Games Reviews News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Grand Theft Auto 6 has been unveiled and it looks amazing. But as is standard, it’s led to a standard reaction in some of the more reactionary parts of the internet. So let’s put it to rest right here: the Series S will play GTA6 just fine.

As a longtime fan of board games, it was shocking to me that I’d never played something from Arcane Wonders. My eyes were opened to all the fantastic games they have on offer at GenCon 2023, and over the past few weeks I’ve been making my way through their catalogue? Here are my two favourite titles from Arcane Wonder as of writing!

The words affordable and board game table are likely things you never expected to be in the same sentence. Even if you wanted one of the impressive Game Toppers for your standard table, you were still going to spend over 1000 dollars for a 3×5 table. Most tables today are in the range of 2000-3000 dollars, and that’s before you pay to ship a product weighing hundreds of pounds.

With 2024 rapidly approaching, we ask what seems like an easily answerable question. Is it worth getting a new PC in 2024? Well, yes, it is.

A new year, and another look at the state of PlayStation. And it’s an interesting one. PlayStation stand on the edge of massive changes, and whether you should buy depends entirely on your use case.

As we end what was supposed to be Microsoft’s first big Xbox year in a while, there are questions (some fairly trolly) about the future of the brand. And besides that, the green team are making it easier than ever to play their games without needing to buy a console. So should you buy their box?

It’s the end of the year. People are starting to think about Christmas gifts. And high on the list of many a family will be a Nintendo Switch. But is it actually worth it?

Marvel Crisis Protocol is years into development, with tons of expansions being released after the original core set was launched. In October, Atomic Mass Games re-released the original core set with new sculpts for minis, new command cards, new leadership abilities, and more. This is great for bringing new players into the game, but by changing what was included in the box (although it mimics the original) allows longtime players to get new content as well.

I’ve been playing Star Wars: Shatterpoint since day one – in fact, we have been reviewing each and every box released since the game’s inception. I’m not a huge fan of tabletop gaming, and even though my father-in-law and kids attend a few big ones each year here in Ontario, I tend to sit on the side and just watch – it’s not my scene. Shatterpoint, however, is something I’ve grown to love, but the experience needs a boost and that boost is coming soon!

If you know me then you know that I dislike the Bullet-hell genre. Yet, the last game I played that had Bullet-hell elements was The Knight Witch, and I fell in love with that game (which by the way, if you have not played yet, I highly recommend you do so). Fast-forward to today, I needed a game to scratch that itch of a Metroidvania and bullet-hell in one, and TEVI didn’t disappoint me.

Throughout our childhood we often read books about folktale stories such as The Three Little Pigs or Red Riding Hood, but how often do we hear these kinds of stories in video games? I had the chance to play and check out a game from Publisher Astragon Entertainment developed by Mi’pu’mi Games Howl a puzzle tactical strategy game that is filled with beautiful vibrant watercolor art style and storytelling. This is a game that surprised me, because of the puzzle concept that was mixed with strategy elements and with a unique art style called “Living Ink”.

If you are the parent of any little kid now a days, you have NO DOUBT heard of, seen, and have your house littered with dozens of L.O.L. Surprise Balls. Well just in time for the holiday season they have released L.O.L. Surprise! Roller Dreams Racing on Nintendo Switch, a cleaner and easier to manage way to play with L.O.L. Dolls.

It’s that time of the year where I start thinking about Christmas guides. And man, 2023 has been something special.

Over the past few years, Asmodee around the globe has been buying up smaller companies and putting all those titles under their grand banner. To many, Asmodee is the Disney of the board game world, and rightfully so. They own a ton of properties, win dozens of awards each year, and continue to push high quality games out to market. As we head into this holiday season, here are a few of the more recent games from Asmodee that we think you should consider for those board game loving folks on your list! Plus, see how you can enter to win an Asmodee Prize Pack as the bottom of this article!

The Last of Us Part II is getting a ‘remaster’ for PlayStation 5. At the ridiculously old age of three, it really is overdue. I mean, it’s basically unplayable at this point.

As we get ready to celebrate the busiest shopping time of the year, we always like to give you some of our favorite stuff to consider for your special someone’s or maybe even something to treat yourself with. In this article we will feature some highlights from 2K Games in our 2K holiday gift guide.

Entering the world of darkness, escaping from reality into a fairy tale book, Kingdom Shell brings its players something magical that’s beyond one’s imagination.  Inspired by games such as Momodora Reverie Under the Moonlight and Rygar on the Nes, this 2D pixelated fantasy Metroidvania brings us to the beginning chapters of once upon a time and shows us that originality can be put into a video game. You shouldn’t miss out on this game developed and published by Cup of Pixels.

One of our staff favorites over the past few years Two Point Campus has launched a new bundle perfect for the simulation fan in your family just in time for the holidays!

Tis the season as we all know. My house began decorating right after Halloweens, xmas music on a loop while I work. But as always we here at GamesReviews.com want to try and help make your holiday shopping just a little easier. Few toy products have had the staying power of Lego, and if you are anything like me, I am always looking for the next great build to add to my collection (currently working on my christmas village). But if you need some ideas for gift giving, these ideas are all great for any age, look fantastic, and won’t break the bank either!

Monster Hunter World: The Board Games comes in a really big box, regardless of whether you get the Wildspire Waste set or the Ancient Forest Set. Each has its own unique fighters and monsters, but the core concepts remain the same. I’ve had the chance to begin my ‘campaign’ to play each of these games, and have come away quite impressed. Video games adapted to board games don’t always go as planned – this one does, and captures the essence of the video game magnificently!

I absolutely love unboxing a brand new board game, even when I know what components are going to be inside. Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is something else, with so many great components inside, and one small issue. Let’s take a look at what you get from Monster Hunter World: Wildspire Waste and Monster Hunter World: Ancient Forest!

I can’t be the only person getting tired of hearing about all these live service games. Call me selfish, but I really wish it’d just stop.

Over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft Rewards have been slowly being nerfed. Users are getting less points, which is making it harder to maintain the level of bonuses they were used to.

Imagine a game where you will have to build an Ark to move to a safer location however time is against you as the water level continues to rise, and you are running out of resources slowly as the lands slowly sink. Forever Entertainment gave us this opportunity in Flooded which is now available on Nintendo Switch.

I’ve played Ticket to Ride with my wife on numerous occasions, and I’ve never felt that Ticket to Ride was a good two-player game. The small box games, like Ticket to Ride Berlin and Ticket to Ride Amsterdam are great with two, but the larger games just don’t work as well, especially if someone is on one side of the board, and the other person on the other.

I was overly critical of Harvest Moon: One World, and for good reason. Many things about that game bothered me, but the most egregious of them all was the laziness in development. I was shocked that instead of naming characters, they used descriptions to describe people, such as the “Busy Man.” It was lazy development, and that laziness seemed to trickle down and permeate almost all aspects of the game.

I’ve been playing board games for well over a decade now, and have amassed a huge collection of games. Add to that the access to games I have because of my gaming group, and I’ve had the privilege of playing hundreds of games. Cooperative games have always been something I enjoy, so in this article we will look at my top 3 cooperative board games.

Many regard Super Mario RPG as one of the best Mario games of all time, and specifically the best Mario RPG title (although I’d still put The Thousand Year Door ahead of this)! With the game fully enhanced for the Nintendo Switch, it’s time to look at whether or not it is worth picking up.

The year is almost over and I have to say there have been many great headsets both wired and wireless, however, I have to say the RIG 900 Max HX from Nacon RIG will have to be my favorite headset of 2023, and this is a must headset for all gamers. Here is a short description of what the RIG 900 Max HX has to offer to us:

Growing up, my family never did advent calendars so the thought of getting a little gift each day leading to Christmas day was foreign to me. I think perhaps over the past 30 years, more and more people have begun getting into the holiday spirit with an advent calendar. They range from calendars that have chocolates or candies, to calendars with books, calendars with toys, and yes even calendars with LEGO. In this article we will look at three different advent calendars for 2023 themed around LEGO City, LEGO Harry Potter, and LEGO Star Wars!

Australia’s top eSports exponents have been handed a major boost after Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz confirmed his country will host an annual World Cup event.

It all began with Jacob Marley. We all remember that Jacob Marley was put in chains for being materialistic and greedy. Well, what if other ghosts existed that were also punished in the same way? What if there were many ghosts in London and all had their own punishments? Well, Orbit Studio used this idea and created something extraordinary.  

There are few things in gaming that are absolutely sacred, but one of those things is modding. It is an inalienable right, as Bethesda found when they started considering paid modding. Capcom, apparently, didn’t hear this message.

Most people probably know Matthew Perry as the ever-popular Chandler Bing in the more ever-popular Friends. And yet gamers know him as a fan of Fallout and as the voice of Benny in New Vegas.

I understand I’m living in a different environment than most hardcore board game players. Before GamesReviews became as popular as it has, and before our board game footage began performing so well, everything we did here on the site was paid for out of pocket.

Star Ocean The Second Story R will be out on November 2nd, 2023. Its coming to the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5.

Born of Bread will release on December 5th, 2023. There is a demo available on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series. I checked out the demo on the Xbox Series and wrote about here. I also played the one on the Switch and liked it even more than the one Xbox Series!

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is out today for the Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.

I haven’t spoken much about the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, despite the fact that it’s MGS and I’m a huge fan. I’ve been cautiously awaiting impressions to know what to make of it. I don’t want another GTA set.

Since the Activision merger was announced in January last year, it’s been all we’ve talked about. No gaming news has quite lived up to this giant behemoth, edging ever more closely to the finish line. And it probably never will again.

Fantasy Flight Games is one of my favourite board game publishers, publishing great games like Descent: Legends of the Dark and Lord of the Rings: Journey’s in Middle Earth. Many folks have gotten their hands on Star Wars Unlimited, the newest trading card game from Fantasy Flight Games, but a release date wasn’t available. Until now.

It’s a headline that I didn’t think would take me the best part of two years to write… but the Microsoft Activision merger looks likely to close this week.

There is a brand new Nightmare Before Christmas game available at retail this October, and our friends at Asmodee Canada and Mixlore were kind enough to send over the game a bit early. We’ve already played a few games and have enjoyed it immensely, but while we wait for that first impressions article, let’s take a look at what comes in the box!

My most anticipated game for this year is almost here with Spider-Man 2, and to help celebrate the launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment is proud to debut and share its new cinematic spot for the latest adventure in the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, will face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love.

Google has been delivering high-end technology around AI for a while now and been putting it into people’s hands with their Pixel lineup. With the original Pixel Watch, they began expanding the capabilities of their software with a brand new hardware line. This year, improvements are coming to that new hardware line, with the Pixel Watch 2.

It’s another year, which means another line-up of Pixel phones. Last year, I think Google really went conservative on the various phone features and released a phone that wasn’t willing – and rightfully so in my opinion – to compete with the biggest and best on the market. This year we are seeing a slight price increase on both phones, but also a host of brand new features. Let’s take a look at what Google is promising with the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro!

Canopy Evergreen is a really cool card drafting and set collection experience where you will be planting and growing trees on your own personal board. The experience and components look fantastic, so we were instantly intrigued! We asked designer Tim Eisner a few questions about the game, check them out below! You can check Canopy Evergreen kickstarter page as well for additional details.

Hellboy Web of Wyrd has been delayed for two weeks. The game will now be released on October 18th, 2023. The developers did this so that they could make sure that the game is released everywhere at once.

I was one of the first to download, but something about Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis just hasn’t clicked. 

Have you ever been lost in a song so deeply that you’re transported into another world, a preferred nature spot, or just find peace within the colors and shapes of a painting? Faerie Afterlight has done this for me. Created by the developers, Clay Game Studios, this Indonesian influenced game, with lovely music, folk art and beautiful visuals transported me into what might be the coziest and most chill Metroidvania I have played since both Ori games.

A few years ago, we received some of Playmobil’s 1.2.3 lineup of toys. These toys were aimed at children ages 1 – 3, and our son had a blast using the small water park we received. The 1.2.3 sets tend to be a big chunkier than standard Playmobil, and include characters with less articulation and accessories.

A few months ago I attended an expo in Toronto that was primarily for distributors to connect with stores for purchasing products. As a lone media member invited, I was given the same access as these stores received, even going behind the curtain to look at a few games. After looking at Disney Dixit I was given a brief look at an upcoming game called Spellbook. Honestly, while the presentation and the explanation of the game was top notch, the concept seemed a bit dull to me. How would a game about making spells be fun?

Get ready to immerse yourself in a world where technology meets lifestyle, as Blacklyte brilliantly combines the realms of work and play like never before. Their vision is to empower you with a lifestyle that’s not just smart, but truly extraordinary! 

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) revealed the official soundtrack of EA SPORTS FC™ 24, defining a new era with the sounds of The World’s Game. The soundtrack features songs from a global list of artists, both beloved and upcoming, that will inspire players throughout EA SPORTS FC 24.

,I’ve made no secret about my love for Final Fantasy VII. The remake was a long-awaited treasure, and this week’s trailer for its sequel, Rebirth, made me pre-order immediately. It will be a masterpiece.

Game engines aren’t supposed to cause major problems for their users. Usually when they do, it’s accidental. This week Unity bucked that trend.

Robot Quest is a 2-4 player deck-building board game of robot battles! Your battery cards give you the energy to move, power your weapons, and buy powerful new cards for your deck. Navigate around the hazards of the arena, and blast your opponents to score points. Destroyed bots respawn each round, so you’re never out of the action! Alliances are made and broken! The robot pilot with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Luke and Leia

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a remake of the original Wizardry PC game. Digital Eclipse, who did the Atari 50 and TMNT collections, is behind this game. And it looks completely amazing.

With major stock woes plaguing the popularity of Disney Lorcana, Ravensburger is pushing forward with their plans to release Chapter 2 of the highly collectible trading card game title, Rise of the Floodborn. Brand new starter decks, deck boxes, sleeves, and mats, here is hoping the Chapter 2 launch of Disney Lorcana goes smoother than Chapter 1, and that Ravensburger plans to do something about Local Game Stores (LGS) selling at ridiculous prices.

Last night, my father-in-law, my wife and a friend sat down at the table to play Life of the Amazonia, the latest game successfully Kickstarted by Bad Comet Games. “’Life of the Amazonia’ is a medium-weight strategic meeple placing game that combines bag building and pattern building.

Disney Lorcana had it’s final launch last week Friday, so it’s been a week since the game has been available at both Local Game Stores (LGS) and big box stores like Walmart, Target, and GameStop. What we know is that Ravensburger has said they would print Disney Lorcana to meet demand.

It seems for a while everybody had settled on the idea that Game Pass wasn’t some kind of weird space/time hack. It works, it’s profitable and it’s popular. Then Starfield came along and broke everybody’s minds all over again.

Bad Comet Games has made one of my top 5 animal games of all time in Wild: Serengeti (soon to be renamed Life of the Serengeti). When I saw they were releasing another animal game through Kickstarter, I reached out to see if there was a chance we could review the game.

Dragon Quest Monstes: The Dark Prince is now available for pre-order on the Nintendo Switch! The game comes out on December 1st. There are two versions of the game available for pre-order: the regular version and the Digital Deluxe Edition.

Within 24 hours, critics across the world will be sharing their thoughts on Starfield. And it’s clear that they have something pretty special in their hands.

In a move no one wanted, Sony announced they were increasing the cost of all three tiers of Playstation Plus, despite not announcing any additional benefits to the program than what we currently enjoy. The rates will take effect for all users upon renewal of their current subscription. So hopefully you all have stacked up, or can wait until you see a good sale.

It’s another month, so we have another batch of “free” games for Playstation Plus Subscribers.

It’s almost time to lace up your skates and do your best FLYING V! Time for your best knuckle pucks and triple dekes! QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK, while I am still waiting for EA to pump out a Mighty Ducks Edition or DLC for NHL 24, they haven’t announced it yet, but they did announce some stuff today ahead of NHL 24’s release this October.

Born of Bread will be coming to the Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series, and PC this Fall! Its been delayed a little so that the developer can polish the game more. This game looks incredible and I’m glad they are taking the extra time to make sure its awesome. And its still coming out this year! Excellent.

With a tantalisingly small amount of time left until Starfield is in our grubby little mitts, it’s a good idea to take a look at an extremely helpful but often overlooked Xbox feature.

I know, I know – I can already hear the comments. But bear with me, because I really do believe it’s true. Final Fantasy 16 is the ultimate Final Fantasy experience. And I think it’s only going to get better from here.

Because the Switch has so much excess processing power, Nintendo has approved “gaming security solution” Denuvo to appear on the console.

Because the Switch has so much excess processing power, Nintendo has approved “gaming security solution” Denuvo to appear on the console.

In what will hopefully be the final surprise twist in the wild Activision/Microsoft Merger – Ubisoft will control the cloud rights to Activision Blizzard games for the next 15 years.

We live in a world where we get so many different varieties of video games, one genre that has been on the rise in popularity in the past years is Metroridvania. And we are close to the release date of one of the most popular Metroidvanias that many fans enjoy playing, and that is Blasphemous IIwhich is published by Team 17 and developed by The Game Kitchen. The first Blasphemous was released back in 2019 and even now it is still one of the most positive and popular Metroidvania games.

When the original Fallout came out in 1997, I was not even close to being able to play it. And multiple attempts in the years since have proven fruitless.

GenCon 2023 has come and gone, but one of the highlights of my weekend was interviewing Disney Lorcana designer Ryan Miller. During our 20 minute interview, Ryan and I chatted about how Lorcana came to be, some of his favourite cards, and what the actual targeted demographic was for the game (hint, it wasn’t kids!)

Our good friends at Ravensburger North America sent over the Lord of the Rings: Adventure Book Game while I was away at GenCon, and of course my son Lochlan hopped into it as soon as he could. Let’s take a quick look at how the game plays, and provide some thoughts on the experience as a whole!

The original Red Dead Redemption is making its return – and I kind of wish it wasn’t.