Steam’s yearly awards show took place earlier today, highlighting some of the most popular games on the platform. Every year, fans are asked to vote for their favorite games in a number of different categories, ranging from Game of the Year to best handheld. This year’s award winners are raising some eyebrows though, specifically due toRed Dead Redemption 2somehow taking home the award for Labor of Love. According to the description, the Labor of Love award is given to the developers of games who have “continued to nurture and support their creation” for a number of years after release....

Summary Square Enix has taken an incredibly ambitious approach to remaking Final Fantasy 7. Instead of just updating the visuals, tweaking the gameplay, adding in some quality-of-life improvements, and calling it a day, the developers have completely re-imagined the game. Final Fantasy 7 Remake offers an entire overhaul of the original’s design, battle system, and certain narrative elements, over multiple installments. All of this begs the question: what other classic RPGs deserve a remake in the same vein as Final Fantasy 7?...

Skull And Bonesdoesn’t appear to have been the hitUbisofthoped it might be. Lost in an early 2024 shuffle that includes surefire hits likeFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthandLike A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and a game that has tried to replicate the best parts of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag but hasn’t pulled it off despite a decade-long development. The $70 price tag was likely the tipping point for many who were on the fence anyway, so maybe now you may get it for less, more people will take to Ubisoft’s high seas....

Nintendopotentially brought the curtain down on itsamiiboera last month byreleasing its Sora amiibo. The addition of theKingdom Heartshero to itsSmash Ultimatecollection means every fighter in the game now has their own amiibo. For figures released alongside a new game, you have to go back even further. Zelda and Ganondorf’sTears of the Kingdomamiibo were released last year, and after selling out fast wherever they pop up, the figures are back in stock at Best Buy....

Even if capturing wild creatures and defeating bosses is the main way to complete your creature collection inPalworld, breeding is a powerful mechanic to get some rare Pals.Breeding can be quite a complex process, especially since matching two different species of Pal most likely results in a completely different creature. There are also unique breeding combos needed to give birth to specific Pals. In short, while mastering the breeding mechanic in Palworld is fundamental to uncovering the game’s secrets, trying out different matches can be tiresome and expensive....

“Energy can neither be created nor destroyed,” so says the Laws of Thermodynamics. Seems they only got that half-right though, because in the game ofMagic: The Gatheringyou can most certainly create energy. Destroy, not so much. Sorry 19th century physicists, you just weren’t forward-thinking enough. Energy counters made their Magic debut in Kaladesh, but due to their overwhelming presence in Standard, the mechanic hasn’t made its way into another Standard-release set since....

The medicine skill inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordmight seem underwhelming to new players. The main purpose of this skill is to prevent your units from dying in battle and turning lethal blows into injuries that can be healed over time. In the late game, a high medicine skill will save the player time, money, and grinding required to replenish your losses after each battle. Byinvesting attribute and focus points, you can passively level up your medicine skill as you fight bandits and other armies....

Staff charges are unique spells inEnshroudedthat you’re able to cast at both enemies and allies. These charges need to be crafted with materials found in Embervale, and will disappear after use. Due to this, staff charges can be quite valuable, especially if you are running low on resources. So, which staff charges are the best? Which will help you take down Fell enemies and bandits alike, all across Embervale? Here, we are going to look at the best spells that you’re able to cast in Enshrouded....

Quick Links Terrible puns and even more terrible crimes are the focus of the day in this episode ofPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice. While The Rite of Turnabout features the joyous reunion between Wright and May Fey, it wouldn’t be a Phoenix Wright case without something grisly to sink our teeth into and a court battle for the ages. As always, what follows will be a spoiler-free walkthrough that guides you through the minimum steps you need to take to progress through both the investigative portions of the case and the cross-examinations that take place in the courtroom....

The first few months of this year have seen the slow-burn layoff crisis that defined the video game industry’s 2023 reach a boiling point. Last week,EA laid off 670 employees, roughly five percent of its total global workforce, andSony laid off 900 workers, closing an entire London-based studio. In January, following its successful acquisition of Activision-Blizzard,Microsoft laid off 1900 employees.Unity laid off 1800,Riot laid off 530,Supermassive laid off 90. On a smaller scale,Disco Elysium’s ZA/UMandStar Citizen’s Cloud Imperium Gameshave both been hit by layoffs, too....

Quick Links Based on the comic book of the same name,The Walking Deadtook the world by storm. For 11 seasons, the zombie apocalypse TV show incited horror, with plenty of action, death, and character drama throughout. Naturally, the success of the show spawned several spinoffs and continuations. Keeping track of those spinoffs and trying to figure out where they all fit in can be a tricky task. Some of the shows take place before the main Walking Dead TV Show, others occur concurrently, and some take place afterward....

TheBorderlandsmovie has been in various stages of development for nine years now, but we only got our first real look at the finished product this week. With the teaser trailer out today, I’m once again thinking about what makes a good video game movie. Withsuperheroes on the wane and video game adaptations on the rise, it’s something we’re all going to be thinking about, as studios pump out more and more attempts to turn valuable gaming IP into box office gold....

Spies, intelligence gatherers, and double agents have been part of military strategy since the dawn of recorded history. Leaked plans, advanced knowledge, and sabotage all play a role in keeping the powerful in power. For their plans to work, the kings, queens, lords, and ladies ofDungeons & Dragonsneed stealthy adventurers. Fantasy features its fair share of spies and saboteurs, too. The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch are both full of sneaking, stealth, and spycraft....