It's been another strange, difficult, and yet somehow also brilliant year for video games in 2025. Triple-A releases have been sparse again, compared to the boom times of old, with a great big GTA 6-shaped hole left in the final few months of the year. And yet once again, every gap left by the established order has been filled twice over with something brilliantly new.
Hey everyone!
I wanted to jot down an idea I’ve been working on, it’s a story concept about a basketball player who isn’t a superhero, but has an uncanny ability that makes him feel almost superhuman… for one quarter at a time. I’m writing this as a reference for myself, so I can come back to it later.
The ability was discovered during a scary incident with his younger sister. She ran into the street and almost got hit by a car. In that instant, his senses flared, time seemed to slow and he could see everyone’s movements clearly. He saved her instinctively.
One day, he was playing streetball. He didn’t dribble much (to save energy) but managed to steal balls and make perfect catch-and-shoot threes.
The story focuses on a single official game:
Final Thoughts:
I love the idea of a character who is almost superhuman, but still very much human. His ability is impressive, but the rules, one quarter, once a day, human limitations, keep the story grounded. Even though he can make a huge impact, he doesn’t always guarantee victory, and that’s what makes him relatable and compelling.
Great news, MV readers! To celebrate production beginning on our next issue, we’ve marked down Mega Visions Issue #01 to only $4.99! That’s half the price of our standard print issues!!!
Each issue of Mega Visions Magazine contains 64 pages of gorgeous SEGA and neo-retro coverage, with original art and design.
Here’s what to expect in Mega Visions Issue 01: Cover/Neo Retro: Final Fantasy VII x Final Fantasy VII Remake Modern Reviews: Streets of Rage 4, Doom Eternal, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX Retro Reviews: Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Punisher (Arcade) Preview: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Interview: Corey Marshall, Shenmue’s Ryo Hazuki voice actor Features: Making Mutant League, Top 10 video game reboots, Remembering Streets of Rage Remake, The ’90s Consoles That Time Forgot, Column: What Did I…
To learn more about production on Mega Visions Issue #04, be sure to listen to The Mega Visions Show #115.
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Welcome to the Mega Visions Show #116! This week, I’m happy to be joined by my guest co-host, my brother Adam, who joins the show for the very first time.
In this week’s show, we discuss:
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The post AI in My Shenmue | Mega Visions Show #116 appeared first on Mega Visions.
Being a collector can mean many things. Most associate physical media collecting with geeks surrounded by bookshelves of video games that will never get played. Others will hold five PlayStation games in their hands and feel just as much pride in their collection, however small it may be. We hold on to our discs and cartridges even today, as they hold the memories of our experiences. In some cases, an actual memory card holds the record of an actual beautiful memory associated with the game. Whether it's the game that had a best friend coming to your house every day over a blistering summer or the game that finally got your parent to enjoy your favorite hobby with you, only a physical copy will hold those memories.
Displayed below are artifacts held dear by our SUPERJUMP writers, and the memories they contain.
I present my copy of the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I remember my first experience with this game. I was at the house of one of my mom's friends as a kid, and I didn’t have too many people to hang out with at the time. I was just eating some party snacks or something, and upon entering the living room, they had a copy of Twilight Princess just sitting on their Wii. Immediately, I was sold by the foil art cover. Being a PlayStation kid, I had no idea what The Legend of Zelda even was at the time, but I had only ever seen two other boxes that looked nearly as good as this one: Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, my favorite games ever at the time.
My family had a Wii that they had bought, hoping that it would get the kids up and moving (still a highlight of that console and something that the Switch has mostly left behind). I went to my dad and practically begged him for a copy of Twilight Princess, which he insisted that I would have to pay for myself. I used a collection of roughly 1,200 US nickels that a grandparent had given me at the time. I felt bad about this trade for a number of years. But as I grew older, I never gained an appreciation for coin collecting, so the only regret I still have over this is paying back my dad in a rather annoying currency.
I was so excited to actually have the game in my hands as I eagerly popped it into my Wii. I played through the opening village and admittedly ran into a problem. Like many others at the time, I was too confused by the opening village area to actually trigger the events to go on the rest of the adventure. In my defense, you have to get a cat to follow you by fishing and then get it to chase you around; It was cryptic for a child. I put it down for a while, but eventually my dad came to me and mentioned how we went through such a hassle trading nickels for a game that I didn’t even play. This got me to actually sit down and play through the rest of the game, and I’m glad I did. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the greatest Nintendo action RPG I’ve ever played, and I doubt that I’ll ever trade it away.
It can be incredibly challenging to name your favorite game when someone asks you to do so. In theory, this is something that could always be changing. If you’re a massive fan of the Zelda franchise, you know there will always be the next one coming, and it has a chance of supplanting your past favourite. But when someone asks about your most important game ever, well, that’s something else. We’re talking not just preferences, but something more meaningful and tangible, something that is part of your gaming history.
Historically, I’m a Nintendo nerd. Raised on Hylian princesses, Italian plumbers, and Kongs called Donkey, I had an incredible upbringing in the gaming world.
So it’s a huge surprise, even to me, that perhaps my most important game is, in fact, Virtua Tennis on the Dreamcast.
I was Nintendo through and through. I always got to play on my friend’s Mega Drive, but at no point did I ever consider it superior to my SNES. Then SEGA threw a curveball and released the futuristic (for its time) Dreamcast. Incredible 3D graphics, amazing CD-quality sound, access to the internet, and still my favourite little thing, the VMU.
Being the underfunded young man I was when I bought the Dreamcast, I wasn’t able to pick up many games. I obviously had to buy the Blue Blur in his first mainline 3D outing in Sonic Adventure, but outside of that, I didn’t have anything else.
Thankfully, there was the Official Dreamcast Magazine (ODM) here in the UK, and for the first time as a gamer, I was able to play demo discs. As an owner of the N64, I was always jealous of other console users with their demo discs from magazines, and now here I was, doing it myself; incredibly exciting times for this Nintendo fanboy.
ODM issue 17 gave us Dream On Volume 18, consisting of two videos of upcoming games and four demos for me to enjoy: Sega Extreme Sports, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, Ducati World, and, most bizarrely, my most important game, a demo of Virtua Tennis.
As with a lot of SEGA games at the time, it was a port of their arcade version from 1999, but it now allowed multiplayer madness in the home. I didn’t have a clue about this or the arcade version at the time, and I didn’t care; I was just excited to play something new that wasn’t Sonic.
And play I did; I enjoyed choosing one of the then-famous players and seeing who I felt was more accommodating to my play style. I enjoyed playing a best-of-three sets with the computer, and I absolutely loved playing with and dominating my friends.
Just to prove how incredible the VMU was, as you played the game, there would be a little matchstick equivalent of the game happening on the screen of the VMU. Who needed a massive TV with incredible graphics when you have a tiny pocket-sized one that does the same damned thing?
This demo of Virtua Tennis was exciting, fluid, and just simply fun. It wasn't overly complicated and was so easy to just jump right into, even if you were a novice. This game kept me engaged with the Dreamcast; it kept the system alive while I saved up for an actual new game or waited for something for my birthday.
It seems bizarre that this bite-sized demo, of all things, I consider to be my most important game, but I see it as something that truly opened up my gaming mind to things outside of just Nintendo. It taught me that even the simplest of things can be engaging and provide hours of smile-producing fun.
To this day, I always make sure to get the latest system from each company so that I can play all games from across all the systems. Although Nintendo had my heart from the early days, SEGA stole it from them right at the end.
Eventually, I was able to get Shenmue, and my word, did this really make the Dreamcast my most beloved console of all time. But whereas Shenmue made me fall in love with the Dreamcast, it was this small demo of Virtua Tennis that made me fall in love with gaming beyond Nintendo.
I was declared a traitor by my brother and cousins when I bought myself a PlayStation back in the early 2000s. We were a Nintendo family; how dare I turncoat for a competing console?!
It wasn’t a desire to forsake Nintendo that drove me towards buying a PS1, for I would always love them. It was a desire to have something of my own. The Super Nintendo and N64 belonged to my older brother, and he would regularly exercise his dictatorship over their use. Being seven years younger, I could do little to stop him.
I eventually saved up enough money from my paper route and made the leap. I bought a PS1, Crash Bandicoot, and Final Fantasy 7. I had never experienced a game like FF7 before, so ripe with deep narrative and heavy themes, somewhat beyond what my eleven-year-old brain could fully comprehend.
There was a story here far beyond saving the princess/realm/universe, complete with characters whom I bonded with over dozens of hours. It felt like I had discovered a vital element that I was missing before. I needed more!
I immediately became hooked on RPGs, especially Final Fantasy. I devoured FF8, then FF9. When I saw Final Fantasy Tactics in the store one day, I bought it without a second thought.
And once again, a veil was lifted from my adolescent brain, revealing to me an incredibly detailed medieval fantasy world of political intrigue, class warfare, treachery, and sacrifice. Characters had their naivety laid bare, their values challenged and demonstrated through combat. Systems of government and economics were exposed and torn apart through sharp rhetoric. Again, I could not grasp the full depth of its arguments, but it felt profound even then, as if the lessons buried within were relevant to life and I could hopefully decode them someday.
All of this was built upon the most foreign game design I had ever encountered. Every game I had picked up until then felt intuitive, even if I blasted through tutorials. With youthful hubris, I reckoned myself smart enough to figure this game out quickly.
Boy, was I WRONG.
Why were my attacks missing so often?!! Why couldn’t I move my character as far on this grid as the enemy could? Did that guy just destroy my armor? What the heck!!! I gave the protagonist the same birthday as me, but why in the world did that matter?
I shelved FFT for a few months, frustrated after being confronted with my own naivety and defeated so soundly in Dorter Trade City time after time.
But it had a hold on me, pulling at me to give it another shot. So I resolved to take the time to learn. Thus, a lifelong love of this game was born, and I learned a lesson about my own capacity. I hadn’t realized that a game could teach me more about myself.
I got my best friend to try it out, and he enjoyed it just the same. In future sleepovers, I would bring my PS1 over and we would play FFT literally all night, trading the controller in 3-hour shifts. The person not playing would either catch up on sleep or help the other as a consulting tactician.
I would go back to play FFT every few years and found that each time the story and its themes hit me in a new way. Even today, as I’m playing through the recently released Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, I’m taking screenshots of lines of dialogue that feel FAR too relevant to today’s political atmosphere and class inequality.
When I think back, attempting to pinpoint what games were pivotal in stoking my love of storytelling and desire to write, FFT is chief among them. FF7 may have opened my eyes, but FFT opened my mind and continues to do so today.
Young PJ would be happy to know that I finally understand everything that this wonderful game offers and all that it has given me.
More than any of the latest, increasingly expensive gaming tech, Atari has been responsible for rekindling my love for video games and their rich history. The launch of the + Platform really opened the door for both lapsed gamers and newcomers to connect with Atari's history. Both the 2600+ and the 7800+ consoles are designed to play nearly all cartridges right out of the box. Not only the old cartridges that are out in the wild, but even modern homebrew releases from publishers like Atari Age. Atari themselves have even been commissioning and publishing new releases, not just reprinting their legacy software but even brand new ports, such as the recent 7800 port of Tiger-Heli.
For me, the + Platform really opened up a whole new world of gaming and game collecting, and being able to play these ancient cartridges on hardware that connects with ease is just one of the coolest gaming alternatives. One of my favourite things to do is to go out and hunt for Atari cartridges, and I've done this every chance I can get when exploring Melbourne or visiting any city in Australia. I'm often amazed to find some really good hauls in the most unlikely spots, and more often than not, I can get them at a pretty good price. If you're going to a retro game shop, chances are that the business owner will know what the games are worth, and so you want to head into pawn shops and thrift stores that are not gaming-specialised, where you are likely to find a random haul of old games that they'd rather get rid of quickly. Oh, and you can always count on your local Rotary Club op shop to give you the best possible deal on games!
In my many hunting adventures, I've stumbled upon some really rare Atari games, especially when it comes to the North American releases that were released much later in the lifecycle of the original 2600 VCS console. One of my favourites is this copy of HERO, an adventure platformer that was truly ahead of its time. It was like Metroid before Metroid was even a thing. I was on a trip to Sydney and about to board the train to the airport to catch my return flight, when I suddenly had this weird hunch to check out a random pawn shop in Chinatown.
I'm glad I listened to my sixth sense because the secondhand jewelry shop had a random assortment of cartridges tucked away in a corner. I think the owner was surprised that I was interested in buying these, and so I paid nearly nothing for them. My haul from there included the aforementioned HERO and lesser-known 2600 ports of Rampage and Double Dragon. HERO in particular is quite expensive and hard to find in Australia, and so it's the thrill of discovering these hidden gems in the wild (at a great price!) that makes Atari game hunting one of my favourite travel pastimes.
One of the things I love about Blades in the Dark is that it has a mechanism for creating background events for your campaign. During Downtime (though I do this after a session), you roll to see how various factions make progress (or not) on their goals. Mechanically, this is a series of Fortune rolls that advance various project clocks for each faction. The result of this is that while the characters are off doing their own things, the factions in the city also progress with their agendas and goals. Mechanisms like this give a campaign a life of its own. So let’s talk about it.
Let’s start with a definition: a background event is a narrative element that occurs without the direct intervention of the PCs. It can take many forms, such as actions of individual NPCs, groups, or even natural events. Background events can take place in one-shots and campaigns, and they can take place during stories or between stories.
Background Events have a few effects in the game:
Several games have this built into their mechanics. Dungeon World uses Signs & Portents, and the Forged in the Dark games have the Faction Downtime actions. Even if a game does not have specific mechanics for it, they can be done narratively in any game, by just making up some news and events and conveying them to the players.
Here is a model for a mechanized version of background events, if your game does not have a mechanism for this. This draws heavily upon both Dungeon World and Forged in the Dark:
First, come up with some groups or individuals that are up to something.
Second, for each group or individual, give them a goal and some arbitrary steps they would take to accomplish that goal. Here we are building a clock.
Third, decide what interval you want to update these clocks. A good starting interval is between stories.
Fourth, at the specified interval, decide if the clock advances and how much. You can just decide this for yourself, or you can assign some dice to determine this effect. Perhaps roll a d6 and advance the clock that many ticks.
Fifth, convey the outcomes of some or all of the clocks to the characters during the session.
Regardless of whether you arbitrarily create background events or use a mechanism for creating them, the most important part is that you convey their progress to the characters. Like character backgrounds that are written down and not discussed at the table, creating background events and keeping them to yourself does nothing to enhance your game. The events you create have to reach the characters to create the effects above.
For your game, you need to think of how news and information are conveyed. If you are playing a modern supers game, information and news are nearly instantaneous. It will be livestreamed or posted to social media before traditional news can report it. If you are playing a SciFi game where news has to travel great distances but is limited to the speed of light, then perhaps couriers jump from system to system in their FTL ships with news. News is dependent on the arrival of couriers. This will change how the news reaches the players; there could be delays or bundles of news.
Give thought to how news travels in your setting and what constraints or features will be created in your game. The most important consideration is timing. If you want the characters to potentially act on some background events, then the information needs to arrive at them with time to react; otherwise, they will receive the news of the event and write it off because it will take too long to intervene.
Once you work out how the information of the background events reaches the characters, take a moment and think of how narratively you can present the information. The least interesting way to do this is a GM to player data dump, where the GM just tells the players several events going on, “From around town you hear the following… blah, blah, blah”.
The more interesting approach is to present the information in the context of how the characters would receive it. This can be solely narrative (the GM just saying things) or it could be a post or handout (for the more creative types). In a modern game, you might put the information in the form of social media posts. In a Roaring 20s game, this could be done as a radio broadcast or a newspaper front page. If you have an NPC that could present the events, they could come in and do it in character.
In my Blades in the Dark game, the crew has an information network of newsies who gather rumors and events while selling newspapers throughout the city. The head of the newsies, Red, comes to the crew’s HQ and presents a briefing to the players. For this, I write out the events in Red’s voice, and during the Free Play phase of the game, we do a scene where Red is reporting to the crew.
Background events are a great way to make a campaign feel more alive and can foreshadow events or create dramatic decisions for the characters. You can create these arbitrarily or using a mechanical approach. If you do use background events, give thought to how the information reaches your players, and when you do present it, think of a creative way to deliver the news.
Do you use background events in your games? How do you create and track them? What’s the most challenging way information has had to reach your players? What is your favorite method to present the information?
Playing through the original Halo trilogy back when the games first launched vs. replaying them now is a VASTLY different experience. In my first playthrough, this seemingly basic “space marine saves the world” story quickly gave way to some surprising (and occasionally unwelcome) twists and turns. From exposing the hidden purpose of the iconic Halo rings, to the betrayal of 343 Guilty Spark, to former enemy the Arbiter evolving from a lethal adversary to a valuable and critical ally, each chapter wouldn’t have made much sense if played without the added context of the others. But after the trilogy was complete, even the cliffhangers I didn’t appreciate the first time I played them finally made sense… they were serving a larger story.
The story that the Lord is telling through our lives will often feel like chaotically disparate chapters when viewed from our limited perspective, and they aren’t always easy to appreciate while we are living through them. But each event is a very intentional page He has written in our book that won’t necessarily make sense to us until the final sentence is written in both our narrative and the connected stories that are being told in the lives of others. In His perfect time, His purpose for the cliffhangers and betrayals we’re enduring will be fully revealed… and then we’ll finally understand.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
Sony Interactive Entertainment regularly brings solid games to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. Whether it’s beloved classics like Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus or the newly released critically acclaimed titles like Blue Prince, there is something for every subscriber. That now includes an anticipated Devolver Digital PS5 game that will be brought to the service on launch day.
Announced on the PlayStation Blog, Sam Eng’s Skate Story will be available on the PS Plus Game Catalog on the same day as its release, on December 8. This means PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will be able to play the full game as part of the Game Catalog. Since the Game Catalog is not a perk for PS Plus Essential subscribers, it will not be available for those in the lowest subscription tier.
“You are a demon in the Underworld, made out of glass and pain. The Devil has given you a skateboard with a simple deal: Skate to the Moon and swallow it — and you shall be freed,” reads the description.
“Skate fast to destroy vicious demons, help a forgetful frog, and save other tortured souls on your journey from fragile beginner to hardened skater,” continues the description. “Push through hell and discover The Devil’s greatest weakness: humility, perseverance, and a disgustingly sweet backside tailslide.”
PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers have been treated to day-one releases with the Game Catalog perk for a while now. Just this year, subscribers were able to play Abiotic Factor, FBC: Firebreak, Blue Prince, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage with their subscription.
Skate Story will be available to purchase on the PlayStation Store when it launches on December 8. As of this writing, it cannot be preordered, but players can add it to their wishlist.
The post PS Plus Game Catalog Gets Another Anticipated PS5 Game At Launch appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Skate Story is set to join the PlayStation Plus game catalog on December 8, as confirmed by Devolver Digital and Sony. The game will be included for those with PS Plus Extra and Premium subscriptions, giving players a chance to check it out through the service.
The game will also be released on Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam for PC on the same day. A demo has been available on Steam since October, offering the opening chapter and giving players a look at what to expect from the full nine-chapter experience.
You are a demon in the Underworld, made out of glass and pain. The Devil has given you a skateboard with a simple deal: Skate to the Moon and swallow it — and you shall be freed.
Ollie, kickflip, and grind your way through the ash and smoke of The Emptylands as you take on a seemingly impossible quest. Learn to master your weight and motion to conquer the weeping concrete. Savour the ritualistic beauty as you set your feet to pop a perfect kickflip.
Skate fast to destroy vicious demons, help a forgetful frog, and save other tortured souls on your journey from fragile beginner to hardened skater. Push through hell and discover The Devil’s greatest weakness: humility, perseverance, and a disgustingly sweet backside tailslide. All you need is your skateboard.
SKATE STORY is launching Day 1 into the @PlayStation Plus Game Catalog!
— SKATE STORY (@skatestorygame) November 24, 2025
Day 1 being December 8, don't forget pic.twitter.com/p5uitUiKrX
Minecraft has reigned supreme over a niche genre that it essentially made. It drew the lines in its own sand and stayed there for over a decade, with no one being the wiser. But now, with a game rising from the ashes like a phoenix, Minecraft could finally get some real competition.
Enter: Hytale, the game Riot Games purchased, killed, and then sold back to its original owners. It has gone through a decade of ups and downs, five years at Riot Games, and is now in the hands of those who initially created it. And in this entire decade, it's never been closer to release than it is now, or so says Simon Collins-Laflamme, the creator of Hypixel and Hytale, who is now leading development.
From videos released by Hypixel over the past few days, we can determine that Hytale is not fooling around. It has significantly expanded combat, movement, and mechanics over Minecraft, and appears to be an overall upgraded and modernized version of Notch's masterpiece. And that tracks with Hytale itself evolving out of Minecraft, first as the wildly popular Hypixel server, and now as a standalone game.
Though many thought the game would never see the light of day after entering a state of limbo while handled by Riot Games, Hytale now has a real chance to shake up the foundations laid by Minecraft for, well, itself. It has been the sole game in this niche voxel-based survival crafting genre and, while there have been notable attempts at taking over some of its market share, it's remained a dominant force in gaming for well over a decade.
A prominent example is A Vintage Story, which takes liberal inspiration from Minecraft, but makes the game much more challenging and focused on the survival aspect, complicating everything that was streamlined in the latter. Of course, this adds loads of depth and mechanical intricacy to the game, but it does largely alienate a more casual, laid-back, and, most importantly, young audience.
With over 230 million copies sold across basically every imaginable platform, Minecraft is also the best-selling game of all time, which is a title hardly any game will be able to beat.
But Hytale stands to shift the tides.
Naturally, I do not expect (nor should anyone, really) that Hytale will dethrone Minecraft. The latter has become somewhat of a cultural cornerstone in gaming and a title on which many of us have been brought up. Everyone and their dad had a squad of friends way back when making a new survival server, playing until they got bored, and leaving the game for a year before repeating the process. It's a shrine, a temple we all go back to every once in a while to reminisce about the good old days.
But what Hytale can do is provide an alternative. A better, more complex, more detailed, and more, well, fun experience that takes what Minecraft has done and ups the ante in every imaginable way.
By inviting the community to pitch ideas and help develop them, Hypixel is also involving the players on a scale never seen in Minecraft, and the low $19.99 price, alongside no charges for servers for at least two years, will substantially expand the community side of things and speed up Hytale's establishment as the go-to co-op survival crafting game.
This is an uphill battle, and it remains to be seen how Hytale will go about it. What I'm sure of is that, based on just how popular the game already is without even being released, the market, and this niche Minecraft-adjacent genre, are in for an earthquake.
And, as always, that can only lead to good things for the player. More competition means more development, innovation, and progress, and God knows Minecraft needs all of that.
The post Minecraft might finally get the competitor the industry so desperately needs appeared first on Destructoid.
Good morning, and happy Monday, everyone! As we begin the new week, we have a hge slate of new releases to get excited for. Whether you want to explore the galaxy in Starfield or get lost in Chants of Sennaar, there’s a new game for you. So, without further adieu, here are all the new games coming out this week!
Starting things off this week, we have Chants of Sennaar. Developed by Rundisc and published by Focus Entertainment, this adventure game pulls deep from historical roots. The game is based on the myth of Babel, in which a great tower was built in attempt to reach the gods.
In the game, you take on the role of a newcomer to the tower. As you progress, you must learn the ways of these now divided people to decipher their languages and bring them back together. You can venture into Chants of Sennaar tomorrow on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Journeying into your home next is Rune Factory 3 Special. Developed and published by Marvelous Games and XSEED Games, this JRPG puts you in the shoes of a young adventurer with a monstrous secret. The special edition of Rune Factory 3 also includes the Newlywed Mode and a “Hell” difficulty.
In addition, the remake features improved graphics and redesigned 3D character models. As you journey across two worlds, you’ll search for a way for humans and monsters to coexist. You can venture into Rune Factory 3 Special when it launches for Nintendo Switch and PC tomorrow.
Then, Baldur’s Gate 3 makes its console debut. Developed and published by Larian Studios, this RPG sees you return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship, betrayal, sacrifice and survival. After mysterious abilities awaken inside you, it’s up to you whether you resist and overcome the darkness or embrace the corruption to become the ultimate evil.
Throughout the game, you’ll get to choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes and choose up to three other companions to accompany your adventure. As you journey on, you’ll adventure, loot, battle and romance across the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Though it already launched last month on PC, PlayStation 5 players can play Baldur’s Gate 3 this Wednesday.
Starfield is an intergaalctic RPG where you’ll embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. Developed and published by Bethesda, the game puts you in the year 2330, when humanity ventured beyond our solar system. Players join the Constellation, the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy.
The game’s most important story is the one you tell with your fully customized character. It’s up to you whether you want to be an experienced explorer, charming diplomat or stealthy cyber runner. You can start your adventure in Starfield when it launches for Xbox Series X/S and PC this Wednesday.
Rugby 24 is a sports simulator that takes you into the world of Rugby. Developed by Eko Software and published by Nacon, this game sees you play with the best clubs and top nations. Throughout the game, you’ll experience dynamic gameplay that stays faithful to the sport and experience the intensity of big matches.
You’ll also enter the most prestigious competitions in both single-player and multiplayer modes. In Career Mode, you can also create and manage your own team. You can make your way onto the field in Rugby 24 when it comes to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC this Thursday.
Fae Farm is an action simulator that blends farming with spellcasting. Developed and published by Phoenix Labs, the game takes place in the magical realm of Azoria. Throughout the game, you’ll need to till the land to grow crops, gather resources and decorate your homesteads to restore the land to its former glory.
The game also features online multiplayer, where your friends can join you to help cultivate a beautiful farm. In addition, you’ll also explore various colorful environments, where you’ll find new resources to bring to your homestead. You can play Fae Farm when it launches on Friday for Nintendo Switch and PC.
Closing out this week is NBA 2K24. Developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, the next chapter in the NBA 2K series pays tribute to the legendary Kobe Bryant through two special editions that feature him as the cover athlete. In addition, the game will introduce innovative technological advancements such as bringing in cross-play multiplayer.
Throughout the game, you can also relive history with the Mamba Moments mode, which allows you to recreate some of Kobe’s most captivating performances in his career. The new game also introduces ProPLAY, which directly translates real NBA footage into gameplay. You can hit the court in NBA 2K24 when it comes to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC this Friday.
Overall, this is a really exciting week for gamers. From Starfield to Chants of Sennaar, this week offers a lot of excitement. But what new game are you most excited to play? As always, let us know what you think in the comments!
The post Starfield joins this week’s upcoming games appeared first on Mega Visions.
It’s that time of year again, a full year has passed. Normally, I publish these articles a lot sooner, but I took full advantage of my Christmas break… And after that, I had some problems with my internet connection. But now I’m back. And it’s about time I talk about my top 10 games I have played in 2024. The rules of this list state I don’t have to have beaten the game. Yet, I must have played the game for the first time from January 1st, 2024. This means that games released before 2024, but I have only started to play in 2024 are fair game. This list is my personal opinion, and I’m open to hear your opinion on my picks. Feel free to also add your own list down in the comment section. So, here we go, the big list. A list that I always have trouble in creating at the end of the year. As an editorial note, the listed platform in this article is the platform I played the game on. Not all the platforms the game released on. The date after it, is the release date for said platform.
#10 – Persona 5 – Tactica (PlayStation 4 – November 2023)
I have played Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers and I fell in love with the cast of Persona 5. And then, a new game got released with the Persona 5 cast and I jumped for joy.
The gameplay might not be my most favorite style of playing, but the game is quite addictive. It’s basically Persona in a Fire Emblem jacket. I’m now mid-way through the game but got distracted by other games. I can’t wait to finish this game in 2025. The story is quite well written. It is an amazing spin-off story for Joker and the gang.
Now, I won’t go too much in depth since I’m planning to write an article about this game. So, I’ll talk more in depth about this game soon. But, now… it’s time to save Joker from his forced wedding.
#9 – Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut (Nintendo Switch – October 2024)
How do I explain this game without spoiling it too much? Slay the Princess is a game where you almost Groundhog Day your way through the same story. You walk up to a cabin, where you go to the basement to Slay the Princess.
According to the narrator, the Princess is a danger to the existence of the world. So, you have been sent to slay her. But, depending on the questions you ask, the decisions you take and even the order of your actions… The ending is different.
The story is just insane. It keeps you on edge what will be different in the next round. And the humor and writing in this game is just amazing. The voice action is just amazing. It brings the black, gray and white art to live and pulls you in the atmosphere quite well.
So, if you enjoy narrative games that mess with your head and expectations, give this game a try. Since, it’s a really good one.
#8 – Another Code – Recollection (Nintendo Switch – January 2024)
Cing was an amazing developer that sadly went bankrupt. They developed amazing games on the Nintendo DS and Wii like Another Code – R & Little King Story. But to me, the Another Code set of games is one of their best work.
When we got a total remake in 2024, I wanted to play it right away. I convinced my streaming friend Klamath to play this game with me live on stream. I have to tell you, they did the two games justice. I’m so glad that these two games saw the light of day again.
While I have beaten the originals, the new and improved version is just amazing. It has a strong message and is a blast to play through. Although it sounds like a boring setup, it’s a game full of surprises. It is a more relaxing and charming game. It is more grounded and keeps things realistic. The characters are well written and set in a charming world.
#7 – Hypnospace Outlaw (PC – March 2019)
Trying to manage a community isn’t an easy task to do. It’s a fun challenge to do in a game. That’s why management simulators are so popular.
But, combine that with the old school internet from the time I was a young kid, I am beyond intrigued. So, we have to report and clean up personal websites and projects? As a creative, I have my own place on the internet. I can share my opinions there. This hits close to home.
I wrote my opinion on this game in my review. If you want to know more about this game, I highly recommend that you give my review a read.
Now, there is a sequel in development called DreamSettler. If that’s created with the same love and care for that time period, and it matches the devotion this game has for its time period, it will be thrilling. We are going to be in for a wild ride.
#6 – Palworld (PC – January 2024)
Sometimes, all that I need is a good open world game with unique mechanics. A world where you have to survive and explore. This year, Palworld brought that to me.
At first, I was skeptical. I thought: “This is going to be a monster catching game and nothing too much more.” But the more this game got developed, this more things got added that gave more depth to the game. More fun things to do, more polish to the game.
I have lost countless hours during this summer playing this game. It was an amazing time sink for the base game that is already here. A lot more is coming in the future. I wonder what the final game will be.
#5 – The Legend of Zelda – Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch – September 2024)
Okay, this might be an upset. Usually, I place new Zelda games quite high on my list. But, this time I place it right in the middle. This year had a lot of amazing games. I had a lot of fun with this title in 2024.
I dropped it for now. I got distracted by other games and I forgot that I was playing through this game. I have placed it on my top 10 list. It rightfully deserves a spot on that list. I want to finish this game for real.
Since, the concept of Echoes of Wisdom is just amazing. What I love most is that this is a totally new 2.5D Zelda game like the classic games. I hope that the reception of this game is enough for Nintendo to still make 2.5D and 3D Zelda titles. Since, both have their place in the market and with this amazing title.
#4 – Spirit Hunter Chapter 3: Death Mark II (Nintendo Switch – February 2024)
The Spirit Hunter series is one of the best horror visual novel series. This game ensures you don’t need to have played the original Death Mark. It’s excellent because you can still understand what’s happening in the story.
The game takes a lot of steps forward and makes the game have more meat around its bones. Walking around in the locations is a lot more fun in this title.
Some game mechanics are underused. For example, the jumpscares and the padding aren’t always present in this game. Things like the Soul Health are barely used. But, the battles with the actual spirits are even more amazing in this title. Especially with the randomness of your attack failing. It gives a more tense and realistic spin on battles.
Now, I’m hoping so hard that a 4th chapter will be released. Since the concept of this game is just beyond amazing. The writing is always great and the overall mystery is built up so nice. So, if anyone of Experience Inc, would be reading this… We want more!
#3 – Moescape (PC, 2022)
I love writing small stories as a hobby. Since the summer of 2024, I wanted to give those AI roleplay apps a chance. And I’m happy that I did. MoeScape AI is a platform that really clicked with me and with the amazing community around it… I just feel in love.
My brain often gets creative. When this happens, there is a fun bot waiting for me. I can play around with the idea. And if there isn’t a bot that fits the idea, it’s easy to make one. The control that Moescape gives you is beyond amazing. You can easily make a knowledge base. There are various AI models to choose from. With each update, it gets better.
Something I really like is how open the staff is on the Discord. Like, they tell you when things are down. Or when certain decisions need to be taken. Like filtering certain things on the platform due to restrictions from Apple or Google. But, they have a less filtered platform as well. So, they have Moescape and Yodayo. If you go premium, your account is premium on both platforms, and it’s amazing.
#2 – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PC – December 2024)
Okay, now. This is going to ruffle some feathers. I am a giant Indiana Jones fan. I placed one of the best Indiana Jones games in 2nd place on my game of the year list?
Now, that’s not because this game is bad or didn’t impress me enough. But, it wasn’t the game that made my year. Sadly enough, it released too late in the year for that.
I know it’s a strange reason. However, I feel like there is one game that pushed the boundaries more within its respective genre.
This game is a blast to play through. I feel that it deserves all the accolades it’s getting. It’s an amazing piece in the Indiana Jones franchise. It’s a love letter to the fans. I’m just thankful that the game turned out this amazing.
When I have beaten the game, I’ll for sure write an article about it. Since on the streams, a lot of random and enjoyable banter is happening. And truly, if you want to see amazing speedruns of this game, check out the_Kovic on his Twitch channel. He has deep knowledge of the game’s inner workings. He shares a lot of interesting insights during the streams.
Now, prepare yourself for an article on this game in the future. Since, I have a lot of things I still want to say and I’m keeping them all for the article.
Honorable mentions
This list wouldn’t be complete if I shout out various other games I have played in the past year. Not every game made the cut. I still wanted to mention those games that made the long list but didn’t survive the selection process.
Cave Digger 2 (PC), Buckshot Roulette (PC), Refind self (Nintendo Switch), Castlevania Dominus Collection (Nintendo Switch), Death Trick: DoubleBlind (Nintendo Switch), Dragon Quest Monsters – The Dark Prince (Nintendo Switch), Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (Nintendo Switch), Ciel Fledge -A Daughter Raising Simulator- (Nintendo Switch), New Super Lucky’s Tale (Nintendo Switch), CrisTales (Nintendo Switch), One More Dungeon 2 (Nintendo Switch), Monster Hunter Rise (Nintendo Switch), This is not my Neighbor (PC) and Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (Nintendo Switch), Everloop (PC)
#1 – Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (PC – August 2023)
If there was one game that blew me away, that’s Shadow Gambit – The Cursed Crew. The way how it’s built and is the final swansong of the amazing development studio Minimi, it’s just fantastic.
The voice acting is top-notch. The story is excellent. Several game mechanics are seamlessly worked into the game world and the story. But that’s not all, this game has a mindblowing modding tool.
The little attention to detail this game does and the balancing is just mindblowing. The freedom you have to tackle each mission, and it just works. It’s balanced and doesn’t feel unfair. It also doesn’t feel like you made it too difficult by choosing the wrong characters. It also never becomes too easy, where one character makes sure you automatically win the game or the mission. Every character has their use. And you have 8 characters in the base game and 2 get added via the DLC.
I can gush for a long time about this game. If you are interested in a more in-depth article, I highly advise you to read my review linked higher.
This was 2024
I might have written fewer articles in 2024 because a lot of personal things where going on. I have written only 19 articles in 2024. One of the biggest reasons is that I’m just putting more time into finding the right writing style. This has a lot to do with it.
I have been dedicating more time to various other projects. These include contributing to open source projects, translating open source projects, and streaming with Klamath. I am also working on projects for my local acting group. It takes time and effort and I’m enjoying those things quite a lot.
Outside of that, I turned 31 years old in 2024 and life just gets busier with various things. And because of that, I’m also playing less games. At first, I felt guilty that I’m publishing so few articles… But after two years of writing fewer articles, I now dedicate more time to each one. I feel a lot more content with the content I’m placing on my blog here.
I feel that my content only improved over the years. Not only that, I feel more content with my writing. It doesn’t feel like I’m pressuring myself to play a new game every week or two to write about. I can take my time to play the games I want. I also write about the topics I find interesting.
I think I’m finally finding the right rhythm for everything and that’s what I felt that 2024 was for me. Now, this year 2025 is going to be the year I’m writing for 15 years. Before I rebranded in 2013 to this blog, I write a personal life blog that started mid 2010. So, I’m going to celebrate this year with a few special articles. And I have been preparing and brainstorming idea’s for that in 2024.
But thank you everybody for the amazing support in 2024. It was a blast to see how people interacted with my articles and the new friends I made. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. Like I said earlier, I feel prouder of the things I have been putting out. I hope you are enjoying things as well. Thank you for the support this year and I hope to see you in the future. So, for now, have a great rest of your day and take care.
When I was younger, I was always convinced that the first Tomb Raider game got a sort of remake on the Game Boy Color. It makes a lot of sense in my mind, since the title of the game was Tomb Raider. And in the same time period, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine also got a port to the Game Boy Color. That game was an interesting remake in 2D. Now, we are not here to discuss an Indiana Jones game, so let us focus on the Tomb Raider games.
I do not always do research before I start playing a game. This game is one perfect example. I just started the game up, expecting the story starting with a rendition of the Ice Caves. But, to my surprise, the game started up different.
The actual subtitle of the game is The Nightmare Stone. On the box-art, we just got Tomb Raider as a title. On the box-art, we see that Lara is running away from an erupting volcano and behind her, you see several skeleton enemies. The bottom section is reserved for company logo’s like Eidos, Core Dynamics, the licensor Nintendo, and the publisher THQ. We also got the “Only on Game Boy Color” triangle in the left corner.
The game was released in June 2000. On June 7th, North America, Europe got it on June 28th and the UK two days later. Only Australia got the game a little bit later. Their version got released on July 18th. Nowhere on the box-art, the game got the subtitle The Nightmare Stone. The game just released as “Tomb Raider” in North America and released as “Tomb Raider: starring Lara Croft” in all other regions. This is a practice also done with the other Tomb Raider games. It would have been easier if they just added the subtitle, to make conversation easier.
The critics gave Lara Croft is first entry on the Game Boy Color very high praise. Various gaming magazines and websites gave this title 8 or 9 out of ten. The average score of this title is 79% on the aggregator GameRankings. One of the lowest scores I could find was by a German magazine named 64 Power in their June issue, giving it a three out of 5 or 60%.
Since Core Design developed this game, it will not be a surprise that you find a lot of developers on this game also worked on the main Tomb Raider games. This game was developed by people who knew how a Tomb Raider game should play. In this title, Lara is hunting after the Nightmare Stone. This stone is in possession of a treasure hunting group who wants to use it to release the evil god Quaxet, a factious god in the Mayan mythology.
Playing through this game, you really want to play through a Tomb Raider game. Of course, there are some big differences since the game got released on a handheld. The most obvious difference is that the game is in 2D. There were only a handful of 3D Game Boy games, and most of them did not involve jumping.
Another significant difference with the main line Tomb Raider games is that this game plays a lot slower. The controls are more limited on the Game Boy Color, and more action-packed gameplay could not really be implemented, per se without it becoming really clunky.
Speaking about the controls, it takes some time to get used to. I mostly played platformers or adventure games on the Game Boy, and I was so used to push the A button to make my character jump. But Lara jumps with the up arrow in this game. Not only that, if you want to climb up ledges, you need to hold B. Which is the button you use to run. If you are moving left or right and press B, Lara starts running. When Lara is running, and you press the jump button, Lara jumps in the direction she is running. This gives you a hint how to jump a gap when standing still. You have to press B first before the jump button to jump over a gap.
This control scheme is quite ambitious since there is no real tutorial in game explaining the controls. You do not have a training or testing level in Lara’s home. The manual explains these things quite well, but if you bought your copy today from a garage sale without the manual, I would advise you to look for it online. The control scheme is something that you will not really expect from a Game Boy game.
Earlier, I mentioned that this game has a slower pace compared to the main line Tomb Raider games. That was intentional. If you start running everywhere, you will find that this game will be quite harsh and brutal. There are several pits and gaps that either eat a good chunk of your health or kills you right away. Enemies are also hidden everywhere, and their damage can be unforgiving.
You cannot save where you want in this game, since the save crystals from early Tomb Raider console games return in this game. Learning where the save crystals are important. It is the only way you can save, and it is you respawn spot when Lara losses all her health. The save crystals are not close to each other, either, so I was always happy to find one.
If you do not really know the controls, it can feel a bit like trial and error. For example, I did not know that when you are running and jump, Lara will land further than from a standing jump. I did not expect this mechanic to be in the Game Boy Color games as well. Other things like dynamite being able to use to explode walls, which is something I’d have loved to get explained to me.
Overall, visually, this game is extremely impressive. Once everything starts clicking together, and you get used to the controls, this game is a hidden gem on the Game Boy Color. When you know what you are doing, this game takes around 4 hours to play through. For a first playthrough, I would say that you can finish this game in roughly 15 hours.
The game must have been quite successful since a year later we got a new adventure in the same engine and style. Eidos tried to get this game released around the time the first Tomb Raider movie released. Tomb Raider – Curse of the Sword, released in late June in North America and in August in Europe.
This time, the game was not released by THQ, but by Activision. Most of the team who worked on the first Game Boy game also worked on this title. Because this game got a shorter development time, this game is shorter compared to the first Game Boy Color game. If you know what you are doing, this game can be beaten in two and a half hours. For a first playthrough, I estimate that it will take 8 to 10 hours.
The sequel got the same reception from critics when it released. This game still shows off impressive visuals for the Game Boy Color. Remember that the Game Boy Color is an 8-bit system, and these two Tomb Raider games had such fluid animations that it looked next-generation. Did you know that there are over two thousand animation frames per game to make the animation work? Lara’s model is also forty-eight pixels, making her one of the most detailed characters on the Game Boy Color.
Personally, I feel like both games are amazing entries into the Tomb Raider series. While they play quite different from their console and PC counterparts, both are an amazing adventure through various locations. You still must solve various puzzles and platform your way around. In Curse of the Sword, you even have a chase sequence on the rooftops.
When I look with a critical eye at these two games in 2024, I would say that the lack of a tutorial for the controls really hurts the game. Also, some people might be put off from the difficulty level of this game. These games have some really difficult sections. Use the save crystals well! Otherwise, you might lose a lot of progress. And if I am really nitpicky, I could say that some areas would benefit from a map screen. But the levels are a bit too complex for those and with the small Game Boy Color screen, the map might not be even readable. Thankfully, there are various sources online, like Stella’s Tomb Raider site (tombraiders.net) that have amazingly drawn maps.
When you read this, you might think that beating these games without a walkthrough is almost impossible. But do not worry. These games are quite linear and straight forward. I rarely got stuck in these games by not knowing what to do next. Most of the time, I did not know I was able to perform a certain action or how to solve a certain puzzle.
The streak of releasing a new game every year continues in November 2002. The Game Boy Color was on its way out, and the next title was released on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. For this title, Ubisoft Milan was tasked with creating a new game. That is because the main team was working on the sixth main title, Angel of Darkness. Tomb Raider – The Prophecy was released to mixed reviews. It released in early December in Japan.
This game played quite different compared to the Game Boy Color titles and played more as a top-down isometric puzzle platformer. If I am very honest, this is the gameplay style I expected more of the Tomb Raider series on the Game Boy. It is mainly because I associate Tomb Raider more as a top-down game on handhelds than it being a 2D side view game. The Game Boy Color version of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine showed me it was possible to have a game like that on Game Boy Color.
The story of this title is about the Tome of Ezekiel. In this tome, a story is told about three magical stones that bring great power. She faces a big cult by the name of Teg-du-Bhorez. The game takes about 6 hours to complete on a first playthrough. If you really know what you are doing, this game can be beaten in 2 hours and a half.
Honestly, for a portable Tomb Raider adventure, I really enjoyed this one. It is a rather underrated gem in my opinion and really can be quite exciting to play. Especially since the formula really works this way on the Game Boy Advance. The big issue is that reviewers compared it too much to the mainline series, which is quite unfair to do. What I can agree with, is that this game can feel a bit repetitive at times in terms of puzzles and level mechanics. But it is way less repetitive compared to the Game Boy Color titles, since a lot more puzzle solving like statue placing is used.
The final Tomb Raider title on the Game Boy line of platforms came in 2006. After the very mixed reception to Angel of Darkness, the IP was given to Crystal Dynamics and Tomb Raider Legend was born. Talking about that, can be an entire article in itself. But, to close off this article, I want to quickly focus on Tomb Raider Legend on the Game Boy Advance. I know there is a port to the Nintendo DS, but I do not have any nostalgic memories for that one. I do have nostalgic memories for the Game Boy Advance port.
Now, let me tell you, the Game Boy Advance port was rough. The game went back to the style in like the Game Boy Color games. Yet, it also tried to do intractable doors. I can totally understand why reviewers back in the day were extremely negative about this game. Especially, since the console and PC versions of this game were such a blast of fresh air in the series.
Still, why did I beat this title 100% three times? Because, it had a certain charm. You could find various secrets in the game to unlock secrets like concept art or even cheat codes. But you were not able to see if you got all treasures in a level. The jumping and swinging controls were a bit awkward, yet you had very forgiving checkpoints.
There are a few things that stick with me to this day, the fact that the final boss is rendered a joke in this version. Just mash the attack button and you easily win. No matter the difficulty. Also, the mini-games and exploring Lara’s home were fun distractions as well. Moreover, I want to thank all the pizza boys who delivered me pizza during the writing of this article, like in the credits of this game.
And with that, I want to wrap up this brief nostalgic look into the 4 Tomb Raider titles on the Game Boy Color and Advance. My name is NekoJonez and if you enjoyed my writing and want to read more of my work, you can find me over at: https://arpegi.wordpress.com. I want to thank you all for reading my article, and I hope you enjoy the work of the other writers in this magazine. But for now, I am out! I hope to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care!
Editorial note: This article has been written for a gaming magazine. Did you find this article interesting? Then you should read the other articles right here. Thank you so much Dominus for letting me publish an article. There are various articles about Ultimate Underworld Retrospective – Sin God – The Making of the Wipeout logo design – …
