There's nothing quite like a first playthrough in a game. You enjoy time feels like it doesn't exist and nothing else matters, but the memories we make along the way.

The First Experience

So, why do we want to forget them so badly? It sounds absurd at first. But, wanting to erase memory of a game and replay it as one of the most common wishes you will find on the internet and it makes sense. There are so many different things coming together to make a first playthrough special that you just won't be able to match anywhere else and there are not a lot of games that did it as well as Elden Ring did.

The Community

I'm warning you it's gonna get nostalgic here. Elden Ring has been out for almost 1 year now. Most people have beaten the game at least once and an overwhelming majority of those people would call their first playthrough special.

There are thousands of reasons in these commons as to why this game was so unforgettable yet? All of them boil down to three major reasons. But what even is the point of trying to find out all of this? Well, for one it might help some people relieve that experience. But mainly, I want to figure out why this game left such a lasting impression on me and clearly a lot of other people, as well.

Guidance

Do you remember these things or maybe these chances are that after the first time you've never touched them again but in that first playthrough, they were exciting to find. I bring these up because Elden Ring has a thing for guiding the player. Be it the light from Graces or little details like these and such a vast and empty world. It's a pleasant surprise from time to time to have some form of force, wanting to guide you on your adventure. Similarly, walking into Caelid for the first time is just for a truck-sized dog. To turn you into a treat is a clear sign that you're supposed to go somewhere else.

All of this results in an unexplained yet guided adventure. You see those dogs and you want to get revenge, so it will be on your mind until you get strong enough to return. And this feeling is like you are not knowing what else that area has to offer or when you will be going back.

There leaves a lot of room for imagination. I still vividly remember being memeed on by the chest in Limgrave and ending up in Caelid's Crystal Cave just to see the empty rotten red swamp and these disgusting looking things all over the place. Walking through Caelid, I thought I had stumbled across some sort of alternate version of the lens between similar to the link to the past dark world. It felt mysterious and terrifying, but even without these magical moments of confusion, I would have loved every second of the game, because of how well the game handles quality and quantity.

Secrets and Discoveries

There's always something to do and it is always satisfying because the core gameplay is just so fleshed out by now. Stopping yourself from playing was generally the hardest challenge. All of this created a sort of childlike feeling as a kid. I had no idea about software and hardware limitations. I did not understand that NPCs have pre-written dialogue other worlds of borders. It was such a special thing, but sadly as I grew up that passion for games made me learn so much more about them that feeling mostly faded.

Elden Ring made me feel that way again. I wanted to stay awake all night, start playing as soon as I wake up and skip work for it. I can only imagine how much stronger that feeling would have been. Elden Ring had been my first souls game, so I didn't know what the weapons or items are good and what mechanics to use to make every item pickup special. Therefore, even finding out, for example, jumping can be to dodge attacks was mind-blowing to me.

None of these are really considered meta nowadays but to this day using them will always remind me of my struggles against Maliketh. I saw hundreds of new discoveries and secrets. I had no idea about how can it be so huge and filled with secrets. That's what she said. She said that even after hundreds of hours, I see and learn new things.

Circumstances

And lastly, an immersive and long game like this is a perfect way to escape many people headed rough and Elden Ring was their way of forgetting. And no matter which one of the other points applied nothing is as valuable as something to look forward to. The reason we crave to forget and relive this magical feeling is different for everyone, but I think most of us can agree that we hope the Elden Ring DLC will make us feel that way again.

As an upstart in the Western game world in 2022, Lost Ark has made Western players fantastical, and its performance on Steam is even more impressive. Because of the great freedom of construction in the game and the different card sets that allow each player to give full play to their imagination, everyone's performance is also very different.

As the name suggests, in order to travel smoothly through “Lost Ark World”, each player needs to have the most capable person to pilot the ship. Lost Ark provides us with many crew members to choose from, and their respective specialties are different, and it is impossible to have only one crew member on a ship, such as The Estoque. So when we need to form a sailor team, we need to consider whether the players can have an appropriate chemical reaction. It will save us a lot of unnecessary troubles in the future journey.

1. Cals (Legendary)

In the minds of most Lost Ark players, Cals (Legendary) is the best Estoque crew. Cals Moronto came from a distinguished background and had reached the pinnacle of power at a young age, so he developed an aggressive attitude. When the stronghold appears, Cals will send supplies to the protagonist, and when we drive to Wavestrand Port, it's time for us to talk to Cals.

The Estoque will be more effective with the help of Cals (Legendary). Cals can increase the speed of 1.75 knots and the durability and flexibility of the ship itself, so the ship will be more guaranteed, and players don't have to worry too much about the ship's accidents due to various bad weather or other risks encountered on the way.

Price:

• 80,000 Pirate Coins in Punika Mercantile Ship

• 4,008 Arcturus Pieces in Yorn Spearship Hunting Guild Vessel

2. Cals (Epic)

When we use Cals (Epic), the speed of the ship is not as fast as when using Cals (Legendary), but the speed can also increase by 1.3 knots. While significantly increasing a ship's resilience against the Tempest Seas, it also increases its defenses against the Siren Seas and Cold Snap Seas.

At The Trusted Level in Wavestrand Port, you can exchange Cals Rapports for Epic Cals. As far as immunity goes, Cals (Epic) are pretty much invulnerable.

Cals (Epic) Attribute:

• -7 Defenses in Kelp Beds & -4 Defenses in Sandstorm Seas

• -4 resistance to Dead Waters

• +5 resistance to Cold Snap Seas

• +3 for the Siren Seas

• +8 for the Tempest Seas

Also Read: More Fun Lost Ark Gaming News - Check Now!

3. Pupuring (Relic)

He's the pistachio character who keeps weary crews and boring long voyages entertaining all the time. Pupuring (Relic) is always happy to share his interesting experiences with people and has a very amazing skill set himself. Pupuring (Relic) can provide a sailing speed of 1.3 knots, and ships with Pupuring (Relic) are almost superior to Siren Seas and Cold Snap Seas defense. It is precisely because the Pupuring (Relic) is the perfect blend of speed and resistance that it can be called one of the greatest Estoque sailors in Lost Ark.

Price: 1 Tear of the Abyss to the Mist Island Merchant

Pupuring (Relic) Attributes:

• -14 penalty to the Kelp Beds

• +10 bonus to the Cold Snap Seas

• +17 bonus to the Dead Waters

• -3 penalty to the Siren Seas

• +10 bonus to the Sandstorm Seas

• -3 immunity to the Tempest Seas

4. Pupuring (Epic)

Players using Pupuring (Epic) can increase the speed of their ships by 0.7 knots. Pupuring (Epic) improves the defense of the player's ship against the Tempest Seas and the Dead Waters.

Price: 2004 Gienah pieces in the Luterra Spearfish Hunting Guild Ship

Pupuring (Epic) Attributes:

• -8 in the Kelp Beds

• -5 in the Cold Snap Seas

• +6 in the Sandstorm Seas

• +11 to the Dead Waters

• -5 to the Siren Seas

• +6 to the Tempest Seas

5. Tasha (Rare)

Tasha (Rare) has a very tragic fate, but she has always maintained an optimistic and positive attitude. Although Tasha (Rare) can only increase the speed of the ship by 0.1 knots, she is also known as one of the most protective Estoque Crew Members due to her ability to increase resistance to various harmful waters.

Price: 6,000 Slime Coins in Atropos Laura or the Slime Island trader Yulia

Tasha (Rare) Attributes:

• +5 resistance to the kelp beds

• +5 resistance to the siren seas

• +5 resistance to the Dead Waters

• +5 is added to the area around the Sandstorm Seas

• +5 to the Cold Snap Seas

• +5 to the Tempest Seas

It's a pity that you can't directly spend Lost Ark Gold to get these Estoque Crew Members, but gold can be used as a cost to buy equipment suitable for their use. Players who are interested in this, please click here, there will be a surprise!

This free game developed and published by Valve was officially released on October 10, 2007. The game supports 26 languages including Chinese. Although this game did not become a free game before, but with time over time, this game has been opened for free to play, and has received a favorable rate of close to 95% in all game reviews.

What kind of game can make players so popular? Today I will introduce a wave of Team Fortress 2 to you! Although this game has been around for more than ten years, the most important thing is that it has not stopped updating. This game is one of the most popular online action games over the years. It updates free upgrade patches again and again, and adds more maps, modes, as well as equipment. This is one of the few in all games.

Team Fortress 2 is well balanced. Although this game is not very accessible, it is definitely a good game for some players who want to try it. You don't need to spend money to buy items, because all you need is your own skills. There will be a large number of game modes for you to choose from in the game, and you can play according to your preferences. The most important point is that even if you don't know how to play, you can still be a support silently, attracting the firepower of others and you're done.

Game Screen

Although I don't know what the picture was like more than ten years ago, what is certain is that the current picture definitely has a picture quality experience comparable to that of third-person shooting games called Fortnite. These two games have similar cartoon character models, similar map structures, and weapon hitting effects, etc. And both of them have kept pace with the times, and will not affect the player's game experience at all because of the image quality.

Gameplay

Team Fortress 2 is a first-person perspective game. Although it is a multiplayer competitive game, it will not bring players the same frustration or poor experience as competitive games, nor will it make you lose your temper. Instead, its joyful game atmosphere can bring you a feeling of happiness. The game has nine modes: Payload, King of the hill, Control point, Capture the flag, Payload race, Attack defend, Special delivery, Random games and Mann versus Machine. No matter which mode you choose, you can spend your game time very happily. Of course, it would be even better if you bring your own friends.

Game Content

In addition to the above-mentioned game modes, the second is the equipment of the game and the costumes of the characters. Nine different types of arms have different combinations of combat capabilities and personalities, and also have different battlefield positioning. Players can play the game according to their preferences. Secondly, hundreds of weapon hats in the game allow players to collect, synthesize, purchase and trade by themselves. Of course, you can also use Metal directly to get these things.

In short, this game is very worthy of players to play, and the Metacritic evaluation of 92 points is enough to support the excellence of this game.

The popularity of Among Us and Fall Guys has made Party Game a force that cannot be ignored in the game market in recent years. However, as previously reported by GameLook, for party games developed by small teams on Steam, due to the lack of publicity resources, whether they can become popular often requires some luck in addition to the hard power of the product itself.

Recently, a party game that has been online for more than a year has become the latest lucky guy on this track. According to data from SteamDB, this game named Goose Goose Duck has suddenly exploded after a year of innocence. Moreover, the number of online users of this game on Steam is temporarily ranked Top 17, becoming a masterpiece comparable to many FPS and MMO ultra-popular hot styles.

So, the question also arises, how fun is Goose Goose Duck?

An Upgraded Version Of Among Us?

Goose Goose Duck has a rather nonsensical setting: a group of geese made a spaceship ready to go to space, but mixed ducks and other birds into it. According to different camps, players need to work together with their allies to complete a series of tasks in order to win the victory for their camp.

Does this setting sound familiar? That's right, in various senses, Goose Goose Duck has many similarities with Among Us, the big hit among space werewolves. For example, similar space settings, similar character styles, and of course similar gameplay. However, if Goose Goose Duck is just a skinned version of Among Us, it is obviously impossible to be so popular. Simply put, Goose Goose Duck is more like an upgraded version of Among Us.

In the past, The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow products were often divided into two camps, good guys and bad guys. In the good guys camp, the largest number are generally ordinary villagers without special abilities. This can balance the difficulty caused by the different numbers of the two camps. However, for ordinary villagers, the game experience is often quite bad, and they are often killed by werewolves without any achievements.

In contrast, Goose Goose Duck has an astonishing 30 kinds of professions, although it also includes the most common goose, but obviously there are far more players with occupations than other products, which also ensures that the game experience of players is not too short boring. Of course, this also leads to a problem: if all members are ruthless, wouldn't it be difficult for the camp of bad guys who do not have the upper hand to win?

In order to solve this problem, Goose Goose Duck also changed the design of the camp. In addition to the "good and bad" camp in the traditional sense, there are also some third-party camps. For example, for the role of Dumbbird, its combat goal is to be voted out by the big geese as a bad duck to win. Therefore, the big geese need to beware of these players who deliberately show their "duck" feet, and the ducks can also use the self-explosive flow. The way of playing is pretending to be a dumb bird, disturbing the cognition of the big geese.

The addition of third-party camps not only significantly improves the balance between camps, but also makes the experience of the game itself extremely brain-burning. Since each game can have up to 16 players joining at the same time, the game process is often full of unexpected emergencies, and it is not difficult for players to be so superior. Some players even left a message on Steam saying, "Before playing the game, I felt quite normal, but after I finished playing, I was mentally retarded."

Free To Download And Experience

The success of Goose Goose Duck is also inseparable from its business model. Today, Among Us is still a buyout game on Steam, but Goose Goose Duck has chosen the same free and in-app purchase model as Fall Guys today. The business model that everyone can experience for free will undoubtedly attract more players to test the water.

In terms of internal purchases, the current main payment point for this product is the sale of skins and decorations. These payment elements will not affect the player's game experience. In addition, although there are some elements involving item charges, such as special pets that provide game currency bonuses, the impact on the value is also very weak.

It is worth mentioning that Goose Goose Duck is also a cross-platform product. In addition to PC (Steam) and Mac, this game also supports Android and iOS smartphones. Sensor Tower data shows that the mobile game version of this product has been downloaded millions of times on both platforms, but the revenue is relatively bleak. Players' willingness to pay for this type of product is still a problem that party games need to continue to explore .

Therefore, how long the Goose Goose Duck, which became popular overnight, will remain popular is still a topic worthy of continuous attention. But it is foreseeable that Goose Goose Duck will not be the last popular party game. This simple and joyful multiplayer social game category will still have a steady stream of new surprises in the future.

Compared to Minecraft, Terraria may not be so familiar. But it is also a sandbox legend, which is completely different from the game charm brought by Minecraft. Terraria focuses on exploration, focusing on collection and growth, with the ultimate goal of saving the world. But it is food for thought, is the player's activity really beneficial to the world of Terraria? In this issue, let us enter the world of Terraria to find the answer to this question!

Terraria is a high-degree-of-freedom sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. It was released on PC on May 16, 2011, and entered the switch platform on December 19, 2019. Of course, this game is also available on mobile phones. And Terraria also received rave reviews on Steam, with 22w evaluations and a 97% favorable rate.

Ingenious Cthulhu Style

The advancement of Terraria's plot depends entirely on the guide's prompts. The guide often only speaks a few words, and never urges the player to do something. It is more like explaining and telling you the conditions for summoning each npc. I never say much about the plot of the game, only occasionally mentioning how to make boss summons. The plot itself is also driven by players exploring and killing bosses, so the game itself has very little plot. For players who really love this game, this kind of fragmented plot may often make them think hard, hoping to combine such fragmented information into a complete story. And when its idea can really justify itself, the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is irreplaceable.

Of course, most of the bosses in this game are designed in Cthulhu style, from the eyeball of the first boss Cthulhu, or the guardian of the dungeon, Skeleton King, Roshan, and even the Moon Lord, you can see clearly Cthulhu style. There are not only more than 30 bosses but also special events. Do you think that after your house is built, you can sit back and relax after the npc lives in it? It's not that simple. Various special events are waiting for you to experience.

Picture Quality

Terraria is sandbox games as you see. But it is worth mentioning that its novel 2D design surprised me. It not only has the ordinary block setting of 2D plane, but also the setting of background curtain wall. You can also use a hammer to knock the block into the shape you want. All aspects perfectly meet your architectural needs. Of course, some npcs in the game also have very high requirements for buildings. You need to build a room that meets his requirements for him to live in, such as a room with decorative flags or furniture, or there are also requirements for the size of the room.

As a game that mainly promotes the collection of adventure monsters, let's not talk about the number of weapons themselves. The ranks of weapons and equipment in this game are as many as 11, and the enchanting attributes of equipment prefixes are as many as 112. Of course, through equipment configuration, it can basically be said to have all regular occupations in RPG. However, since there is no talent tree in this work, various armor set attributes are added to separate the occupations of players. Of course, this work also includes a fashion system. If you are not satisfied with the appearance of the armor, you can completely make up for it through fashion. In addition to armor, weapons, fashion, accessories and potions that are often found in rpg games are also essential. In this game, accessories mainly provide various special functions such as immunity to all buffs, flying, or increasing attack power.

Why Terraria Is Worth Playing

Although the 2D sandbox style is indeed sometimes unacceptable, it is still very good to get used to it. What I have to complain about is that the overly simple attack action of this work is a bit disappointing. In addition, for new players, if you don't check the strategy and don't like to watch the narration of the game, playing this game alone may dissuade you. Although it is fun to dig, explore, and find treasure chests all the time, but after a long time, the main plot has not changed at all, and the unchanging daily life and world may really make you feel bored. For veteran players, it can be a bit frustrating to have to wait for each update to continue exploring Terraria. But this does not affect that this is a good game and a masterpiece.

As far as I concerned, Terraria is still very fun, especially when you play online with your friends. One person cuts trees to build a home, one person hunts monsters and explores, and others can mine and develop technology. Sometimes in order to collect special dropped items to brush monsters together, complain about the European origin of the playmates. Or discuss the history of the Terraria world together. The charm of this kind of game has deeply attracted me. Of course, I hope that the game positioning of this work will not be too high. This is a casual game that can even be played on mobile phones. For players who like 2D horizontal version of the game, this game is definitely not to be missed.

New World is an MMORPG launching on September 28, 2021. The background of the game is set on the fictional supernatural world of Aeternum Island in the 17th century. Players will explore and fight, build their own characters, and create another self among three factions that are constantly vying for towns and territories.

The environment and picture creation of New World are expressed in an open 3D form. The vision is exquisite and can even be used as a wallpaper. And the character modeling is also very good. The game tells why players want to go to Aeternum Island at the beginning. A person whose body has changed found the captain and told the story about Aeternum Island, so the captain went to that mysterious place. But when he arrived, the captain's fleet encountered the situation that the person told. Afterwards, the player encounters the corrupted captain.

Following the quest process, players can gradually understand and experience the world. And the main line and branch lines basically follow the consistent process of massively multiplayer online games. Specifically, it is collecting items, killing monsters, and talking with NPCs. In addition, there are various tasks related to city construction and faction reputation, etc. Through these, players can find suitable weapons and complete the tasks they want and trade with other players.

Players can join three different factions, the Syndicate, Covenant, and Marauders. These three factions are constantly fighting for control of towns and territories. And as players, we also belong to different camps after choosing our own faction, and jointly complete the construction of towns and produce goods. Players can also buy houses and settle in their own faction.

Weapons

The novice tutorial of the game is more detailed. Players can use different weapons to attack, and each weapon has its own proficiency. After using the weapon frequently, you can gain skills and upgrade them. It can be said that the game does not have a specific profession, and it can also be said that the weapon used is the profession. Of course, weapons and tools have a certain endurance, and they will be damaged after the endurance is consumed.

Depending on the weapon you use, you can also change your professions. The profession is divided into two types: long-range and melee. Such as long-range Fire Magic, Life Magic, Ice Magic, Bow, Musket, and melee Sword and Shield, Greatsword, Hatchet, Spear, Great Axe, and War Hammer.

Each weapon can be equipped with three skills, such as Fire Magic's Fire's Reach, Sword and Shield's Reverse Stab, etc. The three skills are released during the battle and the specific three skills are selected by the player. Have different cooldowns. At the same time, after the character is upgraded, the attribute points also affect the player's use of weapons. Each weapon has two branches of combat skills, the main skill and the passive skill. The rich skill tree system makes the weapon skills of this game a feature, and it is also a point that impresses me deeply.

Survive

In fact, many construction games have a survival mode, and this game integrates it. In the game, players can carry out mining, hunting, skinning, logging, harvesting and fishing that survival games have. And these form different life skills. Players can choose what they like to improve their proficiency. As the level increases, more collectible items and resources that can be detected will be unlocked. At the same time, we can collect resources in the wild to make bonfires to make medicines and rest to restore health. In addition to using potions, your HP can also be recovered by hunting, making food and drinking water, which is quite like Red Dead Redemption 2.

There are different crafting stations in the city. After collecting enough materials, we can use these to craft and upgrade the level. Raising the level will unlock higher resources. In layman's terms, it is life skills. Some players like to make armor weapons, some like to cook, some like to make furniture and handmade jewelry, etc. These all take time to improve proficiency and level. Players can choose one or two to upgrade, or slowly accumulate with the game time and slow to master all. Pretty good.

Fast teleportation is also designed in the game, but fast teleportation needs to consume a currency called Azoth. If this currency is not enough, then you cannot quickly move between big cities. After death, you can choose to be reborn at the nearest found teleportation point and bonfire in the set initial city. But there are different cooling rates and limits.

Sense Of Experience

Both the sense of strike and the sound effect make the feeling of blocking and attacking very good, and the flat slash also uses the form of three combos. Different weapon combinations can form different teams. For example, Fire Magic can summon fireballs in a certain range. Of course, blocking and dodging with Great Axe will consume stamina. In terms of movements, climbing cannot climb rocks, you can stand on fences, climb over fences, etc. The overall feeling is very smooth.

There will be random monster attacks on the map, and all bosses are basically above level 25. When your main line reaches level 20, you can form a team to play dungeons and fight bosses to obtain high-level equipment. The follow-up battles between players between factions, and even siege games are even more exciting.

Here I want to talk about farming maps of this game. Except for fast teleportation, it can only rely on legs, and there is no automatic running. You only have automatic pathfinding based on the route, and there is no mount system, so it will consume a certain amount of time on the road.

In addition to various materials collected in the wild, there are also fantasy plants that we have never seen. At the same time, there are treasure chests and documents where some monsters are located, which can be collected and read. There will also be some fragmented information about the world in the city. We can learn a lot by collecting these.

New World integrates survival production into open world MMORPG, creating a unique legendary story under the background of the 17th century. Different weapons and rich weapon skill trees allow players to choose more freely in team combination and weapon specialization .The diverse elements such as survival, collection, production and exploration are the characteristics of this game. The choice of different factions, the battle between PVE and PVP all make this game more challenging and sustainable. Therefore, New World is a game well worth the time to play.

The Game Awards happened a few days ago, but we're not here to talk about every details. What we're here to discuss, is Supergiant Games surprising every rouguelike players by breaking its “no-sequel” tradition in announcing Hades II releasing.

You may ask what is Hades? Back to 2020, action-roguelike Hades saw Zagreus battling his way up from Hades (the place) to meet his estranged bio-mom, Persephone. Hades was my game of the year 2020. I don't mean to say that Hades is objectively the best, because that's an impossible metric (and also Baldur's Gate 3 isn't out yet). Rather, developer Supergiant's Greek mythology-flavored action roguelike was, improbably, the game that best characterizes the year 2020.

Hades, which entered early access in 2018 and launched offical version in PC and Switch platforms, after almost two years of additional development. More than that, it is a game whose structure and story are both rooted in repeated, inescapable failure. As Zagreus, the son of Hades, you try to slash, shield bash, spear, bow, punch, and gun your way out of hell, but no matter how many demonic shades fall after (ode to a Grecian) earning your ire, you end up back where you started.

Outstanding Narrative and Character:

This review discusses Hades' story in depth and includes both minor and major spoilers. If you haven't finished the game, and I mean really finished it, and wish to avoid spoilers, probably skip those sections.

Supergiant describes Hades as a roguelike, but only because there's not really a good genre descriptor that sums up what it really is. In between action-based runs through the ever-shifting halls of Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx, you spend ample time talking to various gods, goddesses, shades (ghosts, basically), and Dusa, who defies categorization. Also Cerberus, who is both bigger than all other dogs and has three heads, thus making him quantifiably the best boy. You can give these characters gifts to strengthen your bonds, but just conversing with them over the course of countless runs is enough to peel back many of their layers.

You get to know these characters as 10 hours give way to 20, 30, 60, and onward. When I first encountered Achilles while playing Hades, I thought he was a dreary shadow perpetually posed against the same dull wall. Now, months later, he's like a father, brother, and maybe more to me, a font of generosity in spite of his own past failures. These slow-build interactions, which sometimes move at a speed akin to that of real-life relationships, are just as central to Hades as making a mess of Hell on your way to the surface.

Characters, in turn, react to your progress and deeds, some of which come to directly involve them. Given the number of possible permutations of your progress both through the game and with various characters, it is a mind-bogglingly complex narrative system that somehow manages to feel coherent at almost all times.

In fact everyone, including main antagonist Hades and the universally reviled Theseus, has this caring softness to them that enhances their blinding attractiveness to cosmic levels. Zagreus, full of concern for his friend Dusa, asks her if she's okay with him killing other gorgons. Asterius, slain by Theseus in life, becomes bound to him by camaraderie and respect in death. Even Megaera, after being slain by Zagreus countless times, develops a fondness for him, and warns him to be careful whenever he ventures out to escape. Everyone loves everyone else and that is just so awesome to see, especially in 2022 when even human compassion is in rare supply.

In a mythos wherein the gods are usually portrayed as hateful, backstabbing, narcissists, Supergiant made these gods beautiful—inside and out.

Amazing Game Play:

It didn't take very long for me to fall in love with Hades, Supergiant's take on the roguelike genre. It's not just that the core gameplay loop was enticing, but seemingly every aspect of the game seemed to ooze quality and egged me on to play some more. There is something fascinating about how this game feels so complete and incredible.

I used the genre of roguelike to refer to this game, but truth be told, depending on who you ask, this classification has vastly different meanings. For the purpose of this article, here's what I used the term to identify key elements of the gameplay loop: floor-based progression, random power-ups throughout the progression and start-over on death. This classification puts Hades there along with games like FTL, Slay the Spire, The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, and many more; games that have vastly different mechanics but whose core appeals remain similar.

This basic loop is very popular nowadays and for good reason: it's incredibly compelling. The floor-based structure makes progression towards success very easy to quantify and encourages the player to push forward. Random power-ups ensure each attempt is different and presents an opportunity for synergies, making the player looking forward to those "god-runs". And the start-over on death wraps it all together. Hades supplements this with a very satisfying combat system which ensures the compelling aspects of the loop are backed up by a fun overall experience. And this is the core loop that every other element of Hades feeds into.

One of the main ways that this loop is reinforced is through the use of multiple global progression axes. More classical roguelikes only have the player expertise getting better through multiple runs. Hades gives the player ways to make each attempt easier through multiple ways. The mirror makes the player stronger, by giving them more health, starting gold, or luck for example. The weapons offer different play styles and can be further customized and upgraded. Even the rooms can be upgraded with chest and pots that grant rewards or be fit with healing fountains.

Each axis of progression requires resources that can be acquired during the runs. This method of multiple axes of progression has very strong effects on the main loop.

First, it creates two different paradigms for each run: getting as far as possible or amassing resources. This in turns reduces the amount of "bad runs" since weaker runs can be used to gather resources instead, the player still feels like they're accomplishing something. That completely discourages the player from abandoning a run, a mechanic too often seen in other games of the genre (looking at you, Spelunky).

The second effect is that with multiple axes of global progression, each player can more easily reach a state of flow. Since how far you go is based both on skill and the character's power, the player doesn't get exposed to more information than their current skill level can handle.

All in all, It's no surprise that this game is a masterpiece since it's built on every other game Supergiant has made before. It is built upon their strengths and vision and their amazing capacity for creativity and humanity. Even though the game depicts an endless fight against established power, it somehow provides much needed fun in these troubled times.

Impressive Soundtrack

For a game that imaginatively reinvented Greek mythology to craft a difficult but immensely rewarding experience, Hades required an engrossing soundtrack. Redditor Rectacrab thinks it delivers more than just that, calling the score "so so good" and highlighting pieces like "Rage of the Myrmidons" that made the Elysium sequence unforgettable.

Darren Korb may be best known as the voice of Zagreus in the game, but he has also composed the music for every Supergiant Games title, including Hades. What makes the soundtrack great is that every single floor has its own distinctive feel, often incorporating unusual instruments and different cultural influences, yet it manages to feel like a cohesive soundtrack.

There are bits and pieces from the many Need for Speed games within Need for Speed Unbound, and it does a fair job of balancing these elements.

In order for franchises to last decades, they typically have to reinvent themselves a few times. Need for Speed is no exception, even though in Need for Speed Unbound, the series takes inspiration from past titles. This is certainly not a bad thing, as there is a lot to be learned from the franchise's past.

Need for Speed Unbound returns to the street racing that characterized the series during the 2000s. It also features a focus on characters which is something that became more prevalent during the 2010s. The two elements are blended well, resulting in an addictive racing game.

Need for Speed During the 2000s

For most of its lifetime, the Need for Speed series has been about exhilarating races and evading the police. However, it has changed its setting quite a bit over time, giving each of the games a different feeling. Earlier Need for Speed titles feature tracks with some urban influence, but they also wind through the outskirts of cities, allowing gamers to enjoy the stunning scenery. This is seen, for instance, with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, which was released in 2002.

The 2000s is also the decade where Need for Speed, like many arcade racers of the time, delved into street racing. It was the perfect time to do so thanks to the level of popularity that Japanese imported cars and car customization had achieved in pop culture. This era of the franchise is best represented by Need for Speed Underground and its sequel which feature hip-hop soundtracks and the ability to customize cars to make them look as flashy as the player likes.

For most of the 2000s, the franchise stuck to this identity, arguably reaching its pinnacle with Need for Speed: Most Wanted. However, the formula eventually got stale. Furthermore, street racing lost the popularity it once enjoyed. Consequently, when Need for Speed: Carbon rolled around in 2006, many gamers saw this as the beginning of a decline in the series.

In many ways, Need for Speed Unbound is a return to form for the series. It embraces urban street racing once again, features intense police chases, and gives players the option to wildly customize vehicles. In many ways, it feels like Unbound was created for gamers who enjoyed this era.

Need for Speed in the 2010s

The 2010s were a weird time for the Need for Speed series. After the fall of the popularity of street racing, the franchise seemed to be searching for a new identity. Technically, this began in the late 2000s with titles like ProStreet that tackled legal street racing, but things have only gotten weirder from that point onward.

During the 2010s, the franchise looked toward the online world and attempted to make the most of it.

Hence, gamers got titles such as 2010's Need for Speed: World and 2015's Need for Speed which attempted to reboot the series. Neither of these titles was particularly well-received. The 2010s also saw the series look past just the cars, and pay attention to the racers as well. For example, in The Run, there are sections where players get out of their vehicles and engage in quick-time events, while 2019's Need for Speed Heat, gamers can select their own playable character from a catalog of presets.

Need for Speed Unbound also focuses on characters; it allows gamers to pick their own playable character and customize them with designer clothing. However, its single-player offering is still the main attraction, and it doesn't attempt to bill itself as an online multiplayer game as other titles in the decade did. With Unbound, it appears that Need for Speed has found an identity that suits it in the modern landscape. It takes the street racing of the 2000s and blends it with the focus on characters from the 2010s. The result is a concoction of fun arcade racing that reminds players that the franchise has not yet met its demise.