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Summary There’s something about winter-themed games that are especially immersive and cozy. Yes, it’s true that the soft colors of fall and the bright sounds of summer can be very enticing, but winter games are on another level. They tend to be some of the more mechanically complex and challenging games out there, and they often perfectly capture all the sensations associated with being in the middle of a snowy land: isolation and harshness, but also the simple joy of reprieve next to a fire....

TheHoYoverseis filled with many games and a wide cast of characters. HoYoverse characters are often unique in their design, making them easy to remember and spot, but not all are equally as liked, especially with so many characters out there. So, which are the best? In this list, we are going to take a look at the best HoYoverse characters out there. Overall, your opinions may vary, and that’s okay! This list is based on overall appearance, design, and popularity, especially since some HoYoverse characters can’t be compared in terms of power, as games like Tears of Themis don’t have traditional combat....

Summary Voice acting inMariogames most often takes the form of a good wahoo here and there, and bless them for it. But there are a precious few that go beyond those percussive vocal stylings into the world of actually talking. The best of these can range anywhere from ‘wow’ to ‘wait, is that Mr. Zurkon?’ However, ‘best’ can sometimes take on different meanings, such as ‘most infamous’ or ‘most hilarious’ or ‘2009 YouTube compilation fodder’....

It’s been said that the worst thing that can happen to a game is a bad score on Metacritic. But, actually, the worst thing that can happen to a game is for it to be released to the wrong audience at the wrong time. You could make an incredibly ambitious game, but if you’re ahead of your time, it’s likely the only success you’ll see is your name in the special thanks of whatever takes inspiration from you ten years down the line....

Quick Links Zenless Zone Zerohas unique and stunning visuals in its gameplay. The team behind Genshin and Honkai also introduced a series of new attacks in the combat system, such as chain attacks, assists, and more. As much as it is unique, it can be a bit confusing for a beginner to understand how the combat mechanics work. The game has a slight resemblance to a few other HoYoverse games, such as the ones already mentioned, in terms of combat mechanics....

Summary If you’ve ever playedMario Kart 8 Deluxe, you know there are some pretty zany courses. You’ll drive go-karts in outer space, underwater, jungles, down mountains, through active volcanoes, and so much more, not to mention the generally unsportsmanlike conduct of the other drivers on the track with you. Could you imagine actually trying to do that in real life? I drive a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze, so I went through Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 96 courses in search of the ones I think me and my sedan could actually handle driving (assuming nobody wrecks my car with a Bob-omb, anyway)....

Quick Links The first case of theAce Attorney Investigationscollection begins with a veritable bang. For this being Miles Edgeworth’s first solo game, it sure doesn’t behave with kindness towards him - the first glimpse we get of our protagonist is being held at gunpoint in his own office - talk about stress! Thankfully, this is something of a tutorial case both in length and in difficulty. It won’t take long to get to grips with investigating crime scenes, interviewing witnesses, and solving the murder presented in front of you....

Summary Black Myth: Wukongproved to be more than just an adaptation of an revered Chinese novel. It ends up building on top of it, managing to both keep the nature of the characters intact while taking them on new journeys altogether, particularly when it comes to Wukong. However, not all questions are answered when that ending hits, since there are a few key characters missing from the main crew. While some things fans are wondering could be answered in a sequel, they still feel like important enough gaps to leave in the dark....

Summary A new trailer forZenless Zone Zerohas confirmed that it’s a temporaryPlayStationconsole exclusive and can come to other consoles from January 2025 onwards. PlayStation might not be having the most notable year when it comes to big first-party exclusives (something that it admitted would be the case earlier in 2024), but it’s still managed to get some notable titles as temporary PlayStation-only titles. The first of these isFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,which was confirmed to have PS5 exclusivity until May of this year, yet still hasn’t come to other consoles....

Summary Video game boss fights are the ultimate test of a gamer’s skills. These fights require the culmination of all of your skills, techniques, weapons, and experiences accumulated throughout your game play. But one skill that you usually don’t expect to utilize is your cross-country running skills. Some bosses have decided that the best course of action when encountering a stalwart hero is to turn tail and run. Maybe hoping you’ll get tired of chasing them and just go away....

Ready for another themed holiday event fromMonopoly Go? The second of two July Fourth events from this immensely popular mobile game, you’re in for an avalanche of dice rolls, pickaxes for the treasure hunt happening this weekend as well, and plenty of cool stickers. You’ll need to land on a few more specific spots to increase your Tycoon Cookout rewards in Monopoly Go, with the railroads and cards being the focus this time around....

Quick Links The Mana series has never hit the same levels of international fame as other Square Enix series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, but it has still carved out it’s own niche over the decades. Yet despite having existed since 1991, there’s not a staggering amount of games in the series. WithVisions Of Manabeing the first new entry in the series since 2006, it may bring with it some questions....

Summary Astro Botunsurprisingly features a cameo fromCrash Bandicoot, but he’s not the onlyXbox-owned character to show up as one of the game’s VIP Bots. Althoughmostof Astro Bot’s charm comes from it being a colourful platformer in a generation full of hyper-realistic triple-A games, it also manages to be so much more than that thanks to how it actively celebrates PlayStation’s history. Astro’s Playroom paid tribute to a lot of PlayStation characters and games, but Astro Bot goes even further and has a total of 169 VIP Bots for players to collect....