hype

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…

Adore Review – Creature Summoning at Its Finest

August 6, 2023 Reviews

Adore’s combat is groundbreaking, intuitive and different from creature summoning games that have been needed for a long time. The latest update and full release have shown a polished strategic pet summoning game that has ARPG elements, rogue-like elements and something different than turn-based pet combat. If you’re big into pet games, you shouldn’t take my word for it and head on over to the Adore steam page to start checking the game out yourself – we recommend it. You summon a team of four creatures who fight for you. Your main character can’t actually engage in battle directly, only dodge and you don’t have absolute control over your summons. You’ve got to involve a lot of strategy and tactics to get through combat and what appears to be simple gameplay unravels as you move deeper into the game. If you played the game early in early access, you will…

Kotaku’s Staff Uproar: Why Generative Text Can’t Replace Editorial Staff

July 4, 2023 News

It seems that G/O Media, owner of Kotaku, has made the transition to AI content. This in turn has alienated the editorial staff who have taken to social media along with their union. The use of AI generative text is currently extremely controversial, with Gaming Tier List parent owner Yurika Corporation banning its use on all properties. There’s a lot of reasons for that, which we’ll get into, but first let’s get the information from the source. Relevant Tweet What Is G/O Media Doing and What Does AI Mean? We need to be really fair here for a moment and explain what the business, G/O Media, is saying instead of focusing on the hype. What they’re arguing is that they’ve begun using generative text to create articles that are reviewed and fact checked by an editor. The editor then approves the post to go live, assuming that it has been…

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…

Reviewing the Secretlab Titan Evo Series Buying & Assembly Experience

March 25, 2023 Uncategorized

One of the best names in the game for comfortable non-bespoke mass produced chairs is Steelcase and Herman Miller. When it comes to high quality “gaming” chairs, those same names actually come up as well; but their prices are cost prohibitive for most non-business consumers. More in the reasonable realm of $700 comes Secretlab with ultra high quality chairs that exceed the build quality of the local office big box store but come in well under the price of the top tier chairs. This review won’t argue the comfort of the chair; that’s a subjective opinion and one that I find difficult to argue against. A considerable number of streamers sit regularly in Secretlab chairs and lots of feedback from real consumers paint the chairs in a positive light. I can’t articulate such a subjective subject well and my personal experience is quite satisfactory when it comes to just overall…

Avoiding Popular Online Video Game Scams

November 27, 2022 Guides

Over the years automation has taken a powerful hold on online social commentary and allows fraudsters to launch their attacks and scams at scales never seen before. While you’re online, you’re going to want to think of your personal and financial safety when you engage in any monetary transaction. The thing is, it’s very easy to blur the lines between what’s a monetary transaction online and what’s a simple click of a button. Fraudsters use this and launch complicated attacks via bots and other methods to target online users in a variety of categories. Scammers are going try everything they can to separate you from your possessions (virtual and real). Today we’re going to delve into the nuances of scams in the world of video games and MMOs, however the best place to start with the topic is the US Government’s “How to Avoid a Scam” article produced by the…

Bungie Multiverse Mythos and Timeline Overview

March 24, 2023 Editorials

Halo is not the prime universe in the Bungie world; Marathon is. Which may surprise some who first found Bungie either through ONI or Halo, but the core timeline for the entire series rests with one of their earlier games: Marathon and Pathways into Darkness. Not only are these two games very important to the lore of both Halo and Destiny, but they’re also just as lore filled as those two games, if not more. Where Destiny has very little lore, PiD and Marathon have intense amounts of lore which to this day is studied and thought on. I’d like to propose a simplified version of the Bungie Multiverse Mythos and a simplified Timeline below that walks through the major highlights and plot points that you’d otherwise have to dig around for. Most articles focus on easter eggs and lore tidbits, but I want to focus on what the overall…

Are We in a Retro Game Bubble?

August 25, 2021 Editorials

In a recent video by Karl Jobst, he proposes that we’re in a retro video game bubble that’s been artificially inflated by the same folks who have done so with coins and comic books. That prices right now are unsustainable and that the market will collapse, leaving sellers with no buyers. Which is kind of scary for folks who love video games and kind of hard to take in for those who are attempting to invest in retro games. Well, when we ask if we’re in a retro video game bubble, the answer is very likely dependent on the game itself and the condition of the game. Loose cartridges, CIB games and games that are new but not graded are all right now showing minor inflation due to higher demand during 2020 and 2021 lockdowns for older games, especially in the Gamecube market. Collectors may have to pay a premium…

Resident Evil 8 – Village Best Weapons Tier List

May 9, 2021 Guides

We’ve listed out the best weapons in Resident Evil: Village for you to use. We list the knife & handgun at the top, even if they’re the default weapons because the knife costs no ammo and the handgun has probably the most ammo available in the game. Guns are available via the shop and can be found in treasure locations throughout the game. Once you beat the game, depending on the difficulty, when you load back into your save you can buy a new assortment of weapons. We let you know what the best post-game weapon is for achievement hunting. New Game+ gives you the ability to buy a hype gun at the start, but by then you should have a strong feeling for the game. The biggest tip I can give you is to get the Wolfsbane as soon as its available. Most of the game is going to…

Understanding Limited Run Games and the Game Collector’s Market

May 1, 2021 Guides

Limited Run Games is a publisher of limited runs of physical games. There are other outlets, like Strictly Limited, that do a similar thing but Limited Run Games is what I would consider the industry leader in this very interesting world of limited video game releases. Their popularity recently has continued to only soar as collectors attempt to collect a wide range of their products, from the games they love to those who just love to collect every release. To be completely candid, I recently was looking at MidBoss’s Japanese release of the 2064 collector’s edition and fell immediately in love with the artwork and everything about it. Obtaining the previous US release led me down a long and wild adventure into a niche market that’s exploding in popularity and has a lot of pieces to untangle. The Principles of False Scarcity & A Limited History of Collector’s Editions If…