What is there tosay aboutSkyrimthat hasn’t already been said by journalists, video essayists,Morrowindpurists, and die-hard fans already? Despite its fairly substantial deviations from the previous games' formula,The Elder Scrolls 5is the most popular single player installment in the franchise to date. This might be more par for the course than casual fans may realize, however.Morrowind, Bethesda’s financial salvation, is such a different game compared toDaggerfallit’s a wonder they’re in the same series at all....

Summary Quick Links It’s 2025. The decade is already almost halfway through, making it a good point in time to take stock of how the decade is going so far. For anime, the 2020s might be remembered as the erawhen the medium gained true ubiquity; no longer being a niche source of entertainment for what has long been believed to be the target: overzealous Japanophiles (“weeaboos”) and individuals who shriek when light enters their dimly lit bedrooms....

Quick Links Paradisan Ladderis one ofAvowed’s first major upgrade materials. Players will need large amounts of it early in order to upgrade their favorite armor and weapons.Avowed’s crafting and upgrade systems are unique, with each region featuring an enhanced version of the materials in the previous region. In this guide, we’ll not only show you how to getParadisan Ladder in Avowed, but also how to locateall the upgrade plantsin the game....

The Xbox and PS5 first-party controllers are probably the best gamepads you can get your hands on, were it not for stick drift. Even though many newer controllers now featureanti-drift Hall Effect and TMR joysticks, the folks atSonyandMicrosoftdon’t seem to give a hoot. Luckily, the third-party controller market is more alive than ever. 2024 was a remarkable year for controller fans, as Hall Effect gamepads became more affordable, and we saw a glimpse of the future with TMR sensors....

Summary The full slate ofWWE 2K25post-launch DLC wrestlers has just been revealed, and it includes a few fan-favorite WWE legends, celebrity guests, and a TNA alumni who is making hisWWE 2Kdebut.WWE 2K25already has a stacked base roster filled with current WWE superstars, legendary wrestlers from days gone by, and even a few original creations from MyRise that players can unlock for use in the rest of the game. PreviousWWE 2Ktitles would expand their rosters with post-release DLC, andWWE 2K25promises to be no different....

Summary Eagle-eyedNintendofans have noticed that Link has made a surprise appearance at Super Nintendo World in Universal Epic Universe Orlando. The park is currently under construction, but that hasn’t stoppedNintendofans from trying to discover everything they can about what to expect. Super Nintendo World got its start in Japan, and has since opened a second location in California. Both are part of Universal Studios parks, and fans on the East Coast are looking forward toUniversal Epic Universe Orlando opening its own Super Nintendo World, which is currently slated to open in May of 2025....

The development of role-playing games has been wildly different on both sides of the globe. While JRPGs are enjoyable on their own, the allure of Western RPGs is hard to deny as well. Players love this genre and the developers who experiment with these tropes. This can occur by either bucking certain trends or combining role-playing elements with other genres to make for a surprisingly enjoyable combination. Indie gaming has allowed players to enjoy some of the most unique and experimental games players can get their hands on, andYes, Your Graceis no exception....

Summary Bosch: Legacyis back on television screens on July 19, 2025, but it’ll be the last time fans get to see Harry Bosch’s solo stories after Amazon canceled the show ahead of its third season. The creative team aren’t done withBosch: Legacy, and they had plans for another season before it was axed. The author of the books,Michael Connelly, sold the rights to Harry Bosch to Amazon back in 2014, and while it has been a largely fruitful relationship, things have turned sour due to the cancelation....

Summary Apex Legendshas released a new update for February 2025 that makes adjustments to several weapons and characters, with Ash getting hit with a substantial nerf. In addition, the patch brings a change to the Assualt class to help balance the roster of characters inApex Legends. Apex Legendslaunched Season 24on February 11. While the season lacked a new hero or map, Respawn Entertainment brought sweeping changes to the battle royale’s weapons and characters....

The best RPGs are usually those that properly immerse the player in their world. And the most effective way ofimmersing players in a game’s worldis usually by merging together both gameplay and narrative, where players get to engage in unique mechanics that have serious lore implications.Avoweddoes exactly this. From the momentAvowed’s cinematic introduction begins, players are thrown into the deep-end of the game’s lore. Set in the same world of Eora as thePillars of Eternityseries,Avowed’s story builds itself atop a decade’s worth of lore, and players are immediately bombarded with an onslaught of fantastical jargon the second they load into the game....

Summary Despite being rooted in some design philosophies that may be considered old or outdated, the boomer shooter genre has etched itself firmly into the video game industry and shows no signs of going extinct anytime soon. These chaotic, action-packed experiences have become one of the industry’s most popular experiences, and one of the key reasons why is the long list of iconic protagonists that have solidified the legacy of this spectacular style of game....

Summary First-person shooters tend to feature diverse arsenals that allow players to express their own style and/or inject variety into combat encounters.Games such asDOOMandQuake, for example, encourage frequent weapon cycling in order to defeat enemies efficiently. As a result, more weapon diversity usually (not always) results in a better FPS. In the interest of diversity, these titles cover everything from RPGs such asBorderlandsandDestinyto more hand-crafted, indie experiences. Games that offer diverse, specific arsenals have generally been favored over games that use procedural generation or feature the typically repetitive weaponrycommon in multiplayer shooters....

For a protagonist (or antagonist) to be interesting, they more often than not need their own goals and desires to motivate them; their drive invests the player and makes them more than simple, two-dimensional figures. Unfortunately, in horror games, the main character’s goals are rarely easy to achieve, and they come face to face with challenges, either internal or external (often both). Some of the most interesting narratives are those centering aroundrevenge; when a character is driven by little else, it can present a whole load of complicated scenarios and consequences....