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Showing posts from December, 2024

Half-Life: Alyx

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  Half-Life: Alyx Okay, so maybe a VR game wasn’t what we all had in mind when Valve announced its first new Half-Life game since the long-abandoned  Half-Life 3 , but Alyx isn’t just an incredible Half-Life game. It also – finally – validates the years of VR hype. The scope is certainly smaller than the main Half-Life games, with missions in Alyx often taking place in a single building. The level of interaction available to you in these small levels, however, far exceeds that of the core Half-Life games. Whether that’s in flashy moments like using a wooden beam to play baseball with enemy grenades or simply sweeping clutter off shelves searching for extra ammo. It has that good game feel, just like a shotgun blast in Doom, but this time, it makes you feel as much a part of City 17 as the looming Combine ships. You can read our full  Half-Life: Alyx review here  in case your mind’s not made up yet. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales The first of Insomniac’s...

Valorant

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  Valorant The Counter-Strike series has sat unchallenged as the pinnacle of competitive FPS games since its inception, featuring shooting mechanics that reward mechanical skill above all else, a weapon economy that provokes constant strategic reshuffles, and perfectly balanced maps. Valorant, from Riot Games, does all of that while mixing in a roster of heroes, each with passive, active, and ultimate abilities. Some of those abilities have Counter-Strike counterparts, like smokescreens, flashes, and grenades, but there’s nuance to how each Agent’s kit works that ensures every round plays out differently. Valorant may not win over the FPS purists, but it’s infinitely more accessible and offers new players an inroad that doesn’t involve being good at clicking on heads. And if you are one of those new players, then allow us to help you out with a guide to  all the Valorant characters , a ranking of them in the form of a  Valorant tier list , and a helping han...

Diablo 4

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  Diablo 4 Darkness has overtaken Sanctuary once more. Hatred’s poisonous tendrils have corrupted its people, and demons of all shapes and sizes roam the land. Blood soaks the earth beneath our feet, and Lilith is poised to reign supreme. This is Diablo 4, the best Diablo game ever made. As noted in our  Diablo 4 review , our hero’s story is a twisted tale of tragedy and loss that sinks its hooks into you from the get-go. Even when you reach the end, Diablo 4’s story is far from over, and Hatred is far from eradicated.  Blizzard keeps things fresh with new seasonal updates that have included everything from vampires to bizarre, spider-like robots. Oh, and also Gemma Chan.

Baldur’s Gate 3

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  Baldur’s Gate 3 Larian’s reputation as one of the best developers around was solidified with the release of Divinity: Original Sin 2, but if you had any doubts, Baldur’s Gate 3 is sure to cement its place. Built upon the foundations of Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition ruleset, BG3 lets players use their creativity to solve problems, accomplish tasks, and set goblins on fire. A lot of games promise this level of depth, but BG3 is designed to continue even if the player decides to kill every useful NPC around. In this 70-hour epic, the story will adapt to your actions, even if you murder fan favorites like  Astarion  and  Karlach . Read our  BG3 review  to see why we gave this incredible game an excellent score of 9/10, and don’t forget to check out our  Baldur’s Gate 3 builds  guide if you want to design your character from scratch.

Alan Wake 2

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  Alan Wake 2 Alan Wake is a familiar name in gaming, following the success of the 2010 psychological thriller game in which he was introduced to us. The first game had an expansion, American Nightmare, and a remastered re-release, but all fans have wanted for the last decade was a sequel to the Remedy game. Announced during The Game Awards 2021, the  Alan Wake 2 release date  arrived in 2023, where we find Wake rotting away in the Dark Place. At least we know where he’s been all this time. As we explain in our  Alan Wake 2 review , a lot of the new game doesn’t take place with Wake in the Dark Place; we take on the role of the new character Saga Anderson, an FBI agent uncovering the dark secrets of Bright Falls. Switch between the two characters as you progress through this unique  story game  and uncover the link between Bright Falls, the Dark Place, and the novelist himself.

Street Fighter 6

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Street Fighter 6 Street Fighter 6 has been incredibly popular among the game’s usual hardcore audience, and it’s managed to reach a new set of fans thanks to its casual approach. The fighting game includes the usual 1v1 fighting mode the series is known for, but now there’s a 15-hour story mode for players to learn the mechanics and brush up on their Street Fighter lore. The fighting side of Street Fighter 6 has never been better, featuring the Drive Bar, which incorporates several new and returning mechanics. Not only is the classic parry back, but players also have access to Drive Rush, a new technique that lets fighters cancel specific moves, leading to spectacular combos. Check out our  Street Fighter 6 review  to see why we awarded this game a 9/10. We also have a  Street Fighter 6 tier list  if you’re wondering who to main first. One year after launch and the game is still as popular as, reintroducing two of the series’ most iconic villains, Akuma and M. Bison....

Tekken 8

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  Tekken 8 The Tekken series has always maintained an incredibly high standard, and that hasn’t changed at all with Tekken 8 as it continues to set the pace for 3D fighters. Switching game engines can be a tough procedure, with some developers struggling to adapt to the changing times. Fortunately, Bandai Namco spent a lot of time during the development process to ensure the core gameplay remains intact in the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5. Tekken 8 caters to both new and experienced players, featuring plenty of accessibility tweaks like simplified control schemes, as well as rollback netcode for improved multiplayer matches. Whether you’re primarily someone who focuses on single player content like the story mode, or a hardcore ranked player, there’s more than enough to keep both types of fan satisfied. The fun doesn’t stop there, with the  Tekken 8 tier list  regularly receiving updates to improve the character balancing, not to mention the season pass which has added retu...

Hades 2

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  Hades 2 As the only early access title on our illustrious list, Hades 2 has a lot to live up to as one of the best PC games. Fortunately, it’s easy to justify Supergiant Games’ sequel to arguably its best game as it manages to build on an impressive foundation. You play as MelinoĆ«, the sister of Zagreus, as she attempts to take down Chronos, the God of Time. To separate the sibling’s playstyles, Mel has a host of unique  Hades 2 weapons ,  incantations , and  keepsakes  to ensure the fighting experience is different this time. Don’t let the early access tag dissuade you from picking up this wonderful roguelike game. Our  Hades 2 review  is practically glowing, stating: “Hades 2 is flawless, perfecting the roguelike genre in a way its predecessor almost managed to do.” We’re extremely confident in saying that by the time the  Hades 2 release date  arrives in 2025, the game will be bigger and better than ever before. Balat...

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred

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  Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Move aside, Lilith, it’s Mephisto’s time to get blasted. Inspired by Diablo 2, Vessel of Hatred introduces the region of Nahantu, bringing its lush jungles and brand new  Spiritborn  class to the game. Nahantu is filled to the brim with dangerous enemies, as well as dungeons and strongholds that desperately need clearing out. The campaign takes you on a journey in search of Neyrelle after the events of Diablo 4, and just to be safe, we’ll avoid spoiling anything for those who haven’t played it yet. If you haven’t ever played Diablo 4, now is a great time to give it a try as the game has received a massive update that overhauls the leveling system, making it easier to get to the endgame content. Speaking of which, the Dark Citadel is a new co-op-centric dungeon that contains powerful rewards if you can complete the challenges. Read our  Vessel of Hatred review  to see what makes this expansion worth picking up. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of th...

The best PC games 2024 right now

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  The best PC games 2024 right now From red hot RPGs like Metaphor ReFantazio to all-timers like Half-Life 2, here are the best PC games that we just can't stop playing. Christian Vaz Published:   1 day ago Elden Ring   What are the best PC games?  From triple-A household names like GTA 5 to enchanting indie releases such as Rocket League, these classics are the biggest games across Steam, Epic Games Store, and more. Finding the top PC games is no easy task. There are, you may have noticed, quite a lot of them. From the 50,000-plus Steam games to… all those other platforms you love so much, there has never been more choice available to the discerning PC gamer. From the best  RPG games  to the most mind-blowing  FPS games , here are the best PC games of all time, according to us. There are even some  free PC games  thrown in there, too. Here are the best PC games, in our opinion:  Metaphor ReFantazio Vessel of Hatred Kunitsu Gami: Path of...