2025 brought some innovations for League of Legends. Riot also tried something new in esports. They experimented with a new format for the pick and ban phase, which wasn’t well received by everyone. However, it has now been decided that the format will continue in the future.
What format is being discussed? Normally, the pick and ban phase consists of several steps:
First, both teams take turns banning 3 champions and then selecting
In the second step, 2 champions are banned again and 2 are selected respectively
In the past, this often resulted in not seeing much champion variation, as the best picks were always banned or selected. The so-called Fearless Draft changed this format.
What is the Fearless Draft? Essentially, the structure runs in the same way, but with the difference that each champion can only be played once in a Best-of-3 or Best-of-5 match. This provides more variation for the audience, but also creates challenges for the players who have to learn more champions.
Now, lolesports.com has commented on the future of the format and seems to be satisfied. They announced that the format will even be used in the most important tournament of the year.
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LoL abolishes the LCS!
The format is not popular with everyone
What will happen to the Fearless Draft in 2025? For a long time, it was unclear how the Fearless Draft would proceed, but Riot has now commented on it. They state that after positive feedback from teams and fans, they decided that the format will remain in the 2025 season.
They want to keep the format in the regional leagues until the end of the competitive season. Global events are also expected to follow. They even announced that the Fearless Draft will be used for the Best-of-3 and Best-of-5 matches at this year’s Worlds. The Swiss stage will remain a Best-of-1.
What makes the Fearless Draft good? The champion variance is a strong argument for it. The Worlds 2024 have shown that the meta ensures that you keep seeing the same champions. With the Fearless Draft, teams must rethink and react spontaneously. This is not inherently better or worse than before, but it changes the direction in which strategies must be developed.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous offers a role-playing experience of gigantic scope on Steam and consoles. In particular for fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons, the game is worth more than a glance. Currently, the game is on sale.
What kind of game is this? Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a role-playing game from the game studio Owlcat Games. With about 83% very positive votes (as of 28,685 reviews, March 16, 2025) on Steam and a Metacritic rating of 83, the adventure released in 2021 is among the most popular alternatives to Baldur’s Gate 3.
The game is based on the pen & paper campaign of the same name and lets you take on the role of a hero who ventures into the world with up to 5 companions to address the Worldwound – a rift in the Abyss that brings incredible horrors to the land.
The game has a certain old-school look and text-heavy presentation but offers a sophisticated depth with its scope.
The rules of Pathfinder are based on the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons. With its scope, the game offers several hundred hours of fun and also has numerous DLCs in tow. The base game is currently available for a price of €3.99 in the Spring Sale on Steam.
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Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Trailer for the ‘Game of the Year’ Edition on Steam
Be who you want to be with the Legend Paths
What makes Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous special? Similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, you fight your way through a comprehensive story in tactical battles with a group of diverse characters. You have the choice between turn-based combat or real-time battles.
Additionally, you can choose not only from about 25 classes and 12 races for your character but also from 9 unique Legend Paths that give you extra freedom.
Whether angel, demon, lich, fairy, or powerful necromancer, Wrath of the Righteous gives you the chance to be whoever or whatever you want, like hardly any other role-playing game. You can be utterly evil or take on the role of the golden redeemer – you literally decide the fate of the world.
Additionally, you can lead a crusade and command the crusaders while confronting demonic plagues. On your journeys, you can choose from 10 companions, with whom you can also build relationships.
With an update for Season 2 Episode 2, which launched on March 13, the shooter was able to double its player count on Steam: From around 7,000 to 10,000 concurrent players, it has now grown to over 22,000 (via steamdb.info).
One reason for this increase in players may be the new descendant that was added with update 1.2.10. The descendants are standalone characters and the equivalent of classes in The First Descendant. They can be customized with various cosmetic contents.
In a short trailer, the developers show the winged Serena in action:
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The First Descendant: Gameplay trailer for Serena, the new winged descendant
Angel-like descendant with special abilities
Who is the new descendant? Serena is a first-generation descendant who was previously sealed in Sector Sigma. She looks like a futuristic angel and brings a range of suitable, unique abilities to the battlefield:
Sacred Flame
Ascension
Soar
Redemption
Passive: Divinity
The wings on her back are not just decoration: Serena can fly with them. “Ascension” helps her stay in the air longer. With the ability “Soar,” she can quickly swing from the ground into the air or maneuver in the air. “Divinity” and “Redemption” grant her and allies buffs, while her “Sacred Flame” deals damage to enemies and heals allies.
The Season 2 update also continues the main story of the game. A new quest takes you to Sector Sigma after the destruction of the first Iron Heart – exactly where Serena has been slumbering. Additionally, there are new seasonal events and rewards.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of challenges that can demand a lot from the player group. However, in some cases, a talented speaker can save the group from the beating of a strong opponent. As long as the right words are chosen.
Spoiler Alert! This list mentions characters and confrontations from Act 1 and 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Is it sensible to defeat opponents with words? If a particularly charismatic character, perhaps a Bard, Warlock, or Wizard manages to find the right words, your group could simply skip entire conflicts. And not just minor enemies, even entire boss fights can be avoided with charismatic skill.
As a result, you will not suffer any disadvantages. You will receive the same amount of experience points and in some cases an inspiration point as a bonus. But which opponents can be defeated with words?
Here you can see the trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3:
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release
Flind, the Gnoll Queen
The leader of the Gnolls can switch sides.
Location: The Resurrected Way (Act 1)
Checks: Wisdom (illithid), Performance (Bard)
The fight against the Gnolls in the first act of the game can be a nasty surprise for many players, especially if they did not expect them. One quickly gets overwhelmed by the crowd and the bloodthirst of the monsters.
However, you can convince the leader of the Gnolls to turn against the other Gnolls and fight on your side. While this does not prevent the fight, it makes it significantly easier. At the end of the fight, you can even force her to tear herself apart, which quickly ends the situation.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Generation Z often faces significant overwhelm in the job market. This leads many members of the generation to ghost their potential employers and, in some cases, not even show up to work.
Despite many young people managing to attract the attention of companies, a particular trend seems to be emerging: Despite successful job interviews, Gen Z ignores their potential employers afterward.
This is evident from a survey conducted by the Indeed group, which surveyed 1,500 companies and employees in the United Kingdom. According to the findings, about 75% of all employees have simply ignored their potential employers after a successful application process. This trend goes even deeper within Gen Z.
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Why do tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg keep wearing the same clothes?
Gen Z uses ghosting as a necessary means
What distinguishes Gen Z in their approach? In Gen Z, around 87% of the generation reported having disappeared without a trace, having never shown up for work at all. Despite passing the application process and signing a contract, they would simply leave their potential employers in the lurch.
While this practice also appears in all other generations, it is not as pronounced as in this one. Additionally, this type of ghosting seems to follow a system among young people and pursue a specific goal, according to this survey.
For about 56% of Gen Z, they admitted that they would repeat this approach again. Furthermore, 32% of respondents deemed ghosting before a job interview an acceptable tool for career planning, while 28% would even consider this approach legitimate if interviews had already taken place.
Why does Gen Z resort to ghosting? On one hand, it seems to be a measure to “take control of their own career.” On the other hand, this practice is seen as a protest against low wages, poor hiring conditions, and lack of transparency from companies.
A third point could be that this reduces stress, which is already prevalent in job searching. Additionally, companies seem to act similarly, simply ignoring potential applicants while they pick the best candidates in their view.
Why is ghosting a problem? Gen Z complains that selection and application processes are too opaque. Job postings are becoming less competitive in the midst of mass layoffs and an oversupply of overqualified workers. Ghosting as sufficient feedback from companies in response to an application is demotivating and hardly understood as an active rejection.
Gen Z relies on open communication, and ghosting by companies leads to unnecessary stress and prevents affected applicants from reapplying at the same company. Additionally, selection processes are becoming more laborious and time-consuming.
How can the problem be solved? To address the issue, it is necessary for both employees and companies to reflect on the debate and consider ghosting less as a necessary means, but rather to revert to more open communication.
Monster Hunter Wilds was released just over 2 weeks ago, and there are voices in the community expressing dissatisfaction with the game’s scope. Fans have reflected on the issue and explain why the content is not the problem.
Why are players complaining? Particularly on X and Reddit, disappointed voices are increasingly common, complaining that the game offers too little content. Affected players have often invested over 50 hours of gameplay and lament the feeling of having nothing more to do in the game.
Similarly, the length of the story and the story itself are noted as points of criticism, as well as the time needed to complete the game fully. Many players feel that they are finished with Monster Hunter Wilds after around 100 hours.
On Reddit, there are now some players who do not see the problem in the content of the game but rather in the players themselves.
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Monster Hunter Wilds: What to Expect After the Main Story
“Monster Hunter Wilds does not have a content problem.”
User Saedreth opens his Reddit post with these words and lists the following points that he believes lead to the players’ feelings:
Newcomers find the story of Wilds too short because they do not understand that the story in Monster Hunter has served more as a veiled tutorial, gently teaching players the mechanics and increasing difficulty. The story is more of a guideline and backdrop than the focus of the game.
Additionally, one should not compare Wilds too much with World. While World had a longer, yet bland and exhausting story, it too did not have much content at launch, and the game grew over time. The same will be true for Wilds.
Furthermore, the attitude of the players who express this feeling is also a problem:
Many players today tend to inhale new games and “complete” them as if it were a full-time job. This makes the time invested seem much less to them. Additionally, these players expect a classic open-world game like Skyrim, where they can repeatedly play new side quests and similar content. Monster Hunter simply does not work that way.
He compares Monster Hunter to a sandbox, where players like to build castles and constantly tear them down to try new things and experiment with what is available. If one only focuses on the surface, it is no wonder that one quickly becomes bored.
Additionally, “meta-chasers” are a problem. Players who rush through the game as quickly as possible to reach the endgame and rely on pre-built setups will not enjoy the game for long. The game is designed for experimentation, learning and mastering new mechanics, and constantly mixing things up, rather than sticking to a fixed setup. Players who focus on that quickly feel like the game has nothing more to offer.
In the comments, there are numerous supporters who share his opinion. After all, Monster Hunter Wilds offers around 14 weapons in various variants, 29 large monsters in different difficulty levels, over 500 different armor pieces, plenty of decorations, and artisanal weapon variants with which players can experiment.
Therefore, the problem is less about the content of the game and more about how players engage with it. They appeal to take your time and play Monster Hunter Wilds in a way that it does not run out too quickly. New content will come in due time, just as it did with Monster Hunter World.
League of Legends is a time-consuming game and MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes has been playing it regularly for over 10 years. But since 2025, the thrill is gone, and that is due to 3 aspects.
I have been playing League of Legends since 2014 and have spent approximately 6000 hours in it. Except for a few short breaks in between, I played the game almost regularly for 10 years. Sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. I also engaged with it outside the game. I played the spin-offs like Song of Nunu or watched videos on the topic.
However, since the start of the new season in 2025, League of Legends has completely lost its appeal for me. Be it normal play, ranked, or modes like ARAM or Arena. None of that is fun for me at the moment. But what is the reason? I have tried to identify my problem based on 3 aspects.
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Das ist LoL – Einmal richtig ehrlich erklärt
1. It has become too competitive for me
That sounds strange at first, especially since I used to enjoy playing ranked. But now I feel that the player base is playing much more specifically for pure victory than just a few years ago. This is understandable; over time, the average player base gets better.
My problem is that this goal exists not only in ranked but also in modes like Normal or ARAM. At least based on my experience. If you want to learn a new champion, have played enough bot games, and then want to play a bit in normal, you are often confronted with a lobby that wants to play everything efficiently. Trying out new champions? Not a chance.
You can also notice this in ARAM. I’m not even saying I want to play anti-meta. But if you don’t feel like giving 100%, you quickly become discouraged. Nowadays, I just want to casually play a bit in the evening after work.
There is also a certain pressure. LoL is a team game, and if you play poorly or lose, then not only do you have a bad time yourself, but you may also cause the entire team to lose. Even the best players occasionally lose their lane.
This leads to people giving up quite quickly based on my experience. No matter which mode. Many just want to jump into the next match as fast as possible.
MOBAs in general are very time-consuming games. It can easily take 40 to 60 minutes to start and finish a game in ranked or draft mode. Even modes like ARAM are close to 30 minutes.
If you have a good match, those are some of the best gaming hours you can spend. But when matches go poorly, then the time doesn’t feel valuable to me. In games like Street Fighter or Tekken, I have no problem with this because matches don’t last that long and it’s a 1-on-1 game.
Also, learning new champions and mechanics takes a lot of time. When I started playing LoL, I was a student, so I had a lot of time for the game. Nowadays, time is limited, and you have to weigh how you use your free time.
As mentioned in point 1, League of Legends is a very competitive game. Many play it to climb the ranks. While there are still fun modes like Arena or URF, there needs to be more. This is silly gameplay that doesn’t need to be balanced as long as there is variation.
Many players wish for the return of Doombots of Doom because it was designed for absurd situations. Personally, I have always been a big fan of Dark Star: Singularity, and in the history of LoL, there are countless modes that have not returned.
The modes were not always perfect, but that doesn’t matter. In Arena and URF, unfortunately, a meta quickly develops that is hard to break without significant resources. In modes like Doombots, that was not an issue. A larger pool of fun modes would ensure that I would return more often to casually play with friends just for fun in the evenings.
Recently, Riot demonstrated with Swarm that they can release a new mode and players can receive it positively. I hope Riot will do this more often in the future, as experiments don’t hurt in such a framework.
Will I turn my back on League of Legends forever? No. I still love the surrounding world and series like Arcane, but not the gameplay anymore. Maybe that will change again in a few months, but I have never had so little interest in entering the Summoner’s Rift again in the 10 years since I started playing the game. However, if Dark Star: Singularity returns, I will be the first to start the game again.
World of Warcraft is back – and it’s back in a big way. Blizzard has proven that the MMORPG giant still has it.
Every year, some questions are repeated that are thoroughly discussed: Is World of Warcraft now (finally) dead? Is World of Warcraft now (finally) good again? Is it worth returning? Is it worth starting anew? Is the latest expansion rather boring or just right?
Right at the start of an expansion, it’s often difficult to determine whether WoW has truly become “better”. The picture is often skewed in a positive direction by many exciting new features or, on the negative side, by many teething problems like bugs or balancing issues.
Now, however, the second season and patch 11.1 have started for World of Warcraft. This marks roughly the “half-time” of The War Within – and this is the perfect moment to check whether World of Warcraft is finally “really good” again or if it’s slowly time to retire Blizzard’s MMORPG.
Who is writing here? Cortyn has been playing World of Warcraft for 20 years and has been writing about Blizzard’s MMORPG for MeinMMO for 12 years. In the game, Cortyn is mostly found in heroic raids, Mythic+ dungeons, or collecting battle pets – unless the nights end in long role-playing sessions with far too little sleep. Cortyn’s playtime across all characters exceeds the age of some readers. Please do not inquire further, it could lead to existential crises.
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WoW: The War Within – Shadows Beneath the Surface
Warband – The Account-Wide Paradise
There is hardly any talk about one of the biggest changes of The War Within anymore. Just a few weeks after the introduction of “Warband”, the system has become firmly integrated into the DNA of the game and has been accepted as the new standard by the community that no one wants to miss again.
Almost everything you do in the game – whether it’s farming reputation, unlocking quests, or collecting achievements – is now account-wide.
Additionally, sensible options are provided for all main quest lines. If one character has already completed the quest line, you can simply skip it and don’t have to experience it again – unless you want to do just that and replay that quest line with a second character.
The Warband shares (almost) everything – even a large, shared bank.
World of Warcraft has resisted such a system for years – and even some players have opposed it. But now, after a few months of active use and feeling all the benefits, the only question remains: Why could anyone ever be against it?
It has made World of Warcraft objectively better and more accessible. It makes it easier to switch your main character without having to catch up on the same grind for months afterward.
The Depths Were a Real Game-Changer
Almost as significant as the introduction of the Warband are the Depths. These are small “mini-dungeons” on 11 different difficulty levels with changing designs – each depth has 3-4 variations, so you get to see something new every day.
The Depths can be tackled entirely alone or as a group – but the primary design is obviously to give solo fans an opportunity to earn good gear.
It must be said about the Depths that Blizzard, at the start of The War Within, was still fishing a bit in the dark. The balancing wasn’t good and the rewards ended at a point that caused many issues. Because Depths fans were ultimately (more or less) “forced” to participate in Mythic+ and enter at a level that didn’t correspond to their skill. This was frustrating – for everyone involved.
Depths became a permanent feature for solo fans.
However, with Season 2, the Depths are nearly “perfect”. Sure, there are still minor bugs and glitches, but the fundamental design of the Depths with their mechanics, the structure of rewards, and the difficulty level is a hit. With Brann now also acting as a tank, it’s even possible to play the Depths as a healer – so really every specialization can be expressed even in solo play.
If you don’t feel like interacting with others, you can fully equip yourself through the Depths and celebrate your own successes here. Gear up to just below the highest level of play is possible here, and even the best emblems for upgrades can be obtained in solid quantities in the Depths.
The Depths have finally provided everyone with a proper, challenging endgame who have little time or do not want to engage in social commitments. For everyone else, it’s simply a new, additional option – alongside dungeons, PvP, and raids.
The Depths are a complete success, and I’m sure they will be a cornerstone of World of Warcraft going forward and will be expanded in all upcoming expansions.
Lorenhall – The Current Patch 11.1
Honestly, I was skeptical about Lorenhall. I really thought that one would quickly tire of the goblin aesthetic and find little joy in the streets. But I was wrong, and that’s the feedback I’m getting from many friends, guild mates, and raid members: Patch 11.1 is simply really, really good.
Lorenhall offers so many small, hidden things to pursue – if you want to. Transmogs hide behind numerous reputation factions or rare enemies. You can race through the streets in true “GTA” style and complete mini-quests. If you like, you can activate war mode and raid the enemies of the other faction while they are stuck on a tough elite enemy.
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WoW Patch 11.1: Gallywix’s Control over the Cartels
There is much that is potentially interesting – but only the very least is mandatory. If you don’t want to, you can retreat after the main campaign and play other content in Khaz Algar, as these are in many cases just as worthwhile as the content in Lorenhall regarding pure character strength.
World of Warcraft: As Good as It Has Been Since Legion
I’ve thought long about how to best assess the current state of World of Warcraft. I’ve included my own enjoyment, the activities with the guild and the raid, and conversations with friends – along with recurring discussions in the forum and subreddit of the game. I conclude:
World of Warcraft is currently as good as it has been since the “Legion” expansion.
With Season 2, Blizzard has addressed many of the criticisms from the first season. Mythic+ is now not only more accessible but simply fairer. The entry is easier without the higher levels being significantly simpler. This extends even to the Depths and the current raid – everything feels coherent and rounded in terms of difficulty.
Even PvP is finally fun, since there is now the solo queue. Here you can play rated battlegrounds and sign up alone. This means that you can also obtain the best gear in PvP without having to make social commitments. PvP fans have been demanding this for years.
There is also plenty to do in the open world, whether it’s world quests, larger events, or a plethora of hidden details. Collectors will be pleased and can work on seemingly endless goals.
Moreover, the class fantasy is currently extremely well-defined. All classes and specializations feel unique – whether due to gameplay or visual effects. Especially the hero talents have allowed for even more customization, and you can finally be the character you’ve always wanted to be. At least if you play what you enjoy and do not chase the last percentage of performance.
WoW: Legion was good – and so good it is now. If not better.
WoW Will Not Please Everyone
I am aware that there are people – especially from the Classic faction – who can no longer connect with modern World of Warcraft. And they will not find joy in WoW with the World Souls saga either. You cannot excite them for the Depths or housing.
But it has to be said clearly: For these people, the modern WoW is simply no longer made. They have their Classic and can – and should – be happy there. But the world (of Warcraft), the story, and what players seek in a game is changing.
And precisely this modern aspect is what World of Warcraft: The War Within is almost perfectly catering to. Season two, with the overhaul of the Depths, Lorenhall as a zone, and the significantly more accessible Mythic+ was exactly what was needed.
Challenges for the Future: There is Still Much to Do
However, there are challenges that cannot be denied. The entry experience for newcomers is a huge problem. World of Warcraft is so vast and overwhelming that new players need to invest a lot of time to understand everything – and often they must also invest time “outside the game” in forums, guides, or YouTube videos. This is not a good state. WoW needs to improve in this regard – whether through tutorials or a dramatic expansion of the adventure guide that takes newcomers by the hand if they want.
Anyone starting the game without a friend or acquaintance will quickly feel lost. Because World of Warcraft is too difficult for newcomers. Not because the leveling fights are too hard (because they are not) – but because the game is so big and complex that one can easily become hopelessly lost.
Other aspects, such as the multitude of currencies, problems with the reporting system, or the sheer number of mounts that increasingly appear in the in-game shop are not optimal and clear areas that must be worked on. The balance must be right.
With Dragonflight, Blizzard began to renew World of Warcraft – improving good aspects and eliminating bad ones. The dynamic flying, the item upgrade system, the revision of Mythic and the Depths – these are all positive, good changes. The foundation of WoW has been renovated and The War Within has brought well-thought-out, meaningful innovations.
How good WoW currently is, is also evident from the criticism and discussions in forums and social media. There is criticism of the game, no question. However, the criticism is quite different from a few years ago. While in Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands, systemic issues were criticized – the whole loot system, large game content, or even zones.
Even now there is much criticism – but these are details. A boss deals too much damage, or a talent is too weak. A currency is obtained too slowly, or a grind takes too long. These are details that Blizzard can fix with a hotfix (and regularly does). These are minor points that today cause an uproar and tomorrow may no longer exist due to a hotfix. This is a completely different kind of criticism compared to a few years ago, when the entire game was under fire.
If World of Warcraft can maintain this level with housing and the expansions “Midnight” and “The Last Titan”, I am sure:
We are currently experiencing the second golden age of World of Warcraft that we may painfully miss in a few years. Because not every expansion can be a hit (right, Shadowlands?) – but The War Within is one.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Edge of Tomorrow is a popular movie featuring Tom Cruise that mixes science fiction with action. Now, there is a new film coming, but it is not a sequel.
What kind of movie is Edge of Tomorrow? In 2014, Edge of Tomorrow was released, a sci-fi movie with many action elements. Tom Cruise plays the soldier Cage, who must fight against aliens. This is not so easy, especially because Cage is trapped in a time loop.
If Cage dies on the battlefield, he is simply revived and must relive the day. The advantage is that he becomes better and more efficient each time.
Edge of Tomorrow was not a massive financial hit, but it grossed over 377 million US dollars on a budget of 178 million US dollars (via IMDb). The film was also popular with fans and critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic score of 91% and a user score of 90%.
You can watch the trailer for All You Need Is Kill here:
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All You Need Is Kill – Trailer for the Anime Adaptation of the Sci-Fi Classic from Japan
Edge of Tomorrow is based on a Japanese light novel
What is All You Need Is Kill about? All You Need Is Kill was originally published as a light novel in 2004. Light novels are Japanese books that are often lightly illustrated. Many light novels are also adapted into manga or anime, such as Sword Art Online.
All You Need Is Kill was also adapted into a manga in 2014. The drawings for the manga are by Takeshi Obata, who is well known for Death Note. Edge of Tomorrow is also based on All You Need Is Kill, but the setting and characters have been Americanized.
Now, over 20 years after the release of the light novel, an anime adaptation is following in the form of a film. In the original, Keiji Kiriya takes the lead role. He is also a soldier fighting against an alien threat. However, when he dies, he realizes he is stuck in a time loop.
The unique thing about the anime film is that the story is likely told from Rita Vrataski’s perspective, the equivalent of the character played by Emily Blunt.
The animation studio behind the upcoming film might be familiar to film and anime fans. Studio°4C has animated well-known films such as Tekkon Kinkreet and the Berserk – The Golden Age trilogy.
Is the film worth watching if you have already seen Edge of Tomorrow? One can’t say anything about the quality yet, but the trailer certainly promises to be visually interesting, especially with the anime studio behind it. All You Need Is Kill stays closer to the source material, which also makes the perspective on the story different from the American version. Moreover, the ending of the Tom Cruise film differs from that of the light novel.
When is All You Need Is Kill coming out? So far, there is no release date for the anime film, so one will have to be patient for now. Many movies draw upon elements from anime films, even if one might not notice it right away. You can find parallels between major films and well-known anime in this list: 5 movies that remind you of anime and that you might not think about immediately
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Are you looking for a new strategy game that will keep you engaged for a long time? Here are 5 such games that you can get now in the Steam Spring Sale for under €10.
How was this list created? For the strategy games on this list, we made sure that they:
have the strategy tag on Steam
are part of the Steam Spring Sale until March 20, 2025 (and cost under €10)
have received positive reviews from players on Steam
can keep you engaged for a long time
The following games are listed in no particular order. The first is a strategy game that reminds players in the best sense of Heroes of Might and Magic.
Songs of Conquest
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Songs of Conquest: Gameplay Trailer of the Strategy Game on Steam
Developer: Lavapotion
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (86 %)
Price: €9.51 instead of €33.99
What kind of game is this? With its fantasy setting and turn-based tactical battles, this 4X game in pixel art style reminds players of Ubisoft’s Heroes of Might and Magic. In the eyes of many players on Steam, it even surpasses the series.
Blackblade has around 124 hours in the game and writes in his review (via Steam): “A well-made game in the style of Heroes of Might and Magic. This game is a true love letter to these classics and adheres closely to the proven formula, but also brings some innovations and differences.”
Leinahtan has played for 209 hours and writes (via Steam): “Finally, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 has a spiritual successor … It only took 25+ years.”
josemgamboal has even sunk a total of 716 hours into the game, supposedly mostly in multiplayer according to his review. He writes (via Steam): “Best multiplayer game since Heroes of Might and Magic 3, enough said.”
Recently, an update brought a major improvement for multiplayer, namely simultaneous battles. Now you can fight multiple battles at the same time, which is supposed to make the experience in multiplayer smoother.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard is celebrating the anniversary of the franchise that has made them famous for the last 30 years: Warcraft has turned 30 years old, World of Warcraft is 20 years old. MeinMMO was able to talk to the bosses for the anniversary and reminisce a bit – but also learn exciting details from behind the scenes.
For the 30th anniversary of Warcraft, Blizzard has organized several shows and fan meetings during a worldwide tour, starting in February in London. On this occasion, we were able to speak with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas and Executive Producer and Vice President Holly Longdale.
Ion Hazzikostas has been with Blizzard since 2008 and played a major role in Wrath of the Lich King. Many bosses in Ulduar are partially thanks to him. As one of his first official acts at Blizzard, he fixed bugs that annoyed him personally.
Holly Longdale joined Blizzard in 2020 and worked mainly on WoW Classic as a Principal Game Producer and Lead Producer – which, by the way, was intentionally released with bugs. Previously, she was involved in EverQuest II.
In the interview with both bosses, we talked a bit about their experiences at Blizzard, the game’s past, and the most important pillar of WoW: the community.
Currently, WoW is about Goblins and their capital:
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WoW Patch 11.1: Gallywix’s Control over the Cartels
“We don’t have one, but two healthy, vibrant versions of World of Warcraft”
MeinMMO: “You think you do but you don’t” was one of the biggest misconceptions in video game history. What was your feedback in these nearly 6 years of WoW Classic?
Ion Hazzikostas: “It turned out that many people who thought they wanted that actually did want it. Even many people who didn’t think they wanted it wanted it.
Classic was fantastic. A reflection of the past and it has been now for five and a half years. The way it introduced a generation of players who missed World of Warcraft in 2004 and 2005 to the world, to the magic where it all began, has created its own community. One that truly wants this original version of the game. This is evidence of how much WoW as a whole has evolved over the last 20 years.
Now we have not one, but two healthy, vibrant versions of World of Warcraft that appeal to different audiences with different preferences. But they are all part of this larger WoW community.”
MeinMMO: Currently, both games are running simultaneously. With the new anniversary servers, how does it feel to see the original and the modern version of WoW right next to each other?
Holly Longdale: “Both have a completely different audience with very specific needs and requests from us. And both have their own teams that listen to their target audience and respond to them. Essentially two fully functional, independent games. And that’s how we treat them, like in the way we communicate with the communities […] and we believe we owe that to [the players]. […]
It took us a while to reach this point and understand that [the communities] are very unique and different in how they have developed.”
Ion Hazzikostas: “The game is the same as it was 20 years ago, but the way people play has changed. Modern players are just different in their level of expectations and how they approach the systems. In many ways, it was a great experiment. We released a “No Changes” version in 2019 to the best of our ability, but practically the day players came to the servers, that changed. As Holly said, we wondered how best to serve the community we found there.
This has led us from #NoChanges to #SomeChanges and further to experimental modes like Season of Discovery, which can redefine what’s possible in the Classic ecosystem – and more. That’s just one of the things about listening to the community we have and understanding their needs to provide them with the best possible offerings.”
The community was also the focus of the 30-year Warcraft tour:
“We didn’t change anything just because we thought it would be better”
MeinMMO: Your “#SomeChanges” policy was very healthy for the game and allowed people to experience WoW Classic as it felt back then, even if it’s not exactly the same as it was. How do you decide what to change?
Ion Hazzikostas: “At launch in 2019 or thereafter?”
MeinMMO: After.
Ion Hazzikostas: “Player feedback. To be completely honest, one partial reason why we stuck to ‘No Changes’ in 2019 was that we knew players didn’t believe we were capable of making changes. That was the consensus in the community. They said, ‘These modern WoW developers will just botch it.’ So we said: Okay, we will even recreate bugs that were present in the game back then. We change as little as possible. We put effort into bringing bugs into the game to keep it authentic. That at least gave us a fresh foundation as a starting point.
When we then had all the players wandering around in the Classic version of Azeroth, many concluded that there were perhaps a few things in the game that should be changed.
One of the biggest turning points was when we released The Burning Crusade. Players immediately realized that if we kept the original Paladin seals – one for the Horde, one for the Alliance – then most people would play Horde, hardly anyone Alliance. The servers would be terribly unbalanced. Players supported our decision to make both seals accessible to both factions, even though it was precisely this combat-mechanical change that we swore we would never bring – and that players demanded we would never bring. But the changes we made were almost exclusively supported by the majority of the player base.
As we further explored that going towards Burning Crusade and Wrath [of the Lich King], we shared our ideas for feedback to find out if this was something players were open to. That was by far what guided us from then on. We didn’t change anything just because we thought it would be better. Whenever we changed something, it was only because players said they were not satisfied with something and wanted us to make it better.”
Holly Longdale: “We were very aware of authenticity, I remember the team artificially slowing down the fights to mimic fights from 2004. So it feels honestly authentic. And players wondered: ‘What’s happening here?’ Because we were on the modern engine with the security features we needed.
Then players said: ‘We thought we wanted that, but we really don’t want that.’ That was when we built the conversation with the community. The Classic team has maintained that relationship since 2019 and built trust in that conversation. That’s a strong bond, even as the community has changed over time.”
“Once we release a game, it belongs to the community”
MeinMMO: The guild onlyfangs has grown through Classic on Twitch and vice versa. How significant is the role the guild has played in the revival of WoW Classic?
Ion Hazzikostas: “For the hardcore community, certainly huge. This is proof of the social component, of the power of Classic for a world where players can write their own stories. Hardcore only increases that tension further. Raising the stakes is interesting, intense, and exciting.
In a way, Classic is a very streamer-friendly version of the game due to its slowed-down pace, as you can interact with your chat while playing. There’s more space for this banter that lets so many communities flourish. And here they can do that in the context of Azeroth.”
Holly Longdale: “I think that’s another great example that once we release a game, it belongs to the community. And we can never dictate what they will do with it. Then there come moments that become memories like at onlyfangs. With the community and the events they have created. We saw this a few years ago when we opened the hardcore realm.
That’s one of those things we love about making an MMO. You never know what you’ll get when you release something.”
MeinMMO: Have you seen a significant increase in players through these streamer communities?
Ion Hazzikostas: “Difficult to say, because this all doesn’t happen at the same time. When we released Anniversary and Hardcore, many people came together with [onlyfangs] to participate in this journey. We were impressed by the strength of Hardcore as a machine that creates stories. There are so many wonderful, viral, funny, tragic stories that have emerged from people’s interactions with the world.
We were surprised by the sustained energy of Hardcore. When we first released the mode, we thought it was something that would draw initial interest, but expected players to just leave when their character died – not start anew. The number of people who simply accepted: ‘Yup. That’s how the journey of this character ends. I’ll create a new one and see what happens’, has continually astonished and enlightened us. But it has created a growing, sustainable community in an environment that seems to have nothing lasting – because every character has a limited lifespan.”
“We build opportunities for people to live a life they otherwise couldn’t”
MeinMMO: What’s the most memorable community interaction you’ve had in the last 20 years?
Ion Hazzikostas: “It’s hard to pick just one. I’ll connect a few examples of people I’ve met at BlizzCons over the years. Those were often couples with their little child who just wanted to thank us as developers for their relationship and the child that is with them. That was always a reminder of the power of World of Warcraft to bring people together, to create social bonds.
Seeing families that literally only exist because the parents met playing WoW, say, while camping a rare spawn in Mists [of Pandaria] or chatting with the healer while waiting for a dungeon group only to marry three years later. Each of these stories is incredibly touching and a reminder of how lucky we are to be able to do what we do. And that success in our work brings joy to people and connects them.”
Holly Longdale: “Did you want to know what the most touching moment was?”
MeinMMO: Just the one that has stuck with you the most.
Holly Longdale: “What has been on my mind the most over the last year or two is the influence of Ibelin. He is sort of the focal point of what it means to have a greater significance. Of course, there was the Netflix documentary, but also our involvement. We played a small role in providing assets for the animations and the film.
But the fact that we had such an impact on the life of an individual that they could lead a significant life because of the work our team did on a fantasy game, that they weren’t alone … We received letters from other people who have muscular atrophy or are differently abled. It’s moments in life and this business where you realize: Yes, we make entertainment, but we build opportunities for people to live a life they otherwise couldn’t and they build friendships they otherwise wouldn’t have. That makes one proud to be able to do such a thing.
That one can make an impact through this funny, this beauty and this wonder, this place we call Azeroth, that has real meaning for someone. We can’t forget to be proud of that, while we have Goblins in racing cars […] It is a reminder that most of the time it’s a blessing that we can do what we do.”
The Fantastic Life of Ibelin – Trailer for the Emotional Documentary about a Story from the WoW Community
WoW should be a place “where you can find friends”
MeinMMO: The community is an ambiguous topic. Some say it’s super friendly, others find it hellishly toxic. Recently you said you want to reward positive behavior. What should that look like?
Holly Longdale: “As the leading group, that is Ion, I, and the other executives – actually the whole team, we know that the internet and social spheres can be a pretty dark place. We want to ensure that the future of World of Warcraft is a safe place, a place where you can find friends and have healthy relationships.
Part of that is not only protecting our players from toxicity but helping people find friends, supporting them in being positive, and rewarding them with great experiences in the game. That means, just as we determine what we want to prioritize bringing into the game – a zone, a dungeon – we want to prioritize the social aspects as well. We want to bring positive things for the community to engage with […] Ion and his team are already working on that, but we want to focus on that again because we think that’s important.”
Ion Hazzikostas: “There are two aspects to this issue. Toxicity, as you called it. It’s no secret that a small group of people in any social network can have a huge impact that harms the experience of many others. So we are improving our enforcement and detection mechanisms against hateful bile, personal attacks directed at people.
But beyond that, I think that the word toxicity is quite overused. People use it for every negative interaction they have. But negative interactions can happen for which no one is really to blame. That’s just a deviation from expectations.
For example, in a dungeon group. There are people who know the dungeon, want to rush through, and look for people who are at their level of knowledge. Then there is someone who is more of a beginner, wants to learn, and is looking for a patient group who doesn’t mind if something goes wrong. If you put these two people together, both are frustrated, neither is happy, and no one is really at fault. They just both have a certain expectation of finding like-minded players.
And I think we can do a lot here to build positive social connections. Whether it’s improving group search and filtering options or how you add friends in the game and recommend like-minded players. Those are all ways to prevent this so-called “toxicity” by simply bringing together people who have the same goals and expectations. Of course, while we continue to pay attention to those who are really just poisoning the community and should be better removed because of their behavior.”
MeinMMO: Sounds a bit like you want to build a social network within WoW.
“The success of WoW is a reflection of what Blizzard invested there in the early years”
MeinMMO: I would like to dive a bit deeper into the story and the past of Warcraft. Two of the biggest games in the world, League of Legends and Dota 2, have emerged from Warcraft 3. If you had the chance now, would you have released Heroes of the Storm when Dota first appeared as a mod?
Ion Hazzikostas: “That’s a tricky question for both of us, because we weren’t in a position to. Since we’ve been at Blizzard, we’ve only worked on World of Warcraft. […] But I’d like to correct you briefly, three of the biggest games in the world have emerged from Warcraft 3: League, Dota, and World of Warcraft.
And that was Blizzard’s priority for quite some time. I wasn’t at the company when WoW first launched in 2004, I was in line to get a box and play at home. But back then there were already stories about how Blizzard was doing everything they could to meet the demand: expanding the team, acquiring more servers, expanding offices. Because this game, which they thought would sell a few hundred thousand copies, ultimately sold a few million.
In hindsight and with today’s knowledge, we can certainly say that different decisions could have been made. But I think Blizzard’s focus for a long time was World of Warcraft. And where the game is today is largely thanks to that circumstance. The success of WoW is a reflection of what Blizzard invested there in the early years. […]
MeinMMO: Honestly, I never thought about WoW just having a higher priority – and as you said, rightly so. I don’t know if you can tell me anything about this, but looking at the fact that tabletop games are currently making a comeback, are there plans to revive the already existing – and canceled – WoW tabletop?
Holly Longdale: “Not at the moment.”
Ion Hazzikostas: “There are no specific plans, but we are of course always looking for ways to pull more people into the Warcraft universe. However, right now we don’t have anything to talk about.”
By the way, there was a special music act during the anniversary tour, the dwarf metal band Wind Rose:
“The first worm I killed replaced my raid gear”
MeinMMO: Let’s go back to WoW! How did you experience the release of the first WoW expansion The Burning Crusade in 2007?
Ion Hazzikostas: “I started at Blizzard in the summer of 2008. So I experienced 2007 by trying to get through the Dark Portal and staring at loading screens for about 20-30 minutes to get to Hellfire Peninsula. Then I took a few days off and spent many, many hours exploring this wonderful, alien world of the Outland, which was so different from everything I knew of Azeroth until then.
That might be one of my favorite WoW memories. Of course, I have worked on World of Warcraft for many years, but [The Burning Crusade] was the only expansion I could dive into blind. With every one thereafter, I was already in the company and when I played them on day one, all the wonders and surprises simply weren’t the same as with The Burning Crusade.”
Holly Longdale: “I took my Night Elf Hunter and the first worm I killed replaced my raid gear. That really made me angry. So I stopped playing that character, started a Draenei, and fell in love immediately. […]
I was so angry, so angry! But I enjoyed the expansion afterward a lot. In the end, that was the beginning of my journey to becoming an Altoholic, just playing all the different races and classes and becoming an expert on Alliance and Horde.”
MeinMMO: When you came to Blizzard, what was the first thing you changed?
Ion Hazzikostas: “I had way too much to learn to be able to change anything. I remember I started shortly before Wrath of the Lich King was released. I worked on that for two months before release. As someone who had been quite a hardcore raider before, one of the first things I wanted to learn but couldn’t change was how certain boss mechanics choose targets. I could never understand that as a player. I looked at everything in the scripts. To understand how a boss selects its targets for specific abilities. […]
There were a couple of bugs that I fixed. I don’t remember exactly what they were, but I know they annoyed me as a player. So I searched for them in the database and taught myself how to fix them.
It was an incredible journey from someone who spent thousands of hours playing the game to someone who truly understands how it all works from the inside out. Learning and being taught how to create new experiences for players. I started as an encounter designer and was lucky enough to work on some bosses in the Ulduar raid. I fell in love with the job immediately and never looked back.”
Holly Longdale: “I mean [laughs] this comes from the naive perspective of an outsider who found herself in the strange position of doing something with great partners like Ion. As a player coming from a different team and a different game. I’m wholeheartedly a casual player, I love every WoW holiday, every event, and I always have. Those times are the ones I cherish the most.
And I always wanted WoW to get a live event team. That took a while, but when I finally got to team up with Ion and we could create a live team to make more stuff. It became much larger and better than I could have ever imagined. And they’re really good at it. […] I think players like that, especially things like “casual” events, the vibrant world, and how Azeroth itself lives. I think that’s going really well.
That’s part of this journey that leads us into the future. There will always be something to do in Azeroth.”
Christopher Nolan is one of the most renowned directors of all time. With movies like Inception or Oppenheimer, he is among the best in his craft. Even before he made his first major film, he was keen to see Pulp Fiction. However, he spoiled it for himself before watching it.
How did Nolan ruin the film for himself?Pulp Fiction was released in 1994, before his first well-known film Memento came out in 2000. Before that, he made Following, but it remains relatively unknown to this day.
In an interview with the New York Times from 2010, Nolan shares that before watching Pulp Fiction, he worked as an intern at a film company. There, he read the screenplay of the film before he had seen the actual movie.
Image rights for Pulp Fiction belong to Miramax
Start video
Pulp Fiction – Trailer for the cult film by Quentin Tarantino
It’s like wanting to unwrap your gifts before Christmas
What was the problem? In the interview, Nolan explains that he regrets reading the screenplay before seeing the film:
I read the script for “Pulp Fiction” before I saw the film, and I’ve always regretted it. I am a huge fan of “Reservoir Dogs”; I was very excited about [Quentin Tarantino’s] next film. Reading the script was not the same as seeing the movie. And then seeing the film after reading the script was not the same as watching the film. It’s like wanting to unwrap your gifts before Christmas, and when you do it, you regret it.
Christopher Nolan on his experience with Pulp Fiction
He further elaborates that Pulp Fiction is an unusual film and that it’s also challenging to describe it even with a trailer. It’s an original concept that didn’t exist before. By reading the screenplay, he could no longer experience the film anew.
What does the screenplay show? Screenplays often do not just show the dialogues and story of a film. They also contain technical aspects like lighting or shots that can indeed take some of the magic away from certain scenes.
Especially in a film like Pulp Fiction, where the actors bring so much energy and personality into their characters, reading the screenplay can spoil or even ruin a lot.
After Memento, Christopher Nolan celebrated many more successes, including Interstellar, The Dark Knight, and most recently Oppenheimer. His next project is The Odyssey, which is an adaptation of the Greek myth by Homer. When the film will be released is still unclear. As a director, Christopher Nolan also has favorite actors: Christopher Nolan especially admires 3 actors: However, his Batman, Christian Bale, is not among them
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, weapons and armors are the focal point of every hunter. But it’s not just the player characters who get outfitted; the cute cat companions have their own outfits as well. We have picked out the 10 coolest ones for you.
Not only your hunters but also your feline companions want to be well-dressed in Monster Hunter Wilds. You currently have a choice of about 38 different armor sets, which could hardly be more varied.
Many players, when it comes to their Palico, are particularly concerned about appearance. This is because they are rarely accompanied on hunts, as most players play Monster Hunter Wilds in multiplayer, and the Palicos then return to camp.
As a result, stats have always been secondary for many players (via Reddit). For this list, we focused on the 10 coolest armors for your partners, primarily based on how creative, unique, or exciting they are. We also made sure that there is something for every type of player.
If you find yourself in high-level quests, you can also dye the armors.
[toc]
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds: What to Expect After the Main Story
Who writes here? MeinMMO editor Alexander Schürlein has accumulated over 1,000 hours as a monster hunter. Over the years, he has played numerous titles on various consoles and prefers to head out on hunts with dual blades.
F Hirabami Set α
F Hirabami Set α
Do you want your Palico to look like a little Japanese geisha? Then the Hirabami Set is definitely for you. Influenced by feudal Japan and with its oversized sleeves, this outfit looks adorable. The fan as a weapon is just the cherry on top.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The race for the World First Kill in World of Warcraft is over, quicker than expected. Once again, the victory goes to Team Liquid, with a clear margin.
Not even two weeks went by in the race for the World First Kill in the Liberation of Lorenhall, the new raid from Patch 11.1. The winner is clear: the American professional guild Team Liquid rightly claims the World First Kill and leaves the competition in the dust. The gap this time is significant – and the victory cannot be justified even with the slight time advantage.
Start video
WoW Patch 11.1: Gallywix’s Control over the Cartels
How did the kill unfold? As is customary for Liquid, the guild was of course top-notch. The average item level in the group was 662.3, and all had already achieved their 4-piece set bonus – this is likely much more than most other players have gathered so far. The final pull, just over 100, took 9:54 before Gallywix was forced to his knees and the reign of the mythical Chromekönig came to an end once again.
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Notably, Team Liquid engaged in quite a bit of “class stacking,” meaning they often brought multiple characters of the same specialization. They had a total of 3 Windwalker Monks and a whopping 4 Fire Mages to squeeze out the maximum performance.
What was special this time? Interestingly, the final boss of the raid (Chromekönig Gallywix) was not as tough as the penultimate boss. The two-headed ogre Mug’Zee held out significantly longer with 144 necessary pulls, and the now-infamous guild terror Stix Kojenschrotter lasted longer with 114 attempts.
How close was the race? To be honest: not very close. Because while Team Liquid had already defeated Gallywix, the second-place guild Echo was only at 66.56% – meaning over 2/3 of the fight still needs to be tackled. The third-place guild, Method, is even further behind and is still battling against Mug’Zee (via raider.io).
A popular challenge for gamers is to create games with unconventional controllers. A Pokémon streamer on Twitch has just taken it up again and needed 80 minutes to reach the first city of Pokémon FireRed with his live-built controller.
Which streamer is that? The crazy streamer is called Twitch UWOSLAB. He streams with a V-Tuber that represents him as an anime scientist wearing sunglasses. On Twitch, he currently has 44,323 followers, while his YouTube channel has 98,900 subscribers.
In his videos, he creates all sorts of gadgets or tries seemingly forbidden things. Recently on YouTube, he built an air fryer out of several hair dryers. In another video, he builds a claw machine that is controlled by his Twitch chat.
Now he has ventured into building a new controller with which he tried to play Pokémon FireRed. It went so badly that he needed a whopping 80 minutes to reach the first city. Another controller is also very special with a similar RNG factor:
Start video
A Controller for Wiping – Nintendo Brings Quirky Toilet Game to the Switch
With gambling mechanics to Vertania City
What kind of controller did he build? UWOSLAB’s latest build is a controller that took him about four hours to create (via Twitch). With this, he mimics the buttons of a GameBoy: Up, down, left, right, A, and B. The exciting part is that the controller is designed like a coin slot machine:
A coin is dropped at the top of a wooden board embedded with nails. The coin then falls through the nails down the board until it lands in one of six possible exits, each triggering one of the GameBoy buttons:
The new controller from UWUSLAB.
However, it is quite difficult to influence where the coin ends up with this construction. UWOSLAB quickly finds this out as well:
To test the build, he wants to play Pokémon FireRed with it. He actually only wanted to catch his first Pokémon and make it to Vertania City. That worked. However, it took a total of 80 minutes. 80 minutes of joyful and frustrated coin dropping.
What other absurd controllers are there? For a few years now, it has almost become a sport for some players to play hard games with increasingly absurd controllers. Streamer Luality played Elden Ring on a Dance Dance Revolution dance pad about 2 years ago, and she uploaded her battle against Malenia on YouTube.
It is considered more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Yet a mathematician refused to believe that the gambling game is truly random and developed a technique that allowed him to win 14 times.
Who is the lottery winner? Stefan Mandel, a mathematician and economist, earned millions from lottery wins. He did not rely on luck but developed a method to guarantee himself jackpots (via JV Tech).
Others have also made a lot of money in unusual ways:
Start video
He created a legendary game, but didn’t get paid for it – Today he’s still a millionaire
Mathematician Escapes Communism with Lottery
How did he proceed? As a young man in Romania in the 1960s, Mandel lacked money and was looking for a way to quickly “make serious money” (via The Hustle). Instead of turning to crime like many others in his situation, he found another way out: the lottery.
Although Mandel claimed to have not very much education, he had a knack for numbers and spent his free time studying mathematical theories. He developed a model he named “Combinatorial Condensation.”
Mandel speculated that the probability of winning a prize increases if you simply buy more tickets. In addition, he developed an algorithm that he claimed would help him select the right numbers.
The mathematician teamed up with 4 friends, and each bought 228 lottery tickets. They actually managed to hit the jackpot of over 72,000 Romanian Leu, equivalent to about 2,000 US dollars at the time but would be around 16,800 US dollars or 20,000 euros today.
With his share, Mandel was able to free his family from the then-communist regime and start a new life in Australia. There, he remained loyal to gambling.
Gambling can be addictive. If you suspect you or someone around you has gambling problems, you can find resources and counseling services at Check Your Game.
The Australian “Lottery Syndicate”
What happened next for him? Mandel realized that the jackpot in some lotteries was significantly higher than the cost of buying tickets with every possible combination. He developed a simple but logistically complex system:
Calculate the number of possible combinations. If 6 numbers are drawn from 1 to 40, there are 3,838,380 possible combinations.
Find lotteries where the jackpot is at least three times the cost of tickets with all combinations.
Find investors to have enough money to pay for so many tickets.
Print millions of lottery tickets – this was allowed back then.
Take the tickets to an authorized dealer and pay for them.
Pay taxes and investors, take the winnings.
Over the years, Mandel built a real lottery syndicate, with which he hit the jackpot 12 more times during his time in Australia and received countless smaller prizes.
The mathematician’s approach was completely legal at this point, but it attracted the attention of the Australian authorities. Eventually, the rules were changed to prohibit mass purchases of lottery tickets as well as computer-generated tickets.
Mandel’s Biggest Coup: The Virginia Lottery 1992
However, Mandel was not deterred by the new regulations and shifted his operation to the USA, where he targeted 6 lotteries. In particular, the Virginia Lottery proved to be a lucrative target, as only numbers between 1 and 44 were drawn there, which reduced the number of possible combinations compared to other lotteries.
Mandel founded an agency and set up a trust to acquire the necessary lottery tickets. For printing the tickets, he set up 30 computers and 12 laser printers in a warehouse in Melbourne and hired 16 employees. It reportedly took three months to print all the tickets, which were then sent to the USA.
Transporting the lottery tickets to their destination turned out to be a logistical nightmare, and several hundred thousand tickets ended up being lost. Nevertheless, Mandel managed to hit the jackpot of 27 million US dollars in 1992, as well as win other prizes worth 900,000 dollars.
Although Mandel’s actions were legal in the USA at this point, he became embroiled in a multi-year legal battle, but ultimately was acquitted of any wrongdoing.
The mathematician was able to pay out his investors – and give himself a hefty “consultant salary” – but they received less money than expected, and the mood turned against him. In 1995, Mandel finally declared bankruptcy.
After another 10 years with various investment ventures, Mandel retired to the tropical island of Vanuatu off the coast of Australia, where he enjoys a quiet retirement.
Monster Hunter Wilds is probably the best entry in the series for newcomers, but it also has a lot to offer for veterans and fans of the series. If you have dabbled in previous titles in the series, the final boss may seem familiar to you.
Attention Spoilers: The following article talks about the final boss of Monster Hunter Wilds. If you want to experience it fresh, you should complete the main story first.
Which monster is the final boss of Monster Hunter Wilds? If you play the main quests, you will eventually encounter Zoh Shia, who is actually not a true natural monster but an artificial creature that has gone out of control.
This is also evident in his moveset, which consists of brutal attacks. There is more hidden behind Zoh Shia’s attacks, but you can only recognize the details if you have played other parts of Monster Hunter beforehand.
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds: What to Expect After the Main Story
Pay attention to his attacks and the music
What are those details? Content creator Shincry has published a video on x.com showing how much nostalgia lies in Zoh Shia’s attacks. Especially veterans of the series can recognize a lot, but it’s not easy, as so far you can only fight the monster once.
At the beginning, you can directly see Zoh Shia’s resting position, which resembles the resting position of Fatalis in Monster Hunter World. That’s not the only detail that seems inspired by old monsters. Especially the attacks reveal the sources of inspiration.
Here you can watch the video:
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Zoh Shia borrows several attacks from other powerful monsters. The claw swing into the ground comes from Shara Ishvalda from Iceborne and from Safi’jiiva. The impact on the ground, which leads to an explosion, also comes from the latter.
The monster also borrows attacks from Fatalis. The large flame explosion and the fireballs come from the mighty dragon, who once wiped out a kingdom. The creature also adapts attacks from monsters outside of World. Attacks from Crimson Fatalis, White Fatalis, and Gaismagorn can be discovered. Besides the attacks, many animations also remind one of monsters like Alatreon.
If you listen closely and compare the music of Zoh Shia and that of Fatalis from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, you can discover some similarities, especially with the vocals used, as @SappleMyrup shows on x.com.
How does the community react? Many comments under the video montage celebrate that this reference also fits the story of the monster:
@ceph0rend (via x.com) writes on the topic: The use of multiple elements also shows that this monster was created as a countermeasure to other elders.
@Vonkacuga (via x.com) hopes to see the monster again: We will definitely see more of this creature in title updates. There must be a reason they give us such a crazy boss and [we] then can’t fight him again or that he has no equipment.
@trois776 (via x.com) likes the idea with the lore but criticizes the fight itself: It feels like a reuse of content so we can wait for the real fight that comes later
What do you think of the fight? Did you like it or did you forget it immediately? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. During title updates and DLCs, Capcom often brings new final bosses into the game. You can find an overview of all monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds here: Monster Hunter Wilds: All monsters with location, weaknesses and loot in the list
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends, the first major international tournament of the year is currently taking place: The First Stand. Everything seemed to point towards a disgrace for Europe, but the French team Karmine Corp managed to make a surprising comeback in front of thousands of viewers on Twitch.
What a match it was! The French team Karmine Corp had to compete today on March 15, 2025, in the semifinals of the First Stand against CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), the team from Taiwan. Although CFO is generally considered one of the weaker teams in the tournament, the odds for the Europeans were not favorable, as they had already suffered a 0–2 defeat against them.
In fact, it looked like the Europeans were going to exit the tournament without a win when Karmine Corp achieved a surprising victory against the favorites from China. This apparently gave the team a new boost, as they were now able to send CFO home. On Twitch, the LoL streamer Caedrel was following along – and had up to 110,000 viewers.
Twitch streamers play an important role in the e-sports scene of League of Legends. In the German scene, NoWay is one of the biggest.
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Former German LoL Pro is Now One of the Most Successful Twitch Streamers – This is NoWay
Instead of an embarrassing disgrace, Europe achieves a historic comeback
This is how the match went: Karmine Corp started strong in the best-of-five, decisively winning the first two matches. In the third match, CFO fought their way back into the game, getting the first kill after 90 seconds and eventually securing the victory after some back and forth.
In the 4th round, CFO managed to prevail with team fights and equalized to 2:2. The grand final began balanced, with early successes on both sides. Eventually, Karmine Corp was able to position themselves better, eliminate their opponents, and destroy their Nexus.
The match ended after 39 minutes and 28 seconds. For Europe, this is the first international final in 5 years.
On Twitch, streamer Caedrel, the current top streamer for LoL, was cheering. The Brit was visibly tense towards the end but celebrated Karmine Corp’s victory even more exuberantly. Especially midlaner Vladi and botlaner Caliste had put up an “absolutely monstrous” fight, and top laner Canna had been “smurfing” the whole game. On Reddit, Canna is even being hailed as the “newest French war hero” already.
Up to 109,000 viewers were tuning in simultaneously to Caedrel, while an additional 11,000 joined the German commentator Tolkin. On the French channel OTPLOL_, more than 50,000 viewers also followed the match, so over 170,000 viewers were rooting for the Europeans across these 3 channels.
Added to that are the official accounts from Riot and the LCP.
Currently, the Koreans from Hanwha Life Esports and the Chinese team Top Esports are fighting for the next final spot, two of the strongest teams in the tournament. However, TSE had to face defeat against CFO the day before: Team from Taiwan shakes LoL, defeats China, and saves Europe from disgrace.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the new 2024 year-in-review report, Valve has released new figures. Particularly exciting: They wanted to know whether new Steam users would stay and found that newcomers from 2023 not only stayed but spent around 16,000 years there.
The title image is a collage.
What kind of report is this? In the 2024 year-in-review, Valve discusses the changes over the past year. Information about developer tools, player features, and data is shared.
For example, Valve writes that they tried to focus on more demos in 2024. These have been well received by players and provide the opportunity to test hardware compatibility, among other things.
At the end of the report, they revisit the figures from 2023: Valve wanted to know how many new players from 2023 remained and looked at their data. The result? Over 1.7 million new players have played for around 16,000 years.
By the way, the successor to Subnautica will soon be available on Steam:
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Subnautica 2: The First Trailer for the New Underwater Survival Game
Over 141 million game hours – That’s over 16,000 years
What other figures are there for 2023? In the report, Valve states that new releases attract a large number of first-time buyers. To find out if these first-time buyers remain loyal to the platform, they analyzed the 20 most successful launches of 2023.
Overall, these titles drew in 1.7 million new Steam players. Their activities were analyzed, focusing on the period from January 2024 to early March 2025:
In total, these players spent over 141 million hours on Steam. This amounts to approximately 16,000 years – combined. Additionally, they spent 73 million US dollars on new games and add-ons like DLCs. There were also 20 million US dollars spent on in-game transactions. Thus, the new Steam players from 2023 spent a total of 93 million US dollars on Steam during the analyzed period.
Valve concludes that their customer retention mechanisms are working well.
What else is in the report? Finally, Valve provides insights into the revenue growth of games on Steam. According to them, the revenue from new releases on the platform has increased tenfold since 2014. According to the displayed graphic (via Steam), they have seen steady growth. Only in 2023 was there a slight dip.
Overall, it seems that Steam is doing well, and Valve predicts further improvements. However, there are not only really good games on Steam that excite players with their demo and the final product. There are also real flops that are thoroughly torn apart by end users in reviews. We have here the 10 worst Steam games according to review score for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Elder Scrolls Online, there has recently been a graphics update that polished the starting areas to offer more to new players. Now you can play the MMORPG for free on PS5 and Xbox.
Why is the game free right now? As part of the “Play Free” campaign of Elder Scrolls Online, the developers announced on their website (via elderscrollsonline.com) that all players on PS5 and Xbox can play the MMORPG for free until March 20th.
However, please note that you need a subscription for online features to play on both platforms. This is not free, and according to the website, ESO does not function without it even for the trial period. Anyone who still wants to try the MMORPG can look forward to pretty starting areas.
Here you can see the trailer for the latest expansion “Gold Road”:
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The Elder Scrolls Online – Gold Road in the announcement trailer
Improved Starting Areas for New Players
What is the deal with the graphics upgrade? Elder Scrolls Online recently tweaked the graphics of the MMORPG with Update 45. The update, released on March 10, 2025, revamped the starting areas Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen, Stros M’kai, Betnikh, and Khenarthi’s Roost.
Similar to the MMORPG for Star Wars, the areas were not completely rebuilt but rather specific textures, objects, and landmarks were polished. The zones were created over 10 years ago before the game’s release and appeared outdated compared to newer areas.
Anyone starting Elder Scrolls Online during the free period until March 20th can directly experience the graphical improvements of the MMORPG at the beginning of the game.
Do PC players miss out? No, while console players can play ESO for free until March 20th, PC players get the best deal that may ever exist for ESO with the current promotion. Until the same date, the Steam Spring Sale is running with numerous discounted games. This includes the MMORPG, which you can purchase for just €1.99 on Steam.
Several of the DLCs and expansions are also on sale at reduced prices. Among them is the expansion Gold Road, which was not well received by players. In the ranking of the best expansions for MMORPGs in 2024, it only made it to 4th place. Who landed in 1st place, you can find out here: All major MMORPGs received a new expansion in 2024 – the addons in the power ranking
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
