Marathon is historical and important, but do we really think about how deep its impact was to the gaming industry? We take a deep look at innovating and iteration in FPS gaming.
By David Piner
It seemed like Helldivers 2 was unstoppable but midway through 2024 it has fallen down to where Bloons TD 6 and Fallout 76 rest on the charts. This fall from the top wasn’t really from any single incident, but a collection of decisions that consistently drove player counts down from the unexpected hype of its release. You may think the account linking fiasco is what destroyed the player counts, but the game was actually in free fall long before then: HELLDIVERS™ 2 – Steam Charts. The problems were not only fundamental to the game’s design but the developers and publisher both didn’t rectify the obvious game issues rapidly enough before they lost the vast majority of players due to attrition. Note: This is only notable due to the anomalous nature of Helldivers 2 holding a strong player population for an extended period of time and then losing it, not specifically…
Discover the essential strategies for excelling in Sim Companies, a complex and engaging economy simulator. Whether you choose to focus on production or sales, this guide provides key insights to navigate the game efficiently.
Explore love and terror in “Sucker for Love: Date to Die For.” This retro-themed visual novel lets you navigate a creepy house, perform rituals, and fall for eldritch beings. A standout horror romance game for 2024!
“Sucker for Love: Date to Die For” is a thrilling visual novel. Our guide, low on spoilers, details essential steps to avoid getting caught and achieve different endings. Tips include enabling jump scare protection and befriending Billie. Available on Steam.
Our Manor Lords Starting Guide gets you right into the game, explaining the core details of the game along with what you need to get through your first winter.
The Fallout series has several eras to consider when you’re thinking about the video games. The first is the classical era, which contains Fallout 1 & 2 along with Fallout Tactics. Next comes the first general 3D era, which contains Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. The modern era includes Fallout 4 (including the modernization update) and Fallout 76. Which game should you play first and which are the best in the series? Let’s take a deeper look. Fallout Series Tier List & Ranking Why Fallout 4 is the Best and Should Be Your First Fallout Game There’s so many reasons why you should play Fallout 4 first: There’s a lot more I can dive into (more companions in FO4, lots of additional side quests and locations, etc.) but ultimately if you’re looking to get into the Fallout Universe, Fallout 4 is the first game you should give a try.…
Starfield, which has been the hallmark moniker for “Toddslop,” has set the bar for future Bethesda games fairly low. Starfield’s launch has been met with a considerable amount of negative reception and I fully expect that Elder Scrolls 6 will meet the same fate. To succinctly put my point: Skyrim will remain the gold standard and Elder Scrolls 6 will fall as flat as Starfield has. That is unless Bethesda does some major restructuring with their creative design. Skyrim is where this series will rest on its laurels forever, unless innovation comes fast. Starfield gave us an inferior experience to Skyrim, even with the wealth of new technology and learnings from Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online, along with Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. Starfield Sets the Bar Low Starfield should have been the latest open world RPG that players flock to. A space setting, with the Bethesda world building and…
The gaming landscape, now more than ever with the modern proliferation of indie games, has shown that great games can come in all sizes. There are low quality AAA games that cost millions of dollars to make, and there are fantastic games from one-man studios that were crowdfunded, and some not even that. Further, while all of us wish we had the kind of money in real life as we tend to end up with in our favorite video games, that’s not always the case. And even for those who do, there is no income limit where you are required to stop being careful with how you spend your money. So, why pay a lot for a bad experience when you can pay a little for a great one? For someone with a computer, there is a vast, wide sea of Steam games that are both high quality and wallet-friendly.…
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, starting over doesn’t require any microtransactions. It’s a simple process that involves some manual computer work to disable Steam cloud save. This guide provides a step-by-step process to reset your progress in the game. If you’re uncomfortable at any point, it’s best to reach out to the community for further assistance. Remember, there’s also an option to start New Game Plus once you finish the game, which gives you access to new content.