Fallout

What Happened to Helldivers 2?

July 1, 2024 Guides

It seemed like Helldivers 2 was unstoppable but midway through 2024 it has fallen down to where Bloons TD 6 and Fallout 76 rest on the charts. This fall from the top wasn’t really from any single incident, but a collection of decisions that consistently drove player counts down from the unexpected hype of its release. You may think the account linking fiasco is what destroyed the player counts, but the game was actually in free fall long before then: HELLDIVERS™ 2 – Steam Charts. The problems were not only fundamental to the game’s design but the developers and publisher both didn’t rectify the obvious game issues rapidly enough before they lost the vast majority of players due to attrition. Note: This is only notable due to the anomalous nature of Helldivers 2 holding a strong player population for an extended period of time and then losing it, not specifically…

Fallout Series Tier List

April 28, 2024 Tier Lists

The Fallout series has several eras to consider when you’re thinking about the video games. The first is the classical era, which contains Fallout 1 & 2 along with Fallout Tactics. Next comes the first general 3D era, which contains Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. The modern era includes Fallout 4 (including the modernization update) and Fallout 76. Which game should you play first and which are the best in the series? Let’s take a deeper look. Fallout Series Tier List & Ranking Why Fallout 4 is the Best and Should Be Your First Fallout Game There’s so many reasons why you should play Fallout 4 first: There’s a lot more I can dive into (more companions in FO4, lots of additional side quests and locations, etc.) but ultimately if you’re looking to get into the Fallout Universe, Fallout 4 is the first game you should give a try.…

What We Can Expect in Elder Scrolls 6 from Starfield

March 29, 2024 Editorials

Starfield, which has been the hallmark moniker for “Toddslop,” has set the bar for future Bethesda games fairly low. Starfield’s launch has been met with a considerable amount of negative reception and I fully expect that Elder Scrolls 6 will meet the same fate. To succinctly put my point: Skyrim will remain the gold standard and Elder Scrolls 6 will fall as flat as Starfield has. That is unless Bethesda does some major restructuring with their creative design. Skyrim is where this series will rest on its laurels forever, unless innovation comes fast. Starfield gave us an inferior experience to Skyrim, even with the wealth of new technology and learnings from Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online, along with Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. Starfield Sets the Bar Low Starfield should have been the latest open world RPG that players flock to. A space setting, with the Bethesda world building and…

Epic and Unmissable: Top 5 AAA RPGs of All Time

February 29, 2024 Editorials

The top RPGs from the 1990s onward are essential for fans, redefining the genre’s standards. Skyrim offers expansive moddable gameplay, while The Witcher 3 delivers impactful choices and story. Final Fantasy VII is celebrated for its narrative, and Ocarina of Time is notable for immersive play. Mass Effect set precedents with its narrative and gun-based action. These games exemplify the transformative escapism RPGs provide, setting benchmarks for future titles.

IdleOn’s Companion Updates Continues to Fatigue a Highly Active Community

October 9, 2024 Editorials

Legends of Idleon has somehow achieved an interesting status as a game that the community dislikes, across the official channels (which are moderated out) and the sub-communities. The developer, LavaFlame2, has mostly gone silent with little content since the release of companions with a high emphasis on events and quality of life updates. Understanding the Companion Update We’ve previously covered the companion update and LavaFlame2’s response that it’s a marketing ploy. The community still, since June 17th, has remained stagnant and in a constant state of burnout. The updates aren’t met with much excitement since Doot remains the critical “need” to get to the top of the leaderboards, get the most everything, do all the things quickly, etc. It’s still at a point of why use any candy if you don’t have Doot? The community remains completely openly hostile to the developer, and has increased monetization through not only the…

Tim Cain’s Video on WildStar is True but Misleading

July 15, 2023 Editorials

Tim Cain is known as part of the legendary trio behind Fallout 1 & 2. He also worked at Troika and programmed Vampire: The Masquerade and one of my favorite games Arcanum. He recently released a video lambasting Carbine and NCSoft while disclosing some deep interpersonal issues at Carbine. Tim’s video is authentic and his recount is accurate by all means. I covered WildStar heavily from 2011 onward and the stories back then were well known. Carbine was a toxic and unhealthy workplace which had the potential to release the best MMO of the golden age but instead failed with 9 years of development time and a further four post-launch to win back everyone ala Final Fantasy XIV. The video is very misleading in some ways. It argues that there was a lack of unified vision. That’s true, but it was also completely the fact that everyone at Carbine was…

Starfield Slammed with Physical Edition Controversy

June 25, 2023 News

Starfield is an up-and-coming game that’s really releasing, unlike Star Citizen, except that like Star Citizen it seems the game may only be ethereal: the physical edition will follow games like Fallout 76 and not offer a physical disc. Something fun to mention about Fallout 76 is that I got burned hard, I paid more for a physical copy only to get a code in a disc box that, may I add, was made of the absolute flimsiest plastic. Boo on you Todd Howard. This story starts with a tweet on June 25th 2023 where Bethseda said that the game would include only a code in the box. Following that, they immediately deleted the tweet. Screenshot below: The tweet is now missing. No word yet from Bethesda on whether Starfield will include a physical edition or not. It’s quite clear though that if they don’t include physical media then they…

The Rise, Fall and Future of Lore: Why Recent Indie Games Failed and How to Fix Them

June 12, 2023 Editorials

Lore and worldbuilding have the power to ignite passion in players and fuel an immersive experience. At their best, lore-driven games create a sense of mystery and discovery that motivate players to explore each part of the world. However, some recent games have exploited lore and ambiguity primarily as a marketing tactic, rather than using it to enhance gameplay or build meaning. This phenomenon highlights the need for more balanced, player-centered design. When developers commit to transparency and ethical practices, lore can be used to strengthen community trust and craft impactful stories. But that depends on valuing immersion and artistry over profits alone. We’ll dive into the history of lore focused games, what happened and where to go from here. This is all inclusive of the entire indie scene, even if there’s a heavy emphasis on mascot horror. It makes the best example and we’ll avoid referencing mascot horror to…

High on Life Weapon Tier List & Top Tips

March 23, 2023 Guides

High on Life released to massive success on Game Pass and is a really fun, but rather short fourth wall breaking adventure. We’ve got a one page sheet on which weapons are best and what’s the best part about them, some top tips and wisdom on missables, a list of confusing parts during each of the bounties and finally we wrap-up with a spoiler free secret ending guide. That’s a lot, but for a simple game it’s the best way to get everything you need in one place to make this is a far-out space adventure. Weapon Tier List A+: Creature Creature’s ability is just really good because it’s offensive and defensive. Their trick shot is almost worthless, absolutely worthless. The mind control just sucks on lower difficulties, on the harder one it gets some heat off of you but ultimately the ability to just non-stop have enemies staggered with…

How to Play Outer Worlds for $1 and Not Use the Epic Store

October 26, 2019 Guides

If you want to play Outer Worlds, the new Fallout 3/4-like game by Obsidian, you have a few options. It’s on the PS4, Xbox and on PC via the Epic Games Store. However, instead of buying it full price, you can actually play it (at least for the first month for $1) and not even have to have the Epic Store installed. This “trick” isn’t a trick at all and is an intended play path by the developers. You can get the trial for Xbox Game Pass and install the PC version off of Microsoft’s website (no links – trust no links to it, go to Microsoft yourself to avoid malware). In the games included with the game pass is not only Outer Worlds but other awesome titles like the Gears of War series and Metro. That’s it, all there is to it. Now, you can also buy the game…