Final Fantasy XVI was released this month, and despite its beauty, it’s literally only coming to PlayStation, to begin with, leaving us all alone without the latest in a series of classic turn-based games. However, Final Fantasy XVI is not a turn-based RPG at all, but an action game. It’s no complete surprise as the series has been dipping deeper and deeper into the action over the past few entries, including the FF7 remake and even the soulslike spin-off Stranger of Paradise (which is both better than it has a right to be, and also absurd in the best way).

The good news is that means there are plenty of cool games we can all play while waiting for the game to end on PC or other consoles, and even if you have a PS5 these are still amazing games. which capture some aspects of Final Fantasy XVI, and should help scratch that intense action itch. If none of these games do it for you, then maybe go see a doctor for that itch instead.

Dragon’s Dogma – Dark Arisen is the ultimate version of one of the best action-RPGs of all time, and in a better universe, we’d already be talking about Dragon’s Dogma 3 or 4. Alas, this lousy universe only keeps us waiting The second entry, but thankfully this game holds up remarkably well and will satiate any hunger for monster hunting, dragon climbing and generally feeling like a fantasy powerhouse.

Light Memory: Infinite

Bright Memory: Infinite isn’t strictly an action RPG; it’s actually more of an FPS. However, this game is smoother than Matilda’s dad’s hair, and definitely worth playing, especially as it only costs £15.49 most of the time. This game has you blasting your way through levels using a mix of firearms and melee weapons to wreak absolute havoc on anything in your path, and the goal is basically to look as cool as possible while doing it. It’s also incredibly beautiful.

Warframe

Warframe is a big old sci-fi game that lets you jump and speed through levels, upgrade incredible futuristic suits to deal damage, and deflect bullets using katanas. It’s also almost scary in terms of things to do and exploring open areas between more linear levels. It also has pets, co-op, and endless customization.

Valheim

Valheim is a survival game, so another not technically an action RPG, but it’s our list, and we’re right. In this game, you and up to nine other players explore a world inspired by Viking culture, and not only do the usual things like build shelters and chop down trees, but also fight massive monsters and bosses. It’s great fun, and if you haven’t played it yet, now is the perfect time.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an awesome action-adventure game where you play as a young spirit guide trying to fix a broken world and free spirits at the same time. It’s deceptively difficult to play, the action is enjoyable, and the spirits you meet along the way are adorable, so there really is a bit of everything. It might seem like a bit of an odd choice, but we think it fits in well, and also, just more people should play it.

underworld

Hades is probably the best action roguelike ever made. Not only is it smoother than even BTS, but it also has an incredibly well-told story, plenty of characters to meet and get to know, and the kind of satisfying combat that never gets old. If for some reason you haven’t played it, it’ll surely satisfy your craving for smooth action unlike any other game on this list, and the roguelike elements also mean it’ll likely last longer than the others.

Tales of Arise is the latest entry in the incredibly long Tales series, and it’s the best yet. Not only does it look insanely good, but it has an intense and politically charged story, much like FFXVI, and the battles happen in real time, despite having a party at your command. It’s a truly amazing action-RPG, and another game that risks being overlooked because people just don’t realize how good it is.

Hunt: Showdown is oppressive to the extent that fear is oppressive, turning vines into snakes and the wind into spirits. But the game never lets you catch your breath and realize that the spider slithering up your leg is just a shadow, and the sudden darkness around you is no sign that you’re dying, but that sunset has come and gone without you noticing.

Even if you were entitled to a few seconds looks, the PvPvE first-person shooter makes sure that your every natural angst comes true. The 19th-century Louisiana bayou in which it is set is a sweltering, humid stage for betrayal and cosmic horror, and the bounty-hunting game’s new boss – she’s the fifth and first to be female. – Rotjaw only makes it more punishing. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be Hunt: Showdown, Developer Crytek told me in an email.

Hunt: Showdown’s first female boss

“If it’s not scary and you’re not nervous from the start of a game, [worrying] about other hunters and things that gnaw at night then it’s not Hunt,” said narrative director Richard Danksy.

Rotjaw is a biter by birth. The frighteningly sized alligator smacks its deadly mouth at you despite the twisted metal cage constricting it (she wears it more like a sundress than a lapel for her powerful, bloated body). She came with the game Tide of Shadows Live Eventwhich runs until August 23 and adds story content and new weapons.

But while Rotjaw is fresh meat, ever since Hunt was released in 2018, its developers “knew [a gator] was an essential element for the dark bayou setting we wanted to create,” says lead character artist Hugo Guerra.

The idea just needed to be refined. At first, “we struggled with the technical aspects of implementing Rotjaw within the confines of our game,” Guerra explains. Crytek was sure he wanted Rotjaw to be Hunt’s first “wild target”, meaning he wouldn’t be confined to an enclosed space. “compound” area like the existing bosses. “It added an extra level of complexity in terms of rigging and navigation.”

Finally, the team made a technical breakthrough in 2022. Rotjaw was able to start clinging to its final form after Crytek created “a quick mock-up that served as a proof of concept” and decided to “[dive] head first in development,” Guerra continues.

She didn’t have to struggle too much – some things about her were predetermined. “A good antagonist should fit well into Hunt’s core loop,” says design director Dennis Schwarz. “It’s not just about fighting them, it’s also about tracking them down and securing your[[[[bounty token reward, on which other players can try to kill you]. “Most of the drama of Hunt: Showdown takes place in its PvP elements, making bosses “first and foremost enablers and keepers of the world.” [bounty] everyone wants to claim.

Bosses “cannot be too easy, but also not too hard for players to kill. At the end of the day, […] coming up with a plan on how to extract their bounty is what matters,” continues Schwarz.

Fight Rotjaw

Hunters who find Rotjaw will quickly discover that she likes to bite. Then she likes to rip, bark, and send sky-blue electricity around her like she lives in a protective storm cloud, not a vulnerable stream of gray water.

She gently turns around after a few well-timed attacks, but those willing to read her story might feel bad about it. Rotjaw is “very motherly, nurturing and protective,” says Danksy. “We’ve never had a female target before, so the time seemed right to add one.”

Early concept art like this helped establish just how awesome Rotjaw is in-game. Image: Crytek

A mutant alligator might not be your perfect mom, but her character model should inspire some empathy anyway. While Rotjaw only insidiously emerges at night or under a newly added sheet of rain from Hunt, players can still see the dull reflection of the shattered metal cage that failed to contain her, but weighed her down.

“Often we combine different elements in our monsters to create something new and fresh,” said art director Stefan Heinrich. “That’s where the idea for the cage came from, along with the partially rotten, skeletal appearance of the alligator. One can only imagine the kind of horrific experiences that were inflicted on this poor creature that filled her with so much rage.

When encountering, Rotjaw appears to have black holes for his eyes, but you can see them fill with sky-blue electricity if you get too close. Electricity crackles around its wide-open mouth as well, and the bayou heightens the danger. But you, his money-loving enemy, keep approaching.

Rotjaw’s been through some shit before. She is sensitive to it. So, as you work your way through Hunt: Showdown to find her first female target, make sure you don’t underestimate her. You could shed blood in its water.

As part of Microsoft’s legal battle with the US antitrust agency, the Federal Trade Commission, emails between Xbox boss Phil Spencer and PlayStation chief Jim Ryan have come to light, outlining Microsoft’s initial proposal to Sony – regarding Activision Blizzard games, it would be willing to stay on the PlayStation platform should its Acquisition of $69 billion be approved – and Ryan’s lengthy counter-proposal.

As confirmed by Phil Spencer Last September, Microsoft contacted Sony shortly after the January announcement of its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, providing a signed agreement to Sony guaranteeing that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation – with feature and game parity. content – for “at least several years beyond” Sony. contract.

During his FTC deposition this week, Ryan admitted he “wasn’t particularly” happy with Microsoft’s initial proposal, but “hoped it was an opening salvo” – and now we have a clearer picture of his initial response, thanks to newly revealed emails, like spotted by Tom Warren of The Verge. In a response dated May 26, Ryan informed Spencer that Microsoft’s proposal “does not fulfill” the purpose of “ensuring Activision Blizzard games are available on PlayStation”, and that the company has “serious concerns” that ‘an attached counter-proposal from Sony was intended to respond.

Newscast: Nintendo is making it clear there’s still life in Switch, while Microsoft is finding an opportune time to raise prices.

Ryan went on to describe “two fundamental principles that are essential in mitigating the [acquisition’s] potential negative impact on players”.

“It is essential to agree that all Activision titles will remain on PlayStation regardless of their original release dates or whether they can be categorized as part of a particular franchise, just as they have been historically,” he continued. “And this commitment must be long, not just a few years after the acquisition”.

Ryan also insisted that an agreement must be reached to “deal with how the games will be available”. If Activision games are only made available on terms that are disadvantageous to PlayStation compared to other platforms, this could amount to not making them available. on PlayStation at all.”

As an example, Ryan wrote: “Making Activision games available on PlayStation after those games have been made available on Xbox would be contrary to the spirit of Microsoft’s commitment to keep Activision games on PlayStation, as well as ‘unsatisfactory for players.

“As long as you agree to the fundamental principle – Activision games should not receive unequal treatment on parties’ subscription services – we are open to further discussing the specifics of how this might be accomplished,” Ryan continued. , adding “equal treatment of Bethesda games would be a logical topic for discussion between the parties as it involves some of the same concerns as the unequal availability and/or treatment of Activision games”.

Ryan’s memo to Spencer ended by asking Microsoft to confirm that “these terms are acceptable as a framework for the parties to negotiate a proper written agreement”, and that an agreement would be prepared by doing so.

Microsoft’s next key email, also revealed during the FTC case, came three months later, on August 26, 2022, when Xbox boss Phil Spencer reiterated that the Xbox company “would like to find a way to maintain [Sony’s relationship as an important distributor of Activision content] once we close the acquisition of Activision.” Spencer added that he would “continue to support” a January written agreement pledging to “keep all existing Activision console titles on Sony, including future versions of the Call fo Duty franchise or any other current Activision. franchise on Sony, until December 31, 2027.”

Spencer reiterated that this would include content and feature parity, and promised that there would be no “timed exclusive releases of this content on Xbox consoles”. However, he then added: “It is difficult to align the principles set out in your email of May 26, 2022 with Sony’s leadership role in the market. As I have said before, we believe that retaining these titles on Sony, like we did with Minecraft, is what the industry and gamers need.”

According to The Verge’s report of this week’s trialSpencer reportedly included a list of titles that would remain on PlayStation in his August email, but Ryan, during his deposition, said the list was “insignificant” and “represented a particular selection of older titles. that would stay on PlayStation. For example, Overwatch is here but Overwatch 2 isn’t.”

It was at this point in the timeline, following Spencer’s email, that talks apparently began to break down between Microsoft and Sony in a very public way. Spencer began to openly discuss aspects of his negotiations with Sony with the press, which led Ryan to call Microsoft original contract “inadequate on several levels”.

“I had no intention of commenting on what I understood to be a private business discussion,” Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz at the time, “but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer introduced it to the public forum”.

Since then, Sony has strongly opposed Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, even as more regulators around the world have begun to approve the deal. Currently, the UK CMA is the only regulator to have blocked the acquisition – a decision that Microsoft will make call soon – but the FTC also expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal.

Microsoft’s legal battle with the FTC is expected to continue this week as the antitrust agency seeks an injunction to block the company’s Activision Blizzard deal ahead of its own internal deliberations. So expect further revelations as the proceedings continue.

Mars First Logistics, released last week in Early Access on Steam, is a game with a very simple setup. You drive little robot vehicles around the surface of Mars, do jobs for people, and those jobs require you to build your own cars (or whatever!) in a way that gets the job done.

Let’s say you get a contract where you have to transport a steel beam from one small Martian base to another. You open a nice little build screen – very reminiscent of LEGO instruction manuals – and, from a limited selection of parts, start building. You’ll need something to hold the steel, which can ideally transport it across the surface of Mars, and you’ll also need something to reposition the steel when you arrive for delivery.

So you do that – or at least something that you think will do – and you drive. And within 20 seconds you know you messed up. This little car is not going to transport anything anywhere, it’s a disaster, your wheels are spinning everywhere, the steel has fallen off and it’s not the first time in this game that you will come back and spend a lot of time at, the plank to drawing.

Mars First Logistics is, at its heart, a physical puzzle. If you’ve ever blasted a rocket off the Kerbal Space Program launch pad or driven a warped buggy off a cliff in Tears of the Kingdom, you’ll be right at home here. It’s not the challenge itself that you really want to master, but how that challenge is portrayed in a world that has an unforgiving awareness of its own gravity:

March First Logistics Steam Early Access Release Date Trailer

All that fuss, broken cars, and repeated failures could have been frustrating, but as the video above shows, Mars First Logistics is anything but. Thanks to a combination of its floating gravity, cheerful visuals, and – I can’t quantify this, so trust me – cute handling, playing it for periods of time is like being at the helm of a adorable little blooper reel, every jammed payload or spinning set of tires eliciting more of a “haha, we’ll get them next time” than a “fuck it, I hate that”.

Please note that I don’t mean to somehow belittle or dismiss the confusing Mars First Logistics references by just focusing on the fact that it’s funny (although, compared to the deeply unfunny standards of the game , it is a comic masterpiece). It’s funny because it’s so difficult, and that humor does a fantastic job of defusing the trial and error that could so easily have frustrated in a game like this. Even Tears of the Kingdom’s toughest boobies are a breeze compared to some of the challenges here, which don’t just take a lot of you to complete – delicately balancing an ever-staggering payload as you drive it over bumpy hills – but preparing for them in the first place.

You see, Mars First Logistics isn’t an open-ended sandbox game, it earns you that. You don’t start it with every tool at hand, every part available in unlimited quantities. You get money for doing courier jobs, and then you can spend that money to unlock more coins. So there’s an economy in play, allowing you to focus on what kind of vehicles you want to build and how fancy you want to make them.

I found myself spending most of my time not in the game’s open world but in its LEGO-like building screen, endlessly tinkering with wheels, control arms and servos that can be arranged just like you like them, or at least like you think you can do a job.

It’s fun to play with and can allow for immensely precise creations, but I think the real joy of Mars First Logistics is that it doesn’t need you to be perfect. You can shoot it, sure, but ultimately you’re here to do a job, and as long as you do, the game is happy.

Take the steel beam job I mentioned above. I could have spent an age agonizing over the most economical and functional vehicle possible, which the game definitely allows for and a path some players might feel compelled to force themselves. What I ended up doing after a few hilarious failures, however, was creating a buggy that could just drag the beam precariously through the countryside, which worked as long as I drove very carefully.

A good video game would have forced me to make an economical and functional one. A really good one would allow me to do whatever I want. A good video game lets me do what I want and makes it fun while I mess it up.

At Eurogamer Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review, Chris Tapsell had a lot of fun picking out the ways in which various action games feature genre-standard mechanics, such as parrying. “In God of War, everything around you slows, warps, and your shield returns the blow with an almighty springy snap,” he wrote. “In Sekiro, a parry is a little chip on the enemy’s position gauge – Sekiro’s true health bar – one of dozens of quick, perfectly timed strikes you might have to land just right. ”

Death of a wish Developer: Melessthanthree Publisher: Syndicate Atomic LLC. Availability: TBA for To smoke And Itch.io

I love video game reviews that dwell on naughty little details like these. The most popular games rely heavily on a fairly small collection of commercially proven concepts and themes, making it easy to navigate the delicate touches that set individual works apart. Sometimes these little tweaks and flourishes are more functional and contained – a touch of slowing down your parry, to make the combat system slightly easier to master than its closest competitors. But in the right hands, they can give you the soul of the game.

Death of a wish by Colin Horgan, aka Melessthanthree, feels like such a game, a hack and slash that retunes the core mechanics of combos, dodges, and parries to advance a story about toppling a steamy metaphysical world. This is the sequel to Horgan’s LUCAH: Born of a Dream, which I got embarrassingly overworked about back in 2019.

Based on an hour-long game, Death of a Wish continues Horgan’s explorations of religious or filial guilt and the journey to queer self-acceptance. It tells the story of a child tearing apart the cult that raised and subjugated him, and is set in an angry underworld of mortified bodies and quasi-Christian symbols.

Appropriately, the fight feels like a whipping, with arcs of energy rolling around the participants and giving the game a more decided visual pace than you’d get from simply swinging a sword. Impacts register as fizzy cracks and slaps, not thumps and booms – you can feel the main damage provider here is torque, rather than raw muscle power. There is a beautiful contrast between the almost dismissive and overwhelmed depiction of the characters themselves and the scale and flamboyance of their movements.

The fight is also a cautious act of violence against the environmental art, which is composed of stark but choppy outlines and the suggestion of solid objects – rocks, trees and people flickering like candle flames in a breeze. . These sweeping strokes seem to cut through the shifting substrate of the game, as if the landscape itself is a half-embodied ghost you’re trying to exorcise – or perhaps shape?

Open the menus and you’ll find a familiar but labyrinthine suite of upgrade options and positions beneath it all. There are drone-like creatures you can equip for ranged attacks that slice the screen in a variety of ways: the default laser cuts through mobs unceremoniously with minimal windup, breaking the tempo a bit in a way that I find it intriguing. There’s also a corruption bar that links skills to self-preservation in a less obvious way. The more skillfully you fight, the less your character, Christian, will succumb to the evil influence of the setting. Let the bar fill to the end and it’s game over.

Death of a Wish is shaping up to be a wonderful reminder that atypical “arthouse” games can tick the same boxes as Capcom’s finest creations, while pursuing their own sensibilities and themes. I often feel intense sympathy for any indie developer working specifically in hack and slash – the giants of the genre, Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, seem unattainable in terms of spectacle and finesse. But Horgan’s work is proof that you don’t need a full motion-capture operation and an army of animators to stage battles that snap and sizzle.

By the time you reach Final Fantasy XVIafter a minimum of 35 hours, protagonist Clive Rosfield can call upon the power of eight different magical beings called Eikons, each the guardian of a specific element. Phoenix fire offers several different ways to scorch enemies, and Shiva’s ice can freeze them solidly. But if you want to be ready for what awaits you in the endgame, you’ll need to prepare with a very specific build. In fact, it’s such a good build that you can take it in pretty much any encounter, whether it’s a high-level hunt or a side quest.

Some Eikon abilities are great for crowd control. Others are great for single target damage. Therefore, the best abilities for a given battle depend on what you will encounter. Without spoiling too much, the final gauntlet of battles is against a single target that’s roughly Clive’s size. It is therefore similar to the fights against Lord Commander Sleipnir of the Kingdom of Waloed or the battle against Odin’s Dominant, Barnabus Tharmr. As such, the best kit is going to focus on counter attacks and single target damage.

With all that in mind, here are the Eikons you’ll want to channel:

If you’ve upgraded all of the best Eikonic abilities enough, you’ll be able to equip them regardless of which three Eikons you channel (or equip). The only reason you would channel any Eikon is to take advantage of his Eikonic Feat, the innate feature like Phoenix Shift teleportation.

Channeling Titan is a must, especially against single enemy fights so you can take advantage of the innate Eikonic Feat Titanic block. Tapping the circle at the right time triggers a precision block that launches a three-hit counterattack that fills up Clive’s Limit Break gauge at an accelerated rate and deals a solid amount of damage.

Learn more: Final Fantasy XVI: 8 useful settings to adjust for the best experience

With Arm of Darkness, the circle button allows Clive to wield Odin’s sword. All attacks charge the Zantetsuken gauge to be an ultimate attack that slows down time and deals a lot of damage.

These are the Eikonic abilities you want:

PulseAir BlastRising FlamesRanging FistsGigaflareDancing Steel

Screenshot: Square Enix

Bahamut’s Pulse has great DPS bonus potential as it sends out multiple spheres that track targets and deal continuous damage, and it has a very reasonable cooldown. Whether you’re going up against a crowd of enemies or a boss, it’s a solid choice. Garuda’s airburst summons a tornado that deals a massive amount of Willpower damage, so it will stun enemies faster than anything else and stalk enemies…just like Impulse!

Phoenix’s Rising Flames is a must-have for any build at any stage of the game. Although its damage is lacking compared to most other abilities, it has one of the shortest cooldowns of any attack and is easy to land. Spam it as often as possible between regular attacks. Titan’s Raging Fists is a good game to pair with Rising Flames as it has a modest cooldown that is reduced by 50% if you execute a well-timed block against enemy attacks. In theory, if you time your blocks well, you should be able to spam both of these attacks. And that gives you a counterattack option on two of your three Eikon channels.

Odin’s Dancing Steel is an excellent ability that summons twin blades for a flurry of attacks that charge the Zantetsuken Gauge. So you’ll want to channel Odin so you can capitalize on access to Zantetsuken, part of his Eikonic feat which deals a huge amount of damage with two powerful slashes. Gigaflare is by far the absolute best Eikonic ability. Not only does it get top marks in raw damage, but it also has a slowing effect while Clive summons wings of Bahamut and blasts enemies in a straight line with a massive beam of energy.

Final Fantasy Gear You’ll Need Bahamut’s Mercy – Reduces Gigaflare cooldown by 6.0 seconds. Genji Gloves – Increases damage dealt to enemies by 5%. Berserker Ring – Temporarily increases attack skill with each precision dodge.

Gigaflare’s big downside is its long cooldown, so equipping Bahamut’s Mercy mitigates that significantly. It’s a reward for completing the “A Tail to Tell” quest, in which you find a flower for Harpocrates to give to Dion at the very end of the game.

Increasing all damage by 5% with the Genji Gloves is also better than pretty much any other damage increasing accessory. (Most of them increase the damage of a single ability by 10%.) This one is a reward for reaching 2365 Renown at Boss’s Whisper, so if you miss out, complete more side quests and hunts until so that you can earn it from the NPC Désirée in the mess.

Learn more: 15 critical tips to know before playing Final Fantasy 16

The Berserker ring is also a great choice, as it improves attack skill with each successful precision dodge, something you’ll want to do constantly anyway. This is the first Patron’s Whisper reward at 85 fame. If there’s one item you can swap for something else, it’s this one.

The strategy to bring it all together in FF16

Always start with Aerial Blast then Impulse. This will deal a solid amount of Willpower damage that will cause the enemy to stagger. And, if necessary, use Titanic Block against any attack that comes your way.

Then it’s time to switch to Phoenix to use Rising Flames and go for a Raging Fists block. But as soon as that’s done, go straight to Odin and unleash Dancing Steel. This will recharge Zantetsuken a lot. If you were successful in staggering the enemy, now is the time to start blasting with Gigaflare. Otherwise, you might as well use Odin’s Arm of Darkness for a while, focusing on the Flash of Steel precision dodge counterattack and Steel Counter parry. (That’s where that Berserker Ring will come in handy.) Pop Zantetsuken as soon as it’s ready. And keep going through your abilities in this way.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more effective combat flow than this to handle just about anything Final Fantasy XVI can throw at you.

rubber duck games, the famous game developer known for its original and humorous titles, recently announced the release of its latest action RPG, Evil Wizard. Scheduled to launch on Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, this game promises to bring raw humor, Metroidvania elements, and pixel-art environments to the gaming community. With its initial release on Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Evil Wizard has already garnered attention and positive reviews. Now, players on other platforms can look forward to this once-in-a-lifetime adventure in the months to come. Evil Wizard offers players a humorous and entertaining experience in the realm of action RPGs. Players assume the role of a defeated villain who has survived a grueling battle and must now face off against an army of would-be heroes in order to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. The game combines Metroidvania-inspired design with carefully crafted pixel-art environments, creating a visually appealing and engaging world. Prepare to rediscover your powers, infiltrate your own castle, unleash devastating spells, and rid your ancestral home of those miserable excuses for enemies. In Evil Wizard, it’s time to embrace your inner villain!

The premise of the game revolves around revenge and reclaiming what has been lost. As players battle hordes of enemies, they’ll encounter deadly traps and solve tricky puzzles in the hallways of their castle, which are now inhabited by heroes. Evil Wizard is inspired by the Metroidvania genre, allowing players to explore complex levels, interact with the game world using their skills and items, and unlock new paths. Combat in Evil Wizard is fast-paced, skill-based, and satisfying. Players have complete control over battles, inflicting devastating melee blows, unleashing powerful spells, and employing strategic moves to defeat their enemies. One of the unique aspects of Evil Wizard is the ability to control various elements including fire, ice, void, lightning, and earth. Players can mix and match these elements to unleash devastating attacks and exploit their enemies’ weaknesses. The game encourages experimentation and strategic thinking, allowing players to customize their playstyle and adapt to different combat situations. As players progress, they’ll encounter an array of unique enemies and challenging boss fights, each with their own unique skills and fighting style. Upgrading gear and character fine-tuning become crucial to overcoming these increasingly difficult encounters.

Evil Wizard has already garnered positive praise and feedback from gamers who have experienced the game on Xbox and PC. With the upcoming release on PlayStation and Switch, even more gamers will have the opportunity to embark on this exciting adventure filled with humor, challenging gameplay and delightful pixel art visuals. Rubber Duck Games continues to push the boundaries of creativity and entertainment with Evil Wizard, delivering a fresh and enjoyable experience in the action RPG genre. To get a taste of what Evil Wizard has to offer, check out the trailer below. Get ready to embrace your wicked side and embark on a quest for revenge like no other!

Rubber Duck Games’ Evil Wizard features a unique blend of humor, Metroidvania-inspired design, and fast-paced combat. With its upcoming release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via the Epic Games Store, players across different platforms can look forward to an entertaining and challenging action-RPG experience. Whether you’re a fan of pixel-art visuals, crude humor, or engaging game mechanics, Evil Wizard is ready to deliver an adventure that will have players laughing and wanting more. Evil Wizard demonstrates Rubber Duck Games’ commitment to providing unique and enjoyable gaming experiences.

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Starfield director Todd Howard has revealed that Starfield will have a wide policing mode and no space fishing.

Howard shared these details and more in a podcast with Funny gamesin which he answered questions from the hosts and sent in by fans.

Here’s a summary of everything Howard confirmed for Starfield during the podcast.

Official Starfield Gameplay Trailer

When it comes to accessibility, Bethesda “really relies on” a large font mode, and it’s been considered across different monitor sizes and handheld devices. Steam Deck compatibility will be discussed “later”.

The background selected during character creation will add flavor to the role-playing game and not only affect numbers and stats. Starfield doesn’t have space fishing (defined as using a rod to catch alien fish in a lake and then cooking or selling them), although that’s a big trend in games. in the open world.

There are a variety of handcrafted places. Some will be placed on specific planets in a set position, others will be randomly generated or placed when a player lands on a planet. In terms of creating the over 1000 planets in the game, there will be procedural generation. About 10 percent of them will have life.

Some planets that players will find will be barren. Howard cited Buzz Aldrin’s “magnificent desolation”, saying that Bethesda wanted to give the abandoned empty planets a sense of beauty so players would feel like they were one of the only people who had ever seen it. He also said that having too many abandoned bases or items on a planet was too “game-y”.

A single planet can have multiple biomes. Scanning planets for traits will earn players money, so it’s worth doing. Environmental effects such as temperature and radiation can give the player a hard time if they don’t prepare properly before exploring on foot. There is no ground transportation (vehicles or animal mounts). Instead, players can use the boost pack and take advantage of low gravity to travel great distances.

Companions are not required, meaning the game can be completed without ever having a party. A companion will not leave on its own if it gets angry with the player, but the player can choose to send it to an outpost forever. It’s not clear if you can completely exclude a companion. Constellation’s four main companions are the only ones with full quests and romances.

Technically, you can have a fully robotic crew on your spacecraft. Aside from Vasco, it looked like there might be other bespoke robot NPCs you’ll encounter, though Howard couldn’t confirm that. There will be an interior design of the ship using modules.

All ships can be modified, even if it is a stolen ship. The modification system requires players to spend credits to register the ship. Howard said it’s a system he expects players to fully commit to in the late game because it’s expensive. The ship’s gravitational drive is technically called a graviton loop field network. Howard said Bethesda worked hard to create a fictional story about the scientific developments made and the lore behind its FTL technology at Starfield.

Like modding ships, Howard said he expects outposts to be an endgame system as well. To create a large network, players will need to collect many resources and develop their character skills. Players will be able to shuttle between planets and outposts. Outposts can be an economy generator.

The music was done very early in development. Once the concept art was completed, Inor Zur created the soundtrack. There is a radio station that can only be accessed locally on a particular planet, so players won’t be able to tune into it while exploring the universe.

Players can have “dozens” of active quests at a time. “It obviously creates a lot of chaos sometimes in our games, we realize that,” Howard said, “but it also creates those magical moments that we love and our players love.” Bethesda wanted to focus on consistency, Howard said, on a performance mode. He thinks it’s the “best thrill game” the studio has ever produced.

Howard said he can “guarantee” that Starfield will have generic side quests (things like fetch quests). Some of them can be randomly generated when the player lands on a planet, but Howard said the game also has many specific quests with greater depth.

Starfield will be a “modder’s paradise,” Howard said. He also said it was important for Bethesda to make modding accessible to gamers, either as a hobby or a career. Vasco can’t wear a hat (like, but Howard said he was sure this would be one of the first mods made for the game.

Howard also referenced Digital Foundry’s deep technical dive into Starfield, in which the team explains why Starfield runs at 30 FPS.

If you’ve been on the internet between December 2020 and now, you’ve probably heard of Cyberpunk 2077’s supposed revival. to the point that some people, maybe you included, are wondering if it’s time to jump on the Cyberpunk 2077 bandwagon, or if you should just wait for the September 26 release date. That’s a good question, and as someone who’s spent a few hundred hours in the original game, and already played a bit on the expansionI have ideas and can hopefully help you make an informed decision on when or whether to head to Night City.

What changes Phantom Liberty?

According to CD Projekt Red, Phantom Liberty is in the process of overhauling several systems in the base game, to the point where parts of it will play completely differently to not just the game as launched, but as it exists. now for almost three years and a few patches later. This includes new skill trees, new gear, new quest types, enemy type overhauls, new features like vehicular combat, and new tactics and tweaks to how the police react to your crimes. A lot of that is done by gutting the old game and putting something new in the space left behind. Your old version will likely require respec, and you’ll also have new options in those skill trees. Basically, as CD Projekt Red describes, your style of play will be quite different after Phantom Liberty launches.

What happens if I play Cyberpunk 2077 before these changes?

At this point, playing Cyberpunk 2077 before Phantom LIberty is playing a mostly upgraded version of the game that launched in 2020. Basically, the game is still the same as it was, but it’s held together by a better base. There’s an argument to be made this game cannot be recovered, even as CD Projekt Red has rolled out a ton of free patches and updates over the past three years. And to some extent, I agree with that. Having a game that crashes less doesn’t make its combat encounters more engaging, it doesn’t improve its rancid and cynical politics, and it doesn’t make Night City feel like more than a very, very pretty skyline. of the city that beckons toward possibilities it cannot realize. But Phantom Liberty seems like a serious attempt to deliver on some of the mechanical promise the game had before launch.

Learn more: Your Cyberpunk 2077 love story will continue in Phantom Liberty

The skill tree changes alone made Cyberpunk 2077 a different game when I played it. I was given a build that most closely resembled something like Overwatch’s Genji, with dashes, deflecting bullets with my arm blades, and brutal finishes that gave me a reason to approach. I didn’t have as many options in the base version of the game. Whether these larger game ideas really come to fruition remains to be seen, but I’m more enthralled with the game offered by CD Projekt Red than the one I can play right now, and it’s coming from someone who somehow loves the base game as it exists today.

On top of that, you won’t have to pay for a lot of system changes, because they will be part of the main gamefor free, so the initial investment amount you’ll have to pay when you get started for what the studio is positioning as the best experience is much smaller than it will be if you buy the $30 Phantom Freedom before trying all these new changes.

Screenshot: CD Projekt Red / Kotaku

What reason is there to play Cyberpunk 2077 now?

If for some reason you haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 yet, knowing that a revised version of the game is just a few months away should be reason enough to give you pause before buying it now. But as someone who watched the game go from an absolute disaster to a mostly mundane RPG with a real heart beneath the rot has been fascinating. That’s what makes changes like the ones that Phantom Liberty promises to be interesting to watch, because I have the context of what 2077 once was to look back and distinguish how things changed and didn’t. have not changed. Truly, the story of Cyberpunk 2077 as a gem that needed polishing was one of the most gripping things about it. Wondering whether or not there’s merit to the story the internet loves to tell is as entertaining an experience as playing the game can be when it gets it right.

But if that’s not how you engage in video games, I see no reason to play Cyberpunk 2077 right now, when many of its fundamentals are going to be significantly changed in just a few months. If you’ve been waiting nearly three years to jump into Night City, an extra three months won’t hurt. If Phantom Liberty delivers on its promise of a revitalized game, ignorance of what it once was may be its own bliss. But while the video game industry continues to release games that look fundamentally different years later, Cyberpunk 2077 as a product is as compelling a tale as anything Night City offers.

But if you decide not to take that advice and jump into Cyberpunk 2077 anyway, be sure to check out Kotaku’s guides at quests to watchhow find love in night cityAnd general tips from someone who has played the game more than once.