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Video game adaptations rarely pan out. We’ve seen some success stories in recent years likeThe Last of Us,Arcane, andFallout, but most still crash and burn on arrival. Just look atBorderlands,Mortal Kombat, andthe more recent Yakuza show. TheMass Effectseries, whichfinally entered production at Amazon yesterday, is wading into still-uncertain waters. But there’s such an obvious solution to avoiding the iceberg that is a bad video game adaptation — don’t adapt the games....

Summary Throughout its history,animehas featured shows covering a vast expanse of genres and topics for a diverse audience. But some of the most unique, artistic, ambitious, interesting, and evocative anime series are those which tackle philosophical questions and social issues. While a fairly limited sub-genre by comparison, it represents some of anime’s most important developments and well-executed stories. Series in the contemplative and philosophical realm of anime have continually grown and accumulated levels of fame from pop culture staples to cult classics....

Within the world of roguelikes that are visually simple but mechanically complex,Caves of Quddug its way to the foregroundvery quickly. The game’s lo-fi charm and wealth of possibilities has made it an indie favorite. The gameplay starts with a choice: do you play as a mutant or a true kin? True kins augment their abilities with cybernetics, while mutants become stronger — or weaker — through mutations. Due to the kind of game Caves of Qud is, there’s really no such thing as a bad mutation....

A few weeks ago, I wascomplaining that there weren’t enough Christmas games. Or, rather, there aren’t enough Christmas games other than public domain jigsaw puzzle shovelware slop made for young children and me when I’m sad. There are also a lot of weird NSFW anime but even I’ve stayed away from that subgenre because, really, do I need to get sadder? Most people who’ve met me would say no! So I decided to get sadder anyway and start a new run ofBaldur’s Gate 3as Santa Claus....

UFO 50is a hard game to talk about. Back in November, I hopped on a call with Jon Perry, one of the six developers who collaborated on the collection of 50 games, and found that discussing just one entry felt a little like attempting to discuss the entirety of a director’s filmography or every album a musician has ever recorded. It’s not that either of those tasks are impossible, but you’re able to’t do it with any degree of depth....

Summary A heel turn is a wrestling phrase used to describe the act of a good guy becoming a bad guy, transitioning from a ‘babyface’ to a ‘heel’. This can be done via sudden acts of betrayal, or with the reveal that the newly-minted heel has been working against the good guys for a while. Even just a simple change in personality can signify a heel turn, albeit a slow one....

Quick Links Dragon Quest 3 Remakeis a quite faithful recreation of the original game for modern systems, and that means much of its overall structure is unchanged, too. The game is limited in its guidance to you, letting you travel about the world with freedom towards your goal. This means it’s incredibly easy to fall off-track, or become overwhelmed by the number of options presented to you. Plenty of the game can be explored non-linearly too, letting you tackle quests in whatever order you want....

Quick Links The map inAloftis large, so large that it’s been broken into three distinct areas: Emerald Isles, Fallen Heights, and Red Cliffs. Each biome has its own area on the map where you’ll find archipelagoes full of different scenic islands, each with their own resources to farm. Getting between biomes in Aloft is no small task, what with the constant barrage of meteors and bombs in the wind streams separating each biome, but with unique resources, crops, and progressively better lost sailing knowledge to find and learn, exploring every biome in Aloft is well worth the time you’ll spend....

Summary Welcome to another day in Zakov, before boarding that train into the wastes inZero Sievertthere are some things worth knowing. Each run out to those irradiated locales is going to be very dangerous and depending on your loadout, it could be a short trip. There’s a decent variety of weapons out there that cover long, short and medium engagements. Plus, the customisation options are numerous and unique enough that you can turn a piddly peashooter into an armor shredding menace relatively easily....

Secret Leveltakes you on a journey through some of the most iconic video game franchises, such as Mega Man, Pacman, and Warhammer. It also serves as a way to advertise upcoming games and expansions from time to time. With Secret Level intending to touch some of the most iconic franchises in gaming history, there are a few that would make perfect subject matter whether they want to stay true to the source material or create a brand-new reinterpretation....

Summary Unsurprisingly, a little over a month sinceCall of Duty: Black Ops 6was released, rumors have begun to surface aboutActivision’s2026 entry into its long-running franchise. The rumor suggests that the game will be developed byInfinity Wardand will bring back one of the series' most divisive features. It’s also said to be remastering maps from a game where the mapsweren’t the best. As is always the case with rumors like this, take it with a pinch of salt until Activision or Microsoft reveal anything....

Quick Links InInfinity Nikki, you’ll need to collect a lot of clothes to fill out your wardrobe. However, there’s much more too it than being an avid fashionista. To become the best Stylist you can be, you’ll want to utilize the warp spires around Miraland to access Realm Challenges. These challenges offer unique and rare rewards for you to advance your outfits, purchase materials, and unlock new Eurekas. Everything you need to know about the Realm Challenges are below, including how to unlock them, what rewards you can get, and how much it costs to redeem your well-earned materials for Nikki....

Quick Links If you’re feeling the festive spirit this week as we make our way into the Holiday Season, thenMonopoly Gois definitely the game for you right now! Scopely is bringing in the season strong with a series of festive daily events, including but not limited to the Jingle Jam tournament. Between1PM EST on December 6and1PM EST on December 8, you’ll want to land on the Railroad tiles to earn points for Jingle Jam in Monopoly Go....