The Atelier franchise is completely labyrinthine. A quick trip to Wikipedia (I know it’s not the most reliable source, but it’ll do for our purposes) tells us that there have been an incredible 21 games in the franchise, all of which are subdivided into seven different meta-series. Salburg, Gramnad, Iris…if you’re not familiar with these names, then the Atelier franchise probably looks as daunting and off-putting to you as it has done to me in the past. What we need is an entry point, somewhere that non-fans can step onto the series and start playing. Luckily, we now have Atelier…

When Yooka-Laylee was announced, a great deal was made about how the game was a product of former Rare Studios employees. That’s because Rare has a pretty impressive pedigree when it comes to platformers; they’re the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and, of course, Donkey Kong 64. It was the first and last game in this list that Yooka-Laylee was moclearly modelled on, although it did take the irreverent sense of humour of Conker’s Bad Fur Day (albeit without quite so much vulgarity). Now, Playtonic Studios are turning their hand to a spin-off-come-sequel called Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible…

I’m standing atop a hill covered with leafy vegetation and gently swaying trees. Overlooking an enemy base, I send out my drone and organically recon the area, watching for enemy patrol routes and judging distances. Satisfied I’ve got them all figured out, I launch my sneaky assault, winding my way down to the base from my perch and expertly predicting enemy movements. One enemy remains after I’ve systematically dispatched my enemies and looted them. The chase is on. When it’s good, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is very good indeed. These moments – sneaking through bases, organically taking down enemies, and watching…

League of Legends began as a project of an indie game company, Riot Games, and was launched in October 2009. If Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck, the names behind the company, actually predicted the level of success the game was going to have, is yet to be answered. But one thing is for sure: this year, League of Legends hits its 10-year anniversary, and the stakes are higher than ever before. League of Legends took inspiration from Asian video games, but the creators thought it was unfair to create a game where you can buy additional features that would help…

The release of FIFA 20 means that gamers are looking all over the internet trying to find the best young players to buy when they enter career mode. The hot-bed for talent over the past couple of seasons has been England as we enter a golden generation for the Three Lions, which has already consisted of two semi-final appearances at competitions. The calibre of players in the Premier League is typically high, but more than ever, the biggest teams in the division are building their sides around home grown talent. But, when players enter career mode, which professionals have the…

Military strategy is a pretty popular genre, and for obvious reasons. The appeal of watching troops execute a perfectly-planned strategy and take down their enemy with ruthless efficiency isn’t one that needs to be explained. Nevertheless, this crowded genre has hundreds of games, some better than others. Here are the top 20 military strategy games you can play in 2019. BattleTech (PC) While BattleTech doesn’t technically feature the real-life military, it does revolve around a group of mercenaries piloting mechs, so it is military in spirit. The strategy in BattleTech is deep, complex, and interwoven; every system interlocks perfectly, and…

You may have expected it or it may come as a bolt from the blue, but it’s now completely official: Sony has announced its new console. It is, as you might expect, called the PlayStation 5, in continuance with a naming scheme Sony has been using since 2000’s PlayStation 2. It’ll come to our shores in the holiday period next year, although we don’t actually know exactly when it’s coming yet. Naturally, we’ll bring you more on the PS5 as we get it, but for now, here’s the scoop. Speaking to Wired, lead architect Mark Cerny, as well as Sony…

Any gamer worth their salt knows that you can’t just game with the PS4 on its own. If you’re going to maximise the potential of Sony’s wonderful black monolith, you’re going to need some excellent accessories. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’ll have to break the bank to buy the best accoutrements for your console, but that’s not the case at all. Many of the best things you can buy to augment your experience cost less than you might think. Here are the best PS4 accessories for under £50. Best Controller Under £50 –  Sony DualShock 4 Controller (£39.99) Put…

Nintendo is absolutely killing it in the gaming industry right now. The on-again-off-again pattern of the company’s console releases means each console is alternately successful and a disappointment. The N64 did great business, but the GameCube was underwhelming. The Wii put Nintendo back on track, but the Wii U was a disaster. Now we’ve got the Switch, a great idea with excellent execution that fills a niche we didn’t know we needed to be filled until it was. It stands to reason that a console like the Switch would be absolutely rammed with great games. There are, of course, some…

If you thought Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the most hyped animal-based life-sim coming to the Nintendo Switch, you’ve got another thing coming. Untitled Goose Game (we’re so glad they actually called it that) has finally waddled its way onto Nintendo’s eShop and it is irresistibly charming. Initially greeted by some seriously chilled out main menu music, from the moment I started up the game I was in love. Untitled Goose Game’s vibrant block colours, consistently pleasing cell-shading, playful piano soundtrack, and simple mechanics knit together atmosphere and gameplay into an endlessly endearing package. The game opens in a quiet…

When you’re a gamer, almost nothing matters more than the game itself. You could be playing on an ancient 12-inch CRT TV or a state-of-the-art 8K display, but if the game isn’t good then you’re not going to get much enjoyment out of it. That being the case, it’s still true that good gamers deserve good gaming setup, and the ultimate gamer needs the ultimate rig to complement their mad skills. If that’s you, then step right up and discover how to build the ultimate gaming setup. A quick proviso: naturally, the ultimate gaming setup will differ depending on whether…

Rally driving is a terrifying prospect. For those of us who’ve never tried it or never been interested in trying it, watching the drivers career around bends that should by rights launch their cars into roadside ditches is a scary experience. Luckily, we’ve got video games to help us live that fantasy vicariously (because Lord knows you wouldn’t get most of us here into a rally car). Specifically, we’ve got the WRC series. This franchise goes right back to 2001’s World Rally Championship, created by Evolution Studios. The series has passed through three different developers since its inception; it took…

The royal battle is one of the most popular types of game played by the players, because the goal is to make a maximum of “kill” without being killed, and to keep as long as possible in the game. We will talk about some big hits games such as PUBG or Fortnite , but we will also discover some nuggets of royal battle that are worth seeing. 1 – ROBLOX “MOD” the battle royale mod we know it does not exist on Roblox for a simple copyright reason but there is a MOD called Island Royale . It imitates the…

Video games are rising in popularity and the industry is growing like never before. As computers, mobiles and internet become more accessible worldwide, videogames are reaching more people. This is especially true since the development of free-to-play eSports games, which have revolutionized the market. Today’s eSports have taken over giant stadiums during leagues and tournaments and are not only being by played by millions, but spectated online by hundreds of millions of fans. eSports is no longer just a subgenre of gaming – it’s a whole phenomenon. Let’s dive into the world of eSports and see just how much it’s…

It’s finally getting colder. Temperatures are dropping, the leaves are falling from the trees, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back on sale. It’s almost time for Halloween. Almost. But if you just can’t wait for the spooky season to kick in, how about playing some terrifying video games to tide you over? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best around and some of the more obscure titles you might want to check out if you’re in the mood for a scare! In no particular order, here are our top 20 horror games. 1. Silent Hill Often regarded…

Twitch Overview: More Than Just Games In Real Life (IR) has become a big part of Twitch since its launch. If the Twitch revolution has passed you by, you might want to get yourself up to speed. Twitch is an incredibly popular streaming platform on which users stream themselves gaming, chatting, and generally living. Gaming is the most popular part of Twitch by far, but it’s not the only part. There are plenty of Twitch streamers who aren’t interested in video games or don’t dedicate themselves entirely to this aspect of their lives. The Rise of IRL Streaming One such…

If you’ve ever considered becoming a Twitch streamer, you probably know that it isn’t easy. Putting together a setup and dealing with the technical side of things is tricky, but it probably isn’t the hardest part of Twitch streaming. That dubious honour goes to actually gathering followers once you’ve set your channel up. It’s this aspect of streaming that sets amateur Twitch enthusiasts apart from true professionals, and it’s this aspect that proves most elusive whenever anyone decides to set up a channel. Getting people to actually watch your content doesn’t necessarily need to be as tricky as many people…

Here’s a sobering fact for you. Depending on how ads work within Twitch streams, it’s possible for a streamer to make between $1000 and $10,000 an hour. For many people, that will be a completely unattainable amount of money, and yet there are those who complain that Twitch streaming “looks like an easy job” and that “anyone could do it”. Are these statements true? Well…yes and no, of course. There are fewer barriers to entry for Twitch than for many other jobs, but it is naturally not easy to become a Twitch streamer. Here’s what you need to broadcast on…

Popular streaming service Twitch is eight years old this year. Technically, though, the service has a much longer and more storied history than that. What we know of as Twitch actually started way, way back in 2005, and wasn’t called Twitch. The site has been through a long and interesting history since its relatively inauspicious beginnings; it wasn’t always the internet juggernaut we know it as today. Come and join us as we take a trip down memory lane and investigate the history of Twitch. The year is 2005. The Pussycat Dolls stand shoulder-to-shoulder with The Black Eyed Peas for…

Introduction to Twitch’s Influence For the last few years, Twitch has dominated the gaming landscape, as well as poking its head into the movie, TV show, and music doors. Twitch is an all-encompassing platform that divides opinion just as often as it unites people. It’s a cultural phenomenon, and if you’re a video gamer or someone who knows video gamers, it’s very hard to escape Twitch. What is Twitch? That doesn’t quite answer the most important question, though, which is this: what exactly is Twitch? You’ll have heard about it from various different people, and it’s been in the news…

Everyone’s mileage with Yu-Gi-Oh! will vary. For some, it was an essential ritual, a part of growing up. Many of us sat open-mouthed before the TV either before or after school, staring as the drama unfolded and watching the beautifully-animated cards come to life right before our eyes. Others let the whole YGO! phenomenon pass them by. Some of us here are dedicated Pokemon folks, while others have fonder memories of Digimon or Dragonball Z. If you’re in the former camp, you’re probably the target audience for Konami and Other Ocean’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist. This game was originally released…

Gamescom 2019 is finally over, and we’ve had some time to sit and think about everything we saw. It’s been a few days since the show ended, and since its conclusion, we’ve been mulling over what we thought were the best bits. It was a pretty epic show this year, and many of the major video game companies had enviable showings. Still, crown winners we must. Here are the most impressive games we saw at Gamescom 2019. Marvel’s Avengers If you said to us “live-service version of The Avengers with loot and progression systems”, we’d have wondered if it could…

Whenever something new happens in Fortnite, it is looking forward to with great expectation and hope. This is because of quite a few things. Players are quite sure that they will get new skins, emotes could be crazier than ever before, and new weapons will be there and quite a few things will be there to explore as new additions. However, as far as Fortnite’s new giant mechs are concerned, there are many who believe that it has been a big letdown. Not many are ready to say anything good about the new giant mechs. This, unfortunately also includes streamer…

Whether you’re a simulation racer, or you prefer arcade fun more, in 2019, you will find some great gaming options for every taste. The gaming industry has developed significantly over the years, and nowadays, the racing game genre is as versatile and complex as never before. From impressive sound design to amazing graphics, there are many characteristics that contribute to a game’s general appeal. New versions are being released regularly, and it seems like this year, developers have perfected the features even more. You know a racing game feels just right once you play it, but which are the options…

There’s a common perception that video games represent pure escapism. To a certain degree, that’s true; video games are able to create fantastical worlds and have players inhabit them in a way that simply isn’t possible for other media. Still, it’s not entirely right to say video games offer pure escapism. There are many games set in the real world; there are games that focus on actual historical events; there are games that purport to teach moral lessons. These games aren’t offering escapism per se. One of the ways in which video games incorporate realism into their structure is with…

The CPU can easily make or break your gaming PC. If you end up choosing the wrong one, in spite of the best hardware and high RAM, you cannot get optimum performance out of it. It is also an expensive purchase due to which you should be pretty careful while choosing one. The problem is that most of the players look at the confusing technical jargon and specifications while choosing one. It will end up confusing you more rather than helping you. That is why; today we will help you understand how to choose best CPU for your gaming PC…

Regardless of platform, whether it be on one of the consoles or PC, racing games have always proven incredibly popular. Developers have been churning them out for decades now (the first true racing game – Gran Trak 10 – was released all the way back in 1974), and gamers have been more than happy to lap them up! There are a select few titles, however, which in our opinion stand head and shoulders above the rest of the racing games out there. And so, without further ado, here are the best racing games ever created. Gran Turismo Series When it…

Ah, heatwaves. We never get any better at coping with those 25 degrees plus temperatures so instead, we pray for rain. And obviously, complain when it finally comes… In the midst of all this tropical heat, we recommend cooling down and rehydrating with some seriously soggy games. Here are ten games with the most intense rain effects to keep you cool throughout Summer! Heavy Rain The clue is in the name! While this one may seem a little obvious, it is an absolute classic and its bouncing raindrops and drenched textures are perfect examples of pathetic fallacy. The rain amps…

Have you recently recorded a video clip from your game that you’d like to share with your friends? Maybe you’d like to send them the video file directly, or upload it to YouTube to and share the link? Before you actually share your gaming videos, you should take a moment to consider the format that they’re in. The reason for that is simple: Using the right format will make it easier to share them, and help ensure that viewers have no problem watching your videos. To be more specific, there are three formats in particular that are best for sharing…

So you’ve seen the insane money Twitch streamers can sometimes make and you’ve decided you want in on that. Congratulations – you’ve just taken your first step towards becoming a Twitch creative. This job can be lucrative, exciting, and extremely rewarding, but it can also be very difficult indeed. Not just anyone can become a Twitch streamer; you need to set yourself apart from the legions of imitators also wanting to become pros on the platform. So, how can you do that? How, exactly, can you enter the world of professional Twitch streaming? Well, there’s no simple answer to that…

The very first FIFA game was released for SNES and Genesis (along with a bunch of other platforms) way, way back in 1993. It was simply called FIFA International Soccer and it was, as you might expect, pretty primitive by modern standards. Still, since that time, FIFA arguably hasn’t massively evolved. Sure, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where a game representing a sport could improve; after all, accurate representation is surely the goal. Still, there must be room for improvement. It’s with great excitement and glee, then, that we look forward to the upcoming FIFA 20. The game is due…