Anime Souls Simulator Auto Attake Auto Mobs Roblox Scripts Download Free Roblox Exploits Hacks And Cheats For Roblox Games Best Roblox Codes And Scripts.
About Anime Souls Simulator:
I’ve been playing this game for a long time, please stop playing and supporting gameforge’s garbage game that says I’m committing fraud against people without providing the name/time/event details of the person being defrauded. Fortunately, I only spent $5000 in this game. Your company people like to listen to one side of the story, the lesson I learned in this case is that game companies can do whatever they want, players rights are as void in front of your company, you new players who don’t believe in it can experience it for yourselves, you will only waste your time and money.
But Game-forge is ignoring that and is pushing new updates which are just more grinding and grinding but there are still bugs out there or problems which i had when i was playing back in 2014. Many items are only accessible through item shop, so if no one buys them, those are not available or just really expensive if you want to buy it with ingame money..
How to run Anime Souls Simulator roblox script / Exploit /Code / Hack and cheat
Download The Exploit (How To Download Guide)
Make Sure You Don’t Download Any Advertisements
Run The Script Via Your Favorite Executor App (Zeus, Delta, Furk Ultra etc)
Retail Tycoon 2 Free Hub Clock Hub Roblox Scripts Download Free Roblox Exploits Hacks And Cheats For Roblox Games Best Roblox Codes And Scripts.
About Retail Tycoon 2:
having played 100s of hours of openttd before it came to steam, Voxel Tycoon feels like the natural evolution of the transport tycoon style game. The game is still in early access and so is missing some key planned features such as vehicle obsolescence, liquid management (like factorio, did I mention you build productiuon lines with conveyer belts in this game), electricity (has electric rail already but they are planning to add powerplants and an electric grid, probably also similar to factorio), and finally the game is also currently lacking multiplayer. The devs have a great many other features planned which are shown on their trello page, but as it stands now, this game is a joy to play and those planned features are slowly but surely making their way into the game. Worth the full price.
I understand that it is still a work in progress (somewhat slow progress, by some account), however it is really quite playable. In the game that I am playing, I am just about to finish the research tree. It’s been a blast, working out how to keep my trains from blocking each other with bridges and tunnels and using the signals the best way. I also freaking love the simple pleasure of “riding” in the vehicles, including being able to right click and drag while riding to look around and take snapshots of the various blocky towns, mountains, and lakes.
How to run Retail Tycoon 2 roblox script / Exploit /Code / Hack and cheat
Download The Exploit (How To Download Guide)
Make Sure You Don’t Download Any Advertisements
Run The Script Via Your Favorite Executor App (Zeus, Delta, Furk Ultra etc)
Please do say goodbye to news reporter CJ as he descends the ladder from the RPS treehouse one final time, if you haven’t already. Then return to tell us all what you’re playing this weekend. Here’s what we’re clicking on!
Scroll down for hints, tips, and clues designed to make today’s Wordle (opens in new tab) that much easier to solve, or make sure you win with a peek at the answer to the January 28 (588) Wordle—the word you’re looking for is only a quick click away.
Staring at four yellows is always an odd experience because when you’re in that tricky situation, the answer could be either one guess or a hundred away. By some blind luck, my follow-up to today’s awkwardness turned a few of them into just the right sort of greens, and after that, all I had to do was add the successful finishing touch.
Wordle hint
A Wordle hint for Saturday, January 28
When someone is attracted to another person they behave in this way, although it’s usually in a casual, playful manner rather than serious and intense. If you _____ with the idea of doing something, you briefly consider giving it a go. There’s just one vowel to find today.
Is there a double letter in today’s Wordle?
There are no repeat letters in today’s Wordle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there’s one thing better than playing Wordle, it’s playing Wordle well, which is why I’m going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants.
A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
The solution may contain repeat letters.
There’s no time pressure beyond making sure it’s done by midnight. So there’s no reason not to treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you’re coming up blank.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
What is the Wordle 588 answer?
Weekends are for winning. The answer to the January 28 (588) Wordle is FLIRT.
Previous answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today’s Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that’s already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle solutions:
January 27: WORRY
January 26: BEEFY
January 25: MAIZE
January 24: COUNT
January 23: ELUDE
January 22: MATEY
January 21: BLURB
January 20: ALTER
January 19: MUCKY
January 18: CHARD
Learn more about Wordle
Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it’s up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.
You’ll want to start with a strong word (opens in new tab) like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
You’ll want your second go to compliment the first, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer.
After that it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips (opens in new tab), and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle (opens in new tab), as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle (opens in new tab), refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures (opens in new tab). Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast is backing off from its controversial plans to change how its license works, publishing the entire 5.1 SRD under the Creative Commons license.
We have a big explainer on the D&D OGL controversy if you want more information, but in short, Wizards of the Coast publishes Dungeons & Dragons under what it calls the Open Game License. OGL 1.0a essentially allows anyone to publish content that’s derivative of D&D’s ruleset. But in January, leaks and then Wizards itself revealed plans for a new license, called OGL 1.2, that would replace the old one.
The response from fans was fast, loud, and brutal, as Wizards was suddenly changing a cornerstone of D&D that had been in place for over two decades in a way that would seemingly benefit only itself.
In response to the outcry, the publisher started officially asking for feedback (opens in new tab) on OGL 1.2 on January 19, with plans to keep the line of communication with fans open until February 3. But that line is already being shut down, as the company is completely backing off from its plans to change the license.
As explained in a new blog post (opens in new tab): “We are leaving OGL 1.0a in place, as is. Untouched. We are also making the entire SRD 5.1 available under a Creative Commons license. You choose which you prefer to use.”
You can see that Creative Commons version of the SRD here (opens in new tab). “This Creative Commons license makes the content freely available for any use. We don’t control that license and cannot alter or revoke it. It’s open and irrevocable in a way that doesn’t require you to take our word for it.”
The Herman Miller X Logitech Vantum gaming chair is the next to follow from the furniture-gaming double-act and represents an opportunity to enjoy that combo without breaking the four-figure ceiling.
This $795/£845 gaming chair is an upright, mesh-designed bad boy that has a much more subtle aesthetic than its brethren – and also comes in three colourways too. It’s notably different from that predecessor in almost every way: design, aesthetic, price, value, materials, and even offers a different ‘kind of comfort’.
Unlike the Embody, the Vantum does require a bit of construction – albeit barely any. The chair is shipped out in a large cardboard box and each bit that requires connecting is compartmentalized nicely. All you have to do is then put the seat (back, arms, and seat parts) on the wheelbase, and then slide in the headrest after. Bingo bango.
This is a bit of construction to allow for easier shipping, but not enough to leave you worried that your building efforts will lead to problems down the road. Once it’s all together, it does inspire confidence that there are no weak spots that you maybe created for yourself.
Design-wise, it is very different from the Embody. The Vantum is a mesh chair and is generally a bit ‘smaller’ in every way – apart from height. The headrest, naturally, makes the chair taller, but the seat is also a little narrow (side to side) and shallower (front to back), and the armrests are slightly shorter too. The wheelbase is solid and sturdy but also smaller; it’s not as wide as the Embody’s which actually makes moving it around a bit easier, truth be told.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
The materials do feel ‘cheaper’ than the Embody – that is to say, not necessarily budget or flimsy, but not as premium across the board. This surely was done to keep the costs down but it doesn’t feel as slick as the Embody, and you can tap your nails against most parts and get that signature plasticky sound greeting you back.
Aesthetically, the colourways on offer are pretty stylish, I think. We were sent the black unit that has a few red handles that pop and show a tiny flare of character – otherwise, this is the plainest affair. The black and red variant looks great too, and the white one is very chic. There should be a colourway for you with the Vantum, no matter your setup. Again, I still prefer the Dead Space-esque, Isaac’s Suit-style look that the Embody has, but this is a subjective thing. And to confirm the slightly obvious, this is certainly a chair aimed at living with a desk – a gaming chair for PS4, PS5, or Xbox in a traditional TV-setup, this is not.
Adjustability, Comfort, & Performance
I mentioned it at the top, but the Vantum does promote a different kind of comfort and ergonomic design compared to its brother chair. And that mainly comes in the form of shunting you forward a bit more, and almost guiding you to be a bit more upright in your posture. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t in a ‘your bones will soon adapt to the chair’ way, but rather a design ethos throughout the seat which just promotes being upright. As someone who has a tendency to roll my shoulders forward and slouch a bit, this is actually quite welcome – and could be a clincher for anyone looking to achieve this position more in their posture. Honestly, the difference is immediate and you can instantly feel the chair encouraging you to be more upright, shoulder back, and forward facing – alert, almost.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Let’s break it down, bit by bit. The smaller seat – which is adjustable itself, and can be made larger or smaller – means you can’t fall into the back for the chair and disappear as much as in others, your posterior will be pushed forward a bit, and you’ll find your legs and back following suit and compensated too, almost naturally. The seat is also well-cushioned and comfy which makes it easier for said posterior. You’ve got the usual controls on the seat part too: height adjustment, tilt, tilt tension, and the seat depth lever.
The mesh back is forgiving yet supportive. Reinforced by a robust plastic backing around the edges – that then feed into the spine of the chair – it’s a simple design, but one that is comfy, and also just gently pushes you forward. You can alter the lumbar support with the handles on the back which push the support into your back or pull it away as you deem fit. A tiny criticism here is that the lumber support is a little bit localised, and is at its strongest in the middle ten centimetres or so of the chair – not across the whole back like the Razer Iskur, for example. The mesh material is definitely cooler than a solid or soft-backed chair, too, and could be a serious boon in the summertime – no one wants to be stuck to a chair or have a distinctly hot back when playing games for a few hours.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
The headrest is of the same mesh material and slots in securely at the back. It’s not so easy to change its position but I didn’t mind that too much, as it means it is really secure in the setting you do leave it in. The headrest also tilts forward and back a bit to offer some flexibility.
The same can’t quite be said of the armrests, which I found to be one of the weakest parts of the chair in testing. Mainly because they are adjusted very easily – and that means too easily. I constantly found that even the merest of touches or bumps would cause the armrests to go forward or back, or from side to side. Some extra strength or stiffness in the arms would not have gone a miss here. It’s worth noting that these are also not as comfortable as the other parts of the Vantum too – they are just a bit on the hard side and my elbows felt it in a relatively short amount of time during every testing session or day at work.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
Overall – should you buy it?
The Vantum is definitely a great gaming chair, and if you’re looking for something to slide under your gaming desk or standing desk that’s got style, ergonomics, and comfort, and which particularly promotes an upright, forward-leaning posture, then this could be it.
However, the price is still high, of course. And still as much as a great gaming monitor or gaming TV. But like the Vantum, it’s also covered by a 12-year warranty which does help to offset the price a bit and make it more palatable.
(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)
In comparison to the Embody, the Vantum is not quite as good. Keep in mind that this is to the tune of a few hundred dollars/pounds – which means the differences that I experienced definitely track, and ‘make sense’. The Embody is a better chair. But that’s fine – it demands a larger investment and has more premium-feeling materials and finishes. The Vantum is a well-designed and comfy ergonomic chair but one that lives firmly in the shadow of its sibling.
If you were saving for a Herman Miller chair, then I’d still encourage you to save a bit more for the Embody. But if you have an $800/£800 (ish) budget and don’t want to go anywhere near, or bust through, the four-figure mark, then the Vantum could very well be a great hit – no one does ergonomics quite like Herman Miller, and the Vantum chair is the latest demonstration of that.
How we tested the Herman Miller X Logitech G Vantum Gaming Chair
I used the Herman Miller X Logitech G Vantum chair by integrating into my setup and using it nearly every day for a period of multiple weeks. I was using the chair for 8+ hour work days at a time during the day, then gaming sessions before and after to ensure it got the full go around.
Across the testing, I was also able to compare the Vantum directly against the Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody to see the differences between the two that might, or might not, reflect the price tag difference.
Developer Tour De Pizza clearly didn’t compromise on its passions when it released its debut title: a pizza-themed platformer inspired by the Wario Land series, and the studio’s dedication to its dreams appears to have paid off.
If you head to Steam’s page (opens in new tab) for its most popular games released in 2023, you’ll see a colorful little platformer called Pizza Tower at number three. The game prominently bills itself as “a fast paced 2D platformer inspired by the Wario Land series,” and you can see that inspiration pretty clearly in the gameplay trailer:
Pizza Tower puts you in the shoes of the plump pizzaiolo Peppino Spaghetti, whose restaurant is under threat from the diabolical Pizza Face – literally a giant pizza with a face – who plans on annihilating Peppino’s restaurant from the titular tower. Now, Peppino’s a big fan of his restaurant, and likely his livelihood, so he’s pretty motivated in getting to the top of Pizza Tower and putting a stop to Pizza Face once and for all.
Naturally, in his way are all manner of, in Tour De Pizza’s words, “monsters and other weirdos.” From the promotional materials, you can clearly see Peppino barreling right through obstacles like blocks of cheese and giant potatoes, and on the way to fight bosses, collecting pizza ingredients like tomatoes and mushrooms.
Pizza Tower has been in the making for about five years, so it’s good to see its grand opening is getting business on Steam. Not only is it being played a lot, but it’s also getting stellar reviews from players and critics alike. At the time of writing, Pizza Tower has almost 1,000 ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reviews on Steam (opens in new tab) and our colleagues over at PC Gamer awarded it an impressive 9/10 (opens in new tab).
Looking ahead, here are all of the upcoming indie games we have on our radar for 2023.
Whether you want the latest superhero action, mind-expanding sci-fi, or soul-chilling horror, comics are one of the most diverse storytelling mediums on Earth. Yet while physical comics and graphic novels will always have a place in our longboxes and on our bookshelves, digital marketplaces and reader apps offer two distinct benefits – the portability of taking an entire collection anywhere you go, and the opportunity for creators to experiment with comics unbound by the limits of the printed page.
As digital comics and reader apps have evolved, the marketplace has gotten pretty crowded though, with numerous services battling for your attention – which is where we step in. From voluminous archives of classic comics to the latest releases, via original creations designed exclusively to be read on your devices, here’s our pick of the best apps for comics, whatever you’re reading.
10. Astonishing Comic Viewer
(Image credit: Aerilys)
Available on: Android
Price: Free
Astonishing by name, astonishing by nature. At a surface level, this is a reader that again supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF files, curates your collection, offers cloud storage integration, and supports western and manga reading directions. Look a little deeper though and you’ll find it packs in a few other tricks too, such as continuous reading between issues, the ability to share favorite panels or pages, and even support for casting your comics to other screens – reading comics blown up on a 4K TV is a unique experience!
9. Chunky
(Image credit: Michael Ferenduros)
Available on: iOS – iPad only
Price: Free
Moving away from digital comic storefronts, Chunky is a pure reader targeting the iPad exclusively. The lack of iPhone support may disappoint – as might its absence from Android tablets – but this is an app designed to make your digital comics look as good as possible, which means the biggest screen possible. Supporting CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats, Chunky will automatically upscale low-resolution material, with pretty impressive results – as the developer says, it’s “built by graphics-geeks, for comic-nerds”. It will also automatically arrange your collection as you import files, and recognise metadata tags from cataloguing services. In fact, the more you dig into Chunky, the more features you’ll uncover – such as auto-contrast features, parental controls, western and manga reading modes, and both portrait and landscape display support. Best of all, it integrates with just about every cloud storage option out there, allowing you to easily load your comics into the app.
8. comiXology
(Image credit: Amazon / Comixology)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: App free; Individual purchases; Amazon Prime subscriptions
Once the pinnacle of digital comics as an entire concept, comiXology was bought by Amazon in 2014 and, well, it’s all been a bit downhill ever since. Both Android and iOS apps have long lacked the ability to buy comics in-app – speculated to be a way to avoid cuts taken by the respective app stores – which forces readers into the frankly terrible user experience of having to search for and buy comics through Amazon’s website, then managing their library back in the comiXology app. Amazon’s push to merge comics into its own Kindle ecosystem, coupled with the absolute mess that searching for anything on Amazon is nowadays, has ruined what once felt like the future of comics. However, muddle through the purchase process and comiXology still has its perks. Not only is comiXology still the main avenue for buying digital comics day and date with physically released new issues, but as a reader app, its Guided View mechanic – which sweeps through zoomed-in panels for an almost cinematic reading experience – remains best in class. The library is also hard to beat, with offerings from every publisher you care to imagine and a few more besides, frequent sales and discounts, and a range of comiXology Originals that offers a slate of titles not available anywhere else – including genuinely excellent work from creators including Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder. Prime subscribers also get access to any titles included in Prime Reading, which can be browsed and downloaded in-app, unlike purchases. Overall, comiXology remains worthy of note as one of the best comic readers, but its shining star has definitely fallen.
7. Crunchyroll Manga
(Image credit: Crunchyroll)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: Crunchyroll subscription required
Another manga-focused app, but with titles from a wider array of publishers than Shonen Jump. Big titles such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Fairy Tail, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card are joined by buried treasures including Okitenemuru and Father and Son, and many are published simultaneously with Japan. However, while many titles have at least the first chapter available to read for free, you’ll need a subscription to Crunchyroll’s anime streaming service to access most of the content here, and even then, some titles have gaps in available chapters. The reading experience is a mixed affair – page-to-page scrolling is smooth, and it has a form of guided view, but there’s still no landscape view support. Turn your phone sideways for a double-page spread, and you’ll just get each page, vertically, that must be scrolled top-to-bottom. Still, a solid selection of genres and titles, and the fact that it’s basically free if you do have a Crunchyroll subscription for anime, makes this a solid choice.
6. Azuki
(Image credit: Azuki)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: $4.99/month
Despite being a newer player on the manga scene, Azuki has already picked up some must-read AAA titles, including Attack on Titan, Fire Force, and the cyberpunk classic Battle Angel Alita. It’s also learned some lessons other manga-focused apps still haven’t, with support for multiple reading modes – single page focus, double page spread, or a vertical scroll of pages that works particularly well on phones – and a clean library view. Discovery is a delight, with the ability to browse titles by genre or publisher, and it even offers a publication schedule so you know exactly when new chapters will drop. On the downside, Azuki is online only, with no way to download chapters at present. The lag also makes page transitions slower than is ideal. Hopefully, these issues will be addressed in time, since with its expanding library and global availability (bar Japan itself), Azuki has a lot to offer fans.
5. 2000AD
(Image credit: Rebellion)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: Free; Individual comic purchases
The legendary British sci-fi comic now delivers zarjaz thrills directly to your pocket with its own dedicated app. No idea what “zarjaz” means? No worries – you’ll be able to pick up the publication’s unique slang thanks to a selection of free titles, serving up a best-of platter of titles from publisher Rebellion. There’s also the option to buy individual single issues of 2000AD dating back to 2002, pick up graphic novel collections of characters such as Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, or Sláine, or subscribe to either the weekly 2000AD or the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine. Best of all, as Rebellion has picked up rights to titles from other UK publishers over the years, the 2000AD app now offers a host of once-lost classics, including The Steel Claw and The Trigan Empire. Improving on earlier versions of the app, there’s now a library view, and although there’s still no equivalent of guided view – the ability to tap-to-zoom is a poor alternative – the reading experience remains clean and clear, with smooth page transitions and sharp HD presentations of the material.
4. Webtoon
(Image credit: Webtoon)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: Free
Originally focused on Korean webcomics primarily designed to be read on smartphones, Webtoon is now a portal for creators around the world. While it’s the best place to read Korean titles that have enjoyed international breakthrough success – such as Sweet Home and Tower of God – western publishers have gotten in on the action, too. DC in particular offers up some fantastic Webtoon-original titles, including Vixen, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and the sublime Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, which drops the Caped Crusader and his host of sidekicks into a superhero slice-of-life comedy. With the reading experience tailored to a continuous scroll, Webtoon is one of the few comics apps better suited to reading on your phone than a tablet, while easy bulk downloads of chapters means you can binge read whether you have data or not – perfect for commutes or flights.
3. DC Universe Infinite
(Image credit: DC Universe Infinite)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: Various subscription tiers (£6.99/$7.99 per month to £87.99/$119.99 per annum)
DC’s answer to Marvel’s dedicated app has been on what can only be described as a journey. Originally launched as a hub for all things DC, it was initially more of a streaming service that happened to also throw some bones to comics fans. Following the upheaval at Warner Brothers Discovery, which saw video content migrated to HBO Max, the platform was relaunched as a comics-only product – and it’s never been better. Where the original was locked to the US, the new incarnation is available in multiple territories, and it offers a bigger library than ever, with thousands of series to read. Basic subscribers (£6.99/$7.99 month) will get access to new titles six months after print releases, while those who opt for the top tier Ultra sub (£87.99/$119.99 per year) can read new issues only 30 days behind physical publication. As a reader app, it provides the same Guided View option as Marvel and comiXology, and the HD presentation of titles looks gorgeous on a good size tablet screen. All combined, DC Universe Infinite is a vast improvement on its earlier incarnation, making it worthy of inclusion as one of the best comic apps.
2. Marvel Unlimited
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: £8.99/$9.99 per month, $68.99/year
If keeping up with the latest adventures in the Marvel Universe isn’t your top priority, then Marvel Unlimited might be for you. With an archive of 30,000+ comics from across the publisher’s 80+ years, and new issues added on a roughly three month delay from print copies, it’s a fantastic way to catch up on the histories of Spider-Man, Black Panther, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Hulk, Captain Marvel, and many, many more. The digital format also allows for Unlimited-exclusive “Infinity Comics”, read as a constant scroll, while more conventionally designed comics can be read in “Smart View”, allowing fans to swipe through panels on their phones, or have a full-page view on tablet or desktop browser. Recent updates have improved the app further, removing the previous paltry limit of only allowing 12 issues to be downloaded to a device at once. It could be a little better on the navigation front though – all those downloaded issues just sit as an endless list, rather than grouping by title, unless you bookmark a series first, which then groups them in a separate tab; a messy and repetitive chore. The price also remains a little steep compared to some of its subscription-based peers, costing about the same as a Netflix plan, though you can slash 40 per cent from the total cost if you pay annually. US-based subscribers can also take advantage of the Marvel Insider program, unlocking access to merch and giveaways from engaging with the app.
1. Shonen Jump
(Image credit: Viz Media)
Available on: Android, iOS
Price: Free; Subscription models available
First, the bad news: Shonen Jump recently spiked its monthly subscription cost by 50%. Now, the good news: that hike brought the fee to the still almost comically low $2.99 per month, meaning this dedicated manga app remains the best deal in comics. And if three dollars (or local equivalent – Shonen Jump is currently available in 10 countries) is still too much, users can read the three latest chapters of some of Japan’s most popular series for free. New chapters are typically published day-and-date with Japan, and subscribers also get access to a frankly ridiculous amount of archive content from publisher Shueisha to wade through. Whether you fancy reading all of One Piece’s 1050+ chapters and counting, diving into hidden gems like Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s brilliant earlier series Dr Slump, or discovering modern classics such as Chainsaw Man, there’s an abundance of comics to read through. There’s also the option to buy collected volumes of each title, guarding against titles cycling out of the library in future. The reading experience is solid, and although it lacks panel transitions that would help reading on phones, its support for landscape views makes double page spreads really pop on tablets. An incredible treasure trove of manga new and old, plus phenomenal value makes Shonen Jump hard to beat.
Love comics but don’t know where to start? Here’s our guide to comic shops and what to expect.
I’ve seen some feats of gaming persistence in my time, but never before have I witnessed an MMO player spend eight years grinding a hated activity specifically so they could one day instantaneously max out an equally hated skill. Such was the achievement of Old School Runescape player NC State, who recently reached 200 million experience in the unpopular Agility skill in under a minute after cashing in XP tickets which took years to collect.
NC State’s friend, Reddit user h0dgep0dge, shared a Twitch clip of the finale, which has left many OSRS players downright speechless, and for good reason. Even as someone who put roughly 5,000 hours into Runescape pre-OSRS and has continued to keep up with the game, it’s hard for me to articulate the psychic damage that training Agility at all inflicts, especially using the Brimhaven dungeon that NC State chose to grind.
People sometimes joke that playing an MMO is just clicking on the same things repeatedly, and that’s a painfully accurate description in this case. Training Agility involves running tiny point-and-click obstacle courses on a loop, with virtually no variance or meaningful skill expression. The Brimhaven dungeon is particularly unpopular because it backloads its meagre XP gains by tying them to tickets that you can cash in for rewards.
But if you did, for some unholy reason, want to jump from 22 million Agility experience – which is already way above the max in-game level of 99 – to 200 million in under a minute, I suppose this would be the way to do it.
The OSRS high scores confirm NC State is the 120th player to reach max Agility experience, and I’d wager they’re the first to have done so exclusively using the Brimhaven dungeon. Rough math from Reddit user ElMico estimates this grind would have taken upwards of 5,000 hours of game time with near-perfect play, and all in the same dungeon doing the same few things.
On top of that, this might be the most XP any OSRS player has ever earned within 60 seconds, with the possible exception of the popular wine-stacking cooking technique. “I’m in the same clan as him,” reads a comment from Redditor RikdoKosh. “It was the craziest [clan chat] announcement I’ve ever seen. Seeing him get 50m, 100m, 150m, then 200m in like 30 seconds.”
I can offer no words but these: the human spirit is both amazing and unknowable.
Speaking of wild MMO achievements: after 200 hours of attempts, a Destiny 2 player has made history with a solo raid challenge thought to be impossible.
Toy and entertainment giant Hasbro will be laying off 1,000 people (roughly 15% of its workforce) after poor results in the last quarter, in spite of D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast performing well throughout 2022.
Following losses of 17% year-over-year, Hasbro stated that these cuts (alongside supply chain investments) would save the company between $250M and $300M in costs by 2025. While it didn’t specify which departments those job losses would affect, CEO Chris Cocks noted that everything other than Wizards of the Coast and the Digital Gaming segment underperformed “against the backdrop of a challenging holiday consumer environment.”
“We are focused on implementing transformational changes aimed at substantially reducing costs and increasing our growth rates and profitability,” Cocks said in Hasbro’s press release (opens in new tab). “While the full-year 2022, and particularly the fourth quarter, represented a challenging moment for Hasbro, we are confident in our Blueprint 2.0 strategy… which includes a focus on fewer, bigger brands; gaming; digital; and our rapidly growing direct to consumer and licensing businesses. Through this strategy, we are putting the consumer at the center of everything we do.”
This follows claims from Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams that D&D is “under monetised” during a web seminar late last year, and she noted that digital platform D&D Beyond would become a focus for the company to unlock further spending amongst fans.
Regarding the layoffs, Cocks said that “the elimination of these positions will impact many loyal Hasbro employees, and we do not undertake this process lightly. However, the changes are necessary to return our business to a competitive, industry-leading position and to provide the foundation for future success.”
This news arrives shortly after the D&D licensing controversy that sent the community into uproar in January, an issue which saw so many fans cancel their online subscriptions that it crashed the page. And despite there being some good news for Wizards of the Coast here in terms of its financial success over 2022, these layoffs only add to what has already been a fraught year for Hasbro at large.
Atomic Heart developer Mundfish has denied claims that it’s collecting user data and providing it to Russian state authorities.
Earlier in the week, a fairly explosive report from AIN.Capital (opens in new tab) surfaced alleging Mundfish’s Russian store website included a clause informing users that their data may be collected and sent to Russian state authorities including the tax office and the Federal Security Service (FSB), a Russian federal body with broad authority to implement government policy on national defense and counterterrorism.
AIN also claims Mundfish’s website policy cited “Russian mobilization laws, under which soldiers are currently being recruited in Russia to continue the criminal war against Ukraine.” Furthermore, AIN alleged Atomic Heart itself is being “sponsored by Russian investors” and that Mundfish listed its legal address as being in Moscow.
In a statement to GamesRadar+, Mundfish refuted claims of data harvesting on the grounds that the privacy statement cited in AIN’s report is “outdated and wrong.”
“Our game and website DO NOT collect any information or data,” a spokesperson for Mundfish said. “The website’s privacy statement is outdated and wrong, and should have been removed years ago. We have shut down the shop to assure our fans of the integrity of our studio and products. We apologize for any confusion on this matter.”
Mundfish has not confirmed or denied claims that its website had once asked users to agree to data collecting, that its privacy policy made mention of Russian authorities, or that it has an office in Moscow.
It’s worth noting that Atomic Heart, which is Mundfish’s debut title, stars a KGB agent in an alternate future in which the Soviet Union mastered robotics to defeat Nazi Germany and put an end to World War 2. Central to the recent controversy around Mundfish is whether or not the studio has accepted funds from Russian authorities in developing Atomic Heart. The studio’s statement today makes no mention of that matter, but the topic is undoubtedly heavy on the minds of many who have been anticipating the game.
According to its website (opens in new tab), Mundfish is a Cyprus-based “international team” of developers from “countries including Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Georgia, Israel, Armenia, UAE, Serbia, and Cyprus.”
Ash and Pikachu’s final season of the Pokemon anime has already welcomed back several old friends, but one of the most iconic ones is set to appear in the coming weeks.
As reported by Serebii.net on Twitter, The Pokemon Company has released a series of screenshots from the current season of the Pokemon anime. Widely known as Ash and Pikachu’s ‘final chapter’, this season of the long-running tv show has seen the Pokemon trainer and his bestie reunite with several friends they’ve met over their 25-year-long journey.
Serebii Update: Pictures have been released for the next four episodes of Pokémon Aim To Be A Pokémon Master in Japan featuring the return of Squirtle and Lapras https://t.co/NWlAdn5F0o pic.twitter.com/YGLch2WP25January 27, 2023
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So far, Ash & Pikachu have teamed up with the likes of Sceptile, Donphan, Noivern, and Buizel, and caught up with Misty and Psyduck – in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the history of the Pokemon anime. Now, according to the new info released by anime publication Animage, Ash & Pikachu are set to get-together with not only Lapras but the fan favourite Squirtle Squad.
According to Serebii (opens in new tab), the upcoming episodes are due to air on February 17 and February 24 and will feature Ash and Pikachu getting separated thanks to Team Rocket, and rescuing a trapped Wallmer with help from Lapras. The Squirtle Squad plotline hasn’t been revealed yet but maybe it’s best we don’t know what shenanigans this reformed group of troublemakers will be up to ahead of time.
If you’re only familiar with Squirtle Squad from their very stylish sunglasses, here’s what the group has been up to over the years. The group debuted in the first season of the Pokemon anime in an episode appropriately named Here Comes the Squirtle Squad. In the episode, they’re causing trouble in the Kanto region by doing things like stealing things and writing graffiti.
Thankfully, the leader of the squad turns over a new leaf and eventually joins Ash’s team – influencing the other members to be better-behaving members of society and fight fires with Officer Jenny. It’ll be great to see the squad get back together, especially since it’s in honour of Ash and Pikachu who will soon step down as the lead protagonists of the Pokemon anime.
Find out what we think the best Pokemon games are to see if your all-time favourites made our list.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has acknowledged the company’s relatively light slate of games in 2022 and says to expect an “exciting year” ahead.
In a new interview with IGN (opens in new tab), Spencer took personal responsibility for Xbox’s lack of big new releases in 2022, a year virtually devoid of major titles from Xbox’s in-house studios. Of course, Bethesda’s Starfield was originally due to launch in November of last year, but it was ultimately delayed to 2023 with no new concrete release date.
“Our commitment to our fans is that we need to have a steady release of great games that people can play on our platform, and we didn’t do enough of that in 2022, there’s no doubt,” said. “And fundamentally, that’s on me. I’m the head of the business.
“The commitment we have to our customers to continue to deliver great games is something that I take seriously, the teams take seriously, and 2022 was too light on games. So we’re excited about getting to roll into 2023.”
The media-trained Spencer was careful not reveal anything off schedule, but he did suggest 2023 will be a much busier year for Xbox for a number of reasons, not least of which the return to office following the COVID-imposed work-from-home protocols.
“When I think about the rest of the work that we’re doing this year, it’s going to be an exciting year. From a production standpoint, we’re coming out of all of the COVID at home, and I think we’ve got a better working rhythm as an industry and things that are going on, and I’m excited.”
Just looking at the current slate of upcoming Xbox Series X games, it’s easy to see how Spencer could stay true to his word, barring any delays of course. Xbox already shadow-dropped the incredibly charming Hi-Fi Rush, and then Arkane’s open-world co-op zombie shooter Redfall launches in May, Minecraft Legends is due out in April, and we’re still waiting on a release date for the undeniable Xbox headliner, Bethesda’s Starfield, but that’s slated for 2023 as well.
The Las Vegas Open has given us plenty to get excited about when it comes to Warhammer; the event saw new boxsets and armies revealed for Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, Underworlds, and Warcry ahead of their launch in 2023.
The Las Vegas Open (or LVO) is an independent event taking place every January that celebrates tabletop wargames like Warhammer along with some of the best board games, and even though it’s mostly a chance to play against other fans or listen to seminars, it’s hosted some big announcements for the last few years. 2023 was no different, and because a lot was teased for the months to come, we’ve rounded up the Warhammer announcements you should care about down below.
Lizardmen return with all-new units, including velociraptor riders
(Image credit: Games Workshop)
After it was teased back at the beginning of January, a new Seraphon army has been announced for Warhammer Age of Sigmar ahead of its release in spring 2023. The bulk of this force is made up of brand-new (and very handsome) Saurus Warriors, and it’s led by giant frog Slann Starmasters on those iconic floating thrones. However, the velociraptor-riding skinks – known as Raptadon Hunters or Chargers – are probably the coolest new additions. The Seraphon are known for utilizing dinosaurs in their rank and file, so it’s fun to see this dino finally get a Warhammer spin.
Next Kill Team set stars space police vs cosmic elves, with destructible walls and cyber dogs
(Image credit: Games Workshop)
Kill Team (the quicker and more focused version of Warhammer 40,000) is getting a boxset focused on battles inside a spaceship, only one side includes a cyber-pooch ready to fight for law and justice. Or maybe just head-scritches.
Dubbed ‘Soulshackle’, this pack is due to land at some point in 2023. Unlike the Kill Team Starter Set, it has players fighting through cramped starship corridors that feature destructible walls. On side is the Adeptus Arbites Exaction Squad (who are basically space cops that work with the trusty dog companion we mentioned earlier), and arrayed against them are dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors.
Warhammer 40,000 boxset marks our first chance to get Vashtorr, the latest Chaos big bad
(Image credit: Warhammer Community, Games Workshop)
A narrative boxset pitting the latest Chaos big bad against some of the Space Marines’ best is coming, and it’s our first opportunity to pick up the massive Vashtorr the Arkifane that turned heads at the end of 2022. This pack, called Wrath of the Soul Forge King, ties into the Arks of Omen series currently providing story-driven scenarios for the Warhammer 40,000 game.
Speaking of 40K, Primaris Space Marine chapters are getting some backup with a ludicrous amount of firepower – the heavily-armored Brutalis Dreadnought with fearsome close combat capabilities and more guns than is strictly necessary. It’s backed up by a squad armed with support weapons like massive rocket launchers.
Warhammer also rewound the clock to the Horus Heresy, with a peek at the enormous Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer. Because it’s fitted with a massive neutron laser battery designed to wipe out enemy armor, it’ll make a real mess on the battlefield.
Vampire monks and dog-obsessed* berserkers make up the next Warcry boxset
(Image credit: Games Workshop)
*and by dog, we mean ‘hungering demon hounds from hell’
Two new warbands are on their way to the Gnarlwood, featuring vampires who swear only to drink the blood of monsters and Chaos devotees who are so obsessed with the Flesh Hounds of Khorne that some of them run around on all fours. Starring in the new Bloodhunt boxset due later this year, the Askurgan Trueblades seem to favor long-range attacks thanks to an emphasis on kaginawa hook-on-rope weapons, while the Claws of Karanak appear to be all about headlong assaults – most models are charging full-tilt toward the foe.
Much like Warcry: Sundered Fate, this pack features sixteen miniatures and terrain for them to battle on. More specifically, you’re getting raised bamboo platforms and towering, fleshy gnarloaks that will add some verticality to your fights. A book featuring rules and lore for both warbands is included as well.
A new Warhammer Underworlds warband
(Image credit: Games Workshop)
The next warband for Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood is a troupe of acrobatic, death-dealing gladiator Aelves that become more powerful with each kill – Gryselle’s Arenai. These are glass cannons with the saving grace of an Acrobatics ability, allowing them to reduce the damage by 1 (to a minimum of 1) with every dodge icon rolled when under attack. They also get bonuses for charging headlong into combat in a bid to please their god, Khaine, and Ploy cards that offer a powerful ability along with a drawback.
These figures make up the second warband to be launched following the Gnarlwood boxset itself, arriving in the wake of Grinkrak’s Looncourt.
The western release of Like a Dragon: Ishin is a curious proposition. It’s a remake of the 2014 spin-off of the core series and, like the original, relies on intimate knowledge of the mainline series for its experimental elseworlds narrative to land. And yet, Ishin is a completely original story that has the potential to serve as a good entry point for newcomers looking for something standalone.
Reaching Rank 10 in the Persona 3 Mitsuru Social Link is the only way to start a romance with Mitsuru and unlock the ultimate Empress Persona, Alilat–if you’re playing the male route. Like with Fuuka and Yukari in Persona 3, the female protagonist only becomes very good friends with them.
This guide explains how to start the Mitsuru Social Link and the best choices to pick for each protagonist. We’ve only included the conversations where a dialogue choice matters. For any that we didn’t include, you can pick any dialogue option and get the same result.
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How to start the Mitsuru Social Link
Mitsuru is only available after November 21, and you need max academics (genius level) to start the relationship, regardless of which protagonist you chose. You can raise your academics by studying at night or in the school library, but raising academics to the max level takes more than twice as long as it does to max out charm. If you don’t want to neglect your other Social links, you may have to save this relationship for New Game+, where your stats carry over.
Once you do start Mitsuru’s Social Link, you have very limited time to finish it. December 31 is the cutoff date for making a significant choice that determines what ending you get. If you go for the true ending, you’ll have some extra time in January to work on finishing the Social Link.
You can find her during the day on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at Gekkoukan High near the office.
An easier Social Link that you can start much earlier in the RPG involves the old couple at the bookstore. Head to the mall to start the Hierophant Social Link.
How to romance Mitsuru
If you’re playing as the male protagonist, you automatically start a romantic relationship with Mitsuru by progressing her Social Link. There’s no specific moment where you confess your passion or decide to remain friends. That’s true for your relationships with Aigis, Fuuka, and Yukari as well. If you want to do their Social Links, you don’t have a choice in the romance department–but you also don’t get penalized for having multiple girlfriends.
The female protagonist can’t romance Mitsuru.
Best gifts for Mitsuru
If you want to rank up faster, you can give Mitsuru gifts to help boost your relationship. She prefers:
Mitsuru Social Link choices
As with Persona 3’s other Social Links, make sure to bring a Persona of the matching Arcana to get an extra relationship boost for every correct answer.That’s the Empress Arcana for Mitsuru. Most Empress Personas start at a higher level, so to save money, it’s probably best to keep one on hand rather than summoning from the compendium when you need one. Leanan Sidhe and Yaksini are the ones you’ll likely encounter or be able to fuse first.
Mitsuru Social Link rank 1
No choice matters here, regardless of your protagonist
Mitsuru Social Link rank 2–Female protagonist
Mitsuru seems nervous
Is this your first time? (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 2–Male protagonist
Mitsuru seems nervous
Is this your first time? (+2)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 3–Female protagonist
Mitsuru seems dejected.
Perhaps he’s just maturing…
Does that make you happy? (+3)
I can’t explain why, though…
Love?
That’s anxiety (both give +3)
Sorry for subjecting you to my incoherent ramblings… Please forget what I just said
Mitsuru Social Link rank 3–Male protagonist
Mitsuru seems dejected.
Ask her to treat you (+2)
Perhaps he’s just maturing…
Does that make you happy? (+3)
I can’t explain why, though…
Maybe you’re in love?
Maybe you’re just anxious (both give +2)
Sorry for subjecting you to my incoherent ramblings… Please forget what I just said
Agree to forget about it (+2)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 4–Female protagonist
Soon, we’ll be looking back nostalgically on these times…
What are your thoughts on marriage?
To be with your true love (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 4–Male protagonist
Soon, we’ll be looking back nostalgically on these times…
Did something happen? (+2)
What are your thoughts on marriage?
It’s the result of love (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 5–Female protagonist
…You can have ‘bored’ written all over your face without having to consider the feelings of others.
You may be more suited to ride a motorcycle than me…
Mitsuru seems happy.
Can I ride with you sometime? (+3)
Mitsuru’s Social Link has the steepest requirements and unlocks late. You might have to wait until New Game+ to max it out.
Mitsuru Social Link rank 5–Male protagonist
I find it interesting that so much thought is put into the design and construction of a movie theater
I’m glad you enjoyed it (+3)
She’s also more suited to ride a motorcycle…
Mitsuru seems happy.
Let’s go for a ride? (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 6–Female protagonist
Mitsuru is looking at the bookshelf.
It’s the best solution for everyone involved
It’s the first I’ve heard (+3)
So, I won’t run from my destiny
You should reconsider! (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 6–Male protagonist
Mitsuru is looking at the bookshelf.
Can I get a book for you? (+3)
It’s the best solution for everyone involved
So, I won’t run from my destiny
You have to reconsider! (+3)
Mitsuru Social Link rank 7–Femle protagonist
When you’re with me… what do you think?
Mitsuru Social Link rank 7–Male protagonist
Or, is that being selfish?
Mitsuru Social Link rank 8–Female protagonist
Mitsuru is trembling with anger.
Please excuse me.
Mitsuru Social Link rank 8–Male protagonist
Mitsuru is trembling with anger.
Say something to the guy (+3)
Mitsuru is leaving. What will you do?
Mitsuru Social Link rank 9–Female protagonist
I’m so sorry about what happened the other day. It must have upset you
Mitsuru Social Link rank 9–Male protagonist
I’m so sorry about what happened the other day.
Mitsuru Social Link rank 10–Female protagonist
…I can’t wait until then.
Mitsuru Social Link rank 10–Male protagonist
…I can’t wait until then.
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Last fall, it was announced that the 1997 classic N64 first-person shooter, GoldenEye 007, would arrive on both Xbox and Switch in 2023. Today is that long-awaited day, as one of the most beloved and influential games from its era is available now on both platforms. While these versions are both largely faithful recreations of the seminal console FPS, key differences exist in ways that don’t immediately surface one as the clearly superior version. I played a decent chunk of both versions to see which one I prefer to play in 2023.
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When GoldenEye 007 launched in the late 1990s, I played it obsessively both solo and with friends for months upon months. During that time, I accomplished all the missions on 00 Agent difficulty, unlocked all the cheats, and played through hundreds (if not thousands) of multiplayer matches with friends. As with all my favorite games, I eventually fell off and moved on to newer releases, but my fondness and nostalgia for GoldenEye 007 have always remained.
Years later, when I was in college, I distinctly remember going to a friend’s room and firing up the N64 for matches of my favorite games like Super Smash Bros., Star Fox 64, and, of course, GoldenEye 007. GoldenEye stuck out to me as the game that aged the poorest of that lot, thanks mainly to how much the shooter genre had progressed with newer franchises like Halo, Call of Duty, and the then-recently released Black. At that moment, I wrote GoldenEye 007 off as a massively influential game that will never feel as good as it once did due to the enormous advancements within its genre since its release. That’s the mindset with which I entered my play sessions with these new releases of GoldenEye 007.
Differences
When these ports of GoldenEye 007 were announced, we learned that the Nintendo Switch Online version would be more of a straight port from the Nintendo 64 original. In contrast, the Xbox version received a little bit of modernization in the form of native 4K 16:9 resolution, a consistent refresh rate, achievement support, and, most importantly, dual analog stick controls. Meanwhile, the Switch version doesn’t bring any inherent improvements to the FPS title, but through the Nintendo Switch Online feature set, you can play online multiplayer and utilize save states (if you so choose) to help with those pesky failable missions.
Xbox Version
As advertised, the Xbox version does bring several advancements to make GoldenEye 007 play better than ever before. The game runs smoothly for the most part and looks terrific at full widescreen resolution (though I did notice a few frame rate drops from time to time). The most significant selling point for me is how well the Xbox version plays, thanks to the modern control scheme that utilizes both analog sticks, much like nearly every modern shooter.
It’s impossible to overstate just how far being able to aim and turn with the right stick while moving with the left stick goes into making this 25-year-old title feel much less aged. I’m honestly shocked at how good GoldenEye feels on Xbox. Using the modernized control scheme, I was able to blast through the first few levels on 00 Agent, even unlocking my first cheat (interestingly enough, the Xbox version retains the name “DK Mode,” despite the not-so-subtle reference to the Nintendo-owned Donkey Kong). The Xbox version is the version I will fire up when I’m looking to dig into the single-player of GoldenEye 007.
Switch Version
Jumping over the Switch version, I immediately felt the strain of using the classic single-stick controls and full-screen controls (thankfully, there is a widescreen option in the in-game menu on Bond’s watch). To get full impressions, I started by using a standard Switch Pro Controller, which does not translate well for any Nintendo 64 game. GoldenEye 007 is no different. Playing this game on a standard Switch controller feels downright awful, thanks to the default button mapping – aiming and moving with the left stick feels counterintuitive, and the triggers/shoulder buttons feel backward from how they should. Thankfully, a Reddit user named Cuesport77 has given instructions to custom-remap the buttons to achieve a more modern control scheme on Switch.
Short of doing that remap, your best bet for playing the Nintendo Switch Online version of GoldenEye 007 (or, really, any N64 game in the catalog) is to acquire one of the hard-to-get Nintendo 64 controllers for the Switch. I was lucky enough to grab one in a rare back-in-stock window last year, and after spending some time using it in GoldenEye 007, I’m even gladder I did. Yes, the game still feels extremely aged, but it’s the definitive way to experience this version if you don’t want to remap all the controls. Even playing on the N64 Switch controller, I still had awkward moments of imprecision, like the video below.
Of course, the biggest selling point for the Switch version is that you can enjoy the game’s legendary splitscreen multiplayer through Nintendo Switch Online’s online functionality. This feature isn’t specific to GoldenEye 007, but it is perhaps the best use case. After playing a few missions on the Switch, I jumped into an online multiplayer match. Multiplayer is still as hectic and fun as it was in 1997, and the Nintendo Switch Online’s multiplayer capabilities handle the remote action nicely. While playing 1v1 online, I didn’t experience any noticeable latency, allowing the mode that truly made GoldenEye 007 such a legendary late-’90s title to shine to the fullest extent. I’m beyond excited to have an easy way to play GoldenEye 007 online.
Conclusion
Ultimately, deciding which version you spend your time with should come down to what is more important to you. If you’re like me, the dual-analog-stick controls alone make the Xbox version the superior release, but it’s impossible to overlook the online multiplayer capabilities of the Nintendo Switch Online – especially if your friends you used to play with now live on opposite ends of the country. Thankfully, both versions are included in each platform’s respective subscription service at no additional charge, so depending on your situation, you may not need to worry about choosing.
GoldenEye 007 is available today on both Xbox (available through Rare Replay and Xbox Game Pass) and Switch (available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack).
There have been plenty of questions about Game Freak’s development bandwidth in recent months, especially in light of Pokémon’s overall lack of polish over the past few years. But that isn’t stopping the studio from pursuing projects like Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On, which launched on Apple Arcade last week.
“The question of resources is always tricky,” says Game Freak General Manager of Development Department 1 Masafumi Saito. “Mr. Taya, the director of the Nintendo 3DS version, worked in parallel on development of game titles for the Pokémon series. And recently, we’ve been partnering with other companies for development, inclusive of Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!. The technologies required for game development are complex and wide-ranging. We need to ready the best development team for each game, so we need to work together with all sorts of creators both inside Japan or elsewhere in the world.”
Saito’s comments follow the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which was a notably glitchy entry in the long-running series. Pokémon is supported by a complex array of interlocking companies and support studios, but the core team at Game Freak is extremely small by modern standards, numbering a little over 150 employees. In 2019, Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda talked about his preference for his small teams, which he said was due to the importance of communication.
Despite its size, Game Freak remains committed to making games outside of Pokémon. Speaking with IGN, Saito and Pocket Card Jockey director Masao Taya talked about the origins of Pocket Card Jockey and what the series means to Game Freak, in the process touching on how it’s rooted in the studio’s origins as first a fanzine then an independent studio.
“The departments in charge of developing original games aren’t limited by scale or platforms,” Saito says. “The most important thing is to create new games that will attract users. We are working on various small and large projects regardless of the platform. Game Freak came about out of our experiences of independently creating home video games, so we want to preserve the approach of personally wanting to try to create something new and unique.”
Pocket Card Jockey’s roots
Pocket Card Jockey is one of several original games developed by Game Freak. It was first released in North America for Nintendo 3DS in 2016, where it won praise for its good humor and its card-based mechanics. It’s based in part on Derby Stallion, a popular Japan-only horse-racing sim originally released on the NES.
Taya is a self-professed Derby Stallion fan, and he remembers “the thrill of seeing how the horses displayed in pixels of 16-dot squares behaved.” The experience remained with him even as he grew up and joined Game Freak, and he sought to recreate it with a game of his own.
“I spent time during several vacation days working on implementing a program like that. It went better than I thought, so I showed it to my co-workers and was content with that. I then decided to use that program to try and make a horse racing game. But I thought to myself, if it was just a development-type simulation it would be nothing more than a rehash of Derby Stallion several years too late,” Taya remembers. “So at Game Freak, I put forward the idea of adding in elements of a card game. I can see now that it wasn’t such a great idea because it was really just to avoid copying Derby Stallion. At the time, there were pretty high hurdles that prevented Game Freak from starting development of a new game, so in the end we didn’t go ahead with it.”
Pocket Card Jockey finally went ahead thanks to Game Freak’s Gear Project, an intiative that encourages developers to pitch original projects. If staff members are interested in a pitch, they will collaborate on a prototype. Taya’s idea was supported by Pokémon composer Go Ichinose, a fellow horse-racing fan who recommended a solitaire app to Taya.
Game Freak came about out of our experiences of independently creating home video games, so we want to preserve the approach of personally wanting to try to create something new and unique.
“
“[Ichinose] knew I wanted to make a horse racing game and to bring in card game elements, so he suggested using a solitaire type of card game. I formed a Gear Project with Ichinose and invited another staff member (Toshihiro Obata) to join. The end result was Pocket Card Jockey,” Taya remembers.
Pocket Card Jockey was initially released in Japan in 2013, with a mobile version following the year after. Taya wouldn’t comment on sales numbers in Japan or North America, but did say that the original game ultimately turned a profit.
After Pocket Card Jockey’s release, Taya says he remained interested in releasing a free-to-play version on mobile devices, but was discouraged by the original iOS release, which “didn’t go well in business terms.” He was ultimately attracted to Apple Arcade due to its subscription-based model, which allowed Game Freak to bring the series to mobile without “having to force it into a F2P style.”
In addition to being on a more accessible platform, Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On brings with it several improvements, most notably a new 3D engine that Taya hopes will enhance “ease of understanding to make for richer course views and effects.” Taya also retooled the stamina system, allowing players to recover stamina in areas of the map at the expense of gaining energy to win the race.
Biggest Games of 2023
‘Even if resources are tight, we won’t stop making original games’
The reception has generally been positive, with plenty of new players discovering it for the first time. Will this be enough for Game Freak to pursue a sequel or a Switch port?
“Making a sequel would require a lot more time for trial and error. So rather than do that, I thought there would be more value in making sure we could provide a new Pocket Card Jockey to the fans who’d been waiting a long time, and to allow people who’d never played it before to try a version close to the original,” Taya says. “Of course, success with Apple Arcade raises the possibility of starting development on a sequel. On a personal level, I’d like to try creating a sequel!”
As for a Switch port, Taya says Game Freak’s “main focus is on Apple Arcade users enjoying. We want to see the reaction we get from that.”
Pocket Card Jockey is far from Game Freak’s stated aim of finding another Pokémon, but it nevertheless seems to be the most successful of the studio’s various side projects. The positive buzz around Ride On is no doubt a refreshing change of pace for Game Freak in light of the relentless negativity from Pokémon’s core fans.
One way or another, these curious and delightful side projects remain a big part of Game Freak’s DNA.
“Even if resources are tight, we won’t stop working on original games,” Saito says. “As a company we have to take on new challenges, and as creators we certainly want to make new fun things.”
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
Things haven’t been going great for Xbox recently. Microsoft is facing stiff resistance in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. It released hardly any big exclusive blockbusters last year. And it just cut over 10,000 jobs last week, including many senior developers at Halo Infinite studio 343 Industries. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tried to remain upbeat and do damage control on each of these points and more in a new interview with IGN.
“Every year is critical,” he said. “I don’t find this year to be more or less critical. I feel good about our momentum. Obviously, we’re going through some adjustments right now that are painful, but I think necessary, but it’s really to set us up and the teams for long-term success.”
This week captured both the peril and promise facing Xbox right now. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a drop in net-income of 12 percent for the most recent fiscal quarter compared to the prior year. Xbox gaming hardware and software were down by similar percentages, and Microsoft said nothing about how many new subscribers its Game Pass service had gained since it crossed the 25 million mark exactly a year ago.
Then on Wednesday Microsoft provided a sleek and streamlined look at its upcoming games in a Developer Direct livestream copied right from the Nintendo playbook. Forza Motorsport was seemingly quietly delayed to the second half of the year, but looked like a beautiful and impressive racing sim showpiece. Arkane’s co-op sandbox vampire shooter Redfall got a May 2 release date. Real-time strategy spin-off Minecraft Legends will hit in April. And to cap things off Tango Gameworks, maker of The Evil Within, shadow-dropped Hi-Fi Rush on Game Pass, a colorful rhythm-action game from left field that’s already become the first undisputed gaming hit of 2023.
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“2022 was too light on games,” Spencer confessed in his IGN interview. 2023 shouldn’t be thanks to Redfall and Starfield, Bethesda’s much-anticipated answer to the question, “What if Skyrim but space?” But both of those games were technically supposed to come out last year. Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Rush, like Obsidian’s Pentiment before it, is shaping up to be a critically acclaimed Game Pass release that still might be too small to move the needle on Xbox’s larger fortunes.
Spencer remained vague when asked how successful these games were or their impact on Game Pass, whose growth has reportedly stalled on console. “I think that the creative diversity expands for us when we have different ways for people to kind of pay for the games that they’re playing, and the subscription definitely helps there,” he said.
Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, Starfield, and a new The Elder Scrolls Online expansion due out in June are also all from Bethesda, which Microsoft finished acquiring in 2021. The older Microsoft first-party game studios have either remained relatively quiet in recent years while working on their next big projects, or, in the case of 343 Industries, were recently hit with a surprising number of layoffs.
Following news of the cuts last week, rumors and speculation began to swirl that 343 Industries—which shipped a well-received Halo Infinite single-player campaign in 2021, but struggled with seasonal updates for the multiplayer component in the months since—was being benched. The studio put out a brief statement over the weekend saying Halo was here to stay and that it would continue developing it.
Image: Bethesda / Microsoft
Spencer doubled down on that in his interview with IGN, but provided little insight into the reasoning behind the layoffs or what its plans were for the franchise moving forward. “What we’re doing now is we want to make sure that leadership team is set up with the flexibility to build the plan that they need to go build,” he said. “And Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo.”
Where Halo Infinite’s previously touted “10-year” plan fits into that, however, remains unclear. “They’ve got some other things, some rumored, some announced, that they’ll be working on,” Spencer said. And on the future of the series as a whole he simply said, “I expect that we’ll be continuing to support and grow Halo for as long as the Xbox is a platform for people to play.” It’s hard to imagine Nintendo talking about Mario with a similar-sounding lack of conviction.
It’s possible Microsoft’s continued struggles with some of its internal projects is partly why it’s so focused on looking outside the company for help. Currently that means trying to acquire Activision Blizzard for $69 billion and fighting off an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal trade Commission in the process. Microsoft had originally promised the deal to get Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush would be wrapped up before the end of summer 2023. That deadline’s coming up quickly, even as the company continues offering compromises, like reportedly giving Sony the option to continue paying to have Activision’s games on its rival Game Pass subscription service, PS Plus.
Spencer told IGN he remains bullish on closing the deal, despite claiming to have known nothing about the logistics of doing so when he started a year ago. “Given a year ago, for me, I didn’t know anything about the process of doing an acquisition like this,” he said. “The fact that I have more insight, more knowledge about what it means to work with the different regulatory boards, I’m more confident now than I was a year ago, simply based on the information I have and the discussions that we’ve been having.”
Punch a tree, grab a rock, collect whatever the heck plant fiber is, and quickly cobble together an axe. 2023 is shaping up to be a pretty strong year for new survival games, and you’re gonna need something sharp to hack your way through them.
The year ahead is looking like a promising one for the survival genre, and that’s great news for fans because 2022 was a bit disappointing when it came to new survival games. There were a few gems scattered throughout the year, particularly in Early Access, like vampire survival game V Rising (opens in new tab), colony-builder Stranded: Alien Dawn (opens in new tab), and survival city builder Farthest Frontier (opens in new tab). And Dwarf Fortress (opens in new tab)‘s Steam release, at long last, closed out the year.
For the most part, however, 2022 felt lighter than recent years for new survival games, mostly due to delays, as several big games missed their release dates and slid into 2023.
But put the past behind you and look ahead to the future. It’s the new year and we’re sharpening our axes for the months ahead. Here are 12 survival games to look forward to in 2023.
Frostpunk 2
11 bit studios hasn’t exactly confirmed that Frostpunk 2 will be out in 2023, though it did say that a leaked date of 2024 was “false.” In other words, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that “coming soon” doesn’t mean we’ll have to wait all the way until 2025 for the follow-up to such an influential game. The post-apocalyptic survival city builder and society simulator sequel continues the struggle to stay warm on a frozen planet, this time advancing from the era of coal burning and into the age of oil. Naturally, the biggest threat to survival is still just what you’d expect: humanity itself.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
It’s been a long, long road for Stalker 2, which will actually be the fourth Stalker game. Originally planned for 2012, the open world survival FPS was later canceled, but re-announced in 2018 when developer GSC Game World reformed. The most recent delay was completely understandable: the devs were located in Kyiv and had to relocate to Prague due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We’re still hopeful Stalker 2 meets its late-2023 release date.
Ark 2
Who’s ready for some dinos and Diesel? The sequel to Early Access survival game hit Ark: Survival Evolved is due this year, alongside an animated series, both of which will feature Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel. We don’t know a whole heck of a lot about Ark 2 yet, but the trailer shows what you’d expect from Studio Wildcard: lots of dinosaurs and humans riding around on them.
Sons of the Forest
Fans of gruesome horror survival game The Forest hopefully won’t have too much longer to wait for its sequel. Sons of the Forest was originally due in May of 2022, then was bumped to October, and is now planned for February 2023. This time you’re searching a remote island for a missing billionaire, but we expect things to quickly go wrong, forcing you to carve out a life there, building and crafting and fending off bloodthirsty cannibals.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
The first survival game set in Tolkien’s world (opens in new tab) will take you deep into the ruins of Khazad-dûm, the former dwarven kingdom, in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth. Play either solo or co-op as you mine for minerals like mithril, build a base, battle orcs and goblins (and probably much worse) and craft weapons and machinery deep beneath the mountains.
Pacific Drive
It’s always nice when a survival game skids into another genre entirely. Pacific Drive (opens in new tab) is a first-person ‘driving survival game’ where your car is your only companion as you speed through a dangerous and deadly “exclusion zone” in the Pacific Northwest. You’ll be able to find new sci-fi parts to soup up your ride as you drive through terrible storms and toxic clouds, monsters and mutants, and a landscape that is constantly changing due to violent rocky upheavals. Along the way you’ll try to unravel the mystery of the bizarre zone. Developer Ironwood Studios calls it a “road-like” and that sounds pretty cool to me.
Palworld
We’ve been calling it “Pokémon with guns” because, honestly, that’s exactly what it looks like. A bright fantasy world with cute and cuddly creatures to collect, but also heavy machine guns and forced labor camps. Palworld is bizarre, but we can’t say we’re not interested in playing it. Farm food, survive harsh weather, and collect an army of critters to battle alongside you. (If any of them die, you can always eat them.)
Nightingale
Like many of 2022’s games, Nightingale’s Early Access release slid into 2023. The survival and crafting game set in the Victorian Era sees you stranded in a bizarre realm filled with monsters and magic where you can build an estate and craft weapons and gear. Portals to other realms containing precious resources can be opened, and interestingly combat isn’t the only way to deal with enemies: you might be able to negotiate truces with certain factions, like giants, to avoid solving every problem with a shotgun blast.
The Day Before*
I had to put an asterisk on this one since it’s a huge wildcard. On the strength of a couple of long trailers with some heavy DayZ and The Division vibes, The Day Before rocketed to the top of Steam’s most-wishlisted games. But after hearing nothing new about it for a couple of years, things suddenly got weird. It was removed from Steam (opens in new tab) due to what the developer says is a trademark dispute (opens in new tab), it was delayed for eight months until November, and a new gameplay video that was promised is now in limbo. We’re not really sure what’s going on with The Day Before, and we’re sure there’s more to the story, but at this point it’s hard to believe it’ll really come out in 2023.
(Image credit: Eli Segal)
Also notable in 2023:
Wanderlost: A cute and cartoony survival game where you hunt, craft, and battle zombies.
State of Decay 3 (opens in new tab): Announced in 2020, recent news of State of Decay 3 has been pretty sparse, but we’re still hoping for a 2023 release.
Ascent of Ashes: RimWorld modders are making their own standalone survival game with a focus on real time tactics combat.
Wizard with a Gun: Craft enchanted ammo and unload on your enemies in this base-building survival sandbox.
