Game Informer

Game Informer

Top 10 Co-Op Games To Play Right Now

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:00 PM PST

Local co-op might've taken a nosedive in recent years, but multiplayer is still an intrinsic quality of some of the game community's most popular genres, namely shooters and action/adventure. We want to take the time to highlight some of the best cooperative titles out right now, from wacky platformers to CRPGs. Here are ten games that you and your core group of friends shouldn't ignore.

It Takes Two

2 Players – PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

It Takes Two is an imaginative case study on heavy topics like divorce and emotional trauma. As wooden/clay miniatures of parents Cody and May, you and a friend (locally or online) must survive angry bee armies, a threatening space monkey, and more to help rekindle the couple's love and mend a troubled relationship with their distraught daughter, Rose. The journey to rebecoming life-sized versions of yourselves includes a delightful array of team-based mechanics. Cody and May often have individualistic abilities and can't find success without assisting one another. Perhaps, you'll be piloting a fighter plane, swerving out the way of tree branches, while your co-op partner engages in hand-to-hand combat with a militaristic squirrel atop the aircraft's rickety wings. It Takes Two is a quirky love story that'll bring you and your friend or significant other that much closer. | Our Review

Back 4 Blood

1-4 Players – PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Back 4 Blood, like its zombie-slaying sister franchise, Left 4 Dead, pits four survivors against a horde of grotesque "Ridden" across an infested, decimated American landscape. The AI-operated Game Director creates variations in campaign playthroughs so that each level constantly feels unique. For instance, sometimes, the Ridden mobs will be relatively absent. Other times, you'll fight to the death in daring boss battles. A card system adds more nuance to the gameplay as your crew enters matches with stat increases or entirely new abilities. What you spend your accumulated skill points on – extra lives for the squad or personal buffs – gives Back 4 Blood a satisfying class-building metagame. And if you're in the mood to truly tighten your bonds (or tear them apart), queue into Swarm Mode to take on waves of player-controlled monstrosities. | Our Review

Cuphead

1-2 Players – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac

Studio MDHR's homage to retro cartoons and run and guns is about reaction speed, perseverance, and communication. Cuphead is far more than its vintage, hand-drawn aesthetic. Behind a welcoming theme park backdrop and jazz-inspired score lie sneering medusas and three-headed dragons. You and a friend hop into the brown loafers of Cuphead and Mugman to defeat the wily debtors of Lucifer himself throughout an arduous odyssey where minor mistakes meet swift punishment. However, the game also rewards chemistry. Weapon types – like homing bullets – ultimates, and special abilities (called charms) add cool variances to the freneticism. Whether you're slaying an animated birdhouse in aviary combat or stomping out a mustachioed cigar, Cuphead is a fantastic cooperative title that perfectly balances both pain and pleasure. | Our Review

Destiny 2

1-6 Players – PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC

So, you and your pals downloaded Destiny 2 and don't know where to start. That's fair. Bungie's latest space opera series has an overwhelming amount of content. Expansions like Shadowkeep and Beyond Light (to name a few) come with enticing lore, locations, gear, and missions – the features that make the game so timeless and iterative. Destiny 2 might not be the most accessible entry on this list, but it gracefully leaps over this hurdle with fun endgame challenges prioritizing gunplay, strategy, and synchronization. Your squad might choose to play Crucible and prove their skills to the world. Or, they might opt to try out Destiny 2's popular PvE playlists. Raids are the ultimate test, forcing six players to survive high-stakes scenarios for hours on end. Yet, emerging victorious from these legendary bouts with a dedicated fireteam is always worth the immense effort and time sink. | Our Review

Diablo II: Resurrected

1-8 Players –PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Diablo II: Resurrected is wonderful ARPG nostalgia repackaged with a 4K sheen. Grim isometric environments come to life like never before in Blizzard's classic 2000 dungeon-crawler. Matchmake (on console) or create lobbies (on PC) to vanquish legions of grotesque ghouls and defeat the deific Lord of Terror himself. With such a high player count, you're better off prioritizing team-friendly builds to breeze through skirmishes and boss encounters. Watching casters like the Sorceress or Necromancer fill the battlefield with elemental attacks and summons, respectively, while melee fighters like the Barbarian and Paladin cover the flanks never gets old. | Our Review

Divinity: Original Sin 2

1-4 Players – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the most acclaimed western RPGs in recent memory and the highest-rated game on this list. Brimming with an ensemble cast of oddball characters as well as an open-ended, choice-driven approach to almost every situation, you'll occasionally find yourself overwhelmed with Original Sin 2's sheer depth. Spice things up by adding three other players (or one more for split-screen) to the mix. In Original Sin 2, the actions of your player-controlled party members can lead to unexpected emergent/divergent narratives. Deviants might get you in trouble with the law or other NPCs, while altruistic supporters do the opposite. Throw in turn-based combat, and that same chaotic quality bleeds into every aspect of the game. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is sort of like playing through a J.R.R. Tolkien novel with a party of your favorite genre fiction pals. | Our Review

Monster Hunter Rise

1-4 Players – Switch, PC

Monster Hunter Rise didn't immediately impress us as much as World did, but venturing beyond the gates of Kamura Village with others guarantees exciting engagements. For example, mounting (wyvern riding) the Magnamalo while three other hunters buffet the malicious beast with charge-blade artillery, coated arrows, and hunting horn strikes is when Rise truly shines. But let's not just forget about experiencing the game's quieter, more immersive moments with friends: sprinting through lush forests teeming with unique fauna, galloping down ruined villages with a pack of multi-colored palamutes, or grappling/climbing ancient temples to the tune of an epic orchestral soundtrack. Even playing the lackluster tower defense "rampage quests" with companions is a treat. Rise is a solid Monster Hunter entry made way better with a dedicated friend group. | Our Review

Sea of Thieves

1-4 Players – Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC

Sea of Thieves didn't set sail as smoothly as Rare wanted it to. Initially plagued by a lack of noteworthy content and task diversity, these issues have since been remedied with "seasons" of deliverables, including new cosmetics, missions, and PvP/PvE support. And now that the legendary swashbuckler himself, Jack Sparrow, is a full-fledged member of your seafaring posse, there's never been a better time to be a pirate. Grab a troupe of gold-loving deviants and take to the endless blue waters while staying a few nautical miles ahead of tentacled krakens, leviathan sharks, and Davy Jones. When all is said and done, drag your collected treasure chests onto the ship's bow, then break out the mugs and accordions. Leading up to its release, Rare emphasized that Sea of Thieves is a "pirate simulator." This statement still rings true today. Now, go grab four people with sturdy sea legs and dive in. | Our Review

Phasmophobia

1-4 Players – PC

Ever found yourself surfing the horror section of YouTube, watching clips or low-quality reruns of Ghost Hunters with a bunch of friends? Phasmophobia lets you live out those paranormal fantasies. A first-person perspective throws you and your buds right into the action, exploring abandoned cabins in the woods, maze-like high schools, and sterile prison complexes with faulty flashlights, wooden crosses, camcorders, etc. There's nothing quite like entering a seemingly vacant (and frostbite-cold) garage and watching your avatar's shaky breaths become visible wintry whisps. When that ax-wielding animated corpse or nightgowned wraith comes rushing around a blind corner, the hairs on the back of everyone's neck are bound to stand up, followed by a flurry of laughs and screams. Simply put, Phasmophobia is wicked fun.

Tabletop Simulator

1-10 Players – PC, Mac

Didn't see this entry coming, did you? Tabletop Simulator beat out other heavyweight co-op titles because of its unparalleled uniqueness. There might've been a time when analog games only appealed to a niche audience, but nowadays (especially during a pandemic), gathering around a virtual table to roll dice, read cards, or place tokens is a solid game night option. Hell, you can even flip the table if you get frustrated! There's an unfathomable number of multiplayer titles to check out – we recommend Hanabi and Betrayal at House on the Hill.  Moreover, creation tools offer a rare chance to make your own tabletop projects. And let's be honest, designing games with friends is a cooperative/collaborative experience like no other.

Are we missing any of your co-op favorites? Let us know in the comments section! If you enjoyed reading this, check out some other genre top 10s by clicking on our "List of Lists" hub below.

The Best Family Meals In Video Games

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 11:02 AM PST

With Thanksgiving upon us, there are two types of people out there: the person who's been thinking about the upcoming turkey meal since November 1 or the person who jumps straight to the winter holiday of Christmas, Hanukkah, or something else. Regardless of where you land, there's a good chance that you'll be eating some kind of breakfast, lunch, or dinner with family and friends sometime in the next two months. 

These meals can be fantastic, but they can also be a nightmare for those that hate these typical family gatherings. The same can be said for family gatherings and meals in video games, and we've gathered up some of our favorites. Here are 10 of the best family meals in video games.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a massive game – the golden path spans at least 40 hours but can easily climb to over 100 hours with all that it offers. At the center of the playthrough is a story about a broken family, desperate to become unified again. It doesn't help that one of the central figures (Kassandra or Alexios) is brainwashed to become the brutish killing machine of an ancient cult. 

When your big fat Greek quest comes to an end in Odyssey, depending on your choices in the game, you're treated to the one thing your character has been after the entire journey: a family meal. It's more than a meal, though. It's the family reuniting for the first time in forever, and everything is tastier as a result. It's sure to warm your heart upon watching, and it serves as a great reminder of all that you fought for over your dozens of hours with Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Final Fantasy XV

When you think of video game food, there's one game that's sure to come to mind: Final Fantasy XV. The game is about four bros taking a road trip, and right from the jump, the themes of family, love, and friendship are strong. The entire game, which runs for hours and hours, centers on those same themes, and throughout the experience, you'll bring food to the metaphorical friendship table. As anyone knows, food is the great unifier, and Final Fantasy XV makes that clear. 

The food, cooked by Ignis, looks delicious, and each recipe rewards you with some kind of stat boost. More importantly, though, every meal in Final Fantasy XV is a chance for your four-person unit to grow stronger. It's a chance to reflect on what's happened thus far and how much everyone on the team cares about each other. Be it a hot soup on a wooden table or a quick sandwich on a beach, the meals in Final Fantasy XV are sure to make you drool.

Persona 5

Like many others on this list, Persona 5 is about friendship (and friends-turned-family) at its core. It's about going the extra mile, doing what's right, and ultimately, relying on each other to succeed. One of the best moments of the entire 100-hour-plus RPG is the meal that happens after completing the first palace. You've just risked your life to save someone in your school, you're downright exhausted, and as expected, you're hungry. 

You've also got a nice amount of money in your pocket too, so why not treat the Phantom Thieves of Hearts to a delicious meal? Joker and the crew head to a local Shibuya restaurant and chow down. It costs a lot of money, but the sounds of the Phantom Thieves crushing plates upon plates are so satisfying. The team deserves it; the food looks delicious, and it's the perfect way to bring everyone together for one big congratulatory celebration. There's more eating and chewing than talking, but that's always the sign of a good meal. 

Red Dead Redemption II

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sprawling Western that connects directly to the first game. In the epilogue of Red Dead Redemption 2, which is nearly a dozen hours long, you're treated to dinner with the Marstons: John, Abigail, Jack, and of course, Uncle. 

It's a family unit we haven't had the chance to sit down with like this since the first Redemption game - now over a decade ago - and while it's short and sweet, it's exactly what we wanted. John ensures that Jack is growing up to be someone like him; someone that would protect his family at all costs. He also lobs sarcastic jokes at Uncle just as we all do with that one uncle at Thanksgiving. And never mind the food on the table – seeing this family gather in a newly-built house is exactly the vibe we're looking for this holiday season.

Celeste

Celeste is one of the best platformers released last generation. It's challenging, backed by a powerful and unique score, and centered on a heartfelt story that keeps the momentum moving. Simply beating a Celeste level feels like a win in and of itself, but there's a moment that tops all of it (yes, even reaching the mountain's summit): the celebration meal that closes out the game. First off, the "meal" is a delicious strawberry pie cooked using the strawberries you collected throughout the game. Any meal that starts and ends with dessert is top-tier. 

Celeste and all the people she met along the journey gather around the pie. Everyone's happy (well, maybe not the ghostly Mr. Oshiro) and excited to be together. It's also an on-screen representation of Celeste's happiness, something she only just achieved after reaching the mountaintop. The meal gets some bonus points, too, because it uses just a single photo to exemplify all these feelings.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley features seasonal and holiday-centric festivals. They're fantastic examples of what the farming game is all about: how each person's contributions can make the whole experience better than it was before. While the events are entirely optional to attend, doing so is worth your while as it provides you opportunities to make new friendships and strengthen old ones. 

Even better, your town's community space is lined with tables of food, flowers, and more. All of that was made possible by you and your neighbor's efforts. It's a special moment in real life to see people come together over a meal you made, and Stardew Valley captures that feeling perfectly with its community feasts.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed is known for many things, but it's not often associated with tears. The pirate take on the formula in Black Flag brought plenty of them, though. Perhaps one of the best pirate games ever made (that just happens to feature some assassins), one of the greatest joys of Black Flag is sailing around with your crew, singing shanties, stopping at ports to take down some Royal Navy soldiers, and finding treasure. Over the game's narrative, you take new members to the Jackdaw crew and alliance. Eventually, you have the likes of Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Jack Rackham, and more on your team. 

But, as any good pirate knows, the golden age can't last forever, and that's the crux of Black Flag. This is personified in a heartbreaking scene during the game's final hours where Edward Kenway is drinking. While not technically a meal, a good round of drinks can be just as engaging as food. He looks around and sees all of the infamous pirates that accompanied him on his sea-faring journey. Then, they begin to fade ... because they've died. Edward is drinking with the ghosts of his friends. Some meals are remembered because of laughter and smiles; this one, though, is remembered for the heartache Ubisoft used to signify the end of the golden age of piracy.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an excellent game for a lot of reasons – it's built on the foundation of 2018's awesome Spider-Man game on the PlayStation 4, it's set during the winter holidays, and it features Miles Morales. However, one of the best parts of this succinct Insomniac title is a dinner scene in its opening hours. 

What makes it so great is that it's the most classic Spider-Man thing ever – something goes wrong, so Miles has to find a way outside to fix the electricity problem sneakily. It's Spider-Man antics you've seen dozens of times in comics, movies, and TV, but playing it is even better. You have to sneak your way back to the dinner table, too, and once there, you're treated with a heartwarming scene that showcases the importance of family to Miles.

Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season One

Okay, so we didn't necessarily say that every family gathering and meal on this list would be rooted in the warm and heartfelt emotions typically associated with Thanksgiving and other winter holidays. Case in point: Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season 1. 

In a now-infamous scene, you escape a locked room as Lee Everett in a house full of cannibals. Clementine, the person he's trying to protect, is seated at a table with these killers, unaware of what they're dining on. As Lee barges into the room, he must stop her from eating a piece of human meat. It's disturbing, especially when you consider the way different choices can play out, and it's one of the most memorable parts of that entire season. What did it teach us? If someone tells you not to eat some mystery meat at Thanksgiving this year, listen to them.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Alright, you can't say you didn't know this one would be on here after reading the entry above. Resident Evil 7 was a great revival of the horror aspects of the franchise, and a dinner scene with the deranged Baker family during its opening hours establishes that from the jump. 

After Ethan kills his own wife, patriarch Jack Baker gives him a good sucker-punch and it's lights out. When Ethan finally awakes, he's strapped to a chair, looking at what might be the most grotesque dinner in all of video games. Sure, the table is full, but it's not your mother's trademark stuffing or your grandpa's 24-hour pot of beans. No, it's human organs and guts. Delicious. Jack, unhappy with his son Lucas' table manners, proceeds to cut off his son's arm right in front of everyone … and it seems like a standard occurrence based on the reactions of all in attendance. Then, Jack has his way with you by way of a big rusty knife. 

After that, everyone but Grandma Baker gets up from the table, upset and angry at the events that have transpired. No family meal should end that way, so hopefully, yours is much better.

Are there any family gatherings or Thanksgiving-like meals in video games that we missed? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Top 5 Video Game Characters That Would Make Thanksgiving Awkward

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 10:00 AM PST

Thanksgiving sucks. It's the one time of year you see all those family members you spend the other 364 days of the year avoiding. You know, the cousin that's way into NFTs and meme stocks. The uncle who listens to the Joe Rogan Experience and somehow finds a way to reference it at every drop of the hat. It's all just exhausting. 

And that doesn't even get at how bad turkey is. Turkey is like the Bunny Bread of meats. Dry, flavorless, and gross. Thanksgiving is a problematic holiday for many reasons, but I think turkey is the cherry on top of this crap sundae. How have we made such a bland, ugly bird the centerpiece of this entire annual tradition? Don't get me started on those weird things under turkeys' chins. I find it unfathomable that people eat these creatures. 

I tend to skip my family's Thanksgiving. While that might make me a bad son, family member, and overall person, it makes me healthier mentally. I just cannot bring myself to deal with the awkward conversations Thanksgiving forces out of people. No, AJ, I do not want to hear your thoughts on the Bored Ape Yacht Club; it's a bad investment. Mitch, I absolutely do not need to watch this clip of Joe Rogan interviewing Dave Chappelle on your iPhone 7. Literally, why does Jacob have a gun on him? In case the pumpkin pie tries something funny?

What does this have to do with video games? Not a lot. But since we're off this week and need to fill the website with content, here are my picks for the five video game characters that would make Thanksgiving awkward.

5: This little person from the game Minit (not sure if they have a name)

If there's one thing you can say about Thanksgiving, it's that it lasts way too long. But you gotta be there, attentive, and conversable to keep up appearances with your family. So could you imagine if every 60 seconds, one of you literally died and had to start the whole day over?

I don't know much about Minit – I've never actually played the game – but thanks to its Wikipedia page, I know that you play the game one minute at a time. Once that minute is up, you die and start over. 

This would be the most obnoxious way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Everyone is suffering through this whole ordeal together, but this lil guy, Mike Minit, as we'll call him, keeps starting over every 60 seconds. He walks in, says hello to the family, shakes one or two hands, grabs a plate, eyes the stuffing, then dies. Moments later, he walks back in the door, repeating the whole process. 

Sounds annoying. I couldn't deal with it. 

4: Heartman from Death Stranding

You know what, while we're at it, this guy would be even worse than Mike! Every 21 minutes, Heartman's heart stops, he dies, and he goes to the Beach to search for his wife and daughter before being revived three real-world minutes later. That's not quite as bad as Mr. Minit – but Heartman spends 21 minutes on this mortal coil constantly pontificating and over-explaining the science of the natural world. My God, you can't get a word in edgewise with this guy. 

Here I am, trying to grab a second helping of dinner rolls, and this freaking guy is telling me about extinction entities. Shut the hell up! The only thing that will be extinct around here is my patience if you don't leave me alone, Heartman. 

3: Mara from the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series  

You can just look at the picture; I don't gotta write anything here. 

...

... Actually, while we're on the subject of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, those games are chock-full of gross (and confusingly sexy) creatures you shouldn't invite to your Thanksgiving get-togethers. I mean, look at this!

You know, for a series about high school kids, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games are filled with creatures either closely resembling or outright brandishing their down-south features. Which, now that I think about it, it is somewhat appropriate given what's on most high school kids' minds. 

Nevertheless, you can't invite any of these folks to your family Thanksgiving! That's a dang cancellable offense if I've ever seen one. How are you in good faith going to walk in with Arioch (second from the left) and ever look your grandma in the eyes again? They're too sexy! You expect me to be able to eat mashed potatoes when Master Therion (far right) is across the table from me with all that going on? I don't know about you, but I'd be too confused, distracted, and confusingly intrigued to get through dinner. At best, I'd need a moment to lie down and fan myself off. 

Heck, if one of my family members brought any one of these creatures over to dinner, you best believe I'd be more than happy to talk to AJ, Mitch, and Jacob. Perhaps all three at the same time!  

2: Trubbish from Pokémon

Hey, Pokémon fans, explain this one to me. Trubbish is literally just a trash bag with some googly eyes stickered on the front. The Pokémon Company is a multi-billion dollar company and this is what the brain geniuses over there are coming up with these days? That's some rubbish if I've ever heard it. 

Anywho, you can't bring trash to your Thanksgiving get-together. Your aunt is already bringing her new boyfriend! 

1: Wyzen from Asura's Wrath

He's too big! What're you gonna do with this guy? Even if you lived in the Boeing Everett Factory – which CNET tells me is the biggest building on Earth, based on volume (3.5 billion gallons) – you still couldn't fit this guy in your house. 

Even if you could accommodate Wyzen's size, how could you possibly feed him? He could eat all the Thanksgiving food prepared in all the homes that participate, and his stomach probably wouldn't even register the difference. It'd be like you offering a normal human six dust mites and calling it a meal. 

If Wyzen shows up to your Thanksgiving, you know you're in for an awkward evening. Unseatable and unfeedable, you'd better leave him off your invite list. 

Wow, so there ya have it, folks. Was our list correct? Let us know what you think! What video game characters do you think would make for an awkward Thanksgiving? Make your voice heard in the comments. Please, I'm begging you, engage with this story. Leave a comment. Any comment. The longer your comment, the better. Show a friend this article. Bring it up during Thanksgiving to your family members. Encourage everyone you know to sound off in the comments below! Please! PLEASE! 

Most Underrated Games of 2021 | GI Show

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 09:59 AM PST

Click to watch embedded media

The Game Informer Show is back, and we're discussing some of the best games of the year that may have not gotten the spotlight they deserve. We chat about Inscryption, Before Your Eyes, and so much more with special guest Ty Galiz-Rowe, editor-in-chief at Uppercut, a video game site focused on insightful features, articles, and reviews from people that come from marginalized groups. As always, we end the show with another fun round of listener questions as we wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Jill Grodt (@Finruin), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Ty Galiz-Rowe (@owoathkeeper)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join hosts Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from all around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Check out the timestamps below to jump to a particular point in the discussion:

00:01:05 – Introduction

00:01:05 – Special Guest Ty Galiz-Rowe (Uppercut, Upcomer)

00:12:00 – Most Underrated Games of 2021 

02:01:15 – Housekeeping

02:07:46 – Listener Emails

Topic Of The Show:

2021's Most Underrated Games

2021 has been a fantastic year for video games despite the rash of delays. But in a year so stacked with great titles, it's easy for smaller gems to fall through the cracks. Before we ramp up our Game of the Year talks, we wanted to take a moment to shine a spotlight on some of the best indie titles and underrated gems of the year, including chats about Loop Hero, Inscryption, and so much more!

Read our Inscryption review here.

Listener Questions:

The Game Informer crew answers your burning questions.

Another week means another round of listener questions, and we're playing a new Thanksgiving-themed game and answering the age-old question of what controller does player two get!

Read their questions below, or submit your own via the Official Game Informer Community Discord or by emailing us at Podcast@GameInformer.com:

Hello all, Below is a list of game properties, which I want the panel to rank based on their personal fatigue for the said franchise. But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like the panel to rank them using terminology for the holiday. Starving - I haven't had anything for what feels like years. I need more! Satisfied - I'm satisfied but I could have seconds in a moment. Stuffed - Please, no more. There's literally no room left for me. -AnAttackCorgi (Email)
I never understood the sentiment of giving player 2 the crappier controller. For me, player 2 is usually a friend or family member who may not be as used to the game as me so I usually let them have the edge and use the better controller to play with. Do you guys give player 2 your older/worse controllers when you game? -Landon VA (Email)

For more Game Informer podcasts, be sure to check out https://www.gameinformer.com/podcast/2021/10/12/introducing-video-gameo…; delay="150" href="https://www.gameinformer.com/podcast/2021/10/12/introducing-video-gameo…; rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">Video Gameography, our video game history podcast, and https://www.gameinformer.com/podcast/2021/10/06/introducing-all-things-…; delay="150" href="https://www.gameinformer.com/podcast/2021/10/06/introducing-all-things-…; rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">All Things Nintendo with host Brian Shea which deep dives into Nintendo's library of games every week.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How Halo: The Master Chief Collection Rebounded To Become A Fan-Favorite Compilation

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 09:00 AM PST

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

When Halo: The Master Chief Collection was announced in 2014, fans were excited at the prospects of bringing forward the mainline Halo series to the brand new Xbox One with myriad enhancements and ways to engage with the multiplayer. Unfortunately, the launch of the compilation, which originally included Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4, featured several problems surrounding the multiplayer suite and The Master Chief Collection seemed like it was well on its way to being one of the cautionary stories of unfulfilled potential within the games industry.

The disappointing launch, underwhelming feature set, and broken matchmaking could have been the way we look back on Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 2021, but developer 343 Industries wasn't satisfied with releasing an unsatisfactory product meant to celebrate Xbox's flagship franchise. We spoke with several key members of the Master Chief Collection team to learn how 343 Industries righted the ship and elevated the compilation to one of the industry's models for how to listen and act on player feedback.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Wake Me When You Need Me

In 2014, Halo: The Master Chief Collection was introduced as a way to not only celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the beloved Halo 2, but Master Chief's saga as a whole to that point. 343 Industries, which was founded to take over the Halo franchise from Bungie following Bungie's split from Microsoft in 2007, was currently working on Halo 5: Guardians, but a separate team within the studio began exploring ways to celebrate Halo 2's anniversary similar to how it did in 2011 with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

The basic idea of Halo 2 Anniversary, which includes revamped visuals and audio, all-new cutscenes from renowned visual effects company Blur Studios, and terminals that connect the story to that of future games, expanded on what the team did with its inaugural project with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. 343 even remade some fan-favorite maps from Halo 2's multiplayer from the ground up, giving players modern, high-fidelity versions. In addition to all those elements, 343 Industries wanted to reduce the friction players felt in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary when going between the classic campaign and the multiplayer, which was based on Halo: Reach's engine. 

However, the team began looking into what it could do to further celebrate the launch of the Xbox One as well as Master Chief's story to that point. "The team got really excited about thinking through kind of a bigger project, which would encompass this larger story of all these games," design director Max Szlagor says. "Then it became a design challenge to think about if we look at a collection of Halo titles, how do we bring them together in a way that feels very seamless, making it easy to jump in and move between the titles, making sure the controls, the user interface, the networking, the ability to move between games was all as seamless as possible?"

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection's emphasis was not to deliver a completely faithful experience of how Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo 4 played at the time of their respective releases. Instead, 343 Industries looked into ways to improve the modern experience of playing these classic games. "We were trying to deliver the experience of these games as people remember them, which isn't necessarily one-to-one with what the game is," Szlagor says. "It was an evaluation of 'How do we rebuild this mode or this map?' What adjustments make sense in terms of the maps themselves because the maps received some changes: the weapons, the game modes, just a variety of different things in terms of how do we provide that extra value, extra options. Just more ways to really engage with that, fill out that sandbox, and make you feel good."

The MCC developers examined things like user interface, matchmaking systems, and more to see what pieces the disparate games all had in common. The idea the team settled on was to have all the games connected, with matchmaking designed to allow players to bounce between the various titles in the compilation. Not only that, but Master Chief Collection unified control schemes, and added leaderboards to the campaign, as well as special features and achievements to give additional replay value to the campaigns many had already played through multiple times.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary were clearly the biggest leaps forward from the original versions, but Halo 3 and 4 also received boosts, with 60 frames-per-second performance and cleaned up user interfaces. While the two later games didn't receive the visual and feature upgrades of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary, Szlagor doesn't want to glance over how big of an undertaking the improvements of Halo 3 and 4 were. "It's a big deal for those games," he says. "They were really optimized for the hardware at the time these games were launched."

As the compilation approached its November 11, 2014 launch, 343 Industries was feeling confident about what it had created. The team was excited for both new and old Halo players alike to get their hands on the game and get caught up on Master Chief's story prior to the impending 2015 release of Halo 5: Guardians. Unfortunately, the launch didn't go as expected, and The Master Chief Collection quickly became synonymous with disastrous game launches.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Give The Covenant Back Their Bomb

When Halo: The Master Chief Collection launched, it received strong critical praise across the board, receiving a 9.25 out of 10 from Game Informer and high praise from most other outlets given access prior to launch. Unfortunately, as the servers opened to the public and players tried to jump into the robust multiplayer package, the cracks surrounding the game's PVP suite presented themselves in obvious ways.

Immediately, players complained about a wide range of issues largely centered on the game's online modes. These problems ranged from inaccurate in-game stats and uneven team compositions to players' ranks being reset at random and matchmaking just outright not working. On top of that, players couldn't join up with friends, in-game chat was spotty at best, and players were subjected to absurdly long load times. The campaigns were largely solid, but under the weight of the public trying to play the highly anticipated compilation, Halo: The Master Chief Collection's competitive multiplayer crumbled.

As a result of the problems following the launch, 343 Industries and Xbox experienced backlash from both fans and critics. Halo: The Master Chief Collection gained long-lasting infamy for how poor its launch was. While players were shocked at the poor performance of the collection, 343 Industries seemed equally as surprised. "That was not the sentiment that we had expected," Szlagor says. "It was a learning experience for us in terms of a big project without the infrastructure to test online services at the scale that's needed for something as big as this."

On launch day, both the developer and Xbox representatives recommended exiting and re-entering matchmaking if it didn't work within the first few minutes, but despite the studio's statement that it was "actively working on a fix" for the problem, widespread issues would plague the compilation for many months. The day after The Master Chief Collection launched, executive producer Dan Ayoub released an apology, calling the complaints "well deserved." Ayoub also told the community, "You deserve better," before laying out a plan of server-side fixes to try and improve the state of the game. 

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

"A game as large as Halo: The Master Chief Collection has a massive surface area, and while we made every effort to have the best launch possible for our fans, issues surfaced with the launch and we're committed to improving this as fast as possible and get you all into matches," the November 12, 2014 statement from Ayoub read. "We're committed to improving things as fast as possible so you can have the Halo experience you've been waiting for."

As the problems persisted nearly two weeks after launch, head of 343 Industries Bonnie Ross issued another apology, largely echoing Ayoub's sentiments that the community deserved better and that the team will work to make it right with the fan base. "I personally apologize for this on behalf of us all at 343 Industries," her statement on November 24, 2014 read. "Our team is working around the clock until these issues are resolved."

The problems persisted beyond the launch window. In December 2014, 343 Industries and Microsoft made the call to delay the Windows-exclusive Halo: Spartan Strike in order to focus on fixing the game's matchmaking. Later that month, 343 Industries laid out a roadmap for how it planned to make it up to players. "That really was a good point for us to look at things like building the Halo Insider program and pivoting our communication to be more transparent," Szlagor says. "Having this greater dialogue and honesty with our community."

With community faith at an all-time low, 343 Industries needed to regain player trust and work to make Halo: The Master Chief Collection not only the product the company originally envisioned, but improve upon every facet to create the compilation fans deserved.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

I Think We're Just Getting Started

At launch, Master Chief Collection featured 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4, complete with all the multiplayer maps and extra features. However, once the state of the game was apparent, 343 Industries began looking into ways to make it up to players. As 2014 winded down, 343 Industries released a blog post detailing the first steps of rectification. The company announced every Master Chief Collection player would receive a free month of Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate, and an exclusive in-game avatar. Not only that, but 343 Industries added an extra remake of a Halo 2 map, plus the campaign of Halo 3: ODST to the Master Chief Collection at no additional cost. 

In March 2015, 343 Industries released perhaps the most significant patch to date to Master Chief Collection's matchmaking and party systems. However, with the collection nearing six months since its launch, many players and critics began wondering if the project was beyond saving. The development team was not giving up, though, with both 343 Industries and Xbox doubling down that fixing the compilation remained a top priority.

"Going into the launch, our internal processes and testing methodologies had told us that we had a game that was ready to launch," head of Xbox Phil Spencer told Game Informer at Game Developers Conference 2015. "Then, when it launched, we learned some things we didn't know going into the launch – which is something we need to get better at; you can't simulate the real-world environment inside of any sterile, fixed environment."

To remedy this problem, the development team continued implementing deeper and more solid lines of communication with active and enthusiastic members of the community. "Reaching out to our communities is super important in engaging with them," lead producer Michael Fahrny says. "If we had one secret sauce to our success for MCC over the last few years, it's a group we have that we call Reclaimers. They're members of the community; think of them as ambassadors. We give them access to a lot of the ideas, builds, features, content – all that stuff that we're doing for MCC – and we get raw feedback from them. They help us gauge the temperature of where our readiness is and how the community is going to react to things."

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

In the time since Master Chief Collection's launch, 343 Industries and the game development scene as a whole has become much more reliant on the gaming community to ensure it has remained in touch with the wants and needs of the most passionate fans. Community managers, developers who are embedded in the various communities, are now essential members of most game studios. To deepen that connection with its community, 343 implemented a flighting program, where the developers could interact with Halo Insiders to ensure the game is reaching certain goals.

Among many checkpoints the team engages with through this flighting program, matchmaking time is one area where the developers check in to make sure the times are satisfactory and only take within 30 or 40 seconds. "Flighting is like a backbone to us," producer Sean Swidersky says. "We will flight everything we can if we have time to do so. It's an essential part of our development process."

The studio worked tirelessly to improve the experience and ensure that The Master Chief Collection became the product fans wanted. After several patches and server-side updates, players began seeing marked improvements in the performance. The fixes to matchmaking and the overall multiplayer experience continued rolling out, and as the product stabilized in the year following launch, 343 Industries once again returned to focusing on content. The Halo 3: ODST campaign was released to The Master Chief Collection in 2015, and in 2019, Halo: Reach joined the compilation alongside seasonal content as a result of fan feedback. 

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

"We're always thinking about what the collection includes and certainly that's a great question mark: What else can we add?" Szlagor says. "Initially, there's a good story to tell in terms of The Master Chief Collection with the Master Chief story. I think there was a question of, thematically, does it make sense to include [ODST and Reach]? Certainly from a fan perspective, all the Halos is better than not all the Halos. There was definitely some discussion around that and it was just a matter of what could we do in what time frame and what makes sense for the theme."

Part of the reason new content and upgrades continue to join The Master Chief Collection is that the team is full of people who had an appreciation and love of the Halo franchise before their job was to work on it. In addition to longtime developers, 343 Industries includes people who worked on Halo mods or were active in the Halo esports scene. The result is a constant stream of passion projects from individual members of the development team, many of which make it into the living product of MCC.

"We're constantly surprising ourselves with some of the ideas we come up with and then we sit down and talk about it and figure out if it makes sense to put it out to retail MCC," Fahrny says. "More often than not, we end up doing it because as Halo fans, we think it's going to be cool and then we start the whole process and go through flighting and everybody really loves it. We end up doing all these things. That's how the new Firefight options that came out with Season 8 came to fruition."

Though Halo 5: Guardians will no longer be the flagship Halo title when Infinite launches in earnest on December 8, 343 says there are currently no plans to add it into the Master Chief Collection. While much of the MCC updates and seasonal content is coming to a close in the near future, 343 Industries has proven that sticking with a game, even one that launches in a bad state, can prove worth it.

"The thing I'm proud of is how committed the team is to solving this problem – that commitment to delivering what our customers want is great," Spencer told Game Informer in that 2015 interview. "Now, anybody can throw a rock at me and say, 'Hey, we shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place.' And that's fair enough, but nobody's thrown up their arms and run away from it. The team has doubled down."

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Finishing This Fight

With The Master Chief Collection now one of the gold-standard redemption stories in the games industry, 343 Industries has continued supporting the compilation, even expanding to new platforms. In addition to receiving enhancements on Xbox Series X/S when those new systems launched in 2020, 343 Industries made the bold leap to PC.

For the Master Chief Collection team, bringing the product to PC was an important step in the project's post-launch lifecycle, but before they committed to doing it, they wanted to make sure they could do it right. "For us as a studio, PC was never a first priority, but what does it mean to actually be a modern PC game? Can we even bring The Master Chief Collection – all the games in the collection – up to that standard?" Fahrny says. "We sat down and did a lot of evaluations of competitive products – good and bad things that competitors have done – and we built a plan around it, and then evaluated it. We said, 'We think we can do this and we think we can do a really good job at it. On top of that, let's go back and learn from these past mistakes."

This time, 343 Industries was much more methodical about how it approached bringing the collection to this new platform, rolling the games out one by one rather than all at once. Over the course of a year (starting in December 2019 and ending in November 2020), PC players gained access to each of the six titles in the current version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The rolled-out approach allowed 343 Industries to learn its lessons one title at a time rather than all at once. Then, when it wanted to address a problem, it was more manageable and able to be implemented at launch for subsequent titles. For example, Reach's high refresh-rate interpolation didn't reach the standards the development studio hoped for, so it improved it within Reach, then made sure the five remaining games hit the mark the team desired.

With the transparency the team acquired from its rough, early days launching the Xbox One version, as well as the preexisting lines of communication with the community, the PC version was a success. It showed just how much the team has changed its approach to ensuring a game is ready for launch and listening to the community to improve the title in the following years. The team even introduced cross-platform play in 2020 – a huge leap forward when you consider how many troubles the game initially had only executing single-platform multiplayer – and mod support to the PC version this past summer. To this day, Halo: The Master Chief Collection continues to receive updates across all platforms.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

343 doesn't plan on stopping support for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but the eighth season, which started in October, is the final season of content for the long-running compilation. Going forward, in order to avoid providing seasonal updates for both Master Chief Collection and Infinite simultaneously, 343 will continue to deliver new features and fixes in MCC, but it will do so through smaller patches instead of large, season-sized updates.

"At a high level, the MCC support is changing; it's not ending," senior producer Matt Hohl says. "We've still got mod tools to deliver. We've still got more games with [Custom Game Browser] to deliver. We're still viewing ourselves as the stewards of these classic games. [...] We're looking forward to the complementary relationship of Infinite and MCC next year."

As 343 Industries turns its focus towards Halo Infinite, you can see that the lessons the studio learned from the early stumbles and later success of Halo: The Master Chief Collection paid dividends. In addition to listening to community feedback and delaying Infinite a full year (even if it meant missing the opportunity of being an Xbox Series X/S launch title), the studio held multiple technical tests during summer 2021. This gave players the ability to provide input into the direction of Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer.

Halo Infinite

"The community along with the flighting program helped us, not only for MCC but helped us pave the way for the studio as you're seeing now with Infinite and their technical betas and flights," Fahrny says. "We've been leading the charge and feeding all that back into the wider studio teams so that we can continue this great process that really helped us succeed as well. It's been really good to see."

During the Xbox 20th anniversary livestream on November 15, 2021, Xbox and 343 Industries announced a surprise soft-launch of the Halo Infinite multiplayer, giving all players immediate entry to a beta that provides access to the full suite in the lead up to launch on December 8. Players have already provided feedback on things like the slow progression of the multiplayer's Battle Pass, and members of 343 Industries have already been implementing changes. 

Now, as the team moves forward into what appears to be a very promising new chapter, it carries with it the valuable, often-harsh lessons it learned following the troubling launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. In doing so, the team hopes that all subsequent launches will avoid the need to bounce back in the manner that its celebratory compilation had to. With developers now interacting with the community on such a collaborative level, it's clear that the lifecycle of The Master Chief Collection changed the course of 343 Industries for the better.

To learn more about Halo Infinite, be sure to visit our coverage hub by clicking the banner below.

Craft Time: Make A Thanksgiving Day Chocobo Hat

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 08:00 AM PST

It's 4pm on Thanksgiving Day. You're probably stuffed with turkey right now, or in the process of stuffing yourself with turkey, or still waiting to stuff yourself with turkey. (If you ate ham, get the hell out of here.) You know what that means? It's time to make hats!

Making turkey hats is an old Thanksgiving tradition. It's not hard to see why; turkey hats combine two of our favorite things: food and fashion. Hats also make your head look bigger, which will convince people that your brain is huge.

People who wear hats are often the life of the party. Need proof? Check out this picture of Spock.

Boy what a boring guy. Now, what if we throw a hat on him?

Instant party animal! You too can be this guy. But instead of making the traditional Turkey hat for Thanksgiving, why not make a hat using gaming's first bird: the Chocobo.

Read on to find out how.

Making Chocobo hats is a fun family affair. It's also practical. If that annual post-meal brawl breaks out, you'll already be armed with scissors. Here's what you'll need to get started:

  • Construction paper (all colors)
  • Scissors
  • Glue (edible)
  • The unspoken disgust of your older cousins
  • Kenny Loggin's Top Gun Soundtrack

Begin by cutting a piece of yellow paper into a large circle (don't worry it can't feel anything.)

This is what a circle looks like:

Next, cut out a beak and some eyes. Here is what you're aiming for:

If your uncle begins screaming about how his ex-wife wrecked his boat or your nephews start a backyard wrestling match in the living room, crank up Kenny Loggin's "Danger Zone" and shut out the sound of smashing dishes.

Next: putting it all together.

Families can be hard. Is your mom screaming at you to take out the garbage? Is your Dad yelling at you, because he doesn't want you to cut off all the cat's hair? Is some old man complaining that you broke into his house and stole his war bonds? Ignore them. They don't understand you. You're an artist. You need those war bonds to make your Chocobo hat.

It's time to put the whole thing together. Glue your beak and eye to your circle and then affix the whole Chocobo head to another piece of paper (or war bond) and wrap it around your head. Feel free to add a few little extra details to your hat. Really make it your own. Add some extra tuffs off hair or a ruffled brow. If your Chocobo is filled with friendship and magic, add some glitter.

If you've followed our instructions carefully, you should end up with something like this:


*Results may vary

There you have it. You are now free to experience the true joys of Thanksgiving. Throw away the unused scraps of paper (ignore their cries for mercy; they weren't good enough to make the cut.) Now, go have some pie and hug your grandma – not only will she be freaked out by your new hat, she'll won't know what to make of this random affection.

And remember, if you get bored later, you can always make Chocobo hats for your pets.

343 On What You Need To Know About Halo Infinite's Campaign

Posted: 25 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST

Click to watch embedded media

The arrival of Halo Infinite's campaign is imminent. To get you ready for December 8, we sat down with the team at 343 Industries to learn everything we need to know about the upcoming return of Master Chief.

Halo Infinite takes place 18 months after the events of Halo 5, and a lot has changed since we last saw the Xbox icon. The UNSC is fighting for its life on Zeta Halo, The Banished are getting closer to completing their nefarious goals, and humanity once again hangs in the balance. Some of those tropes may sound familiar, but 343 is here to tell you why Chief's new story should have fans excited. Quick SPOILER warning: We discuss where the characters are and some of their motivations headed into Halo Infinite. If you want to go in clean, come back to this video after you play the game.

Click here to watch embedded media

We set the table by answering the question of who Halo Infinite is for. The developers have worked hard to walk the line of appealing to both new fans and veterans alike, attempting to strike a balance such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did before it. Next up, the discussion turns to where the game picks up again and what players can expect when The Pilot finds Chief floating in space.

But what's a good story without a great villain? One of the other priorities for 343 was developing and fleshing out a threatening opponent in The Banished and their leader Escharum. While fans of Halo Wars 2 may be familiar with this splinter faction of Brutes, Elites, and more familiar alien faces, the team hopes to create new and engaging narratives around who Chief will be clashing energy swords with.

Click here to watch embedded media

Next up, we continue to discuss the mysteries of Halo Infinite, mainly where Cortana is and what has happened since Chief went dark six months earlier. To do that, we need to get to know The Weapon, your new AI companion who looks suspiciously like another Jen Taylor-voiced character. How does her story factor into the larger narrative? You'll have to watch the video to find out.

Finally, we end our time with 343 by talking about how the team has emphasized merging gameplay with the narrative and their desire to keep players immersed as much as possible. But were they successful in their execution? December 8 can't come soon enough.

Is the wait for Halo Infinite's campaign feeling too long? We understand and want to help you through this time with our exciting new cover story! This month, we're diving into a ton of new and compelling interviews, gameplay videos, and more from the team behind the next entry in Master Cheif's story. Be sure to check out our quick looks at the game's opening level, our campaign impressions, learn more about exploration and progression, and our look into the creation of the devious bots from the earlier versions of the multiplayer test flights. Thanks for watching, and let us know what you thought of the video in the comments below!

What If An A.I. Wrote Your Favorite Games

Posted: 24 Nov 2021 02:00 PM PST

You've probably heard that the machines are coming for our jobs … and eventually our bodies. But what does this strange, machine-run future look like? To gain a sneak-peek into that world, we asked the A.I.-based text generator InferKit to rewrite some of our favorite games, and the results ranged from hilarious to outright eerie. Below are the A.I. rewrites – the seed text is in bold, and everything else is machine-generated.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

The inmates of Arkham Asylum have been set free – and it's up to Batman to bring order to the chaos and take back the asylum. Along the way, he reunites with some old allies and discovers an even deeper secret: he isn't the only one with a destiny, and this time, his isn't a fairy tale. What you don't know? It was designed by God to save his people. It has the power to send every human back to Heaven and reunite them with God. So why does the Great Spirit keep it locked away? And what's with that smell, anyway? 

The Last of Us

Joel and Ellie, brought together by harsh circumstances, must survive a brutal journey across the U.S. in a dangerous post-pandemic world. Two best friends, Joel and Ellie, survive the end of the world in a semi-ancient survivalist park. Traveling across the United States in search of food and water and finding more unexpected friends along the way. Endlessly imaginative, inspiring, and sometimes terrifying, this is an original survival adventure, like no other. This is the first book in a trilogy. There are four books.

Super Mario Bros.

The Mushroom Princess is being held captive by the evil Koopa tribe. It's up to you to rescue her before time runs out. The green plumber's missions also include helping a doll-like Princess Kameeze find the Unicorn Rod. Going back to the original Super Mario Bros., Yoshi's sidekick is Super Mario Bros. 3's Yoshi. And in Super Mario World, the mushroom-shaped dinosaur is the gamer's little brother. These companions give Mario new abilities when he picks up the controllers or stomps on certain power-ups in games. Copyright 2017 WTVM. All rights reserved.

Alan Wake

A dark presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, pushing Alan Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save his love. Based on the comic book series If I Hadn't Met You Eduard, a husband and father who loses his family in a tragic accident, travels to parallel universes to seek a better fate for his beloved wife. This drama series tells the astonishing true story of Israel's most prominent spy who infiltrated the Syrian government in the 1960s. 

Red Dead Redemption II

America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. But at every turn, the traveling robbers find themselves faced with unintended challenges. Deep in the wilds of Iowa, they encounter the terrifying Mandrake, whose head is a hive of ravenous monsters … and who are on the lookout for fresh bodies. One by one, the members of the gang are picked off, revealing the truly terrible fate that awaits those who cross the Mandrake.

Despite his unstable nature, Arthur is a gifted con man, as well as an expert marksman, skilled guitarist, master carpenter, and above all, a man of extraordinary cunning and resourcefulness. Trapped in a world where he never seems to fit in, can the mysterious detective help the dark-haired, blue-eyed half-Irish half-African boy realize his destiny, or will he become another statistic?

Half-Life: Alyx

The loss of the Seven-Hour War is still fresh. In the shadow of a rising Combine fortress known as the Citadel, residents of City 17 learn to live under the rule of their invaders. But among this scattered population are two of Earth's most resourceful scientists: Dr. James Vega and John Baxter. Dr. Vega builds a time machine and contacts John, offering his assistance and guaranteeing his safety. Together, the two of them make a plan: they will travel back to 1984, to try to convince then-President Elizabeth Shower to negotiate with the Combine.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This world doesn't need a hero. It needs a professional. Enter the witcher, one of the last monster slayers for hire. Joslyn Mael: Most famous for the notorious Hollows murder case. I will not get too much into my life and profession. You'll have to make your own judgments. It's a long story and a very long time ago. Suffice to say, I grew up as a very strong child, and even though my parents were terrified of me, they also wanted me to know how to defend myself and use my right hand for good. I grew up, bought my own gun, got a job, and the rest is history.

BioShock Infinite

Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. Escape the dark lands of Borderlands, a politically unstable nation in the not-too-distant future and repair his marriage before it's too late. His target? The mysterious anarchist villain Cipher. The result was Titanfall, a rebooted brand-new shooter where different modes could be combined together seamlessly. Set in the city-sized spaceport of Forward Operating Base, the map editors allowed for a dozen ways to play the game, from quick engagements to mission-based battles.

Halo: Combat Evolved

Bent on humankind's extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out Earth's fledgling interstellar empire. It is a fight for survival. For their children's future. For the survival of the entire universe. A fight they are counting on you to join. In the original Halo, Master Chief leads a team of expert Spartans – along with an armored knight from an alien civilization – to face the Covenant in an epic struggle that will test your abilities, test your brotherhood and test the fate of the entire universe.

Final Fantasy VII

In Midgar, a city controlled by the mega-conglomerate Shinra Inc., the No. 1 Mako Reactor has been blown up by a rebel group, Avalanche. Avalanche leader Taiki Masaki has been seen walking amongst the ruins and filming the wreckage. In the Shinra Control Room, Shinra Corporate Executive Officer Hiroshi Amano tries to stop Shinra's CEO Tetsuya Tojo from starting a catastrophic weapon of mass destruction. Founded by three children born of Digimon-like monsters, Avalanche was believed to be destroyed when Mako Reactor 1 exploded, but the video footage proves otherwise.

What do you think? Will we be playing A.I.-written games next year?

Which Video Games Best Match Classic Thanksgiving Dishes?

Posted: 24 Nov 2021 01:00 PM PST

Hey, look, it's almost Thanksgiving (AKA Black Friday's Eve)! Soon, those of us in the U.S. will spend the day chowing down on all manner of homecooked foods. If you're reading this, odds are you'll be spending just as much time catching up on the year's best video games. It's a lot like treating yourself to a digital feast, and given that Thanksgiving dinner is, scientifically speaking, the perfect assemblage of food, there's only one way to determine the best combination of games you can play. We must figure out which games are most similar to a classic Thanksgiving dish. Science demands it! 

Turkey – Destiny 2

Like Thanksgiving dinner's main attraction, Destiny 2 is reliable and familiar. Sure, it can be a bit bland at times; you know exactly what you're getting with a few surprises. But there's no denying that it feels great to experience, plus that fun often lasts days after you've initially dug into it. Unfortunately, if you take too long to come back for seconds, you may discover that all the good parts are suddenly missing. 

Ham – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Ham often gets presented as turkey's sidekick, but the right recipe can make it surpass even the tastiest birds. A game that might not be the obvious main event but still manages to steal the show? Sounds like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to me! Like a good holiday ham, Ratchet & Clank is a consistently reliable addition to any gaming rotation and always manages to rival the best games of the year. Rift Apart is no exception and spices things up with its interdimensional gameplay and storytelling – like layering on a crushed ginger snaps cookie crust on a sweet ham glaze (try it). 

Stuffing – Resident Evil Village

Stuffing is the scariest dish of any Thanksgiving table. Everyone has their definition of what makes a stuffing tasty (or edible, for that matter), which leads to disaster more often than not. Generally, the dish is a hodgepodge of flavors and textures. That reminds me of Resident Evil Village, an equally terrifying blend of experiences. The game cherry-picks the scariest elements of multiple Resident Evil games, such as 2, 4, and 7, mixes them up, then bakes them into one largely cohesive package. It's stuffing in its most mouthwatering form. However, Village also features a lot of goo, much like your aunt's famous stuffing, that you'll pretend to enjoy as tears roll down your cheek with every chew. 

Green Bean Casserole – Loop Hero

When I think of green bean casserole, I think of a dish that's enjoyable, inoffensive, but also kind of weird and tends to be overshadowed by the larger offerings at the table – a unique B+ dish. Many games could fit that descriptor, but I'll go with Loop Hero. Like a good casserole, Loop Hero combines several flavors – roguelite progression, city and deck-building, and good old-fashioned role-playing strategy – in an inspired package. Once you dig into Loop Hero, it's hard to stop and becomes as comforting as the best green bean casseroles once you get your bearings. It probably pairs well with French fried onions too. 

Mac And Cheese – Metroid Dread

Turkey is cool and all, but we all know mac 'n cheese is the lowkey MVP of every holiday dinner. Everyone loves it, and it's absurdly difficult to screw up. Best of all, it's comforting. Metroid-style games sport a similar coziness, and who executes those experiences better than Samus herself? Metroid Dread serves up a winning rendition of a familiar formula, making you feel like a kid playing Super Metroid or Metroid Fusion all over again. It also sprinkles new twists in the form of nigh-indestructible E.M.M.I.'s, which Samus must evade. Though only a handful of these robotic terrors are present, their inclusion rockets the game to new heights. It's kind of like adding savory bacon bits to mac 'n cheese. Okay, I'm starting to get hungry. 

Rolls – New Pokémon Snap

Taking bites from a fresh, warm roll in between shoving larger dishes into your mouth is heavenly. Ideally, you don't want to fill up on the bread; bite-sized chunks are the way to go. I approached New Pokémon Snap the same way and found it the best way to experience it. I fill up on its gameplay quickly during extended sessions but completing a mission or two here and there keeps the photo-centric action from getting stale. And nobody likes stale bread unless you're planning to use it later for croutons or French toast in the morning. 

Cranberry Sauce - Death Stranding Director's Cut

No one really knows why cranberry sauce is such an omnipresent part of the Thanksgiving meal. It often just sits there in a fancy dish, and most people aren't even sure how to eat it. Do you spoon it into your mouth as is or pair it with the turkey? It reminds me of Death Stranding, a similarly polarizing and confusing oddity that, despite itself, has its share of rabid fans. Like cranberry sauce, Death Stranding can be sweet in spots but is perhaps best experienced in small portions to determine if it's in your wheelhouse. 

Pumpkin Pie – Toem

After all of that food, you'll want to chase it down with something short and sweet. Might I recommend Toem, a brief yet charming adventure game about solving photo-centric puzzles? Most riddles are simple, so you won't need to flex your gaming fatigued noggin too much. Plus, you won't stop smiling at every friendly stranger or their humorous problems.

Do you agree with these picks or do you have a different game that feels like a better "turkey", so to speak? Let us know in the comments!

 

2021’s Hidden Gaming Gems

Posted: 24 Nov 2021 12:00 PM PST

2021 has provided players with a deluge of incredible games, some of which will be battling it out for lofty game of the year titles and other accolades. Sometimes, games worthy of note slip under the radar. While these titles aren't unknown by any stretch, they can get lost in the year-end conversation as everyone determines their favorite fare before heading into what's shaping up to be another blockbuster year for games. What titles may you have missed this year that really stand out? We've got a few picks for you – and maybe you have a few suggestions for us, too! Let us know what your favorite hidden gems from 2021's gaming roster are in the comments.

Library of Ruina

Library of Ruina is a tough game to get going in, but once you're on track, it's incredibly difficult to put down and absurdly compelling. Combining aspects of deckbuilding games, tactics games, and RPGs, this romp through a bizarre and sometimes haunting landscape is an adventure well worth taking. Enchanting tunes from Mili enhance major battles and you'll find yourself going back to listen to them long after you complete the journey. Don't write this off after taking a look at screenshots, as the signature battles themselves exude such style in motion. Check out more on Library of Ruina here.

Inscryption

Inscryption begins as a sort of dark roguelike deckbuilder, but isn't truly content to play around in a singular genre space. The twists, turns, and surprises that are uncovered along the way make discussion difficult without serious spoilers, but rest assured you'll find mysteries worth discovering, puzzles, and curiosities littered throughout the excursion. This is one of those games where saying anything about it except "go play it" is probably saying too much. A creative little gem, you'll find yourself captivated as the excursion goes into all kinds of places, leaving you to ponder questions and dig deeper for answers.

Check out our full Inscryption review here.

Nova Island

There are endless mobile card games to try out. Nova Island is really a genre-busting blast that's sort of a mix of tactical board game and traditional CCG, where players must combine hero powers, custom decks, and special spaces to score twenty points before the opponent. This can be done in a variety of ways with oodles of strategies. Whether you want to make a weird deck that capitalizes on making the basement work for points, keep your move makers out of sight in the penthouse, or take the battle to the hopping lobby or mezzanine, the calls are yours.

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Playing probability is the name of the game, and that keeps every game interesting even if you're in a metagame mirror match. Each slot only has a certain posted percent chance to give the controlling player points each round. Also, there's no cash shop or monetization at all. That's right, not even cosmetics. Like, what? Give this game a try – it's way too good to go unnoticed.

Tails of Iron

In a sentence, yes it's kind of like Redwall meets Soulsvania. Which is all you really need to know here. With big boss battles, weapons and armors to master, and plenty of action on every screen, Tails of Iron is a challenging romp that should satisfy those looking for a dire adventure that's more than a bit grisly and grim but contains cool fights and quests to explore. I guess if you need another hook, Doug Cockle voices the narrator. That's right, Geralt from the Witcher!

Lost In Random

This Burtonesque battle of dice and cards is a whimsical mishmash of horror and fantasy, action and strategy, and more layered on top. This world of dark queens, quibbling royalty, and bumbling allies grand slams the recipe for fun while it pulls you into its enchanting setting. Maybe I'm just really a Nightmare Before Christmas fan that loves the way this game somehow pulled off this ultimately bizarre amalgamation of elements, but either way, you should give it a whirl. I bet you'll enjoy it.

You can check out our full Lost in Random review here.

Obviously, this handful of games doesn't even begin to scratch the surface for all the great stuff released in 2021. What were some of your favorites that probably won't grace the giant game of the year lists or that you think people may have missed? Let us know in the comments!
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