Kyle Gratton

There are three distinct endings to , but two are rather underwhelming by design. Capcom's RPG is the long-awaited sequel to 2012's, and shares much of its identity, including the themes which come to a head in 's conclusions. As the title suggests, deals directly with the dogma of the series' universe, putting the player at the center of a seemingly unending cycle to repeatedly delay the apocalypse at the hands of the Dragon.

Most players have likely been invaded by either Mad Tongue Alberich or Ensha of the Royal Remains, if not both, without totally understanding why. Alberich is a sorcerer who first appears on the lower level of 's Roundtable Hold. This fight is practically inexplicable at first, requiring players to leap off of the balcony where Rogier settles in at the hub area. Mad Tongue Alberich has no dialogue and only drops assorted multiplayer items, but some other hints throughout the game can help contextualize his place in 's lore.

The future of is constantly in flux, as that's just the nature of the game's ongoing Galactic War, but there's the possibility of an incredibly unexpected crossover in the future. Arrowhead Game Studios' co-op shooter is off to a blistering start with many more players than projected, and it firmly being in the realm of live-service makes crossovers with other series and franchises a distinct possibility. Common requests for such collaborations include, which already features the Helldiver-like ODST units, and, perhaps the game's most blatant inspiration.

Another premium Warbond for is right around the corner, bringing new weapons, armor, and more to the game. has been a breakout hit since its debut in February 2024, and two months later, it's continuing its steady stream of content with the Democratic Detonation Warbond. As the Galactic War against the Automatons and Terminids continues, developer Arrowhead Game Studios has delighted the player base with emergent storytelling and regular updates to both fix bugs and bring new items to the co-op third-person shooter.

A new threat is emerging on the Automaton front in , and it may be significant enough to turn the tide of battle. Arrowhead Game Studios' third-person co-op shooter has excelled as a live-service title through its ongoing story, in which players are embroiled in the Galactic War as Super Earth's elite Helldiver units. So far, the Helldivers have seen more success than failure, but a new Automaton enemy could put Super Earth's latest offensive in jeopardy.

Open-world RPGs are particularly prone to setting players loose in the world even after beating the game, but the story of has a certain finality to it, complicating the matter. The long-awaited sequel is also something of an outlier, with plenty of idiosyncrasies in both its setting and gameplay. Without venturing into heavy spoilers – and with plenty of forewarning when approaching the broad strokes of certain endings below – these oddities contribute to numerous ways to potentially play after beating it.

New features for the PlayStation 5 system software are on the way, and while some are much needed improvements, it's hard not to feel like these particular additions should have been part of the console's user experience from the beginning. Sony's PS5 is approaching its fourth anniversary, and while the system software itself rightfully takes a back seat to the actual games available on the hardware, its home screen and system navigation have always been a sticking point. Recent updates for the DualSense controller improved audio input and output, and similar incremental changes for the PS5 are on the horizon.

The highly anticipated 1.6 update is officially live on PC, bringing an unexpectedly large number of changes to the 2016 indie smash hit. Developed by only a single person, has received astounding post-launch support for years, though it was previously thought the 1.5 update would be the last major addition to the farming and life sim. While 1.6 is not as large as its predecessor, the patch notes reveal that it still brings a significant amount of new content to the game.

As the Galactic War in continues to evolve, new challenges are constantly being introduced, giving players plenty of opportunity to experiment with new strategies. A recent Major Order has refocused the war effort on the Terminid front, tasking Helldivers with activating the newly operational Terminid Control System in unique missions similar to those in the failed Automaton defense campaign. Getting the Terminid Control System up and running brings its own difficulties to the game, however, and there are a couple underrated Stratagems that can really shine in these unique missions.

delivers a significant chunk of its content through Warbonds, and while two came alongside the game's launch, a new Warbond is being added to the game just over a month later. Warbonds work much like the battle passes that have become common in live-service games, but they allow players a decent amount of agency in determining the order in which each Warbond's items are unlocked. This new Warbond, called Cutting Edge, is bringing not only new cosmetic items, but new weapons and armor as well.

While a sequel to has yet to be officially confirmed as in development, the game's success makes a follow-up seem likely, but an apparent shift in strategy from publisher Warner Bros. Games makes the realization of a true much less certain. Initially releasing in February 2023 for current-gen consoles and PC, became something of a phenomenon, beating industry titan as the best-selling game of the year. That success, paired with the rich, relatively untapped universe makes a sequel an obvious next step, but there's a chance 's single-player experience won't be iterated on.

A release date for has finally been revealed, and anyone eager to hop into the battle royale on the go should sign up to play before it even launches. has been a phenomenon since its original incarnation launched in 2019 after the reboot trilogy began, and it'll now be even more widely available as it arrives on mobile devices. Active players may want to pre-register for, as doing so will incur free cosmetic rewards.

Disney's popular trading card game, , releases special Enchanted rarity cards with each of its sets, beginning with 12 of these coveted cards in. When launched in the summer of 2023, the game had a rough start with distribution problems making it so getting any card for the game was a monumental task, much less the special Enchanted cards. It took several months, but the supply is now at a level where the game is fairly easy to find in stores, although the Enchanted cards are still elusive jewels.

A full year after it was first announced, the DLC expansion for ,, has finally had more information revealed alongside a trailer. The highly anticipated DLC was announced in February 2023, a year after 's release, but its reveal was accompanied by only a single image. As was the case with the base game before it, speculation over has run rampant, but new details have shed light on a central figure known as Messmer the Impaler, who seems to have a close relationship to Miquella.

Beginning February 22, the Epic Games Store is giving away for free, though it appears this wasn't the digital storefront's initial intention. EGS typically gives away one free game per week, and platforming fans who haven't yet dabbled in will soon have the chance. will remain free for an entire week, until February 29, after which it will be replaced by next week's game.

One of the preeminent joys of is dispensing managed democracy with a hail of bullets, but sending as much liberty as possible downrange may not always be the best strategy. The four-player co-op shooter is quite reactive to player input, with the Galactic War constantly evolving according to the player base's combined efforts at liberating planets. This reactivity extends to individual missions as well, and wanton engagements, especially on higher difficulty settings, can quickly result in needlessly being overwhelmed and being forced to expend Reinforcements.

A new video game is reportedly in the early stages of development, and is set to star a Mandalorian character. Ever since Boba Fett's debut in the original trilogy, the Mandalorians have been fan-favorite characters, only surging in popularity thanks to more recent efforts to expand their in-universe footprint, including and. Since the premiere of the latter, which began with a bounty-of-the-week setup, a game centered on such a character has been a popular request from fans, and now that dream appears to be approaching reality.

excels in a wildly entertaining duality, frequently swinging between incredible power fantasy and chaotic hilarity. Arrowhead Game Studios' third-person co-op shooter, playable with up to four people online, comes nearly a decade after the first, a top-down shooter which was released in 2015. While the original garnered a small, dedicated player base, is already off to a blistering start, having so many concurrent players in its first weekend that the game's maximum server capacity was hit. It only takes a handful of missions to see the innate brilliance of, and a couple dozen hours have revealed a satisfying depth in its gameplay synergies, but the game's longevity remains to be seen, despite genuinely fascinating use of its always-online, live-service nature.

has been a smash hit for developer Arrowhead Game Studios, but its massive launch has unfortunately resulted in some matchmaking and connection issues. Players may encounter a "" error in when trying to start the game. Even though missions are playable alone, the game is always online, since player actions are constantly contributing to the in-universe Galactic War pitting Super Earth against the Terminids and Automatons. While frustrating, this server error is actually a case of suffering from its own success.

Fighting on the front lines of Super Earth's war against the Terminids and Automatons in requires significant combat prowess, but the game's tutorial leaves out a number of details pertinent to each mission. The third-person co-op shooter is off to an incredible start, rocketing to the top of Steam's bestsellers, but there may be some players frustrated by the game's trial-and-error methodology for teaching how to dish out managed democracy. A tutorial delineates the most basic controls, but a noticeable lack of tooltips leave many features unexplained or even entirely obscured.

is set to bring back numerous mini-games from the original, all enhanced for the remake trilogy's more modern spin, but one entirely new mini-game is certain to keep players occupied when they should instead be hunting down Sephiroth. follows its predecessor,, in re-imagining the iconic, and this second installment looks to be setting players free in an open-world environment now that Cloud and his companions have escaped Midgar. Alongside the expected open-world fare of side quests and treasure hunting is a brand-new collectible card game, Queen's Blood, playable all across Gaia.

New content is coming to in 2024, and a previously platform-specific quest will be made widely available over a year after the game's initial launch. achieved the rare feat of surpassing as 2023's best-selling game in the United States, finally delivering on many's long-held desire of an expansive open-world game set in the universe. Much of developer Avalanche Software's first year in post-launch support was spent bringing to more platforms, but now it would seem more content and features are on the way.

has almost instantly become a sensation upon launch, but some players may unfortunately encounter an error that reads, "" The monster collecting survival game from Pocketpair was released into early access, meaning it's still technically a work in progress, despite being in a playable state. Errors such as this are not particularly rare with new multiplayer releases, but it can be frustrating that the error code itself doesn't offer much of an explanation, nor any troubleshooting advice.

is a bit of a misnomer. It certainly ups the visuals from the original 2020 release of, but it also provides a fair amount of new content. The most significant is No Return, a roguelike game mode, but it also includes three Lost Levels, galleries of concept art, new skins for characters and weapons, a developer commentary track for the main game, and a few more odds and ends. Developer commentary piques interest, and its implementation in the campaign is middling, but the Lost Levels, which also include it, are a revelation.

The major draw of No Return, the new roguelike game mode added to , is being able to use character players have heretofore been unable to control. Abby, Ellie, and Joel are all unsurprisingly among the No Return roster, joined by Dina, Jesse, Tommy, Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny. While randomized gauntlets of encounters are sure to keep the game mode dynamic, it's made all the more varied by each character also having their own playstyle, complete with different starting equipment and traits.

Just three-and-a-half years after Naughty Dog's magnum opus was first released, brings it to the PlayStation 5 with a host of improvements and new content. Nothing about this latest release is revolutionary, but that doesn't stop from maintaining its position among gaming's best-told stories. The meticulously crafted adventure is still emotionally exhausting, and its gameplay remains engaging if at times subdued. is the definitive version of the sequel that reviewed with a perfect score, and will be sure to please longtime fans hoping to revisit Ellie and Abby's story.

doesn't shy away from killing off prominent characters. Its post-epidemic world is saturated with violence, and even its central and most important characters aren't immune to an untimely demise. Through the two games in Naughty Dog's series, friend and foe alike have exited the narrative in unexpected and disturbing ways. In both gameplay and cutscenes, an almost countless number of people are killed, and even more off-screen, but a select few stand out as truly shocking in comparison.