Ghost Recon: Breakpoint Wildlands’ Gritty, Survival Sequel

In 2017, Ubisoft released a controversial but highly successful entry into the Ghost Recon series. Whilst the games used to be about stoic operatives engaging in tactical modern warfare, in Wildlands you played as a more humanized group within Delta Company as they battled to liberate Bolivia from the influence of a drug cartel. This was a far cry from the futuristic advanced setting of the previous mainline game Future Soldier, which launched way back in 2012. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a direct sequel to Wildlands which is slowly moving the series in a more futuristic direction by introducing offensive drone technology and cutting-edge equipment.

What is Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Announced in early May this year, Ghost Recon Breakpoint was revealed as a direct sequel to Wildlands, with the same protagonist in tow. It’s a co-op open-world shooter where players pick a character and class and level up their ghost, all the while attempting to liberate the island of Auroa from the rule of the drone-crazy Skell Technology and Cole D. Walker, their fearless leader. 

What is the story behind Ghost Recon Breakpoint?

In Ghost Recon Breakpoint you play as special forces operative Nomad, the protagonist of Wildlands who leads another crack team of soldiers into battle with Cole D. Walker, a former ghost gone rogue who has set up on the island of Auroa with the help of Jace Skell, an entrepreneur and founder of Skell Technology who has set up a utopian base on the island to develop drone technology which has been co-opted by Walker’s army of Wolves. Walker summons a drone swarm to destroy the inbound ghosts, killing 32 men and women in the process, the only survivors being protagonist Nomad, Vasily, Fixit, Holt and Fury, who have to fight against Walker’s dangerous war machine.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint gameplay – what does it play like?

There are four classes to pick from in Breakpoint: Assault, Sharpshooter, Panther and Engineer, each with their own specialized techniques and weapon affinities. This forms the basis of your fireteam that you can swap between if you’re playing solo. Breakpoint adds a number of new features to the Wildlands formula, like the Bivouac, a makeshift camp you can drop in between missions to fix your kit and recover. The gameplay remains mostly the same, but there’s also a brand new realistic injury simulation system where you will limp or lose accuracy if shot. You can also spawn in vehicles and unlock and upgrade weapons via the new loot system.

When does Ghost Recon Breakpoint launch?

Ghost Recon Breakpoint will launch next month on October 4th for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. If you’re keen you can play the game on October 1st if you pick up the Gold or Ultimate edition of the game for early access.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint PC Specifications

Minimum – Low Setting | 1080p

OS: Windows 7/8.1/10
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200/Intel Core I5 4460
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280X/Nvidia Geforce GTX 960 (4 GB)

Recommended – High Setting | 1080p

OS: Windows 7/8.1/10
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600/Intel Core I7 6700K
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: AMD RADEON RX 480 8 GB/Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

Ghost Recon Breakpoint trailers

Five of The Best British Indie Developers Out There Today

With there being enough depressing stuff in the news regarding good ol’ Blighty to shunt the Earth off its axis, we thought it would be both timely and nice to celebrate some of the best British indie developers out there today.

So without further ado, here are five of the best indie developers plying their trade on this sceptered isle of ours. Starting with…

Bithell Games

Debuting with the surprisingly heartfelt platform puzzler Thomas Was Alone in 2012, Mike Bithell made an immediate splash on the UK games scene. In 2015, Bithell would follow up with Volume, a Metal Gear Solid style stealth-based actioner set in a dystopian British society where players must hack terminals and enemy robots to expose a corrupt regime (it’s really good).  

His next big title? John Wick Hex, a tactical, hex-based effort which brings Keanu Reeves’ puppy avenging face shooter into a completely brand new (and somewhat unexpected) genre. We can’t wait to see more.

Hello Games

A breathtakingly ambitious space odyssey where whole galaxies are procedurally generated, No Man’s Sky somehow seemed a far cry from the pint-sized studio at Hello Games that was putting out two-dimensional stunt bike games just a few years prior. Indeed at first, it appeared that No Man’s Sky was almost too much for the small studio to handle, with delays and somewhat lackluster launch dragging the studio down in the early goings.

Still, Sean Murray and his crew stuck with it, constantly patching and adding new (and more importantly, free) content to the game until we have what we see today – No Man’s Sky Beyond, the latest version of the game that boasts multiplayer support, VR support and a veritable avalanche of content. Crazily, this looks like just the beginning of another cycle of new updates and content for No Man’s Sky too – a grandiose achievement from a remarkable British indie superstar.

Llamasoft

A British indie that’s been around for so long that he remembers when the Dead Sea was still alive, Jeff Minter and his tiny Llamasoft outfit have carved out a massive niche for themselves in hypnotic and often psychedelic arcade shooters.

At the zenith of Llamasoft’s offerings is Tempest 4000, a 3D shooter where players must maneuver a laser spitting claw spacecraft around a series of geometric prisms, laying waste to a horde of incoming enemies. With a superbly judged difficulty curve and a premium on old fashioned high score grabbing, Tempest 4000 is emblematic of one of the best and longest-running British indie outfits out there today.

Roll7 

Absolute masters of the two-dimensional plane, Roll7 came to prominence off the back off of its OlliOlli games – a pair of sublimely playable, BAFTA award-winning two-dimensional skateboarding titles that effortlessly sat at the top of the genre. Stick that up your Tony Hawk etc.

Since then, the prolific British developer has gone onto release NOT A HERO, a hugely enjoyable and hyperviolent 2D assassination shooter where players must murder various gang kingpins for a crazed city called ‘Bunnylord’. So er, yeah, that’s a thing. Also a thing is Roll7’s little known next title called ‘BeatFighter’, to which the developer says on its website,
“This is so far off that you might just die of old age before it is released. We sincerely hope not.” We hope not too.

White Paper Games

Though relatively new British studio White Paper Games is only two games deep into its tenure on the British indie games scene, the Mancunian (That’s Manchester based to the rest of you) outfit has shown a keen eye for well-told stories, sophisticated characters, and an atmospheric setting.

Proving such superlatives true is White Paper Games latest offering, The Occupation, a first-person detective adventure where players play an investigative journalist attempting to expose a political conspiracy in a late 1980s dystopian North West England. Though we’re not sure what comes next for the studio, we’re certainly sure that whatever it is will be worth the wait.

Did we miss out your favorite? Comment below with some of your own favorite Indie developers and tell us what makes their games so good. You can also head over to our Community Pages to check out our latest giveaways.

The best JRPGs you can play on PC

For almost the entire history of video games JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games) have been there. Going all the way back to 1982 with the release of Underground Exploration by Koei, the genre has exploded in the decades since. Now, JRPGs are a huge industry with loads of important and wonderful games being released each year.

Historically, however, it has been a genre tied closely to consoles, with the NES, SNES and PlayStation all being part of a golden age of JRPG-dom. Now though, with ports being more frequent and even some games getting special editions on PC, it’s never been a better time to be a JRPG fan as a PC gamer.

Here are our picks for the top 10 JRPGs you can play on PC right now.

7. Dragon Quest XI

If you want a game that knows exactly what it is and what it wants to be and does that perfectly, Dragon Quest XI is exactly that. With a huge campaign and traditional but absolutely slick design, it’s an exemplar of the genre and one that is well worth sinking your teeth into.

6. Final Fantasy IX

The last Final Fantasy to be released on the original PlayStation, it was a love letter to the tropes and games of the series up until that point. With memorable characters and a beautiful art style that can really be appreciated now that it’s on PC, it’s a truly special and heartfelt look back over the genre that makes it, to many, the best Final Fantasy game – at least until the Final Fantasy VII remake appears on the scene.

5. Valkyria Chronicles

War’s terrible, but somehow war with magic and steampunk tanks and a little winged pig mascot doesn’t seem that terrible. Combining a beautiful anime art style with deep tactical combat over a huge variety of missions, Valkyria Chronicles is an absolute treasure.

4. Yakuza 0

Sometimes you just want to go dancing, sing a song, play Scalectrix, eat too much fish, and then get punched out by a giant man. Yakuza 0 lets you do all that and more with a straight face. It’s a tonally bizarre but utterly joyful look at a small section of 1980s Japan, and dual protagonists Kiryu and Majima will worm their way into your heart.

3. Chrono Trigger

Sometimes what’s old can be the best, and Chrono Trigger is one of the most famous and most delightful JRPGs ever made. Spanning continents and millions of years across a huge story with a load of endings and side characters, it’s a true marvel, and one that hasn’t been beaten even in all the intervening years.

2. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

A troubled game during development and with a plot that often loses focus, Final Fantasy XII is still a brilliant game that deserves more attention. Forget the main character Vaan and just enjoy the marvellous roster of Balthier, Basch, Penelo, and Fran in this truly modern Final Fantasy game which now comes much improved.

1. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

What’s better than sitting down to a great film by Studio Ghibli? Sitting down to a game that they helped create, that’s what. Ni No Kuni combines the best of Pokemon, JRPGs, and anime into a heartwarming and stunning adventure. Even better, it’s now on PC. If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a try and fall in love with Drippy. We guarantee you will.

What’s your favourite JRPG that’s available on PC? Hit us up in the comments below, or head over to the forum and join the conversation.

How to Keep Fit as a Gamer

Gaming and fitness are two entities that have never really gone hand in hand. As your parents have most likely told you, sitting in a hovel playing games all day is no comparison to some good old fashioned fresh air. Well, I’m here to tell you that things have changed. As game developers have gotten wise to this problem (and probably received plenty of lobbying from health organisations) there has been a swathe of fitness games, with the recent advent of VR turning gaming into a viable means of getting your daily workout in.

Beat Saber

The key to a good fitness game is making something that is both popular and fun and doesn’t feel like you’re actually exercising. Beat Saber ticks all three of these boxes, and is a surprisingly good workout, especially on the higher difficulty levels. Who knew thrashing your arms like a flailing fish would sweat you out? Add the ducking and weaving to pop, emo and trance and you’ve got a potent fitness game.   The addition of custom songs means that you can easily get lost in a playlist of your favourite tracks, and before you know it, you’ll be steaming up your goggles.

Fitness Boxing 

If you don’t have a VR headset but a Nintendo Switch is on-hand, this unsung gem is well worth picking up. Using the Joy-Cons you blissfully punch the air to a variety of modern tunes. It doesn’t quite have the force feedback of a punching bag, but the haptic rumble built into each Joy-Con does a good job of making you feel like you’re actually working out, and it’s easy to get into without the slog of donning a heavy plastic headset. Also unlike VR, you can take it anywhere you wish. 

Fitness Breaks 

Whilst not explicitly fitness games, you can turn most RPGs, looter shooters and sports games into healthy activities if you switch up your approach. Finished a raid in WoW Classic? That’s 20 sit-ups, rookie. Wrap up a game of Ultimate Team? Hit the free weights for a session. If you incentivize your own fitness by splicing it in between systemic games and battle royale, you can turn these quick-fire games of the moment into training sessions that work within the chaos of a modern schedule.

The Future

If you’re still putting off that revelatory fitness drive, don’t worry about it too much, as the future of fitness gaming looks very bright. Nintendo is leading the pack with games like Ring Fit Adventure, the recently announced hula hoop peripheral title that involves all kinds of locomotion, and that’s without hearing about what’s next for Wii Sports on the Switch.

Beyond that, the Oculus Quest, a wires-free VR headset was recently announced, which unlocks the potential for HMD-led fitness on the move. Games like Audica from Rock Band developers Harmonix and BoxVR are developing the field of music-led fitness titles, and with next-generation consoles around the corner and most likely new headsets arriving in tandem (especially in Sony’s case) hopefully developers will see that fitness games in VR are a hot ticket, a worthwhile endeavour that are dominating the charts right now and helping people lose weight whilst enjoying their favourite hobby.

Tokyo Game Show – The Big Announcements

Tokyo Game Show is always a big deal, it’s just not always given as much attention as something like E3 or Gamescom because it doesn’t always lead to games released in the west. Nevertheless, with games coming over to us far more often these days, it makes sense that we should all be keeping a close eye on the announcements that have been made there this year. Well, to help you know what’s up, we’ve rounded up some of the biggest announcements from this year’s TGS, so have a look. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake New Trailer

We got another look at the upcoming first episode in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, and it’s confirmed one thing: everyone is hot. We got our first look at The Turks this time, as well as a glimpse of a dude with a mullet on a motorbike, who seems to be a new character. This is perhaps the most exciting thing yet, as it means that there could be extra layers to the story. They also announced that there will be a classic mode for the combat, so if you don’t like change you won’t have to fight in the new way. 

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Like a Dragon, burned for the very first time. This trailer showed off the latest Yakuza game, and it looks even more unhinged than the normal entries. Not only will it be the next entry in the fantastic series of games, but it will also be turn-based for the first time. This includes summons too, we’ve only seen one so far, which had a bunch of crustaceans attacking a man’s face after using a mobile phone. There really is an app for everything now. 

Death Stranding

This might be a slight exaggeration, but we’ve also been shown around 400 hours of new Death Stranding footage. It’s still a very strange title, but at least we know what the gameplay is going to be like now. Honestly, even with all the extra details the game still seems to be some kind of nap-induced fever dream, but who knows, maybe it’ll make perfect sense when you’re playing it. We all remember how coherent the Metal Gear Solid games were, right? Also, you can drink Monster Energy drink and get punched if you stare at Norman’s crotch. If only Kojima was so thoughtful when it came to Quiet. 

Nioh 2 trailer and open beta

Good news for fans of samurai and dying, we’ve got a release window for Nioh 2. Not only that, but we’re going to be getting an open beta to try out in November on PS4 between November 1st and 10th. There were rewards for completing the Nioh tests, so it’s quite likely that there will be something good worth playing for here too. Plus, you get to play the game ahead of time, hoorah. The game will be a prequel to Nioh, which means we might be getting the lowdown on how everything went down in the original game.

Blasphemous – a modern Soulslike, Metroidvania, Classic

There are no shortages of Souls-like games to choose from these days. Consequently, when a new one comes along it needs to stand out; to do things a little differently to entice players in. Blasphemous looks to do just that as you enter the cursed land of Cvstodia.

Blasphemous started life on Kickstarter back in June 2017 where is raised over $300,000 and smashed it’s target to successfully fund development of the game. Clearly people were very interested in playing this game and it’s not hard to see why. 

What is Blasphemous?

In Blasphemous you play as the The Patient One – the sole survivor of a massacre known as the ‘Silent Sorrow’. You now find yourself trapped in a cycle of endless death and resurrection. It’s down to you to free the world from its affliction. 

Explore a nightmarish world of non-linear levels covering vast and varied landscapes filled with hellish abominations, deadly traps and challenging platforming. Travel deep into the twisted regions to discover the secrets hidden within. 

Throughout your journey you will discover relics, rosary beads, prayers and sword hearts that will unlock new abilities and powers to help you overcome some of the terrible bosses you will face. 

With the discovery of new items that you find and loot from the world you will be able to experiment with different styles of play to find something that suits you.

Oh and don’t forget the excellent soundtrack by Carlos Viola featuring 27 original tracks that perfectly suit the games setting and feel

Cvstodia

It’s hard not to notice the distinctive art style spread across Cvstodia. As a result you’ll come across heavy religious themes throughout the game, both in the characters – friend or foe, you encounter and the lore surrounding Cvtodia itself. It’s not just dark and oppressive dungeons you’ll be exploring though. 

There are a number of distinct areas each with contrasting visual styles across the whole game. From snow-covered mountains and sandy dunes to the dungeons we know and love from souls-like games gone by, you won’t be short of new places to explore. With rich lore spread throughout the game, the more you progress the more about the curse simply known as ‘The Miracle’ you will discover. 

Brutality

When I say this game has brutal combat I mean it. Wield the sword Mae Culpa – a weapon born from guilt, and use it to perform devastating combos in fast paced and skilled combat. Limbs will be severed and blood will be shed as you fight through Cvstodia. Don’t let the art style fool you, this game is full of gore and isn’t afraid to show you. 

Souls-like/Metroidvania

Blasphemous is obviously heavily influenced by other souls-like and metriodvania games using a lot of familiar mechanics. Expect to see fewer checkpoints as you play. Meaning death will be punishing and require backtracking or making your way through the same areas multiple times. There’s also an estus flask like healing system, but there is no stamina based combat. 

Some of this might put people off, but it definitely isn’t in the realm of the toughest of those in the genres and is – dare I say, easier. That’s not to say it’s a cake walk, you will still face tough challenges that will test even the most seasoned of souls-like players. 
Blasphemous is out now and is already receiving widely positive reviews.

Stranger things – Dead by Daylight DLC

Dead by Daylight is heading to Hawkins Indiana with a Stranger Things crossover due to come out later this month. With the expansion comes the show’s first terrifying monster that the gang had to face off against – the Demogorgon, along with two new survivors in Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington, plus some exclusive cosmetic items too. This chapter also includes a new map, the Underground Complex situated below the Hawkins National Laboratory.

Dead by Daylight is no stranger to bringing iconic characters from other movie franchises and we’ve already seen the addition of some incredible villains. Which got me thinking, who else would make a good villain? It’s easy to reel off a number of characters from horror films of years gone by, but what if we think a little more outside the box?

Xenomorph – Alien

I’ll admit that this one isn’t the most left-field of choices and would probably feature on a few people’s wish lists. Probably the most iconic alien of all time I’d love to see the Xenomorph makes its way into the game with Ripley added as one of the survivors. The Xenomorph’s speed, agility and acid blood would make for an interesting enemy to face off against. Imagine the level being set on the dark and dank Nostromo or on the harsh surface of LV426. 

Nazgul – Lord of the Rings

Dead by Daylight features a 4 vs 1 situation and what better four to take on the ring-servants of the dark lord than Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin. I know adding four new characters isn’t the norm for the game, but it would be awesome to play as the whole gang as they hide from the foreboding presence of the Nazgul. Frodo could be carrying the ring meaning the Nazgul could track him easier which could lead to a more cooperative feel where the survivors have to work closer to Frodo in order to defend him by setting traps. 

Raptor – Jurassic Park

Just imagine how fun it would be playing as a Velociraptor, leaping around being a ‘clever girl’ would be great fun. Set on the fictional Isla Nublar you could have all sorts of fun creating a new level here, tall grass, underground bunkers and dense forest could easily hide the Raptor for all the best jump scares. And who wouldn’t want to play as Dr Ian Malcom, Muldoon or well any of them really. 

The Thing – The Thing

A lot of people may not remember John Carpenter’s The Thing but it is a classic – and I’m talking about the 80’s version, not the 2011 remake. The Thing is a creature that assimilates and imitates its subjects. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone started off as a survivor with one of you being The Thing and trying to blend in. Do you subtly try and sabotage the game without being noticed or do you break your cover and wreak your havoc upon the other survivors? It would be a slight shift in the standard gameplay from Dead by Daylight, but I think it could work.

Film and television is filled with great potential characters to add to the Dead by Daylight world, what other combinations would you like to see? 

Your adventure to Hawkins begins 17th September as the Stranger Things Chapter for Dead by Daylight will be launching then.

Did we miss your favourite villain? Comment below and join the rest of our gamers on the Green Man Gaming Community pages.

The five best jokes in Borderlands history

The Borderlands series could’ve gone in two directions, one is a gritty look at a semi-post-apocalyptic Western themed planet, and the other is a cartoonish explosive hilarious shooter with lashings of loot and a quip on its lips.

As you no doubt know, we got the second. And having seen the concept art for the original gritty version, we’re incredibly glad we did. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av5Eyx3bGtM

With Borderlands 3 launching, promising hours upon hours of co-op action and more jokes than you can shake a jokey stick at, we thought it was the perfect time to look back over the series and remember some of the funniest moments in Borderlands history.

Butt Stallion

Handsome Jack’s a great villain. He thinks he’s right but he’s also an utter bastard, often calling the team of vault hunters to taunt them. He’s so rich, you know, that he bought a horse made of diamonds and named it Butt Stallion.

The joke’s great on its own because of the incongruity between the taunt and the name, but it gets even better when you meet Butt Stallion later in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, and again in Tales from the Borderlands. Live on, Butt Stallion.

Face McShooty

It’s a simple quest in Borderlands 2, shoot Face McShooty in the face. Go on, he wants you to. Please. Shoot him. It’s just a bullet, do it.

There’s no possibility of anyone playing Borderlands 2 and not remembering our friend Face McShooty and his penchant for bullets to the face.

The shootout

In Tales from the Borderlands, there’s a magnificent moment that combines not only comedy but pure action, it’s when main character Rhys has a shootout with a cohort of suited Hyperion goons…using nothing but finger guns.

It’s as ridiculous as it sounds, and it’s a neat twist on the douchey finger gunning that the Hyperion suits get up to in the rest of the game. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Not balanced yet

Obviously Tiny Tina is the best character in all of Borderlands – obviously. In Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC she gets to helm her own Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

The problem? She’s not really done it before. 

The adventure is filled with missteps and retcons, and it’s never better than when you run into an area to find it filled with high level mobs that you haven’t a hope of taking down. That is, until Tiny Tina tells you that she hasn’t balanced the area yet, drastically dropping the creature’s levels in a mad panic. A very familiar moment for any new Dungeon Master.

Just kill yourself

Handsome Jack isn’t just calling you all the time in Borderlands 2 to taunt you, sometimes he wants to offer you some tasty Eridium. All you have to do is kill yourself. Just jump off Lover’s Leap and die. He’ll reward you when you’re reconstituted.

It sums up Handsome Jack’s approach to villainy perfectly, and even though you get more XP for not doing it, it makes for a hilarious moment to have the team voluntarily leap to their deaths.

What’s your favorite funny moment from the Borderlands series? Let us know in the comments below or over on our forum. Borderlands 3 is out now, and you can pick it up right here.

Top 5 VR Games

VR is still something of a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view. With no one to tell us no, or where to go, how can anybody possibly know which games are worth getting? Well, because we’re good to you, we’ve put together our top 5 VR games. Each of these brings a very different experience, and each is an excellent game in its own right, let alone the fact that they are VR titles. So, without any further ado, let us soldier on into another reality. 

SUPERHOT VR

SUPERHOT is a game so good that you need to shout the title, ideally again and again until you’ve become indoctrinated. It’s a game unlike any other, with a world filled with strange orange beings and a peculiar flow of time. It’s also one of the best VR experiences you could possibly play, and even has a wealth of post-game content thanks to the inherently arcadey nature of it. Do not sleep on this. SUPERHOT. 

A Fisherman’s Tale

Where SUPERHOT distorts time, A Fisherman’s Tale distorts space. It tells the tale of a puppeteer in a lighthouse and is a wonderfully charming game designed to change the way you view the world. It’s genuinely delightful, and over the short story will have you changing your viewpoint multiple times in a series of mind-bending puzzles. 

Skyrim

Hear us out, imagine Skyrim, but in VR. Mind blown, right? That’s exactly what you get here, one of the best-selling RPGs of this millennium but with more immersion than ever. It turns out that a lot of the enemies who look harmless on a normal screen are terrifying in VR, and casting spells and fighting is a whole new ball game. Again, Skyrim, but in VR. It’s not a hard sell. 

Creed: Rise To Glory

Boxing in VR is an incredibly intense experience, and one that will actually help your fitness in real life. Creed: Rise To Glory might be one of the best personal trainers around, and the best part is you get to play games as you get fit. Not only that, but a wealth of updates means that the game is the best it has ever been. There’s really no excuse not to put the gloves on. 

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

Star Trek: Bridge Crew has you taking control of the USS Aegis, a brand-new type of starship, and one that relies on perfect teamwork to survive. As a result, you and your friends are going to need to learn to communicate properly or you’ll be crushed by the foes staring you down. The good news is that this is actually a cross-platform game, so you can play no matter where your friends are. It’s a good laugh even when things go wrong, and a must-have for the trekkies among you.

Did we miss your favourite? comment below and head over to the Green Man Gaming Community pages to see what all our gamers have to say.

4 Browser Apps and Software To Improve Gaming Productivity

In the era of endless content, it’s hard to keep your mind focused. This makes playing high-intensity games difficult, especially when you have to juggle tactical decision making and focus on completing a variety of tasks in your chosen Moba or MMO.

In this article, we’re going to outline some helpful software and browser extensions that will improve your gaming productivity, keep your games running smoothly and keep your mind organized.

Tick Tick

Now there are a lot of to-do list software packages out there, from Wunderlist to Evernote, but none of them has a patch on Tick Tick. Tick Tick is a clean, minimalist organizational to-do list and task manager that sits on your browser, but crucially can also pop out into a software tab that you can hang on the desktop. It also works across all of your devices. This means that if you wrap up a task on PC but want to continue your play session on mobile (here’s looking at you, Runescape!) you can, with all of your tasks tracked in tow via the app.

If you type in the day and time by which you need to complete the task, Tick Tick will automatically create alerts for you, and you can separate your tasks into different queues depending on what game you’re playing or what productivity task you’re engaging with so you can get that done quickly and get back to gaming. 

WinDirStat

Windows Directory Statistics is my personal unsung software hero, a little gem that sits on your desktop and keeps your PC clean. Known as WinDirStat to ease the tongue-twisting nature of its original title, this handy bit of kit gives you an in-depth visualization of your hard-drive, which at first glance sounds totally boring, but if you’ve ever struggled with a lack of space and a hard-drive full of ‘invisible’ games (and who hasn’t, truly) then this software is a godsend.

After a short study of your hard-drives, both HDD & SSD, WinDirStat will tell you what is slowing your PC down and identify those gigantic recordings you most likely forgot about, as well as the massive games lurking in your dormant drives clogging up your PC and making your day to day productivity tasks feel like wading through a swamp. 

Geforce Experience

A fairly obvious pickup, and something that you no doubt already have on your PC if you’re a proud owner of an NVIDIA card (it comes recommended when you install drivers.) However, many don’t understand the breadth of use you can get out of Geforce Experience if you tinker with it and therefore like to remove it to save space.

At first glance, all it does is optimize your games, which is crucial if you want to spend more time playing and fewer hours mucking about with the settings. Yet, you can also activate ShadowPlay, which allows you to quickly record clips of your favourite games and share them straight to social media.

Some games like Fortnite or PUBG also have built-in technology that knows when you’ve pulled off a clip-worthy kill and records it for you. Beyond that, you can broadcast from the software, stream games to your TV and uses Ansel to take 360 and HDR screenshots in-game at the touch of a button. This is all bundled into one piece of accessible software, so if you’re into no-fuss productivity tools, it’s worth downloading Geforce Experience and giving in to Nvidia’s brazen cries. Stop unticking that box when you download your drivers! It’s actually a super helpful software package!

Habitica

This is a fun wildcard that combines both gaming and productivity to help you keep on top of your day to day tasks. Habitica lets you ‘gamify your life’ by turning basic tasks and habits into quests within a fully-fledged RPG.

From going to the gym to completing that pesky raid you’ve been struggling with, all of these tasks will help you level up your personal protagonist, giving them better armour, pets, and skills so they can do battle with monsters. You can even jump into some co-op with your Habitica-utilizing pals. If you’re addicted to your consoles, you can even mitigate this by purchasing spots of leisure time with your favourite games with the in-game gold system. It’s a clever approach to productivity that might be attractive to those who love the complex systems of RPGs.

Did we miss your favourite? Comment below, then head over to the Green Man Gaming Community pages to see what all our gamers have to say.

4 reasons to join the hunt with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Capcom’s best selling game of all time has recently received a bumper content package, expanding the smash hit with a stack of new foes, items, armour and more. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne launched on PS4 and Xbox One to rave reviews last week, with critics able to play the game for almost a month before release to truly sink the necessary time into it. If you’re in the market for a game with a steep, but enjoyable learning curve where you brawl with monsters of remarkable scale (or maybe you’re a veteran looking for reasons to come back) then let us provide you with four reasons why you should hop into Monster Hunter World and experience Iceborne.

Up your arsenal

Pretty much every weapon in the game has received a few new tricks thanks to Iceborne, meaning if you think you’ve mastered your combos with a certain tool you can think again. On top of the above, we also have the Clutch Claw, which is a game-changing grappling hook you can use to cut the distance between you and the monster you’re hunting. It’s a fantastic bit of kit that I found to be revolutionary given that the game’s movement tech can feel a bit clunky without a gap closer. The Clutch Claw remedies issues that might have pushed some players away and is a compelling reason to jump back in.

New regions and masterful monsters

As of Iceborne’s launch, you can now embark on Master Rank excursions, which will challenge even the most veteran of hunters who dare to venture into the chilly climes of Hoarfrost Reach. As well as a gorgeous new snow-covered biome, Iceborne adds a whopping 14 new monsters, with several variations on already established beasts. From the Seath-esque ice dragon Velkhana to the terrifying bat boss Nargacuga, you’ll have plenty of tactical puzzles on your plate to unravel throughout the expansion. Finding out which terrible beasts made the cut is half the fun, so no more spoilers here!

Accessibility

Whilst you have to be Hunter Rank 16 to play through Iceborne, Capcom has been kind enough to fleece players with the Guardian armour set to give newcomers and veterans a welcome boost as they grind. All you have to do is log in to retrieve it, and of course, there are daily rewards for consistent play sessions. Whilst the game can seem tremendously daunting at first glance, the Monster Hunter community is easily one of the most welcoming to new players, and there’s no better time to hop in than Iceborne if you’ve got beast slaying FOMO, given that there’ll be a massive influx of new players of varying skill   levels. Seek out the many subreddits and Discords and get involved with the community — you should be having fun in no time with a little guidance and a reliable hunting group.

Post-launch support 

Much like the base game which received plenty of brilliant crossover missions and extra content in the months following its release, Capcom’s approach with Iceborne will be no different, and you can expect numerous new monsters and items in the months to come. It’s already been announced that the evil ape Rajang from Monster Hunter 2 will join the fray soon, so who knows what could be around the corner!

GreedFall – How Spiders Have Crafted The Next Essential RPG

After cutting its RPG teeth on Mars: War Logs before going onto make Bound by Flame and The Technomancer, French developer Spiders looks set to deliver its most epic odyssey to date with GreedFall.

The sort of sprawling, spectacle stuffed open world adventure that you’d expect to emanate from the creative minds of a developer such as Bioware or Obsidian, here are just a handful of reasons why GreedFall is looking poised to be the next big thing.

A Brave New World

As the Old World teeters on the brink of collapse owing to the proliferation of an incurable disease, overpopulation and dwindling resources, an expeditionary force is dispatched to Teer Fradee, a massive island seemingly steeped in magic and untouched by the hands of humankind. 

Evoking comparisons to the pioneering 17th century European age of discovery, with all the regalia, architecture and settlement conflict of that period to match, GreedFall manages to balance the fantastical and the historical with aplomb. Imagine 2005’s The New World movie (with less Colin Farrell) crossed with Amazon’s new Carnival Row series and you’re basically there. Sort of.

The Power of Choice

Like any open-world genre effort worth its salt, GreedFall defines itself in large part by the sheer amount of choice that it affords the player in shaping their journey. Echoing the freeform narrative affecting choice synonymous with genre stablemate efforts such as Mass Effect or Dragon Age, GreedFall lets players solve quests by dialogue, violence or subversion, with each approach not only creating unique consequences and outcomes, but also providing a whole heap of replayability in the process.

More than that, Greedfall also embraces a deep faction system too, where diplomacy and political discourse can be employed effectively to set one faction off against another, as new powers rise and old ones fall forever affecting the makeup of the island and how its denizens respond to you and your party of companions. Speaking of which…

You’ll Always Have A Friend In Me (Or Not)

Part and parcel with GreedFall’s approach to player choice and narrative direction is how Spiders have provided players with an ample cast of characters that can accompany them on their epic quest of discovery, heroism and monster murder.

A mixture of fellow explorers and individuals plucked from the native peoples, GreedFall’s companions are more than just window dressing, or another sword in battle, as each companion will react to the decisions that you make and can be used to affect diplomacy with certain factions that other individuals in your group may be unable to achieve.

Praise The Sun! – No Enemy Scaling

Progressing through GreedFall reveals an odd truth; the hostiles you’ll face do not scale with the development of the characters in your party. Instead, you’ll find that as you chat, quest and bludgeon your way through the game that you’ll rise above certain enemies on your upward climb towards stronger foes.

A refreshing change from the status quo when it comes to enemy scaling in the opposite sense established by fellow genre efforts such as Fallout 4, GreedFall’s eschewing of level scaling means that improving your character actually feels like a reward in itself. After all, there’s not much point getting more powerful if you don’t feel more powerful at the end of it, is there?

The Best Fast Travel Loading Screen Ever

While other open world epics oblige players with a perfunctory loading screen when fast travelling from one point to another, GreedFall takes things more than a step further in this regard.

Rather than some idle loading screen that regurgitates helpful ‘tips’ that you’ve already seen approximately 378412 times before, GreedFall instead provides players with an interceding area where crafting can take place, companions can be managed and items can be bought before you’re thrust back into the wilds of Teer Fradee. See? The best fast travel loading screen ever.

Greedfall – Trailer

5 reasons why PES is better than ever with eFootball PES2020

It’s never been a better time to love football and be a PC gamer than now, and over the upcoming days it’ll become even better with the upcoming release of eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020, or eFootball PES2020 for short.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3_uf8FLHc

PES has always been the plucky underdog in the football world and the series hasn’t been afraid to reinvent itself. Now this year we’re getting a brand new PES game, one filled with improvements, new features, and more than anything an absolute passion for the beautiful game.

Here are five reasons why 2020 shows that PES is better than ever.

It feels more weighty

Whilst the game does on initial plays feel similar to PES2019, eFootball PES2020 has made everything feel just that little more heavy, that little more weighty. This helps not only make each tackle, pass, and maneuver feel more meaningful, it also helps make the players feel more unique. With animations that are detailed and a weightier feel, you know you’re controlling an individual player and not just something wearing Coutinho’s face.

Better dribbling

PES has always excelled at the moment-to-moment experience of playing football, and that’s exemplified in eFootball PES2020 with the improved dribbling. It actually managed to replicate the feeling of touch on the ball, meaning you can pull of truly realistic dribbling. It’s helped that Andrés Iniesta himself has been consulted during the game’s creation.

Esports is here to stay

You might have noticed something different in the title of this years’ PES game – that’s right, eFootball. That’s because Konami are shifting focus a little with eFootball PES2020 to embrace esports. You’ll find a whole raft of new online features in-game, with Konami making a concerted push onto the PESLeague and eFootball Pro tournaments. You’ll even find a new Matchday mode with players around the globe taking on their team colours each week and helping their team to glory, one match at a time.

Travel the world

As is the norm now, there’s a smorgasbord of licenced teams, players, and locations to visit when playing. With beautifully rendered and detailed stadiums, you’ll be able to head to Old Trafford, Celtic Park, Stadio Olimpico, El Monumental, and many more in a globe trotting journey around some of the finest football temples the world has to offer.

Better AI

It doesn’t matter how good a PES player you are, without good player AI you’ll be frustrated and confused. Konami have taken a hard look at the AI for eFootball PES2020 and improved on it in almost every way. With smart runs and a new feature where AI players react to certain ‘Inspire’ players by giving them space or helping them perform their signature moves, you’ll find that playing PES has never felt so real.

eFootball PES2020 is launching on the 10th of September, 2019 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in most regions, and the 12th of September in Asia. We’re already gripping our controllers ready for some work tournaments, make sure you’re ready to dive right in by pre-purchasing today.

4 Iconic Holiday Destinations for the Travelling Gamer

For those of us who are prone to virtual cabin fever, staying cooped up in our bedrooms with the lights off bashing through the latest games — this article is for you. There are plenty of places on our fine planet that are worth the trip if you’re a gaming enthusiast, from second-hand software Mecca’s to inspirational historic sites. Let’s run through a few and inspire some game-related vacations.

Akihabara

Of course, atop every gamer’s travel list should be Japan, widely regarded as the home base of video game culture. Whilst the language barrier is certainly not the easiest to cross, you can get by just fine if you know what you’re doing way in advance. Akihabara (known as Electric Town to many) is a bustling, eye-popping liminal homage to all things gaming, from gorgeous second-hand shops like Super Potato to merchandise peddlers and gigantic SEGA arcades.

Even though it’s a relatively small area, you could easily spend a whole week here if you’re not careful, with plenty of holes burning in your pocket. If you’re a compulsive buyer, you might want to bring an extra suitcase for all the tat! There’s something strangely alluring about buying all of your favourite old school games in Japanese, even if you weren’t a collector beforehand!

Seoul

Just a hop, skip and a plane ride from Tokyo, Seoul is another fantastic hub for the traveling gamer. Especially if you’re into eSports and want to check out the many PC bang gaming cafes that line the streets or perhaps spend some time in Yeongdeungpo’s VR Park if you want to try the latest and greatest immersive experiences.

Seoul has some of the finest internet speeds in the world, so it’s a competitive player’s dream. As a consequence, this means that there are often major esports competitions taking place within the city as well as numerous conventions like it’s very own Comic-Con, meaning if you time it just right you could get more than you bargained for.

California

A gigantic State on the west coast of America, California is home to tons of game development studios but also a gargantuan amount of gaming events that you should certainly plan a trip around. If you’re a big Blizzard fan, there’s no better place than BlizzCon in Anaheim, and you could even try for a studio tour at the nearby Irvine office.

Special subjects aside, Los Angeles is home to the industry’s biggest event, E3, which is pretty much the best way to experience the latest game’s before they hit the store shelves, with insightful events like E3 Coliseum running in tandem to flesh out developer intentions and the latest trends. California is also home to countless gaming bars and barcades where you can watch eSports competitions and is also the inspiration for the setting of a number of top-flight titles like GTA V, so you may recognise some landmarks and figure out a route around if you’ve got a keen eye.

Rome

A wildcard to wrap things up, you may want to head to Rome if you’re a gamer with a historical interest. Beyond the rich culture and unbeatable landmarks to keep you busy, there’s also a fantastic store known as Avalon Roma for all your purchasing needs, as well as VIGAMUS, a well-regarded video game museum in the heart of Lazio which offers up a retro-tinged collection and plenty of arcade games for families young and old to enjoy.

We can’t possibly recommend scaling the landmarks, but if you’ve played legendary historically-grounded games like Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Civilization or Imperator: Rome, you’ll definitely get a kick out of Italy’s capital city, and you might even be able to impress your traveling companions’ with the knowledge you gained when you were cooped up in the dark leading the legions.

Did we miss your favorite destination? Tell us where you go to escape from the daily grind in the comments below and join us over on the Green Man Gaming community pages to see what all our gamers have to say.

Code Vein – Revenants and monsters and powers oh my!

Code Vein is coming out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 27th. It’s one of those games that feels like it’s been in development for ages, so the fact that it’s about to be released upon the world is almost like a dream. At least it does to those of us who’ve been waiting for it since the original announcement.

What is Code Vein?

If you aren’t familiar with the game, then buckle up. It’s a Soulslike game, which means that it features hard-as-nails combat, a weird multiplayer system, and lots of huge bosses that can probably kill you in one hit. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then that’s great, if not, then stick around for a bit longer, as this one is a little different. 

The Story of Code Vein

The story of Code Vein has you playing as a Revenant. A Revenant is a human being that has died and been brought back to life by a special parasite that turns you into a vampire-like being. The world has been ravaged by an apocalyptic event known as The Great Collapse. As a result, there are countless monsters roaming around, known as the Lost, who are revenants that have lost their sense of self. 

If a revenant doesn’t drink blood regularly, they become a Lost, given that most of humanity has been wiped out, this means that there is an ever-growing number of Lost in the world, and they serve as your main opponents, well, at least from what we’ve seen so far.

One of the main ways that Revenants can now get blood is from special plants that produce blood beads, as such, many lower-level Revenants are effectively used as slaves to find these plants for the more powerful Revenants. It’s a lot like how you’re boss makes you get their coffee for them every morning. 

Who are you in Code Vein?

The good news is that you’re not just any Revenant, oh no, you’ve got a special kind of power that allows you to take on more and more powers as you go. These are effectively four classes in Code Vein, and you can switch between them freely, allowing you to adapt your style to match whatever you’re fighting against. This is a very rare thing in the game and is, in fact, one of the things that the characters around you will be interested in. 

You’ve also got to contend with The Miasma, which has engulfed the world after everything else that’s happened. This is incredibly dangerous for Revenants to breathe in, which is why everyone is wearing some kind of gas mask as they adventure outside of specific safe zones. Basically, it’s all a bit of a mess, so it’s a good job you’re so special because you’re going to need every ounce of power you can muster to be able to stay alive in this horribly unfriendly world.

To find out more about Code Vein you can visit the official website. Leave your comments below and head over to the Green man Gaming Community Pages to see what all our gamers have to say.

The Surge 2 Is it the game for you?

Back in 2017, The Surge jumped into the souls-like genre bringing with it, new challenging, visceral combat and a new sci-fi world to get stuck in to. Its futuristic exo-suit combat model was well received and brought about a successful new IP. Now The Surge 2 is almost upon us and you’re probably wondering whether it’s the game for you? 

Firstly and most obviously, if you played the original and enjoyed it, chances are you’re going to enjoy the sequel. It looks to build on what made the first game good and offer a hell of a lot more of that. 

But what if you didn’t? What if this is your first foray into the souls-like genre? Hopefully, we can clear some things up for you and help you make a decision.

Do you like a challenge? 

The Surge 2 promised to offer tough and punishing gameplay where you will be tasked with taking on huge nanobot style enemies with the ability to kill you almost instantly should you not have your wits about you. You will die, and you will have to learn from your mistakes. 

Do you like Customisation? 

With over 80 weapons across 9 different types to choose from you’re never short of a new style of combat to try out. Everything from military batons to jury-rigged spears will be at your disposal. But it doesn’t just stop with weapons, you can also customize your exo-suit, with full armour sets that offer bonuses, or partial set bonuses allowing for greater freedom when deciding on your build. Plus a whole host of other abilities and implants at your fingertips.

Do you like Varied Combat? 

With so many weapons to choose from you’re going to need something to use them on, face off against a wide variety of enemies from humans with their own exosuits to huge nanobot creations. Study their patterns of attacks, learn their weaknesses and strike when the timing is right. Target specific parts of the enemy to dismember them, weaken and destroy them. Launch devastating combos and master directional parrying to allow for swift and deadly counters. Whether you enjoy a more aggressive playstyle or slower methodical approach there will be a style and build to suit you.

Do you like Exploration? 

The Surge 2 takes to an entirely new setting – the devastated Jericho City, featuring larger more expansive levels designs, new secrets to uncover, new allies to meet and new terrifying bosses to challenge. 

You arrive in Jericho City after your plane is shot down by the mysterious storm covering the city and you crash lands on the outskirts. The city is under Martial Law, robots are on the rampage and the dark nano storm is an ever foreboding presence over the city. There is plenty to see and more importantly plenty to fight in this bigger more ambitious sequel. 

If The Surge was a solid foundation for a new take on the souls-like genre, then The Surge 2 is looking to build on those successes and deliver a more robust, complex and deep gameplay experience for new and veteran players alike. Suit up on the 24th September 2019 to take on the brand new challenges the game has to offer.

To find out more visit the official website. What are your thoughts? leave a comment below then head over to the Green Man Gaming Community pages to join the conversation.

There’s a Final Fantasy for everyone and here’s why

The Final Fantasy series dates back all the way to 1987, a time before the internet, a time before graphics cards, and a time when ‘Final Fantasy’ did genuinely seem like it would be the last game in the series.

There’s been a whole slew of Final Fantasy games since then, with fifteen in the main series and innumerable offshoots, sequels, and even films. With so much to choose from, there’s a Final Fantasy for everyone. Here’s 10 reasons why there’ll be one for you.

You love dogs

Everyone loves dogs, right? Well if you love dogs, you’ll love Final Fantasy VIII which features Angelo, a boy so good he can be fired like a cannonball. Final Fantasy XV and VII also feature dogs, or dog like creatures, heavily.

You’re hungry

Final Fantasy XV features some of the best and most mouth-watering food ever created in a video game. From simple toast to delicious feasts, team member Ignis has a snack for you.

You are concerned for the environment

With our real world increasingly under threat you might want a game that’ll reflect that. In Final Fantasy VII you join eco-warriors Avalanche as you race to save the very lifeblood of the planet from being exploited to death.

You need a huge roster of characters

Many Final Fantasy games feature a core group of team members, but Final Fantasy VI has not only multiple protagonists you can take on your journey, it also occasionally splits up the team into simultaneous stories with separate parties. If a 2D game is not your jam, Final Fantasy XII has a wonderful cast, including fan-favourite and leading man, Balthier.

You want a non-linear narrative

Want to jump back and forward in time, and spend your time wondering what’s going on before everything is revealed to you? Final Fantasy VIII is the one for you, and luckily it’s getting a remaster.

You just want to have as many feelings as possible

Final Fantasy games often feature big stories with huge consequences, but some focus on small stories as well. Final Fantasy IX and XV both have characters you absolutely will fall in love with, and your heart will go through the wringer for these absolute stars.

You want to make some friends

Who would’ve thought that Final Fantasy XIV would turn out to be as good as it is? After a disastrous first launch, the MMO was retooled into one of the greatest multiplayer experiences out there. For those wanting something a bit more retro, Final Fantasy XI is still going strong, at least on PC.

You want to suplex a giant ghost train

Alright this is a bit specific but in Final Fantasy VI you can suplex a giant ghost train. I mean, you want this, right?

You love sport

Blitzball is one of the best imaginary sports ever made, so why not get stuck right into it in Final Fantasy X? Legend has it that there’s an RPG included in the tenth Final Fantasy game, but we’re here for blitzball.

You miss your school days

Final Fantasy VIII starts off quietly, with main character Squall finishing off their schooling. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, or simply want to step back in time to your school days, Final Fantasy VIII might be your next favourite game.

Hopefully you should now have some idea of which Final Fantasy game is perfect for you. What’s your reason for playing Final Fantasy games? Let us know in the comments below, or over on our community forum.

Gears 5 Everything you need to know

It’s been three years since we’ve had a mainline Gears of War game, and it feels like forever since the once-iconic series has been relevant. It’s a shame, but trends in multiplayer and campaign design have changed dramatically over the past decade, which has left the grisly third-person shooter with a lot of loyal fans but not a very strong handhold in the market. That’s why Microsoft is banking on success with the follow-up, Gears 5, as it tries to revitalise a series that has run its course with its mascot Marcus Fenix, via a new protagonist and a graphical update. Here’s everything you need to know about Gears 5.

What is Gears 5?

Announced during E3 2018, Gears 5 is the latest game in the long-standing Gears of War series, helmed by The Coalition who took over development duties from Epic Games when the series was acquired by Microsoft, starting with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition in 2015.

What is the story behind Gears 5?

In Gears 5 you play as Kait Diaz, a former raider turned Gear whose grandmother turns out to be the Locust Queen Myrrah. Her mother was Reyna Diaz, who she euthanized at the end of Gears 4 to stop her from being mutated by the Swarm Hive. Family eh? In Gears 5 Kait, JD Fenix, Delmont Walker, and even Marcus Fenix join up to dive into Kait’s backstory and the origins of the evil Locust.

Gears 5 horde mode Gamescom preview – what does it play like?

I recently got the chance to take a look at Gears 5 behind closed doors. My session consisted of a quick introduction to the game’s horde mode, which has received a number of meaningful changes over its predecessors, including a hero system not dissimilar to Overwatch where you pick a specific character with a class attached and level them up, earning upgrade cards and developing their abilities. From Sarah Connor, Emile from Halo Reach and even the floating support robot Jack, there is a lot of palpable depth to this mode, and I get the impression we only scratched the surface during my demo. I was told that the game would be updated regularly with new characters and maps to keep Horde mode fresh, though the set that the game will launch with is already a fairly meaty chunk of content.

When does Gears 5 launch?

Gears 5 will launch on September 10th for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. If you’re keen you can play the game four days early if you subscribe to Xbox Games Pass Ultimate.

Gears 5 PC Specifications

Minimum:
OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
Processor: AMD FX-6000 Series or Intel i3 Skylake
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760/GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon R9 280/RX 560
Storage: 15 GB available 

Recommended:
OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel i5 Skylake
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970/1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 570/RX 5700
Storage: 15 GB available space

Gears 5 trailers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djt3EV9oOa0&list=PLRbY0esaBJi5-ta-nW_IRgHoZ2d3G20Dd&index=3&t=0s

Yakuza 7 announced

The latest game in the Yakuza series has been announced, titled Yakuza 7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness in Japan and being given the title Yakuza: Like a Dragon for its Western release, it marks a huge departure for the series in some key ways. 

5 commute-friendly games to beat the pre-work blues

Those of us who are unfortunate enough to have a commute to our place of work will know all too well the mind-numbing bore that is sitting on a train, bus or other variation of public transport, without something reliable to do. Lucky for the commuters reading this, you’re most likely gamers too, and the two disciplines go hand in hand. In which case, we thought it might be best to run through some commute friendly games that you can pick up and play, and most importantly have a meaningful experience with pre and post-work. 

Breath of the Wild

Without a doubt, one of the best games ever made The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is hard to beat for portability and punch. You can pick up and play this Switch masterpiece in short bursts on your commute, perhaps focusing one shrine per session to pass the time. If puzzling isn’t your bag you can always mess around with the physics and test the boundaries of such an ambitious, immersive open world. 

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Maybe you’re more of an artist or a crafter? In which case, you cannot go wrong with Square’s most recent Dragon Quest spinoff, Builders 2. The game manages to mix the depth and systems of a Japanese RPG with the instant gratification of a building game like Minecraft. By adding light story elements and including plenty of upgrades and items the team have mastered the Builders formula and delivered a devilishly addictive game that you can drop in and out of in the run-up to work.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp

Perhaps you’re a bit more of a peaceful soul or someone who needs to disconnect from any pre-work anxieties. In which case, you can’t really go wrong with Pocket Camp on iOS or Android which squishes the console Animal Crossing experience, putting your gift swapping meet cutes at your very fingertips. Tom Nook is still there peddling goods in the form of microtransactions, but you can have a lot of fun here without burning a guilty hole in your pocket. Designing a home and inviting your adorable friends over sounds like the perfect plan if you wish to escape the undying chaos of a busy commuter train.

Holedown

If you’ve never heard of Holedown, you’re missing out. A killer app that demands little of the player but results in a gigantic endorphin rush, you simply shoot balls into a near-endless cavern and undermine platforms with strategic targeting. It is very simple, but it looks and feels fantastic on iOS and Android and is deeply addicting. With upgrades always just a few play sessions from reach. Definitely quicker to get into than the rest of the entries on this list, all you need to do is boot up the app and start swiping to turn any commute into an adrenaline rush.

Bully: Anniversary Edition

Wildcard! If you travel with your phone or tablet on the way to work, you might get a few funny glances from your fellow commuters, but Rockstar has a whole host of its single-player back catalog on the App Store that runs beautifully on iOS and Android. Best of all of them is Bully, which is a lot more focused and linear and good for quick play sessions on the bus or train. Whether it’s slingshotting jocks or giving a preppy kid a swirly, there’s nothing quite like the unbridled mischief available within the confines of Bullworth Academy. The story and overall world is great fun too if you never caught it all those years ago.

Those are some of our top picks for games to commute with, got any favourites of your own? Leave a comment below and head over to the Green Man Gaming Community site to see what all our gamers have to say.