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Many people regard the1990sasa golden era forJRPGs.Series likeFinal FantasyandChrono Triggerelevated the turn-based JRPG’s standing in the West to the point where these games became household names. It wasn’t just turn-based games that evolved during the 90s though; the Action JRPG was an attempt to marry the long-form storytelling and character progression of RPGs with the engaging gameplay of side-scrolling beat-‘em-ups and fighting games. Taking inspiration from series that emerged in the 80s, likeTheLegend of ZeldaandYs,the formula for an Action JRPG was iterated on and refined in the 90s, leading to some of the most highly-regarded examples of the genre....

Summary God of War: Ragnarokis one of the greatest hack-and-slash games players can get their hands on. Thesequel to one of the most ambitious and beloved rebootsin gaming history wowed fans with its incredible scope, letting players interact with the core combat loop of this title that has been refined to a T and is augmented with a host of new abilities, bonuses, and the like to make combat more deep and engaging than ever before....

Summary Pre-rendered backdropswere widely used during the fifth and sixth generations of gaming. This method involved developers rendering high-quality backgrounds on an external program and using them as a static environment for many JRPGs, giving thema complete 3D look and feelthat aligns with the artist’s vision. They were instrumental in bringing manyPlayStation and PS2-era gamesto life, and still hold up on modern systems. The fixed camera angles and perspectives helped immerse players in carefully crafted worlds that contained far more detail than was possible using the 3D technology available at the time....

Summary With Colin Farrell set to make his Max series debut as one of the greatest villains in comics history, it’s fair to wonder what other characters might be joining him onThe Penguin. While the cast list has shed some light on at least some people Oz Cobb will run across in the eight-part miniseries. Considering thatThe Penguinis a spin-off of Matt Reeve’s recent entry into theBatmansaga, one of the biggest questions around the new show is whether Robert Pattinson will make at least a cameo or two....

Summary The Penguinfeels like a new frontier for the comic book movie craze. While the fervor has certainly died down, great entries likeThe Batmanstill stick out.The Penguinrepresents a shift in genre, completely excising the whole superhero conceit in favor of a deeper exploration of Gotham’s organized underworld. While it’s not as far from some of the comics as it could be, there’s one notable change that fans seem up in arms about....

An adventure game at its heart,The Plucky Squirestarts as a spunky but standard experience before quickly expanding to a wide variety of genres to create something wholly and completely entertaining, almost from start to finish. There are a few lapses in the design choices, such as the mini-games being very, very simple, along with most of the games' puzzle-solving being too easy as well, but these detriments are hardly enough to bring downThe Plucky Squire....

Summary Every day,Monster Hunter Wildslooks more and more like an immensely ambitious game and its release date is still at least several months away, so Capcom could still have more in store for fans that it hasn’t revealed yet. This particular installment in theMonster Hunterfranchise is bringing some big innovations to the table, breaking traditions and implementing significant quality-of-life enhancements that will make gameplay for returning players smoother than ever while simultaneously increasing its accessibility for a new audience....

Summary Vampire Survivorsstudio Poncle is reportedly launching its own publishing arm. The small indie developer is set to expand its business following the smashing success of 2022’s roguelike shoot ‘em upVampire Survivors. Based in the UK, Poncle is a budding studio with a team of just over 25 developers. The company began as a solo venture for Luca “Poncle” Galante when he first releasedVampire Survivorsin early access in 2021. After its arrival on Steam a year later,Vampire Survivorsgrew in popularity by leaps and bounds, evengarnering praise from Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer....

As the reveal and subsequent arrival of theNintendo Switch 2draws ever closer, information about what games will be made available on it is becoming more prevalent. Granted,official information about the Switch 2 is still remarkably sparse, with Nintendo being tight-lipped about its forthcoming device, but its existence has been confirmed, and it will probably be unveiled soon. Whether the new console will actually be called the “Switch 2” or something similar is unclear, but it is expected to be a direct successor to the Switch in terms of form and design, unlike the evolution from the Wii to the Wii U, for instance....

Quick Links TheStar Warsgalaxy is a complex place with lots happening even between the major movies.Star Warslore tends to be very strict, especially when it comes to who is doing certain things in the galaxy at any given time, andStar Wars Outlawsis the newest entry to enter this web of lore. WhileStar Wars Outlawsdoes a lot to forge its own path in the galaxy, having many easter eggs that tie to other characters or situations, its location in the timeline is very important to help understand some aspects of what is being seen in the game....

Quick Links Spiritsare some of the most powerful tools for combat inBlack Myth: Wukong.These special items are exactly what their name suggests: thespiritsof defeated enemies. The Destined One can collect these spirits, then briefly summon them to use their power. The number ofcollectible Spirits inBlack Myth: Wukongis huge, with just about every basic enemy type – as well as some mini-bosses – having the potential to drop them. This guide will present a complete list ofevery available Spirit in Black Myth: Wukong,along with when and where they can be found....

LEGO and developer TT Games struck gold with the release ofLEGO Star Wars: The Video Gamein 2005, and it wasted no time in using this newfound formula for repeated success. After two moreLEGO Star Warstitles,theIndiana Jonesfranchisewas up to bat, withLEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventureslaunching in June 2008. ThoughLEGO Indiana Joneswas released just a month afterKingdom of the Crystal Skull, that movie would need to wait another year before it received the LEGO treatment, withLEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continuesdropping in 2009....

The recent announcement ofLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiihas rocked the fanbase of the popular Japanese franchise, with players finally seeing Goro Majima in another protagonist role in one of the wackiest settings that the IP has ever portrayed. On the surface, fans may be drawn to the weird and wonderful game mechanics that a pirate-themedLaDtitle will bring, but this should not overlook the fascinating story elements that the upcoming project has in store....