I got to try some ofMagic: The Gathering’s Foundationsset during a recent visit to Wizards of the Coast’s office in Seattle. Serving partly as a long-term core for Wizards’ new aspirations for theStandard format, and partly as a fresh learn-to-play system for new players among the group of 15 journalists there, I think I may be the most qualified person to talk about it. I definitely didn’t feel that way when I got there....

If you grew up in the era whenPCgames were still sold on discs,UFO 50will feel familiar. As a kid, my dad bought us multiple CD-ROM collections that came with 50, or 100, or even more, games. Full games, at that. They were always older games, usually a decade or more past their launch date, but still full games. I was always excited when I first popped the disc into the tray....

It happens every year. I get through that long stretch from January to September without much trouble, shelling out for the games I want most at launch, and strategically waiting on the others. I wait for sales; I weather the initial hype cycle. Each month, I allot myself enough spending money to afford two triple-A games (or the equivalent number of indies), and that tends to be enough. But, every year without fail, October arrives and my plan falls apart....

Summary Tetsuya Nomura has revealed in a recent interview thatKingdom Hearts 4is being made with the intent of eventually moving towards the story’s conclusion. Over the past two years,Kingdom Heartsfans have been begging Square Enix toshare some kind of update on the game and let us know how it’s doing, something I know because I’m one of them. While we still don’t have all that much to go off of right now,Tetsuya Nomura has finally spoken about the long-awaited sequeland revealed some new details....

You know MrBeast, right? Most famous guy on Earth to anyone under, say, 22, completely unheard of to anyone over, say, 38. Generic ‘oh yeah I think I know him’ figure to those of us in the 15 year dead zone between young and old. He’s aYouTuber. He’stheYouTuber. He’s done a few newsworthy things in his time, but what I’m concerned with today is his latest product, Lunchlys. It’s a Lunchables knock-off....

Summary TheMarvel Rivalsteam has the full rights to the legendary IP. This includes the comics, previous video games, and theMarvel Cinematic Universe. But, while it has unprecedented access, lead game designer Guangyun Chen told a small selection of media atTokyo Game Showthat a story mode was never considered as part of the game’s plans. “Our Plan Was To Make This Game From The Beginning” Chen was questioned on whether the team at NetEase had ever considered a story mode for its upcoming shooter....

This article contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Life is Strange: Double Exposure. InLife is Strange: Double Exposure, protagonist Max Caulfield is kind of a menace and I don’t know how to feel about it. Video Game Characters Are Usually Morally Questionable Video game characters have been morally questionable for as long as I’ve been playing them. Sure, there’s the obvious example of nice guy Nathan Drake murdering hundreds of people in any givenUnchartedlevel, butKirbyandPac-Maneat everyone they meet andLinkis always breaking people’s pots and terrorizing their chickens....

Quick Links Minibosses inHades 2can be annoying and difficult, but the Great-Dracon is a welcome respite to the dangerous swarms of Mount Olympus. Although you might be hesitant to challenge a room with that dreaded miniboss sigil, the idea of a familiar, easier challenge in return for an Olympic boon should certainly tempt you. Mega-Dracon likes to intimidate with his size, but we promise that the mechanical beast is more spark than inferno (we’ll leave the inferno to Prometheus)....

Summary The developers behindMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterhave suggested that the first and secondMetal Gear Solidgames can’t get the same treatment as they would need a complete reworking. Before Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was officially revealed last year, it wasrumoured to be in the works for quite some time. While Snake Eater is one of the more popular games in the series and takes place before Solid Snake’s missions,many fans wondered why it had been picked as the first game to get remade....

Summary Metaphor: ReFantaziois extremely similar to Persona, which isn’t surprising since Persona director Katsura Hashino is the mastermind behind it. Thankfully, there’s enough in the game to set it apart and give the game its own identity, the fantasy setting being one of the biggest. There are also changes to familiar mechanics,such as the inability to fail Rank Up events. Those hoping to give the game’s colorful cast of characters a smooch at some point will be disappointed too, as it was confirmed before the game’s launch that, unlike Persona,Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t include romance options....

Atlusisn’t new to including auto battle mechanics in its games. Many of thePersonatitles let your characters make their own decisions in combat, taking the onus off you as a player if you don’t really feel like grinding through a dungeon. I’ve only played some ofPersona 5, but I never really used the auto battle feature – combat was easy enough that grinding never feltthatbad, and dungeons didn’t really feel like a slog either....

I probably don’t like video game music as much as the rest of you, given that you represent the portion of the population who willingly read video game websites. I’ve played games where I’ve enjoyed the music enough, and could point to several places where I feel a particular use of music elevates the scene, but for me, it has always belonged in the scene. There has never been the temptation, ever, to lift the music out of the game and listen to it in my free time....

While we are used to our characters inDungeons & Dragonsbeing able to cast spells and swing swords, we don’t usually see them crafting weapons or modifying their boots. Thanks to the tools in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, however, characters can now do all these things and more. Gaining proficiency in a tool is just like gaining one in a skill: you either get it from your background, your class, or you gain it through a feat at higher levels....