Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! L-L-L-LIVE! I’m excited for the newestNeverwinterexpansion,Strongholds.Guilds have never really been all that important inNeverwinter, with most players blasting through the solo content and then going into the admittedly pay-to-win PvP or just quitting outright. By including guild housing,Strongholdslooks like it could really bolster guilds in the game and make them more worthwhile to join. We’ve now been given a trailer explaining some of the new additions coming with the expansion....

“Stop typing Fatal Furries,” he yelled at himself Evo 2022marks the first time I’ve actually sat down and watched every Top 8 in the tournament, and I have to say that, besides the dullness of Robocop vs. Robocop inMortal Kombat 11, this year has been tremendous to watch. Several of these Grand Finales have been pretty damn epic. I’ve been enthralled watching these professional fighters show just what is possible with complete mastery of these fighting games....

How does your team stack up? The hockey season is still a few months away, but EA Sports has its opinions on how each team is shaping up. With theNHL 17beta officially out tomorrow, we got our hands on it a bit early and took a look at each team’s ratings. While our poor multiplayer opponent patiently waited, we flipped through every single team to see their stats for offense, defense, and goaltending....

Also,Disney Dreamlight Valleyvia early access Years back, the concept of “early access games on Nintendo platforms” sounded silly, but here we are withDisney Dreamlight Valleyarriving on the platform on September 6. As a reminder, it’s described as a “hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new.” Naturally, it will have some early access kinks to work out, and maybe even some Switch-specific hardware issues to patch, so keep an eye on that one as you would any early access game....

More floor golf? Going on two years after unleashing the Wii U unto the world, Nintendo is still searching for compelling reasons for its tablet-style controller to exist. Sure, off-screen play is neat and a handful of games makenovel use of the second screen; but it’s just not enough. Nintendo seems keenly aware of these shortcomings, and plans to come out guns blazing at E3 this year. During the Q&A portion of the company’srecent financial results briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed plans to demonstrate the value of the GamePad by introducing multiple games only made possible by the controller....

February 14 arrives every year in a shower of roses, chocolates, and stacks of overpriced cards, but this yearPalworldplayers have turned to the DIY approach to incorporate game-based puns into the yearly celebration of love. Players across social media have been sharing their fan art, physical art, and gifts received from loved ones in what’s been dubbed “Palentines Day”. I’ve scoured both Reddit and Twitter to gather some of the best, so here’s just a small sampling of the gems I’d gladly pass around to friends and loved ones....

It’s so pretty I was delighted to hear that Q-Gameswas making a sequeltoPixelJunk Monsters. I like the wholePixelJunkline, butMonstersis a particular highlight — it’s one of my favorite tower defense games ever. The studio has released a demo forPixelJunk Monsters 2on PlayStation Network (North Americahere, Europehere, Steamhere) and while it’s super short — just a single level without co-op functionality, as far as I can tell — it’s worth checking out for fans....

Nightmares into Dreams Released in January 2020, Sega’sYakuza: Like a Dragonhad some mighty shoes to fill, specifically the snakeskin shoes of beloved protagonists Kazuma Kiryu. If a change of protagonist wasn’t enough, the developer Team Yakuza also took the bold step of replacing the series’ brawler action with a suitably slapstick take on turn-based strategy. Against all the odds, the changes were a hit with the majority of the fanbase, andYakuza: Like a Dragonlaunched to rave praise, becoming one of 2020’s best-loved titles....

Profile themes are here! Xbox One users get a sneak peek at the Xbox Series S/X dashboard today. Microsoft has rolled out the October update that makes the UI uniform across all Xbox devices. That means your Xbox One’s dash now will be the same as the Xbox Series X’s dash on November 10. It’s not a big, drastic refresh.Microsoft actually detailed this back in August, explaining that the goal is a streamlined, connected ecosystem....

What would be the ultimate keyboard for PC gaming? No, bigger. Like,ultimateultimate. Holograms and laserbeams and sh*t? That stuff is not possible yet, but how about a multitouch screen display and 10 programmable buttons with their own dedicated backdisplays? Crazy enough for you? How about backlit keys that you’re able to assign any color to? There are lots of keyboards out there, but no one has gone balls-out crazy and made something that would give us true accessory lust yet....

Just a bunch of phishing scams Rockstar thinks that maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet. In fact, it’s so steadfast in that mindset that it added apage to its sitedisclosing that thoseGTA Vbetas that people are signing up for are all probably phishing scams. So, stop doing that because none of it’s real. If you want to get your hands on the shiny new version ofGTA Vearly, well, you’re able to’t....

Expect some bugs To play off of yesterday’s reveal ofSaints Row(2022), a reboot with a fresh cast in a fictional new Southwestern US city, Deep Silver is giving outSaints Row: The Third Remasteredfor free on the Epic Games Store. The remaster joins this week’s other, already-confirmed freebie: the factory-building puzzle gameAutomachef. If you want ’em, both games are claimable untilSeptember 2, 2021. Even if it falls short ofSaints Row 2, or at least my memory ofSaints Row 2being earnest and interesting to explore and take in, I liked the third game fine at the time — it’s ridiculous, in good and bad ways, and it’s action-packed if that’s what you’re after....

A little like Silent Hill In the upcomingShadow of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix is providing players with the ability to customize the difficulty of the game. When starting a new playthrough, you’ll be given a couple of options for three aspects of Lara’s adventure; Puzzle, Exploration, and Combat. Each will feature settings ranging from Easy to “Deadly Obsession”, with the different modifiers tweaking those particular aspects of the game to suit your preferred playstyle....