It’s fair to say that auto-battlers can be a mixed bag. There’s something about the joy of constantly levelling up and watching your units come out victorious that scratches an itch, but if it’s too hands-off, it ends up feeling like it’s barely a game at all. Thankfully, Seer’s Gambit strikes a perfect balance by empowering players to mix and match units, strategically build teams, and equip them with cool gear, enabling them to create powerful synergies and buffs.
However, this isn’t an auto-battler focussed on individual units, as it also lets you buff your teams by collecting resources in runs and then upgrading the different levels you’ve been to with better passive generation, or ultimate boosts. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable mix of systems, which makes it a perfect gaming accompaniment to some background work or TV viewing (we all know you do it!)
One important thing to note is that the game can feel incredibly frustrating until all the mechanics truly “click” for you. For instance, failing to recognize the importance of including a healer or tank in your party composition can quickly lead to disastrous runs that end far sooner than you might hope. This, in turn, creates a snowball effect where you’re left with insufficient resources to make future attempts any easier or more successful. On top of that, there’s a layer of randomness (RNG) involved in acquiring the right units, which can add to the challenge. If luck isn’t on your side, you might struggle to assemble a balanced and effective team, making progress feel even more elusive.
However, once you grasp these core strategies and start to account for the game’s nuances, the experience becomes far more rewarding. At this point, you can simply hit the “fight” button, sit back, and let your units handle the action autonomously, only needing to intervene at key moments to level up your units, refine your strategy, or interact with the various events and choices that emerge along the way.
Seer’s Gambit is one of the more interesting auto-battlers out there right now, offering up plenty of reasons to keep coming back outside of just trying to do a little bit better. Complete with an overarching narrative, meaningful progression and a brand-new endless mode, it combines the strategic planning and casual enjoyment you expect from the genre greats.
When veritable indie darling Hyper Light Drifter stole its way into our collective hearts in March 2016, it redefined what we expected from the independent game development scene. Here was a thunderous action adventure RPG that harkened back to the finest 16-bit classics, paying ample homage to such legendary fare as The Legend of Zelda and Diablo, while also wearing its aesthetic Studio Ghibli influences proudly on its digital sleeve. Hyper Light Drifter was one of the very best titles to emerge that year and remains an essential must-play even today.
With nearly a decade spanning the divide between Hyper Light Drifter and Hyper Light Breaker, you might well be wondering just what the successor to Hyper Light Drifter does differently and, well, the answer is a whole lot.
Hyper Light Breaker Is Neither A Sequel Or A Prequel To Hyper Light Drifter
Though Hyper Light Breaker is billed as the ‘successor’ to Hyper Light Drifter, it is neither a narrative prequel or sequel to the events which unfolded in the 2016 title. Instead, Hyper Light Breaker takes place in the broader ‘Hyper Light’ universe and tells an entirely new story in a fresh setting. Neatly, this also has the nice side effect of allowing folks who never played Hyper Light Drifter (shame on you), to get stuck right into Hyper Light Breaker without any experience of the former.
The 16-bit Inspired Pixel Art Is Gone – Say Hello To Fully Three-Dimensional Worlds
Ostensibly even today, Hyper Light Drifter is an attractive effort that masterfully blends pixel art and a classic 16-bit aesthetic to create a wholly unique presentation. For Hyper Light Breaker however, developer Heart Machine has unleashed its substantial artistic talents in all three dimensions, underpinning the shift into the third axis with a gorgeously vibrant, anime-esque art style that looks set to make Hyper Light Breaker one of the most eye-opening offerings of the year.
Say Hello To A New Roguelite Adventure, Wave Goodbye To Top Down RPG Shenanigans
Arguably the biggest departure that Hyper Light Breaker makes from its beloved predecessor is the shift to becoming a roguelite, open-world action RPG. Bolstered by the move into fully three-dimensional environments, Hyper Light Breaker unfurls its action from an elevated third-person perspective, rather than the top-down, bird’s-eye viewpoint that was adopted in Hyper Light Drifter.
While the hand-crafted worlds of Hyper Light Drifter have gone, Heart Machine is keen to impress on players how this change of approach appeals to Hyper Light Breaker. With each playthrough yielding new environments, freshly placed enemies, new loot and new secrets, though Hyper Light Breaker very much subscribes to roguelite design, it does so in an innovative way.
Rather than just fighting your way through one run after another, Hyper Light Breaker instead breaks things down into runs and cycles. Cycles cause the map to roll over, resulting in an entirely new map filled with all new enemies and treasures to discover, but the kicker here is that players can do as many runs as they like within a single cycle. That is, however, until they ever beat or get beaten by the double-hard Crown bosses who guard that particular map, resulting in an all-new cycle and, you guessed it, an all-new map to boot.
When you’re not carving your way through the vicious hordes of the Overgrowth, you’ll be building up your hub settlement, The Cursed Outpost. Here, you’ll unlock new structures, new NPCs to talk to and new objectives to tackle in the Overgrowth itself. The Cursed Outpost also acts as a sanctuary of sorts for your Breaker to be extracted in the middle of any given cycle as well.
New Dimensions Deliver Additional Traversal And Combat Options
Much more than just a surface consideration, the shift into three dimensions has also informed how Hyper Light Breaker plays, as players (or ‘Breakers’ as they’re affectionately known in the game) can explore the gorgeously rendered, sprawling 3D world of the Overgrowth by running, climbing, wall-dashing, gliding and using hoverboards to name just a few of the available traversal methods.
Supplementing its newfound three-dimensional exploration and traversal are the combat mechanics that form the backbone of Hyper Light Breaker. Hyper Light Breaker has its titular heroes tangling with the various denizens of the Overgrowth, a corrupted covenant of flora and fauna, as they attempt to smash their way through to the Crowns who are the grand defenders of the Overgrowth and the protectors of the Abyss King – the seeming root of all evil in the world – though he will appear later during Hyper Light Breaker’s stint in Early Access.
The combat in Hyper Light Breaker is much more sophisticated than what we have seen previously in Hyper Light Drifter. For a start, not only can players choose from very different Breakers in Vermillion and Lapis for example, but each of those Breakers has unique load-outs. The hulking and robust Vermillion boasts Gunslinger and Tank load-outs that allow him to switch between damage-soaking and ranged firearm attack capabilities, while the agile Lapis can switch between the restorative Lightweaver and aggressive Warrior load-outs. Even better still, developer Heart Machine has promised that as Hyper Light Breaker makes its way through Early Access, more and more Breakers will be made available along with new load-outs to match, providing a kaleidoscope of different playstyles for players to get stuck into.
No Longer Just A Solo Affair
As part of its love letter to the incredible 16-bit RPGs of old, Hyper Light Drifter was an invariably single-player, and thus somewhat suitably lonely, affair. Hyper Light Breaker, however, is looking to do things a little differently in that regard by allowing multiple players to form a team to tackle the Overgrowth and the fiendish Crowns that lurk within. At this point, Hyper Light Breaker’s cooperative play is currently limited to online only, with local couch co-op not on the table as things stand according to Heart Machine’s development roadmap. But this is the thing, with Hyper Light Breaker right at the beginning of its Early Access journey and with months and maybe years left on the clock until release, don’t be at all surprised if Heart Machine builds upon this already solid foundation with a range of new features that further separate Hyper Light Breaker from its iconic 2016 predecessor.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, the upcoming sequel to the acclaimed original, has generated significant excitement, thanks to the original’s devoted following. For fans of realistic medieval RPGs, however, it can be difficult to find another game that fills that void.
Well, we’ve got good news friends, because we’re going to run through five of the best games that will scratch that Kingdom Come Deliverance II itch. It’s a hard gap to fill in your heart, but we reckon these games will be able to do it. All you need to do is read on, and then probably go and play them.
Best Games Like Kingdom Come Deliverance II
We’re taking one easy win with one of the games on the list but the other four games are excellent, each immersive and wonderful in their own way. All of the games below offer the same gripping narrative and moment-to-moment gameplay that Kingdom Come Deliverance II will have to live up to and are available for you to check out right now. So let’s get to it.
Kingdom Come Deliverance
This is sort of cheating, but we’re doing it anyway. The best game to play while you wait for Kingdom Come Deliverance II is undoubtedly the original, Kingdom Come Deliverance. In this immersive RPG experience, you take on the role of Henry, a blacksmith’s son determined to avenge his parents and resist the invading forces threatening his homeland. It’s the blueprint, the original version of what the sequel aims to build upon, and it’s the best game to scratch that specific itch.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has more of a focus on the bigger picture than Kingdom Come Deliverance, but it’s still a wonderfully immersive and enjoyable medieval game in every other right. You have to rally entire armies to try and overcome the evils that will come at you, and you’ll get to feel like a strategic genius as you do so. It’s an excellent game and one that you should try and find time for.
Medieval Dynasty
If you’re looking for that full survival game feeling, then Medieval Dynasty will be perfect. You get to take on the role of a random person in the olden days who wants to carve out their own piece of ye olde paradise. However, things get a little hectic as your ambitions grow, which means you’ll need to start finding shelter for other people as your hut becomes a village, and even fight for resources against rivals and enemies alike. You can even play this one in co-op, which is a nice change of pace.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is an incredible feat of story-telling that will have its hooks in you from start to finish. You’ll roam around the Wild West trying to find your peace of mind and a new way of life, you’ll rob banks, you’ll stop crimes, and you’ll become a legend. It’s gorgeous to look at, which helps, but it’s also intensely immersive and full to the brim with wonderfully written characters and truly heart-wrenching story beats.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Our final choice is a little out of left field, but hey, it wouldn’t be a Green Man Gaming list without one. Dragon’s Dogma 2 places you in a medieval world, but one with magic and dragons. You take on the role of the Arisen, someone chosen by fate itself when a dragon plucks out your heart. Your fate is to defeat that very dragon, but along the way, you have to cope with political machinations, lies, corruption, a bunch of big monsters, and even your own friends potentially turning against you. It might be a little bit more fantasy, but it hits very similar Kingdom Come Deliverance beats.
Though we’ve had various Monster Hunter Rise spin-offs in recent years, it’s fair to say that there hasn’t been a full-fat, full-sugar successor to Capcom’s epic Monster Hunter: World since its release in 2018. All of that changes with Monster Hunter Wilds, however, as Capcom looks to deliver the sort of spectacle-stuffed and sophisticated follow-up to Monster Hunter: World that we’ve been craving for these past six years or so.
Be sure to keep this guide in your favourites as we cover everything you need to know about Monster Hunter Wilds including the release date, gameplay details, monster list, latest trailer, PC specification details and more.
Monster Hunter Wilds Release Date
Monster Hunter Wilds is set to receive a full release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X and PC via Steam on February 28, 2025. Monster Hunter Wilds has not been announced or confirmed for a console release on the last generation PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch platforms as of this writing.
Monster Hunter Wilds Preorder Bonus
Regardless of whichever version of Monster Hunter Wilds you happen to pre-order, all players will nab both the Gilded Knight Set of Layered Armour and Hope Charm Talisman free of charge.
Monster Hunter Wilds Special Editions
There are two special editions of Monster Hunter Wilds that lucky folks will be able to purchase – the Monster Hunter Wilds Deluxe Edition and the Monster Hunter Wilds Premium Deluxe Edition. Here are all of the goodies that are packed in with each edition of Monster Hunter Wilds which will be available on release:
Makeup/Face Paint: Hunter’s Kumadori, Special Bloom
Sticker Set: Avis Unit, Monsters of the Windward Plains
Nameplate: Extra Frame — Russet Dawn *Purchase Bonus
Monster Hunter Wilds Premium Deluxe Edition
All of the content seen in the Monster Hunter Wilds Deluxe Edition
Hunter Layered Armor: Wyverian Ears
Premium Bonus Hunter Profile Set
BGM: Proof of a Hero (2025 Recording)
Monster Hunter Wilds Gameplay
Broadly speaking, Monster Hunter Wilds plays very similarly to Monster Hunter: World before it. This is to say that you can expect a sizably chunky open-world action RPG where you and a bunch of mates romp around various biomes, taking on monster contracts, slaying said monsters and improving both your skills and the gear that you leverage in each encounter before setting off again to do more of the same.
In terms of the new stuff that Monster Hunter Wilds brings to the table, not only are a range of new monsters en route (as you can see from our handy list below), but players can also expect a revamped cooking system, dynamic weather conditions that can affect any given hunt and handy mounts called Seikrets that can shuttle you around the place. And that’s just for starters too. You should definitely expect Capcom to add more gameplay features as we inch closer to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds in February 2025.
Monster Hunter Wilds Monster List
You can catch a list of all the currently announced monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds below:
Arkveld, the White Wraith: A huge monster that can unleash devastating ice attacks, Arkveld is not to be taken lightly by any Monster Hunter party regardless of their experience.
Balahara: A gracefully soaring wyvern, though resolutely deadly, Balahara can fire off hugely damaging wind attacks all the while proving difficult to hit in combat.
Chatacabra: Small and more agile than other monsters, Chatacabra tears through its enemies with lightning-fast claw attacks and strikes.
Doshaguma: Having already debuted in previous Monster Hunter games, Doshaguma is a tricky foe to overcome thanks to its debilitating breath attacks that can wreak havoc over time.
Lala Barina: Looking like a big red cloud set atop a massive, nightmarish-looking insect, Lala Barina can immobilise players with a special silk that can leave its enemies open to attack.
Quematrice: Packing enough venom to kill a small city and proving to be a deft opponent in the extreme, Quematric is a serpentine-like wyvern that is as deadly as it is hard to hit.
Rey Dau: Very much a student of the ‘bigger they are, the harder they hit’ school of monsters, Rey Dau combines thick armour plating with devastating charges and extreme strength to fashion a highly challenging prospect for any hunter worth their salt.
Uth Duna: A mesmerising, though utterly terrifying cave wyvern, Uth Duna’s tremendous speed, agility and damage endurance make it a lofty challenge, to say the least.
Where Can I Watch The Latest Trailer?
The latest trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds is available to watch right now and you can catch it above. This latest trailer unveils the Oilwell Basin, an all-new location within the Forbidden Lands that debuts in Monster Hunter Wilds, it’s fair to say that Monster Hunter players haven’t quite seen a locale quite like this before. With its ash-dappled ruins, choking hot air and fiery chasms, the Oilwell Basin not only brings a terrifying new area for hunters to tackle but also a range of grotesque new beasties headed up by the elite-level Black Flame monster.
PC System Requirements
Leveraging the latest version of Capcom’s roundly capable RE Engine, Monster Hunter Wilds is every bit the opulently epic monster-hunting experience one would expect. Luckily, though Capcom’s RE Engine is powerful and capable of creating some stunning visuals, so too is it immensely scalable across all manner of hardware configurations. This essentially means that you don’t need to necessarily find yourself rocking the very latest and shiniest PC rig in order to wring out a decently playable experience from Monster Hunter Wilds. You can catch the latest PC system requirements for Monster Hunter Wilds below.
MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows®10 (64-bit Required)
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-10600 or Intel® Core™ i3-12100F or AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600
Additional Notes: SSD required. This game is expected to run at 1080p (upscaled from 720 native resolution) / 30 fps under the “Lowest” graphics setting. DirectStorage supported.
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows®10 (64-bit Required)
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-11600K or Intel® Core™ i5-12400 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600X or AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 Super(VRAM 8GB) or NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4060(VRAM 8GB) or AMD Radeon™ RX 6700XT(VRAM 12GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 140 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required. This game is expected to run at 1080p / 60 fps (with Frame Generation enabled) under the “Medium” graphics setting. DirectStorage supported.
Prepare to embark on an epic adventure in Monster Hunter Wilds, where untamed landscapes and ferocious beasts await! Gear up for the hunt of a lifetime by purchasing your copy on the Green Man Gaming store. Secure a great deal and shop with confidence before venturing into the wild to prove your mettle as a master hunter.
We’ve had some truly wonderful roguelikes this year that have taken the standard action or turn-based formula and turned it on its head. That has resulted in a genre that is now more inclusive, welcoming and overall appealing to gamers of all skills. With that in mind – and if you’re someone who loves claw machines but hates the fact they’re all probably rigged – enter Dungeon Clawler, a Roguelike Claw Machine Deckbuilder.
In Dungeon Clawler you take on the role of a bunny who lost his hand while gambling. That’s not a typo, nor is that a fever dream, that’s legitimately what the opening cut scene shows. Now equipped with a replacement claw, your main aim is to fight off the evildoer that took your hand. Aside from looking pretty cool, this new claw-based appendage opens up a whole world of game mechanics.
Your new claw means you can take on a huge array of monsters by picking up items from a claw machine. As well as different weapons and shields, essential for games turn-based battles, you can also find buffs, unique items like magnets – which make it easier to get a lot of metal items at once – and even things like water to allow fish to swim around.
Being a roguelike, you can also upgrade your items to make them stronger, but you can also change the material they’re made of to make unique interactions more likely. It’s a very cool system, and when you throw in the huge number of characters, each of which has different ways of using items and some with pets, you’ve got a very strong entry in the genre.
Despite its pretty steep learning curve, once you get to grips with its unique elements you’ll start uncovering the winning strategies and items that’ll help you reclaim your lost paw. It’s always nice to see more takes on roguelikes released, and Dungeon Clawler is an excellent addition that is still only in Early Access.
New year, new indie games! Whilst not as busy as some previous months, January 2025 still looks like it will offer some excellent – and rather interesting – new experiences, and we are, as ever, here for it. After all, January tends to be considered the most depressing month of the year so anything to help make it go quicker is greatly appreciated.
As is typical, we’ve rounded up the best of the indie bunch for you. It’s one of the joys of this job because we get to talk about incredibly cool indie games, the developers get more attention, and you get to play some incredibly cool indie games. There are no losers here, only the pure joy of great gaming.
First up we have the Early Access release of the long-awaited follow-up from Heart Machine, Hyper Light Breaker. Set in the sprawling Overgrowth, a procedurally generated open world full of mysteries to uncover, the game promises intense combat, exploration, and a dash of co-op chaos. Given the pedigree behind it, it looks poised to deliver a mesmerizing blend of style and substance.
Next up is Aloft, a co-op sandbox survival game that takes place in a world filled with floating islands, overrun by a horrifying fungal corruption. You’ll need to learn to glide and make peace with the world around you, as well as how to fight against the unique affliction that threatens the entire world. It’s colourful, looks surprisingly cheery, and you’ll be able to play it with friends too.
It’s roguelike time, and this time around we’ve got Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel. This is another Survivors-like, bullet heaven, horde survival game, but with a dark gritty visual style, and all the joy that comes with Norse mythology. It looks absolutely gorgeous in motion, and as long as it delivers some unique twists to the formula we’ve all come to love, it could be an incredible new entry in the genre.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is set to bring players back into its grim, beautifully hand-drawn souls-like world. In this sequel, players assume the role of Arlo, heir to the Warden of the Wastes, who must journey through a vast, snow-ravaged kingdom in an epic quest to overcome the Dark Wings once and for all. Expect enhanced combat mechanics, including elemental weapon effects, and new monster-hunting quests.
Honestly, at this point we should just be able to put “Heart of the Machine is being published by Hooded Horse,” and that should be enough, but we’ll elaborate anyway. Heart of the Machine turns you into the first sentient AI, where you get to decide whether you’ll help or destroy humanity as you take over a city, and find the best way to enact your will. The option to be good or bad here could be a lot of fun, and we have so much faith in the publisher’s decisions that we can’t help but be excited.
If you’re like me, then you grew up on anime and over-the-top martial arts films and shows. Seriously, it was everywhere 30 years ago, with shows like Power Ranger and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles making sure that every kid fully understood the sheer power of being a professionally trained martial artist in a weird outfit. Well, aside from the weird outfit, Karate Survivor is basically all of 80’s marital arts nostalgia in game form.
The Vampire Survivors-like genre is a burgeoning one right now with regular new entries refining on what came before. As a genre, it offers up a chance to constantly get the thrill of levelling up and getting stronger, along with letting you discover new and absurd combinations as you do so. Whilst a more toned-down entry in the genre, Karate Survivor still allows you to mix and match moves you unlock as you level up, and order them as you like. You get bonus damage for not only putting moves from the same style together but also ordering them correctly.
Along with that, you unlock the ability to interact with the environment by running up walls, or doing absurd spinning kicks while sitting in a chair. It’s all very improv, and that even extends to your ability to throw bottles, plant pots or even kick chairs at your enemies. Like many of the best games in the genre, there are loads of things to unlock as you go, including new moves and abilities, as progress through new levels and difficulties.
Arguably the one key difference from other games in the genre is the importance of timing but it’s a difference that the game is all the better for and truly encapsulates that martial arts feel. Beating levels will make you feel like a true master of the martial arts, especially if you’ve managed to end up with a really strong build with plenty of power and defensive abilities. Overall, Karate Survivor is a huge amount of fun and with runs asking around 20 minutes, it’s a perfect game to pick up and play without the need for a dedicated, length play session.
Whether it’s Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, a lot of us have very fond memories of the Elder Scrolls series of games. Yes, we know there are others in the series, but if we are all being honest these three are the cream of the crop. When it comes to the cream of the crop, the open-world RPG genre has a lot of excellent entries, but the specific vibe of an Elder Scrolls game is often solely reserved for the output of Bethesda Game Studios. Well, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is here and despite being in Early Access, it already feels like an incredible game that hits those Elder Scroll-esque vibes.
Set within a very grimdark version of the Arthurian legends, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon – like any open-world RPG worth its salt – provides you full freedom (from character creation to playstyle to combat and more) as you embark on a myriad of quests across its open world. Kicking off with you in jail – a rather fitting homage – things take a twisted and somewhat unexpected turn upon your escape, as you come face to face with a zombie. Throw in the massively unsettling giant statue and red and black tendrils you encounter not long after, and it’s fair to say things aren’t quite right in the world of Avalon.
Whilst it’s nice to experience the high-fantasy settings of much of the genre’s fare – including the aforementioned Elder Scrolls series – there’s something deeply refreshing about this more horrifying depiction of might and magic. And it’s a depiction that continues to grow, as each major update to its Early Access state brings with it a whole host of new lore and content for you to sink your teeth into and just like any true RPG, it offers plenty of replayability – even in its current state – thanks to its morality choices and variety of character build options.
To top things off further, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon even has a demo for you to download and enjoy – meaning you can get to grips with the controls, setting and combat without committing to a purchase. That being said, however, if you are an Elder Scrolls fan – or an open-world RPG fan in general – Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon should definitely be your next purchase, as it’s an excellent game with a unique and interesting take on a fantasy setting that is only going to go from strength to strength.
Even though 2024 was hardly lacking in Game of the Year candidates, it looks set to pale in comparison to the mammoth selection of seemingly certified bangers that 2025 is tipped to bring. From the looter shooter-flavoured, jet-black comedy of Borderlands 4 to the all-encompassing sensation that Grand Theft Auto 6 will surely become, here are our most anticipated games of 2025.
Borderlands 4
Gearbox Software’s bombastic looter shooter fourquel (that’s a thing, right?), certainly knows the audience it’s aiming for. Much like its super successful predecessors, players can expect a refinement of the wheel, rather than a reinvention of it, as Borderlands 4 once more entices players to murder all manner of evil-doers for fame, loot and more weapons than you can shake a hairy stick at. In addition to the return of the series black comedy, Borderlands 4 not only relocates the action to the all-new planet of Kairos, but the latest entry in the series also provides a roster of new Vault Hunters to wreak havoc with as well.
Crimson Desert
The long-gestating new effort from Black Desert developer Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert marks something of a departure for the typically online-focused Korean studio. Though Crimson Desert takes place in the same universe as the online-only Black Desert, Pearl Abyss’ latest title is a resolutely single-player offline affair. A gargantuan open-world fantasy RPG, Crimson Desert not only looks like one of the most stylish adventures we’ve seen in a long time, but its action-packed combat and massive open world lend the game favourable comparisons with everything from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Dragon’s Dogma 2 and, of course, Black Desert itself.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Hideo Kojima’s deeply esoteric, post-apocalyptic tale of connecting humanity will be getting a direct sequel in 2025 and, well, it’s every bit as mesmerisingly wild as you might expect. Sure enough, Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux and Troy Baker all return from the first game, while special appearances by Mad Max director George Miller have also been confirmed. As to the game itself, little has been shown at this point other than some drop-dead gorgeous real-time cut scenes. However, we would be surprised if Kojima Productions didn’t build upon the whole UPS-man-at-the-end-of-the-world shtick that made the original such a pleasant surprise.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Fans of DOOM will likely purchase DOOM: The Dark Ages sight unseen, but the devil (pun intended) is in the details. A full-throated, dark fantasy prequel to the demon-blasting phenomenon that we all know and love, DOOM: The Dark Ages turns everything up to eleven. Say hello to towering demonic kaiju, rideable hell dragons, Doomguy mechas and guns that chew up skulls and spit out razor-sharp fragments into your hapless foes. Doom Guy is very much back.
Elden Ring Nightreign
Just when you thought that Elden Ring was done with the release of 2024’s super Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, Elden Ring Nightreign has popped out of seemingly nowhere to hold your beer. Rather than go down the route of expanding the existing Elden Ring storyline, Nightreign is instead a standalone co-op adventure for up to three players within the broader Elden Ring universe. With all new challenges to face off alongside your closest allies, Nightreign is the Elden Ring continuation none of us knew we wanted but now we cannot wait for.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Holding up a socio-cultural mirror to our existence in a way that few studios are able to do, Rockstar Games looks set to utterly disrupt gaming and social calendars everywhere when the juggernaut that is Grand Theft Auto 6 takes over basically everything next year. Looking set to redefine our expectations for open-world games, Grand Theft Auto 6 whisks players off to current-day Vice City and puts players in control of Bonnie and Clyde-esque dual protagonists Lucia and Jason as they tear across the sun-bleached county. Boasting cutting-edge visuals and physics simulations together with Rockstar Games trademark satire-infused single-player campaign missions and world-beating online modes, Grand Theft Auto 6 is a one-game industry avalanche that will resonate far beyond its gaming demographic.
Killing Floor 3
With nearly nine years on the clock since the last Killing Floor title blasted its way onto the FPS scene, Killing Floor 3 returns to remind us just how much fun you can have with your mates in a cooperative horror FPS setting. With all new classes, progression trees and survival gadgets, together with a reworked M.E.A.T System that provides unparalleled levels of gore when you splatter your monstrous foes, to say that Killing Floor 3 is a highly anticipated and much overdue threequel for fans of the series would be quite the understatement indeed.
Mafia: The Old Country
Kicking up the dusty trails of the titular Sicilian old country during the 1900s, Mafia: The Old Country reframes the series both in terms of narrative and game mechanics. Casting players as the rebellious Enzo Favara, Mafia: The Old Country has players fighting against the emergence of the Cosa Nostra in a gritty tale of family betrayal and mob violence. Though its narrative still unfolds from a third-person perspective, in line with the previous games in the series, Mafia: The Old Country eschews the open-world design of the last entry in the franchise in favour of a much more linear world with a focus on cinematic moments and a welcome rejection of open world busywork. Look also for developer Hanger 13 making the most of the time period too, swapping out chunky saloon cars and Tommy guns for horses and tense knife fights.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
Directed by Amy Hennig who cut her teeth on epic adventures with Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra looks set to follow in a similarly epic vein. A cinematic open-world adventure that pits Marvel superheroes Captain America and Black Panther against the insidious Hydra organisation during occupied France in World War II, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is shaping up beautifully, leveraging Unreal Engine 5 to craft arguably one of the best-looking superhero games ever made. Though details are light regarding gameplay specifics, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra nonetheless looks like it’ll be a metaphorical catnip for fans of sprawling open-world adventures and superhero romps alike.
Slay The Spire 2
How do you follow up one of the very best deck-building games ever made? Well, you get the original developer Mega Crit to go and make another one. Set to make its Early Access debut in 2025, Slay the Spire 2 takes place more than 1,000 years after the events of the previous game and invites players to once again make the perilous climb to reach the spire’s peak and uncover its secrets. With all new heroes to choose from that each have their own mechanics, together with all-new relics, random encounters, new card types, a range of fiendishly designed boss encounters and so much more, Slay the Spire 2 is absolutely guaranteed to be one of the very best titles in 2025 by some margin.
Split Fiction
The next title from the supremely talented folks that brought us the stupendously excellent cooperative adventure It Takes Two, Split Fiction embraces a similar design philosophy but changes up the scenario entirely. Casting players as two writers who scribble tales that are set in sci-fi and fantasy settings respectively, Split Fiction envisions a topsy-turvy odyssey where each author is rapidly pulled between those fantasy and science fiction worlds, creating a veritable multiverse of insane possibilities as they struggle to escape with their memories intact. Eminently charming, funny and filled with innovative cooperative design, if Grand Theft Auto 6 wasn’t currently tipped to blot out the sun and snatch all the oxygen in the room next year, there’s little doubt that Split Fiction would find itself on a fast track to assured Game of the Year status.
The Outer Worlds 2
Obsidian Entertainment’s roundly excellent and darkly fun space RPG series returns and honestly we couldn’t be happier. In The Outer Worlds 2 players are unceremoniously plonked into the space boots of an agent belonging to the rather severely named Earth Directorate. Your overarching mission is to discover the reason why mysterious, civilisation-ending rifts are popping up all across the galaxy and naturally, there are a whole load of missions for you to complete and wacky-zany characters for you to meet, fall in love with or shoot in the face along the way. Boasting Obsidian’s typical razor wit and the sort of non-linear gameplay that made the original such a hit, The Outer Worlds 2 cordially invites us all to save the galaxy in 2025 and be an absolute mess in the process. Bring it on.
With Diablo IV releasing just a year and a half ago, it’s probably not too surprising to discover that a good number of players are already becoming somewhat tired of what Blizzard’s latest stab at the dungeon crawler genre has been offering up. Thankfully then, the long-awaited Path of Exile 2 from Grinding Gear Games has arrived at just the right time, providing Diablo players with the sort of alternative that hasn’t been around in a long time. If you’re sick of Diablo IV here’s why you should give Path of Exile 2 a shot.
Endless Customisation And Speccing Possibilities
Though Diablo IV isn’t particularly lacking in the customisation and speccing stakes – it has had three prior games and an avalanche of patches to get it right, after all – it arguably falls some way short of what Grinding Gear Games has achieved with Path of Exile 2. Certainly, just a glance at Path of Exile 2’s trademark passive skill tree which has been inherited from the first game, reveals an abyssal depth of character customisation that far outstrips any other entry in the dungeon crawler genre.
Stuffed to the gills with more than 1,900(!) unique skills that allow wannabe monster mashers to customise their character build, Path of Exile 2 also brings a new Dual Specialisation mechanic to the table as well, permitting passive skill points to be shoved into the entirely different skill types without penalty. In practice, if you’re switching between fire and archery attacks, for instance, the skill points that you have invested into those attack skills will immediately come into play, allowing players to simultaneously specialise and diversify their build at the same time.
Reaching past the framework of its sprawling skills matrix, Path of Exile 2 widens its commitment to near limitless customisation and build-speccing possibilities further still thanks to its Skill Gem system. With nearly 450 Gems in total, split between Skill Gems and Support Gems, players can use Skill Gems to enable powerful active skills that can be used in combat, while socketing Support Gems into those same Skill Gems modifies their behaviour, providing yet more creative latitude still for players to customise their build.
If all of that wasn’t enough, there’s also the concept of Ascendancy Class progression. With twelve character classes as of this writing, each of these classes has three separate Ascendancy specialisations that can be activated depending on your playstyle, providing unique skills, abilities and more that in turn provide a veritable bounty of choice for character customisation.
An Overwhelming Cast Of Varied Enemies And Bosses
With an absolute smorgasbord of character customisation and speccing possibilities at your disposal, it makes sense – for the notion of balance at least – that your opposition is equally formidable and boy, does Path of Exile 2 deliver on this front too. With well over 600 unique monsters and over 100 bosses at the time of writing that each have their own strengths, weaknesses, abilities and attack patterns to learn, Path of Exile 2 is filled with hordes of challenging enemies for you to test your mettle against. Further to that point, combat with Path of Exile 2’s many bosses feels much more akin to something like Dark Souls, rather than another dungeon crawler, as there is a real emphasis on developing strategies for each boss and generally staying out of their way whilst you (and maybe some friends) chip away at their gargantuan health bars.
A Much More Worthwhile, Content-Packed Endgame
Once you’ve carved a bloody path through Path of Exile 2’s six-act campaign you’ll find yourself in its endgame and certainly when compared to Diablo IV, developer Grinding Gear Games has gone the extra mile here. Boasting well over 100 endgame maps that each include their own boss battles and unique modifiers, Path of Exile 2’s endgame not only reaches back into the past leagues of the previous Path of Exile but also fashions entirely new challenges for veteran players to tangle with as well.
Acting as a hub of sorts for Path of Exile 2’s monstrous endgame, the Atlas entices players to unlock these new endgame maps to defeat the rare and very dangerous enemies that lurk within them. Much more than just a typical monster hunt, these specially curated endgame maps also include magical strongboxes filled with rare loot that when opened can trigger a deadly encounter, while special NPCs can also be discovered that can aid you in your monster-mashing endeavours.
Much more broadly, Path of Exile 2’s endgame activities are split between seven systems which include Breach, Delirium, Expedition, Ritual, Pinnacle Boss (essentially endgame bosses) and the Trials of Chaos and Sekhemas. Fans of the first Path of Exile will certainly recognise Breach and in Path of Exile 2 the implementation of it will prove familiar as players venture through an interdimensional portal and must quickly vanquish all of the enemies within, gaining precious Breach points that can be invested into the Breach section of the Atlas hub, increasing difficulty and potential rewards in Breach encounters as a result.
Delirium encounters meanwhile modify certain maps and fill them with mist, challenging players to tackle stronger foes as they venture deeper into the mist and eventually tackle the pinnacle encounter of that map to gain points for the Delirium section on the Atlas Tree. Ritual encounters task players with defeating certain enemies within special ritual circles which will then eventually result in the ritual being completed and a wave of monsters appearing that, when eventually defeated, provide Tribute Points that can be used to nab much more powerful gear and equipment. Once the King in the Mists himself is defeated in his new Pinnacle Boss form in Path of Exile 2’s endgame, Ritual points are then granted which, you guessed it, can be reinvested into the Ritual progression tree within the Atlas and will dish out greater rewards.
Expeditions are one of the more unique facets of Path of Exile 2’s massive endgame, as these encounters require players to use special explosives to open long-lost loot coffers. The problem, as you may have already guessed, is that all of this loud bang-bang attracts monsters and eventually the pinnacle encounter for this area. Managing to survive all of this means that you get to gain Expedition points which can be used to nab more impressive rewards and more difficult encounters from future Expedition encounters.
Though the Trials of Chaos and Sekhemas are largely what Path of Exile players have already experienced, it’s arguably the Pinnacle Boss encounters that are the marquee highlight of Path of Exile 2’s endgame offering. Here, players will occasionally stumble across a locked fortress which requires three keys to get inside that can only be obtained by overcoming bosses that belong to one of three powerful factions within the Atlas that are vying to get into the fortress. Once inside, Pinnacle Bosses presents a hellacious challenge that only the most veteran players will be able to overcome with Atlas points and high-end loot being the reward for those that do. To say that the endgame in Path of Exile 2 is a whole heap more satisfying and sophisticated than its counterpart in Diablo IV would be quite an understatement, to say the least.
Reactive And Transparent Developer Support That Shapes Everything Going Forward
Even before Path of Exile 2 dropped into early access this year, one key area where the game has sought to separate itself from Diablo IV is in how its creators interact with the community. Put simply, developer Grinding Gear Games has been responding to queries, issues and suggestions from the community on an almost daily basis. Whether it’s questions about the Path of Exile 2 roadmap, updates on server bandwidth or responding to low-level queries about balancing, loot drops and more, Grinding Gear Games always appears present, transparent and ready to help in a timely fashion as Path of Exile 2 barrels its way through early access.
The holidays are the perfect time to catch up on your favourite games or dive into new ones, and it’s fair to say that gaming visuals have never looked better. For those of us who grew up on 2D classics, we still remember the magic of jumping into 3D for the first time with Super Mario 64 during a snowy winter break. Moments like that are rare, but the holidays have a way of delivering gaming memories that stick with us. While virtual reality has made huge strides, traditional games are also reaching stunning new heights—thanks in large part to Nvidia’s RTX technology.
RTX brings an extra layer of magic to gaming this time of year, making light and shadows behave in ways that look as natural as the glow of holiday lights on a snowy evening. From lifelike reflections to breathtaking rays of light streaming through frosty landscapes, RTX transforms great games into unforgettable visual treats. If you’re looking to settle in by the fire with some truly eye-popping games over the holidays, we’ve got you covered as these RTX-enhanced games are perfect for creating cosy, immersive gaming sessions during the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s take a look at the best games to light up your screen this holiday season!
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws finally lets players loose in an open-world Star Wars game filled with incredible things to discover, people to meet, and enemies to fight. You take control of Kay Vess, a less-than-squeaky-clean type who’s seeking a way to find their own freedom and start life anew. It’s a tall task, but if you’re smart and don’t mind making the most of the incredible tech available, you’ll come out on top. With RTX-powered lighting and reflections, the galaxy feels more alive than ever, from the glow of neon signs in bustling cantinas to the shimmering metal of ships under twin suns.
Diablo IV
Diablo IV takes the classic ARPG series into the modern age with all new tweaks and quality-of-life features that make it more approachable than ever. There’s an incredible story to get through, sure, but there’s also a wealth of post-game content to delve into that can help you create the perfect build and take on truly unspeakable horrors. You can even do it with friends along the way. Plus, with RTX-enabled effects, every dark dungeon and fiery hellscape is brought to life, immersing you in the eerie glow of flickering torches and the ominous shadows that lurk around every corner.
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
First things first, this is not the Cyberpunk that was launched back in 2020. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is a massive sprawling tech-dystopia for you to try and protect, destroy, or bend to your will. With a huge array of amazing characters to meet, fight, and even romance, as well as plenty of ways to carve your path through the beautiful neon city, you’ll not get bored in this dystopia. Neither will your eyes, as RTX-powered visuals bring Night City to life with dazzling reflections on rain-slick streets, immersive lighting, and vibrant neon glows that make every corner of the city feel alive.
Minecraft
When you think of Minecraft, the first thing you think of probably won’t be ‘stunning visuals’ but that’s because you haven’t watched rays of light as they crest over whatever blocky creation you’ve put together. Still the same iconic game about freedom and crafting, albeit with more creatures and experiences to uncover than ever before, the graphics are on an entirely different level, thanks to RTX. With ray-traced lighting and realistic shadows, the blocky world transforms into something breathtaking as sunlight filters through leaves and water reflects the beauty of your pixelated masterpieces.
Fortnite
Fortnite is an especially good choice because it’s free, making it perfect for holiday gaming sessions with friends and family. It’s incredibly accessible, so whether you’re a seasoned builder or a total newcomer, everyone can jump in and play together—whether that’s a good idea or not is up to you. Of course, if you’re the only one with RTX turned on, you’ll get to enjoy the stunning battle royale vistas in all their glory, with shimmering water, dynamic lighting, and realistic reflections making the island look sharper and more beautiful than ever.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is one of those hidden gems that deserves a spot on your holiday playlist. It’s a unique and inspired take on the tactical turn-based genre, blending strategic deckbuilding with cinematic superhero flair. Between intense battles, you’ll spend time building relationships with iconic Marvel characters, chatting by the fire, or training in the Abbey to sharpen your skills. Positioning is everything in this one, and with RTX-enabled visuals, the dynamic combat comes to life as fiery explosions, shadows, and energy beams dance across the battlefield in a stunning display.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Finally, we have Ghostwire: Tokyo, a hauntingly beautiful adventure that’s perfect for the darker, cosier nights of the season. While it doesn’t feature a sprawling open world, its meticulous attention to detail makes every street and alley of Tokyo feel alive—or perhaps eerily not. You play as someone who narrowly escapes death, only to find themselves at the center of a ghostly invasion. It’s a strange fate, but your spectral abilities and uneasy alliance with a spirit inside you will help you navigate a city filled with mysteries and otherworldly threats. With RTX technology, Tokyo’s rain-soaked streets shimmer with eerie beauty, neon lights reflect in puddles, and supernatural effects fill the world with an unsettling but mesmerizing glow.
And there you have it—seven stunning RTX-enhanced games to light up your holidays and give your eyes a visual feast. Whether you’re braving ghostly invasions, battling corruption alongside superheroes, or exploring blocky creations brought to life, there’s never been a better time to dive in. If you’re looking to explore even more RTX-powered experiences, be sure to check out the RTX Games section of our Holiday Sale. It’s the perfect opportunity to pick up something new and make this season shine even brighter.
With more than 10 million (count em’) players on the clock in just three days since launch, Marvel Rivals from developer NetEase Games has struck on some sort of magical formula to entice the masses. Yet, the reality is that Marvel Rivals just incorporates a lot of robust shooter mechanics extremely well alongside a stylish licensing of some of the most recognisable comic book characters in decades. So here are the four key ways developer NetEase Games has managed to fuse a legendary comic book IP with a resoundingly solid foundation that reflects the best the genre has to offer.
A Massively Varied Free Roster Of Unique Characters That Will Only Get Bigger And Better Over Time
Absolutely screaming in with a superhero-stuffed roster filled with 33 playable and entirely different characters at launch, Marvel Rivals certainly isn’t lacking when it comes to its selection of heroes for players to stick their metaphorical teeth into. The Marvel Rivals roster runs the full gamut of Marvel characters from the well-known to the obscure including the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Bruce Banner, Thor, Venom, Rocket Raccoon and even Jeff the Land Shark (who has a very real set of teeth that he uses to sink into the flesh of his enemies).
Spread across the three broad classes of Duelist (damage dealers), Strategist (healing and buffs) and Vanguard (tank), each of the characters that make up Marvel Rivals roster plays appreciably differently from one another. From the defensive and stamina-focused capabilities of Captain America to the ranged abilities of The Punisher (which also include a handy turret that can be erected), to Spider-Man and Iron-Man, who can both use their trademark means of traversal to navigate their way across any given battlefield, the sheer uniqueness of the Marvel Rivals roster cannot be understated. After all, there’s nothing quite like watching Doctor Strange create a magical portal for Spider-Man who then leaps through it and ends up behind the enemy and in a position to inflict maximum damage.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Though a debut roster of 33 characters isn’t anything to be sniffed at, NetEase Games has committed itself to providing a steady stream of new characters in the coming weeks, months and years, fattening out an already sizable selection of playable heroes from every corner of Marvel fandom. Put simply, if you’re a Marvel fan with a thing for hero shooters, then Marvel Rivals isn’t looking like it will leave your social calendar anytime soon.
Heroic Synergies That Both Add Depth While Honouring Its Comic Origins
Cleverly building on the pre-existing and rather complex relationships that exist between the many characters of the long-established Marvel universe, Marvel Rivals allows specific combinations of heroes to enjoy special buffs and attacks that simply wouldn’t be available to solo heroes or other pairs of characters. With a current total of 15 very different synergy attacks, each of these collaborative specials has its own tactical benefit for each battle too. For example, pairing up Rocket Racoon with either the Winter Soldier or the Punisher, provides both of the latter gentlemen with faster firing and infinite ammo buffs. Meanwhile, putting Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Wolverine together, allows the not-so-jolly green giant to literally hurl Wolverine a lot farther than his leaping ability normally permits, allowing Logan to kick out much more damage than he otherwise could as a result.
Destructible Legendary Locations From The Depths Of Marvel Lore
In case you’re wondering, there is a sort of narrative setup that serves as the basis for Marvel Rivals scraps and, well, it’s pretty much as thin as it gets. A calamitous scrap between Doctor Doom and his heroic counterpart Doctor Doom 2099 results in a timestream entanglement which unceremoniously pulls both heroes and villains from across the multiverse to fight it out for supremacy. Hardly riveting stuff then, however what it does mean is that in addition to a sizable range of playable characters, Marvel Rivals also provides players with a massive range of fresh locations to duke it out in as well.
As such, this whole ‘timestream entanglement’ thing has resulted in some fairly gnarly mash-ups of Marvel locations in addition to some more pedestrian locales from the pages of Marvel’s comic books. Yggsgard for example, is a twisted amalgamation of Asgard and the Great Tree Yggdrasil, while the Kingdom of Wakanda has now spread itself far beyond the borders of Earth, having established itself as the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda.
From a design standpoint, each of Marvel Rivals’ eight maps not only boasts the sort of intuitive layout one would expect from a hero shooter worth its salt, but each of them also boasts a number of embedded destructible elements to keep things interesting too. From crashing ceilings to tumbling pillars, Marvel Rivals’ generous arrangement of destructive scenery provides additional damage-dealing opportunities, allowing skilled players to unleash a chunky amount of AoE damage on a group of foes at any time. Much like the expected stream of free characters that will pop along with every future season in Marvel Rivals, players should also expect that Marvel Rivals will also be bringing shiny new maps for players to scrap across with each new season at no extra cost.
Battle Passes That Don’t Expire And Respect Your Time
For the longest time, the traditional battle pass has been something of a double-edged sword. Though the rewards obtained through these battle passes often appeal and tend to do a fairly effective job of encouraging players to grind the time away in order to unlock them, they very often tend to be time-limited, requiring players to compress all of that play into a set period before another battle pass is introduced and the previous one (and its rewards) become no longer available.
In Marvel Rivals, no such time limit exists, meaning you can take as long as you like to earn the rewards within each battle pass without the worry of that battle pass disappearing and taking those rewards, together with your hard-won progress, into the abyss. As a side note, this also ties into how microtransactions work within Marvel Rivals, too. Instead of making any material difference to the gameplay side of things, Marvel Rivals instead wisely channels its monetisation model into a massive range of skins for each of its characters which can either be earned through in-game currency or paid for real money.
Indeed, when you consider just how many different versions there are of each character across all of Marvel’s history, not to mention the variants for playable characters that will be introduced in future free seasonal content, it certainly appears that Marvel Rivals will have progression in spades and perhaps more importantly, respects your time to do so.
Dead Cells is arguably one of the greatest roguelikes ever made, with the only real downside being the lack of any co-op mode. Thankfully developer Motion Twin’s next game Windblown, rectifies that oversight. While it’s not quite as slick as Dead Cells (at least not yet, it is currently in an Early Access state) it has a lot of the same general flow, including dual-weapon and great movement systems, set in a more isometric world with some amazing synergies and build options.
In Windblown you – and up to two friends – must protect your peaceful village, The Ark, from the emissaries of the Vortex, the deadly force around which you orbit. How? Well with some incredibly well-designed combat that essentially sees you fighting off a huge range of monsters, including old robots and a Rat who’s been watching too much One Piece and can wield a sword in its mouth alongside one in each hand. As you can probably tell from that description alone, the enemy designs are wonderful but it’s the combat – and its co-op-friendly nature – that truly shines.
Staying with the combat, as well as your two weapons, each of which can have unique damage and effect modifiers, you can also combine special attacks from each weapon to create some truly powerful combinations. For example, if you’re using a sword and a crossbow and have been shooting at enemies from afar, you can use your special attack, if you get the timing right, to unleash an absurd combo from the sword before switching back to the crossbow. It not only looks as cool as it sounds, it is also seamless.
That’s not all, however, throw in some really cool upgrades, even with this being the first iteration of the game’s Early Access state, and you’ve got an action roguelike that feels amazing to play. There are plenty of different builds, challenges to face, and things to unlock too. Long story short: Windblown is everything I want it to be so far, and I can’t wait to see it grow.
With Call of Duty seemingly forever hogging the limelight with its Michael Bay-coded story campaigns and celebrity-endorsed skins, it can perhaps be a little too easy to forget that Activision’s contemporary FPS juggernaut was predated by EA’s Medal of Honor, a much more comparatively po-faced shooter series that emphasized historical conflict and theatres of war. Seemingly largely forgotten by gamers and apparently by EA itself, now is as good a time as any, on the series’ 25th anniversary, to ruminate on the history of Medal of Honor, its peaks, troughs, the major titles within its franchise and its impact on the FPS industry at large.
Medal Of Honor (1999)
Buoyed by Steven Spielberg’s landmark big picture foray into World War II with the Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan, the first Medal of Honor for Sony’s beloved PlayStation console was a commercial and critical hit. Developed by Dreamworks Interactive (a studio that was founded by Steven Spielberg himself), Medal of Honor manifested during Spielberg’s work on Saving Private Ryan and was somewhat inspired by his son’s experiences playing Rare’s legendary James Bond FPS tie-in, Goldeneye 007.
With Spielberg’s newly formed games studio behind the wheel, together with an epic orchestral score by famed composer Michael Giacchino, and Dale Dye joining the project as a military advisor (Dye would serve in the same capacity in the HBO-produced Band of Brothers and Pacific television series, too), it was clear that such talent meant that Medal of Honor was going to be something quite special indeed. Casting players as an OSS agent amid Second World War Europe, Medal of Honor was a much more considered, stealthy first-person shooter that was dripping with atmosphere as players snuck behind enemy lines, brandished fake ID papers, assassinated enemies in the dark and punched a hole in the Nazi regime. It was simply fantastic stuff which not only wore its Goldeneye 007 inspirations proudly on its digital sleeve but alerted gamers to the idea that the Second World War could be as captivating in video game form as it was on film.
Medal Of Honor: Underground (2000)
Building on the foundations set down in Medal of Honor just one year earlier, Medal of Honor: Underground once again leaned into the subterfuge-laden gameplay that defined its predecessor by casting players as Manon Batiste, a commander in the French Resistance. Starting in 1940 and concluding in 1944, Medal of Honor: Underground unfurled an ambitious narrative that would whisk players from Western Europe to Northern Africa and back again in a globetrotting clandestine FPS that was every bit the full-fat continuation to Medal of Honor that players wanted.
Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault (2002)
With the proliferation of the PC as a powerhouse gaming platform, it wasn’t going to be long until Medal of Honor would make the leap from its PlayStation digs and that’s precisely what happened in 2002 with the PC-exclusive Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Leveraging an early version of the id Tech engine that would ironically be the mainstay graphics technology used by the Call of Duty franchise later on, Allied Assault was the most epic Medal of Honor title to date, taking players from the hell of the Normandy beach landings through to a range of clandestine operations throughout Western Europe. A mammoth shooter in every way, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault would also lay down the framework that the early World War II set Call of Duty games would follow when that franchise launched in 2003. Not only that but Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward was also made up of developers who had worked on the Medal of Honor series, so the design throughline in this case is certainly clear to see.
Medal Of Honor: Frontline (2002)
Marking the series’ return to PlayStation, Medal of Honor: Frontline swapped out the subterfuge of previous entries for a big old dollop of war-is-hell bombast, casting players as one of three different soldiers taking part in the American, British and Soviet theatres of war across a set of spectacle stuffed missions. One of the best-selling titles of its era, Medal of Honor: Frontline would set the tone that the series would follow going forward and which, somewhat sadly, drifted away from the more considered and slow-paced beats of the series’ earliest entries.
Medal Of Honor: Rising Sun (2003)
Switching to an entirely new theatre of war, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was a measurable downgrade in every way from what came before it. Though the shift to the sweltering Pacific was welcome, the lack of polish, dunderheaded AI, poor visuals and a general lack of interesting mission design was not. Arguably, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was the clearest indication that the once roundly impressive series was now firmly on the decline and a world away from the Steven Spielberg passion project it started as.
Medal Of Honor: Pacific Assault (2004)
Essentially the PC version of Medal of Honor: Rising Sun which was released on the consoles of the day a year earlier, somewhat surprisingly Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault turned out to be much better than its console counterpart and took full advantage of the PC platform. With many more levels, improved visuals and general shoring up of bugs and polish, Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault turned out to be a decent enough World War Two shooter, it just never aspired to be anything more than that.
Medal Of Honor: European Assault (2005)
By 2005 it was clear that Medal of Honor as a franchise was running out of steam and perhaps that was nowhere better illustrated than in Medal of Honor: European Assault. An utterly unremarkable shooter, Medal of Honor: European Assault puts players in the boots of an American OSS agent who finds himself whisked off to theatres of war in France, North Africa, the Soviet Union and Belgium. Though the return of more subterfuge-minded gameplay was welcome, such as stealing plans and sabotaging infrastructure, European Assault nonetheless felt shopworn to the point of tedium. We had seen it all before by this point and there was nothing new to keep players compelled – especially as Activision had launched its mega-successful shooter sequel, Call of Duty 2, in the same year.
Medal Of Honor: Airborne (2007)
With the series’ fortunes on the downturn, it’s clear that 2007’s Medal of Honor: Airborne needed to do something different for the franchise to stay relevant. Thankfully, Medal of Honor: Airborne did just that, even if it was somewhat underappreciated in its day. Taking ample inspiration from both the real-life airborne troops of the Second World War and HBO’s superb Band of Brothers television show, Medal of Honor: Airborne had players performing parachute drops into locations throughout the European and North African theatres of war. Where Medal of Honor: Airborne really separates itself however, is in how it allows you to land anywhere you like and pursue the completion of your objectives however you like as well, lending the game a sort of non-linearity and openness it had lacked up until this point. Throw in some impressively clever AI, a real sense of scale in the maps and some satisfying shooting mechanics which allowed you to lean around corners and cook grenades, it became clear that Medal of Honor: Airborne was the best thing to come out of the beleaguered series in years (and is long overdue a remaster in the opinion of this humble scribe).
Medal Of Honor (2010)
With Call of Duty embracing a more contemporary brand of war with its breakout 2007 effort Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to see EA follow suit with its 2010 Medal of Honor title, either. Rooted firmly in the opening days and weeks of the real-life Afghanistan conflict of 2001, in some ways, Medal of Honor felt like a step back from Airborne as it reacquainted the series with the more decidedly linear trappings that it had left behind – and which Call of Duty was now actively embracing on a yearly basis. Still trend-chasing aside, the impressive Unreal Engine 3-powered single-player campaign visuals, coupled with an entertaining adversarial multiplayer mode (which ran on the totally different Frostbite engine, oddly), still made Medal of Honor worth the price of admission.
Medal Of Honor: Warfighter (2012)
Just two years later the Medal of Honor series once again found itself in dire straits, thanks to 2012’s deeply uninspiring offering. A direct continuation of the events chronicled in 2010’s Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor: Warfighter follows the same Navy SEAL unit as they face off against a terrorist threat that extends from Bosnia to the Philippines but manages to do absolutely nothing new or notable in the process. With a jumbled storyline, dunderheaded AI and lack of imagination in both its mission types and its cookie-cutter online multiplayer modes, Medal of Honor: Warfighter felt like a new nadir for a once legendary franchise that, at this point at least, seemed like it was about to check out for good.
Medal Of Honor: Above And Beyond (2020)
Thankfully though, Medal of Honor did not check out for good and its next major title would be something entirely unexpected. The first Medal of Honor title in nearly a decade and the first to be transplanted into the VR realm, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond felt like a throwback to the earlier titles in the franchise, once again casting players as an OSS agent tasked with aiding the French Resistance to unseat the Nazi Vichy government. Though clunky in places and lacking in some production values, Above and Beyond should still be credited for attempting to return this once legendary series to its secret agent chicanery, rather than just falling in line and becoming yet another tonality schizophrenic, brain-voided shooter. Plus, blowing up bridges, sniping enemies and sneaking out key intelligence documents feels rather good in VR, too. Here’s hoping that Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is the beginning of a resurgence for this once revered series, rather than symbolising its death knell. Over to you, EA.
Long beloved for its first-person survival horror trappings and stirring depiction of an apocalyptic, devastated Moscow dripping with atmosphere, the Metro series has made an overdue leap to VR and with it comes a range of all-new challenges for adapting such a beloved franchise into an all-new dimension. That said, Metro Awakening has ultimately done a cracking job in adapting many of the classic series elements into this all-new dimension and here’s how developer Vertigo Games has pulled off this rather significant feat.
Atmosphere So Thick You Can Cut It With A Knife
When you think of the Metro games you tend to think of a grim, ruinous world in which the last vestiges of humanity fight a hardscrabble resistance against both each other and an ever-expanding horde of irradiated creatures. With Metro Awakening, Vertigo Games has beautifully transitioned the atmosphere from the traditionally flat 2D stomping grounds of the series into the sort of full three dimensions of immersion that only VR can provide. Not only does Metro Awakening nail the bleak visual grime, shadowy tunnels and lived-in nastiness of the Russian Metro around which Awakening’s story unfurls but so too does the audio work pull you right in, making you jump at the sounds of unseen creatures knocking over pots, pans and other junk in the distance, while when the firearms begin to kick off the aural response is appropriately deafening.
Newly Immersive Physicality
In making the leap to VR, Metro Awakening also makes sure to bolster its toe-curling atmospherics with a sense of physicality that the 2D versions of the game simply cannot match. Whether you’re reloading each clip into your pistol, rejigging your batteries as your torch slowly blinks out in the darkness or putting on your mask and filters to protect yourself from harmful toxins, everything you do in Metro Awakening has a realistic sense of heft and physicality to it. Of course, being a VR title designed from the ground up with the platform in mind, there is an emphasis on performing the right gestures to interact with the game world. In practice, this means that you’ll be reaching over to your shoulders to nab a grenade or a primary firearm, instinctively reaching down to your waist to quickly grab a sidearm or a health-boosting medical syringe and grabbing at spare ammo clips that are fastened onto your chest for easy reloading of whatever gun you happen to have gripped in your virtual hands at the time. Though such control systems are hardly a new thing in the VR gaming space, in Metro Awakening they feel like such an essential part of being immersed in the world that pressing buttons to accomplish the same result just wouldn’t land the same way.
A Handmade Arsenal That Feels And Looks Great In VR
Another aspect of Metro’s long-coded DNA that has successfully made the leap to VR is the handmade arsenal that you’ll be using to dispatch your foes. From pistols that have been stuck together with duct tape to rusty AK-47s, nothing in Metro Awakening looks or feels pristine and that’s exactly how it should be. Additionally, being able to almost forensically examine each weapon and identify every imperfection further underscores the impressive level of visual craft that has gone into bringing every one of these weapons to virtual life.
An All-New Metro Story Steeped In The Series Origins
Rather than just merely adapting an existing Metro title or story into VR, Metro Awakening goes full bore with its own, entirely fresh narrative. Simultaneously both a prequel and a spin-off, Metro Awakening revolves around Serdar, a desperate doctor who must venture into the depths of the Moscow tunnels to locate his wife. Taking place roughly four years before the first Metro game, Metro Awakening’s choice of protagonist is no accident, as it is intended to be an origin story of sorts for series character Khan and ably sets the stage for what he will become in later games. Beyond its lore implications, the story of Metro Awakening also has a sizable impact on how the game plays. Because Serdar is a doctor and not a grizzled soldier, like the protagonists of the other Metro games tend to be, players must make the most of stealthy situations and a dwindling supply of ammo to stay alive. Doom VR, this isn’t and it’s all the better for it.
The Series Trademark Horror Has Never Been So Keenly Felt
Making the most of the immersive opportunities afforded by VR technology, Metro Awakening brings the horror that the series has been known for kicking and screaming into an all-new medium. With the world of Metro Awakening quite literally all around you, the myriad hallucinations coupled with some truly horrific beasts (including a range of grossly gargantuan spiders), all come together to make Metro Awakening one of the most terrifying VR games money can buy. Oh and if you happen to be an arachnophobia sufferer, worry not; developer Vertigo Games has confirmed that it is looking to in an arachnophobia toggle to resolve this in the hopefully near future.
Menus? What Menus
In the leap to VR, one of the biggest and most intriguing ways that Metro Awakening seeks to keep the player thoroughly invested and connected to the world of the earlier Metro games is by curtailing the UI to such an extent that in-game menus are now non-existent. One cool thing that Metro Awakening does is allow players to closely inspect the clip of whatever firearm they have to confirm how much ammo they have left. It certainly feels much more immersive than just staring at an ammo counter in the UI going up or down. Whilst this may sound fairly inconsequential, this is yet another example – and perhaps a prime example – of exactly how perfect the marriage of Metro and VR is and how well it has been accomplished in Metro Awakening.
The world’s pre-eminent snake-fearing archaeologist is making his long-awaited return to the world of video games soon but what if you can’t wait? Well, thankfully if you’re a big fan of hats, melting Nazis, and finding things that should be in a museum, then we’ve got good news because the world is full of games that could scratch those itches. Actually, did you know that if you took every game ever released and stacked them on top of each other, you’d have a lot of games? Fact.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen a selection of games below that, whilst all unique in their own ways, all hit on some of the main tropes and aspects of the upcoming release. Plus, there are also two games which are most definitely inspired by the original films. So without further delay, here’s our list of the best games like Indiana Jones and The Great Circle.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
If your main aim with Indiana Jones digital cosplay is fighting Nazis, then Wolfenstein is the series for you. Whilst the entire series is worth your time, if you’re looking for just one to jump into, then you’d do well to go with The New Colossus. A hugely cinematic FPS game filled to the brim with Nazi fighting action, it provides you with plenty of chances to just completely go wild with the violence. Oh, and it also happened made by MachineGames – developers on The Great Circle.
Thief
If your ideal Indy experience is one built around stealthy, where you love a plan and avoid getting caught, then Thief is for you. In Thief, as the name heavily implies, you plan heists and sneak around carrying out your perfectly made plans. While Indy tends to be a little louder with things, we think Thief channels the joy of the theoretical plan really well, and it’s also one of the best stealth games ever made.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor channels the joy of being a badass who roams around fixing things and puts it in the body of a Jedi. You have to journey across the galaxy swinging your fancy, light sword, meeting plenty of cool characters, and getting through some seriously tough fights. It’s a bit more action-packed than your average Indiana Jones adventure, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy
Next on the list, we have the Tomb Raider Definitive Survivor Trilogy; the rebooted trilogy that gave us a grittier, more realistic Lara Croft experience compared to the somewhat lighter take in the original games. Don’t get us wrong, that isn’t a bad thing. The reboot games are sublime, and while the gritty tone is a little bit at odds with the general campness of the Indiana Jones films, it hits a very similar note, if you want games that fit the bill, you’ve got three of them.
Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection
Finally, we’ve got the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, which contains Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Whilst it’s a little weird to hop into the series at the end, these are by far the strongest games in the series and offer slightly different takes on the action-adventure genre. Ultimately, Nathan Drake is quite literally video gaming’s Indiana Jones, so it’s not a huge surprise that this is probably the best shout if you want a game that will your Indiana Jones itch ahead of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle.
The best indie games in December are here to ease you through the impending Holidays. It’s absurd that we’re talking about the end of the year when we’re all very certain it was January just last week, but the march of time is an unstoppable and terrifying force, so here we are.
Anyway, existential crisis aside, we’ve collated a bunch of wonderful-looking indie games from the month ahead that we think are going to be worth keeping an eye on. There are plenty of art styles and genres among them, so you are sure to find something to suit your tastes,
First up, we’ve got ANTONBLAST, which has more than a little bit of the old-school Wario games in its DNA. It’s a fast-paced retro-styled platformer where you’ve got to try and steal your Spirits back from Satan. It’s a tale as old as time, truly. Expect more than a little bit of pure chaos, plenty of violence, and the kind of speed normally reserved for hedgehogs.
Entropy Survivors is a new bullet-hell roguelike set in the same universe as Shoulders of Giants, a game where you’re a little frog on top of a big old robot. Expect loads of weapons, plenty of skills to unlock, and some over-the-top action. Also, as it’s a bullet hell, expect to be dodging bullets by millimetres. The game also has co-op and a demo out as well, so you can go and try it now.
The Bridge Constructor series is an interesting one. At its core, it’s about you trying to build physics-based bridges from one side of a large gap to the other, but things get more complex the more you play. Sometimes, that means new limitations and sometimes, that means buttons to push along the way. The latest entry, Bridge Constructor Studio, has you doing all of the above in both virtual reality and mixed reality, which should lead to a new dimension of tactile fun.
Hoo boy this is a big one. Path of Exile 2 is the follow-up to the preposterously good and long-running Path of Exile. Set after the original game, Path of Exile 2 will once again be free-to-play, after around 6 months in a paid-for Early Access state. Offering up a co-op experience for up to six players, it’s an action RPG along the same lines as Diablo, and if it’s anything like its predecessor, it’ll likely have a frankly disgusting amount of customisation and builds available for you to play with.
If you are fan of 2D stop-motion animation, The Spirit of the Samuarai should be top of your most anticipated games list thanks to its stunning visuals. Those visuals aside, however, it should probably be on your list any way, as you play as a reanimated samurai taking on a bunch of Japanese monsters in a bid to save tiy Japanese village. Yes, that is as cool as it sounds.
In slightly unusual fashion, we are finishing this list with our second VR entry of the month. The Knight of Nephiart is an old-school RPG, complete with some wonderfully retro N64-style graphics, that has you taking part in turn-based battles in first person against all manner of classic enemies. There’s a story to follow, companions to meet and get to know, and a world to undoubtedly save – the nostalgia is overflowing with this one.
Black Friday is upon us again and we are offering some incredible deals on the latest and greatest PC games. From highly-anticipated AAA titles to indie gems, there’s something for everyone in this year’s sale and as if that wasn’t enough, customers can grab a sweet Black Friday Bonus Pack with select purchases of some of our biggest and best deals.
But we get it, sales can often be overwhelming and it’s often difficult to find the best deals. That is why we have compiled a small selection of some of our favourite deals from our Black Friday Sale, including, most importantly, when you can grab them. Let’s dive in.
Deals Live Right Now
With over 4,000 deals already available, there is no shortage of options in our Black Friday Sale but we have picked out four of our favourite deals for you to snap up right now.
Released a little over a month ago, this horrifyingly beautiful reimagining of the iconic survival horror game delivered a haunting atmosphere, disturbing imagery, and psychological horror in spades. For a limited time, you can grab our first-ever discount on this modern, horror classic.
Hot off receiving five nominations for this year’s Game Awards, you can save on one of this year’s biggest indie surprises. A unique blend of deckbuilding and poker, players must build powerful hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger explosive combos in this fast-paced roguelike
The long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed action RPG, Dragon’s Dogma 2 serves up a vast open world filled with mythical creatures, challenging combat, and a deep character customization system and is currently available at our best-ever discount during the Black Friday Sale.
It may have taken 14 years to arrive on PC, but thankfully, you haven’t had to wait quite as long to grab our first-ever discount on the critically acclaimed predecessor to one of the greatest open-world action adventures of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2.
Upcoming Deals
The discount fun doesn’t stop there, however. With Black Friday itself still a few days away, we have over 500 deals dropping into the sale over the next week – including the standout games below!
Embark on an epic adventure in the first-ever Star Wars open-world action adventure game with our first-ever discount! Risk it all as scoundrel Kay Vess and explore locations from across the galaxy when you pick up your copy in our Black Friday sale.
Relive the thrilling adventures of Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer in stunning 4K and experience the series’ signature visuals, action, and storytelling with our best-ever discount on the UNCHARTED Legacy of Thieves Collection during our Black Friday sale.
This long-awaited entry, the first fully-fledged action RPG in the mainline FINAL FANTASY series, made its PC debut earlier this year. Now, experience this epic dark fantasy and take on the role of Clive Rosfield for less with its first-ever discount as part of our Black Friday Sale.
Embark on a journey to the stars in Bethesda Game Studios’ acclaimed galaxy-spanning single-player RPG. Explore vast, procedurally generated planets, encounter diverse alien life forms, and build your own spaceship when you pick up Starfield on its best-ever discount.
Explore a stunning post-apocalyptic world filled with majestic machines and ancient ruins in this second entry in the acclaimed Horizon series. Grab the Complete Edition – which includes the base game, all DLC and a trove of PC-specific features – during our Black Friday sale and save with our biggest discount yet.
Immerse yourself, and your friends, in the enchanting world of Quidditch with our first-ever discount on the 2024 release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Take to the sky of the Wizarding World in a variety of game modes in this magical sports adventure.
We often long for the good old days when polygon counts were like, three, and the internet was something we didn’t have access to because it was too expensive. We also have a painful nostalgia for games we played in simpler times, and two of the best of those were Dark Cloud and Dark Chronicle. These games were RPGs where you had to go out and take pictures of things, beat up baddies, and then build up a hometown or two. The disparate ideas fit together perfectly, and no game has come close to hitting that specific target like Lynked: Banner of the Spark.
Lynked has you taking up resistance in a world overrun with robots. Thankfully, you are not alone as you have a friendly robot called Buddy, who can become different weapons, plus the friendly robots you rescue and whoever you decide to play co-op with. You go out on mini-roguelike missions to fight the Combit threat – upgrading your gear for that particular mission – before returning with new materials, friendly bots, and weapon blueprints.
As you get into it, you get more and more abilities. You can start to use your Wyre – a sort of grappling hook – to grab an enemy, pull yourself towards them in a slide tackle, fly kick them, or swing them around you before slamming them down. As for the weapons themselves, there are ten different classes, each of which has multiple variations for special attacks and unique mods. It’s just a lot of customisation and makes Lynked: Banner of the Spark feel awesome.
Not only is Lynked cute and a lot of fun to play, but it also has a nice mix of downtime, with the base building and chatting providing a perfect breather between the fast-action sections and some surprisingly challenging bosses and enemy types. It’s a great little game, and as it has only just been released in Early Access, it’s surely only going to get better over time.
Metal Slug is a classic run-and-gun series that’s all about over-the-top action and completely absurd guns. It’s a classic for a reason, but it’s sort of been non-existent in recent years outside of a cross-over outing in Vampire Survivors. Well, that’s all changed now, thanks to Metal Slug Tactics, which takes the game from its run-and-gun roots and puts it into a tactical roguelike. Wait, what?
That’s right, Metal Slug Tactics is a completely different kind of game, and while it takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around the change, it still manages to channel the classic series impressively, leading to a deeply engaging and entertaining tactics game with plenty of replayability, and some really good music.
Each run, did we mention it was a roguelike, has you picking three different characters and their loadout, which means there is a lot of customisation when it comes to playing style. You then have to complete different missions, most of which involve defeating your enemies, but some have other objectives too, such as escaping with your squad intact. Your job is then to survive and make it through a full run if you can.
What’s really cool though are some of the new systems the game implements, which feel refreshing not only for the Metal Slug series but for tactics games in general. For instance, the Sync system allows players to chain together attacks from two characters in a single turn, without using an extra action point, creating a satisfying and strategic combat flow. Metal Slug Tactics is a huge amount of fun to sink time into, and because it’s a roguelike, if it clicks with you then there are plenty of different unlocks and systems to play with and master.
Whilst not perfect, some of the writing can feel a bit sloppy, and there are a few bugs – as with any new release – but overall, Metal Slug Tactics is a blast to play, and should bring a lot of joy to anyone in their 30’s that has fond memories of the series, as well as newcomers who just want a solid tactics game.
