Nintendo has been a legendary name in the video game industry for generations, whether it’s through their cutting-edge gaming consoles or their multitude of successful first-party franchises. Nintendo is a game developer that’s constantly looking toward the future, but it has also never forgotten its past. Nintendo loves to put older classics back in the…
Fans praise the The Legend of Zelda series for its sprawling dungeons with interesting puzzling elements, and the game’s Water Temples are often at the forefront. Water dungeons tend to be the most difficult in each game, due to the mechanics often associated with water-based puzzles in Zelda. Often, Link will have to raise and…
Larian Studios smashed all expectations with their August 2023 release of Baldur’s Gate 3, with gamers coming in their droves to try out this D&D-inspired masterpiece. In fact, Baldur’s Gate 3 is literally based on the tabletop role-playing system, integrating familiar classes, races, monsters, items, spells and much more into a huge gaming experience. While…
The competitive Pokémon scene has become increasingly nuanced since the original Game Boy days, and the concept of hazard moves has become a staple in this format. Whether it’s players setting up entry hazards to set the tone of battle or using moves to clear them, hazard-focused abilities can indirectly determine a match. These moves…
Quick Links Mechanics Lorcana Should Adopt Mechanics Lorcana Should Avoid In the short time since its release, Disney’s Lorcana has taken game stores and players by storm. With only a single set under its belt so far, there will never be a better time for players to familiarize themselves with Lorcana and its mechanics. Like…
Dozens of Dragon Ball fighting games have dominated the market and helped make its star, Goku, a major gaming icon. There are still plenty of established fighting franchises like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, but there’s also been a healthy push towards anime-inspired fighting games that highlight series like One Piece and Dragon Ball. The…
Marvel superheroes are popular figures in all kinds of video games, and fighting games are no exception. Though Capcom games like Marvel Vs. Capcom are the most well-known, other fighting games such as X-Men: Next Dimension and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects have all featured iconic Marvel characters. With their unique powers and abilities,…
Video gaming is known as a time sink of a hobby. Even short video games typically last several times as long as the average movie. However, one genre is known above all others for how long its games can last. Role-playing games are notorious and beloved for their vast main stories and wealth of side…
Marvel Snap keeps expanding its catalog and players love it. This digital collecting game went through an OTA update on September 14th in order to maintain the game’s balance. However, there are still some overpowered cards around that really grind the players’ gears, especially because they don’t reflect the source material. These powerful Marvel Snap…
After 27 years of the franchise’s run and over 1,000 unique Pokémon species available in the main games, the collective movepool available for these creatures has been fleshed out with many powerful attacks to use in competitive formats. Each mainline installment to the video game series introduces new moves to shake up both story playthroughs…
While longtime fans of the franchise are hoping Konami brings the games out of dormancy, the Netflix Castlevania series has helped keep excitement for this world alive and thriving thanks to its intriguing continuity. Animated by the talented Austin, Texas-based outfit Powerhouse Animation Studios, this TV series combined elements from the video game canon and…
Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition‘s character creation and combat well to a video game RPG. Not every D&D 5e option is available in BG3, but the most crucial and core features are there. This extends to many of D&D 5e‘s feats, used to improve a character’s capabilities every four class levels….
It used to be common for video games to have a set ending, or a point where there isn’t anything else for players to accomplish. With the ever-increasing popularity of live service games, as well as DLC drops and the inclusion of fanmade mods, many games can now go on well past their pre-defined “end.”…
The Soulslike genre has flourished since its inception in the late 2000s. The genre is named for FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls titles and describes games that evoke their gameplay. Most Soulslikes are third-person action-RPGs with punishing difficulty, a melee combat focus, and certain design conventions. Dark Souls fans will recognize core Soulslike mechanics,…
Video game storytelling has come leaps and bounds in recent decades. Some titles, like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption II, have reached a level of prestige and acclaim with their storytelling that rivals the best output of other mediums. These games largely take themselves deadly seriously, with a dark tone and realistic…
To understand what makes a video game truly great, one must consider everything that goes into the best games to make them stand out. Exceptional gameplay gets players into the thick of the action. Graphics, artwork, and voice acting help to keep them immersed. Yet, it is through storytelling and the general writing of a…
Every gamer has a story of sitting down with a couch co-op game and playing with friends for hours, and many players bond with their partner through a co-op experience. Co-op games can make a good game even better, but they can also ruin a game that isn’t designed for co-op. While there are countless…
Game controller designs have converged in recent years. Every mainstream gamepad includes two sticks, two pairs of triggers and bumpers, letter buttons, a D-pad, and some variation of motion or touch control. Games have similarly adapted, to the point the text “press X to interact” is in almost every game tutorial. The more that control…
Final Fantasy XIV originally launched in late September 2010, and though its initial release was rocky, it’s been built up into one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed MMORPGs on the market. From the main questline to the many varied sidequests, events and challenges that make up Eorzea’s world, there’s no shortage of content for…
Summary Magneto’s long-range attacks and ability to control metals make him a formidable character for a fighting game like Mortal Kombat or Injustice. Doctor Doom’s combination of technology and magic, along with his defensive armor, would make him a unique and powerful fighter in a video game. Emma Frost’s defensive diamond skin and powerful mental…
Summary Electric, Normal, Ghost/Dark, Poison/Dark, Water/Ground, Bug/Steel, Water/Electric, and Normal/Ghost are Pokémon types with the least weaknesses. Having Pokémon with these types can give trainers a significant advantage in battles. Abilities like Volt Absorb and moves like Plasma Fist can further enhance the effectiveness of certain Pokémon types. It’s not always easy to put together…
Nintendo continues to prove itself as one of the most exciting developers in the gaming industry through innovative new titles and popular intellectual properties like Super Mario. Super Mario is still Nintendo’s strongest franchise but they’ve used the opportunity that created to expand upon the public’s perception of what a Super Mario game looks like….
Sorcerers are one of Fifth Edition‘s hardest classes to build. Their limited spells known, class features, and Metamagic force a sorcerer player to choose one role they want to excel in. The class is one of D&D 5e‘s least versatile sorcerers, made up for with its ability to specialize. It may seem counterintuitive to multiclass…
September represented one of the best months in gaming during an already great month. Bethesda released their smash hit Starfield and other companies coming through with amazing games as well. As fans enter the fall, they shouldn’t expect game releases to cool off at all. Instead, this month will feature some of the biggest and…
MK1 picks up where Mortal Kombat 11 left off, exploring Liu Kang’s new timeline and the aftermath of his deception. While the God of Fire claims that this new timeline is the only one, it’s clear that he was aware of other timelines and the evil forces potentially therein. Now in a quest to protect…
Like most games, Critical Role is about the player characters first and foremost. Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, and Hell’s Bells are all stuffed with epic heroes for the fan to root for. However, they need somebody else to stand against. This is where Critical Role‘s many villains come in, all originally played by DM…
While the competitive metagame for the Pokémon franchise is constantly tweaked with each generation, several stat-buffing moves are consistently reliable in battle. With over 1,000 unique species that carry unique Type combinations, there are always plenty of creatures to make use of these moves in a variety of situations. Depending on what stats a given…
With a roster that has now spilled over the one-thousand mark, Pokémon is teeming with variety across 18 types with even more type combinations, and each species takes inspiration from unique creatures, concepts, or folklore. Every type naturally has its standout Pokémon and plenty that fade into obscurity, but many Pocket Monsters look much tougher…
There’s a strong sense of satisfaction that occurs whenever a gamer takes down a video game’s final challenge and watches the credits roll. This sense of accomplishment is incredible, but there are plenty of video games where the end credits mark the definitive finish to this experience and mean that it’s time to try out…
The wonderful world of Pokémon is full of variety, especially now that the roster is well over 1000 strong. Across 18 types and a plethora of type combinations within that, nine generations of Pokémon have produced species of all shapes and sizes. Each Pokémon has a unique personality and attributes, often taking on various real-world…
Tabletop games have directly or indirectly inspired nearly every video game ever made. Many video gaming conventions, designs, and even mechanics draw from the ways humans have been playing games for thousands of years. However, has had an outsized impact on the video games industry by kickstarting the roleplaying game genre. Some video games take…
Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated with fear. From cautionary tales to telling ghost stories, fear provokes a primal thrill. Horror may not be for everyone, but when done well, the sensation of being terrified can leave a lasting and oddly satisfying impression on a person. Horror games provide players with an…
Critical Role‘s core cast of characters, alongside the veteran voice actors portraying them, are well-loved by most show fans. Even the most contentious characters tend to have sizable fanbases. However, these aren’t the only heroes in Critical Role‘s campaigns. The series has a proud history of guest stars, and many are friends or colleagues of…
The NES has some of the most popular and beloved games of all time. The Legend of Zelda, Batman, Mega Man, and more all made their debuts on Nintendo’s flagship console. But there are so many games that deserve way more credit than they get. The NES has plenty of titles that offer amazing gameplay…
Debuting in 1986 on the NES, Konami’s Castlevania is one of gaming’s longest-running and most celebrated series. Featuring hordes of gruesome ghouls and monsters led by the evil Count Dracula, the Castlevania series has spanned numerous consoles over the decades, each with its own unique entry for fans to enjoy. The Castlevania series has over…
Games today thrive on variety, and with so much competition in the market, developers need to prove their games are different from the thousands of others out there and thus worth a player purchasing. There are many ways to accomplish this, from art direction to mechanics to genre, but one way to make a game…
FromSoftware pioneered its Souls-like subgenre, with the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne using the formula to emphasize high-octane combat through its diverse weapon types. This gothic-horror action RPG incentivizes and rewards smart and relentless aggression, with defense largely reserved for dodging and parrying. Naturally, that makes much of Bloodborne‘s available weapons suited to different fast-paced encounters. The…
For the last three years, Genshin Impact‘s name has been on the lips of the gaming community, and for good reason. Although Genshin Impact is, at heart, a gacha game, it has broken new ground by challenging how gaming studios view open-world games with its ongoing storyline. Genshin is much more than just a gacha…
Dungeons and Dragons has existed for nearly 50 years. In that time, it has introduced a ton of inventive and incredible settings for players to explore. With so much content available for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, it can be overwhelming to decide on a setting. Every game of D&D needs an exciting world to…
During the Super Nintendo Entertainment System’s era (or SNES), the role-playing game became popular, introducing rich stories and opening up a world of possibilities in video games. Games weren’t just about high scores and jumping on Koopas, anymore — they could tell intricate stories. The SNES had many great story-driven games. The Final Fantasy and…
Gamers love a challenge, but there is a fine line between providing a challenging experience and creating a frustratingly hard one. A game should be difficult enough to feel rewarding but not so hard that it feels impossible. Some games skirt the line perfectly; they’re hard enough that success feels like a true accomplishment, but…
The druid is one of the many iconic classes in Dungeons & Dragons. Capable of assuming the forms of various animals, druids draw their power from the environment to cast a myriad of spells. Their subclasses are the druid Circles, representing different aspects of the natural world and different ways of interfacing with them. The…
For many Animal Crossing: New Horizon players, maintaining an island filled with cute and popular villagers is part of the fun. Players will even go as far as to “hunt” for villagers, which entails the player saving up their Nook Miles and spending them on as many Nook Miles Tickets as they can get to…
Long before he fought Bowser, the first foe that Mario fought was the angry ape Donkey Kong. This legendary battle between man and beast resulted in one of the greatest arcade games of all time, not to mention a fun Nintendo subseries in the form of Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Now, the first game in…
Making its grand debut in 1996, the Pokémon franchise exploded in popularity to become a cultural phenomenon that rivals even Mario. Starting out as a pair of games on the humble Game Boy, Pokémon has expanded into TV shows, movies, toys, and trading card games. But no matter where the franchise goes, its core will…
Resident Evil has dominated the world of survival horror since the first game was released in 1996. Resident Evil is often credited as the franchise that popularized the genre, and for good reason. Over the last several years, Resident Evil (RE) has seen a massive spike in its fandom thanks to the monumental success of…
Dead by Daylight is a co-op horror game that allows a group of survivors to face off against a killer trying to keep them from leaving. Over the years, Dead by Daylight (DBD) has partnered with many franchises to bring iconic crossovers to the game. Most of these crossovers are recognizable horror franchises like Scream,…
Nintendo has had many classic consoles with just as many great games, though some hardware is more overlooked than others. In the case of the Nintendo 64, most recall the first-party titles that defined the system. While games such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were timeless, there were…
Nintendo is one of the biggest first-party video game developers, dominating and innovating the industry for decades. Nintendo’s home consoles, like the Nintendo 64, Wii, and Switch, frequently receive the most attention. Still, Nintendo also pushed forward handheld gaming with their groundbreaking Game Boy and Nintendo DS portable consoles. The Game Boy Advance has more…
In 2016, Behaviour Interactive released Dead by Daylight, an indie game that featured unique cooperative gameplay. On the surface, Dead by Daylight (DBD) is a simple game with simple mechanics. A team of four survivors attempt to evade the killer long enough to repair five generators, open the exit gates, and escape. Dead by Daylight…
