Digital Trends • February 24th, 2024

After Skull and Bones, try this excellent pirate game

Skull and Bones was envisioned as an expansion of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s naval combat mechanics, but its scope became increasingly bigger during development. Even Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that it was a “AAAA” game to justify charging $70 for it. But what if you could experience a pirate adventure that only costs about half as much money and that also has charming characters? You can if you try Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.

Inverse • January 26th, 2024

'Tekken 8' vs. 'Street Fighter 6' Differences: Gameplay, Graphics, Characters and More

Fighting games have had a recent resurgence, with Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 receiving critical and commercial success last year. However, a new challenger is making its way into the ring: Tekken 8.

Inverse • January 19th, 2024

'The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered' Changes and Differences: Is It Worth It?

The Last of Us Part 2 debuted in 2020 for PlayStation and garnered critical acclaim through its complex story, in-depth gameplay, and stunningly realistic visuals. Now, Naughty Dog has released a PlayStation 5 port of the game with new features and enhancements. But are the upgrades worth a purchase? Here’s what we know.

But Why Tho? • December 28th, 2023

Year in Review: Top Japanese RPGs of 2023

2023 has been hailed as a big year for video game releases, and Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) are no exception. There have been some phenomenal ones, from new IPs and sequels to remakes. So there were plenty of great gems to choose from!

Fangoria • December 21st, 2023

Top 14 Must-Play Horror Video Games Of 2023

2023 has been an excellent year for gaming, but horror fans were especially treated with quality titles consisting of remakes, sequels, and originals. Slay the Princess and Little Goody Two Shoes were some left-field surprises from indie developers, and the elusive Fatal Frame 4 finally made it out of Japan with an official localization after almost fifteen years.

Mashable • December 20th, 2023

10 best DLCs 2023, ranked: No. 1 left me emotionally damaged, but it's worth it

2023 has been a great year for video game releases. Games like and kept players entertained for hours.

However, 2023 was also a great year for video game DLC and expansions. From the epic continuation of Final Fantasy XVI to the redemption of Cyberpunk 2077, here are the best video game expansions of 2023.

Mashable • December 1st, 2023

'Super Mario Bros. Wonder': It exemplifies how 'Sonic Superstars' is embarrassingly behind

Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic are two of the most recognizable mascot characters in gaming. The Italian plumber captured the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere with his signature “wahoo!” while the blue hedgehog kept them excited with his exhilarating speed.

Inverse • November 15th, 2023

10 Years Ago, PlayStation Dealt a Devastating Blow to Its Fiercest Rival

In the summer of 2013, Sony published a very strange video to YouTube. The 20-second clip features two PlayStation executives standing awkwardly in a dark room while holding a copy of the forgettable video game Killzone: Shadowfall.

“This is how you share your games on PS4,” says gaming industry legend Shuhei Yoshida while mean-mugging the camera. He then hands Killzone to game developer-turned-executive Adam Boyes, who also stares straight into the camera and shouts, “Thanks!”

Variety • October 22nd, 2023

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Ending Teases New Characters

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 focuses on Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they fight off a litany of villains throughout the Spider-Man universe. As the final act concludes, character arcs end and new ones open. There are also teases that hint at the introduction of new characters, but the jury’s still out on whether they’ll be included in future DLC or in the next Spider-Man game from Insomniac.

NPR • October 4th, 2023

Detective Pikachu Returns, Assassin's Creed Mirage and more Fall games reviewed (Sea of Stars)

Sea of Stars is a retro RPG heavily inspired by classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. You follow two "Solstice Warriors": Valere, who has the power of the moon, and Zale, who has the power of the sun. Together, they use their Eclipse magic to fight off otherworldly creatures called Dwellers.

GameSpot • October 4th, 2023

November Might Be Light On Major AAA Games, But Don't Underestimate What's Releasing

2023 has seen some truly remarkable game releases, including the likes of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, and Resident Evil 4's remake. Curating your potential top 10 favorite games for 2023 will be quite the challenge, and despite only having a few more months left this year, the release calendar isn't slowing down soon. November might be unusually light in terms of major AAA releases, but it's looking like an incredible month for RPG fans in particular.

Digital Trends • September 9th, 2023

If you love Starfield, try this sci-fi gem on Xbox Game Pass next

Starfield is one of the biggest games of 2023, both figuratively and literally. It’s Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years and a monumental landmark for Microsoft — a company that’s struggled to deliver consistent first-party hits this console generation. On top of that, Starfield’s scope is absolutely massive. It’s a grand space-faring adventure filled with multiple planets, storylines, space battles, and gunfights.

Epic Games Store Blog • August 14th, 2023

Tinykin is an excellent adventure game for all ages

Tinykin is a game that provides a fun challenge, but it never feels too patronizing or tricky. Tinykin is an action-platformer that follows a young traveler named Milo who arrives on Earth, albeit as a miniature version of himself. Since he finds himself stuck like an ant in a large house, he must explore every nook and cranny to find a way back home.

Paste Magazine • July 28th, 2023

Popeyes Girl Dinner Menu: A Review

Girl dinner is one of the latest trends taking over TikTok. You might come home one day and find yourself too lazy to cook a traditional dinner like a plate of pasta, chicken and broccoli. Instead, you grab a bunch of unrelated snacks that, when eaten together, make up your entire meal. Girl dinner could be as simple as some carrots and ranch along with a bowl of blueberries and a slice of ham.

NPR • July 18th, 2023

The best games of 2023 so far, picked by the NPR staff

The year 2023 has been one of the biggest gaming years in recent memory. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom broke sales records, alongside blockbusters like Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 4, Hogwarts Legacy and Dead Space.

Digital Trends • January 17th, 2023

Persona 3's new remaster shows how far the series has come

In 2006, developer Atlus would pave its future with an important game release: Persona 3 for the PlayStation 2. It was a smash-hit, finally taking the JRPG series mainstream in a way that its first two games didn’t. Persona 3 laid the groundwork for what would eventually be Persona 5’s monumental mainstream success and Atlus’ crown jewel.

NPR • December 16th, 2022

Best games of 2022 chosen by NPR

The world may have returned to a halting, uncertain normalcy in 2022.

But 2022's video games were anything but ordinary. The Pokémon Company graced us with not one, but two huge titles. Ambitious indies had us sift through mysterious movie footage, found our own cults, investigate supernatural deaths, delve into outer-space colonies, search for secret treasure, and so much more.

Crunchyroll • December 9th, 2022

The 10 Best JRPGs of 2022 You Should Play

Every year is a great year for JRPGs and 2022 is no different. In fact, 2022 was particularly loaded with strategy RPG games like Tactics Ogre: Reborn, Relayer, and the Front Mission 1 remake. Square Enix also released so many games this year, especially toward the latter half, like Dragon Quest Treasures and Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered. I sometimes even lost track of the company’s release schedule!

Digital Trends • October 17th, 2022

Persona 5 Royal is right at home on the Nintendo Switch

Persona 5 Royal is one of the greatest Japanese RPGs of all time and had been touted as a phenomenal PlayStation exclusive — until now. The original vanilla version, Persona 5, hit Japan in late 2016 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Kotaku • September 30th, 2022

Square Enix Is Drowning 2022 With New RPGs, And We're Here For It

2022 is a great year to be an RPG fan, particularly of Japanese games. The holiday season is usually crowded with new game releases, but this year Square Enix appears to be releasing games like it’s Christmas all year round. With so many out already, and so many more to come, are SE’s profligate ways good or bad for RPG lovers?

Digital Trends • September 19th, 2022

Soul Hackers 2 could have been the perfect Game Pass RPG

Atlus created quite a bit of fanfare earlier this year when it announced that the Persona series would arrive on Xbox in October. But that isn’t the only JRPG the publisher had in store for Xbox owners this year. Soul Hackers 2 was a big get for Microsoft, bringing the Shin Megami Tensei style of gameplay to its systems with a fresh release. It launched at the end of August without nearly as much excitement as Persona — Persona 5’s Xbox release date announcement seemed to overshadow Soul Hackers

Digital Trends • August 5th, 2022

5 JRPGs not from Square Enix deserve the HD-2D treatment

The HD-2D style is a boon for Square Enix’s modern turn-based JRPGs. It takes retro 2D sprites and fits them into beautiful 3D environments with gorgeous special effects. Seeing realistic fire animations, reflections, and more alongside charming old-school pixel art really helps the games that utilize this style stand out from the crowd.

NPR • July 20th, 2022

The best games of 2022 so far, picked by the NPR staff

It didn't take long for 2022 to deliver on a deep roster of long-awaited games, from blockbusters like Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, to breakout indies like Tunic and Norco. We asked NPR staff and contributors for their favorites so far. The resulting list represents a broad swath of tastes that includes games appropriate for kids ("Kid Friendly"), and for folks who may be new to the hobby ("For New Gamers").

Whether you're interested in story-driven experiences or challenges to your wits and reflexes, there's plenty to love in these 30 games.

Digital Trends • July 17th, 2022

The Steam Deck is a true successor to PlayStation Vita

It’s hard to imagine that Sony was a major player in the handheld console race less than 10 years ago. The console giant found success with the PSP in the 2000s and looked to push its advantage in 2012 with the PlayStation Vita. That didn’t quite go as planned.