Mario & Luigi Brothership on Nintendo Switch

Mario & Luigi finally set sail on a home console for the first time ever, and my word is it a resounding success. The typical reaction-based combat of the series is back and more refined than ever, with the addition of unpredictable elements like Luigi Logic and some cool super moves with the new Bros. Attacks.

As the title suggests, the duo’s adventure takes them to the high seas using their hub-based ship. Wind Waker fans rejoice, as progression through the game consists of visiting islands and overcoming their unique obstacles. As with previous games in the series, the adventure doesn’t take place within the Mushroom Kingdom but rather in a disconnected land called Concordia. The islands of Concordia have been broken apart, and it’s up to the brothers and their newfound allies Connie and Snoutlet to connect them back together using their ship, ‘Shipshape’. The story behind the shadowy organization behind the island fracture surprised me, but the gameplay elements used to connect the islands back together impressed me just as much.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown on PlayStation 5

The Test Drive Unlimited series is finally back after a 13-year hiatus, and while some elements stray from its original identity, Solar Crown manages to carry a portion of its former glory into a new generation. The game boasts a 1:1 scale map of Hong Kong Island and over 100 officially licensed cars from Lancia to Lamborghini.

The main draw of the series lies in its unique lifestyle elements mixed with social multiplayer racing. Solar Crown still retains some legacy features like walkable interior spaces and retractable convertible tops but focuses much more on the competitive aspect this time around. We’ll go through all the ways the new TDU succeeds and fails at delivering this slightly new direction, but let’s start with how it launched first.

Madden 25 on PS5

We’re seeing an injection of fresh life into this year’s Madden thanks to the return of college football with EA Sports College Football 25’s release. The college football franchise comes off an 11-year hiatus, tying nicely into Madden 25’s pro football package. But the return of college football can only do so much for Madden 25, as this year’s experience feels more like a mechanical iteration from past entries rather than a comprehensive overhaul.

Surprisingly, the biggest innovations in this year’s Madden are found in nitty-gritty gameplay details rather than in modes or presentation. EA has been proudly campaigning its new BOOM Tech physics suite; a physics package that incorporates realistic tackles and individualized player movements. By extension, the iconic Madden Hit Stick has been re-engineered so that you can control your tackles through risk/reward hit timings. I’m a terrible tackler in these games and even I found the Hit Stick timings to be intuitive and fun to pull off, even if it sometimes resulted in the carrier breaking through a poorly timed hit.

Video games have a special brand of memetic humor that other media just can’t compare with. Interactivity adds a whole new layer to relatable moments in entertainment, giving particular moments longevity that other media can only dream of. This selection of memes originates from the games themselves. If a meme isn’t discoverable in-game, it isn’t included here. As such, relatable commentary on gaming in general isn’t included. These memes are so humorous and uncanny that they’ve seeped into the collective unconscious meme culture and simply won’t leave. Here are the ten biggest video game meme moments of all time.

10. My Face is Tired (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Mass Effect Andromeda came out two years before the travesty that was Anthem. It was a time when Bioware fans still held out hope for quality sequels brimming with sharp dialogue choices and brilliant characterization. Well, until they finally started seeing the characters of Mass Effect Andromeda in action. Preview footage of the game’s stilted facial animations was floating around and people couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Was this really the Bioware that gifted us Mordin Solis and Wrex Urdnot? We expected more from Bioware, and instead, we got this:

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Sony’s 2024 has been jam-packed so far. With highly anticipated exclusives like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Stellar Blade releasing in 2024, Sony is giving players reasons to turn on their PS5. We hope May gives us a good reason to subscribe to PS Plus because the latest free games have been hit or miss. Or, maybe I’m just salty because my PS Plus predictions keep getting thwarted. Anyway, here’s our PS Plus May 2024 predictions & release date.

PS Plus May 2024 Release Date

PS Plus Essentials free games are consistently released on the first Tuesday of the month. The first Tuesday of May happens to be the 7th, so May 7th is most likely when the PS Plus May freebies will drop.

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‘Live service’ has been a vilified term in the gaming space for over a decade. Gamers are seeing through predatory monetary schemes that publishers are abusing with the live service model and have become wary. But the live service concept isn’t one without merit. MMOs are live service by definition, after all. FFXIV and World of Warcraft are some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Still, they’re the exception and not the rule. With the sea of live service dumpster fires out there, which ones truly stand out as awful? We’re here to explore such a question with the top 10 shortest-lived live service games of all time.

10. Orcs Must Die! Unchained: April 19, 2017 – April 16, 2019

Orcs Must Die! Unchained was the free-to-play cousin to the main series’ popular tower defense games. Despite its monetary model featuring pay-to-win microtransactions and the like, Orcs Must Die! Unchained remains one of the highest-rated games in the series with an 87 Metacritic score on PC.

The Sega Dreamcast was one of the shortest-lived consoles in video game history. Despite a lifespan only lasting from 1998 to 2001, there were a host of fascinating games that provided value to gamers and collectors over the years. The Dreamcast is notable for its high-tech 3D graphics and unique controller, but there are also some rare gems not seen anywhere else. But what’s the resell market like for Dreamcast games today? Here are the top 10 rarest Dreamcast games that are worth a fortune.

Like our previous ‘worth a fortune’ lists, PriceCharting is our source for new and used game values. We’re ranking these Dreamcast games using the New Price listings, from lowest to highest. Used prices are taken from the “Loose Price” filter from PriceCharting. Console bundles are not included since they typically top these lists and skew individual game values. Now on to the list!

The Final Fantasy series is built upon a treasure trove of excellent moments. With a legacy lasting over 35 years, Final Fantasy is one of the longest-running RPG series in gaming history. It’s a series noted for its constant evolution and innovation. No game is like another, and this is especially true on the story axis. We all have our favorite Final Fantasy moments, but here are the 10 wildest moments that only the series could pull off.

Garland’s Time Loop (Final Fantasy I)

If you think modern Final Fantasy stories are deviating from the classics with their convoluted time travel and dimensional shenanigans, think again. The very first Final Fantasy game featured time travel as a core plot element. Yes, that’s right, the classic medieval Final Fantasy games of yore had their fair share of sci-fi wonkiness in them, and it wasn’t always easy to understand either.

It’s time to rise again, Tarnished, the Erdtree’s Land of Shadow beckons you! Elden Ring’s DLC has been in the works for two years now and we’ve finally had the first significant trailer. Shadow of the Erdtree’s three-minute trailer is filled with juicy lore implications and gameplay surprises, so let’s talk about them! Here are 5 cool details we spotted in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer.

It should be noted that spoilers lie ahead!

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth features all the iconic characters you know and love from the classic PS1 original and gives them the full cinematic treatment.

As the direct sequel to FF7 Remake, FF7 Rebirth follows Cloud and crew as they leave the walled steampunk metropolis of Midgar to venture out into the wider world.

As part of Microsoft’s “Updates on the Xbox Business” podcast that aired on February 15th, Phil Spencer outlined Xbox’s future exclusivity goals. The exaggerated rumors about Xbox completely abandoning exclusivity have been dispelled. More specifically, Spencer confirms that Starfield and Indiana Jones are not coming to PS5 just yet.

Starfield Still Xbox Exclusive…For Now

The main topic during the start of the Official Xbox Podcast business conversation was four Xbox exclusives going multiplatform. The interviewer asks, “can we say if any of those titles are Starfield or Indiana Jones?” To which Phil Spencer responds, “they are not Starfield or Indiana Jones.”

The Switch remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong demonstrates that the puzzle-platforming formula from the 2004 original hasn’t quite lost its spark. Somersaulting across puzzle rooms to rescue the Mini-Marios was fun then and is even more fun now. The newly recorded audio and enhanced HD graphics present Mario vs. Donkey Kong to a modern audience while adding new content for returning players.

But is the added polish enough to draw in those outside the puzzle-platforming genre? While it may be hard to recommend Mario vs. Donkey Kong to those averse to puzzles and platforming, those even slightly interested in the genre will find a lot of enjoyment here.

The latest Prince of Persia game is a delightful mix of old and new. Metroidvania DNA seeps through and through, but combat contains sprinkles from other games outside the Metroids and the Castlevanias as well. Two of the lead devs of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown recently did an enlightening Reddit AMA on Jan. 16th, sharing some of their influences and design choices. The main inspiration behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s combat may surprise you; it’s a familiar, yet unexpected Nintendo game.

Structure Inspiration For The Lost Crown

But first, structure and pacing inspiration gets brought up pretty early on in the Reddit AMA.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on PS5

The sands of time haven’t buried Prince of Persia just yet. After more than a decade, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown revives the series with a fun Metroidvania experience, courtesy of the developers of Rayman Legends no less. Ubisoft Montpellier has done something special here with Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. This is a true Metroidvania game through and through, with hefty boss battles, enigmatic secrets begging to be discovered, and lots of fun jumping and slicing. Let’s dig into what makes this game so well-designed despite what its minimalistic 2.5D appearance might suggest.

If you’ve played Hollow Knight or Castlevania, you’ll feel right at home navigating the labyrinthine environments of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The goal of the game is to rescue Prince Ghassan from the traitors that kidnapped him. You do this by traversing through up to a dozen unique biomes that make up the mythical Mount Qaf in a non-linear explorative adventure. Like traditional Metroidvanias, you get rewarded with new powers and abilities as you progress, and use these new abilities to unlock blocked paths and other secrets from previous areas.

The trend of cranking out tons of remakes and remasters of old games continues in 2024; this year might take the crown as one of the most prolific. In fact, some of the most anticipated games in general for 2024 are remakes, such as the TGA award-winner Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Whether you’re annoyed at incessant re-releases like The Last of Us, or hyped for long-dormant games to finally get a fresh coat of paint, 2024 has you covered. Here are the 10 most anticipated remasters & remakes of 2024.

RPG fans have something to look forward to because the successor to the Persona series is here. The Game Awards has given us a jam-packed trailer for Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio and it looks amazing.

The Team Behind Persona

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new RPG from the creators of Persona 3, 4, and 5. The lead game designer behind our favorite Persona games, Katsura Hashino, went to work on this very game right after Persona 5. You may recognize the stylish art style as well. Persona artist, Shigenori Soejima, is in charge of visuals with Metaphor. And the music will no doubt resonate with Persona fans with Shoji Meguro taking composer responsibility. With so much talent and legacy behind it, what will it be like?

We all enjoy an unexpected twist in a story. Villains, in particular, can become tiring when they’re fully revealed and presented outright from the beginning of the plot. That being said, some games try a bit too hard to surprise their audience.

If a villain’s identity and role are obvious, don’t treat the audience as if they’re idiots and have no idea. Well, unless you’re doing it for laughs and satire, and that’s what this list is all about. Here are our picks for the top 10 video game reveals we totally never saw coming.

Mario gave a healthy injection of life to the gaming industry in 1985 with the first Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom (NES) in Japan. Since then, Mario has introduced many new consoles and has pushed tech-forward into the 3D space and even jumped into space itself.

There’s hardly a more rich and historically significant legacy than Mario in gaming, so collectors have naturally held great interest in the storied franchise. Here are 10 of the rarest and most expensive Mario games that will empty your pockets.

The holiday season is upon us and video game deals are ripe for the taking. Steam is famous for its seasonal sales, but PlayStation has surprised us this year with many of its best exclusives at the lowest price ever. The Black Friday PlayStation Store sale ends on November 27 at 11:59 PST, so strike the iron while it’s hot! Here are our carefully selected picks for the best PS Store Black Friday deals.

God of War Ragnarok ($39.89, -43%)

God of War Ragnarok marked the apocalyptic finale of Kratos’ Norse arc and was one of the best games in 2022. The storytelling reaches its zenith in the series with this entry. The visuals and spectacle are made all the more grandiose utilizing the PS5’s graphical prowess. God of War Ragnarok has been notoriously hard to find on sale over the past year. $39.89 is the cheapest we’ve ever seen it in its lifecycle, making this one of the best deals on the PlayStation Store’s Black Friday sale.

It’s no surprise that the newest Persona spin-off is pretty dang dialogue-heavy. The high concentration of story and character dialogue is what I and so many others love about the series. But no amount of fandom could blind me to just how longwinded Persona 5 Tactica‘s dialogue can be. I’ll explain why the game’s dialogue feels heavy-handed at times, and what can be done to rectify it in future entries.

Lastly, this is no mere spin-off fatigue setting in; at least I don’t think it is. There are real problems inherent in some of the dialogue that cripples the flow of an otherwise brilliant tactics game.