It’s that time of the year again. No, we’re not talking about another season of The Bear,though that has quickly become a summer tradition. Instead, we’re talking about the annualSteamSummer Sale, a time in which games usually cost less than a snack at the convenience store. Keyword: usually. That’s because,according to these avid Steam users, this year’s sale is very “mid,“despite once again offering hundreds of games at ridiculously low rates....

Summary Subnautcia 2is one of this year’s most highly-anticipated titles, as we know it will bedropping in early access at some point in 2025. Unfortunately, developer Unknown Worlds has had to try and mitigate some backlash over the past month, as more details about the game itself have had fans expressing concerns over the direction of the game compared to its predecessors. One of the biggest points of criticism was the game’s length,as many are worried the 15-hour-long runtime wouldn’t be enough, while the confirmation thatSubnautica 2 will have no weaponryin it also rustled some jimmies among the community....

Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest. Pokemon. Shin Megami Tensei. Kingdom Hearts. There are so many legendary JRPG series that I’ve barely scratched the surface with those five fast nods. The longer they get, the likelier they are to possess hidden gems. Excellent games that are as “forgotten” as anythingcanbe within the framework of such a popular franchise. These oddly-overlooked titles deserve some more love, right? I’m sure at least a few of you will have played ‘em, and ideally, the bulk of you will agree that they’re ripe for replays....

Quick Links Although not your first boss inLies of P: Overture, Markiona, the Puppeteer is likely the first that will give you some genuine trouble. This duo-boss will have you perfecting every mechanic of the base game and DLC before you’ve even really stepped foot into this new world. Dealing with Markiona is not as simple as defeating her puppet and focusing on her after. You’ll have to balance your attention on both bosses simultaneously, learning how to block, dodge, and anticipate the moves of all your enemies....

Blonde characters can be found in almost anyanime. While the origin of these characters is likely Japanese, the blonde characters simply look too cool not to design. Some characters might be born blonde while others may choose to dye their hair or go through a physical transformation that alters their appearance. These blonde characters often come with blue eyes as well. You might notice that most anime similarly portray blonde characters' personalities....

Summary The 1974 Topps Baseball Cards set is a cherished classic in the collecting world, boasting numerous Hall of Famers like Dave Winfield (RC), Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, and Hank Aaron. This year is notably significant due to Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. Adding to its appeal are intriguing printing errors and variations, such as some San Diego Padres cards erroneously labeled Washington, which enhance their collectibility....

Summary Let’s all give one big cheer forGame Pass, asXboxjust confirmed that its first $80 game is going to beThe Outer Worlds 2, with more confirmed to follow after that. After one of the busiest weeks in gaming(which is saying somethingin the year that GTA 6 got delayed), Xbox just rounded off the tidal wave of news with its Xbox Games Showcase,which featured a ton of announcements. While most of the reveals were great as long as you weren’thoping for something concrete on Hollow Knight: Silksong, there was also some bad news....

Summary Hollow Knightfans are recovering from yet another showcase with noSilksongnews, which issomething they’re very much used to by now. However, it stings even worse this time, because Silksong was at leastmentionedon theSummer Game Feststage, but only because it was the butt of a joke. When announcing Deadpool VR, Geoff Keighley pretended to read a letter from the Merc with a Mouth himself. Here, Deadpool told Keighley to “skip that Silksong trailer”, so his VR game could be revealed instead....

Gaming with your kids can be a great bonding experience (or a chaotic mess where someone gets “accidentally” yeeted into the lava). It’s typically best to start your children on co-op games, which emphasize working together instead of against each other. Thebest co-op gamesare fun with just enough challenge to keep things interesting without leading to controller-throwing meltdowns. Luckily, there are tons of potential options out there. Whether you’re building worlds, dodging enemies, or cooking under pressure, these games guarantee laughs and teamwork....

The Switchhas plenty of games in its own right, but Nintendo also has quite the back-catalogue of games, too. Multiple consoles worth with thousands of games each. And with a Switch Online subscription, you’re able to get a taste of just a few of those many games. But even a handful is quite a lot compared to just how many games those consoles had. With the Switch Online service boasting emulated versions of the SNES, Game Boy Advance, N64 and plenty more, you have plenty of games to choose from....

The bestStar Warsshow is now behind us. Running for two seasons and 24 episodes total, Andor gave me everything I ever wanted from a television rendition of A Galaxy Far, Far Away. It’s unapologetically dark in the best and boldest ways, using the Star Wars canvas to tell a story of hope during the bleakest hours, and of the things which must be done in the pursuit of liberty against a tyrannical state of affairs....

Creating acompelling monster-collector RPGis difficult. You have to make it differentenoughfrom Pokemon to make it an original concept, butalsoborrow significant elements from it so you don’t alienate your core playerbase. Beehive Studios has taken on this challenge with its upcoming game LumenTale: Memories of Trey, where you catch and battle with Animon, while the protagonist, Trey, is on a quest to recover his lost memories. I spoke with Paolo Lella, CEO and head of development at Beehive Studios, about LumenTale: Memories of Trey’s development, how the team is tackling this particular hurdle, and making LumenTale a fresh experience for players....

Most of the time,Pokemondesigns take their inspiration from animals,mythical creatures, or inanimate objects. However, throughout the hundreds of Pokemon created over the years, there’s a sprinkling of… human-like Pokemon. These Pokemon are too human-like for their own good, to the point it feels weird to make them eat out of a bowl like a dog. It feels like they should be sitting at the tablewithyou, but they can’t, because they’re still a Pokemon....