GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:26 PM Better watch out - The Burglar is making their return as part of the latest base game update for The Sims 4. The post Burglars Returning to The Sims 4 appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:57 PM Rock Manor Games, together with Mega Cat Studios, has released a demo for Maximum Apocalypse: The Video Game as part of Steam Next Fest. The post Maximum Apocalypse Steam Next Fest Demo Live appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:37 PM From new locales like the multi-leveled Canal, to quality-of-life improvements, to even a console version, see what the newly released Spectre Divide Season 1: Flashpoint update is bringing to the table with our hands-on preview. The post Spectre Divide Season 1: Flashpoint Preview – Twice as Nice appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:53 AM Officially coming to a close, see how Pokémon GO Tour: Unova – Los Angeles connected players in the region with the recap of the event. The post Pokémon GO Tour: Los Angeles Recap Released appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:36 AM Update 1.27 for Bohemia Interactive's open-world survival horror hybrid MMO DayZ is now available, bringing with it enhanced navigation, adjustments to fishing and survival, and other improvements. The post DayZ Update 1.27 Now Available appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:19 AM A 4X MMO set within Legendary's Monsterverse, the world of Tilting Point's Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers is now available for mobile devices. The post Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers Now Available appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
GamersHeroes Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:20 AM Two Point Studios just doesn't miss - Two Point Museum is another funny, deep, and incredibly creative dive into the simulation genre that's sure to be another hit. The post Two Point Museum Review appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:15 PM  Tony Stark, as we all know, is a brilliant engineer, the Iron Man suit testament to his capabilities. Flexible and reliable, Iron Man is also a fantastic Dualist in Marvel Rivals, where he excels in keeping constant pressure on his enemies with long range attacks, the ability to fly freely to avoid taking damage and… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:15 PM  Well, here's some cool news. Paramount has added 50 classic episodes of MTV Unplugged to its streaming service. Some of these episodes haven't been officially available to watch for over 20 years. |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:00 PM  If you're a Pokémon fan, you have no doubt experienced the mainline games with all their catching, battling, and being the very best like no one ever was. But the series has a wide selection of spin-off games that span different genres and subject matter. Even if you've only ever played the RPGs, there's probably… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:50 AM  In addition to getting generally great reviews from critics, Bloober Team's remake of Silent Hill 2 also went on to sell over 2 million copies across PlayStation 5 and PC. Based on that success, Konami is now letting the Polish horror studio work on a new game based on one of the Japanese publisher's existing… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:20 AM  On Tuesday, Playground Games and Xbox announced that the upcoming Fable reboot has been delayed. It was set to arrive later this year but has now been pushed back until 2026. The reboot of the popular RPG franchise was first revealed by Xbox in 2020. |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:15 AM  If you haven't kept up with Mortal Kombat 1 in recent weeks, you've probably missed the new character that's whipped the fanbase into a frenzy. No, I'm not talking about the Conan the Barbarian DLC fighter that's been pretty overshadowed by all this. I'm talking about a pink ninja named Floyd who's been added as a… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:10 AM  Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players have been accusing various loading screens and calling cards from the game of being AI-generated since it came out last fall, but it was only ever based on vibes and the occasional very convincing piece of seemingly obvious AI slop. Now Activision has admitted to using AI-generated… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:30 AM  Many of the Marvel Rivals Duelists settle in nicely into specific roles. Psylocke functions perfectly as an assassin while Hawkeye is meant to be used at range. But if you're looking for an easy-to-pick-up hero with more flexibility, there is plenty of fun to be had with Magik. |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:45 AM  There isn't an exact science to predicting the Best Picture winner at the Oscars. A Christopher Nolan movie hadn't won it for the first 24 years of his illustrious career before he snagged the top honors for Oppenheimer. The worst Godfather movie (TheGodfather Part III) got nominated in the same year Spike Lee's… |
Kotaku Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:30 AM  Avowed features three starting classes, each focused on specific archetypes that most role-playing fans are certain to recognize. While you can mix and match abilities between these different classes throughout your adventure, picking the one that appeals most to you can have a significant impact on your early hours… |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:33 PM  While all you Subnautica fans have an exciting sequel on the way, here's a freshly revealed survival game that ticks a lot of the same boxes while adding its own spin on things. While you won't be diving down to depths quite as extreme as Subnautica, the absolutely stunning The Last Caretaker will take you on an open-world, ocean-bound adventure that involves plenty of environmental puzzles, a home base on a boat, flashy FPS combat, strange enemy creatures, and a rather unusual end goal - growing humans, packing them into a rocket, and blasting them off into outer space. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best FPS games, Best open-world games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:00 PM  Undermine. Home to Azeroth's Goblin population, the underground metropolis has existed on the fringes of World of Warcraft for over a decade - just out of reach, yet within touching distance. With WoW patch 11.1, Undermine(d), we'll finally be able to explore this chaotic metropolitan world that, in many ways, feels like a real-life city. In an exclusive interview with various members of the Blizzard team, I asked about the pressures of designing a zone that players have such high hopes for, as well as what it was like creating the G-99 Breakneck, the MMORPG's newest feature. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPGs, WoW The War Within review, The best WoW addons |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:44 PM  World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy 14 are the biggest hitters nowadays, but don't forget about Tibia. Originally created all the way back in 1997, it's often regarded as the first true MMORPG, and even now nearly thirty years later, it's still running, and still getting updates. But developer CipSoft has its sights on something fresh. While Dying Light, State of Decay 2, and DayZ have the online zombie survival experience more or less sewn up, Persist, CipSoft's new game, might just be able to steal some of the spotlight - and you can try it for yourself soon. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best MMORPGs, Best zombie games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:32 PM  When is the 33 Immortals release date? It's a classic story; you're banished to the afterlife - you don't want to be in the afterlife - so you recruit a huge band of fellow dead to assault God's abode. Simple, classic, we all know how this goes, right? The co-op roguelike, 33 Immortals, is an interesting mix of MMO and top-down action akin to Hades. You can raid with up to - you guessed it - 33 people, all working in tandem to get a second chance. We have an estimate on the 33 Immortals release date, the story we know so far, and any trailers that the developer has blessed us with. Continue reading 33 Immortals release date estimate, trailers, and latest news MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best roguelike games, Best co-op games, Best MMORPGs |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:24 PM  Steam demos might be available all year round, but there's nothing quite like Steam Next Fest, as hordes of devs and publishers flood Valve's storefront with snappy tasters. Whether you're into action-packed RPGs, challenging roguelike games, or simple relaxing games, you always know there's something waiting for you among the best Steam Next Fest demos Continue reading The ten best Steam Next Fest demos for February 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Steam FAQ, Steam family sharing, Steam in-home streaming |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:20 PM  The much-anticipated and highly rumored Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 remake has now appeared on a Singapore ratings board. Activision is set to reveal a new THPS game in just a few days, and this classification could suggest that the 3+4 remake is what we'll get a glimpse of. Tony Hawk himself said a few years ago that a 3+4 remake was canned, but all signs now point to the game coming back. |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:15 PM  It's taken a few years, but Samsung has finally signed up to the PCIe 5.0 SSD club, announcing a brand new line of super-fast drives. The company says the new Samsung 9100 Pro is up to 99% quicker than its predecessor, the already-fast 990 Pro, and that it's even faster than the mighty Crucial T705 and MSI Spatium M580 Frozr. Samsung also turned up late to the PCIe 4.0 party, but it absolutely ruled the roost in terms of sequential read and write performance, as we found in our Samsung 990 Pro review. It looks as though the company is going for a similar approach with the new 9100 Pro, which comes in capacities ranging from 1TB to 8TB, and boasts a maximum claimed sequential read speed of 14,800MB/s for the 4TB and 8TB drives. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Samsung Odyssey G9 G95SC review, Samsung 980 Pro SSD review, Samsung T9 Portable SSD review |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:07 PM  The reveal of the Powerplay 2 from Logitech reminds me of the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Unfortunately, Logitech hasn't taken this approach. The original Powerplay charging mouse mat was an innovative gaming peripheral, but its successor pulls back on most of its features, seemingly all in the name of cost. Thankfully, the core principle of being able to perpetually charge a Logitech gaming mouse remains and it's still the only product offering such technology today. We have the original Logitech Powerplay picked out as one of the best gaming mouse pads, specifically as a premium option given its $120 price. The Powerplay 2, however, will retail for $99.99 (£89.99) when it releases on March 11, 2025. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Logitech G Pro Superlight 2, Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed review, Best gaming mouse |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:02 PM  What is the next Monopoly Go event? With so many limited-time events in Monopoly Go, it can be hard to keep track of the rewards you can get your hands on. Monopoly Go events can last anywhere from a few hours to a week, so bookmark this page as we'll keep it regularly updated with the next events and their start and end dates. Monopoly Go is the latest online board game sweeping the globe, but completing all of these events won't be easy without some free Monopoly Go dice links, so check out our daily updated guide for some freebies and rewards before you get started on the next Monopoly Go tournament. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:52 AM  If you're a budding Muad d'ib who can't wait to sweep across the sands in an ornithopter, or see an enormous sandworm, then you'll want to download the new Dune Awakening benchmark. You can now give your PC hardware a workout to see how it will handle the new game, and the good news is that the game not only looks good, but it will also run at a decent frame rate at maximum settings. With the Dune Awakening release date approaching, now is a great time to download the benchmark for yourself and see how your rig copes with its demands. I've had a play with the benchmark myself over the last day and night, and I'm pleased to report that you won't need the best graphics card ever in order to run Dune Awakening at a decent frame rate. It also supports the key Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR upscaling and frame-gen technologies. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Nvidia RTX 5090 review, Nvidia RTX 5080 review, Best graphics cards |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:38 AM  When is the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz? This special, limited-time event allows players to trade the usually locked golden stickers up to five times a day. This is an ideal solution for grabbing elusive missing stickers and completing albums quickly. While you can trade these up to five times a day, each event is limited to two specific stickers, set by Scopely. There's no official schedule for Monopoly Go's Golden Blitz event, so a lot of sites that confirm dates are actually speculating based on the current Monopoly Go events. While you're waiting for the next Golden Blitz, make sure to keep on top of other freebies with our free Monopoly Go dice links guide, which is updated several times a day with the newest links. Continue reading When is the next Monopoly Go Golden Blitz event? MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games, Monopoly Go events, Monopoly Go dice |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:42 AM  Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has already put itself in contention to be this year's best new RPG, but Fable has constantly been lurking on the horizon. The new reboot of the fantasy series by Playground Games has all the right ingredients to go toe to toe with KCD2 - well, apart from one rather important thing. It's no longer coming out in 2025. Dang. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fable 4 release date, Best RPG games, Best story games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:26 AM  What are the latest Black Desert Online codes? Since its graphical overhaul, BDO has seen a new lease of life. Not only does the MMO have one of the best character creators in the genre, but Black Desert Online's fantasy world is a thrill to explore, and it's full of complex mechanics for combat, trading, and diplomacy. All this can be intimidating for new players, but there's a way to get a head start. If you want helpful rewards for Black Desert Online, one of the longest-running MMO games, then you've come to the right place. These BDO codes give rewards such as Memory Fragments, Cron Stones, Enhancement Kits, and more. All of these items are handy for your next session, so we've also detailed ways you can redeem them without being logged into the game. Continue reading BDO codes February 2025 - all active Black Desert Online codes MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Desert Online guide, Best MMORPGs, Free MMOs |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:21 AM  When is the Fable 4 release date? The next installment in the Fable series was finally revealed at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase back in 2020. Details about the long-awaited sequel have been thin on the ground following that announcement, but don't despair, young chicken chaser - we've got plenty to share ahead of the Fable 4 release date estimate. For one thing, we know Fable 4 is currently being developed by Playground Games, the studio behind the Forza Horizon series. We also know that it won't be called Fable 4 at all. Join us while we dig through all the latest news and juicy trailer details to find out exactly what we can expect from the whimsical action-adventure game once it finally arrives. Continue reading Fable 4 release date estimate, trailers, and latest news MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fable 4 release date, Best RPG games, Best story games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:10 AM  Ultrakill is easily one of the greatest boomer shooters on Steam. The fast-paced, incredibly violent FPS isn't even out of early access yet, and it already has an eyewatering 132,000 user reviews sitting at a staggering 97% positive rating. That's a feat most games can only dream of. Now, after almost a year of work, the game looks and plays better than ever thanks to a big free update. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games, Best action-adventure games, Best retro games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:09 AM  What are the best Minecraft texture packs? These colorful and game-altering texture packs can make your world a new experience. Of course, Minecraft's low-fi charm is part of the draw, but texture packs range from subtle changes to an all-over reskin, so you can choose just how much you want to leave vanilla Minecraft behind. We've scoured and tried a bunch of different packs to be able to recommend the very best. Just like the best Minecraft mods and shaders, texture packs can help give an entirely new feel to one of the best PC games of the last decade, and it's just one of many ways of keeping the sandbox game feeling fresh after all these years. While some mods can alter Minecraft gameplay, and shaders change the quality and style of the graphics, texture packs allow you to add a new skin to existing blocks. Included in our list of the best Minecraft texture packs are realistic blocks, cartoonish overhauls, and cute changes to the way Minecraft mobs look. Continue reading The 41 best Minecraft texture packs February 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Minecraft seeds, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:05 AM  What are the best new PC games in 2025? Perhaps you've just been paid, your bank account is filled with virtual dosh, or you simply want to get caught up with the latest PC games because they're, well, new and shiny. As much as we love firing up our old favorites, there are loads of new PC games that deserve some attention, too. To keep you in the know, we've got the definitive list of the best PC games that have been released recently, from big-budget RPG games to indie strategy games. Whatever you're into, stay up to date with all the latest and greatest releases right here on PCGamesN. Continue reading The best new PC games 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Black Ops 6 guns, Black Ops 6 review, Black Ops 6 loadouts |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:48 AM  Who are the best Overwatch 2 heroes? With 42 heroes to pick from as of Season 15, starting in Blizzard's hero shooter can be pretty daunting, and it's not always easy to tell how strong your chosen character is when you're constantly coming up against different counters and team comps. Of course, just because we say a hero is a must-pick doesn't mean you can't do a better job with your preferred Overwatch 2 characters, but most players should be able to look at this Overwatch 2 tier list for a quick snapshot of who to play and why. Join us as we rank every Overwatch 2 hero in the free PC game, from the titanic tanks to squishy supports. Continue reading Overwatch 2 tier list - the best characters to play in 2025 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: All Overwatch 2 characters, Best Overwatch 2 settings, Overwatch 2 tier list |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:32 AM  If you've just spent your hard-earned cash on a brand new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 graphics card, the last thing you want is a hard-to-spot fault running your gaming performance. One such fault with the ROP count on Nvidia's latest pixel-pushers can be identified with one free-to-download piece of software, meaning you can rest assured whether your card needs to be replaced or not. While Nvidia can claim it has the best graphics card on the market, it's facing its fair share of issues right now, from stock shortages to faulty cards. It's the latter of these issues that might have you worried your card is also impacted, so we're going to show you how to check if your RTX 5090, RTX 5080, or RTX 5070 Ti is faulty and needs to be returned to the manufacturer. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Nvidia RTX 5090 review, Nvidia RTX 5080 review, Best graphics cards |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:10 AM  If you're on the lookout for a new fantasy RPG, and don't mind taking a trip back in time to get it, the upcoming Gothic Remake is for you. Two decades after it originally launched, an Unreal Engine 5 rebuild of this cult classic adventure is now playable thanks to a new demo. With Steam Next Fest underway, you'll want to get this added to your ever-expanding library before you run out of hard drive space. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best open-world games, Best RPGs, Best fantasy games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:08 AM  When is the Skate 4 release date? While we've seen plenty of early footage of Skate 4 already, EA's upcoming Skate revival is a rare case of a triple-A studio showing off very early in-development footage of a game. Though we've seen plenty of Skate 4, we can also clearly see it's not ready yet. It's already been over a decade since the last Skate game, so we can hold on a little longer. The first Skate was among the most innovative skateboard games, from its analog control scheme and semi-open-world game structure to its more realistic, less edgy representation of the skating scene. The development team behind Skate 3 was disbanded after its28 bombarding EA message boards with questions about the series and its potential return ever since. Now, the team is very open about the development process for Skate 4, so here's what we know so far. Continue reading Skate 4 release date estimate, gameplay, and all the latest news MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Skateboard games, Skate 4 release date speculation, Best sports games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:00 AM  I played an ungodly amount of Two Point Hospital during Covid. In hindsight, there's something slightly morbid about devoting hours to a satirical hospital management sim at the height of a global pandemic. That said, Two Point Studios has consistently proven that its brand of British snark makes for great games that will gobble up your hours, and as Two Point Campus showed a few years back, there's ample space for the series to expand in scope. The latest installment, Two Point Museum, is my favorite yet, and not just because it once again lets me relive my real-world experience in-game. Continue reading Two Point Museum review - a mighty, moreish museum management game MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best management games, Two Point Museum system requirements, Two Point Museum Steam Deck guide |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:57 AM  What are the best Valorant agents? This Valorant tier list categorizes all of the game's agents based on their potential effectiveness in the average match. The best agents in our book are those who are self-sufficient, yet have tool kits that blend well with others. Simply, this tier list is perfect for high-octane Valorant. There are 26 Valorant characters as of Season 2025 Act 1, but not all of them are well-suited to tackle the current cut-throat pace of the game. During each Valorant act, different agents will have their time in the sun as balance patches come into effect. To find out who tops our Valorant tier list right now, read on. If you're a newcomer to the FPS game, check our expert picks of who you should play first at the bottom of this guide - here's a handy link. Continue reading Valorant tier list - the best agents for Season 2025 Act 1 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Valorant Night Market dates, Valorant ranks, Valorant crosshair codes |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:44 AM  When is the Arknights Endfield release date? Arknights developer Hypergryph is breaking out of its mobile tower defense shell, bringing the hit franchise into a rich, 3D world. However, this isn't another generic gacha-filled anime RPG, as Endfield is sticking to the series' strengths by bringing base building to the fore. Announced back in 2022, the Arknights Endfield release date window has been on our radar for quite some time. Set to join the likes of Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves in the open-world gacha game arena, your gaming hours are soon to become a whole lot more stretched. Alongside the latest on a potential launch date, check out the latest trailers, gameplay videos, and our beta impressions below. Continue reading Arknights Endfield release date window, gameplay, trailers, and more MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best anime games, Best RPGs, Best action games |
PCGamesN Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:40 AM  What are all the active Destiny 2 codes? Emblems are essential to authentic Guardian flair. They offer an opportunity for expression among your fireteam, the random Guardians you encounter in the tower, and your opponents in activities such as Crucible. Each emblem has a specific meaning, some being ubiquitous seasonal emblems and others so rare that only a fraction of a percent of players own them. Whether you're a hardcore collector or someone who appreciates the opportunity to express yourself through your Guardian in the FPS game, there's never a good reason to say no to a free Destiny 2 emblem or shader. We've compiled all the active Destiny 2 codes in a list that we'll update periodically as Bungie makes more emblems available. Continue reading Destiny 2 codes for free emblems and shaders MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes, Destiny 2 The Final Shape review, Destiny 2 builds |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:00 PM  World Of Warcraft's Undermine(d) update launches tomorrow, 26th February 2025, as part of the long-hauling MMO's War Within expansion. It adds a whirring underground goblin city complete with nickel-plated palm trees and quarrelsome cartels, a new raid, a new four-boss dungeon, a PvP arena and a host of smaller, systemic adjustments. I do not play a lot of World Of Warcraft, so when Blizzard came knocking about an interview, my reaction was a blend of being caught dozing off in history class and being casually asked to defuse a bomb. But Undermine(d) does harbour at least one addition that an Azeroth tourist like myself can understand: cars. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:58 AM  Silent Hill 2 remake wranglers Bloober Team have emerged from the newly high-resolution, volumetric fog to threaten us with the prospect of another "game based on Konami's IP". Thank heavens, I was beginning to think we'd never get a new Frogger. Whatever the project is, we won't hear about it for a while. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:17 AM  A question, readers. What sounds more fun: doddering about on your own two feet – like an idiot – or storming through deserts on a cannon-packing megacrab? I only make such a clearly self-answering inquiry because for some reason DuneCrawl, or at least the Steam Next Fest demo that shows off its isometric action, seems to think both sides have valid points. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:08 AM  Back in 2023, the Skyblivion team announced that their project to recreate The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in Skyrim's engine was on track for a 2025 release date. Well, steal my sweet rolls and shout me off a mountain, the mad candles have gone and done it. At least, that's the plan according to a new live gameplay demo and Q&A video (cheers, PC Gamer.) |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:30 AM  Civilization is one of only two games I've had on every computer I've ever owned, in its multiple versions, since I first encountered it. (The other is NetHack.) It's also important in my family. My wife plays it frequently (although she's been on a Balatro kick recently), and I remember my middle child, in middle school, responding to a vocabulary quiz where they were asked to define "civilization" with the answer: "Civilization is a game designed by Sid Meier." Obviously, I'm well disposed toward this long-running turn-based strategy series. But Civilization 7, as currently constituted, has some real flaws – and though I expect they may be fixed in future updates (and there are workarounds), some of this is a little sloppy. The most basic issue is: combat sucks. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:25 AM  My lunch yesterday consisted of air fried lumps of failed pizza dough from a disastrous first batch. One of my new year's resolutions was to learn how to make flawless pizza. This might be against the spirit of asceticism these goals usually incorporate, but such puritan edicts have no place here. The platonically perfect slice, like hailstones battering the word 'bum' into soft cement, is a natural marvel impervious to notions of morality both spiritual and profane. Would the dough have turned out better if I'd sought the help of Into The Restless Ruins's harvest maiden, who grants the desires of those who petition her? Oh. Oh. The 'harvest' refers to slaughter, not grain. Should have guessed really. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:00 AM  Two Point Museum is a game about how the crushing practicalities of life eventually force you to spend less and less time on the things you truly care about. More specifically, it's a game where I started every stage as an enthusiastic interior design sicko and gradually devolved into the sort of dispassionate bean counter who'd happily shove a snack machine next to a priceless prehistoric armadillo skeleton if it meant raking in a two percent bump to customer satisfaction. Feast on snacks, you swine. Feast so I may harvest your fulfilment to unlock a wall hanging that looks like melted cheese. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:06 AM  In typical shinobi style, Assassin's Creed Shadows has slipped through the cracks of physical and digital retail and sneakishly released itself a month ahead of schedule. The game is due to launch on 20th March, but people are already posting photographs of boxed copies, while others say they've managed to lift a code from the crevices of the PlayStation store. Videos of the game have been popping up on Youtube like Ninja Whac-a-Moles, no sooner seen than shurikened by Ubisoft's lawyers. Quite how all this has happened remains to be explained, but Ubisoft are naturally rather annoyed. They've put out statements asking people to avoid sharing spoilers, plus the boilerplate cautionary note that any footage you encounter isn't representative of the quality of the final game. |
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Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 2:00 PM
Konami and Bloober Team confirmed they will be working together on a new game project following the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake. The latest endeavor will see Bloober Team working on a new title based on an existing IP from Konami.
The two companies confirmed their continued partnership via a press release on both websites. Bloober Team will work on a new game under Konami. The project will be "a new game based on Konami's IP," but the exact game has not been confirmed by the announcement. It seems likely this will be another Silent Hill project, due to Bloober's reputation as a horror developer.
The critical success of Silent Hill 2 is cited as the reason for Konami signing Bloober Team for a new project. The game's Metacritic and OpenCritic scores were highlighted, as well as awards from IGN. The game's commercial success was not mentioned in the announcement, but it did reach 1 million sales within a week of its release in October 2024.
The Silent Hill 2 remake was one of many Silent Hill projects revealed by Konami in 2021. Other projects still in the works include Silent Hill: Townfall, from No Code (Stories Untold, Observation) and Silent Hill f, which will feature writing from Ryukishi07 (When They Cry). Neither game has a confirmed release date yet.
While Bloober Team and Konami have yet to reveal concrete details on their new project, Silent Hill 2 is out now for PS5 and PC.
The post Konami and Bloober Team Working on a New Game appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:30 PM
Fangamer is now carrying a new Stardew Valley physical deluxe edition version for the Switch. This doesn't include any additional in-game content. All of the bonuses are tied to physical items packed in the box. It costs $59. [Thanks, Wario64!]
First, this version of the game starts with the standard physical copy of the farming sim on a cartridge. A small instruction manual is packed into the box as well. The new additions involve a number of arty items. One is a wooden pin that shows a blue Junimo sitting next to some items you can gather in the game. You also get a replica of the deed to your grandpa's farm. A 12-page comic from Chihiro Sakaida is included. There are also art cards featuring seasons and some businesses in game, as well as a matching mini poster.
This deluxe edition is the third Switch Stardew Valley physical copy option Fangamer offered. The first is the standard one, which is always around and costs $35. The retailer also previously offered a collector's edition bundle. That debuted in 2020 and cost $69.
There are a number of other items tied to the farming sim that debuted recently. One is an Official Stardew Valley Cookbook with recipes inspired by ones we cook or bake in-game. A new Festival of Seasons concert tour kicked off in 2025 too.
Stardew Valley is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PCs, mobile devices, and the PlayStation Vita, with 1.6 available on all platforms except the Vita.
The post Fangamer Selling Stardew Valley Physical Switch Deluxe Edition appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 1:00 PM
The Super Robot Wars series inspired a dedicated radio show titled Umasugi Wave, but it will go on a "long" hiatus after March 2025. The show's hosts first broke the news on the 937th episode that aired on February 25, 2025. Bandai Namco later corroborated the reveal by posting an announcement tweet on the series' official social media account. It added that the show may air again in the future, and it will make another announcement online when that does happen.
The radio show was originally launched in 2007 with specific coverage for the Super Robot Wars: Original Generations entries. However, it also more recently covered the series' regular crossover entries.
Tomokazu Sugita, Mai Aizawa, and Masaaki Endo are among the radio show's list of featured hosts. The first two voice actors have also been involved in voicing the game series' original characters. Tomokazu Sugita is best known for voicing the KoRyuOh pilot Brooklyn "Bullet" Luckfield in the Original Generation series, while Mai Aizawa had a role as Gunleon's co-pilot Mail Beater in the Super Robot Wars Z sub-series.
The entire host cast for Umasugi also played a role in the original character list for Super Robot Wars 30. Tomokazu Sugita voiced Edge Sainklaus, and Masaaki Endo sang his character's theme songs. Mai Aizawa also participated in the game as the voice actress for Edge's sister Az Sainklaus.
The last episode of the Super Robot Wars OG Umasugi Wave radio show before it goes on a long hiatus will air on March 25, 2025. Prior episodes are also available to watch on Highway Star's official YouTube channel, albeit with limited access timeframes.
The post Super Robot Wars OG Umasugi Wave Radio Will Go on Hiatus appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:30 PM
It will be much easier to run the AAC Light-heavyweight Tier Savage Raid in FFXIV, as Square Enix lifted restrictions on it in patch 7.18. It's one of multiple Dawntrail adjustments to Raids added in the expansion.
Previously, the number of times you could run the AAC Light-heavyweight Tier Savage Raid in FFXIV Dawntrail was limited, as were the rewards you could earn. After 7.18, you'll always get a Treasure Coffer with Dark Horse Champion's Gear. Other drops from that included things like Surgelight Glaze, Surgelight Solvent, Surgelight Twine, and Universal Tomestones. You also can go to any floor of the Raid, allowing you to jump to Black Cat, Honey B. Lovely, Brute Bomber, and Wicked Thunder.
The other restriction removals apply to that line of Dawntrail Raids. For example, we've been able to earn Light-heavy Holoblades from AAC Light-heavyweight M4 to exchange at Light-heavy Hologear Exchange in Solution Nine. Now there's no weekly cap on how many we can get. The other applies to Surgelight Solvent, which I mentioned earlier is a AAC Light-heavyweight Tier (Savage) Raid reward. If you head to Uah'shepya at Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.5), you can turn in Ordelle Coins for that.
Final Fantasy XIV and its Dawntrail expansionare available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the AAC Light-heavyweight Tier (Savage) Raid and other Solution Nine Raid adjustments are live as of 7.18.
The post AAC Light-heavyweight Tier Savage FFXIV Raid Restrictions Lifted appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:00 PM
Square Enix teased the FFVII Rebirth Acoustic Arrangements CD in a new teaser video on its YouTube channel. The CD will come out on March 12, 2025 in Japan, and will cost 3850 JPY after tax ($25.90). As you'd expect, the album only includes new takes on tracks from the remake.
As the name suggests, it's a collection of acoustic versions of tracks from FFVII Rebirth. In the video, we can hear arranged versions of "Materia Guardian" and "Cosmo Canyon." The CD will contain ten tracks in total. The trailer also includes clips of the musicians playing the music together during recording, interspersed with scenes from the game where you might hear the specific songs.
The teaser trailer is a minute and a half long, and you can watch it here:
Here are the songs you'll find on this CD:
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second game in the FFVII Remake trilogy. It came out in 2024 for the PS5, and a Windows PC port came out in early 2025. Since it came out, it's been popular with critics, and received multiple accolades and nominations. It was even one of the finalists for the Game of the Year award in 2024.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is readily available on the PS5 and Windows PC. The FFVII Rebirth Acoustics Arrangement CD will come out in Japan on March 12, 2025.
The post FFVII Rebirth Acoustic Arrangements Album Teased in New Video appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:30 AM
Capcom has revealed new Capcorom plushies modeled after the Palico and Seikret from Monster Hunter Wilds. The company will release the new products on its physical stores across Japan on the same day it releases the video game on February 28, 2025. Each of the Capcorom plushies will cost 1,100 yen (~$7.40) individually.
In addition, Capcom also announced that it will hold a Must Buy Campaign for the game's merchandise in its stores. For each 3,000 yen spent, people can receive a random panoramic clear card featuring a character or monster from the new game.
Simply purchasing both Capcorom plushies at 2,200 yen would not reach that threshold, but Capcom added that any other merchandise based on Monster Hunter Wilds will also count towards the tally.
Capcom has been gearing up to release a wide variety of Monster Hunter Wilds merchandise on the same day it releases the major video game. Earlier in February 2025, the company also revealed crane game prizes and pet merchandise—the latter made in collaboration with the Besties brand—which will also appear on February 28, 2025.
The Capcorom plushies of the Palico and Seikret from Monster Hunter Wilds will be available at Capcom's physical stores in Japan on February 28, 2025—the exact same day the company releases the game worldwide for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. It will also make the plushies available via Capcom Net Catcher on March 1, 2025.
The post Monster Hunter Wilds Palico and Seikret Will Join Capcorom List appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:00 AM
SteamDB announced an update to the site that allows someone searching for PC games on the Steam storefront to opt out of seeing ones made with generative AI (Gen AI) with a new filter. The filtering feature was announced on social media site Bluesky, and that included a link to a search on the site that showed all games with "AI content disclosed."
How it works is when someone searches, they would need to go to the "Filter by User Tags" section. If you search for "AI" there, then SteamDB will let you select "AI content disclosed" to identify Gen AI games on Steam. In the announcement on social media, the "Profile Features Limited" user tag was also highlighted. When you then perform a search, you can opt to not see any games with that notification. This would ideally let someone filter out those titles.
On the example search showing products that do have "AI content disclosed," there are over 4,900 items highlighted. Some of the more famous ones are Call of Duty, The Finals, inZOI, Setallaris, The Outlast Trials, Liar's Bar, My Summer Car, Inside the Backrooms, and Synduality: Echo of Ada. As an example, the disclosure on the Synduality page noted that Gen AI has "garage radio chatter voice" with "AI-generated text to speech."
This sort of search also applies to Steam Next Fest 2025 demos. The filter can be added to that. Then, you can opt out of seeing games that use it. For example, the Mecha Break demo would come up as one, since it uses the Nvidia ACE system for Gen AI NPCs.
The SteamDB Gen AI filter is live now to help sort PC games.
The post SteamDB Let's You Filter Out Gen AI PC Games on Steam appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:30 AM
The major 2.0 Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising update arrives on February 26, 2025, and it adds Sandalphon and Pop Team Epic avatars. Sandalphon is $7.99 alone, which also nets you a Premium Avatar, Badge, Battle Kit, and digital figure, and the Pop Team Epic add-on is $5.99.
First, we already knew Sandalphon was on the way. However, now that he's about to properly debut, there's a trailer showing him off. Here's how he looks when used in a fight:
Sandalphon can also be acquired in the Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Character Pass 2 and Deluxe Character Pass 2. The prices weren't confirmed for those yet, but the first ones cost $34.99 and $49.99. He'll be followed by Galleon in Spring 2025, Wilnas in Summer 2025, Meg in Fall 2025, and Ilsa in early 2026. The Deluxe Edition adds color variants, weapon skins, a Sandalphon Dark Premium Avatar, and the Canaan Shrine stage.
As for the Pop Team Epic Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising DLC, that gives you the Premium Avatars for Popuko and Pipimi. When used as a partner, anime actors Ryusei Nakao and Norio Wakamoto return to voice both. You also get profile badges for each one.
Here are images showing off all the additions.
Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC, and Sandalphon will kick off the Deluxe Character Pass 2
The post Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Gets Sandalphon and Pop Team Epic appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:00 AM
Phoenixx has published a public demo version of Fubuki -zero in on Holoearth- Hololive Alternative. People can check out the earliest parts of the Hololive-themed 2D action game for free on Steam ahead of the full game's release in Spring 2025.
Phoenixx's Japanese press release added that it will also set up physical demo booths for the game at two events that will run simultaneously in Japan on March 8-9, 2025. The events in question will be the Hololive Super Expo 2025 at Makuhari Messe and the Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2025 in Kichijoji.
Fubuki -zero in on Holoearth- will star the Japanese Hololive Vtuber Shirakami Fubuki. Its story and world setting will also take inspiration from the Hololive Alternative series, which also acts as a basis for Cover's own Holoearth metaverse game project.
The game will be playable on most PCs that can run a Windows 10 OS. However, to achieve optimal performance, Phoenixx and Peposoft recommend a PC with Windows 11 OS, 8 GB of RAM, and Intel Core i7-12700F as its CPU.
Despite being a Hololive-themed game with Cover Corporations' copyright, this title is not part of Cover's holo Indie brand, which has featured titles like Mori Calliope's Myriad Death and Ouro Kronii's Chrono Gear: Warden of Time. The game's development studio Peposoft opts to work with Phoenixx to release this Shirakami Fubuki-focused game.
Fubuki -zero in on Holoearth- Hololive Alternative will be available worldwide on PC via Steam in Spring 2025. The game's demo is available as part of the Steam Next Fest which runs until March 3, 2025.
The post Fubuki -Zero In on Holoearth- Demo Released appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:30 AM
Bandai Namco has published a new Tekken 8 gameplay trailer showcasing the recurring series character Anna Williams. She will be the first Season 2 DLC character, and the company will formally add her to the roster in early April 2025.
The Tekken 8 iteration of Anna will have a more prominent usage of her rocket launcher "Lovely Tom," which previously only appeared during her super attack in the prequel Tekken 7. This will also distinguish her move set further from Nina Williams, who brings a pair of handguns with her.
The new trailer is available to watch with English subtitles up to 1080p on Bandai Namco Entertainment America's YouTube channel. As a side note, the Japanese-subtitled version of the same trailer on Tekken Channel has additional resolutions up to 4K.
Anna will be the first Tekken 8 Season 2 DLC character appearing in the Spring season of 2025. Bandai Namco has revealed that it will add three more new characters each following season in Summer, Fall, and Winter. It will also have two new stages in the Summer and Winter seasons of 2025.
The seasonal character release will go in line with the first year. Throughout 2024, Bandai Namco gradually added Eddy Gordo in April, Lidia Sobieska in July, Heihachi Mishima in October, and Final Fantasy XVI's Clive Rosfield in December.
Tekken 8 is readily available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Anna Williams will be formally available as the first Season 2 DLC character on April 4, 2025. Players who have purchased the new season pass will be entitled to early access on March 31, 2025, in American time zones or April 1, 2025, in Asian time zones.
The post Anna Williams Is the First Tekken 8 Season 2 DLC Character appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:00 AM
In the 90s, a notable number of management games emerged, with one of them being Theme Hospital. Its satirical and humorous approach of including fake illnesses rather than real ones created a unique tone that was hard not to find amusing. Who can forget the iconic image of patients having swollen heads or people running around thinking they're Elvis Presley? This led to it forging a dedicated fanbase and becoming a cornerstone of the simulation genre.
The spiritual successor, Two Point Hospital, captured this same charm and delivered healthcare in the same chaotic and comedic fashion that made the original so memorable. Two Point Campus launched a few years after its success, further solidifying the franchise's reputation. Now, the developers, Two Point Studios, continue its tradition of wacky business management games with Two Point Museum and deliver an experience that's on par with its predecessors.
While previous instalments of the series addressed topics like healthcare and education, Two Point Museum centers on the pursuit of knowledge and entertainment. Although this theme may not be as impactful on surface value, the game still successfully captures what has made the series enjoyable while occasionally poking fun at the absurdist pitfalls of capitalism. There are two modes you can select from: sandbox and campaign. Sandbox mode allows you to jump straight into the action and create tailored goals or play without constraints as you design the museum in your own image. On the other hand, campaign mode is more structured and is likely where you will spend most of your time, as the levels will have specific objectives to achieve.
The campaign starts with you stepping into a once-grand museum that has been abandoned and fallen into disarray due to neglect. Your mission is to revitalize this cultural gem while ensuring the Department of Culture is satisfied with your progress. This involves various responsibilities, such as hiring and managing staff, attracting visitors and generating profits. All these mechanics are explained in a nice, welcoming manner, making Two Point Museum very newcomer-friendly. The first few hours of the gameplay also reflect this gentle tone, although obtaining some later ratings will require quick action and out-of-the-box thinking.
For returning players, many of the basic features remain the same, like pausing and fast-forwarding time, creating rooms with specific specs, and ensuring the area is maintained well with trash or temperature. Even the controls and mechanics are consistent with previous instalments, keeping the familiar theme, style, and aesthetics we've all grown to love. Even the radio commentators are back with their satire and wiseacre anecdotes like "childish behavior will be met with childish retribution".
The main attraction of any museum will be its exhibits, which all come from different historical disciplines. There are six primary exhibit types, many of which are silly and delightful in the best way possible. Some are from the prehistory period, like a bee being preserved in a huge goo of honey, while others have supernatural origins, including dead spirits beyond the grave. This gives each museum location a distinctive vibe and makes you feel like you're creating something special. The manner in which the guests interact with these exhibits can also be quite funny, like kids climbing on gigantic dinosaur bones or guests using carnivorous, man-eating plants as deck chairs.
However, you cannot obtain these exhibits by looking at a glossy catalogue and choosing what you want. Instead, you'll have to get them the old-fashioned way by grabbing them yourself. To do this, you'll have to send out staff members to find the exhibits in expeditions. To begin this operation, you'll need to access the museum's business helicopter (let's put aside concerns about carbon footprints, as there are incredible wonders to discover). You can then assemble your dream Indiana Jones team to explore the wilderness. Think of it like an effective team scouting system.
Just like the exhibits, some of the locations your employees travel to are pretty out there, like an ice cave or an outer space planet filled with cheese. If you send out unprepared staff members to an expedition, there's a high chance that they'll get injured or develop an illness. This is why ensuring your staff members are trained in particular skills to combat these potential scenarios is essential, which adds another strategic layer to the gameplay. Expeditions are by far my new favorite feature. It's a constant juggling act managing the museum's day-to-day operations whilst simultaneously sending out staff in the background to go out on expeditions. It's also quite exciting when the expedition ends and staff return with a new relic for the museum. Putting a new tropical fish in an aquarium or building up a full-length dinosaur was oddly satisfying.
How engaging these exhibits will be to visitors is determined by how much buzz and knowledge they have. You can increase these attributes in various ways, such as placing info stands, donation pots and same-themed decorations near the exhibit. This is why room structure is key, as where you place things really matters. You can also add partition walls and doors to modify the museum's interior design to benefit the exhibits. One-way doors can help direct foot traffic with visitors and gently push them to enter certain rooms, while staff-only doors can allow employees to travel within the building quickly. The museum starts coming together when you begin imploring all these tactics, and it's pretty rewarding to see the museum become a hustling business with an immense, elaborate structure.
Like any wealthy business, becoming too large can attract unwanted attention. Unfortunately, this often comes in the form of robbers trying to break into the museum to steal your valuable exhibits. This situation can lead you to engage in a game of cops and robbers, as you'll need to stay vigilant for these criminals. The security staff can apprehend the thieves by using security control rooms and installing cameras around the premises to monitor the area. That said, this is not the only danger to the museum because if exhibits are not maintained, they can also pose a risk like supernatural poltergeists getting loose and haunting the museum. It can get pretty chaotic and even start hurting income in the long term if it's not addressed. But at the same time, it's so ludicrous that it's hard not to let out a laugh. How can I keep a straight face when a caveman starts attacking the donations pots or a swarm of bees head towards the public?
To move on to the next part of the campaign, you must achieve various objectives that will earn you a star rating. Unlike prior entries in the series, you will be forced to move on to other stages in the campaign once you've earned a star and will have to return later to get the next rating. Therefore, getting three stars at a museum is impossible until you reach a certain point in the campaign. This hopscotch approach is a bit distracting, as every time you go back to a stage, you are always familiarizing yourself with the museum again.
Interestingly, as the exhibits are your main commodity rather than the guests themselves, you spend more time on the layout and how the business runs than in prior titles. You would think that this would substantially change the experience, but it has very little impact. In fact, it made me reflect on the real-life museum business structure as a whole, as it heavily relies on donations from the public to keep operating. Museums often allow us to peek into other historical periods and learn from their accomplishments and mistakes, which we should want to preserve. Two Point Studios has cleverly brought up these thought-provoking questions about another business industry and has reminded me that I should visit a few museums in the near future.
If you find the gameplay loop of the Two Point franchise repetitive, then this title won't suddenly make you start seeing it from a different lens. However, fans of the genre will feel right at home with Two Point Museum, as it changes just enough of the core features to make it enjoyable and refreshing. Truthfully, Two Point Hospital is still my favourite entry, as you can fully grit your teeth into one stage before moving on to the next. But this is still a delightful experience, and if you're on the hunt for your next business management title, then be sure to put Two Point Museum on your radar.
Two Point Museum will be available on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S on February 27, 2025.
The post Review: Two Point Museum Shows Even History Has a Price Tag appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:26 PM
Do you struggle to stay motivated while sitting at your desk? Is there something lengthy you need to write but you lack the drive to do it? Well, this Bongo Cat desktop buddy might be here to save the day, and up your work output.
Bongo Cat, a favorite 2018 meme that originated on Twitter and now has its very own music-making website, has been brought to the desktop by developer Marcel Zurawka, and published by Irox Games as part of February's Steam Next Fest event. Downloading the demo allows you to have Bongo Cat wherever you like on the screen, and every time you push a button or click the mouse, Bongo Cat performs his trademark slap.
As well as the basic adorable slappy animation, there's a counter beneath Bongo Cat that goes up with every button you press. As this number goes up, you'll gradually be rewarded with pop-up treasure chests containing hats for your Bongo Cat.
This is, essentially, a productivity-boosting clicker, which is preferable to clickers that serve only to distract — such as the bizarre Banana that seemed to take over Steam at some point in 2024 and is somehow still maintaining a place within the top 10 most played games.
I just don't understand the appeal of clicker games. Clicking isn't exactly the most thrilling of experiences, and yet people seem content to spend hours doing just that. I don't get it.
Still, I have to admit that I'm kind of obsessed with this Bongo Cat desktop buddy. In the hour since I downloaded it, I've tapped out over 4,000 on the counter and unlocked two hats!
And now, because I am apparently very easily pleased and excited by the prospect of hats, I'm trying my best to unlock more of them. I'm actively looking for ways to press more buttons, clicking aimlessly around the internet in the hopes of seeing the counter go up and more treasure chests appearing for me to open.
According to the Steam page for Bongo Cat, any hats earned during the demo will not be transferable or marketable. This does suggest that hats earned in the full game might be, with a whole host of Bongo Cat hats springing up on the Steam Community Market when the game goes live in March.
Having Bongo Cat on my desktop is a surprisingly good motivator, and I'll definitely be making the most of the Next Fest demo and then downloading the full game once it is released next month.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:21 PM
Achievements are a mainstay of modern gaming, even if you're the kind of gamer who doesn't want a magnificent scene interrupted by a popup saying "Achievement unlocked: lord tearjerker".
I generally loathe achievements, though that might be out of yearning for a time when games did achievements discreetly. If you happen to be ancient enough to recall, the Tomb Raider series of games was one of the first to feature some sort of non-point-based achievements, which came in the poignant form of archeological secrets discovered.
The original Tomb Raider games did achievements right
Sure, the first game had secret achievements in the form of med packs and ammo clips that didn't really make much sense in the context of undiscovered tombs. Still, Tomb Raider 2 fixed that by including dragon-shaped artifacts. They were useless for gameplay purposes but did a great job of making players feel like an accomplished entertainment archeologist, which is the term I use to describe movie and video game archeologists who steal stuff instead of doing an actual archeologist's job.
On top of hitting the mark on a visual and gameplay level, the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remaster nailed the spirit of the game, meaning it also upped the ante for the original games' achievements. The first remaster package brought in dozens of new achievements — some offer a neat challenge by being really hard to figure out, some are hilarious, and many are both. Luckily, the team at Aspyr behind the second batch of classic Tomb Raider classics (and the not-so-classic Angel Of Darkness), did it again.
The best achievements in the Tomb Raider 4-6 Remaster Trilogy
The remaster features 168 achievements of varying difficulty levels. Unlocking many of them is a straightforward affair, like "Finish the Cairo Chapter", for example, but it gets so much better.
The best achievements in a game about solving mysteries and finding stuff are those that require mystery-solving skills and then reward players with a hilarious achievement name.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation starts with a secret achievement named "What's Up, Doc?", which you get by lying down next to a skeleton. That's not a regular skeleton, however, but rather a skeleton donning a hat and a whip, so an obvious reference to Indiana Jones.
There's also "Self Defense Guide", which you get by tricking three scorpions and three jackals into getting killed by fire. Among other things, this trilogy is infamous for having Lara partake in various acts of unnecessary evil, so it's nice to see the devs daring players to do even worse.
Any average pun enjoyer will like "Blade Outrunner", which you get by avoiding getting hit by any pedestal blades.
The "This is fine" achievement probably requires no explanation, but you unlock it by taking the time to find all the secrets in a specific level despite it being on fire.
When it comes to mystery-solving, skill, and pure evil, it's hard to beat "Cooler than Henry". You'll unlock it by blinding three assassins, poisoning them, and then one-shot them in a row.
I'm also partial to "Prop with no purpose", which you get by grabbing Von Croy's glasses, provided it's meant a comment on the nature of achievements.
I don't much care for the name "Jason's Apprentice", but that's the achievement you get for drowning five skeletons in water — one of the most bizarre things to happen on any of these already pretty out-there games.
"Scarabicide" is the beautifully-titled achievement you get for running over a scarab with your motorcycle.
"Theomachist" is a really cool achievement you can get from doing a handstand in front of a bunch of statues.
Then there's the very darkly-comedic "High Five to Maahes", which you get by obliterating five enemies with one grenade.
Lastly, TLR features an achievement called "Oops", which you get from breaking every destructible item in the game. Now that's video game archeology done right.
Tomb Raider Chronicles begins with "To the Envy of Venus", which Lara naturally gets by showing off with a handstand in front of a gate.
There's also the hilariously cruel "Fail Compilation", which you get from watching all of Lara's failures on the young Lara level.
One of the funniest achievements in the entire series is "Gassassin", which you get by killing a guard with gas. Why is this so funny? Because the guard is a robot. Good thing this achievement isn't optional otherwise it would prove pretty hard to guess for many.
Tomb Raider 6 features an achievement called "Darwin Awards", which you get by finding all the silliest ways to die, and thus is something I have no idea how to unlock since this game features infinite dumb ways for Lara to perish.
There's also the hilarious "Chococollection", which you get by collecting all the chocolate bars in the game and eating none.
One of my favorites is "Snake Eater", whose description reads "Why are you still here? Just to suffer?". That's a brilliant double reference, this time to the Metal Gear Solid series, as well as to the lackluster state in which the game was released. You unlock it by climbing a long ladder that takes you to a large area with nothing for you to do.
The Angel Of Darkness culminates with "I Feel Stronger Now", which you get from beating the game. This is a brilliant reference to the infamous phrase that Lara says whenever she "levels up" and I believe a welcome congratulatory note to anyone resilient enough to beat that game. Do you know why I believe that? Because the achievement for beating the game in New Game+ is called "Never Again".
You can now achieve all of these on Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:15 PM
Sid Meier's Civilization VII currently holds a 51% positive rating on Steam, just 10 days after its Feb. 11 release. This makes it the lowest-rated game in the franchise on the platform, falling below Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, which sits at 57% positive.
On Metacritic, both games have similar critic scores, with Civilization 7 scoring 9 on Destructoid's review. But Civ. 7 fares worse in user reviews, with a 3.6 out of 10 compared to Beyond Earth's 5.5. It's clear that players aren't satisfied with the new entry, and that frustration is reflected in its player count on Steam.
Players are struggling to move on from Civilization 6
As of Feb. 21, SteamCharts showed that Civilization 7 had a peak concurrent player count of just over 43,000, while Civilization 6 peaked at 49,000 on the same day.
Although Civ 7 has maintained a higher average player count over the last 30 days, its numbers are still lower than Civ 6's January 2025 average.
This suggests that longtime Civ 6 players haven't abandoned the older game to dedicate their time to Civ 7. While negative reviews certainly play a role, there are deeper reasons why players aren't making the switch.
Civilization 7 is expensive
Civ. 7 is priced at $69.99, slightly higher than Civ 6's original $59.99. However, Civ 6 is frequently on sale for much cheaper, hitting an all-time low of $2.99 during the 2024 Steam Summer Sale.
This means Civ 6 has been steadily growing its player base for years, while Civ 7 is just starting out—with a much higher barrier to entry.
Re-learning a complex game like Civilization is hard
While the core gameplay of Civilization remains similar across titles, moving from one game to another requires players to learn new mechanics, forget discontinued ones, and adapt to a fresh meta and strategy..
This learning curve is already a challenge, but when players know Civ 7 has technical issues, it makes switching even less appealing.
Civilization 6 is a refined game
Released in 2016, Civilization 6 has years of updates and DLC expansions that have polished its gameplay and balance.
For veteran players, it's easier to stick with a well-rounded game that supports established strategies than to adjust to an unpolished new entry.
For new players, Civ 6 is also a better starting point, as it has been refined over the years, making it more accessible than a game still finding its footing.
Other games have faced Civilization 7's struggles
It's no surprise that Civilization 6 hasn't seen a massive drop in players following the release of Civ 7. Even Civilization 3—released in 2001—still peaks at nearly 2,000 concurrent players daily on Steam, while Civilization 5 reaches close to 20,000 concurrents each day.
This trend isn't exclusive to the Civilization series. According to SteamCharts:
These examples prove a common challenge for sequels in long-running franchises—convincing players to move on from a game they've already invested years into.
But it's just the start for Civilization 7
What really matters now is how developer Firaxis and publisher 2K respond. They have the opportunity to improve the game through updates, address turn limits and UI issues, and introduce incremental refinements with each patch.
If Civilization's history is any indication, Civ. 7 won't remain in the middle—it will either realize its full potential, becoming a defining entry in the franchise that players explore for years, or struggle to gain momentum, eventually fading into obscurity like Beyond Earth.
Destructoid has reached out to 2K for comment.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:09 PM Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Avowed: two entirely different ends of the RPG spectrum, coexisting?
Comparing generally incomparable games has, somehow, gotten to be my jam. This time around, though, the comparison makes way more sense. You see, I got a bit of whiplash playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 back-to-back with Avowed, and the respective successes of both of these games made me think.
No, really, bear with me: this isn't like that one time I threw Starfield and Destiny into the mixer, I promise. The fact of the matter is that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Avowed sit at almost entirely different ends of the role-playing spectrum. Regardless of that, both of them achieved commercial and critical acclaim virtually at the same time. This is even more notable considering just how big of a question mark Dragon Age: Veilguard ended up being, which I feel attempted to target the same niche as Avowed did. Several different things to keep in mind as we go, then, though it'll all make sense by the end.
Complexity, simplicity, and the muddy stuff in-between
Whereas most other video genres ebb and flow between popularity and obscurity (take dedicated stealth games and real-time strategies as prime examples of this), some of them are absolutely mainstays in the industry. Shooters, simulators, and role-playing titles are, as far as anyone can tell, the kinds of games that generally don't fall out of favor no matter what.
They do change as time goes on, however. Depending on whether the audiences want it simpler or more complicated, titles in flagship genres will evolve accordingly. Don't believe me? Just take a look at what's happening in shooters as we go, with the vast, vast majority of them adopting extremely in-depth weapon customization systems that were previously nowhere to be seen. Are they necessary? Not really. Are they fun and engaging? I'd say so, yes. And most players seem to agree, given how pervasive it's all become.
Back on track, we've seen something very similar happening with RPGs, too. As of From Software's success with Dark Souls, an entirely new sub-sub-genre popped up to celebrate the trend and, more cynically, make money off of it. Thankfully, not all modern RPGs have turned into Soulslikes. Not yet, at least.
When Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 came out, I was frankly awestruck with the sheer amount of acclaim and adoration it received. Don't get me wrong: I knew the game would find its audience and success, but the scope of it blindsided me. In context, this made me think that Avowed would get overshadowed because everyone would be playing Kingdom Come 2 still. Cue yet another case of blindsiding, where a strikingly simple RPG found success right after an extremely deep RPG did the same.
Niches within niches (within niches)
Here's the thing: it's not that I expected Avowed to be a bad game. I just felt it would go the way of Dragon Age: Veilguard. Regardless of how you feel about Veilguard, it's hard to claim that it's not a technically accomplished and genuinely fun experience in its moment-to-moment gameplay. I put it in the same basket as Borderlands 3, wherein playing these games is a great time, but actually engaging with their stories and dialogue gets painful really quickly.
Avowed, thankfully, isn't that, though it is adjacent to Veilguard in a wholly different way. We've had a bunch of such simpler, more streamlined RPGs over the years. Classic hack 'n' slash ordeals such as Diablo kind of fall into this niche, but more concretely, it's stuff like Mass Effect, Kingdoms of Amalur, and Greedfall. On the other end of this spectrum, we've got the likesof Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and Baldur's Gate 3.
The distinction is plenty obvious by now: the former RPGs are sleek, streamlined, and fast. They give you a pre-selected role and scope within which you act, and though you do have freedom in how you accomplish your tasks, the way these games are designed means you can't do wacky, sandboxy stuff like you can in the latter games.
Avowed plays like a fantasy version of DOOM, if we're being honest. Built properly, your character moves like they're a squirrel hopped-up on speed. Combat is chunky and satisfying, and the sheer number of collectibles to chase after makes even short playing sessions meaningful. The characters are decently executed and interesting, while the actual narrative that happens in the background poses some interesting questions for those who care to learn more.
Kingdom Come 2, on the other hand, is slow and plodding. It's the ARMA of RPGs: you've got to weigh your options carefully, as it's deeply unafraid of punishing the player for being careless. Heck, you can't even save your game if you don't have a stock of Savior's Schnapps in your inventory. Sure, you're in control of a particular character in this game, but Henry can be whoever you want him to be.
In practice, Avowed and Kingdom Come 2 couldn't be more different than one another. The RPG community has embraced both of these games, however, for entirely different reasons.
Misreading the room
Luck plays a huge role in a game's success, for sure, but it's important to note that this isn't what happened with Dragon Age: Veilguard. Whereas Avowed knows how to keep its audiences happy, Bioware's supposed flagship fails to do the same.
Gameplay-wise, the two games aren't that different. They're both action-heavy, eager to allow the player to have fun in combat, no matter their class or stat investment. Neither of the two titles is looking to outright punish you for messing up like Kingdom Come 2 does, either. So, what's up? Why has the RPG community embraced Avowed, while Veilguard's being ignored?
My take on the situation is that Bioware failed to identify its audience, which in turn led to a massive mishandling of Veilguard's setting, tone, and narrative. Even though Avowed is a huge departure from its progenitor, Pillars of Eternity, it stays true to established lore and tone. Sure, it's a Weird game if you take note of its grander, overarching narrative, but that's just bonus flavoring on top of what PoE players know and love.
In the case of Veilguard, on the other hand, comparing it to Dragon Age: Origins gets you absolutely nowhere. It shares precious little of its DNA with the specific vibe that Dragon Age fans love, which in turn means that the community wasn't interested in embracing it.
RPG players are eating well nowadays, then. I fail to remember the last time we had two phenomenal RPGs releasing back-to-back, each targeting an entirely different audience and both finding well-deserved success. Most times, one major release takes the wind out of another's sail, and I'm thrilled that Avowed didn't fall victim to this.
In a grander (and sadder) sense, Bioware had recently given us an example of how to fail to deliver on this front. Veilguard could've been last year's equivalent of Avowed, but that didn't materialize in the end. Between Kingdom Come 2 and Avowed, though, I think we've got no shortage of RP to G.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 12:03 PM
Can Supercell ever do wrong in mobile games? My answer is no, and with the many gameplay modes in Brawl Stars, there's fun to be had. But maybe boredom has struck, and you are looking for other mobile games like it. Here are ten mobile games like Brawl Stars.
What are the best mobile games that play like Brawl Stars?
Soul Knight
At first glance, this 2D game doesn't seem to be much like Brawl Stars. Don't be led astray by its cutesy pixel art though; Soul Knight offers a lot that any fan of the Supercell game will like.
It is a unique RPG with loads of content. Heroes, enemies, weapons, and everything you might want in your mobile experience. It gets very "brawlish" in its mechanics pretty soon, and if you enjoy the pure chaos of Supercell's game, you will feel right at home.
But what about multiplayer? Of course, you can decide how big to make your party while you fight through damp dungeons filled with treasure. Add to that some very well-made controls that are easy to pick up, and you have the perfect way to spend some time punishing goblins and trolls.
Tanks a Lot - 3v3 Battle Arena
Do you prefer tanks in your brawl game? Meet Tanks a Lot (ba dum tss!), which definitely feels like Brawl Stars injected with mechanics taken directly from Clash Royale. You can get into casual matches that can be quick and fun, and earn cards and unlocks so you can build up your base and upgrade your tanks.
The graphics are good and there is a lot to like in the gameplay, which is incredibly easy to pick up and get into. Still, I recommend this game mostly to players who have a small group of friends to play with, as that is where Tanks a Lot shines. In solo mode, things might be a little more boring and upgrading will take a long time because of its pay-to-win mechanics.
Bombergrounds: Reborn
Looking for a good dose of cuteness in your brawling? Look at these cuties you can play as in Bombergrounds: Reborn! This is one for players who, while they have fun with the brawling mechanics, want something that is not as fast-paced and frantic.
This game is more tactical and relies on smart bomb placements to defeat opponents. If you remember the classic Bomberman games, you will feel right at home. Still, you will see similarities with Brawl Stars, right from the UI.
Also, there are a lot of gameplay modes for both solo players and those who enjoy multiplayer. Also, if you are planning to take over the world, as you should, you can compete for scores in the worldwide Leaderboards to be the best player ever. A slightly different experience, but one that we think players of Brawl Stars can still enjoy.
Pico Tanks: Multiplayer Mayhem
Are you already bored by tanks? If not, here is another completely free (with no ads!) mobile game for both Android and iOS that plays like a top-down 3v3 tank battler. There are many different gameplay modes, not only for solo players but also for teams.
With fluid and easy-to-pick-up controls, plus a matchmaking system that works as it should, this is a very well-designed game. It feels well balanced and movement controls are close to perfect.
Plus, you can unlock blueprints to buy new parts for your tanks by using gold earned by winning matches. While there are no characters to choose from, the tank-building part is deep enough to add strategy and customization to Pico Tanks.
Brawl Blox
With Roblox being an easy and versatile tool to let people create games, you can expect to find many experiences similar to Brawl Stars in its marketplace. But they vary wildly in quality and in what they offer. Out of all these games, we recommend sticking with one of the most classic ones, Brawl Blox.
Inspired directly by Brawl Stars, this game offers almost the same experience as Supercell's original game, down to gameplay modes and overall feel. But with no pay-to-win scheme nor ads to disrupt your run, so that is something to consider
Also, Brawl Stars offers a great variety of skins, characters, and weapons to choose from, with the developers still adding to it and fixing bugs. Highly recommended if you are looking to start your search with a quick and simple alternative.
Blast Royale: Battle Online
If you are looking for a MOBA experience, then Blast Royale could be a good substitute for Brawl Stars. Thanks to its many different gameplay modes, you can decide to have a quick match designed to be won in three to five minutes.
Choose a hero from a fairly large selection and head into the arena, where you can choose to play alone or with Duos or Trios. A rare feature not seen often in MOBA games is that you can fully customize controls in Blast Royale, so they can be tailored to your device.
There's more, you can even go ahead and create your very own mobile game for your friends and have a private battle. It is all very easy and simple to pick up and play, with a straightforward menu design, so you can definitely give it a go and try to win your first survival battle.
Squad Busters
Since we are talking about a Supercell game, why not go directly to the source if we want a similar game? Indeed, while Squad Busters was not sold as a sequel to Brawl Stars, the overall gameplay modes and presentation will definitely remind you of the original.
This time, it's all about grabbing gems, with up to 10 players competing to get the highest score. Characters from other Supercell games join the fray here, as well. You can grow them from cute defenseless babies into fully-fledged heroes with different skills and abilities.
Moreover, your characters can be tailored and customized to your preference with dozens of different modifiers. You will always find something to do, from chasing down Goblins holding precious loot, getting ghosts to haunt your enemies, and smashing open piñatas. This is definitely recommended if you want an experience that is similar in both tone and gameplay to the original Brawl Stars.
Thetan Arena: MOBA Survival
Ready to get in the arena? Thetan Arena is a well-made F2P MOBA brawler. Choose from several heroes with unique abilities and try to be the last one standing in exciting battles. There are plenty of weapons and items to unlock and upgrade, plus many gameplay modes such as Team Deathmatch and Tower Defense.
Plus there are unique modes such as Super Star, where you have to protect a VIP in your team from being shot down. The game is definitely one of the best looking in the list and there is a lot to like here. The only word of warning is that this game is part of a web3 and blockchain universe, so if that's not your thing, it may be better to choose something else from this list.
Gridpunk: Battle Royale 3v3 PvP
If you aren't tired yet of frantic 3v3 PvP battle royale matches, then Gridpunk ups the ante even more. Matches can be chaotic since there are 36 players in a game. Some unique mechanics feel inspired by Overwatch and other MOBA shooters, as each character has unique abilities that sway the tide of battle. These will be the key to success, often.
This is a good recommendation if what you prefer from Brawl Stars is the overall fast pacing and the camaraderie spirit. It is intensely difficult to win matches if you are not cooperating with the other members of your team. Each member will have to do their part and be mindful of what the others are doing. Last but not least, if you have a competitive streak, you can try to be the first in both global and league Season leaderboards.
Brawlhalla
If you are a fan of mobile games, chances are you heard of this one already. This is one of the few high-budget mobile fighting games with millions of players every month. In Brawlhalla, there are many gameplay modes available, from casual free-for-alls to climbing the ranked season ladder or, simply, fighting against your friends in custom game rooms.
While there is no real brawling feature, the combat is simple and satisfying. Thanks to frequent updates and an ever-growing selection of weapons and items, you will always find something to do. But still, the most interesting feature of Brawlhalla is the characters, since Ubisoft went out of its way to feature as many different characters as possible.
From John Cena and Ben10 to Master Chief and Alucard, if you have ever dreamed of playing as one of your favorite heroes from both games and real life, you will have a blast here. This is a perfect game for both veterans of the genre and for casual gamers looking for a quick match now and then.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:50 AM
Monster Hunter Wilds officially launches on February 28, and early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive — yet they have still sparked concerns among veteran players.
On Metacritic, the game holds a 90/100 score based on 75 critic reviews, making it universally acclaimed. In Destructoid's Monster Hunter Wilds review, author Kristina Ebanez calls the game a "hallmark of excellence."
However, some aspects of these reviews have raised concerns among experienced Monster Hunter players, particularly those familiar with Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter World. Several reviews describe the game as "easy" in different ways. For instance, our reviewer noted that she was "pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to start as a relative newcomer" — despite her past experience with Monster Hunter World.
At the same time, she clarified that "each battle becomes more challenging than the last, especially when the monsters are capable of one-hit kills." While Monster Hunter Wilds may have an accessible entry point, it still presents significant challenges.
Reviewers' comments have fueled 24 hours of ongoing discussion on Reddit and Twitter, with players debating whether Monster Hunter Wilds may be too easy at launch, and if that's a problem at all.
Is Monster Hunter Wilds too easy?
"I don't think Monster Hunter Wilds is too easy," Destructoid's reviewer Kristina Ebanez told me. "I definitely struggled to get through a lot of fights since the boss' change up their tactics quite a lot. Some fights were absolutely brutal and took a while to complete, especially when you're nearing the mid to late stages."
Comparing its difficulty to previous Monster Hunter titles, she acknowledges that Wilds is more approachable. "Everything is explained well and there's a lot of user-friendly mechanics. But there's certainly still a challenge even with all the accessible features."
Some players argue that similar concerns arose when Monster Hunter World launched in 2018. "They also said World was easy, but I remember [players] getting stomped by Anjanath," one user wrote, referencing one of the first major difficulty spikes in World.
"People forget everyone was new once, the world doesn't revolve around veteran hunters," another player added, emphasizing that lowering the skill floor for new players doesn't necessarily mean a lack of challenge.
Written with the help of Kristina Ebanez.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:21 AM
During Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 2's Wanted: Skillet quests, you'll perform a bank heist on his behalf before meeting up with Valentina in Outlaw Oasis. However, beyond the mission itself being challenging to complete, there's a chance you'll encounter a bug during it.
How to help Valentina rob Fletcher Kane's personal safe in Fortnite
After arriving in Outlaw Oasis and sabotaging payphones, your next goal is to talk to Valentina at the east side of the POI. You'll usually see her skipping rope outside, but if there's another player nearby, she may just stand there on alert until you arrive. Talking to her and hearing the brief about Fletcher Kane's personal safe will progress the quest, with her leading you directly to the safe inside his secret vault room.
Once you and Valentina arrive at Fletcher Kane's safe, you'll have to fight off six incoming guards before completing the quest. After a few seconds, they'll start running into the room, forcing you to defend Valentina as she opens the safe. Players will also often visit this area for quick and easy eliminations, so watch your surroundings as you battle these enemies.
After eliminating six of Fletcher Kane's security guards, Valentina will open the safe, revealing some questionable items alongside gold bars. Following some brief interaction with her, you'll officially complete the objective, bringing you one step closer to completing Skillet's Wanted quests or Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 2's Found quests.
How to fix 'help Valentina rob Fletcher Kane's personal safe' bug in Fortnite
In most cases, proceeding through Skillet's Wanted quests or Found quests will naturally lead to you visiting Valentina and hearing her briefing about Fletcher Kane's safe. However, depending on which mission you do first and when you play, you might encounter a bug that prevents you from progressing further. There are several ways to fix this bug:
You'll know you've fixed the bug when you see a "Get Briefed" option while talking to Valentina. Otherwise, you may have to wait for Epic Games to release a hotfix or provide further details on how to work around this. For the most part, swapping to Ranked mode does the trick, but you may have to restart Fortnite a few times before it works.
You may also experience this bug while completing Fortnite's Found quests. During the 'Baron is reportedly hoarding gold in his office' objective, an identical issue that prevents you from progressing can occur. Fortunately, the tips above also apply here, giving you a way to solve this bug, too.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 11:05 AM
In Rune Slayer, picking the right class can mean the difference between crushing your enemies or getting clowned. With brutal mechanics, punishing enemy hits, and a meta that favors ranged dominance, survival depends on strategy as much as skill. Some melee classes still hold their ground, but mastering distance is key. Here's the ultimate Rune Slayer Class Tier List to help you conquer every fight.
Table of contents
All Rune Slayer Classes Tier List
In Rune Slayer, the Warrior and Magician reign supreme in S-tier—one's a walking tank that turns enemies into mush, while the other casually rewrites reality with devastating spells.
Down in A-tier, the Thief strikes fast and vanishes, the Archer deletes targets from across the map, and the Priest keeps everyone alive with holy overdrive. Then there's the Striker in B-tier, swinging fists like it's a bar fight while everyone else is rewriting the meta—perfect if you enjoy charging into battles just to respawn faster.
Whichever class you choose, make sure you grab one of our Rune Slayer codes and ease some of the growing pains. Now, let's take a look at that pesky Rune Slayer class tier list.
Warrior (S-tier)
If not you, who else? Essentially, you're the wall between your team and utter destruction. As a Warrior, you bring raw power and unbreakable defense, charging headfirst into danger without flinching.
Crush enemies with Slashing Strike and keep the pressure on while soaking up punishment no one else could handle. Your high health and armor turn you into a living fortress, drawing aggro so your allies can focus on dishing out damage.
Best for: Holding enemy aggro in dungeon raids, soaking up front-line damage, and providing crowd control in large-scale PvP brawls.
Magician (S-tier)
You don't just cast spells—you bend the battlefield to your will. As a Magician, your Mana Arrow automatically finds its mark, letting you focus on boosting your power with Lesser Strength, Lesser Intellect, and Lesser Dexterity.
Need to outlast your enemies? Magic Shield absorbs incoming damage, while Conjure Food and Conjure Water keep you and your allies fighting at full strength. When it's time to unleash destruction, drop a Mana Bomb for devastating area damage, or boost your defenses with Arcane Armor. You're fragile, sure—but with the firepower to nuke entire clusters of enemies, who needs durability?
Best for: Nuking enemy clusters in PvE, controlling the battlefield with buffs, and sniping key targets in PvP with powerful spells.
Thief (A-tier)
One hit, two hits and poof—you're gone before anyone realizes what hit them. As a Thief, your agility is your greatest weapon—boost it with +3 Agility, and complement your speed with boosts to Stamina and Strength. Get up close with Piercing Strike for rapid, punishing blows, and master Dagger Training to unleash precise, devastating attacks. You're not just a fighter—you're a contender for the top of the Rune Slayer class tier list, using Medium Armor to stay nimble while shrugging off just enough damage to keep fighting.
Best for: Striking from the shadows in PvP skirmishes, quickly eliminating priority targets, and navigating through high-mobility encounters.
Archer (A-tier)
You're the deadliest force on the battlefield—before enemies even know you're there. As an Archer, you'll rain down precision strikes like Power Shot to crush single targets from a safe distance, while Multi Shot and Triple Shot let you handle entire groups without breaking a sweat.
Need to stay mobile? Evasive Shot keeps you on the move, dodging danger while still landing lethal blows. You'll regenerate focus faster with Focus Training and enhance your damage with a range of Battle Auras—whether you want to move faster, hit harder, or shrug off damage like it's nothing. And if you're bringing a pet, your Mark ability makes both of you unstoppable, cutting down incoming damage and boosting your offensive power.
Best for: Dominating open-field battles, clearing enemy groups from a distance, and providing steady DPS in boss fights with pet support.
Priest (A-tier)
You're the reason your team survives the toughest fights. As a Priest, your healing spells—Holy Light and Flash Heal—keep your allies alive through anything, while Holy Fire and Smite let you dish out punishment when needed.
Buff your team with Lesser Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, or cleanse their ailments with Dispell. When things get dire, Resurrection and Suveria's Light bring your teammates back from the brink. Another reason Priest is so high on our Rune Slayer class tier list is that you can stack passives like Mana Training and Radiant Spirit to make sure you never run out of resources, as well as let Blessed Heals turn every critical heal into a potential lifesaver.
Best for: Keeping teams alive in high-pressure raid scenarios, cleansing debuffs during boss fights, and sustaining prolonged PvP engagements.
Striker (B-tier)
As a Striker, every second is a flurry of relentless attacks—open with Strike, dodge with Brace, then hit with a Vertical Strike to knock enemies off balance. Your Battle Aura amps up your speed and attack power, letting you keep up the assault while reducing the damage you take. And when you need to end a fight fast, charge up Power Strike and let it fly for a devastating blow. You're built for non-stop offense—if you're not attacking, you're doing it wrong
Best for: Overwhelming single-target opponents with rapid strikes, disrupting enemy formations, and maintaining constant pressure in PvP.
Best Classes for Each Race in Rune Slayer
Knowing everything about entries in our Rune Slayer class ranking is all fine and dandy, but if it matches with the wrong race, a Reroll is inevitable. After going through our Rune Slayer races tier list, makes you follow this guide to snatch the corresponding class:
That's about it when it comes to our definitive Rune Slayer class tier list. If you want to know more or get into the nitty-gritty, visit the Rune Slayer Discord and Trello and you won't be disappointed. Just pray you don't roll Orc, that's all.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:51 AM
"It's me again. Once more I'm here to cut down the time almost in half." With those words, Groobo introduced the speedrunning world to his 2009 Diablo record, the fastest Diablo run the world would ever see.
In 2004, he beat the previous best time of 53 minutes with a staggering 17:38. In only five years, he brought the record down to 3 minutes, 12 seconds.
No one has taken over the record since. No one ever overtook any of Groobo's times. The Diablo speedrunning community moved away from the unbeatable Groobo runs, retreating to the increasingly popular categories of single segment, no negative HP glitch. 15 years later, Groobo would be accused of cheating, and all his Diablo records would be scrubbed from leaderboards.
How spliced runs work
Even though Groobo's run is much shorter than any previous attempts, he divided his video proof into segments. The previous record holder had taken 5 separate videos to record their 53-minute-long attempt, making each video about 10 minutes long. Uploading videos to the internet wasn't easy in 2004, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, Groobo's first record of 17:38 was divided into 19 sections, less than one minute per video on average, which grew to 40 sections as his time shrunk to 06:07. His 2009 run was just 03:12 long, but it was delivered in 27 videos, each only 7 seconds long.
Was this not suspicious? Couldn't Groobo have optimized his run by retrying each 7-second-long section until he had done each perfectly? Why, of course he did. That's what a segmented run is. Most challengers might not have used as many segments as he did, but a high number of slices alone is not enough to raise the alarm.
As the Rules page of Speeddemosarchive.com said in 2009, before being edited: "Use as many segments as is optimal to achieve the fastest final time. We will not be more impressed if you use a small number of segments."
Splicing rules used to be quite loose, too, clearing Groobo of what would otherwise be cheating. You can see something wrong in the version of Diablo used for the world record before the run even begins. The copyright notice on Diablo's splash screen reads "Copyright 1996-2001", which would make this version 1.09. It certainly isn't the 1.0, or it would just say 1996.
Meanwhile, the main menu on the next screen calls itself Diablo v1.00. Groobo used two different versions of the game, and yet he wasn't disqualified. SDA's rules state clearly that runs are allowed to "have discrepancies between two segments as long as none of it is to your advantage". The run only begins when Groobo starts a new game, and we're still on the main menu, so this isn't cheating.
Suspicions of illegal splicing
There are multiple instances of Groobo not splicing his 2009 run as he should have. To be fair, instructions on how to splice runs are vague, but it's clear that he didn't act as he was expected to. The worst offender by far is the disappearing magical ring, which is placed in the inventory before vanishing without a trace, only to reappear a few seconds later. But again, this might not be against the rules because the discrepancy doesn't help the runner in any way. But even if Groobo didn't need that ring, its disappearing act indicates some serious meddling with the sections.
Those suspicions might have led to the realization that the (very convenient) map layout found in Groobo's record must be the result of editing together different runs with different seeds. Even if they did, proving this is extremely complex because it requires retro-engineering the way the game generates its map and distributes the side quests.
These inconsistencies can be inferred by the shape of the randomly generated map, but they can't be intuitively understood by players, not even other runners. Extremely convenient stairs and items did raise the suspicion of cheating, but finding definitive proof meant more work than anyone was willing to put into debunking an old speedrun record.
Evidence of multiple Diablo versions
Unlike dungeon layouts and improper splicing, evidence that Groobo used multiple versions of Diablo is not hard to find, if you know the game well enough. Here's the short version.
Groobo uses a lot of glitches in his run, but only two stand out: item duplication (dupe) and negative HP. The negative HP bug is pretty much banned in modern Diablo speedrunning while duping is important to bridge the two biggest categories, Any% and Any% No Dupe.
The duplication glitch became much easier to perform starting with version 1.02. Not easy, but easier. Performing it multiple times in a row, as Groobo does, is so unlikely to be basically impossible in version 1.00.
At the same time, the negative HP glitch was removed in version 1.07. Thinking back to the main menu inconsistencies between version 1.00 and version 1.09, you might realize something. 1.00 is smaller than 1.02 and 1.09 is higher than 1.07. The first is incompatible with item duplication while the second doesn't feature the negative HP glitch.
If Groobo was running not 1.00 nor 1.09 but on a third version of the game, why were both versions in the first two screens of the run? The only reasonable answer is that the whole playthrough, not just the splash screen and the main menu, is based on multiple runs of multiple versions of Diablo. That, surely, must prove cheating.
Why was Groobo not caught immediately
None of this proves cheating. Sure, it strongly suggests the possibility of cheating, and if the 2009 record had been set by a no-name first runner, it would have raised a lot more attention.
Proving that the run was impossible required the creation of dedicated software to find that no seed could recreate the run's procedurally generated map. No one is going to do that much work to debunk the record of a somewhat well-known speedrunner who was, ultimately, a prolific member of a small community.
That's the reason it took 15 years to catch Groobo. No one wanted to look. The investigation only started when TASbot founder Allan Cecil began using Groobo's 2009 record as a foundation for his tool-assisted speedrun. He was caught because a competitor looked at his record for inspiration. Because speedrunning is a sport, and no one watches the Olympics looking out for possible cheaters. No one likes to think their idols don't deserve a place on the podium. And no one, especially not a volunteer-run website from 2009, wants to stop their rising star from celebrating a new victory.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:34 AM
The Hunt Second Edition is set to go live very soon in Roblox, introducing almost 100 great games for you to play and complete different quests to unlock new rewards.
This popular event was a fan favorite last time around, and some of the biggest Roblox titles have been included. Let's take a look at the complete list of all the titles that will be a part of The Hunt Second Edition event in Roblox.
Complete list of Roblox The Hunt Second Edition games (2025)
Based on the available information we have, 92 games will form part of The Hunt Second Edition in Roblox. This includes a lot of titles that were present last time around, but we also have some new entrants.
Do note that this list is based on information available on social media as of writing. I am expecting the information to be confirmed as soon as Roblox makes the list official. There's a chance for new entries to be added, as some rumors have suggested that the second edition will have about 100 games.
Roblox The Hunt Second Edition dates
The exact dates for the Roblox The Hunt Second Edition aren't available as of writing. I expect it to begin during the middle of March if the rumors are to be believed. Once again, this information will be updated once we get confirmation from Roblox about the upcoming event.
What to expect from the Roblox The Hunt Second Edition
If the rumors are to be believed, all the games that are part of the list will offer two quests:
We will have a better idea about it once the event goes live.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:25 AM
During Fortnite's Chapter 6, Season 2's Found quests, your first objective states, "The Baron is reportedly hoarding gold in his office," with no further instructions. Although your quest marker points to Valentina, an NPC in Outlaw Oasis, you may encounter a bug preventing you from progressing.
You'll know you're encountering the bug when you first speak to Valentina. Rather than advancing the quest, she'll compare bank vault heists and other crimes to dancing. Here's how to fix Fortnite's Chapter 6, Season 2's Found quest bugs so you can investigate the Baron's gold hoarding.
How to fix Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 2 Found quest bugs
Normally, you'd complete this Found quest by heading to Outlaw Oasis, speaking to Valentina, and hearing her brief about the current mission. She'll then run off toward Fletcher Kane's secret vault room and break open his personal safe. However, if this doesn't happen and you become stuck, you can fix the bug by entering Ranked Mode instead of Fortnite's regular Battle Royale modes.
Although the exact reason for this bug is unknown, one possible reason is the Found quest and Fortnite's Wanted: Skillet mission having the same objective. If you complete Skillet's Wanted mission first and advance far enough to break open Fletcher Kane's safe, the game has to recognize both objectives, which can cause some problems. This mostly happens in unranked matches for unknown reasons.
While there's a good chance Epic Games will patch this bug in the future, we have to work around it in the meantime. The most consistent method for fixing it is entering a Ranked match and playing through the quest as usual. In most cases, this resolves the problem without much concern.
However, if this doesn't resolve the issue and you're still encountering the bug, you can try the following methods to fix it:
In most cases, playing Ranked Fortnite will work, allowing you to proceed through the quest. However, you can also advance through other quests such as Skillet's Wanted series or switch to another game mode like regular Build Mode or Zero Build. In rare cases, restarting Fortnite may be all you need. Otherwise, you may have to wait for Epic Games to patch the bug and either change the quests or allow both missions to progress simultaneously.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:23 AM
Much like its UK equivalent, the International Booker Prize is a chance to shine a light on high-quality literature from some of the industry's best writers. In this instance, the award celebrates non-English books that have been translated and published in English-speaking countries.
While the cash prize for the winner is still £50,000, in line with the regular Booker, it's split between the author and the translator, which is a neat way of highlighting the important work translation brings to the literary world.
Now that the longlist has been announced, let's take a look at all the novels the International Booker Prize has deemed worthy of note for 2025. And if you want something to do between now and the shortlist announcement (held in April), feel free to check out my recommendations for novels that will get you into the Booker Prize.
So without further do:
International Booker Prize 2025 longlist
There you have it, folks. All 13 novels longlisted. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be going through the synopsis of each of these to see which ones I'll be adding to my TBR (hint: it will be more than a few). You can read more about each of the nominated books via the Booker Prize website itself.
The next stage will be the shortlist, which will be announced on April 8 and feature six of the books listed above. Then it's the final winner, with the ceremony being held on May 20 at London's Tate Modern. Looking forward to that. Happy reading, everyone!
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:15 AM
The dress-up behemoth that is Dress to Impress on Roblox has been around for about a year now, and the sheer amount of items proves it. From tops to skirts to jeans to shoes, you can find just about anything you need to create that perfect fit.
However, as the game evolved, new items had to replace the old ones. While we love the new pieces, there are some old ones we would love to see back in the game. Here are the top ten items we want back in the dressing room.
The 10 Best Discontinued Items from Dress to Impress
Platform Sandals
These beautiful, beachy sandals were perfect to go with any summer-inspired look you could come up with. So it was a real shame to see them removed from the game in November 2024.
While the other summer sandals remained available for use, they're just not the same. They're flat and boring, with only one color swatch. Come summer, we hope to see these sandals back in DTI.
Fur-Trimmed Cardigan
It's a well-known running joke that the cropped fur jacket in Dress to Impress is ugly. There are plenty of lovely fur tops now, but back in the early days, there was just one other fur-trimmed item. And boy, do we miss it.
This cardigan came with fur trim that could be toggled off as you pleased, to create a stylish winter outfit. While the new furry items are lovely, we still yearn for this cardigan.
Choker Necklace
The Choker Necklace, unlike the last entry, was one of the most popular items in the game. You couldn't go a single round without seeing it, and that's because it was such a stellar item to use.
So it was heartbreaking to see this item removed in the November 2024 update. Sure, we do technically have a replacement choker that came with the New Year's currency outfit, but it can't measure up. Bring back this beloved choker, please!
Fluffy Sandals
These platform fluffy shoes were so cute and kawaii. They were perfect for Decora outfits, or fluffy stay-at-home fits. Alas, these fluffy shoes were another of the items wiped out during the November update.
To be fair, the mesh was indeed broken, so it did make sense to remove them from the game. But we're hoping to see a remake added in sooner rather than later.
Biker Jacket
If nowadays you're stumped on what to do for the motorbike themes, you're not alone. The classic Biker Jacket was a staple item for these rounds, but sadly it was removed from the dressing room in November.
If you want that classic biker look now, you'll have to use one of the Dress to Impress code items. How disappointing. Maybe someday, we'll be treated to this awesome jacket once again.
Flared Pants
This is an item many players probably don't even know about, seeing as how it's been gone since April 2024. But these Flared Pants are so adorable, we're still holding out hope that they'll come back.
Even worse than their absence is the fact that no new clothing item resembles them, even a little. These pants were truly one-of-a-kind. It'd be wonderful to have a remake of these to choose from in the dressing room.
Zip-Up Top
Making a cozy hoodie outfit isn't as easy as it used to be, seeing as how this tank zip-up top has been gone for a few months now. While there are still hooded sweatshirts, there are none with zippers.
We'd be ecstatic to see this item return, as it was a great base piece for comfy outfits and sportswear. The formal and fancy tops that came with the Valentine's Update are gorgeous, but we need some casual stuff, too.
Square Glasses
Let's take a moment of silence for all the glasses we've lost — which is quite a few. While each was special in its own way, the Square Glasses were the biggest loss. There has never been another pair like them.
These glasses were perfect for retro-styled looks, or for a great pair of shades when you needed something to make a statement. Dress to Impress only has a handful of glasses now, even less if you don't have VIP, and we want more options.
Heart Antennae Headband
Ok, so these were only useful for a handful of themes and fits. But that doesn't mean we don't still love them. The classic antennae with cute hearts was perfect for Valentine's themes, or an adorable alien.
Sadly these Heart Antennae are long gone, but not forgotten. We haven't received a quirky headpiece like this in a while from the DTI team, and we'd be ecstatic to see this headband return. Even if we can't use it every round, it's still lovely.
Classic Mary-Janes
The most recent casualty, the Mary-Janes, can actually still be found in-game. But they've recently received a rework and to be honest, we don't love it. Gone are the stylish platforms and instead, we have a flat, lifeless shoe.
The reworked shoes just can't compare to the classic ones. Not only were they prettier, but they also made great layering pieces. Maybe Dress to Impress can release a classic toggle so we can enjoy both?
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:05 AM
Fortnite's first major Chapter 6, Season 2 questline isn't about saving the world or being a hero with magical powers. Instead, you'll experience the life of Chapter 6's most notorious criminals and fight against Fletcher Kane himself to become rich.
Fortnite Wanted: Skillet quest walkthrough
Fortnite's Wanted: Skillet quest is a six-part series where you'll work alongside Skillet, an infamous character in Chapter 6, Season 2, to break into Fletcher Kane's vaults and steal his valuables. It may not be heroic, but it'll reward you with a ton of XP. There are six stages of varying difficulties, so be prepared for a lot of conflict, particularly between you and other players.
Stage One
The first stage of Wanted: Skillet asks you to collect gold bars from safes or cash registers around Fortnite's map. This one is relatively simple, only requiring you to explore the map and open any registers or safes you encounter.
Your best bet is visiting POIs like Whiffy Wharf, Canyon Crossing, and Seaport City, but most named landmarks have at least one or two cash registers inside convenience stores. You can also find plenty of safes in these locations, giving you plenty of options for gathering a few hundred bars for this quest.
Stage Two
During Skillet's wanted series, your next goal is to talk to him at his hideout. You'll find him inside the Black Market north of Crime City. Your quest markers will guide you here, letting you take a grind beam to him. He'll tell you you're performing a bank heist alongside one of his associates, leading you directly to your next objective.
Stage Three
Now that you have your next task from Skillet himself, it's time to perform a bank vault heist. On your Fortnite map, you'll see several vault icons in locations like Seaport City, Crime City, Masked Meadows, and Lonewolf Lair. You can also enter armored trains and trucks to perform their heists. Either way, as long as you approach one of these places and break into their vaults or shoot at its weak spots, you'll complete this stage and move on to the next.
First, though, you'll need some Thermite. You can collect some as regular chest, floor, and player elimination loot or open Go Bags for a guaranteed drop. Go Bags are small glowing containers that often spawn in named POIs, giving you a quick and easy way to initiate a vault heist without worrying about getting lucky and picking some Thermite up from a chest. Once you have some Thermite, use it on any vault door and wait until it cracks open to complete the stage.
Stage Four
Now that we're successfully pulled off a bank heist, it's time to help our associate, Valentina, do the same. Valentina is all the way in Outlaw Oasis targeting Fletcher Kane's personal safe, so head on to the west side of Fortnite's map to start this stage.
Once you're in Outlaw Oasis, watch out for nearby payphones that you can sabotage. They'll appear with white exclamation marks above them, letting you pinpoint their exact locations if you're close by.
Stage Five
Next, you'll need to get right into the nitty-gritty of the operation and help Valentina rob Fletcher Kane's personal safe. Staying in Outlaw Oasis, approach Valentina and talk to her to signal that you're ready to begin. Under normal circumstances, talking to her will initiate the task immediately, bringing you to Outlaw Oasis' secret vault area.
However, there's a chance your task will be bugged while doing this, preventing you from completing the quest. It's currently unknown whether Epic Games is aware of the issue. Fortunately, one known fix is to swap to a Ranked match and continue the quest. I can personally vouch for this option as someone who encountered this bug, but if it doesn't, there's a chance you'll need to wait until Epic Games patches the glitch before continuing.
Once Valentina brings you to Fletcher Kane's personal safe, you'll fight off guards and other players as she cracks it open. After you defeat six guards, she'll reveal what's inside and complete the fifth stage.
Stage Six
The last part of Skillet's Wanted quest is to spend your newly acquired gold bars. Fortnite offers multiple ways to spend bars, from visiting NPCs and buying their goods to going to a Black Market and purchasing consumables. Regardless of which you pick, spending at least 500 gold bars will complete Skillet's Wanted quest, preparing you for Joss' on March 4, 2025.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:04 AM
It's no exaggeration to say that the Roger Pirates play a very important role in One Piece's narrative. As the only crew to successfully reach Laugh Tale and leave the legendary titular treasure, they set the stage for the current era of piracy.
As mighty as they might have been, the crew disbanded after Gol D. Roger's execution. While his other crewmates didn't die with him, little is known about the others' whereabouts. Even so, only their temporary crewmate, Kozuki Oden, is known to have met his end. As for the others, here is all we know about them.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga.
Crocus the Roger Pirates' doctor
Crocus was one of the first former members of the Roger Pirates to be introduced into the series. He was first shown just as the Straw Hats entered the Grand Line, wherein he was seen taking care of the humongous whale that was Laboon. Even after the timeskip, he remained in Twin Cape Lighthouse, patiently waiting with Laboon for Luffy and Brook to fulfill their promise.
Taking care of Laboon had been Crocus' life mission. He first met and took in the young Laboon after the Rumbar Pirates had to leave the whale behind. They wanted to explore the Grand Line, and it would have been too dangerous for Laboon to tag along. Only decades after meeting the Rumbar pirates did Crocus meet Roger and his crew. He also only accepted to join the Roger Pirates and keep tabs on Roger's health in the hopes of finding the fate of the Rumbar Pirates.
The Roger Pirates' first mate Silvers Rayleigh
Roger's first mate undeniably helped the Straw Hat Pirates the most. After their disbandment, Silvers Rayleigh retired as a pirate and became a ship coating mechanic at Sabaody Archipelago. He also settled down and became Shakuyaku's, a former Empress of the Amazon Lily, husband. Up to the present, he remains at Sabaody Archipelago; and perhaps pretending to be a for-sale slave and stealing from whoever would buy him.
Even before Kuma separated the Straw Hats, Rayleigh fought to save them. After Ace's death, he also accompanied Luffy back to Marineford and taught the young pirate how to master his Haki.
The left arm Scopper Gaban
If the Dark Knight Silvers Rayleigh served as Roger's right-hand man, then Scopper Gaban was his left arm. He was known to be at par with Rayleigh during their prime, earning him the moniker Mountaineater. Recent developments in the manga finally revealed his whereabouts.
It turned out that Gaban had been living in Elbaph for the past two decades, wherein he got himself a wife and a child. Interestingly, however, he isn't so fond of humans marrying Giants. Since Ripley is a Giant and he is a human, he doesn't find it fair that only he grows old and scrawny at such a rapid pace. Even so, he self-proclaims to be a preacher of love, believing that love is free and goes beyond race.
The Emperor Red-Hair Shanks
At the time, Shanks was still a child and an apprentice in Roger's crew. While the other members of the Roger Pirates reached Laugh Tale and saw the One Piece, Shanks unboarded the ship before reaching the final island.
After the disbandment, he formed his own pirate crew — the Red-Hair Pirates. He then expanded his influence across the Grand Line and the New World, ultimately being recognized as one of the Four Emperors. And now, he has set his sights on finally getting the much-coveted treasure.
The other Emperor, Buggy the Clown
The reason Shanks missed out on the trip to Laugh Tale was the other apprentice, Buggy. Before the last leg of the voyage, Buggy suddenly came down with a fever. Shanks stayed to look after him, despite his protests.
After the disbandment, Buggy and Shanks reunited at Roger's execution. Buggy felt betrayed after Shanks refused to go to Laugh Tale. And so, he refused to follow Shanks and formed his own pirate crew. He then went on numerous adventures. He even faced off with the Straw Hat Pirates, joined the Paramount War, became a Warlord, and ultimately became an Emperor himself. With Shanks proclaiming to go after One Piece, he somehow also made Cross Guild do the same.
Nekomamushi and Inuarashi
When Oden and his family joined the Roger Pirates, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi boarded the Oro Jackson as stowaways and became apprentices. However, their stay wasn't that long. When Toki got sick, the two Minks decided to stay with her at Wano. And just like Shanks and Buggy, they also didn't get to Laugh Tale.
The two joined the other retainers at Wano, waiting for Oden's return. When Oden ultimately fell at Kaido's hands, the two barely escaped from Wano to Zou. At that point, they were already feuding. They eventually joined the others to fulfill their roles as Oden's retainers and take down Kaido. After the battle, the two decided to stay at Wano and become Momonosuke's guardians and retainers.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:51 AM
If you've already gotten yourself a decent element and clan in Ninja Time, you will want to get a matching family to utilize their abilities fully. However, not all families are as strong as the rest. So, to help you make the right choice when rerolling your family, we made the following Ninja Time families guide and tier list.
Table of contents
What are Families in Ninja Time?
Families in Ninja Time work as passive buffs. They generally increase your Chackra and Vitality, as well as the damage you deal with the matching clan. Some families also increase your movement speed, which is helpful both in and out of combat. You can see your character's current family on its bingo card while in-game.
Complete Ninja Time Families Tier List
The above tier list ranks all families in Ninja Time based on how good they are overall. Now, because each family in Ninja Time gives a damage bonus only to its matching clan, we didn't consider this damage bonus when we were making the tier list. Still, the damage bonuses can be pretty useful if you have one of the non-meta clans.
List of Families in Ninja Time
Below is a list of all Ninja Tier families and the bonuses they provide you with based on their ranking in the tier list. S and A-tier families are generally very strong, and you can pair them up with any Ninja Time clan. As for the B and C-tier families, the bonuses they provide are basically negligible. So, use them only if you have a matching clan for the increased damage.
S-Tier Ninja Time Families
A-Tier Ninja Time Families
B-Tier Ninja Time Families
C-Tier Ninja Time Families
How to Reroll Your Family in Ninja Time
You can reroll your Family in Ninja Time by using Family Spins in the Spins section of the main menu. When you spin your family, you will immediately know which one you got, as the spin animation on the right is just redundant. Also on the right side is the Family Storage, which you can buy for 1,000 Robux and store your current family. The family storage in Ninja Time is permanent, so you can switch between families whenever you want.
How to Get Family Spins in Ninja Time
Family Spins can be very easy to come by while there are ongoing Ninja Time events. Also, you can get a huge number of them by redeeming Ninja Time codes. Once you run out of those, you can get more family spins by defeating bosses and by logging in for seven days straight. Lastly, Family Spins are available in the Premium shop for Robux.
I hope the above tier list helps you when rerolling families in Ninja Time. In case you want to get yourself a mount and zoom around the world, then check out our guide on how to get mounts in Ninja Time.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:43 AM
Turn-based RPGs, especially those that stand on the shoulders of genre giants, need to either nail the fundamentals or bring a new twist to established mechanics. Maliki - Poison of the Past does both, mixing turn order manipulation with a solid mechanical core and a quaint, cozy-feeling story.
Taking different turns with time
The ability to manipulate time is core to Maliki's gameplay, which functionally translates to futzing with the turn order. It's also one of the main things that sets its combat apart. You'll always know when your party and the enemy will move using the turn tracker on the upper right side of the screen. However, you can alter where allies and enemies appear in the combat order using Temporal Abilities.
We only have access to one Temporal Ability in the demo, Slide. Its function was simple: move the current character forward or backward on the turn tracker. If they move forward, they can go after their allies or enter a "Duel" state with an enemy. Duels allow you to use a set number of Techniques (character abilities) to clash with an enemy. If the character moves behind their place in the turn order, they also get HP and TP (Technique Points) back.
The other combat systems remind me of a mix of Super Mario RPG and Pokemon. There are four attack "elements" split across the physical (Normal and Kinetic) and special (Techno and Nature) types. Every unit on the field has an element that determines whether it can resist an attack, is weak to it, or takes normal damage from it. When a unit is hit by its weakness, it takes double damage and can receive debuffs. Resistant hits deal around 60% damage.
You can access four standard move types, the team's Temporal Ability, and item usage. To succeed, you have to smartly balance Attacking, either with a regular move or a Technique, Focusing on your Temporal ability, or Defending. Items can be quite important because while things were pretty smooth sailing for most of the demo, the final boss was a massive difficulty spike — one I was glad to see. The fight is a true test of everything the game's taught you up to that point, rather than being a simple damage check.
Overworld exploration deserves some mention, as each character has a unique field ability to manipulate certain objects. Sand, the main character, has a Chronopack that lets her turn time forward or backward for specific world items. Fang's Quantic Pistol can move various objects around. It's a much less complex system than the combat, though not a dichotomy that bothered me too much.
A story caught in time
Sadly, I can't say much about the story because the dialog in the demo switched from English to French midway through. And my French is nonexistent. I can tell you that time travel and weird dimension-shifting plants called the Poison are central to the narrative, and your job in the game is to push back the Poison from a hub called the Domaine. You're also tasked with eradicating Poison in larger pockets.
The narrative of Maliki - Poison of the Past is hard to unravel even without the language barrier, thanks to the changes in time. The story starts with the main character, Sand, almost crushed by a flying car, only to be saved by activating a Domaine barrier and portal. Inside, you meet the eponymous Maliki and Fang before being sent back to your own time so Maliki can pick the portal's correct "temporal window."
It's a bit of a cluster by design, and that's without digging into what is likely to be an adventure spanning at least a dozen hours and who knows how many timelines. Thankfully, your adventures are backed by a fantastic soundtrack, solid writing, and a deep, engrossing battle system. There is also a cozy farm-sim system, some light crafting, and plenty of key items with story significance.
Check out the demo for Maliki - Poison of the Past on Steam now. It should only take about an hour to beat, and I'm pumped to see more when the full release arrives.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:36 AM
The Baked Carp is a simple two-star dish in Disney Dreamlight Valley that will keep your character going throughout the day when consumed. However, you can also sell it for quite a few Star Coins and get some Dreamlight tasks completed while doing so.
Where to find Baked Carp Disney Dreamlight Valley ingredients
To create Baked Carp in Disney Dreamlight Valley, you'll need to collect the following ingredients:
Both are relatively easy to find within the original valley of the game. Thankfully, you won't need any DLC like The Storybook Vale to access them. Carp can be fished from the waters of the Forest of Valor and Sunlit Plateau. It may take a while to find this fish as Salmon (which can be used to make Apple Cider Glazed Salmon) and Perch end up on the other side of the line more often than not. You'll need to fish within white water ripples in these biomes.
Make sure to take a friend with you who has the fishing specialty. It was only natural for Goofy to be great at fishing due to his summer trip with his son Max in The Goofy Movie. With this fishing specialty, you have a chance to double your catch, and it increases your friendship level with valley residents.
Butter can be easily bought from Remy at his restaurant Chez Remy. From behind the stove, you can purchase the ingredient for 190 Star Coins on a stand.
How much does Baked Carp sell for?
Once you have both ingredients, head to any cooking station at your house or Chez Remy, for example, and throw them into the pot. You'll magically have Baked Carp ready to serve. You can sell it for 767 Star Coins or eat it for 1,894 Energy.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:32 AM
Sibling rivalries aren't usually settled with ordnance, but most siblings aren't world-renowned assassins.
Anna Williams is officially returning to the franchise in Tekken 8, and Bandai Namco heralded her re-entry with a new gameplay trailer.
Anna retains her Chaos Judgement stance and mixups out of crouch from previous games and sports new wrinkles. Along with Tekken 8's universal heat mechanics, she has new moves centered around the rocket launcher she carries into battle.
Anna uses the RPG judiciously in her moveset for its projectiles and as a melee weapon. She even has a new stance using the firearm that can be cancelled into Chaos Judgement, creating some nasty mixup opportunities and combo routes. Hitting an opponent with an RPG move leaves a purple aura on them, which could be a debuff or damage over time mechanic. However, the rocket launcher isn't just a tool for combat, and Anna holds it so dearly it has a name: Lovely Tom. This name stems from Anna's love for the slapstick comedy cartoon Tom and Jerry.
Anna continues her 30-year-long rivalry with her sister, Nina, and forms a new one with season 1 DLC character Lidia Sobieska. Anna's rivalry with Lidia is due to their mutual interest in fine dining, which might threaten the assassin's standing as the best chef in Tekken or allow her to cement it.
A mid-March Tekken Talk will go over Anna's movelist and mechanics in greater detail before she is available for early access on March 31 and fully released on April 3.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:26 AM
We've grown accustomed to the idea of a Photo Mode to play around with in gaming. They're standard in many titles nowadays. But it's always a bonus feature. With the upcoming Lushfoil Photography Sim, photo mode is the game.
At a recent showcase, publisher Annapurna Interactive made a few announcements, such as Sayonara Wild Hearts coming to PS5 and a new game from Katamari Damacy creator, Keita Takahashi, called To a T. But the one that stuck out for me was the aforementioned photography simulator.
For a chance to tap into your inner David Bailey, Lushfoil Photography Sim will offer the chance to "explore diverse landscapes, play with camera settings, and capture the perfect shot." Having just recently played Firewatch for the first time – which does give your player a camera to take a few pictures here and there – it feels like this is taking things to the next level.
Coming this April
Developed by keen shutterbug Matt Newell, Lushfoil Photography Sim is described on Steam thus:
It is, as you can glean from this, a walking simulator, but with an emphasis on capturing the surrounding beauty. Walking sims have been around for several years now and although not always popular due to their stripping away of typical gameplay elements, they're often noteworthy for their storytelling capabilities.
It's hard to know how to define LPS (as I've taken to call it, just now) outside it being an opportunity to take digital photos of digital – albeit beautifully crafted – worlds. Personally, I think it will offer something of a much-needed break from some of the more fast-paced and stress-inducing games out there.
If you want to check it out, Lushfoil Photography Sim is scheduled to release on April 15 (according to the PlayStation blog post above) and will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 9:02 AM
Who doesn't love a free game? But what if that free game came with the promise of more "game" in the future? Yeah, I've described demos, and there's no better place to find them than the Steam Next Fest.
For this February 2025 edition, we've selected the most fun, innovative, and exciting demos you can play right now. Some of the games you'll see are pretty much a complete product, while others are rough but promising. Of course, it's impossible to list every good demo on Steam in a single article. So you bet we'll bring you more demo highlights, but there's always Steam's dedicated Next Fest recommendation page, as well.
Solasta 2
Finally, an RPG where you can't talk to everyone! And even when you can, you don't really have a say in what your party says. These predetermined conversations go straight to the point which is, predictably, who I have to kill and why I shouldn't feel bad about it.
Sure, that's not entirely fair. There are some interesting conversations in the Solasta 2 demo, but the interactivity is closer to Mass Effect than Baldur's Gate. If you're going to like Solasta 2 it will be thanks to the tactical combat and faithful adaptation of the D&D 2024 ruleset, so it makes sense for the demo to focus on varied combat scenarios instead of deep conversations.
Monaco 2
Twelve years ago, the original Monaco shook the world of goofy co-op game enthusiasts and slightly underwhelmed everyone else. In 2025, its sequel promises to do exactly the same. While going through the few story levels available on your lonesome is not exactly fun, it does paint a picture of the finished game, and it's not half bad.
Gone is the top-down perspective, replaced by a wide third-person camera. However, one click is all that separates you from the classic blueprint look of the original, now dedicated to planning your next move with the team. Monaco 2's demo will be accessible until March 3.
Despelote
If you can stomach the abrupt transitions and early ending, the Despelote demo is pretty much a full game. It's 2001 and Ecuador might win the Soccer World Cup. As a result, everyone is suddenly obsessed with soccer. You're a kid, and you're no exception.
As the game's Steam page puts it, Despelote is a soccer game about people. More than anyone else, it seems to be a game about its creators, or some version of them. Footage of old soccer games is mixed with a 3D environment reminiscent of Obra Dinn, and black and white scribbles replace moving, speaking characters. Neat!
Deliver At All Costs
Feeling nostalgic about the top-down racing genre that is no more? Deliver At All Costs isn't exactly a racing game, and it's not really top-down either, but it scratches the same itch and then some. This humorous romp successfully mixes Fallout-style spoofs of mid-century America and the innate comedy of trying to drive without causing chaos in Grand Theft Auto.
Make a living delivering shady goods for shady clients and try not to make too much of a mess – unless you think it's funny, in which case you should definitely make a mess. Use your engineering degree to mod your vehicles and… wait, why are you out of a job again?
Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery!
Yokai Landlord markets itself as a digital version of the classic card game Werewolf, played against a number of conniving digital opponents. In reality, Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery is less Gnosia and more Ace Attorney, even if it doesn't have quite the style of either of those.
Unlike a real (or simulated) game of Werewolf, the objective is to identify which of your quirky tenants are actually yokai, which will kill everyone in the building if their plans go undisturbed. As the landlord, it's up to you to gently ask them to vacate the apartment before the end of the month, but only once you can demonstrate that they really are a monster in disguise.
Beholder: Conductor
The fourth entry in the dystopic landlord simulator series Beholder: Conductor really shakes things up by putting you in the role of a train conductor. Will you sell out your friends when they become enemies of the state? Of course you will. But will you make sure their chairs are comfortable before locking them in their cabin?
Since this is only a demo, it's hard to tell how much story variation there is in this allegedly story-focused game. If the rest of the series is any indication, one thing is clear. You better like being the amoral tool of the state.
Killer Chat! - Expanded Edition
Killer Chat is already out, but the Expanded Edition is not, and there sure is a lot to expand on. After all, while the original edition is impressive, it was developed in a single month for an Itch.io game jam. The Expanded Edition has a lot of work to do, from adding characters and routes to making the game space more interactive. But enough about expansions, what's this IRC-looking Discord server of a game about?
Killer Chat is a chill, funny adventure game that would belong in a list of cozy demos if it wasn't for all the serial killers. You take the role of an aspiring crime fiction writer who, ignoring the cry of their antivirus, finds themselves in the not-Discord service of a handful of serial killers dying to chat with you. As they put it, there's totally a lack of community in the serial killing space.
Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo
Type-NOISE knows what makes a great game: escaping from a weird room only to be locked into another room with two to four anime teenagers. This visual novel/point-and-click hybrid about being stuck in places might feel familiar if you've ever played through the Zero Escape series. If that's you, I'm happy to report that the Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo demo is neat.
If the idea of playing a level of Myst on easy mode and then reading a visual novel for two hours doesn't entice you, the Danganronpa-lite art style and weird sci-fi story might. You and your friends' memories have been erased, and it seems like it might have been your choice. Not that you would remember, but why would this ugly-cute flying demon lie to you?
Angeline Era
I'm not sure if the Angeline Era demo was updated for the current Steam Next Fest or if the game is "participating" in the celebration mostly in spirit. Either way, this is one of the best demos of the year. Angeline Era is a retro action RPG that plays like nothing else but feels like it could have come out on the Nintendo 64.
The first "Bumpslash" type game, Angeline Era is a game of ingenious exploration and deceptively simple combat. How simple? For the most part, this game only uses one button and an analog stick, banking on its clever level design to make each encounter interesting. And it works every time.
Kill The Music
Vampire Survivor with a rhythm game twist, what more could you want? Perhaps an esoteric grunge presentation, a great selection of music, and menus so stylish they could give Persona a run for its money? Why, Kill The Music might be the game for you, and I, for one, can't wait for it. The demo, on the other hand, you could do without.
Don't get me wrong, what little of Kill The Music you can try for yourself is all those things, but it also commits the cardinal sin of rhythm games: it's janky. The relatively quick combat scenarios all have different soundtracks and modifiers, and some combinations of those completely throw off the inner metronome of the game. It's hard to keep the time when "the time" is completely unrelated to the song you're listening to.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:17 AM
Wondering if you should tell the Grain Merchant about the stolen food in Avowed? Elder Offerings is a quest you can pick up in Emerald Stair that involves choosing between giving stolen food back or using it as an offering. Below, we'll go through all Elder Offerings quest outcomes in Avowed.
Elder Offerings quest choices
Speak with Governor Ignasi Vidarro
Although the quest log asks you to choose between telling the Grain Merchant and fulfilling Rossana's request, there is actually another option you can choose. You can choose to approach Governor Ignasi at his home in Fior mes Iverno and select the following dialogue prompt:
'Did you know Elder Rossana has been leaving food out for the diseased?'
He will say he is aware of it but hasn't intervened yet as it isn't a crucial issue and respects the tradition of honoring the dead. You can then choose from the following dialogue options:
Speak with the Grain Merchant
Approach Ilena the Grain Merchant in the Farmer's Market southeast of Fior mes Iverno. If you speak with her and inform her that Elder Rossana stole the grain, you'll have the following options:
Place the grain at the three burial sites
If you decide to visit all three graves and place the food as instructed by Rossana, once you return to her outside of Quilicci's House in Fior mes Iverno she will give you the 'Berath's Blessed Ward' Unique Trinket. This allows you to take 5% less damage from Vessels (Skeletons) and is worth 300 gold.
Additionally, your journey to the graves will take you past other quest locations such as Kai's companion quest, 'Battle Scars,' and the 'Missing Rangers' quest. So, you can fulfill these on the way if you have yet to do so. The quest will launch hordes of Shadow and Vessel enemies on you, however, so don't expect it to be an easy ride.
Which is the best Elder Offerings choice?
Whichever outcome you choose for Elder Offerings will mostly be down to personal preference. If you're down on gold, grabbing the 550 from the Governor may be worth it to you. Personally, I prefer the option to fulfill the quest for Rossana. Her Unique Trinket will be missable otherwise and there are plenty of loot crates and other items of interest on the way to the three destinations. In particular, make sure you open the chest within the Truffle Farm and Logging Site (next to the coastal burial site). You'll also get XP not only from fulfilling the quest but also through the enemies you kill during the quest so it's worth the trek.
That rounds up our guide to all Elder Offerings quest outcomes in Avowed. For more Avowed tips and tricks see our guides to all Unique Clothing in the game, unique weapons or our list of the best Unique Grimoires to collect.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:14 AM
Bridgerton is an absolute behemoth in the Regency romance genre. Written by Julia Quinn, it's become a must-watch Netflix series, spawned multiple side-stories, and there isn't a romance fan anywhere in the world who doesn't know what Bridgerton is.
If you've seen the series or read the books (or both, and if you've seen the series but not read the books then I would highly recommend them), then you're probably suffering from a sort of Regency hangover. The modern world is just so lackluster compared to the high-society setting of Bridgerton, so it's natural to miss being absorbed within that world.
With that in mind, to cure you of the gaping hole in your life that Bridgerton previously took up, here are 10 books (or series) to read next that offer the same Regency and/or romance themes.
The Duke Undone
Joanna Lowell
Part of a series of four books with the same name, The Duke Undone introduces us to Lucy Cooper, a struggling artist who stumbles upon the naked duke passed out in an alley and then goes on to paint his picture.
She doesn't know he's a duke when she finds him, of course, and she helps him before she turns his nudity into art, but all of it is the kicking-off point for an unlikely romance. He wants her to burn the painting and never speak of it again, she wants to save the tenements in which she lives, and they both want to find his missing sister.
Emma
Jane Austen
Jane Austen wrote Emma with the understanding that nobody other than herself would end up liking the main heroine. What we ended up with is true to that original premise, with spoiled Emma Woodhouse choosing to believe she's some kind of matchmaker extraordinaire as she meddles in the lives of people in nearby villages.
As you can imagine, a lot of drama and crossed wires are the result, but also a lot of romance and a beautifully captured glimpse into life during the time period. Emma is Austen's best work (in my opinion), and definitely worth reading for any romance fan.
Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston
Admittedly, Red, White & Royal Blue is set in the modern world with everything that entails, including the media and social platforms, which only add issues where they wouldn't have been during the Regency period. However, Red, White & Royal Blue also somehow manages to feel like a Regency romance thanks to the royal bloodlines of those involved.
It's an LGBT romance between an English Prince and the son of the first female president of the USA, what could go wrong? Pretty much everything, truth be told, but the path to true love never did run smooth and all that.
A Lady for a Duke
Alexis Hall
A Lady For a Duke features a trans heroine, but that's not the central plot point of the tale. Viola was once a soldier on the battlefield at Waterloo, but when presumed dead, she finally takes the opportunity to live as herself, at the cost of everything from her previous life including her best friend Justin de Vere.
Reconnecting years later, Viola realizes that losing his closest friend all but destroyed Justin and takes it upon herself to remind him of who he once was. Helping him to overcome addictions to both alcohol and opium, Viola and Justin grow ever closer and there are many heart-warming moments as the two come together.
Queen Charlotte
Julia Quinn, Shonda Rhimes
The creation of Queen Charlotte is a bit of an odd one. Off the back of Bridgerton's success, Netflix ran a side series called Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Off the back of that, the original author of Bridgerton decided to novelize the story of Queen Charlotte alongside the head of the production team that worked on both series, and that's how we got here.
It's the story of, obviously, Queen Charlotte and how she went about adapting to her new life as royalty after marrying King George III, while she falls in love with him despite his coldness towards her. With the same author bringing this story to life, there's absolutely no way that any Bridgerton fan could not like Queen Charlotte.
Remember Love
Mary Balogh
Like Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh has a huge number of published novels set during the Regency period, filled with love and drama just as you'd expect. If you've binged through Bridgerton, then the Ravenswood series is a good choice, starting with Remember Love.
Devlin Ware is called home from the Napoleonic war as the sole heir of the Ware family to restore the family name and its place in society, despite the fact that he was previously exiled as a traitor. War-hardened and traumatized by all that he's seen, he doesn't particularly want the responsibility on his shoulders. Enter Gwyneth, former love and anchor for him as he tries to navigate him through the difficult task.
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules
Suzanne Allain
The Regency era is well known for its patriarchal beliefs, but The Ladies Rewrite the Rules takes that entire concept and flips it on its head. Diana is a wealthy widow who absolutely does not want to marry again, especially to some gold-digging shallow man. But then she ends up listed in the "Bachelor's Directory", a list of single, rich women perused by men hunting for a wife.
So what does Diana do? Well, what any self-respecting lady would do. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the author of this depraved list. Then she tells the other included ladies about the list, and they group together to take back the power, bending would-be husbands to a new set of rules made up by the girls. Feminism in the Regency era? Count me in.
A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby
Vanessa Riley
After her husband dies, Patience Jordan questions whether it was actually suicide as she was led to believe. For doing so, the West Indian heiress loses everything, including her newborn son, when she is falsely imprisoned. In a strange turn of events, she ends up being hired as the nanny to the aforementioned son, who is now under the care of the Duke of Repington, Busick Strathmore.
He's a wounded military hero, and he had not bargained on the headstrong Patience entering his life and worming her way into his heart. Of course, A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby is a romance through and through, so the two of them form an attachment to one another that threatens to derail everything as every great romance should.
A London Season
Patricia Bray
When caring for eight siblings becomes a little too much for Jane to bear, she accepts her aunt's invitation to the London season, hoping to meet a wealthy husband to claw her family out of the debt that they find themselves in. She soon finds out that her country bumpkin ways aren't exactly going to get her accepted within high society, let alone bag her a man.
Lord Glendale doesn't want a wife and he certainly isn't looking for one. However, he's amused by Jane and places a bet that he can make her high-society-worthy within a month. At its heart, A London Season is a makeover story, but as all good makeover stories do, this one develops into a love affair that everybody but the main characters can see coming from a mile away. That doesn't make it any less comforting to read, though.
To Have and to Hoax
Martha Waters
Every other book on this list features couples coming together and finding their way before marriage. To Have and to Hoax throws you into a five-year marriage where husband and wife haven't spoken for four years until they're thrown together by a hoax injury that sparks a never-ending battle of pranks and one-upmanship.
If you've ever stumbled across that weird side of YouTube that features couples trying to prank each other in weirder and more complex ways, then you'll know what to expect from To Have and to Hoax, except it's set in the Regency era and the pranks very much reflect this. Among the hoaxes, the couple finds that maybe their argument four years ago wasn't as dooming as they initially thought.
If you get through all of the above-mentioned Regency romances and still want some more novels to lose yourself in, check out our other book lists for more recommendations.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 8:02 AM
Among the many companions available in Avowed, Yatzli earns a special place as she is the last one to unlock. Still, that doesn't mean you should put her last since she can be quite useful if her abilities are built up correctly. Let's see what her best skills are.
Best Abilities to unlock for Yatzli in Avowed
Since you have a limited pool of points available to upgrade your companions' skills, we recommend building up Yatzli by following her basic skill and her passive abilities as well. While she is a strong wizard, she has no support skills at all and, also, not a lot of health points, so you will need to be careful when strong enemies are around.
Once her cons and pros are clear, these are the abilities we would recommend prioritizing:
Since Essence Explosion is unlocked right away, you can use Yatzli in an active role right away, along with exploiting the fact that she deals a rare damage type in Avowed, since Explosive damage is not that easy to come by.
Next, upgrade Essence Explosion by picking Concentrated Essence and Scrappy Picking. The first one allows you to increase the blast radius, which is great for maximum damage across multiple foes. Scrappy Picking, on the other hand, reduces cooldown time but sacrifices damage.
As for Blast, which can also damage a group of enemies, can be further upgraded to be effective. First, by unlocking Explosive Blast you can detonate attacks, which will make the area of effect even larger.
Finally, you can also consider Force Blast, which, instead of dealing damage, will deal Stun effects to enemies. This comes in handy if you are playing as a ranger or a mage, for example.
Yatzli' abilities, explained
Yatzli's other abilities can still come in handy, depending on your build. She can also use Minoletta's Missile Battery and Arduous Delay of Motion.
Overall, I recommend picking Arduous Delay of Motion which allows Yatzli to use her Arcane magic to slow down all enemies in the area of effect for ten seconds, with a 60-second cooldown.
Minoletta's Missile Battery, on the other hand, is simply another version of the Magic Missile that your character can unlock at the beginning. Yatzli fires a volley of Arcane missiles that seek out enemies automatically.
As for upgrades to Arduous Delay of Motion, consider Exhausting Field, since that will enlarge the area of effect so that you can be sure to have a great crowd control tool. Energy Sap is okay but lacks that multiple-enemies effect.
To break it all down, here's my build recommendation for Yatzli.
Best Companion to pair with Yatzli in Avowed
Since Yatzli's role is that of the DPS wizard, she can pair well with a support character. Naturally, the first one that comes to mind is Giatta.
She can recover health for the entire party, and her active Purification skill can save parties who are about to die. She also has a passive spell, Reconstruction, so that you and Yatzli can keep on fighting.
Still, while this is the most sensible choice, you also should experiment, too. For example, if you need someone to draw attention away from you and Yatzli, Kai is the obvious choice, as she is great at taunting enemies.
But for a bit of fun, we see Marius and Yatzli not getting along at all. So that's also a pretty fun choice if you are interested in funny banter and conversations.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:10 AM
Perhaps you don't think of your Chromebook as much of a gaming machine because of its limited specs, but still, it is a very good one for retro gaming. But what are the best emulators you can use for it? Let's find out about the joy of emulating on a Chromebook.
What are the best emulators for Chromebook?
Eclipse
If you are not looking forward to being on the hunt for games from your childhood or navigating shady sites or, more realistically, you are not allowed to install apps on your Chromebook, then Eclipse is the answer. It is a web-based emulator that covers most consoles and should guarantee a pretty painless experience throughout.
Not only is it free, but it can emulate consoles as varied as Game Boy Advance, the NES, and Super Nintendo. Unfortunately, while there are no issues with touch and keyboard controls, gamepads are a little more difficult to set up as you'll have to configure each of them manually, which can take a bit of time.
But trying it out for yourself might be the best, so head to the Eclipse website and see if this emulator works for you.
Retro Arch
This is an emulator that pops up on a lot of different lists, and for good reason. It is not really an emulator per se but a frontend that allows you to download different cores, which you can use to emulate basically everything. This means that with one app, you are able to run NES games, Gamecube games, and even quite more obscure home computers such as the Apple II.
On the other hand, as a jack of all trades, this means that a bit of fiddling and setup is required. While Retro Arch has its separate options as a frontend, each core also comes with its own particular set of options and emulation settings that you might have to fiddle with to get a particular game running.
If you are not particularly computer savvy, don't want to spend too much time setting up stuff, or are interested in only emulating a couple of systems at best, then Retro Arch might not be the perfect one for you.
Wine
If you are looking to run any Windows app on your Chromebook, then Wine is the answer you are looking for. It has been in development even before Windows 95 came out, so you know this emulator has a good pedigree.
It requires Linux compatibility on your machine, but once that is done, you can discover an entirely new world of apps ready for you to run. If you have ever dreamed of running Microsoft Office on your Chromebook, Wine allows you to do just that.
Unlike similar solutions such as QEMU, this is a more lightweight solution that requires a bit less fiddling to get it to work. Running games might be a little bit more of a difficult proposition for Wine, but you can run some early classics as long as you don't try to push the 3D graphics too far.
PPSSPP
Looking to get that quick fix of 2006 on-the-go gaming? Then look no further than PPSSPP, a quite well-made Sony PSP emulator. It includes several compelling emulator features, such as save/load states and fast-forward, and has open-source code. It is also a free emulator that, while a premium version is available, still allows you to try it out with no limitations.
Even though it only emulates PSP games, PPSSPP is stable, has a great emulator experience, and allows you to use a controller. While you might find some issues with more advanced games, such as God of War: Ghost of Sparta, most other titles should work smoothly with no hiccups.
John GBAC
As far as gaming on the go is concerned, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance is still one of the best consoles ever, thanks to its incredible games, but what about the Game Boy Color? If you are looking to emulate both handhelds, then this free emulator will do the trick.
It combines both previously discontinued John GBA and John GBC emulators, so if you want to make sure the emulator works on future updates, this is the one you will want to install on your Chromebook.
This is a free emulator that is supported by ads. While it would be nice to have the option to pay to disable the in-game ads, they are tolerable, as long as you avoid exiting and going back to the emulator again and again.
Dolphin
Perhaps you don't want to go too far back with your emulation, instead visiting the era of the Nintendo GameCube and Wii. Then Dolphin will be the one for you, as it recreates both Nintendo consoles on your Chromebook since it supports both Android and Linux environments. Dolphin Emulator plays Wii and GameCube games using a simple and easy-to-use UI.
Naturally, since these are newer games that you are emulating, the experience might vary depending on your Chromebook model. Go ahead and try them out for yourself to see how your favorite game runs. For example, while a classic like Wii Sports runs with no issues, others, such as Killer 7, might have a few more problems. Exactly like RetroArch, Dolphin supports controllers, keyboards, and touch controls.
Snes9X EX+
Want to get a taste of that sweet 16-bit experience? We present Snes9x EX+, a version of the classic Snes9X emulator made for Android that has all the features you would need. Not only that, but it runs basically everything ever made for the Super Nintendo, from Chrono Trigger to Yoshi's Island, smooth as butter.
Along with all the usual features you can think of, such as save/load states, fast forwarding, different aspect ratios, controller support, keyboard compatibility, and touch controls, the emulator also has no problems running patched ROMs, so you can enjoy hacks or translated games from Japan. Last but not least, it works great with cheat codes.
M64Plus FZ
Are you a fan of early 3D environments? Want to bring back those Super Mario 64 skills? The M64Plus FZ emulator should be the one for you. This emulator includes many useful features such as save states and fast forwarding, and even unique ones such as local multiplayer, which can come quite in handy for a quick Mario Kart 64 match. But, unfortunately, there's a bit of a catch.
Overall, Nintendo 64 games can be quite fiddly to emulate; you might find issues with clipping, slowdowns, or garbled 3D graphics. So, since, in this case, you can try out the app for free, just see if your favorite N64 games run without issues.
The paid version is just $3.99, which is not much, but its main feature is adding support for network multiplayer, so it is not a mandatory upgrade.
Nes.emu
With a UI pretty similar to the Snes9x emulator, it can be easy to think this looks quite a bit outdated. But don't let that discourage you, since NES.emu is one of the best emulators if you are looking to properly bring back the fun 8-bit times of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Not only will it allow you to fast forward, but it also supports save states and can even run Famicom games,. In case you're inclined to try them out, it also has no problems with Bluetooth controllers. But if you don't have a gamepad, just set up your keyboard. There is one catch, though: this emulator will set you back $3.99, but it's a fine price to pay as it will be the only NES emulator you'll ever need.
DraStic DS Emulator
You might be a fan of the Game Boy Advance, but what about its unique dual-screen touch controls successor? The Nintendo DS still lives on in many gamers' memories, and thanks to DraStic, you can go back to those happy times even on your Chromebook.
It supports gamepads with no issues, but you can also configure an on-screen keyboard and double the 3D graphical resolution if your Chromebook is powerful enough. It's like playing your very own remastered DS game!
Thanks to save states and a lot of customization options, DraStic is one of the best emulators for the Nintendo DS and the best way to bring back hours of fun with games such as Castlevania Portrait of Ruin and Mario Kart DS.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:08 AM
Because Avowed has been published by Xbox Game Studios, it's currently not available to play on PS5. There's hope the game will roll out for Sony's system eventually, but, for now, at least, it'll remain an Xbox exclusive.
But if you really, really want to experience Obsidian's latest RPG on your PlayStation, the best way you can achieve this is through mods on PC. Take, for example, this one from Nexus Mods user Chachinito, which replaces the Avowed splash screen with the one for PlayStation Studios.
If that's not enough, you can go with this one from user Alurik instead, which gives you button prompts that are more akin to the PS4, so you'll be told to press Square instead of X, etc. Or why not combine them both?
How far are you willing to go?
Okay, it's only a small thing, but it's a sort of amusing way for people to make a point about how Avowed has been made exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S. Maybe it's even a parody about the state of console exclusivity in general. Or maybe I'm reading way too much into it.
At the time of writing, we still can't be certain whether Avowed will come to PS5. Anything that is attached to the Microsoft brand is always going to be put on Xbox and Windows-based PC systems ahead of anything else.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be coming to PlayStation at some point this year. Given that this game was published by Bethesda Softworks (which is owned by Zenimax Media, whose parent company is Microsoft), it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Avowed will be freed from its Xbox bond and make its way to other consoles. In the meantime, the above mods are the best we have so far.
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Destructoid Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:02 AM
Though there's some inherent suspicion to be had when you see an Early Access game that isn't pushing out its 1.0 build no matter what, some of these unfinished projects go beyond any such qualms. Take the amazing ULTRAKILL, for one, which received an out-of-the-blue graphics revamp just now.
I feel like there's something to be said about the sheer scope and quality of ULTRAKILL's content updates, specifically. For one, they usually come out completely unexpected. On top of that, they're also usually jam-packed with content, making it all too easy to jump back in and start gunning down demons and angels alike. As part of the all-new (and appropriately titled) ULTRA_REVAMP update, however, you may well want to start replaying the game from the very start.
ULTRAKILL's ULTRA_REVAMP update is an unexpected boost to performance, visual quality, and content
Though I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find many ULTRAKILL fans who felt like the game needed a visual revamp, it's happened, and it rules. This didn't just occur on a whim from the developers, either, as there's a valid technical reason for the frankly humongous number of upgrades ULTRAKILL has just received: "much of ULTRAKILL's codebase was very messy, especially the enemy behaviors. So much so that not only would it make it harder for us (and modders) to work on the game in the future, but even for us to do some of the new things we wanted to do in Layer 8," explains the official Steam blog from the dev.
Basically, it's going to take some time still for Layer 8 to be fully wrapped up, so the developers decided it was time to bring the remainder of the game up-to-spec with the fancy upcoming content: "Hakita and Victoria decided to use [the time programmers took to rework enemy behaviors] to REVAMP a lot of the visuals from the previous layers to bring them up to par artistically to where the game has reached by Layer 7."
The video featured above is a tad too fast for it all to make sense, granted, so I've got a second official showcase for you to gaze upon:
The good news doesn't stop with the fact that ULTRAKILL now looks much, much fancier than ever before. The game now also runs about twice as fast in most situations, as per the developers' claims, which should be particularly handy if you've got a high refresh rate monitor eager to render upwards of 400 FPS of ULTRAKILL brutality. Neat!
If you've already played ULTRAKILL's existing content to death, the new ULTRA_REVAMP update's got you covered on the new-level side of things, too. The update includes two fancy new (and super difficult) Encore levels. Here's the exact explanation from the developers as to how Encores work: "They don't look anything like the levels they're based on, they don't play anything like the levels they're based on, and they're about 10x harder than the levels they're based on."
Promising stuff, no? We now even have a rough outline of what's coming next for ULTRAKILL. The next major content update is going to be Layer 8: Fraud, and the update after that is the aptly titled "Grand Finale", which is presumably the 1.0 release. More Encore levels will be coming out post-1.0, too. All in all, then, excellent news across the board. Time to dive back into ULTRAKILL once again, I suppose.
The post ULTRAKILL gets a massive technical and visual revamp in new update appeared first on Destructoid. |
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