According to Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, more popularly known as ConcernedApe, the 2016 indie farming simulation RPG was able to reach a milestone in terms of its congruent players. Following the highly anticipated release of the game’s 1.5 update on PC, over 90,000 players jumped right back into the busy farm life at the same time.
The most recent content update offered a considerable number of changes and content, especially for a game that’s been out for nearly five years. No wonder fans treated its release like a heartwarming end-of-the-year treat.
The 1.5 update introduced a myriad of new content, such as a brand-new area to explore, all kinds of new enemies, as well as new NPCs, one of which is called Leo who comes with his very own backstory. Thanks to the latest update, Stardew Valley now has a beach type farm map, which turns a player’s farm into a spacious sandy area surrounded by ocean water. In terms of new location, ConcernedApe included a new region called Ginger Island, which has a volcanic dungeon with fiery enemies to contend with.
However, update 1.5 has only been released for PC so far, and console users are still waiting to experience these new features themselves. Fortunately, the developer confirmed that the console update will most likely roll out before the month ends.
Given how there are so many new things to explore in Stardew Valley, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many old and new players have jumped back into the game to see what all the hubbub is about. In turn, this led to the game breaking its past records.
ConcernedApe recently launched the 1.5.2 bug-fix patch, and at the end of the patch notes, he states that “Stardew Valley broke it’s all time in-game player record on Steam” with “94,879 players in-game at the same time.” The tailpiece was short and concise, but we don’t doubt that the developer is thankful.
As a whole, the patch notes for 1.5.2 list down all the changes and fixes made to the game. For those who want to figure out the changes on their own, Barone was kind enough to redact text that could serve as a spoiler. Overall, there’s nothing else of interest, as the latest patch only dealt with slight adjustments and fixes.
Although Stardew Valley was already huge upon release, the five-year-old title may be joining the ranks of those who received a significant boost in popularity a couple of years post-launch. One of the games on this list is Facepunk Studios’ Rust, a 2013 game that beat its own player records recently. This caused the developer to earn $1 million TWICE this week alone.
Of course, another title on this list would be 2018’s Among Us by indie developer InnerSloth. Saying that the social deduction game was huge in 2020 is pretty much an understatement.
With so many titles out there by big companies, it’s great to see indie games such as Stardew Valley be under the spotlight, especially when they reach player milestones and beat previous records after almost five years.
games computer online in internet cafe ,esports concept
Finding the perfect gift for gamers is extremely hard, especially if you’re not a gamer yourself. A gaming gadget certainly is one of the options, but since they’re often out of stock, it isn’t easy to find one on sale.
The good news is you have another option: to buy what you think is the best game. After all, now that most gamers are stuck in their homes, they’re most likely already tired of playing the same games. Hence, they must be dying to play a new game. But finding the best game, let alone a decent one is easier said than done.
Companies are releasing countless games, yet the majority of them aren’t good enough for most gamers. The worst-case scenario is your gift will end up untouched, and you certainly don’t want that. So how can you find the best games for a gamer?
This guide will show you several ways to find the best games out there, from the popular ones to those that are considered a hidden gem by the community.
1. Subscribe to gaming websites
Most websites will ask their readers to subscribe to their newsletter. While most people usually ignore these messages, you can comply with their request just this once. That way, you can find out the latest news on the gaming industry and stay up-to-date on their gaming-related blogs.
A great example of a gaming website with a treasure trove of credible information is PCGameHaven. The site tackles gaming-related topics including hardware reviews, PC builds, and most importantly, gaming blogs.
2. Browse gaming marketplace
Gaming marketplaces contain a huge amount of information about games. On top of being a place where a lot of video games are located, they also offer various features like the following:
Different sections (Discover, Free to Play, Top Selling, Upcoming, etc.)
Filter system
Rating system
Comments
With these features, you can consider gaming marketplaces as a gold mine for information. Here’s a closer look at some examples:
Steam: The biggest gaming marketplace for trending games
GOG: Also called Good Old Games, great for classic games
Itch.io: A marketplace specializing in indie works
Humble Bundle: Provides humble deals for gamers
Most of the time, the rating system and hierarchy of games within marketplaces are affected by the community, so it’s a good idea to ask the community for suggestions directly.
3. Join gaming forums
The gaming community is full of insights into different kinds of games. In fact, most of the hidden gems are found because of the efforts of gamers within such a community. So, what better way to find the best games than by joining gaming forums.
Once in a forum, the next step is to enter keywords on the search bar and look for reviews on games that you’re already eyeing. You can also ask for suggestions from gamers.
Below are five of the best gaming forums on the internet:
Reddit: This forum has the highest number of contributors
IGN: Most reviews here are all high-quality
The Verge: If you’re looking for positive reviews, this is where it’s at
VGR: Users also include video game deals along with reviews
Make sure you’re in the gaming forum and not on the website itself. Most of these forums are just a section of the main website. For example, if you want to go to a gaming forum on Reddit, type in r/gaming since you won’t find any gaming reviews on the main page.
Powerful Personal Computer Gamer Rig with First-Person Shooter Game on Screen. Monitor Stands on the Table at Home. Cozy Room with Modern Design is Lit with Warm and Neon Light.
4. Search for the keywords
You can also do it the way most users are finding games and that is by entering the keywords on search engines. Enter the keywords ‘best games,’ and you’ll end up with blogs featuring a list of games. You can also be more specific and type in the genre like Action, for example.
However, since some of these blogs are based on the hype, you have to look into the games that they recommend afterward. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to get a long list of games after reading a couple of blogs.
5. Listen to gaming podcasts
Podcasts are like radio stations, but the hosts focus on a certain topic. That’s why most gamers can relate to topics tackled on gaming podcast.
Most podcasts are run by popular figures in the gaming industry. While they may not always talk about the best games, you can gain some insights on which video game is hot right now.
Here are some of the most popular active gaming podcasts:
Gamertag Radio: This podcast has been running for over 15 years, so there’s a lot of content. You can even find hidden gems from the olden days
Game Scoop: If you think IGN is credible, try listening to their official podcast. Game Scoop provides in-depth reviews on trending games for each week
How Did This Get Played: As the name suggests, this podcast focuses on games that are weird and out of the ordinary
Giant Bombcast: One of the most popular podcasts for news, reviews, and interviews
Unfortunately, gaming podcasts often include things that are not gaming-related, so although it’s interactive, it can be a bit time-consuming compared to other methods.
6. Watch game review/teasers
Another method is to look for YouTube channels that focus on reviewing games. Most of the time, they provide both the pros and cons of a game, so not only can you look for great games, but you can also cross out games that receive negative reviews from these channels.
Here are a few YouTube channels that provide objective game reviews:
ACG: In-depth reviews ranging from around 20 minutes covering different aspects of the game with a clear rating system
Worth A Buy: Exactly what the name implies, this channel often reviews games, and at the end of the video, they will determine if it’s worth buying or not
AngryJoeShow: A relatively old channel that includes gameplay while he gives his thoughts
Gameranx: Relatively quick reviews but tackles essential topics along with gameplay
As always, you have to make sure the channel is active by checking their recent videos. As an alternative, you can look at the current videos of YouTubers that often play video games like PewDiePie.
7. Ask your gamer friends
If you’re tired of looking for a game, you can always ask your gamer friends for recommendations. You can also explain the context so they can suggest games that your favorite gamer likes. However, that’s only assuming you have gamers among your circle of friends. If you don’t, then you’re left with one last option.
8. Ask your favorite gamer
If you’re REALLY tired of looking for a game, asking the receiver of the gift is always an option. Sure, it may ruin the element of surprise, but that depends on how you ask them. Who knows, they may not even know you’re buying them a gift even after you ask them for ideas.
Wrapping Up
Figuring out the perfect game for a certain individual is difficult. But you can’t really blame the gaming industry. After all, even gamers themselves describe this process as finding a needle in a haystack. However, with the correct approach, you can make the search a lot easier and even more fun.
Final Fantasy 11’s long life continues to surprise. The MMO was originally launched back in 2002 but remains to be played by fans around the world after nearly 2 decades later. Part of what made the game still alive is that developer Square Enix continues to add new content to it.
2021 continues that practice, as the developer has already confirmed that it will be launching new content for the game in both January and February. Odds are, this won’t likely be the last content update for Final Fantasy 11 for this year, or even in the next couple of years.
Square Enix’s content update plans for this month and February will be considerable, too. To begin with, Final Fantasy 11 fans will be going back to Sheol, as new Odyssey content will be released through February.
Players will be on a journey to beat Notorious Monsters under limited conditions, for which they will be rewarded points. These points can then be spent on upgrading their equipment. The requirements for participation are severe, however, such as having 3 jobs at level 99, 3 Mogolophone 2s, and a complete Records of Eminence Objective: Content – Odyssey – Sheol C.
The next portion of the update is some brand new Final Fantasy 11 story content. Beginning this February, Square Enix will be continuing the Voracious Resurgence storyline. It will begin in San d’Oria and all that the development team is teasing is an image of Rahal dancing. A few new Notorious Monsters will also be introduced next month, as well as new items for lockstyling.
As far as content goes, it might not be as significant as what is usually launched for Final Fantasy 14, but it is way more than should be anticipated for an 18-year-old title. Story content as well as endgame content continues to be rolled out for Final Fantasy 11 fans and shows no signs of stopping.
Guild Wars 2’s developer, ArenaNet has been having issues over the past few years. The company underwent layoffs, and there are speculations about canceled projects within. Sadly, it appears that another hard decision has been made by the studio about the development of Guild Wars 2. Going forward, ArenaNet has confirmed that it will no longer provide support for the Mac edition of Guild Wars 2. The Mac OS edition of the MMORPG will be ending beginning on February 18.
ArenaNet does clear up that there is a good reason for terminating support for Guild Wars 2 on Mac. That reason is that Apple lacked support for the OpenGL visuals technology beginning in 2018. OpenGL is a technology that the game utilizes in order to run on Mac. Apple’s absence of continued support for OpenGL and the likely abdication of it in the future means the developer is taking on a lot of tedious work and cost to keep it running.
Certainly, there’s more to the story than just Apple’s possible shut down of the OpenGL. If Guild Wars 2 was famous enough on Mac devices, it would be worth figuring out to remove the technology from the game. If the development team had the people necessary to make those improvements with relative ease, it likely would.
Regardless of the reasons for the decision, ArenaNet made it clear some important problems about the termination of support for Guild Wars 2 on Mac. Luckily, no accounts will be erased for Mac players, naturally.
Players can continue playing the game on the Windows edition of the game. Guild Wars 2 is also available on the Nvidia GeForce Now streaming service. If neither of those choices works, the developer is offering refunds to Mac players for gem and client store purchases.
During the holidays, video game sales usually trend toward more family-friendly or comfortable games that everyone can play together. Even in a year as notorious as 2020 where nothing felt normal, that same feeling still exists when looking at what games sold well during the holiday season.
Doug Bowser, the President of Nintendo of America, has discussed Animal Crossing and the game’s unexpected massive success, so it should come to no surprise that Animal Crossing New Horizons, and the lasting hit Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, continue to top sales charts.
Animal Crossing New Horizons came along at just the exact time. As the global pandemic worsened, restricting the number of social interactions people could take participate in, the comfy town-building game found an audience searching for an escape.
Animal Crossing New Horizons was one of Google’s most searched terms of 2020 and this completely makes sense considering the title sold millions of copies and received massive media coverage even in non-gaming industries.
The game continued to dominate the market during the customarily slow period after most of the December events wrap up. The game still owns the top spot on the UK boxed sales chart for the first week of January, based on a report by GamesIndustry.biz, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just behind at number 2.
Animal Crossing is still relatively new, having released last year, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just hanging behind it is a little more shocking. The game’s sales have grown year after year since launching back in 2017, and witnessing it continue to be a bestseller is remarkable.
The figures on the UK top charts also reflect those seen in Japan during the same period, as posted by Japanese publication Famitsu. In Japan, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing New Horizons were only defeated by the famous Momotaro Dentetsu franchise during the holiday season.
Players keep returning to Animal Crossing New Horizons not only because the game is a calming escape, but also because it continues to be updated with fresh content. In-game events and seasonal updates give the title a fresh feel, while smaller patches such as new fish available in the waters provide players something to do all the time.
The Nintendo Year In Review that was released last month allowed fans to know what titles they played the most of the year, likely had Mario Kart and Animal Crossing appear on many enthusiasts lists. If January sales are any implication, they could show up later in 2021’s review as well.
Call of Duty Warzone has witnessed its fair share of glitches, bugs, and tricks. From watching items fall down stairs to shooting enemies through walls, there are apparently a boundless number of bugs that fans need to be aware of.
Some of these stayed away from such as getting killed by scorestreaks as they are respawning. However, other Call of Duty tricks can be utilized by any player including landing on the ground without even using a parachute.
When it comes to using parachutes, there are two various kinds of players at the beginning of a match. While some players parachute their way over a particular area, others try to shoot players out of the sky and risk using their parachute at the last possible second. This newly discovered trick is in the middle of these two styles, as it lets players shoot at their enemies while falling but also requires players to utilize a unique strategy in order to survive the fall.
This newly discovered Warzone trick was revealed by user Thexer0 on Reddit and is already going viral across the gaming community. The trick involves landing on specific textures and can most safely be tried by freefalling onto satellite dishes. The video below how a player can land on a satellite and slide off it unharmed.
The secret of this trick involves the actual texture that the player is landing on. Since the satellite dish can’t normally stand on, it is regarded as a barrier instead of a floor. It is identical to when a player collides with an invisible wall and takes no damage because there’s no surface to stand on. The game reads the player as not having fully landed yet and slides them off onto the nearest surface.
This trick is specifically useful for players who spend their air time shooting at opponents in the hopes of gaining more Warzone kills. The player simply needs to wait for the exact moment and jump near a satellite dish, shoot their way down and ensure they fall on the dish. Once they are standing, they can go back to shooting enemies out of the sky.
The trick has made some fans remember a hateful viral video where a player faked a fall damage bug while landing on dumpsters. This trick appears to be the real deal as other players have already confirmed that the trick works in their Warzone games.
Whether this is something that will be fixed in a new patch or is harmless enough to remain in the game is unconfirmed at this time.
In yet another surprising turn of events, the Nintendo DSi library of games that were delisted a few days ago on the 3DS eShop has been returned. Nintendo suddenly removed a bunch of games earlier this week, most of which could only be played using the Nintendo 3DS.
This situation is reminiscent of when Nintendo pulled the plug on the Wii and DSi eShops, but the difference this time around is that the company didn’t make any prior announcements. This caught many gamers by surprise, especially those who are aiming to preserve as many old games as possible before they’re lost in the void forever.
The games that were removed were all similar in the sense that they were all DSi titles released before May 2011. If you take a quick look at Nintendo’s timeline, this is more or less around the time when the Nintendo 3DS became the company’s main handheld console.
Naturally, many didn’t believe that this was just a coincidence and that Nintendo probably wanted to remove games that it didn’t want to be released to the public anymore. The DSiWare titles available on the 3DS eShop has a wide range—from indie titles that not a lot of people know about, to highly popular ones such as Shantae: Risky’s Revenge. There are strange licensed titles too, including Chuck E. Cheese’s Arcade Room.
It’s important that these titles, no matter how obscure, get preserved, especially if you think about how dire times have become and franchises such as Chuck E. Cheese have resorted to streaming popular titles like Fall Guys in order to stay afloat.
Even better news today! Now the majority of DSi titles are back on the 3DS eShop in North America. I updated our post again with the small list of games that AREN'T back up yet https://t.co/lbdCwhGp4yhttps://t.co/lvVTT7Ogoe
Fortunately, most of the delisted titles are now back on the 3DS eShop, except for only a few that didn’t seem to have made the cut. The removal of the DSiWare titles was initially discovered by contributors of Delisted Games, which is a preservation hub for digital games. Now, only 13 of the initial 250+ titles didn’t return to the 3DS marketplace.
Interestingly, some of the games within the 13 that got removed are fairly well-known, including titles such as Face Pilot and Dr. Mario Express. As such, it’s possible that Nintendo is still working to relist the remaining titles. That being said, the missing titles at the moment are the following:
1001 Crystal Mazes Collection
5 in 1 Solitaire
Bird & Beans
Digger Dan & Kaboom
Dr. Mario Express
Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera!
Looksley’s Line Up
Match Up!
Peg Solitaire
Petz Catz Family
Petz Dogz Family
Petz Hamsterz Family
Word Searcher 3
Sadly, this pardon probably won’t last for very long. Given how the Nintendo 3DS has been discontinued and more and more gamers have moved on to using the Nintendo Switch, it would be highly unlikely that Nintendo will keep on paying for server space just to accommodate old titles.
Since Nintendo is constantly adding new and updated games to its server, it won’t be long before a majority of the classic titles will no longer be available on its digital storefront. It’s a sad reality, one that we have no power over. As such, it may be best if you play or purchase as many classic titles now while you still can.
Developer SNK has finally announced King of Fighters 15 with a new reveal trailer and a 2021 launch window. King of Fighters was originally revealed by SNK a few years ago during 2019, but the studio has been silent about the game ever since, leading fans of the franchise to think where the game was and what was happening with its development. The absence of updates about King of Fighters 15 was especially apparent when considering that the Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear Strive has launched frequent updates on its development ever since.
Apart from a scarcity of updates on one of its most awaited games, developer SNK has also gotten itself in controversies a few times in the past year or so such as launching a controversial advertisement for its SNK Allstar mobile game spin-off that it ultimately apologized for.
While the mobile game and the advertisement itself were both not directly managed or created by SNK, it was still representing the studio’s properties and branding. SNK’s majority ownership was also recently bought by an organization representing Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince.
While the decision might put the studio in a better situation financially, it has made fans worried because of the leader’s many human rights violations and the extrajudicial murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Now, SNK is trying to get back into some fans’ good graces with this new reveal trailer. The company released the video for King of Fighters 15 on its official YouTube channel, featuring the game’s graphics and several of its characters such as Mai Shiranui, K’, Leona, Shun’ei, Benimaru, and Kyo.
Sadly, there were no actual gameplay samples included in the reveal trailer. Producer Yasuyuki Oda and Creative Director Eisuke Ogura also provided several additional details after unveiling the game’s trailer. According to them, the development team is focusing on preserving the title’s fast-paced gameplay while also attempting to introduce new features to shake up the formula.
Ogura also announced that SNK is planning to make an animated promotional short film which will be directed by Masami Obari, who also worked on the original Fatal Fury anime films which were released back in the 1990s. Another trailer for the game is set to be released a few days from now and more details about King of Fighters 15 will be announced periodically.
It appears that fans are finally getting something of importance to look forward to after waiting for so long, and the game seems to be further along than many fans likely feared. Hopefully, the new trailer set for next will feature actual gameplay for King for Fighters 15 and provide both current and new fans something more meaningful to be hyped about.
Much to the surprise of the gaming community, designer clothing company Gucci announced that it was collaborating with both Pokemon Go and The North Face. Now that all three parties officially announced the partnership though, Gucci has released a promo code that allows Pokemon Go players to redeem the cosmetic items from the event without having to leave the safety of their homes.
The three companies decided on this safety measure due to the rising cases of COVID-19. Despite everything, it’s great that big names such as these three are looking out for the safety of their consumers.
The collaboration with Pokemon Go was initially teased by both Gucci and The North Face some time in December 2020, but the full details of the event were revealed early in the new year. Initially, the event was supposed to go like this: there are 100 different cities that players can go to across the U.S., where they can spin specific Pokestops in order to obtain three cosmetic items that can be used by their in-game avatar.
More specifically, these cosmetic items include a digital hat, t-shirt, or backpack. As you can guess, players would have to travel across the different cities in order to redeem these items, which would be very difficult and dangerous right now given the ongoing pandemic.
After a few days of the promo, the companies decided to make the content of the event available to all the players.
Serebii Update: Due to the current global situation intensifying, Gucci has released a code to receive the special outfit items in Pokémon GO rather than require you to go to the sponsored PokéStops.
Neither Gucci, The North Face, nor Pokemon Go has officially announced this information yet, but Serebii.net, a website and database for all things Pokemon-related, has reported on Twitter that a special promo code has been released for players to give them a chance to redeem the rewards for free—specifically two of each of them—without having to travel across the U.S.
For interested players, the universal code to input in order to redeem the digital items is GXSD5CJ556NHG. There are different ways to redeem the code; if you have an Android device, you can enter it through the code input function found in the game. If this option isn’t available to you, you can enter it via this Niantic Labs page after signing into your respective Pokemon Go account. Since it’s a universal code, you can use the same code on different accounts and it will still work.
This interesting collaboration with Gucci, The North Face, and Pokemon Go is somewhat similar to when the mobile title partnered with Longchamp for the Paris Fashion Week crossover. Although, the difference is that this most recent collaboration won’t feature fashionable Pokemon scattered around the wild.
In case you missed it, the Paris Fashion Week event featured different Pokemon dressed up in fancy apparel. The event also provided fans with the opportunity to capture a Shiny Pokemon that was also dressed up at the same time, that is if they were lucky enough.
This latest collaboration is definitely unexpected, and we were initially unsure where Pokemon Go fit into all of it. However, given how successful the AR mobile title was in 2020, it’s not at all surprising that big names would want to associate themselves with it.
Last year, fans rifled through the game files of Dragalia Lost and discovered evidence which indicated that the mobile title was going to have a Persona 5 crossover at some point in the future. Now, it appears that these findings have been proven to be correct, as Nintendo has recently announced that Persona 5 Strikers characters will be appearing in an upcoming Dragalia Lost event. This collaboration is expected to take place before the month ends.
The Nintendo Mobile YouTube page dropped an update video recently, where Dragalia Lost director Yuki Okada shared everything players needed to know about the upcoming event. According to him, Joker and the other Phantom Thieves will be teaming up with the Prince and the other Halidom in a brand-new adventure.
It’s been confirmed that Joker will be included in the roster of playable characters. However, another character will apparently be included after all the quests have been completed. Okada didn’t state which character this will be, probably to keep it as a surprise, but the datamined information from before suggests that Sofia, the new member of the Phantom Thieves, will be the other character.
What makes this event super interesting, asides from the fact that two beloved franchises will be doing a crossover, is the fact that the event will be utilizing graphics and animations similar to what you’ll see in Persona 5 Strikers—even the All-Out Attack, which is an iconic feature in the series.
As you may or may not know, dragons are an important aspect of Dragalia Lost’s gameplay, so it’s possible that the Persona Arsene will be filling that role, although this has yet to be officially confirmed. The crossover event is scheduled to go live some time within the month, and you can expect more information about the event to be released soon.
This crossover will also work as a promotion for Persona 5 Strikers, which is scheduled to launch shortly after the event, specifically on February 20, 2021. Many Persona fans from the West have been looking forward to the English release of Persona 5 Strikers, especially since it’s essentially considered to be a sequel to the highly acclaimed Persona 5.
Although, it’s worth noting that even though Strikers is still touted to be a roleplaying game at its core, it’s going to be utilizing a musou-style gameplay similar to Dynasty Warriors or Hyrule Warriors.
Persona 5 Strikers, otherwise known as Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers in Japan, will once again gather the rest of the Phantom Thieves for the purpose of enjoying a fun and relaxing road trip together.
However, as you’d expect, things don’t go as planned and the Phantom Thieves find themselves in the middle of a brand-new mystery where the hearts of people are being stolen.
Persona 5 Strikers will be officially released on both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, although Atlus has already confirmed that PlayStation 5 users will be able to play the game as well. As for Dragalia Lost, the action-RPG by developer Cygames is currently available to play on both iOS and Android devices.
