Author: dpugh007

  • Destiny 2's Next Few Updates Make Changes To Leveling, The Crucible, And The Dawning

    Destiny 2's Next Few Updates Make Changes To Leveling, The Crucible, And The Dawning

    This week saw the launch of Destiny 2’s first minor expansion following the release of its Forsaken expansion. It features some new content, but players have had a tough time actually playing it, though Bungie is hoping to address the issues. The developer also detailed a few changes coming to the crucible, and how this year’s Dawning event will work.

    The most pressing issue right now is that the new Lost Forges, the main content new to the expansion, are simply too high-level for even 600-power players to enjoy, and for those who haven’t yet had the time to reach the cap, catching up can feel like a gargantuan task. Bungie hopes to alleviate both of these issues with the next update, 2.1.2, which drops on December 11. While Bungie has already lowered the power requirements by five to address the former issue, after 2.1.2 prime engrams, one of the most potent sources of leveling, will “drop more frequently and with larger power bumps for players under 600 power.” Depending on how this change plays out, Bungie may also further bump up the leveling speed in the future.

    Second, the Dawning, Destiny’s annual Winter event, will have new twist. Baking is a major part of the theme, as players will be able to find ingredients to bake “Gjallardoodles or Chocolate Ship Cookies.” Combining different ingredients in various ways will yield different results, with the potential for “mismatched ingredients” leading to poor results. From these ingredients players will be able to gain enhancement cores, mods, gear, and the new Avalanche heavy machine gun by giving the baked goods to various vendors. Players can also get more ingredients with the Bright Dust currency, but must have acquire Essence of Dawnings by playing the game to do so. Of course, there’s also a new round of Dawning gear, including a sleigh-looking sparrow, a new ship, and emotes, along with the regular bonus leveling drops of cosmetic items.

    There are also several changes coming to the Crucible soon. The most major change is the reduction of power ammo, which many players cited as being too plentiful and having far too much control over the flow of multiplayer matches. Although the initial spawn time for power ammo remains the same, Bungie is extending the timer for additional spawns after that by anywhere between 15 and 75 seconds, depending on the mode.

    The balance team is also looking into potentially buffing sniper, scout, and fusion rifles across the board, nerfing the Nova Warp super currently dominating matches, making melee-based supers more reliable, buffing most pre-Forsaken subclasses, and nerfing Telesto, the fusion rifle most players have opted for after the relative falloff of Sleeper Simulant. Finally, Bungie hopes to release “smaller batches of patches more frequently.”

    To read more about Destiny 2: Forsaken, check out our review.

    [Source: Bungie]

    I haven’t had time to hop into Black Armory yet, but I appreciate the easing of leveling and endgame power requirements. I am, however, a little concerned about the new Dawning format; I don’t think anyone wants to grind the new seasonal content only to come out with a bunch of botched “pastries.” It all depends on how plentiful the ingredients are, I guess.

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  • Conan Unconquered Is A Strategy Game By Former Command And Conquer Developers

    Conan Unconquered Is A Strategy Game By Former Command And Conquer Developers

    Funcom has announced that it, including some former Command & Conquer developers, are working a new strategy game set in the Conan the Barbarian universe.

     

    The label of “strategy game” may be a bit misleading, however. The official press release says “Wave after wave of increasingly more difficult enemies will rush at your gates and you will need to manage resources, research new technologies to advance your defenses, and recruit an ever-growing army if you are to save survive utter destruction,” which means it’s more of tower-defense game than StarCraft. The game moves in real-time, but lets you pause to issue orders and create buildings. You’ll also be fortifying your buildings between rounds with defensive walls and the like, as well as unlock new heroes to play as. It also lets you fend off the randomly generated hordes in co-op with one other player.

    You can check out the CGI trailer below.

     

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  • What To Watch This Weekend: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dota 2, And Rocket League

    What To Watch This Weekend: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dota 2, And Rocket League

    If you’re fiending for some early Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competition, this weekend hosts New Game Plus, a well-attended Chicago Smash tournament. It’s too early to know which characters might be good, but if you’re interested in learning the game, this is a good place to start. (Stream / Schedule)

    Meanwhile, Dota 2‘s Megafon tournament has a small-but-elite roster of teams (including International champions Team Liquid) competing for $300,000. (Stream / Schedule)

    Mountain Dew is sponsoring this week’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major, which has the four remaining teams fighting in the playoffs for their share of $50,000. (Stream / Schedule)

    Rocket League  is having the championships for its collegiate league today. The action starts at 2pm central. (Stream)

    You can also catch some PUBG action from the MPL Season 2 Finals, which has several teams of four competing for both cash and a spot in the upcoming Asia Invitational. (Stream)

    That’s it for this weekend! Let us know if we missed an event, or if there’s a scene you’d like us to cover, in the comments.

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  • Capcom Announces Special Monster Hunter: World Stream Next Week

    Capcom Announces Special Monster Hunter: World Stream Next Week

    At last night’s Game Awards, Monster Hunter: World developers were asked by host Geoff Keighley if they had anything to announce. They demurred and instead said there will be something big within the next couple of days, but they couldn’t say it there on stage. Today, Capcom announced there will be a special Monster Hunter stream for fans on Monday, December 10, likely to introduce whatever it was they were hinting at.

    Tune in for a Special Developer Update on #MHWorld on December 10 at 6am PST / 2pm GMT https://t.co/51NJqvsnl1

    ? https://t.co/5WvZ4eIKJv
    ? https://t.co/WbntyGapQM pic.twitter.com/fjhcLllCKT

    — Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) December 8, 2018

    Even the PlayStation account is trying to pique player interest.

    Hunters, keep your eyes here on December 10… pic.twitter.com/AbTs4kVpob

    — PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 8, 2018

    It’s been slightly under a year since the game’s late January release, meaning that plans for things like a G-Rank or additional monsters usually get revealed to the public. In the past, Monster Hunter games used to issue entirely new titles for those revisions, which is something Capcom has said they did not want to do this time around, especially as they have the ability to issue them digitally. Could it be a paid DLC expansion, perhaps? What if it’s not an expansion at all? We’ll find out for sure on December 10.

    Monster Hunter: World is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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  • Review: Just Deal With It! – A Party Game without the Excitement

    Bad hand.

    A theme in our reviews of the recent wave of PlayLink games has been whether a game is necessary. When PlayLink was revealed last year, it felt like something new: That’s You couldn’t have been made without smartphones, while other titles like Hidden Agenda at least attempted something interesting.

    Fast-forward to this year, though, and already the initiative is lacking initiative. The colourful and fun Melbits World was an exception to that, but Chimparty felt like a bog-standard party game and Knowledge Is Power: Decades added pretty much nothing to last year’s game.

    Read the full article on pushsquare.com

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  • Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? – Issue 249

    Winner, winner.

    The Game Awards 2018 have concluded, which means that you’re probably pondering whether you should work your way through some of the winners, right? Whatever your gaming plans this weekend, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section. You know the drill by now, right?

    Sammy Barker, Editor

    I’m going to give PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds a go at long last. I’ve been curious about this title ever since it blew up, and while I’ve got my Battle Royale fix elsewhere during the release’s extended absence from PlayStation platforms, I’m eager to see how this title holds up.

    Read the full article on pushsquare.com

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  • Shawn Layden on Sony's Silence: See You in the New Year

    What’s the company cooking?

    PlayStation chief Shawn Layden briefly appeared during The Game Awards 2018 last night to open the show alongside Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime and Xbox overlord Phil Spencer – but while the latter two appeared later in the stream to chat about their respective platforms, Layden stayed out of the limelight.

    This disappointed some fans, but Layden was quick to reassure everyone on Twitter: “See you in the new year,” he wrote in response to one streamer who lamented the executive’s limited presence. It’s going to be fascinating to see how 2019 unfolds, because with the Japanese giant skipping E3, it means we can expect something entirely new from the organisation.

    Read the full article on pushsquare.com

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  • Round Up: All of the Announcements from The Game Awards 2018

    Every major reveal from Geoff Keighley’s big night.

    The Game Awards 2018 delivered another slick stage show, packed to the figurative brim with new software, speeches, and some cleverly disguised commercials. There were some meaningful reveals during the event’s epic 3.5 hour running-time, and we’ve rounded up all of the important bits for you below.

    The Game Awards 2018 Round Up


    What were your thoughts on The Game Awards 2018? Did you enjoy this year’s show? What was your favourite moment? Let us know below.

    Read the full article on pushsquare.com

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  • 40 best PC games 2018: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss

    Now that we have the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Intel has launched its Coffee Lake Refresh lineup that promises to hold the best processors for gaming, 2018 is the best time to dive into the best PC games. So, if you want to get in on the action of the top PC games 2018 has to offer, like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we’ll show you the best PC games of 2018.

    We gathered up the 40 best PC games you can buy today. And, trust us – you really need to try these out for yourself. You don’t even need to have skills with a keyboard and mouse – many of the best PC games can be played with a controller. Even if you don’t have one of the best gaming PCs at your disposal, you can pick up many of the best PC games on other platforms, like PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

    If you’re new to PC gaming, you picked an awesome time to join in on the fun. We’d love to extend you a warm welcome. While some PC gamers might be elitist gatekeepers, we here at TechRadar embrace anyone that wants to play. So, with that in mind, it’s time to explore the best PC games you can play in 2018.

    Linux, Windows or Mac – which one is best for you? Watch our guide video below:

    Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article

    If you ask someone who’s been playing the best PC games for years, they’ll likely tell you the premier game to benchmark your new gaming rig with was either Metro 2033 or Metro: Last Light. And, if you missed out on those exciting times, you’re in luck. This PC-centric shooter series will be pushing another generation of PCs to their limits when Metro Exodus launches later this year – and if Nvidia’s RTX demo showed us anything, it’s that you’re going to want a beefy rig to play this game.

    Forgoing the cramped metro tunnels of the first two titles, Metro Exodus will instead focus on the surface, offering players large areas to explore – without sacrificing the tension that the previous games’ linearity allowed. 

    This game is sure to be one of the most beautiful games when it eventually launches. Unfortunately, it was just pushed back to 2019, so we’ll have to wait just a bit longer to get our hands on it.

    Expected: 2019

    Look, we know that this game is starting to get old, but it is aging like fine wine. Even three years after its release it’s one of the most ambitious open world games that’s ever existed – combining Skyrim’s unabashed scale with Grand Theft Auto V’s insane depth. It’s such a jam-packed games, that it’s still one of the best PC games in 2018. Huge, beautiful and an absolute time sink – in a good way – The Witcher 3: Wild hunt isn’t just the best PC game in 2018, but it may be one of the best video games of all time. 

    Dragon Age: Inquisition, while not perfect, puts you in the midst of a huge, vibrant world on a much larger scale than past Dragon Age titles. Packed with hours of engrossing story and a wealth of side content, Dragon Age: Inquisition brings the series to an open world setting in a smart and compelling way. It might not be a new game, but for this excellent blend of Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate, it’s still one of the best PC games available in 2018. 

    Assassin’s Creed is basically a household name among the best PC games in 2018. And, starting with last year’s Origins, Ubisoft has been making huge efforts to revitalize the aging franchise. Well, we’re happy to report that they’ve succeeded. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey feels like an improvement in every sense of the word over last years entry, feeling like a completely different game than older games in Ubisoft’s flagship series. 

    This time around, despite the drama about microtransactions, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey places you in the shoes of Kassandra or Alexios, in the middle of the Peloponnesian War, as you look for your lost mother and father. And, while the main story – which will have you switching alliances between the Spartans and the Athenians – will likely get lost in the mix along the way, the world that Ubisoft has created is as rich and beautiful as ever before. 

    Just make sure you have one of the best graphics cards before you even try to run Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at a higher resolution. 

    If you’re looking for one of the best open world games on PC, you can’t go wrong here. So, join us in exploring ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.

    Although it’s arguably not as difficult as previous entries in the series, From Software’s Dark Souls 3 takes everything you like about the Souls series and combines it with elements found in Bloodborne, the developer’s more recent game for PS4.

    We’re not going to lie – Dark Souls 3 isn’t easy. It still takes skill and, more importantly, patience to master its complex combat system, but it plays fair too, inviting more casual gamers to take part in its bleak, fantastical world. Plus, on the bright side, it brings remarkably better PC optimization than that of the first game. And, now that you can pick up Dark Souls: Remastered and see where this apocalyptic series got its start – there’s never been a better time to link the first flame.

    Pillars of Eternity made a huge splash in the PC gaming scene when it launched a few years ago – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire follows faithfully in its footsteps. Not only is this one of the best RPGs you can play today, but it’s also one of the best PC games 2018 has to offer. 

    Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire puts players in the middle of the Deadfire Archipelago in pursuit of an ancient god. Along the way you’ll find yourself immersed in a rich, dense and long story crafted by Obsidian Entertainment – arguably the masters of RPGs.

    If you enjoy old school RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, and long for a return to those storied days – do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. It’s one of the best RPGs we’ve ever played. 

    Do yourself a favor, though, and check out Pillars of Eternity first – it still holds up as one of the best PC games and your story will carry over to the sequel. 

    Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most anticipated console ports to ever hit the PC. You probably didn’t need telling twice to head back into Los Santos’s hugely detailed and interactive world, but it’s 10 times more fun with the PC’s richer graphics and smooth 60 frames per second gameplay. After you’ve completed its 30-hour campaign, there’s an overflow of post-game content to enjoy here. Most recently that includes The Doomsday Heist in GTA Online and even a radio station hosted by Frank Ocean.

    BioShock is a first-person shooter that takes concepts from Ayn Rand’s Atlast Shrugged and tosses them underseas. To be exact, BioShock takes place in an underwater city called Rapture, free from government regulation, designed for artists and entrepreneurs to thrive. Of course, not all goes well in a city where the residents have all the power and, well, stop what you’re doing and play it right now if you haven’t already.

    You’re in for one of the great games if you play BioShock, one that balances story elements with horror nigh-perfectly. There’s a remastered version out there now, too, which is free of charge if you own the original.

    Set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film from 1979, Alien: Isolation is the suspense-packed game that fans of the franchise have been crying out for. Playing the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien protagonist Ellen Ripley, your mission is to track down and recover the flight recorder of the Nostromo spacecraft from the first Alien film which has been located aboard the Sevastopol space station. First and foremost a stealth game, Isolation ramps up the tension by providing you with minimal weaponry. Its excellent graphics shine on high-end PCs and clever AI helps ramp up the dread, leaving you to quiver when turning every corner.

    Overwatch, if nothing else, completely changed the landscape away from the norm of gray-ish cover shooters in the realm of competitive gaming. Its bright, vibrant colors are complemented by likeable characters, each decorated with their own interesting backstories which, though not present in game, make for a collection of awesome webcomics and cinematics.

    Overwatch is also one of the best PC games, because of how well it runs on all kinds of different hardware. Sure, it’s a bit old now, but even in 2018, it’s the best PC game for anyone looking for some competitive action. If somehow you’ve missed out on this game, do yourself a favor – sign in to your Battle.net account and take Overwatch, and its colorful cast of characters, for a spin today.

    Even if it came out almost 6 years ago, Counter-Strike Global Offensive is still a fantastic update to a timeless classic that continues to thrive thanks to its vast online communities – it’s truly one of the best PC games. Global Offensive is a well-rounded tactical shooter that builds on the simple Terrorists vs Counter-Terrorists gameplay of Counter-Strike 1.6, by updating classic maps such as Italy and Dust – while also adding new modes in Arms Race and Demolition. Simpler than Battlefield, but more complex than Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a shooter for those who like to think – if only just a little bit. 

    In a lot of ways, Far Cry 5 is the ultimate Far Cry game – combining all of the elements that has made the series successful, while cutting a lot of the fat (including the towers, thank god). And while on its own it doesn’t do anything entirely new, it perfects the Far Cry formula to a point where Far Cry 5 is one of the best open world First Person Shooters you can play in 2018.

    After a very heavy and intense intro, you’re dumped in the middle of rural Montana and given the task of dismantling the local cult. But, that quickly fades into the background as a myriad of activities – from hunting down aliens to taking out outposts – ultimately become your focus. But it’s precisely this focus on playing your own way that makes Far Cry 5 so special. 

    For years, Monster Hunter has been one of the biggest franchises you’ve never heard of. However, with Monster Hunter: World, the series has not only broken into the mainstream, but it has also come home where it really belongs: it’s now one of the best PC games 2018 has offered so far.

    Monster Hunter: World places you in the shoes of a, well, monster hunter, and you’ll hunt progressively bigger and nastier monsters, strip them for parts and craft bigger and badder armor. It’s a deceptively simple gameplay loop, that ends up being one of the most enthralling and rewarding PC games you can play today. 

    There’s a never-ending onslaught of content in this game, and Capcom, the developers of this monster hunting hit, are dedicated to bringing a wealth of free DLC to the game. So, if you’re looking for an addictive, engaging and most importantly, fun game to play by yourself or with all your best friends cooperatively, check out Monster Hunter: World – it really is one of the best PC games you can buy today.

    A 90s classic brought back to life (unlike its main protagonist), Grim Fandango Remastered is a successful attempt at reviving one of the PC’s best adventure games of all time. Combining writing that matches the funniest dark comedies with clever puzzles and a still-impressive art style, Grim Fandango was the most entertaining work of art to take place in a Mexican setting for years until Breaking Bad came along. Now with updated graphics, sound and better controls, Manna Calavera’s adventure has never looked so good.

    Six years after its initial release, Skyrim is going as strong as ever thanks to a vast selection of mods and high-resolution texture packs. Even if you’re only interested in playing the vanilla version of the RPG, it offers more than 100 hours of gameplay.

    Throw in three action packs DLC expansion packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn), and it lasts even longer. That Skyrim has been compared to graphically superior but similar RPG blockbuster The Witcher 3 is testament to its enduring popularity. Step into Skyrim and you too can be an adventurer – just try not to take an arrow in the knee.

    And, if you’re looking for a more, well, special version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda has you covered – it can’t seem to stop releasing and re-releasing Skyrim for every platform. You can even play it in VR.

    If you’re anything like us, and you secretly pine for the days of ultra-fast arena shooters, you’re going to absolutely love Quake Champions. 

    Unlike many 90’s series, Quake Champions completely retains that classic Quake style. You’re dumped into a relatively small map with a ton of verticality and armed with the craziest weaponry you could imagine. And, there’s no battle royale or any other trendy game modes here – it’s deathmatch all the way, baby.

    Much in the same way that Id Software mastered the reboot of Doom and brought it to a modern audience, Quake Champions is a nostalgic shooter that still manages to feel fresh in 2018. The kicker? If you act fast, you can score it for free on Steam ahead of its full release.

    The phrase “build it, and they will come” literally rings true when it comes to Minecraft, the survival-based sandbox RPG that has now been purchased more than 100 million times since its conception in 2009. In it, you can create your own worlds using resources you find in the wild or explore worlds created by other players online. 

    In Minecraft, you can either limit yourself to the numerous tools and blocks provided by the developer, Mojang, or you can install mods to truly capitalize on your investment. What’s more, come 2018, you’ll be able to take part in the Super Duper Graphics Pack, an optional piece of DLC that adds more realistic lighting effects and textures to an already fantastic product.

    The Orange Box may be showing its age, but it remains a must-play collection of games – particularly for FPS fans. Half-Life 2, technically still the most recent game in Valve’s franchise (excluding its Episode 1 and 2 add-ons), remains a modern masterpiece and is famed for being the first game to intelligently apply physics to its puzzles and combat set-pieces.

    The collection’s other titles aren’t too shabby either: Portal takes gravity-based puzzles to the extreme by equipping the player with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (also known as the Portal Gun), which places two portals for objects to pass through, while Team Fortress 2 continues to go from strength-to-strength thanks to the introduction of custom gear and well-balanced team combat.

    Sometimes a game that’s been out for 10 years becomes temporarily free on Origin and you just have to play it. Dead Space is one of those games. A survival horror game by definition, this acclaimed piece of science fiction stars a fittingly named Isaac Clarke, whose name itself is a combination of the famous sci-fi authors Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Told from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, Dead Space is a rescue mission story, wherein you (as Isaac) are tasked with investigating a mining ship mysteriously full of alien virus-infected dead bodies. All the while, you’ll have to stay on top of upgrading your futuristic ‘RIG’ suit too.   

    Id Software’s Doom was a phenomena for PC gamers in the 90s. The crudely rendered first-person shooter series was as controversial as it was beloved, largely thanks to its cutting-edge depictions of gore and violence that only a computer could deliver. Parents be damned, the franchise has made a comeback in 2016 with a fresh restart, appropriately titled Doom. Although the multiplayer might not appeal to shooter fans regardless of age, the single player campaign will pit you against demons in Hell for a lengthy experience that’s as bloody as it is satisfying.

    If Forza Horizon 3 is the racing game for newcomers to racing games, Asetto Corsa is the game for the grizzled experts. Its obtuse handling and insane difficulty straight from the get go makes it a toss up for one of the most realistic racing simulators of all time. And, even if you can get it on consoles, unlike Project Cars, this is a game that was developed for PC first. Everything about this game, from its demanding career mode to its deep seated driving mechanics – which basically require a racing wheel accessory – make it a joy for die-hard petrolheads, even if its difficulty curve is often just backbreaking. 

    Modelled after the 1984 game Elite, Elite: Dangerous is one of the most ambitious space sims around. Featuring an in-game galaxy based on the real Milky Way (how’s 400 billion stars for depth?), the ultimate goal is to advance your rankings to Elite status by levelling up combat, trading and exploration.

    Starting out with a rickety ship and 1,000 credits in your space suit’s back pocket, you’ll need to turn to piracy, trading, exploring, mining or bounty hunting to rise through the intergalactic ranks. Doing so takes time and requires serious graft, but the experience provides a level of satisfaction that few other titles can match. And then there’s the Oculus Rift

    Sometimes, you just want to jump into a virtual world and blow stuff up. Luckily, that’s exactly what Just Cause 4 allows you to do. This open world sandbox of destruction lets you loose on a completely made up island, where you’re tasked with overthrowing an oppressive regime – by causing as much mayhem as possible. Why? Well, just ‘cause.

    You’ll have access to a ton of different gadgets, weapons and vehicles that’ll see you soaring through the air, sailing across the waves and crashing into the ground when you screw up that epic stunt. You knew it wasn’t going to work, but you had to try it anyway. If all you want is unbridled chaos, Just Cause 4 is easily one of the best PC games of 2018.

    Described as “achingly beautiful” by Unity Engine boss John Riccitiello, Ori and the Blind Forest borrows its game mechanics from old-school 2D games such as Metroid and Castlevania while adding a modern twist. If any word can describe Ori’s atmospheric world, it’s alive. You’ll have to think fast and use new abilities gained along the way to bash, stop and manoeuvre your way through its gorgeous locations, and with no automatic saving system or easy difficulty level, it’s no walk in the park. As satisfying to master as it is to look at, Ori and the Blind Forest will re-open your eyes to what 2D games still have to offer.

    Grow Home is an experimental PC platformer that looks like an “indie” game but is in fact the latest release from Rayman developer Ubisoft. Similarly charming thanks to its distinctive 3D art style, you play as BUD, the game’s robot protagonist, whose main job is harvest seeds and grow a beanstalk-like ‘Star Plant’ by grabbing its branches and connecting them to nearby floating islands in the sky.

    There’s a fair bit of trial-and-error involved, and while having to climb all the way back up again after a fall is frustrating, grabbing a passing vine at the last minute by the tips of your fingers can be equally as exhilarating. The ability to move BUD’s arms and legs independently helps put you in control – just try not to get them tangled up. Because you will – a lot.

    Besides Final Fantasy, there isn’t a franchise that carries as much weight in the Japanese RPG genre as Dragon Quest. For decades, these have been the penultimate JRPGs for many – even inspiring many modern classics like Pokemon. And, for the first time in 14 years, Dragon Quest has made its way to home consoles, and more importantly to PC for the first time ever.

    Dragon Quest XI is a beautiful, colorful JRPG that’ll put you in the shoes of a young prince that’s set out to – save the world, obviously. You’ll get about 80-100 hours out of the game, and every moment will be memorable and magical. It even features art from Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on Dragonball – it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best PC games of 2018. 

    Already familiar to millions before they’ve played a played a second of it, Rocket League turns the age old game of football (or soccer, depending) on its head. Played with rocket-propelled cars in futuristic low-gravity environments, the aim is simple: knock the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Doing so is harder said than done because there could be up to three cars on the opposing team trying to steal the ball off you – or ram you into submission – at any one time. Gorgeous to look, simple to learn but difficult to master, Rocket League is the surprise smash hit of 2015 – and a wonderfully addictive one at that.

    Read: 8 real-life footballers in Rocket League: which one are you?

    As inevitable as sandals in summer, Blizzard finally launched its first MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game in June. Featuring a ton of characters from Blizzard games such as Warcraft, World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2, Heroes of the Storm sees two teams of five attempt to destroy the other’s base. When not sounding out enemy units to destroy, its expansive maps give you room to take on secondary objectives such as finding skulls or unlocking special siege units to help your team.

    Accessible to newcomers while packing plenty of depth, Heroes’ finely balanced gameplay mechanics, shorter matches (compared to League of Legends) and ability-based levelling system make it a refreshing alternative to established MOBA titles and a fine game in its own right.

    Metal Gear Solid V, the last Metal Game which will be helmed by Hideo Kojima after his forceful ejection from Konami, is a hugely ambitious title. Its massive open world setting allows you to tackle missions using stealth, but you’re still able to go in guns blazing if you prefer – though you won’t get as good a score.

    Taking place nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain’s story unravels through its main missions and more than 100 Side Ops tasks. The action is interspersed with beautiful cutscenes, and while you sometimes have to decode annoying pseudo-military babble to figure out what’s happening, TPP’s fast pacing and beautiful Afghanistan and African settings make sure the game never feels like a chore.

    You can ask basically any veteran PC gamer, and they’ll tell you that Battlefield games have always been among the best PC games. And, with Battlefield V, the trend continues – it’s one of the best PC games 2018 has to offer, period. 

    The core mechanics remain the same, drive, fly, or run to capture points on a map and defend them against the enemy team. However, this year’s offering refines the Operations mode from 2016’s Battlefield 1, and transforms it into, well, Grand Operations. This epic game mode takes place across up to 4 maps, and is meant to portray crucial battles of World War II. It’s an absolute blast, just make sure you have an hour to spare. 

    Battlefield V is also one of the best PC games when it comes to visuals. Never before has war looks so terrifyingly real in a virtual space. The environments are more realistic than ever before, and if you’re rocking an Nvidia Turing card, like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, you can turn on ray tracing and experience out-of-this-world reflections. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s the best PC game in 2018 for FPS fans.

    The 2016 revival of Hitman was a revelation, a rebirth of a classic series that showed what Hitman could be. So, we went into Hitman 2 with high expectations – expectations that paid off. Hitman 2 puts players in even bigger environments, with more complicated missions that will test your creativity in deadly ways. 

    What’s especially notable here though, is the new game modes on offer. You’ll have access to a new Sniper Assassin mode, and most importantly, a co-op game mode – a first for the Hitman series.

    If you’re looking for an engaging stealth experience, you really can’t go wrong with Hitman 2 – it’s one of the best PC games of 2018, easy.

    Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide was one of the best PC games for anyone who loves playing the best PC games with friends. And, we’re delighted to say that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 takes the deep co-operative gameplay of the original and improves on it in every conceivable way.

    Although it technically allows you to form complex strategies with your teammates, the action often turns into chaos, where the only way you can survive is mindlessly bashing at enemies until you, and your teammates (preferably), are the only things left standing. And, because Vermintide 2 adds a wide range of Orc enemies on top of the familiar Skaven enemies, you’ll never run out of things to hack to pieces.

    It’s official: Fallout 4 has lived up to the hype. Despite feeling a little bit like Fallout 3 but with nicer graphics at times, its tighter shooting, in-depth crafting system and well-thought out story make it a wholly more enticing affair.

    As the Sole Survivor (the first fully-voiced protagonist in the Fallout series) in Boston’s post-apocalypse wasteland, you’ll take on Feral Ghouls, Raiders, Syths and Bloodbugs and more with high-powered weaponry that includes the Fat Man mini nuke cannon and the fusion cell-powered Laser Musket.

    If the Call of Duty series is the poison that dumbed down the FPS genre with its run-and-gun gameplay, then Rainbow Six: Siege is the antidote. Working as a team to out-wit the enemy, Siege plays out like a thinking man (or woman’s) Counter-Strike that doesn’t simply encourage cooperation if you want to win – it requires it.

    When you’re not peering down your gun’s iron sights, you’ll be laying traps, scouting ahead using drones, strategising with your teammates and building walls that could keep a herd of demented bulls at bay. While Siege’s heavy reliance on tactical team-based gameplay can prove its biggest weakness if you’re hoisted into a server with a particularly uncooperative bunch, when it does click, it provides a level of satisfaction rarely found in online multiplayer games.

    After the rebooted Tomb Raider and its sublime sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, the seminal series has won its place among the best PC games with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Instead of simply porting over a console version and calling it good, Crystal Dynamics has created a technical masterpiece with Lara Croft’s latest adventure. 

    Shadow of the Tomb Raider finds Lara heading down to South America to thwart a Mayan apocalypse. While the scenery isn’t as diverse as in previous titles, it’s still just as arrestingly beautiful throughout. And, with Nvidia’s RTX technology coming later this year, it’s going to be a great way to put the best graphics cards to the test while having some fun at the same time. 

    Imagine a survival-based shooter where every match starts with your avatar being ejected from a cargo plane alongside 99 other players with no weapons or items. That’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or at least the solo, free for all mode. After spending the early minutes of the game digging for resources, you’ll soon be forced to reckon with your own mortality as the body count ticker at the top of the screen descends into desolation.

    Abbreviated PUBG, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is based on another “last man standing” game released back in 2013: PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale. It doesn’t require a copy of Arma III or H1Z1 to run, but you’ll need to keep your wits about you. There’s no respawning in PUBG, so it’s less about the precision of your aim as it is about your ability to scavenge quickly for weapons, first aid kits and clothing. 

    Picking up immediately after the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will inevitably be heralded as a classic. For some, it’s the punishing old-school gunplay that’s to thank for this. Even on the default difficulty, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will have you fretting for your life. 

    Yet, for others, story reigns supreme. And, if The New Colossus serves as an interactive showcase for anything, it’s story, the most interesting parts of which are told through flashbacks. We won’t go as far as to spoil the plot, but what we will say is that B.J. Blazkowicz’s motives become a lot clearer in this iteration of Wolfenstein, not that he needs to justify killing Nazis.

    Originally created as an entry to the 7 Day FPS Challenge, Superhot’s Polish developers were inspired by a top-down game called Time4Cat where time only moves when the player does. They took this concept one step further and turned it into a FPS. Falling somewhere between Portal and Max Payne, nifty reflexes, patience and an eye for puzzle solving is required.

    The aim is to defeat a finite number of enemies by dodging bullets and returning a few yourself. The game is now available to buy and download on Steam, but you can head back to where it all began by playing the flash version of Superhot online for free. You’ll need the Unity Web Player plugin which is currently not supported by Chrome.

    X-Com 2 is one addictive game, and we still can’t put it down. Following up from 2012’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which reimagined the 1994 cult classic UFO: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 has delivered everything we wanted in a sequel. Bigger, deeper, faster and even easier on the eyes, the turn-based tactics game takes place 20 years after its predecessor.

    It pits you in control of the Avenger, a converted alien ship that serves as your mobile base of operations used to devise strategy and execute fight plans against otherworldly enemies. With a greater focus of stealth, more intelligent alien AI and deeper customization options, XCOM 2 is bound to end up one of our games of the year.

    Anyone familiar with World of Warcraft knows that it’s among the most successful and influential massively multiplayer online role-playing games (or MMORPGs) of all-time. Comprising nearly 14 years of content, with over thousands of hours just waiting to be invested, there are few better games to spend your money on than World of Warcraft.

    With Battle For Azeroth, the all-new expansion pack, players will be able to explore two new continents – Kul Tiras for Alliance players and Zandalar for the Horde. Blizzard has kept the leveling system from Legion, as well, meaning you can tackle the new zones in any order you feel like. This will of course come with all the new raids and dungeons we’ve grown accustomed to over the years and a storyline that will see the two playable factions at each other’s’ throats in a major way.

    From PlatinumGames and Square Enix, Nier: Automata is a sequel to the 2010 cult classic Nier, which itself is a spin-off of the Drakengard series. Technically an action role-playing game, Nier: Automata’s most gripping quality is that it never truly adheres to one particular genre. At times, it’s a 2.5D platformer and, at others, it’s a twin-stick shooter. It’s unpredictable and a breath of fresh air when compared to other PC games out on the market.

    The story centers around a femme android by the name of 2B who is aided by a survey android called 9S, or Nines. With many questions being asked along the way, both of these characters are tasked with extricating Earth from alien machines that have engulfed the planet. Just be conscious of how you play because not only does Nier: Automata feature different endings, but with each new path comes vastly different gameplay. 

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  • Fire Emblem Heroes Experiences Decline In Player Spending During The Month Of November

    Nintendo’s new mobile title steals the spotlight.

    Nintendo’s free-to-play mobile release Fire Emblem Heroes has experienced a significant slump in player spending last month. According to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data, the game only reached around 66 percent of its average monthly earnings in November. Since arriving on mobile platforms in February 2017, Heroes has raked in $21 million per month, whereas this November was down to $13.8 million worldwide. That’s a decrease of roughly 19 percent year-over-year.

    Sensor Tower links this decline in player spending to the release of Dragalia Lost, which was launched in September. Nintendo’s new free-to-play mobile release, developed by Cygames, has manged to outperform Fire Emblem in both October and November. Just recently it surpassed $50 million in player spending after 70 days. It’s quite an impressive feat for a game that is currently only available in five select territories compared to one that has been released in 43 locations.

    Read the full article on nintendolife.com

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