Basketball cards have a rich, if somewhat delayed, history in theworld of sports collectibles. The earliest known basketball cards were printed in 1910 as part of the College Athlete Felts B-33 series, which included athletes from ten different sports. These early cards were simple, featuring depictions of college teams rather than individual players, lacking the star power needed to spark widespread interest. It wasn’t until 1948, 41 years after the first professional basketball league was formed, that modern basketball cards featuring popular players made their debut....

The Unova region debuted during the Black & White era of thePokemon TCG,and featured 156 new Pokemon added to an already impressive roster. Alongside these Pokemon, new trainers also joined the fray, with a now-iconic character named N leading the way for non-Pokemon. Unovan Pokemon continue to maintain their prominence in the Pokemon TCG thanks tovaluable sets like Japan’s White Flareand Black Bolt. While the introduction of these new sets will shake things up, it will take time for their prices to settle....

Summary Maps for navigation have become an integral part ofopen-world games. Many incorporate quest markers and a map shown on a HUD (head-up display) to help players locate their next objective. Without them, the casual gamer may get lost in the hyper-detailed worlds. However, some games have the option to remove the HUD altogether, encouraging players to recall locations from memory. Some of these games use NPC dialogue to direct you to the desired locations....

Summary Remakes of classic video games are becoming more common as triple-A titles take more resources and time to develop than ever before. These reimagined adventures often feature updated graphics, controls, mechanics, and other quality-of-life enhancements to make the game feel modern for both new and returning players. Most remakes are done so well that they erase any desire for someone to revisit the original title, but there are more than a few that feel like a step in the wrong direction andfail to surpass their predecessors....

You should never underestimate an audience’s capacity for empathy when it comes to their favourite fictional characters. Especially in the realm of animation, where we don’t just deal with human beings going through harrowing situations, but talking animals, alien creatures, and living things only limited by the power of our own imaginations. But we only ever come to care about these characters and their stories in the context of fictional universes....

Summary A lot was riding onLies of P, the hotly anticipated Pinocchio soulslike that proudly wore itsBloodborneinspirations on its sleeve (thus becoming the stand-in for desperate fans eagerly wanting more). When it launched in 2023 after a brief delay, it more than exceeded those expectations and was quickly heralded asone of the best Soulslikes not developed by FromSoftware. That was reflected in its peak player count, opening to an impressive 19,618 players despite also debuting on Game Pass....

Quick Links InUmamusume: Pretty Derby, you’ll have to train a team of powerful anime horse girls to win races and bring home the gold. It will take time and patience, but the payoff is a legendary group of racers that can take on any course you send them to. If your goal is to build an unbeatable team, you’ll need some help. Our guides will help you in your journey as a map to a better build for Matikanefukukitaru....

We’re not here to talk about a $300 bowl of ramen today, soGeoWizardtakes the centre stage. This brummy adventurer, real name Tom Davies, has attempted to cross numerous countries in a completely straight line. Using a GPS to follow his line, he has faced off against Wales, Wales again, Scotland, Wales a third time, Norway, the Isle of Man, and England. I think there was a fourth Wales mission in there at some point, too....

Quick Links There are a lot of different crafting materials inDune: Awakening, and until you’ve got your bearings, it can be difficult to tell where to get everything that you need. Many of the resources are (by design) going to send you to different locations of the map, and you’ll need to learn what to keep an eye out for. Complex Machinery is one of those resources, and just like Iron or Copper, it cannot be crafted....

Summary There are many reasons to collectMagic: The Gathering,but there is even more fun to be had by playing it as well. The Commander format is one of the most fun ways to play thanks to the massive deck size that encourages you to experiment with cards from all over MTG’s history, by only allowing one of each card. Across four Secret Lair drops, we got a fantastic bunch of cards with the virtual sensation and collab queen,Hatsune Miku....

Summary There’s no denying thatMarvel Rivalshas eaten Overwatch 2’s lunch.Despite saying they’re not competing, and that there’s enough room for both of them in the industry, there’s been amarked migration of players towards the NetEase hero shooter. If you’ve been following the progress of both games, the reasons are pretty clear. While Marvel Rivals fans are eating well, what with the balanced gameplay, rich content roadmap, anddevs that listen to the community, Overwatch fans probably can’t help but feel envious – I know I would....

The potential for characters inMarvel Tokon: Fighting Soulsis huge. Gone are the days of waiting for the next Marvel vs Capcom game, as Arc System Works has taken the reins to try their hand at a Marvel fighting game. With their unique flair, battle system, and art style, there’s so much potential for unique gameplay opportunities when it comes to characters to add to the roster. So, which Marvel characters will make the most unique tag in fighters for this 4v4 tag team battle title?...

Quick Links Passing in football games used to be an easy, if oversimplified, process; you hit the button for the player you’d like to pass to. If you held the button it was a bullet pass, if you tapped it, it was a lob. Football games have begun adding complexity and strategy to this mechanic, giving players more control over success and failure. College Football 26might have refined this mechanic the most to-date, with multiple passing modes that give you a lot of control over how your passing game works, and how much individual influence you want over every single aspect of your throw....