In recent months, the lead developer repeatedly insisted that XDefiant is by no means dying, despite corresponding reports and declining player numbers. However, he had to swallow the bitter pill and announce the end.
What does Mark Rubin announce in detail? Via X, the Executive Producer of Ubisoft San Francisco states that work on XDefiant will be discontinued.
From now on, no new downloads and registrations will be possible.
The contents of Season 3 are still set to go live. The servers will go offline permanently on June 3, 2025.
Buyers of the Ultimate Founder’s Pack will receive a refund.
Players who made a purchase in the last 30 days will also receive a full refund.
A comprehensive FAQ that also answers questions about refunds can be found at ubisoft.com.
Here is one of the trailers for XDefiant:
Start video
XDefiant Game Overview Deep Dive Trailer
End with Announcement
What were the problems with XDefiant? XDefiant is a fast-paced PvP shooter from Ubisoft that was expected to compete with Call of Duty in the mid-term with its service model. The game came out after delays in May 2024 and has since been expanded by two seasons.
The special features of XDefiant:
In certain game modes, there is no skill-based matchmaking (SBMM).
The playable factions, all of which have different abilities and gadgets, are based on well-known Ubisoft game series like The Division, Splinter Cell, and Watch Dogs.
After a strong start (with a Ubisoft record for the game that attracted 5 million players the fastest), the PvP shooter struggled with declining player numbers; in addition, cheaters and engine problems caused frustration. In recent weeks, reports from industry insiders emerged predicting the end of XDefiant if no miracle occurred.
The developers, for their part, have repeatedly emphasized that there are no plans for the game’s discontinuation. For example, they explained that the low player numbers were also due to the fact that little energy was put into marketing. They intended to address that only after fixing the major issues of the shooter. Now it is clear that this will not happen anymore.
Big Layoff Wave at Ubisoft?
Industry insider Stephen Totilo reports via bsky.app that the game discontinuation is likely not the end of the matter. Apparently, Ubisoft is closing the studios in San Francisco and Osaka. The team in Sydney is reportedly being “scaled down”.
According to the post, part of the XDefiant developers are transitioning to other projects. Up to 177 employees are reportedly set to lose their jobs due to these measures, according to Totilo.
Samsung is one of the most well-known manufacturers in the mobile phone sector. However, the manufacturer now offers a variety of devices and models. But what do all these abbreviations and model series like Z, S, A, M, and Note stand for?
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Samsung presents a whole range of new phones and models every year. It feels like new numbers and letters are added each year. But what do all these abbreviations mean, and what should I keep in mind when buying a device? MeinMMO introduces you to the most important series from Samsung and explains what the abbreviations mean.
Here, we will present the currently most significant and semi-current series. Very old models will be deliberately excluded.
With the S series, you get the current and modern hardware of the Korean manufacturer at Samsung. Here you will find the so-called flagship models of the manufacturer. There is the best camera, the largest battery, and the most performance. The downside, however, is that the devices often come with a high price tag.
The S series is further divided into S without addition, Plus, and Ultra. Some models also have an FE edition. The Galaxy S24 Ultra costs around 1,500 Euros. However, this is also the current state of technology.
Who is it worth for? You want the best technology, the best camera, and price is not a concern for you? Then you will get exactly that with the S series.
What alternatives are there? Xiaomi 14T, Google Pixel 9, and iPhone 16.
Galaxy Z
The Z series currently includes all of Samsung’s foldable phones. Even the first Fold is counted in the Z series, although only the second generation carries the “Z” in its name (Galaxy Z Fold2). At Samsung, they differentiate between “Flip” and “Fold” depending on how the phone is folded.
Similar to the S series, you get high-end technology and unique features here. However, this is also reflected in the price. The current Z Flip 6 has a retail price of 1,199 Euros.
Who is it worth for? You want a top-current phone, but all the current devices seem too large? Foldable smartphones fill exactly this gap. Other manufacturers also offer foldable and flip phones by now.
What alternatives are there? Xiaomi Mix Flip, Nubia Flip 5G, Honor Magic v2, Google Pixel Fold.
In the A series, you will find primarily budget models and phones that already belong to the mid-range. This means that the technology is not top current, but starting from a certain price, you already get a good camera and decent battery life.
Until 2018, the models were sold as the J series, and starting in 2019, the J series became the A series.
However, you have to do without the latest features in the A series, but the prices usually remain below 300 Euros.
Who is it worth for? The A series from Samsung is particularly interesting if you do not want to spend more than 300 Euros on a phone, but still do not want to miss out on a good camera and acceptable performance. You might not get the latest features, but you will receive all important updates for Android. Whether you should still use a phone with outdated Android can be read on MeinMMO.
What alternatives are there? Nothing Phone 2, Redmi Note 14, Motorola Moto G73 5G.
Galaxy M
The M series, like the A series, primarily focuses on affordable mid-range devices but is priced slightly lower than the A series. The M series was promoted for a long time as a cheaper alternative to Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, mainly in Asia, but it is now also coming to Europe.
The M series also boasts modern technology and provides you with fast displays featuring AMOLED technology. The special feature of the M series is that Samsung has provided these models with a particularly strong battery.
Who is it worth for? Technically, A and M models are very similar, with M models having a somewhat stronger battery. If you’re often on the go and don’t want to constantly recharge your battery, then the M series is worth a look.
What alternatives are there? Xiaomi 11T, Nothing Phone 2, Redmi Note 14.
The Note series was long considered a flagship alongside Samsung’s S series. Due to their size, they were also called “phablets,” a hybrid form between a phone and a tablet. A main feature of the series was for a long time a digital pen that could be hidden in the case. Additionally, the Note series relies on very large, borderless displays.
The last model in the series was released in 2020 in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Ultra). Samsung has since discontinued production of the Note series. Some features, such as the smart pen, have been adopted by the S series.
Who is it worth for? The Note series is no longer produced and is therefore only available as used.
Galaxy XCover
The XCover series from Samsung represents a niche, as it consists of so-called outdoor phones or “rugged phones.” Therefore, the series focuses on long battery life, a waterproof and robust casing. Additionally, you can also replace and swap the battery.
Other features, such as wireless charging or a good camera, are often sacrificed. Pricing is around 300 Euros.
Who is it worth for? Are you looking for a phone for on the go that should be robust and stable and be a “construction worker’s phone”? Then the XCover series is well suited for that.
What alternatives are there? Blackview N6000, Oukitel WP21 Ultra, Ulefone Armor 13, Cat S62 Pro.
The developers of EVE Online are making an MMO shooter set in the same universe as the MMORPG. MeinMMO editor Dariusz spoke with Scott Davis and Snorri Árnason from CCP and gives you an idea of what EVE Vanguard is supposed to be.
What kind of game is this? The creators of EVE Online are making a new game: EVE Vanguard. It is intended to be an MMO first-person shooter (MMOFPS) in a sci-fi setting. To this end, the developers are currently hosting a series of playtests, where the first players can get an impression of the game. The current playtest runs from November 28 to December 9, 2024.
What is EVE Online? EVE Online is a subscription-based sci-fi MMORPG where all players play on the same server and colonize space with numerous planetary systems. There is no clearly defined game objective in EVE Online. Primarily, players pursue the development of their own characters as well as the accumulation of personal in-game wealth. Accordingly, there is a great focus on the game’s market system and economic actions. EVE Online repeatedly features massive space battles where thousands of players face off and fight for resources, for example.
EVE Vanguard is supposed to take place in the same universe as EVE Online, but instead of controlling a spaceship, you control a character with a gun. Therefore, the developers express confidence in the interview with MeinMMO editor Dariusz that EVE Vanguard will also be of interest to players who have never played EVE Online.
The shooter does not have a release date yet. However, the current schedule of the developers anticipates starting Early Access on PC around 2025 – a console version is planned, but the focus is initially on PC.
Start video
The developers of EVE Vanguard present the MMO shooter in the video
An MMO, but not a Destiny clone
In principle, you pursue the same goal as in most MMOs: you want to get stronger to face tougher challenges. To become stronger, you can either craft various components or find them on the planets. And this is where the actual gameplay loop begins.
You go to a planet and fulfill contracts. You can also loot diligently and mine resources. Time and again, you will need to fight against hostile NPCs or other players. Up to this point, EVE Vanguard sounds like a classic extraction shooter, but the developers report fundamental differences in the interview:
This game works without you bringing anything into or out of combat. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about completing missions on the surface. So basically, you just go on a mission, get things done. Extracting is an option. Completing a mission is an option. You can just have fun, but progress is based on collecting loot and getting things done, but that’s not all. There are also game modes without extraction.
And here everyone who is not in the mood for another extraction shooter pays attention. The developers do not want Vanguard to be defined by a single mode. There should also be structured PvP modes, an economic system, and crafting.
For our Destiny community at MeinMMO, we of course asked if EVE Vanguard would also have pure PvE experiences. Senior product manager Scott Davis revealed to us: “Yes, I think we will do that, we want to expand PvE experiences as well. […] The pure PvE mode is something we want to think about, and we hope we can have a structured PvE mode similar to the structured PvP ‘Insurgency’ mode.”
However, there is a catch for Destiny fans. Game director Snorri Árnason made it clear that there will probably be no raids in EVE Vanguard. While he says it could be interesting, it doesn’t fit the core of the game. Instead, they want to fill planets with players and give them various activities to do. In this sense, it should also be clear: EVE Vanguard is not a loot shooter. You do loot various things and upgrade your weapons and equipment, but it is not a loot shooter.
You determine how the ‘story’ progresses
In Destiny 2, you have a long scripted story that has developed over many years and came to an end with the expansion “The Final Shape.” In EVE Vanguard, you, the players, determine what happens. In the universe of EVE, there are huge wars among players. You are also involved in these wars in EVE Vanguard. The games are interconnected.
And to gain the upper hand in a battle between factions, players need to make decisions in consultation with each other. The community of EVE Online and EVE Vanguard issues the task that you fulfill in Vanguard – for example, to obtain a resource that helps your faction in the war.
The war, and thus the story that is driven forward by the players, proceeds based on the decisions and actions of the community. Helldivers 2 is a good comparison:
The game master Joel issues a general command because the robots are attacking 2 planets.
You must defend the planets, but the time and resources are only enough to save one of the two planets.
On planet 1 you get new anti-tank mines, on planet 2 a new rocket launcher.
The players must discuss among themselves which “reward” they want and thereby which planet they will save. The other planet falls into the hands of the robots.
In EVE it is similar, only the players take on the role of the game master and the robots. You need to figure out for yourself which planet has the more important resources for you and which planet you leave to the enemy faction (also players).
Ideally, the communities of EVE Online and EVE Vanguard even coordinate with each other and support each other. This influence that your decisions have on the course of the game is one of the fundamental features for the developers of EVE Vanguard.
EVE Online has been a successful sci-fi MMORPG for many years, but the developers have had less success with other games. One of these games is the online shooter Dust 514, which was shut down in 2016. Snorri Árnason showed us that they have, in fact, learned from the failure of Dust.
One lesson is, for example, that they are developing EVE Vanguard first for PC. This is their “home platform,” and they know it well. Consoles will come later.
Another lesson is that they do not want to sacrifice their vision and think too small. They want to develop a sandbox MMOFPS, so they are not showing anything smaller and saying “we will add that later.” They focus on their vision, which they work on from start to finish. Development is indeed a process that occurs in stages, but they know exactly where they want to go.
In Black Ops 6, there are various mechanisms that Activision has implemented to ensure fairness among different player groups. However, a supposedly new system is stirring the emotions of the community, even though it has not been confirmed that such a system exists in the game.
What is Skill-Based-Damage? Currently, the community of Black Ops 6 is spreading rumors about a Skill-Based-Damage system. To explain: Skill-Based-Damage (SBD) is supposed to be a system that weakens your damage against other worse players. This means if you used to take down your opponents with the AK in 5 shots, with SBD activated, you would need 7-8 shots.
According to fans, the system is supposed to work in conjunction with SBMM (Skill-Based-Matchmaking) to ensure that you go easier on fights against worse players so they also have a chance to enjoy the game. No matter how good you are, you will eventually be pushed to lose, but does this system really exist in Black Ops 6? We will try to answer that for you.
Start video
CoD Black Ops 6: Prestige explained – Is it worth it?
A rumor remains a rumor for now
Is there SBD? Unfortunately, we cannot give you a definite answer, as we are not involved in the code or the system of Black Ops 6. Many YouTubers have conducted countless tests to prove SBD, but Activision remains silent.
According to a patent, Activision is said to have designed a system (via patents.google.com at [0075]) where aim assist and the damage of good players are reduced. So, SBD generally exists, but we cannot confirm with certainty whether this system has actually made its way into Black Ops 6.
Where does the rumor come from? Currently, Black Ops 6 has many stability issues. From lags to packet losses, everything is affecting performance and disturbing the gaming experience of many fans. Many players are dissatisfied as crucial mechanics only work partially or not at all.
Warzone is currently a wreck with countless lags and game crashes; Activision also offers double XP weekends where the boost does not work. In addition, there is a community event where a weapon can be unlocked. However, due to a bug, the progress for unlocking the weapon is not counted, and to counter this, Activision sells the same weapon in a paid bundle.
There are many points that are currently stirring emotions, and rightly so. It is quite possible that fans want to explain the problems and frustration by thinking that a new system makes them fight worse than they actually are.
The cursed swirlies in World of Warcraft have probably caught every hero off guard at least once. That is supposed to change in the future.
Those who have been playing World of Warcraft for many years are familiar with the basic rules. You stand in fire as little as possible, you do not touch slowly moving death lasers “for testing” just briefly, and you move out of the green healing area so that the druid in Discord can get all worked up.
A similar rule applies to the “swirlies” – whenever such an effect strikes somewhere, it is best to stand far away to avoid dropping out of the fight prematurely. But seeing this is sometimes not so easy. This is something that Blizzard also realizes.
Start video
WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
What is a “swirly”? The “swirlies” (in German “Kringel”) are used in World of Warcraft in many different places. Almost all boss fights use some variation of them to indicate where a harmful mechanic is hitting that should be avoided. Usually, several of these swirlies hit at the same time, as seen in the fight against Ovinax. It is a fundamental mechanic that requires dodging.
What is the problem with this mechanic? There are several problems with it:
Most swirly effects do not have a distinct edge, but fade outwards. This often leads to standing in an effect even though one thinks they have dodged it.
Often the swirly effects have a less than optimal contrast, making them difficult to see. When red swirlies hit a red floor while fire sweeps through the room, it is very hard to see these effects clearly.
In the general effect storm of modern WoW, the swirlies are often “under” other animations, so you might not see them at all when playing a caster class that is currently escalating through effects.
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What does Blizzard want to change? In an interview with the professional guild Liquid, lead encounter designer Taylor Sanders and senior encounter designer Stevel Cavallaro discussed the upcoming patches. In Season 2, a new swirly animation will be used, which will be applied to the new raid and all dungeons of the new season. The intention behind this is clear: Such harmful effects should be easier and clearer to recognize.
Sanders mentions that he is bothered while playing that he is frequently hit by effects that are simply not easy to recognize because so much is happening on screen. He hopes there will be plenty of feedback on the new animation once it is ready for testing on the PTR of Patch 11.1. How World of Warcraft will continue was explained in the roadmap.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Palworld are in a legal dispute with Nintendo over the infringement of several patents. However, a mod for GTA V could change the situation.
What is this legal dispute about? Palworld was released in January 2024, and for a long time, it seemed that Nintendo and the Pokémon Company would refrain from taking legal action. Because from the release of Palworld, it was evident that the game draws inspiration from Pokémon and its mechanics.
The lawsuit centers on three patents, one of which could reopen the case – thanks to GTA V.
Start video
Nintendo files lawsuit against Palworld creators!
Patents are a complicated matter
What does the patent cover? To understand the situation, one must know what exactly Nintendo’s patents mean. One of them deals with a central element of Palworld, namely the catching mechanic.
The patent covers the catching of monsters in an open area using a catching item (a Pokéball or Pal Sphere in Palworld).
Here’s where it gets interesting: The patent was only filed in 2024 – after the release of Palworld. How can Nintendo claim to be the original inventors of this mechanic?
To find an answer to this question, one has to look further back in time. Two years before Palworld, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released, in which players also catch monsters in an open world with a ball. Nintendo might insist that this game introduced the mechanic.
Moreover, the 2024 patents are based on an older one from 2021. Thus, Nintendo could refer to this, stating that the patent was filed long before Palworld and would be secure. If it weren’t for… GTA V and a mod.
How can a GTA mod help? The Japanese lawyer Ryo Arashida specializes in patents and has stirred up a twist in the whole story with a statement to Nikkei Business.
He points out that there is a mod for GTA V from 2016 where players already threw balls at monsters in an open game world and captured them. Additionally, there are weapons in the game, similar to those in Palworld.
The lawyer does not name the mod, but it is likely the “Pokémon GO Mod” for GTA V. The mechanic used in it is very similar to the description in Nintendo’s patent. This could result in the patent losing its effect and Nintendo failing in court.
In the trial, it could indeed be determined that Nintendo did not invent the said mechanic, but that the GTA mod is considered a predecessor.
If this is actually recognized in court, Pocket Pair would be protected from this part of the lawsuit. However, there are still two other patents that will play a role in the trial. We wanted to know how high Nintendo’s chances are in court: Nintendo sues Palworld, what are the chances of success? – We spoke with lawyers
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Steam has been around for several years. A user on Reddit has shared old screenshots showcasing what the platform looked like in the past, evoking a lot of nostalgia.
When did Steam launch? In the distant year of 2003, Valve launched its distribution platform Steam. Specifically, it was released on September 12, 2003, for Windows, and only years later, from 2010 onwards, for macOS. Initially, gaming companies thought the project would fail.
Today, Steam is an integral part of the gaming world. About 132 million gamers (via demandsage.com) use the platform monthly and accumulate more and more games in their library – even though many often remain untouched. But that’s just how it is. Valve continues to produce its own games, currently the title Deadlock, for which even its own rules are being broken.
On Reddit, a user has dug a bit into the past and shows screenshots of Steam from 2003. Nostalgia is guaranteed.
Start video
A user asks Valve if he can bequeath his many games on Steam – they reply
Back to the grey prehistoric era
What did Steam look like back then? When launching the program today, users are greeted with a sleek and modern interface. Over the years, Valve has made slight changes to the design.
However, if you look at one of the first versions of Steam from today’s perspective, you can still recognize clear differences. The login window resembles today’s the most. Here, one could log in or create an account.
In contrast, the main page was far less decorative than it is today. A small window in iconic green offers several options: Games, Friends, Servers, Monitor, Settings, and News.
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Click through the images to succumb to nostalgia yourself.
If someone wanted to add games to their library or find friends, they also had to do so in such a box. In principle, many functions are still very similar, just the appearance has changed significantly over the years.
What does the community say about it? Under the post on Reddit, many players who were there 20 years ago gather and feel immense nostalgia in response to the screenshots. It even goes so far that some wish for the old interface back, although it appears to be far less comfortable.
“Honestly, I wish we had the option to use such a user interface, with separate windows for everything,” writes user MiaTheEstrogenAddict.
“Damn, I miss that time. I was a kid, sitting all weekend at a friend’s house at a LAN party playing CS. I wish I could go back,” reminisces Kalamiess.
“I didn’t even use this version, yet I feel nostalgia,” describes drymattymat his thoughts.
CSForAll goes even further: “Wow, I was born then.”
“I remember it being slow and quite crash-prone,” writes InternationalAD6744.
Surely not everything was good and beautiful at Steam in the past. It is noteworthy, though, that even players feel nostalgia who have never even used that version. Were you already around back then? What memories do these images evoke in you? Feel free to share them in the comments. Did you already know that there is a feature on Steam only because Valve had a problem in 2003?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The latest installments of the God of War series from 2018 and 2022 allow for an emotional development of the protagonist Kratos. However, the creator of the series, who did not work on these installments, criticizes exactly that. He expresses harsh words against Santa Monica Studios.
Who is the creator of God of War? The creator of the God of War franchise is David Jaffe, an American game designer. He was involved in the development of the first three parts, but not in the two latest installments of God of War from 2018 and God of War: Ragnarök from 2022.
He is currently no longer active in game development; his last project dates back to 2017: Drawn to Death for the PS4.
Start video
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla – Expansion in the Trailer
David Jaffe criticizes Santa Monica Studios and the “new” Kratos
What does David Jaffe criticize? In an interview with IGN, Santa Monica Studios talked about what contributed to the emotional development of Kratos. Bruno Velazquez, one of the co-directors at Santa Monica Studios, said among other things:
One could say that many of our projects in our games and the way we approach them reflect a bit the personalities and personal experiences of the studio. The earlier games of the Greek era were perhaps our college years; and now we have all grown up and have our own families. We try to reflect these personal experiences through Kratos and some of the other characters with whom he interacts.
In one of his YouTube videos, David Jaffe expressed his displeasure about the latest God of War installments. He believes that the approach of Santa Monica Studios is wrong. For him, it is important that existing characters remain true to the personalities given to them at the start.
He compared Kratos with Indiana Jones: He does not want these characters to grow up. Furthermore, he criticized that the studio could project their personal developments onto newly created characters, but not onto already established ones: “No, damn it, that’s not what these characters are, neither Indy nor Kratos!”
What else does David Jaffe say? David Jaffe also adds that he would like the games themselves, but in his opinion, they no longer represent God of War: “Don’t damn call it ‘God of War.'”
What are the reactions? The comments under the video are divided. Some are on the side of David Jaffe, some are not:
theboshawguy7763: “You say the new Kratos is too emotional, but in the original games he wiped out a whole damn pantheon, driven by rage and sorrow – so emotions.”
xxMKtooStronk__: “He’s absolutely right. I want the young Kratos, full of women, corpses, and without feelings – not some old family man.”
BeretBay: “I understand the feeling of not liking a character to stray from their originally intended personality, but in the case of Kratos, I could not disagree more. This is one of those cases where it was simply executed too well to dislike it. He has evolved – not regressed.”
John Wick is one of the best modern action movie franchises. Stylish fights and a cool protagonist who doesn’t say much characterize the series. MeinMMO presents you with 5 more movies that give you a similar experience.
How was this list created? John Wick stands for pure action and little dialogue. The fights are stylishly staged and border on the absurd. The following films on the list are very similar and focus on the well-known aspects.
cool main character
fast, stylishly staged action
good choreography
This list obviously cannot include all the films that fit the theme. If your favorite film is missing, feel free to write it to us in the comments.
[toc]
1. Hard Boiled
Release: 1992 | Directed by: Gordon Chan | Currently streaming: Amazon Prime Video (subscription)
Start video
Hard Boiled – Trailer of the Chinese action classic
What is Hard Boiled about? Hong Kong has a gun smuggling problem that led to a war between two gangs. At the center of it all is a policeman who lost his partner during a raid. Now he wants to take down the gangs with inside information.
John Woo revolutionized action cinema with his Hong Kong films. They were brutal and dark, but also stylish. One of his best films is Hard Boiled from 1992. Wild shootouts mix with classic mixed martial arts in unforgettable set pieces. Without John Woo, there might be no John Wick, and Hard Boiled still stands up to action films today.
This is what IMDb ratings say: On IMDb, the film has a score of 7.7 out of 10 stars with 55,260 ratings.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Game Awards also allow players to vote each year on which title is chosen as Game of the Year. The list of nominees is a curious mix of popular but also controversial games.
What are the Game Awards? This is an annual awards ceremony that honors the best games of the year in various categories. Among them is the main award “Game of the Year”, as well as specific genre categories such as “Best Action Game”.
The community now has the opportunity to correct the omissions and “mistakes” of the official jury. A separate voting allows players to vote for which game was truly the best of the year.
Will Dragon Age: The Veilguard be the Community Game of the Year? Here you can see the trailer:
Start video
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Unleashes the Dragon in Official Launch Trailer
You have the choice of 30 games
Which titles are up for vote? While only 6 games are nominated in the jury voting, the community selected a total of 30 titles beforehand. From these, one can now be voted for, with the community voting going through three rounds.
Looking at the list, some games stand out particularly. In addition to critic favorite Astro Bot, popular games like Black Myth: Wukong, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, or Dragon’s Dogma 2 are nominated. Also, Helldivers 2 or fan favorites like Fortnite or League of Legends are on the list.
However, there are some nominations that stand out particularly.
At the same time, the developers of Palworld, Pocket Pair, are embroiled in a legal dispute with Nintendo. Notably, no Pokémon game has yet won a Game Award for Game of the Year. Should Palworld triumph in the community voting, it would have the upper hand here.
The much-discussed Dragon Age: The Veilguard also appears among the nominees. In the jury voting, it was only nominated in the category “Innovation in Accessibility”. This category focuses on new features that make it easier for a broader audience of players to enjoy gaming.
Now, a large part of the community voted for a nomination of the game. This shows that a significant portion of the negative feedback likely came from a loud minority, and the majority actually enjoyed the game. The backlash that the title faced does not seem to represent the entire gaming community.
What else stands out? That the Elden Ring DLC and the remakes of Silent Hill 2 and Final Fantasy VII are even nominated by the community is somewhat surprising. Not because the games cannot compete qualitatively with others, but because players had only recently complained about the jury nomination of these very titles.
No matter how the vote turns out in the end, not all players are likely to be satisfied with the results. This year, there are several controversial candidates, which makes the race all the more exciting.
Whether an expansion like Shadow of the Erdtree is really justified to be chosen as Game of the Year was a point of contention among players. The fact that the DLC is now appearing on the list shows, in the end, a certain unity. Initially, they thought the Game Awards were cheating: Players believe that the gaming Oscars changed their rules so that Elden Ring can win again
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On December 3rd, the PTR for Season 7 of Diablo 4 starts, and you can test everything from day one. For the first time, you can also try seasonal content there. We summarize the content from the patch notes for the PTR patch 2.1.
When does the PTR start? The PTR (Public Test Realm) for Season 7 is said to start on December 3, 2024, according to Blizzard. We expect a download around 7:00 PM. All players on Battle.net will then have until December 10 to check out the new content. For the first time, seasonal features from the season are also integrated. Previously, players only saw these with the start of the new season.
All content that you can view on the public test server will be available from day one. On the PTR for Season 6, it was different – certain content only arrived during the testing week in Diablo 4, making the testing period shorter.
Update, December 3rd: The article has been updated. Additionally, Blizzard has re-disabled the boost NPC after the PTR started, as it caused server crashes. Community Director Adam Fletcher writes at 7:48 PM in the Blizzard Forum:
“We are seeing some server crashes due to the boost NPC and its interactions with multiple players of the Paragon levels. We will block the functionality of the NPC (Mrak) in the coming hour. It will be reactivated tomorrow morning with fixes. This is not an ideal start for our PTR of Season 7. We apologize for this, but we want to ensure that players can enter without interruption while we fix Mrak’s issues.”
Update November 27th: Blizzard has released the patch notes for patch 2.1 for the PTR today. We will add the detailed English patch notes on the second page of the article. Once they are available in German, we will adjust the article again. A small warning: the patch notes are very extensive.
Learn more about the difficulty levels in Diablo 4 in the video:
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Diablo 4 shows the new level system and difficulty levels in the video
Witchcraft powers and occult gems
What you can test on the PTR: With Season 7, new features come to the base game, but also seasonal content. You will receive the content and the boost for your character from the “PTR Boost NPC”. The following content is according to Blizzard available from day one on the PTR:
Any boosts for base content:
Choose level 50 or level 60 for your character
A fully revealed map (including waypoints and strongholds)
Class mechanics
All difficulty levels
Upgraded healing potion
All aspects in the Codex of Power and leveled Paragon glyphs
Legendary items for various classes and builds, all uniques
All hardening recipes and the ability to use completion
Mats, gold, and obols
The new armor chamber where you can save, rename, and switch builds. This is a feature that players have been demanding since the release of Diablo 4.
All powers of witchcraft, which basically represent the mechanics in Season 7. The powers of witchcraft remind of the Witch Doctor from Diablo 3 in terms of individual skills. With the Piranhado skill, you summon a “Piranhado” that draws enemies towards it and causes damage. And “Vengeful Spirit” spawns a servant that draws damage and causes shadow damage.
New seasonal enemies, the “Head-Malicious”. There are specific bounty tasks related to the opponents, but also boss variants of them. If you defeat the bosses, you will receive their heads, which you can exchange for the seasonal occult gems.
The new witch powers in Season 7 of Diablo 4.Occult gems in Season 7 of Diablo 4.
The occult gems are seasonal, socketable items that you receive from the “Whispering Tree” – on the PTR the boost NPC equips you with them. The gems grant you additional affixes and complement the powers of witchcraft. Each occult gem provides 160 armor and 8% resistance to all damage types.
There will also be changes to the “Whispering Tree”, which should also be available on the PTR. The city will be redesigned, merchants will be added, and the waypoint will be moved, allowing players to reach the tree faster. There will also be “Ravens of the Tree” on the map where you can drop off your gifts, so you won’t have to constantly go back to the tree. Additionally, there will be new chests with “bequeathed” items, which dropped less often in certain variants in Season 6 than the super-rare Mythic Uniques.
8 new uniques and 3 new runes (the latter if you have Vessel of Hatred).
On the PTR, you have the opportunity to check out the new weapon chamber. Diablo 3 already had this function, and players have been demanding it in Diablo 4 almost since release. The feature enables a quick switch between different builds, which is especially practical in the endgame. In October 2024, it was said that the feature was in development. In the last “Campfire Chat” livestream, developers announced that the armor chamber is actually coming in Season 7 in Diablo 4.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Sony is currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of the PlayStation with a trailer. A short scene from the video has taken the fans of one of the best games of the PS4 era by surprise.
Which game is it about? Looking at the numerous hits that FromSoftware has released in the past 15 years, one thing stands out: Almost all major “Souls” games have been released for various platforms or have received a modern remaster (Demon’s Souls).
The only exception is Bloodborne – one of the best games of the PlayStation 4 era (with a Metacritic score of 92) – which has only been available on the PS4 and has never received a next-gen update to optimize performance, providing a consistent 60 frames per second.
The atmospheric adventure in Yharnam is so popular that players have been wishing for a technical update, a full remake, a PC release, or a sequel for many years – accompanied by numerous fan trailers showing locations from Bloodborne in Unreal Engine 5 (for example here on YouTube).
Bloodborne is already nine years old, but it has not lost any of its charm and class:
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Bloodborne Debut Trailer
The rumor mill greets annually
What does the Sony trailer show? The slightly more than two-minute video celebrating the 30th anniversary of PlayStation (via YouTube) strings together scenes from well-known franchises like Horizon, Uncharted, God of War, or Spider-Man, accompanied by a sentence that picks up on one of the themes dealt with in the just shown game. Metal Gear Solid touches on honor, while God of War is about family.
In the very last gameplay scene of the trailer, it is precisely Bloodborne that is shown, accompanied by the text: “It’s about perseverance.” On the one hand, this is something that characterizes all Souls games from FromSoftware, on the other hand, it also resonates with many fans who have been patiently waiting for news about the Bloodborne franchise for many years.
How does the community react? What this brief scene triggers in many players is shown by a post on Reddit, which has already received more than 10,200 upvotes and over 600 comments.
Sony has hurt the feelings of beholdthecolossus, who no longer believes (via Reddit): “They are doing this on purpose now.”
Cpt_DookieShoes says on Reddit: “But this is actually the first time Sony has mentioned Bloodborne in an advertisement. I thought it was illegal to mention Bloodborne at Sony.”
SnowNo971 is sure (via Reddit): “This is a sign!!! The key to Bloodborne 2 is perseverance!”
bonniebowl writes on Reddit: “The fact that it ended with that must mean something, right? Haha? Right? … ”
BaileyJIII is outraged (via Reddit): “The way Sony used this shot from the launch trailer at the end of the 30th anniversary video is so incredibly malicious and intentional, that I am even angrier than that they will not meet the demand. This will fuel the Bloodborne copium for another year. Does Sony hate money?”
How realistic is an announcement? Some fans build their hopes on an announcement for the Bloodborne brand on further pillars:
The PS4 version of Bloodborne from 2015 will go offline for maintenance on December 3rd. Is Sony perhaps preparing something during the maintenance?
There are rumors that there could be another PlayStation showcase in December (via gamepro.de). If that does not happen, From Software might also make a big announcement about Bloodborne at the Game Awards on December 13, 2024 – where Elden Ring won the “Game of the Year” award two years ago and is also nominated again this year.
The pre-sales of Path of Exile 2 are reportedly in full swing. Now the head of the game explains how many players will fit on the server.
Why will there be a rush? The pre-sale of Path of Exile 2 is already in full swing. On Friday, December 6, 2024, the game will launch at 8:00 PM on all platforms in Early Access. Path of Exile 2 is highly anticipated by fans. On Steam, the game is already ranked 3rd among the best-selling games days before its actual release (via SteamDB).
Recent videos – like the nearly 80-minute YouTube video on endgame content with over 3 million views and the gameplay trailer on YouTube with 2.6 million views – reflect the great interest from players.
Developers have it easier, as they can see how many copies of the game have already been sold. The chief developer of the hack and slash adventure now gives a hint about how many may actually be.
Here you can see the cinematic intro of the game:
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Path of Exile 2: The Cinematic Intro of the Greatest Diablo Competitor
5 times as many players as Path of Exile
How many players are expected? Game Director Jonathan Rogers mentioned in an interview (via YouTube) that the developers discussed the game’s capacity with service providers. For the launch of Path of Exile 2, the team is planning for one million instances.
An instance is a map that currently exists on the server. In Path of Exile, players could also keep multiple instances active by continuously switching between them. Whether this will work in Path of Exile 2 is still uncertain.
In the interview, Rogers explained that they would expect one million players. That would be about 5 times as many as Path of Exile had at its all-time peak in July 2024 on Steam. At that time, almost 230,000 players were online simultaneously in PoE (via SteamDB).
The developers can already see from the pre-orders how many potential players will try their game over the weekend. Even though the pre-sale on PS5 only starts 24 hours before the release, the team surely already has a good picture of what awaits them at the EA launch.
What if there are more players? In case more than one million players are playing simultaneously, the developers have already spoken with their server providers in advance. While only one million players will find a spot on the servers on Friday, the capacity can likely be increased afterward.
In a test, the development team was even able to create 1.6 million instances before reaching the limit. The creators’ goal is to increase this number to 2 million instances before the game launches on Friday.
The player Venn from World of Warcraft is back and has hunted the bosses in the anniversary raid of the Blackrock Depths. To deal over 500 million damage with just one hit, however, a lot of preparation was necessary.
How did Venn achieve this? With his monk, the ability Touch of Death, the trinket Miasmic Bite of the Blighted Behemoth, and a lot of dedication. Each potentially successful attempt takes a full six hours. Venn had to endure more than 40 failures in the process. First, let’s look at what the two key effects do:
Touch of Death: Can only be used against creatures that have less health than you and kills them instantly.
Miasmic Bite of the Blighted Behemoth: Injects a digestion poison into an opponent and deals nature damage over 20 seconds. As long as it is active, your attacks and abilities against the target restore health. Overhealing from this effect permanently increases your maximum health by the same amount. The effect transforms into an absorption shield after leaving combat.
Venn’s strategy was to amass so much health with his monk that he could take down raid bosses with one or two powerful hits.
The Blackrock Depths as a raid? The 20th anniversary of WoW makes it possible:
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
No kill strategy to imitate
How is this possible? Venn visited the dummies in Stormwind with his monk and two priests in tow (for Spirit Guardian and Guardian Angel) to painstakingly raise his health points using Miasmic Bite of the Blighted Behemoth.
Although the effect scales with versatility and critical strike rating, it still took about six hours to accumulate 700 million health points (and only if you used class buffs like Inspiring Shout from the warrior).
Why 700 million? Because the bosses from the anniversary raid in the Blackrock Depths have less than 700 million health points.
Why the Blackrock Depths? Because BRD is still marked as a normal dungeon instance, allowing you to teleport there without leaving combat. This is not possible with normal raids.
Why can you not leave combat? Because the effect of the trinket can only stack infinitely as long as your character is in combat.
The last point also presents Venn’s greatest challenge: A disconnection or lag at the wrong moment results in the effect wearing off. The same applies if the loading screen when entering the Blackrock Depths lasts a tick too long. In that case, the past 6 hours were for nothing.
You can watch Venn’s strategy in the video on YouTube:
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Venn also couldn’t rely on auto attacks while beating up the dummies (and simply disappear from the PC temporarily), as characters in capitals like Stormwind are sometimes sent into different phases, causing them to stop their attacks.
If that happens, there is a window of about two seconds to manually resume combat and thus prevent the accumulated health points from becoming a strong but useless absorption shield.
With the accumulated health points, it then goes into the dungeon, where, of course, one must also never leave combat until reaching the intended victim. By the way, Venn then noticed that there seemed to be a maximum cap for the damage from Touch of Death.
Elden Ring and the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree are among the most popular games of all time. Now the developers from FromSoftware have talked about their future projects.
What is the current status of From Software? The creators of Elden Ring are likely enjoying the accolades of their successful DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, which was nominated as the first expansion ever at the Game Awards. The DLC received extremely positive reviews from the press, achieving an average rating of 94 out of 100 on Metacritic.
While the DLC is currently the talk of the town, the developers are of course using this time to work on additional games. However, a sequel to Elden Ring is currently not the focus.
You should spare an old grandma in Elden Ring, because her stew makes you strong:
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Elden Ring: This old lady provides you with an amazing stew if you spare her
No Elden Ring 2 for now
What does the future hold for the Elden Ring brand? Although the Elden Ring brand is currently stronger than ever, there will be no successor to the hyped open-world adventure for the time being.
Developer legend Hidetaka Miyazaki stated at the “PlayStation Partner Awards” to IGN Japan: “We are not really considering developments like those of Elden Ring 2.” Thus, a sequel in the form of a successor to the title named Game of the Year 2022 by the Game Awards will not happen for the time being.
Instead, the developers are working on several other games. These are expected to differ in genre from Elden Ring. Studio Director Miyazaki himself is leading only some of the projects, while others are managed by different experienced lead designers, similar to what recently happened with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.
What will happen to the Elden Ring brand? Although there will be no Elden Ring 2 for now, new games for the IP are conceivable. Hidetaka Miyazaki states: “I want to make it clear that we do not rule out the possibility of developing the ‘Elden Ring’ brand in any form in the future.”
In the beta of Monster Hunter Wilds, the combat feeling felt oddly lackluster. The “boom” of monster hunters was missing. Now it is clear: the so-called “hitstop” is set to return in the release version.
What is the “hitstop”? It refers to the brief slowdown of the gameplay that occurs as soon as you hit a monster with a particularly hard hit. This way, the impact of the attack is felt particularly palpably by the monster hunter in front of the screen.
Monster Hunter Wilds: 20-minütiges Gameplay zeigt Karminwald und neue Monster
“Hitstop” makes a comeback
Has the combat experience improved? Thanks to a preview event at Capcom in Osaka, Japan, it is clear that the developers have already processed the beta testers’ feedback. Austin Wood from gamesradar.com reports that the “hitstop” is back in the current version of the game, making the fights feel immediately more powerful and satisfying.
This insight is also underscored by a post from Creative-Desk-9346 on Reddit, which included a short video clip from the game showing the brief delay.
In a group interview, Director Yuya Tokuda also confirmed that after the beta, they eagerly switched back to the usual player experience. They only made adjustments to the “hitstop” because there was quite a bit of criticism regarding it after the launch of Monster Hunter World from overseas.
Consequently, they were very happy about the feedback from the beta, as the “hitstop” is simply part of the Monster Hunter experience.
With Arcane Season 2, the series came to an end, and many characters received a definitive fate. However, behind the fate of fan-favorite Jinx, there seems to be more than meets the eye. Fans have found details that suggest a much more open ending.
Attention Spoilers: The following article contains spoilers about the end of Arcane Season 2.
What happens to Jinx at the end of Arcane Season 2? In the finale, during the fight against Viktor’s army, Jinx and Vi confront Warwick, who is completely controlled by Viktor. A fierce battle ensues in a large tower.
There, Jinx saves Vi and together with Warwick, they plunge down the tower. It looks as if Jinx has died. A harsh fate for such a beloved character. However, many fans believe this wasn’t the end for Jinx. They cite plausible clues that can be discovered in the series and outside of it.
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How much Arcane cost
Fans believe that Jinx is alive
What are these clues? @joygotjinxed summarized 10 pieces of evidence on x.com that are supposed to show that Jinx is not dead, but survived the fall. We present the 4 most plausible clues to you.
The first two clues are basically a combination. Just before the impact of Jinx and Warwick, we see a pink lightning bolt appear. This is reminiscent of Jinx’s super speed, which is often depicted this way.
Shortly thereafter, we see Caitlyn holding the remnants of a monkey bomb and examining the Hexgate plans. There, she also spots a kind of escape tunnel. Caitlyn examines it closely as well.
At the end of the last episode, a flying airship can be seen. One naturally wonders who is supposed to fly it. Jinx fits perfectly into this pattern.
In the first episode of the series in Season 1, Jinx, then still the young Powder, states that she will also fly such an airship one day. In Act 3 of the last season, Jinx talks to an imaginary Silco, who advises her to run away so that her cycle ends.
The third strong clue is Ella Purnell, the voice of Jinx, and creator Christian Linke. In an Afterglow episode about Act 3 (via YouTube), Ella Purnell is asked whether Jinx is really dead. She responds: We don’t know. We leave it open for interpretations.
In an interview (via Twitch), Christian Linke spoke about the relationship between Jinx and Ekko, saying: And I think it’s worth that their story continues. You probably wouldn’t say such a thing about dead characters.
A final plausible clue is found in the Artifact Edition of the book “The Art and Making of Arcane.” It is written from Jinx’s perspective, and alongside comments on characters like Ekko, the packaging repeatedly states in English: I live.
How plausible are these clues? Jinx has become the mascot of League of Legends and Arcane. Killing her off seems odd at first, but since characters like Jayce and Viktor have also been given a final ending, it’s not entirely impossible.
However, the clues strongly suggest that Jinx is still alive. Ending with a flying airship, without further information on who is inside, appears unusual in a show like Arcane, which is full of hidden details.
Also, the details outside the series do not seem accidental. Leaving a death open in a spoiler discussion is a strong argument for Jinx’s survival. The lines in the art book likely weren’t written down purely for stylistic reasons.
MeinMMO editor Leya was able to visit the Capcom studio in Japan (Osaka). There, she played 7 hours of the beginning of the full version of Monster Hunter Wilds. She particularly noticed the strong contrasts in the action RPG.
Already on the plane to Japan, I am thinking about what to write in my preview. For MeinMMO, I will be playing the full version at the studio with other journalists at the invitation of the publisher. After the free beta, I already make the judgment: Monster Hunter Wilds will be a strong candidate for Game of the Year 2025.
For me, the story feels globally told up to the release. I become nervous about not being able to tell you anything new after my visit. However, that changes abruptly when I play the full version and notice something that I didn’t perceive in the beta.
This is what we were able to try out: We have a total of 7 hours to play the beginning of Monster Hunter Wilds as it will ultimately exist in the full version. This includes the desert area Windebene, which was already present in the beta, and the Karminwald. The forest, which is infused with red everywhere, is open for us to enter for the first time.
The monsters we chase during this time are Chatacabra, Lala Barina, Quematrice, Congalala, Balahara, Alpha Doshaguma, and Uth Duna. You can find them all in our monster list.
We can also look at crafting and create some weapons and armor from the monster parts we’ve hunted.
We were able to record our gameplay, and you can watch a 20-minute compilation of it here:
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds: 20-minütiges Gameplay zeigt Karminwald und neue Monster
With Lala Barina, I understand what makes this Monster Hunter special
I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in the beta that we could only play the desert map here. I just can’t stand the desert anymore. The other areas look so much more exciting!
I am even more excited when I enter the Karminwald.
Because it is visually something completely different than the vast desert. There are vertical landscapes, interesting-looking plants, and water. However, a red veil stands out, giving the forest its memorable name. The given quest leads me to the monster Lala Barina, which resembles a spider and seems to wear a giant tutu.
And this is where it gets really interesting. Each monster is introduced with a small cinematic scene that aims to showcase the character of the monster. With Lala Barina, I suddenly feel like I am facing a Lovecraft horror monster. A very unusual design for Monster Hunter that drifts a bit into science fiction.
Lala Barina looks like it came out of a nightmare
The battle with the spider is quite dynamic. Lala Barina moves quickly around you with its long, thin legs. What makes the battle particularly nasty are the red, pollen-like clouds that the monster leaves behind everywhere and that damage you. A small tip on the side: You get the opportunity to forge a weapon with the fire element before the fight, which is very practical against these red clouds.
Suddenly, I notice how contrasting Monster Hunter Wilds becomes.
Because the quest before Lala Barina leads me to Quematrice, which looks like a giant fire rooster and acts accordingly. The cinematic scene here makes me laugh hard. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you and won’t go into too much detail. But imagine a group of hyper cute Palico cats carrying a gigantic steak and defending it with their lives against the rooster.
The battle with the Quematrice could not be more different than with Lala Barina.
From the super funny battle with Quematrice, it goes directly into a horror scenario with Lala Barina. The more I think about it, the more contrasts I notice in the setting. It fluctuates strongly between the fantastic, humorous, and a natural look.
Of course, humor has always been a part of Monster Hunter, but in Wilds, it seems even more extreme to me. After the horror spider Lala Barina, it directly goes back to the farting monkey Kongalala.
We always have a humorous thread that runs through our games. The designers try to make it so that our game is not always funny or just super dark. There has to be a balance that shows different facets or sides of things. There is not just a dark character or just a funny character. I believe every character can have these sides, and that applies to the world, where one of the main concepts is that nature has such a wonderful side but also a dark, ruthless side.
I hope that when you play the entire game, you see that we have maintained that “Monster Hunter” balance, where it occasionally gets a little looser so that it never gets too dark. But yes, whatever individual people find funny, I think that depends on individual humor. It’s good to hear that the humor of the designers apparently aligns with that of the players.
I think one of our intentions is – I don’t know right now if the word caricature has a positive connotation in English or German – but, you know, to try to characterize the emotions that we want to show so that they are easily understood while playing the story. So, that you quickly understand the feeling that the developer intended. I believe they will be pleased to hear that in cases where it was intended to be a nice, funny moment, it has come across.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Although contrasts have always been normal for the franchise, this time they stand out particularly for me.
Elements become more important for fighting than previously thought
Alongside the strong contrasts, I have noticed things again that I found quite cool in the beta. Monster Hunter Wilds comes with a new wounding system. You can inflict wounds on the monsters at various places on their bodies.
If you use the new focus mode, the wounds light up red, and you can specifically target them. Each weapon has a special cool move to inflict a lot of damage stylishly. These moves fully embrace the power fantasy, making me feel like the fiercest hunter of all time.
Another feature is that with the new secret mount, you can now carry two weapons. Already in the beta, specific secondary weapon metas established themselves: bring the hunting horn, which gives you buffs through musical performances, or a ranged weapon like the bow. With the bow, you can currently easily inflict wounds on the monsters and target them.
Since I also lack any fantasy in thinking of something other than the obvious options, I casually asked the developers for recommendations for a secondary weapon.
To address the hunting horn, right after the beta, I believe it is too powerful as an emergency weapon for solo players. We will rebalance that. It will naturally still be useful, but we don’t want it to be the obvious choice for the secondary weapon that outshines all other weapons directly. That’s something we will change.
As for the combos, I believe many haven’t thought about elemental properties yet because we had a limited selection of weapons in the beta, and most also didn’t have enough time to think about it in detail. But as soon as you are able to carry two weapons that have elemental properties, even if they belong to the same weapon type, that opens up a lot of potential to choose creative weapon combinations. Sleep and paralysis, for example. This kind of elemental stuff will also play a role in focused mode when inflicting wounds. As an example, there are monsters where you want to bring a non-elemental weapon to inflict basic damage. And then, when the monster gets angry, you might find that a specific element works really well against that angry state.
Or another monster: For normal attacks, take a non-elemental weapon. And once the wounds are opened, there may be an element that has a strong effect on it. So even if you have, for example, a great sword, you could carry two of them and choose the right one for each situation. And I believe that will open up a lot of potential combos, and everyone will enjoy discussing to figure out what the best choice is for a particular battle or monster.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
That makes this whole weapon combo thing even more exciting! I can already imagine how the forums and YouTube will be full of strong elemental combinations and the community trying to figure out what works most efficiently against which monster.
Although I am not a min-maxer in my builds, I love to experiment with builds that are fun for me personally and not necessarily the most efficient. And a paralysis-sleep combo with two hammers sounds like something I would enjoy.
Classic RPG fans among you will surely be pleased to hear that there is more story in Wilds than in previous Monster Hunter installments. I won’t spoil anything here, don’t worry.
However, it should come as no surprise that the focus will again be on a monster causing an anomaly that disrupts everything. This time, however, there are more elements with characters that seem to have more background and help advance the story.
The cutscenes are more detailed and longer, bringing more emotions with them. Here it also helps that the player’s character can now speak, making the story feel more immersive.
However, do not expect a super detailed story where you can completely empathize. The focus is still on grinding and beating monsters. But it is definitely a nice touch that the world becomes increasingly immersive overall.
Monster Hunter Wilds is getting really exciting
My opinion hasn’t changed even after playing the full version. Monster Hunter Wilds remains a strong contender for Game of the Year 2025.
However, after the preview, I understand better what makes this Monster Hunter particularly strong. For me, it is clearly the contrasts present in the game, leading to some very unusual monsters. There is an interesting balance between some very fantastic themes and a natural atmosphere that fits Rathalos and Rathian as well.
Thanks to the information that elements will play an important role in the new wounding system on monsters, my curiosity about the battles and the dual weapon system has increased.
The Rompopolo from Monster Hunter Wilds has really captivated Leya, and she is simply in love with this oily monster. Through her enthusiasm, she received some previously unknown information about him from the lead developers. Among other things, how nasty words on the internet made the designer of the Rompopolo sad.
I just played the full version for 7 hours during a preview event, and now I have the opportunity to ask a few follow-up questions about it. Actually, only one question is buzzing in my head that has nothing to do with what we played and saw during the preview.
We were able to roam around in the Karminwald ecosystem and hunt there. However, a few weeks ago, Capcom presented the Oil Swamp ecosystem. This is an area where oil oozes from the ground and is crisscrossed with deep oil sponges.
In the Oil Swamp lives a monster that immediately charmed me and that I find just damn cute: The Rompopolo.
Rompopolo has one of the most exciting designs ever seen in Monster Hunter.
I could have immediately hugged and cuddled him! I especially like the long pointed beak combined with the round, wobbly head. The way he clumsily hops around on his chicken legs is just really adorable.
They called him disgusting: A shame, I say!
The Rompopolo had nothing to do with everything Capcom showed us about the Karminwald during the preview event. But I really want to learn more about this curious monster, and I try my luck. I rave to the developers about how cool and cute I find Rompopolo and that it would make me very happy if they could tell me something about him that hasn’t been revealed yet.
I might expect a small anecdote or that my question will be dismissed with the promise that more information will be coming soon. But no, I get a very detailed answer:
So I make sure she knows that at least one other person thinks just like her.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Immediately, I feel for the designer!
I reassure the developers again that I also find Rompopolo super cute and that their designer shouldn’t let anything affect her from the comments that disdain Rompopolo.
In reply, the developers make a really exciting comment:
I think what we aimed for is a “You either love it or hate it” design. To be honest, the idea that some people find it cute while others find it creepy is exactly what we wanted. One thing to look out for is the Palico gear of Rompopolo. It’s unique. Let’s just say: Very unique.
Furthermore, you haven’t seen what Rompopolo looks like when the gas has already escaped and it is all shriveled up. You can look forward to that when it’s not so full of gas.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Since then, I’ve been thinking about what Rompopolo will look like when its gas has escaped. I find it particularly cute that it looks a bit puffy due to the gas in its body. Will it be small and wrinkly? Will it look more smooth like an eel? What does that mean for its gameplay? Can you only inflict wounds on it when the gas has escaped?
Questions about questions! I am very excited about how Rompopolo will function and look overall.
I am very sure that its designer and I cannot be the only ones who find Rompopolo cute. It just makes me sad when you call him disgusting.
Creepy and weird I can somewhat understand. But not disgusting…
I would be very happy if Rompopolo becomes a fan favorite, and I think he actually has a good chance of that. His design is super unusual, and I believe his combat will be pretty fun and unique.
I also really need a plush toy of him, and that will only happen if he enjoys sufficient popularity. Otherwise, there probably won’t be any plushie produced.
Later, the developers came back to me and told me that they wrote to the designer right after the interview that there is another person who finds Rompopolo cute. She was very happy about that, which in turn made me very happy.
If you love Rompopolo as much as I do, please feel free to be vocal about it. Maybe you’ll make a designer very happy who has given us one of the coolest monsters in the series.
A preview of the gameplay event can be found below. In it, you can also learn more about the Karminwald and see 20 minutes of gameplay from the area:
When we designed the monster, one of the first things we agreed on was that it would use gas-based attacks. Part of that… well, one of the best designs we came up with and that we used was the idea that its face looks almost inspired by a gas mask. Basically, I believe in games or character designs, only psychopaths wear gas masks. It’s always some weird guy who wears the gas mask. So the idea was that it wears a gas mask and the gas builds up in its body until it can no longer contain it. It was just such an unusual idea compared to past designs in Monster Hunter, so I really wanted you to think: This is a truly strange creature. Hopefully, that was successful.
So the lady who developed Rompopolo thinks it’s cute. When we announced it, she read the comments online, and they were all like: “Disgusting, creepy, weird.” And she said: “What do you mean? It’s super cute.”
So I make sure she knows that at least one other person thinks just like her.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Immediately, I feel for the designer!
I reassure the developers again that I also find Rompopolo super cute and that their designer shouldn’t let anything affect her from the comments that disdain Rompopolo.
In reply, the developers make a really exciting comment:
I think what we aimed for is a “You either love it or hate it” design. To be honest, the idea that some people find it cute while others find it creepy is exactly what we wanted. One thing to look out for is the Palico gear of Rompopolo. It’s unique. Let’s just say: Very unique.
Furthermore, you haven’t seen what Rompopolo looks like when the gas has already escaped and it is all shriveled up. You can look forward to that when it’s not so full of gas.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Since then, I’ve been thinking about what Rompopolo will look like when its gas has escaped. I find it particularly cute that it looks a bit puffy due to the gas in its body. Will it be small and wrinkly? Will it look more smooth like an eel? What does that mean for its gameplay? Can you only inflict wounds on it when the gas has escaped?
Questions about questions! I am very excited about how Rompopolo will function and look overall.
I am very sure that its designer and I cannot be the only ones who find Rompopolo cute. It just makes me sad when you call him disgusting.
Creepy and weird I can somewhat understand. But not disgusting…
I would be very happy if Rompopolo becomes a fan favorite, and I think he actually has a good chance of that. His design is super unusual, and I believe his combat will be pretty fun and unique.
I also really need a plush toy of him, and that will only happen if he enjoys sufficient popularity. Otherwise, there probably won’t be any plushie produced.
Later, the developers came back to me and told me that they wrote to the designer right after the interview that there is another person who finds Rompopolo cute. She was very happy about that, which in turn made me very happy.
If you love Rompopolo as much as I do, please feel free to be vocal about it. Maybe you’ll make a designer very happy who has given us one of the coolest monsters in the series.
A preview of the gameplay event can be found below. In it, you can also learn more about the Karminwald and see 20 minutes of gameplay from the area:
With Warframe: 1999, the action shooter receives a massive update. Alongside story content, there are also several new features. Among them is a syndicate with whom you can chat and flirt. The developers took inspiration from the romances in Baldur’s Gate 3.
What romances are we talking about? In the new update, Warframe will have a new syndicate: The Hex. Composed of six proto frames, this elite fighting unit will be your central point of contact in Warframe: 1999. And you can date these fighters – every single one of them, regardless of your own gender.
Through KIM (Kinematic Instant Messaging), you can chat with the members of the Hex and get to know them better, befriend them, or even start a romance. At certain points, you have the option to withdraw your interest if you are not satisfied. This way, you have the freedom to choose which proto frame has caught your eye, even if your opinion about them changes.
The developers placed great importance on ensuring that each of them is unique and requires different approaches to gain their trust and affection. They particularly liked the romance system in Baldur’s Gate 3, which they used as a model for Warframe’s own system.
Start video
Warframe shows new trailer for the upcoming expansion ‘1999’ at Tennocon 2024
“Best wishes reimagined by Larian”
In what way did the developers take BG3 as a reference? In an interview with PCGamesN, Creative Director Rebecca Ford and lead writer Kathryn Kingsley discussed their idea behind the romance system. They name Larian with Baldur’s Gate 3 as a major inspiration for their own system.
The team “took the essence of what Larian did right and reimagined it for their own multiplayer game”.
A particular challenge was especially the fact that Warframe is a live-service shooter and not a single-player RPG. Nevertheless, they want to realize the depth of the romances in Baldur’s Gate 3 in their own Warframe universe. They want to create characters and relationships that feel as real as possible and have meaning for the player.
Particular attention was paid to ensuring that the proto frames, with whom one is allowed to enter into a relationship, are especially individualized. It was particularly tricky in this regard to make the system as a whole feel as authentic and natural as possible. In the interview, Rebecca Ford stated regarding this:
“You are trying to express something very un-analogous in an analog way – with a score from one to 100 or with hearts, or you earn [love levels] in a sort of automated manner. I believe that romance in games is still very much in its infancy.”
A lot of emphasis was also placed on the intensity and length of the conversations with the proto frames. The total volume of all possible dialogues is around 140,000 words. Each of the characters can either build a relationship with the player’s drifter in the form of friendship or romance, so care must be taken to maintain the balance.
Warframe: 1999 is set to be released in December 2024. A specific date is not yet known; however, Warframe is scheduled to be part of the Game Awards on December 12, 2024, which makes it likely that a date will be announced there. Currently, you can get the prequel to Warframe for free on Steam until December 4. What it’s all about, you can read here: A really good action shooter is currently free on Steam – an interesting insider tip for Warframe fans
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
