It has become common for animes to run for several seasons. However, some series should have ended after the first few episodes – because the hero is actually too weak to survive for long.
Our anime heroes have it tough: They get pierced by lasers or weapons, thrown from great heights, or endure explosions. Where normal people would have met their end, they simply get back up.
If you were to take away the anime plot armor, many protagonists would be doomed. Because some of them are so weak that they should have died in the first few episodes. MeinMMO shows you some animes where the hero should have been dead long ago.
Tokyo Ghoul
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Tokyo Ghoul – The Trailer for the Anime in English
Number of episodes: 12
Where can I stream the anime? Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Joyn, ProSieben FUN, Seven Entertainment
What is the anime about? In Tokyo, ghouls are causing havoc. They feed on human flesh and cannot eat normal food without vomiting. Ken Kaneki is an average student who wants nothing to do with all of this. Instead, he is looking forward to a date with the attractive lady Rize Kamishiro.
However, it turns out that Rize is a ghoul herself. A fight ensues, in which Rize dies and Ken loses consciousness. When he wakes up again, he is told that he received Rize’s organs transplant – and with them, her ghoul powers.
Why should the hero have been dead? The anime Tokyo Ghoul is the beginning of many more stories surrounding Ken and his friends. But actually, it would have been over for Ken two times already.
On one hand, because he only survived due to Rize’s involuntary organ donation. On the other hand, because at the beginning he was unable to cope with life as a ghoul and would have starved if he hadn’t had the help of his new friends. They made the human flesh as a new food source so appealing to him that Ken ultimately ate it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A bizarre legal dispute has hit Amazon’s streaming service Twitch: In the wake of sanctions against Russia, Twitch has de-monetized a former professional player of League of Legends. However, the Russian judiciary deemed this unlawful and intends to force Twitch to lift the sanction against the former LoL professional. The fine aimed at compelling Twitch started small but has been increasing steadily.
This is the former LoL professional in question: Former LoL professional Kirill Konstantinovich Malofeyev (29) is known as Likkrit. He played until 2017 and then became a Twitch streamer. He has earned approximately $66,000 in prize money from LoL.
There aren’t many successful Russian e-sport players in LoL: Actually, they mostly play DOTA 2 by Valve. Russian e-sport players have earned a total of $39 million with DOTA 2, $15.5 million with CS:GO, and only $1.5 million with LoL (via esportearnings).
Likkrit is the son of Russian oligarch Konstantin Valeryevich Malofeev, who comes from the finance sector and now heads a media group.
The streamer and oligarch’s son Likkrit found the ban unjust and sued Twitch in a 25-page complaint at a Russian court in June and October 2022. The first lawsuit was dismissed, but the second one was accepted.
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These are the 5 most relevant German streamers on Twitch in 2024, according to Google
Russian court imposes fine on Twitch that doubles every week
This verdict was reached: The court ruled that Twitch and Amazon are violating Russian rights by “de-monetizing” the streamer.
Therefore, the Russian court demanded that Twitch restore the account, or else Twitch must pay a penalty for failing to comply with the judgment.
The penalty amount is 100,000 rubles, and with each day that the account remains unreinstated, an additional 100,000 rubles are added. 100,000 rubles is approximately 1,100 euros.
But the amount also doubles with each week, and this continues without limit. More than two years have passed since the verdict, meaning the amount has already doubled more than 100 times – the penalty payment is thus now unimaginably large.
In 2023, the oligarch’s son tried to enforce the Russian court ruling through a law in Turkey and delivered a corresponding letter to Amazon’s Turkish branch. Twitch counters that the original business relationship of the streamer was formed with Twitch, not Amazon, and hence the letter in Turkey is irrelevant.
Twitch says: Streamer earned only $2,000 per month – penalty amount is absurd
This is what Twitch’s lawyers say:
Since this penalty doubles every week, it is now allegedly higher than all the money in the world. The enforcement of this amount is in no way justified and is disproportionate to the less than … $2,000 in revenue that Malofeyev’s account generated while he was active.
Twitch is now trying to oppose the enforcement of this amount through the U.S. justice system.
You might as well give it a try. Twitch has been sued repeatedly in the past, but through the American legal system, which is also known for imposing large penalties, although not of this magnitude: Twitch is being sued for $25 million – Due to too sexual content
The title image is from Likkrit’s active time as a LoL professional.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fate of Dauntless is sealed. The free monster game will soon be shut down.
After almost 6 years, it’s over: The free monster hunting game Dauntless will be discontinued in May. The developers issued the following brief statement via Steam:
Dauntless will be discontinued on May 29, 2025. Dauntless will not receive any further content or updates. The game will no longer be playable on May 29, 2025.
Dauntless was seen as an alternative to Monster Hunter, as players hunted various creatures here as well and tried to gain an advantage over the monsters through better equipment. This could be done solo or in multiplayer.
With the end of the game, however, a chapter is concluded that was unfortunately already anticipated.
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Launch trailer showcases the reboot of Dauntless: Awakening
After layoffs, Dauntless is now also coming to an end
What happened with Dauntless? Dauntless launched in May 2018 on PC, having been introduced in 2016. Developer Phoenix Labs wanted to fill the Monster Hunter gap on PC with their alternative Dauntless.
Unfortunately for Dauntless, Monster Hunter did just that – also in 2018. Monster Hunter World launched on January 26, 2018, on Xbox One and PS4, and on August 9, 2018, on PC.
This gave Dauntless three months on PC without competition, but afterwards, it had to compete against Monster Hunter. Nevertheless, Dauntless was embraced by many players.
At the end of January, layoffs occurred at Phoenix Labs, with large parts of the staff being let go. It was said at that time that they would soon announce how Dauntless and another game, Fae Farm, would continue.
As far as Dauntless is concerned, clarity now exists.
While one monster game is ending, another is just getting started: Monster Hunter Wilds is about to be released. Many fans are already looking forward to the new game, and on February 28, the first hunts can begin. Want to get an impression of the new game? Here you can find the test of Monster Hunter Wilds by MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Bungie is currently facing a major problem, and the only ones who can help them are the fans of Destiny 2 and their love for the game.
What is Bungie struggling with? As early as October 2024, MeinMMO’s editorial director, Schuhmann, reported on a new lawsuit against Bungie. This time, however, it is not about cheaters but about plagiarism accusations.
The author Kelsey Martineau introduced a fantasy world in 2013 and 2014, which Bungie allegedly copied blatantly. This was supposed to serve as a template for the campaign of the Red War.
Now there are new developments regarding the case, and they initially did not look good for Bungie. The team struggled to prove their innocence. The culprit was a feature that still has no fans in the community.
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Destiny 2: Launch trailer for the new episode Heresy
Content Vault was already regarded as a bad idea back then
Why is the Content Vault problematic? The Content Vault was introduced, to provide more space for new content in Destiny 2. The motto was “Out with the old, in with the new” – unfortunately, this included the popular campaign of the Red War. Many contents have disappeared since then, which were part of the game and the story of the loot shooter.
And although only the community had a problem with it, the very same system has now become the developers’ downfall. Bungie wanted to prove in court that the campaign of the Red War was not copied – however, the evidence was lacking. The reason for this was the vault, as the campaign resided there.
Why didn’t Bungie retrieve the Red War from the vault? It doesn’t work that easily with the vault. The vault is like an intermediate world where all content is stored in a database so that Bungie can access it for future projects.
However, it is not a functional collection that developers can simply pull onto the servers and play. When something ends up in the vault, the developers, if they want to retrieve the content, have to painstakingly rebuild it manually and adapt it to the engine. This costs a lot of time and resources.
How did Bungie solve their problem? In order to defend itself against the plaintiff, Bungie took the help of the community.
There were countless videos on YouTube about the campaign, including the well-known 10-hour lore video by My name is Byf – the lore expert of Destiny 2. With this “archive,” Bungie was able to present some evidence.
For the sixth part of the “The Elder Scrolls” series, there was a special auction where the winner could name an NPC in the upcoming RPG. Now the winner has been announced, but it is not the fan site that had hoped for victory.
What kind of auction is this? Bethesda held an auction around The Elder Scrolls 6, where the highest bidding winner could design and name an NPC in the upcoming game. The amount will go to the “Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic” foundation, which supports children with chronic illnesses.
The GameStar Talk discusses the possibilities of The Elder Scrolls 6:
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How does it continue after Starfield with The Elder Scrolls 6? – This is what GameStar Talk is discussing
Mysterious bidder outbids fan site
What kind of fan site is this? The fan site Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, shortened UESP, is a fairly well-known association of fans of the Bethesda RPGs. They have been dealing with everything that happens in and around the Elder Scrolls games since 1995.
They also placed their bid for the auction, and not alone, but together with the Imperial Library, a lore site for TES, and some TES content creators.
What was the winning amount? Despite the large consortium, their sum was ultimately not enough, as they were outbid by a mysterious bidder. The person donated a total of $85,450, which is approximately €81,593. Unfortunately, it is not known by how much UESP was ultimately outbid.
Fan site seeks contact with the winner
On X, UESP posted about the completed auction. In their post, they state that they would like to get in touch with the winner to find out what the person would like to include for an NPC in TES 6.
Furthermore, they elaborate that their plan would have been to create and name the NPC after a deceased fan named Loranna. They still want to implement that and are now looking at other options to make it still possible.
To address Astarion on a specific topic, you must die – yes, that’s how thought-out Baldur’s Gate 3 is.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of hidden content. From secret rooms to unknown weapons to small dialogues that only a fraction of the player base will ever see and hear. There is exactly such a dialogue with Astarion, but you will only see it if you follow a very specific sequence – and in this case, the death of your character is only an intermediate step.
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There are secret rooms in Baldur’s Gate 3 that only a few of you will ever see
What kind of dialogue is it? Astarion is a vampire (spoiler, sorry) and as such, he has a thirst for blood. After he joins the group, there will be a scene in one of the following nights where Astarion tries to drink your blood.
The next day, you can confront him and talk about his vampiric condition. You can also set rules – for example, that he cannot attack humans. You can then specify that he cannot attack anything “with which one can hold a conversation” – to which Astarion suggests animals. You can then reveal under certain conditions that you can talk to animals, which leads the vampire to this outburst:
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You can literally talk to animals? What do I have left then? Stones and trees? Not that I would be surprised to see a druid talking to trees… but alright. I do my best to feed only on the dumbest animals.
How to unlock the dialogue? To experience this little yet quite amusing outburst from Astarion, several factors must be met. You need to:
Play as a druid.
Be able to talk to animals and have the spell active.
Let Astarion drain you at night.
Not to stop Astarion and die while making this statement.
Because Baldur’s Gate 3 does not allow your death – for various reasons – you will still be alive the next day, thanks to Withers. In the following conversation, you can then confront Astarion.
Scenes like this are rather a bit hidden in the game – but not as hidden as a certain dialogue with Karlach. In that one, the tiefling barbarian breaks the 4th wall and can suddenly see you before the screen and realizes that she is just part of a game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is marked by injustice, oppression, and violence, where everyone fights for themselves and has to make the best of what they have. A mission in Phantom Liberty is a perfect example of how difficult it is to ensure justice in Night City. Those who are willing to spare a character despite contrary instructions are rewarded with a rare scene.
Which mission is being referred to? It is the gig “Dogtown Saints,” which is commissioned by Mr. Hands. V is supposed to rescue Dr. Anthony Anderson from the Scavengers (also known as Scavs). They are known for abducting people to violently “take” their cyberware and implants.
The Scavs have taken over a hospital that was a refuge for those in need, where Anderson provided these people with used implants.
The mission is clearly stated: free the hospital from Scavengers, find Anderson, and rescue him unharmed from his situation. However, like many missions in Cyberpunk, it does not go completely smoothly:
Here is the trailer for the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty:
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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — Official Trailer
Two Sides of a Dilemma
What decision is crucial? Upon arriving at the clinic and finally locating Anderson, V sees that the doctor is being threatened by Nika Yankovich with a gun. She is searching for her missing brother Gasya, who was once cared for by Anderson. The situation becomes tense, and V must decide whether to shoot Nika.
If V hesitates too long, Anderson reveals that Gasya has already passed away. He had been in a coma, and Anderson had hoped to save some of his implants rather than help him to provide for the less fortunate.
Nika now wants her brother’s body, which Anderson is unwilling to allow. Here, one can decide whether to side with the doctor or the grieving sister.
What happens after both decisions? If one does not want to give Nika the body, she attacks V. The only option then is to take her down so that Anderson can utilize her brother’s body and the mission can be successfully completed.
However, if one gives Nika the body, one later finds her at the edge of the Dogtown wall. The location is specified in this video. She is sitting at her brother’s grave, where one can exchange a few words with her.
While both decisions affect the outcome of the mission differently, there is no “right” solution here. Ironically, Johnny is the one who manages to summarize the situation best:
I feel sorry for the girl. It must be hard for Anderson too. The guy had questionable ethics, but what else is a doctor supposed to do in Dogtown? It was a situation from the start where everyone loses.
What do the players say about it? Despite the dilemma of which person to help in a situation where ultimately no outcome seems “right,” many players have a clear opinion. After all, Nika is a member of the Scavengers, who seemingly got a taste of their own medicine.
“The thing is, we have now been to a few Scav hideouts, seen the flesh on hooks, on butcher tables, and in ice baths… and seen what they did to Evelyn,” says lemao2222 on YouTube, “at least her brother cooked himself and was practically dead, unlike those poor pigs.”
While the decision in Dogtown Saints only significantly affects the end of this mission, there are other decisions that can determine the entire course of the game, from side missions to friendly or hostile corpos to the final fate of V. You can read about some important decisions in the game in this article: Cyberpunk 2077: The three most important story decisions at the restart
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk disagreed with EA’s practices after the company bought and took over his studio. Therefore, he left the developer a few years later. However, he originally had a different, nefarious plan.
What did Zeschuk intend to do? In a podcast with My Perfect Console, Zeschuk revealed that he wanted to change EA from the inside:
I lived in Austin for two and a half years to make Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I knew that it was a kind of dead end. If it had been super successful, super duper successful, Ray [Muzka, co-founder of BioWare, Ed.] and I would probably have made an attempt to take over EA from within, as the corporate pirates that we are.
But for that, his MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, would have had to be a bigger success than it ultimately was. To get to the negotiating table with EA, the game from the Star Wars universe would have needed to generate about 1.9 billion euros per year. But that didn’t work out, which is why Zeschuk had no basis for negotiation and left the company shortly thereafter.
You can watch the trailer for the MMORPG here:
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Star Wars The Old Republic Trailer
BioWare founder disagreed with EA’s practices
What did he want to change? He describes that he cannot stand large corporations. They only exist to market games. Many North American companies, including EA, would try to squeeze the most money out of a franchise.
However, Zeschuk would not like this practice. He prefers to develop many good games like Mass Effect rather than a few titles from which a lot of money can be extracted. This includes live service games that are supposed to generate money with new content over the years.
How successful is SWTOR then? While the success of Star Wars The Old Republic was a surprise for EA, it did not generate the amount that Zeschuk was talking about:
However, that does not shake the popularity of the game: the MMORPG is still one of the best titles for many players. It is very positively rated on Steam.
The new patch from World of Warcraft is coming and there are many changes. We have summarized all the details that concern your class.
With patch 11.1 Lorenhalt, not only does the second season of the expansion The War Within begin in World of Warcraft, but there are also plenty of new features. Many classes and specializations are being revised, some quite drastically. So that you are not caught off guard at the release on 26.02.2025, we have summarized all the important changes for you.
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3 absurde Bugs, die in WoW passiert sind
An overview of class changes
Below we summarize the class adjustments roughly so that you have an overview of the most important changes. If your specialization is not mentioned here, the changes are only minor.
Death Knights will be a little less survivable in their DPS specializations but will do more damage. Additionally, “Unstoppable Glacier” gets a new animation that fits the time.
Death Knights were a bit too lively – that will be corrected.
Tank Demon Hunters are getting a major overhaul that will change the gameplay significantly. There are many new talents and defensive abilities such as “Demon Spikes” now have a longer duration and can be maintained for a longer period. This should make Demon Hunter tanks significantly more attractive, which were virtually extinct in the first season.
For Druids, the class talent tree is being drastically overhauled. There are many new talents and the arrangement of old talents has been adjusted. Basically, it is now much easier to access all “meaningful” abilities for a chosen specialization, and there is more flexibility.
Summoners are getting a rework of their “Flame Warden” hero talents, making them more useful in dungeons. At the same time, the enhancement summoner is significantly adjusted, so that he only transfers his enhancement effects to other DPS characters and has less influence on tanks and healers. This is intended to take Summoners out of their “meta role” – because in the high-level gameplay area, a Summoner was practically mandatory.
Hunters have by far the largest number of new features. All three specializations have been overhauled along with their hero talents. The most important is that Marksman Hunters can now use their “Beast Effects” like Berserk, even if they are without a companion. All three specializations now feel more rounded and intuitive. There are many new talents and over 20 old talents have been removed. It is worth taking a look at the extensive details.
Mages receive adjustments in all three specializations, which are somewhat less significant. While the Arcane Mage has been slightly simplified and has higher trigger chances from many talents, the Fire Mage has seen a slight reduction in resources, but is compensated with powerful attacks that pack a bit more punch.
Monks receive only minor changes. The biggest adjustments are for Mistweavers. Healing is slightly shifted so that Mistweavers can work better for both group and single healing, and occasionally incorporate offensive abilities.
Paladins can look forward to more healing as healers but must accept minor to moderate nerfs to their self-healing as tanks. They will therefore be more dependent on a healer, but can deal more damage.
Paladins are in a good position with patch 11.1.
For the Priest, there are few changes for Shadow, but significant adjustments for Discipline. The number of available cooldowns is reduced, and the dominant role of Discipline Priests in dungeons is thereby diminished. Holy Priests also receive massive adjustments, and there is now a new play style that focuses on Renewal.
The Rogue receives only minor adjustments. There are slight improvements to Outlaw, such as an increased chance of rolling a flush. The other adjustments are merely details.
For Shaman, massive changes are coming for Enhancement. The damage of this specialization shifts from ranged abilities (which consume Maelstrom) more towards melee abilities. This is likely to reduce the burst damage of the class somewhat. A look at the details on page 2 is worth it. Healing Shamans can better benefit from Healing Tide, but there are only minor adjustments here as well.
Warlocks will be a bit easier to play in all three specializations. There are more passive effects (if desired), and some talents are now more rewarding. The adjustments are relatively minor compared to other classes.
Warlocks have been made a bit too complicated – this will be corrected. If desired.
Warriors are being slightly revised, especially Protection Warriors. They will now need to press fewer buttons to fulfill their role as a tank – it was so much before that it was even physically uncomfortable to play. Other specializations receive only minor updates that have little impact on the playing style.
A particularly significant adjustment is being made for all tank specializations, as they will now be able to contribute much more to the performance of the group. Even if some tanks have lost a bit of their survivability, they will all be allowed to deal significantly more damage from now on.
Because all tanks deal around 20% more damage with all (or selected) abilities with patch 11.1. It will therefore happen more often in dungeons and raids that you, as tanks, are closely following the DPS characters – or even overtake them if the situation allows.
What else is in the patch? Of course, the changes to the classes are only a small part of patch 11.1 Lorenhalt. The centerpiece is the new gameplay content, that is, the area Lorenhall with the story surrounding the Goblin cartels and the continuation of the plot surrounding Xal’atath and their plans.
In addition to a new season with fresh dungeons, a large, interesting raid, and a completely new mode of movement, there are also new depths and an improvement of progress for solo players. More information on all the major changes can be found in our overview of patch 11.1 Lorenhalt.
If you are interested in the full, very detailed patch notes, you can view them on the second page of this article. If that is too cumbersome for you, you can also learn about the decision made by the developer over 20 years ago that still ensures that WoW remains a blockbuster.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The organization responsible for coordinating Japan’s cyber defense has itself become a victim of a hacking attack – and this occurred over a period of nine months without being detected. There is no official confirmation regarding the perpetrators, but previous attacks on Japan have been linked to a Chinese hacking group.
What exactly happened? The organization responsible for Japan’s national protection against cyber-attacks was infiltrated by hackers who may have gained access to confidential data for up to nine months.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the hacking attack began in the autumn of 2022 and was only discovered in June 2023. Hackers gained access to internal systems via the email account of a single employee. The vulnerability went unnoticed for months until an investigation was eventually launched.
In a public statement, the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity, or NISC, announced that personal data from email communications between October 2022 and June 2023 may have been compromised (via NISC).
Hacking is not only complicated but in most cases also criminal. In a game, you can try it out now without legal consequences:
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In the story game Hacknet, you become a hacker yourself
What data was compromised? The exact extent of the leak remains unclear, but both the government and private partners with whom NISC was in contact were likely affected. As a result, the agency sent warnings to affected organizations and is working with external specialists to analyze the damage.
An official from NISC told the Financial Times that, according to existing findings, only the email system was affected. However, he did not want to comment on whether the attack was indeed carried out by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, as mainly suspected by the US side, according to the Financial Times report.
China as a possible puppeteer
What does this mean for Japan’s cybersecurity? The incident occurred at a sensitive time: Japan is deepening its military cooperation with the USA, UK, and Italy – among other things, as part of a joint fighter jet project, where highly classified technology is being exchanged.
According to the Financial Times, both US and UK cybersecurity experts expressed doubts about whether Japan is capable of securely storing sensitive data.
Why China in particular? In the past five years, Japan has been subjected to a series of cyberattacks attributed to a China-associated hacking group called MirrorFace (via NISC). This group, also known as Earth Kasha, has been identified as part of the larger APT10 network, which has links to the Chinese Ministry of State Security (via Forbes).
The attacks targeted critical sectors in Japan, including national security and the high-tech industry, repeatedly raising alarms about the country’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
On Pokémon GO, the Spotlight Hour is set for February 25, 2025. You can use this time to secure Unova Pokémon – also for the current promo codes.
When does the Spotlight Hour start? The Spotlight Hour starts on February 25 at 6:00 PM. As always, it lasts for 60 minutes, after which the spawns from the current Journey to Unova event will be active again.
What is the Spotlight Hour? During the Spotlight Hour, a specific Pokémon is highlighted, appearing everywhere for one hour. This event is always accompanied by a small bonus.
Which Pokémon are featured today? The Spotlight Hour today is special, as three Pokémon are in focus: Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott. All three can also be caught in their Shiny forms, but you need some luck. The chance is not increased.
What bonus is running? Today, you’ll receive double the amount of candy when catching.
Furthermore, you should note that today’s task is perfect for completing the research from the previous promo codes. More on that below.
Start video
Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
Promo codes in Pokémon GO provided tasks that you can complete now
What promo codes are these? A few days ago, promo codes were activated that can be used in Pokémon GO to receive research tasks involving three legendary Pokémon:
Once the codes are entered, you will receive three tasks, each requiring you to catch 156 Pokémon from the Unova region. It doesn’t matter whether you catch 156 different Pokémon or the same one 156 times. Accordingly, you can make good use of the Spotlight Hour today to secure the three legendary Pokémon – as Snivy, Oshawott, and Tepig are all from Unova.
Possible issue during the Spotlight Hour: Due to the time difference, the Spotlight Hour has already started in some other locations – or at least it should have. A user on the Pokémon GO subreddit, TheSilphRoad, reports that the spawns have not been switched. Other players agree that the catch bonus is currently active (via reddit).
Whether this problem occurs here as well or is corrected remains to be seen. We will keep you updated.
Generally, the event is worth it for the promo code tasks, but the Pokémon themselves are also quite good. Serperior, the evolution of Snivy, is strong in the Super League. Emboar is a good Fire attacker, and Samurott can impress in raids as well as in PvP.
Therefore, it’s also a good idea to catch all three if you have no need due to the codes. Additionally, there is another highlight coming at the end of the week: The global Unova Tour takes place this weekend. There, you will also encounter numerous Unova Pokémon and should have no issues fulfilling the requirements for the promo codes – at least if you have enough time to catch.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For MeinMMO author Sophia Weiß, it wasn’t Pokémon or Sailor Moon that was the highlight of her childhood but the epic duels in Yu-Gi-Oh!. A number of the old games based on the anime are now coming to Steam and they are just as much fun as they were 20 years ago.
It’s November 2004. Outside, it’s muddy with sleet at around 8 degrees. In a children’s room, there is a loft bed. My 10-year-old self is sitting down there with my brothers on a pile of pillows, snuggled up in blankets.
One of my brothers is sitting in the middle playing his new birthday gift on my red GameBoy Advance SP: Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction. My other brother and I are eagerly watching, being the worst backseat gamers you could imagine. It was really nice, even though Mom eventually had to send us to our own rooms because of the fights.
The memory of that rainy day from over 21 years ago came back to me last week when I snuggled up with my Steam Deck on my couch: Konami is releasing the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection via Steam and for Nintendo Switch on February 27, 2025. The publisher kindly provided MeinMMO with a key for some early gameplay, and now I know: Reshef of Destruction still plays exactly like back then.
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With the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, Konami re-releases 14 handheld games for PC and Nintendo Switch
Dueling like 20 years ago – with quality-of-life changes
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection includes a total of 14 games based on the popular anime and manga Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi – but from the original series, not the popular spin-off series today. Included are games from 1998 to 2005 for GameBoy Color and later GameBoy Advance.
The titles themselves seem to have changed little in terms of gameplay. I remember Reshef of Destruction and World Championship Tournament 2004 from back then. Both games play just like they did back then – for better and for worse.
In Reshef of Destruction, I walk around Domino City with Yugi and Joey in tow, dueling more or less successfully just like before. However, I also cannot speed up the dialogues like I could back then. So, if that annoying Rebecca defeats me for the umpteenth time, I have to go through the three-minute-long dialogue before the duel with every new attempt.
Seto Kaiba uses the young Rebecca against one, typical at the start of Reshef of Destruction.
A feature I personally really like is the new top menu in the games: Here I can save my progress at any time, load a save, and also access the manual – even if it’s in English.
The save function, on the other hand, is quite practical for skipping the aforementioned cutscenes. Even though I am forced to play the same part again and again until I get frustrated, if I can’t win.
Additionally, the top menu allows you to choose how you want the game to be displayed: For example, like back in the day on the GameBoy screen, full screen, or with and without a frame.
If you want to make it easier for yourself, you can set before starting a game whether all cards should be unlocked. (Normally, you have to unlock these first.) You can also switch between the Japanese, American, and European versions of the game depending on the game.
For the GameBoy Color game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists, there is also an online mode.
The main menu is illustrated with a mix of anime and manga illustrations.The first game is still illustrated with very old artwork!Dungeon Dice Monsters was a part of Yu-Gi-Oh! that unfortunately never became particularly popular.
Same feeling, better English
21 years later, the games are still fun. One reason is that they are simply great games, the other is that I feel just like I did back then with my brothers.
The big difference is that I can now read the English manual and don’t feel as clueless as I did as a child: Reshef of Destruction operates under different rules than the real card game. If only I had known that back then.
Overall, however, the feeling remains the same: I optimize my deck, try to get the best cards, and repeatedly face off against nasty duel opponents. It also feels great to have the regular Yu-Gi-Oh! back in front of me – I’m out of touch with Synchro and Pendulum Summons.
There will be no cooler way for me to play Yu-Gi-Oh! than with the Duel Disc. #Cardgames on Motorcycles I love Yu-Gi-Oh!, but at 10 I had hardly any pocket money, so my collection is still so tiny. And the spines of the max edition don’t match the old volumes…
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is, in my opinion, for all those who like to reminisce about the times of Duelist Kingdom or Battle City. Back when you had to play with fake god cards on the schoolyard and decide between the Yugi, Seto, Joey, and Mai decks as starters.
However, the collection comes with a hefty price tag: According to listings on Amazon, MediaMarkt, and the Nintendo online shop, it will cost 59.99 Euros – almost as much as many current AAA games. The price on Steam has not yet been announced.
Finally real dueling again
Sailor Moon was the first anime I ever watched, and I was a Naruto fan for a long time and much more intensely. But the original Yu-Gi-Oh! was the first anime or the first manga I perceived and appreciated as such. The story will always hold a special place in my heart.
During my last move, I also came across my old cards and went through them for two hours before packing them up. Good times.
The Early Days Collection is also optimized for the Steam Deck. I actually played most of my hours on it and can imagine that it will run well on the Nintendo Switch too. On handheld, which is what all the games were originally made for, it’s simply the most fun.
I also don’t know anyone these days who still plays the original card game. They all play either the latest version or other TCGs like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. With the collection, I will finally again get lost in traditional duels. Now I just need to earn the cards for my old favorite deck.
All in all, I can recommend the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection to anyone who is once again excited about traditional duels and intense nostalgia. Both are available here.
And because I’m funny, I’m also going to try the game based on Dungeon Dice Monsters in the coming days – the obscure tabletop game from the days when Yu-Gi-Oh! was all about Duel Monsters. My colleague Jasmin Beverungen, on the other hand, is already deep in the Magic: The Gathering swamp and is currently very excited because the first Commander decks for the Final Fantasy collaboration have been announced: My favorite MMORPG is coming to Magic soon and I’m already saving 200 Euros to indulge in collectible cards
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris is the star of a new advertisement for the supermarket Kaufland. However, the 36-year-old does not appear himself, but rather a KI version of him. This evokes mixed feelings within the community, but some find: the AI double is a good substitute for the Twitch streamer.
What kind of advertisement is this? Since the launch, GÖNRGY by MontanaBlack has been available at the supermarket Kaufland. For the new flavors, an advertisement clip was recently released, among others on YouTube.
In the clip, we see an AI-generated MontanaBlack strolling through what seems to be Buxtehude along with Kylo. He sees a signal in the sky that looks like the Kaufland logo and shortly thereafter he is tasked with procuring the new GÖNRGY flavors.
For this, he must dive into a sunken city with a submarine, where an underwater figure awaits him, resembling the Twitch streamer himself. Here he receives the new flavor “Strawberry-Apricot.”
In the next segment, AI-MontanaBlack rides his bike to the harbor to secure a container with the “Black Acai” flavor. Lastly, the Twitch streamer, accompanied by Kylo, must track down the “Apple Rings” flavor. The two find a box of GÖNRGY in a basement.
Finally, the three boxes with the new GÖNRGY cans are dropped over a Kaufland.
Start video
MontanaBlack is one of the most well-known streamers in Germany – This was his very first video
Community is divided on KI-Monte
How does the community react? The AI-generated advertisement elicits mixed reactions from the community. Some find the advertisement unappealing and write in the comments on YouTube among other things:
“What a cringe advertisement”
“So crazy, the sleep paralysis didn’t really hit that hard yesterday for me to see something like this”
“Why so cheap with AI generated?”
Why can MontanaBlack retire? While part of the community condemns the advertisement, some other fans are excited:
“I honestly found the advertisement entertaining and creative. I don’t understand what some people have a problem with.”
“I’ve never seen such a cool advertisement. Kiss, dude”
“Dude, it’s cool, but I gotta go, brother”
“So cool hahaha”
The positive reactions raise the question of whether the Twitch streamer actually needs to appear in person anymore, given that an AI version of him is already generating so much enthusiasm among his community.
Through these reactions from his fans, MontanaBlack has the confirmation that he does not necessarily need to be in the spotlight and could theoretically honor his nickname of “Twitch retiree” and indeed retire.
With the movies and the new series about Dune, there is new content for fans and newcomers to the universe. The new series shows what happened over 10,000 years before the new films, and one detail stands out: The state of technology has hardly changed. There is no technological progress in Dune. The reason for this lies in a pivotal event.
Why was there no technological progress for so long? When looking at the technology in Dune: Prophecy and the new films by Denis Villeneuve, one might well wonder why there has been no significant technological progress in over 10,000 years.
The reason for this lies in the great slave uprising, which took place in the year 201 BG (Before Guild, which refers to the founding of the space guild). For comparison: Paul Atreides was born much later, in the year 10,176 AG.
In the great slave uprising, humans rebelled against the machines that had gained power. The war ended in the year 108 BG, resulting in the Bene Gesserit and the space guild. In the war, all thinking machines and their associated technology were destroyed.
The uprising of humanity is known as “The Butlerian Jihad.” It occurred 11,000 years after our time but 10,000 years before the events in the Dune films. The uprising ended in a prohibition against creating machines that resemble human intelligence.
This also marked the beginning of a different orientation for the future of humanity, which turned away from machine technology.
Image rights for Dune: Part Two are held by Warner Bros.
A teaser for Dune: Prophecy can be found here:
Start video
Teaser for Season 1 of Dune: Prophecy
Stagnation is good for the Empire
What happened after the war? After the great slave uprising, the technical progress of society stagnated because it was virtually unnecessary. After the great slave uprising, there was a reluctance to rely on thinking machines again.
The Bene Gesserit stand for this, whose goal is to further develop humanity. That is why they are so strict in training and try to conceive offspring with royal families. For the advancement of mind and body, the resource spice is essential. They want to prevent humanity from going extinct.
Everything relies on spice, and the Empire has (along with the space guild) control over it. The Empire does not want any changes in its position of power, which is why it allows technological and societal progress to stagnate. There is no reason for progress when everything is going as it should.
The Bene Gesserit also do not want to achieve societal progress with their goal. They want to raise the Kwisatz Haderach, a kind of messiah who later reveals himself as Paul Atreides. But Paul Atreides was the first step towards the progress of humanity and the revolution.
When did the revolution of humanity begin? Paul Atreides was essentially the first starting point that confronted the ruling order. Through his revolution and his war, he challenged the Empire and the structures of the factions by putting the spice production in jeopardy.
However, the first technical progress of society was still a long time coming, as Paul and later his son Leto II remained focused, like the Bene Gesserit, on the mental and physical advancement of humanity. Only after Leto II’s demise did humanity expand again in the universe and gradually achieve technological progress.
We will learn more about how Paul’s revolution continues in the upcoming film Dune: Messiah. However, it seems we will have to wait a while for that. Until then, you can immerse yourself in the desert planet. Soon Dune: Awakening will be released, and MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has already had a chance to play it: I have played thousands of hours of survival games, but Dune: Awakening is unlike any of them
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
How to earn money in GTA 5 Online with the arcade? And how to get the most money out of the casino heist? We show you here.
Update, January 27, 2026: The article has been checked and is up to date.
What kind of content is this? The casino heist is a robbery in the world of GTA 5 Online, Los Santos. To start it, you need an arcade.
Start video
GTA Online – Trailer for the new update Agent of Sabotage
Earn money with free arcade – Vault, Control Terminal
This is what the arcade brings: The basement of the arcade is mainly used for planning and storing the casino heist content. That’s where the planning board is located, where you choose your approach. The garage also offers space for getaway vehicles.
In the arcade itself, you can set up machines and play video games on them.
Can you earn money with the arcade? With the basic business, the slot machines, you don’t generate significant revenue. Your vault can hold a maximum of 50,000 GTA Dollars. Every 48 minutes, it automatically generates 5,000 GTA Dollars. This only finances a few bulletproof vests and ammunition you need for the heist.
It quickly becomes clear that the casino heist is the main business of the arcades. That’s where you earn the big money. But an important feature of the arcade is waiting in the basement: the main control terminal.
What can the main control terminal do? The part costs 1,740,000 GTA Dollars and greatly facilitates your work if you are already the owner of various businesses.
To buy supplies, you no longer need to drive to each business yourself, but you can do it through the control terminal.
Is the control terminal worth it? If you have multiple businesses spread across the map of GTA Online, then the terminal is worth it. It saves you long drives and thus a lot of money. Because if you can consolidate all businesses in one place, you grind more effectively.
Which arcade to buy? The prices of the arcades range from 1,235,000 GTA Dollars (Pixel Pete’s – Paleto Bay) to prices over 2 million GTA Dollars if you want to buy an arcade in the city.
Sell / change arcade: Anyone dissatisfied with the arcade they bought can change it. Complaints come from players who got the free arcade with Twitch Prime, as it is located at the top of Paleto Bay. Thus, there is always a long way involved to reach missions or other interesting points on the map from the arcade.
Just pull up your phone, select “Internet” and then choose a new hall from Foreclosure. But keep in mind that these are quite expensive to acquire.
Casino Heist Guide – How to make the most money
The preparation: First, meet with Lester in Mirror Park. He will contact you in-game. This is practically the preparation mission to unlock and start the arcade and casino heist.
The start – scout the casino and find points of interest
One of the first missions requires you to scout the casino you are about to break into in detail. Photograph the guy from park services, cameras, guards, entrances, and more.
Important doors can be found on the roof of the casino and at the rooftop terrace. Also, the entrance for the cash transports and the tunnel entrance should be photographed.
Where you find all these points, we will show you here:
After scouting the casino, you should check what loot is in the vault. To do this, you hack a guard’s phone and then gain access to the surveillance cameras in the casino.
Whether gold, cash, or artworks can be found in the vault depends on your luck. It’s a random decision.
Spoils
Payment (normal)
Payment (hard)
Cash
2,115,000 GTA Dollars
2,326,500
Artworks
2,350,000 GTA Dollars
2,585,000
Gold
2,585,000 GTA Dollars
2,843,500
Diamonds
3,290,000 GTA Dollars
3,619,000
How to get Diamonds? In February 2020, Rockstar unlocked the diamonds in the casino heist. You now get them guaranteed once as loot, after which, according to insider reports, they have an 8% chance of appearing as vault content.
Choose approach – What preparation?
What are the differences? During your heist preparation, you will have to decide whether you choose “Silent & Sneaky,” “Big Con,” or “Aggressive” as your approach for the heist.
With “Aggressive,” you storm into the casino with loud gunfire and explosions and then back out.
With “Silent & Sneaky,” you discreetly gain access to the building and then best exit unseen.
With “Big Con,” you disguise yourselves and enter the casino with Group Six gear to empty the vault and then escape.
Which preparations should be unlocked? For each approach, you can unlock patrol routes, Duggan deliveries, electric drills, masks, and many other optional preparations. But which ones do you really need?
If you are going with a small team, electric drills are unnecessary because you won’t have time to drill open the safes anyway. You’ll be busy hacking and collecting other loot.
Our recommendations for which optional objectives you should unlock can be seen in the following table.
Option
Aggressive
Quiet
Con
Pat. Routes
–
X
X
Dug. Deliveries
X
X
–
Security Info
–
X
X
Elect. Drills
–
–
–
Masks
–
–
–
Young Ancestor
–
–
–
Group 6 Gear
–
–
X
Security Pass S2
X
X
X
Noose Gear
–
–
X
EMP
–
X
–
Infiltration Suits
–
X
–
Maint. Equipment
–
–
–
Fire Equip.
–
–
–
Enhanced Armor
X
–
–
Assembling a crew – Who to choose?
What are the differences? In every heist, you choose which NPCs to take with you in the crew. The better their skills, the higher your share of the loot. So it pays to choose wisely.
A good hacker is particularly important, as he gives you more time in the vault. But should you choose Avi Schwartzman or Paige? Find out here:
9 Tips and Tricks for the Casino Heist in GTA 5 Online
A collection of tricks I wish I had known earlier for casino heists in GTA 5 Online:
For the preparation missions, the armored Kuruma is still recommended
You can only disable one security camera without triggering an alarm
Temporarily disable the security cameras with the stun gun
Assign one player responsible for hacking in the vault (use this guide for fingerprints)
When the timer in the vault is under 20 seconds, stop searching for loot and leave the room so you are on time outside and the alarm isn’t triggered
If the getaway vehicles are to the right of the racetrack, run directly to the track and follow the path around the curve – No detours
The Big Con works easiest as a Group 6 disguise and Noose escape disguise
It’s best to use the buyer that is farthest away, as the escape is very easy
The sentinel getaway vehicles of the cheapest driver should be your choice for the escape
The easiest escape? Take this route!
After numerous attempts to escape from the police with 5 stars, my group was fed up. One of my colleagues had the idea to simply hide in the sewer until the stars were gone. And lo and behold: It works.
Here’s how to make the easiest escape: Run out of the building to the getaway vehicles and drive straight into the sewer. Where you should also take the photo for Lester. The entrance to this is just a few hundred meters from the casino and is easy to reach. Drive slowly through or wait in the middle. When the stars disappear, you drive out from the other end and head to the buyer.
Because this escape is so easy due to the trick, it’s worth seeking out the farthest buyer every time to maximize your profit.
If you have any more tips for the casino heist or the arcade, then feel free to share them in the comments. We show you more ways to earn a lot of money in GTA Online at MeinMMO: GTA Online earn money: This is how you get rich quickly
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO, there is now the Tour Pass and the Tour Pass Deluxe. We are looking at the new feature.
What are the Tour Pass and Tour Pass Deluxe? These are reward passes that were introduced with the Way-to-Einall event. The feature has been active since February 24, 2025.
It is a reward path that resembles the Battle Pass from Fortnite. You need to level up to unlock new rewards.
There is a standard version that everyone receives, as well as the Deluxe version that costs money.
The essential information about the Tour Pass:
The Tour Pass is free and appears for all players.
You can additionally buy the Tour Pass Deluxe in the shop for 16.49 euros.
The Deluxe version provides an additional reward at each level.
Both passes are available from February 24 to March 2.
You level up by completing tasks – such as catching Pokémon, hatching eggs, catching Legendary Pokémon, and similar activities.
At certain milestones, you unlock bonuses.
Important: You must claim all rewards by March 9 at 6:00 PM to avoid them expiring.
But how do the free and paid versions differ? Let’s take a look.
Start video
Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
Free Tour Pass & Paid Tour Pass – The Key Differences
What you need to consider: The Deluxe Pass consists of additional rewards. It does not replace the free rewards but rather supplements them with additional ones.
How many levels are there? A total of 500 levels, but everything from level 101 is considered a bonus level. Here there is only Stardust – 50 per level for free, 100 for the Deluxe Pass. Varying rewards are thus available up to level 100.
The key rewards in the free Pass: Let’s take a look at the top rewards that can be obtained for free. These include:
A GO Tour shirt for the avatar
Candies for specific Legendary Pokémon
Fusion energy for Kyurem
Stickers
Zorua with a special background
The key rewards in the Deluxe Pass: The following rewards are only available in the paid Pass:
A meeting with Victini
The Lucky Exchange – this gives you a guaranteed lucky trade
Kyurem helmet for your avatar
XL candies for specific Legendary Pokémon
More fusion energy for Kyurem
Other differences: In both passes, you will also find similar rewards such as candies, Pokémon encounters, star pieces, incense, lures, lucky eggs, balls, XP, and Stardust. The difference lies in that you generally receive more through the Deluxe Pass – for example, 5,000 XP instead of just 1,000 XP, more fusion energy, more Stardust, and so on.
Bonuses for both:
1.5 times catch XP and three times the duration of the new adventure effects during the global Einall Tour at level 20
2 times catch XP and three times the duration of the new adventure effects during the global Einall Tour at level 60
3 times catch XP and three times the duration of the new adventure effects during the global Einall Tour at level 60
Whether the Deluxe Pass is for you is something you need to decide for yourself. Both variants are now visible in the game – and the other contents of the Way-to-Einall event are also now active. This includes daily rotating Legendary raid bosses that you can catch. This makes February one of the most exciting months in Pokémon GO. Which strong Pokémon February still brings, you can read about here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
PS Plus Essential will present the new games for March 2025 in a few days. MeinMMO summarizes all known information and explains which games could be included in the free bundle for March 2025.
What does the schedule look like?
PS Plus: Games available from Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Available around 12 noon
Possible announcement: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
PS Plus Essential: All games that could come in March 2025
What games are available? In general, it can be observed that Sony often compiles a bundle of a strong title and two weaker games for PS Plus. However, no official information is available yet, so we have to rely on fan speculation. The final line-up could still change.
RoboCop: Rogue City
RoboCop is one of the candidates for the games in March. Here you take on the role of the famous RobCop and solve criminal cases as a cyborg in Detroit. How you proceed is up to you. You can choose aggressive methods and cause collateral damage or take a tactical approach. Depending on the path you choose, the outcome of your case will also change.
If you are not making progress tactically, you can also grab your weapon and fill your opponents with lead. The graphics can impress, and the game also offers a great variety, especially for fans of first-person shooters, with story content.
Start video
RoboCop: Rogue City Trailer
LEGO Bricktales
In LEGO Bricktales, LEGO attempts to reinvent itself and uses its well-known building with the small bricks in a smaller format. You explore various worlds and biomes, solving quests and puzzles in smaller worlds that resemble dioramas. If you don’t want to complete levels, you can also build your own and let your creativity run free.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Banishers: Ghost of New Eden is an action RPG with a deep story. You take on the role of two banishers and dive into the world of New Eden in the year 1695. A terrible curse haunts the surrounding settlements, and your task is to find the root of evil.
You explore the surrounding land, solve puzzles, and if necessary, you take up arms and fight your way through the dangers.
The highlight is your fingerprint, which you leave behind in the world. Your actions have consequences that affect the ending. Depending on how you decide, you will face a different ending, which significantly increases replay value.
MeinMMO Editor-in-Chief Leya believes that this Monster Hunter Wilds is quite close to the perfect gameplay loop for a Monster Hunter. Read her review.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a fantastic action RPG if you love looting, leveling, and boss fights.
However, you do not level up your character. You hunt monsters with huge weapons that drop materials like horns, scales, fur, or claws. From this, you craft increasingly stronger gear to hunt even stronger monsters. If you remove this gear, you are just as weak and puny as at the beginning of the game.
That is the core of it.
Capcom has been following this principle since 2004, so for a proud 21 years. Monster Hunter Wilds is now the sixth main installment in the series, celebrating its release on February 28. There are some innovations that improve the gaming experience. However, the fundamental formula does not change with Wilds. We have reached a point where we are moving towards the perfect gaming flow. But there are a few annoyances – not severe but noticeable. And that’s what we’re going to look at.
Monster Hunter Wilds is the best Monster Hunter that Capcom has created so far. There will be veterans among you who will surely disagree with me here. But we will get to that.
If you dive into a Monster Hunter for the first time, learning the combat system and the various weapons is part of it. It’s similar to an MMO, where you also have to learn your rotations. It comes with the territory that sometimes you might feel like biting the table’s edge, but that also makes it exciting.
Who is writing this review? I am Leya, Editor-in-Chief of MeinMMO, and I found my way into the series with Monster Hunter Tri about 10 years ago. In games, I particularly value atmosphere and a coherent gaming feel. I tend to take a relaxed approach and do not optimize for the last percent for the highest damage – whether a fight lasts 5 or 8 minutes doesn’t matter to me. As long as my gigantic hammer gives a proper bonk.
With my Huntress, I set out to save the ecosystem
This is how I played: Overall, I spent just over 40 hours on the PC in Monster Hunter Wilds. During that time, I completed the entire story, battled all currently available monsters, and played a good chunk into the endgame. I used only the hammer and dual blades as weapon types. About 15 hours of that was spent in co-op with another tester. I skipped most side quests to progress as quickly as possible for this review.
What you can expect from the review: In the test, I’ll discuss gameplay, atmosphere, story, endgame, long-term motivation, general strengths, and weaknesses. I will not provide you with details about the story, specific monsters, weapons, or surprises. You should be able to dive into the game as spoiler-free as possible and discover the world for yourself. Due to Capcom’s NDA guidelines, it is also not possible to go into detail in some areas.
Let’s dive in.
Monster battles are more fun than ever thanks to new features
The most important thing in a Monster Hunter is the battles and how the hunt for the monsters is structured. Capcom introduced new features with Wilds that do not change the basic principle of battles but offer entirely new strategic possibilities. And above all, they bring a ton of fun to the hunt!
Among the biggest innovations are:
New are the Saikrii mounts that automatically take you to the monster and allow you to carry two weapons
The new focus and wound system that enables strong combo attacks
There are now camps that can be set up on the map for adjusting equipment instead of a central base camp
The deeper I dive into Wilds, the more I appreciate these new features. In the main story, I stuck with my comfort weapon: the hammer. During these hunts, I hardly made use of the secondary weapon, which quickly changed later in the endgame.
This is mainly because the monsters here become more challenging and complex, but I also want to efficiently farm the monster loot. Doing so alone is much easier with the second weapon. For example, I can use sharp dual blades to sever the tails of the monsters and then switch to the blunt hammer to break off their parts. I can also take two of the same weapon type that comes from different monsters and thus possibly utilize different elemental effects.
For newcomers, here’s a quick explanation of the loot system: From the monster parts and resources you farm, you craft different armors and weapons. These have various abilities. Some can increase certain types of damage, or there are effects that keep you from losing balance quickly or improve the sharpness of your weapon. There are elements like poison or fire and monsters can have weaknesses to different elements, similar to Pokémon.
This results in builds that not only consistently increase damage but can also provide other benefits depending on play style. The same principle applies to the weapons as well. The appearance of the armor and weapons depends on the monsters from which you collected the loot.
This also makes the appeal of hunting as many different monsters as possible to gain variation in your builds, allowing you to efficiently hunt certain monsters. Or simply to get the most stylish armors.
The maps where the monsters are located have become much larger. The Saikrii take you directly from your base camp to the monsters. The search for the beasts is completely eliminated. The mounts considerably speed up fighting and collecting loot as you are taken directly to your target. I particularly enjoyed this in co-op. While riding the Saikrii to the monster, you can casually nibble on a snack, chat a bit, and accomplish various tasks along the way: sharpen your weapon, take potions, casually grab resources with the grapple hook as you pass by.
The Saikrii are great mounts on large maps and can be freely customized
The gameplay loop is getting better and better
Because it’s really all about the cool fights and not wandering around on the map – I’m aware that this point is debatable for some.
Yes, in old parts, meticulous preparation for battles and searching for monsters was part of it. Monsters still have a time limit within which they must be hunted. In the past, you could ruin a hunt by bringing too few whetstones to sharpen your weapon, thus inflicting hardly any damage. For some, this experience is part of it. I like the modernized acceleration, and Wilds has raised the bar again compared to World in terms of comfort features.
The focus and wound system changes your attack strategy: You can specifically target certain body parts to expose weak points. This creates new combos and even more satisfying hits. It gives you a whole new incentive to completely work on the monster, and it’s an incredibly great feeling when you see the damage numbers explode. I mean, even though the very highest damage isn’t that important to me, I still enjoy seeing bigger numbers!
The Balahara is one of the first monsters you encounter.
Especially in the gameplay loop of monster hunting, it is evident that Capcom is addressing this very thing to continuously perfect and refine the game. The battles are fully in focus, and the innovations here serve to approach the fights differently and to get from hunt to hunt faster.
What some will certainly see critically here is simplifying everything around the battles. This will apply to the veterans of the franchise, for whom these hurdles like perfect preparation for the hunt and searching for monsters were a core element of the game. However, even in Wilds, Monster Hunter remains true to its combat style: weapons feel substantial, combos require good timing, and if you’re standing wrong, you’ll be hit mercilessly. That’s the appeal of the series – and it provides the unique thrill when a gigantic beast rushes at you.
Monster Hunter is not played for the story – but for hunting and looting.
However, I want to acknowledge that for the first time there is indeed a consistent story that this time is more than just a tool to introduce new monsters. You help a child who has been separated from his family and village by a mysterious monster. He is a cornerstone in the story.
Of course, it’s about monsters causing anomalies, disrupting the ecosystem, and posing a threat. It is thus entirely justified that we, as superhumans with our immense power, slay the monsters in their natural habitat to obtain fancy gear from them… I mean, to save the ecosystem.
The story this time is nevertheless more coherent, and with the child as a cornerstone, it even adds an emotional touch. Still, it remains mainly a means to an end – and that’s perfectly fine. It serves to gradually introduce you to new mechanics and monsters. I perceived the main story as a large but very enjoyable tutorial.
For me, the story plays a very minor role here, which may not apply to others. What matters more to me is that the world in a Monster Hunter feels authentic and everything fits well together. Because even if the lore itself is totally bananas, the world of Wilds feels like a coherent ecosystem in which the characters and monsters fit in well. I can feel like a huntress wandering through the lands, helping the villagers.
NPCs like Olivia have even grown dear to me
The world becomes a nature park that can even be cozy
Monster Hunter Wilds takes a step forward in that the maps this time are seamlessly connected. But what stands out most is that the monsters feel much more like they actually live in the environment. I observed a Chatacabra, a green frog monster, enjoying a bath in the oasis. I almost feel bad about giving it a whack with the hammer. But only almost.
This becomes particularly noticeable even in battles, where the monsters utilize the surroundings much more. The maps range from a (seemingly obligatory) desert to an enchanting mountain landscape that is interwoven with black oil. A good example here is my new favorite, the Rompopolo, of which mosquito-like monster gameplay has already been released. It’s striking how he dips his stinger into the oil, absorbs it, and turns it into a toxic gas that he emits.
If you like how strongly he interacts with the oil and uses it in battle, then rejoice: there is more of that. This contributes to making everything feel more alive.
And of course, a good dose of humor should not be lacking in a Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter is a game that does not take itself too seriously. There are delightful interactions with the clever cat beings, the Palicos, who also assist you in battle.
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Monster Hunter Wilds is about to be released: Here’s what you should know before buying
Through the beautiful open maps that can be traversed with the Saikrii, Monster Hunter Wilds has suddenly also become a cozy game for me. You can set up your own camps where you can change your equipment during hunts and customize them with colors and decorations. It is also simply nice to stroll through the maps, collect resources, and observe monsters.
If you stop while farming for resources and look around, you will be rewarded with attention to detail. You see Palicos living their own lives. Or if you wait long enough, mushrooms even start to grow on slain monsters.
There are also new weather phenomena, which can lead to a storm with thunder and lightning in the desert. This affects the hunts and makes the environment feel even more natural.
It feels like being in a documentary by David Attenborough. Only, instead of watching giraffes, you are looking at laser-shooting dragons. I should mention that the monster designs, armors, and weapons can look quite alien this time.
Capcom has created an impressive ecosystem that is livelier, more dynamic, and atmospheric than ever before.
From nature to sci-fi: more colorful designs, underscored by synthesizers
In Monster Hunter World, monsters and equipment still appeared relatively natural – with subtle colors and little design variation. Monster Hunter Wilds takes a different path here, and I love it.
The designs are again more colorful, striking, and in places already reminiscent of science fiction. The designs also offer a high diversity and should cater to many tastes.
My huntress can look like a warrior princess in elegant attire reminiscent of a kimono. Just as well, I can dress her like a villainess from Power Rangers wearing a gigantic horned helmet and an eccentric armor. It ranges from super sexy to stoic or even silly and funny.
A long-overdue innovation brings much more variety: The gender lock for armors has been removed!
It’s fun to just roam around in the world.
You can now mix and match male armor parts with female models and vice versa. This gives you much more choice because the armors for male and female models look very different. I also have to praise how well the respective parts look on the opposite models and adapt according to the shape. You can mix wildly and, for example, use the helmet and gloves of the female model while the rest comes from the male model.
I don’t want to go into too much detail here because for me the joy of discovering armor pieces and weapons after defeating a new monster is part of the fun, and I do not want to spoil that.
The monsters appear somewhat horror-like at times, which is complemented by the soundtrack. It subtly uses synthesizers and mixes them with orchestral elements. Lovecraft, associated with Cthulhu and cosmic horror, makes his appearances now and then.
The sound design of the monsters is equally great. I can only recommend paying close attention when you come to the flaming octopus Nu Udra, who lives in the oil spring pool and whose tentacles scrape across the ground with an eerily rubbery squeal.
The UI remains a mess and there are technical hiccups
As much as I am excited about the gameplay loop and atmosphere, I want to pull my hair out over the user interface.
Japanese studios like Capcom are known for their often cumbersome UI and controls – especially for western players. I just wish so much that the user interface would eventually become more intuitive and easier to understand. There are indeed some improvements over predecessors. For example, I find it incredibly helpful that the buttons you need for the attack combos for the various weapons are now displayed. I’m really bad at remembering such things, and that motivates me to try out more weapons that are technically more difficult than my beloved hammer. The hammer almost only requires a bonk button.
The other example: Even after 15 hours in co-op, I am still confused about how exactly to start a shared mission, invite someone, or join a quest together. We will definitely need to write a guide on MeinMMO. There are numerous ways to play together, and none of them are clearly explained.
There is not just one menu for items, but two, and there are sub-menus for these, and it is not easy to understand how to adjust them.
This continues throughout, and I am already familiar with Monster Hunter. For newcomers, this is a real hurdle – and Capcom should significantly work on this.
In general, it must be said that the game explains little again, especially when the story itself is completed. There are improvements, also through the NPC Alma, who calls out useful tips to you occasionally. Or the blacksmith Gemma gives you hints about which gear you should forge. But there is again a lot where the game leaves you in the dark, and you have to sift through guides.
I didn’t have many technical problems, but they were there. I played on PC with the following specifications:
CPU: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700KF
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4080
I had one crash of the game in over 40 hours. There were occasional graphical errors where black triangles moved across the screen. All testers on PC experienced this issue, while the PS5 was spared. I also heard from testing colleagues with older PCs that they occasionally faced frame drops.
Unfortunately, I cannot say much about things like textures, as there was no graphical patch for the test version on PC yet, which is supposed to come with the release. The PS5 already received it for testing. It remains to be seen whether a nicer graphics update will negatively affect performance on PC.
On the whole, the game ran smoothly – with only minimal technical hiccups.
Endgame a bit thin, hope lies in DLCs
As with every Monster Hunter, the endgame begins with the high rank – and thus with the real challenge. Your hunter rank reflects your experience. The higher it is, the harder quests and monsters await you.
For most, the game really begins in high rank, with new, stronger armor sets. You can equip these with decorations to significantly improve your stats. This is where the tinkering for the perfect build truly begins.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, as seen from predecessors, there will again be stronger variations of monsters. I won’t reveal more at this point.
The long-term motivation lies mainly in improving and building new gear. Some do this to improve their stats and take down monsters even faster. For others, fashion is the motivation of the endgame. With high rank comes the transmog system: you can now cosmetically use armors without sacrificing good stats. To do this, you only need to have built the high rank armor piece once.
There are also little endemic creatures on the map that you can catch and collect. And of course, there are trophies to unlock.
Since we cannot show anything from the endgame for NDA reasons, here’s my Palico.
You reach high rank quite quickly when you play steadily. I did that for this test and needed about 15 hours. As mentioned, I am now over 40 hours and still have plenty to do. For me personally, a significant long-term motivator is indeed co-op. Because it is simply great to farm armor parts together with other hunters and support each other. You also receive loot for yourself that you can always use.
Capcom has managed to distribute rewards pretty well throughout the game this time. For every progress, there is something new to look forward to, and there are also some surprises involved. New features will occasionally be added in high rank.
However, you will quickly reach the point where you have seen every monster in every variation. I strongly suspect that Capcom will want to quickly push out DLCs and event quests here. This would keep the motivation up, as more content would gradually arrive after the release. That is at least my hope and I would actually like that, as it prevents burning through the content too quickly. We already know the first DLC monster, which is the fan favorite Mizutsune. Long-term motivation mainly appeals to the types of players who enjoy optimizing and grinding.
My hope: Capcom delivers regularly – so that we can enjoy new content longer instead of rapidly clearing everything. A big expansion, like Iceborne for Monster Hunter World, is also very likely.
Conclusion: Monster Hunter Wilds will hit hard
I am convinced that Monster Hunter Wilds will be one of the most successful games in 2025. This can clearly be predicted from the beta numbers on Steam and the generally positive sentiment around the game. With the full version, I can now say that the beta has given a good impression.
Monster Hunter World was already popular and did not even release simultaneously for consoles and PC, as is the case for Wilds now.
The game has already established itself in the West with World and will fully do so with Wilds. Because the quality has been further increased in comparison. When I look at the things I criticize, it is already complaining at a high level. Still: Capcom, please take care of a simpler UI for the next title.
For me, Monster Hunter Wilds borders on perfection in terms of refining the core elements. The flow of the game around monster hunting and looting is simply getting better and better. That makes the franchise so good. It knows what it wants and optimizes exactly that.
I expect a great hunting feeling from a Monster Hunter. That is exactly what Wilds achieves with the now very lively world. In addition, Capcom is increasingly focusing on the battles and has streamlined the game around it without losing depth. I am particularly pleased that we have received a great variety of armors and weapons here – grinding for the prettiest outfits and the best stats is really fun!
Despite minor weaknesses, Monster Hunter Wilds offers one of the best hunting experiences in the series – and is likely to get even better with future updates.
Pros
Dynamic World: It feels alive, with realistic weather changes
Riding & Combat Flow: The new mount system makes everything smoother
Is it suitable for newcomers? It is a bit difficult for me to assess how cumbersome Monster Hunter Wilds actually is for newcomers. However, I would say that this Monster Hunter is a good starting point. Overall, Capcom is making more effort to guide new people, for example, by displaying your weapon combos in the UI. It has also become a bit easier to get through the main story. Learning the complex fights and systems is somehow part of it. We will definitely be on hand with advice and assistance on MeinMMO.
You want to play Monster Hunter Wilds? Then check out our release live ticker, where we already provide you with the most important information and first guides.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Joker is one of the most popular villains of all time. This is not only due to his relationship with Batman, but also to his portrayal by various actors in movies and series. A mime often doesn’t fare too well, as shown by a dedicated DC series that mocks this.
Which series is it about?Teen Titans Go! started in 2013 and has had 8 seasons to date. The cartoon series is based on the superhero group Teen Titans, led by Robin, who is known from the Batman universe.
However, the series is not a classic superhero series, but a comedy series mainly for children that parodies various aspects of the genre. It was produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, which is why the series regularly pokes fun at DC.
In one episode, various interpretations of the Joker are shown and given respect. Except for one: the one by Jared Leto from the 2016 film Suicide Squad.
Image rights of Suicide Squad belong to DC and Warner Bros.
Start video
Suicide Squad – Trailer for the first adaptation of the anti-hero group
You can’t just slap on some tattoos and fake teeth
What happens in the episode? To get into a secret hideout of the Joker, the Teen Titans must outsmart the guards at the gate. They then try to mimic various Joker interpretations. They also dress up.
It starts with Cyborg impersonating Jack Nicholson. Beast Boy tries to copy Heath Ledger, even imitating his iconic smacking and speaking in pseudo-philosophical questions. Then comes Robin, covered in tattoos, as a Jared Leto interpretation.
You can watch the clip here:
https://youtu.be/WPIJddqTGHw?si=aIlYknpubgzBxXkM
The Joker’s henchman reacts only angrily with: Wait a minute, that’s not the Joker. The other members of the Teen Titans also react angrily and ask Robin what he is actually doing. Cyborg harshly criticizes Jared Leto’s portrayal:
Jared Leto? You can’t just slap on some tattoos and fake teeth and make me think you are any kind of crazy person. Starfire adds that no one buys that from him.
To save the situation, Beast Boy dresses up once more as the Mark Hamill Joker and convinces the henchmen.
Why is Jared Leto unpopular as the Joker? There are indeed viewers who liked the Joker, but some fans criticized the portrayal especially in comparison to greats like Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, and Heath Ledger.
Living in the world of Game of Thrones is quite dangerous. It is not for nothing that the series is notorious for letting numerous characters die. However, not every place is equally dangerous. A statistic shows which locations one should better avoid on a spontaneous visit to Westeros and Essos.
What kind of statistic is this? In 2019, shortly after the release of the final eighth season, The Washington Post published a comprehensive statistic about all 6887 deaths in Game of Thrones. They also counted at which locations in the series the most deaths were seen.
A death was only counted if:
The death is explicitly shown in the series
The death is not seen directly but occurs very clearly after a specific scene
The death is not seen but is a very prominent part of the plot
Of course, the numbers cannot be 100 percent accurate. In action-packed battle scenes, it is somewhat more difficult to determine the exact death toll. It becomes even more complicated with dragons, which can literally burn whole groups of people with a single breath. Nevertheless, the statistics show especially deadly locations where one should definitely not linger.
Start video
Game of Thrones Kingsroad shows powerful monsters in the video
The bottom of this list is occupied by the Goldroad. This is one of the main roads in Westeros that connects the realm of Casterly Rock in the west to King’s Landing in the east. The Goldroad is also used, among other things, to transport gold from the famous gold mines of the Lannisters to the capital, hence the fitting name.
In the series, the Goldroad became an important location in episode four of the seventh season. To secure her power, Cersei needs resources. An army of Lannisters, accompanied by Jaime, transports gold and food along the Goldroad to King’s Landing. But just before they reach their destination, they are attacked by Daenerys on her dragon Drogon and the Dothraki. A fierce battle ensues, during which especially numerous soldiers fall victim to the deadly dragon flames.
Number of deaths: 116
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
