Baldur's Gate 3 Breaks One Gaming Taboo That No One's Talking About

Like in any open-world game, travel is one of the most important aspects of , and there's one key element that the game does better than just about any competitor. The world of Gaia presented in is a huge one, translating what was originally an overworld map into a series of large open-world zones filled with activities and decorated in detailed terrain. Not every corner of the map is as exciting as the more bespoke content in the game, but it does manage to smooth over some potential annoyances in a smart way.

has been no stranger to recent controversy, and some new buzz around the involvement of AI has reignited tensions regarding the future of the game. Artificial intelligence has been a big talking point in the past couple of years, with developments in text, image, and video generation leaving many concerned about the future of artistic industries. As people look to companies for reassurance about creator rights and a focus on human work, they're often receiving the opposite in return.

Bards are often viewed as a generally humorous class option for , but just like in tabletop, dismissing them as silly ignores the heavier implications of what bards can do. doesn't shy away from darker themes and violent affairs in general, offering plenty of possibilities to take an amoral path and bloodying the party at just about every turn. It's easy to think of the more devious Origin characters as the ones most likely to embrace underhanded behavior, but a playable bard is capable of outdoing them all in some regards.

is the freshly announced upcoming entry in the popular racing management series, and the newest entry is finally adding a much-requested feature that could transform the game experience. Althoughthe franchise has only been around for a few years, it hasn't had much trouble building a pedigree as the official management game for the Formula series of racing championships. The racing series also features some management aspects in a My Team career mode, but it's a significantly less robust approach than what offers.

Getting the hang of combat in can be a challenge, but there's one optional setting that can make it easier to master without decreasing the actual threat that enemies pose. Building on the system established in, features a fusion of dynamic action combat with the menu-based ability, spell, and item options that return from the original It can be a lot to wrangle, and it's sometimes possible to get tripped up by the hectic nature of battle even when keeping a good handle on the system itself.

Efficient travel can often be dependent on acquiring the best mounts in the game, but there's one way to move quickly that dodges these prerequisites. Although doesn't have a world as huge as many other survival crafting games, it's still substantial and can take a fair amount of time to cross distances. Fast travel is always an option, but it's bound to specific locations that have to be activated first, and it's not always as fun as actually making it from Point A to Point B.

The shifting tides of the Galactic War can bring constant changes to the experience, but one recent adjustment to the game completely overhauls the way that armor should be approached in every mission. Although the best offense is a good defense is typically a good mantra when it comes to games, it hasn't always been true of. With the newest update, however, the list of effective armor choices has grown significantly, making for more diverse and interesting strategic options to deploy against the Terminids and Automatons.

is well-known for its memorable and often lovable characters, but there's one in particular who has proven to be consistently problematic across the course of its continued development. Although finished its early access period and had a full release in August 2023, it has continued to evolve since then, with regular updates addressing problems and complaints to improve the game. While many issues can be addressed with one-and-done fixes, not everything ends up being so simple.

might be widely recognized for the elements that it borrows from other games, but there's at least one key area where it's trying to take its own path. As a survival crafting game that tosses the basics of the franchise into a world with base-building, guns, and criminal opportunities, seems to have scratched an itch for millions of players. The tough part comes in maintaining that spike of popularity, and it's interesting to see how developer Pocketpair is approaching updating the game and fostering a community.

The world of features a creature for just about every purpose, but when stacking everything up, some Pals just end up being more useful than others. Since the game is only at the start of its early access period, the passage of time could definitely provide an opportunity to tweak the balance to even out the worst disparities. One recent change, however, has the opposite effect of making a Pal that was already great better than ever before.

The early access period of has been plagued by its fair share of bugs and design flaws, but sometimes fixing those issues can have unintended consequences as well. It's standard for games releasing in early access to still need some work, so it's not surprising that developer Pocketpair has been pushing patches out to address problems. The important thing is that forward progress is being made, and exploring the results of each patch can provide some truly interesting results that are sometimes more fun than if the game had been released in a perfect state to begin with.

Developing strategy is crucial to mastering the missions of , and there's one type in particular that demands a different approach to tactics. Although might not look that different from a typical mindless shooter at first glance, it focuses heavily on coordination and adaptation, and simply going in guns blazing can sometimes lead to defeat regardless of skill. This ultimately makes the game more rewarding to play and master, but the initial learning curve can be steep for newcomers.