What’s up with the Game Awards’ Best Narrative category?

This year’s Best Narrative nominees have fans buzzing It’s that time of year again — theGame Awards nominationsare finally out. As expected, the year’s biggest AAA titles likeGod of War Ragnarok,Elden Ring, andHorizon Forbidden Westdominate in a lot of the major categories, and while it’s not controversial to assume that one of those is going to take home the grand prize of Game of the Year, it’s the Best Narrative nominations that are stirring up the Discourse this time around....

June 24, 2025 · 7 min · 1460 words · Elizabeth Cook

What’s your take on Twitch Plays Dark Souls, and its shift to cheating?

It still has the modded pause feature WhenTwitch Plays Dark Soulsmanaged to get to the first boss of the game, there was quite the commotion. Sadly, it seems as if they just couldn’t manage it amidst all the chaos, and thus,they decided to cheat. How did they cheat, exactly? Well, a pause feature was modded into the build they are using — which is important, as theSoulsseries naturally thrives on the inability to pause....

June 24, 2025 · 2 min · 215 words · Carolyn Lin

When Master Chief dies, humanity gets real sad

Or did he? Whether it’s true or not, ONI is reporting that Master Chief has died in the line of duty. It’s not unlikely, as our helmeted hero certainly has had his fair share of bullets and grenades lobbed at him. Frankly, he’s been pushing his luck for a while now. In the live-action television ad forHalo 5, we watch as humanity emotionally bands together upon hearing the news. They morph from grief-stricken to “we’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore” within a matter of seconds....

June 24, 2025 · 1 min · 175 words · Jason Simpson

(Update) Skullgirls 2nd Encore takes the stage on Nintendo Switch next week

SHOWTIME! [Update:Lab Zero Gameshas announcedthat the Xbox One port ofSkullgirls 2nd Encorehas been “postponed indefinitely”, citing “unforeseen development and production challenges”. The studio apologised for any disappointment caused.] Lab Zero’s excellent tag-fighting titleSkullgirls 2nd Encore, will finally arrive on Nintendo Switch next week, with the wild and beautiful fist-fest launching October 22. Originally launching way back in 2012,Skullgirlsis a fantastic and deep fighting game, featuring a unique and utterly magnetic roster of loopy characters....

June 23, 2025 · 1 min · 200 words · Elizabeth Sanders

360 price drop spotted in RadioShack circular, will retail for $399

A cheaper Xbox 360 is something that all of us would probably appreciate, most of all the people that don’t own them yet (duh). Therumor was already floating aroundat the beginning of the month, but considering that the Internet is constantly buzzing with such “rumors” that usually turn out to be a fourteen-year-old behind his keyboard, we take them with a grain of salt. Joystiqposted a RadioShack flyer that shows the discount of legend, advertising a $50 price drop by the week of Sept 7th....

June 23, 2025 · 1 min · 126 words · Tonya Perez

All Yak T’el Aether Current locations in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

The third available area inFinal Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Yak T’el, is perhaps the most visually stunning yet, split in half between the above ground dense jungle and dark gloom of the mystical darkness below. After you’ve unlocked flight in bothUrqopachaandKozama’uka, you’ll find yourself in Yak T’el. With that gigantic cliff tempting you over the edge and into the darkness below, it’s understandable that you’d want to fly. However, before you’re able to do that, you’re going to need to collect all of the Aether Currentlocations in Yak T’el....

June 23, 2025 · 2 min · 248 words · Michael Petersen

Best Astarion build in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)

Your sneaky rogue companion Astarion is a great party member in Baldur’s Gate 3 if you build him correctly. Here is our guide telling you how you’re able to create the best Astarion build inBaldur’s Gate 3. This elf vampire is set up as an Arcane Trickster Rogue. However, I didn’t unlock his full potential until Irespeccedhim. If youmulticlassAstarion asa Thief Rogue and a Gloom Stalker Ranger, you’ll get an incredibly powerful companion....

June 23, 2025 · 3 min · 535 words · Heather Lopez

Best Star Wars novels for a Jedi enthusiast

From Bastila Shan to Luke Skywalker, the Jedi ofStar Warshave captivated the hearts and minds of fans for decades. Indeed, representing some of the most beloved characters and factions inStar Wars, the Jedi have accrued a plethora ofnovelsover time. Sadly, the sheer volume of literature on these galactic guardians often deters the casual Jedi fan, who doesn’t wish to waste time cutting through some less engaging offerings. Enter yours truly, who spent three-plus decades digging into theStar Warsnovel mountain, gaining a broad understanding ofStar WarsJedi....

June 23, 2025 · 5 min · 1021 words · Cristian Hall

Beta registration for the Mega Man X mobile game is open

Android-only at the moment Mega Man X DiVEis proceeding as planned. Despite the trepidation with fans all over the world, the nextMega Man Xgame is officially a mobile joint, with an “all-stars” tint and a sort of meta-narrative that involves you revisiting “your favorite locations from past games.” I’m willing to try it and pray it isn’t completely drowned in microtransactions. A lot of folkscantry it soon too, as Capcom is opening up global testing sessions for the game so long as you’re an Android user (iOS participants could be let in at a later date)....

June 23, 2025 · 2 min · 225 words · Brittany Morris

Black Ops II on balancing and player feedback

Mathematical Balancing, balancing, balancing. Developers do as much as they can to ensure their multiplayer is designed as best as possible before shipping, but it’s when the title has made it into the public’s hand that really puts everything to the test. Making sure a game is balanced well is a never-ending battle with any multiplayer game. Black Ops IIis no different, and Treyarch has created a new system called Black Box that analyzes player data to really see how everything is performing....

June 23, 2025 · 5 min · 912 words · Anthony Andrews

Bungie promises vague changes for the more punishing Destiny 2 loot economy

More Masterwork Cores and Exotic alterations Destiny 2‘sForsakenexpansion brought a lot of great changes for the sequel, essentially bringing out of the dark ages in some aspects. But since Bungie is always tinkering, despite the fact that they already had a winning formula near the end ofDestiny 1‘s lifecycle, a few new mechanics rose up that weren’t so great. The first is the new infusion (making guns more powerful by feeding them other guns) system....

June 23, 2025 · 2 min · 321 words · Michael Greene

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Terminal map guide

TheCall of Duty Modern Warfare 3Terminal map can be tough for some. There’s a mix of short-ranged and long-ranged situations you’ll need to be ready for. Great sniping locations onModern Warfare 3Terminal map To do well on theModern Warfare 3Terminal map, you’ll have to make sure you keep moving, depending on where the enemy team is spawning. If you’re sniping, try not to stay in one place at once. I’ll go over some of the best spots right now....

June 23, 2025 · 3 min · 555 words · Amy Hale

Director of Final Fantasy XV says a sequel is unlikely

DLC is the future [Spoilers ahead forFinal Fantasy XV. You have been warned.] Speaking with Polygon at Gamescom, director Hajime Tabata spoke about the future forFinal Fantasy XV. The director talked about some of the pros and cons of creating a proper sequel. In particular, he focused on how people move on from a franchise during the development time of a sequel. So instead of a proper game, the team decided to work on smaller installments for the existing game instead....

June 23, 2025 · 2 min · 374 words · Erin Clayton