Kotaku Sunday, November 9, 2025 7:45 AM
This is a fantastic HP laptop deal for early Black Friday. The post Skip the MacBook, HP 15-Inch Windows 11 Laptop Dropped 77% and It's a No-Brainer appeared first on Kotaku. |
PCGamesN Sunday, November 9, 2025 9:36 AM Bonaparte mixes the strategy of Crusader Kings 3 with the mech combat of Armored Core and Battletech, and we've got ten free Steam keys. |
PCGamesN Sunday, November 9, 2025 9:01 AM With CG cutscenes left in their 2002 state, fans of the Syberia series are feeling baited by the new remaster of this early 2000s gem. |
PCGamesN Sunday, November 9, 2025 7:01 AM If you think you've got what it takes to be an astronaut, Reentry 1.0 will test your space flight abilities in a deep, real-life simulation. |
PCGamesN Sunday, November 9, 2025 11:25 AM Escape From Tarkov is hardly a stranger to backlash, but Battlestate isn't worried about that spilling over into Steam user reviews. |
Siliconera Sunday, November 9, 2025 9:00 AM
The new Pokemon Trading Card Game expansion, Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames, unsurprisingly focuses on Mega Evolutions in the TCG, specifically many of those highlighted in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. But what should you expect beyond that? We'll dig in and answer that and more. What do we mean by more? Do we mean showing you a cute Piplup? There's really only one way for you to find out.
The coolest Pokemon TCG Phantasmal Flames cards
Okay, you're probably most hoping you'll pull a Mega Evolution. There are six new three-prize creatures in this expansion, with our favorite of the bunch being Mega Heracross ex. It hits hard, it's a Basic, and it doesn't burn its way through your energy cards like some other options.
And this is maybe only cool to people who are nerdy in precisely the same way we are, but we love a little one-off breaking of fundamental rules of the game. Rotom ex lets any of your Pokemon with "Rotom" in its name to have two — count 'em, two — Tools attached. There's honestly not a lot of use for this. Rotom aren't that strong, and the multiplied-by-Tool-count attacks would take a ton of setup. But think of the fringe case rules headaches!
The most interesting Phantasmal Flames cards
Phantasmal Flames has a suite of cards looking to bolster a mono-Darkness build. Grimsley's Move gets someone out on the bench, and Punk Helmet is a solid Tool for recoil damage. The other side, perhaps naturally given the Mega Charizard focus, is Fire-boosting cards. Firebreather gets you a staggering seven basic energies from the deck, and Blowtorch can use one of them for board control.
In terms of Pokemon to build around, the pickings here are sort of slim. Fire has Mega Charizard X ex as its sweeper, with Oricorio ex as a utility helper from the bench to load up more energy. Darkness has Mega Gengar and Sharpedo, we suppose? Gengar reduces the prizes taken, and Sharpedo can do quick damage. But there are other prize-reducing cards from other sets that could supplement this strategy enough to be competitively viable.
Outside of these, a new inclusion is the "Excited" line of abilities. Each requires you to have a Mega out to use, but then does a more potent version of an effect than you'd otherwise get. Oricorio ex lets you play unlimited Fire energy from your hand. Seviper turns into a one-prize 240-damage attacker. Linoone can switch in and take a hit.
The most meta-relevant Phantasmal Flames cards
You know, in Pokemon Legends Z-A, it always says "Dawn is approaching," but we've never actually seen Dawn. Maybe she's good at hiding? That's not a problem in the TCG, as Dawn is here with all sorts of prints of her new Trainer card. It solves one of the biggest problems of the game: that it's actually kind of tough and inefficient to play Stage 2 creatures. You can use one Supporter to get a Basic, Stage 1 and Stage 2, which is a pretty nice fix.
In terms of actual Pokemon, the one that pops up at us is Mismagius ex. It's through the combination of its two skills. The Swirling Prose ability makes any opponent swapping in Confused, and the Hexa-Magic attack deals 150 damage for two energy while also offering the opportunity to draw your hand up to six.
The cutest Phantasmal Flames cards
Yamper and Piplup would honestly be pretty tough to draw without being cute. Snubbull might be having some allergies? And the Illustration Rares are always fairly adorable.
The latest Pokemon Trading Card Game expansion, Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames, launches on November 14, 2025. For more coverage of the Pokemon TCG, check out our archive.
The post Pokemon TCG: The Best Phantasmal Flames Cards appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Sunday, November 9, 2025 1:04 PM
Paradox Interactive has done it. I can't say it did it "again," because it usually botches every single launch and release and forces us to wait for years until its game becomes "good." But EU5 is the exception, and its overwhelming launch-day content makes it PDX's finest release.
I've already put in some 10 or so hours into the game, starting as Holland with a few ducats and a dream to one day unite the Lowlands into the glorious Dutch Republic. The road there was going to be tough, I knew as much from my thousands of hours in Europa Universalis 4.
But what I was not prepared for in the slightest was the immense and overwhelming complexity of EU5's new and detailed systems, which were nautical miles above what its predecessor had.
The first few hours saw me staring at screens I had no clue about. Pops were demanding various resources, food was nowhere to be seen, and I kept losing money but knew not where it was going. It was chaotic, disorganized, complicated, but that's precisely what invited me to dig deeper, try harder, and eventually turn this small county into a colonial powerhouse.
I had to figure out how to manage supply and demand, listen to the parliament for once, and learn how to even conquer a province that I needed for my ultimate goal. Everything I knew in the thousands of hours spent with other Paradox games was out the window and had to be relearned, reconfigured. It took a while, but I managed it, and once I got the hang of the countless systems that were more Victoria than Europa Universalis, things started to really "click" for me.
My country suddenly expanded, Holland was now a Duchy, the first expeditions to Terra Nullius were sent, and before I knew it I was in control of the Netherlands, but still far from a republic.
It's an incredibly challenging game, one that tests your very understanding of grand strategies and has so much content on launch that it puts most other PDX releases to shame, even with all their DLCs. The base game here is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean you so desperately wish to cross in search of better fortunes, and deeper than the greatest mines of gold of the New World.
A fantastic, demanding, and incredibly fun experience that took the simplified base of Europa Universalis 4 and sprinkled in just the right amount of CK and Victoria into it. Johan, you mad lad, you've outdone yourself.
Paradox Tinto has set a new precedent for the company, and every time a new grand strategy launches, we'll be looking back to EU5 as the new baseline.
The post I have no idea what I'm doing in Europa Universalis 5—and that's what makes it Paradox' finest appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, November 9, 2025 10:56 AM
Anno 117 Pax Romana could be the next big launch for fans of strategy games, and it will be available soon on PC and consoles.
The upcoming launch will be themed around rebuilding Rome from scratch and in your own way. This guide will help you keep track of the exact time when the game will be available.
Table of contents
Anno 117 Pax Romana release countdown
The release point of Anno 117 Pax Romana will depend on whether you're playing on PC or console. If you're on the former, the following countdown will expire as soon as the game goes live.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
If you're on consoles, Anno 117 Pax Romana will be available once it's Nov. 13 in your region. In simpler words, you can change the time of your Xbox consoles to New Zealand and get extra hours of gameplay if you don't want to wait.
What to expect from Anno 117 Pax Romana
If you have played past Anno titles, you can expect to find plenty of fan-favorite features. However, things will be different as you take stewardship of the ancient Roman province into your hands. Your task as the governor is to build up the empire and help it bask in all glory.
You'll have two provinces under your reign in the form of Latium and Albion. Extract the resources that you can find to grow your districts. While land combat makes a return, a war is always expensive. Hence, expect to use your diplomatic hats to save yourself the gold. Ultimately, it's up to you how you want to lead to create a lasting legacy in the folklore of the Roman Empire.
The post Anno 117 Pax Romana release countdown: Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, November 9, 2025 9:40 AM
The Flickering Threat is one of many quests in ARC Raiders that makes you repair a particular item, and this guide will help you to complete the steps easily.
To begin the Flickering Threat quest, you'll have to receive it from Celeste. Let's look at all the essential steps.
Table of contents
ARC Raiders Flickering Threat quest walkthrough
The Flickering Threat quest can be broken down into the following tasks.
The first part involves locating the generator in Dam Battlegrounds. You can find it in the Generator Hall in the northern part of the map. I have marked the location of the generator to prevent you from getting confused on the map.
Once you reach the Generator Hall location, you'll have to drop down using one of the openings on the ground. Dropping down is the easiest way to reach the generator, but there are a few available doors that will lead you to the location as well. If you drop down from the top, make sure to land on the generator to avoid taking any damage.
Once you find the generator, repair it with four wires. I will recommend bringing the wires by keeping them in your safe pocket. You can loot the map for wires as well, but it's easier if you bring it along. Once you repair the generator, the wires will be consumed.
Take the southernmost door at the end of the wall, and it will lead you to a set of stairs. Open the door at the end of the stairs, and turn left. Go straight, and you'll find the power switch to flick on to complete the Flickering Threat quest.
All Flickering Threat quest rewards in ARC Raiders
Here's the complete list of rewards you obtain by completing the Flickering Threat quest.
If you're looking to complete more quests, try finishing Bees! and Power Out.
The post How to complete Flickering Threat in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid. |
WGB Sunday, November 9, 2025 11:41 AM Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock will be delisted on November 15, preventing purchases of the game and its DLC. Fans are encouraged to play it before it's no longer available. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, November 9, 2025 1:53 PM Revealed in a recent earnings report. The post Red Dead Redemption 2 Is Now The Fourth Best Selling Game of All Time appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Sunday, November 9, 2025 11:24 AM THQ Nordic has released a brand-new developer video for Sacred 2 Remaster, giving fans a look behind the curtain of one of action RPG history's most beloved worlds. The video features Franz Stradal, one of the original creators of the Sacred franchise, reflecting on the game's enduring legacy, its complete technical overhaul, and what players […] |