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The 2,000-year-old icon could still show up in the series' futureView the full article

All MH Wilds event quests and all you need to know are laid out hereView the full article

Marvels Rivals publisher NetEase has announced a last-minute console delay for its new hero shooter FragPunk. While the game will still be released for PC on March 6, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions have been indefinitely delayed. Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase last summer, FragPunk is a colorful 5v5 shooter with powerup cards that change the rules of each round. It’s in development at NetEase owned Bad Guitar Studio. Read More... View the full article

Grand Theft Auto Online players are being charged almost 2,000,000 GTA$ for the Karin S95, a vehicle that was supposed to be free for PC players on the new Enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto 5. After being released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022, the Enhanced edition of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online finally launched on PC on March 4, but it hasn't been smooth sailing for everyone jumping into the big new update. View the full article

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is about to bring back some of the best games from the entire series, and it's poised to be quite the nostalgic blast from the past. I still fondly remember gliding around THPS 4's College level, exploring the parking lot, and making my way onto the rooftops at my own pace. That said, there's been some confusion as to whether or not the 3+4 remake will work the same way - based on Activision's announcement, it seems possible that, rather than open ended, the new THPS 4 will have the two-minute time limit structure of the older games. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 remakes feature new parks and two Doom-themed skaters View the full article

Hunter Rank is one of the most important things to note in Monster Hunter Wilds, and your ultimate aim is to increase it as quickly as possible. The HR acronym inside the game represents Hunter Rank, increasing gradually. However, you'll have to partake in certain activities to increase the numbers, and specific activities are better suited for the job. This guide will help you understand the underlying system and how to raise your ranks quickly. How does Hunter Rank work in Monster Hunter Wilds? In simple words, Hunter Rank is a leveling system corresponding to how experienced you are as a Hunter. As you complete different quests, your Hunter Rank increases. However, a cap controls how much your Hunter can grow in the first place. If you're a relative beginner, it's best to prioritize the main quests for two good reasons. Many advanced features are initially locked, which can be accessed only after you clear the missions on the main quest line. Secondly, you'll also increase your Hunter Rank cap, allowing you to level up your Hunter. Hence, prioritize completing as many main story chapters as possible, and don't be afraid to use SOS Flares if you get caught up in a tight situation. Image by Destructoid Best ways to increase Hunter Rank in Monster Hunter Wilds Once you have completed the main story, you'll unlock High Rank. This stage unlocks many advanced content, along with endgame weapons and armor. To level up your Hunter Rank quicker, take part in hunting down the Tempered monsters. These are ******* and stronger versions of regular monsters; taking them down will fetch you extra points. Taking these creatures down alone can be a significantly difficult task. Hence, it's best to resort to co-op to ensure you don't die a lot trying to increase your Hunter Rank. You can also complete side quests by accepting them from NPCs at your camps. However, a better way to hunt down ******* monsters is by setting up Investigations. Not only can you complete an Investigation with other players, but you can complete it thrice. It's extremely rewarding to level up your Hunter Rank and gain valuable resources like Hunter Symbols. To wrap things up, here's what you need to do. Prioritize completing the main story quests till you reach High Rank Hunt down the toughest monsters and set up Investigations. Make sure to check out our weapons tier list, as you'll want to have a playstyle that suits your strengths. It will make it easier for you to hunt down. The post How to raise your Hunter Rank fast in Monster Hunter Wilds? appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

One of the biggest factors in determining what monsters appear on the map at certain times in Monster Hunter Wilds is the weather and time system. You can check what time it is and what weather system is currently active by going to your map, but you're also able to change both elements to get preferable conditions. See how the weather and time system works in Monster Hunter Wilds and how to change it in the guide below. How the weather and time system works in Monster Hunter Wilds Time and weather can be volatile in the Forbidden Lands. Screenshot by Destructoid The weather and time system in Monster Hunter Wilds isn't as traditional as other games. While you'll still see familiar times of day, how these are cycled is different than you might expect. Also, the weather in the Forbidden Lands is more akin to different seasons that see drastic environmental changes happen to the map. This affects how the monsters behave, what resources are available, and what monsters you're able to hunt. Unfortunately, for the majority of the early-mid game in Monster Hunter Wilds, the weather and time are fully out of your control. You have to go by whatever time and season the game gives you during the entirety of the main story, which consists of the first three chapters. However, after you complete the main story and reach High Rank, you're given full control over changing the weather and time in the Forbidden Lands. While this process is easy enough to take advantage of, it's not a free feature. Changing both the weather and time costs you a pretty penny that might be better spent on upgrading weapons or armor. Of course, if you're really after a certain monster or resource, you need it to be a certain time and season, so it can be worth it in those instances. There are four times of day and three different weather patterns (seasons) in Monster Hunter Wilds. You can see all of them below: Monster Hunter Wilds Times of Day Morning Daytime Evening Nighttime Monster Hunter Wilds Seasons Plenty Fallow Inclemency Checking the current time and season from the map. Screenshot by Destructoid You're able to change both the time and season by going to your tent at any base or pop-up camp in Monster Hunter Wilds. From here, go to the "BBQ" menu and choose the option to "Rest." This makes your character sleep and awake only when you tell them to, which can be at a specific time and during a specific season. Once you choose to rest, pick the time you want to wake and the season you want it to be outside when you do so. You can pick between the four times of day and the three seasons we listed above. After making your selections, you'll be required to pay the fee for resting and changing the weather outside. The charge for changing the time and weather is 300 Guide Points. This same charge is applied regardless of how long you want to rest, so even if you sleep from Morning to Daytime, 300 Guid Points are taken. You can only choose to Rest from the BBQ Menu after reaching High Rank. Screenshot by Destructoid Obviously, if you've started gathering copious amounts of Guild Points in Wilds, you know just how difficult they are to come by and how important they can be for certain endgame activities. However, the more and more you progress through the endgame, the easier it is to accumulate Guild Points, so eventually, this price won't be a problem for most players. Still, it's something to keep in mind, especially after just reaching High Rank. Another aspect of changing the time and weather is that it only changes for you. Any players in your lobby won't see these changes on their end. If you're playing in a party, you are unable to change the time and weather, as those changes would have to be applied to everyone in your party for you all to see the same monsters, resources, etc. The best way to get around changing the time and weather for a party is to pick whatever time and season you want before making a party. Then, invite your party members after the changes are made, and they will experience the same time and season that you changed to. On the flip side, if you're short on Guild Points, have a friend spend the points and then join their party afterward. It's best to change the weather and time sparingly in Monster Hunter Wilds. Changing it too much will start to have an impact on the resources that villagers acquire for you and the items available for trade at base camp. You also want to save your Guild Points as much as possible during the early parts of the endgame. However, as you play more and don't need as many points or resources, change the time and season to your will as many times as you want. The post How to change the weather and time in Monster Hunter Wilds appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

ChonkyView the full article

The God of War series has been an important fixture across four generations of PlayStation consoles. But when Kratos’ vengeance-filled journey to becoming the new god of war began in 2005, few could have foreseen where the angry deity destroyer would be 20 years later. Where other long-running franchises have struggled to stay relevant for multiple gaming generations, God of War has survived thanks to its willingness to change. The most important change, of course, was the radical 2018 reboot that plucked Kratos out of Ancient Greece and immersed him in the world of Norse mythology. It dramatically changed both the presentation and gameplay style of the series. But even before that critically acclaimed reboot, developer Sony Santa Monica had implemented a number of smaller, but nonetheless interesting changes that ensured the series’ survival. Reinvention will be key to God of War’s continued success in the future, too. When the series moved to its Norse setting, director Cory Barlog spoke of his wish of “going on to the Egyptian era and the Mayan era and so on and so forth.” Recent rumours have once again brought up an Egyptian setting. Even if this is all hopeful thinking rather than genuine insider news, it’s understandable why people yearn for Kratos to visit the land of the pyramids: Ancient Egypt has a distinct culture and powerfully rich mythology. But a new setting is just the start: wherever God of War goes next, it must reinvent itself in much the same way as when it took the components that worked so well for the series’ Greek trilogy and updated (and, in some ways, improved) them for the highly acclaimed Norse games. The series has never shied away from making changes from entry to entry, of course. The original Greek games evolved across the span of a decade, refining their hack and slash gameplay and polishing it to a mirror shine by the release of God of War 3. At the end of the trilogy, Kratos had access to a revamped magic system that complimented the combo-based rhythms of melee combat, and faced an even greater variety of challenging enemies. That final chapter was built for the PlayStation 3, which offered a substantial power increase over the PS2 that the first two games were designed for, and so new camera angles provided even better views of what was in 2010 a graphical powerhouse. Much of what defined these original games was lost in the reboot. The Greek trilogy incorporated plenty of platforming and puzzle game elements to help Kratos achieve his goals. Those platforming sections were phased out of the Norse games, in part due to a change in camera angles – the new third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective just didn’t work for that kind of approach. The puzzles remained, but were reformulated to fit God of War’s new adventure-first design. By returning to the series’ Greek roots both mechanically and narratively in Valhalla, Kratos’ story came full circle. We can see this kind of re-fit applied to a number of the series’ original concepts. From God of War 2 onwards, the games featured battle arenas that allowed players to set difficulty levels and choose their opponents. These formed some of the most memorable moments of the original series, but were lost in the 2018 reboot. But Valhalla, the roguelike DLC for God of War Ragnarök, featured the return of battle arenas, which had been adapted for the new Norse mythology setting. This return to a feature of the past was poetically mirrored by the DLC’s story, which saw the Norse god of war, Týr, invite Kratos to Valhalla to confront the ghosts of his past. By returning to the series’ Greek roots both mechanically and narratively, Kratos’ story came full circle. The Norse God of War games are not just reinterpretations of past ideas, though. This second iteration of the franchise includes a swathe of new additions, including the unique throwing mechanics for the Leviathan Axe, a combat-defining parry system enabled by a series of shield types and, in Ragnarök, a magical spear that allows for a much faster, explosive attack style. These are your tools for travelling across the Nine Realms, each of which has its own particular foes, visuals and other disparate characteristics. But while the mechanics of battle and exploration are the obvious changes, the creative gulf between the original trilogy and the Norse duology is most clearly observed in the games’ approach to story. Across the second era, we feel the loss and heartache Kratos experiences for his late wife and how this fuels a fire within him. He is outwardly bitter towards his son, Atreus, and the pair’s uneasy relationship is at the heart of the two games. Both uncover unexpected hidden truths about themselves. All this is a far cry from the more brutish storytelling of the original trilogy, and the more emotive approach is almost certainly the key to the Norse era’s resounding critical and commercial success. God of War’s radical shift in both mechanical design and storytelling approach is the result of a different kind of thinking when it comes to franchises. The series’ creators have said that they don’t view the Norse games as sequels in the traditional sense, but rather as extensions of Kratos’ journey. This attitude should sit at the core of any future installments. The Norse games are not sequels in the traditional sense, but rather extensions of Kratos’ journey. Of course, radical reinvention on its own is not a foolproof way of generating escalating success. Just look at Assassin’s Creed, another series that has frequently changed location and time *******. While consistently profitable, Ubisoft's long-running series has struggled to secure continued fan adornment across multiple console generations in the same way God of War has. Following the 2017 shift to an open world RPG design with Assassin’s Creed Origins, the series links to its foundational Assassin’s guild lore has become more and more tenuous. What began as a series linked by the story of Desmond Miles has lost much of its narrative connective tissue, and the new RPG era of games have ultimately proved more divisive with each passing installment. General criticism has been aimed at the series’ increasing content bloat – the classic “******* doesn’t necessarily mean better” argument – but long-term fans are increasingly frustrated by the series drifting away from its assassin roots towards Spartan and Viking power fantasies. Fantasies that many believe would have been better served as standalone RPGs. The series has now attempted a couple of course corrections, starting with 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage; a soft reboot and return to the series’ Middle Eastern roots. It revived the gameplay and structure of the earlier games and offered a considerably shorter story, which was reasonably well received by both critics and fans. This year, Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks to be continuing in a similar vein thanks to the introduction of Naoe, a character wholly dedicated to the stealth gameplay that was foundational for the original Xbox 360-era games. The mixed fortunes of Assassin’s Creed’s shift in style shows that abandoning what made a series successful can cause rifts within the fanbase. This is something the God of War series has skilfully navigated. On paper, the Norse series is a radical departure, but it never lost sight of what made Kratos a compelling character, nor the series’ mechanical roots. It identified the very core of the Greek trilogy – that fiery, unrelenting combat – and built something new atop it. And with each new game, that foundation supported new evolutions. More Spartan Rage options. Cooler weapons. A stronger variety of combat options and adversaries. The ability to play as another character for sizable chunks of the story. All these additions enhanced what came before and never distracted from the foundations that made the previous games such a success. They maintain a clear sense of identity for the series, and deepen the lore rather than annex it. That is something a follow-up, be it set in Egypt or elsewhere, must continue to do. Regardless of if the rumours of an Egyptian setting prove true, whatever comes next must ensure that its evolutionary upgrades maintain what has made God of War such a success. Back in 2018, that meant a focus on combat – the new games had to live up to the standards of the Greek trilogy when it came to butchering foes. But the next God of War will surely be judged by its story, the true gemstone at the heart of the Norse duology. The development of Kratos’ character from the rage-filled monster encountered in the original series into a sombre, complex father and leader showcases how important the writing has been in making the post-2018 games such a monumental success. Whatever comes next must be built upon that strength, while also striving to make bold new changes that will (hopefully) be remembered as the pinnacle achievement of the next era of God of War. Chris Connor is a coffee and whisky driven culture wordsmith, with work published at NME, Radio Times, Yahoo, and others. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Since Monster Hunter Wilds is primarily an online co-op game, customizing how your hunter is presented to other players can be very important. The game lets you customize almost everything, but that can result in some dense, confusing menus. To change your title in Monster Hunter Wilds you need to edit your Hunter Profile, but the option isn’t always available. And, like a lot of options in this game, the profile editing tools aren’t all that easy to find. View the full article

Marvel Rivals has multiple cosmetics, and one will soon be unobtainable, but you can act quickly now and get it for free. The cosmetic belongs to Iron Man in Marvel Rivals, bringing his classic Armor Model 42 into the game with the hues of ****** and golden. It adds a great alternative to his default skin, the iconic red and golden armor, a familiar look popular in the MCU. View the full article

One thing Shadowveil: Legend of the Five Rings does well is invoke terror. Not just the terror of an overwhelming mass of dark energy encroaching on your fortress, which is what the story suggests. Moreso, the terror of hoping your little computer-controlled fighters will do the smart thing, then being forced to watch, helpless, as they are consumed by algorithmic choices, bad luck, your strategies, or some combination of all three. Shadowveil, the first video game based on the more than 30-year-old Legend of the Five Rings fantasy franchise, is a roguelite auto-battler. You pick your Crab Clan hero (berserker hammer-wielder or tactical support type), train up some soldiers, and assign all of them abilities, items, and buffs you earn as you go. When battle starts, you choose which hex to start your fighters on, double-check your load-outs, then click to start and watch what happens. You win and march on, or you lose and regroup at base camp, buying some upgrades with your last run's goods. [Hidden Content] Shadowveil: Legend of the Five Rings launch trailer. In my impressions after roughly seven hours of playing, Shadowveil could do more to soften its learning curve, but it presents a mostly satisfying mix of overwhelming odds and achievement. What's irksome now could get patched, and what's already there is intriguing, especially for the price. Read full article Comments View the full article

Firaxis Games has released Update 1.1.0 for the 4X turn-based strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization 7, which adds several UI improvements, the Bermuda Triangle natural wonder, balance passes to Mementos, and much more. The Civilization 7 community has been generally pleased with the update so far, but players still have several suggestions for the devs to tackle in future updates, including a reduction of disasters based on play speed and improvements to maps that some deem too dark. View the full article

Everything you need to know about Monster Hunter Wilds Event Quests including where to access them, the schedule, full list of quests, rewards, and more. View the full article

The process of reviewing Stalker 2 will live forever in my memory—spending a solid week doing almost nothing but play it in order to get through it in time for release, battling through innumerable pre-day-one-patch bugs (weapon audio cutting out, dead enemies becoming beautiful distended masses of flesh) before finally hitting the end and summing the whole experience up as an 83% in our Stalker 2 review. The game was kind of on fire, sure, but it was also bold, brilliant, and beautiful... Read more.View the full article

***** is planning to release fewer new games in the next year, but invest in its Persona, Sonic and Like a Dragon studios, it’s said. During its current business year, which ends on March 31, the Japanese publisher has released more than seven full titles, including Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Sonic X Shadow Generations, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Asked about its plans for the next fiscal year, which runs from April 2025 until March 2026, ***** said it would release fewer full games overall. Read More... View the full article

Roblox has announced its second Hunt event, featuring a $1,000,000 grand prize. The Hunt: Mega Edition is set to be the biggest event in Roblox history, offering a variety of rewards and culminating in a grand finale at the game's headquarters, which fans can watch live. However, the catch is that only ten lucky players will get the chance to compete for the million-dollar prize. View the full article

PlayStation is reportedly laying off more staff as part of restructuring of its US operations, with developers who worked on Bend Studio's cancelled live-service game and at the Visual Arts studio which provided support on the likes of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us remasters allegedly among those affected. Read more View the full article

The Russo brothers' entertainment company is stepping deeper into the video game worldView the full article

The GeForce RTX 5070 is out today, at least on paper. Yet despite having already slipped from its original February release plan, the RTX 5070 looks set to launch directly into the same stock shortage problems that have been causing frowny faces all around the rest of the RTX 50 series graphics cards – and, while you’ll still be able to try your luck with most of the GPU’s board partner variants, the one version you definitely won’t be buying today is Nvidia’s own Founders Edition. Read more View the full article

From what I've played so far, the greatest achievement of Metropolis 1998, aside from its absolutely gorgeous retro visuals, is how it combines both macro and microcosmic city-builder mechanics. If you want, you can create an entire town in seconds, using intricately designed prefabs for shops, offices, and homes. But you can also create every building piece by piece - you can zoom right in and place walls, furniture, and intricate details, at the most granular level. Visually reminiscent of SimCity and Rollercoaster Tycoon, it nevertheless feels as complex and modern as Cities Skylines 2. You've got to try Metropolis 1998. Fortunately, the demo has just been greatly expanded. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Metropolis 1998 is a new 'sequel' to SimCity and Rollercoaster Tycoon We basically just got a new SimCity game, in the classic '90s style View the full article

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase regularly adds cosmetics to the game, but Cloak & Dagger players are in dire need of a nice skin. Thankfully, that will finally change soon. On March 4, the developer announced that a new costume for Cloak & Dagger, Twilight Duo, will be coming to Marvel Rivals on March 7. The skin will come alongside a Venom costume named Lingering Imprint. Players on Reddit rejoiced, sharing their excitement. View the full article

A long-running zombie MMORPG you can play in your internet browser is shutting down next week, after almost 20 years of plank-smashing and supermarket looting. Urban Dead is closing down because a new *** law threatens hefty fines for online services (including games) that don't follow age restriction rules and other guidelines. It looks like making the game compliant with that law would be too much work for the solo web developer who's been keeping the apocalyptic servers going for this long. Read more View the full article

Kunafa Cheese, anyone?View the full article

If you’re a fan of story-driven content in World of Warcraft and prefer to experience the game at a more relaxed pace, you’re in luck. A Story Mode version of the latest raid, Liberation of Undermine, is set to unlock in-game shortly and you can prepare for its launch right now. Popping up during the first season of The War Within, the Story Mode feature allows players to explore current-tier raids at their own pace, playing on a “narrative-focused difficulty level” and offering a lucrative quest reward instead of boss drops. View the full article