Richard Northrup Jr

was the first in the franchise to transition to modern gameplay, and in doing that came with major improvements to its predecessors and . Though the previous games in the franchise are still excellent in their own right, as time went on their flaws became more apparent. Performance and stability became inconsistent and ultimately brought down the arguably generational games. avoided these issues as it aged while continuing the trend of successful games for the franchise.

The new update adds a multitude of new enemies to the survival game, all of which vary in difficulty. has been one of the more popular survival games since its release, partially due to its addictive gameplay. The Viking game also made several systematic changes to the genre that removed much of the usual tedious grind. will be the second large update for the game, the first being in late 2022.

Though and may be completely different games, one scary monster noticed in each may be the connection Bethesda fans have been looking for. Bethesda is known for its open-world RPGs even though some have had roller-coaster success in recent years. Meanwhile, the recent live-action show received mass acclaim and has helped propel sales of the franchise's games. Along with the show, next-gen updates were given to which even included some new content for players to enjoy.

's massive new Ashlands update adds so much content that it is worth revisiting for multiple reasons. The indie Viking survival game first launched in 2021 and was an instant success. Eight days after the initial release, the game had already sold over eight million copies, ensuring a future for the standout title. Since then, has had one other large update at the end of 2022 with the Mistlands, but this new update appears to add even more — and will change the survival game forever.

After close to a decade since its launch, is receiving a free next-gen-only update to fix a major story omission. Due to the release of the Show, it was announced that would be receiving an update to help scale up its performance to go along with new cosmetics and weapons. Though an update now seems odd, the massive success of the franchise's first live-action show made it a smart decision. Every game has seen significant increases in sales and player base since the show's release.

is filled with a variety of fun weapons for eliminating enemies of Super Earth, but some powerful options are still needed. has been one of the most popular and successful games of 2024, with its chaotic gameplay being a large part of that. The overarching power fantasy created by the multitude of weapons and destructive Stratagem choices makes every mission feel exciting while still being unique. This is coupled with the real genius behind , its horizontal progression system, which offers much of the game's arsenal early.

After pushing back the initial release of, Bungie showed off game-breaking new systems and challenges coming to the looter-shooter. is believed to be the last major expansion of and wraps up the Light and Darkness Saga that began over a decade ago. This DLC will not be the last new content, as Bungie has already confirmed three episodic updates — replacing the current seasonal model — that will tell stories about the enemy factions that have stayed out of the grand scheme of the saga.

Season 10 is coming with a multitude of new content, cosmetics, and quality-of-life changes to forever change the state of the popular hero shooter. With recent reports indicating that PvE, the entire reason for the sequel, is canceled, Blizzard has gone full steam ahead on optimizing PvP. Season 9 took the time to revamp the not-so-engaging ranked system from 's rough launch, implementing a new system that is more like the originals.

continues its domination of the American Football video game genre across a myriad of platforms. The EA Sports game has seen continued installments for over a decade, and while recent additions can feel like minor upgrades, its popularity is undeniable. offers its players a variety of modes to enjoy, from taking control of people's favorite and best teams in the Franchise mode, creating a superstar player, or building a roster of stars in Ultimate Team. also offers a rewarding skill ceiling for avid football fans who want to invest in improvement.

has added the game's first DLC in, which includes many cool new prehistoric and fantasy creatures to experience. is the re-release of the popular, coming with graphical and quality-of-life improvements for a better product. While has gotten some flak for the poor performance on most non-high-spec computers, it is still a major improvement over the first game. Luckily, purchasing gives the entire DLC roadmap for free when they are brought to the revamped game.

's most popular Pal may not be the most powerful or impressive, but regardless, it has been voted number one by the community. hit the gaming world by storm and quickly set profit and player count records. At one point soon after release, the highest player count reached over two million, only failing to surpass on Steam. Though it has relaxed since those initial peaks, it still has a healthy player base and promise for the future. This said future has already been hinted at through updates along with the first new Pal and Raid Boss Bellanoir.

is looking to turn its fate around by taking popular features from much better ARPGs. launched with excitement but has had a dramatic falloff since, due to a combination of unrewarding mechanics, a lack of endgame content, and lackluster seasonal updates. This wave of discontent within the player base has led to massive changes going into Season Four, hoping to turn the game's fate around.

added its first new Terminid enemy to the game, but they are more dangerous when players least expect them. has introduced a welcome update trend of releasing new content consistently and often as the result of player actions. This has kept players on their toes for updates at any time, but also kept retention and support for the game. The game is set to recieve a new Warbond every month as well, so it would seem that available Helldiving equipment will continue to evolve alongside new enemies and mission types.

As progresses and sees more updates to both help and harm Helldivers, the Automatons may be about to unleash the worst enemy yet. already has a handful of powerful enemies in both factions, like the Bile Titan or Hulk that strike fear in the hearts of players. Many of these tough enemies are heavily armored units that are not easy to kill but can easily kill Super Earth's Helldivers. Luckily, new weapons and timely balance changes have helped lessen the strain that harder difficulties were causing.

has teased its first new Pal addition in Bellanoir with a little info on what to expect from the game's first raid boss. has become one of the most popular creature collection/survival entries in gaming, and even with its drop in original numbers, keeps a steady and healthy player base. After spending much of its first two months polishing the game, it seems developer PocketPair is getting ready to start introducing more content. This would be a welcome addition to a game that already has a promising foundation and simply needs continuous support.

One of the toughest Terminid enemies to fight in is the Bile Titan, but bringing the right grenade makes them easier to kill. has a plethora of heavily armored enemies that are major annoyances for players, and while they rarely spawn at lower levels, they can still heavily complicate missions. On the highest difficulty, Helldive, these enemies often spawn in packs and can easily overwhelm Helldivers, leading to a failed mission.

Despite all the success and hype around the mechs of , the upcoming mech farming game may be Steam's next big thing. 2024 has been a year of indie games and smaller studios taking the spotlight, and is no exception. The cooperative shooter has become one of the most popular releases in gaming history while continuing its development with well-timed content updates. However, early previews show it may be the perfect game for those who want a more relaxing and casual experience.

Despite the variety of mission types in , some strategies may be hurting the overall global liberation effort. has launched to extreme success for a myriad of reasons, one of which is the clever mission planning and liberation mechanic. Liberating planets leads to unlocking new sectors to explore, as well as new content drops based on how the developers have acted so far. These random but also player-driven updates have helped drastically increase the popularity and retention of .

For those looking to collect as many Samples as possible in , paying attention to this number will make players miss out. Samples are a crucial part of as they allow Helldivers to level up every asset in their armory. These upgrades to Stratagems can drastically change how successful higher-tier missions are, which are the ideal content for most aspects of the game. Samples are likely to become even more significant when future content follows 's mechs in coming to the game.

Based on how 's Galactic Map is set up and evolving, a massive faction clash could create cool new missions. Though the insect-like Terminids and robotic Automatons are currently on separate sides of the Galactic Map, both are slowly pushing toward Super Earth. Though the ultimate goal for Helldivers is to liberate each planet and push them back, chances are these wars will have patterns that flow back and forth — patterns that will likely get even more complicated when new game-changing factions are added to the battlefronts.

Though some of the weapons in may be considered trash, they may not be as bad as they seem at face value. As the game has increased its player base, the weapons available to Helldivers have been placed into a community hierarchy. Though some guns may be marginally better than others, every weapon has its strengths and is viable for any mission. This flexibility, which transfers to most aspects of, has helped propel the game to success along with its chaotically fun gameplay.

Grenades can serve many uses in , but one special use is one many Helldivers do not think about. At first, most would think the purpose of grenades is to close Terminid Hives and Automaton Fabricators or quickly eliminate a small group of weak enemies. However, grenades can serve a multitude of purposes in beyond those, and learning when to use them with proper resupplying can make or break harder missions.

The toughest enemies in often take the game's best weapons to defeat, but one clever trick can accomplish the same job for less investment. One of the best things about s gameplay is the numerous ways to handle missions. Stealth can shorten missions while limiting the number of enemies fought, or Helldivers can opt to go in loud and destroy all enemies of Super Earth. In the latter course, many different weapons and strategies can accomplish this.

In , facing off against the Automatons is a terrifying experience, but each unit can strike different levels of fear into Helldivers. The insect Terminid faction fits into the horror sci-fi theme goes for, but the Automatons feel like the perfect fit. These endlessly mass-produced robots have given Helldivers their fair share of trouble, especially with an invasion shortly after launch that was so brutal it required a nerf for a specific type of mission. So far, it would seem the consensus is that, while both factions are far from easy, the Automatons are the more difficult fight.

Every Terminid unit in can be an interesting challenge for Helldivers, but some are more annoying than others. can become a difficult game as one takes on higher difficulties, with some nerfs to enemies already patched through after the first weeks since launch. Each enemy has its strengths and weaknesses that make them feel unique from each other, and make it necessary for Helldivers to plan based on the mission and faction.

If feels too easy, changing certain settings can increase the difficulty and fun of the game. This creature collector blends survival aspects to challenge players and bring more action to the genre, but those inclusions work to varying degrees. Wild Pals can be frightening at higher levels, but smart positioning with well-timed dodges eliminates almost all threats to oneself. The balance to this is that player weapons are not the ideal way of defeating enemy Pals, relying on one's own Pals for damage.

has only been out a few weeks and is already teasing a game-changing new feature for the future. 2 has been a massive success for Arrowhead Studios, both in sales and in popularity. This success has been duly assisted by the studio's open communication and the potential upcoming changes by developers. These include in-game ways to earn premium currency, transparency about the future of the game, and insight into what kind of content people can expect and when.

With how resource-heavy can be, this primo location can be the solution to people's resource woes. Though it may not feel like it at first, becomes resource-expensive once higher-quality items are needed. For someone unprepared, building a standard single-shot rifle could take hours of grinding, which could feel unworthy of the effort. However, if properly prepared, these expensive items could be produced in mass rapidly, albeit the cost will stay the same.

As enjoyable as already is, some teased content that didn't make the launch should be re-added in the future. These features were cut because 's development shifted the engine from Unity to Unreal Engine 5. It has been duly reported that the team had little to no experience using the new engine, which is likely the cause for this missing content. For this content to have been in the game at launch, it is likely players wouldn't have seen 's release, early-access or otherwise, anytime soon.

Despite all the challenging enemies to fight in , people are making the battle against one particular enemy harder than it has to be. has launched to amazing success as a third-person shooter as the sequel to the original top-down shooter. Characters dive into a multitude of planets to fight off the robotic Automatons and insect Terminids for the glory of Super Earth. Helldivers are equipped with a multitude of weapons, heavy support, and orbital barrages that can help turn the tide of any encounter.

Despite now having a Paradox Pokémon for all but one type, it is better not to dwell too much on why this type was excluded. Paradox Pokémon are a welcome and interesting addition to the series, showing players how certain Pokémon would look in the past or future. Even though they will likely be left behind when the next generation comes around, their presence in the series won't be forgotten. However, this begs the question of why one specific type was left out, even if its answer is simple.

Given the limitations of base size in , players should take advantage of this newly found farm placement trick while they still can. Farm plots are a crucial part of the game regarding getting high-quality food and Cake for breeding. Despite their usefulness, farm plots are rather large and can take up an immense part of the base. Even when players get the opportunity to establish more bases, other buildings/needs should take priority over farming, leaving players in a tough situation.

Despite how easy it can be to craft ammo in , there is an easier way to acquire ammo that prevents players from wasting hordes of metal. Guns became the ultimate fantasy for players in the creature-collecting genre, with being one of the first to do it correctly. Along with the other mechanics blended in, the simple but enjoyable gunplay has helped propel into one of the most successful game launches in history. This successful launch has already created a roadmap of future content planned for the next year of early access.

With having as large of a map as it does, it is important to know what mounts are fastest for travel. Other ways of moving across the map besides mounts would be by foot, grappling gun, and gliding, but each has drawbacks or niche situations where mounts are the better option. Players running and gliding lose stamina too fast to be efficient, whereas the grappling gun is best for climbing peaks too steep to walk up.

is the newest creature collector to hit the gaming scene, and while it may not be outright competing with the ever-popular , the comparisons of how the games are better or worse are apparent. When simplified, the only real connection between the two is creature-collecting, but with having a strong hold on the genre, has a steep hill to climb. It has propelled itself up said hill so far by selling over five million copies of the game in only three days of being out.

's seven elements are crucial parts of the game, and although each contributes to gameplay in its own way, there is a hierarchy to them. The seven multi-faceted elements affect numerous parts of the combat and exploration systems, and are some of the first things players should learn to master. Doing so unlocks new opportunities in combat and exploration, making much easier than it would be otherwise. While learning how each element works alone is essential, it is equally so to understand the reactions and interactions they share with each other.

brings players into a massive prehistoric survival game with many terrific tameable creatures, but some are much cooler and more useful than their cohorts. The ability to tame creatures allows for unique experiences with animals that humans will likely never see again, making the harsh game worldeasier to manage. Most creatures in can be tamed, with the trade-off of more effort being required the stronger they are.