A molten Dwarven fortress atop cold, snowy mountains; a jungle of merciless danger and adventure; and people of all types to be found in every corner of the world, partaking in a cultural phenomenon unlike any other. In 2004, this was some of what awaited those who entered Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, a game that changed the landscape of online role-playing games forever. Since its launch as an immediate hit and cementing its spot in popular nomenclature, the game’s content has only grown in scope. What started as an ambitious project into unknown territory has become a perennial king of the industry that set the example for others for years to come. Now, fresh off the heels of WoW’s latest content expansion, Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard is preparing a new kind of journey — this summer, players will get to go back to where it all began in World of Warcraft:…
Pokemon is a series that is loyal to its traditions, perhaps like no other — if you get a mainline Pokemon game, you know exactly what you’re getting. In a world where a franchise might take a sudden, confusing shift into a direction that you don’t gel with, staying true to the formula can be seen as trustworthy and a good thing. On the opposite end, it’s also possible for a franchise to play it too safe and things could start to get stale. While Pokemon is definitely still enjoyable, it’s a peculiar series of games in that it’s kept up with the times in some ways, but in others is very archaic and has hardly progressed. I get it: why mess with the formula of one of your biggest cash cows? But in 2019, much of its features feel like anachronisms from the past and are outdated. In some…