As part of Tudum, a fan event of Netflix’s official companion website, a new trailer for the 3rd season of The Witcher was shown. And this trailer ensures that we will miss Henry as Geralt even more.
On June 29, the third season of The Witcher, the popular series about the witcher Geralt, will finally be released. Tudum used this opportunity to show a new clip. But that’s not all. At the fan event, which was streamed live from São Paulo, Brazil, on June 17, Henry Cavill took the stage.
What does the new trailer show? The almost 3-minute video is packed with action. We see a Ciri who seems to be surprised in an ambush but knows how to defend herself. Yennefer also makes an appearance, using her magical abilities.
And of course, we see our favorite witcher Geralt stepping in to the ambush. Fights follow, as we are used to from the previous seasons – action-packed, dynamic, and gripping. Geralt runs towards the camera, ending the video.
What remains for us is a small cliffhanger and the immense anticipation for the third season. The last one with Henry Cavill.
Here you see the new trailer:
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The Witcher Season 3 on Netflix – new trailer
What happened at the Tudum event? Even when the familiar melody from The Witcher played, the audience went wild. Henry took the stage, together with Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), and Joey Batey (Jaskier).
You can watch the video of Tudum on YouTube, with The Witcher starting at 1:28:46.
Before the new trailer was shown, Henry Cavill addressed the audience, his viewers, and his team with an emotional speech:
Thank you, I feel the love and I love you too, guys. It’s wonderful to be here. I will talk about how it was to shoot my last season, and I want to talk about my colleagues on set.
(He turns to his fellow actors) I’ll say it again: It was such a joy and honor to work with you. You brought so much depth to these characters. […]
What you did required work, care, and dedication. Believe me, working with you was the greatest pleasure for me. I will miss you. I will really miss you very much.
Why is Henry Cavill leaving? The third season will be the last one in which we will see Henry as Geralt. Henry Cavill wanted to stay true to the original story as a fan of The Witcher games, which apparently was not implemented so well.
The comments on the last trailer, which can be found on the Netflix account on YouTube, showed that fans are disappointed about Henry Cavill’s departure as Geralt. And that hasn’t changed, on the contrary.
How are fans reacting to the new trailer? Similar to the last trailer. Fans are writing that they will miss Henry as the Witcher.
Aki Koko writes: “Without Henry no Witcher.”
“Oh man, when I see this, I will really miss Henry Cavill…” writes Zero G. “The last season with Henry Cavill. What a shame. He was probably the only one there who tried to do justice to the original work and possibly the games,” writes MaugriM.
The third season of The Witcher will be available on Netflix starting June 29. In the fourth season, Liam Hemsworth will take on the role of the witcher Geralt.
In another series, the actress, who also works as a producer on the series, has prevailed:
In Diablo 4 there are unique monsters that give you special items. And the item power of these items is also special.
What kind of monsters are they? These unique monsters are spread throughout the open world of Diablo 4 and drop a special item upon being killed.
Players in the deepest endgame have discovered that the special items from these monsters are significantly above the usual power limit. Normally, it ends at 820. However, these items can exceed 840, possibly even up to 850.
Where you can find the monsters and what the catch is, you can find out here.
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When should I break down or sell items in Diablo 4?
Diablo 4: Finding Unique Monsters
Where can you find the monsters? You can check out an interactive map and/or pay attention to certain signals on your mini-map.
Here is a map with the unique monsters, the link is in the image description:
What monsters are there? Currently, 21 unique monsters are known. Unfortunately, we can only offer you an English list right now:
Shattered Peaks
Corlin Hurle / 2H Staff
Wrathful Osgar Reede / 1H Mace
Sir Lynna / 1H Sword
Rotspinter the Intested / Ring
Scosglen
Gaspar Stilbian / Gloves
Blind Edlin / Amulet
Garbhan Ennai, The Butcher of Cerrigar / Leg Armor
Lord Eònan / Ring
Dry Steppes
Pitiless Gur / Chest Armor
Bhotak the Inevitable / Amulet
Almunn / 2H Sword
Zarozar the Mighty / Head Armor
Hawezar
Renn Dayne & Claudia Dayne / Crossbow
Enkil / Amulet
Captain Willocks, The Inexotable / Boots
Trembling Mass / Ring
Kehjistan
Abe Mari / 2H Staff
Nine Eyes, The Broodmother / Dagger
Faraya Tehi, Gtoteque Abomination (only during the day) / Ring
Prinstess Qin / Focus
Qiniel / Focus
An English list of all enemies and what values the items can have can be found at Fextralife (via fextralife.com). Click on the enemy and then in the article about the enemy on the item.
To get to the monster “Qiniel” in Kehjistan, you must initiate a conversation with Prinstess Qin several times. Then there is a chance that she will transform.
Was there a catch? On the one hand, the items are class-specific and it may be that the strong item drop does not help you.
More importantly: These items always have the same secondary values when dropped and always have only 3 values. Yellow items, however, often come with 4 values.
However, you can also have values that normally don’t exist on these equipment pieces. There could be interesting combinations for some builds.
Are the items worth it? An item with high item power can definitely be worth it, even if the secondary values don’t fit.
The Diablo expert wudijo has already looked at some items and believes that many value combinations are really poor and hardly fit into a build (via youtube.com). For hunters, he sees potential, for the other classes currently rather less.
What is still strong about these items, besides the item power: They only cost a handful of gold. This means you can often re-roll a value with the occultist without immediately needing to apply for housing assistance. If you have enough materials, it remains relatively cheap.
It is definitely worth trying to trade the high item power with 3 values for an item with 4 values.
Many anime games have the reputation of not being particularly good games. However, there are strong representatives among anime games that are worth it, even without being an anime fan. We present the best anime games for PS4 and PS5 here.
How do we define anime games? In this list, we limit ourselves to games that are based on anime. So no games in anime style like Persona 5 or Genshin Impact.
What does “best” mean? To create the ranking, we refer to the page Metacritic and their critic score. The value is an average rating of several reviews by journalists and gaming sites.
Our ranking refers to the games that have the highest ranking. (As of: 15.06.2023)
Developer: Omega Force |Genre: Beat-Em-Up |Meta-Score: 73 (PS4)
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One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 Launch Trailer
What kind of game is this? One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 is a classic Warriors game from Omega Force. You fight through hundreds of opponents with various characters from the One Piece universe.
There are different maps and missions that are based on the story of One Piece. However, the campaign is partially a what-if scenario and is not a retelling of the manga’s story. The game focuses more on the mindless but fun gameplay.
With combos and the abilities of the playable characters, you fight in opulent battles. The abilities fit perfectly with the large masses of opponents. It just feels good to take out multiple opponents with gum-gum attacks.
What kind of game is this? Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the best way to experience the story of Dragon Ball Z as a game. You play from the Saiyan Saga to the end of the Boo Saga. Along the way, you relive battles from the series. In typical CyberConnect2 fashion, the important battles are staged like in the anime.
In large areas, you can explore iconic places with different fighters, meet famous characters, and complete side quests. The side quests always capture the humor of the series well. Who wouldn’t want to play Goku and Piccolo’s driving test?
All these activities and various encounters level up your heroes, whom you can then enhance with skill points. You unlock iconic attacks and become stronger in battle. DLC episodes have now also been released, that cover several Dragon Ball movies that you can replay.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Steam, the medieval simulation Crusader Kings 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series) has been a perennial favorite for years. In the game, there are countless achievements, but players also pursue a self-imposed goal: they breed the Kwisatz Haderach, the messiah from the sci-fi epic Dune.
What is the Kwisatz Haderach in Dune?
The Kwisatz Haderach (“The Shortening of the Way”) is a mystical being: a genetically optimized superman who embodies the best characteristics of various groups in Dune. He is supposed to be a kind of male Bene Gesserit, able to access genetically sealed knowledge.
The Bene Gesserit have been working for ages on breeding the Kwisatz Haderach by crossing different bloodlines. They marry members of the order with noble houses. The sisters can determine what gender their descendants should be.
However, because a character in Dune opposes the breeding plan, the Kwisatz Haderach appears a generation too early. This disrupts the plans of the sisterhood and sets the stage for the conflict with which the Dune saga begins.
Start video
Then you will see DUNE with different eyes… – Nerd culture
What is the Kwisatz Haderach in Crusader Kings 3? In Crusader Kings 3, you play as the ruler of a noble family. When you inevitably die, you continue the game as their heir. This can go on for over 600 years and about 20 generations. As the head of the family, you decide who marries whom.
Thus, players take on the role of the Bene Gesserit and cross bloodlines to generate better heirs in future generations.
In Crusader Kings, there are 6 inheritable positive traits – players marry an intelligent man to an intelligent woman and hope that their descendants will be genius. “Genius” is the trait in the game that grants the most valuable bonus.
A character who possesses all positive traits has been referred to by Crusader Kings players as “the Kwisatz Haderach” for many years.
Players of Crusader Kings 3 show their messiah and their breeding programs
What extent does this take? If you look around in the community, the “Kwisatz Haderach” comes up constantly. Players are proud of their “breeding programs”.
In a post from September 2020, a player says he carried out a “breeding program” for 400 years, proudly presenting his “Kwisatz Haderach”, an Italian emperor with outstanding traits.
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A player showcased his “Bene Gesserit bloodline project” in November 2019: he had created an Excel table tracking which descendants were born from which bloodlines, how old they are (fertility decreases with age in women, ending at 45), and who married whom.
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Crusader Kings 3: Genetics made easy – How to create your own messiah
How do you breed the Kwisatz Haderach? Incest is the easiest way. But most players find this closed off, as standard religions prohibit marrying close relatives.
If you want to marry brother and sister, you need to create your own religion that allows marriages without any restrictions. Polygamy further helps (via GameStar).
Genetics is a bit like playing the lottery: if you want to increase your chances of hitting the jackpot, you need to bring as many tickets to the table, which means generating many offspring.
This can lead to bloody inheritance battles – but something is always happening.
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Crusader Kings 3: Trailer
As a ruler, you ensure that your agreements receive titles, as only in your own duchy or counties do the offspring reliably multiply. In the first two generations, you start marrying yourself and your descendants to strangers who possess positive genetic traits.
From the 3rd generation onwards, you begin to marry your descendants among themselves, or the AI does this automatically in the more distant branches of the family tree.
For this, you select “Blood” in the dynasty traits, which further promotes gameplay and leads to your descendants starting into the harsh medieval world with better genetic traits.
This way, you should roughly obtain your own Kwisatz Haderach by the 5th or 6th generation, who strengthens the bloodline further through an event.
In this game, I received the Kwisatz Haderach in the 6th generation when I managed to cross “Genius” (the brain) and “Beautiful” (the rose) along with the Strength ability into the main bloodline. The Hare stands for fertile, makes characters live 5 years longer and increases fertility.
Crusader Kings 3 rewards extreme incest with a special achievement: Perfect Circle
Can anything happen? Yes, of course. Crossing close relatives carries the risk of genetic deformities. The “Inbred” trait makes a character relatively useless due to severe penalties. It also affects health, so the corresponding characters often die young.
However, Crusader Kings 3 also offers an incentive for this play style. There is the ability “Purebred”, which halves the chances of “Inbred” and grants additional bonuses.
Additionally, there is one of the most coveted achievements in Crusader Kings 3, “Perfect Circle”, which refers to the phrase: “When your family tree looks like a circle”.
For this achievement, you need a character who has only 2 of each type in the family tree instead of 14 different people (2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents).
A player on reddit explains the plan (via Reddit):
Have a child with your daughter
Have two children with your granddaughter, one boy and one girl
Marry them to each other and ensure that they have a child
Abdicate so that you can play as their child
Make sure you are not cheated on
The method of the Bene Gesserit, whose plans span over millennia, is significantly more sophisticated but also takes much longer.
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Isn’t all of this a little … sick? Yeah, it is. A running gag in the Steam community of Crusader Kings 3 is to post pictures of their daughter-granddaughter-great-granddaughter-sister-wife and the bizarre adventures they experience with them.
We have listed more about the antics that Crusader Kings 3 can produce when you take it a bit too far in this article:
Marston Hefner (33), the son of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, is now showcased on OnlyFans. The earnings are supposed to flow into Pokémon cards and comic books.
What does he do on OnlyFans? In addition to free updates, selfies, and concealed nude pictures, there are also “tasteful nude images” of the Playboy heir Marston Hefner for $45 on the pay platform.
What does he need the money for? Hefner explains that the account is not meant to support his living, although it is supposed to provide greater financial security in the long run.
At the moment, the earnings mainly serve to expand his collection: Everything will flow into Pokémon cards and comic books. However, he hasn’t bought any yet.
In a phone call with Kotaku, he said that collecting has given him even more interest in finances and saving money. He uses a Google Doc to keep track of his finances and knows when he could buy his desired cards.
Does he have a specific card in mind? Hefner has his eyes on test prints from the Disco Holo set from 1999. They are characterized by partially missing details and a unique foil pattern. These cards are so rare that the public only learned of their existence in 2022 (via PokeZentrum).
However, his favorite Pokémon is the legendary bird Ho-Oh, which is seen in the first episode of the anime. But the most beautiful thing is simply opening packs with his niece, according to Hefner.
As Hefner explains, his income from OnlyFans is not enough to acquire “the best Pokémon card,” but in the long run it would make a big difference. While he didn’t reveal which card he thinks is the best, a candidate is likely the Pikachu that adorned YouTuber Logan Paul’s neck at Wrestlemania 2022:
Diablo 4 has drawn a lot of attention – also in the community of Destiny 2. However, a developer from Bungie has openly criticized one aspect of Diablo 4, sparking controversy. MeinMMO clarifies what it’s all about.
Destiny 2 vs. Diablo 4: With the release of Diablo 4, the Guardians from Destiny 2 have also enjoyed venturing into hell. After all, fresh adventures await there. Therefore, some took a break from Bungie’s universe and looted elsewhere.
Since Diablo 4 is new, it currently offers a better, fresher experience than Bungie’s loot shooter.
Many players also found the so-called level scaling in Diablo 4, which ensures that monsters are always at the same level as the player’s character, well done.
However, this very feature, which adjusts the strength of enemies to the player’s progress, has now sparked a discussion on Twitter between a Bungie developer, the Destiny and Diablo players, as well as a reaction from Blizzard.
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Destiny 2: “Season of the Depth” lets Guardians dive into the water
Criticism of Diablo 4: You don’t feel more powerful
What did the Bungie developer criticize? The controversy began when Chad Jessup, a developer from Bungie, in a Twitter post, cited exactly this enemy scaling in Diablo 4 as an example and called the system “lazy”.
The Senior Distributed Systems Engineer stated that the scaling of enemies in Diablo 4 is “lazy” and undermines “multiple play styles.”
As the level increases, the game becomes more challenging, ruining player power trips and therefore is simply “bad”.
He also said he had “never heard anyone say they liked this kind of system.” He admits that while he is sure there are people who do, they would be wrong.
His tweet quickly garnered a lot of attention, even from none other than Blizzard President Mike Ybarra, who responded to Jessup with just two words: “Lazy, huh.”
The now-deleted original tweet on Twitter
How did players respond to the statement? Some users did not take his tweet very well. Surely there may be criticism of level-scaling in Diablo 4 from players. However, mainly Destiny players made it clear that a developer from Bungie shouldn’t be so open at this time.
In contrast, Diablo 4 is new and has been operating quite stably since its release despite the high traffic, with only a few bugs so far. Many appreciate this.
“It’s complicated, Sir”
Scaling interferes with power fantasy of better loot that makes you more powerful
Were there other voices?: Some players, however, agreed with Jessup. The level scaling in Diablo 4 certainly destroyed part of the power fantasy of looting.
I completely agree, you definitely feel stronger [in Diablo 4] when you get your uniques. But the entire game becomes just as strong, and it goes from “I want to become stronger” to “I have to become stronger.”
Blizzard has already argued generally that enemy scaling in Diablo 4 is intended to encourage players to continuously evolve and take on new challenges. Found and equipped items significantly impact power.
The degree of challenge in Diablo 4 thus remains constant, allowing both beginners and veterans to experience an appropriate level of challenge without either being overwhelmed or bored.
How does difficulty scale in Destiny 2? In Destiny 2, however, the difficulty level is scaled with the activity and challenge level. Once you have reached the maximum efficiency level of an activity, a higher power level no longer matters. This means that artificial power level disadvantages are active.
In Season 21, for example, the power level requirement for a Grandmaster Nightfall is 1,840. However, the maximum efficiency level is only 1,815. This means you are always at least -25 levels below the activity requirement in the Grandmaster, the toughest activity in Destiny 2.
If you want it even harder, you can increase your power level disadvantage to -40, the maximum in Destiny 2.
Here’s how the Destiny developer reacted: After the tweet received so much attention, Chad Jessup clarified personally that he did not mean to disparage Diablo 4 and that his “initial phrasing could have been better.”
He also wrote that he is not “knocking at the developers” and actually considers Diablo 4 to be “an outstanding game.”
However, that was his last post. Chad Jessup has since deleted his first tweet and thus his criticism. In addition, his Twitter account has been set to private.
In the end, however, it is just the personal opinion of an individual developer at Bungie and thus not to be equated with the opinion of Bungie as a whole. Furthermore, controversial discussions and differing opinions in the world of video games are not unusual.
Comparing Destiny 2 and Diablo 4 in terms of enemy impact is probably not fair since both games follow two completely different models. However, the development of games is a continuous process that thrives on different perspectives and approaches.
Ultimately, players themselves have to decide how they experience enemy scaling in Diablo 4 and Destiny 2 and whether it meets their expectations and preferences.
What do you think about the controversy surrounding enemy scaling in Diablo 4? Do you share the same critical view as the Bungie developer? And which system do you personally prefer? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
For example, in Destiny 2, there would be better loot for everyone if more players knew and used that one secret:
This week, the new MMORPG Blue Protocol has been released, and yes, you can play it from Germany as well. Additionally, the new games Palia and Scars of Honor have announced tests for the summer. We summarize everything important for you.
Scars of Honor is also hosting a test in July. The game strongly resembles a Free2Play WoW with its two factions, classes, and combat system, but with significantly weaker graphics. However, it offers housing.
The week in the podcast: In their own podcast MMO News, the two MeinMMO editors Alexander Leitsch and Mark Sellner will discuss the most important news around MMORPGs this week again. Topics included Tarisland, which looks like a good WoW clone, the possible sale of SWTOR, a first assessment of ESO: Necrom, and the death of Swords of Legends Online.
You can listen to the podcast on Apple, YouTube or here on Spotify:
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The developers of LOTRO have announced the new race of River Hobbits and some additional details about the content for 2023 in a Q&A (via MassivelyOP).
Developer Bill Tost, who previously worked for Amazon Games on New World, is moving to Ashes of Creation (via MMORPG.com).
EVE Online has released the new expansion Viridian (via EVE Online).
Fractured is returning with many changes to the areas, combat, and character progress. A first test of the new version without gamigo is scheduled for June 22 (via MassivelyOP).
The developers of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen have announced that crafting will allow the creation of items that can compete with the best endgame items (via Pantheon).
Tarisland, the new MMORPG from Tencent, has released a trailer for the Mage class:
Start video
New MMORPG aims to compete with WoW, showcasing the first class with gameplay
These are the MMORPG news of the week at a glance. What was your personal highlight? Did you experience anything interesting this week that you would like to share? Or did we possibly forget something important? Feel free to write it in the comments here at MeinMMO.
Those looking for the currently best MMORPGs will find them here:
With BattleBit Remastered, there is a new challenger to established shooter giants like Call of Duty and Battlefield on Steam. And it is being received very well.
What kind of game is this? BattleBit is a first-person shooter that looks a bit like someone built Battlefield out of Lego. The game entices with a destructible environment, proximity voice chat, and lots of chaos – with up to 254 players on one server.
BattleBit Remastered is available for €14.79 on Steam – or a little more if you want to support the 3 dedicated devs.
You can watch the launch trailer here:
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Battlebit Remastered – Announcement Trailer
BattleBit Remastered makes a splash at launch
This is how successful the game already is: BattleBit Remastered started strong and is already a bestseller. It is currently ranked 2nd on Steam in the best-selling games, behind Valve’s own free-to-play title CS:GO (as of June 17, 1:30 PM).
In the meantime, it even surpassed the shooter giant, as the developers show in a tweet.
They responded to the 2nd place with a poll: “CS:GO is F2P, does that mean we win?” The fans answered with a “Yes”.
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How is BattleBit being received? From everything we can see right now, very well. BattleBit Remastered reached its peak today with 38,487 concurrent players, with an average of 27,447 players over the last 30 days (via SteamCharts).
And the players who are already playing it seem to really enjoy it. Here is a small selection of reviews on Steam, where it currently has 89% positive ratings. There are repeated parallels drawn to Battlefield:
“3 guys made a better game than the Battlefield devs LMAO”
“The best non-Battlefield game of all time. Everyone at Dice should be fired.”
“Great game. It works right away and feels complete in content. Very responsive and snappy.”
Steam user DutchCrunch highlights the fun movement, gun play, and the maps as well as the server and performance. Three devs delivered a more polished product in early access than AAA studios at release.
Is there anything to complain about? Not everyone is completely enthusiastic. Critics complain about the combination of fast movement and time-to-kill with the rather realistically appearing gunplay, the confusing maps, and the cumbersome handling of loadouts.
However, a lot could still change, as BattleBit Remastered is still in early access and is expected to remain so for the next 2 years. During this time, they want to continue working on the game while also considering player feedback.
While BattleBit Remastered is oriented towards Battlefield and pairs it with tactical elements, Ubisoft is working on XDefiant as an alternative to Call of Duty. You can find the arena shooter and 6 other promising online shooters in our list:
MMORPGs thrive on large player numbers, but which ones are actually the most successful on Steam? We at MeinMMO take a closer look at this list and have compiled a top 10 for June 2023.
How was the list created? For the ranking, we examined the average number of players of the MMORPGs over the last 30 days. These are the numbers of players who are logged in simultaneously on average.
The data comes from the site Steamcharts, which provides player numbers.
What stands out? Albion Online has significantly increased and its player numbers compared to the ranking in January have nearly tripled. One reason is the release in new regions. New World, on the other hand, has lost its second place and is now just floundering in the midfield. Overall, the numbers for almost all MMORPGs are declining, which is also due to the season.
Focus of the MMORPG: Story, Open World, and instances
Number of players: An average of 15,265 players online simultaneously in the last 30 days
Player trends: Slight upward trend thanks to a new expansion in June
Business model: Buy2Play with optional subscription
Release date: April 4, 2014
Developer: Zenimax Online
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Everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls Online – in 2 minutes
What kind of game is this? The Elder Scrolls Online is not a classic MMORPG, as you can experience almost everything without interacting with other players. Especially in the open world and while following the story, other players act more like NPCs who accompany you along the way.
The game impresses mainly with its deep story, which has been completely dubbed in English, as well as with its crafting system that keeps you busy. You scale in the game world, allowing you to directly enter the areas of the latest expansions right from the start. So, a lot of grind is not necessary to join your friends.
MMORPG fans can look forward to regular new dungeons, raids, and PvP. A highlight here is the enormous battleground Cyrodiil, where the three factions in the game fight against each other and try to conquer fortresses.
ESO uses an action combat system, for which you have to block, dodge, and actively aim your abilities.
Who is it interesting for? ESO is aimed at players who
are fans of the “Elder Scrolls” series, as you can explore numerous areas of the old single-player titles and experience new stories there, even if you do not want to interact with other players at all. It is by far the best MMORPG for solo players.
are looking for a beginner-friendly MMORPG. Companions were introduced in 2021. These are NPCs that you can bring into your group to fill roles like healer or tank.
like fully voiced stories.
are seeking challenges. There are challenging 12-player raids and veteran dungeons.
ESO is also one of the few MMORPGs that you can play on Xbox and PlayStation.
Place 2: Final Fantasy XIV
Focus of the MMORPG: Story, roleplay, and instances
Number of players: An average of 23,776 players online simultaneously in the last 30 days
Player trends: Recently a slight upward trend, but still well below the numbers from January
Business model: Base game Free2Play with restrictions, subscription, and costs for expansions
Release date: August 27, 2013
Developer: Square Enix
Start video
Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV – in 2 minutes
What kind of game is this? Final Fantasy XIV has been one of the most popular MMORPGs for years. It focuses on an engaging story that is partially told in the dungeons. In addition, there are challenging raids in the endgame.
The combat system relies on tab-targeting, which may feel a bit sluggish at first, but becomes much more exciting as you unlock more skills. The classes in FFXIV are called jobs and you only need one character to level them all. Depending on what weapon you have equipped, your class changes.
Additionally, you can level various crafting and gathering classes, buy a house, and design your own island.
FFXIV is a subscription game for which you need to pay monthly. Free2Play players can now test for free up to level 60 and experience the stories of A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. After that, you need to buy an expansion and subscribe.
Who is it interesting for? FFXIV is especially aimed at players who:
like story games and want to experience an emotional story
The community is praised by players worldwide. The interactions are (mostly) friendly and considerate, which contrasts greatly with other MMORPGs whose communities tend to be more toxic.
Place 1: Lost Ark
Focus of the MMORPG: Grinding, instances
Number of players: An average of 41,301 players online simultaneously in the last 30 days
Player trends: Since January, the number of players has decreased by 75%, although many bots that were banned were also involved
Business model: Free2Play
Release date: February 11, 2022
Developer: Smilegate
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Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Lost Ark – in 2 minutes
What kind of game is this?Lost Ark is an action MMORPG that was released in the West in February 2022. You can choose from currently 24 different classes to explore the world of Arkesia in an isometric perspective.
The focus is on action-packed fights, the grind for new equipment, and the tough endgame content that you need to master with that equipment. While you follow a story that is quite well told with many cutscenes, the grind is what primarily takes the spotlight.
There are numerous daily tasks, including quests, several dungeons, and the island events. Ideally, you should not do these with just one character, but with 6 different characters to maximize your loot.
Real highlights are the endgame raids, filled with tricky mechanics and great challenges. Those who want to succeed here need a lot of time, patience, and sometimes even the willingness to consult external guides to fully understand every aspect of the boss fight.
Who is it interesting for? Lost Ark is aimed at players who
like to grind and want to fight many enemies at once, as in chaos dungeons
appreciate complex mechanics and are not afraid to read guides before the fight and want to explore an open world on land and water
love collecting items
can stay patient, even when they fail multiple times at a raid
MIR4 is an MMORPG focused on cryptocurrency. According to Steamcharts, it averages around 31,500 players simultaneously per month. Thus, it would actually be in second place. However, we assume that many bots are active and therefore do not include the MMORPG in our regular ranking.
In MIR4, players can obtain a cryptocurrency called DRACO. This currency can only be obtained by linking the game with Facebook, Google, or Apple. Many contents are autoplay and the game shows that it is designed for mobile.
What do you think of our ranking? Which MMORPGs are you currently playing? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since June 8, 2023, the film has been available digitally for home viewing. From June 22, 2023, you can also get it as a DVD, Blu-ray, and 4k UHD.
On the occasion of the Blu-ray release, MeinMMO received an exclusive Q&A with Jack Black, who thrilled moviegoers as the video game villain Bowser. We did not conduct the interview, but we are allowed to publish it exclusively on MeinMMO.
In it, the actor talks about what it was like for him to play one of the most famous villains in video game history, how he interprets the character, and why he believes we all have a little Bowser inside us.
Here you can see a trailer for the “Super Mario” movie with Jack Black as Bowser:
Start video
First trailer for the ‘Super Mario’ movie – completely made of CGI
Jack Black has been a fan of Nintendo games from an early age
Super Mario Bros. from Nintendo is the most well-known game ever. What is your connection to it?
Jack Black: I started playing Nintendo in the eighties. I think I was 13 years old when I stumbled upon Donkey Kong in the arcade at the Corner Market.
I remember the magic of that game and thinking, “This game makes Pac-Man look pretty pitiful!” The character of Mario and his fight against Donkey Kong, who throws barrels down the street, had something very hypnotic and charismatic about it because you had to jump and hop at the right moment.
Grab the hammer, hit the barrels to score points, and rescue Princess Peach at the top. And that’s it! Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, and Mario were like the Holy Trinity. And I remember playing it for hours. I put so many coins into those machines!
Were you excited to take on the role of the villain Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
Jack Black: Bowser is one of the most iconic villains in the entire history of video games! Who wouldn’t want to grab the opportunity to bring him to life on the big screen? He is intimidating, powerful, and full of insecurities; a great character to explore.
Jack Black is not only an actor but also a passionate gamer:
Jack Black: I approached this character as the most powerful, evil, but also somewhat sensitive and insecure monster that he is.
It’s really fun to play such a terrible character that has no redeeming qualities and is just plain evil.
And I believe we all have a little Bowser in us somewhere, hopefully buried deep. That was a cool thing I wanted to explore because I don’t get a lot of opportunities to play supervillains.
Why would you say it’s important to show his softer side as well?
Jack Black: Bowser is terrifying, strong, and a monster, but the funny thing about him is that he is also sensitive and insecure. And it’s great to play with that, as it usually doesn’t go hand in hand.
One wouldn’t think that this big, fire-breathing monster is also a kind of romantic who falls in love and wants to have a fairytale wedding with Princess Peach. This contrast is funny.
He has always been in love with Princess Peach.
Jack Black: Yes, but it’s unrequited because she never loved him back, which only makes him madder with love.
Perhaps he was deprived of his parents’ love, and he thinks that if he finds love in Princess Peach, it might heal the wounds of his fiery childhood. Who knows?
Bowser has always loved Princess Peach from afar, but he doesn’t know how to approach her. Also, how could she ever love him? He is such a beast.
Bowser expresses his love for Peach in the celebrated ballad Peaches in the movie:
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Jack Black: Well, it would be really embarrassing to admit that I resemble Bowser in any way; but I also believe that everyone has a little Bowser in them:
A little anger, a bit of rage. Whenever you’re driving down the street and want to yell at someone in traffic, your Bowser comes out. Whenever you’re jealous or want something that someone else has, that’s Bowser.
Whenever you find the darkest places of your soul, you find Bowser because he hides in the shadows. I’ve dug deep to find my inner Bowser.
They say it’s fun to play the villain because you can express more of yourself through the character. Do you agree?
Jack Black: Yes, it is a lot of fun. And let’s be honest, often a film is only as good as its villain.
What would Star Wars be without Darth Vader? You need them; you need the dark side. To have good, you must have evil. So it feels great to let that evil muscle play out. It’s a necessary and powerful ingredient in the soup; it’s the spice.
Bowser’s obsession has even led to discussions about the villain’s behavior:
Bowser and Princess Peach are completely different rulers
What do you think is the reason why Bowser is so obsessed with Princess Peach?
Jack Black: Why is anyone obsessed with something? I mean, obviously he is taken by her beauty, her softness, but she is also tough! She can really hold her own in a fight, and Bowser appreciates that.
How do Bowser and Princess Peach differ as rulers of their respective kingdoms?
Jack Black: Princess Peach rules with love, respect, and compassion, while Bowser rules with an iron fist and rage.
He controls his population with fear and intimidation. Bowser also likes heavy metal music, and he rules with the power of rock.
He will destroy anything that stands in his way! When Princess Peach and Bowser face off on the battlefield, there will be an explosion of colorful lights like you’ve never seen before.
“This movie will be great, no matter where you see it”
Illumination is an animation studio like no other.
Despicable Me is one of my favorite animated films of all time. Illumination has consistently shined with incredible creativity and humor over the years.
They really know how to do it! I don’t know how they do it or what the secret ingredient is, but the group of experts responsible for these projects never ceases to amaze. I am super excited to be part of a masterpiece from Illumination.
And what do you think makes Nintendo characters like Mario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, or Bowser so timeless?
Jack Black: Nintendo has a magic, and their characters evoke something in you. Their games are just fun! I believe the Nintendo world has something that dates back far into the past, even before video games.
Nintendo and Illumination seem to fit perfectly together.
Jack Black: It’s a great collaboration, and I’m glad for it because here we are now. I’ve seen the film, and it’s really awesome, and I can’t wait to unleash it upon the world. It’s like when peanut butter and chocolate first came together. Hmm, delicious…
What was it like working with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic on the project? Jack Black: Fantastic! We got into a good rhythm and always tried to make each other laugh and find new approaches for each scene.
How would you describe The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
Jack Black: Exciting, funny, romantic, thrilling, psychedelic, nostalgic… This movie will be great, no matter where you see it, but I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen because the worlds you see, like the Mushroom Kingdom, are so beautiful. Any way you slice it, it will definitely blow you away!
PS Plus Extra has many great blockbusters in its offer. From God of War to Bloodborne, AAA fans are well served. But you can also find smaller games that got lost in the flood of many games in this subscription. We present to you 5 hidden gems from the subscription.
What is PS Plus Extra? PS Plus Extra is the second tier of the PS Plus subscription on PS4 and PS5. With the subscription, you can play many games for free from a large catalog. Similar to GamePass, in addition to blockbusters, you can expect small hidden gems.
In this article, we present to you 5 more or less small hidden gems that you can play for free with your PS Plus Extra subscription.
[toc]
1. Humanity
Developer: Tha Ltd. |Genre: Puzzle and Strategy |Meta-Score: 85 (PS5)
Start video
Humanity Launch Trailer
What kind of game is this? The newest game on this list is Humanity. You control a small dog that must guide a group of people through puzzles and obstacles in many different levels. The game resembles a modern version of Lemmings.
The setting sounds not only crazy. The levels are also absurd, colorful, and creative. Collectibles provide an additional challenge. With them, you can unlock various items. For example, you can turn your people into big, bouncing blocks.
If you have a PSVR or even PSVR 2, you can play the whole thing with the headset in Virtual Reality and feel like a dog playing with humanity.
2. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Developer: Greg Lobanov |Genre: Puzzle and Adventure |Meta-Score: 87 (PS5)
Start video
Chicory: A Colorful Tale Official Trailer
What kind of game is this? Chicory: A Colorful Tale is like a playable coloring book. Here, you also play as a dog and solve various puzzles armed with your brush and paint. But you also have to face boss battles with your brush.
With the brush, you explore and paint your way through the world and meet many quirky characters along the way. The look perfectly matches the story, as Chicory also tells an emotional tale about creativity. The wonderful music should also be mentioned here.
If you have a partner or friends who want to experience Chicory with you, you can also play a 2-player co-op on the couch, where each controls their own brush.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Misha Collins and his character Castiel are loved by fans of the series Supernatural, even though he was originally only supposed to appear for 3 episodes.
Who is it about? The angel “Castiel” has become an extremely important character in the storyline of Supernatural over the years and a real favorite among fans.
The servant of God, portrayed by American actor Misha Collins, first appeared in the first episode of the fourth season (“Lazarus Rises”). Since then, he is known for his confused, alien, and monotone manner as well as for his beige trench coat and crooked tie.
Especially with Dean (Jensen Ackles), Castiel developed a brotherly relationship over the course of the seasons and is not only a great help to the main characters but also a good friend.
In May 2023, Misha Collins was a guest on the English-language podcast Supernatural Then and Now, hosted by Robert “Rob” Benedict (in Supernatural: Chuck) and Richard Speight Jr. (in Supernatural: the Trickster/Gabriel). In the podcast, Collins spoke about his early days in Supernatural, how certain character traits of Castiel came to be, and the plans that existed for his role.
Start video
The 5 Best TV Series Based on Video Games
Castiel was not supposed to be a long-term character
Why was he supposed to leave Supernatural? In the podcast, Collins was asked how Jared Padalecki (Sam) and Jensen Ackles (Dean) behaved towards him when he was first involved in the filming of Supernatural. Collins then recounted that he was originally cast for only three episodes and that they hardly paid attention to him. The character Castiel was not supposed to appear in the series for as long as he ultimately did.
I was not significant. Originally, I was supposed to have a story arc of 3 episodes and they had no idea, they didn’t even read the script we were currently shooting. They didn’t know that the character was coming back. […] They didn’t know they would have to deal with me in the future. So they didn’t create any groundwork.
Misha Collins via Supernatural Then and Now
Collins asked the showrunner for a regular role
How did Castiel stay in the series? Another topic in the podcast was the question of how Collins had known back then if his character was well received by fans. He recounted that he had scoured various websites and forums to read what fans of the series were saying about Castiel.
He realized that the angel was popular among fans. At that time, the show’s creators had already written him into more and more episodes, and it was not just limited to the originally planned three episodes.
Collins then called the showrunner Erik Kripke and bluntly asked him whether he should become a so-called “series regular,” making Castiel one of the recurring characters.
By the end of season 4, I thought: “People really like this, and they keep bringing me back for new episodes. That’s great.” So I called Eric Kripke and said: “Hey, do you want to maybe integrate me as a regular in the series for the next year?” And I felt that I might have enough storyline and maybe enough fan excitement for the character to justify that. To my surprise, he said: “Yeah, okay.”
Misha Collins via Supernatural Then and Now
Misha Collins’ proposal was accepted and he was scheduled for the entire fifth season. Castiel then remained a recurring character for at least another year – and many more years followed.
How impressive and unusual Collins’ question to Erik Kripke was is highlighted by Richard Speight Jr.: “No actor ever does that. That’s impressive. No one would call the showrunner and say: ‘Give me a contract.’ That’s incredible.”
Collins defined Castiel even during the casting: Another highlight of the podcast episode is Collins’ story about how he accidentally defined the character of Castiel forever during the casting.
Collins had prepared to play a demon during the casting. Then he was told that the character was an angel and that he should adjust his performance accordingly. The actor, however, did not expect that:
“That threw me off balance,” he recounts, “I thought, that’s basically the opposite. I was, standing in the spotlight, completely confused.”
Collins described his behavior in that situation as being like someone who didn’t know what was going on. And this confusion would henceforth define Castiel’s demeanor. “Somehow that led to a very bizarre interpretation of the character and somehow it worked.”
That in the world of television not everything goes as planned is also shown by the story of Sir Patrick Stewart and his iconic role as Captain Picard. The actor actually expected to be back home after half a year:
The presentation of the new sci-fi RPG Starfield by Bethesda was for many the highlight of the Xbox showcase on June 11, 2023. However, not everyone shares the excitement for the game.
Who is it about?Shirley Curry became known in 2015 as ‘Skyrim Grandma’ with her Let’s Plays on YouTube. At that time she was 79, so she is now likely in her late 80s. She is eagerly hoping to experience the release of The Elder Scrolls 6 – and is frustrated with Bethesda.
What bothers Skyrim Grandma? In a vlog dated June 16, Curry shared her frustration with her 1.22 million “grandchildren” on YouTube. After many years, she has slowly had enough of Skyrim, but there is no sign of the successor:
One of my problems, kids, is that I have been so upset with Bethesda because they have not made and released Elder Scrolls 6 for us to play. […] I have played so many different stories that I have come up with in Skyrim over the years that I eventually started to get a little bored.
Ultimately, Curry has set aside her beloved Skyrim, but now she is in a difficult situation: “I got bored with the game, now I’m bored without it.”
Curry apparently lacks gaming alternatives. Most other games are boring and do not appeal to her. She tried the Fallout series by Bethesda but found it “too depressing.”
Start video
Starfield brings what fans of Star Citizen wish for – decades earlier, but with a catch
Skyrim Grandma does not play space games
Why is Starfield not an option? In response to a viewer’s question about whether she is looking forward to Starfield, Skyrim Grandma wrote: “No, I am NOT. I am too angry that they postponed ES6 for too long!”
In an interview with PC Gamer, Curry explained that while the presentation of Starfield was nice, it is just a space game. She is simply a Skyrim junkie.
In the meantime, she can only console herself with Civilization 5 – but not Civ 6, because she doesn’t like the map. Whether Curry will give Starfield a chance at release remains to be seen.
At the same time, Curry also dispelled rumors that she would have an appearance in Starfield, as colleagues from GameStar report. Fans discovered a spaceship named “Grandma” during the showcase that invites players to eat.
However, Skyrim Grandma says she saw the scene, but it was at most a little nod from Bethesda. She is not in the game and knows nothing about any such plans from Bethesda.
In Diablo 4, you can expect many challenges, tough bosses, and even the possibility to fight against other players. However, one of the biggest enemies in the game is actually a harmless chair, at least if you are to believe the Reddit community.
What is up with the chair? Chairs can be found in many places in the game, but one in particular has captured the players’ attention. It is located near the forge and players frequently accidentally sit on it instead of interacting with the actual object of desire.
This error apparently occurs regardless of whether you use a mouse and keyboard on PC or a controller on consoles. Some players are brought to the brink of despair by this.
Start video
Diablo 4: With this trick, you save inventory slots
“This is not a chair, this is a trap”
What do the players say? The Reddit thread titled “My worst enemy in Diablo 4, I’m sure I’m not the only one” received over 1,400 upvotes and 150 comments. Additionally, there are more threads specifically on this topic. So the chair does not only bother one person, but a whole bunch of players.
The user Sciencetaco writes:
On the console, it is especially annoying when you don’t directly click on things, but press a button to trigger what the game thinks is closest to you. Spoiler alert: It always thinks you are next to a chair.
However, there are also PC players with mouse and keyboard who occasionally accidentally click on the chair. Even the thread creator himself uses a mouse:
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The user Big-Comfortable sat on it ten times in a row instead of interacting with the forge. He even refers to the chair as a “trap”.
Many are particularly annoyed by the slow animation when sitting down and getting up again. “It wouldn’t be a problem if you could get up quickly,” says the user Thehoppa091.
However, some users apparently have never encountered this problem. They claim that with a little caution, you can easily reach every object. One even complains: “There were no chairs in Diablo 3, and now the developers add some and you complain again.”
Do the chairs serve a purpose? This is also debated on Reddit. Some claim that you can circumvent an AFK disconnect by simply staying seated on a chair. They say that they were not kicked out even after 30 or 60 minutes without mouse movement.
Others think there is probably a hidden achievement if you sit on all the chairs.
However, we cannot confirm either point yet.
What do you think of the chairs in Diablo 4? Have they “caught” you when you actually wanted to go to the blacksmith?
The career of former CS:GO professional Nikhil “forsaken” Kumawat lasted less than half a year, yet he managed to write eSports history in that short time. Although not necessarily in the way he probably dreamed it would be.
What kind of player was he? In April 2018, the American eSports organization OpTic decided to form an Indian CS:GO team. This was at a time when the Indian eSports scene was largely taking place in internet cafes, which was a big deal.
Nick “Ashes” Ridgeway from OpTic said at the time that they were passionately working to build and support new, exciting regions.
After the tryouts, for which there were countless applicants, the 5 members of OpTic’s Indian CS:GO team were finally established. One of them was Nikhil “forsaken” Kumawat, who caused perhaps the biggest scandal in Indian eSports during his brief four-month career.
Besides forsaken, the team consisted of:
Vishal “haiVaan” Sharma (Captain)
Sabayasachi “Antidote” Bose
Agneya “Marzil” Koushik
Lukas “yb” Gröning (Coach)
Rishabh “formlesS” Tomar, who was replaced by “yb”
Image: OpTic Gaming via HLTVand eXTREMESLAND 2018 via Twitter
Start video
Counter-Strike 2 heralds a new era – The most important changes in the video
How did OpTic India’s career go? After a successful start for OpTic India and first victories in minor tournaments, the newly formed team managed to qualify as the only representatives of their region for the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia in Shanghai, the first major LAN tournament of their career.
The first match against the Malaysian team FrostFire ended in a disastrous 16:6 for OpTic India. But in the next game against the Vietnamese team Revolution, it seemed like the tide was turning. OpTic India managed to win the first map and secured the lead on the next map.
Nikhil Hathhiramani, editor-in-chief of CSGO2Asia, said at the time that OpTic India was only one map away from victory. But then everything went wrong. In the middle of the match, a technical timeout was called, which would drag on for over an hour.
Forsaken caught live
How bitter the career ended: As it turned out, forsaken’s teammate Marzil called the timeout due to technical issues. However, the officials took the opportunity to take a closer look at the support player’s computer, as the AntiCheat software had raised alarms: forsaken, against whom there had already been suspicions in the past, was apparently cheating.
The eSports athlete tried to salvage the situation somehow. After initially failing to prevent the tournament admins from taking a closer look at his PC, he was eventually asked to leave the game with Alt+Tab.
It immediately became clear that another program was running on forsaken’s PC: “word.exe”. However, this program was not Microsoft’s writing program but an aim assist that the player activated via a special button on his mouse.
forsaken made one last desperate attempt to simply delete the program – in front of referees and up to 6,800 viewers watching the tournament (via escharts). As if all this wasn’t enough, there is also a video of the humiliating moment:
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What happened next? OpTic India was immediately disqualified, and the team was shortly thereafter disbanded. As it turned out, forsaken had not resorted to cheating software for the first time. However, the victory of OpTic India at the ESL India Premiership 2018 Finals was retrospectively revoked, and forsaken received a 5-year ban from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).
While forsaken completely withdrew from the public eye, the other members of his team continued their careers in eSports and achieved some – legitimate – successes with new teams. Antidote and Marzil have since switched to Valorant, while haiVaan is active as a streamer.
The YouTuber Rohan “HydraFlick” Ledwani spoke in 2021 with haiVaan, forsaken’s ex-teammate, about the disgraced player. He stated that he did not know what had become of forsaken, that he had not spoken to anyone from the team since the fiasco at eXTREMESLAND, and that he had even flown home alone.
Apparently, forsaken was crammed onto the first flight home by OpTic, while the remaining team members had to wait several days for their return flights. Meanwhile, the events surrounding forsaken went viral.
Spectators not only dug up suspicious old clips of the player but also pounced on the name that forsaken had tried to use to disguise his cheats. “word.exe” became a meme and circulated in the CS:GO scene, where it became synonymous with cheats.
To this day, Google returns videos and articles about forsaken when searching for “word.exe” before it gets to the writing program (as of June 2023).
Ex-colleague says: “He got what he deserved”
What makes the story particularly bitter: OpTic India was supposed to be a chance for a region that had not been able to establish itself in eSports until then. Even though India had many talented players, there was a lack of opportunities: aspiring professionals had hardly any options to obtain hardware of the necessary caliber.
The investments of an American organization like OpTic were supposed to change all that, bringing India onto the big international stage. Now the project had crashed spectacularly, and the country’s reputation as an eSports location was massively damaged.
It also didn’t help that Bubun “The Guru” Panday, the captain of the team that had eliminated OpTic from the ESL India Premiership 2018 Finals and had again competed in a rematch of the Finals, was also accused of cheating.
Accordingly, the anger towards forsaken was also immense, as he stood as a huge disappointment for the nation. Reports suggest that angry fans even contemplated lurking at the airport for the player upon his return.
For his teammates, whose dream seemed to burst in an instant, the matter was particularly painful. Marzil can be seen in a 2021 video recalling the exact moment: he did not know whether to be angry or sad. Regarding his former colleague, he says:
He ruined a lot of things for a lot of people. But none of that will come back, so there’s no point in shouting at him. I think he has received the social media punishment he deserves, being expelled and remembered as the person who destroyed Indian Counter-Strike eSports. That will haunt him, no matter where he goes.
Even at OpTic, they were far from pleased with how forsaken had single-handedly driven the big project into the ground. After all, they had wanted to establish themselves in a new region ahead of everyone else, to be a “first mover”. Hector “HECZ” Rodriguez from OpTic spoke about the incident for the first time in 2020 and recalled:
When we scouted in India, and it turned into a disaster because of that damn cheater forsaken. To wear that brand [OpTic] and do that, he was damn lucky I wasn’t there.
“If I could, I would uninstall it immediately”
Why did he cheat? forsaken deleted all his social media presence after the scandal but agreed to an interview with AFK Gaming and also released a statement regarding his cheating.
The player apologized to his teammates and expressed that he felt guilty for having taken their chances away from them. Regarding the reasons for his cheating, forsaken stated that there was no financial or family pressure; he just wanted to be “perfect in every aspect of the game”.
While he had confidence in his decisions and understanding of the game, he did not have confidence in his aiming skills. To compensate for this shortcoming, he chose the wrong path.
I abused the trust of the people who believed in me. I dragged my country’s name through the mud, and I know that it’s unforgivable. No one but me is to blame for this. No one but me should have to bear the hate and the blame for it.
What would he have done differently? forsaken also admitted that he regretted ever starting with Counter-Strike. Nothing good came of it. If he could go back, he would uninstall the game on the same day he started. He has now lost the one thing he had prioritized above everything else.
I know my career in CS is over. All I can do is try to make something of my life so that I can help my family. I never thought about doing anything other than Counter-Strike. I will try to work on my mistakes and become a better person.
Whether forsaken has managed to start anew, we may never know. However, it is unlikely that he will try to return to the world of eSports after his ESIC ban expires.
How quickly a career in eSports can end was recently experienced by Lithuanian professional Vilius Malinauskas. The 22-year-old did not commit any gaming offenses but managed to ruin his career through his behavior outside the tournament scene.
New World was released in September 2021 and achieved impressive player numbers on Steam. However, the feedback was anything but positive. Recently, though, there has been an increase in positive reviews. The good communication and outlooks on the future are particularly praised.
What has changed in the reviews? New World launched in September 2021 not only with over 913,000 concurrent players but also with 28,458 negative reviews on Steam. In contrast, there were around 40,000 positive reviews, which corresponded to a value of about 59% positive reviews.
In the meantime, the reviews briefly climbed above 70% but fell back below this “best value” after just a few days.
From November 2021 to June 2022, the game hovered between 66 and 67%, before reaching a real low of 65% in July and August.
For the first time, New World broke the 70% mark for positive reviews again in June 2023. Thus, it is currently “mostly positive” on Steam – with 281,949 reviews.
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78% positive reviews in the last 30 days
What do the positive reviews say? The current reviews especially praise the graphics, the fair payment system, and the communication of the developers. Additionally, the many adjustments and new content are receiving positive feedback.
The user Jynex writes after about 212 hours of gameplay:
New World has become a very great game! After many errors and long waiting times, it has developed into a great game with huge potential. A roadmap for the entire year 2023 is available, which contains promising content. You should give the game a little more time!
Are there also negative voices? Yes, in the recent reviews, the battle pass, the lack of minimap, or missing features like cross-server dungeons are criticized. New World is therefore still far from perfect.
Nevertheless, the MMORPG has even achieved 78% positive reviews in the last 30 days with 1,202 ratings submitted. However, the player numbers dropped to around 15,000 concurrent players at peak (via SteamDB).
New dungeons, clear equipment, and the first raid on the horizon
What is the current situation of New World? New World has received several innovations since its release in September 2021, including a completely new area, 3 new weapons, 5 new dungeons, mutations with 10 higher difficulty levels per dungeon, and numerous events that take place during Christmas, Easter, or in summer.
The developers have also sped up the leveling process, adjusted the story, made the battles smoother, and completely overhauled the equipment system, even adding new equipment tiers.
For 2023, the first raid starting in July and an expansion for the fall have also been announced. Therefore, one does not have the feeling that Amazon is currently hitting the brakes.
What do you think of the development of New World? Do you like the MMORPG now or have you completely given up?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
You want to unwind and dive into foreign fantasy worlds? Then we have here 5 anime that make that wonderfully possible.
Anime are the perfect way to escape reality for a few hours and immerse yourself in foreign worlds. Especially in the fantasy genre, there are plenty of series that reveal exciting worlds or offer lovable characters in a fantastic setting that simply makes you root for them.
For this purpose, we have selected 5 fantasy anime that you might not know yet – but you should definitely take a look if you like interesting fantasy worlds.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Alternative names: The Magician’s Bride, Mahoutsukai no Yome Other genres: Drama, Romance Episodes: 24 (Open End, Season 2 is currently running) Stream available on: Crunchyroll
At just 15 years old, Chise Hatori is ostracized because she brings misfortune to everyone around her. She ends up as the main attraction at an auction and is sold as a slave for a horrendous price – not to a simple human, but to a mysterious creature hidden behind a mask: a magician named Elias Ainsworth.
Elias bought Chise to make her his wife and to train her as a magician. Because all the misfortune she has attracted so far is due to a peculiarity: She is a “Slay Vega” – a “Beloved Child of the Night” and thus attracts fairies and other magical beings who were responsible for all the calamity.
Alongside the eerie magician, Chise learns more about her powers and has to come to terms with the fact that her fate seems to be preordained.
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What to expect from Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Ancient Magus’ Bride not only has a really beautiful art and animation style but also interesting characters with an exciting world and plenty of love for detail. Chise’s training as a magician involves some dramatic twists, and the anime succeeds in wrapping many well-known proverbs or folk tales into fitting, magical stories.
If you enjoy well-thought-out fantasy anime with relatable characters and exciting stories, you can’t miss this series.
Made in Abyss
Alternative names: / Other genres: Adventure, Mystery, Drama Episodes: 25 (2 seasons) Stream available on: Netflix, Apple TV, aniverse
A gigantic chasm yawns in the world: the Abyss. In its depths lie ancient relics of invaluable worth, hidden technologies, but also a lot of unexplored flora and fauna. On the edge of the Abyss, a town has formed, from which explorers continuously venture deeper – yet many of them never return.
Riko, still young, is only allowed to descend a few meters, but there she makes an interesting find. She discovers a robot boy, whom she names Reg, and is fascinated by the technology that made his creation possible. Together with Reg, she sets out to descend deep into the Abyss, to search for her missing mother and at the same time to explore Reg’s origins.
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What to expect from Made in Abyss: Made in Abyss is perhaps the epitome of an adventure anime, as the descent into the unknown is literally the content of this series. The world becomes increasingly fantastical with every meter down, but also more eerie and grisly. The beings and worlds created here brim with creative energy.
However, a word of warning: Although the protagonists are children, the series is by no means suitable for kids. Some images and scenes are disturbing and may stick in one’s memory for a long time.
More great fantasy anime with exciting worlds can be found on the next page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There are many bad MMORPGs, but most are never tested at all. But which games attracted attention and still disappointed? We at MeinMMO want to answer this question and therefore look at the average ratings on Metacritic.
What kind of list is this? This list focuses solely on the ratings from reviewers on Metacritic. We compare the results for the base game at release. It’s important that an MMORPG must have at least 5 reviews to be included in this list.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes – 32 reviews and an average rating of 68
Blade & Soul – 26 reviews and an average rating of 68
Star Trek Online – 34 reviews and an average rating of 66
Tower of Fantasy – 13 reviews and an average rating of 65
Trove – 5 reviews and an average rating of 65
Place 5 – Kingdom Under Fire 2
Setting: Medieval Fantasy | Developer: Blueside | Platform: PC | Release Date: November 14, 2019 | Rating on Metacritic: 62
What kind of game is this? Kingdom Under Fire 2 was a Korean MMORPG with some innovative ideas. It aimed to mix the MMORPG and RTS genres and thus create particularly interesting raids and battles for fortresses.
At the start, you had the choice of 5 different classes and played an introduction as is customary in MMORPGs: with a tutorial, quests, and the grind for new equipment.
However, in later instances, a whole new aspect was added: you lead a group of soldiers as a commander, which you can command with orders.
With a hotkey, you could switch between the RTS view for commands and the third-person view for fighting with your character. This gave the entire combat system a tactical and interesting note.
The troops by your side accompanied you in dungeons, raids for up to 16 players, and several PvP modes. With your troops and hordes of enemies, epic battles were created.
At the same time, there was an open world and PvP arenas, where you only controlled your character – as in an MMORPG.
What is the best rating on Metacritic? Kingdom Under Fire 2 received a respectable 75 from MMORPG.com. The reviewer claimed to have had a lot of fun with the gameplay but was disappointed with the gender lock in the classes and found that shortly after the release, there were no groups for the PvE content.
In North America, finding groups was a major problem. Others have criticized this as well. In fact, primarily German players were very fond of the concept of the MMORPG. The World Firsts in the raids went almost all to us.
What is the worst rating on Metacritic? TheGamer gave the game only a 40, primarily due to issues with localization, technical problems, and long delays. Moreover, a lack of diversity among female characters is listed as a major criticism.
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Kingdom Under Fire – Preview Trailer
How is the MMORPG doing today?On October 26, 2021, the MMORPG was shut down here in the West. The fans of the game hold the publisher Gameforge partly responsible, stating that it did not advertise sufficiently and was slow in providing new content.
However, Kingdom Under Fire 2 also did not do well globally and was also shut down in Russia, Malaysia, and other regions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The streaming giant Twitch loses its biggest streamer: Félix “xQc” Lengyel (27) announced a move to the new competitor platform Kick. We at MeinMMO will tell you what this is all about.
Image (Collage): xQc, Stake
What kind of streamer is he? The Franco-Canadian Félix “xQc” Lengyel started with League of Legends before switching to the shooter Overwatch. In October 2017, he began playing for the Texas team Dallas Fuel.
However, his career as a professional was short-lived. In March 2018, after several suspensions for toxic behavior, he was released from the roster and began streaming full-time.
With his – albeit short-lived – background as a pro, xQc was seen as an above-average player on Twitch. His mix of gameplay and unfiltered commentary, combined with nearly daily, multi-hour streams and a penchant for controversy, made his channel grow rapidly.
In 2019, xQc was already in 7th place among the most-watched streamers on Twitch, and in 2020, he took 1st place and never looked back. At least until now, as it was announced on June 16, 2023, that the 27-year-old had signed a million-dollar deal with the controversial competitor platform Kick.
His streaming colleague Ninja, who became huge with Fortnite, reportedly switched to Mixer for a comparatively paltry 50 million.
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Through Fortnite to the largest streamer on Twitch – Who is Ninja and what is he doing today?
Streamer assures that everything remains the same
What kind of deal is this? According to reports, the streamer is said to sign a non-exclusive contract with Kick for 2 years. He will receive 35 million USD per year, along with additional incentives of 30 million dollars if xQc reaches certain benchmarks (via New York Times).
In total, the deal amounts to 100 million USD. This would not only be the largest known streaming deal, but it would also place xQc in a league with professional athletes. For comparison: Lakers star LeBron James extended his contract in June for 2 years for 97.1 million dollars (via Twitter).
This is what xQc says: On Twitter, the streamer announced his move in a short video noting that it was time. In it, xQc promised that his content would remain the same as on Twitch. He also stated that he would continue to broadcast from his old streaming home.
Sometimes he would stream for one day only on Twitch, sometimes only on Kick, xQc said. This is not only allowed by Kick but is expressly encouraged. As the German streamer Staiy revealed, the contracts are said to include that streamers must stream for 30 minutes on Twitch before going live on Kick to bring their viewers over.
xQc and gambling
How are the reactions? The enthusiasm among fans of the “streamer “Juicers” seems to be limited. A thread about the record deal in his subreddit reached 4,500 upvotes and 1,400 comments.
Viewers doubt xQc’s promises that his content would not change and seem to have little interest in following him to a new platform. The comment with the most likes states that he will probably watch recordings of the streams on YouTube.
Another user responds that xQc would still spend the first minutes of his streams on Twitch and that he would only watch him for the intros anyway (via Reddit).
Many fans fear that the 27-year-old is switching primarily to show gambling in his streams again (via Reddit). We have compiled some reactions for you:
ilyasil2surgut writes “The entire gambling arc was so miserable, no content, just brain-dead staring at the slot machines.”
TrollTrolled bids farewell: “That was probably my last xQc stream, I’m finally free.”
BurntPoptart fears: “This feels like the beginning of the end.”
Where does the concern come from? Behind Kick is the head of the notorious online casino Stake. The platform was announced just a few months after Twitch implemented new gambling policies and subsequently attracted numerous casino streamers.
In May 2023, xQc apparently accidentally showed a conversation with ChatGPT in which he asked the chatbot for advice. The 27-year-old wrote: “I am the biggest streamer in the world and have signed with a new platform, Kick. How do I tell my viewers?”
Afterward, xQc allegedly asked how to handle the controversy that would surely follow if he showed gambling on Kick. However, the streamer denied having written the prompts (via Dexerto).
xQc seems to want to embark on a new chapter in his life. Recently, he had especially made headlines with his ugly breakup from the streamer Adept and seemed generally unhappy with his situation:
Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has shown new gameplay. The survival game in the LotR universe lets you play as dwarves reclaiming their former home. MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus is excited about the new images.
What is Return to Moria?
In the new survival game from Free Range Games (Oddworld: Soulstorm, The Callisto Protocol), you play as dwarves in the universe of Lord of the Rings.
Gimli himself sends you to Moria to explore various mountains alone or in co-op with 8 players and search for treasures.
The game features the legendary craftsmanship of the dwarves in the form of crafting and base building, as well as exploration and a special sound system designed to prevent you from waking ‘something in the depths’.
This is what the gameplay shows: In the latest gameplay from Summer Game Fest 2023, the creators have shown in a video for the first time how exactly Return to Moria plays. What excites me as a survival fan especially: there is terraforming!
You can see how a dwarf actively digs through stone with a pickaxe, creating a tunnel and uncovering huge, ancient structures. Another builds bridges over chasms, and together a group creates a small mining post with beds, chests, crafting stations, and storage.
Dodge rolls, various weapons, and enemies like krakens, spiders, and trolls promise exciting battles that are typical in a tough survival game. This makes it even more fun to explore the area and experience adventures together. And that’s one of the reasons why Conan Exiles is still so popular today.
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LotR Return to Moria – Summer Game Fest Trailer
Return to Moria coming in 2023 for PC, Xbox, and PS5
The first gameplay convinced me in a minute, and now I find Return to Moria even better. There is now more information about the game’s release. Return to Moria is set to be released in autumn 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and on the Epic Store for PC.
A survival game relies on having a lot to explore and build, not only to ensure survival but also to make it enjoyable. Being able to play as strong dwarves, the best blacksmiths in the world, sounds even more exciting to me.
I consider it highly likely that Return to Moria will land on our list of the best survival games come autumn:
