were “Enriched the game with their presence.” Since they were both just random players I’ll never think about again, I selected each award arbitrarily. In return, one of them gave me Thoughtful and the other one gave me Joy Bringer. I don’t think I earned either of those superlatives, but neither did they, so I guess none of it actually matters.

Lightfall Is A Painful Reminder Of How Bad Destiny Used To Be

Jade King — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 16:45:14 GMT

I’ve played a lot of Destiny. While I’m far from the superfan our own Eric Switzer quite clearly is, over the past decade I’ve poured countless hours into Bungie’s looter shooter. Your girl was there for the alpha, beta, and base versions of the game on PS4 and Xbox One long before The Taken King pulled Destiny from its smouldering pit of mediocrity. I can recall the feverish hype fans were feeling ahead of its release, high with hopes that the creators of Halo could define the first-person shooter genre all over again. Eventually they did, it just took a while.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: Get Ready For Eorzea Rescue

Meg Pelliccio — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 18:00:15 GMT

Last month, parts of Turkey and Syria were hit by two devastating earthquakes, causing widespread destruction and resulting in thousands of fatalities. At present, the confirmed death toll is over 50,000, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history. Many have contributed aid, with thousands joining the rescue efforts and raising funds, and that extends to Final Fantasy 14.

Destiny 2 Has Brought Me Back At The Best And Worst Possible Time

Jade King — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 17:03:19 GMT

Destiny 2 has me back in its clutches... but it has a weak grip. The Lightfall expansion isn’t everything fans were hoping it would be. Given that it’s the penultimate chapter in the battle of Light versus Darkness, you’d expect the narrative to be a riveting journey of twists and turns, but at best it’s a meandering labyrinth of unearned character motivations and events that make almost no sense to even hardened fans. You spend loads of missions getting Spider-Man powers and then it just sorta ends. No big battle. No big twists. No developments. What a bummer.

The Farm Is The Perfect Representation Of Destiny 2's Past And Future

Eric Switzer — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 21:09:40 GMT

Lightfall carries a tremendous burden. Like the four Destiny 2 expansions that preceded it, Lightfall has to simultaneously shake up the Destiny formula, reinvigorate the player base, and attract a new generation of Guardians to the game. On top of that, it also has to raise the stakes higher than they’ve ever been - but not too high. The Witness, our ultimate enemy, has arrived on our doorstep. We’ve been preparing for this for years and we’re still not ready. This is the beginning of the end, but it’s not the end - that happens next year in The Final Shape. Lightfall is Destiny’s Infinity War, and it has to walk a careful line between ‘Things have never been this bad’ and ‘But they can get so much worse.’

Destiny 2: Lightfall's Non-Binary Character Nimbus Deserves Better

James Troughton — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:30:15 GMT

I’ve never liked the term ‘preferred pronouns’ - in preference to what, being misgendered? It’s a strange term, but like ‘identifies as,’ it encapsulates an unspoken sentiment about trans and non-binary people. That we aren’t who we say we are, we merely claim to be. Nothing sums this up better than people unapologetically misgendering those they don’t like, letting the mask slip as the need for niceties disappears. This is exactly what’s happened with Destiny 2’s new non-binary character Nimbus, who just arrived in the Lightfall expansion.

Project Fantasy Isn't Hitman, But I'm Excited For Any Big Swing From IO Interactive

Andrew King — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:30:15 GMT

For years now, rumors have swirled that Hitman creator IO Interactive was quietly working on a fantasy RPG. The Copenhagen-based developer finally confirmed that rumor yesterday with a job listing on Twitter for Project Fantasy, a "bold new online fantasy RPG." This will be fundamentally different from Hitman, the series IO has spent the bulk of the last 23 years working on. But, in many ways, Hitman has prepared IO to make exactly this game.

I Can’t Wait Until 2026 To Catch Hawlucha In Pokemon Go

Ben Sledge — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:00:16 GMT

Hawlucha might not be my favourite Pokemon, but it’s certainly up there. It’s a simple equation: wrestling plus Pokemon equals great. I love the luchador theme, it’s got a great design, and it’s got a unique move that has two types. It’s just a great little guy, and I can’t wait to add it to my Pokemon Go collection. I just might be waiting a while.

I Can't Believe Destiny 2's New Bad Guy Is A Wittle Uwu Baby

Stacey Henley — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:00:15 GMT

Look, I don't play Destiny 2. We've got lots of people at TheGamer who do, particularly Features Editor Eric Switzer who has been pumping out great Destiny pieces talking about how it finally has sexy dudes, the blast he had at the Guardian Games, and the way Destiny adapts to changing trends like no other game out there. At least, I assume they're great. They might stink. I don’t know the game.

Why Does Niantic Want Our Personal Data So Badly?

Tessa Kaur — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:45:15 GMT

Pokemon Sleep has just been re-revealed at yesterday’s Pokemon Presents after four years of radio silence, and to no one's surprise, it’s an app to monitor your sleep. There is, of course, a game aspect to it, otherwise what would the point be? In the game, you’re on an island with a Snorlax and a professor specialising in PokeNaps. To play, just go to sleep – the app captures, records and analyses your sleep patterns, and then categorises it to decide what kind of Pokemon you attract in the morning, and apparently there are more functions that use your sleep data coming.

Who Is The Poke Ball Plus Plus Even For?

Ben Sledge — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:30:15 GMT

The Poke Ball Plus Plus might be the worst named gaming peripheral in the history of gaming peripherals. Just a simple Poke Ball Plus 2 would have sufficed, or even a Poke Ball Squared or something. What will they call the next one, a Plus Plus Plus? It’s got me talking about it, I suppose. The little disc functions with Pokemon Sleep, which is finally coming out(!), acting as an alarm but not a clock, and singing you lullabies in Pikachu’s voice to lull you to sleep. It’s a weird pitch, but the device’s Pokemon Go functionality may sway some players.

Zacian Breaks Pokemon Unite, And The Developer Stands To Make A Fortune

Eric Switzer — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 02:09:52 GMT

I’ve seen a lot of people complaining that nothing of note happened during the Pokemon Day livestream, and I would caution you not to make comments like that to Unite players, because we’re going through a lot right now. Our beloved sword dog Zacian joined the Unite roster and immediately started making mincemeat of the competition. I used to worry about things like Solar Beam and Heavy Slam, but all of that seems pretty inconsequential when you’ve got a nine foot super wolf running full speed at you swinging a sword. It’s safe to say that in just one day Zacian has flipped the entire meta on its head.

Do We Really Need An Online Connection In Single-Player, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League?

Andrew King — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 19:00:15 GMT

Last week, we learned that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will require an Internet connection at all times, even when you're playing it single-player. That's bad news for players, and even worse news for game preservationists.

Final Fantasy XIV Community Spotlight: FishFest

Meg Pelliccio — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 17:31:14 GMT

Last weekend saw Final Fantasy 14 players and rampant fish enthusiasts unite in Eorzea to celebrate FishFest. Created by The Eorzean Museum Network and helmed by Fruity Snacks, the festival had plenty of other big names from within the FF14 community contributing their own aquatic-themed fun to make the weekend even more memorable. With fish panels, educational venues, dance shows, competitions, and scavenger hunts, there was no need to be an avid fisherman to take part.

Doesn't Sony Have Any Better Ideas For Mobile Games?

Eric Switzer — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 23:41:45 GMT

Ultimate Sackboy launched on mobile this week, a new endless runner based on Sony’s beloved Little Big Planet series. It not much different from the last LBP mobile game, Run Sackboy! Run!, which came out nearly eight years ago. I was looking for a game that would put my brand new Samsung s23 Ultra’s octa-core processor and Adreno 740 GPU to the test, and Sony - industry leader of cutting-edge games - delivered the goods with a clone of 2012’s Subway Surfers. Sony likes to say “Play has no limits”, but I can think of at least one.

Crackdown 3 Lives On In Suicide Squad

Andrew King — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 20:00:15 GMT

I'm sure Crackdown 3 is the last game Rocksteady wants Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to be compared to, but I came here to speak the truth and chew bubblegum and I'm all out of bubblegum.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Is Full Of The Numbers We All Hate

Stacey Henley — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 15:00:14 GMT

Critics and players don’t always see eye to eye on things. Players tend to only think about fun in the moment; is this game more enjoyable than not playing the game, and is it better than sitting on my couch playing nothing? Likewise, critics can get too cerebral at times, performatively talking up games that are different and fresh, putting too much stock in a game with an awkward tilt, and forgetting that most of the players we’re talking to just want to have a good time. So I get that sometimes when I say ‘who would want this?’, the answer is sometimes ‘most normal players’ and I’m the Principal Skinner who’s out of touch. But surely no one wants Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League like this.

Canning Angry Birds For Being Too Successful Is Pathetic

Eric Switzer — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 03:00:14 GMT

Whenever publishers and developers do unsavory, anti-player things, they typically try to spin it into something positive. Star Wars Battlefront 2’s loot boxes were infamously positioned by EA’s community team as a way to “provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes.” When Blizzard got blasted by fans for delivering a subpar Warcraft 3 remake that still had all of the original cutscenes, Blizzard claimed this was an intentional decision to “preserve the true spirit” of the original game, which we now know to be a lie.

Call Of Duty On Nintendo Switch Should Be More Like Old DS Games

James Troughton — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:30:15 GMT

I used to play God of War and Prince of Persia as a kid, and looking back, maybe I was too young to be button-mashing sex scenes and ripping people’s heads off. But when it came to Call of Duty, my parents (specifically, my dad) forbade me from playing it. Fair enough, I thought, I’ll get to it when I’m older. I was a bit of a dunce—what he really meant was, “They’re shit, so no.” I must’ve clocked he was sparing me from mediocrity at some point because, eventually, I started playing Black Ops on the DS.