In my years of reviewing NBA 2K games, I’ve come to appreciate–and even expect–the game to feel like an authentic love letter to basketball in so many ways. This has been a consistent attribute of the series going back over a decade. NBA 2K doesn’t just capture the culture of basketball; it helps shape it. No other game–not even Madden, despite the head start gifted to it by simulating Americans’ unique obsession with football–offers a total package as immersive and rewarding as NBA 2K. That’s why, in addition to my NBA 2K25 review–and so as not to become too bogged down in the ins and outs of it there–I’m also taking a moment to address the unfortunate pay-to-win economy still infecting what is otherwise the perennial sports game of the year.If you don’t play NBA 2K, you may be unfamiliar with its woes in this regard, and if you do play it, you may have normalized it to the point that you no longer see it as a concern. Unlike other sports games in which the focal point is often either the team-centric Franchise-style mode or the fantasy-card-collecting loot-box mode, Visual Concepts has built up its MyCareer mode and its social MMO hub, The City, to offer a compelling–and s…
It’s funny to think that, despite the cutesy aesthetics and family-friendly appeal, the two longest-running multiplayer Mario franchises seem specifically designed to promote conflict amongst groups of friends. From blue shells to King Boos, Mario Kart and Mario Party have spent decades seemingly committed to fostering as much division among their players as possible–my wife once exclaimed, “I do not love you” when I beat her to the finish line of a flagpole minigame in 2018’s Super Mario Party. We are, as of the time of writing, still together.Super Mario Party Jamboree–Nintendo’s latest attempt to drive families apart through play–is the third Mario Party game to release on Nintendo Switch, and the first to combine both traditional and motion controls. At a preview event last month, the key word Nintendo used was “more”–more boards, more minigames, more characters, more modes–and as such, there are more ways to drive your loved ones up the wall, too.
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Conventional wisdom dictates that having a companion by your side makes handling a stressful situation easier. But after a 30-minute demo with Little Nightmares 3, it seems conventional wisdom doesn’t apply to The Maw, the macabre setting of all Little Nightmares games. Little Nightmares 3, scheduled for release in 2025, will bring players to never-before-seen areas of The Maw, some of which I got to see for myself in a recent hands-on demo.The big headline for this horror sequel is the addition of two-player co-op, and as a horror fan, I was happy to learn your co-dependent relationship may amplify the scare factor. In my demo, I played through a level set in The Maw’s “candy factory,” featuring sweets that make gelatin seem as appetizing as a Wonka confection. Assembly lines of dead or dying bodies creaked slowly through the shadows in the background of the oppressive workspace as my co-op partner and I controlled the game’s new dual protagonists, Alone and Low.
The Game Boy Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color $41.85 Preorder at Amazon 35 years ago, Nintendo shook the games industry up with the release of its Game Boy handheld–a device that made video games more mainstream than ever thanks to its simple design and library of must-play titles. If you’re looking to relive the golden age of Nintendo’s iconic portable console, you should check out The Game Boy Encyclopedia, an upcoming book that explores the hundreds of games released for the handheld across its lifespan. The giant compendium launches November 30, and is available for preorder now.
The Game Boy Encyclopedia: Every Game Released …
On December 3, 1994, Sony launched the original PlayStation in Japan and changed the video game industry forever. American gamers didn’t get their hands on the PS until September 9, 1995, but Sony’s not going to make us wait another year to start the celebration of PlayStation’s 30th anniversary. And the first plans for that year-long party have been revealed.From October to the end of January, Sony Music will release classic PlayStation game scores on Spotify and digital music storefronts. The confirmed titles include God of War, God of War II, God of War: Chains of Sparta, Twisted Metal, Starhawk, and Unit 13. A free trial version of Gran Turismo 7 called My First GT will also be released. Sony hasn’t set a date for the trial yet, but it will be released this holiday season for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users with some of the fan-favorite cars, tracks, and more from Gran Turismo 7.Sports gaming enthusiasts should take note that September 21 and 22 will be a free online multiplayer weekend with multiple esports tournaments for games like Madden NFL 24, MLB The Show 24, NBA 2K25, NBA 2K24, and even fighting games like Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, and EA UFC 5. You won’t n…
A new challenger has entered the handheld gaming PC scene, as Acer is throwing its proverbial hat into the ring with the Nitro 7. Announced this week at IFA 2024, the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 has some great hardware that makes it an attractive alternative to the other handhelds on the market.
The Nitro Blaze 7 is equipped with a seven-inch 1080p screen that has a 144Hz refresh rate, and it uses a Ryzen 7 8840HS chip with a Radeon 780M integrated GPU. It also has 16GB of RAM, a 50-watt-hour battery, and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The processor it uses is one that you’d typically find in high-end gaming laptops, so this device could potentially boast better performance when compared to its rivals, but that could drain ihe battery very quickly.For the controls, there’s an asymmetrical analog stick layout, the usual face buttons, shoulder buttons, and the typical spread of shoulder and trigger butt…
Amazon has dropped the price of Berserk: The Complete 1997 TV Series to its best yet; you can grab the fantastic anime on Blu-ray for only $37.39 (was $60). This Blu-ray set launched earlier this year and has remained popular ever since. Prior deals have led to Amazon selling out, so you may want to grab the latest offer while you can. Berserk fans can pair the 1997 series with The Golden Age Arc Memorial Edition, which was remastered and recut into 13 episodes and launched earlier this week (August 27). See at Amazon
- Berserk (1997) — $37.39 (
$60) - Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition — $70
Adapted from Kentaro Miura’s legendary manga, Berserk tells the story of Guts and his eternal battle against demonic forces. Dark fantasy mixed with brutal violence, the anime series took some deviations from the so…
Preorders are now live for what could be considered the coolest Lego Batmobile of all time. No, it’s not a replica of the mighty Tumbler or the West Coast Customs abomination used by George Clooney, but Adam West’s crime-fighting ride that debuted in the 1966 Batman TV series. The 1966 Batmobile will be a more in-depth build than some of the other smaller Lego Batmobiles. It comes with 1,822 pieces, and the completed build is 19 inches long. You can preorder the 1966 Batmobile at Amazon for $150. Preorder at Amazon
Like the source material, this Lego Batmobile is a sleek pursuit vehicle full of bat-gadgets. It has cool bat-features like molded windshields, an openable trunk with the Bat-computer inside, a rear jet engine, and an informative plaque to complete the display. Naturally, you’ll get a Batman minifigure to put in the driver’s seat, and he looks just …
Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami said that due to Monster Hunter’s monumental success, he doesn’t feel that there’s a need for a new Dino Crisis game to exist.In an interview with Eurogamer, Mikami said that he was surprised about how many people were wanting a new Dino Crisis game. “The awesomeness of dinosaurs and the stuff you can do with dinosaurs, that’s been kind of really nailed down by Monster Hunter in recent years,” he explained.Mikami continued, “So even if I were to decide to make a remake or a new version of Dino Crisis, I don’t really feel like there’s a whole lot of space for that kind of game right now, just since Monster Hunter has become such a big game. But yeah, it is surprising.”Capcom did reveal Exoprimal, a multiplayer third-person shooter, last year. When it was initially revealed, many fans thought it was a new Dino Crisis game, only to be disappointed. However, it has gotten mostly positive reviews, including a 7/10 from GameSpot. It’s worth noting that Mikami currently has nothing to do with Capcom. The director and producer left the company years ago to found Tango Gameworks, which he left in 2023.Monster Hunter: World has sold over 25 million units …
Amazon and Microsoft recently expanded Xbox Cloud Gaming support to two more Fire TV devices: The 4K Fire TV Cube and the 1st Gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which join the current-gen Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max models as budget-friendly devices capable of streaming Xbox games with a Game Pass Ultimate membership.
Xbox Cloud Streaming Starter Kit
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $30 (
$50) - Xbox Wireless Controller – Shock Blue — $44 (
$65) | Also at Walmart - Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – 3 Month Membership — $45 (normally $51, soon to be $60)
Total price with deals: $119
While you can play Game Pass games a wide selection of devices–including Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, Windows PCs, Android phones, and select Samsung Smart TVs–the Fire TV streamers are the most affordable devices for getting up and running with Game Pass.Fire TV devices aren’t capable of downloading and playing digital games directly on the devices themselves like you can on Xbox or Windows PC, instead relying on Game Pass Ultimate’s cloud streaming feature. That limits how many games you…