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    Baldur’s Gate 3 Vs. Divinity: Original Sin 2: Which Game Is Best?

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    Baldur’s Gate 3 Vs. Divinity: Original Sin 2: Which Game Is Best?


    The CRPG has come back into the mainstream gaming world, and it’s thanks to two titles. Divinity: Original Sin 2 came out of nowhere in 2017 to make people care about the genre again. Then, Larian Studios took that success and parlayed it into getting one of the biggest names in the RPG world and released Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023, which changed the game.

    Baldur’s Gate 3 shattered the boundaries of who would or wouldn’t enjoy a CRPG. It became a crossover hit for the ages, demanding attention from RPG fans and those new to the genre alike. But it begs the question: which is the better game? While Baldur’s Gate 3 obviously has the big budget and production value, there is plenty that Divinity: Original Sin 2 does that is on par or better than its successor.

    We’re going to dive into two of the best games of all time to see which game comes out on top based on a series of competing categories.

    8

    Story

    Divinity: Original Sin 2

    The story of Baldur’s Gate 3 is an interesting one, but largely, it’s a scavenger hunt to see who can cure you of the tadpole in your ear. As a basis, it’s dull, but each journey has its own substories to get caught up in and makes for a thrilling ride.

    However, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is just an incredibly bizarre tale about your ascension to godhood, and it involves all sorts of cool machinations like corrupt magisters and renegade party members. Overall, it’s just a more interesting tale to experience because we haven’t really seen anything like it before.

    I think both stories go to some very interesting places, but the skeleton that drives each tale forward is very important, and the overall mystery of what Divinity: Original Sin 2 was even about kept me more compelled than Baldur’s Gate 3.

    7

    Visuals

    Baldur’s Gate 3

    baldur's gate 3 protagonist with character companions on the hill

    This one isn’t particularly fair as the whole reason Baldur’s Gate 3’s visuals are so good is because of Divinity: Original Sin 2’s success. But either way, the superior-looking game is without a doubt Baldur’s Gate 3. It looks in many ways what a proper Bioware game would look like in the modern era, and that’s a huge thing for me.

    Characters are incredibly lifelike, with expressive faces and amazing animations that put to shame games with far bigger production teams and budgets. The effects of spells and other attacks are particularly impressive, with them often lighting up the screen or resulting in devastating-looking status effects.

    There is also the incredible variety of environment, with goblin camps, underground hellscapes, ghost-infested forests, and everything in between looking absolutely jaw-dropping, making every location a consistent joy to explore.

    Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a visual treat as well, with a far more stylized look than Baldur’s Gate 3. It works, and it allows its worlds to be far more fantastical and weird than what you may find in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can do no wrong with either, but from a pure visual fidelity standpoint, Baldur’s Gate 3 gets the nod from me.

    6

    Gameplay Loop

    Baldur’s Gate 3

    baldur's gate 3 party combat

    The gameplay loop in both games is very similar, with you exploring from area to area and finding a variety of main and side quests to complete along the way. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 just takes it to another level. There are so many side quests in this game that it’s hard to count, and each one usually leads to a wealth of different outcomes depending on what you decide to do or don’t do.

    There is just so much intricacy to the exploration here that wasn’t as present in Divinity: Original Sin 2, and it’s one of the main reasons that you can get lost for hundreds of hours in Baldur’s Gate 3 without ever seeing the ending.

    The progression of the characters is a lot easier to deal with in Baldur’s Gate 3 as it’s taken directly from DND rules, where Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a bit more freeform, so I definitely preferred Baldur’s Gate 3’s streamlined approach there.

    5

    Enemy Variety

    Divinity: Original Sin 2

    Divinity_OriginalSin_20

    This is a tough one, because Baldur’s Gate 3 has so many awesome enemies to encounter and fight, but there is just something about the creatures that Divinity: Original Sin 2 possesses.

    They are so bizarre, and my favorite have to be the Fire/Oil Slugs. They produce one of the most chaotic and frantic boss fights I’ve ever seen in a game, and this creativity is present in just about any enemy you encounter during the game.

    There are so many weird creatures and others to face off with throughout the game, but the bosses are really the highlight here, with several fights against massive creatures that would suggest a way bigger budget than they actually got.

    Baldur’s Gate 3 has some great creatures too, but a lot of them are standard DND fair. While there are some really cool ones here and there, the majority of them you’ve literally seen before. For example, the Mindflayer, one of the main enemies of the game, is a fightable enemy in Final Fantasy XV. They perfected the creatures they have, but they are not their own for the most part.

    4

    Exploration

    Divinity: Original Sin 2

    Divinity: Original Sin 2

    Something about the wonder of Divinity: Original Sin 2 just captured me. It was such a weird and strange world I couldn’t help but explore every inch of it I could. While the exploration is obviously also great in Baldur’s Gate 3, it presented a game world that I was more familiar with, so I was less surprised by what it had to show me.

    Divinity: Original Sin 2, on the other hand, is constantly surprising due to having no rules to go by imposed by the Baldur’s Gate universe. It’s eerie in a way that I can’t quite nail. It’s a world that feels off in a way that is so compelling. The mysteries you’ll uncover don’t always have an easy resolution to them either. Sometimes you’ll just find a thread and follow it and be left to wonder what it all means. I love that kind of lore.

    The locales are also just completely bizarre here, upending your normal fantasy clichés for some spectacularly weird locations, and while there might be more areas to explore in Baldur’s Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2 almost feels alien in its exploration. That’s something that can’t be replicated by big production values.

    3

    Combat

    Baldur’s Gate 3

    Baldur's Gate 3 Stress Test for Patch 8

    The combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 is just tough to match. Divinity: Original Sin 2 has a great combat system, but it relies so much on taking down the various armor types of each enemy that it gets a bit repetitive, and the enemies start to lose identity after a while.

    With Baldur’s Gate 3, your options in combat are among the most numerous you can find in a game. Your creativity fuels the combat system; if you can think of something outside the box to win a battle, there is usually the chance to see it in action.

    The incredible amount of spells, status effects, and even melee attacks you can pull off makes it so no playthrough feels the same and any class you play will be an awesome time. The fights in Baldur’s Gate 3 are so varied too, with all kinds of different hazards to face off with, characters to protect, or unique objectives to complete mid-battle that every single one feels like a puzzle that you need to find the solution to.

    2

    Soundtrack/Music

    Baldur’s Gate 3

    Baldur's Gate 3 Sussar Tree Dread Hollows

    Again, it’s like choosing your favorite child here when it comes to the soundtrack and music for both of these games. Divinity: Original Sin 2 set a standard for CRPGs when it came to that, but then Baldur’s Gate 3 shattered the standard and gave us excellence personified.

    The music in Baldur’s Gate 3 is simply brilliant. With countless soundtracks and ambient music to support the exploration of all the different locales you will visit, it’s a feast for the ears. The battle music is also appropriately epic and when the big boss fights come, the music lets you know it.

    It’s hard to find a game with better music than Baldur’s Gate 3, because it feels like the apex of what an RPG should be in just about every way. Anyone who knows anything about the genre knows the best moments are carried by their amazing soundtracks.

    1

    Winner

    Baldur’s Gate 3

    baldurs_gate_3_karlach(1)

    The winner is Baldur’s Gate 3. There is no shame in losing this battle for Divinity: Original Sin 2. That is easily one of the top 3 CRPGs ever made in my book. It’s a sprawling journey with some incredible writing, memorable characters, and fantastic combat. The problem is that Baldur’s Gate 3 is the best CRPG ever made, and probably one of the best pure games ever made in general.

    It gives us a big-budget production mixed with intricate, DND-style storytelling and questing. It gives you near limitless combat options and ways to complete quests both in the story and optional ones. There are also multiple optional party members, many different paths to take in the story, and a completely unique option for a playthrough using The Dark Urge, which changes so much about the story that it may as well be a new game.

    Every RPG from here on out will be compared to Baldur’s Gate 3, and that’s CRPG or otherwise. It has established a new bar in the gaming world, and it’s one that developers and fans have both marveled at and, understandably, have not expected anything to top it anytime soon. Until Larian’s next masterpiece comes out, Baldur’s Gate 3 stands alone.



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    All Ranching Skill Rewards in Palia

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    All Ranching Skill Rewards in Palia


    Palia’s new update, Fall Fantasy: Of Barns and Briars, is here, and it includes brand-new features with a ton of new content to explore. The highlight of this new update is the new Ranch feature. Fans have been asking the Devs for over a year to add a Ranch system, and now, it is finally here. Palia adds Ranching Skill, a new skill since the launch of the game. Similar to other major Skills, like cooking, fishing, foraging, etc., Ranching is a Skill with its own levels and benefits. In this guide, we will tell you all the rewards for the Ranching Skill in Palia.

    Ranching Skill Overview in Palia

    The new Ranching Skill in Palia lets you rear and grow Palian animals with unique traits. Players get access to the Ranching after completing the “Like A Bird” quest. Once done, Delaila visits the player’s plot and introduces them to their Ranch area. Players will be able to take care of and raise various species of animals. Players need to feed and pet the animals throughout the day to help them grow and age. As players grow the animals, they will earn XP towards the Ranching Skill to level up. Each level will give you an exclusive ranch reward.

    All Rewards for the Ranching Skill in Palia

    Here are all the rewards you unlock for the Ranching Skill in Palia.

    LevelRewardsDescriptionLevel 1Barn BellA special bell that can be heard by riffrocs from miles away. Allows you to travel to your barn area.Level 2Peki AnimalA chicken-like animal that produces eggs.Level 3Namewell CookieRename an animal once.Plain CookieClears any active treat effects.Fast-Grow CookieSignificantly increases the rate the animal ages.Good Breed BiscuitIncreases the likelihood of your animal’s traits being passed down to the next bred animalBad Breed biscuitModerately reduces the likelihood of your animal’s traits being passed down when next bred.Level 4Trufflet AnimalA pig-like animal that gathers mushrooms.Level 5Ranch Upgrade (+ 10 Animal Storage)Increases the animal storage capacity in the ranch.Level 6Oopsie CookieRemove one random trait.Me-First CookieEnsures the animal’s traits have inheritance priority when breeding.Predictable CookieBlocks animal from randomly gaining new traits.Never-Grow CookieStop a baby from aging.Level 7Ormuu AnimalA cow-like animal that produces milk.Level 8Ranch Upgrade (+10 Animal Storage)Increases the animal storage capacity in the ranch.Level 9Bumble AnimalA bee-like animal that produces honey.Level 10Cookie of the DayGive an animal a random cosmetic trait.Roulette CookieGrants one random trait.Tasty Trait TreatGrants one random functional trait that scales based on number of cosmetic traits.Worse Breed BiscuitSignificantly reduces the likelihood the animal’s traits will be passed down when next bred.Faster-Grow CookieGreatly increases how fast the animal ages.Better Breed BiscuitSignificantly increase the chances of this animal passing down any traits when bred.Reroll CookieRandomizes the tier of the animal’s traits



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    One of Mark Hamill’s best character-actor performances is streaming now for free

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    One of Mark Hamill’s best character-actor performances is streaming now for free


    For the second time this year, the erstwhile Luke Skywalker has contributed a character actor turn to a Stephen King adaptation. In The Long Walk, Mark Hamill equips himself with dark shades and cruelly ironic pep talks to play The Major, an architect of an unspecified fascist regime in the film’s fictional (for now) dystopia. He supervises an annual contest where young men are selected to compete in a long-distance walk. Failure to keep pace results in death, and the last man standing wins a lavish prize. The Major rides alongside them, occasionally offering macho quasi-encouragement, decidedly different from the pragmatic advice he gives out as Albie, alcoholic grandfather to the main character in The Life of Chuck. These two otherwise disparate men share one major commonality: Hamill giving a mercilessly hammy performance in both films. However, neither use Hamill as well as a more obscure movie that combines fatherly advice and twisted villainy: the little-seen dramedy Brigsby Bear.

    Brigsby Bear came out during the best year for Hamill’s live-action career since the original Star Wars trilogy: 2017, when he also had a co-starring role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Despite Hamill’s own initial misgivings about the characterization of an older Luke Skywalker in that film, he gives one of his best performances as a disillusioned Luke who nonetheless provides a short mentorship to Force-sensitive Rey (Daisy Ridley). Some fans were uncomfortable that their hero showed dimensionality in the film, preferring to think of him as steadfast and unchanging as an action figure. But the older Luke fits with the character-actor career Hamill has cultivated throughout middle age. And earlier that same year, he made a strong addition to that line-up with Brigsby Bear opposite Saturday Night Live alumnus Kyle Mooney.

    At first, it seems like Hamill is playing Mooney’s father but as the story develops, it becomes clear that something is amiss. Twentysomething James (Mooney) never leaves his bunker home in the desert, and is treated like a child by his parents Ted (Hamill) and April (Jane Adams), who give him video tapes of his sole pop-culture obsession: an educational fantasy series called Brigsby Bear Adventures, featuring a live-action costumed bear who looks a bit like a refugee from Pizzatime Theater. When the police arrive on the scene, James must confront the fact that Ted and April abducted him from another family when he was an infant, and have been holding him captive for a quarter-century without his knowledge. On top of that, Brigsby Bear Adventures isn’t a real show. It’s a project created by Ted, a former toy designer, used to occupy and instruct his ill-gotten “son.”

    Hamill is only fully on-camera for a few scenes of Brigsby Bear, at the beginning and the end, subtly suggesting the monstrous illness that could cause someone to commit such a ghastly act while still creating a facade of low-key affability that leaves James feeling oddly conflicted. But his presence lingers over the entire film, both thematically because of Ted’s deeds, and practically because Hamill’s voice appears in just about every clip of the Brigsby Bear show. In addition to voicing Brigsby, Ted (which is to say Hamill) also plays the show’s villain, whose distorted face appears like the weird sun in Teletubbies.

    This makes Brigsby Bear one of the few live-action movies to truly take advantage of Hamill’s biggest post-Star Wars job as an in-demand voice actor — most notably as the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series and various other Bat-projects. In a sense, he’s doing voices for these Stephen King adaptations, too, guttural and alcohol-weathered for Life of Chuck and preeningly evil authoritarian barking for The Long Walk. Both movies take advantage of the craggier qualities that have crept into his voice over the years, but Brigsby Bear really shows off his range. Just as he plays both heroic Brigsby and his cackling nemesis on the show-within-a-show, he’s a lingering father figure to James as well as the designer of his pain and dysfunction.

    Mooney, who also co-wrote the film, and director Dave McCrary improbably weave that pain into a gentle, sweet-natured fish-out-of-water comedy, as James navigates a broader world he’s never had the chance to explore. Just attending a party or having dinner with his old/new family presents endless social challenges. He reacts by deciding to finish Brigsby Bear’s adventures himself, because the show stopped production once Ted and April were apprehended. He begins production on a Brigsby Bear film with some leftover props and the expertise of Spence (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), a friend of James’s younger sister Aubrey (Ryan Simpkins), who starts to bond with her brother over the project.

    Image: Sony Classics

    Fans of Mooney’s more overtly comedic work, which has covered similarly retro kids’ programming with shows like Saturday Morning All Star Hits! on Netflix, may be taken aback by the earnestness of this project. Even Mooney’s recent directorial debut Y2K had broader laughs and more fantastical situations buttressing its grounded characters. Brigsby Bear isn’t especially satirical, instead using an almost impossibly specific fake fandom to explore therapeutic qualities of creativity. King’s work in general, and Life of Chuck in particular, takes a similarly thoughtful pleasure in looking at popular (or obscure) culture, nostalgia, and youthful traumas, but for whatever reason, Hamill hasn’t been a great fit with the author’s work, or maybe he jumps in with distracting enthusiasm. He hits it too hard, relishing the caricatures too much, like a voiceover artist still cranking it to 11 for the recording booth.

    On the other hand, it’s the actors who keep Brigsby Bear from becoming too wispy to stand on its own: Mooney with his comic timing redirected toward greater pathos (although there was always some of that in his best SNL characters, too), clutch supporting work from Greg Kinnear (as a cop with a secret love of acting), and Hamill’s small yet multifunctional role. In the King movies, Hamill feels like a cutesy mascot. In Brigsby Bear, voicing a mascot-like character, he does some of his most cleverly textured work.

    Brigsby Bear is currently streaming for free on The Roku Channel.



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    Fortnite teases Chapter 7 ahead of its release

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    Fortnite teases Chapter 7 ahead of its release


    You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you’re reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here

    Epic Games has been steadily rolling out updates for the current Fortnite season, keeping the focus on balance tweaks and smaller adjustments. The developer’s latest post revealed detailed patch notes, which is a very positive change, but also surprising. Some fans have even noticed a small detail in the post, as Epic seemingly teased Chapter 7.

    With the current season halfway done and rumors of another mini-season on the horizon, the timing of this tease has set off plenty of speculation. It appears that the Fortnite creator is slowly introducing us to the new chapter, which is scheduled to arrive in early December.

    The Fortnite developer may have just teased Chapter 7

    In its detailed explanation of the most recent balance changes, Epic Games ended the update with a striking line: “We have a lot more content coming up – very soon.” While vague on the surface, this message is likely a teaser for the next chapter, which should come out in just a couple of months.

    After the conclusion of Chapter 6 – Season 4, Fortnite is set to roll out a short mini-season featuring a crossover with The Simpsons. But that’s just the beginning, as a chapter-ending event is expected to follow, right before the release of Fortnite Chapter 7.

    The Simpsons in Fortnite
    The Simpsons collaboration will come with a mini-season in November. Image by VideoGamer

    Fortnite often ends a chapter with a dramatic event before resetting the stage with fresh mechanics, maps, and collaborations. The last chapter-ending event, which took place in November 2024, peaked at 14.3 million concurrent players, making it the second most-popular event in the game’s history.

    As we are still months away from Fortnite Chapter 7, we can expect Epic Games to tease it more frequently in the future. The current season has approximately 48 days left and will receive three more big updates.


    Three characters overlooking a vibrant, lush video game landscape with rivers, fields, and distant towns under a clear blue sky.Three characters overlooking a vibrant, lush video game landscape with rivers, fields, and distant towns under a clear blue sky.

    Fortnite




    Platform(s):
    Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X


    Genre(s):
    Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter


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    VideoGamer



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    Borderlands 4 Publisher Denies Rumors About Spyware In The Game

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    Borderlands 4 Publisher Denies Rumors About Spyware In The Game



    By the end of this weekend, Borderlands 4 is probably going to be one of the biggest launches of 2025. It hasn’t gone off without a hitch, however. The game has been hit hard by negative reviews on Steam over its PC optimization. Now, Borderlands 4 has been accused of including spyware by some vocal fans online. Those rumors have been so pervasive that Borderlands 4 publisher Take-Two Interactive has already shared a statement denying them.

    The issue at hand involves the kernel-level anti-cheat in Borderlands 4, which some have accused of being modified to collect data about players. Borderlands 4’s updated terms of service was also presented as evidence that the game was being used to spy on players, hence the response from Take-Two.

    “Take-Two does not use spyware in its games,” wrote a company spokesperson on Steam. “Take-Two’s Privacy Policy applies to all labels, studios, games, and services across all media and platform types such as console, PC, mobile app, and website. The Privacy Policy identifies the data activities that may be collected, but this does not mean that every example is collected in each game or service.”

    The company acknowledges that it does collect information about users “to deliver its services to players,” including personalization and compatibility options. Take-Two’s position is that it discloses this info in the terms of service to be transparent with fans.

    PC Gamer noted that the latest furor over spyware stemmed from “a misleading YouTube video prompting fans to play a game of telephone about the changes to the EULA over Reddit and forum threads, and a bout of short-lived Steam review bombing that hasn’t accomplished much of anything.”

    Similar concerns about older games from the company surfaced earlier this summer, which essentially received the same response from Take-Two as the latest allegations. The company also asserted that its updated terms allow it to go after “abusive mods” that don’t respect the intellectual property of the company, while allowing single-player non-commercial mods to be distributed freely among fans.

    Gearbox has shared links for optimizing NVIDIA card graphics settings and a PC troubleshooting guide for anyone having trouble running the game. Players who need some in-game help should check out GameSpot’s Borderlands 4 guide hub for tips and secrets.



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    Valkyrie Squad Siege Breakers Switch Review

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    Valkyrie Squad Siege Breakers Switch Review


    Digital Crafter, the developer behind Fight of Gods and Fight of Steel, took over two years to make another game after Steel. Instead of a fighting game, they made an auto-shooter, aka a Vampire Survivors clone. Valkyrie Squad: Siege Breakers is my new favorite auto-shooter. I would have done this review yesterday, but I had to keep playing. Now, Army of Ruin was great, for the time it was released two years ago. Time has moved on. Meanwhile Vampire Survivors is busy doing crossovers, and while I loved the Castlevania and Contra ones, I can’t help but feel the core game play is getting kinda stale. Valkyrie Squad refreshes the auto-shooter game play, and while not everything it does is new, it does it all in a great way.

    If you’re reading this, you probably know the basics of every auto-shooter, so I won’t spend much time on that. Basically, you run around a stage and the attacks fire themselves. Enemies drop gems which gives xp, which on level up, you get a choice of active attacks and passive skill upgrades. The active and passive skills you pick determine if you can evolve the standard attack into a more powerful variety. There is also coinage which can be used to purchases permanent upgrades. Now, on to the main Valkyrie Squad: Siege Breakers review.

    Valkyrie Squad is Waifu Heaven!

    Valkyrie Squad has you playing as a squad of three Valkyries, aka cute waifus. Each waifu is a part of a themed team, like punk waifus or SWAT team waifus. However, you can mix and match them to create a custom team. Each waifu is fully voiced. Every waifu comes with their own special main attack, special attack and charged attack. Each waifu can be individually leveled up. You can level up their attacks and 3 different stats, which change with each of them.

    On certain maps and difficulty levels in Valkyrie Squad, the waifus appear in sleeping pods and can be rescued. They they’ll help out for a few minutes. If you win the level, you upgrade the waifus you already have, as well as unlock the waifu you do not have. The waifu you don’t have then must be bought with the coins you collect. The waifu’s standard attack gets unlocked even if they aren’t on your team, once you buy them.

    Valkyrie Squad: Siege Breakers

    The three waifu dynamic plays out in each level in Valkyrie Squad as you can rotate between the three at any time. This will change the charged attack and the special attack. The special attacks are powerful and very different, so you’ll want to pick the best one for any situation. What’s nice here is that, unlike Eden Survivors, you are not locked into a team, as the upgrading is not expensive, so you can quickly get a new waifu up to speed.

    The four very intricate and detailed levels.

    There are only four levels in Valkyrie Squad. Mechanical, Zombie, Insectoid and Fantasy. Fortunately, they’re all different and well done. They each have their own enemies, stage hazards and rogue waifu boss. And the levels are only fifteen minutes long. After fifteen minutes, the boss appears, fight her and you win. Unfortunately, the end stage bosses are not exactly easy, they’re all different and have some very nasty attacks. Fortunately, there is a dodge move in Valkyrie Squad, which will save your butt. Each stage comes with four difficulty levels, each with their own set of waifus to rescue. The Zombie stage requires you to beat Mechanical difficulty two. Then you must beat Zombie difficulty three to unlock the insectoid stage.

    You’ll be dodging giant mechanical arms!

    Conclusion

    There being only four stages is disappointing, and I have a feeling there won’t be DLC. That said, Valkyrie Squad is going for depth and not breath. Its not here to suck up hundreds of hours, it’ll probably take a lot less than that to see everything. What it does promise and deliver on is one of the most strategic and tactical auto-shooters there is. I’m giving this a Must Play with a ten. Why? Because Valkyrie Squad: Siege Breakers the new queen of auto-shooters. Vampire Survivors can release all the great DLC it wants, the core experience has not really evolved. The characters still lack personality and they cannot be individually upgraded.

    I wasn’t getting out of the without a game play video.

    Valkyrie Squad is a must purchase for auto-shooter fans. Anything I can do to spread the world about it, I will do. It’s that damn good! By the way, before I go, I should mention it has a mixed rating on Steam. Reading the reviews, I don’t think many of reviewers get this is an auto-shooter, not a bullet hell shooter. Also, they put in very short times before reviewing. I will say Valkyrie Squad will start off slow, but once you start upgrading, things start getting awesome and it earns its score!

    Overall: Valkyrie Squad: Siege Breakers is one of the best auto-shooters ever made. Digital Crafter took their time with this, and it shows.

    Verdict: Must Play

    Score: 10

    eShop Page

    Update: Unfortunately, I found an issue in the Insectoid world where you can walk through the side walls and off the map. I’ve notified the developer and waiting to hear a response. I’ll hold the rating for now, but eventually if not patched I will downgrade the rating.

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    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Review – A Videogame-Ass Videogame Done Right

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    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Review – A Videogame-Ass Videogame Done Right


    At this point, Lizard Cube has cemented itself as perhaps the best developer of 2D action-platformers that are based on old IP given a fresh new lick of glorious paint. Streets of Rage 4 was a god damn masterpiece of brawling, and now Shinobi: Art of Vengeance seeks to dethrone it as the new king.

    Welcome back Shinobi protagonist Joe Wusashi, a name that still makes me laugh because of how….well, un-shinobi-like it sounds. It’s the kind of name I imagine for a tax accountant whose closest encounter with a sword was the butter knife at dinner. Even funnier is how Joe communicates purely through grunts for the entirety of the story, made even better by the fact that everyone else speaks normally. Joe is a man of few words, preferring to let his katana do the talking, even as the bosses he encounters deliver menacing monologues.

    Available On: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2Reviewed On: PCDeveloped By: Lizard CubePublished By: SEGA

    Review code provided by SEGA

    But then, who can blame him for keeping his trap shut in a world that is so clearly insane? Joe’s peaceful life as the leader of the Oboro Clan is rudely interrupted by ENE Corporation and its leader, Lord Ruse, who lay waste to the village, turns many of its people into stone and terrorises the rest with an army of supernatural and hi-tech forces. Oh, and Lord Ruse is running around with powers he stole from the literal Grim Reaper, because why the fuck not.

    Really, the story is as thin as a shoji screen, an excuse to indulge in an uber-slick, absurdly fun 10 hour experience that’s packed full of satisfying combat and platforming. And it sure helps that it looks so good, to boot. Despite the insanity of what’s often on the screen, like weird demons and Joe riding a missile through a building like he called the world’s best Uber service, the plotting and characters are entirely forgettable. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is just happy to be a globe-trotting, arse-kicking videogame-ass videogame, and I’m here for it.

    Controls tend to make or break games like this, so I’m happy to say that Shinobi’s are sharper than Joe’s sword. Jumping, dashing and running up walls all feel terrific and super responsive. Platforming is the secondary focus behind fighting, so I’m pleased that the developers have clearly spent a lot of time dialling in the movement so that it is a pleasure to get around. It means even as new movement tricks are introduced, like special ninja claws and even a glider – and the platforming sections become a little tighter and trickier – the game never feels unfair. Failure is never the game’s fault – it’s always clear what you did wrong.

    The platforming is pretty forgiving, mind you. Getting stabbed by pointy wall spikes or falling into a laser because you missed the timing for a jump dumps you back a few seconds, minus a little bit of health. In fact, the whole game is more lenient than I was expecting, given its arcade roots. There are no lives to worry about and thus no game-over screen, and you’ll probably breeze through the game without too much of an issue. Die-hard fans of the games might find this off-putting (a proper hard mode would be very welcome), but I enjoyed the game’s difficulty – I got to feel pretty badarse, while still dying a few times. Bosses, though, do need some tweaking because I typically killed them on the first attempt.

    Combat is built around combining simple light and heavy attacks, each hit feeling meaty and impactful. A little screen shake, a pleasing sound effect and some nice effects really sell the blows and their strength. Joe can also toss out Kunai to help deal with ranged or flying foes, too. As you progress, you can purchase even more moves to add to your repertoire, turning Joe into a meat-grinder of the highest order, comboing moves together to tear through health bars.

    Enemies have three different meters to track: health, armour and a special execution gauge. That last one is obviously the most unusual, letting you perform flashy insta-kills when it’s filled. Best of all, executions will affect every enemy on screen who has their meter filled, so with a bit of planning (or a lot of luck) you can wipe out a screenful in one go. It’s absurdly fun to pull off.

    You’ve also got special Ninpo attacks thrown in for good measure, powered by eviscerating the many demons, ninjas, bird-people, flying horse heads and other foes who are unfortunate enough to get in the way of the human blending machine called Joe. These special Ninpo moves come in different flavours such as a flamethrower that’s good at dishing out regular damage, or something like a bomb which can rip through armour.

    Finally, there’s a small selection of super special moves you can bust out, provided the slow-filling guage is maxed out. These powers fill the screen, ranging from fiery serpents that decimate everything to a beautiful healing goddess, which quickly became my go-to power for getting myself back in the fight.

    Not all the powers are made equal, mind you. Both the specials and the Ninpo abilities have a few duds that don’t seem worth choosing. .

    Considering how utterly gorgeous the art style is, I was a little disappointed how often the backgrounds were bland, such as corridors made out of cargo containers. It would be absurd to ask for every single second of the game to be filled with beautiful backgrounds, but I still felt like the game too often resorted to boring corridors.

    Those moments are rare, though, and for the most part, Shinobi: The Art of Vengeance is visually tremendous. Lizard Cube’s art has been nothing short of amazing across their games, but this one might just take the cake. Heavy use of black ink and heavy brushstrokes help evoke a Japanese vibe that’s only fitting given the game, and that’s topped off by superb animations. You could easily freeze time at any given moment and be greeted by what looks like a painting. And Lizard Cube give us plenty of variety, too, from sandy deserts to creepy underground layers to neon cities.

    There’s plenty of extra stuff to do in the game, because as you gain new abilities like the ninja claws or a shield-shattering attack, you can go back to old levels and unlock new areas to explore. There are tokens to discover which open up more things in the shop, special challenges that pit you against stronger foes, platforming challenges and more.

    On top of that, there’s Arcade and Boss Rush modes to unlock as well. All in all, I’d say there’s around 15 hours of content here if you want to see and do absolutely everything, and considering the style of game and modest £25 price tag, that feels reasonable to me.

    In Conclusion…






    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    Lizard Cube have done it again. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn’t quite dethrone Streets of Rage 4 as their crown jewel, but it’s a damn fine challenger — a katana-sharp platformer that proves the old ninja still has plenty of fight left in him. Joe Wusashi might grunt his way through a story thinner than a shoji screen, but when the controls feel this good, the art looks this stunning, and the soundtrack slaps this hard, who cares? Welcome back, Joe. Accountant name or not, you’re a legend.

    The official "Recommended" logo of www.wolfsgamingblog.com



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    Battlefield 6 Devs Explain Adding The Controversial Quick Turn

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    Battlefield 6 Devs Explain Adding The Controversial Quick Turn


    In August, the Battlefield 6 open beta was a massive success and one of the most played games of the year. But there was a controversial “quick turn” setting included in the beta that caused some debate online. And when I asked the devs why it was added, they said: Balance and customization.

    Earlier this week, Kotaku sat down with two Battlefield 6 devs to discuss the game’s console ports, and I had to ask about the quick turn feature. People online suggested it looked like cheating and was too OP. Others claimed it helped balance BF6 by giving controller players a chance to turn around quickly. According to Matthew Nickerson, senior console combat designer on Battlefield 6, balancing the game was indeed one reason it was added.

    “The inherent issue of including aim assist on controller,” Nickerson told Kotaku,  “[is that] you constantly are doing a big sweeping motion [while looking around], you’re constantly going full speed, and then you hit the bubbles of aim assist, and it automatically slows down. So you’re kind of constantly fighting these systems that are preventing you from quickly 180 turning.”

    Adding a quick flip option was a “huge win” that solved a “lot of issues” that exist when playing on a controller against mouse and keyboard players.

    “You know, you get shot in the back [and] it’s frustrating to be a controller player those days,” added Nickerson. 

    According to him, making sure crossplay was balanced, fair, and fun was a huge goal for the entire team working on Battlefield 6. So the quick turn option, officially known as “Flick Stick,” was one more way to keep crossplay competitive for all.

    The other reason for adding it? Well, because it’s cool and gives players one more way to customize their controls and gameplay. And combined with the PS5’s gyro controls, Flick Stick can do some “really cool stuff.” Plus, Nickerson told Kotaku it helps give console players more ways to interact with the game despite gamepads having far fewer buttons than a keyboard.

    “If you want to reload [or turn around], maybe you just flick on your controller upright, and it activates the gyro, so it’s like another new layer of customizability,” said Nickerson. 

    I’m not sure I’ll be using gyro controls in Battlefield 6 when it launches on October 10 on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. But you’d better believe I’ll have a button set for turning around instantly so I can at least I can see the person killing me from behind.





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    DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined announced for February 2026, already rated Steam Deck Playable

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    DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined announced for February 2026, already rated Steam Deck Playable


    DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined has been revealed and it will be launching February 2026, and we already have Valve testing it on Steam Deck ahead of release.

    Valve have given it a Steam Deck Playable rating due to some in-game text being too small, which is an easy problem for the developer to solve between now and the February 5th 2026 release date. Valve also note the first-time setup requires an internet connection. On top of that the Steam page notes it also has Denuvo Anti-tamper.

    Check out the trailer below:

    From the Steam page:

    A Diorama Brought to Life


    DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined blends a beautiful diorama art style with Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs to make every encounter feel vibrant, heartfelt, and full of adventure. From lush forests and bustling towns to ancient ruins and whimsical monsters, every environment is bursting with color and personality.


    Travel through History to Restore the Present


    Scattered stone fragments unlock portals to long-lost eras with their own challenges to solve. Restore the islands, solve mysteries, and make allies in the past to breathe life back into the present.


    A Beloved Tale with a Streamlined Narrative


    DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined is told through a series of vignettes with an overarching narrative. The main story has also been streamlined to make the journey more accessible to all players.


    Classic Combat, Improved!


    The battle system in DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined has undergone significant changes. Turn the tides of battle with new vocational perks. Each vocation has its own unique ability, from all-out attacks to those that support your allies. Battle speed adjustments and an auto-battle feature are also available. Battles can progress without interruptions between each turn, depending on the tactics selected for the protagonist and allies. While on the field, players can pre-emptively strike monsters and instantly defeat them If the monster is weaker than the party.


    Moonlight and Level Up Two Vocations at the Same Time!


    Customize your playstyle with the new Moonlighting mechanic. Having two vocations assigned at once provides access to the skills, magic spells, and unique perks from both.

    It’s up for pre-order for £49.99 and the Deluxe Edition has Advanced Access to play it 2 days early.

    Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.



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    Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.6 brings new forms for Dan Heng and March 7th, and you can earn one of them for free

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    Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.6 brings new forms for Dan Heng and March 7th, and you can earn one of them for free


    The Honkai: Star Rail livestream just ended, and it brought us a first look at Version 3.6, and confirmed a few of the fan theories that have been going around. To begin with, 3.6 is titled Back to Earth in Evernight, and it’s going to arrive September 24.

    If that title wasn’t enough of a hint, 3.6 will indeed deliver for fans of March 7th, and Dan Heng, and there’s even more great news for longtime players.

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    Honaki: Star Rail Version 3.6 marks the start of a new storyline that will unfold over several chapters in the future. Miss Evernight’s Era Nova project is at the centre, and there’s a lot at stake for the world of Amphoreus.

    The new story sees the return of Dan Heng, who’s going back to Amphoreus to reunite with the Express Crew. Which leads us nicely into the two new characters joining the roster. Evernight is a 5-Star Ice character who follows the Path of Remembrance. Evernight, of course, is a new form of March 7th’s, one of Star Rail’s starting characters.

    Evernight is designed to fight with Memosprites summons. She increases the crit damage of all Memosprites on any team she’s on. This bonus grows the more characters on the team follow the Path of Remembrance. Evernight has her own summon, Evey, which grants her Memoria when summoned. The more of that she gathers, the higher Evey’s damage output.

    Her Ultimate deals damage to all enemies, and places herself and Evey in a state called Darkest Riddle, which increases both of their damage outputs for as long as it lasts.

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    Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae is the second playable character in 3.6. Like Evernight, this is also a new form of one of the game’s earliest characters, that being Dan Heng, of course. This evolved version (also 5-Star) of Dan Heng is post-Imbibitor Lunae, taking him further down the Path of Permanence.

    Permansor Terrae is the name of his newly-unlocked power, which allows him to be a better defensive character. The way this takes form in combat is that he can pick one teammate and designate them as Bondmate, which summons a Souldragon for them.This form also grants all allies an additional Shield. Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae’s Ultimate deals damage to all enemies, and grants more Shields to the team, while enhancing the Souldragon.

    Permansor Terrae may be the easier of the two new characters to get, because anyone (at Trailblaze Level 3 or above) who logs in can claim him for free. This offer is available until the end of Version 4.0.

    Image credit: MiHoYo.

    There’s more new content worth mentioning in Version 3.6, too. Anomaly Arbitration, the high-difficulty trial, arrives alongside the update. Anomaly Arbitration is made up of three trial stages, with one final stage.

    You’ll need to form a separate team for each trial stage. Clearing all stages earns you an Interference Key, a new item, alongside other rewards. MiHoYo said you can also expect more events to roll out gradually, including the seasonal Colorful Mayhem.

    The other major feature in 3.6 is Main Story Replay, which does exactly what you think. You can replay any Trailblaze Mission, Trailblaze Continuance, and Companion Mission, so long as you’ve previously completed them. The feature even lets you pick the specific segments/cutscenes you want to reexperience.



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