Twitch streamer allegedly goes live from prison

On Twitter, a Twitch streamer attracted attention by allegedly streaming from his prison cell. You can find out what it’s all about on MeinMMO.

What kind of streamer is this? John “ChoseN” Rinella is an American Overwatch player who has been playing as a supporter for Boise State University since 2021 (via liquipedia). On his Twitch channel, he also shows almost exclusively Overwatch 2 via (sullygnome).

However, he did not attract attention with his gaming skills, but rather with his living circumstances.

What is the streamer’s version? On August 26, a clip from the Twitch channel chosen_ow went viral on Twitter. The footage shows him in a small, rather sparsely furnished room, which is supposed to be a prison cell. Particularly amusing for viewers: The content creator seems to care more about his hairstyle than about his situation.

The streamer himself informed his viewers via a chat command that he is currently incarcerated in the “Idaho State Rehabilitation Prison” for auto theft related to gang crime. Streaming was permitted to him as an “enrichment” activity (via Twitter). The US Navy does something similar with sea lions.

But what’s the truth behind the story?

Twitch streamers often come up with crazy actions to entertain their viewers:

Start video
Largest Twitch streamer of CoD Warzone wants to win with every weapon – plays shotgun in rat costume

Prison streamer looks more like a poor student

What’s the truth behind the story? As amusing as the idea of a state-funded program for incarcerated Twitch streamers is, there are some gaps in ChoseN’s story. There is no trace online of the prison where the streamer is allegedly serving time.

Also, the “PrisonToPartner” program from Twitch, which ChoseN supposedly streams from prison, seems not to exist.

The “prison cell” that the streamer shows in a video on Twitter looks more like a sparsely furnished student room, and the “rat” he shares his cell with bears a suspicious resemblance to a cat upon closer inspection.

Everything suggests that ChoseN has pulled a prank.

What has the action brought him? The original Twitter post was viewed more than 4.3 million times and shared over 2,500 times (as of August 28, 2023). However, the streamer himself received only a small share of this attention.

On his Twitch channel, he saw a small push: he gained 174 new followers and reached a peak of 284 viewers, while otherwise, only a maximum of 20–35 people usually watch him. However, by August 28, most of these new viewers seemed to have evaporated again (via sullygnome).

So, ChoseN hasn’t had his big breakthrough with this action yet, but the story of a Twitch streamer who streams from prison could still linger in social media for quite a while.

As an aspiring Twitch streamer, it is not so easy to be discovered by your potential audience. Going viral on another platform can give you the necessary boost. But then, viewers also have to be kept entertained.

CoD Warzone 2: Millions celebrate a Twitch streamer who pretends to be a 10-year-old on TikTok – “Must get to bed soon”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

EA Sports FC 24 Ratings: When will they finally arrive? Our prediction

FIFA successor EA Sports FC 24 is about to be released and the community is still waiting for the official ratings of the players. We will tell you when the ratings could finally be published.

Is there an FC 24 ratings release date? Currently, it is still unknown when we can expect the ratings for the players in EA Sports FC 24. As soon as there is new information, we will keep you updated here at MeinMMO. 

Looking back into the past shows: It can’t be long before the new player values are revealed. FIFA 23 was released on September 30, 2022, and EA published the ratings 12 days earlier, on September 18, which was 3 days before early access began.

The ratings could come on this date: The release of EA Sports FC 24 is on September 29, 2023, and early access starts already on September 22. A few days earlier it should therefore be available at the latest.

Therefore, plausible sounds to us the 17th of September 2023, which is, as in the previous year, a Sunday and is exactly 12 days before the game’s release date.

Start video
5 important improvements in the career mode of EA Sports FC 24

You can see how far apart the release and announcement of the ratings have been in the past:

  • FIFA 14: Release on 23.09.2013 – Ratings announcement on Thursday, 05.09.2013
  • FIFA 15: Release on 23.09.2014 – Ratings announcement on Sunday, 07.09.2014
  • FIFA 16: Release on 22.09.2015 – Ratings announcement on Friday, 04.09.2015
  • FIFA 17: Release on 27.09.2016 – Ratings announcement on Monday, 29.08.2016
  • FIFA 18: Release on 29.09.2017 – Ratings announcement on Monday, 11.09.2017
  • FIFA 19: Release on 28.09.2018 – Ratings announcement on Wednesday, 12.09.2018
  • FIFA 20: Release on 27.09.2019 – Ratings announcement on Monday, 09.09.2019
  • FIFA 21: Release on 09.10.2020 – Ratings announcement on Thursday, 10.09.2020
  • FIFA 22: Release on 01.10.2021 – Ratings announcement on Friday, 17.09.2021
  • FIFA 23: Release on 30.09.2022 – Ratings announcement on Sunday, 18.09.2022

Everything you need to know about the FIFA successor EA Sports FC 24 can be found here:

EA Sports FC 24 – Everything we know about release, leagues, logo, price, and content

FUT Heroes already receive first official ratings

These are the ratings: Among the first ratings that EA has announced are the FUT Heroes. These are special cards intended for fan favorites and great players from the past. What hero cards will be available in EA Sports FC Ultimate Team, you can see here.

These are the ratings of the hero cards:

  • Wesley Sneijder (91) – Serie A
  • Gianluca Vialli (91) – Serie A
  • Bixente Lizarazu (90) – Bundesliga
  • Carlos Tevez (90) – Premier League
  • Alex Scott (88) – England WSL
  • Nadine Keßler (90) – Women’s Bundesliga
  • Tomáš Rosický (88) – Bundesliga
  • Ludovic Giuly (88) – La Liga
  • John Arne Riise (87) – Premier League
  • Nwankwo Kanu (87) – Eredivisie
  • Dimitar Berbatov (88) – Bundesliga
  • Sonia Bompastor (89) – France Division 1F
  • Jari Litmanen (89) – Eredivisie
  • Rui Costa (89) – Serie A
  • Paulo Futre (89) – Liga Portugal 
  • Vincent Kompany (89) – Premier League
  • Ramires (87) – Premier League
  • Steve McManaman (89) – La Liga
  • DaMarcus Beasley (86) – Eredivisie

If you want to know who the 10 best players in FC 24 Ultimate Team could be, then take a look at our predictions:

EA Sports FC 24 Ratings: Our prediction for the 10 best players in Ultimate Team

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. fifauteam

LoL changes a controversial system after 3 years, removes annoying items from the game, aims for more build variation

The Mythic system was introduced 3 years ago in League of Legends. It was meant to allow a new type of item builds while limiting strong items. It did not work satisfactorily, and now Riot announced that they will completely kick the system in the future.

What was announced? Riot has introduced some changes for the next preseason. In addition to changes to the terrain and objectives like the dragon, Riot also announced that they will completely remove Mythic Items from the game. The idea behind the system has not worked out, as Riot announced on Twitter.

What are Mythic Items?

  • They are supposed to be stronger than other legendary items
  • You can only buy one Mythic Item
  • Mythic Items give you stats based on the number of legendary items
  • They partly provide effects like a gap closer or CC

But apparently the system does not seem to work as planned, and even Riot itself was not happy with it:

LoL: The most important innovation in items of the last 3 years was a mistake, and Riot knows it

Start video
Song of Nunu brings a fan favorite from League of Legends into the game

The Mythic system does not work for every champ

Why is the Mythic system being removed? Riot says on Twitter that while many champs would work with the items, others really couldn’t use any of them, and the strength of the items would restrict variation.

While they want to remove the Mythic system, various Mythic Items should remain and be adjusted to be playable in different builds. They have already tried something similar in the last mid-season update with some items.

Overall, the removal should ensure that builds are no longer built around the Mythic Items, but that more variation arises. What exactly will change about the items, Riot will reveal in the near future. You can find the statement about it here:

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That the Mythic Items were too dominant became evident during the course of the release. In January 2021, the meta was dominated by support items that were simply used everywhere. But items like Goredrinker were also temporarily too dominant. With the change, not every champ has to force themselves to buy a Mythic Item.

When will the change come to LoL? The preseason for Season 14 is set to arrive with patch 14.1 on January 9, 2024. Item changes are also expected during this time. The current ranked split will be extended and will run until January 3, 2024.

Whether the build variations will really improve or simply legendary items will assert themselves as absolute top dogs, next year’s preseason will show. However, a Riot developer doubts whether players will always understand the patch notes:

LoL: Developer calls players incapable of understanding patch notes

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO: Feliospa is the next Pokémon for the new season – Here is what you need to know about the monster

In Pokémon GO the next season is approaching. More teasers for the upcoming Pokémon are being released – now with Feliospa.

What is happening in Pokémon GO? In Pokémon GO, a season change is imminent: The current season, Hidden Gems, is making way for the next one.

On September 1st, it will be time: Under the motto Adventures Abound, the next season continues.

Details about the season are still largely unknown, but it is clear that the Paldea Pokémon will make their first appearance in the game.

Just recently, a teaser for the water starter of the region was released, before the next one appeared.

We are embedding the corresponding post here for you:

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This time, the only somewhat hidden star: Feliospa, the evolution of plant starter Felori.

What kind of Pokémon is Feliospa?

This is Feliospa: Feliospa evolves from Felori and is therefore one of the starter Pokémon of the Paldea region.

As usual, at the beginning of the games Karmesin and Purpur, you can choose a monster of type plant, fire or water. Felori’s last evolution is called Maskagato.

Feliospa in Karmesin & Purpur (via pokemon.com)

Feliospa itself is still largely inconspicuous in terms of type distribution – it is a classic plant Pokémon.

Maskagato, on the other hand, receives the dark type as its final evolution, which is an unusual combination.

How strong the monster ultimately becomes in the game remains to be seen and depends among other things on the attacks it receives.

An early analysis by PvP expert Teban54 described Maskagato as a potentially strong plant starter Pokémon that can deal high damage, but it may lack endurance (via reddit).

Start video
Pokémon from the Paldea region will soon appear in Pokémon GO!

How exactly to obtain the monster remains to be seen. But given that there was already a video indicating that the Paldea monsters are supposed to appear in September, as well as the current teasers, it shouldn’t be long until Felori and its evolutions appear in Pokémon GO.

The Hyperbonus from the GO Fest is also coming up in September and will bring new Pokémon.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

With a trick, you can play Starfield for free at release, but you need the right friends

With the Game Pass, you can Starfield play without paying extra. However, Microsoft is now removing a particularly good offer. Nevertheless, there is a trick with which you can try Starfield for free.

What was that with the Euro? For 1 Euro, you could subscribe to the Game Pass for one month. Sort of as a trial offer to properly subscribe to the Game Pass afterwards. For many gamers, this was a chance to test new releases very cheaply. Microsoft is now removing this option.

So, anyone who hoped to test Starfield for 1 Euro and now wants to use the preload for Starfield is now out of luck.

But there is another option for how you can play Starfield very cheaply. All you need is a friend who has an active ‘Game Pass’ subscription.

Start video
Starfield – Official Gameplay Trailer

Play Starfield for free if you have friends with Game Pass

How can you still play Starfield for free? The Xbox Game Pass offers a program to refer friends. And that’s exactly what you can use if you want to let friends try Starfield for free.

The same goes for the opposite: If you have friends who have subscribed to Game Pass, they can also ‘gift’ you access.

How exactly does it work? Each subscriber of the ‘Game Pass’ can gift up to 5 trial subscriptions per year. You gift 2 weeks of free Game Pass. During this time, you can play all games from the Game Pass without restrictions – including the new Starfield, which will be released on September 6, 2023.

What is the limitation? One downside is: You can only ‘gift’ friends who have never been a member before or have an Xbox account that has never subscribed to Game Pass. If you’ve ever been a subscriber, you cannot use the free trial phase anymore.

So think carefully about whether you want to use this trial phase for Starfield now, or in 5 years for The Elder Scrolls VI.

Save with Game Pass: How you can get the Game Pass significantly cheaper with a long subscription can be read here:

Caution, don’t just pay 10 € for the Xbox Game Pass – I almost made the mistake

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

A large Free2Play MMO on Steam makes a small change, turns players against itself: 91% negative reviews

In the last 14 days, there has been significant review bombing on Steam for World of Warships. Players are complaining about a change to the summer event made by the developers. While Wargaming is somewhat backtracking in their latest announcement, negative reviews are still coming in, also because players are frustrated about some general changes.

What is making players so angry? On August 10, the developers announced their event for the 8th anniversary. This is a highlight because you can quickly earn many interesting rewards. However, this year, changes were announced that many players were not happy with:

  • Previously, the event revolved around players having Tier X ships in their port. For this, there was a reward of one supercontainer per ship. The ships in the lower tiers did not play such a significant role.
  • However, the rewards were changed and simultaneously reduced this year. Instead of directly receiving containers, there are now festival tokens.
  • While you get a hefty 200 tokens for a Tier X ship, only the first 30 supercontainers cost exactly that much. For all thereafter, you pay 400 tokens, which is double.

This change tipped the scales for many. Since 2021, there have been constant small adjustments that made World of Warships less appealing to players.

Additionally, the Discord server for World of Warships has been heavily criticized. Players are complaining that criticism regarding the summer event was simply deleted. Therefore, many resorted to Steam reviews to make their voices heard.

How are players showing their discontent? On Steam, World of Warships received 5,121 reviews in the last 14 days. A hefty 4,671 (or 91.2%) were negative. Previously, the game had a total of 83% positive ratings.

Wargaming has since made some adjustments to the summer event. However, this is currently not slowing down the negative reviews.

Start video
3 of the best new MMORPGs released on Steam since 2020

Wargaming is backtracking, but much of the criticism remains

What has Wargaming changed now? In a new blog post, the developers announced that each player can now purchase 110 supercontainers. Additionally, the bundle with the 400 tokens has been removed, and further tokens for “performance bonuses” have been introduced.

The post also explained why the change was announced this way. The current system addresses an issue in the economy of the game:

We want to make it transparent that we need to reconcile a generous anniversary system with the economic health of the game. Over the past 8 years, the selection of ships in the game has grown to over 600 […].

This means that with the growing fleet, the number of anniversary rewards that players can collect each year has also increased. Last year, a player with all ships received rewards worth more than 180,000 doubloons. This ongoing trend puts a strain on the economic balance of the game, and we regularly take measures to optimize our systems.

How are players reacting? On Reddit, this is being celebrated as a victory for the players. They have stood up against the “evil Wargaming” and even left a bit of praise for the developers.

However, essentially, a criticism point shared by many has now been addressed.

With over 11,000 concurrent players on August 28 and over 411,000 at peak, World of Warships is among the largest MMOs on Steam (via SteamDB).

Focus on monetization, not on the players

What are the Steam reviews criticizing still? The reviews complain about several things, such as general monetization with doubloons and tokens to obscure real money expenses, the shutdown of the official forums in July, and generally fewer in-game rewards while simultaneously focusing more on the shop.

One player comments: “At the moment, we have an unbelievable 7 sales events, plus loot boxes, plus a premium account, and of course, there’s also a battle pass. Have I mentioned premium ships? So, for those who like to spend a lot, they can easily sink their monthly rent here.”

However, the statement about the economy is causing concern among some players. Especially new and casual players seem to have trouble keeping up with the larger accounts.

The general sentiment is: The developers are focusing too much on the shop and too little on the players.

What do you say about World of Warships? Do you play it actively yourself or have you stopped for exactly these reasons?

Lastly, we recently conducted an interview with the metal band Megadeth, who are also active in the game: The singer of one of the most famous metal bands explains why his music and gaming fit so well together.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Wargaming

The MMORPG Throne and Liberty has revised its combat system, is it good now? I played for 30 minutes

Throne and Liberty has received quite a bit of criticism in recent months, for instance regarding the combat system or autoplay in the beta. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch was able to try out the first 30 minutes himself at gamescom 2023. The version there already included some changes compared to the beta that we would like to present to you.

Throne and Liberty has already conducted several tests in Korea that I could not attend. However, the shown gameplay always had one aspect that put me off quite a bit: the combat system.

Players selected a target, ran towards it as melee fighters, and followed with auto-attacks and individual abilities with sometimes very long animations during which they could not move. Even in the endgame, it looked not much better.

Several videos highlighted where the problems of the combat system lay:

  • In one video, the YouTuber Logen gets stunned in GvG, but the opponent is just a millimeter too far away and wastes the entire combo. Subsequently, Logen then killed his enemy (via YouTube).
  • Furthermore, there was substantial criticism regarding the autoplay in which the character fights automatically and completes quests. The YouTuber Neeko2lo emphasized this, calling TL the “Worst MMO I have ever played” (via YouTube).

The good news is that NCSoft itself is responding and has announced changes to the combat system. Furthermore, Amazon is planning to deactivate autoplay in the upcoming tests and somewhat restrict open PvP. But is that enough?

Start video
Throne and Liberty – Official GeForce RTX Gameplay Reveal Trailer

The combat system is significantly more dynamic

The good news first: the battles no longer felt as rigid as in the initial beta tests. At the start, I directly have three abilities to choose from, none of which for the great sword had a cast bar. All could be used while moving.

Relatively quickly in the tutorial, you receive a chest that contains all weapon sets. So I was able to freely experiment. The dual crossbows, for example, had an ability that allowed me to actively dodge, which really benefits the dynamism, while the staff has a spell for which I have to remain standing still for a casting time of 2 seconds. However, I found that completely acceptable in this case.

I was able to play roughly the same content as the YouTuber Steparu. If I compare my experience with that from this video, almost every moment felt more dynamic. For instance, you can see how the YouTuber interrupts the auto-attacks with ranged weapons through a movement or they don’t happen at all. It was different in my test.

In general, the animations and transitions between abilities also felt smoother.

By the way, NCSoft and Amazon have slightly adjusted the ability bars. The right part with the auto-attack on “E” and blocking was revised and is now stacked on top of each other instead of side by side.

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However, the auto-attack still felt somewhat strange to me. When I target an enemy, my character automatically attacks it when in range. As a melee fighter, I have to manually walk towards it. However, once I am in range, the auto-attack occurs completely without my intervention; I don’t have to use any buttons on the mouse or keyboard.

In Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2, I at least have to target the enemy with a right-click or use the 1 key.

It’s not dramatic, as the attacks do not restrict the use of my other abilities. For someone used to the action combat of New World and Black Desert, this automatic attack without any intervention feels a bit unusual.

I cannot say how the combat system plays in the endgame with all unlocked abilities since I was only able to try out the intro.

I also cannot comment on autoplay as it was fortunately already deactivated. It is simply bad game design when the MMORPG can complete tasks itself if they are too boring and too easy for me.

Pretty graphics and incredibly fun transformations

What initially distracted me a bit from the combat system was the pretty graphics. They are not at the level of Red Dead Redemption 2, but they are definitely above what most MMORPGs offer.

Especially the masonry and the overall environment look beautiful. However, the grass and trees could be more detailed.

My big highlight in this short play event were definitely the transformations. Early in the tutorial, you learn to transform into a wolf. To do this, you only have to press W+Shift at the same time. Then you run faster and attacks cannot stop you. However, you revert back if you remain still for a short period of time.

You also get to “fly” as an eagle for the first time in the tutorial. However, the function resembles more of a glide. You continuously sink down and can land faster on the ground in a dive. However, it does not feel as good as in Guild Wars 2.

Not an action MMORPG, but I’m keeping an eye on it

Throne and Liberty is still not an action MMORPG even after the (first?) adjustments to the combat system. You target enemies with the Tab key, and your character performs the normal attack completely automatically; you don’t even have to press a button initially. However, the animations are smoother, and much can now be used while moving.

Overall, my interest has massively increased due to the changes to the combat system and the autoplay. While the game previously sounded more like fan service for the Lineage 2 community, it may now appeal to a broader audience. And that is precisely what NCSoft and Amazon want, especially considering the console release. The rigid combat system from the beta would not have gone over well there.

I cannot say whether the changes are sufficient overall after such a short time. Much can still change before the release in 2024.

Alexander Leitsch

MMORPG expert at MeinMMO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Award-winning gaming studio from Munich gives up after 3 strong games on Steam – Too high personal burden

The German studio Mimimi Games is closing. After three great games, it is now over in Munich. However, the latest game, Shadow Gambit, will continue to receive support.

Mimimi Games is considered a favorite among stealth strategy fans. With their games, they have gained a community. But now the team announced that they no longer want to develop new games. The latest game Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is the last game from Mimimi Games.

Behind the decision are too much stress, an uncertain financial situation, and no options for a new genre.

Start video
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew shows cursed pirates in the announcement trailer

Three great games that never achieved great financial success

What do the developers say? The developers themselves write on their website:

With a heavy heart, we must announce today that Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew will be the last game from Mimimi.

(…)

At the same time, the work on ever more ambitious games over the last one and a half decades has taken a heavy personal toll on us and our families. After the release of Shadow Gambit, we decided that it was time to prioritize our well-being and pull the emergency brake rather than engage in another multi-year production cycle.

It has been fun to develop great games, but they have also pushed us to our limits. Because after every completed project, the battle for financing the next project would start again. So we decided to close the studio and make “Shadow Gambit” the last game.

Which games did Mimimi Games develop? Especially with three great titles, Mimimi Games captured the hearts of its fans and created a community:

  • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and the stand-alone expansion Aiko’s Choice.
  • Desperados III
  • Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

All three games were well received by players and also received much praise from testers: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun gets 96% positive reviews on Steam (27,000 users). Desperados III (96%, 8,000 reviews) and Shadow Gambit (94%, 1,000 reviews) also perform very well.

What is the problem with the games? All three games were so-called stealth strategy games: You sneak your way across the map and complete various missions with much strategy. With sheer brute force, you rarely got very far.

But stealth games are a niche that appeals to significantly fewer users than other genres. Similar games, such as the popular Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood or the well-known Commandos series, are known to many players who enjoy such stealth games. This is also reflected in the sales figures: The games may be great, but that doesn’t mean they sell well.

For Mimimi Games, it seems that the stress and the high pressure are no longer worth it. While they want to deliver excellent games, it is a considerable effort. And the return for that is simply too low, and the financial pressure is too high.

The statistics on Steam also show this: All games have been able to build a loyal fan base, but no game reached at least tens of thousands of simultaneous players. Shadow Gambit currently has about 1,500 active players, with the highest peak being around 4,000 (via steamdb.info).

And the option to switch to a new genre and leave the niche would not have been there, the developers explain. Because that would again be associated with great stress, which they do not want to impose on their colleagues:

Working in a new genre would further increase the risks and stress level for the entire team. It is already hard enough to develop great stealth strategy games, and we simply lack the experience from working in other genres.

What happens next? Mimimi Games will be significantly downsized and will continue to take care of the latest and last game, Shadow Gambit. A new patch is already in the works. However, no new games will be developed.

If you now want to see a detailed review of Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, you will find it at our colleagues from GameStar:

GameStar: Review: Shadow Gambit is a strategy treasure waiting to be discovered by you

A shocking message for many loyal players

I love the games from Mimimi Games, Desperados III alone kept me fascinated for hours. And I also have many acquaintances who rave about the games. All three games were excellent and offered depth and relied on tactical approaches. Unfortunately, it is no longer enough these days to be only excellent.

The end of Mimimi Games leaves me somewhat speechless, especially since all the games were really good. Desperados III was genuinely brilliant and could heal all the wounds that the failed Desperados 2 from Spellbound had opened for me. For me, a dream came true when Desperados III landed with the stealth experts from Mimimi Games.

For me and many other players, the team revived a long-lost genre with its games, and it makes me sad that it should end like this now. However, I can understand the decision if the time of Mimimi Games is now coming to an end.

asks meinmmo benedikt

Benedikt Schlotmann
Hardware editor MeinMMO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Steven Spielberg raved about the cinema visit of a famous sci-fi movie

Steven Spielberg spoke together with James Cameron about the sci-fi classic ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and how excited they and other moviegoers were about the film.

In the first episode of the AMC series James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction (via IndieWire), the two world-famous directors Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Jurassic Park) and James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic) talked about a highly acclaimed sci-fi film that is considered an absolute classic of the genre: 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Here you can see a trailer for the sci-fi film from 1968:

Start video
Trailer for the Sci-Fi classic 2001 – A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey as a great inspiration for Spielberg

Steven Spielberg revealed during the AMC show that Kubrick’s film had a great influence on him.

When he saw the sci-fi classic in theaters back then, it felt like a spiritual experience:

2001 had a profound impact on my life and my everyday life. It was the first time I went to a movie and really felt like I was having a religious experience.

Steven Spielberg via IndieWire

But James Cameron is also a huge fan of the sci-fi film. The director shared that he watched it a total of 18 times in the years following its release in various theaters.

But not only the director but also another moviegoer was extremely excited about the film, seeming to have a religious experience similar to Steven Spielberg’s.

“And I remember that at an event a man ran down the aisle shouting: ‘It’s God! It’s God!’ And at that moment, he meant it,” James Cameron reported.

If you want to have an extraordinary experience like Steven Spielberg does on your next trip to the cinema, you can find a list of 10 film classics you must see on the big screen here with our colleagues from Moviepilot.

Then Steven Spielberg also recounted a curious anecdote about how a visitor in the cinema created a stir during 2001: A Space Odyssey:

“And there was a guy who really ran to the screen and ran through with outstretched arms. People went crazy because that person disappeared into the screen, right in [the star gate sequence].”

The director of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick († March 7, 1999), is one of the most famous names in film history. He was considered an absolute perfectionist, where every scene had to fit down to the smallest detail.

He even shot one scene so many times that it made it into the Guinness Book of Records:

One single scene in a famous horror film was shot 148 times

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Anyone wishing for more action in the battles of Genshin Impact should definitely check out the new game from the developers

MeinMMO editor Marie Friske played the new action game “Zenless Zone Zero” from HoYoverse during gamescom 2023. She particularly enjoyed the spectacular battles.

What is Zenless Zone Zero? After Honkai Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero will be the new game from HoYoverse, which is also behind the successful action role-playing game Genshin Impact.

Zenless Zone Zero will be another action RPG set in a futuristic fantasy city called New Eridu. It is the last metropolis left after an apocalyptic catastrophe.

Because “Hollows”, dimensional portals, open up in mid-air and consume everything they touch. Through them, the valuable but dangerous resource “Ether” can be harvested. However, the Hollows also host nasty monsters called “Ethereals”.

When will Zenless Zone Zero be released? Zenless Zone Zero does not yet have a release date and is expected to be released on PS4, PS5, iOS, Android, and PC. However, a beta test for the game has already been conducted.

As I am already a huge fan of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, I was very eager to learn more about HoYoverse’s new game during gamescom 2023 and take a closer look at the world of New Eridu.

Keep in mind that this is not the final version of the game, but rather a current beta version. Therefore, certain details may still change before Zenless Zone Zero is released.

Here you can see a trailer for Zenless Zone Zero:

Start video
The makers of Genshin Impact show their new action RPG Zenless Zone Zero in the trailer

Colorful characters are ready as fighters

I was able to take a closer look at three different game modes of Zenless Zone Zero: Story, City Exploration, and Challenge.

In Story mode, I play through the tutorial, while in City Exploration, I get to know the surroundings and the residents of New Eridu better.

However, I had the most fun during my short gaming session with the Challenge mode of Zenless Zone Zero.

At the beginning, I assemble a team. I have access to all 12 characters for the test, which are already presented on the official website and each have different melee and ranged weapons.

In addition to a cyborg who wildly shoots with pistols, there is also a cool fox lady with a flying spirit companion, as well as a bear with a rocket launcher – I like the selection of some quirky characters that emphasize “coolness” even more than the previous games.

Unlike Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, I have only three characters in my team instead of four, between which I can quickly switch during battles.

After I have chosen my fighters from the colorful roster, I am already facing an Ethereal.

Devastating special attacks and good timing

In Genshin Impact, the focus in battles is primarily on exploiting the weaknesses of enemies using the various elements and triggering certain elemental reactions to deal significant damage.

In Zenless Zone Zero, this is different. The focus is more on action-packed gameplay, where you execute your attacks and combos quickly until the buttons smoke.

In doing so, I try to fill the stagger bar of the opponent until he is “stunned”, meaning temporarily incapacitated, allowing me to deal even greater damage.

Battle in Zenless Zone Zero
via YouTube

In addition, timing is everything in battles. You need to dodge at the right moment when the opponent is about to deliver a heavy blow with his massive axe to then start a counter-attack.

Furthermore, by correctly timing the switching of characters, you perform a so-called “Switch Attack”, where you switch between team members based on a prompt to execute a devastating combo.

If you want to see combat gameplay, check out the trailer here and jump to 3:40. You will get a glimpse.

Start video
New Gameplay Showcase by Zenless Zone Zero – gamescom 2023

Similar to the characters in Genshin Impact, the characters in Zenless Zone Zero have a special and an ultimate attack, with the latter, as usual, presented in a cool animation.

During the battle, you will see the so-called “Decibel Rating” on the left side of the screen, which evaluates the combat skills live and summarizes them into a final result at the end. This motivates me to surpass my own record next time.

Once you understand how the combat mechanics work, every successful dodge-counter and switch attack feels immensely rewarding, and you get into a fun flow where you stylishly take down the enemy.

While the difficulty is challenging enough not to bore old action veterans, it is also easy enough that newcomers do not get completely frustrated and can quickly get into the game.

Zenless Zone Zero as a cool action alternative to Genshin Impact

In addition to the action, Zenless Zone Zero also offers an exciting new world with various activities such as mini-games and quests, just waiting to be explored and fulfilled by me.

I haven’t seen much of the story yet, but the little I experienced during gameplay was enough to pique my interest.

Above all, the combat system has convinced me that Zenless Zone Zero will be a new game from HoYoverse that offers plenty of action for both newcomers and fans of the genre.

So if you want to think less about which elements combine well and are more excited about quickly hitting the keys and rewarding combos, you should definitely keep an eye on Zenless Zone Zero.

If you are a Genshin Impact fan considering starting with Honkai: Star Rail, you can find a detailed opinion article about the game here:

Honkai: Star Rail takes itself less seriously than Genshin Impact – but is just as endearing

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Baldur’s Gate 3: The ending is an absolute joke, but unfortunately not a good one

MeinMMO-Tiefling Cortyn is dissatisfied with the end of Baldur’s Gate 3. Because there, the game forgets everything it did so well before.

Before I start with the criticism, I want to emphasize once again how much fun Baldur’s Gate 3 gave me for most of the game. Especially the first two acts were absolutely outstanding and among the best I have seen in gaming so far. These are beautiful, exciting stories and moments that I won’t forget anytime soon.

Nevertheless, I have to talk about the last two hours of the game here. Because Baldur’s Gate 3 not only deviates from its previously established core principles, but in many cases also becomes ruthlessly illogical and ignores its own backstory. And I’m not even talking about the fact that the biggest decision in the game is a lie.

Spoiler Warning: This article discusses several possible endings of Baldur’s Gate 3 and contains significant spoilers. You have been warned.

Baldurs Gate 3 The Power
My Tiefling at the peak of her power.

As I have already reported, I played my main save together with a friend, who constantly forced me into good decisions. With clearly over 120 hours of pure gameplay, we spent a long time in Baldur’s Gate 3 and experienced a lot. But in the last hours of play, we were both appalled.

Unlike the rest of the game, the ending is determined by the person who “owns” the save. Previously, the co-player could also make decisions actively when approaching an NPC first. In the end, this was no longer the case.

Therefore, we decided to play the ending twice: once with my decisions and once with my co-player’s decisions.

The Evil Ending – 15-Second Scene with Fade to Black

At the end of the game, you need a mind flayer. This is a serious decision – because the transformation is permanent. Since I had generally made “evil” choices, I thought to myself: Okay, now I will go through with it and try my master plan. I make Karlach turn into a mind flayer. She is even extremely happy because she believes that she can live longer because her hell machine will no longer affect her so strongly as a mind flayer.

In doing so, Karlach completely ignores that the transformation erases her soul – but more on that later.

The big moment has come. Karlach is ready to destroy the Absolute, and the narrator presents me with a final choice: Do I let Karlach destroy the Absolute? Or do I betray Karlach at the last moment and take the power of a godlike being for myself?

Baldurs Gate 3 Final Betrayal Option
The last choice in the game.

5 seconds later, Karlach has a dagger first in her back and then multiple times in her stomach.

I had to grin sardonically. After 120 hours of gameplay, the “evil” ending is now coming. My Tiefling takes control and orders the Absolute to spread its control over all beings. A quick cut. My Cortyn sits on a throne, looks grimly into the camera, and says “In my name.”

End.

This entire scene, including the murder of Karlach, took less than 30 seconds.

The spectacular, evil ending that I had hoped for so long is literally just my character sitting on a throne and looking evil into the camera before the screen turns black.

Baldurs Gate 3 Tiefling Throne
A seat for eternity – which unfortunately only lasts 15 seconds.

As the credits roll, we sit in silence on Discord for a while. After a few minutes, I then hear doubtfully from my co-player: “That was a bit tight, wasn’t it?”

There is no “after credits” scene. The game returns to the main menu.

I felt empty. I know “unsatisfying endings” all too well since Mass Effect 3, but this was on a whole other level. The short scene felt as if someone had quickly snuck it into the game two hours before the release just to have an evil version.

The “good ending” is also ridiculous

As agreed earlier, we then played the last 2 hours with the “good decisions”. And honestly, this is even more ridiculous than the bad ending, because suddenly all characters act as if they just escaped from kindergarten.

We tell the Emperor that none of us wants to become a mind flayer. Instead, we want to free the imprisoned Orpheus and fight against the Absolute with him.

The Emperor, who has supported us for over 120 hours and whose only goal so far has been to stand against the Absolute, acts like a petulant child as if someone had just taken away his sandcastle mold. He runs away and joins the Absolute – just like that. After the Absolute had been the all-encompassing, evil enemy throughout the entire game, he suddenly turns on a dime. It gets even crazier when you find out in the story that the Emperor was Balduran – the founder of Baldur’s Gate.

Okay, that was already “wild.” But it got even worse.

Baldurs Gate 3 Emperor Wants to follow

The prince Orpheus is freed and he also starts complaining: Yes, actually he wouldn’t even talk to infected people like us. Such scum as mind flayers or people with tadpoles in their heads shouldn’t even come close to him. We are the most disgusting thing in the world, absolute vermin.

We also tell Orpheus that none of us wants to turn into a mind flayer.

And since Orpheus also seems to be a cosmic being of principles – he simply transforms himself into a mind flayer.

This was one of the few moments when I had to say “Lol” loudly in Discord because I wanted to laugh, but I just couldn’t.

After Orpheus first insulted us, he transforms himself into a mind flayer without batting an eye – without even explaining whether he himself is infected with a tadpole (which, to be honest, would make very little sense). He just does it – because plot.

Again the final battle. This time we let Orpheus do his thing as a mind flayer – the Absolute is killed.

Baldurs Gate 3 Karlach Death
There is no good ending for Karlach. Exists in the game data, but was cut.

Instead of the 30-second sequence like in the “evil ending”, here there is a whole lot more. All companions appear again and have something to say. Gale wants to go look for an artifact to become a god himself, Shadowheart says some shadowy things, and Karlach bursts into flames and turns to ashes because her “good ending” is not included in the game (which is a scandal for another article).

However, a lot of things are wrong. Because all companions talk to me as if I had turned into a mind flayer. They talk about how my tentacles suit me and that it wouldn’t be so bad. Meanwhile, my Tiefling hasn’t turned into a mind flayer in this ending, and even her “half transformation” from the end of Act 2 has inexplicably disappeared.

Baldurs Gate 3 Mindflayer Wrong Choice
My companions think I’m a mind flayer. I didn’t make my Cortyn that ugly.

The entire scene lasts about 10 minutes. After the credits, there is a final scene with Lazarus.

Two endings, but only one is “correct”

I want to be gracious. That my companions address me as a mind flayer at the end is probably a bug that will be fixed soon. I can overlook that.

But not other things.

The “good” ending is well-developed. It has different variables, such as what we did with our companions throughout the story. Here there are numerous different scenes with small differences, and even if I have only seen a few, I must say: At least the ending sequence is overall quite consistent.

But to just dismiss the “evil ending” with a 15-second sequence is an outrage.

For a large part of the game, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives me the freedom in my choices. I can be “good” and save as many as possible, or I can be “evil”, scheming and reaching for absolute power (or the power of the Absolute – however you want to see it).

But at the very end, the game clearly tells me: If you act evil, you won’t get a “correct” ending. If you want the “correct” ending, then you have to be “good”.

And that’s really unfortunate.

Baldur’s Gate 3 ignores its own story

What is perhaps the worst criticism for me is the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 simply throws its own established story out of the window at the end. Because one of the most important aspects of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that mind flayers have no souls. When a mortal being is infected with a tadpole and then transforms into a mind flayer, the soul is completely extinguished. Because mind flayers have no soul, this is emphasized and reiterated several times in the game.

In both examples, neither Karlach nor Orpheus (and through the address bug also my character) is really “themselves” – they have become mind flayers, their souls have been erased. What still exists is merely a soulless mind flayer who possesses the memories of the former host.

Baldurs Gate 3 Karlach Mindflayer
Karlach – without a soul. But everyone seems to have forgotten that.

However, this is completely ignored by the companions. It’s as if they forgot that the soul is extinguished during the transformation. It’s as if they simply overlooked this important, critical story point.

That this is not an “oversight” and that the disappearance of the soul was intended until the end is also shown in the scene after the credits. There, we see Lazarus before an image of the Dead Three, asking if they really thought that this “massive disappearance of souls” would escape the notice of other gods.

Baldur’s Gate 3 messes up a lot with the ending

I could go on for a long time about the ending. About missing quests that prevent a “good ending” from companions. About the last 2 hours of gameplay, in which Baldur’s Gate 3 has hardly any freedom left, but strictly steers everything towards the same result. About how the bugs have become even worse at the end.

But I actually don’t want to, because I’m just one thing: sad.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has entertained me so well for over 120 hours that I will keep it in memory forever. But the last 2 hours and the ending are a total disappointment. Here, the developers need to fix numerous errors and also refine the logic of the story being told.

My hope is that in 2 years there will be a “Definitive Edition” that will bring a functional, well-thought-out ending.

Because even if I want to start Baldur’s Gate 3 again in “Tactician” mode in the next few days – I don’t want to play the ending again anytime soon. That just hurt too much.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Surprise hit Dark and Darker makes the biggest nightmare of all MMORPG fans come true and it’s the fault of unfair players

It’s always frustrating when players cheat in online games, but in the surprise hit Dark and Darker, everyone is losing their progress because of this.

What kind of game is this? Dark and Darker (PC) is a dungeon crawler with a PvP focus, developed by the Korean indie studio Ironmace, and set in a medieval fantasy setting.

  • The gameplay of Dark and Darker resembles extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov – only without the shooting. Within a match, you fight in teams of three for loot. If you die in a running round, you lose your spoils.
  • In addition to magic and sorcery, you can use swords and shields as well as ranged weapons like a crossbow to gain the upper hand in the battle for your loot.

Meanwhile, the dungeon crawler is playable again and launched on August 7, 2023, in Early Access – but still not on Steam. Now the popular title resets the progress of all players for the first time.

If you want a clearer idea of Dark and Darker, we are embedding the gameplay teaser here:

Start video
Dark and Darker: Gameplay Teaser

Dark and Darker erases progress due to unfair players

What is the biggest nightmare for MMORPG fans? Dark and Darker resets the entire progress of all players.

As Ironmace revealed on the official Discord server of Dark and Darker, the popular dungeon crawler has struggled with cheaters (“exploiters”) in recent weeks, prompting the developers to carry out the first so-called “wipe” of the game.

During the wipe, the entire progress of all players was reset – all character levels, items, collected gold, and skills.

All character levels, items, gold, and skills were reset. This first wipe occurred much earlier than expected, as we faced challenges from exploiters. We learned from this experience and updated the game and our services to be more robust against these attackers. We hope to have more time between early access wipes in the future and to better inform you.

Ironmace via Discord

However, there is not only bad news for “Dark and Darker” fans: with the wipe, voice chat (VoIP/ Voice-over-IP) is also returning to the game.

Why is this a nightmare for MMORPG fans? For MMORPG players, a rollback is pretty much the worst that can happen. They lose all the progress, the hard-earned loot, and the levels they worked hard for. Many hours of gameplay are gone, and everyone has to start over.

For players of the extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov, with which Dark and Darker shares some gameplay similarities, the regularly occurring wipe is, on the other hand, a moment of joy. For them, the wipe is an occasion to return to the game. It brings back the interest and motivates them to grind again.

Players of the hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov are happy that they finally get to lose all their progress

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW Classic is now really tough, lures a legendary player from the past back, who streams daily on Twitch

Especially the veterans among you might remember the name Kungen. The Swede is the most well-known player from “back in the day.” Now, with the new hardcore servers of WoW Classic, the experienced warrior is playing WoW again and is live on Twitch.

Who is the player?

  • Thomas Bengtsson “Kungen” (translated: “the king”) Amèdèo was considered the best warrior in the world during Vanilla and The Burning Crusade. Blizzard even brought a card to the collectible card game in his honor.
  • With his guild Nihilum, Kungen achieved the World First Kills on bosses like Kel’thuzad and C’Thun. Nihilum needed 113 days just for C’Thun.
  • In 2016, both Nihilum and Kungen disappeared from the scene. Occasionally, Kungen was seen in WildStar, which also did not last long.
More on the topic
Kungen was the most famous player in WoW – What happened to him and his guild Nihilum?
von Benedict Grothaus

This is how active Kungen is now: With the start of the hardcore servers for WoW Classic on August 24, Kungen has become active again. On his Twitch channel, he is live daily and streams exclusively WoW for several thousand viewers on average (via sullygnome).

Currently (as of August 29), Kungen is playing his Tauren warrior at level 37 – almost like back then. However, how long he will remain active is uncertain. Already with the launch of WotLK Classic, Kungen wanted to return, but he disappeared again a few days later.

It is stated on his channel that he currently has no other source of income than Twitch. This suggests that he might be taking it more seriously this time. However, Kungen has previously talked about serious health issues that could interfere with a “stable life and stream”.

However, it is possible that the challenge of the hardcore servers is exactly what Kungen needs. Because these are significantly harder than the already somewhat tedious WoW Classic.

Start video
WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!

Hardcore servers excite fans, offer a unique challenge

If your character dies on a hardcore server, you can no longer resurrect them. They are permanently dead, so you only have a single life.

This challenge has been self-imposed by many fans before. Meanwhile, the servers are officially set up for this. There are even real duels to the death, rooted in the lore as Mak’gora.

Since every mistake can cost the character, players are correspondingly more cautious. Achieving the maximum level of 60 is therefore an even greater achievement. The first player to reach level 60 took many risks for it.

The thrill of hardcore characters has already been immensely popular in action RPGs like Diablo and is now finding its way as part of WoW. The developers even want to take it a step further and introduce a mode that makes hardcore even harder:

WoW is bringing a new game mode, removing the “MMO” from MMORPG

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Jurassic Park meets Alien Isolation – New online co-op launches on Steam, lets you collaborate against hungry dinosaurs

About three years ago, JAW DROP announced the cooperative online survival game Deathground, and this week they released a gameplay trailer with new information for you. The primary inspiration for the game seems to be Jurassic Park. However, the horror aspect could clearly be inspired by Alien Isolation.

What is it about? Deathground is a survival co-op game that will be available on Steam, where you fight for your survival against deadly AI dinosaurs. In the co-op mode, you will team up with three other players on a mission to reach the “Deathground,” where you can find high-quality loot.

Start video
Deathground Trailer

On your mission, you will encounter dangerous dinosaurs that will make it quite challenging for you with their artificial intelligence. Similar to Alien Isolation, the behavior of the creatures will be not very predictable. The dinosaurs will not only search your hiding places or pick up your scent to track you down, but they will also hunt you in packs.

The reactions to the trailer are mostly positive on Youtube. For example, bluej5033 writes that “he has been following the game for a long time and can’t wait to play it.” Many users share this opinion, but also hope for improvements in performance by the release.

Especially the characters and dinosaurs still move in a very robotic manner in the trailer. Players hope that the movements and animations will be revised and become smoother overall.

When will it be released? The developers have not yet announced a specific release date. The game will be available on Steam, where you can already add it to your wishlist.

If you are already excited for some dinosaur action, check this out:

New MMORPG features an unusual setting – lets you fight against dinosaurs

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

LoL: These 3 champions are really popular, even though they lose most matches

In League of Legends, most people are focused on winning, which is why many currently popular champions tend to have a solid win rate. However, on the top lane, the situation looks a bit different at the moment. There are 3 champions that are very popular, but actually lose the majority of their games.

Which champions are they? The 3 champions are classic top laners: Aatrox, Darius, and Renekton. All three have a win rate of under 50% when looking at the statistics of all ranks, according to U.GG. (As of: 29.08.2023)

This means they have a negative win rate and lose most of their matches. The ban rate of Darius and Aatrox is also particularly notable. Although they are not strong, it seems that no one wants to play against them.

If a champion is in a balanced state, he would have a win rate of around 50%. If a champion wins many of his matches, the win rate goes over 50%. However, it must also be noted that the pick rate is relevant in determining how strong a champion is.

If a champion is hardly played but wins most matches, he is not necessarily strong; the players who play these champions are just really good.

Start video
Naafiri: The Hound of a Hundred Bites -Gameplay Trailer for League of Legends

Despite their negative win rate, they are played

Why are the 3 currently not so good? Many factors are relevant in this context, but a few assumptions can be made. Looking at U.GG at the counters of the 3 champions, there are champions like Malphite, Illaoi, Garen, and the newest champion Naafiri. These champions are currently strong, are often picked, and counter Renekton, Darius, and Aatrox.

At the same time, the items of the champions are currently not that strong. Especially Goredrinker, Bruiser items, and lethality builds that focus on healing. Goredrinker is expected to be buffed in the next patch, as the released patch notes for 13.17 from RiotPhroxzon show on Twitter.

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For Aatrox, the passive and W ability will change in the next patch, allowing him to deal magical damage. This could also change his build and preferred items. Naafiri, who is currently a major threat on the top lane, will receive a few nerfs.

Why are these champions still played? All 3 champions are simply very popular champions that are fun to play due to their mechanics. Renekton and Darius are also generally very popular champions that usually have a loyal player base.

From Thursday, we will be able to see whether the patch notes for 13.17 and especially the buffs to Goredrinker can change the win rate or even the pick rate of Renekton, Aatrox, and Darius.

What do you think about the three champs? Do you want to see them more often, or like many players, have you no desire to play against them? Unlike the 3 top laners, there are also some champs that many players may have never seen:

LoL: These are the currently 10 least popular champions

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Players in Pokémon GO exploit routes and now face hefty penalties

In Pokémon GO players are reporting new bans due to an exploit that netted some trainers a lot of XL candies. What was going on?

The exploit is related to the new routes feature. Players could utilize the routes through an exploit to get a lot of XL candies for their buddy Pokémon.

Partly, as players report in the subreddit TheSilphRoad regarding Pokémon GO, trainers were able to grab thousands of candies that were not intended to be available.

What is Niantic doing now? Apparently, initial bans are now being issued to players who exploited the system and hoarded XL candies. User milotic03 shared relevant screenshots in the subreddit, reporting bans that can range from 30 to 230 days.

Additionally, further exploitation of the exploit could lead to permanent bans.

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Problems with routes in Pokémon GO

How the community is reacting: Generally, players are reacting positively in the comments about the bans, as hoarding XL candies is a significant advantage when leveling Pokémon for PvP, for instance. Especially for rare monsters, it is very challenging to obtain the necessary candies for a high level in the Master League.

At the same time, the exploit with the routes joins a series of problems that players have with the feature. Some emphasize in the comments that they do not find any routes at all, while others apparently exploit them in unintended ways:

  • I haven’t even found a route, and I live in a city with almost a million inhabitants, writes user toki_goes_to_jupiter (via reddit).

Others emphasize that the Zygarde cells on the routes are still causing trouble, or are partially difficult to play because they are simply not properly laid out.

  • Jesus, people are already exploiting routes and the only one I’ve found nearby goes straight through a house of a little kid, comments user AlternatieNet8931 (via reddit).

Overall, some users are reporting that they still see problems with the routes – aside from the exploit that brings in XL candies. Developer Niantic seems to at least have this on their radar now and is taking action against cheaters.

What do you think of the routes so far? Let us know in the comments!

Otherwise, the next season of Pokémon GO is coming up soon.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

A player wonders why his gaming PC keeps crashing – opens his PC for the first time in several years and cannot believe his eyes

A user constantly experiences crashes with their PC games. After 2 years, he finally opens his PC and realizes he should have done it much earlier.

A player reports that his games keep crashing. In another post, he explains that he hadn’t opened his PC for years and just decided to do it now.

To illustrate, he posts a picture showing the entire “horror” inside his PC. Many community members are somewhat astonished at how a PC can look like that.

Start video
Manufacturer shows sleek case, gamers are thrilled: “Great design! Goes directly onto my wishlist”

Gaming PC is completely dirty, even though it was on the table

How can the PC be so dirty? The community initially speculated that the heavy dirtiness must be because the owner had his PC standing on a carpet or similar surface. However, he explained that his PC had been on the table the entire time.

He mentioned that he had regularly cleaned the room itself, but he had never thought to clean the corner of his PC.

In hindsight, he feels somewhat silly for never considering it. Other gamers also have similar issues because they avoid cleaning their gaming PC for years.

Here you can find the corresponding Reddit thread:

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Why should you clean your computer regularly? Dirt and dust clog airflow paths or your fans. This causes some components or parts to fail to dissipate heat properly, leading to overheating.

The processor and graphics card then throttle performance to cope with the heat or shut down in emergencies to protect components. Your PC will become slower as a result.

Even the “greatest gamer” and YouTube streamer Dr Disrespect has significant problems because he hasn’t cleaned his PC in a long time.

By the way, pollution can never be entirely avoided. Particles enter the house through ventilation, and furniture and clothing also shed small particles. Human skin sheds skin flakes and hair, which also contribute to dust formation. With a good dust filter or case, you can at least reduce pollution.

When games crash, there can be various causes

Why do games crash?

  • The games are poorly optimized and aren’t compatible with your hardware.
  • Your graphics card drivers are hopelessly outdated and can cause the game to crash.
  • You have issues with temperatures in your computer that also affect performance.
  • Hardware defects can also lead to crashes.

What can I do about it? In the best case, first check on Reddit or Steam if other players are reporting similar issues when your game crashes. If it indeed seems to be a game issue, then you’ll need to wait for a patch or lower your graphics settings. This can often work wonders.

However, if you are the only person experiencing problems, you should check your drivers and your hardware. Perhaps your hardware is overheating or a component is damaged or even broken.

When checking your graphics card, keep an eye out for the following signs that could indicate a defect:

5 signs that warn you that your graphics card is about to die

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Player pays the voice of Shadowheart to tell his wife that he is cheating on her

Shadowheart is one of the companions that can accompany us on our journey in Baldur’s Gate 3. A player hired the voice actress behind the cleric to make an important confession to his wife.

What is behind the confession? The player confessed to his wife that he cheated on her. To convey this to her, he hired Jennifer English through cameo.com. She is the voice actress of Shadowheart. She explains to the betrayed woman in a video message who he cheated on her with.

The player cheated on Jennifer English. So not with her as a person, but with the character she voices in Baldur’s Gate 3. He wanted to jokingly inform his wife that he has been dating Shadowheart in the game.

To ensure that his wife doesn’t get a shock and understands it as a joke, English makes it clear from the beginning that it is about a fictional character in a fictional world.

She explains that she has had “many lovers” recently and that the mentioned husband was one of them. This likely refers to the numerous players who chose to have a romance with Shadowheart.

Don’t feel like playing your own character anymore? Then check out the following MeinMMO video:

Start video
Baldur’s Gate 3: Reset Character and Choose New Class

Husband Makes Public Confession

In a separate article, the author explains himself and how the romance came about (via dotesports.com). However, he publishes the article anonymously, as his name should not be found through search engines in connection with “cheating”.

This would make his father-in-law extremely angry, as he might not understand the joke.

The husband describes how he included Shadowheart in the team, had deep conversations with her, and then it led to their first kiss. He poetically explains how he ended up having a fling with Shadowheart. The player is a traveler, and Shadowheart’s sleeping bag is the destination of the journey.

However, by the end of his article, he apologizes to his wife:

My beloved wife, I am at a loss for words to apologize. I don’t know how I can make it up to you. So I turned to Shadowheart herself, hoping that she, as a woman, would be able to empathize with the situation.

Therefore, he hired Shadowheart, who – contrary to his expectations – shows no remorse in her video message.

By the way: If you are also interested in a video message, you can look for other voice actors on the respective page. For example, we found the voice actors of Astarion, Karlach, and Lae’zel.

How did the story end? The player swears that he will not touch Shadowheart anymore. He has started a second playthrough and does not want to start a romance with Shadowheart. But this time he has fallen for Tiefling Karlach, who is hiding in Act 1.

There are even more companions with whom we can have romances and with whom we can have sex. But the characters can not only be dated, they are also useful companions for battles in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Through your actions, for example, you can receive a permanent strength buff through Astarion: Baldur’s Gate 3: Through Astarion, you get one of the best buffs in the game, but you have to force him to do something

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

A strategy game on Steam broke me and still kept me busy for over 100 hours, currently only costs 5 €

Currently, the Strategy Festival is running on Steam, where you can find many different games from the strategy and tactics genres. One of them is XCOM 2 by Firaxis Games. Although MeinMMO author Niko Hernes sees himself as a Tactics Noob, the game has kept him engaged for over 100 hours.

What kind of game is XCOM 2? XCOM 2 is a strategy game focused on turn-based tactics. In combat, you control soldiers across various randomly generated maps and must complete missions there. You fight against aliens with various abilities and must try as best as you can to survive with your troops and finish the mission.

If a soldier dies in the field, you lose him forever. Whether he was a new recruit or an important pillar of your team doesn’t matter, but it certainly increases frustration, which is why rushing in and shooting isn’t always the right way to go.

In your base outside of missions, you can improve your units, research and develop new weapons to make your team better and refine your strategy. The main game offers you 5 classes that you can specialize in their skill trees.

XCOM 2 even made it onto our strategy top list this year: The 12 best strategy games for PC with multiplayer 2023. You can watch a trailer here:

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It broke me, yet I love it

I personally am a strategy and tactics noob, but I still dared to tackle XCOM 2. After a few initial missions, I thought I was doing okay, and my units were getting better. This made me more confident in missions, but also more reckless.

Then I rushed into a mission with my best squad to casually save some civilians. But suddenly, the nice hostages turned into drooling aliens and wiped out my entire squad.

My beloved soldiers, whom I had grown attached to over hours, were suddenly gone, and I was practically back to square one. That may sound frustrating at first, but I was still hooked and fascinated because, after all, it was partly my fault.

That’s the allure of XCOM. You can become very strong, but if you make mistakes and are also unlucky with shooting, you lose powerful units. Anyone who has low frustration tolerance should be careful with this game. But for those who thrive on this challenge, XCOM 2 offers a tactics masterpiece.

If the main game isn’t enough for you, there is also a comprehensive add-on in the form of “War of the Chosen” and an active modding community that can probably offer hundreds more hours of fun.

How much does XCOM 2 cost currently? On Steam, you can get the main game for €4.99 until September 4, 2023. If you want to start with all the content right away, you can get the XCOM 2 Collection with all DLCs for €11.76. For the playtime you get, both offers are a real bargain.

Many games today also rely on a turn-based tactic system, including Cantata:

Steam: “A fun and extraordinary game” – New secret tip offers turn-based tactics and base building

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW: Analyst is sure – The next addon will be “The South Sea”

The next expansion of World of Warcraft revolves around pirates. At least that is what analyst Bellular believes and lists evidence for his theory.

World of Warcraft Dragonflight is still ongoing, but there are already numerous ideas and theories about how Blizzard’s MMORPG could continue afterward. Theories and analyses are circulating all over the internet, and analyst Bellular has already come up with some quite convincing ideas that we want to briefly introduce to you here.

Who is Bellular? YouTuber Bellular has been dealing with the story and the general development at Blizzard for many years. In his videos, he continually revisits small story snippets and connects them with the bigger picture of the Warcraft story.

In doing so, Bellular often extends the story and points out clues and details that likely indicate the future of World of Warcraft.

In one of his most recent videos, he explains quite confidently that Blizzard has three possible paths open for the next expansion, and the most likely one is: The South Seas expansion that fans have been wanting for many years.

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WoW: The South Seas – What is that?

The South Seas is, as the name suggests, the southern sea in the world of Warcraft, thematically located somewhere between Pandaria, the Maelstrom, and the Eastern Kingdoms. This area is primarily populated by pirates and the infamous “Plunder Isle,” a pirate stronghold held by the Bloodsail Buccaneers and other pirate factions.

Not much is known about this island so far, aside from the fact that it was once available as a map in Warcraft III.

What supports Bellular’s theory?

Bellular has gathered a lot of evidence. One of the biggest story clues is the implementation of the “Nightsquall” in patch 10.0.5. In one book, this mysterious night elf pirate is mentioned, who is trying to unite all pirates under one banner.

According to his recruitment posters, the Nightsquall is the only living being that has ever been to the “other side” of Azeroth and returned from there. Because we already know that there is another large continent that is presumably called “Avaloren” – which the Titans have hidden from us.

More details about Avaloren and the lies of the Titans can be found here.

Additionally, one of the latest mounts for a long subscription to WoW is a special fish that increases riding speed in water. It has become a tradition in WoW that before the announcement of a new expansion, mounts are added to the shop whose models later also appear in the new expansion – this was already the case with Shadowlands, for example.

What’s in the South Seas addon?

Bellular assumes that the next expansion will focus on the South Seas and will also bring some revisions in the old world – such as the retaking of Gilneas, the resettlement of Lordaeron, and of course pirate islands and an underwater area, presumably to advance the Naga storyline.

Whether the next addon will already include Avaloren is something Bellular is not so sure about. He believes it is likely that the “South Seas expansion” explains more how we get to Avaloren – by following the Nightsquall and discovering what path he has found and what secrets may lurk in Avaloren.

Whether Bellular is right with his theory, we will probably find out in two months at the latest. Because at the beginning of November 2023, BlizzCon will take place and then Chris Metzen is likely to officially unveil the next World of Warcraft expansion.

What theme would you wish for the next WoW addon?

First of all, patch 10.1.7 is starting – and that already at the beginning of September.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.