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Healers are the backbone of any Marvel Rivals squad and ensure that allies stay safe from danger. While there is a wide variety of superheroes, one Strategist is becoming a meta pick. Marvel Rivals players agree that Susan Richards is the best Strategist in the game right now. “Invisible woman due to versatility, team up and anti-dive pros. She’s pretty much perfect tbh,” one player said, showing the healer’s powers across the ranks. View the full article

If you've just spent your hard-earned cash on a brand new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 graphics card, the last thing you want is a hard-to-spot fault running your gaming performance. One such fault with the ROP count on Nvidia's latest pixel-pushers can be identified with one free-to-download piece of software, meaning you can rest assured whether your card needs to be replaced or not. While Nvidia can claim it has the best graphics card on the market, it's facing its fair share of issues right now, from stock shortages to faulty cards. It's the latter of these issues that might have you worried your card is also impacted, so we're going to show you how to check if your RTX 5090, RTX 5080, or RTX 5070 Ti is faulty and needs to be returned to the manufacturer. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Where to buy 5070 Ti - Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock for February 25 Where to buy 5070 - retailers to check for stock first Nvidia just admitted that some RTX 5080 GPUs are faulty and slower in games View the full article

After the past few years of hit-and-miss business sims I had convinced myself that the real heyday of tycoon games was back in the ‘90s, but Two Point Museum may have finally changed my mind. It's not a huge, revolutionary departure from Two Point Studios' recent run of quirky games, Hospital and Campus, but this time they've finally perfected the recipe. With its varied and challenging management layer, tons of cool props and exhibits to unlock, and a refreshingly dry sense of humor, I sometimes had a hard time dragging myself away from it. The thing that impresses me most about Two Point Museum compared to other recent games like Planet Coaster 2 is that it actually seems interested in challenging you to manage the finances of your operation as you’re building and decorating it. And maybe I’m a nerd, but that's at least half the reason I like these kinds of games. It's actually difficult to build a money printer that you can simply walk away from, but also not so punishing that I frequently got myself into big trouble that I couldn't wiggle my way out of. The balance, when it comes to juggling my balance sheets, feels just about… balanced. There are lots of useful tools to help you pull this off. The whole interface seems cleverly built to group relevant information together, and makes it really easy to quickly take action on common problems. The Pay Review screen for your staff is a great example. I can sort everyone in the museum by how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with their salary, then adjust it with a slider without having to even open up another menu. Then you get to watch their satisfaction change almost immediately, all from that screen. It's so effortless to navigate all of these complex considerations when so much thought has been put into how to organize it all in a way that makes my job more convenient. The whole interface seems cleverly built to group relevant information together. Whether I'm setting up a new exhibit or decorating the employee break room, everything is done in Two Point's whimsical, cartoony, almost claymation-like style. I might be displaying a fossil of a floppy disk or artifacts from a planet inhabited by cheese-loving aliens, but Museum leans into it all. Admittedly, I've never been particularly charmed by this schtick in previous Two Point games, and I'm still not. But at least it's distinct and consistent. And the PA announcements are often actually quite funny. "Bored guests are reminded that not everything has to be a party, okay?" Changing the focus from running a school or hospital to a museum does Two Point a lot of favors, though. When my goal is to impress my guests using elaborate displays, lots of little decorations, and floor plans that make sure they have to exit through the gift shop, I find myself zooming way down and paying a lot of attention to how everything might look at eye-level. On one of my favorite maps, I got to design a haunted house experience complete with cursed artifacts and, eventually, actual ghosts who can break out and cause mayhem if they don't get their weekly therapy appointment. So yeah, “simulation” is used a bit loosely here, and Two Point is all too happy to embrace goofiness over reality. It works! Each of the different museums has its own thematic and interesting challenges like this. In one, I was searching the seas for exotic fish to add to my wall-to-wall underwater wonderland. In another, I had to learn the mysterious symbology of an alien race to activate adjacency bonuses for my exhibits. What’s especially cool about that is the differences between each of these are so great that it's almost like you're getting multiple games in one: Two Point Aquarium, Two Point Planetarium, and Two Point Haunted Hotel. This kept things fresh and exciting well into my career – especially when my objectives started encouraging me to mix themes and disciplines from more than one area. Acquiring artifacts to show off and bring in crowds of gawkers involves unlocking and undertaking expeditions to everywhere from fossil-littered canyons to the far reaches of outer space. You have to manage the skills and traits of different staff members to unlock new ways of minimizing danger and maximizing rewards. It seems simple at first, but there's a lot of depth buried here. It seems simple at first, but there's a lot of depth buried here. And all of that harmonizes so well with the ways your staff can train and specialize at different tasks back home. An assistant who has a perk that allows them to move around quicker on the museum floor might also be able to remove a random event from an expedition that could cause injury or even "MIA" – functionally, death. There's a great progression from simpler, quicker, and lower-risk outings that bring back much less impressive attractions to long, deadly, and elaborate ones that can require several high-skill staff members and craftable items to tackle. The option to go for a Quick, Safe, or Detailed approach adds more strategy and nuance; increasing the survey level of a site also increases the chances of getting higher-rarity versions of your exhibits, and that presents a compelling reason to come back to places you've already been. This further ties into the satisfying unlock system, in which breaking down copies of exhibits you already have will increase your knowledge level for that exhibit and make your museum more educational. And while general museum decorations are still unlocked with Kudosh, the achievement-based career currency making a return from Two Point Hospital and Campus, specifically themed decorations for a science or space museum only come from studying artifacts from that theme. There's so much to unlock that I never felt like I hit a point where I wasn't being rewarded for my time, even after more than 40 hours. The only major part of the Two Point Museum formula I didn't love was dealing with crime. As your museum becomes more prestigious and displays higher-value items, it will increasingly be targeted by thieves and vandals who can really ruin your day, up to and including stealing entire attractions that may have taken hours to acquire and level up. Hiring more security guards and having one permanently posted up at each entrance is usually enough to deter most evildoers. But you're supposed to eventually set up camera rooms that I felt have too small of a coverage range, which monitor cameras that don't protect very much floor space and conflict with a lot of other necessary wall items. It gets to the point where I found it frustrating to find space to cram them in. As Ben Franklin once said, those who would give up essential wall space to purchase a little temporary security deserve neither. You can at least turn crime off in the Sandbox mode, which features a lot of other difficulty customization as well. That's really nice for long-term play. This is where you go if you want to run a museum that relies mostly on donations and grant money, and not even have to worry about charging an entry fee. There are settings for that as well. This is all set to a chill, vibe-y soundtrack that keeps me in the zone and jamming. It can vary from one map to the next, but it's always low-key, soothing, and upbeat. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Who doesn’t love a free game? But what if that free game came with the promise of more "game" in the future? Yeah, I've described demos, and there’s no better place to find them than the Steam Next Fest. For this February 2025 edition, we’ve selected the most fun, innovative, and exciting demos you can play right now. Some of the games you’ll see are pretty much a complete product, while others are rough but promising. Of course, it's impossible to list every good demo on Steam in a single article. So you bet we'll bring you more demo highlights, but there's always Steam’s dedicated Next Fest recommendation page, as well. Solasta 2 Screenshot by Destructoid Finally, an RPG where you can’t talk to everyone! And even when you can, you don’t really have a say in what your party says. These predetermined conversations go straight to the point which is, predictably, who I have to kill and why I shouldn’t feel bad about it. Sure, that’s not entirely fair. There are some interesting conversations in the Solasta 2 demo, but the interactivity is closer to Mass Effect than Baldur’s Gate. If you’re going to like Solasta 2 it will be thanks to the tactical combat and faithful adaptation of the D&D 2024 ruleset, so it makes sense for the demo to focus on varied combat scenarios instead of deep conversations. Monaco 2 Screenshot by Destructoid Twelve years ago, the original Monaco shook the world of goofy co-op game enthusiasts and slightly underwhelmed everyone else. In 2025, its sequel promises to do exactly the same. While going through the few story levels available on your lonesome is not exactly fun, it does paint a picture of the finished game, and it’s not half bad. Gone is the top-down perspective, replaced by a wide third-person camera. However, one click is all that separates you from the classic blueprint look of the original, now dedicated to planning your next move with the team. Monaco 2’s demo will be accessible until March 3. Despelote Screenshot by Destructoid If you can stomach the abrupt transitions and early ending, the Despelote demo is pretty much a full game. It’s 2001 and Ecuador might win the Soccer World Cup. As a result, everyone is suddenly obsessed with soccer. You’re a kid, and you’re no exception. As the game’s Steam page puts it, Despelote is a soccer game about people. More than anyone else, it seems to be a game about its creators, or some version of them. Footage of old soccer games is mixed with a 3D environment reminiscent of Obra Dinn, and ****** and white scribbles replace moving, speaking characters. Neat! Deliver At All Costs Image via Konami Entertainment Feeling nostalgic about the top-down racing genre that is no more? Deliver At All Costs isn’t exactly a racing game, and it’s not really top-down either, but it scratches the same itch and then some. This humorous romp successfully mixes Fallout-style spoofs of mid-century America and the innate comedy of trying to drive without causing chaos in Grand Theft Auto. Make a living delivering shady goods for shady clients and try not to make too much of a mess – unless you think it’s funny, in which case you should definitely make a mess. Use your engineering degree to mod your vehicles and… wait, why are you out of a job again? Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery! Screenshot by Destructoid Yokai Landlord markets itself as a digital version of the classic card game Werewolf, played against a number of conniving digital opponents. In reality, Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery is less Gnosia and more Ace Attorney, even if it doesn’t have quite the style of either of those. Unlike a real (or simulated) game of Werewolf, the objective is to identify which of your quirky tenants are actually yokai, which will kill everyone in the building if their plans go undisturbed. As the landlord, it’s up to you to gently ask them to vacate the apartment before the end of the month, but only once you can demonstrate that they really are a monster in disguise. Beholder: Conductor Image by Alawar The fourth entry in the dystopic landlord simulator series Beholder: Conductor really shakes things up by putting you in the role of a train conductor. Will you sell out your friends when they become enemies of the state? Of course you will. But will you make sure their chairs are comfortable before locking them in their cabin? Since this is only a demo, it’s hard to tell how much story variation there is in this allegedly story-focused game. If the rest of the series is any indication, one thing is clear. You better like being the amoral tool of the state. Killer Chat! - Expanded Edition Screenshot by Destructoid Killer Chat is already out, but the Expanded Edition is not, and there sure is a lot to expand on. After all, while the original edition is impressive, it was developed in a single month for an Itch.io game jam. The Expanded Edition has a lot of work to do, from adding characters and routes to making the game space more interactive. But enough about expansions, what’s this IRC-looking Discord server of a game about? Killer Chat is a chill, funny adventure game that would belong in a list of cozy demos if it wasn’t for all the serial killers. You take the role of an aspiring crime fiction writer who, ignoring the cry of their antivirus, finds themselves in the not-Discord service of a handful of serial killers dying to chat with you. As they put it, there’s totally a lack of community in the serial killing space. Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo Screenshot by Destructoid Type-NOISE knows what makes a great game: escaping from a weird room only to be locked into another room with two to four anime teenagers. This visual novel/point-and-click hybrid about being stuck in places might feel familiar if you’ve ever played through the Zero Escape series. If that’s you, I’m happy to report that the Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo demo is neat. If the idea of playing a level of Myst on easy mode and then reading a visual novel for two hours doesn’t entice you, the Danganronpa-lite art style and weird sci-fi story might. You and your friends’ memories have been erased, and it seems like it might have been your choice. Not that you would remember, but why would this ugly-cute flying ****** lie to you? Angeline Era Image by Analgesic Productions I’m not sure if the Angeline Era demo was updated for the current Steam Next Fest or if the game is “participating” in the celebration mostly in spirit. Either way, this is one of the best demos of the year. Angeline Era is a retro action RPG that plays like nothing else but feels like it could have come out on the Nintendo 64. The first “Bumpslash” type game, Angeline Era is a game of ingenious exploration and deceptively simple combat. How simple? For the most part, this game only uses one button and an analog stick, banking on its clever level design to make each encounter interesting. And it works every time. Kill The Music Image via Nikko Nikko Vampire Survivor with a rhythm game twist, what more could you want? Perhaps an esoteric grunge presentation, a great selection of music, and menus so stylish they could give Persona a run for its money? Why, Kill The Music might be the game for you, and I, for one, can’t wait for it. The demo, on the other hand, you could do without. Don’t get me wrong, what little of Kill The Music you can try for yourself is all those things, but it also commits the cardinal sin of rhythm games: it’s janky. The relatively quick combat scenarios all have different soundtracks and modifiers, and some combinations of those completely throw off the inner metronome of the game. It’s hard to keep the time when “the time” is completely unrelated to the song you’re listening to. The post 10 Steam Next Fest 2025 Demos You Should Play appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

We've grown accustomed to the idea of a Photo Mode to play around with in gaming. They're standard in many titles nowadays. But it's always a bonus feature. With the upcoming Lushfoil Photography Sim, photo mode is the game. At a recent showcase, publisher Annapurna Interactive made a few announcements, such as Sayonara Wild Hearts coming to PS5 and a new game from Katamari Damacy creator, Keita Takahashi, called To a T. But the one that stuck out for me was the aforementioned photography simulator. [Hidden Content] For a chance to tap into your inner David Bailey, Lushfoil Photography Sim will offer the chance to "explore diverse landscapes, play with camera settings, and capture the perfect shot." Having just recently played Firewatch for the first time – which does give your player a camera to take a few pictures here and there – it feels like this is taking things to the next level. Coming this April Developed by keen shutterbug Matt Newell, Lushfoil Photography Sim is described on Steam thus: Experience detailed, true-to-life recreations of beautiful and diverse locations around the world. Trek through and explore environments to capture stunning vistas and landscapes with your fully-featured in-game camera. Each environment is filled with objectives to reward players that have a good eye for angles and perspectives, and hidden secrets for those who are patient and observant. It is, as you can glean from this, a walking simulator, but with an emphasis on capturing the surrounding beauty. Walking sims have been around for several years now and although not always popular due to their stripping away of typical gameplay elements, they're often noteworthy for their storytelling capabilities. It's hard to know how to define LPS (as I've taken to call it, just now) outside it being an opportunity to take digital photos of digital – albeit beautifully crafted – worlds. Personally, I think it will offer something of a much-needed break from some of the more fast-paced and stress-inducing games out there. If you want to check it out, Lushfoil Photography Sim is scheduled to release on April 15 (according to the PlayStation blog post above) and will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The post Lushfoil Photography Sim takes Photo Modes/Walking Simulators to their logical conclusion appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Ninja Time is a Naruto-inspired Roblox game featuring tons of your favorite ninjutsu from different chakra Elements. Each Element provides unique abilities and passive skills, so choosing which one you want to play with can be difficult. To make this choice easier, here’s our tier list of all the Elements in Ninja Time. Table of contentsNinja Time Element tier listS-tierA-tierB-tierHow to Reroll Elements in Ninja Time Ninja Time Element tier list You can choose from six Elements in Ninja Time: Ice, Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Water. When looked at individually, none of these Elements are necessarily bad, however, some are clearly better than others. We’ll be ranking them from strongest to weakest. View the full article

My lunch yesterday consisted of air fried lumps of failed pizza dough from a disastrous first batch. One of my new year's resolutions was to learn how to make flawless pizza. This might be against the spirit of asceticism these goals usually incorporate, but such puritan edicts have no place here. The platonically perfect slice, like hailstones battering the word '****' into soft cement, is a natural marvel impervious to notions of morality both spiritual and profane. Would the dough have turned out better if I'd sought the help of Into The Restless Ruins's harvest maiden, who grants the desires of those who petition her? Oh. Oh. The 'harvest' refers to slaughter, not grain. Should have guessed really. Read more View the full article

If you're on the lookout for a new fantasy RPG, and don't mind taking a trip back in time to get it, the upcoming Gothic Remake is for you. Two decades after it originally launched, an Unreal Engine 5 rebuild of this cult classic adventure is now playable thanks to a new demo. With Steam Next Fest underway, you'll want to get this added to your ever-expanding library before you run out of hard drive space. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The Gothic Remake is a faithful rebuild, but with plenty more on top First Gothic remake gameplay trailer is a treat for fantasy RPG fans View the full article

Two Point Studios has really cornered the niche market of taking a straight-laced concept and contorting it into something completely unserious, yet I was still taken aback by just how excellently crafted Two Point Museum is. It's a fantastic evolution on its last two games, Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, easily being the developer's greatest, quirkiest management sim to date... Read more.View the full article

On late Feb. 24, a short server maintenance prevented Marvel Rivals players from enjoying the game. Now, the developer has rewarded everyone with 200 Units for their patience. NetEase sent the Units on Feb. 25 alongside a message apologizing for the server issues and thanking players for “understanding and support of Marvel Rivals.” And yes, the dev gave 200 Units to everyone, even if you weren’t online during maintenance. It’s a nice gesture, especially since the problem didn’t even last for a full hour. View the full article

Two Point Museum is a game about how the crushing practicalities of life eventually force you to spend less and less time on the things you truly care about. More specifically, it's a game where I started every stage as an enthusiastic interior design sicko and gradually devolved into the sort of dispassionate bean counter who'd happily shove a snack machine next to a priceless prehistoric armadillo skeleton if it meant raking in a two percent bump to customer satisfaction. Feast on snacks, you swine. Feast so I may harvest your fulfilment to unlock a wall hanging that looks like melted cheese. Read more View the full article

It doesn’t take an experienced archaeologist to get to the bottom of what Two Point Museum is all about. As the title suggests, the third game in the Two Point series puts the player in charge of running and curating a museum. The player expands the museum’s scale, introduces new exhibits, and uses every trick in the book to ensure visitors are kept both entertained and educated throughout their visit. Although the setting in Two Point Museum may be different, players of Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus will still find plenty of similarities here, certainly enough to make the first couple of hours with the game an absolute breeze. Read More... View the full article

Fortnite is no stranger to the odd bug, and while some are amusing and quickly fixed, some can ruin your game entirely. With so many amazing skins with animated and reactive elements, this can often cause an issue when new weapons or items are added, as some players are now finding out. Players on r/FortNiteBR have uncovered the latest bug involving the new Falcon Eye sniper rifle. The Chapter Six, season two semi-auto sniper has proven very popular, mainly thanks to its mid-range damage and adjustable zoom. Unfortunately for some players, it is almost useless when certain skins are equipped. View the full article

Bridgerton is an absolute behemoth in the Regency romance genre. Written by Julia Quinn, it’s become a must-watch Netflix series, spawned multiple side-stories, and there isn’t a romance fan anywhere in the world who doesn’t know what Bridgerton is. If you’ve seen the series or read the books (or both, and if you’ve seen the series but not read the books then I would highly recommend them), then you’re probably suffering from a sort of Regency hangover. The modern world is just so lackluster compared to the high-society setting of Bridgerton, so it’s natural to miss being absorbed within that world. With that in mind, to cure you of the gaping hole in your life that Bridgerton previously took up, here are 10 books (or series) to read next that offer the same Regency and/or romance themes. The Duke Undone Joanna Lowell Image by Destructoid Part of a series of four books with the same name, The Duke Undone introduces us to Lucy Cooper, a struggling artist who stumbles upon the naked duke passed out in an alley and then goes on to paint his picture. She doesn’t know he’s a duke when she finds him, of course, and she helps him before she turns his nudity into art, but all of it is the kicking-off point for an unlikely romance. He wants her to burn the painting and never speak of it again, she wants to save the tenements in which she lives, and they both want to find his missing sister. Emma Jane Austen Image by Destructoid Jane Austen wrote Emma with the understanding that nobody other than herself would end up liking the main heroine. What we ended up with is true to that original premise, with spoiled Emma Woodhouse choosing to believe she’s some kind of matchmaker extraordinaire as she meddles in the lives of people in nearby villages. As you can imagine, a lot of drama and crossed wires are the result, but also a lot of romance and a beautifully captured glimpse into life during the time *******. Emma is Austen’s best work (in my opinion), and definitely worth reading for any romance fan. Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston Image by Destructoid Admittedly, Red, White & Royal Blue is set in the modern world with everything that entails, including the media and social platforms, which only add issues where they wouldn’t have been during the Regency *******. However, Red, White & Royal Blue also somehow manages to feel like a Regency romance thanks to the royal bloodlines of those involved. It’s an LGBT romance between an English Prince and the son of the first female president of the USA, what could go wrong? Pretty much everything, truth be told, but the path to true love never did run smooth and all that. A Lady for a Duke Alexis Hall Image by Destructoid A Lady For a Duke features a trans heroine, but that’s not the central plot point of the tale. Viola was once a soldier on the battlefield at Waterloo, but when presumed dead, she finally takes the opportunity to live as herself, at the cost of everything from her previous life including her best friend Justin de Vere. Reconnecting years later, Viola realizes that losing his closest friend all but destroyed Justin and takes it upon herself to remind him of who he once was. Helping him to overcome addictions to both alcohol and opium, Viola and Justin grow ever closer and there are many heart-warming moments as the two come together. Queen Charlotte Julia Quinn, Shonda Rhimes Image by Destructoid The creation of Queen Charlotte is a bit of an odd one. Off the back of Bridgerton’s success, Netflix ran a side series called Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Off the back of that, the original author of Bridgerton decided to novelize the story of Queen Charlotte alongside the head of the production team that worked on both series, and that’s how we got here. It’s the story of, obviously, Queen Charlotte and how she went about adapting to her new life as royalty after marrying King George III, while she falls in love with him despite his coldness towards her. With the same author bringing this story to life, there’s absolutely no way that any Bridgerton fan could not like Queen Charlotte. Remember Love Mary Balogh Image by Destructoid Like Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh has a huge number of published novels set during the Regency *******, filled with love and drama just as you’d expect. If you’ve binged through Bridgerton, then the Ravenswood series is a good choice, starting with Remember Love. Devlin Ware is called home from the Napoleonic war as the sole heir of the Ware family to restore the family name and its place in society, despite the fact that he was previously exiled as a traitor. War-hardened and traumatized by all that he’s seen, he doesn’t particularly want the responsibility on his shoulders. Enter Gwyneth, former love and anchor for him as he tries to navigate him through the difficult task. The Ladies Rewrite the Rules Suzanne Allain Image by Destructoid The Regency era is well known for its patriarchal beliefs, but The Ladies Rewrite the Rules takes that entire concept and flips it on its head. Diana is a wealthy widow who absolutely does not want to marry again, especially to some gold-digging shallow man. But then she ends up listed in the “Bachelor’s Directory”, a list of single, rich women perused by men hunting for a wife. So what does Diana do? Well, what any self-respecting lady would do. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the author of this depraved list. Then she tells the other included ladies about the list, and they group together to take back the power, bending would-be husbands to a new set of rules made up by the girls. Feminism in the Regency era? Count me in. A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby Vanessa Riley Image by Destructoid After her husband dies, Patience Jordan questions whether it was actually suicide as she was led to believe. For doing so, the West Indian heiress loses everything, including her newborn son, when she is falsely imprisoned. In a strange turn of events, she ends up being hired as the nanny to the aforementioned son, who is now under the care of the Duke of Repington, Busick Strathmore. He’s a wounded military hero, and he had not bargained on the headstrong Patience entering his life and worming her way into his heart. Of course, A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby is a romance through and through, so the two of them form an attachment to one another that threatens to derail everything as every great romance should. A London Season Patricia Bray Image by Destructoid When caring for eight siblings becomes a little too much for Jane to bear, she accepts her aunt's invitation to the London season, hoping to meet a wealthy husband to claw her family out of the debt that they find themselves in. She soon finds out that her country bumpkin ways aren’t exactly going to get her accepted within high society, let alone bag her a man. Lord Glendale doesn’t want a wife and he certainly isn’t looking for one. However, he’s amused by Jane and places a bet that he can make her high-society-worthy within a month. At its heart, A London Season is a makeover story, but as all good makeover stories do, this one develops into a love affair that everybody but the main characters can see coming from a mile away. That doesn’t make it any less comforting to read, though. To Have and to Hoax Martha Waters Image by Destructoid Every other book on this list features couples coming together and finding their way before marriage. To Have and to Hoax throws you into a five-year marriage where husband and wife haven’t spoken for four years until they’re thrown together by a hoax injury that sparks a never-ending battle of pranks and one-upmanship. If you’ve ever stumbled across that weird side of YouTube that features couples trying to prank each other in weirder and more complex ways, then you’ll know what to expect from To Have and to Hoax, except it’s set in the Regency era and the pranks very much reflect this. Among the hoaxes, the couple finds that maybe their argument four years ago wasn’t as dooming as they initially thought. If you get through all of the above-mentioned Regency romances and still want some more novels to lose yourself in, check out our other book lists for more recommendations. The post 10 Best Books like Bridgerton appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Wondering if you should tell the Grain Merchant about the stolen food in Avowed? Elder Offerings is a quest you can pick up in Emerald Stair that involves choosing between giving stolen food back or using it as an offering. Below, we'll go through all Elder Offerings quest outcomes in Avowed. Elder Offerings quest choicesSpeak with Governor Ignasi VidarroSpeak with the Grain MerchantPlace the grain at the three burial sitesWhich is the best Elder Offerings choice? Speak with Governor Ignasi Vidarro Image by Destructoid Although the quest log asks you to choose between telling the Grain Merchant and fulfilling Rossana’s request, there is actually another option you can choose. You can choose to approach Governor Ignasi at his home in Fior mes Iverno and select the following dialogue prompt: 'Did you know Elder Rossana has been leaving food out for the diseased?' He will say he is aware of it but hasn't intervened yet as it isn't a crucial issue and respects the tradition of honoring the dead. You can then choose from the following dialogue options: You’re more open-minded than I expected: This closes the conversation and nothing happens. I just thought you should know: This closes the conversation and nothing happens. (Give him Rossana’s offerings) Your people need these more than the dead: The side quest is completed and you gain 550 gold. The governor says he will ensure the food goes to people in need but defends Rossana and says she means well. If you go back to Rossana a guard will be next to her and she will say "You followed your conscience for good or for ill". You don’t think what she’s doing is a problem? He will ask if what he thinks matters to you. If you follow up by saying 'Not Really' or 'Your people need help. The dead don’t.' he will concede to have a word with Rossana. If you return to Rossana you can inform her that you have told the governor what she has done. She doesn't seem troubled and says she will accept any punishment the governor deems necessary. You are free to carry on with the quest and choose to either place the offerings as planned or speak to the Grain Merchant. Speak with the Grain Merchant Image by Destructoid Approach Ilena the Grain Merchant in the Farmer’s Market southeast of Fior mes Iverno. If you speak with her and inform her that Elder Rossana stole the grain, you’ll have the following options: I got the stolen food back from Rossana: The envoy will return the stolen food and the quest will be completed. You won’t get a reward, just XP. If you return to Rossana she will be standing with a guard and lamenting that the angry dead will not rest. I’ll pay the cost of the missing food and we can be done with this: This will cost you 100 Copper Skeyt. Illena is grateful and says she can trade once someone from Dawnshore comes through the area but says the food would have been better. You can continue with the quest and place the offerings at the graves. I would be happy to compensate you for the lost food: This will cost you 100 Copper Skeyt and you’re free to continue the quest. The response is almost the same as the above option. Elder Rossana took the food to assuage the recently dead: Illena will empathize with the situation but will still need the food back. You will then have options 1 or 2 to choose from again. Place the grain at the three burial sites Image by Destructoid If you decide to visit all three graves and place the food as instructed by Rossana, once you return to her outside of Quilicci's House in Fior mes Iverno she will give you the 'Berath's Blessed Ward' Unique Trinket. This allows you to take 5% less damage from Vessels (Skeletons) and is worth 300 gold. Additionally, your journey to the graves will take you past other quest locations such as Kai’s companion quest, ‘Battle Scars,’ and the ‘Missing Rangers’ quest. So, you can fulfill these on the way if you have yet to do so. The quest will launch hordes of Shadow and Vessel enemies on you, however, so don’t expect it to be an easy ride. Which is the best Elder Offerings choice? Whichever outcome you choose for Elder Offerings will mostly be down to personal preference. If you’re down on gold, grabbing the 550 from the Governor may be worth it to you. Personally, I prefer the option to fulfill the quest for Rossana. Her Unique Trinket will be missable otherwise and there are plenty of loot crates and other items of interest on the way to the three destinations. In particular, make sure you open the chest within the Truffle Farm and Logging Site (next to the coastal burial site). You’ll also get XP not only from fulfilling the quest but also through the enemies you kill during the quest so it's worth the trek. That rounds up our guide to all Elder Offerings quest outcomes in Avowed. For more Avowed tips and tricks see our guides to all Unique Clothing in the game, unique weapons or our list of the best Unique Grimoires to collect. The post All Elder Offerings quest outcomes in Avowed appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The development studio behind Silent Hill 2's 2024 remake, Bloober Team, has joined hands with Konami once again to deliver another project based on the latter's IP. Built from the ground-up, the Silent Hill 2 remake rolled out to an overwhelming reception in October 2024 and marked a successful collaboration between the Polish studio and the iconic Japanese gaming company. View the full article

What is the Exoborne release date? Vampire the Masquerade Bloodhunt developer Sharkmob has turned its expertise from battle royale to extraction shooter with Exoborne, and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi shooter could go down a storm; not least because of its impressive extreme weather tech. Fans of Ubisoft's Division series, particularly the Dark Zone mechanic, will have an inkling as to how Exoborne may turn out; Sharkmob was started by ex-Division honchos, after all. Below you'll find everything we know about Exoborne so far, including our best estimate for when the multiplayer game will launch, the latest trailers, and more. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Exoborne's freak weather can help it break the extraction shooter curse Grab a free Steam key for gritty extraction shooter Exoborne's new playtest Upcoming extraction shooter Exoborne gets new playtest, available now View the full article

The Thing and the Human Torch are both finally in Marvel Rivals, and with their addition comes a whole host of new skills and abilities to be terrified of. While The Thing has the really quite useful power of immobility, meaning he can't be thrown around by Winter Soldier, Spider-Man, or Hulk, Human Torch has the more explosive and terrifying power of fire. The only problem is, players can't really tell the difference between their allies' and enemies' flames... Read more.View the full article

High North Studios AS and Raw Fury have pushed out a modding update for SKALD: Against the ****** Priory with a big discount for the game and all DLC across Steam and GOG. View the full article

Star Wars: Eclipse developer Quantic Dream has released a statement as reports circulate that ******** megacorp NetEase was looking to sell off its overseas gaming businesses. With mass layoffs, cancellations, and shutdowns for multiple years now, NetEase's reported withdrawal from western video game development is concerning, particularly given a number of expensive and high-profile games have flopped in spite of high company expectations. However, in a statement posted to LinkedIn, Quantic Dream CEO and head of publishing, Guillaume de Fondaumière, said he was "deeply saddened to learn about the recent layoffs and studio closures affecting some of the NetEase group’s divisions," but assured players that Quantic's studios in Paris and Montreal remain "unaffected." "[Quantic president] David Cage and I would like to express our gratitude to the fans and friends who have reached out to us in recent days regarding Quantic Dream," de Fondaumière wrote. "We want to reassure everyone that our studios in Paris and Montreal remain unaffected. We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace, with several open positions available in both locations." de Fondaumière added that despite NetEase acquiring Quantic Dream as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2022, "Quantic Dream remains committed to the strategy outlined by David and I in 2019," insisting "NetEase has been a dedicated partner, providing us with creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for our studio to grow and strive." The CEO also revealed the studio's back-catalog had seen an "exceptional performance," contributing to the "highest revenue in [the company's] history" in 2024. "The developments of our current projects are progressing as planned, and we are fully committed to delivering and launching these innovative, high-quality titles in the future," de Fondaumière said, but did not provide any specific update on its upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Eclipse. In a statement to IGN, a rep from NetEase Games’ Global Public Relations Department said: "As far as overseas business efforts are concerned, NetEase has not wavered in its global expansion plans. Our 'two-pronged' approach (combining self-research and investments to explore global markets), is still actively progressing and yielding positive results. "For titles developed by the self-owned studios, we successfully launched games like Once Human and Marvel Rivals in 2024. These projects demonstrate NetEase’s ability, along with our talented development teams, to produce high-quality games loved by players worldwide. For 2025, we have an extensive pipeline of titles in development, featuring a variety of genres, including FragPunk, ANANTA and more. "As part of our investment strategy, every decision was based purely on business evaluations and was not influenced by other factors. Our studios in North America, the ***, Spain, France, and Japan all continue to refine and develop their ongoing game projects. "The company continues to invest in our global business and actively recruits and nurtures talent. At the same time, organizational structure changes aimed at improving performance are a necessary part of our ongoing growth. "[CEO] Mr. Ding stated on the recent earnings call that NetEase is committed to supporting really high-quality studios and master creators. That is the company’s strategy, and there is no change in this plan. For any studio globally, it behooves us as a responsible commercial business to frequently evaluate the progress, viability and potential for success of our products and teams." When pressed for an update specifically regarding NetEase subsidiary studios Nagoshi Studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, Pincool, GPTRACK50, and Quantic Dream, the NetEase Games rep added: "For the studios you specifically pointed out, I haven’t heard any changes so far. As planned, we are expecting to bring some of the titles to the public this year." In reference to the closure of Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios, NetEase said: "It’s a self-owned studio, instead of a first-party or invested one. The studio’s challenging financial situation led to significant losses. We carefully considered every option under the circumstances and took the decision process very seriously." Just last week, we learned that despite netting 40 million players and securing millions for developer NetEase, Marvel Rivals was nearly canceled as Ding was reportedly reluctant to pay for the rights to use licensed IP. NetEase recently laid off the Marvel Rivals director and its Seattle-based design team. Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

Tekken 8 has sold 3 million copies a year from release, Bandai Namco has announced. The company said it had achieved the sales milestone at a faster pace than Tekken 7, which has so far sold 12 million copies worldwide 10 years after launch. Tekken 8 had sold 2 million units a month after going on ***** in January 2024, so it’s sold an additional 1 million units in the last 12 months. “We hope that everyone will stick with us, as we have a lot of cool stuff planned to keep the franchise going,” Bandai Namco said during a live stream update. For context in the fighting game world, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat 1 is now up to 5 million copies sold, having gone on ***** in September 2023, and Capcom’s Street fighter 6 is on 4.4 million units, having gone on ***** June 2023. Tekken 8 has a way to go before matching its competitors, then. Meanwhile, Bandai Namco announced Anna Williams as the next Tekken 8 DLC character. She launches on March 31 for Character Year 2 Pass owners and April 3 for all. As part of the roadmap of support for Tekken 8’s second year, summer 2025 will see a new stage and character, fall 2025 a new character, and winter 2025 / 2026 a new stage and character. That’s a total of four DLC characters for Season 2. It’s not been all plain sailing for Tekken 8. In December, Tekken 8 boss Katsuhiro Harada stepped into a row over the ***** of a premium DLC stage after fans accused Bandai Namco of “corporate greed.” Alongside the release of DLC character Heihachi Mishima and the accompanying free story mode expansion, Bandai Namco sold the Genmaji Temple stage for $4.99, sparking a backlash from fans who had expected the stage to be made available for free — as the stage that accompanied the release of prior DLC character Lidia Sobieska was. Harada ended up saying he needed to reorganize not only the Tekken business but his role within it to ensure community expectations were met in the future. IGN’s Tekken 8 review returned a 9/10. We said: “Tekken 8 is an incredible evolution for the series, with tons of single player content, an excellent suite of training tools, a great online experience, and exciting new mechanics that make Tekken more dynamic than ever.” Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

After years of demanding the return of The Sims' most sinister villains, Maxis is finally bringing them to the fourth game and fans hope it sets the stage for some lucrative careers. One of the most iconic aspects of the original Sims trilogy is The Burglar, a shady NPC that quietly infiltrates homes and steals the residents' most expensive possessions. Despite the sneaky Sim's notoriety, Burglars have been strangely absent from The Sims 4, a decision that's caused plenty of confusion among long-time fans of the series. View the full article

The album, called Is This What We Want?, features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. Organizers say this represents the potential impact on artists' livelihoods, and creativity in general, should the government's plans go ahead. Read Entire Article View the full article

Those new to the Monster Hunterseries might not know about the chronology of the series, since MH World is where the series exploded and Monster Hunter Wildsis helping it become the sensation that it is today. It also helps that practically any Monster Hunter game can serve as the series' entry point, with each tending to have a separate story. The only carry-overs are the general gameplay formula and the monsters themselves, although each new entry brings with it a new cast of creatures too, keeping each title feeling unique while part of the Monster Hunter franchise. View the full article

Despite clearly setting things up for one, it sounds like Marvel's Moon Knight won't get a season 2 any time soon. Read more View the full article