Summary Usually, when playing a video game that has a clearly defined “hero” it can be assumed they are going to make it through most of the game’s story in one piece. There are exceptions and ways that the developers can subvert expectations, but most of the time this is the case to some extent. A life-threatening situation can be a great tool for driving a story, and one very effective way to create one is toinfect the hero with somethingearly on....

Gears 5developer The Coalition has been hard at work fixing and attempt to maintain a fun atmosphere for the game, even recently fixing theOP flashbang grenadeissue. Another area understandably receiving a lot of attention is the multiplayer, with player reports appearing online stating that they’ve been banned for 640 days. This ban is reportedly tied to the number of times a player quits a match. Quit penalties went live just a few days ago, as announced byGears 5director of communications Dana Sissons....

Action RPGGenshin Impacthad a massively successful launch last year and continues to be an extremely popular game. This obviously made it quite profitable for developer miHoYo, but exactly was an open question until one Reddit user managed to piece things together. Reddit user Otaku_Rune32 revealed thatGenshin Impactmade more money in its first year than any other game. They determined this by collecting information from various sources, including Business Insider, VentureBeat, Gameindustry....

Summary Genshin Impacthas officially confirmed the arrival of two new characters, Navia and Chevreuse, for version 4.3. Even though HoYoverse is yet to introduce Furina and Charlotte in the upcoming update 4.2, their official social media accounts have already confirmed which two characters will join the playable roster in 6–7 weeks. Genshin Impact’s frequent update schedule allows HoYoyverse to continually expand the pool of playable characters. Since the Fontaine update arrived, the game has announced 9 new playable characters in four updates, including Navia and Chevreuse....

Ever since it began life in 1997 as a top-down crime simulator, theGrand Theft Autoseries has gone down as one of the most lucrative in video game history. The third installment in the franchise helped usher in a new era of 3D open world exploration, and since then each subsequent installment has only increased Rockstar’s portfolio as the years have gone by. With theGrand Theft Auto: Trilogy - Definitive Editiondue for release soon, fans will be able to relive those early 2000 classics in a more modern gaming epoch....

Summary AHogwarts Legacyplayer uses a mod to engage in a dance battle with a troll and a Hogwarts student while “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars plays in the background. The player documents their experience in a short clip that shows them busting a few moves with theNPCs inHogwarts Legacy. PC gamers often don’t shy away from installing mods onto their favorite games, withHogwarts Legacymodsallowing them to fulfill their Wizarding dreams with the game’s open world....

Like most othermodern video games,Skull and Bonesrewards those who pre-order with a few special in-game items. In addition to these pre-order bonuses, players can also get their hands on a bunch of other great rewards by purchasing the premium edition of the game, which, among other things, comes bundled with cosmetics, extra missions, and three days of early access. Unfortunately, however, none ofSkull and Bones' premium edition or pre-order bonuses will be available right away, with players first having to successfully navigate the game’s tutorial section before they can think about getting their hands on them....

Summary TheAnimal Crossingseries has always been about building a cozy life in a town filled with animal villagers, and as such, has lent itself to a style of gameplay that is very open-ended without a real plot to speak of. This design philosophy allowedAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsto offer players an unprecedented amount of creative freedom when it came to designing their perfect island life. However, a futureAnimal Crossinggame could refine its scope and trade the open-ended gameplay of the series for one that focuses on a true narrative while maintaining the cozy life sim elements fans have come to love....

Quick Links Mushroom Heartlesswere unique enemiesin the originalKingdom Heartsas they were typically non-hostile towards you, except for the Black Fungus. These unusual enemies appeared inKingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix, and they are all wearing the signature black cloaks used by Organization XIII and are known as Mushroom XIII. Just like with their earlier appearances, the Mushroom XIII act more like puzzles than actual combat encounters. Completing each mini-game offered by each member of Mushroom XIII is required for the secret ending added inKingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix,so here is how you can overcome their trials....

Kingdom Hearts 3Re: Mindwill divulge the untold story of Sora’s journey to recovery Kairi’s heart. It will also explain what exactly happened to him at the end of the game, as he unceremoniously disappeared. However, Sora’s tale won’t be the only one thatRe: Mindexplores. All of the major characters primarily affected by his disappearance will also have plots of their own to experience. RELATED:Kingdom Hearts 3 PC Release Leaked by Microsoft Store The official Kingdom Hearts Twitter account teased these plots withnew screenshots....

Matt Reeves (The Batman,Let Me In) is open to directing another addition to theCloverfieldfranchise after helming the original film from producer J.J. Abrams. The popular and mysteriousCloverfieldfranchise came on the scene in 2008 with a good old-fashioned monster-takes-Manhattan film. The first installment was a found footage film about an attack on NYC, told through the eyes of a group of friends with a video camera one fateful night. It was followed up byDan Trachtenberg’s10 Cloverfield Lanein 2016, a surprising switch in tone and style, which chronicled an endangered woman’s forced quarantine with a sinister host during an attack on the surfaced....

Previously, it was reported that the Xbox Series X would likelyretain the Xbox One dashboard at launch, but that’s no longer the case. While the Xbox Series X and Xbox One will indeed have the same dashboard on launch day, it will be in the form of a brand new dashboard that Microsoft is pushing as the New Xbox Experience. Microsoft showcased the newXbox Series Xdashboard in a recent video, showing how the dashboard streamlines everything to allow gamers to get into their games quicker than ever before....

Riot Games appears to have anotherLeague of Legendsspin-off title in the works after a new game namedMageseekerleaked via South Korea’s video game ratings board. While Riot’s internally-developed games have been notoriously slow to come to fruition, its Riot Forge publishing arm is picking up speed. Multiple games, branded with theA League of Legends Storysubtitle, have been reported on in recent months.Mageseekeris just the latest example ofLeague of Legends' continued expansion.Only twoA League of Legends Storyreleases have been launched from Riot Forge, to be fair....