Summary Silent Hill: Ascension’s currency lies in the “Influence Point,” used to vote towards available choices in the story. These points can be accrued through meeting daily goals like logging in or contributing IP to a decision, completing puzzles (though most are limited to season pass holders), or purchasing through real-world money. While this creates an issue with a “pay-to-win” system, as those with more points will inevitably have more hold on the story, the nature of community choices as a whole presents even more ramifications for its storytelling experience....

AlthoughWorld of Warcrafthas managed to stay incredibly competitive in the nearly two decades since its original launch, there are some areas where certain fans feel the MMO has fallen behind.Character customizationis certainly one of those spots that has been a pain point in recent years and Blizzard implemented a lot of new options during Shadowlands to help address those concerns. Although the new character customization options were well-received, they were only rolled out for select races and, up until now, the plan has been to hold off on adding similar customization options for additional races untilWorld of Warcraft’snext expansion....

Summary YakuzaandLike a Dragondeveloper Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio gave fans an early teaser about its next game project, suggesting fans will be “surprised” by the new release. The SEGA studio behind one of the gaming juggernaut’s flagship series has built itself into a mainstay in gaming, thanks to the recent success of its namesake franchise. TheLike A Dragongames have seen critical acclaimthroughout the most recent entries, with 2020’sYakuza: Like A Dragon evennominated for “Best RPG” at the 2020 Game Awards....

A particularly creativeZelda: Tears of the Kingdomplayer built a functional electric car, which seems to be powered by two rechargeable batteries.Tears of the Kingdomprovides players with a huge amount of freedom, allowing them to build all sorts of vehicles to travel across the vast Kingdom of Hyrule. Some members of theZeldacommunity founded the Hyrule Engineering Club, a Reddit forum that quickly became a place not only for showcasing vehicles but also for fostering creativity....

Escape Academyis a puzzle-solving game that lets players train to become the ultimate Escapist. The point-and-click game offers more than 10 rooms that are filled with interactive objects andmysteries to solve. These rooms are designed by expert escapists from the real world who take pride in making people think for themselves. RELATED:Critically-Acclaimed Puzzle Game Series Monument Valley Finally Gets PC Release Date As players make progress, they will meet a cast of eccentric characters that can prove resourceful in escaping the rooms of the Academy....

American Horror Storiesstrikes gold with “Milkmaids.” The newest episode of the horror series is artistic, grotesque, and horrifying in its delivery, which combines to make one of the best episodes the series has ever seen. Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, the director of “Milkmaids,” does phenomenal work to create a memorable atmosphere that is thrilling from start to finish. Our Lady J, who wrote “Milkmaids,” deserves an equal round of applause for crafting the episode’s stomach-churning narrative, as does the cast....

Initially revealed in 2020 as part of an itch.io game jam event, Free Lives’Anger Footis now kicking its way onto player’s PCs across the globe. PartHotline Miamiand part door entry game similar to Sierra Entertainment’sSWATseries,Anger Footis a frantic and vibrant first-person shooter that thrives on twitch reflexes and delivers a power fantasy that makes the player feel not at all dissimilar from the titular hero of theJohn Wickfranchise. And while the visuals and polish ofAnger Foothave certainly received an upgrade since its initial reveal 4 years ago, the initial concept and core gameplay loop remain largely intact in the finished product....

Nintendo offers more of a reason to log into the Nintendo Switch Online app and playAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswith the new Nook Points feature. These will offer daily points redeemable for in-game items. Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas one of the biggest hits of 2020alongside other award-winning games likeLast of Us Part 2andGhost of Tsushima, likely in-part because it released just as the ongoing pandemic began forcing countries into strict lockdown procedures....

Summary As the state of the game itself has changed, Steam reviews forApex Legendshave now become “Overwhelmingly Negative.“Apex Legendshas been in the process of changing as a whole for some time now. As Respawn Entertainment and EA finally cement those changes, the game’s fans have chosen to find meaningful ways to convey to the game’s team that they do not approve. What may have been expected to be a smooth transition has resulted in anything but....

Summary TheNintendo Switch Onlinefeature is an official emulator that allows players to download a series of software that makes their Switch compatible with old gaming software. This software includes the Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, the original Game Boy,and the Game Boy Advance. All of these can be downloaded separately, and each one comes with a wide range of classic games that can be played on a modern console. While the Game Boy available on Nintendo Switch online already has a host of amazing classic games available, there are still some iconic titles from this era that are missing from this collection....

Volition, a game studio based in Champaign, Illinois, had been making games for three decades. They are known for popular action-fueled franchises such asSaints RowandRed Faction. But in August 2023, the decision was made byVolition’s parent company Embracer Group to shut down the studio for good. RELATED:Exciting Games That Were Canceled When Their Developers Closed Their Doors The studio developed and successfully published 18 games since it was first founded in June 1993 as Parallax Software....

Summary As one of the pioneering forces of the industry during the 1980s, the NES was home to a plethora of great games. FromMariotoZelda, all the way to hidden gems likeCrystalisandStar Tropics, the NES boasted a variety ofgames from different genres. One thing that all the greatest NES games have in common is the incredible boss battles, as the console features some of the best of all time. These challenging bosses were highlighted by great designs and also featured some characters that would become mainstays in the industry for years....

Summary Pokemon Scarlet & Violethave introduced a slew of newPokemonfor trainers to discover, battle, catch, and add to their teams. Unlike previous generations, many of the new Pokemonintroduced inPokemon Scarlet & Violethave become instantly beloved among the fanbase. With these new, lovable creatures comes a variety of mighty Generation 9 Pokemon. Naturally, the Mythical, Legendary, and Paradox Pokemon inScarlet & Violetare much stronger than any regular Pokemon. These creatures include the four members of theTreasures Of Ruin: Chien-Pao, Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu, and Wo-Chien, as well as Miraidon and Koraidon....