Review News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

From the moment Hi-Fi Rush launched on Xbox last year, I’ve been singing its praises to anyone who will listen, begging them to give one of my all-time favourites the chance it deserves.

Respawn's Apex Legends has suffered a significant RCE (remote code execution) exploit that was used maliciously to inject cheats in the machines of streamers who were participating in the Apex Legends Global Series tournament.

The first stage of Cities: Skylines 2‘s long-awaited in-game modding support launches on March 25 alongside its first post-launch asset pack, called Beach Properties.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Feral Druid guide writer, Guiltyas, offers an early review of the Wildstalker Druid Hero Talents that despite being relatively inoffensive fail to deliver nuanced gameplay or core themes inherent to Feral and Restoration.

This week the big question has been just what the hell Warner Bros. have managed to do with the Arkham/Batman franchise after the unsurprising failure of Suicide Squad to revive the series’ fortunes. For the record, Suicide Squad is well worth playing just to experience the storyline and the characters, but as a long-term live-service game it leaves a lot to be desired. It’s clear that live service is no longer the golden goose the industry thought it was, and with more games battling for our multiplayer hours, including a batch of thoroughly great free-to-play titles, the outlook has to change. Hopefully it’s in the player’s interests, rather than in the shareholders’.

Office ergonomics became a really important factor when everyone started work from home during the pandemic. Even the most careless people I knew invested in laptop risers or stands and wireless mice (along with basic keyboards) to reduce neck strain. And since many of us are still working remotely or from home, we often seek the best possible hardware to make our work lives a lot easier. And this is not just limited to your desk and chair, but extends to what's on your desk as well. There are several types of ergonomic mice available, and even several regular ergonomic keyboards. Most of these go with a bulge or a wave in the centre with the typical scissor switches and the usual key layout, which does not require one to relearn finger positioning making them quite easy to use and adapt.

Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a certain satisfaction that comes from the Tetris-like puzzle of inventory management in some games – hell, a whole game based around that idea, Save Room, became its own hit. Meanwhile the autobattler genre that has exploded in recent years hits similar notes, providing the joy of seeing your planning and preparation pay off in PvP. The bite-sized indie joint Backpack Battles combines these two ideas, pitting your organizational skills and wits in creating RPG-like character builds against others in fast-paced one-on-one matches. After a dozen hours with its Early Access release, I've seen the seeds of something great in that concept, with the potential to grow into something unique and impressive. But as it stands now, Backpack Battles is light on content and variety – it's very much an Early Access game, with an emphasis on early.

Your World of Warcraft® account is precious! Unfortunately, scoundrels and thieves out there will try to take it from you and cause significant damage to the progress you've made with your characters.

Now available at a discounted price is the much-loved independent video game Machinarium. There is a limited time offer where you can get this peculiar experience for just $1.99, which is a discount of more than 70 percent off the regular price which is $6.99.

There’s a huge amount of nostalgia for classic side-scrolling platformers like Mega Man X and Sonic, but that means there’s also countless games that have struggled to capture that same energy and appeal. I was worried Berserk Boy would be another one of those, but despite wearing it’s Mega Man X influences on it’s sleeve, there’s more to this game than meets the eye, and it’s easily one of the most impressive platformers I’ve played in recent memory.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection developer Aspyr has released a statement acknowledging the major issues that the game collection has been facing since it launched yesterday, promising that improvements to network stability are on the way. 

Aspyr has acknowledged the issues with Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection's launch, pinning them on "critical errors" with its network infrastructure. While it works on a fix, it thanks players for their overwhelming support and feedback - even while the game falls to "Overwhelmingly Negative" reviews on Steam.

It’s been nearly six months since I originally wrote my Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme review, and the device has changed drastically in that time. It’s still a compelling device that easily beats the Steam Deck in raw performance, but a slew of strange updates has left the ROG Ally in a strange spot compared to the Steam Deck.

Saturday, March 16 has some brand new for us to solve, and fans of the word guessing game shouldn't have too much trouble with today's groupings. One of the more enjoyable things about is that it fits into almost every difficulty when it comes to these once-a-day games. It never feels like the same challenge day-to-day, sometimes answers reveal themselves immediately and other times you spend 20 minutes staring at the same grid of words afraid to lose that last attempt.

Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform aiming to rival existing giants like billionaire Elon Musk-owned X, has unveiled Ozone, a groundbreaking tool designed to empower users with unprecedented control over content moderation. Ozone enables individuals and teams to collaboratively review and label content on the network, thereby enhancing the user experience by allowing for tailored moderation services.

Localthunk, the enigmatic creator behind the new poker-themed deckbuilder Balatro, had no idea the game would be successful until the day before it launched.

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection has launched to mostly negative reviews on Steam, after players reported bugs, crashes, and significant server issues.

Now that Star Wars Battlefront: Classic Collection is out, it shouldn't come as a massive surprise that players are flocking into the servers on the promise of 64-player galactic battles.

The two best controllers I've reviewed in the last year are the Victrix Pro BFG, and the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless. You can imagine my surprise, then, when I learned this morning that the parent brands of both of those gamepads would be joining forces. 

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Balance Druid guide writer, Tettles, offers an early review of the Elune's Chosen Druid Hero Talents highlighting the additional burst potential and exceptional theme that builds on the Balance foundation.

The highly anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection has finally been released across PC and consoles, although much to the disappointment of the fanbase, it's gotten off to a rather rough start. Namely, those trying to get stuck into the multiplayer modes as the collection launched have faced some massive issues, mainly thanks to an enormous lack of servers available to choose from. 

The villains of a galaxy far, far away are just as iconic as its heroes, and it seems like the folks over at Ravensburger agree with the latest expansion to Star Wars Villainous. 

Star Wars: Battlefront: Classic Collection has launched to "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam due to server issues, lag, bugs, and content from the original games somehow being messed up.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Retribution Paladin guide writer, Bolas, offers an early review of the Templar Paladin Hero Talents highlighting the exceptional theme of raining hammers from the sky but raising tuning concerns about Templar and Herald of the Sun.

After spending six hours with Tribes 3: Rivals at its early access release, I could really get used to skiing around at 200 miles per hour while firing a grenade launcher at weaklings with no mind for speed. Channeling all of the silliness and style the series is known for, this lethal game of capture the flag is packed with moments of satisfying exhilaration and devastating defeat, and it largely nails everything I’ve loved about the Tribes games of yore. The trouble is that it only takes a matter of minutes to see all the maps and try out all the classes and weapons currently available, with no alternate game modes or other distractions beyond an extremely long and demanding ranked skill grind for those truly dedicated to their deadly craft. I fear Tribes 3 may be fated to fizzle out as quickly as some of its predecessors due to that lack of longevity, but the potential here is at least clear from moment one – I’m still excited to play more before I put a final score on this review, even if there’s already little left for me to see.

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware recently announced details on the game’s highly anticipated expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. This meaty new addition to the role-playing game’s already massive open world will arrive this June, letting players visit an unexplored region known as the Land of Shadow. Like FromSoftware’s past expansions, expect challenging new bosses to battle and powerful new weapons and abilities to wield.

Insomniac Games has released Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 update 1.002.002 on PS5. Now available to download, don’t expect this latest patch to introduce any new major content or features.

Persona 3 Reload publisher Atlus will not release the controversial Episode Aigis expansion by itself, meaning players have to buy it through the $35 expansion pass.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Outlaw Rogue guide writer, JustGuy, offers an early review of the Trickster Rogue Hero Talents continuing to address controversial decision to repurpose the defensive Feint for damage while not landing on a clear class fantasy.

Lypertex X Headphone Zone PurePlay Z3 Review: The true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds market in India has a boatload of options for every need and budget. Doesn't matter if you're looking to buy earbuds for a gaming experience that requires low latency and clear mics, or purely for the auditory experience, there is an ocean of TWS earbuds that you can go for. That said, it can be tricky when looking for the perfect earbuds for you. Most of the budget TWS earbuds come with flashy LED lights, which although look pleasing to the eye, do not do anything for the mediocre listening experience they provide. In a saturated TWS market, brands such as Oppo and OnePlus have made quite a name for offering the best listening experience and a wide range of features, all under Rs. 6000.

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s new action movie The Fall Guy has been winning over critics after its premiere at SXSW Film Festival.

Grandia HD Collection is going to be getting released for PS4 and Xbox One on March 26th, GungHo has announced today. The collection, which has been available on Switch and PC, includes Grandia HD and Grandia II HD, but no Grandia III or Grandia Xtreme. You can see the announcement trailer for Grandia HD Collection below.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Devastation Evoker guide writer, Preheat, offers an early review of the Scalecommander Evoker Hero Talents highlighting the straightforward tree with interesting talent interactions. With some small adjustments to the baseline talent trees and a bit more utility, Scalecommander could be a powerhouse.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Arms Warrior guide writer, Archimtiros, offers an early review of the Colossus Warrior Hero Talents addressing how the new Demolish ability offers the potential for significant damage at the cost of interrupting the rotation and restricting movement. Can the gambit pay off in a mostly passive tree?

Developer Starbreeze has booted its CEO Tobias Sjögren, as Payday 3 continues to disappoint. Sjögren will be immediately replaced by interim CEO Juergen Goeldner, with the company's chairman saying that it needs "a different leadership".

After numerous delays, the anticipated System Shock remake launched on PC to solid reviews and enthusiastic fan response early last year, but when do console players get in on the retro cyberpunk fun? Developer Nightdive Studios have always said a console version of the new System Shock was in the works (which sets it apart from the PC-only original) but have been a bit cagey about when it might arrive.

Grandia HD Collection is going to be getting released for PS4 and Xbox One on March 26th, GungHo has announced today. The collection, which has been available on Switch and PC, includes Grandia HD and Grandia II HD, but no Grandia III or Grandia Xtreme. You can see the announcement trailer for Grandia HD Collection below.

As F1 continues to ride high on the heady fumes of Drive to Survive, New Star GP is cannily set to draft effortlessly behind it. Bringing a retro-inspired take on the sport that focuses on the same crowd-pleasing action we’ve seen from the studio’s previous sports titles like the stunning Retro Bowl, New Star GP allows players to take their team through multiple decades of Formula 1 racing.

VR might occasionally push you to stand up, and even occasionally flail your arms about, but generally speaking, gaming is done while seated. The sedentary gamer can often sink into a sofa for hours upon end, but your hip, back and neck aren’t going to thank you for it twenty years later. What you need is a chair, but in gaming circles, not just any chair will do. While there’s plenty of options out there, with faux leather and logos emblazoned across them, these are the Ford Focus’ of the gaming sphere, when what you’re really looking for is a Tesla. The Sihoo Doro S300 is a thoroughly modern take on the gaming/office chair, and it’s also the most comfortable one I’ve ever tested.

Peripheral maker GameSir has unveiled a new mobile controller for Android and iPhone 15 phones, and it looks to channel something of the spirit of the Nintendo 2DS in its design.

Persona 3 Reload players have taken to Steam to express frustration at Atlus announcing a $35 expansion pass one month after promising the game is a "complete experience".

Persona 3 Reload players are review-bombing the new Expansion Pass for the JRPG on Steam after it was revealed that the pass will cost $35.

Gaming chair manufacturer Secretlab has today revealed the Secretlab Titan Evo Monster Hunter Fatalis Edition, a new special edition Titan Evo chair with a design inspired by Fatalis — the fearsome black dragon of the Monster Hunter game series.

Contra has had a rough time of it over the last few years. Once heralded as the greatest of all the run ‘n’ guns, the series started to fall apart in the noughties and hit rock bottom with the critically panned Contra: Rogue Corps in 2019. Now, in the safe hands of the side-scroller maestros at WayForward, can Contra: Operation Galuga reclaim the battered franchise’s once-adoring fanbase?

Three years after its release on Nintendo Switch and PC, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is headed to PlayStation... 4. Capcom announced that the turn-based spin-off of the popular monster hunting series will be releasing on PlayStation's previous-gen console, leaving PS5 owners to play it through the console's backwards compatibility features.

This excellent deal is back! Amazon is offering the powerful and high capacity Anker PowerCore 737 24,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $90, a massive 40% price drop from its original $150 MSRP. This is close to the highest capacity power bank you're allowed to bring on airplane carry-on, and it also boasts an absolutely massive 140W of USB power delivery to charge even the hungriest MacBook Pro.

Manic Mechanics wears its influences as clearly as a mechanic’s boiler suit is splattered with engine oil and brake fluid. This is Overcooked!, only instead of preparing a multitude of meals for ravenous punters, you are instead tasked with fixing up a never-ending string of banged-up cars.

We got to sit down with South Park co-creator Matt Stone and South Park: Snow Day! writer Jameel Saleem to play South Park: Snow Day!, the new 3D four-player roguelike that's coming out for PC and consoles on March 26 for $29.99.

After much speculation, Warner Bros. announced today that its free-to-play platform fighting game MultiVersus is officially launching on May 28.

If you've been saving your money up for a high-end gaming PC, I have some news you should know about.

It's weird that Konami has taken this long to ship Contra: Operation Galuga, which is the classic Contra game fans have been asking for. After the damp turd that was 2019's Contra: Rogue Corps, the publisher handed the reins back to WayForward, the team behind 2008's Contra 4. Turns out that's all that was needed to get a great Contra game, since this latest effort nails what made the original run-'n'-gun experience so infectious in the first place.

What new PS5 and PS4 games are releasing in physical retailers and as part of the PS Store update this week? The biggest title to pay attention to this time is Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection. Click through the links for a full list of all new PS5 games release dates in 2024, all new PSVR2 games release dates in 2024, and all new PS4 games release dates in 2024.

The Trophy list for soon-to-release PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin is now showing up on Sony's servers. There are 51 digital trinkets to collect, and after a brief analysis, we're pretty sure that unlocking the Platinum Trophy won't be a walk in the park.

The second game in Square Enix's new Final Fantasy 7 trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been out for just over a week on PS5 — and we want to know what you make of this highly praised sequel. At the time of writing, Rebirth is one of the highest rated Final Fantasy titles ever released (according to critics), so we're super interested in seeing how it ranks in our own games database.

Vanillaware doesn't miss. We've been spouting that line for ages, but with the arrival of Unicorn Overlord, it rings truer than ever before. Following up on the superb 13 Sentinels was never going to be easy, but the Japanese studio has somehow manged to produce an equally excellent game three years later — and it's not even in the same genre.

Interior Night has taken pages from the books of Don't Nod, Supermassive, Telltale, and Quantic Dream to craft a choice-driven character drama with As Dusk Falls. The game's stylistic flourishes take time to acclimatise to, but it provides a unique tone and perspective that still stand out in a genre that’s becoming increasingly crowded.

The success of Helldivers 2 continues unabated. Even yesterday, the third-person cooperative sci-fi shooter game nearly reached its historical peak of 450K concurrent online users on Steam. The user reception on Valve's store has meaningfully improved compared to launch, too, leaping from the original 67% 'Mixed' review rating to the current 81% 'Very Positive' review rating.

This past week, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Protection Paladin guide writer, Lincoln, offers an early review of the Templar Paladin Hero Talents applauding the interactive gameplay hooks and minimal filler but raises concerns about how Templar could restrict the talent choices in the baseline trees without adjustments.

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman was cleared of any wrongdoing that would have mandated being fired from the company late last year, according to a report based on a monthslong investigation into the events leading up to his brief ouster.

Nightingale was poised to become one of the more interesting and unique survival games released in 2024, but two weeks from launch, it's not doing great. User reviews on Steam are currently sitting at Mixed, and the game's player base has been slowly dwindling ever since launch, with a peak player count of a little over 10,000 compared to the game's all-time peak of just over 47,000 it racked up at launch a couple of weeks ago.

Final Fantasy 7 writer Kazushige Nojima says he "regretted" how Aerith and Tifa's relationship was handled in the original JRPG, and therefore saw Remake and now Rebirth as opportunities to make good on the friendship he envisioned all those years ago.

This past week, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Warlock guide writer, Kalamazi, offers an early review of the Diabolist Warlock Hero Talents for Destruction which despite its heavier Demonology feel still has a lot of firepower baked in for Destruction.

It has been a couple of weeks since I wrote my Last Epoch Review in Progress, and boy has it been a wild ride. My first impression of Last Epoch was that it felt similar to other top ARPGs but had the potential to rise to the top of the genre. You’ll have to read on to find out if Last Epoch actually lived up to that potential. Welcome to our Last Epoch Final Review.

The Sims 4 is referencing Final Fantasy XIV yet again with a nod to the Crystal Exarch a beloved character from FFXIV’s Shadowbringers expansion.

After years of delay, the sequel to Ben Affleck’s 2016 action thriller The Accountant is finally back on track, moving to a new studio and confirming its cast.

Don’t buy the new MSI Claw handheld, at least not yet. After being announced in January, MSI confirmed that its Windows-based handheld gaming PC would launch on March 8 through the official MSI store — today, if you’re reading this article the day it’s published. It says units will start shipping on March 12, with retailers selling them by March 15. MSI has confirmed that there won’t be any reviews for the handheld in the near future, unless a media outlet happens to get their hands on what is described as a “very limited” initial run.

Immortals of Aveum launched with mixed critical reviews and went on to be a financial flop.

The Helldivers 2 mechs can seemingly be found and operated in-game right now, despite the fact that their construction planet hasn't been liberated.

This past week, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Guardian Druid guide writer, Pumps, offers an early review of the Elune's Chosen Druid Hero Talents for Guardian detailing the strong lunar fantasy that builds well into the Guardian kit but also contains a fair amount of filler talents which don't feel incredibly heroic.

Berserk Boy is an obvious love letter to a wide swathe of the biggest 2D action games of the '90s, but it's not just a derivative throwback. Take the relentless speed of Sonic, the Saturday morning sci-fi vibes of Mega Man, and add in just a dash of Super Metroid and you've got the makings of a very special little platformer.

As part of our effort to make Battle.net more welcoming to more players, we routinely review which currencies we support and what new ones we should add. This can make submitting payments less difficult and may help reduce or eliminate fees you pay to your card issuer for foreign currency transactions.

Developer Tiny Trinket Games hasjust released its new CRPG, Zoria: Age of Shattering. Having played many CRPGs and, more recently, the phenomenal games released in this genre over the past few years, I was looking forward to dipping into another similar title. Unfortunately, many may have preconceptions similar to mine when initially looking at picking up Zoria: Age of Shattering. This may be setting the expectations for the game at an unfair level. Let’s look at what works, what’s lacking, and what is fun.     

It seems that we'll have to wait a while longer before we can expect mechs to be added to Helldivers 2, as developer Arrowhead Game Studios has declared the factory planet Tien Kwan to be under attack.

Fans of the sewer dwelling heroes in a half-shell have dined as well as Leonardo on an entire pepperoni pizza (with stuffed crust, of course) of late, but there’s a wave of more Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles news to feast on as details of yet another game, Mutants Unleashed, have been revealed.

This past week, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Subtlety Rogue guide writer, fuu1, offers an early review of the Trickster Rogue Hero Talents for Subtlety addressing the controversial decision to repurpose the defensive Feint for damage while still not delivering on the deceptive class fantasy.